Unwilling Teacher
Janus found that his improvised bandages seemed to slow the bleeding. The [Rock Constrictor] had, thankfully, only bitten him once. But he wasn’t sure if the monster had been venomous.
He attempted another climb after the bleeding had slowed, but still couldn’t manage to grip well with his fingers. His arm felt unnaturally stiff, though he wasn’t certain if that was just from swelling or something more insidious.
The other side of the ravine was just as steep as the one he had climbed down from.
I can try to find a better way up. It’s not likely, but the alternative is just sitting here…
He started to slowly walk along the ravine floor. If he could stretch both arms out, he would almost be able to touch the walls to either side. It was like walking through the tunnels, only this time, there was nothing but open air above him. The sensation was strange, and he expected something to leap down on his head at any moment.
After around thirty minutes of creeping along the floor of the ravine, his worry manifested, and he heard something scrabbling around above him. The noise was still distant, but unmistakable. The snake from earlier had made the same noise before attacking. Not wanting to repeat the events of his last battle, Janus prepared himself.
In the air above, he compressed mana into several points and let it burst out. The flash of energy illuminated his surrounding and revealed a series of ledges, the first only being about a meter above his head. Strange gray figures darted around in every direction further up.
[Rock Goblin - Level 21]
At least they aren’t snakes.
He had barely finished the thought when his mana sense caught something creeping behind him. As he turned around, he manifested a barrier of reinforced mana. The monster lunged forward, meeting the solid barrier. Frustrated, it used a small dagger to smash through, but Janus had already summoned a replica arrow point above and the projectiles pierced the monster. He smashed down with his quarter staff at the same time.
[You have defeated an enemy: Rock Goblin]
[Your Mana Reinforcement skill has gained 1 level]
[Your Mana Burn skill has gained 1 level]
Once the notifications appeared in Janus’ mind, he released the mana array. None of the other goblins had jumped from the ledge to help and Janus soon realized why. The first arrow nearly took him in the shoulder. His mana sense barely even registered the projectiles as they pelted down past him. He created panes of reinforced mana, but they were only strong enough to deflect a single arrow before shattering. [Mana Reinforcement] had a significant mana cost, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.
He hastily constructed arrow point arrays, pointing them toward the source of the goblin’s arrows.
[You have defeated an enemy: Rock Goblin] x2
[Your Mana Reinforcement skill has gained 1 level]
[Your Spell Weaving skill has gained 1 level]
[Your Mana Burn skill has gained 2 levels]
Pained screeches erupted from the dark. Above him, a vivid green glow spilled from the ledge. Janus gazed upward, pinpointing the silhouette responsible for the aura.
[Rock Goblin Shaman - Level 26]
As Janus prepared to unleash a barrage of mana arrows at the shaman, he paused, recognizing the subtle signs of healing magic in action. His mana sense revealed the flow of energy, wrapping around another goblin dangling precariously from the ledge, bow still clutched in its grasp. It became evident that the shaman was tending to the wounded monster.
How could he be so stupid? He had so many opportunities back at Crow Station to watch healers work at the Delver’s Guild, but had never taken the time. Why bother to learn healing when he could focus on another trick to take out Devon or Pella? He had always assumed healers would be readily available, and he could learn later. But now, in the depths of the dungeon, his oversight was painfully clear.
Janus yearned to study the healing spell further, but urgency demanded action before the shaman finished healing his companion. Light from the spell acted as an easy point of reference for Janus as he constructed even more arrow point arrays. His mana arrows rained down upon the goblin pair, but the shaman swiftly conjured a verdant barrier overhead, deflecting the assault as it agilely dodged to the side. Its companion, the archer, however, was not as fortunate.
[You have defeated an enemy: Rock Goblin]
The barrier skill employed by the shaman bore a striking resemblance to Janus' own reinforced mana panes. He could see how the mana formed an almost latticed structure. As an arrow whizzed perilously close past his head as he was studying the spell.
I’m going to get myself killed.
He turned back just in time to witness another goblin suspended halfway down the wall from the ledge opposite to the [Goblin Shaman]. A strange contraption on its thigh fastened it to a rope dangling from above. Janus wasted no time and quickly formed condensed mana between the creature and the wall. The blast pushed the goblin from its handhold, and it fell toward the ledge below. Just before landing, however, the rope fastened to its thigh went taught, swinging the goblin back toward the wall.
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While the monster attempted to right itself, Janus formed an arrow point array below it.
[You have defeated an enemy: Rock Goblin]
Janus was suddenly struck from behind, knocking him forward onto his knees as if a small boulder had been hurled at his back. He turned to see the [Goblin Shaman] preparing another spell. Mana was slowly being pulled towards the monster, and a ball of green energy formed in its hands. With a cackle, the creature released the energy, and it flew towards Janus. Reacting swiftly, he leaped towards the ravine wall, narrowly dodging the projectile. Instead, it continued onward, crashing into the ground with a resounding thud.
Janus released a bright flash of light, momentarily distracting the shaman while it prepared another ball of energy. While the goblin was disoriented, Janus created a shock wave of mana to its left, pushing it down from the ledge and into the ravine. Whatever energy the shaman had been collecting violently dissipated as it landed in a tangle of limbs.
I could trap him. He would use his spells to escape and I could study them.
The thought was almost repulsive. Even though the goblin was a monster, and as far as Janus knew, monsters did not think or feel, the goblin appeared to be just as alive as Janus himself. Whatever emotions a monster displayed were supposed to be a product of the System, not of a living, feeling creature.
He formed rings of reinforced mana around the shaman’s legs and hands before it could stand.
The goblin didn’t look scared, just angry. With the primary threat bound, Janus glanced around. The ravine was quiet once more, and he didn’t spot any other enemies.
He patiently waited for the shaman to use its spells. The first thing it attempted was firing another green ball of energy. But the goblin was stuck on its back and could hardly aim. The spell whizzed into the nearby ravine wall.
Janus made certain to watch how the mana formed. The spell functioned differently from the arrow point array. The array used runes to mold mana into projectiles. The shaman’s spell was instead creating the projectile directly.
Janus attempted to recreate it, forming mana into the same structures. The spell was simple enough that it didn’t take long. He wasn’t entirely certain how to actually fire the projectile, but he had created a mass of heavily reinforced mana. The structure was surprisingly stable, more stable than anything he had created before. Most reinforced mana he created didn’t stay together for more than a few minutes, but he suspected that this spell would last three or four times as long.
The shaman chirped in indignation, pulling at its restraints and Janus let the cuffs of mana dissipate. The goblin barely had time to register that the bands of mana were gone before Janus reformed them. This time, the reinforced mana’s structure was much more solid, constructed from a combination of the shaman’s barrier and projectile spells.
Much better. These should be much harder to break.
He looked at the shaman and knew that the next part would be the most repulsive. No matter how much he told himself it was just a monster, it still appeared to be a living creature. Kneeling close to the goblin, he retrieved his knife from a pocket in his robe and used it to slice the goblin’s arm. The monster screeched in pain, and the sound nearly made Janus drop the knife.
Lenny’s face flashed through Janus’ mind, the [Hermit] choking on his own blood.
This is necessary. I need this. It’s only a monster.
Janus felt sick at the justification. But he had killed so many monsters already. How was this really any different? He turned and intently watched as the mana suffused the goblin’s skin. He could really only see what the mana was doing on the surface, but the complexity astounded him. Even the arrow point array wasn’t nearly as complicated as this.
There was a strange aspect of the spell that Janus couldn’t wrap his mind around, almost as if there were other energies swirling within—not just mana. Additionally, it was difficult to see what patterns the mana was moving in once it dipped into the creature’s flesh.
The goblin’s flesh began to knit together once again and Janus had a worrying though. Without being able to see what the mana was doing inside the goblin’s arm, how would he be able to replicate the skill?
Curiosity overcame his disgust and he wounded the goblin once more. He needed the monster to use its healing spell as much as possible before it ran out of mana.
After some time, he considered himself lucky that no other [Rock Constrictors] or [Rock Goblins] had turned up while he studies the shaman’s spells. Once the monster had run out of mana, Janus experimented by attempting to heal the monster. It wriggled in discomfort as his mana seeped into its flesh. The replicated spell was clearly causing it pain.
The spell worked incredibly slowly, much slower than when the shaman had cast it. Janus frowned, he was missing something.
Finally, Janus opted to finish off the shaman from a distance, instead of with the knife. It felt too personal when he was up close.
[You have defeated an enemy: Rock Goblin Shaman]
[You have gained a level]
[Your Mana Reinforcement skill has gained 1 level]
[Your Mana Burn skill has gained 1 level]
Using the knowledge he had acquired, he carefully unwrapped the bandage from his wounded arm. Allowing mana to flow over the punctures, he was sure that the wound was slowly sealing up. Minutes crawled by as the spell went to work. It felt like something was digging into his arm, and he clenched his teeth. Eventually, the wound scabbed over. His arm remained stiff and sent pulses of pain through his torso with certain movements, but it was no longer bleeding.
Struggling with only one arm, Janus attempted to pull himself up the ravine wall and onto the ledge where the goblins had been shooting from. Despite the challenge, he persisted, and after a minute of effort, he finally sat on the ledge, his legs dangling off. Though it was a small achievement, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
He couldn’t recall seeing this particular ledge when he initially descended into the ravine, suggesting that it didn't extend very far in the direction he had come from. Unsure of his next move, he tossed a [Torchstone] into the air, watching intently to see if it illuminated any other ledges above. However, the light revealed only what he had already seen, and he narrowly caught it as it fell back down.
Janus chuckled nervously, picturing the embarrassing scenario of missing the catch and tumbling down the ledge he had just climbed.
His map indicated another tunnel far to the left of the one he had entered the ravine from. If the ravine was long enough, it would likely intersect with the other tunnel, and, if he was lucky, that tunnel entrance would be closer the ravine’s floor. If the tunnel was lit, it should be easy to spot in the darkness.
As Janus traversed the ledge, he noticed signs of the Rock Goblins' presence—small huts and remnants of campfires dotted the area. He pondered where they found the peculiar straw-like material for their homes. Thankfully, he hadn’t encountered any more enemies. Perhaps the huts belonged to the group that had already attacked him?
Why do they need huts and campfires anyway? Do monsters even need shelter or food?
He pushed the speculation aside. His primary focus remained on locating the tunnel marked on his map.