Current experience: 1282
Stored experience: 2582
Experience needed for next level: 68
Xicackna swallowed. The voluntary sacrifice of these four level 8 guards had given her more XP than all of her training over the past months and the few crushed mana stones that had been allocated to her. However, despite all this, she still needed a little to finally reach the next level... not that obtaining one more level would change the outcome of a confrontation against eleven monsters from level 7 to at least twenty...
She jumped when she heard the growls of the monsters following her. After discovering the corpses of her guards, they patrolled the surrounding area, probably to make sure they eliminated any remaining ambushers. Since she delivered the killing blows, the humans who injured them only got participation XP. It was possible that they thought their comrades were responsible for the final elimination, but since she wasn't in their heads, she couldn't be sure.
Quest rank « F »
« The survivor strikes again »
Success condition: You find yourself in an extremely critical situation with little chance of survival. Escape from you enemies without them spotting you.
Reward: 150 XP
Failure: Probable death
Xicackna gaped at the quest window that appeared before her eyes. Why was the System waiting now to give her one? And what was that name? Was the System making fun of her and the “Achievement” she had validated earlier? In any case, the reward was not as high as for this one.
As she reread the details of the message, she was overcome by two contradictory feelings. First of all, the desire to simply despair while the System itself hinted that she would likely die soon. Then, a sense of urgency and panic as her “Sixth Sense” buzzed like never before.
Panicked, she rushed, knocking over stones as she went. She then heard a growl that she considered interrogative and had the impression that the noises of monsters were converging in her direction.
She stopped suddenly! A chasm blocked her path. In the depths she could see the lower level, much lower. She could possibly bypass this cavity but she would certainly find herself surrounded before she can succeed. Taking deep breaths, she forced herself to regain her composure.
The System seemed to have a minor influence on physics. If, logically, a fall from this height could be fatal depending on how it was received, the System increased the probability of suffering a fixed number of damages. She still had 115 hit points: that should be enough to survive...
Aiming for a spot where the rocks weren't too sharp, she prepared to jump. Having doubts, she stopped.
Opening the characteristics window, she attributed her undistributed point to endurance: it was better to limit the risks.
Stamina increased: 5 > 6
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Maximum Vigor increased: 30 > 36
Maximum Hit Point increased: 115 > 118
Tears came to Xicackna's eyes when she noticed the too slight increase in her vitality. But hey: three hit points could mean the difference between life and death.
Holding her breath (as if that would change anything), she jumped.
Xicackna came back to her senses with difficulty. Her body ached all over and she couldn't remember if she passed out during or after landing.
Responding to her silent wish, a window appeared summarizing the fall damage. She had taken 97 points of damage, reduced by 30 by her natural armor. So, she had 51 HP left, so a little less than half. The message also said "no additional penalties", which probably meant that she was not amputated or seriously injured in the fall, even if she felt like she had broken something or even several times something.
« The survivor strikes again »
Quest successful
Reward: 150 XP
Current experience: 1357
Stored experience: 2657
You gain a level!
Current level: 7
Experience needed for next level: 393
The mysterious heat of the level-up coursed through her body again... She no longer felt the pain.
Surprised, she observed her body, intact, all her wounds had closed. Her “Creature Sheet” indicated that she was now at 121 Hit Points, three more than before her fall. The increase in her “Energy” characteristic was more satisfactory, going from 120 to 140, since it was based on her high intelligence and not her rather average endurance… if only she had powers relating to this characteristic, which was currently useless. Being able to project walls of fire from afar, like the monster that almost killed her during the first encounter, would be so interesting.
Class Skill gain
As you progress in your mastery of your class, you can choose one additional class skill from the three skills below:
Death stare (D): (magical power) Allows you to shoot deadly rays from your eyes. Avoids most of the damage reductions. Requires 20 energy points per shot (per eye: possibility of simultaneous shots). Damage base 50.
Thought Observation (F): (supernatural power) Allows you to detect the immediate thoughts of targets. Cannot evolve into "Memory Reading" but upgrades and is replaced by it if obtained.
Analysis (F): (supernatural power) Allows you to obtain very detailed information on a nearby target. [Reference ability of the Analyst class, this power allows you to deeply understand the nature of the targets analyzed]
For the first time in a long time, Xicackna smiled. Finally, a chance to improve!
But she still had to choose. There were therefore three options, all seeming to refer to one of her deep aspirations.
“Death stare” was a skill starting at “D” rank, which showed that it was quite powerful. It was an offensive skill using her mana, so finally the possibility of fighting effectively and using the energy, until then useless. Firing one ray per eye had devastating potential. Although she had two large main eyes, she also had six secondary eyes which she generally kept closed. Located on her forehead in three separate pairs, she wasn't sure she'd be able to open the last one before she reached adulthood, but that still left her with six usable death rays.
“Thought observation” sounded tempting too, except for its limitation to immediate thoughts and the fact that it couldn't evolve into a visibly more whole skill. However, this gave her essential information: skills could evolve and even develop synergies between them.
Finally, “Analysis” was a more advanced version than “Observation” but only usable at close range. It was the eponymous skill of her class and she wondered why she hadn't received it from the start.
There was no need to rush too much: she had time to choose what would be the best decision...
A shiver ran through her body all the way to her abdomen as she suddenly recognized the landscape around her: she was further along the main road to their sub-part of the dungeon... This meant that the monsters would soon pass over there!
Focusing on the hive mind, she discovered its absence in one direction, indicating the advance of the hunters. She also heard Xyry-Yria's relief when she discovered that she was still alive.
This relief immediately turned into a series of frantic orders asking her to join her as quickly as possible and to remain careful.
Turning invisible, Xicackna headed as quickly as possible towards the command room. She only stopped for a moment to select her new skill.