Insect Ruler
14 - Level Up!

The two of them followed the trail for a few minutes, while Yuji thought about what he saw. He wished he had his stats to compare, even though it might not be a good comparison.

He has a natural weapon, hopefully enough in the fight. But he wanted to hunt.

The idea of a good fight and fresh meat made his heart beat faster due to the excitement and his mouth watering.

The hunger was getting bigger in his stomach, but he still had enough strength to last a while. It has to be done. He didn't even know what he could eat. Except for the meat, of course, given what his Queen had said, Ryuu.

At that moment, he stopped again, this time beside the bush with black berries. It seems like half of them have been stripped.

“You should be able to eat it,” Ryuu said.

“Please, eat as much as you want.”

Ryuu took one of them and put it in his mouth. Yuji. The berries tasted quite good, and before he knew it, he had already eaten a handful full. Ryuu eats a little too, but not as much as Yuji.

"Sheesh... So greedy... " Ryuu muttered while looking at him silently.

Then, after his hunger had been satisfied, they continued on their way.gazing around, looking at the birds chirping in the trees above them. They might as well taste good, if he could find a way to catch them.

“I hope to get a deer,” Ryuu explained calmly, “or maybe a weak monster. Can you help me track down the prey?”

“I'll do my best for you, Oh, my noble queen.”

Yuji focused on what his nose olfactory instinct could say. He did catch a trail of deer, but he didn't know how he recognized the smell. There should be a herd around here. Monsters are harder to identify.

But she started walking towards him smelling the stench of a deer, his queen following him. They quickly discover a game track that may be used by deer. He could also smell the water nearby, though he did not see the stream itself.

The wind shifts, which will help them hide their scent from their prey, but make it harder for them to find their prey. They had not walked that far, but Yuji had the impression Ryuu had never been here before. He looked around vigilantly.

He frowned at himself, breathing in the air deeply. There's something about it. The trees began to thin in front of them, possibly leading to other open spaces, but they were still thick enough to hide behind.

"Wait!" He darted forward and grabbed Ryuu's hand, stopping his queen who wanted to go further. He could almost feel a sudden surge of anger from her, but his attention was fixed on the trees.

A few meters away, right behind them, the leaves rustled. They turned around and he let go because the smell was getting stronger. Then the monster jumped out.

After a while, he recognized her as a Leopard. A very big one. Its fur is mostly blackish-gray, although its eyes are light Blue, and when it shows its teeth, its eyes look very large and sharp.

When Yuji looked at her, the System gave him a notice.

...[.Wild Leopard — Levels?] ...

As he thought about it, a burst of heat appeared in front of the Leopard. He jumped to the side just in time to avoid the monster's sudden fire.

He crashed into the tree behind them, letting out sparks.

Bam!

Yuji's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the Beast, then he turned to the Queen. But he was fine, he dodged to the other side.

Now that Yuji was advancing towards the Monster tiger, his makeshift spear whipped in front of him. Yuji hurriedly did the same on the other side. She really wanted to tell her Queen that she would take care of it herself, but she knew it was a stupid idea.

The monster tiger seemed to perceive him as an even greater threat, as he turned to face him. He jumped forward and stabbed him with his sword hand.

Or at least try. One of them glanced at his thick fur, and he jumped just in time to avoid the other.

But it opens up an opportunity for an attack from Ryuu. He darted forward, thrusting his spear there. His punch continued, but it seemed like it was a shallow slash. The Great Tiger continued its movements, only a hint of blood dripping from its wound.

While Ryuu seized the wolf's attention, Yuji crouched down and picked up some stones. He threw it at the monster with all his might.

Bam!

One of them hit his muzzle and seemed to make him daze, letting his queen sweep his chest.

"Groafr!"

The leopard retreated while barking a little. Then he snarled back at the two of them.

"Groay!!"

Yuji charged forward, sweeping his limbs. The leopard tried to dodge, but his sword cut off his right front leg. That made the monster stumble to the side.

This time, Ryuu did not continue his attack. Yuji learned the reason a second later, when a piece of burning wood sailed towards the monster. The leopard was down, but the torch was still on its back.

Yuji crouched in a holding position as the smell of smoke stung his nose. But after a while, he realized that it was not too strong. The tiger's thick fur seemed to protect it from the flames.

Perhaps he should have expected something like this, given his ability. The creature growled again at them, a sound that would make the feathers lift up if any.

"GROBUREN!!"

“You take his left side, I to the right,” Ryuu's orders with a truncated tone.

Yuji immediately moved to obey his orders, keeping his wounded sword behind while he led with the other sword. He tried to take a cue from his Queen.

When he darted forward once more, he also moved along. He swung his sword low-low, then stabbed upwards as the Tiger moved.

He manages to avoid Ryuu's spear thrust, but Yuji manages to hit it on the side. He put all his strength and weight into it. When the Leopard stumbled to the side and he had to improve his balance, he saw that he had received a crucial attack.

The wound was spitting out more blood than any other wound, and the Tiger was clearly panting.

Ryuu did not give her time to recover. He's in again. He performs a trick to the side, which the monster manages to avoid, but then Yuji pushes him to lose his balance, then he stabs the spear into the wolf's eyes while shouting: 'Yuji:

"DEAD! THE BASTARD CREATURE THAT HAS DARED TO ATTACK MY QUEEN! DIE UP! DIE!"

Plaque!

The spear managed to punch the Leopard Eyeball, so the beast groaned in pain.

"Gr..... Gr.... "

".... He's really crazy and creepy... It was fortunate that he was on my side. "the muttered Ryuu looked at the current Yuji like a bloodthirsty barbarian swordsman.

Yuji moved to his side, taking a defensive position. But the Tiger just thrashed around in pain without purpose. Finally, he fell to the ground, his eyes staring upward without life.

...[.DING DONG!] ...

...[.HAPPY HOST SUCCESSFULLY LEVEL UP!] ...

“Huh?,” Ryuu said.

Then he asked “Did you level up too?”