In the morning Axel got up early fully rested and ready to grind for levels.

The first thing on the agenda was to assign the points he had received after leveling up but after thinking about it he decided to save them instead. Axel wondered if he used his magic often enough, his mana capacity would increase on its own; there was only one way to test that theory and it was to use magic as much as possible. Although he would not rely solely on magic, magic is incredibly effective in certain situations.

Axel reattached his sword to his belt and then placed the tent back into his inventory. He didn't want to risk it being damaged so he took extra care with such a vital item.

Axel ran back to the horned hare's territory and began hunting again. He had become somewhat efficient at hunting them. Horned hares are aggressive and will charge at enemies on sight, this made them predictable. As long as they don't surround you and not too many of them attack at once, they were easy to hunt.

A few hours in and Axel had killed 10 horned hares already. He gained a good amount of experience but he was not halfway to the next level yet.

He had skipped breakfast and was now feeling hungry. Not wanting to exhaust his beef jerky supply he decided to go in search of other things to eat.

The horned hare's territory was somewhat vast and filled with greenery but it wasn't until he went further into it did he find something that was useful to him. Axel discovered some trees and they had fruits that seemed ripe on them.

"[Inspector]", said Axel observing the fruit.

Outto Fruit (Ripe)

A sweet and edible fruit common to the continent.

Axel was pleased with his discovery and decided that he would stock up on a few of them. 3 horned hares were feasting on fallen fruits at the base of the tree. Axel quickly dealt with them and proceeded to fill an inventory slot with the fruits.

After collecting 50 of them he sat on a branch and began eating a few. He could see more horned hares gathering at the base of the tree and eating the fallen fruits.

After he finished eating, he jumped down and dispatched the 2 monsters.

You have slain a horned hare Lv3. Exp gained.

You have slain a horned hare Lv4. Exp gained.

After checking his status screen he saw that he was now close to half of the way to the next level. Axel wanted to find stronger monsters that would help him level up faster. He also wanted a challenge so he could practice his magic in combat. However, all he could find were horned hares, so he practiced his magic on them; he recalled what he learned from the magic book he had read.

"Ignis. Come forth flames, manifest before me. Create a blazing fire that turns all to ash, [Fire shot]", yelled Axel as he burned away 2 horned hares at once.

You have slain a horned hare Lv3. Exp gained.

You have slain a horned hare Lv3. Exp gained.

It was his first time using fire magic and he found that it was more destructive but it used up more mana too.

{Attention. Fire magic detected}

{Fire magic Skill generated}

Day 2 of the Quest was halfway over and Axel still had not leveled up yet. He wanted to go deeper into the forest but he remembered his father's words to not lose sight of the manor while in the forest. Axel looked up behind him, he could see the manor as clear as day up on the hill not too far in the distance. He took that as an ok sign and went a little deeper into the forest.

As Axel walked in he noticed that the trees were more bundled together than before and were blocking out more sunlight as well. He also noticed that he didn’t see any horned hares.

*Kek!*

A sound came from behind the tree next to Axel, he quickly reacted by jumping in the other direction and pulling his sword. What came from behind the tree was a monster known by all, it was a goblin.

The olive green monster crept from behind the tree keeping low to the ground. It had a large wooden club in its hand and it was staring down Axel. Axel quickly activated his Inspector skill on the monster.

Lesser forest Goblin Lv 4

For a Lv4 monster, this goblin did not look weak and Axel was wary of the new monster he encountered, he opted for a ranged attack.

“Aquos. Power that nourishes life, gather before me. Create a stream of water that splashes away my foes.[Aqua Shot]”, said Axel as he launched his attack.

Surprisingly, the goblin used his club to deflect the attack and rushed toward Axel. The monster was faster than he thought and it was up in his face before he could react. It once again swung the club, this time it was at Axel’s head.

*Clank!* 

Axel used his short sword to block the attack but he felt the strength of the monster when their weapons collided. This monster was strong and Axel knew this was now a dangerous situation.

Axel tried pushing away the goblin but it was no use, it was too strong. He gathered his balance and kicked at the monster but it dodged and backed off.

“Kreeeeeh”, yelled the goblin as he rushed towards Axel again.

With no time to think they once again collided with their weapons but this time, there was more force from the goblin and Axel took some damage.

It hurts!!, I could use magic close range but both my hands are used up, Axel thought. 

With magic out of the question, Axel had to quickly come up with another idea. And then it hit him, if the goblin was using so much strength in his attack his balance would be lost if he quickly moved back before swiftly attacking.

The goblin was trying to use its strength to crush Axel under its club, Axel saw the chance and moved back enough that the goblin's club went smashing into the ground. In that second of vulnerability, Axel closed in and slashed at its neck. Blood went everywhere but the monster was not dead yet. With one hand It grabbed its club that had slipped out of its hand and with the other it was holding its neck that was spewing blood. The wound was not deep enough to kill it, its skin was harder than Axel had thought.

With a quick chant, Axel launched his [Fire Shot] skill at the goblin. Even with one hand the goblin swung the large club and swatted away the small ball of fire. However, by swinging the club frantically, the goblin had blocked its vision and Axel went in to deliver the final blow. Axel plunged the blade through its hand and into the goblin's neck. 

*Kreeeek* 

After a loud scream, it fell to the ground and stopped moving.

You have slain a Lesser forest Goblin Lv4. Exp gained.

After such a battle Axel was waiting on the level up message but it did not appear. Axel rolled his eyes and sighed. He was tired and was observing the goblin’s bodies. Unlike the horned hare that had a small body, Axel did not know where the goblin’s core was. 

He used his foot and turned over the monster on its back. He hesitated but he stuck his sword into the monster's lower torso searching for something stone-like, but he had no luck. Next, he stuck his sword close to the monster’s heart and immediately he hit something hard. Now was the hard part, he had to create a bigger wound in the area and stick his hand into it. He could feel the warm liquid on his hand but he knew it was something he had to get used to. He grabbed the goblin core and quickly retracted his hand.

Axel dropped the stone on the ground and began wiping the green blood off his hands into the grass at his feet. After he got off as much as possible, he picked up the stone and used his Inspector skill on it.

Lesser Goblin Core (Normal)

One goblin had given him so much trouble that he knew he would be killed instantly if more than 2 showed up. Axel placed the monster core into the inventory and went back to the horned hare’s territory. 

Sometime later, long after Axel had left, some goblins appeared where Axel fought and killed that goblin. They saw their fallen kin, they began sniffing and inspecting the area. When they were finished, they dragged their dead kin away and left.