[color=fff7b0][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qMHpYAa.png[/img][/center][/color]

With more grinding out of the way, Mags became stronger and stronger. Even with a certain someone slowing the grind down to a much more relaxed pace, she was still able to become half-herculean. Well, that's if the stats were linear. Considering stat and item boosts, she now had the strength of five ordinary men. The kappas that once threatened her life were nothing more than walking bundles of EXP now. She'd learnt their patterns and strengths. Unless they stumbled upon a rare boss type kappa or something, she could easily turn their face into a second water bowl. Soon, she hit level 9 and allocated the last of her ability points.

[center][b]HP:[/b] 170 > 200
[b]SP:[/b] 100 > 200
[b]STR:[/b] 27 > 40
[b]AGI:[/b] 15 > 20
[b]END:[/b] 12 > 21[/center]
She was now firmly stronger than Ames in every way. In fact, she was the strongest person in their little party. Unless Klein decided to minmax STR. Mags dipped into other stats, after all. Soon, the group approached the Pearl Bloom River waterfall. Something was there. Then it wasn't. They all got nothing personel kid'd by an oversized frogman. Of course, they couldn't keep up the grind forever. It was now do or die. Such was the life of the grinder that stumbled across a world boss. Well, if it was a world boss. Might have just been a named enemy. Resolving herself, Mags equipped the loincloth. 
[hr]

[center][b]Lv.[/b] 9
[color=f7976a][b]HP:[/b] 230/230[/color]  [color=fff79a][b]SP:[/b] 200/200[/color]  [color=6ecff6][b]MP:[/b] 30/30 [/color]
[color=f7976a][sup](200) + 10% + 10[/sup][/color]     [color=fff79a][sup](200) + 0% + 0[/sup][/color]    [color=6ecff6][sup](30) + 0% + 0[/sup]    [/color]
[sup]STR – 53 [sup](41) + 15% + 5[/sup]  |  AGI – 20 [sup](20)[/sup]  | END – 23 [sup](21) + 5%[/sup]  |  DEX – 10 [sup](10)[/sup]  |  LUC – 10 [sup](10)[/sup][/sup]
[sup][b]Equipment:[/b]
[color=757575]Wrestler's Loincloth - Common Accessory - +10 HP, +5 STR[/color][/sup][/center]

Since it appeared behind them, the only escape route that the group had was cut off. Crossing the river was a possible route to escape, but the enemy was a frog. Had it been a dry cracker, it may have actually worked as an escape route rather than an obstacle. Comparing leg strengths, there was no way in hell they were running. That meant the options were either to negotiate with a frog or to beat the shit out of it and pray it wasn't a world boss.

Well, there was always a chance it was a [i]friendly[/i] frog. The fact that it was calmly under a waterfall until they came made her think it was a martial arts user. Well, that and the fact that it didn't use weapons. That meant that it had a martial artist's discipline, right? Unless it was one of those "I'll murder you to get stronger" martial artists, then she'd be fucked. Alternatively, it wasn't a martial artist at all. It was just a frog that liked to chill under a waterfall. With a respectful bow queue'd up, she quickly approached and became closest to the frogman. With her bow, her eyes were still locked on the frog and her powerful legs were ready to jump backwards, insuring herself from any sneak attack. Hell, she could even take her allies by the collar nearby and take them with her.

In any case, she had to size up what the frog was going to do. Whether it would attack, be friendly, or some other third thing. If it would attack, she'd do her best to jump out of the way. If it was friendly... They'd neatly part ways?