Conall trudged through the woods, eyes searching for any kind of food or monster. He needed energy to stop Quick Healing from killing him, whether from natural or System causes. He had long since finished off all of his food. The forest had been rendered barren, with claw marks almost covering some trees. Red stains like the one left behind by the raccoon were interspersed around the ground, showing just how many creatures had died in the few hours since the screens appeared.
Stranger still was the complete lack of sound. There was no buzzing of bugs, no chirping of birds, and no other essential sounds of nature. The forest, or at least this small patch of it, was devoid of all life. Everything was dead. It left him wondering just how lucky he was that nothing had smelled the blood and came to finish him off before he could upgrade Quick Healing.
But after about an hour of walking, he had finally found a sign of life. A minuscule hill of dirt with wisps of crimson mist coming out. To be more specific, an anthill. Monsters, if the mist was any indicator. Conall kicked the hill. Magic mutation or not, ants were ants. He was not going to be scared by ants.
He was correct on that front. The ants were twice their usual size, and appeared to be slightly spiky. They were also probably stronger, but he had shoes. He won that fight.
You have slain a Demented Ant!
+1 XP
Progress to Level 7: 6/70
You have slain a Demented Ant!
+1 XP
Progress to Level 7: 7/70
...
You have slain a Demented Ant!
+1 XP
Progress to Level 7: 23/70
Ants were ants. Shoes were shoes. Magic or not, there was one clear winner. Once the ants figured that out as well, they stopped trying to get their revenge. Slightly disappointing, as he would much rather kill fifteen of these guys than another raccoon. Only forty-seven more experience and he could hope for an energy Skill.
As he walked away from the anthill, a churning sound began to emanate from it. He turned back to find the source, and saw the tip of a black mandible break through the dirt. After it breached the surface, a head and thorax quickly followed. As the ant pulled itself fully above the dirt, Conall was left to ponder. Why was that ant the size of a chihuahua? And why was the mist coming off it magenta instead of crimson?
Crazed Monster encountered!
Crazed is the tier above Demented,
Usually being about five times as strong,
But also five times as rewarding.
Good hunting Challenger!
Crazed huh? Well, how hard can an ant be? Still an ant, no matter how big.
It was with that mindset that he began to observe his enemy closer. He was going to win, but there was no reason to be under-prepared.
It was the size of a small dog, and seemingly just as ferocious. Its mandibles gnashed at the air as if trying to fight it, and its compound eyes contained only rage. The mandibles, legs, and head were all black, but the rest of it was the same magenta as its mist. Small spikes lined its thorax, blunt enough that they probably did nothing. Still, they were there. Its legs were pointed slightly, like small fire pokers.
The Crazed Ant finally noticed him. It scuttled towards him with surprising speed, and he had to jerk back to stop it from biting his ankle. He followed up the dodge with a kick. The ant went flying, mist and all, hitting a nearby tree. It didn't even seem fazed, and charged for him again. This time Conall was expecting the speed, and met it with another kick that would have made any soccer team cheer.
It produced results, the ant's next collision with the tree resulting in a crack echoing between the trees. The shell covering its back had caved in, giving a rather unappetizing view of its insides. It lay on the ground, seemingly unable to move. He slowly walked over, ready to finish it off. The fight had been incredibly easy, only seeming difficult in comparison to the Demented Ants.
As soon as he got within its range, the ant used the very last of its energy to throw itself towards his ankle and slam its mandibles together. It appendages flew towards the human's leg with explosive force! ... And promptly did nothing. Conall could feel Tough Skin taking affect, leaving the bite as ineffectual as a mouse trap. Painful, assuredly, but not even enough to break the skin. It would probably leave a nasty bruise, and that would be all. He brought up his other foot and stomped on the ant's head.
You have slain a Crazed Ant!
+5 XP
Progress to Level 7: 28/70
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Still not much, but better. He left that section of the woods, without interruption this time. Most everything was either clawed up or just gone, so finding a natural food source was likely a fool's errand. He would be much better off just finding more monsters like the ants, easy to kill and plentiful. Or something that wasn't much of a threat in the first place. More bugs maybe?
XP seemed to be directly tied to how dangerous a monster was. The raccoon had been the biggest threat he had faced, and had done by far the most damage. But it had also giving him three times the XP of a Crazed tier monster. He would have to choose his fights carefully. It would be vital to strike a balance between safety and gain.
His musings were interrupted by a rather furry missile colliding with his face. Specifically, a squirrel. It must have jumped from the trees while he was distracted. Conall succeeded in ripping it off his face without injury, but it sank its claws into his arm before he could do anything more. Tough Skin stopped it from slicing too deep into him, but getting stabbed hurt no matter how bad.
The squirrel hadn't actually gained too much size, but it had a different effect. Crimson mist wafted off its whole body, but a sickly green was given off by its mouth as well. If video games had taught him anything, that was absolutely poison. Being bit would only end badly. With much pain and effort, he used the arm the raccoon had mauled to grab the back of its head and hold it away from his skin.
As its struggles grew stronger, its grip grew weaker. Its claws slipped from his skin after one final tug, and he attempted to hold it at arms length. Attempted, as the moment its claws were free it started clawing at anything it could reach. That list just so happened to include the arm still holding it. It wrenched its head to break from his grasp, and raised its teeth to bite him.
Conall threw it. Just grabbed its torso with his good arm, ripped it off the mauled one, and threw the squirrel at a tree. It twisted midair to land perfectly, and kindly returned itself to sender. It flew through the air for his face yet again, but now he was ready. He punched it out of the air with all that he could muster, and was rewarded with a crisp snap emanating from its neck. The body fell to the floor before dissolving into even more mist that stained the ground.
You have slain a Demented Caustic Squirrel!
+10 XP
Progress to Level 7: 38/70
Halfway there.
The beast had been annoying, but manageable. He wouldn't mind fighting four more if it saved his life.
A chitter broke through the air. Followed by another. And another.
They are right behind me, aren't they?
Yes they were.
----------------------------------------
Ten minutes later, absolutely covered in scratches but somehow not poisoned, Conall stood over three more red stains.
You have slain a Demented Caustic Squirrel!
+10 XP
Progress to Level 7: 48/70
You have slain a Demented Caustic Squirrel!
+10 XP
Progress to Level 7: 58/70
You have slain a Demented Caustic Squirrel!
+10 XP
Progress to Level 7: 68/70
So close.
Quick Healing was draining him even faster to heal all the cuts, so he needed to be fast. Conall sprinted through the forest searching for any kind of monster. All he needed was two measly points! Just two points and he would have a chance at survival.
The woods were apparently feeling merciful. As he searched high and low for a source of XP, one found him. A coo from above made his eyes snap up to the canopy. There, perched on a beach as if it were a throne, was a sparrow. A sparrow that was leaking a crimson mist from feathers alight with sparks. Its eyes gleaned a fiery red, along with half of its feathers. It was the size of a cat, and that was before the wings were taken into account. The sparrow looked down on him with an inquisitive look, as if considering how he would taste.
He threw a rock at it. Bruised, beaten, and bleeding as he was, Conall still needed that XP. He needed it now. So, time to kill a bird.
It flew down at him almost lazily, the rock having done nothing but annoy it. The twenty feet to the treetops was not that much to a bird, so it was on him within a moment. An oppressive heat followed it like a coat, but was not so strong that Tough Skin couldn't handle it. Its talons were a whole other story. Before he could get his guard up, they were sinking into his already eviscerated shoulder. The sparks covering the bird flowed down its body, and Conall began to hear his own flesh burning.
The heat only got stronger. His skin, even with Tough Skin boosting it, began to bubble and char. His blood began to boil and spill out, burning even more of him as it coated his left arm. The heat was making his eyes dry out and his lips crack. The inside of his mouth felt like a desert as he choked out a scream.
He wasn't done though, he needed to survive this. He reached out and grabbed the birds left wing, ripping out all the feathers he could. It turned towards him with an indignant squawk, and slammed its beak into his shoulder alongside its talons. The pain started to overwhelm him, but he needed to survive. He leaned over slightly, and ran as hard as he could into the nearest tree. The bird took the brunt of the hit, and he heard something crack.
He hadn't only profited from that maneuver. The force had driven the sparrow even further into his shoulder, and he felt its talons grind against bone. Its beak was shoved past his shoulder towards his back, ripping through his flesh in a jagged line. He collapsed to the ground, taking the monster with him. It tried to writhe around and break free, but he had it pinned to the ground. Conall reached his hand towards its neck. Its struggles intensified as his grasp closed around it, but it was too late. Moments later a snap rang out, and the beast dissolved.
You have slain a Demented Sparking Sparrow!
+20 XP
Progress to Level 7: 88/70
You have reached Level 7!
+1 Skill Point
New skill. Give me energy, something to do with energy! Come on!
Selecting new Skill...
Taking User wishes into account...
Skill acquired: Drain Lv.0!