Alec got his first truly good surprise shortly after gaining his skill with meditation. The third floor of the tower was a mix of a kitchen and a lounge. The kitchen was equipped with cabinets that slowed time down to a crawl when they were closed. The food he found wasn’t fresh, but there was plenty of dried meat and various nuts that were edible enough. To his starving frame, it tasted like roast pig on Temple Day. He washed it down with some water from a running tap. When he pressed the glyph to turn on the water, it came out immediately, despite the time that had passed since its last use. It started out a blackish brown color, presumably the years of dust that had gathered in the pipes, but quickly turned clear. He opened his mouth to ask why any food was left here when everything else had been taken, when he remembered the second good thing about this floor. The voice was barred from it. Apparently, the researchers and administrators who lived here didn’t want him to bother them either here or in their rooms. Alec was more than happy to enjoy the silence that this gave him.

He had given the voice permission to turn on the rest of the mana collectors on the roof after finding out that the light he saw was the single mana collector that remained on. Only one was set to be on at any given time, and it cycled to one after the other in order to let each cooldown in order to maximize their life span. Seeing as there were about a dozen, he was surprised any still worked. He wasn’t sure how long ago the town was abandoned, but it was obvious that it was a very long time ago. The mana they were gathering allowed him to use these facilities without worrying about draining the town’s reserves.

After resting a bit in a chair that was the most comfortable thing he had ever sat in, Alec made his way to back to the fourth floor, ready to figure out his next move. As soon as he exited the door to the third-floor landing, the voice assaulted him.

“It’s about time. You meat sacks and your need to eat, you all waste more time on the third floor than anywhere else in the tower.” Alec smiled as he appreciated the towers prior resident’s decision to bar the voice from the lounge. “We have an issue developing that you need to be made aware of.”

Alec sighed as he got ready to hear more news that he was powerless to do anything about. What he really needed to do was organize his thoughts to get a plan together. He wanted to find a way back to the surface. Getting Sam and coming back here to see it the town could repair her as well. Once they made sure it was safe, of course.

“What is it now… Ok, just hold on for a second. I have been calling you voice inside my head since I got here. What is your name?” He was tired of not knowing how to address the being. “And what are you?”

“When I was alive, I was the head researcher here. My name was Tobias Brenson. I dedicated my life to this town and its people, and when my time was coming to pass away, I decided to dedicate my death to it as well. Really regretting that these past few hundred years. I have never once regretted that decision. Now, that matter we need to discuss, the primary reason the mana collectors were shut down was to avoid notice by the local monster population. It wasn’t an issue when we were culling the dungeons on a regular basis, but its been roughly 700 years since the last teams dove them. As we speak there are several of the creatures roaming the town, trying to find where the mana is accumulating. They are mana starved, so they shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

Alec thought about it for a second. Monsters meant experience points. Experience points meant levels, and so much more now. Tobias had said dungeons, plural. If this area had readily available food, clean water, and access to experience… It was too good to be true. He had wanted to go straight back to town to get Sam, but if he was honest with himself, he was lost and weak. He wouldn’t be able to get back to town even if he knew they way. He wasn’t even sure how far way the town was.

“Do you have any information on these monsters?” He had made his decision.

“Not really. Our view of anything outside of the tower is sketchy at best right now. We would have to upgrade our scanners to get any real information. The direction they are coming from is where the beast dungeon is located, so I would assume some sort of wolf, cat, or bear-like creature.” Tobias supplied.

Alec took a second to think about how he wanted to assign his points. He had been going for a physical build originally, but with the looming issue of his head he needed to focus on his mana pool. It didn’t take him long to come to a decision. He put two points into intelligence, one into magic, one into agility and one into constitution. His entire build was about staying alive. The magic and intelligence would help him to both increase his mana pool and give him more control over his mana. The constitution would give him more health and regen, while the agility would help him stay light on his feet and avoid being hit.

“Where is the nearest one?” He was walking down the stairs toward the tower doors, drawing his sword as he went.

“They are coming from the east, take a right after leaving the tower and head in that general direction. I have picked up several small groups traveling independently of one another.

Alec nodded as he reached the doors.

“I am certain you will be able to overcome these monsters. They should be relatively weak for their level, as the mana in the area has dropped over the years. The dungeons haven’t had access to enough mana to keep their strength. I’m going to be alone again, might as well start the hibernation process after he leaves.”

Alec crossed the street to the east, ducking behind the nearest building. He didn’t know much about the monsters, how far they were, how many, or even what they were. He decided he would do his best to sneak through the area until he found one of the groups, that way he could use his talent and get an idea of what he was fighting. He made sure to avoid any piles of rubble, went around any detritus, and tried to keep his steps as lightly as possible. After a few minutes of this, he stifled a yelp as a notification appeared in his vision.

You have learned the skill Stealth.

The art of not being seen, smelled, or heard. Decreases the chance of being noticed while sneaking by 1%

Two skills in one day. He knew it would slow down, as the system was just now catching up on the skills he had practiced throughout his life, but it was still exhilarating. He was so busy going over his skill that he almost didn’t see the first monster when it came around the corner. Fortunately, he was standing still while reviewing it. He caught the flash of a brown muzzle, saliva dripping from its open mouth. Sharp teeth in an orderly line filled the things maw.

Stonefur Wolf

Level: 6

Health: 118/118

Condition: Mana Starvation

The fur on these wolves has adapted many properties of stone. They are hardened bristles that absorb much of the damage done to them.

Wolves. There appeared to be at least three of them moving in a group with no real organization. The one in the back was currently sniffing its way inside one for the buildings, while the one in the front went from building to building marking its territory. The second one would occasionally lift its nose and smell at the air.

Alec steadied his breathing. Three of these wolves would be tough to fight head on. His best bet would be to take one of them out quickly to even the odds a little bit. He hoped that mana starvation decreased their stats enough for him to be able to overcome them. Level six wasn’t that high when his sword was taken into consideration. He would have to focus on not being hit since he had no armor. He promised himself that he would change that as soon as he could.

Sneaking into a building that was in their path, he took a position just to the side of the broken wall he came in through. The only other entrance was on the opposite side of the shop, a doorway with no door leading outside. He gave it better than even odds that at least one of the wolves would enter this building. The inside was open, thanks to the previous residents taking everything they could. As the wolves were still out a ways, he settled in to wait.

It took almost an hour before the monsters found their way outside. He had been worried that they had changed directions but didn’t want to give himself away by peaking out at the wrong time. The first indication that they were near him was a loud sniffing sound followed by a short growl. He lifted his sword from where he had it resting, put his shoulder against the wall, and waited.

The wolf stepped into the building, stopping as half of its body stood inside. Alec brought his sword down on the creature’s neck before it had a chance to notice him. The sword bit deep into the neck of the beast who yelped from the pain before collapsing. The blade was sharp enough to slice through the monster’s fur, but it robbed him of a lot of his strength. His sword stopped just past the spine, getting stuck as the wolf fell to the ground. He almost lost his grip on the weapon but used all his strength to pull it free. Losing his weapon would mean certain death.

You have slain a level 6 Stonefur Wolf

You have gained 210 experience points.

You have gained a level.

A part of Alec’s mind noticed that this message was almost identical to his very first kill. The rest of his mind was occupied with the sound of several more wolves snarling and growling outside, making their way toward him. He quickly slammed two points into strength, two into intelligence, and on into agility. He needed the extra strength to avoid getting his weapon stuck while fighting these beasts.

Another wolf tore through the entrance, too fast for Alec to land a hit. He leapt after it, scoring a hit on the creature’s flank. Most of the blow was absorbed by the creature’s fur, though a line of blood was visible on its skin. The beast spun around, favoring its left side. Alec lunged in, attempting to wound the beast further. It hopped aside and performed a lunge of its own, snapping its jaws shut inches away from Alec’s extended arm. He reversed his swing, the pommel of his blade slamming against the creature’s temple. The wolf staggered to the side, giving Alec enough time to attack again. This time, the blade slid easily past the fur into the flesh below. As he reached the full length of his lunge, he pulled the weapon back while twisting his wrist. This opened the wound further, blood pouring onto the floor.

You have slain a level 7 Stonefur Wolf

You have gained 240 experience points.

Both wolves’ bodies started evaporating as Alec backed into the corner of the building, marking them as dungeon creatures. He didn’t have time to check their loot drops, as two more wolves entered slowly through the open wall, stalking past the misting corpses. He put his back into the corner and took a step forward, ensuring he had enough room to swing his sword, but not enough to get surrounded by the beasts.

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They spread out to either side of him, coordinating their steps and stopping a small distance from him. They snarled at him, snapping their jaws in his direction. The wolf to the left took a few small steps forward, crouching slightly as the other continued to snarl and nip in his direction. As he switched his focus to the one creeping up on him, the other jumped forward, attempting sink its teeth into his leg. He brought his sword around, slashing at its face. The sword landed with a sickening squelch, the blade getting stuck halfway through the beast’s head.

You have slain a level 6 Stonefur Wolf

You have gained 195 experience points.

You have gained a level.

You have learned the skill Swordplay.

Your use of a sword now exceeds simply stabbing them with the pointy bit.

The first wolf seized this opportunity and sprang towards him, this time going for his sword hand. With the blade stuck, Alec was forced to release it and pull his arm out of the lunging monster’s path. He kicked out, earning a whimper as his thrust into the beast’s ribs. It swung its head around and got ahold of his pantleg, just above his ankle. It pulled him forward, twisting its head back and forth in an effort to pull him off of his feet. With the beast focused on its task, he managed to get ahold of the hilt of his weapon. He used it as leverage to pull himself away, but the wolf simply held on and followed with him. A tearing sound filled the air, and Alec flew onto his back as the pressure from the wolf vanished. He had managed to keep ahold of his sword as he fell, wrenching if from the now dissolving skull. He brought it across his chest as the wolf lunged once again. This time, he was ready, pointing the blade forward and bracing himself for impact. The wolf impaled itself on the length of his sword, scoring several minor cuts on Alec’s legs and chest during the process.

You have slain a level 6 Stonefur Wolf

You have gained 180 experience points.

He pulled himself to the wall, putting his back against the stone to take a breath. He couldn’t hear any more wolves, but that didn’t mean he was alone. He stood, resting the tip of his sword in the floor but ready to put it to use if necessary. Several minutes later, convinced that he was alone, he checked his status.

Name : Alec Montaine

Age : 16

Level : 3

Experience : 825/1450

Condition : Perfect

Health : 57/100

Health Regen : 5.5/min

Mana : 56

Mana Regen : 2.02/min

Physical

Strength : 8

Endurance : 5

Perception : 5

Agility : 8

Constitution : 7

Mental

Magic : 6

Intelligence : 11

Wisdom : 5

Fortitude : 5

Willpower : 5

Attribute Points available : 0

Traits :

Enhance : Spend experience points to modify the properties of an object or entity targeted by the user. May not be used on self. Object must be under the ownership of the user. Sentient beings must give their consent. Non-sentient beings must be under the control of the user.

Cost: Variable Experience Points

Extract: Break down experience into its component parts. Doing this allows you to isolate the mana portion of experience points and use it for yourself.

Current Rate: 1 experience point = 3 mana

Skills :

Meditation Lv.1

Stealth Lv.1

Swordplay Lv.1

He was at just over half health from just the light wounds he received from the fight. It was a wakeup call for him. Even though his sword gave him an overpowering offense, he needed some armor. He looked around at the loot dropped by the monsters, happy to see that there was wolf hide in most of the piles. There were also some claws and teeth, though he ended up leaving most of those. He piled the hides up and headed back toward the tower, keeping an ear out for any more wolves. He knew this was the first of many fights, and he would welcome them all.