I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Level Up With In-app Purchases – 71

EP.71 Hunting Monsters in the Contaminated Zone (4)

Let’s say I try hunting monsters using telekinesis.

How well will my telekinesis penetrate the monster’s hide?

And how much damage will it inflict?

This was a crucial aspect for me as an awakened one.

It was because telekinesis as a power could be used in so many different ways.

‘The downside is that it has a low damage ceiling, but the upside is that its applications are so diverse that its value becomes limitless depending on how creatively the caster uses it.’

To be honest, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when I first realized my ability was telekinesis.

With so many great abilities out there, I had to end up with telekinesis, which has a low ceiling.

But after experiencing the benefits of using telekinesis in everyday life (turning off lights without moving, showering without moving, eating without moving, wiping my butt without moving, and so on), I realized that the ability I got was actually quite good.

When you awaken, you get three abilities, so isn’t telekinesis not bad for one of them?

It would be a problem if the other abilities were of a similar level, though.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Anyway, I’ve gone off on a tangent, but the conclusion is one thing.

I have no complaints about my first ability being telekinesis.

Telekinesis had a wide range of applications.

For instance, like I’m doing now, using telekinesis to boost my jump power when I leap.

This allowed me to traverse the forest at speeds impossible for ordinary people.

‘I’d have nothing to say if compared to other awakened ones, though.’

They’d probably achieve this speed with their basic physical stats, without even needing to use abilities.

My telekinesis still had many shortcomings to catch up with them.

So, the conclusion is this.

Don’t get cocky with monsters just because you’ve awakened.

‘Right now, I should avoid encountering monsters as much as possible.’

My goal is to find Ariane and get out of here.

It would be absolutely foolish to get cocky just because I want to test my powers.

“Ugh!”

Thud.

Moving so fast, I couldn’t help but accidentally bump into a tree.

I was a bit worried that the commotion might attract monsters.

But they probably wouldn’t follow me beyond their territory.

To prevent monsters from chasing me, I slightly changed direction whenever I saw them nearby.

How long had I been moving north like this?

‘According to the map, there should be monsters around here…’

Having carried the tracker for days as I moved, I roughly knew where the monsters were located.

Now I need to find traces here and follow Ariane’s trail.

How long had I been rummaging through the dense foliage?

“Blood! Here it is.”

After finding monster blood splattered on a tree, I soon confirmed traces of battle as well.

There’s no doubt that quite a fierce battle took place here.

As I examined the traces closely….

“This shouldn’t be here.”

The traces near where the monster had been weren’t just Ariane’s.

It seems there were other people here too.

Bushes were haphazardly broken, human blood was visible here and there, and there were even bandages that hadn’t been cleaned up.

Given Ariane’s hunting style, there’s no way she would have bled, so these must be traces of other people.

There were also footprints of various sizes all over the place.

I was flustered by this unexpected situation.

Ariane must have been even more shocked.

“She must have been discovered?”

Ariane is in a position where she shouldn’t be discovered by others.

But she couldn’t have avoided the spot with monsters right in front of her.

Judging from the footprints and bloodstains scattered around, I could infer that they had struggled with the monster.

‘Ariane would have thought saving human lives was more important. If she ended up killing the monster and was inevitably discovered by people, then?’

She must have been extremely flustered.

And that confusion would have led to mistakes.

What kind of mistake did Ariane make?

Her family background might have been revealed, or the fact that she’s a student.

Whatever it was, I needed to look around more carefully.

I deliberately didn’t examine the areas with many traces too closely.

The chances of Ariane leaving with these people were low.

And finally.

“Ah…”

I picked up the ‘object’ lying on the ground.

“So this is why she couldn’t contact me.”

Why Ariane hadn’t been able to give any news until now.

Seeing this, I clearly understood the reason.

A ‘bag’ lying alone a little away from the battle traces.

“Damn it, she left everything here.”

I understand that she had to leave all her luggage behind to keep her body light for hunting.

But isn’t it a bit extreme to leave absolutely everything behind like this?

“Shit. She even left the compass?”

All the food was here, and all the scrolls I had packed for her were here too.

No wonder she couldn’t find her way back after leaving this behind, right?

I would have been surprised if she had found her way back without the bag.

“This is dangerous.”

I was worried that my meddling might have put the kid in even greater danger.

I should have noticed something was wrong and come earlier.

‘I hope I’m not too late. That kid absolutely must not die.’

I picked up Ariane’s bag and started moving to find traces of her.

The situation was extremely urgent.

I couldn’t predict how far Ariane, with no food and no compass to guide her direction, had moved in the past two days.

‘Not knowing I’m an awakened one, she probably tried to get out of the contaminated zone somehow. But what if she went in the wrong direction?’

Please, anywhere but west.

And if possible, not north either.

East and south were somewhat okay, but I was worried whether she had chosen the right option out of these four choices.

‘She wouldn’t have eaten properly, so her stamina must have dropped, and by now she must have reached her limit.’

I must find her.

The problem is that Ariane has a small frame, light weight, and exceptional agility stats.

“And if she uses stealth on top of that, it’s hopeless.”

The search for traces began under the worst conditions.

It wasn’t an easy task, and honestly, it felt almost impossible.

“It seems she ran frantically up to this point…”

Judging by the broken branches, she must have run straight ahead without thinking.

But from here on, it was even more desperate.

The trail had completely disappeared.

“She must have used stealth.”

Even when I was actively working as a mercenary, I don’t think I ever searched for something this diligently.

Moreover, as a mercenary, I used scrolls to track monsters to the end, but there’s no such thing as a scroll for finding people.

“This is quite perplexing.”

My abilities were of no help in finding people.

Finding the already small Ariane in this vast forest?

Wouldn’t that be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack?

‘Should I get help?’

If I tell the Duke’s family, they’ll deploy people to find the stranded Ariane.

I was hit with the realization that the plan I thought was perfect had turned into a complete mess.

And I felt dejected about spectacularly failing the second scenario.

If only she could cause an explosion or something so I could know where she is…

‘Is there no way?’

Grrrr…!

“!!!”

What the? Damn! When did it get so close…!

It wasn’t the time to be leisurely racking my brains.

An eerie killing intent brushed past my nape.

I could feel the presence of a monster targeting me nearby.

As I hurriedly moved my body backward, cold fangs grazed my forearm cleanly.

“Ugh!”

Clang!

I hastily used all my telekinetic power to push it away.

The monster, thrown further than I expected, quickly got up and shook itself off.

Fwoop-!

It shook off its fur with an almost leisurely air.

‘Either fight or run. One of the two.’

In fact, this wasn’t a problem that needed much thought.

At least three of them were targeting me, and I didn’t have the ability to defeat them.

There was only one choice I had to make.

That was to flee.

‘Fleeing is affected by agility, how agile am I again?’

Of course, this isn’t a game, so I won’t fail at attempting to flee just because I’m not agile enough.

…Though I might get caught while fleeing.

Still, I needed to consider how agile I was.

Of all things, the monster was an agile type, a four-legged wolf monster.

In terms of speed, it wouldn’t be easy to keep up with those things.

Moreover, befitting a creature that deals with awakened ones, its appearance was far more terrifying than that of a regular wolf.

First of all, it had a lot of eyes, and it was as big as me.

‘It even has two heads.’

It has two heads, but why does it have three eyes?

The answer to that will come when that thing grows a bit more.

Probably another head will appear.

Like Cerberus from mythology, guarding the gates of hell.

‘It would have been very unfortunate if it had three.’

Anyway, winning a running battle against a four-legged beast.

If I think about whether I can do it, I was completely confident.

Confident that I would lose, that is.

Probably the moment I show my back, won’t my nape or back be torn by their fangs?

Still, it was something I had to do to survive.

The fortunate thing was that Ariane’s bag was in my grasp.

Now that I’m an awakened one too, I’m qualified to use scrolls.

Riiip-!! Riiip-!!

I tore the scroll with a satisfying sound.

My body felt lighter, and I felt a surge of confidence as if I could tear apart three monsters in an instant.

Of course, this was 100% bravado, so I absolutely shouldn’t be swayed by this emotion.

After all, how could someone using mere telekinetic scraps kill three monsters?

Of course, even if it’s not entirely useless, not using an ability you have is no different from saying you’d rather die, so I gathered my strength diligently.

And then, blast off into the sky!

“Argh! Shit!”

Whoosh~! My body, shot up into the sky, wobbled in midair.

The dogs barking at me from below must be looking up with bewildered expressions.

“You sons of bitches, just stare at the roof like dogs chasing chickens! Hahaha!”

Now, with my abilities boosted by the scroll.

I could exert enough power to launch my body into the air.

Floating around in the sky was very unstable and dangerous, but it was excellent for shaking off four-legged beast monsters.

No matter what they do, they won’t be able to catch me flying in the sky.

“The direction is…”

Woof woof woof woof woof!!

Woof woof!!! Woof!!

“Fuck.”

I could hear the sound of beasts barking and spinning around like mad dogs below.

For now, regardless of direction, I need to shake them off first.

If they chase me, I certainly won’t live out my full lifespan.

In the direction I could see.

I adjusted my telekinesis and flew straight through the sky.

If I go too high, I might lack oxygen, and if I move too fast, I might accidentally crash into a tree and fall.

I had to propel my body with moderate force and move forward while pushing away the wind hitting my face.

“Ugh!”

Of course, if things had gone according to plan like this, I would have already reported as an awakened one.

Just because I wanted to, it didn’t mean I could instantly master the ability.

Performing strange acrobatic flights while barely keeping my body from touching the ground was the best I could do.

Occasionally climbing onto a tree to wipe off cold sweat was my only chance for rest.

Woof woof!

Faintly, I could still hear the barking of the monsters chasing me from below.

“They’re tougher than I thought. Well, how could they not follow when I’m tempting them by bleeding profusely.”

Should I treat the scratch on my forearm, or should I use that time to flee further?

I wished someone would help me.

But finding such a person in this deep forest of the contaminated zone was impossible.

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