Chapter 29: Surrounded

Chapter 29: Surrounded

This was it...

I whispered under my breath and drove Gravefang downward.

My win.

SHLICCK.

The blade pierced the Mooncat’s skull with a sickening crunch. I put my full weight into it, pushing the beast to the ground.

My grip remained firm on the hilt until its twitching stopped beneath me.

The Mooncat’s limbs gave a final, shuddering twitch, then its muscles slackened beneath me, like a marionette with its strings cut, the light in its eyes flickering out, leaving behind only the dull, glassy stare of a defeated beast.

The battle was over.

It was dead.

I exhaled—shaky, exhausted, but alive.

I pulled Gravefang free and staggered back, breathing hard.



"I... I did it."

DING!

[Congratulations. You have defeated the elite monster: Mooncat - Level 15)]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have received a new skill: Stealth]

I blinked at the glowing system prompts, letting them register one by one.

Each line felt like a reward, not just for surviving, but for pushing beyond what I thought I was capable of. The sense of progress was tangible, almost electric.

A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth — not just because of the level-ups, but because of the reward.

Stealth.

The very technique that had frustrated me throughout the entire fight—the way it melted into shadow, vanished without a sound, struck from nowhere—that skill was now under my control.

I had claimed the mooncat’s most dangerous weapon for myself.

It felt poetic in a way. The predator’s own talent—its edge—now belonged to me.

I smiled wider. I was elated. As I’d suspected, defeating it was worth the risk.

Still catching my breath, I let myself collapse onto the forest floor, Gravefang still in hand. I opened up my stat window to check the gains, and it shimmered into view before me.

[Stat Window]

Name: Eli

Race: Goblin

Title: The Chosen Leader

Level: 11

HP: 355

MP: 215

[Stats]

Strength: 28

Stamina: 16

Agility: 16

Intelligence: 16

Perception:

16

Available Points to Distribute: 9

[Skills]

Innate Skill: [Phase Walker] (SSS)

Passive Skills: [Analyze (N)] [Iron Fist (E)]

Active Skills: [Stealth (C)]

I tapped on the new skill for more details.



[Stealth] – Become one with the shadows.

Description: Temporarily reduce your presence, muffling sound and dimming visibility. While active, enemies are less likely to detect you unless they possess heightened perception or are directly alerted. Movement must remain controlled—sudden actions or attacks will break the effect.

Duration: 20 seconds

Cooldown: 60 seconds

Mana Cost:40

Limitations:

– Does not work in broad daylight without cover.

– Taking damage ends Stealth immediately.

I let out a quiet gasp. This was incredible.

The ability to slip out of sight like the Mooncat had? If I paired this with [Phase Walker], I’d be near untouchable, especially for assassination or scouting.

It was the perfect combo.

The only drawback? The cost. Forty mana per use. With my current MP pool, I could use it maybe five times before running dry.

Still, that didn’t worry me much.

I only had one other active skill, and the rest—[Iron Fist], [Analyze], and [Phase Walker]—were either passive or, in the case of [Phase Walker], cost-free thanks to its SSS-tier brokenness.

My golden finger.

I scrolled back to my stats.

Strength had climbed up to 28. The rest—Stamina, Agility, Intelligence, and Perception—were still at 16. They’d gone up naturally with each level, even though I hadn’t allocated any points to them. That was good. It meant I wouldn’t fall too far behind even if I focused my extra points into just one area.

I also noticed my HP and MP had risen. Most likely, HP scaled with stamina, and MP with intelligence.

I’d have to balance my builds carefully later, but for now... I was pleased.

Nine free points to distribute.

I stood up, brushing dirt from my arms and lifting Gravefang with renewed pride.

Then I turned toward the corpse.

The Mooncat had been a magnificent creature. Beautiful, really. Sleek, powerful, graceful—even deadly. A predator deserving of respect. Part of me almost felt bad killing it.

Almost.

But this was survival.

This world didn’t care for morality. It had no room for mercy or second thoughts. Here, the strong endured, and the weak fed the dirt. I couldn’t afford to forget that, not even for a second.

Regret had no place here—only results.

And now I was stronger because of it.

Done here, I decided it was time to return to the clan. But before I could leave, my eyes drifted back to the Mooncat’s body.

Leaving it here felt like a waste.

I’d spilled blood for this kill—risked my life for it. Letting scavengers tear it apart didn’t sit right with me. If I didn’t claim the spoils, something else would.

Flogga would definitely find use for the corpse—its pelt, claws, fangs... everything about it could be valuable. The old hag would probably jumped at the chance to experiment or forge something from it, so, I decided to take it back with me, but first..

I turned, looking at the towering tree behind me—the Mooncat’s home. Injured, it must have come here to recover. Instead, it had met its end beneath its own canopy.

If I remembered correctly, one of my daily quests required climbing a tall tree. This one would do perfectly.

I approached it, intending to mark the area with a seal. If I bound it with [Leap], I could return here easily.



But just as I reached for the trunk—

Grrrr...

A low growl echoed through the trees.

A low, guttural growl rolled through the trees—almost imperceptible at first.

Then another followed, slightly closer. Then more. The sound increasing.

I froze, chill crawling up my spine like a hundred tiny claws.

Soft footsteps, light snarls...They were coming from different directions.

I turned in place, scanning the dense forest.

All the noise... then suddenly, silence.

Complete silence.

Chills ran down my spine.

Then, dozens of glowing red orbs blinked to life in the undergrowth, spaced out at uneven intervals. They looked like eyes, and they watched unblinking, glowing softly in...