The Ruler Of Judgement

Fight with the Hounds

Magnus was eager to learn about power awakening, both for magic (MP) and weapon power (WP). He asked his grandfather, William, "Grandpa, how does power awaken?"

William smiled and replied, "It's not complicated. When you turn 15, you automatically awaken power the next day after sleeping. But we can't know for sure until we have your status checked by the guild."

"When you reach 15," William continued, "we'll go to the Pulkit town guild to confirm your awakening."

"Okay, Grandpa," Magnus said. "My birthday is only a month and a half away."

"Alright," William said. "Now go to sleep, it's getting late."

Magnus nodded and went to bed.

The next morning, William presented Magnus with a used leather chest armor for protection. "You'll be fighting beasts now," William explained. "They can injure or even kill you. This armor will safeguard your vital organs."

Magnus expressed his gratitude and appraised the armor. The appraisal results were :

[[ Basic Chest Leather Armour

Defense - 100/120

]]

The results showed it was slightly damaged due to age, but still offered decent defense. While William was a bit taller than Magnus, the armor fit him well.

Equipped with the armor, Magnus headed for the forest. It took him about two hours to reach his destination. He hadn't used his Soul Sword during his spars with Michael, but the system reminded him it would also be strengthened with level advancement. Upon asking, the system confirmed it had been upgraded but hadn't mentioned it before since Magnus hadn't inquired.

Speechless, Magnus appraised his sword. The results were impressive:

[[ Magnus's Soul Sword

Attack: 50 - 100

Defense: 200/200

Type: Growth

WP Attacks: Not unlocked yet

(Can't be equipped by anybody else) ]]

He was amazed and delighted to see his sword had grown so much in power. The system explained, "Host, your Soul Sword is a priceless treasure. Only a few legendary swords can match its potential. The only drawback is that it grows with you, unlike other swords you can use immediately."

The system added, "In truth, this isn't a major drawback since most legendary swords also have requirements before they can be used."

Magnus was content with his sword. He wasn't a noble or wealthy enough to afford high-quality weapons. He felt grateful rather than jealous, knowing his Soul Sword could rival legendary ones after further advancement.

During his trek, he encountered many harmless animals but no level 1 beasts. He reluctantly killed two rabbit beasts that charged at him. After two hours deep in the forest, he hadn't found a single level 1 beast, but had killed ten rabbit beasts.

Just as he finished off the tenth rabbit, he heard a faint barking sound. Quickly, he climbed a tree to assess the situation. About 200 meters north, he saw four large, dog-like creatures with beastly features. They were roughly his height, which was about one and a half meters.

He appraised them from his vantage point:

[[ Magic Hound Beast

Level: 1

Attack: 40-80

Speed: 22

HP: 150

Attack Skills: Biting, Clawing

Extra Skills: Advanced Olfactory, Advanced Auditory ]]

The increase in stats wasn't surprising; he expected level 1 beasts to be much stronger than level 0. These hounds also had two attack skills and enhanced senses, making them more dangerous.

Since it was his first fight with beasts of this level, Magnus decided to wait for them to separate. He didn't want to make things harder by fighting all four at once. Fortunately, luck was on his side. One of the hounds strayed from the pack and headed towards the dead rabbit beast he had killed previously . The other three went in different directions.

The lone hound approached the rabbit carcass, about 50 meters from Magnus. It looked around cautiously before starting to eat. Magnus held off attacking because the other hounds were still within sight. He didn't want to risk all of them coming after him if he engaged the first one. He hoped the nearby hound would take its time eating, allowing him to strike.

After about five minutes, the other hounds were out of sight, and with a stroke of good luck, the nearby hound was still feasting. Seizing his chance, Magnus jumped down from the tree and charged towards the hound as silently as possible. Despite its keen senses, the hound only managed to turn its head slightly before Magnus's sword struck its neck, embedding itself deeply. The hound yelped and struggled, but Magnus delivered a swift second blow that severed its neck completely.

Magnus felt a mixture of relief and surprise at how easily he had defeated the beast. He wondered why leveling up was so difficult for others.

The system explained, "Host, your Soul Sword's stats are exceptionally high. A typical level 1 warrior can only equip a sword with an attack range of 10-20. They would need multiple strikes to kill a hound while also defending against its attacks. Additionally, such an easy opportunity won't always be available."

Understanding his advantages, Magnus didn't linger. He followed the path the other hounds had taken. His good fortune continued – he spotted another hound within 20 minutes. He cautiously approached it, but at about 20 meters away, the hound started barking and looking around. Magnus knew it had sensed something amiss and might alert the others. He sprinted forward.

His premonition proved correct as he saw another hound approaching from the right, about 100 meters away. In a split second, Magnus decided to target the left one first. He leaped and struck it with his sword, piercing its eye. Seeing the right-side hound drawing closer, Magnus wasted no time. He retrieved his sword from the first hound and lunged towards the second one, now only ten meters away. This time, he aimed for the neck and landed a clean hit.

However, the hound wasn't dead yet. Suddenly sensing danger from behind, Magnus jumped sideways just in time to avoid an attack. He landed hard on the ground, thankful for the armor that protected his bones. He glanced back to see the hounds collide – the blinded one attempting an attack just as Magnus dodged, causing them to crash into each other. Both were wounded, one bleeding from the neck and the other from the eye.

Seizing the opportunity, Magnus rose and finished both hounds off with swift strikes to their necks in mere seconds. He was both relieved and scared. This had been the most challenging and life-threatening fight he had ever faced.

Knowing the commotion might attract other beasts with the noise and blood scent, Magnus left the area. He decided to return home and resume hunting beasts tomorrow, as he was mentally and physically drained from the intense battle.

On his way back, he checked his status. There weren't any major changes, except the level 0 beast count was now replaced with a level 1 beast count :

[[ Status

Name: Magnus

Age: 14

Strength: 20

Speed: 20

Stamina: 20

Intelligence: 15

Health (HP): 150

Magic Power (MP): 0 (Dormant)

Magic Attribute: Judgement (Dormant)

Mage Level: 0

Weapon Power (WP): 0 (Dormant)

Weapon Type: Soul Sword

Level-1 Beast Count: 3

Warrior Level: 1

Skills: Basic Swordsmanship

Title: Ruler Of Judgement (Not Qualified to Equip Yet), Hope Of Judgement (Not Qualified to Equip Yet) ]]