Player has defeated Shade Stalker - Level 6
Player has defeated Shade Stalker - Level 4
Player has defeated Shade Stalker - Level 5
…
Player has leveled up!
Notification bells rang as John sprinted through the room, his path illuminated by sporadic bursts of light each time he swung his knife. He maneuvered between the stunned creatures, taking them down one by one. His knife, worn and dulled from constant use, occasionally caught on the bones of the Shade Stalkers, slowing his progress and making each strike messier. For the first time, he realized his once-reliable tool would soon need to be replaced.
John cleaved his way through the room, following the path where the creatures were thickest. Although they were blinded by his light, they still lashed out wildly, forcing him to remain vigilant. He ducked beneath a toothed maw that snapped at him, then sidestepped to avoid a swinging claw. He thrust his knife into the side of a beast’s head - a bright burst of light erupting from its orifices as it perished.
Player has defeated Shade Stalker - Level 5
Player has defeated Shade Stalker - Level 6
He pushed forward, entering a tunnel that led to another broad cavern, guided by the burst of light emitted each time he swung his knife. As he entered this room, he heard an ear-piercing screech filled with rage. John’s instincts flared, warning him of imminent danger. A Shade Stalker, larger than all the rest, suddenly thrust itself at him from among the bodies of its kin. Its claw extended towards him, and he parried it with his knife - his hand going numb from the impact.
Shade Stalker Elite - Level 10
It followed up with a flurry of attacks, each one more deadly than the last. John was barely able to keep up by circulating mana throughout his body, yet even still it managed to graze him a few times, its touch leaving traces of venom on him - forcing him to adjust his mana flow to stop it from spreading. Fortunately, this new glowing mana seemed to be better at countering the poison.
What made things difficult is that this variant of Shade Stalker seemed to be able to ignore the bursts of light, and rather than cringing and cowering, the light only seemed to make it angrier and more determined to kill him. It was striking so fast that John didn’t have time to retaliate, he had to spend every ounce of energy on keeping himself alive.
The fight went on for what felt like hours, but in reality must have been minutes. Yet as they clashed, John adapted. He began to learn the rhythm and timing of the creature’s attacks, and his reflexes sharpened.
Agility +1
Focus +1
Instinct +1
Agility +1
Gradually, the tide of the battle began to swing in his favour. The monster’s attacks grew increasingly frantic, its movements becoming erratic. John decided it was time to go on the offensive. He leaped back as he sheathed his knife, keeping his hand on the hilt as he began to gather energy.
The creature took it for a sign of weakness, chasing after him with a hungry glint in its eyes. It clawed at his throat, and he shifted his body to dodge it. He then stepped around the creature to avoid a swipe towards his abdomen and ducked beneath a piercing thrust aimed at his forehead.
Meanwhile, John steadily gathered mana around his sheathed knife, condensing it with razor-sharp focus. With every breath, he refined its potency. John moved carefully, steering the fight until his back was against a wall, baiting the monster into a false sense of advantage. The moment he touched the cold stone, the monster seized its chance, rearing up on its hind legs as its front claws poised for a final lethal strike - malice burning in its eyes.
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Sensing the perfect moment, John suddenly dashed forward and drew his knife in a blur of motion trailed by a brilliant arc of light.
Quick Draw
John’s blade tore through the creature’s abdomen, carving a deep gash that left its organs on the verge of spilling out. Its strike faltered, the momentum lost as its claws swept harmlessly over John’s shoulder.
Drained, John stumbled past the creature, barely keeping his footing as it collapsed onto the rocky floor behind him. Breathing heavily, John took a moment to glance over the notifications he had missed.
Player has received a glimpse of the Aspect of Light: Glimmer (Lesser)!
Player has developed a new ability!
Combat Sense (Rare) - The player's battle instincts and reflexes have sharpened, allowing them to predict and react to attacks with surprising accuracy.
Basic Energy Circulation has leveled up. The player has gained a new level of mastery over this ability.
Player has defeated Shade Stalker Elite - Level 10
Player has leveled up!
Quick Draw has leveled up. The player has gained a new level of mastery over this ability.
It seemed like his abilities could level up, too. John wondered what the effect of that would be. He didn’t have long to ponder that question, however, as he was still far from safe. Wasting no time, John shifted his focus to his level up announcements. He had 6 unspent stat points, and the sooner he spent them the better his chances of survival were.
Remembering his Quick Draw ability, John was considering spending all 6 points on Focus again. Not only did it make it easier for him to focus mana into his skill, it also seemed to make him better at controlling mana in general. He had a feeling that would pay dividends in the long run.
Yet John couldn’t stop thinking about how many times he had come close to death. Almost every time, he had been saved by a gut feeling at the last second.
Without hesitating any further, he decided to put 2 points into Instinct, and 4 in Focus. He looked over his status page.
—-
Status
Name: John Silver
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Level: 6
Strength: 4
Agility: 10
Constitution: 4
Will: 3
Focus: 17
Instinct: 12
Perception: 7
Abilities:
Basic Energy Circulation (Level 2) - The player has learned to channel mana through their body. With skilled use, mana may be used to produce miraculous effects.
Quick Draw (Rare) (Level 2) - The player channels their energy into a single decisive strike, unsheathing their blade with blinding speed. The greater the player’s focus, the greater the speed and force of the attack.
Combat Sense (Rare) (Passive) - After surviving many near-death experiences in battle, the player's instincts have sharpened, allowing them to predict and react to attacks with surprising accuracy.
Aspects:
Aspect of Light: Glimmer (Lesser)
—-
As John silently went over his status, a creeping dread began to settle in his gut, subtle but insistent. It grew until he couldn’t ignore it, forcing him to dismiss his status screen. Something was wrong. He drew his knife, imbued by his mana, and sliced the air in front of him. A ray of light exploded outwards, lighting up the dim cavern. In the far corner of the vast room, a huge form was slowly emerging. It resembled the Shade Stalkers he had fought before, but it had six legs instead of four and it was almost three times their size. It fixed its gaze on John, hatred gleaming in its eyes.
Morvethra - Shade Stalker Matriarch - Level 15
The moment it spotted John, it recognized him as the source of the light. It suddenly let out a deafening shriek—an unholy blend of fury and grief for its fallen kin. The sheer force of the sound sent a chill down John’s spine. Yeah, it was very pissed off.
John’s gut clenched, telling him that this was not something he could fight at his current level. He turned and ran down a side tunnel, his heart thudding as he tried to think of a way to survive this nightmare.