Leo was finally able to relax. Aside from other things, the new notification meant he had left the lizard's field of vision.
He sat down on a nearby boulder and closed his eyes to gather himself. After his heart slowed down its frantic rhythm, he tried to focus on the details of what just happened.
His initial plan clearly had a big hole in it. If just a glance from a lazy and relaxed monster that didn't even pay any attention to him practically paralyzed him, there was no chance he could actually successfully hunt one. That left him with two options: he either ran away as far as possible or he somehow killed the stupid lizard without letting it know of his presence first.
Leo pondered over his next move. He did gain [Sneak] but at level one it won't be able to rely on it to ambush the reptile. Also, the scales on its body looked quite formidable as well as the fact that he had zero weapons on him. No, fighting the lizard was out of the question.
That left only one option—leaving the lizard alone and hoping his luck will not let him run into a hungrier one on his way. He decided on a new plan; he needed to avoid being detected until he reached a safe place where he could rest without being afraid of a sudden visit by a store-brand dragon looking for dinner.
The newly acquired [Sneak] should be helpful.
Leo scanned his surroundings to check if there was any sign of the lizard, but aside from some small bugs flying around his head, it wasn't anywhere nearby. His eyes wandered over the landscape in front of him for a few minutes in silence before he shifted his attention to the system interface.
Within it, a new menu option appeared, titled "Skills". As soon as he opened it, a short list of three items appeared in front of him.
Stats
Feats
>Skills
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Active:
[Light] Lv.1
Creates a mote of light which illuminates its surroundings.
Luminosity and duration are dependant on mana invested.
Passive:
[Identify] Lv.1
Passive.
Allows user to gain information about objects or creatures.
Effectivness influenced by skill level and INT,PER stats.
[Sneak] Lv.1
Passive.
The art of remaining unseen and unheard.
Effectiveness influenced by skill level and AGI,PER,MND stats.
The description wasn't particularly detailed, but he got all the info he needed. He was going to bet on increasing the effectiveness of the [Sneak] as much as possible for now. You don't become prey unless a predator sees you.
Leo opened up his feat screen. Currently, he had three Feat Points unassigned. He thought briefly and come up with two options. The first was to continue advancing the First Delver feat. With two points he could get +1 in all stats and two free stat points. Nine in total, but spread evenly aside the two free ones. Even spread meant less increase in his sneaking capabilities, but also an overall increase in his abilities.
The second was to put all his points into Trailblazer. At level three he could get juicy +3 to MND and PER which were the governing stats of the [Sneak]. Very helpful. Then he could place the three free stat points he would get into AGI which would push it further, as well as increase his speed. Also very helpful for not becoming some creature's meal.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
What caught Leo's eye was the [Lesser Aura Release] that he could get at Trailblazer level nine. So far the skills he gained always provided some kind of utility, but this one sounded different. Without seeing a description he could only guess, but if one was to infer, this skill could probably be something he could use to intimidate potential predators.
'No use in guessing.' Leo took a deep breath and focused on his intuition. He could feel that this skill will definitely help him in this situation, though he wasn't sure how exactly yet. 'I'll go with this one.'
He quickly dumped his feat points into Trailblazer. If previous stat increases were pretty small, this time he could clearly observe the changes in how he felt. When he put the last point in, it was like a wave of cool water washed his brain from inside his skull. Leo immediately felt like he was living with a fog in his consciousness before, but now it began to dissipate and he could perceive the world in a clear manner.
His vision clearly became sharper, as he could now notice tiny details the he would simply not notice before. Little bugs crawling over fern leaves, small spores suspended in the air under the glowing mushrooms, and even minute movements from a distance became visible to him. This wasn't because of his eyesight improving, it was more that his eyes were capable of picking up details they hadn't seen before.
He felt like there was something else too, but he couldn't put his finger on it yet.
His hearing also improved. Before, the combined sounds of water droplets falling down from the cave ceiling, the chittering of the bugs, and the rustling of the ferns, combined into a mashed cacophony of sounds, as if someone put them together into a blender and ran them through thoroughly before allowing them to reach his ears, now though, he could, albeit with some effort, differentiate between them.
'Wait a second. The ferns are rustling? Does that mean there is... wind?'
It was just the first impression that came to his mind after noticing how the leaves moved slightly against each other, but it was enough for him to make a conclusion. Wind!
'The air must be coming from somewhere! It could be an exit!'
The idea excited him so much that he forgot his plan immediately. He quickly put his three stat points into AGI and began moving in the direction where the wind was coming from. As he moved, he could feel the wind getting stronger. If it was barely noticeable before, now it was like a light summer breeze. The cave was getting narrower and darker and finally, Leo was forced to crouch and move on hands and knees in complete darkness. He reached for his pocket to fish out the flashlight but stopped since it was a perfect opportunity to test out [Light.]
He extended his arm forward and thought about light appearing in his palm but nothing happened. Leo closed his eyes and sighed.
"Light." He said reluctantly.
A small orb of soft white light appeared in front of his palm. He stared at it, waiting for something new to happen, but nothing happened except that it kept shining. It was not that bright, but considering his circumstances it was probably for the better. At least he didn't blind himself.
'Will I have to shout out skill names in combat too?' He could already feel silly just at the thought of this.
Clearing his mind from unnecessary thoughts, he proceeded further. It wasn't long before he reached a pile of rocks blocking his way. At this moment, the light breeze already intensified to the level of a light wind, and he could feel the air coming through the gaps in the pile. Begrudgingly, he began to move the stones, hoping no curious lizard delves into this hole to take a bite out of his ass.
Leo continued to dig. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he already moved enough stone behind him to block off any potential surprise attack, but now he was trapped between two piles of rocks, so stopping was not an option. He was tired, his muscles were sore from non-stop work, and incredibly uncomfortable position he had to be in since the ceiling of this particular cave was clearly lower than one meter from the floor.
Physical Conditioning Lv.1 obtained.
One Feat Point awarded.
He didn't even check the skill description. That could be done later. He quickly put the feat point into Trailblazer, and the gained stat point into endurance, he needed a lot of it. He noticed though, that it was now a little bit easier to move rocks.
Time went on. How much you ask? Minutes? Hours? Leo didn't know, he lost track of it, but now he could see a little bit of light passing through the gaps between larger rocks. He was almost out. Such a sight brought him new strength. He kept pushing, and as he moved the last rock that prevented him from getting out, he was graced by another notification from the system.
Physical Conditioning Lv.2 obtained.
One Feat Point awarded.
The point instantly went to Trailblazer granting him +3 to all physical stats. Giddy with excitement and new extra energy, he finally extricated himself from this damned hole that already was getting onto his nerves.
What he saw outside was nothing less than mesmerizing. He wasn't anywhere outside, true, but he was now standing in a massive cavern, many times the size of a football field.
Enormous pillars of stone held up the massive ceiling of the cavern which was decorated with colorful stalactites. The walls were covered in lush green moss and large trees grew along the sides of the room giving a mystical appearance to this underground realm. A river of crystal clear water flowed past Leo's feet. All around him were signs of life: insects, small lizards, and even birds hopping around and chirping. It was as if a small world was contained within this cavern, hidden away from the rest of the world.
Leo took a deep breath. The air felt much fresher than the cave he came from and it also was a lot brighter here.
"Ack!" sounded somewhere from the right.
Leo turned his head to see three creatures sitting around a small fire, grilling some kind of rodent. The creatures were short, roughly a meter in height, and clearly some kind of a reptilian humanoid. They were rather shocked by Leo's sudden appearance, he could see it on their faces.
"Uhhh, hi?"
The little creatures reached for their spears.