Chapter 6 - Near Death

For the first time in what felt like forever, Bel didn’t wake with a start but with a satisfying yawn and stretch. Checking to see that everything was as he left it, he checked the clock and saw that he had slept for about five hours and he felt well-rested. Constitution probably affected the amount of sleep you needed as well.

After a quick drink, some washing of his intimate parts, and half a breakfast ration, leaving him with one left, he got up and moved over to the entrance leading to the new area of the dungeon.

What he saw surprised him. The tunnel entrance immediately opened up into a large circular room. There was a large set of stairs that led down to a small path about two meters wide that led to a large platform probably 30 meters across where another path led to a room that looked surprisingly similar to this one. He could see braziers burning in that room and what looked like a pond, it was hard to see from over here.

The platform, for that is what it was, was surrounded by a drop into darkness, no telling how deep it went. The room almost looked like an arena except there were no stands for an audience. The platform was dotted with several boulders and stalagmites. The entire room was lit by a white light coming from above. It wasn’t daylight for there was nothing up above but stone, but the light still shone down on the room. It was quite pretty if it weren't for the horde of rats crawling around the platforms.

Bel wasn’t able to count the rats with their erratic movements but there must have been at least 50 of them.

“That’s going to be a hell of a fight.” He said as he squatted down to think.

He still had one ration left but that wouldn’t last him long, he could kill a rat and bring it back here to cook. The mobs as he thought of them, the trash you had to clear to get to a boss in video games, wouldn’t follow him in here if the notification wasn’t lying.

Bel thought for a few moments but nothing came to him, he had to clear his head. Now he had never been much of a fighter in his former life, as he already thought of it, but he had been somewhat of an active person. Going back to the training area he summoned a bone spear which he reshaped into a short sword. The cost was half his mana but he had read somewhere that a short sword was a good starting point if you wanted to learn how to wield a blade.

He moved into the area and started to swing the blade around. He was glad that no one was around to see him because he probably looked ridiculous, he had no idea what he was doing. Something spoke to him though; he was doing it wrong but a feeling in the back of his mind was telling him to adjust his thrust here or put a little more or less power into a swing there. After thirty minutes he was soaking in sweat but he didn’t let up.

Instead, he ordered the modified skeleton to join him. First, he had it attack him but that did nothing, the skeleton refused to harm him, which was probably a good thing for even this skeleton, modified as it was, would probably kick his ass.

It went better when he told the skeleton to defend itself, that is when the real training began. But no matter how much he attacked, stabbed, feinted, or cut at the skeleton, he couldn’t land a single blow. The skeleton defended itself well with its blades.

Two hours later as he was about to give up a notification popped up. A grin spread on his face.

You have learned the passive skill Blades – Basic

Like a vault opening in his mind, he felt his movements shift just the tiniest, making him better at wielding the blade in every way. He was by no means skilled, as evident by the notification, but he did feel like he had made great progress.

After this tortured training session, he gave himself time to relax. He drank some more water and sat down to eat some food. He ate the bread, cheese, and grapes quickly but when he got to the sausage he hesitated. What meat was this? He hadn’t questioned it before but now bile was rising.

He tried sniffing the sausage but it didn’t smell like much, it was unseasoned and quite firm. Twisting the sausage around he looked at it closely, examining it from every angle. He even activated Deathless Gaze which he realized he had turned off just because there was light around. The skill didn’t blind him or anything, it just made the few shadows there were in the room easily discernible.

The skill was a toggle and cost almost no mana, he was a fool for not using it all the time to level it up. But no matter how much he examined the meat he couldn’t tell where it came from.

You have learned the Skill – Identify level 1

Rat Sausage (Poor, Unseasoned)

His eyes grew wide and he almost dropped the sausage. A sigh of relief came over him and he ate the last food.

That skill would come in handy, it, like Deathless Gaze didn’t cost much mana.

With a mental command, Josiah came over. Bel cast Identify on him.

Skeleton – Josiah level 2

Skeleton – Modified level 2

He looked at the other skeleton as well. This skill was very useful indeed.

Getting back to his feet he raised his sword; it was time to fight. He had no intention and hopes of killing all the rats in one go, but he was going to dip his toes in the water.

Calling his minions to him he made his way to the arena as he thought of it.

Making his way down the steps his feet touched the path leading to the platform. No rats tried to swarm him and he sighed.

Moving over to the edge he looked down but all he could see was endless darkness. Feeling childish he spat over the edge but he couldn’t hear the spit hitting anything. There was probably a long way down, perhaps there wasn’t a bottom even, if he fell in, he might fall forever until he did from starvation or thirst. The thought sent a shiver down his spine and he stepped back.

Bel sent the two skeletons forward and kept Josiah by his side. They made it to the platform before something happened. The platform was large so it took a few steps to see the first rat. Which he identified.

Plague Rat (Healthy)– Level 2

“Does healthy mean that I won't get sick from eating it or does it mean that it’s undamaged?” Bel thought aloud.

The rat saw the skeletons and charged with a squeak. Other rats took up the call and soon appeared behind the stones and stalagmites. The skeletons needed no urging as they sensed the threat to Bel and they charged forward. The unmodified one was faster and it skewered the rat which fell dead immediately.

With a thought, he sent Josiah to collect the body and bring it back to the Safe Zone. He hoped it didn’t disappear like the corpses from before, then he would have a new problem.

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Josiah ran forward and grabbed the rat before darting back up the stairs. Bel wasn’t sure but his movements seemed more fluent and he had no problems carrying the rat corpse this time. He wondered what that was about but soon pushed the thought from his head. Trouble was coming for him.

The first of the rats reached the waiting skeletons and was quickly dispatched, but the horde kept coming. It felt like the rats were unending and soon they swarmed the skeletons, who both put up a valiant fight with support from Bel, who threw bone spears whenever he could get an opening. The stones formed a natural chokehold easily held by the skeletons.

But eventually, the pressure was too much and a rat slipped through. Charging straight for Bel, he steeled himself, holding his sword in front of him. As the rat got near, he swung and missed as the rat slid underneath his swing. The rat clamped down on his shin and the pain was excruciating, he could feel the bone snap from the rat's bite. He almost tumbled over the edge but managed to steady himself before he stabbed down at the rat, running it through. The rat squealed but refused to let go.

Bel started to panic and used the skill he hadn’t had an opportunity for yet.

“Life Transference!” It was probably the adrenaline that made him scream the skill out loud, once again he was glad no one saw him.

His hand started to burn with a green flame and he gripped the neck of the rat. The effect was immediate as energy and life surged into Bel from the rat. The rat went mad from pain and fear. It let go of Bel’s shin but it didn’t get away as Bel sucked the life out of it. All that was left was a dried-out husk.

Bel felt better than in a long time, his leg was healed and his fatigue and hunger were gone. Roaring from the adrenaline he started flinging spear after spear at the rats, he was unstoppable, he would kill them all.

The two skeletons couldn’t take more damage and fell into pieces before turning into dust. Bel managed to hold back the horde for a few moments when suddenly his mana dropped to zero and he keeled over from the shock and fatigue.

“What am I doing?” He mumbled to himself, trying to get to his feet but he was so tired. He saw the mass of rats approaching and fear gripped his heart, he would die here. Why had he been so arrogant and foolish he thought.

Closing his eyes, he tried to will the rats away but he could hear them approach in a frenzy. Then suddenly a pair of bony hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him back. Josiah had returned and he slung Bel into a princess carry and jogged towards the stairs, rats just behind them.

They reached the stairs and the rats followed. Bel’s eyes opened, they would follow them into the Safe Zone, the notification lied. Then as Josiah crossed the line into the zone, the rats froze and stilled, before turning around and running back towards the platform. Bel sighed with relief and sleep took him.

He woke from a nightmare with a scream, he had been sucking the life out of a mass of defeated enemies. It took a second before he realized that he was lying on his bedroll where Josiah had placed him. The skeleton stood nearby ever vigilant. Bel sighed and laid back down.

“Thank you, Josiah. I almost got us both killed. If it weren't for you, I would be dead.” Bel stayed down, relief and a deep sadness crashed over him.

“Why did you do it? I sent you back here and didn’t have the foresight to call you back.” Josiah didn’t answer as usual. Bel stared at the skeleton, willing it to answer him, to talk to him. He was so lonely.

“Please, talk to me Josiah.” Bel whispered, but the skeleton remained silent.

Wiping his eyes, he looked around. Next to the pond lay the dead rat, still here. Bel got to his feet and checked the time; he had only been asleep for an hour. He felt somewhat rested but he still had some fatigue left deep inside. There was a slew of notifications but he ignored them for now.

Moving over to the makeshift firepit he had dug he managed to light it after a few tries. It wasn’t as easy as you thought from watching movies or reading books. The fire took and spread to the wood. He had enough for a few more fires, but he would need a new source of flammable material soon.

His near miss with death had humbled him, and the sensation of using Life Transference had shaken him to his core. His hands trembled but he steadied them and walked over to the rat. Looking it over, it looked a little less disgusting than the last rat but it was still gross.

Drinking some water, he steeled himself and summoned a bone spear, then shaped it into several smaller knives. He had absolutely no prior knowledge about butchering or skinning but he tried his best to get some meat from the rat. He made a mess out of it but he ended up with a few pieces of meat in the end. He washed his hands from the waterskin he filled before starting the work, as he didn’t want to stick his bloodied hands in the pond. He dumped the organs and entrails far from the pond, the rest of the rat he saved close by.

Summoning a spear, he started to grill the meat and a pleasant aroma started to spread. It was soothing sitting here, grilling some meat, and just enjoying being alive. Even if he was in a deep pile of horseshit, Bel felt a moment of serenity.

A few minutes later he felt the meat should be done and he took a bite, the meat was delicious. It was soft and tender even when it was grilled all the way through. He didn’t want to risk getting food poisoning. He finished the meal quickly and soon he felt drowsy, laying down on his bedroll.

Remembering his notifications, he opened them and sat up with a frown. His gains were massive.

You have killed a Plague-Rat x23

You have leveled up.

Deathless Gaze has leveled up.

Summon Lesser Skeleton has leveled up.

Summon Lesser Skeleton has evolved into Summon Lesser Undead.

Bone Spear has leveled up.

Bone Shaping has leveled up.

Life Transference has leveled up.

Identify has leveled up.

You have received 23 Copper coins.

As he read a wave of energy coursed through his muscles, similar to when his constitution reached ten. Opening his status, he saw why. He hadn’t leveled once, he had leveled three times from that fight.

Name: Bel - Bringer of the Apocalypse

Class: Necro-lord (Path of the Summoning Warrior – Death Specialization)

Tempering: Tin (Untempered)

Level: 5

Unassigned points: 9

Wealth: 26 Copper Coins

Attributes:

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 10

Constitution: 13

Intelligence: 13

Willpower: 19

Skills:

Deathless Gaze level 3

Bone Spear level 8

Summon Lesser Undead level 10

Bone Shaping level 7

Life transference level 3

Identify level 2

Meditation (Active)

Blades – Basic (Passive)

Summoning Pool 1/3

Traits:

Apocalyptic Being - +1 to all attributes/level

System Breaker – You ignore the rules of the Gods

Avatar of Death and Destruction - +3 Free attributes/level

He wasn’t sure if he was happy or not but he felt satisfied that his brush with death had gotten him so much in rewards. He quickly summoned the coins and lay them in a pile. He didn’t know if they would appear in combat if he put out his hand wrong so it was better to be safe than sorry.

“I wonder why I got the coins now. I don’t remember looting any corpses?” He said to himself.

Thinking about his attributes for a moment, he decided to start by putting one point into strength bringing it up to the milestone like the other stats. A wave of energy moved his muscles and he could see himself filling out somewhat. He wouldn’t win any bodybuilding competitions yet but he was larger than before.

He then put six points into willpower, he felt that his current melancholy could use every help it could. The last three points he split between strength, dexterity, and constitution.

Another wave and this time he could feel his resolve steady, his thoughts focusing, and his fear somewhat diminishing. He could do this, he had incredible power now and there were only rats standing in his way to freedom. His increase in willpower netted him two more summons as well. Confirming his theory about willpower and summoning limits.

Crossing his legs he focused inside of him again, sensing the mana swirling within him. The pool was full but he could also feel a sort of stretching at the edges. Frowning he tried to pull in more mana but it wouldn’t come. But he kept trying again and again and again. Until finally something happened. His core vibrated and the edges started to move outwards, the pool within him becoming wider and deeper.

Sweat was pouring from him in a wave it felt like but he kept going until finally, he couldn’t do it again. The pool settled down and stilled, but now it was almost twice the size than before.

You have achieved a higher proficiency in Meditation, Meditation is now Tin Ranked.

He smiled at that. He still didn’t know what Tin meant or what ranks there were but progress was progress he felt.

“I'm exhausted, I'm going to sleep for a while and then. Then we’re going back down there, aren’t we Josiah?” He didn’t wait for a response this time. Instead, he lay down and fell asleep almost instantly. Which is why he missed the tiniest movement of Jesiah's head as the skeleton looked towards its master, the green glow in its eyes just a tad brighter.