Kaden's face changed, confused as to what was happening. He then saw the black fireball hit the stone monkey he had just now stabbed, and as if clearing all of his doubts, another notification also chimed in.
Ding!
In all the panic and frustration, Kaden had completely forgotten about the abyss imp for a second. He did not even give any command to coordinate with the creature, but it was intelligent enough to act on his own, and that too, following a damn good strategy. With renewed vigor, Kaden started stabbing even more stone monkeys, hitting as many as he could. Since the first few that surrounded him were dead, he was also able to position himself against the tree, covering his back and nimbly evading all the attacks coming for him.
Not to mention each of these stone monkeys was at least level 15 or higher. So the experience points gained were chunky, making Kaden quickly gain a level. This filled his health bar, which was getting dangerously low. Kaden did not want to believe it, but he now actually had a chance to take down an entire mob of stone monkeys? That too when he was at a level lower than them! If someone said this to him in his last life, he would have laughed in their face unless they dared to stream the whole thing live, but now he was doing it himself without even gaining a class or any proper skill!
This was all because of… Kaden could finally see the abyss imp who was spewing out black death balls like it was nothing. The short, pudgy imp was actually flapping its wings and up in the air right now. While he might not be able to fly high like a bird, he got far enough for the monkeys not to be able to do anything. A couple of rocks came flying for the imp, but he managed to dodge one of them by strenuously flapping the two small protrusions.
Kaden had to give it to the imp. The battle-crazed little guy was really doing his best. However, he did not have the time right now to watch and admire the little guy. At his end, the stone monkeys were piling up once again, trying to overcrowd him. He was hardly even able to get any hits through. Just dodging the thick rocky fists took all of his concentration and mental energy. Thankfully, the stone monkeys still took some damage as they punched and clawed at the sturdy tree behind Kaden every time he evaded an attack.
The only problem right now was his quickly depleting stamina. This fight needed to end soon. Without hesitation, Kaden activated his newly acquired Sprint skill. Instantly, his agility skyrocketed, allowing him to move with a higher speed and dexterity. Especially since he had placed his extra stat points in agility, the stone monkeys struggled to keep up with his swift movements, their attacks often missing their mark.
Ding!
Kaden grinned. He might be in a disadvantageous position, but weirdly enough, everything was going his way. When the [Sprint] skill reached cooldown, Kaden quickly activated [Nimble Steps], which once again boosted his agility. Without wasting a single second, he unleashed a flurry of precise and powerful strikes, the white fang dagger dripping with monkey blood. His weapon sliced through the rocky skin of the stone monkeys, dealing significant damage with each blow.
The abyss imp also continued to provide support from above, and its relentless barrage of attacks created more openings for Kaden, enabling him to deliver devastating blows. Soon the stone monkeys began to falter under the combined assault of his dagger and the imp's fiery onslaught. One by one, they fell to the ground, defeated.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
The fight had come to an end! Staring at the small mountain of stone monkey corpses, Kaden heaved and panted. He was still alive, and the fight had actually come to an end! He had killed every single one of the damned monkeys!
Kaden took a moment to catch his breath, allowing the adrenaline to subside as he collapsed right next to the corpses. If not for the pain from the numerous hits and scratches and his body that felt like it was going to tear apart, he would have mistaken this for a dream. Mirroring his actions, the abyss imp did the same and slumped right next to him. Kaden chuckled at the little guy. He might look extremely ugly, but the little guy was one hell of a pet. The magic attack power of the imp was nothing short of impressive.
Suddenly, Kaden found himself rethinking his decision. As he watched Scrap run around and collect his drops for him with visible greed in his eyes, he was reluctant to unlearn the skill. Considering how powerful the little imp was, what were the chances that the unknown hidden class was a troll class? That too, he had only barely scratched the surface of the class. Shouldn't he attempt to figure out more details about the class and then make a decision?
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Kaden took a deep breath and made up his mind. Earlier, out of frustration, he was about to decide something hastily, but now that the grueling fight had flattened him, he was able to think more clearly with more patience. Besides, he had no idea how to remove the mark or unlearn the skill. The only method he knew was to use the reset lake, and a player was required to be at least level 50 before accessing it. So if he really hated this class, then he could always do that. Most of the hidden classes in the game were uncovered only after the first month of the game's launch, so he at least had time until then.
Leaning against the tree, Kaden turned his attention to the notifications he had received. With two consecutive level-ups, he was now at Level 16, and it was still the first day of the game. He gave a rueful smile as his gaze shifted to the next notification when he instantly became shocked to his core.
Ding!
Kaden's jaw dropped to the ground as he stared at the unbelievable notification. The skill had actually leveled up! How was this possible? In 'Apocalypse Online' there were only two ways to level up a skill and both of them were extremely difficult and time-consuming, involving several hours of grinding. If achieving level 16 on the first day was an impossible feat, then leveling up a skill on the first day was even more so!
Kaden could count in his hands the number of times he had used the summoning spell, and he still did not understand the heads or tails of it, then how the hell did the skill level up? "Fuck it. Let me first see what this level up gives me." Excitement coursed through Kaden's veins as he eagerly opened the skill description for his newly leveled-up summoning skill. The possibilities raced through his mind as he anticipated the potential enhancements or new abilities it might offer. To his surprise, the skill description revealed a significant upgrade that was neither of the above.
"Are you serious? I can make a contract with another one?" Kaden immediately activated the skill to see what new creature was going to pop out now. The abyss imp had smashed all of his expectations and then some more. So he had high hopes for the next one. He rubbed his hands and waited in anticipation when the skill activation was underway. Just like before, a swirling vortex of darkness materialized before Kaden. From within the depths of the void emerged a new figure, pitch black in color.
It was a majestic black dog-like beast with fur as dark as the night sky. It had a powerful frame, muscular limbs, and a sleek, glossy coat that seemed to absorb all light. Two large, curved horns adorned its head, adding an air of both power and mystique to its appearance. The creature stood at Kaden's side, radiating an aura of strength and fury. Its eyes, a deep shade of crimson, glowed with an otherworldly intensity as if it was mirroring the blood lust of the creature. As Kaden gawked at this new creature and swallowed, the skill notification chimed once again:
Ding!
Ding!
Kaden stood dumbfounded. "You want me to believe that this guy is actually a level 1?" He blinked his eyes and looked at the system interface, only seeing the same notification every single time. He then fell back and started howling in a maniacal laughter, making both the imp and the fancy dog stare at him intently. "This is good. This is too good!" He laughed for quite a while before finally calming down. "Alright. You are simply too cool to look at. I am going to call you Umbra."
The shadow stalker snorted in acknowledgment. Kaden ran his fingers over the beast's sleek mane as he hurriedly analyzed the status screen of the impressive creature. Seeing how it was physically intimidating, he expected a more direct combat-type profile, but the beast was not that simple.
Name: Umbra
Level: 1
Race: Creature of the Abyss
Health: 100/100
Mana: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
Strength: 15
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 5
Defense: 5
Skills:
Shadow Strike: Executes a swift and deadly strike from the shadows, dealing increased damage to the target.
Shadow Cloak: Envelops the Shadow Stalker in an ethereal cloak, granting temporary invisibility and increased stealth capabilities.
Shadow Step: Allows the Shadow Stalker to teleport short distances, instantly repositioning itself in the blink of an eye.
Evasive Shadows (Passive): The Shadow Stalker's connection to the shadows enhances its evasion, increasing the chances of dodging incoming attacks.
Shadow Affinity (Passive): Affinity for the shadows grants increased effectiveness in dark and dimly lit environments. Increases damage output by 5%
Dark Affinity (Passive): The Shadow Stalker's resilience to dark energy and magical attacks provides increased resistance against such damage.
"What the…" Kaden was gobsmacked. Once again, another unique creature had shown up. Its skills were awesome. Just a lower-level creature had such complex skills. He could already envision strategic ambushes, surprise attacks from the shadows, and covert operations that would leave their enemies bewildered and defeated. Umbra's Shadow Strike and Shadow Cloak skills would provide them with a tactical advantage, enabling them to strike swiftly and disappear into the darkness at will. The only drawback was that now with two pets, his leveling speed was going to slow down further, but this was something easily solvable.
Kaden exhaled deeply. From the way this was going, this class was perhaps something like an abyss summoner? A Summoner Class wasn't all that bad, but there was a small thing that was bothering him. His gut feeling told him that this class wasn't so simple. This was because… There was still the quest 'Tome of Eternal Darkness'. He had only learned the first skill from the Tome. So how could the entire class be based on just the first skill?
Also, the first skill shouldn't be the most powerful skill. Kaden clicked his tongue as he wondered what the next page in the Tome was going to be about and what skill he was going to acquire from it. Perhaps that would help him determine once and for all if this path is worthwhile or not. Kaden nodded. However, not everything was going smoothly. He still had a big problem. He had no idea how even to start working on this all-important quest.