Advancement, Beginner Ranger!

Andy raised his hand to stop Nak, casting a cold glance at Sonata standing at the cave entrance. Then, he slowly withdrew his gaze, fixing it on the burly Quilboar before him.

When Andy's eyes swept over him, Sonata felt a chill in his heart, but he quickly felt relieved. Although he had intuitively felt that this kid was no simple character when he first arrived, the situation was no longer something he could control. This Guard Captain was a trusted aide he had cultivated for years; no one could command him except for Sonata himself. That was why he had invested so heavily in training him, sparing no expense by using the precious potions he had hoarded for years to make him powerful. To them, the Quilboars, those potions were priceless treasures!

Thinking of this, Sonata chuckled and said, "Kid, I don't care what you are, but you won't be escaping today. As for you, Nak! If you submit to me now, you will still be my good nephew!"

"Pah!" Before Nak could even spit out his insults, Andy spoke first, "You old thing are truly shameless, not a shred of dignity left!"

"Shut your mouth, kid!" Sonata snapped in a fit of rage, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have all these problems!"

"If it weren't for Andy, how much longer would you have kept me in the dark?" Nak looked around with bloodshot eyes. The other Quilboars avoided his gaze. It wasn't that they were unaware of the dirty deeds Sonata had committed; they were simply hindered by his power and dared not—or would not—speak up.

"Number Two, do it!" A cold light flashed in Sonata's eyes as he spoke in a chilling tone.

The Quilboar Guard Captain, known as Number Two, let out a roar and charged forward, weapon in hand. Seeing the aggressive momentum, Andy pushed Nak aside and retreated rapidly. While backing away, he reached for the bow on his back, nocked an arrow, aimed at the charging Number Two, and fired straight at his heart.

Number Two was indeed worthy of Sonata's years of training; his massive body twisted in mid-air, and the sharp arrow whistled past his chest, embedding itself deep into a wooden pillar with a loud "thud," the fletching still vibrating.

Andy continued to retreat at high speed, his only thought being to keep the enemy at a distance. Arrow after arrow flew toward the Quilboar, but without exception, they were all dodged. Andy reached back again, and his heart sank.

They were gone; his quiver was empty! Andy only then remembered that he hadn't had many arrows left to begin with. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly stopped and faced the charging Number Two.

Seeing Andy stop, Number Two paused for a moment. Then, he noticed that Andy's back was empty. A hideous smile stretched across Number Two's ugly snout, and he lunged at Andy.

Andy threw the useless bow to the ground and drew the scimitar from his waist, watching Number Two charge. Just as the enemy's weapon swept horizontally toward his head, Andy ducked, the weapon whistling past his scalp and stirring up a cold breeze. Andy didn't hold back; while ducking, he thrust his scimitar forward and lunged out.

"Whoosh!" Andy rolled and crouched behind Number Two. Number Two felt a cold breeze across his thigh; looking down, he saw a bloody gash across his leg. A sharp pain followed, causing him to stumble, but he didn't fall, nor did he cry out.

Number Two wiped the wound on his thigh, his palm covered in blood. He brought his hand to his mouth and licked it, a flash of red light seemingly flickering in his eyes.

Andy glanced at Number Two. Although this strike had wounded him, it hadn't neutralized him; instead, it had ignited his bloodthirsty ferocity. Andy slowly stood up straight, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Number Two.

Number Two suddenly let out two roars and began beating his chest, his upper body muscles expanding at a visible rate. With a series of tearing sounds, his clothes were shredded into rags. Standing bare-chested, his explosive muscles were covered in an inch of coarse brown fur. The two green eyes were now entirely replaced by a crimson glow.

Seeing the transformation, Andy was stunned. What was this? A transformation?

The moment Nak had been pushed aside, he had watched the two exchange blows, feeling relieved as Andy's agility gave him a slight upper hand. But seeing Number Two's transformation, he was struck with horror.

"Andy, watch out!" Nak roared, "That's Bloodthirsty Berserk! His physical strength has increased several times over!"

Andy nodded inwardly. Without his bow and arrows, and relying only on his scimitar, it would indeed be difficult to defeat his opponent.

Reality, however, gave Andy no time to think; Number Two was already charging with bloodshot eyes and roaring. He swung his club in a flurry of slashes and smashes, leaving deep craters in the ground with every strike—a testament to the immense power of the berserk Quilboar.

Andy dared not block the club with his scimitar, forced to dodge left and right. Gradually, a flash of inspiration struck him, and his movements became faster and faster. As time passed, Andy even found opportunities to counterattack. Though he couldn't inflict significant damage, he caused enough interference to hinder Number Two.

Number Two was growing anxious; Bloodthirsty Berserk had a time limit and would be followed by a period of exhaustion. If he couldn't subdue his opponent, death was his only fate. He could already feel the power in his body beginning to drain away.

Andy noticed this state as well. Amidst his dodging, he suddenly lunged forward, his scimitar winding around Number Two's club. Number Two felt a surge of force he couldn't resist. He knew his berserk time was up!

With a "bang," the club flew far away. Andy, caught in a profound state of enlightenment, let his scimitar slide along the momentum, a spray of blood arching through the air before splattering onto the ground two meters away.

Number Two clutched his throat, making gurgling sounds as blood poured from the wound and his mouth, before finally collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Nak stared at the corpse in a daze, then looked at Andy in shock. So this kid was this powerful; it seemed his worries had been for nothing.

Instant quest complete!

The Monster Spirit prompted,

Received reward: +15 to all attributes. All attributes have reached 100 points, meeting the requirements for advancement. Confirm advancement?

Andy, still holding the pose from his final strike, heard the prompt with a dazed look and answered "Yes" in his mind.

Advancement confirmed! Host's overall physique has reached Level 1, class advanced to Novice Ranger.

The Monster Spirit continued,

Melee skills unlocked. Obtained melee skills: Strangulation, Thrust, Evasion.

Andy snapped out of his trance, turning around in astonishment to see the Quilboar Number Two already lying dead on the ground.