As he shot through the air, the slime squished down to the ground. It crouched . It was about to leap at him. But before it could, Edward landed, slid across the dirt, and rushed towards i-

The slime’s core shot at Edward’s face. He bent over to duck, but he was too slow. His head flicked up to the sky, the tang of iron smothered his tongue, and blood splashed out of his mouth.

His HP dropped to 75%.

Edward flung a fist at the slime. He could only hear the squelching of goo as his arm sunk into its depths, and couldn’t see its HP drop a single percentage. But when his knuckles smashed against the slime’s black core, cracks spread across it, and a kettle-like squeal hissed out of it.

It’s HP dropped to 50%

The slime lunged towards him, shooting its core at Edward’s chest. But before it could, he sliced his foot at the cracked core.

His leg plunged through the goo, and his foot smashed into the black core. The slime’s hiss stabbed his ears. Fragments of the shattered core scattered across the grass. It flattened on the ground until it became a puddle.

‘ding’

[You have killed a Level 1 Slime.]

[Reward: 10XP]

[Progress to Level 2: 20%]

He counted in his head whilst fighting, and he continued to do so. He had 49 minutes left.

Continuing to stare down at his stats, he saw his stamina dropped to 90% during the fight, but as he continued to stare, he saw his HP increase to 76% and his stamina increase to 91%. Without even needing to do anything, his HP and Stamina automatically regenerated.

He slapped his eyes on the surrounding plains, searching for more slimes. Even though his HP was only 76%, he couldn’t waste any time. He needed to keep fighting. He needed to level up as fast as possible. He saw a Level 1 slime and thought of running up to it, but he stopped.

He saw a Level 2 slime hopping through a patch of tall grass. That would probably provide more XP than the Level 1 slime, and he need as much XP as he could possibly get. So he ran at it.

Edward approached this slime differently. He leapt at the slime he previously attacked head on, which meant that it hit him first. So this time he crouched into the tall grass and sneaked towards this slime’s back.

The grass smothered his vision, but he kept creeping forward, remembering where he saw it before. Eventually, he heard grass rustle up ahead, and after he got closer, he heard the squelching of slime. Above the vision-covering grass, the glistening green of the slime peeked up above it. So he rushed to his feet, burst through the grass, and shot a fist at the slime’s core.

Tiny cracks spread across it and even tinier shards fell to the ground. Edward swung his foot at the core. The cracks grew and more fragments fell. Despite hitting it twice, Edward glanced at the slime’s blue box and frowned.

It’s HP only reduced to 25% after two hits. It was Level 2, after all.

The slime shot its core up at Edward’s torso. He covered his stomach with his forearms to block it, but it plunged over it and smashed against his sternum, tearing the skin of his chest, spreading a burning pain across his torso, and rattling his ribcage. He winced, stumbled backwards, slid across the mud, and coughed. Blood dripped down his stomach. He rubbed his chest, dirtying his hand.

His HP dropped to 40%.

So he grit his teeth, lunged at the slime, and shot the sole of his foot at its core.

Thousands of black fragments showered the grass. The slime splashed and flattened into a puddle.

‘ding’

[You have killed a Level 2 Slime.]

[Reward: 15XP]

[Progress to Level 2: 50%]

Edward smiled, but continuing to count, he had 47 minutes left.

It took twice as long to kill the Level 2 slime due to how much time he spent slowly creeping up behind it. His stamina also reduced by 20% this time instead of 10%, thus making his stamina 70%. But it was worth it. He got 5 more XP from killing the Level 2 Slime, and he’d have much lower HP if he didn’t.

He wished he was able to dodge the slime's attacks, but despite being able to see them clearly heading towards him, he wasn't able to manueveur his body to avoid it. Why couldn't he? He remembered going to a beginner martial arts class as a kid and remembered something about how people usually stood in a stance that limited their movement, preventing them from dodging or attacking quickly. Shaking his head, he wished he didn't quit that class and went beyond beginner level, or atleast took the beginner class after he was a bit older so he could remember it. It'd be very useful now. Sighing, he wracked his brain for the stance he was supposed to have, but he couldn't remember what it was. He just had to keep trying to dodge and hope for the best.

He saw a clump of trees atop a distant hill and thought of ripping a branch off it and using it as a weapon. But then he decided against it. Wouldn't he be too strong for a branch? Crouching, he slammed his fist against the ground. He knew that his Legendary class made him much stronger than he was in the real world, but he was shocked that a simple punch sunk his fist so deeply into the ground like it was butter. Grass tickled his neck because his punch buried his arm in the floor up to his shoulder.

As a result, he decided against using a branch. It'd probably snap in his hands if he hit something with it. So he pulled his arm out of the ground and stood up. He saw a large boulder and thought of using a rock instead, but he glanced down at the hole he created and decided against it.

A rock would crack in his hand if he used it as a melee weapon. Using them to throw from range could be possible, but they're brittle. They'd probably crack into hundreds of tiny pieces after hitting the slimes which would mean he'd have to keep collecting more after every fight which would just waste time. And what if he missed a throw? The slime he would've tried to attack would be alerted of his presence and he'd have thus lost his advantage of suprise, wasting the time he spent sneaking up to it. Carrying so many rocks with nothing but his arms would also be a hassle. What if some fell out of his arms whilst sneaking up behind a slime and rattled on the floor?

Despite the fear of getting hit again and getting killed by the slimes, he decided that he just had to use his fists. He didn't have the time to waste collecting rocks, carrying them around, and collecting even more after he destroyed them. Even by spending so long thinking he was wasting time. The thing he should be truly afraid of was time, not the slimes. If he was afraid of a bunch of slimes, how could he ever defy the goblins? He needed to be brave or else he'd die.

So he shut off his anxious thoughts, and his eyes scanned across the plains. He saw a few Level 3s, but he didn’t go for them. Whilst they'd give him more XP, he only had 40% HP left. A level 3 could take him out in one hit, and he’d probably need over three hits to take one down. So he saw another Level 2 slime hopping through a patch of tall grass and ran at it.

After a minute of sneaking through the grass, he found himself behind it. Hopping to his feet, he zoomed towards it. He whacked his leg at the core, spun, and smashed his knuckles on the cracks.

It had 25% HP left.

The slime shot its cracked core at his stomach. Before he could even try to duck, he gasped for breath, clenched his boiling stomach, and retched. Tears stung his eyes. Blood gushed out of his mouth and dribbled down his stomach. His ribs shrieked as if he was shanked. He looked down at the thrashed and bleeding skin of his stomach.

His HP dropped to 5%.

So he flung another fist at the slime’s core. It shattered, and all the slime pooled on the grass.

‘ding’

[You have killed a Level 2 Slime.]

[Reward: 15 XP]

[Progress to Level 2: 80%]

Continuing to count, there were 45 minutes left.

He instinctively shot his eyes at the surrounding plains, looking for more slimes. But wincing at the scalding pain burning across his torso, he slumped down on the ground. His panting turned to desperate gasps for breath. The air felt thin. His ribs screeched and his body screamed. Blood smothered his body.

Whilst he only lost 20% stamina during the fight, his stamina dropped to 5% after getting hit. Not only was he exhausted and could barely move, but his HP was only 5%. He couldn’t fight any slimes in such a state. So his back sunk into the tall grass. The grey and raining clouds up above sucked in his vision as he waited for his HP and Stamina to increase.

He noticed that whilst lying down, his HP and Stamina regenerated much faster than it did when he was standing, running, and fighting. So even after his breathing grew steady and his body could move quickly and freely, he kept lying there.

It took 20 minutes for his HP and stamina to reach 100%.

Only 25 minutes left.

He rushed to his feet, his knees trembled, and fright frothed in his stomach. Scouring the plains, his eyes rattled. They snapped onto a Level 2 slime, hopping through a patch of tall grass.

He crouched into it and crept through it. Once he got close, he burst through the grass and punched its core, cracking it. Slamming his right foot on the dirt, he twisted his torso, and swung his left foot at the core, deepening the cracks.

After those two attacks, it had 25% HP left.

The slime shot its core at his arm. He tried to pull it away, but the slime's core was too fast. Pain burned across his bicep. He winced and groaned, and his HP dropped to 70%, but he didn’t let that interrupt him. Clenching his hands together, he swung them both down at the core, smashing through it.

‘ding’

[You have killed a Level 2 Slime.]

[Reward: 15 XP]

[Progress to Level 3: 10%]

Blood covered his arm, sweat stampeded down his face, and he panted, because his HP was 70% and his stamina was 80% but then-

‘ding’

‘ding’

‘ding’

[Congratulations!]

[You have levelled up!]

[You are now Level 2!]

[You have been given +3 Stat Points]

[You have recovered 100% of your HP and Stamina]

A pleasant and fuzzy feeling coursed through his body, tingled his skin, and brought a smile to his face. Energy filled him, making him shiver. Torn skin folded on top of each other and covered bleeding wounds. He looked down at himself and at his stats.

Level: 2

HP: 100%

Stamina: 100%

Stat Points: 3

Strength: 8 | +

Defense: 8 | +

Agility: 8 | +

Magic: 8 :|+

There were plus marks next to each of his stats. He stared at the plus next to the strength stat until it increased by one, and stared at the plus next to his agility stat until it increased by two. As a result:

Level: 2

Stat Points: 0

Strength: 9

Defense: 8

Agility: 10

Magic: 8

Edward jumped and punched the air, splattering drops of rain. He felt his muscles enlarge, his legs feel lighter and faster, and finally had enough strength to overpower the goblins that held him in the physical world. That was one issue with the escape plan solved. The next thing he needed to do was increase his agility stat. His agility needed to be as close to Unnalt’s as possible; the fastest person in the hall.

So he breathed in deeply and exhaled, calming his excitement. He still had a long way to go.

Continuing to count, he only had 23 minutes left.

His eyes scattered across the plains, and he saw some levels 2s and 3s and thought of fighting them, but he stopped. Slapping himself in the face, he regretted everything he did in the last half an hour.

He could defeat a Level 1 slime in two hits, especially now that his strength was 9. The thing that took up most of his time was fighting the Level 2 slimes which took away tons of his HP and required him to waste 20 minutes resting. He wouldn’t lose a single percentage of HP if he sneaked up on the Level 1 slimes and attacked them twice before they could even turn around and hit him.

Shaking his head, he sighed. But he couldn’t change the past. He could only keep moving forward. Snapping his eyes on a level 1 slime that hopped through a patch of tall grass and towards a large boulder, he sprinted towards it.

Crouching into the patch of grass, he crept towards the slime’s back. By the time it hopped next to the boulder, Edward was right behind it. Rushing towards it, he shot his foot at the core. It cracked. Black shards fell to the grass. The slime hopped, spun, and shot its core at him.

Shadows shifted behind the nearby boulder, but Edward ignored it. He needed to kill the slime in front of him before it attacked him. So he flung his fist at the core’s cracks.

His knuckles smashed through it. Fragments of the core, and the slime itself, splashed on the grass.

‘ding’

[You have killed Level 1 Slime.]

[Reward: 10XP]

[Progress to Level 3: 30%]

He had 21 minutes left and his Stamina only dropped to 90%.

Smiling, he scattered his eyes across the plains again and they slapped on another level 1 slime. He ran towar-

Grass rustled behind him. He frowned. The sound of squelching whispered in his left ear. He spun. A level 1 slime leapt out from behind the boulder and rushed towards his back. Its core blurred as it lunged towards him and devoured his vision. He crouched to dodge i-

It smashed his chin. His teeth rattled. Blood splashed out of his mouth. He staggered backwards.

He had 75% HP left.

Spitting blood on the ground, he zoomed towards the slime, and swung his foot at the slime’s core, cracking it. Using the momentum of his kick, he spun and shot his fist at the cracks.

‘ding’

[You have killed Level 1 Slime]

[Reward: 10XP]

[Progress to Level 3: 50%]

Continuing to count, 20 minutes left. Panting, his stamina dropped to 80%.

Rubbing his burning chin and jaw, he wished he paid closer attention to his surroundings. He definitely couldn’t fight any slimes above level 1 at this rate. So his eyes flicked back up to the level 1 slime he saw before. It still hopped through a patch of tall grass. He shook his head, ignoring the pain that smothered his face, and sprinted towards it.

After sneaking through the tall grass, creeping behind it, plunging at it’s back, and hitting it twice, the core shattered on the grass, and the slime fell into a puddle.

‘ding’

[You have killed a Level 1 Slime]

[Reward: 10XP]

[Progress to Level 3: 70%]

Continuing to count, he had 18 minutes left. His stamina fell to 70%.

He did the same again. His eyes scoured the plains, he found a slime, and approached it, crouching into tall grass. This one was the closest he could see, but it was quite far away, so it took much longer to approach it. Regardless, he eventually sneaked up behind the slime and hit it twice.

‘ding’

[You have killed a Level 1 Slime]

[Reward: 10 XP]

[Progress to Level 3: 90%]

He had 10 minutes left. Whilst his stamina dropped to 60%, his HP regenerated to 80%.

Scattering his eyes across the plains again, he smiled as excitement rushed through him. He didn’t think he could get to level 3 before time ran out, but his thoughts on the matter changed. At this rate, he could get much higher than Level 3 before the time was up. Belief in his own survival filled him and pulled some weight off his aching heart.

Hope smothered him as he crept into a patch of tall grass, followed behind a Level 1 slime that hopped near a clump of trees, and plunged at its ba-

Shadows shifted behind the trees. He glanced towards them. His heart lurched at the sight.

A Level 5 slime leapt out from behind the trees and shot its core at Edward’s back. He tried to duc-

A thunderous agony rushed up his spine and burned throughout his entire body. He stumbled to the grass and gasped for breath. Blood gushed out of his mouth. He shrieked in agony.

His HP dropped to 5%, and in turn, his stamina fell to 15%.