Noah rushed out of the cave, but the hurried sounds of footsteps behind him caused him to slow down. Glancing over his shoulder, Thraz was using his strong legs to catch up.
“Wait!” Thraz stood at the side of Krall and looked up at Noah. “I want to join you!”
Noah’s run changed into a walk as they made their way to the beach. “Look, I prefer to be on my own. Thanks for looking out for me back there, but it doesn’t change the fact I need to Level.”
Holding his chin for a moment, Thraz added, “Then I’ll let you have your opponents, while I will destroy mine.”
Thinking for a moment, it wasn’t a terrible idea. Plus, having someone else by his side made it so the others would think twice before pissing him off again. Not that he needed him, but it was always best to be careful.
“That’s the same thing–fine.” Noah shrugged. In the end, after recalling Thraz’s words back in the cave–he felt bad for him. Just by looking at the gnarly wounds on his body, Noah could tell he had a hell of a time with the other group. But it didn’t mean his wounds were going to decrease. If he was coming with him, Noah couldn’t guarantee his life. Although he would try.
“Had a rough time, huh?” Noah said, trying to make conversation. After all, it had been a while since he had talked to another humanoid. One that could talk, that was.
“Rough time, yes, but nothing this dragonborn can not handle.” Thraz slapped his bicep. “Anyway, what good stuff did you get within the dungeon?”
“Oh, this, and that.” Noah said, not wanting to mention “What about you?”
Without hesitation, he brought out a Pathstone that had the image of a blank smiling face shrouded in a shadow. It wasn’t the image that caused him to take a shocked breath, but the purple that gleamed from within.
“Please take it.” Thraz shoved it up to him, but because he was on top of the sizable Krall, his arm reached only part way.
Noah tilted his head, but then smiled. “Is this your way of saying sorry?” To which Thraz simply nodded.
He took hold of the rock, and clicked his tongue in surprise. It was perfect.
You have obtained an Epic Dexterity Pathstone - Shadow of a Monstrosity: Obtained from a rare evolved monster, the Shadow of a Monstrosity is capable of advanced stealth techniques using their own natural powers. Only those with the connection of a monster are able to use this Pathstone.
| Stats per Level: Dex +3, Will +2.
| Stealth Skills are 10% more effective.
| Attacking within a short time after leaving stealth, increases damage dealt by monster by 10%
“Damn, you did well for yourself huh,” Noah said, but kept his gaze on the stone. With his other hand, he reached into his bag, and took out the Epic Pathstone he had received during the dungeon. He threw it over to Thraz as his eyes widened.
Thraz erupted in laughter. “Oh Bor will be happy about this. How did you know that he was a mighty earth dragon, Noah?” Thraz wasted no more time as he simply plopped his rear down on the blazing hot sand, and tightly grasped the Pathstone within both hands.
“Of course I didn’t.”
It felt good to trade. He didn’t have to entirely rely on his own luck, after all. The fact that it increased the damage done by Krall was also amazing. From [Monstrous Allegiance], it would also empower himself. Without the Skill, only Krall would receive the buff.
But, however excited he was about receiving such an amazing Pathstone, he was aware he couldn’t assimilate with it. If he attempted to go from Common, all the way to Epic, his insides would fry. He doubted he would even be able to absorb it for more than a few seconds before his entire body shut down. He thought for a second before he opened up the Grace Shop. There had to be something to help with the process.
He scrolled down pretty far within the Utility section until he stopped. Gotcha. He had found what he was looking for.
Grace Coins - 10,000| Elixir of Absorption: Allows the consumer to open the pathways within their body, making it easier to assimilate to a jump in Pathstone power. The tiers one can open depends on their Willpower.
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The price was steep. He glanced at the Coins he had, and he had to say, after all he had gone through–he was a little disappointed.
Grace Coins: 17,436
Topped up by a good amount, he expected some more from defeating the leader of the dungeon. Especially since the Legendary weapon he wanted cost him a staggering two-hundred thousand. Of course, he had no way of properly knowing how much exactly he should have earned, but maybe it was because he didn’t kill him in a way that satisfied his sponsors. Noah could only make a guess.
It just so happened that his Will Stat was the highest. How much would that help him exactly from resisting the pain? Noah hadn’t the faintest idea.
He was torn between saving his coins, or spending it right now to connect with the new Pathstone. Noah wanted to save up and buy the upgraded taming room, or even purchase some defences for his home within the Hub. Five days had passed, and the week of safety was coming to an end. Soon, the Hub would be beset by the monsters of the forest.
Noah could only imagine that the System wouldn’t let them live in peace forever. Most likely they would receive a mission that had something to do with the barrier being removed. He had to prepare. However, that meant nothing if he was unable to defeat the beasts that hungered after his new home. So, Elixir of Absorption it was.
You have obtained the Elixir of Absorption.
He caught the strange bottle in mid air. It looked more like a honey bottle than the ordinary health potions he was used to drinking by this point. It had a little glass handle on the side, but the liquid within looked anything but. Instead of a thick, delectable sweet yellow, it was black like liquified chalk. Hints of silver flowed like mercury.
Shaking it side-to-side, it tinked against the glass. Noah swore it was meant to slosh, not clang against the walls of the container as if it was a solid. Well whatever, he bought it, so he was forced to drink it. Before he did so, he climbed off Krall, then sat on the floor a few steps away from Thraz.
By this point, the dragonborn had closed his eyes, and seemed to be in a deep sleep. His breath thrummed outward like a beast filled with a fiery vitality.
Krall glanced around, then stood over with his two front arms exactly how a gorilla stood on all fours. It was like Krall was a mother bird, and Noah was his egg. Disregarding the fact he had been reduced to nothing but a baby chick to be protected, he uncorked the elixir, and swallowed it with no hesitation.
Expecting to gag, he had braced himself, but surprisingly it tasted sweet. Like a sweetened, gritty chalk, but sweet nonetheless. It slid down his throat. He waited for a moment for some sort of bodily reaction, but there was nothing. Not even a rumbling of his stomach. Without further adieu, he grabbed hold of the [Shadow of a Monstrosity], and focused his mind on the stone within his hands.
A strand of heat pricked his skin. It rapidly transformed into a tumultuous fire that shot up both his arms. It threatened to seer his arms into a blazing inferno as Noah seethed in pain. It felt like ants were nibbling at his veins, cutting them off, or slicing them into pieces. His entire skeleton trembled. Krall nudged him in an attempt to make him feel better, but it didn’t.
If this was what the pain was like even after drinking the Elixir of Absorption, he never wanted to find out just how bad it was without it. There was no description of how bad the pain would be, but Noah could immediately make an educated guess that it wasn’t designed for human consumption.
Gritting his teeth, the blaze stampeded through his veins, and swiftly made its way towards his heart. The moment the Pathstone brushed against his blood vessel, his entire vision blanked. Noah’s figure twitched, until there wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t trembling under intense torment. His spittle turned into a froth as it seeped out of his clenched mouth.
Without knowing how, his vision transferred within himself. He couldn’t see flesh, bone, muscle, or blood. No, he saw the three Pathstones that formed the core of his power. [Might], [Attacking Tamer], and [Dexterity] spun together in harmony, but he could sense the [Shadow of a Monstrosity] approaching like a violent tsunami.
It was pitch black, just like the shadows from his [Shadowed Presence] Skill, but something far more sinister lurked within. The only thing he could describe it as was… monstrous. And it wanted to devour. Its target? The Dexterity pathstone. Moving in the blink of an eye, it covered it completely, and began eating it. Fragment-by-fragment, its beastly teeth chipped away at it.
Blinding torture took hold of him and without Noah knowing, blood seeped from his nose, ears, and mouth. He couldn’t stop; he could only trot forward with one heavy step at a time.
Noah held on, and finally, it finished its meal. But instead of being satisfied, it wanted more. As if it was the deadly sin of gluttony, it headed for his other Pathstones. Noah’s heart lurched at the sight, and instinctively reached out to stop it. His hand stretched toward it, but now the [Shadow of a Monstrosity] had a new target. It wanted not only to consume his Pathstones, it also wanted to devour Noah.
It latched onto his hand, sending another bout of suffering within. He felt it restling him, but a deep stubbornness pervaded every inch of his being. With a harrowed scream filled with vibrance, Noah summoned something deep within him. Another power was brought forth. Like a slumbering shadow made its presence known. The space became distorted, and behind Noah’s floating consciousness, a being…no, a monstrous figure ripped the surrounding area, and gazed into the invading force’s eyes.
With its will to fight severed, it submitted.
You have evolved your Common Pathstone [Dexterity] to Epic [Shadow of a Monstrosity]
You have obtained a World's First Title.