Just as I settle into a comfortable position, the sound of crunching leaves and sticks reaches my ears. That was fast. A moment later, I see the deer casually strolling down the path.
Ok. All I have to do is jump down, slash its neck a bunch, and then it’ll die. All of my insecurities and anxieties are quelled by… something… as the deer grows closer and closer. By the time the deer’s right beneath me, all my emotions are fully suppressed. It’s time.
I slip right through the net of branches. As I fall, I aim my claws at the back of the deer. The moment I land, I slash. My claws dig into its flesh with a wet, squelching sound. The deer lets out a pained shriek at my attack and starts bucking and kicking. Its wild movements only serve to make my claws dig deeper into its back. This puts the creature in even more pain, which makes it want to flail harder. It's a vicious cycle that leaves the deer exhausted in almost no time at all. It stops, likely to try and reduce the pain. I yank my claws out of its back and launch at its neck, talons extended.
They are met with minimal resistance. It’s obvious when the deer’s spine is finally sliced, as it immediately collapses. It lets out its last breath soon after. I crawl off of its back, almost to the ground, before something interrupts me. What’s that feeling? It’s like… something’s prodding my mind… I respond, and am met with notifications, like that of the Status.
Defeated [Green Stag - lvl. 6]. Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy.
Learned skill [Slash]. Experience is awarded for the learning of a skill.
3 levels gained. level advanced from 1 → 3.
Obtained skill [Spark].
Is this what the Status meant by growing stronger? But… I don’t feel anything- A massive surge of power and clarity interrupts me. My muscles suddenly feel stronger, my scales more durable, and my mind clearer. My whole body feels more limber, and on the whole, everything just feels better.
Woah… is this what those dragons were hoping for when they left me out here? For me to level up? It must be, otherwise they wouldn’t have given me the Status… But there must’ve been a better way! They didn’t have to throw me out here to level me up, right? They couldn’t have just let me kill this, and taken me back afterwards?
They must have a good reason for it… right? Maybe I have to level up more? I search for a logical solution, but no feasible explanation comes to mind. I don’t think I have enough information to make any definitive conclusions. Or really any conclusions at all.
…How will the Status reflect the changes to my body? They shouldn’t go unnoticed, and maybe it will provide more insight on the situation? [Status].
Razag
Level: 3
Species: Crimson Dragon Hatchling
General Skills:
[Passive - Dragon Scales] lvl 1
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Skills:
Unused Skill Slots x 5
Skill Bank:
[Spark] lvl 1
[Slash] lvl 1
Stats:
STR: 16
END: 20
VIT: 16
WIS: 21
INT: 21
Skill bank? What’s that? An answer quickly surfaces, originating from the wave of information I received along with the Status. It’s where unassigned skills go... Does that mean that there are assigned skills? How would I assign them, though? Maybe just say to assign them? Assign [Spark] and [Slash].
I don’t feel any different… but I should probably check to see if it worked anyway.
Skills:
[Spark] lvl 1
[Slash] lvl 1
Skills assigned to the active skill list can not be unassigned until one hour has passed.
What does that mean? Again, an answer surfaces from the wave of knowledge. So a skill that is unassigned goes back to the Skill Bank, but reduces to the last milestone level.
What’s a milestone level? No answer comes to me this time. No explanation, huh. Does that mean that it isn’t important right now? It’s not like I have any real way to tell…
I do wonder though… What do these skills do? I should definitely test them out. Willing Spark to activate seems to trigger something. A surge of knowledge flows into my mind; instructions on how to use the skill. I begin to absorb the knowledge almost instinctively.
I refocus on the instructions so that I understand how to use the skill. About half a minute goes by before the instructions stop coming. I think I know how to use Spark now. That was strange though. It was pretty similar to how the information from Status came, just a bit less intense.
Anyways, I should definitely try this skill out for real. I follow the instructions, opening my mouth wide before hacking out. What comes out is a few really hot sparks. They fly and twirl in the air a little, looking like dancers, before falling to the ground and being extinguished. That was a bit… underwhelming. Probably not all that useful, either. If it gets stronger it might be, though.
I hope the next skill, Slash, isn’t as disappointing. I activate the skill the same way I did Spark, and the expected flood of knowledge comes. It recedes in half the time that Spark took.
Wow. Slash is very different from Spark. I wonder how different it will look? I pull my arm back, and direct a little bit of something towards my claws. I swing, clawing the air. Three streaks of white light subsequently launch in the direction I swung. They tear through the air at the same speed my arm was moving, but they slow down quite quickly.
However, right before they stop moving completely, they hit a tree. They put a small notch into the tough bark before dissipating. I wonder how those work? I’m pretty sure that they’re extending the force of my normal swing. And since I didn’t swing all that hard, it probably could’ve been stronger.
Before I say that for sure, though, I should definitely try it again. I move closer to one of the trees, until it's almost within striking distance. I pull back my arm again, then swing as hard as I can while using the skill. The arcs tear through the air and into the bark of the tree.
A wave of exhaustion pushes through my body the moment the arcs leave my claws. I stumble slightly, but quickly recover. What the heck was that?! Why did I get tired all of a sudden?! I search for an answer. Is it possible that it was because I used that strange energy? Maybe I used too much, and overexerted myself?
But I have no way to confirm that. I really do need to find someone who can answer all these questions. Speaking of questions, I need to check the results of my Slash. Checking the results of the Slash reveals gouges in the wood that look about as long as my claws. So that basically confirms my theory. It’s just extending the force of my swing.
Now… I’ve tested out everything I needed to. What do I do now? My eyes are drawn to the corpse of the deer.