Brian knelt beside Kael's lifeless body, his nails dug into his palms as he fought back a choked sob. Although losing Kael ravaged his soul, he had accepted that Valteria would demand sacrifices. That wasn’t the main reason for his anguish; it was the fact that he was weak. Kael's death reminded him of his own inadequacy, the truth ate through his mind like a carnivorous beast. That wasn’t going to happen again, he thought.
As the wind blew the mix of blood and toxic vapors into his nostrils, Brian resolved to change, to grow stronger. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Sophia, or anyone else he held dear, to the perils of Valteria. Something needed to be different!
Across the distance, Brian recognized a familiar valtite signature. Despite this, his gaze remained fixed on the horizon, lost in his thoughts and overwhelmed by grief.
Lana walked through the aftermath of the battle, her boots making a squelching sound as they stepped in a mixture of mud, venom, and acid. The ground was covered with the remains of Vipros, including large pieces of the serpentine body and broken fragments of exoskeleton. Lana held her bow high as she covered the ground, concerned only with getting to her friends. She didn't pay attention to the destruction around her.
“Sophia, I rushed over as soon as I saw your message, what’s the situation?”
"We lost… Kael…” Sophia’s eyes were red-rimmed.
Ilex stared at the ground with his hands clenched into fists. "He saved me," he murmured, his voice barely audible. "He stepped in. I... I couldn’t do anything."
Lana lowered her bow and returned the arrow to her quiver. “God, it’s just... This world... it takes our comrades far too soon.” Lana suddenly realized she was standing in front of what remained of Kael's body. Swallowing hard and looking away, she tried to hold back tears.
Brian continued to stare into the distance, his silence spoke volumes.
Stepping away from the decimator's corpse, Lana approached Sophia. "Will he be alright?"
“I’ll talk to him. Please help Ilex, he’s the most injured.”
“You don’t look so good yourself. Are you sure you are alright? Your head…” Lana extended her hand attempting to inspect Sophia’s injury.
“I promise I am fine.” Sophia said firmly, prompting Lana to retract her hand.
Lana walked up to Ilex. "You need valtite healing right away," she said, eyeing his wounds. "Come on, I'll help you get to Havenstone Outpost."
"Okay."
Sophia crouched down next to Brian and gently grabbed his arm. "We should leave, Brian."
"Go," Brian urged Sophia, his voice barely audible. "I am not done with Serpent’s Pools, I’m going to try to farm valtite… sort of speak."
Sophia looked over towards Lana. "Go ahead. I'm staying with him," her voice firm.
"Sophia, you should go with them--" Brian’s words barely made it out of his mouth.
"There's no way I'm leaving you, Brian." She shook her head.
"Who am I kidding? Of course, I feel better with you around, but promise me you won't interfere, okay? I need to do this on my own."
"Fine," she said softly, brushing a lock of hair away from his sweat-streaked forehead.
He turned to look at her. “You understand I have to do this right? I don’t want to... I won’t feel powerless anymore," he said, his voice softer than usual.
Sophia took his hand, her grip firm yet comforting. "We're in this together, Brian," she said, meeting his gaze. "We only have each other in this world. I’ll help you find what you want."
After saying goodbye to Lana and Ilex, Brian ventured deeper into the venomous swamps searching for an opportunity to vent his frustrations. Sophia followed close behind, her worry for him ever-present. Guided by his Valtite Energy Sensing, Brian discovered a hidden hollow nestled between a rock formation. This was it—a ripe nest of lesser valtivenoms for him to do as he pleased.
“Perfect!”
Standing at the crevice's entrance, Brian's hand trembled at his side. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he reached for his dagger and strode confidently towards the swarm; his energy sensing detected too many valtivenoms to count. One by one, the serpent’s sinister glowing eyes locked onto him as he boldly walked into the fray.
The first valtivenom wasted no time spitting a venomous stream straight at Brian. With his Chronal Gaze fully engaged, he effortlessly tilted his neck to avoid the attack as he continued to advance. The creature lunged for a direct bite, but Brian evaded the strike with a graceful 360-degree turn. Using the momentum, he thrust his left hand forward, his dagger finding the valtivenom's neck.
As the second valtivenom unleashed another venomous stream, Brian quickly absorbed it with his EHG, replenishing his valtite energy. He then killed it by stabbing his dagger into the creature’s eye. The next valtivenom managed to land a hit with his tail, whipping Brian on the side. He felt a rib break and stumbled forward but quickly recovered, it wasn’t anything that his high constitution couldn’t handle. Brian then drove his dagger upwards through another valtivenom's mouth.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Brian continued his assault for several minutiae, dodging attacks, stabbing valtivenoms, and replenishing his valtite reserves with his EHG. Every ten kills or so, one would manage to hit him, but the more he killed, the fewer attacks landed on him. Unable to bear the sight of Brian's brutal training, Sophia stayed outside the hollow. She flinched with every sickening crunch of chitinous exoskeletons shattering under Brian's fury, mingled with the hissing and screeching of the dying valtivenoms.
"Brian," she called out at one point, her voice laced with worry. "Please, be careful."
He didn't respond, his focus consumed by the battle. But in that moment, his resolve intensified. He would become stronger for himself and so that he could decide who would live and would die.
After almost a sol, the cavern fell silent. The floor was completely littered with the bodies of the serpentine, winged enemies; not a single patch of ground was empty.
“That makes 20 dead snakes. At least everyone hates snakes. No harm done.” He had gained 180 valtite reserves from defeating most of the lesser valtivenoms, each around level nine and yielding an average of eight to his valtite reserves. However, he remained at level 19.
Brian had always believed that if life were like a video game, he would excel beyond measure. Yet, here he stood, struggling to survive in the harrowing world of Valteria. In his defense, Valteria wasn't merely a game, but a stark and brutal reality. Video games offered an escape, they were fun! Valteria, on the other hand, was a living nightmare, merciless and unforgiving, and far from the enjoyable fantasy he had once envisioned.
Brian sat down heavily, staring at the carnage around him. Panting and exhausted, a sudden realization struck him. Why didn't I see it before? How could I have been so stupid?
“Energy reserves, valtite ranks, stats... it's all part of the intricate web of life in Valteria.” And he and Sophia were outsiders. Interlopers. They may look like the aestari, but they did not truly understand this world or their place in it. Not yet.
He was almost treating this Valtite System like a fucking video game. But it was all in the valtite, he could feel the energy flowing through all living things, binding them together. The valtite he had gained was not just a number. It was the life force of the fallen snakes, now part of him.
Brian knew then that he could never look at Valteria the same way again. This was not a game to be beaten, but a world to be understood. And his ability to speak with the creatures here meant there was more that he still needed to learn.
But now he understood; he wanted to continue. He felt the valtite accumulate in his body after every kill. It wasn’t long until his own valtite energy peaked!
[Valtite Reserves: 993]
Hearing no more screeches, Sophia cautiously stepped into the hollow. The sight that greeted her brought her to her knees. The air was thick with a toxic fog tha visibly shifted from one side to the other.
Brian stood in the center with his clothes all torn up, almost naked. He was drenched in the gooey valtivenom blood, and his body was covered in purple patches of bruises and poisoned skin.
"Please, stop this?" Sophia gasped, her voice cracking with emotion.
He looked at her, his gaze burning with determination. "I am almost there!"
[Rank Progress: 99%]
Sophia stared at him, her heart breaking. "NO! You have to stop! Look at you, you're barely standing.”
As tears welled up in her eyes, Sophia knew that she couldn't convince him otherwise.
An unsettling sound of slithering pierced the silence as a valtivenom writhed erratically over the lifeless bodies of his fallen brethren, his sights set on Sophia. Brian's head snapped to the right, spotting the threat in his peripheral vision. With one swift motion, he leaped onto the creature, plunging his dagger into his trachea.
“Twenty-one.”
Brian rose to his feet and a brief flash of valtite energy coursed through his body, illuminating his battered form.
You have vanquished [Lesser Valtivenom - lvl 11] - Valtite has been distributed amongst your party. You have gained +9 Valtite reserves.
‘DING’ Your valtite energy grows to level 20, empowering your stats and increasing your potential. +2 to each stat and +2 untrained points.
Ability enhanced: [Valtite Identification (Flicker)] - Enhances the user's mastery over valtite energy signatures, ensuring precise detection, pinpoint location, and profound understanding of their nature and spatial distribution.
Ability Acquired: [Valtite Potential Calibration (Flicker)] - Through meditation, the user can direct untrained potential to specific stats, optimizing attributes through precise valtite use.
‘DING’ Valtite energy influx detected. Threshold reached: 'Flicker' level. Stat amplification in process. Potential increase confirmed. Stat gain has increased to +3 to each stat and +3 untrained points.
[Valtite System Status: 2/3]
‘DING’ Your valtite energy can now be further specialized. Choose your path and refine the valtite within you.
When his valtite energy touched the 'flicker' domain, an electrifying certainty surged through him. Each cell in his body seemed to vibrate with newfound power, subtly enhanced speed and strength coursing through his veins. It was as if the valtite had woven itself into the very fabric of his being, amplifying his capabilities at the most fundamental level.
He found himself fondly recalling a similar sensation when he had first reached the 'trace' rank, but this... this was decidedly more pronounced. It wasn't an otherworldly, superhuman feeling, but rather something that nestled just within the boundaries of human potential. In his mind's eye, he could almost see himself running with the speed of a sprinter, leaping like a high jumper, and wielding strength that could rival any Olympic athlete, all by harnessing the focused power of his valtite energy.
However, any plans for potential experimentation were quickly doused by the very real sensation of his body past the brink of exhaustion. His once boundless energy was now a mere trickle, and he felt as though he could crumble into dust at any moment.
Gasping for breath, he managed a weak, sardonic grin. "Lucky for us, they were all lesser monsters," he said, before collapsing onto his back.
You may access the Valtite System to attune yourself to a specific valtite specialization. A new pathway to mastery awaits. Would you like to initiate this process now?
“Heck yeah!”
The world around him faded to black as unconsciousness took hold.