My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 488: Hunting monsters

The forest clearing transformed into a burial site littered with silver pelts and mangled corpses.

Ethan positioned himself amidst the Shadowfang Whelps' carcasses, his sword dangling casually at his hip, its blade still faintly glowing from traces of sliced shadows. The Sword of Infinity boosted his power one level beyond his own, turning a potentially lethal clash into a swift and brutal takedown. All three whelps perished without grasping the full extent of their assailant.

Precision far beyond his level guided Ethan's movements through the pack. The lead creature pounced low, seeking to flank him as its allies closed from both sides. Rather than fall back, Ethan pressed ahead, his sword etching a smooth curve across the beast's neck. The Sword of Infinity cleaved its shadowy hide like mere vapor, sending the whelp crumpling before it could finish its leap.

The second beast whipped around at once, talons slashing the empty air where Ethan once stood, but he had already relocated. He materialized behind it with seamless grace, driving the sword into its torso with a single measured stab. The monster went rigid, wracked by spasms as the blade destroyed its inner core, then thudded lifelessly to the earth.

From the start, the third whelp had observed cautiously and chose a unique response. Its form started melting into shadows, phasing toward incorporeality to flee. Halfway through the shift, Ethan's strike landed. The Sword of Infinity dismissed the change as no barrier. The weapon pierced mid-transformation, causing the whelp to burst apart like fracturing crystal, its incomplete shape dissolving into wisps of vanishing gloom.

With every beast's demise, wisps of gray mist lifted from their forms. The haze spiraled upward resembling fumes from guttering coals, bearing the purified core of their life force. Ethan observed the mist starting to scatter into the woodland atmosphere, as it always did for Elysium's hunters. Left alone, the power would evaporate in mere heartbeats.

He stretched out his palm.

Instantly, the mist bent to his command, yanked toward his hand by an unseen pull. It skipped past his flesh, surging into profound depths within. The Law of Infinity Strand claimed it entirely, sending a subtle quiver through Ethan's essence as the energy took root.

[Shadowfang Whelp defeated. Level 2.]

[Essence absorbed. Evolution points gained: 30.]

Ninety evolution points arose from the three kills.

Ethan tallied the gains in moments. Level one beasts yielded one point each. Level two offered ten. Yet the Founder had clarified that defeating higher-level foes tripled the haul. For a level one slayer, each level two brought thirty points. Such productivity demanded pursuit.

Before midday struck, the carnage ignited.

Like a disciplined tempest, Ethan traversed Pandora Forest's fringes, no wild pursuer but a methodical reaper. Stalking waited not; he culled with sharp intent. His wrist device throbbed with fresh alerts, red markers signaling nearby threats. Stealth played little role—he advanced boldly, felling any monster that emerged.

From tangled root mazes charged a group of level two Thornhide Boars. Crystalline quills armored their hides, flashing in the sifted sun, their thunderous rush splintering branches under hoof. Ethan met them head-on, no evasion. The Sword of Infinity whirled in a broad sweep, parting tough skin and skeleton with ease. Three split in half at once, the survivors lurching past only to crumple soon after as hidden wounds ruptured their vitals. Gray mist billowed up, absorbed by Ethan on the spot.

[Essence absorbed. Evolution points gained: 90.]

Shortly thereafter, fallen foliage concealed a Venomroot Viper lair. Their scales merged flawlessly with the dirt, erupting in unison to sink fangs into his legs. Ethan's instincts flagged the danger pre-motion. His sword plunged at exact intervals, lopping each snake mid-assault. They convulsed once then stilled, gray haze rushing straight to him.

[Essence absorbed. Evolution points gained: 120.]

Above the treetops, an Ember Hawk wheeled in circles, its wings cloaked in ghostly flames. The beast snapped its wings shut and plummeted, claws bared to shred his cranium. Ethan held firm without backing away. With a steady lift of his hand, the Sword of Infinity appeared overhead in reversed stance. The hawk ran straight into it during the plunge, the edge slicing it neatly apart before any shift in course was possible.

[Essence absorbed. Evolution points gained: 30.]

The figures kept climbing steadily.

By noon, Ethan had slain over thirty monsters, all of them level two. His actions fell into a smooth, repeating cadence. He pressed onward. He sensed dangers. He struck. He felled them. He claimed their essence. The Sword of Infinity stayed razor-sharp without fail, his frame revealing no weariness. The routine turned automatic, but caution never wavered.

Besides the evolution points, yet another gauge was steadily rising.

[Law of Infinity Strand: 3.3 kilometers]

In under a day, the strand had stretched past three kilometers. Each gained meter subtly amplified his power, bolstering physical might and ability sharpness alike. The buildup was gradual yet compounding, and Ethan knew the eventual payoff would prove massive.

He paused for a moment in a glade strewn with corpses of assorted beasts. His breaths came even, his hold on the sword loose. He pulled up his status.

[Level: 1]

[Evolution Points: 990/3000]

Level two demanded 2010 additional points. Thirty per level two monster meant about sixty to seventy more takedowns. His present rhythm could hit the mark before dusk. Still, beast numbers were thinning in this woodland stretch.

Ethan checked the map via his device. Pandora Forest's outer bands spanned multiple kilometers, yet level two beasts clustered denser near edges shifting to mid-tier areas. Pushing further in would sharpen his progress.

As he readied to advance, an anomaly flickered on the screen.

Forty-seven red dots huddled in a nearby dip under two hundred meters off. Levels spanned one through three. Quantity alone didn't grip him, but the setup did. A scattered ring held their spots fixed, no roaming. It screamed waiting.

Or setup.

Ethan shifted course, creeping stealthily to the site.

The beasts ringed a sinkhole where ground had caved into a subterranean hollow. Sulfur-laced steam, reeking of rot, billowed from the gap. Shadowfang Whelps and Thornhide Boars mingled there, though one breed outnumbered the rest. Ethan eyed them from afar.

Humanoid yet warped. Limbs stretched long and spindly, capped by excessive fingers. Faceless save a lone vertical eye-slash. Twitching, buggish jerks marked their steps, joints bending to alien space logic.

[Stalker

Level 3

Uncommon Monster

Ambush predators. Possess minor spatial distortion abilities. Highly dangerous in groups.]

Eleven lurked within the throng, Ethan noted. Charging the full pack head-on spelled needless peril, especially with spatial twists disrupting melee. He stayed put.

Time remained plentiful. Barreling into the tight group wouldn't boost gains. It would just spawn chaos.

He weighed other paths instead.

The Law of Infinity Strand had regained full vigor since last deployment. Abilities stood ready once more. Now, he aimed to merge a pair. Teleportation for instant sword shifts inside range, Spirit Mastery to steer its path from afar. Together, they would let him wipe threats clean without breaching the pack.