We stared walking throughout the relatively clear grassland between where we made it out of the last place we were trapped in.
'Quiet Cattle' was slowly walking forwards while everybody was positioned behind him. After noticing this he through his arms up aggressively and pushed me and 'Jolly cloud' to the front of our little formation of 2 people in 2 separate line.
'Jolly' attempted to slowly move back from the front as we got closer to the small town, but was getting repeatedly pushed forwards by 'Quiet'.
I was keeping a moderate pace that was hardly burning through my stamina, just in case.
[124/160 Sp]
Although my stamina has recovered a decent amount during our short little break, I was still not a peak condition due to the sand that was still sticking to me thanks to sweat that built up from the fucking marathon we ran while getting out of the red sand storm. And It might be the grey matter missing from my brain, but is that a zombi-
CHOMP! Fuck!
[Exp gained!]
I felt a burning pain through the right side of my body. [Pain Resistance] told me the issue and I started pumping [UV] (Unyielding Vitality) to help deal with any problems that were occurring. I feel the instinct to just use my jaws to chew through its Neck and feel the satisficing snap of its neck, but I can feel the metal scraping against my already growing teeth and I am reminded of the mask on my face.
[1995/2184 Hp]
[84/160 Sp] Undying Vitality activated!
The yellow and dark red teeth of the decrypted and sickly green Zombie breaks my skin and RIPPS!- Through the muscles in my right shoulder. 'Jolly' Reacted immediately, dashing at the zombie and shoving it to the ground, as 'Quiet' finally reacted after like 5 seconds of this zombie rolling on the ground and smashed the skull of the zombie into the green strangely fertile grass.
SQUASH!
The hollow bones of this repulsing fellow snapped easily under the weight of 'Quiet's hove. I am left shocked at the efficiency of the whole ordeal, I mean I only got a single wound and we killed the enemy! That was so much better then having to crunch on the repugnant muscles of this undead.
[72/160 Sp]
For the first time 'Warm' Reacted to something, moving its head to face me it slowly approached me with a strange cross between a march and a walk while letting its arms flop lifelessly to the side of its body. One it approached me it raise its arm touching it shoulder than holding its hand out wards. What does it want from me?
I look at it for a second, then decide to let it do its thing.
I give an affirmative nod.
I walked up to my shoulder and started doing something with its mana while putting its face so close to my wound that I could feel the warm metal stinging my damaged flesh. Even with [UV] burning at my stamina, the wound just wasn't healing as fast as any of my other wounds, like something was hampering it. I decided to turn on [mana sight] to see what it was trying to do to my shoulder.
I felt my brain attempting to Regenerate, but it was...Slow. It was trying to fix its self but a brain isn't really meant to heal, its just ment to not be damaged in the first place so... It was just slow. Imma just leave it on...
When I turned on [mana sight] I could see little strands of mana creating an outline of my missing shoulder in a cross patch pattern that was slowly molding my flesh into the right shape while [UV] did its thing. The mana seemed to feed my flesh the right a mount of mana it needed to keep regenerating in the correct pattern. this was clearly some advanced mana shit that I would most likely fail to even attempt due to the thousands of little strands that would require to have amazing control over my mana. Of course they are good at mana! There made of it! actually... That might be why.
[53/ 160 Sp]
[2184/2184 Hp]
Just like that, my shoulder was healed and I deactivated [UV] and [Mana Sight] as I let [Poison Resistance] work through what ever fantasy version of Rabies I just got from that rot infested zombie. 'Quiet' Was kinda surprised and 'Jolly' was looking at 'Warm' in fascination after seeing their ability's with their mana sight as well. 'Quiet' was rubbing the puke colored blood off of their hove with a patch of longer grass.
Once they stopped supplying mana to the mana bandage they were doing, 'Warm' looked at me the raised it's thum in an attempt at giving a thumbs up, but it just looked mechanical and alien despite there being nothing inherently wrong with how they did it.
After a while of sitting there and Regenerating a little bit of Stamina we started walking towards the little town again. We repositioned the walking formation, putting me and 'Warm' at the back, while 'Quiet' and 'Jolly' were at the front.
We continued walking~!
----------------------------------------
It's been about 26 hours since sir Eggshell sent me to go find the kid I was hunting down during his start of the year speech to his 'Disiples' as he likes to call them. He may be paying me, but he is still a noble after all...
I Sighed on the inside in case any of his little helpers were still watching me for what ever reason.
I was stalking my way through the library, when I met a group of some people claiming to be the 'Heros' or whatever other bullshit they were spitting.
Needless to say, I beat the shit out of them and 'Kindly' asked if they had seen a young man with black hair and tanned skin, but they were slightly more resilient then they seemed so I killed the old one that looked to be close to their end anyway to help with negotiations.
SPLAT!
Their head feel to the floor and I quickly wiped their blood on their shirt to not let my baby rust. Some of these so called "Heros" screamed like babies and I could smell the repugnant stentch of puss crawling it's way through my nose.
Ugh.
I asked them again and they confirmed that they had seen him, but he had entered a golden level book. Now that's a problem...
I looked down from where I had found the people camping in the library and could see only 5 gold level books inside the bookshelf.
I thought about it for a second and started sniffing around for his smell.
Sniff*
I could clearly smell his sweat on the ground and jumped down to look for the book he entered and completed.
Sniff*
I had found it.
[Sisyphuses Tomb]... Shit!
What is this doing here??
I picked it up and oppted out of entering.
I quickly looked through it with my permissions as a guard if the Inheritor to see it, I flipped to the final page.
I saw as he chewed and snapped through the bones of the Aspected Boss monster if the dungeon.
Eggshell was right... This kid is definitely promising!
I looked at the system log that the system gave to the kid through the book.
You have defeated the boss of [Sisyphuses Tomb]!
Debt has been cleared due to excellent performance!
Rewarding...
...
Would you like to go to the Home world of this dungeon or return to the Shadow Library?
Option chosen! Home world.
Hmm...
This is both bad and good.
The bad is that I have no Idea of where this kid is, but I at least know that he hasn't left this planet due to the teleport bind that was placed on the kingdom by the former king... Unless?
I looked back to the front of the book that I had ignored in the first place.
Owner: Wallus Eggshell
Current owner: Jake Eggshell
Origin of dungeon: Old Arcadia
...I guess I'm not getting paid for a while!
I shouted in my mind in anger and anguish while simultaneously wondering how whoever put this here managed to sneak past all of Eggshells 'Helpers' without getting caught.
Technically all of the books from Old Arcadia should be in the private library, this one was no exception.
All books that were collected by Sir Wallus should have been in his personal library, so Why was this one here?
If this was here what's telling what else is here!
...Not my job.
I looked around, and put it back like I never saw it in the first place.
I quickly made my way to the center of the library with the main teleporter and set my location to East Arcadia, to where the kid had the highest chance of being.
Should I just go ahead and tell Eggshell?... Nah.
----------------------------------------
[28/160 Sp] You are now Fatigued!
"FUGHF FINNDB!"
all of us fell to the ground in exhaustion, except for 'Quiet' who looked at us with a pitiful expression. His matted fur was covered with yellow blood and there were small flakes of the zombies we had encountered on his horns.
Although 'Jolly' and I had screamed incomprehensible words when we collapsed, 'Warm' just fell to the ground for apparently no reason, as the had no sweat or mud coving their skin. Almost like a young kid copying what the other kids did around them.
It had somehow not acclimated any dirt on its skin, most likely because it had been staying back from any combat that we had encountered like it should have, at least according to the voice on the speaker that called them the 'Mana Weaver'... I'mma just assume it's some kind of mage because I don't have any idea of what it is.
Anyways, we had landed on a cracked stone tile that was slightly damp with dirt. I observed it closely with my face right next to it, and even saw a little cute worm!
SHINK!
[1967/2184 HP]
[Exp gained!]
It easily dug through my arm and started wiggling inside my arm....Oh! Not so cute...
I quickly dug it out of the small hole it made and shoved it into my metal mask as I tried to get a bite out of it, but no luck. It splatted the second it touched the mask.
[0 exp gained]...Bruh, there not even good for farming!
Purple blood flooded out of the wound as the little bugger most likely dug down to the bone.
[1947/ 2184 Hp] You are bleeding!
...Fuck!
Purple blood flooded out of the wound as I dug into my arm to pull it out while still panting on the floor.
"MMMGHMM"
'Jolly' was quickly rolling away from the world while still flopping on the ground while 'Quiet' was stomping on the ones that quickly wiggled there way over to him.
'Warm' just layed on the ground, seemingly undisturbed by the little buggers trying to wiggle there way into its body. Despite the mana holes there was no blood, just a light so dim that I doubted if I had even seen it...
I got up from the ground with the unease as I felt my muscles groan with heavyness. I looked around and realized that the little worms were all over the grey stone ground that looked almost clean just a couple seconds ago. Eww...
My stomach groaned with disgust... And hunger as I picked 'Warm off of the ground and tried to get 'Jolly' to stop rolling on the ground.
Before I could ask him to, 'Quiet' grabbed 'Warm' from my hands and held him in a piggy back hold as he kept crushing the worms to continue to the worn down building that was right in front of us.
I wanted to do the same as 'Quiet' was doing but I don't have the hoves to do so...Unless?
[0/3200 Mp] Mana Poisoning!
I dumped all of my mana into my feet and was slightly surprised at the notification, but just ignored it and got back to my idea.
I attempted to concentrate the mana towards the soles of my feet to do the same that 'Quiet' was doing with his hoves.
*Clop
My foot hit the ground with a stinging feeling but I had killed some of the worms trying to make there way to me with a single drop of my foot, so I would say its worth.
SQUISH!
I feel the worms wiggle under my foot and I laughed like a fucking idiot while everybody looked at me with a dumb expression. Everybody pointed at the little building at the same time while they started charging in the same direction.
"HGGGHH!"
'Jolly' screamed and pointed behind me and I turned to see what was hap-
A wave of wobbling and squirming worms drove there way towards me, and suddenly I felt like taking a sudden run.
"HHHHMMM!"
This time it was I who screamed and was running while all of us crushed small piles of worms that were launched from the wave like living projectiles.
KRASH!
'Quiet' ran straight through the rotton wooden door as small amounts of mold and wood flew infornt of him and on his matted fur. 'Jolly' had already found something and was rushing us towards a trapdoor that almost blended into the floor below it.
Without even thinking about it, I pulled the door open and put my hand out to 'Quiet' to take warm from him.
He looked at me with a complicated look, then reluctantly passed 'Warm' to me as I started rushing down the rusty arms of the metal latter leading down into darkness.
I kept going down with 'Warm' in a piggy back until I hit A floor and let out a muffled 'Its safe' as 'Jolly' jumped down without hesitation and 'quiet' followed behind him as he shut the trap door with a loud BANG!
Ok! Where are we?
I looked around only to see 2 dimly lighted windows right in front of where I had exited from the latter from. I saw... Window curtains? And I could see an ovulating white light making laps inside the window as 'Quiet' Finnished getting down the short latter as steam excapes his mask like a billowing mist.
"Huff..."
He walked towards the windows and seemingly looked around for something.
Kachink*
I heard the clink of keys as he picked them up and inserted them into a slot. How did he guess all of that was there?
He opened the door nearly silently and I saw a brown red and grey landscape with billowing smoke that choked my lungs for all of its clean air.
In front of me I could see a road with dim street lights as the same shadow people we thought we escaped from earlier were standing in front of the door that was just opened.
"HHM!"
'Jolly' let out a high pitched but still muffled scream as he layed eyes on the figures and retreated behind me. Coward!
I put down 'Warm' in front of 'Jolly' as I started approaching the shadow figures while building up my courage.
I put a hand on the stunned 'Quiet's shoulder as I walked up to the shadows to give them a piece of my fucking mind! He reaches out to grab me.
WHOOSH!
I am knocked off of my feet as a wind that wasn't there a second beforehand and the figures crowd me.
"HUP!"
All the figures talked in complete Unison and the lifted me above there heads. I was being quickly moved out of the room and saw 'Quiet' reaching out for me as he saw me getting taken away and 'Jolly' had a worried look.
BANG!
My head smacked into the corner of a wooden post as my hands and other muscles were restrained by the figures. I was trying to look around but all I could see was a rope right out of my vision, the wooden post I was restrained in, and a crowd of excited(?) figures standing below me.
"Sa-Cri-Fice!"
"Sa-Cri-Fice!"
"Sa-Cri-Fice!"
They all scream in gushed voices like a single booming giant. They screamed in there quiet voices like there lives depended on it.
I saw somebody with a dark cloak getting closer to the rope to my side as he slowly tapped across the floor with his bare feet.
STREACH!
The one in the cloak pulled with all of his might and I hear something SLAM open above me.
A worm falls next to me.
Then another one.
Then 15 more.
Then a wave of crawling and living razor blades defense apon me. I try to get out of the way, but I am still bound to the post. The figure in the dark cloak is standing there with a manic smile on his face, like he didn't just drop a bunch of worms on himself and I.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
All of the figures down below were completely unphased by the worms falling towards them, and were screaming up to the sky with joyful laughter and cheers of some kind of 'Immunity'.
[1836/2184 HP] You are bleeding!
Small worms that I could barly grab with my restrained hands were digging past my skin and into my organs.
[1746/2184 HP] bleeding has progressed to hemorrhaging!
Blood was spilling from my body like thick ropes, splashing down onto the crowd who held there mouths open in anticipation.
[1264/2184 HP]
I was being bled like a sheep.
[742/2184 HP] below half health!
Vit +2
I Had To do something!
I looked through my skills in a hurry.
Would any of my resistances work? No.
Would [Bite] help? Nope, metal mask.
Uhh.... Class skills!
I remembered that I still haven't seen what my class skills can really do, so I turn them on.
[Retaliate] activated!
[0/3200 Mp] Mana depleted!
As I turned on both [Retaliate] and [UV] I saw the system message appear.
SQueLTCH-
An abrupt and suddenly sound of meat being squeezed like a balloon woke me up from my blood loss.
A multitude of blurry system messages awoke me as I felt clarity burn through me.
You have defeated [Mud Worm: Swarm]!
[2184/2184 HP] Level Up!
I felt soothing concentraiting inside of me but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, like feeling confident in somthing I didn't earn and becoming better.
Like my blood was concentraiting and spreading deeper through my body like a relentless wave of invigoration.
Oh!
I shut of [UV] before I could pop like a grape.
The skill had clearly gotten stronger after the level up to my class, but that brings me anouther question.
What causes me to level up?
Like I know I gain gain experience when I kill something and some other methods that I still don't know, but What was actually improving when I leveled?
Sure, I could feel my self growing stronger, but I still have zero idea how.
The system is way to cryptic to give me a clear answer so I remember that I have a skill made to gather information.
[Fractured Insight] This time I won't waste it.
I used the skill and the same purple screen appeared once more.
[Q: How do levels improve something?
...
[A: Concentration.
One word was all that appeared.
...Who ever made this skill is a fucking bitch!
[A: Cretin.
...What? I thought my question was used up?
Whatever! I'm pissed!
I stood up from my lying position and look around only to see nothing but a pure white room.
Buzz...
I felt the quiet buzzing of mana spreading around me and I decided to check my Status to see if I was drugged or something.
Name: [Johnny 'xxMASTERGRINDERxx' Wilson]
Title: [Claustrophobia]
*Class: [Punching Bag] level 2 (47% to level 3)
Race: [Human Male] (Stage 0)
Level: 6 [15% to level 7]
Mana Stage: [Stage 1] (Expansion)
Condition: [160/ 160] (End x 10 x Will) (Regen End / 5 / Min)
Health: [2520/2520=1680+840 ] (Res x 35 x Will) (Regen Res x 2 / 30 sec) (0.08 Per sec)
Mana: [3200/3200] (INS x 50 x Wis) (Regen Wis/ 3 / (60/INS)) (Mana Poisoning!)
Stats:
Physicals:
[Strength: 1
[Dexterity: 6
[Endurance: 5
[Resilience: 15
Mentals:
[Insanity: 20
[Wisdom: 3
[Willpower: 22
Soul:
[Luck: 2
[Divinity: {PAIN} (Cursed)
[Empathy: 3
Perks:
[Iron Will]
[Forged Body]
Mastery:
Mana Mastery: Lv.2 ( 76% to level 2)
Skills:
Base Tier:
[^Mana Sight] Lv.2 (Tier 0)
[Poison resistance] Lv.1 (Tier 0)
[Pain resistance] Lv.3 (Tier 0)
[Bite] Lv.3 (Tier 0) {Pestilence}
[Retaliation] lv.0 (Tier 0)
[Unyielding Vitality] lv.0 (Tier 0)
Beginner Tier
{Predator} Lv.1 (Tier 1)
Spells: None
The gains from what I had gone through were still underwhelming, I wanted to see more levels and better stats. Whatever... I should probably figure out where the fuck I am.
I was just taking another second to look at my status when I saw that the Mana Poisoning was still there? [Poison Resistance], What the fuck are you doing?
I looked into myself and saw that poison resistance was just sitting there doing nothing about the Mana poisoning.
I looked at the skill and... What the fuck?
I saw something in my soul space that was not there before, at least not in this form.
A radiant blue ball was standing idle next to [Poison Resistance], I would assume it's a new skill, but nothing was showing up in my status.
[Poison Resistance] was consuming whatever it was like some kind of slime.
The ball of light disappeared, but more just poped into existence else where.
[Poison resistance] was running around consuming these little blue lights while all my other skills seemed completely oblivious to the blinding blue balls that were in front of them.
I looked around and started speaking with [Pain Resistance].
"Yes...?"
Do you not see these little modules of light?
"Light?..."
[Pain Resistance] flipped on Mana sight, then his cage like form was rattling like a storm was trying to break it was out of him.
"Evolution!"
What?
"E-VO-LOUTION!!!"
[Pain resistance] ran around like a kid geeking off of something and continued shouting with its blatantly choppy voice.
All of my skills became alert the second that [Pain Resistance] had screamed it words and they also started running around like jolly little elves.
[Bite] Ran up to me in my soul space.
"Unbind skill! Start condensing!"
It but me for lack of a better word, and I spiraled back to reality in a dizzying way.
Whatever 'Evolution' is it sounds good! But how do I do that?...
I thought about what "Bite" said and remembered that it has also said the word Concentrait.
This has to mean something.
I looked at my mana pool and thought about just doing what I had been saving on doing since [Sisyphuses Tomb]
The second part of the Grinder Method!
I start forming the little Mana hands with my Willpower and start molding my mana pool over my spine.
I attempted to grab a hold of the mana pool but it's denser than before despite still being the same size. I just make more hands and it seems to work well enough, the hands are still weirdly shaped and don't have individual fingers but I think this flaw is actually a well needed feature to do what I am trying to do.
[0/3200 Mp]
I make like 4 giant hands and start pounding my mana pool down to a desired size and shape.
----------------------------------------
After dealing with the humans that were staking out inside of the library I was sniffing around for the sent of the young man.
Sniff~
I got a scent of sweat and decay from the 'Mythology' Book case. I could smell the mana dripping from almost every book here, but one stood out.
There was absolutely no Mana in it.
That's not natural, so I checked it. I flipped open the book and-
BOOM!
I felt the mana explode from it, blowing me back and I smacked the bookcase behind me with my back.
After quickly recovering I grab the smoldering pieces of the book and look for anything that could tell me who trapped this thing and where the kid went.
Oh. There we go.
I grabbed a small piece of a still burning page, and see a location.
'Old Arcadia.'
...Fuck!
I panicked for a second, but [Discipine] helped me maintain my anger and anguish.
If this book let all the way to Old Arcadia, then what's telling that others don't!
...Welp, No time like the present to chase a kid who got sent halfway across the world via Dungeon Tome.
I looked around for another book that was lacking a mana signature and entered into this one before it could explode on me.
I entered the dungeon and just smashed the [Acid Sluges] with the pummel of my sword as I thought Idly about what I was gonna do over in Old Arcadia after this brief dungeon.
What was his name? I think it was something close to Jonny...
I sure hope I'm gonna finally get paid by Sir. Eggshell for this one...
----------------------------------------
I was laying face first on the floor from exhaustion. Although it might not seem that hard to squeeze your mana, it gets a bit harder when you can only either squeeze hard enough to create a miniscule tear or so soft that you don't do anything at all.
This was much longer than the last one but I felt my skills playing around in soul space bonding better than ever before.
I could feel resonace between each and every one of them as they frolicked through imaginary grass.
[Bite] and [Poison resistance] were getting the least along. [Poison resistance] was trying to clean [Bite] of the disgusting mana hanging in them, while Bite just wanted to return to a little imaginary cave they had made while I was condensing my mana.
Both of my class skills were still too weak to do anything by themselves, but I could tell the class was starting to change the section of my soul that My class resided in.
The zone was slowly becoming more enhanced or something close to that--⁰/I'm not sure!
They didn't have the ability to shape the soul space this much before, but I guess this has something to do with the 'Evolution'.
I looked for some kind of system message but there was still nothing that I found interesting.
I keep looking around and seeing the things being built by my skills and seeing the unreal amount of resemblance.
I think I could make out some kind of resemblance between how late I had gotten the skills as they had quartered them selves off from oldest to newest.
[Pain resistance] and [Bite] had there own places with a smaller area right between them. Like a column between a and b, so collom ab? I don't know.
Just As I saw before [Bite] had a cave that was jagged and rough, as If it was hastily made but I could still clearly make out what it was.
[Pain resistance]'s area was a leaning pole made of dark red wood that held a large silver bird cage hanging from the top of the large structure.
The area in between the 2 was...Strange?
The air around it was dark red and the cave that stood in the very center also looked jagged, but this time intentionally so.
Like the cave of some great beast that held the grips of death within it jaws and held bits of flesh within it bloody fur.
I had zero doubts, this had to be [Predator]'s Cave.
I could tell that there was some correlation between all of the skills here, but they were all so different at the same time.
I could feel it, I just knew!
Buzz...
I felt a peace as I felt the buzzing of my mana around me.
I looked around my soul space and admired the little balls of mana that were still generating and decided to do something.
I walked towards the closest pile of em' and touched it.
BUzt.
I felt a gentle zap- and I felt invigorated.
Not in the way that I was throwing Mana into my body, but a more natural way that wasn't killing me like acute radiation.
Finnaly, I saw a change in the system.
Name: [Johnny 'xxMASTERGRINDERxx' Wilson]
Title: [Claustrophobia]
*Class: [Punching Bag] level 2 (47% to level 3)
Race: [Human Male] (Stage 0)
Level: 6 [15% to level 7]
Mana Stage: [Stage 2] (Concentration)
Condition: [160/ 160] (End x 10 x Will) (Regen End / 5 / Min)
Health: [2520/2520=1680+840 ] (Res x 35 x Will) (Regen Res x 2 / 30 sec) (0.08 Per sec)
*Mana: [320/320] (INS x 5 x Wis) (Regen Wis/ 3 +10% of Mp per 30 sec) (2.06 per sec)
Stats:
Physicals:
[Strength: 3 (+2)
[Dexterity: 8 (+2)
[Endurance: 5
[Resilience: 15
Mentals:
[Insanity: 20
[Wisdom: 3
[Willpower: 22
Soul:
[Luck: 2
[Divinity: {PAIN} (Cursed)
[Empathy: 3
Perks:
[Iron Will]
[Forged Body]
Mastery:
Mana Mastery: Lv.2 ( 89% to level 2)
Skills:
Base Tier:
[^Mana Sight] Lv.2 (Tier 0)
[Poison resistance] Lv.1 (Tier 0)
[Pain resistance] Lv.3 (Tier 0)
[Bite] Lv.3 (Tier 0) {Pestilence}
[Retaliation] lv.0 (Tier 0)
[Unyielding Vitality] lv.0 (Tier 0)
Beginner Tier
{Predator} Lv.1 (Tier 1)
Spells:
* [Body Enhancement] lv.1 (Tier 2)
You have unlocked your first spell!
Rewarding with mastery syste-... Error.
User already has mastery system, finding alternatives...
You have been rewarded the [Body Modification] feature of the aspect system!
Adding additional information for unlocking a teir 2 spell. So that's what it takes to get some goddamn information?
[Body Enhancement] lv.1/100
Using this spell will supply your body with Mana from your mana pool to enhance 2 of your body stats by 2.
Mana drain: takes up an amount of your mana pool while active.(-50% Max Mana when active)
🔒 Reach Mastery level 15 to unlock this feature
🔒 Reach Mastery level 50 to unlock this feature
🔒 Reach Mastery level 100 to unlock this feature
...Are spells just better skills? I mean, I don't exactly know what my skills do exactly, but I do have a way to find out!
[Fractured insite]!
Skill on cool down.
Fuck!
I guess I'm just gonna have to figure it out myself!
I dove back to my soul space and look for my spell.
I take a quick glance and can clearly see it. The form it takes in the soul space is mostly just a light green blob, That I could easily call so kind of healing magic of sorts.
I felt the spell and attempted to resonate with it like I did with my skills.
I slowly walked towards it in my soul space and as soon as I was somewhat near it, I was enveloped in a warmth that spread through me like a kind breeze.
If [UV] was like a tsunami of forest then this was one of those tiny pool jets.
Rather then drowning me in healing and warmth, it was like the calming voice of a mother. Thinking of the delicate hand,s I felt slightly vengeful for reasons I don't want to recall.
I bathed in the green light for a minute, an hour, till I could no longer understand what the concept of time was.
I awoke again from the little nap I took, and felt lik like a new born bab, despite the multiple piles of black shit that was slowly leaking out of my mind space and being consumed by [Poison resistance].
[0/320 Mp]
The black substance was as fluid as water but seemed dencer than iron, blacker than night, but not entirely alien.
I could feel this substance was somehow removed from me and I understood that something had finnaly occured.
I exited the flowing light of My one and only spell and looked down to see I was still in the pure white room but my skin looked different.
My scars were no longer so profound, and my skin was as raw as a new born.
I radiated heat like a new born sun,
in simple terms, I felt reborn again.
Elevated beyond the state before, not just an improvement but an entire redesign has occured.
I check my status.
Name: [Johnny 'xxMASTERGRINDERxx' Wilson]
Title: [Claustrophobia]
*Class: [Punching Bag] level 2 (47% to level 3)
Race: [Human Male] (Stage 0)
Level: 6 [15% to level 7]
Mana Stage: [Stage 2] (Concentration)
Condition: [480/ 480] (End x 10 x Will) (Regen End / 5 / Min)
Health: [5600/5600=2800+2800] (Res x 35 x Will) (Regen Res x 2 / 30 sec) (0.08 Per sec)
Mana: [35/320] (INS x 5 x Wis) (Regen Wis/ 3 +10% of Mp per 30 sec) (2.06 per sec)
Stats:
Physicals:
[Strength: 1
[Dexterity: 6
[Endurance: 15
[Resilience: 25
Mentals:
[Insanity: 20
[Wisdom: 3
[Willpower: 22
Soul:
[Luck: 2
[Divinity: {PAIN} (Cursed)
[Empathy: 3
Perks:
[Iron Will]
[Forged Body]
Mastery:
Mana Mastery: Lv.2 ( 89% to level 2)
Skills:
Base Tier:
[^Mana Sight] Lv.2 (Tier 0)
[Poison resistance] Lv.1 (Tier 0)
[Pain resistance] Lv.3 (Tier 0)
[Bite] Lv.3 (Tier 0) {Pestilence}
[Retaliation] lv.0 (Tier 0)
[Unyielding Vitality] lv.0 (Tier 0)
Beginner Tier
{Predator} Lv.1 (Tier 1)
Spells:
[Body Enhancement] lv.1 (Tier 2)
...No Endurance perk?
...
Nothing.
Welp, it was worth a try.
Suddonly, sothing peeled off of me like a piece of loose skin.
CLANG! SKREECH!
As I stood off of the white floor I was sitting in, I realized the mask that had covered me fell off with a violently loud metal sound.
My ears rang like a bell and my eyes felt like they were burning, but [Pain resistance] took most of the brunt.
Ow. Why did it have to be that loud?
I felt my face for the first time in a while and as soon as I reached slightly past my jaw I felt giant canines, bent like a sabertooth tigers extruding from my gums.
I kept feeling around my face and started going through my hair that was down to my ass at this point and reached my neck where I could feel somthing.
I felt the something and could tell that it was words, I somehow already knew what they said.
Starved Pup, 42
It has changed, I just knew it!
I was about to start reaching for my balls, but before I could something brighter then white was outlined on the wall, seemingly a door.
The door opened with absolutely no noise and a large man with dark grey skin and a grin frown had bulky plate armor on, and many badges of different colors were sprayed along his chest like the kinds of badges that old veterans would get. His armor buckled along the floor with every step, and the noise made my ears ring and burn with pain.
"ARrgg!"
I screamed as I fell to the ground and held my ears in pain.
The man has zero reaction and was saying something while pointing at himself. What??
I stand back up, and blood stains the pristine white of the room as my dark blue blood fell from the ground. God! is my blood going to turn every color of the rainbow before I figure out what the fuck is happening?
He seemingly realizes that I can't fucking hear him at this point, and just pulls a paper in a language I can't read and a Fantasy Pen ™
He pushes both of them at me then signals to sign at the bottom left corner of the paper with the pen. uhh, Is this some kind of barter with the devil?
I grab the paper and pen from his medium sized hands and try to look a little closer to the paper.
...Yep, definitely words.
I look around to see that he somehow left silently from the room, so I just attempt to write with the pen, but absolutely nothing is coming out.
Uh... Deal with the devil, so... blood?
I took a little dab from the blood on the floor and finish drawing my badass signature on the paper.
I felt mana warp in the pages and I could read what it said as I felt the familiar feeling of signing a contract, without the horrible feeling of binding a skill.
I read the top most line of words.
'Welcom to The Chronos Squad Institute (CSI)!'
I was deeply confused, but I assume these are the same people that kidnapped me after I fainted in that town.
Looking further, as the words stopped squirming, I find my answer.
'Due to your wonderful performance during the testing phase, we have invested some of our resources to aid you in growing stronger!
Your have been assigned to team 12 with those who you were tested with!
You have been assigned the role as Healer.'
what?? Healer!?
I don't even have any skills that help to heal others! And I don't think I showed any advanced healing techniques during the so called 'Testing Phase'!
I fummed slightly at the thought of being a backline bitch while the others got to steal all the Exp!
Bullshit!
As I continued to fume, the outline of the door reappeared.
3 familiar faces steped through the door-- or more accurately 2 did, as the 3rd was too large to step into the door with his fucking massive size.
I could clearly see their faces clearly without the mask covering them, but I could also see they also had a little tattoo on their neck, just like me.
Warm and Jolly were slowly approaching me, while shielding their eyes with there hands as they trough a pile of clothes towards me before turning back around and exiting through the door quickly.
Taking a good look at them and the clothes that were hurled at me, I realized that all of them were wearing basically the same thing as earlyer, just with different little pins and a completely different color.
I looked at my uniform and it was a dark red color, almost as dark as blood. I could see little pinnin the chest of the shirt that said 'Blood' with a little red cross to the right of the chest.
I also saw a little pin that said 'Team 12' with a Bloody fist symbol on the left side of the chest.
...Pretty cool. Not finna lie.
I slapped on the clothes and attempted eat some of the little things that were in the pockets but I feel strangely full right now.
Shrugging my shoulders I walked outside to see the whole gang. As soon a I stepped outside I was amazed by the greeness, but also by the quiet blue glow inside of this massive inside Forest.
Inside what you may ask?
In a fucking cave. I could see a bright area directly north of where we stood, I assumed that was the cave mouth but How the fuck would I know.
I looked around my surroundings a little more meaningfully.
Quiet was still massive as fuck, but now I could see his furry and messy cow head. He was wearing a stone grey uniform that looked a little tight for his massive form and I could see a pin on his shirt that said 'Bruser' a little symbol next to it had a pair of long Horns.
Jolly was smiling ear to ear while trying to mess with Warms little pin that said 'Weaver' and had a symbol of a spider-web next to it. Warm was just standing there, seemingly just trying to see what Jolly was doing and copy it like before.
Warm walked up to me and started doing the same so I decided to speak for the first time in forever.
"Gub."
"..."
Everybody was stunned silent by my vastly intelligent words, then had the gall to look at me like I was the idiot.
Quiet spoke up.
"What?"
His voice was velvety but full of life, like a Morgan Freeman that didn't smoke 20 packs before he showed up.
"PFFT-"
Jolly snickered then started laughing like a mad man while running around in circles, his entirely dark green uniform almost camouflage into the environment, as I kept looking around hoping to find him.
As a little glance I could see his little pin that said 'Rush' and had a little symbol of a thunderbolt to the side.
I could clearly see that all of them also had the same bloody fist pin that I had with the 'Team 12' on it.
I thought it strange that the 'CSI' had given us these pins and thesd weird nicknames, but I don't have much to base off of what is normal, so what the fuck am I going to do about it?
"So, uhh. What did y'all get?"
Jolly spoke up and before I could try to make a foul of myself by talking again, Quiet asked him first.
"What do you mean?"
Jolly looked at him like the answer was obvious, but still spoke up again.
"Well, What motivated y'all to sign up for enlistment?" Enlistment? Please don't tell me I'm in fantasy military!
Quiet and I finally understood what he meant and spoke again.
"I did it for my family."
He refused to respond further, and when Jolly had understood what Quiet said he happily flipped his gums too.
"I'm doing it for honor!"
Warm perked up at this, and seemingly understood what the others were doing, so They said something in an almost garbled voice.
"Ihh Du Fyor Mistyrar."
Everybody just looked at him strangely then just turned their heads to me to see what I was going to say.
Uhh... How do I say I was kidnapped in sign language?
Uhh... Whatever.
I shrugged my shoulders and started walking in the other direction, but I was stopped once I hear a loud scratching noise on the other side of the little area we were at.
SKTITCH!
The high pitched noise was accompanied by sparks that flew into the sky, as I saw somebody thought the bushes doing something.
All the others also hears this noise and seemingly took my shoulders shrugging as some kind of joke because both of them were shaking in laughter.
"Huff- Huff -Huff"
A human man with amber skin was donning a Deep Blue uniform just as us, and had a pin displaying an Ashen Phoenix with the words 'Team 9' next to it.
He was slowly Huffing as he held a sword almost 2 times his size and moved it with ease and elegance despite the sprouting flames protruding from it rapidly.
He was legit hitting moves that flabbergasted me, but still seemed to not notice us- or wouldn't have if not for Quiet.
Stomp.
Avery audible hoove on dirt path sounded behind us and I didn't even have to turn back around to know it was Quietd fat ass.
I turned and sneered at him, but he just held his hands up defensively.
I turn back around an-
"Who are you?"
A high pitched voice erupted from somebody we hadn't even processed has appeared in front of us, hanging like spider man.
It was dark but I think I could make out feminine features and a jet black uniform with pink hair spilling out from a little hat.
Despite how cheerful and happy she sounded, [Pain Resistance] was telling me to keep a distance.
"No answer? Fine, I guess I'll just have to ask that guy over ther-"
"Shhhh!"
I shushed her as I saw The man start approaching the bushes, so I started making my way back to where we came from.
Quiet seemed surprised we were just walking away, but just followed along anyway. He quickly picked up Warm before they could wander into the forest.
Jolly... Was gone before I Could run away, I assume because he got freightend by The pink haired lady.
We went behind the largest tree we could find and say there for like 5 minutes, until we decided to just come out because we didn't see anything from our spot.
I sat down and leaned against a tree as I was trying to move my teeth out of the way so I could speak.
I was grabbing as hard as I could, but I just couldn't find and purchase on it. Mabey it's a smart Idea to increase strength from purposes just like this... Wait!
I activated Body Enhancement.
Str +2
Dex +2
I felt invigorated and immediately grabbed onto my chompers. I squeezed my canines with my Hands until I felt I had the best purchase I could get in it, and Yanked!
SQETCH!
I pulled my tip teeth out of my gums and blood stared spurting every which direction.
I turned off Body Enhancement and was barely even surprised by the pain of yanking my teeth out.
Queit and Jolly turned to me while they were dusting their clothes off, clearly surprised by my genius Idea.
Jolly stared looking around like a mad man, looking for what was attacking us, but I spoke up before he could run away.
"Uhh... I'm okay."
Quiet looked at me with confused eyes and spoke for himself.
"What do you mean 'Okay' their is blood flying out of your mouth like ropes!"
I calmly stood up and spoke again.
" Whatever, let's get to the important matters.
Where is the objective."