The Kingroach was now blind and severely wounded. It seemed it had nothing left to offer, that its end was imminent. But just when Marshmallow let his guard down, the monster revealed its last, desperate move.
With a heart-wrenching scream that echoed in the depths of the cave, the Kingroach transformed. It was no longer a dying creature but an entity of pure fury and desperation. Its body began to vibrate with sinister energy, and its movements became unpredictable as if each injury had charged it with newfound power.
"Come on, you ugly beast!" Marshmallow shouted, trying to dodge the monster's attacks. It was striking blindly, and he understood that well. The sound of the Kingroach's jaws snapping shut echoed in the cave like a war drum in a symphony of destruction.
However, every monster has its limits. The Kingroach thrashed wildly when at a certain point, it began to show signs of exhaustion. Quickly, its movements became clumsier and more desperate. And then, with one last clumsy strike, the Kingroach collapsed with a lifeless thud.
A deafening silence fell. The Kingroach was finally dead.
Kingroach killed!
+ 150 Exp
The Major Evolveroaches, leaderless, lost every bit of fighting will. They began to go mad and seemed to become completely defenseless. Marshmallow was not caught off guard. He quickly sprang into action and began to run along the lair of the Kingroach in search of its children who were chasing the Goat Horse. One after another, the major Evolveroaches summoned by the Kingroach fell, pierced by Marshmallow's knife.
12 Major Evolveroaches killed!
+ 24 Exp
Congratulations! You've just leveled up! You have +3 Assignable Points!
Marshmallow was astounded. Had he leveled up? He decided to open his status to check.
STATUS
Player name
Marshmallow
Rank
Jolly
Age
20
Faction
Wyolands
EXP
301.2/600
Level
3
Strength
13 + 0 bonus
Dexterity
11 + 0 bonus
Constitution
18 + 0 bonus
Stamina
14 + 0 bonus
Perception
16 + 0 bonus
Luck
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
6 + 1 bonus
Assignable Points
3
I've racked up all these experience points? It took me 100 Exp to reach level 2. If I've surpassed 300 Exp points, it means it took another 200 Exp points to reach level 3. So, to hit level 4, I'll need another 300. Okay, easy!
Marshmallow felt satisfied, having figured out something new about the Survivor Game. It was one of those realizations that made you feel a step ahead, like when you understand a trick in an impossible video game. And, to be fair, the Survivor Game was an impossible video game.
As he pondered these aspects, the adrenaline began to fade, and fatigue hit him like a punch in the stomach. The Goat Horse, back in his humanoid form, leaned against the cave wall, closing his eyes for a moment. "What a rush..." he sighed. He must have been quite exhausted too.
Marshmallow, still panting, collapsed on the ground. He turned his head towards the deceased Kingroach and noticed something shining near its carcass.
What the hell...
He got up from the ground and approached the lifeless body of the monster. He was right! Something was shining. From its jaws, a rough stone was protruding, glowing with a faint, almost hypnotic white light. With a disgusted grunt, he reached into the flesh and pulled it out from the Kingroach. After picking it up, he turned it over in his fingers and examined it closely.
"Hey, Goat Horse, look what we've got here!" he called, but the Goat Horse remained where he was, out of both exhaustion and lack of interest.
"Is that, like, a souvenir of our victory?" The Goat Horse asked, without even looking.
"Seems like just a stone... but who knows," Marshmallow replied, scrutinizing it. It didn't seem magical, but he couldn't be mistaken. This was a drop, the first drop he had encountered so far. Was it because his Luck stat was terribly low? Or that only enemies of a certain caliber dropped items? In any case, he grabbed the backpack he still had on his back and carefully placed the stone inside.
"You wouldn't know what it could be, I guess," Marshmallow said to the Goat Horse, somewhat reluctantly.
The Goat Horse shrugged indifferently. "As long as it's not a time bomb... keep it."
"Do Kingroaches drop this kind of loot?" Marshmallow asked, sitting on the ground, still panting.
"Not just the Kingroach, but all big and bad monsters can leave you a nice haul. Plus, the higher your Luck stat, the better your chances of getting a drop, both in quantity and quality," the Goat Horse explained, rolling his eyes as if he were revealing a state secret.
Marshmallow raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of Luck, don't you level up? You're in my party, but it doesn't seem like I share experience with you."
The Goat Horse sighed. "Well, Marshmallow, my story is different. It's not that I don't want to, but I simply can't. The Cosmic Gods have made their choice: only humans can level up. Us magical beasts? We're out of the game."
That's when Marshmallow got fired up. "The Cosmic Gods? And who are they?"
The Goat Horse shook his head. "It's clear you're a stranger. You don’t even know something so basic."
"Just answer me, before I stab you between the ribs," Marshmallow insisted, pointing his folding knife at him.
"Uhh, easy! I would have answered anyway, no need for all this hostility. The ability you're talking about, leveling up, is exclusive to you humans because you are the chosen race by the Cosmic Gods. It's no coincidence that in this world, Sinaiara, you humans are the most powerful. Even Sage Ezechiel is a human, didn’t you know?"
So, he's telling me that only we Players can level up. The whole world is standardized, and the Goat Horse won't become more powerful than he already is. What a drag, he can only help me in these early stages.
Marshmallow simply nodded. He was a Survivor Game player, and he was going to embrace this role with all he had. He wouldn't tell the Goat Horse that he was nothing more than a sterile clump of data. He couldn't know how he'd take it, and he risked ruining the rapport they had developed, a risk he didn't want to take.
At that moment, the silence of the cave felt almost comfortable, and the two allowed themselves a brief rest after all the chaos that had unfolded. In their eyes was a mix of fatigue and satisfaction. They had survived, they were stronger, and now they also had a mysterious stone.
Marshmallow now had three Assignable Points to spend. How would he use them? He decided to keep them for now.
You know what? I won’t spend them for now. I can't know what will happen when we meet Queen Luminara. I don't want to repeat the mistake of putting the few resources I have into the Constitution when I have a pure tank in the party.
As they navigated the cave, a detail caught their attention. A chasm had opened up in the ground as if the death of the Kingroach had unlocked a new playable area.
"Well, look at that," Marshmallow exclaimed, "a direct invitation from the Queen."
The Goat Horse, still recovering, approached the chasm and nodded approvingly. "It's our ticket to Queen Luminara, seems like it’s time to pay her Highness a visit."
Marshmallow glanced at the chasm, feeling a thrill of excitement. "Hope it’s an equal match," he said with a challenging smile. "I wouldn’t want to make a bad impression."
Before diving into the unknown, Marshmallow checked his backpack, making sure everything was in place. He took the opportunity to grab a piece of dried meat and bit into it. Then he offered it to the Goat Horse.
"Want some?" he asked, offering him a piece of meat.
"I’m a magical beast. I feed on purple light. I don't need human food."
"No problem, more for me!"
***
Marshmallow and the Goat Horse ventured towards the chasm. Marshmallow had resumed holding the Lantern of Flow, which had started glowing again. The direction was right, without a doubt.
The chasm turned out to be a tunnel that delved into the bowels of the earth. Marshmallow and the Goat Horse were immersed in an almost palpable silence as they descended, with only the light of the Lantern of Flow guiding them. Marshmallow felt an inexplicable sense of warmth. "There’s something magical here," he whispered.
As they progressed, the tunnel began to change. The walls became smoother, almost sculpted, and mysterious symbols and carvings started to appear. Marshmallow observed them, scrutinizing the strange symbols. They were very similar to the symbols he had seen in the Temple of Ezechiel. Then he was sure, Queen Luminara was just a step away.
Suddenly, the light from the Lantern of Flow intensified, illuminating a vast antechamber. In the center, a majestic portal is framed by threads imbued with Flow and intricate motifs. "Here's our entrance," the Goat Horse urged.
Without hesitation, Marshmallow approached the portal. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to cross it. "Behind this door, everything might change," he reflected aloud.
The Goat Horse stood beside him with a goatish smile on his face. "Then let’s change everything. After all, isn’t that why we're here?"
Together, with a determined step and a heart full of expectations, they crossed the portal. A blinding light enveloped them, and for a moment, everything was white and silent.
Then, they finally saw her. There she was, seated on her throne in flesh and bone.
Luminara, the queen of the satyrs and wife of Grimgoat. She Who Shines Through the Day.