Seeing the notification for "Shrinking Technique," Sakeer's eyes flickered with surprise.
"Damn!"
Agility can increase by up to 100 points?!
That was no small improvement.
To put things into perspective—
His current agility was only 113 points.
With this skill, he could practically double his speed—and even in the later stages, an additional 100 agility points would still be a massive boost.
The only downside?
It could only be used twice a day.
"Spiritual profession… Wizard?"
Sakeer frowned slightly.
This was the first time he had heard of such a class.
He recalled that there was a profession called "Witch," but "Wizard"?
That was new.
Still, there was no time to dwell on it.
"Shrink!"
His gaze snapped back to the humanoid monster before him—
The creature was taking full advantage of its superior speed, widening the distance between them.
Sakeer took a deep breath and activated the skill.
Boom!
His heart thundered in his chest—
A strange sensation coursed through his body as he began to shrink rapidly.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye—
His size was halved.
A sensation of weightlessness washed over him.
Sakeer glanced down at his half-sized body, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.
Everything around him seemed larger—
Especially the iron sword in his hand, which now felt too big to hold comfortably.
It was slightly awkward to grip, but not enough to hinder him.
Other than the size reduction and agility boost, all his other stats remained unchanged.
After a brief moment of adjustment—
Sakeer lifted his gaze and smirked at the stunned humanoid monster before him.
"Let's continue."
Whoosh!
With just a step—
Sakeer's body blurred into a streak of white light, shooting forward at blinding speed.
"AHH!"
The humanoid monster let out a startled shriek—
It had never expected Sakeer to use its own trick against it.
Panic flashed in its green pupils as it turned and fled at full speed.
But this time—
Sakeer was faster.
With his boosted agility and the Forest Crossing magic item, the gap between them closed rapidly!
"You can't escape."
Sakeer's cold voice rang out.
His iron sword gleamed as he swung—
"Four Lights Slash!"
Poof!
Blood splattered through the air.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Four deep wounds appeared across the creature's limbs.
Boom!
The humanoid monster let out a scream as its body plummeted from mid-air—
Crashing onto the rotting leaves and broken tree stumps below.
Sakeer deactivated Shrinking Technique, returning to his normal size.
Then, with a calm expression, he stepped forward, iron sword in hand.
"Now we can talk."
Meanwhile—
The insect monsters that had been summoned were now almost completely wiped out by the ten Archangel Flames and Guardian Angels.
His experience points surged once again.
[Experience Slot: 8762/10000]
Yet, what caught Sakeer's attention wasn't the experience gain—
It was the noticeable increase in the cursed power within his body.
Since he had slain far more monsters this time, the curse's growth was far more pronounced than when he killed the two Manticores earlier.
Sakeer's gaze shifted back to the humanoid creature.
With a gentler expression, he said, "Let's talk. What do you say?"
His curiosity about this place was only growing stronger.
But the creature—
Its bloodshot green eyes glared at him with pure hatred.
"Cursed… Monster!"
It snarled in a hoarse, resentful voice.
"Kill me! Just kill me!"
Sakeer frowned.
This humanoid being wasn't just hostile—
It was emotional, irrational, and possibly mentally unstable.
From the fragments of words it had spoken, he could piece together one thing—
Its hatred wasn't directed at humans.
It was directed at the cursed power within him and Leinas.
Even if that was true…
It didn't change anything.
If communication wasn't possible, then this creature was of no use to him.
Should he just kill it?
The thought crossed his mind, but he hesitated.
The deepest parts of this swamp were still a mystery—
And if anyone could provide answers, it was this creature.
Killing it now would be a waste of valuable information.
A sudden thought came to him.
"A few years ago, a subhuman creature like you left this swamp and entered human territory."
Sakeer's words were casual, but his eyes were sharp—
Observing the creature's every reaction.
The resentment in the humanoid monster's gaze wavered.
Its twisted expression froze—
For the first time, its lifeless aura flickered with vitality.
Its lips trembled.
"Pasha…!"
The creature gasped, eyes wide.
"It must be Pasha!"
It struggled to rise, desperation in its movements—
But with its limbs injured, it could only twist and squirm awkwardly.
Sakeer's eyes narrowed.
Looks like I've found a lead~
Sakeer's expression relaxed as he pulled out a bottle of regeneration potion.
He poured it over the wounds on the creature's limbs and said,
"It seems we can talk now."
As the wounds rapidly healed, the humanoid monster scrambled to its feet.
Without hesitation, it rushed toward Sakeer, eyes burning with urgency.
"Where is Pasha?!"
"Is he safe?!"
"How is he now?!"
Tears glistened in the creature's green eyes as it spoke.
Sakeer lifted a hand in a calming gesture.
"Don't get too excited."
His voice remained steady as he asked,
"Before I answer your questions, can you answer mine? First… what exactly are you?"
"Dwarf!"
The creature blurted out.
Then, as if worried Sakeer might misunderstand, it quickly added,
"Forest Dwarf! Dogan Stone Lizard!"
Sakeer's eyes narrowed slightly.
Dwarves?
His gaze swept over the creature again, scrutinizing its appearance.
Indeed—
It was a rare race, and judging by its short stature, it did resemble the dwarves of legend.
But this one was different.
A forest Dwarf—one of the rarest among its kind.
That explained its bark-colored skin, which allowed it to blend seamlessly with the forest.
It was rumored that forest Dwarves carried elven blood, though whether that was true or not remained uncertain.
No wonder he hadn't immediately recognized its race.
At a glance, it looked more like a wild human than a monster.
The only reason Sakeer hadn't mistaken it for a beast entirely—
Was because it could speak.
"Dogan… Stone Lizard?"
Sakeer repeated the name, finding it a bit odd.
"Is that your name?"
"Yes! Yes!"
Dogan's bloodshot eyes seemed to clear slightly.
His hair-covered face twitched with emotion as he explained eagerly,
"The 'Stone Lizard' is my ability!"
"All warriors in our tribe undergo a sacred magic ritual."
"We choose a powerful monster to bond with—and if we succeed, we earn the right to add its name to our own!"
Sakeer's expression flickered with understanding.
Stone Lizard…
A reference to the Cursed Basilisk—a creature known for its hardened scales and defensive capabilities.
"Tribe… my tribe…"
Dogan's voice suddenly trembled.
His entire body shuddered as his eyes darkened with grief.
"Dead."
"All dead!"
Then, just as abruptly, his emotions spiraled into chaos.
"Pasha! Where is Pasha?!"
"Tell me! Where is he?!"
His mental state unraveled once more—his body shaking, his voice rising into a frantic wail.
Bang!
With a swift motion, Sakeer chopped the back of Dogan's neck.
The forest Dwarf's body stiffened—
And then, he collapsed.
Sakeer let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples.
"What a headache…"
Still, at least they had finally managed to communicate.
And more importantly—
He was starting to piece things together.
Sakeer rose to his feet.
His gaze shifted to the Archangel Flames, who had just returned after wiping out the insect monsters.
"Spread out."
His voice was calm but firm.
"Attack all hostile monsters in the forest."
"If you encounter any creatures like him—capture them and bring them back."
Since these Archangel Flames had been summoned from a scroll, they weren't as directly controllable as the angels he summoned himself.
Unlike his personal summons, which could be controlled through pure thought, these ones required spoken commands.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One by one, the Archangel Flames shot off in all directions, disappearing into the night.
Before long—
Sakeer's status panel refreshed, showing a steady influx of experience points.
[Experience Slot: 8762/10000]
However—
Most of the gained experience was low, averaging only around a dozen points per kill.
Compared to the Great Forest of Tob, this forest was far less populated with high-level monsters.
Still—
It was better than nothing.
As night fell, the warm glow of a campfire flickered in the darkness.
The wood crackled and popped, filling the silence with soft echoes.
Sakeer sat by the fire, holding the Orb of Death in his hands.
He was channeling mana, using Mana Infusion to extract a portion of his energy and inject it into the orb.
Currently, his mana pool was strong enough to craft third-order scrolls—
But not yet powerful enough to create fourth-order scrolls.
The mana cost for crafting Tier 4–6 scrolls was doubled, requiring 10 points per scroll.
For reference—
2nd Order: Mana Accumulation → 10 points
4th Order: Angel Summoning → 20 points
Meaning—
To create a 4th Order: Angel Summoning Scroll, he'd need 40 mana points.
And that didn't even include the additional mana cost for "4th Order: Papermaking."
"PASHA!!"
A shout of pure exhilaration pierced the night.
Sakeer's eyes snapped toward the campfire's edge.
Dogan—who had been unconscious just moments ago—
Had just bolted upright, his entire body trembling with excitement.