“⏁⏃☍⟒ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⍀⟒⍙⏃⍀⎅ ⏃⋏⎅ ⟒⌖⟟⏁.”
Kade ignored the voice and stared suspiciously at the belt beyond the hidden door. He reluctantly put aside the belt for the moment and reviewed his interface. He could feel his health recovering fully, so he must have leveled up.
You have destroyed a Gravetusk Boar (Arcana Level 33)!
Skills Learned!
Rapid Strike (Level 1) - A flurry of quick punches in rapid succession.
Elbow Smash (Level 1) - A straightforward, powerful elbow strike aimed to break defenses.
Rising Knee (Level 1) - An upward knee strike aimed at the opponent’s torso or chin.
Kade felt surprised, but he shouldn’t have been. He had been under the assumption that only spear skills would be available to him. Obviously, that was wrong.
Rapid Strike (Level 1)—>(Level 3)
Rising Knee (Level 1)—>(Level 2)
Level-up!
Arcana Level 32—>Arcana Level 33
Free Points: 0—>1
Level-up bonuses applied.
Constitution: 34—>35
Endurance: 18—>18.5
Strength: 34—>35
He dismissed the interface and approached the hidden door. Unless this chamber had more surprises for him, he suspected he needed to pick up the belt before he could leave.
Kade looked around the hidden room and found it as bare as the chamber. He didn’t know how the boar appeared here, but it looked fresh. Like it was recently caught.
This place is fascinating.
He picked up the belt, and the interface appeared again.
Boarhide Belt - A rugged belt made from the tough hide of the Gravetusk Boar, adorned. It exudes a primal energy, enhancing the wearer’s physical capabilities.
Attributes:
+5 [Strength]
Adrenaline Rush – Increases [Speed] and [Dexterity] by 20% when the wearer’s health drops below 10%.
… This is crazy.
Kade reread the description to make sure he wasn’t imagining things before tightening his hands around the belt.
It resembled stone, like the boar’s skin, but it felt leathery. He put it around his waist.
You have equipped [Boarhide Belt].
Effects Applied.
Strength: 35—>35 + (5)
Passive Ability Unlocked: [Adrenaline Rush].
He didn’t feel any different from before, but he knew it would come in handy the next time he got into a fight.
“⌰⟒⏃⎐⟒ ⏁⊑⟒ ☊⊑⏃⋔⏚⟒⍀.”
Kade’s eyes darted around to see if any other hidden door would open, but it was the exit that became available to him.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He didn’t dawdle and left the chamber. The statue slid down to close off the entrance after he was in the hallway.
Kade glanced at the statue, which had given him a thumbs up, but it didn’t react. It seemed like these two statues would no longer respond to him.
He didn’t choose to return to the well. He continued deeper into the hallway, hoping to find another set of statues.
He would not only face monsters stronger than him, but also receive a reward for defeating them.
Kade thought this place might have been destined for him.
He touched his new belt as he quickly traveled through the hallway. It was fantastic—not necessarily the looks but the effects—but his clothes had a habit of getting ruined.
“System, how durable is this boarhide belt?”
It is not a typical article of clothing. If it can be added to your person as an [Item], it is considered an artifact. Artifacts will last as long as you are alive.
Kade looked at his belt with a new appreciation. “So, it can never get damaged?”
Its physical form can be damaged and even destroyed when you are hurt. However, it will reform after you recover.
That was a little less impressive, but still amazing. “What happens to the effects the Item gives me when it’s destroyed?”
If an artifact is destroyed, the effects will no longer apply.
That didn’t sadden Kade. These are all minor negatives for what was an overall fantastic find. “How rare are—“
He cut himself off when the hallway rumbled dangerously. He stabilized himself and glanced around for a cave-in.
Kade had already experienced that once and had no desire to do so again soon.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously when the rumbling suddenly stopped. He heard familiar guttural growls where the hallway led to the well.
The karnathis must have found the exterminated outpost. From the sound of it, he estimated it wasn’t a small number that decided to investigate this hallway.
Kade would usually choose to rush into danger. But this time, it was different.
He didn’t know if these karnathis could shut off access to those statues. And in all honesty, he didn’t want to gamble on it.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, Kade would choose to gamble, but not when it could lose him a potential reward similar to the boarhide belt.
He ran.
Away from the guttural growls.
And Kade felt filthy about it. He felt like he was giving up free ranking points and potential [Arcana Level] growth, but sometimes it was worth feeling filthy.
The next reward better be worth it.
He saw two statues ahead and didn’t hesitate to speed up before sliding to a halt between them.
Kade noted the purple eyes of the statues when they activated. They were darker than the previous two, and he assumed that whatever was inside the chambers they were blocking would be stronger than the boar.
Perfect.
He waited impatiently for the statues to finish their motions with their thumbs. He could hear the karnathis getting closer by the second.
“⌿⟟☊☍ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⌿⍀⟒⎎⟒⍀⟒⋏☊⟒.”
Kade launched with a powerful jump when the statues extended their thumbs. He slammed his fist into the statue’s torso with the thumbs up, creating a tiny crack before falling back to the ground.
“⎐⟒⍀⊬ ⍙⟒⌰⌰.”
He narrowed his eyes when the statue took its sweet time moving out of the way. When he finally did several seconds later, it revealed a stairway that led up.
Kade could see a crowd of karnathis at the edges of his vision before climbing the stairs. He ignored the statue sealing the exit behind him and gaped at the size of the chamber he entered.
It was just as bare as the previous chamber, but had to be exponentially bigger. An entire football field could fit inside, and there would still be plenty of leftover space.
Kade waited for the voice to say something in the alien language. He couldn’t even be bothered to figure out where the monsters would come from. This place was just too large to make an accurate guess.
The best choice was to stay near the exit, the one place that was certain not to have a hidden door.
“⎅⟒⎎⟒⏃⏁ ⏁⊑⟒ ⟒⏃☌⌰⟒⌇ ⏁⍜ ⏚⟒ ⏃⌰⌰⍜⍙⟒⎅ ⏁⍜ ⟒⌖⟟⏁.”
Kade was tempted to bring out his [Soulrend], but knew it would be a waste of energy at best. It might get shattered at worst, and he didn’t want to deal with that again.
He scanned the cavernous chamber for any signs of a hidden door appearing. He half suspected that he would soon fight a massive giant with the size of this place.
If that were indeed the case, Kade wouldn’t be unhappy. It wouldn’t be the first time he fought a giant. He enjoyed fighting the lesser troll, even though it put him precariously near death.
Kade heard a faint noise. His ears twitched as he tried to find the source, but failed to see what he could be.
The noise multiplied. It sounded like… wings. Flapping wings.
His eyes widened as he looked up just in time to see sharp talons heading straight towards his face.
Kade barely had the time to make a move to dodge it. He wasn’t entirely successful.
He hissed as the talons ripped open the side of his face. The only positive was that he didn’t lose an eye. He ineffectually tried to punch the bird away to give him some space, but that was unnecessary.
The bird screeched in victory as it returned to the others circling above.
With his face bleeding heavily, Kade took in the appearance of the birds for the first time.
They weren’t too large, nor were the two small. Their feathers glowed like embers, and in their eyes, molten lava appeared even from this distance. They looked like falcons.
Kade immediately accepted that these falcons must be far faster than he could ever be. It put him at a severe disadvantage, which he was eager to overcome.
He saw several falcons break out of the group. They were all eyeing him.
Kade prepared himself. Still, he couldn’t stop the stray thought that entered his mind.
The statues’ thumbs up and thumbs down must lead to monsters capable of flight and monsters that were not.
He would’ve picked the one with the thumbs down again if he had known.