No.8: Day off

Having gotten to the battlefield a while back, the pack had been unable to aid the Alpha, as the scale at which the battle raged far exceeded what they were capable of handling, fearing they might accidentally get squashed by the Alpha while trying to join in to deal with the assailants.

However, now that the battle had concluded, with the victors in a near-sorry state as the one they’d defeated, the Thorn Howlers were finally able to step out from the forest.

Snarling as they drew closer to Felix and the rest, they glanced one last time at the Alpha’s dead body.

Yet, upon confirming that it was really dead, they didn’t show any more hostility towards them, but instead appeared to be... Grateful?

Felix wasn’t sure. Either way, on noticing the Alpha wouldn’t be getting back up anytime soon, they all turned back and left.

Glancing back, a Thorn Howler took one last look at them before following the rest of its pack back into the forest.

Unsure as to what exactly they’d just witnessed, the group heaved a sigh of relief, grateful they didn’t have to make one last stand to battle for their survival.

Upon relaxing a bit, they decided to return back to the rest of the group. The Vice-Leader, not even bothering to wait for them, simply dissolved into the shadows as his figure left, leaving Hans and Felix behind.

Not really surprised by this, Hans inquired from Felix, gesturing at his arm.

“Need a lift?”

Understanding what Hans meant by that, Felix would honestly rather prefer to never have to be carried in such a humiliating fashion ever again. But seeing as there might still be dangers lurking in the forest, he decided to swallow his pride and accept Hans’s offer.

A while later, the duo finally arrived back where the rest still remained. Most of them were still covered in cuts and bruises, but luckily, none of them had died.

Rushing to them on realizing Hans had returned, the group immediately surrounded him, completely disregarding Felix’s existence upon landing, as his figure got tossed around like a ragdoll by the desperate group that rushed to Hans’s side like a bunch of overzealous fans trying to get an autograph from their favourite celebrity.

Already somewhat used to this, Felix didn’t think much of it as he decided to make his way back, till a sudden voice drew his attention.

“Hey! Umm... Fex... right? I just wanted to say, thanks a lot back there. I probably wouldn’t have been able to survive if you hadn’t used your Attribute to keep the Howlers away.”

Turning on realizing Felix was about to scurry away as usual, an average-looking, middle-aged man in the group thanked him before he did.

Surprised by the act, Felix slowly turned back, unsure if he was actually the one being referred to, but recalling that he’d called his name left little room for excuses.

It was the first time anyone in the group had actually addressed him properly since he first joined.

The act made him unsure as to how to react, so he simply scratched the back of his head while flashing an awkward smile in return.

Recalling as well, upon seeing the man’s gesture to Felix, the rest of the group came to thank him one by one as well. Each placing a hand on his shoulder or patting his back as they praised his fearlessness despite still being so young, yet still able to face such fearsome creatures with the adults, even helping to ensure most of them survived the entire ordeal.

After all, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the success of the entire plan wouldn’t have been possible without Felix, having played a vital role in locating the Alpha’s position, which enabled Hans to deliver the finishing blow, despite him being a weak F-Rank.

At the center of attention, Felix couldn’t help but smile faintly, his awkward smile subconsciously changing into a genuine one at the thought of finally being recognized for his efforts.

Noticing this, a gentle smile appeared on Hans’s face on seeing Felix’s awkward expression at all the attention he was getting.

Clearly not used to it, Felix soon got weirded out by the entire gesture, causing a look of silent plea to appear on his face as he seemed to want to get away from there.

Chuckling slightly at the sight, Hans smiled again at Felix’s awkward attempts to escape the attention.

The smile faded soon after as a complicated expression appeared in its place. Hans absent-mindedly glanced at a certain direction, his mind briefly plagued by a sudden thought.

Sighing in resignation, a look of grief found its way to his face as he glanced back at Felix, before casually walking away.

Finally managing to escape from them, Felix sighed in relief as he did.

Despite being aware that most of the smiles and gestures offered to him by some of the members were fake, from not wanting to be the ungrateful one that didn’t thank him despite being saved by him as well, it still felt nice to be appreciated by those that actually offered genuine ones, as the feeling felt... special.

Glancing at the horizon after having distanced himself from the group, Felix noticed that it was already approaching dawn, as slight golden-orange rays became visible from the horizon as the day slowly began, causing Felix to realize that they’d spent nearly the entire night battling against the Alpha and the near-endless pack of Thorn Howlers.

Luckily, the group didn’t need to worry about walking today, as Hans had informed them, while they were still surrounding Felix, that they’d be taking the day off, as with the defeat of the Alpha and its pack, they’d already dealt with the most threatening foe in the forest, making this place the safest place to be.

“For now, at least.”

Muttering this, Felix decided to finally check out something he’d been eager to see upon hearing the notification.

[You have defeated a Grade-7 Monster.]

[You are now eligible to receive the following rewards...]

[Generating rewards...]

Checking his earlier notifications, Felix excitedly scrolled down, curious as to what rewards he’d receive for aiding in the defeat of a Grade-7 Monster.

A Grade far higher than what anyone his Rank or near it had any business going near, much less actually aiding in its defeat, as a single flick from such a creature was more than enough to end his life before he could even do anything.

Yet, he had not just aided in its defeat, but had even played a vital role in ensuring it, even going as far as to save the one that had eventually landed the finishing blow.

Resulting in the system’s recognition of his feats, as receiving a reward, no matter how small, had always been coined impossible by the denizens of this world for a low Rank. Deeming them wastes, as they were incapable of growth, any material used in aiding their progression being nothing more than a waste, as it was practically useless.

But with this, it confirmed Felix’s initial suspicions that growth as a lower Rank was not impossible, but rather extremely difficult. The only thing being that he’d misjudged the actual difficulty the task of growth as a lower Rank required.

Drawing his attention back to the rewards, Felix quickly read through them.

[Rewards...]

[Analyzing Bonus Levels Available for Distribution...]

[Analyzing Complete!]

[Bonus Personal Stat Levels Available for Distribution. (+4)]

[Bonus Attribute Levels Available for Distribution. (+5)]

Reading it, Felix became stunned at the sight once more.

Though most might view the rewards as lacking or not worth the risk taken to attain them, Felix felt otherwise.

Having already accepted a long time ago that he might never be able to level up any of his Stats or Attributes, such rewards came as a pleasant surprise.

Not to mention, now he knew it was possible for even the weakest F-Rank to grow. The only requirement being that the difficulty was insanely high.

But having mostly worked hard for everything he got since he was young, difficult was a second nature to him.

The reward was more than just a potential increase in power, but a door to a potential growth path in a worst-case scenario, should the Upgrade Crystal they sought turn out to be more difficult to attain.

Making him pleased at the prospect of a backup plan, in case things went south.

With Felix unaware that the feat he’d just achieved was practically impossible for anyone else, be it the denizens of this world or his own, as low-level Attributes tend to be useless for lower Ranks.

Before he could make up his mind on where to allocate his bonus levels, a sudden noise drew his attention.

*Tinkle*

*Tinkle*

*Tinkle*

Hearing the dull metallic sound akin to the ringing of a small bell, Felix was puzzled.

‘Wait a minute. Isn’t this...’

On listening to the sound, he found it awfully familiar, having heard it a few times before.

However, before he could process it, the sound came again.

*TINKER!*

*TINKER!*

*TINKER!*

*TINKER!*

The sound growing more aggressive, snapping him out of his daze, Felix finally realized something.

‘It’s in danger!’

Rushing toward the source of the noise, Felix noticed a tiny figure with teal, translucent wings struggling desperately as she tried to escape from a ‘ferocious’ creature.

Mildly dazed at the sight, Felix absent-mindedly muttered.

“A Fairy!”

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