Typically, it would make the most sense to increase one’s Strength stat if you goal was to life something heavy. In my case, however, this type of common sense did not apply. My own Strength was abysmally low, so that even after pouring all of my recently acquired stat points into it, it still would one lag behind most of my other stats.

Luckily, thanks to the existence of Telekinesis, I had no need to rely on my physique for lifting objects of a certain weight. This was precisely why I channeled all of my stat points into either Willpower or Intelligence. After all the level ups of the past few hours and investing stat points following that pattern, my stats now looked like this:

Vitality: 15

Strength: 9

Agility: 23

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 51

Willpower: 51

Perception: 40

Faith: 0

My stats had undergone a pronounced shift, with two stats now significantly surpassing the rest. Only Perception could hope to catch up to the two soon, although I had no plans to change my stat pattern for now.

Initially, maintaining a balance between each of the stats was what I thought to be the best approach to stats, with the exception of Faith of course. I hadn’t abandoned this approach yet, but for now it seemed like an unwise thing to do.

Given my skillset, stats beside Willpower and Intelligence held relatively less significance than the others. Saying that the others were unimportant would be wrong, but currently, addressing my strength was easier than fixing my weaknesses and I deemed it more advantageous to do so.

There was no guarantee for the benefits the skeleton’s tooth would bring me, but its size and weight alone would make it a valuable asset. And if it turned out to be as effective as I expected it to be, it would make balancing my stats even easier through faster leveling.

Having wielded two weapons superior to my enemies in level, I had witnessed firsthand the impact a strong weapon could have. Unlike with the mandibles though, I was unaware of the creature’s level before its death, but assuming it to be anywhere below level 50 seemed nothing short of… foolish? Of course I could be wrong about it, but in my opinion, the chances that I was right were much higher.

Since I could now walk comfortably and without Shadow Cloak, reaching the jaw was no problem at all. Upon returning, I had to briefly search for it, but eventually located the tooth in the same spot where I had left it, the ground beneath still damaged from the impact of its fall.

It unbelievable that there existed beings with teeth as tall and wide as myself. I actually had a hard time imagining something like this skeleton losing to a few bugs, but rejecting reality would get me nowhere.

Out of sheer curiosity, I made another attempt to lift it with my bare hands, but the tooth did not budge the slightest, leaving me struggling and eventually giving up. It was strange, but it felt even heavier than an entire drone. Although it was not strange at all that I couldn’t lift it, as my strength stat had not really changed a lot.

So with no heavy feelings, I took a step back and extended my hand, letting my mana do the rest.

“Let’s see how you handle this,” I said as my Telekinesis gradually wrapped around the tooth. Once I had a firm grip on it, tried to pull it up. And unlike before, it worked. As soon as it began to rise, the weight pressed down on my outstretched arm. It felt not as light as I would have wished it to, but raising it posed little difficulty.

Suspended before me, I maneuvered the tooth with care and familiarizing myself with its movements, which turned out to be more cumbersome than I had anticipated. It was not only weight, but also the size of the tooth that hindered my ability to wield it according to my will. Unlike a mandible which basically weighed nothing, I could only executer deliberate and gradual actions that drastically affected my mobility—in a bad way. With the weight and focus it required me to maintain, I would have a hard time observing what was going on in the actual battle.

After watching my mana, I noticed that it was also draining at a faster rate than before, which implied that the cost of Telekinesis would rise and since I would need to keep the skill up to transport the tooth, it would mean regular meditation breaks. And those were not something that I could just do whenever I wanted.

All of this made me reconsider my choice to take it with me. Even though I only know a little about it, but we were still operating on a time limit and doing something that would waste a lot of time was just not the best course of action.

The realization hit me that my plan to take the tooth with me was not going to work. Annoying as it was though, it was not enough to make me regret choosing to invest in Willpower and Intelligence. After all, Telekinesis was not the only skill whose power grew along those stats.

My Unique skill Mana Affinity was the same. Ever since growing comfortable with Telekinesis and utilizing mandibles as weapons, I hadn’t used it as much, since it was not necessary, but my growth should have affected the skill. Maybe not all was for naught.

Just a second later, I tugged on my mana and it started moving within my body. Unlike before, it was even visible on the outside, as fine, golden streaks lit up along my arm, cascading down from my shoulders like veins that merged within the palm of my hand.

I extended my right arm, and the shimmering mana surged from within, forming a radiant pool in my palm. As I pushed my will into the mana, it obeyed, flowing outwards in graceful tendrils.

With a twist of my wrist, I guided the liquid mana upwards, creating a delicate, glowing arc in the air. It hovered there for a moment, before I let it spiral down and back into the palm of my hand.

The mana was not wet, nor was it truly liquid, but to my senses, it was as close to a tangible substance as it could be.

There were subtle changes to my ability to manipulate mana. It felt like I had more control over it in general and when my manipulation felt smoother than before. The most significant change, however, was the amount I was able to control. Right now, a hundred mana were currently swirling in my palm and my control remained stable, although I was grazing my limit.

The mana orbs from before were already considerably powerful, although they lacked utility in combat. Now I had double their amount in my palm and I could feel the difference in power. I couldn't help but smile as I started moving my fingers and shaping the mana according to my will.

I needed something lethal that worked even without a weapon. Something that only required mana and worked over distances.

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As I went through my memories, trying to recall all kinds of weapons I had encountered in the past, I remembered the day I almost died. The bridge and the human that discarded me for her own safety. And the arrows, which almost ended my life.

My mana moved with grace and fluidity, the shimmering golden energy yielding to my will and shaping it into the form I desired. A projectile designed for long-range combat and capable of piercing flesh with ease.

When I was satisfied with my creation, I reached out and plucked the gleaming arrow from the air. As it rested in my hands, it felt weightless, devoid of any tangible sensation. It was neither warm nor cold and, neither hard nor soft. The only feature it had going for it was its golden glow.

I took a moment to appreciate my work, admiring the ethereal arrow I had created. It had a sharp narrow and pointed arrowhead that was attached to a long, cylindrical body, which was about as long as my forearms. When I grazed the very tip of the arrow, it punctured my skin, drawing a bead of blood.

Licking the blood off my finger, I closed the wound quickly. At least I got the sharp part right. It was true that the arrow was technically not physically there, but the arrowhead was still sharp and had the ability to harm me. It was strange, but I figured that’s just how mana works.

Afterward, I swung it through the air a few times, savoring the surprisingly comfortable grip it provided, and even though I was using minimal strength, it did not budge or fall out of my hand. That was one of the advantages of mana. Unless I willed it to, the arrow would basically stick to my hand.

The test swings also had a particular purpose, which was to test if I could keep the mana in shape while moving around. And after confirming that close-range was not a problem, it was time to test my control without using my body.

As it turned out, moving the arrow while maintaining its shape was much more difficult than expected. Even though the mana was molded into a shape, this shape was only held together by my will, so when I tried moving it, the arrow almost instantly turned back into a streak of liquid and lost its shape.

I clicked my tongue and reformed the arrow, proceeding to try again, but the result was the same. However, after a few tries, I was certain that this was not an unsolvable issue. It would definitely take some time, but I felt like I would be able to get used to it.

Compared to what it would cost me to take the tooth with me, just having to train my mana control in the future was far more acceptable. It was still regretful that I had misjudged my own stats this way, but maybe this was just a lesson learned the hard way.

Either way, it seemed like for now, I would be sticking to the two level 21 mandibles for combat.

If I ever had the leeway, I might just journey back into this chamber and get me one of those teeth. It was a shame, since these teeth really just radiated a sense of power, but taking it with me despite the demerits would be foolish.

After having decided on my arsenal, I returned to the ribcage area littered with corpses and fetched the two mandibles, which were still stuck in one of the corpses. After ridding them of any remaining gore, I was ready to leave.

As of this moment, the skeleton chamber had not anything worth staying in it, so I decided it was time to continue my exploration of the lair. After all, I was just getting started.

The only way out of the chamber that I had discovered was the second tunnel, previously guarded by two drones. I had taken some time to check the rest, but to my knowledge, it really was the only way and since there was nothing else to do, I made my way over there.

After the repeated slaughter in this chamber, I could really use some tranquility and peace, although I knew that having either of the two waiting for me in this tunnel was unlikely. Killing and fighting for my life has been a regular occurrence since meeting Veraxia and agreeing to help her and more was certain to come, but that did not mean I didn’t wish for a break or two.

Upon arriving at the tunnel’s entrance, I paused, taking a moment to listen to my surroundings. With my growing stats, my ears also became much more sensitive and since the lair was not really a loud place, I would be able to determine if something was moving within the tunnel. Of course, I still had my limits and beyond my range, I would not know of any Exapoda, but I was able to check this way, so why shouldn’t I?

After setting foot into the tunnel, I noticed that it bore an uncanny resemblance to the previous tunnel I had explored, to the extent that doubts crept into my mind, questioning if I had mistakenly entered the wrong one. The walls and ground were adorned with the same glowing moss, which cast a faint but reassuring light. The walls stood apart the same distance and the ceiling was just as high.

The only thing that set it apart from the other one, was the profound silence that enveloped it. Not a single clacking of mandibles or a gust of wind. Not only did that mean that I did not have to fight, it would also allow me to travel faster, since there was no need to stop to fight, rest or recover.

But like usual in this lair, it was only a matter of time for things to take a turn for the worst. As I traveled through the tunnel, the ambiance within gradually transformed. Empty patches began to appear on the walls and floor, unveiling the pale brown bark-like texture beneath the mossy layer. With every step I took, they expanded, multiplying in both size and number, gradually revealing more of the bark-like surface beneath.

As time passed and my feet carried me forward, less and less moss covered the walls and ground, but not only that, the tunnel’s condition only seemed to worsen as cracks marred the walls and claw marks etched sinister patterns across the floor. Clearly, those were marks of battle, although the marks did not look like they were caused by a bug.

Then, as I ventured further, a grim sight emerged: countless bones scattered across the bare floor. There were so many and they all were damaged to the point where I could not find a single skeleton in good condition, but from the skulls alone I could tell that these were ones creatures that I had never encountered. Some looked similar to wolves, but their snout was flatter. There were even some skulls that looked almost human, although their teeth were sharper.

Veraxia had told me briefly that other creatures had lived in her lair before and that the Exapoda killed all of them, so was this were one of the battles took place? The amount of bones and skulls would certainly be enough for a big fight. If that were the case though, then there should have been at least a few Exapoda corpses, or at least remains, but there were none at all.

Exapoda did not leave behind corpses, I learned that, but their blue blood would have dried and left marks and mandibles should have been left behind, too. So with both of those absent, I could only conclude that the Exapoda had no part in this massacre or that they had not lost a single drone to these creatures. For my own comfort, I decided the first one to be the case.

As if having death all around me wasn’t already unnerving enough, the reduced amount of moss also reduced the amount of light in the tunnel, so to actually still see where I was going, I had to take a small amount of mana and let it float ahead of me, using it as a temporary light source.

Darkness was always uncomfortable to me, but now, my ears did a good job to make up for my lack of sight, so even though I was slightly nervous, at least I would not be surprised by a sudden drone appearing out of nowhere.

However, even though my ears worked well and my mana granted me a bit of light, stepping on a few bones here and there was not avoidable. It only took an entire lower jaw tearing into my right foot to take this slower and watch my step.

Eventually, no moss grew around me anymore and complete darkness encroached. This continued for a few minutes, before my mana suddenly did not reveal the ground anymore. Instead there was just darkness.

Curious, I sent my mana down and as it turned out, there really was no ground before me anymore. The tunnel had come to an end, except that for an actual exist, there was nothing. To the left and right, up and down, there was only a vast void. Walls, ground and ceiling vanished into obscurity and left me standing at the edge of what seemed to be an endless abyss.

“Huh. This feels familiar,” I spoke into the emptiness, my voice carrying on and echoing throughout the entire expanse.

Grabbing a nearby bone, I tossed it forward and watched it descend until it was swallowed by the darkness. One second passed, then two, then three and after ten seconds seconds, I heard a very quiet, echoing thud. That was… deep, but this meant that there was a bottom. Now I just had to find a way down.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer to the edge and looked for a way down, but there was none to be seen. That’s when the ground suddenly rumbled and I quickly jumped back, distancing myself from the abyss.

Out of the ground before me emerged a massive, gnarled root. When it moved towards the abyss, I dared stepping closer and watched as it tore into the wall and slowly descended downwards. After a few minutes, the root stopped moving and silence returned. I observed for a while, but there was no further movement. The root was thick enough to walk on and its closeness to the wall would make descending possible. Judging by past behaviors of plants in my presence, I was pretty convinced that it was trying to built me a staircase.

However, this also meant that the root or Veraxia wanted me to go down. Carefully, I set foot onto the root and tested for its stability, and it didn’t move. Despite that, my legs still trembled, since my past experiences with heights and depths weren’t the greatest. But despite the barriers my mind put up, I slowly started my descent.