In the middle of the hall, so still it may as well have been a statue, a Lvl 10 Desert Golem waited in a silent vigil. As his blue eyes narrowed in focus, Alan placed the Warlockwood Staff into his Storage Ring. Alan balled his fist and jumped forward. His elevated Stats blasted him across the room. Awash in anger, he overshot his intended landing spot. He couldn't help but feel a bit foolish as he crashed into the back of the Golem, sending them both tumbling across the floor in a tangle of limbs.
When their high speed roll finally ended, the Golem had managed to wind up on top of Alan. Without even possessing a mouth, the hostile beast still managed to release a furious bellow directly into Alan's mind as it wildly hammered its fists against his chest and face. He was forced to eat several strikes, and although they weren't half as effective as before his Stats reached 50, his health pool was still dropping further with every blow.
"This..." Thud. "Wasn't..." Thud. "What I had in mind!" In between the solid blows raining down upon his head, Alan chatted up at his abuser. The beast had quickly become predictable, as it was only throwing the same punches again and again. When the next fist dropped, Alan moved his head to the right. The Golem's fist struck the sand mere inches away from his head, but it was all the room he needed. Alan reached up and latched onto a handful of the beast's face.
With the Golem having gotten the best of the fight thus far, Alan bellowed in defiance. He lifted his left leg up and over the Golem's right shoulder while placing his right leg under its left armpit. In order to hold himself in place, Alan locked his ankles behind the Golem's back. With the added leverage, he twisted his lower body to the left, placing all of his weight on the arm his enemy had braced against the ground.
Alan threw all of his energy into the motion, and the Golem was unable to maintain position. As the Golem tumbled to Alan's left, he tugged its Core to the right. A malicious grin split his features as he started Pulling on the Golem's head with every bit of strength he was able to muster.
For a few seconds it seemed like a lost cause, but when he yanked the beasts head from side to side its neck began to stretch, and then tear. The Golem tried to use its movement skill to escape. It began to sink into the sand, but one final brutal tug was all he needed to tear the head from its shoulders. The loss of resistance caught Alan by surprise and he was thrown backwards.
Still holding onto the Golem's head, Alan stared at the halfway sunken body thrashing violently at his feet. As he watched it flail helplessly like a fish out of water, he was hit with sudden inspiration. With nothing to lose, he attempted to place the beast's head, Core and all, into his Storage Ring.
Without hesitation his Storage Ring swallowed the Core, leaving Alan holding onto nothing but a fistful of sand and a strange, blue, dust-filled goop. He was met with a wave of Experience that pushed him over the threshold into Level 13 and a Kill Log notice. A stunned Alan understood his hasty experiment had been a complete success.
Remarkable! You have defeated a Lvl 10 Desert Golem!
+12288 Exp gained!
Remarkable! You have reached level 13! +30 free status points! Evolution to next Evolutionary Stage (F) is still available. You have 30 unallocated status points.
29593 Exp to next Level!
As he reviewed the recent gains, his Emotional Stockpile was finally able to syphon off his remaining rage, replacing it with a hollow tranquility. Though his mind was now clear and relaxed, the clarity felt eerily unnatural. His body continued to want to rage. To tear. And to break all opposition. Yet his brain was at peace, disconnected from all such feelings. Try as it might, his body was unable to act out it's desires on its own. But he was unsure how long it could be restrained.
*Unique*{Suit of Anger} Lvl 1 Current Emotional Stockpile: 34%
Because there were no other enemies within sight, and because he had no reason to wait, Alan quickly allocated his free Status Points. After minimal deliberation he decided to place two Points into all of his Stats. The additional Points allocated raised each of his Stats to 70, aside from Luck which sat at 94.
With 6 Status Points left over, Alan deliberated holding on to them, but quickly dismissed that pointless line of thought. Instead, he dumped 2 points into Strength and the remainder into Luck, bringing it up to an astonishing 98 points! It was hard to restrain himself from placing everything into Luck and rounding it up to 100. However, the risk of enduring another round of physical or mental change in unfamiliar territory made him hesitant.
I've almost made it to 100 in my Luck Stat! Well..I already know where my next 2 points are going... I wonder if something's gonna happen like when I hit 50 in my other Stats. Or has something already happened, and I've simply failed to notice what it was? Either way, while it's tempting, I'd better hold off until I know for sure I'm alone.
Astounded by the simplicity with which his Storage Ring snuffed out the Golem's existence, Alan recalled the beast's Core from inventory and was soon entranced by what he held. Sitting in the palm of his slime-covered hand was a pea-sized brown marble that took his breath away.
Smooth as glass, and perfectly spherical in shape, a glint of light from within the marble caught his eye. Alan held it between his index finger and thumb and lifted it into the air. As he peered into the surface of the stone Alan bore witness to a dazzling display.
The glimmer of light that first caught his interest was nestled in the very center of the stone, releasing gentle pulses of brown luminescence. Orbiting the radiant light were a countless number of infinitesimally smaller sparkles, continuously swirling in a kaleidoscopic array of colors.
In Alan's opinion it almost looked as if a miniature spiral galaxy had somehow been contained within the tiny stone. As he watched the gorgeous exhibition in admiration he activated [Examine], pausing his inspection of the stone's interior just long enough to read the distracting flash of information.
(F-Stage) Attuned Beast Core (Earth)- The lowest Tier of Beast Core. Can be sold at a premium at any System Shop.
Well that's nice and all, but what the fuck IS a Beast Core? Alchemists use these things in Potions?! He gave it a cautious squeeze, This thing feels harder than stone, are they supposed to be melted down first? Perhaps it's something like working with glass..
Grasping at straws, and yet again left with more questions than answers Alan stored the Beast Core, and placed further questioning on hold. Taking a look up and to the left, Alan saw his Hp was still over three-quarters full, but he barely had fifty percent of his Stamina. Not in any mood to sit around waiting, Alan cast [Healing Fog] and collected 300 (Iron Grade) Lotus coins and 2 (Iron Grade) Tutorial Tokens from the (Common) Box that must've appeared while he was marveling at the Beast Core.
Remarkable! Your Spell (U)[Healing Fog] has grown to Level 4!
Alan's aches and the last of his worries were washed away only to be replaced with a state of calm readiness. A single minute within the Spell restored him both mentally and physically. He took a moment and recast [Aqua Shield]. With his barrier now in place, Alan activated [Stealth] and quietly snuck forward into another indistinguishable, smooth-walled Sandstone hallway.
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Several sharp turns, and an extremely long corridor later, Alan stumbled across two Desert Flan's, both Lvl 9. The pathetically slow moving creatures noticed Alan and began to creep in his direction. They moved at what now seemed to him to be a snail's pace. His increased Stats once again making an obvious showing of the drastic improvement in his capabilities.
Staring at the waist-high googly-eyed piles of sand with disgust plastered across his face, Alan ran forward, crossing the 25ft separating them in the blink of an eye. He pulled back his leg and soccer-kicked the first flan, and instead of flying away as he'd planned, the nearly defenseless beast erupted into a formless cloud of debris. Before the disembodied Core hit the ground, Alan had driven his outstretched fingers into the remaining Flan's face.
Without meeting any resistance, Alan pulled the Core free and tried to store it in his inventory with the others. In a confusing turn of events, no Beast Core appeared in his Storage Ring. When the blue Core in his hand crumbled to dust and goo, it all slid through his fingers and dripped to the floor. Alan shook his hand in disgust as his Kill Log released an unnecessary flash of information in the corner of his eye.
Remarkable!You have defeated a Lvl 9 Desert Flan!
+2,048 Exp gained!
Awash in a dose of sweet, sweet Experience, Alan snatched up the Core from the Flan he mercilessly kicked to pieces. As he had feared, the exact same thing happened.
Well shit...
Amid a euphoric boost of Experience, Alan dismissed the notice and stared blankly at the chalky fluid all over his hand, trying without success to understand what went wrong.
Remarkable! You have defeated a Lvl 9 Desert Flan!
+2,048 Exp gained!
Remarkable! Due to proving your basic knowledge of executing basic kicks and punches you have acquired the (Basic) Skill [Unarmed Combat Utilization]!
(B)[Unarmed Combat Utilization] Lvl 1- This passive Skill provides a slight increase to comprehension of offensive technique usage and slightly increases damage dealt when unarmed.
Comprehension and damage increase with Skill level.
The Golem's Core had also released similar nastiness, but contained within all that mess was the Beast Core.
Unable to do anything else Alan shrugged his shoulders and assumed that the Flans were simply too weak to contain a Beast Core. In reward for killing the Flans, Alan received two more (Basic) loot boxes, each one containing 250 (Copper Grade) Lotus coins, a (Common) Shadow Shuriken, and a (Copper Grade) Tutorial Token.
"Good shit!" Alan cheered, storing his goodies in inventory. Because he had already been rescued twice by Shadow Shurikens, he'd been keeping his eyes peeled, looking forward to finding more. Though as of now, the only beasts that had given him Shadow Shurikens as a reward were the Desert Flans. And they seemed to be becoming harder to find.
It was unknown to Alan if he would be able to locate any more, so he planned to keep his remaining three Shadow Shurikens in reserve, only to be used in the most desperate of times. Like a doting new father, Alan gave both defensive treasures a gentle peck on the cheek before he placed them into his inventory with a satisfied chuckle.
"I'm so sick of this place..." Alan growled "The things I would do for an actual shower... Even Uncle Alex would be ashamed." As he groaned in disgust, Alan glared in open contempt at the sand-strewn floor. He was well aware that if he remained stuck in this gods-forsaken place much longer he was going to end up doing something drastic, and most likely stupid. In order to calm the vast pit of rage bubbling and seething just under the surface of his Emotional Stockpile, Alan searched out another Dungeon Born Monster to further vent his frustrations upon.
After wandering down two empty dead-end passages and having to retrace his steps, Alan was left with only a single path to choose from. With the decision made for him, Alan set off after pulling out his Canteen, cleaning his filthy hand, and taking a long drink of water.
In order to get to the end of the floor, and hopefully out of the invasive sand, Alan vowed to himself that he wouldn't stop until finding the location of the Mini-boss. With a plan beginning to form, Alan's overall aim was to catch the Naga by surprise and bombard it with Spells. Hopefully from a healthy distance. And of course, while under the guise of his [Stealth] Skill.
"It's not much of a plan.." Alan sighed in disappointment, all at once remembering the endless occasions his uncle and brother had referred to him as 'Captain Obvious'.
His shitty planning skills aside, Alan knew that he would be willing to use nearly any means necessary to survive the Sandstone Palace. And it just so happened that right now his best bet was to rely on his Spells for anything that out-numbered or out-leveled him.
The next twist in the pathway unveiled six more Flans, all level 10. Eyes narrowing, Alan smiled with grim intentions, withdrew his Warlockwood Staff from inventory and rocketed forward.
(x6) Remarkable! You have defeated a Lvl 10 Desert Flan!
+4096 Exp gained!
+24576 Total Exp gained!
Remarkable! Your Skill (B)[Staff Utilization] has grown to Level 2!
Standing in at nearly five feet tall, although these Level 10 Flans were far bigger than any he'd faced before, their utter lack of defense was what ultimately led to their downfall.
Out of breath, Alan looked around as the remains of the Flans sank into the ground and were replaced with one (Common) and five (Basic) Loot boxes. If it had been the him of last week, or month, or however long he'd been in this cursed place, he would've been thrilled at the ease with which he had casually beaten the monsters into heaps of dust using only the end of his Staff.
The Alan of today however grunted with displeasure. A quick search of the (Common) box produced a small clear vial containing a single grey pill called a Statistic Supplement. With it were 250 (Iron Grade) Lotus coins and one (Iron Grade) Tutorial Token. The (Basic) boxes netted Alan 1500 (Copper Grade) Lotus coins and Five (Copper Grade) Tutorial Tokens. While it definitely wasn't a bad haul, what had Alan shaking his head in regret was the complete lack of even a single Shadow Shuriken.
"Just my luck, Six Flans and not a single Shuriken..." Alan kicked the ground in frustration. The force of his foot hitting the ground lifted up a small wave of sand. The wave rolled through the hallway before him before crashing to a stop, leaving a thick layer of dust in the air as a reminder of its passing.
The only saving grace in the whole situation was what awaited him within his Storage Ring. Six more pea-sized, (F-Stage) Earth Attuned Beast cores, not to forget the Statistic Supplement pill.
So Level 9 Flans don't have a Beast Core but Level 10's do? Come to think of it, I took the first Beast Core from a Level 10 Desert Golem.. Is it just a coincidence? Alan wondered, Do beasts not form a Beast Core until Level 10?
He'd already inspected the Beast Cores with a glance at his Inventory tab, and they were virtually indistinguishable from the Core he took from the Golem. Instead, Alan pulled the Statistic Supplement pill from his Storage Ring and [Examine]ed the contents of the small glass vial.
(Common) Statistic Supplement Pill (Agility)- Once consumed this pill will provide anywhere from a minimum of 1 to the maximum of 10 Status Points allocated directly into your Agility. Stat gains are permanent. Effectiveness of Pills decrease with each Pill consumed.
No further information necessary, Alan tore the lid from the vial and dumped the small grey pill into his mouth. After withdrawing his canteen, Alan chased the pill down and washed the turquoise goo from his hand.
As soon as the Pill hit his stomach, a soothing warmth began to radiate outward. It started in the pit of his stomach, but soon enough it engulfed his entire body.
As the wave of heat receded, Alan recieved a notification.
Remarkable! Due to the consumption of a Statistic Supplement you have recieved +7 Agility!
"That's great and all, but I'd still rather find another Shadow Shuriken..." Unable to help himself, Alan continued to groan about his losses as he trekked through the neverending maze of confusingly identical, interconnected corridors.
If not for his Mini-map he would've had to rely on hand-drawn maps. And with all the twisting, turning and backtracking passages, Alan was less than confident that his abilities alone would be enough to keep him from getting hopelessly lost.
Before long Alan came to another intersection, this one with only 2 options. He could either choose to keep going forward, or turn off to the right. When he faced the right-most path the base of his skull released intense pulses of pressure that sent a sharp electric jolt shooting down his spine and into his feet. The traveling energy nearly instantly reversed course and entered into his torso. Upon reaching his chest, the electric jolt unleashed anxiety inducing waves of vibration in sync with the pounding behind his eyes.
It didn't take long for Alan to recognize the return of his long-absent Sixth Sense. Although the intensity with which it suddenly announced itself forced him to admit that he really had no clue what this strange feeling was, or what it meant.
But one way or another, he intended to find out.