[2 days, 14 hours, 33 minutes remaining.]
The woods were indeed infested with bats.
Cole and Sofia moved as silently as they could, both draped in hoods, but only Cole possessed an edge to exploit with his.
The archer could hear the woman's heavy breathing and knew she was trying to control herself. With his bow and arrow, he stood ready to shoot a bat if necessary.
At reaching level 9, the system finally gave Cole a new skill to unlock. He was expecting to be able to improve his [Archer] skills, but he would gladly take good basic skills offered to him.
[Focus]: Sharp your senses for one minute. Make you ready to face adversity.
Cost: 10 mana.
Unlocking [Focus], Cole felt a subtle shiver in his neck, sharpening his senses. The distant, concealed stir of a massive creature reached him. With an arrow nocked and a silent signal to Sofia, they moved, a quiet tandem of anticipation and readiness, towards the hidden monster.
A swift and silent projectile left his bow, penetrating the beast’s skull and causing it to drop dead to the ground. Another bat nearby began to flutter its wings.
Cole aimed again at its head, and another beast lay dead on the ground.
Just like in life before the integration, an arrow to the head could kill any animal. Cole decided he would not let this opportunity go. He aimed at another beast and shot. And he continued doing so for half an hour. Every beast in his path lay dead.
Cole was surprised by how long it took him to receive the messages.
[You have gained a level]
You received 1 basic skill point, 1 class skill point, and 1 stat point.
[You have slain Vampire Bat lvl - 6]
[You have slain Vampire Bat lvl - 6]
[You have slain Vampire Bat lvl - 6]
[You have slain Vampire Bat lvl - 6]
[You have slain Vampire Bat lvl - 7]
[You have slain Vampire Bat lvl - 7]
- Mission Updates -
Kill 15 enemies (15/15). Reward EXP and Uncommon Treasure Chest.
Kill 50 enemies (18/50). Reward EXP and a Rare Treasure Chest.
Gain 10 levels until the end of the tutorial (10/10). Reward: EXP and an Uncommon Treasure Chest.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
*Bonus* Gain 5 more levels, and your Treasure Chest will be Rare.
The archer could spend his basic skill points on one of the strength-based abilities he had available, but he opted to wait. Some of the new skills demanded more points now, and he did not want to miss the opportunity to acquire a crucial one if it came to that.
A new class ability was finally available at level 10. The same skill had various options, so Cole decided to wait and see which would be the best to acquire later.
The chest materialized before him, ornate yet worn from age. A small, intricately designed gear was inside, bathed in a subtle glow.
[Engineer Tool]
Effect: Upgrade an Item.
“Can I upgrade my bow?” He muttered under his breath, feeling silly for talking out loud to himself. He looked at Sofia and saw she was silent, inspecting something she had obtained from her chest.
Cole placed the gear close to the bow, and it shone for a few seconds before melting into the weapon. Black carvings appeared in the wood, creating a beautiful pattern. The shades of black on Cole’s weapon gave it a fancy look.
[Reinforced Bow]
+6 AGI
+3 AGI
Mighty Bow: Arrows can pierce even the most armored enemies more effectively.
I wish I had this before fighting that damn snake in the dungeon. If Sun Tie hadn’t been there, I would have been doomed.
Cole checked all his gear and felt good about it. He was as ready as he could be for the journey. Before continuing, he asked the system to remove the rune he had earned in the dungeon.
The small blue rock left his heart and entered his hand.
Looking closely at it, Cole could see the image of Jackie, an animated photo of them young, celebrating Cole’s birthday. We were happy before everything turned to shit, Cole thought, gripping the stone harder. He didn’t get what he most wanted from the dungeon, but the [Remembrance Rune] was close enough.
Cole equipped it again and gestured for Sofia to follow him, and they headed toward the cave.
Close to the rock formation, the woods ended, and right above the edge, the three most giant bats Cole had ever seen were sleeping, turned toward the ground, very close to one another.
These evil bastards are almost double the size of the level 6 we killed before. Cole looked at Sofia and shook his head. He was sure if one of them were to wake, the rest would follow, and they would have terrible odds against them, being this close.
The archer decided to proceed without attacking them. They still had more than two hours before night would touch the horizon. What do 24 hours of night mean in this damn place? Cole asked himself as they crossed the woods and entered more open ground, close to the rock formation.
The [Tracking Skill] showed that the kid's scent was further away, so Cole continued walking and following. Distant from the woods and with no bat in sight, he felt more comfortable speaking again.
“We’re really close to the target,” He muttered to Sofia.
“Yes,” the woman replied, trying to hide her fear. “Any tips on how to proceed?”
“No…” Cole replied sincerely, “Just try not to die on me.”
She nodded, her eyes briefly meeting his before they continued their journey. Each step they took echoed slightly, magnified by the vast emptiness around them. The forest, with its thick canopy and familiar shadows, had been left behind. In its absence, a palpable vulnerability settled over Cole. Without the trees to shield them, the world seemed infinitely larger, and they, inconsequentially, smaller.
The wind carried a slight chill, causing Sofia to pull her cloak tighter around her. Cole noticed, and while he didn’t comment, his hand instinctively went to the hilt of his weapon, reassured by its solid grip.
Up ahead, the land seemed to swallow the light, giving way to the mouth of the caves. Their inky blackness contrasted sharply with the fading light outside as if they were issuing a silent, morbid challenge to those daring enough to enter.
Cole paused, taking a moment to examine the entrance closely. The scent grew stronger here, directing him to a specific entry. This opening in the cave's face seemed narrower, requiring them to crouch, perhaps even crawl, to enter. Cole frowned, his instincts screaming against this course of action. It felt like willingly entering the jaws of some massive beast.
The creature he had seen before didn’t seem to have entered this cave, but Cole couldn’t be sure.
Realizing he needed a plan, he caught Sofia's eye and tilted his head, signaling her to a spot further away from the entrance, where the ground stood elevated. From there, they could converse privately and keep an eye on the ominous cave.
“It’s there,” he said, pointing.
“Are you sure?”
“We’ll find either the boy or his body inside. I’m sure.”
The woman shivered visibly, the prospect of entering the cave not appealing.
“Do we have any way to light a fire or torch to enter?”
“We won’t do that. We’ll follow the scent. If needed, you can use one of your healing skills to make light. And I have another way to light the way,” he replied, not wanting to disclose everything. The woman was close to panic, and if she knew everything, she might start demanding things from Cole.
Sofia nodded and locked her gaze with Cole, an inquiring response forming in her mouth.
“What are we going to find there? More of these bats?”
“I’m afraid it’s worse,” Cole replied.
“Worse like what?”
“Worse like in horror movies. Similar to the bats, but smarter, stronger, and more evil.” Uttering the word was difficult for Cole. Admitting that this was his new world was a dangerous step he was afraid to take.
Sofia looked at him for a couple of minutes as if she was afraid of her words, too.
“You don't mean... Vampi—”
Before she could complete her thought, a bone-chilling scream erupted from the cave's depths, cutting through the stillness of the sunset. It was a sound neither human nor animal, something twisted and otherworldly. Cole's hand instinctively closed around his bow, his knuckles whitening.
Before Cole could react, another sound echoed — gut-wrenching and haunting. From the shadows emerged the unmistakable, desperate cry of a lost child.