image [https://imgur.com/clMGGFN.png]

Heavy coldness and pain filled him with every breath in, and got worse with every breath out. He was alive, and living was painful, he knew that. Slowly The Hero sat up. Smooth stone stretched away behind him and ahead of him. Occasionally it would branch, revealing simple wooden doors or more hallways.

Sometimes he would find useful things in the rooms. Sometimes he would find things that wanted to kill him. Had he eaten? Drank? Slept? Was he asleep now? He dragged a filthy calloused hand over his face, feeling his itching prickly beard. No. When he dreamed he wasn’t in pain. Pain was real, maybe the only thing that was real. He must have drank at some point because he felt wetness on his face. Tears? Blood? It didn’t really matter. He didn’t remember a lot of things. He didn’t remember his name, or who he had been, or where he was. All he knew was that he was a HERO. THE Hero. [GET UP. GET UP. GET UP.]

He could get up, that was what he had to do. The Hero levered his hands under his body and slowly, so slowly, pushed up. His bloody fingers, no longer bleeding but still covered in dried crust, scrabbled at the smooth stones of the wall and he managed to rise. His robe stuck to his body, gritty and wet. Swaying there, he saw the collapsed form of a large wolf-like creature. There was a heavy looking metal ax driven into the body, hacked into it messily. Black foot long spikes emerged from the wet fur. “Spike shot out.” He felt his belly. Smooth, but a new hole was in his robe. Behind him on the stone ground was one of the spikes, still glistening wetly. [ALLOCATE THE POINTS]

He nodded and the familiar screen scrawled into existence.

[Level 19 Corrupted Judge]

[Ability points: 2]

[Physical:18]

[Magical:0]

[Mental:0]

[Darkness:18][56/76 infernal energy]

[Light:0]

[Charisma:0]

[Luck:0]

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

His finger hovered in the air. [ONE INTO PHYSICAL, ONE INTO DARKNESS]. He swiped his hand, and allocated the points. His body shivered for a moment, and the feeling of strength made the pain retreat, for a moment. He enjoyed that feeling. Every time he grew stronger it was a little easier to push the pain back in his mind.

He had a new skill. He mentally selected it.

[Physical Skill- Endure]

Passive Skill

Heal 1% every ten seconds. Pain is not reduced by healing.

10% increase to effect of [PHYSICAL]

[WOW!! GOOD SKILL. VERY GOOD.] The Hero was pleased. A good skill. Silently he walked to the ax, his ax he now remembered, and lifted it. It was crude and made of solid black iron. He remembered that when he first found it he could barely lift it up, but now it was effortless to swing.

[CONSUME THE BODY]. Right, he could do that. His hand opened above the corpse of the wolf thing. “[Consume].” The fur began to ripple and twitch and then distort, turning into writhing red smoke tendrils that sucked up towards his hand. As the tendrils pushed against his skin they were drawn in, and the deep cold of it made his teeth clench. With the cold came strength, impossible strength. He felt his muscles tighten, grow hard. His stomach roiled with deep nausea. Shivers began to assail him, and he forced his body back under control, his stomach still fluttering and heaving. He let out a long slow hiss from his mouth, wisps of the red smoke escaping. He was ready again. He knew the strength would slowly leave his body, but not anytime soon. [EXPLORE]

He staggered forward, dragging the ax on the ground behind him. It sparked and clattered, the sound shrill and unpleasant. He wanted more praise from… he wanted more praise. Why couldn’t he just enjoy this power? Isn’t this what he wanted? He couldn’t focus on the details, but he felt strongly that he had put himself in this position. That he had asked for this. Done terrible things… maybe. His mind slid away from those thoughts. He should kill something. Something that could kill him. There was no point otherwise. He felt his heart beating in his chest like a beast that wanted to escape. Kill. Kill and maybe be killed.

A large wooden door appeared as he turned the corner. He lifted his foot and kicked, the door blowing off its hinges and hurtling across the room to smash against the far wall. [DO NOT DESTROY THE LABYRINTH]. He winced, and then jerked back as a blade whistled by his face. A skeleton was attacking him. A skeleton… thing? No, those weren’t bones, those were blades. It was a humanoid skeletal being that was made out of twisted and bent sword blades. Twin burning blue flames danced in the crudely shaped head, and large blade teeth scraped and clacked as it struck forward again. The Hero did not hesitate, his ax swinging around.

His voice rang out, harsh even to his own ears. “[PUNISHMENT]!” As he swung down the ax glowed a dark rich black and then dozens of blades were smashing against the sword skeleton. Many of the hits deflected or did superficial damage, but others sunk in deeply. The sword skeleton staggered back, raising its arm blades to try and strike again. “[CONDEMN]!” The Hero slammed his hand down on the Skeleton’s head and the Skeleton pancaked to the ground, as if the ceiling had dropped onto it. Before it could rise his ax fell. Again and again, separating each piece from the rest. He was breathing raggedly by the time he was done, deep scars in the stone of the ground. His hand was bleeding from where he had touched the Skeleton’s bladed head. The wound on his hand was slowly closing, but pain still radiated up his arm. No level from that. [EXPLORE]. He looked around the room, and then continued down the hall. [I’M PROUD OF YOU]. The Hero smiled, slightly. His stomach churned with nausea, pain radiated through him, and his every muscle burned. But he knew he was The Hero. He was doing so well.