Ero Skill Tree

Chapter 17 - Seventeen: Leveling

I parted ways with Beth as she closed up her shop and headed back to the adventurer's guild. It was just starting to get dark as I climbed up the steps to the guild. I was half hoping to run into Jules again in the guild hall, but she was nowhere to be seen this evening. She had seemingly already left after her shift on the desk. It looked like I would be spending the evening alone. I decided to find an empty table and grab some food before they finished serving. After eating I toyed with the idea of taking a stroll to walk off the meal, but in the end, I thought better of it and headed up to my room for the night.

The next day I was woken by the sound of knocking at my door. It was definitely light when I woke so, I already knew this was no midnight visit. I fell out of bed and after quickly throwing on some clothes, answered the door. It was Lillia stood on the other side.

"Good morning Theo!" She said to me with a beaming smile.

"Oh, good morning Lillia, you're back?"

"Yes, I did say I would only be a couple of days."

"You did. How was it, everything sorted?"

"Yes, it was thank you."

"So, what do we do today? I'm sure you have something planned."

"I do. We have a lot to do. I didn't want to leave you so early on in your training, so we have to catch up."

"Right."

"Anyway, how were things here? Did you cope on your own?"

"Everything was fine. I even got to Beth's for some swordsmanship training."

"Ah, that's great. So, you've been keeping busy, I'm glad to hear it. If you're ready to go, we should head out."

"Ready when you are." I said closing the door and stepping into the corridor.

"Then let's go." Lillia said setting off at pace.

I quickstepped down the hallway after her. We headed straight downstairs and Lillia pushed on through the guildhall heading to the entrance. I glanced across to the front desk as we crossed the room, Jules was already there at the front desk. I gave a little wave as we passed, but she didn't notice, she was busy talking to a customer. We neared the entrance and I started to worry we were going to leave without having breakfast when Lillia turned to me.

"Don't worry, we're going to stop and get something from the market. I know a good stall where we can get something that we can eat on the way out." She assured me.

"Lead the way."

I was a little relieved we weren't going to skip a meal. I didn't mind stopping somewhere different for a change. I had eaten breakfast nearly every morning in the guild hall since I had arrived, so a change was welcome.

We arrived at the stall after the short walk from the guild hall, there was a little que to get served, I took this as a good sign that food was at least edible. We had to wait a few minutes, but then we stocked up on enough sandwich rolls for the walk out and for lunch, then we were on our way again. It wasn't long before we had made our way through the crowded streets and out into the open countryside.

"So, what is the plan for today?" I asked Lillia once I'd finished my roll.

"Well, first we're going to head back to the wood. If possible, I would like you to gain two levels before lunch. If you can do that then we'll head out somewhere a little more dangerous slightly further out."

"Two levels before lunch?"

"Yeah, it'll be hard, but I think you can manage it."

"Well if you think so…" It seemed like a lot.

It had taken hours the other day just to go up one level and I had to kill at least fifty of those little bunny monsters to do so. I wasn't sure how the levelling system worked, but I suspected that each level you had to gain more experience in order to reach the next. Curious I asked Lillia if that was the case.

"Yes." She answered. "It's just like you guessed. You have to do more to gain each level."

"Isn't it going to take forever to kill enough of those creatures in that wood."

"Don't worry. I have a plan for that." She told with a smile.

"Right."

"You'll be able to inflict more damage than you could the other day and you've been training with Beth. So, don't look so concerned." She said reassuringly.

It wasn't long before we had reached the woods. Just like the last time we were here Lillia stopped us just on the edge of the wood to talk before we went inside.

"Just like before Theo. You go on ahead and I'll back you up from behind."

"Okay got it."

I drew the blade on my hip and stepped into the wood. It was dark inside just like last time and I still got a creepy vibe from the place as I made my further in. At first there were none of the little bunny monsters to be seen, but then something whistled over my head and something smashed on the floor about ten meters ahead of me. It was some kind of glass vile and the red liquid that it had contained was sprayed across the floor. I looked back to Lillia as it was clearly her that had thrown the thing, there was no one else around.

"What was that?" I asked her.

"Keep your wits about you. That liquids draws them in." She replied.

I quickly turned back to where she had thrown the liquid and she really wasn't joking. There were already about ten of the little buggers up ahead where vile had smashed. I could already make out the sound of many more heading in our direction as their strange growls rang out across the wood. That stuff was going to bring the entire forest down on us.

"Prepare yourself here they come!"

The closest group of the bunny monsters were moving on mass towards me. The first two at the head of the group both jumped at me together, somehow, I managed to hit both with a single swing. My blade cutting through the first and then eating into the second, sending bunny chunks flying. I didn't have a second before the rest made their move one after the other, I sliced them in half until eventually I had worked my through the entire group, leaving only a pile of bloodied corpses on the ground.

I had no time to rest, as a group just as large as the first approached from up ahead. I glanced side to side taking in my surroundings and they weren't alone. There were groups approaching from the left and right of our position. If we weren't careful, we, I, was going to be overwhelmed.

"Don't worry, you've got this!" Lillia shouted from behind, sensing my unease and trying to reassure me.

As she called out, I felt my body lighten and any sense of tiredness slip away. It was the technique she had use when we first met, and I killed the ogre. Once I realised what she had done, I felt my confidence lift a little as I knew the boost it gave me. I prepared for the onslaught as the three groups of monsters converged on me.

I swung, slashed and stabbed in every direction as they came down on me, but that still wasn't enough. I had to boot some clear, just to by myself time in between slashes. I soon lost count of the number killed and now had to be careful not to trip on the growing piles of bodies. More groups must have converged whilst I was fighting as the bunny monsters never stopped coming. At some point in the middle of the onslaught I heard a tada noise, signifying that I had gone up another level and with it came an increase of speed and energy. Yet there was still no end in sight of the end of the bunny monster's attack.

Finally, after at least another thirty minutes of fighting the last of the hoard fell. I flung the blood off my blade and leant heavily against a nearby tree, trying to catch my breath.