*56 exp gained*
*23 exp gained*
*45 exp gained*
*41 exp gained*
…
*78 exp gained*
~Level UP: 7 → Level 8~
[Fixed Stats gained]
10 |Stat Points| have been gained for free distribution
“Finally…” the Demon girl breathes heavily after finishing off the last Chiropter. Just managing to keep herself on her feet, she stumbles to a wall before sitting down, leaning against it. Her vision blurs. She closes her eyes in hopes that it won´t get worse if she does so.
She wants to puke.
Evidently exhausted from the long battle, it doesn´t take long before she´s forced asleep.
–
[HP : 39/114 → HP : 83/154]
[MP : 12/76 → MP : 76/76]
–
The girl slowly lifts her face from the hard stone and drowsily takes in her surroundings. Most wounds from the fight seem to have stopped bleeding by now.
Still dizzy, not able to fully recall the events that transpired, she gives her |Status| a quick glance and notices that the numbers went up considerably upon entering the Dungeon
“Huh, that´s funny. I must be still half asleep” she laughs to herself, convinced that what she´s looking at can´t be right.
From her experience it is extraordinarily difficult to level. Even though she had jumped to level 6 in a single night, this one time was a huge exception. You don´t get this many exp into your lap just like that, normally that is. She remembers the long months and many trips with her father she needed to finally get to Level 3. This is how it was supposed to be, a long and gruesome ascend. So gaining two whole Levels from a single fight she could win with her own strength alone? Couldn´t be
Rubbing her sandy eyes, she again focuses on the numbers, expecting them to change. But they don´t.
“?”
It finally hits the girl that what she sees isn´t an illusion. She wasn´t deceived, everything displayed is real. Bewildered, she continues staring at her |Status| in disbelief. Yet, she slowly comes to realize the numbers aren´t just for show; The more she thinks about it, the more she can feel the surge in power, the deeper connection she now has with her own body, the new strength she couldn´t utilize before.
Her surprised mouth switches into a baffled smile: “Amazing, I can get stronger so quickly. This place is amazing!”
With these words her plan for the day is set; She would keep fighting and continue leveling, growing more powerful. Her eyes set ablaze, raring to go. But, before all that
*Grumble*
While she´s hungry for levels, her stomach is even hungrier for food
…
The little Demon was irrtated by something from the moment she woke up, yet she couldn´t quite put her finger on what it was exactly. Now she knew; Hunger. Luckily for her, there is more than enough food lying around to rid herself of the feeling that won´t let her think clearly. She quickly steps outside the Dungeon and retrieves the leather bag she hid in a bush before returning to the former monster's lair.
Rummaging through her stuff she finds two ´fire stones´, or at least that´s what she calls them. The little Demon piles up some dried wood on the cavey ground and beats the stones against each other. Eventually, sparks fly and light a fire.
Grabbing the corpse of a smaller Chiropter and skewering it on a stick, she drains the blood before letting it grill over the flames. She takes out some spices that were packed by her mother and seasons the meat strongly, to which her mouth begins to water. Her stomach wails, more impatient by the second.
Once the girl deems her food done, she lets it cool for a few minutes.
An appetizing aroma wafts in the air as the unexpectedly fatty meat glistens in the light of the fire. She grabs the skewer and finally takes a big bite.
"Mmm~!” the corners of the girl´s mouth turn into a big smile
The center is unexpectedly tender; With each bite rich juices sprawl out and make the meat almost melt on the tongue. And contrary to the body the wings are crispy and filled with a strong, sharp taste, bringing variety to the meal. Of course, the spices help draw out the best of it.
"Delicious!”
She can´t get enough of it. Before she knows it the whole bat is gone, the only thing that remains is a small shiny Crystal that was at the monsters core. The girl gives the stone a short glance before throwing it away backwards and moving her hands to prepare skewer. Then another. And another. And another, another another and where in this tiny stomach does this even fit??
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--
[HP : 83/114 → HP : 154/154]
“Want… need… more” the girl presses out while trying to keep the food inside. She is pretty sure this was her largest meal yet. Contrary to a few minutes ago, her stomach is now begging for mercy from overwork.
'Whatever´ she eventually thinks and flops on the ground, letting her body digest in peace. A satisfied sigh comes from her mouth followed by a quiet burp.
Oh and by the way, you don´t have to worry, these bats won´t spread a worldwide pandemic that will persist for years, I can guarantee you that.
What?
--
After once more taking a bath and washing away all blood and sweat, the Demon girl commences her second day in the Dungeon, venturing deeper inside with confident steps. Yet she stays prudent, she passes the lair and advances further down the corridor while keeping her guard up. She also distributes her remaining |Stat Points| she got from her Level-Up: putting 3 into each Vitality, Intelligence and Endurance and the remaining 1 into Agility.
Though she´s ready to immediately intercept any surprise-attacks that may come her way, from a viewer´s point her walk looks fairly relaxed and unhinged. At least until she suddenly freezes in her tracks at one point. Something´s amiss, wrong even. Although she doesn´t sense any nearby presences per-se, she is confident in the assumption that there´s danger as she trusts her intuition above anything else. Quickly, she kicks the floor and sends herself into the air. She grips around a stalactite, letting her body dangle a little. Then she maneuvers from rock to rock until she takes a position she deems high enough. She silently waits high above with bated breath.
A minute passes, two, three...
In the midst of minute four, something actually appears. Her hunch was correct, and the Demon senses an extreme swell of pride at that:
A hideous, disgusting looking monster passes where she just walked not too long ago. Like the first monster she ever fought against, it carries a carapace on its back, but other than that the two have nothing in common. This one has a long body with dozens of stick-like feet protruding from each side and deformed mandibles at its front.
She uses |Absolute Appraisal| without hesitation:
Species Child Centipede – LV: 23 Stats
HP
MP
193/193
10/10 Vitality 63 Strength
----------------------------------------
Intelligence 25
----------------------------------------
6 Endurance 35 Agility 44
Skills
Characteristic
2
Active [Lethal Bite] Passive [Minor Hard Shell]
----------------------------------------
Lethal Bite
Skill
Type: Characteristic Active Explanation: Strong attack that deals considerable amounts of damage. Requires Fangs or Pincers for usage
Hard Shell
Skill
Type: Characteristic Passive Explanation: Increases defense for shielded parts of the body. Defense is proportional to |Skill´s| Rank.
The Demon girl doesn´t move until the monster is right beneath her. Then, kicking herself from the upper wall, she slings down on the monster and pounds it to the ground. The Lesser Centipede releases a horrid screak. Right after, it is packed by the neck, part of its body is lifted in the air. The girl tightens her one-handed grip, not giving the monster any chance to escape from it.
“If you don´t want to die then stop resisting” She warns it with menace in her eyes. But the Lesser Centipede doesn´t seem to understand. It keeps wriggling, trying to attack with its legs and pincers as saliva drips down on the girl´s arm. The girl, seeing her negotiation attempts were denied, raises her other hand and swings it sideways, severing the monster´s head before throwing away its body. It died immediately, but only after a few seconds all of its movements finally stop.
*132 exp gained*
The little Demon is slightly irritated. She thought that if the Chiropters were able to coordinate, the Lesser Centipede would have some ounce of intelligence as well. But it didn´t seem able of communication at all. She squats over the dead body as a nauseating stench hits her, but she keeps examining it anyways: The |Skill| on the shell doesn´t seem to vanish even after death, it definitely still is the most durable part. Even with her enormous strength, she felt quite some resistance from it. But besides that the Centipedes seem to have quite a few weak points; Only their upper side is covered by a carapace, leaving their lower body, legs and head unprotected. Noting that, the girl thinks about how impractical this build seems to be. As she continues searching the monster´s body, she finds a similar Crystal at its center which the bats also had. She takes a little longer this time examining it, but in the end still leaves it there and continues on her way.
What feels like an eternity passes without any further encounters. The Demon doesn´t like that...