Grook started off the battle by charging me. I knew that in order to win I needed to use the same tactics as the Beor, minus the nut shots of course. Grook, the one I’ve been with from the beginning, gave me a look that said plain as day “No nut shots”.

  My opponent closed in fast, not nearly as fast as the Beor but still quick. He came in with a large right hook that I dodged easily. I countered with a quick jab to his jaw.

  3,000 damage done to Grook!

  Only 3,000! My base is over 5! Wait the Beor had no defenses so this Grook probably has some natural defense. I also didn’t get a crit!

  He stumbles a little before turning back and and throwing another hail mary at me. Is he a one trick pony? I dodge again and hit him on the other side of his jaw.

  Critical hit! 10,752 damage done!

  Due to the critical hit Grook was knocked to the ground and severely dazed. I jumped on top of him and just started pummeling his face. I felt kinda bad but it was over quick.

  Once everything is done I get up slowly. His blood is like sap and my hands are covered. I think I might be going into shock, my breathing is irregular and my heart feels like it's about to burst through my chest. He was a living, breathing and thinking being. I did not kill him for food or anything like that. No I killed him to just kill him. It makes me sick that I’ve been forced into this.

  I decide to push away the notifications until I’m done talking to Grook, other than the whole fighting and killing thing I need to know why it was so easy.

  “Grook chief. Why was this easy? Why was he knocked out? I don’t really understand this.”

  “Well if you were hit in the face would you stay conscious? You see a critical hit makes the worst possible outcome happen for the opponent it also ignores all armor. That’s it. It won’t always be like this for you because sometimes others have high luck as well. Tell me, what is your luck at?”

  “Ninety nine. Yea I know, it’s not fair.”

  His mouth was hanging open in disbelief. “But how?”

  “Dunno. It was like that at level one.”

  “Oh boy. What drops have you gotten so far?”

  “Um… I haven’t.”

  “Wait. What do you mean you haven’t?”

  “Nothing ever dropped on the ground.” I was utterly confused. Wasn’t that what drops were?

  “GROOK! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU NEVER TOLD HIM HOW TO COLLECT THE LOOT?” He was pissed. I might have peed a little.

  “I forgot chief.” He replied with his head down.

  “Zach.” The chief said as he turned back to me. “I know you were skinning and cooking the meat from the Beor, and you can do that with all monsters but you must always go up to the last bits of the body and say ‘loot’. That is how you get armor and weapons.”

  I just looked at him. “Are you fucking serious?”

  “Yup. I am.”

  I take a deep breath and calm myself down. “Well now I know and I will never forget it.”

  “Good now go and loot Grook. You earned it.”

  I turn back to the demon I had just killed and loot him just like the chief told me to do. What happens next shocks me completely.

  I put the notifications away and walk over to my tent. The other demons go away as well, noticing the downcast atmosphere that permeates the area. The chief however walks up to me.

  “I will go now but please prepare yourself for tomorrow.” With that he leaves, not even letting me respond.

  I bring back all the other notifications from the fight.

  Damn that’s a lot.

  I distribute the stat points and now my status looks like this.

  I’m only one level away from wearing pants! It strikes me as odd though that I don’t have a defense rating. I figure I’ll ask the chief in the morning about that.

  I cook up more meat and have a nice dinner before I pass out. Luckily I had no dreams that night.

  Morning came way too quick and I was not really ready for all that I had to do today. I was feeling better about my situation but at the same time I wasn’t used to the fact that I need to kill. Slowly getting up off the hard ground I steeled myself for the fights to come.

  The Grook chief comes to greet me. “Morning! Today you finish this level and go on to the next. Now quick question, do you want to pick up drops after every battle and give yourself time to level up if you did level, or do you want to just make it one go?”

  “I’d like to take my time a little if thats ok with you.” I replied. Honestly i just want to put some fucking pants on!

  With a nod as a response the chief turns around and we head back to the arena where another grook is waiting for me. I don’t wait and just jump into the arena. The second my feet touch the sand the demon attacks me. I don’t even pay attention to his health or level, i just need to finish this battle and hit level 30. Pants, here I come!!!

  The fight lasted only about 5 minutes. I was brutal and never let him get out of a dazed state and I just beat him till he was dead. He died with a smile at least, yea that wasn’t weird at all.

  Oh. I guess he was a higher level. I allocate my points and put my damn pants on! I pull up my status page and look at everything. What I see surprises me.

  I am at max level? What the hell is that about?

  Well fuck. I guess I might as well just fight em all at the same time now.

  “Chief!”

  Startled he replies. “Yes Zach?”

  “I hit the max level of thirty for humans so now I have stored exp until I get a bloodline.”

  “Oh. Well then do you wanna just do fight after fight?” He asked.

  I could tell he was ready for it all to be over so I just nodded my head. Immediately another demon leaped into the arena. The next 5 hours went by in a blur as I fought and killed all the demons but the chief.

  After the last one hit the dirt the chief stepped up with a look of pure joy in his eyes. For a moment we just stared at each other. Then he spoke. “You have earned much respect from us and i hope that we can meet once again in the future. However that may not be so, so let us part as friends!”

  “Sounds good to me chief!”

  I figured as much. Might as well identify him and see what I have to deal with.

  Wow that is just ridiculous. I prepare myself for a good fight and so does the chief.

  We explode towards each other, both of us seem to want to go for a direct battle. Chief comes at me with a large overhand swing that would take my head off if it hit. I duck at the last possible moment and drive my fist into his stomach. The hit knocks the wind out of him and managed to have a crit as well.

  Slightly dazed, and I think he just gave up as well, I started to pound on him like I did the others. My fists connected to his face to try and knock him unconscious, which didn’t work. Instead he just ended up sprawled out on the ground.

  I finished the fight by jumping on top of him and pinning him down with my knees. I probably looked like some sort of savage as I beat him with my fists over and over again. I think I ended up screaming as well. All the frustration and anger that I have built up from all that has happened and having to kill to survive. All that time i had to go around fucking naked!

  Whew. I must say that I feel better now. Being able to get that out was nice, at the same time it was creepy since i took it out on another living being. Oh well not like i can do anything about it.