The snapping sound of wood echoed through the trees, like a walking cane striking stone.
It came in steady rhythm, marking their slow progress through the jungle. But it wasn’t the only sound. Voices carried alongside it, as Elias and Marco chatted jovially while making their way toward the very heart of the newbie zone.
Marco swung his sword decisively at any branches or obstacles that blocked their path, cutting a clear trail through the jungle. Elias followed close behind.
Elias supposed this counted as good training for a swordsman, but a wave of lethargy hit him just thinking about having to swing a sword around all day like that. Slipping through the jungle foliage was much easier than hacking at every other leaf, and he could move a lot faster that way too.
On the other hand, dealing with the monsters they encountered was far easier as a duo. When smaller creatures appeared, Elias handled them with ease, allowing Marco to keep clearing a path without interruption. Against the larger monsters—ones Elias usually struggled with—he served as a distraction while Marco struck with his sword from behind, bringing them down quickly and effortlessly.
For Elias, the arrangement was perfect.
He had been gradually delving deeper into the jungle as he grew stronger, following the limit-testing strategy his parents had taught him. But despite his improved physical attributes and advanced fighting skills, he hadn’t progressed all that far yet. Without a weapon, taking down the larger monsters on his own simply wasn’t worth the effort.
There’s only so much a punch or kick can do against creatures with a thick hide.
The deepest Elias had delved over the past few days was into an area where the monsters ranged between levels 3 and 8. He could go deeper if he really pushed himself, but doing so would likely mean taking hits now and then and having to use potions to heal.
Even though his parents had given him a supply, and they weren’t nearly as expensive as the recovery potions he used regularly, he didn’t want to be wasteful. More importantly, relying on healing potions was a terrible delving strategy. They were meant for emergencies, not as a substitute for caution.
The experience gained from each monster they defeated was shared equally between the two of them. Somehow, the System was able to accurately recognize when people were working together in the jungle. As a result, the experience was split automatically—even when Elias took down a monster on his own.
Still, his experience gain didn’t slow down in the slightest compared to when he delved alone. The monsters he and Marco were facing were higher-level than what Elias was used to, and consequently, they were worth more experience.
It took several hours for the pair to reach the core area of the zone. Despite their slow pace, the time it took to get there was still a testament to just how vast the jungle truly was.
Even if Elias had been alone, he would’ve only been faster by an hour or so at most. More importantly, he likely would’ve picked up a few injuries along the way from facing the stronger monsters on his own.
By the time they reached the core area, Marco had already gained enough experience points to level his Intelligence to level 10. From that point on, all the experience they continued to gather was funneled into Elias alone—skyrocketing his gains. By the time they arrived at their destination, he had already accumulated 13,940 exp.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
While that wasn’t enough to level any of his physical or mental attributes, it was enough to level his lowest one: Charisma. He could have saved the experience and waited until he had enough to raise a more impactful stat, but Elias decided he’d neglected Charisma long enough.
Charisma was the attribute that governed a person’s ability to gain insight into themselves—the first step on the path of self-discovery. Increasing it broadened a person’s perspective on their own experiences, helping them better understand their identity, values, desires, and motivations. That insight, in turn, made personal growth easier to attain, fostering confidence and self-assurance, making them more charismatic.
And while nearly everyone wanted the result of improving this attribute, not everyone was ready for the process. Elias, for one, was apprehensive about what he might uncover by leveling it.
Deep down, he was afraid of discovering that all his social troubles—the years of loneliness, of having no friends—had been his fault all along.
The mere thought made his chest tighten with stress and anxiety.
People were remarkably good at avoiding this kind of stress simply by not thinking about it. In many ways, it was like how children believe they become invisible by closing their eyes. But avoidance never solved the root of a problem—it only allowed it to fester.
You can’t know what’s in front of you unless you open your eyes.
Elias knew that increasing his Charisma would force him to reexamine parts of his life he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to face, and he doubted the process would be emotionally painless.
But as he made his way through the dungeon with a real friend for the first time, he realized he wanted the benefits of a higher Charisma sooner rather than later. Even if it was unlikely, the mere possibility of screwing things up with his new friends because of poor social awareness filled him with dread.
But it wasn’t just that.
He wanted to grow as a person, to better understand his own thoughts and feelings.
He wanted a better social life, and everything else that came with improving the attribute.
Hells, he wanted a girlfriend too.
So, Elias spent the 11,000 experience needed to level up his Charisma, silently promising himself that he would keep leveling it until it was at least on par with the rest of his attributes.
 
Congratulations! Your Charisma is now level 6.
 
Elias was overcome by a strange burning in his chest that made every hair on his body stand on end—a sensation eerily reminiscent of heartbreak. His chest tightened, and a sudden, overwhelming urge to drop to his knees and cry seized him.
But just as quickly as it came, the feeling vanished.
He was left dazed by the experience, only snapping out of it when he heard the sound of Marco engaging a strange monster in combat. Before rushing to help, he paused, trying to sense what had changed with the attribute increase.
To his surprise, nothing felt different. So, without further delay, he activated Analyze on the monster and jumped into the fight.
*******
Sharpclaw Anteater
Level 10
Common
*******
The beast was a perfect example of why hunting monsters in a party was the better choice. As its name suggested, it had razor-sharp claws and could lash out with a regenerating tongue to distract its opponents. However, it was slow to turn, an exploitable weakness that allowed Elias and Marco to take turns striking from behind.
The monster didn’t stand a chance.
You have gained 200 exp.