You know how I can coat objects with magic, right? Turns out, I can also create things out of thin air by using darkness. For example, I can make a black shield, or black daggers.
A [Black Dagger] worth 400 mana is still weaker than my [Ebony Daggers], so there isn’t really a point to it.
Making objects is way less effective than coating something with darkness. Say, an attack was coming towards me. I could make a [Black Shield] for 200 mana and block the attack, or I could simply surround, say, my hand with darkness at the cost of 50 mana, and block the attack at an equally effective rate.
If I were to give an analogy, it would be with…oil?
I don’t know, I suck at analogies.
You can coat a sword in oil to make it cut cleaner, or you could use that oil to create plastic to make a sword. Coating the sword in oil is a lot cheaper, and it still slashes better than a plastic sword.
Does that make a bit more sense?
So really, coating something in magic is a lot more mana-efficient than creating a weapon from scratch.
I hop out from my dungeon, and proceed to stroll back into the examination room.
I think eighty or so minutes have passed?
Oh. Some nerdy looking girl is teary-eyed and biting her lips in stress.
I peek over her paper, and see...
"...What the heck?"
She looks back, glaring at me.
Er, oops?
On her paper are a bunch of super-realistic diagrams used as an algorithm to calculate the 'boss' question. The 500 pointer.
Seems impressive, right?
Except... the 'diagrams' are just hands.
Yeah. She really drew hands to count, because she didn't have enough fingers.
I thought maybe the lower class was uneducated, but this?
Come on! This is common sense!
I look at her answer.
She's got 4 to 5 written down. Maybe it's the decimal that she's struggling on?
I lean towards her, whispering.
"4.5"
She furrows her brow and begins to illustrate one of the fingers getting half chopped off.
She even adds blood and stuff. Ew. Even the bone is poking out.
She quickly counts the fingers again, and her eyes light up.
"T-thank you so much, Miss Rena!"
Miss Rena? Aw shucks, am I really deserving of such a title?
This girl should be a manga artist or something! I see so much potential getting flushed down the drain if she becomes a mathematician.
I sit down on a chair, and wait for eight more minutes to pass. The examiner eyes me suspiciously.
I look away and pretend to make complicated equations in mh head.
First, I stare intensely at the desk.
A few seconds later, I jump out of my seat, as if realising something important.
How do you like my 'fake study' strat?
Who am I kidding? I've already handed my test in. I put my feet on the desk, leaning back on the chair.
After the uneventful minutes pass by, the examiner tells us to put down our pens and flip our test papers backwards.
Me? I already handed mine in, so I just smugly watch some adventurers furiously scribble, before slamming their pens on the table, and eccentrically flipping their papers over.
Both the illiterate and literate adventurers get taken back to the training court.
Guild Master Koya walks upon a makeshift stand and announces the top three markers.
Damn, knowing you're winning sure feels good. Who can beat 200%?
"In first place, once again, we have Rena, with an exceptional score of 1000! Every question was answered perfectly, including the last one in the span of just half an hour!"
A lot of chatter and commotion begin to brew up.
How is the beggar girl doing so well?!
Rena sure is impressive!
Did Yache scout her?
Guild Master Koya silences the crowd, before continuing his announcement.
"...Second, we have Harwel, with an impressive score of 920! Full marks on the final question as well!"
Harwel; the girl I helped, beams and sends me a wink. She mouths something, but I can't actually hear it.
However, thanks to [Appraisal], I still know what she said.
<[Harwel]: Thank you, Rena! Meet me afterwards, I'll show you something cool>
Ooh? Did I curry favour with someone? I guess I'll meet up with her during the break. And see what she has to show me.
Guild Master Koya carries on his speech. "...And finally, in third place, we have Poile, who managed to snag this position after getting a score of 100 on the final question - with a total score of 420! "
Whaa? So he only got 320/500 for the actual test? That's... not good.
What an idiot.
<[Kester]: Geffail failed.
[Geoffrey]: Look! 140/500 is good for my standards, okay?>
[Appraisal] caught onto a conversation. Unlucky. I guess Geoffrey didn't make the cut. In fact, the passing score is really low. 200 to be exact. It’s even lower than 50%!
Does the guild have low expectations, or are the people here stupid?
Maybe a mix of both?
Well, Guild Master Koya finished announcing the results, and sent everyone away.
Only the people doing the magical test remain in place.
Guild Master Koya leaves to prep for the exam, and I scan the court, looking for Harwel.
Ding!
Found her!
I wave at Harwel. She notices me, and comes running in my direction.
"Miss Rena-" She says, before I cut her short.
"Rena is fine. Just 'Rena', please."
Harwel nods like a puppy, before starting again, "Rena, first of all, thank you so much for helping me! I'm a mage, so the physical exam wasn't for me. I might've gotten dropped if you didn't help me out before!"
"Really, it's no problem." I respond.
Aaah, getting praise feels so nice!
But I have a reputation to live up to, you know? This is my chance to transform from 'beggar girl' to 'Rena the Prodigy'! I have to act cool and collected...
"Well," I question, "What was it you wanted to show me?"
“When I saw your unfathomable performance during the physical exam by cloaking yourself in magic I thought maybe you could use some more mana-improving items to further boost your magical prowess because you have so much potential as both a mage and an adventurer and I really want to help you-" She blabbers, before falling into a coughing fit.
That way too long of a sentence. No wonder Harwel couldn't manage in a single breath.
She coughs a bit more, before finally regaining her composure.
"P-please forget about that," she mentions.
Awkward? Yes.
Embarrasing? Yes.
Ungraceful? Yes
Can I ease the tension? No.
We stare at each other for a bit. After a brief interval, Harwel's cheeks flush, and she murmurs to herself.
She totally gives stalker-girlfriend vibes, but I'll keep that thought to myself.
"Ehm, sorry for getting excited. I really, REALLY wanted to meet you! I've been following you around since you came into town and-"
My brain goes into 'high alert' mode before it shuts down. So she IS a creepy stalker!? Wait, does she know about my secret of warping around?
"-and I saw you bring back FOUR Pranels all by yourself. So, I thought, what if I could help you become an even greater adventurer?"
Where's the logic in that?
If she gives me free stuff, I won't complain, but what a stupid reason is that?
Harwel is quite weird.
Huh, ME?
I'm the heroine, okay! I don't need a prim and proper, over the top personality!
Hmm? The fourth wall thing again?
I have no idea what you're talking about!
(The author told me to tell you - Er... I want to tell you... that I'm not getting held gunpoint!!!!)
Well, as I was saying, free stuff is free stuff.
She materialises some gloves from her inventory.
"I'm sure these [Aorst'n Gloves] can help you!" she squeals, electrified.
Damage: 150 Durability: 500 Resistance: 300 Specials: Increases mana recovery (+1/second)> Oh, nice. With this and [Reparation], my total mana recovery speed is 5 mana per second, meaning I get 300 mana per minute! And because I can overstock thanks to my [Highwalker Boots], magic is starting to play a large role in my combat style! In just 2 days (or a total of 6 days if you include the time I spent in my dungeon), [Dark Magic] has progressively been climbing up my skill podium! [Appraisal] is top dog, followed closely by [Absorption]. Then, [Dark Magic]. I give Harwel my thanks. Just as I start to walk away and mind by own business, Guild Master Koya comes out and announces the beginning of the magic test. It's basically the same as the fitness test, but the rules are reversed. No physical attacks, only magic attacks. Darkness cloaking is technically a physical attack, so I have to stick to black bullets. This time, the 10-pointer is as big as my head. The 20-pointer rocks are roughly the size of a large dog, and there's a 100 pointer, which was just the 500-pointer last time. You know, the pseudo boulder. Finally, there's a 500 pointer. This one was the size of the final boulder from last time. Basically, everything simply moved up a tier. Magic is inherently far more cataclysmic than fist-fighting, so it's much easier to deal significant damage. But on the flip hand, magic uses mana to operate, while physical attacks don't need anything. Well, technically it needs stamina to use, but comparatively the drain is insignificant. Well, as I was saying, because magic causes more destruction it's only natural for points to be harder to obtain. Guild Master Koya commences the trial. Automatically, I go for the big boulder. You only need 200 points to pass, but I want to go above and beyond. I summon a large bullethead of darkness. I fire it, and it rips through the boulder, leaving a gaping hole behind. Just like before, the afflicted area just crumbles into dust. Whoa... Sorry, Guild Master Koya, but I'm going to go above and beyond, and get a total score even above your predicted 6,000! Actually, I feel like a 400 mana shot could do more. The bullet just plummeted past the boulder and flew into thin air. Guild Master Koya seems to be thinking the same thing, because he summons an array of boulders, lined up back to back. There are ten arranged together. I don't think I can pierce all of them, but I'll give it my best. I wait for my mana to fully charge up, before getting ready for another shot. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I see Harwel eagerly watching me, as do some other adventurers. Alright, here goes nothing! I release the abyssal attack, and it absolutely shreds through the first boulder, forming a torrent of destruction. It cleanly slices into the second boulder, losing a bit of velocity. As it cleaves through a chunk of the third boulder, it starts to gain a lot of spin, before slowly stopping, and evaporating into nothingness. Harwel starts cheering and applauding. Stop that, please. But, against my expectations, a crowd forms, and cheers in awe. Even Guild Master Koya starts clapping. Aw man, I didn't mean to stir up such a crowd! Alright, I can't get ahead of myself... I guess I'll go for the 20-pointers instead? Every two seconds, I can shoot out a dark bullet worth 10 mana. I've got 100 mana right now, So maybe I'll rapid fire? I summon a swarm of magic circles above the dog-sized rocks, and begin raining hell from above. Each bullet crashes into a dog, leaving small, circular imprints. Hahaha! This is too easy! I could farm points like this all day long! While I bask under the ray of glory, I notice some scornful looks coming my way. Ah. Right, my bad. Since I was destroying all the 20-pointers, the other mages don't have the chance to butt in and score their own points. I'm pretty sure everyone here can reach the 200 mark easily, but like Harwel said, most mages need extra credit badly because their physical results weren't the most impressive. These guys have high mana stats, but low attack... defence... speed... and health stats. What the hell? Do these guys evenly distribute CP or not? I stop the hellfire, and focus on the big fish once again. Well, my mana isn't full yet, so there isn't much to do. I look around while waiting for my mana to recharge. Wonder how other people are doing. The most common magic creation used among these people seems to be either [Fire Magic] or [Water Magic]. [Water Magic] fares better against the rocks than [Fire Magic] does. It should be expected, right? Fire just ignites stuff. Unless you have an advanced fire magic spell, all you can really do is set things on fire. It's simple and powerful. But not in this scenario, because simple combustion doesn't work on a rock. [Water Magic] is working a lot better. You can slash with condensed water to break rocks, or you could leak water into more sedimentary rocks, and break them from the inside. The most common magic manipulation is probably [Wind Manipulation] or [Earth Manipulation]. [Wind Manipulation] works in a similar way to [Water Magic]; slash with condensed air, or expel air from the rock, causing it to split apart from the centre. [Earth Manipulation] is just fighting fire with fire... but it's fighting rock with rock. They're using earthen spears to impale earthen stones. Compared to what I can do with [Dark Magic], these strategies seem really simplistic. Because all of them are physical properties, coating yourself in, say, fire, wouldn't be a smart idea. If you had [Fire Resistance], I suppose it could work, but most of these mages have low physical stats, so melee battles won't really suit them. Water cloaking could work to boost attack, but the unstable form of water means no defensive buffs. Earth could also work, but you'd have to be strong enough to move at an agile pace while carrying hulking masses of stone. Wind? What can you do with that? Maybe you could fly or something? None of these guys can shadow-warp either! In fact, their bullet attacks are half-assed. A water bullet can't do much. As I scan the crowd, I find Harwel trying to break a 500-pointer. Oh? She's roughly three quarters complete. She has both the [Ice Magic] and [Ice Manipulation]. At first glance, that seems like a waste of precious skill slots, but now, I see the practicality of it. She freeze dries a section of the boulder, and uses [Ice Manipulation] to make the ice dig further in. Then, she makes that ice slide off, removing a chunk or rock. As my mana regenerates, I prepare for a new strategy. I want to test out a hypothesis. If I can cloak something with [Dark Magic] to boost it, in theory, I should also be able to cover something in [Dark Magic] to debuff or damage it, right? With my remaining mana, I cover the lower half of a boulder in darkness. Instead of letting the mana excrete outwards, I force the mana to leak inwards. I wait for a few seconds. I managed to get the entire bottom half engulfed in black, not a single hint of light reflecting off the surface. I force the mana to sink in, before trying to weaken the boulder. And then something unexpected happens. The bottom of the boulder disintegrated, just like that. Without anything supporting it, the upper half of the boulder crashes onto the ground, creating a misty curtain of rubble and dust. Tremors rumble beneath the earth, and for the first time, even Guild Master Koya looks stunned. Skill [Dark Magic Lv8] has become [Dark Magic Lv9]> The rock literally rotted. And [Dark Magic] levelled up. The sinister decaying gives me eerie vibes, but it seems insanely useful in a practical fight with monsters, so it's a keeper. The ten minutes pass, and Guild Master Koya relocates his hanging jaw, and clears his throat. He quickly does some calculations, before scribbling down a set of scores. "Again, unsurprisingly, Rena has taken the lead with a score of 2,080 in the magical test! Second, we have Harwel - another mage who shows promise - with a score of 790! And finally, in third place, we have Zoe, with a score of 650!" That is... one big, FAT outlier! He stops, letting us chatter among ourselves. Harwel sneaks up behind me, and gives me a startle. "Rena, that was awesome! Please teach me magic handling like that sometime!" Guild Master Koya does some administration, before telling us to wait here. He flees away, calling the rest of the adventurers to assemble for the practical, hands-on test. Moments later, the rest of the adventurers walk in, marveling at the damage done to the rocks. Before we can do the pract, Guild Master Koya waffles on about safety precautions and other useless details. He gives us each a contract. It says we agree to a potentially dangerous course, and asks for a signature. Except, a quarter of this group can't read, so they have to get their names signed off one by one. I make a small cut in my skin, and let a drop of blood fall onto the paper. Once everyone consents, we get taken into the guild again, and get led through some trap door leading to a basement. I walk in, Harwel following close behind. "H-hey Rena?" She asks, fumbling on her words. "Yeah?" I respond in a curious tone. "Well, I was...thinking, maybe we could form a squad?" Urg! Does she want me to carry her again? I mean, sure, the [Aorst'n Gloves] were nice, but I've already done a favour for her! The favour of... giving her a number... Thinking about it that way, I sort of scammed her, didn't I? All I did was give her an answer to a question. And she was already on the right track with those illustrations. Even if I didn't help out, she was still guaranteed second place; even if she got the question wrong. Those 'hand' diagrams could have scored, maybe... 300 or so points worth of working out? I suppose letting her tag along won't be that bad of an idea. Sure, I'll mostly be carrying, but during the magic test, she's already proven she can fend for herself. She certainly isn't dead weight. Maybe more like an extention cord? "Sure, we could form a party" I reply, approving her request. Is this what it feels like to have henchmen? A few seconds later, I get a 'friend request' from Harwel. Wait... YOU CAN SEND OUT FRIEND REQUESTS?! Howcome no one ever sent me any? Gyras? Yache? I thought we were friendssss!! Oh wait. My bad, scrap that thought. It's a 'party request'. That makes more sense. Yache and Gyras would have no need in me joining their parties. Am I becoming a blacksmith apprentice? No thank you. Am I fighting rank B monsters? Hell no! I accept the party request, and Harwel squeals in delight. Er. My creepy stalker-girlfriend radars are going off the charts. It's fine... I can handle a... bit of that. After we enter the basement, Guild Master Koya takes us to a room with a door bolted shut. Two high Silver-badged adventurers guard it. This is totally starting to give me the chills... It's not that dangerous, right? Must just be a precaution or something. If monsters leaked out from the Adventurer's Guild - the main monster exterminating organisation, it would totally look bad on their record, no matter the rank of the escaped monsters. Can monsters even leave dungeons? As the adventurers notice us, they stiffly move away, and open the gate before giving Guild Master Koya a bow of courtesy. "Before we enter the dungeon," announces Guild Master Koya, "I will address the aims and goals of this mission. There are monsters lurking in this dungeon known as a 'Kemoth'. After killing one, take off the horn located under its chin as proof of your deed. Your goal is to exterminate as many of the Kemoths as you can. There will also be a few 'adventurers’ who need 'rescuing'. It is not mandated, but 'saving' these people will award bonus points. The dungeon should automatically eject you after an hour and a half has passed." Oh? So this is different to the Fujincote Nest. Do different dungeons have different requirements necessary for leaving? I mean - both this dungeon and the Fujincote Nest are 'permanent' dungeons, no? But the criteria for leaving is different. There's no set number of monsters you need to kill after all. Eh. We line up and form a single file in front of the portal. As we walk in, Guild Master Koya hands us some bracelets, which apparently instantly teleports you out of the dungeon when you fall below 5% HP. No point worrying. I take a calm breath and march into the dungeon, with Harwel tagging along behind me. You may leave after a certain amount of time has elapsed.> I see the world before my eyes start trembling, and moments later, I get transported into the dungeon. I feel a bit sick, but compared to my usual dungeon warps, it's nothing. Probably because this isn't in a subspace. This place looks totally different from the Fujincote Nest! Some sections appear to be man-made. Maybe they added safety extensions or something after conquering the dungeon? People start parting their ways, venturing and exploring the dungeon in search of Kemoths. I see a notification pop up on the corner of my peripheral vision. Did the system send me a notification? I click it. <[Harwel]: Where are you?> Oops. I almost forgot about her. But she's stupid, isn't she? "I'm right next to you," I respond out loud. Harwel opens her mouth to say something, but decides to keep quiet, offering a wry smile and an 'oopsies' pose. We bicker about an appropriate course of action (It was really just me being a dictator and arguing with myself, while she nods along) before deciding on a simple plan: Kill Kemoth, collect hor, save people. While most people take the short route, I take the small, narrow path. Harwel enthusiastically follows along. We walk through the path for a bit, before I come across a sharp turn. I peek my head through just in case I find a monster hiding around, and see... ...A diabolical incarnation of gore itself. It has a small yet apparent striped horn etched under its chin, sort of like a middle aged man's goatee. The upper half of the Kemoths body seems to be perpetually rotting, with a nasty odour leaking out. In fact, it doesn't even have a proper mouth. More like two stone slabs stuck together, with a jelly tongue leaking between gaps in its teeth. The legs sort of resemble a birds, but with large warts sprouting on every surface. One pops, and pus oozes out. The Kemoth slurps its tongue back into its mouth, only for it to leak out again. I don't - no, I refuse to touch, let alone fight this creature Harwel stares at its grotesque form, equally disgusted. It hasn't noticed us yet, but just as a precaution, I use [Appraisal]. Nameless Level: 32 Rank: C Class: (primary): None Class: (secondary): None Health: 402 Damage: 279 Mana: 376 Defence: 365 Speed: 342 Titles: [Monster Hunter] Skills: [Poison Magic Lv6], [Bite Lv9], [Concentration Lv7], [Run Lv6]> This guy is bad news. Supreme Kemoth? Why do I always have to run into the powerful monsters? Supreme Komoth is just a stronger version of a regular Kemoth, right? Luckily, it hasn't noticed us yet, So I mention to Harwel that it's probably a boss monster. I haven't told anyone about my special skills and [Demon Lord] title yet. If I was honest, and described the monster's exact stats, skills and level, I'm sure Harwel would wonder how I knew that. And then unnecessary complications would start popping up everywhere. We carefully sneak away from the... thing. Usually, I would link monsters with an animal, but there's nothing to describe this Supreme Kemoth. It's entirely its own species. Some sort of mutant, unnatural being. However, as even though carefully slink back, the Supreme Kemoth seems to notice our presence. It starts sniffing the air. Surely it can't smell us under its dejected stench. It starts following the whiff, evidently approaching us. Uh-oh. Wait, no. This is winnable. We have Harwel, a skilled ice mage, and, well... me. I can say for certain I've improved a lot since I added magic into my arsenal. And this dark, unlit tunnel is the perfect place for [Dark Magic]. I can't control the pre-existing darkness, but I can absorb it into my black to strengthen my magic. The Supreme Kemoth finally catches sight of us. It makes a gnarly roar before picking up its pace, bolting towards us. Harwel creates a barrier of ice, but the Supreme Kemoth easily smashes through it. Shit. Darkness has no actual physical properties. But, playing defence isn't my style. I fire a dark bullet at the Supreme Kemoth. It doesn't do much damage, but instead, aggravates it. Good. This way, Harwel can safely back me up. As I draw its aggro on me, Harwel starts preparing for a powerful attack. I pour the rest of my mana into my daggers, coating them with condensed black. Kicking won't be effective in an enclosed area, but daggers sure work well. The beast strides closer with every step. I glance at Harwel. She gives me a sign of approval. As the Supreme Kemoth lunges at me, a massive iceberg drops atop it. The Kemoth crashes down, and the ice begins to dig into its skin. During that brief moment, I use my daggers to slice the monster's arms. Unable to react in time, the Kemoth stares in horror as I cleave through its front leg. Except, it wasn't horror that was etched on its face - -The warts burst open, green pus flying everywhere. Some gets on my skin, and I feel a sharp, sensational pain creep up my arm. A pain I've become familiar with. The pain of poison. Boils form everywhere, and I lose almost a quarter of my health. Dang. I forgot about [Poison Magic]. The rate of toxification outdoes the rate of [Reparation], and my health starts slowly tilting downwards. Damnit! The Supreme Kemoth bursts out of the ice, melting it with acidic puddles of goo. I got cocky. I shouldn't have overestimated myself. The Supreme Kemoth creates a colony of magic circles, every single one of them pointed at me. I create my own mana bullets, but I already drained most of my mana infusing my daggers, so they're comparatively weak. I can barely counter its attacks. Harwel, without mana left, looks at us hopelessly, pleading for my victory. The creature leaps towards me, its purple tongue dripping wet. The poison from before still erodes my body. I have to deal with the Supreme Kemoth fast. Running into my dungeon won't work- I'll still rot away while getting chipped by poison. I roll right in front of it, sliding under its belly and releasing a flurry of slashes. The Kemoth howls in pain, as its green blood explodes onto my hands. My health bar falls again - this time, to 50%. Okay. No melee attacks are going to work. The Supreme Kemoth is like a bomb. I quickly scurry away. I don't want to waste the black coating on my daggers, so I maintain a safe distance, before hurling them at the monstrosity. One sinks into its eye, the other, through its mouth. More lifeblood squirts out, and I manage to get the Kemoth down to 82% HP. This whole time, we've been nonstop hurling magic at each other. I quickly mention to Harwel. "Harwel, make another ice barrier! I need to recharge some mana!" The Supreme Kemoth's mana has fallen down to 200. Without any way to restore it, as long as I buy time, I can win. Harwel follows my command, and creates an icy barrier. Acidic clubs pierce through, but she repairs the wall with [Ice Manipulation]. The Kemoth, getting infuriated, directs its wrath to Harwel. I release a black bullet. The darkness surrounding the pathway gets consumed into my shot, further strengthening it. With the beast's back turned to me, it doesn't see the attack coming, and gets hit head on, taking the full brunt of the force. The black spear tears through the Supreme Kemoth's lower abdomen, leaving nothing; not a trace behind. Acid doesn't even burst out. All of it was consumed into a void of darkness, becoming nothing but sublime ash. Without anything connecting them, the frontal half and lower half of the Kemoth segregate, splitting in two. The Supreme Kemoth bellows in angst again. However, even that shot didn't kill it. Withskme of its torso and upper body intact, It survives the attack with 14% health remaining. You have got to be kidding me. Predicting inevitable death, the Kemoth allocates its remaining mana and strength into a final shot. A farewell gift of wrath. A runic magic circle luminates above Harwel, towering over her and casting a large shadow. I scream at Harwel, "Run! Harwel, stop spacing out, RUN AWAY!" Still dazed and in shock, my messages don't reach her in time. Acid sprinkles down like a light shower, before a waterfall of death pours out, engulfing Harwel. I hear bitter sizzling, and no trace of Harwel remains. Not even a single bone, not a scrap. All of it melted, evaporated. Harwel may have been a bit stalker-ish, but she didn't deserve an end like this. Skill [Resentment Lv3] has become [Resentment Lv4]> "You fucking bastard..." The words just escape my lips. I feel rage, and numbness. "You FAT, FUCKING CUNT!" I rush in. It doesn't matter how much damage I take, I'll kill this hunk of retardation. I cloak myself in a thin layer of darkness. As I approach, I charge towards its head, retrieving both daggers. As I rip them out, one of the suckers eyes gets gauged. The Kemoth bellows in pain, its health dropping below ten percent. It opens its jaws to bite me. Idiot. With its mouth wide open, I create a volley of shadow bullets that pierce through the soft membrane. The Kemoth swings an arm at me, but I warp behind it, jamming both daggers up its fleshy, exposed backside. As I stab them in, I create more dark bullets, ripping chunks of meat off. My hand hits something hard. I drop a dagger, and pull on the hard, foreign object, tugging as hard as I can. The beast's entire spinal cord gets wrenched out, and some squishy, gooey brain matter gets jerked as well. I level up, but the constantl ringing gets shoved to the very back of my head. Not the time. All basic attributes increased. Level-up proficiency acquired. Proficiency has reached required level. Skill [Dark Magic Lv9] has become [Dark Magic Lv10] Proficiency has reached required level. Skill [Reparation Lv7] has become [Reparation Lv8]. Skill points acquired. Combat points acquired. 50% of max health recovered.> The poison in my system subsides, and the purple toxins leak out of my wounds. Scabs form at a miraculous pace, before peeling off almost instantly, revealing new, repaired skin. My health still hasn't fully recovered, but I can leave that to [Reparation]. For some reason, I don't really feel grief. Nor wrath anymore. I don't feel anything. It's not that I'm unmoved by Harwels death. It's more like... denial. Denial and numbness. I kill monsters all the time, so I thought I would be partially insensitive to death. In fact, I cannot admit I am sensitive to death. Even if I know people are dying, and that a war is spurring up, I won't go out of my way to do anything about it. It simply isn't my problem. But this? ...This is my problem. Beyond reasonable doubt. I deliver the verdict; guilty. I led us through the small cavern, knowing that if trouble came, no other adventurers would be there to back us up. I thought by segregating, I could have gained more credit. But my fragile ego just shattered. I brought this upon Harwel. Now, I think I understand why Charles was originally reluctant to let me in. I get why he hates reckless adventurers. When you're responsible for a death, it just hits differently. It does. It really does. I salvage my daggers from the Supreme Kemoths body, before angrily twisting its horn off. I engulf the abomination with blackness, and let the darkness devour it. Soon, nothing but sinister ash remains. I jam the horn into my pouch, before retreating from the narrow path, and taking the main route. I don't even care about the rescue part of the mission. I pour my CP into mana. Which attributes do you wish to increase? Health: 243 Damage: 256 Mana: 165 Defence: 214 Speed: 262> Remaining combat points: 0> I glance at the timer I set up. 70 minutes to go on a rampage. I wonder how many horns I can collect? How many of the scourge can I murder? A voice in my head whispers to me. More than enough