From this side of the barrier as time wore on I could see the punches of the thugs becoming more sluggish. I could feel their lost vitality flowing into my body.
"Okay this is interesting I wasn't sure if I would still receive the energy, but it seems like that won't be a problem. Let's move on to the next step."
With my hand laid on the barrier I activated [Enchant] again but this time I placed the skill [Nightmare] overlapping it with the [Leech Life] spell.
I could definitely still feel their vitality swirling within me so the old spell formation didn't collapse, but the real change happened within the barrier.
Each of the men reacted a bit differently, one was cowering off to the side, another was scratching an itch so hard he began to bleed, one attacked another as if his life depended on it. Each man was clearly affected differently but each seemed just as terrified as the last.
"Ho? So even when used in a group it doesn't cause mass hallucination. Hmmm I wonder if it's because the skill level is still low?
Hehehe while you seven are occupied I'll take this chance to refine the vitality you've graciously given to me."
Putting my back up against the alley wall I took a seat and with a wave of my hand another barrier enclosed me separately.
Already having some experience manipulating energies I drew out the life essence I was receiving from them.
Using [Refine] the vapid energy started to coalesce, after reaching a certain size I cut off the outflow from my body and finished the condensing process.
Just as I was about to [Analyze] my work a notification popped up.
*Ding*
«Through unique and rigorous effort you've started to peel back the veil and walk your own path of principle.»
«You've gained the ability [Essentia]»
«Wisdom has substantially increased by 20»
"Huh? Can you gain abilities through effort like skills? Mmm this is getting a bit interesting now even one of my stats increased for free hahahaha!"
Deciding to check the essence orb later I tossed it into my [Item Box] bringing my attention back to the men I still had trapped.
After gaining my new ability it's like I had a kind of second sight. From a distance it couldn't be felt so easily but as I approached them I realized there was another energy mixed inside the barrier.
I closed my eyes trying to get a better feel for it, with that the feeling became much clearer. It was like wisps of black smoke was pouring out of them.
I used my magick to try and grab onto some of the wisps. It was tough but I was able to slowly maneuver the smoke to gather in front of me.
Completely defenseless I stood there drowning in the feeling of this energy. Without even realizing it I had already begun refining the energy.
1 minute, 3 minutes, 7 minutes, after a full 15 minutes there was no more smoke to gather. What floated in front of me was a grey orb with an otherworldly black glow to it.
*Ding*
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«[Refine] lvl has increased to lvl 4»
«Class [Battle Mage] has increased by 2»
«Class [Necromancer] has increased by 2»
«Class [Refiner] has increased by 1»
In the distance I could hear hollers and screams sounding off left and right. Looking into the barrier I could see all my experiment subjects had died.
"Shiit, I didn't think they'd be killed off so easily just from this!
I'm not sure how much time has passed I have to get out of here."
Looking over the corpses I gave a mischievous smile.
"don't worry uncle's your deaths are not in vain, you've even helped me level up!
As thanks I won't leave you to lay here in this dirty alleyway all alone!"
I waved my hand to store the additional essence orb and the corpses into my [Item Box]. With a grasping motion I quickly collected the lingering souls. The corpses were riddled with valuable material that could still be used.
Looking at my stats I realised I had less than half of my magick left, this left me deeply shocked almost instantly a wave of fear washed over me. While in action I usually gained about 13 MP back a minute, while resting I recovered about that much but every ten seconds.
With my sudden growth in wisdom it should have increased to about 15 points, but having less than 300 MP remaining leaves me very vulnerable until I recover.
Using a bit more magick I pushed my [Cloak of Darkness] spell from the [Necro Arcana] out into the street blinding the pedestrian that were just waking from their daze after being freed from their day terror.
Shouts and screams rang throughout the streets again as the black fog took them by surprise.
*Ding*
«Wherever you go seeds of fear easily sprout in the hearts of the common people.»
«You've been awarded the title [Harbinger of Terror]»
«While active your presence breathes fear in to your surrounding. +20% chance of inducing fear into the weak willed. All fear related skills are 30% more affective»
«Titles are passive, feel free to toggle them on or off given the situation.»
******
I spent about an hour walking the streets as I blended into the crowd. A minute after I had left the alleyway a small team of about 10 soldiers descended unto the street restoring public order and getting people who needed medical attention to the closest healing clinics.
Finally making it back to my inn all I could think about is eating and getting some well deserved rest.
Entering the inn and taking a look around it seems I had walked directly into their dining hall. Taking in the scene the inn was already half full of patrons. I finally spotted the receptionist counter and walked over.
"Hello sir, will you be getting a room or dining with us this evening?"
Behind the counter a young boy no older than nine was furiously taking notes, finally putting his quill down he looked up. His eyes behind his spectacles were large but seemed a bit mature for someone his age.
Seeing him take notes left me wondering if he had the [Scribe] class or something similar. His writing was elegant making one believe he's been doing it for years.
"I'd like to book a room for the evening. How much would that be?"
The young boys response was so quick you could tell he's been doing this for a while.
"It will be 15 coppers for a room, 5 coppers for a meal, and an additional 3 coppers to bathe later."
23 Copper sounds like a great deal to me, it's 100 coppers to 1 silver, 100 silver to 1 gold and so on and so forth.
Just by running around outside the city killing bunnies I will have no problem at all finding a place to eat and sleep.
"That sounds reasonable! Thank you very much, here you go!"
I quickly pulled out the exact change and was handed a room key and a meal pass.
Since I was curious about the food I sat at an empty table and asked to have it bright out. All though it was a bit lacking in my opinion I could understand why it was so cheap.
I got the leg meat of some animal, a bowl of soup without many veggies, and a hard piece of bread.
I quickly ate the bland food and went up to my room.
" i see I'll have to keep a strict diet of blood to curb my appetite until I can afford quality food."
The room I was given was pretty small, the length of the bed could hardly fit an average adult male. On top of that because I could hear moaning and groaning from the rooms beside me the thickness of the walls could not be relied on.
I softly walk to the nearest wall, place my hand on it and allow my magick to soak into each of the walls, floor, door, ceiling and window. Using [Enchant] I placed the strongest [Barrier] spell I could to ensure I wouldn't have to worry about any late night entries.
Through the window I could see that there was still a few more hours of daylight left before dusk arrived.
"it seems my mental strength hasn't fully assimilated with this body yet.
After so many experiments with magick and all the drama of today I feel a bit fatigued mentally.
This is probably the best time to practice meditation which will aid in my recovery"
Right as I was sitting down I finally remember about all the essence orbs I'd collected today...