“We should stop doing this.”


    I calmly recommended as I watched the burn covering my forearm heal rapidly. It wasn’t “instant” nor it was on the level of the bug knight I killed. I was sure that if I took enough damage it would start to slow down. Still, it was faster than any nanomachine-based healing we had back then. Another con of the Regeneration I borrowed from G?kb?rü was how quickly it consumed my energy. Even though I ate just before the fight started, I was hungry once again.


    “We can just stealth away from any mobs. We don’t have to fight this much.”


    G?kb?rü didn’t seem to mind the fighting since he acquired a lot of food to eat afterward. Even now he was gorging himself. I also cut a piece from the cooked meat and started to chew.


    “This is such a chore…”


    As if killing them wasn’t enough I had to look for their mana stones and useful parts. Sometimes they didn’t even have mana stones. It was such a letdown to kill a strong monster, cut into their tough body, and find nothing. The actual cake is a lie moment.


    It also sucked that I couldn’t use Shadow Melt to dodge their attacks. It only worked when the attack didn’t produce “light”. I could dodge even the mana-infused attack if they didn’t produce light but against attacks that produced light like the lightning nearly every monster used here, attacks ignored all of my resistances and dealt critical hits. I knew that thanks to experimenting with Ama. I asked her to throw the smallest fireball she could produce to my arm while I used Shadow Melt. The result was a large burn covering my entire arm. I theorized that it was because my arm was turned into a “shadow” and the light caused by the fire “erased” the shadows. Or something.


    “If fire, something I resisted by a margin did that much damage I can’t imagine how much damage lightning would cause.”


    G?kb?rü raised his head from the bone he was gnawing on, acknowledging my words with a low growl. I could sense his understanding, despite him mostly focusing on the meat in front of him.


    “Let’s find the boss and get out of here.”


    G?kb?rü barked in agreement, seemingly pleased with the amount of meat he consumed. Considering how much he ate, I would been scared if he wasn’t pleased. I surveyed the surroundings, ensuring there were no immediate threats. Since we killed the stronger monsters the weaker monsters, having learned to fear our prowess, kept a cautious distance. Monster’s aggression was weird. When I came to this world, I thought that monsters were aggressive unconditionally. Yet with more experience, I could say that the aggression level changed from monster to monster. They were still more aggressive than the animals of Earth though.


    The stronger ones seemed to want to throw hands more, sometimes seeking us to fight. The weaker ones sometimes avoided us or attacked us when we turned our back. While I saw some exceptions, most of them obeyed what I saw until now.


    As we ventured deeper into the second floor, the terrain became more treacherous. Jagged rocks jutted out from the ground, and ominous storm clouds gathered overhead, casting an eerie shadow on the landscape. The air crackled with latent energy, signaling the presence of powerful creatures. The grass covering the ground grew thinner in number but grew thicker and more electrically charged. It was just small shocks from time to time before but now it actually hurt.


    “Ghrhhh!”


    I turned to G?kb?rü when I heard his angry growl but the moment I saw him, I exploded in a fit of laughter. His once sleek coat now resembled a fluffy, electrified halo, giving him an endearing and slightly goofy appearance.


    "Looks like you''ve got a shocking new style, my friend."


    He snorted in response, seemingly unamused by his unintentional electrified makeover, and bit me. Electric passed from him to me and shocked both of us. He shot a sly look at me and I felt my already unkempt hair rise, similar to him. Despite the comical situation, the charged atmosphere and the tingling sensation in the air hinted at the dangers that lurked in this part of the second floor.


    “Do you feel that?”


    Constant lightning strikes blinded us with flashes of light. The thunders following them already gave me a headache. The smell of the ozone accompanying both of them caused us to smell nothing else. Enhanced Senses didn’t really work as I wanted to so I turned it off. However, my mana-sensing abilities and the vibrations under my feet told me something strong was close by.


    I put my serious face on and took a deep breath. I felt my heartbeat in my chest. I closed my eyes. I could feel the static in the air. How it made my skin tingle. The smell of ozone was unpleasant at the beginning but I learned the ignore it after a while. The ground was uneven. As a warrior, I learned to feel and take into account all the variables around me. But if I wanted to use Shadow Melt at its full potential, I had to ignore them.


    I took deep yet infrequent breaths. My heart which was beating slower than average thanks to the constant physical activity I had been through slowed down even more. The ground beneath my feet disappeared. My instincts screamed for me to panic and pump adrenaline yet I stayed calm.


    Just like that, I managed to hide not only my body but my smell, mana, sound, and presence. While I trained for this state, I asked myself a question: Why does using the other abilities of Shadow Melt and Shadow Walk not take this much focus?


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.The conclusion I reached was simple: I didn’t use all of their potential. I could hide myself with Shadow Melt without any effort, it was a passive skill after all. Yet, when I didn’t focus it not only didn’t hide my mana other things it concealed were also easier to spot.


    I trained myself to use my skills quickly, in combat. But what if I took my time and put this much focus on turning shadows or teleporting? Hmm. Another theory I will have to find out. For now, let’s focus on the strong presence.


    As I maintained my concealed state with Shadow Melt, the charged atmosphere and the tingling sensation in the air intensified. I could sense the powerful creature''s presence even more keenly. The static in the air seemed to hum with energy, and the occasional lightning strikes illuminated the surroundings with flashes of blinding light.


    “Hmm. So it was a horde.”


    Even though the grass here was nearly as tall as me, it only came up to their legs. On average, they were slightly taller than 3 meters. They munched on the grass peacefully despite their steps causing vibrations. If all of them run at the same time it would probably feel like an earthquake. Their fur was a mix of earthy tones, ranging from deep browns to rugged grays. Around key areas of its body, such as the shoulders, back, and neck, it sports armor-like plating resembling leather as if its muscles weren’t enough to absorb any damage. The defining feature of them was their impressive set of horns, resembling lightning rods. These horns curved outward and upward, crackling with electrical energy. The tips emitted a faint glow, and small sparks danced along the length, indicating the latent power within. Their thick as tree trunk legs ended with large, blunt hooves.


    While all looked intimidating except the cute “little” calves running around and headbutting each other, one of them stood out the most. I was sure it was the floor boss. “The bull” stood at least 1 meter taller than the rest, making it easy to spot. Its battle-scarred horns were not only impressive but had constant electricity charge between them. Its armor was also more pronounced as if they were calloused. Unlike others, it had three whip-like tails equipped with a tuft of fur at the end. The tufts radiated light and let out small sparks as they moved.


    While they reminded me of Scaled 4-horns, no way in hell I could just charge them like I did to Scaled 4-horns. Their numbers were nearly half of them if I didn’t include the calves yet I was sure that I couldn’t kill them in one hit. If I couldn’t kill them in one hit, I would get surrounded and stomped to death.


    I patted G?kb?rü’s fur.


    “I need you to pull some away. Attack the calves, and worry their mothers. You don’t have to kill them or injure them. Just pull them away.”


    G?kb?rü let out a whimper. I could feel his discomfort about hurting calves.


    “You don’t have to cause damage. Just be flashy.”


    He nodded. As he stealthily moved toward the group, I maintained my concealed state with Shadow Melt, ensuring that I remained hidden. As G?kb?rü approached, the Thundering Herd''s behavior shifted. At first, they couldn’t detect him since the grass was thick and tall. The calves, curious and playful, were the first to notice the approaching threat. Several blunt fist-sized ice balls hit them, scaring them away. Their mothers, vigilant and protective, immediately took notice, and the entire herd became alert.


    Some of the “cows” tried to scare G?kb?rü away but they were met with sharp ice spikes. While their thick hide was able to withstand and break most of the spikes, some managed to draw blood, angering them. The boss, "The bull," raised its battle-scarred head, its electrified horns crackling with energy. It seemed to sense a disturbance, and the intensity of the static in the air increased. Despite its eyes locked in G?kb?rü, it didn’t move. G?kb?rü kept sending ice spikes, causing some to break off the herd and chase him.


    “Finally.”


    I slowly made my way to the boss, not getting detected by the remaining cows. Honestly, I didn’t want to kill all of them. I was being a hypocrite but I didn’t want to separate the calves from their mothers even if they were monsters. I knew that I would have to kill some of them but I wanted to keep that number low.


    As I approached the towering figure of the leader of the Thundering Herd, I could feel the static in the air reaching a fever pitch. The electrified grass crackled beneath my feet, making me worry about being detected. The boss, with its impressive electrified horns and calloused armor, stood still, its three whip-like tails twitching with anticipation. I carefully observed its movements, looking for any signs of weakness or patterns that could give me an advantage in the upcoming battle. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the electricity jumping between its horns and its tails moving, I could have confused it with a boulder.


    I took a deep breath, steadying myself for the confrontation. I had one free hit before it could detect me and all hell would break loose. Where I should aim? Its head was out of reach unless I jumped. Its body looked too tough to make considerable damage with a single hit. Its legs it is. They already carry the immense weight of the beast so damaging them in the right place should be easy.


    I slowly loaded mana into my hammer. My muscles tensed up like a bowstring before being released. I swung my hammer and just as it was about to hit, my gaze met with the beast’s.


    “Well, shit.”


    Despite the impact I felt in my palms, my strike didn’t cause that much noise as most of it was absorbed by the bull’s hide. It felt like striking at a boulder but I managed to shake the beast. The boss bellowed in pain, the electric charge in its horn flaring brighter for a moment. I threw myself to the side as a bolt of electricity shot between the bull’s horns, scorching the ground.