Chapter 6: Skill Upgrade, Spirit Devour
[Spirit Pocket]
-Rank: SS
-Effect(s):
—> Pull spirits within your vision and store them.
—> Pocket: Spirit Kodoku—Add spirits to this special pocket where they would devour each other until the last one surviving has devoured others and evolved into a Spirit Wraith that you can use as your summon—[0/20]
-Cost: None.
-Current number of spirits: [21/100].
'This is interesting. A new effect and my pocket also got bigger.'
'Spirit Wraith… I want to see what it is, but I have to gather more spirits. I don't want to use 20 of my 21 spirits in this Spirit Wraith.'
'I used three on Spirit explosions and four to create items. The ring is powerful for now, but judging by how Jacob recovered, the ring's effect won't be useful on higher-level monsters in Fairy Mountain. Still, I have one left, and it can be my emergency bomb.'
Even if it was a higher-level monster, it could give a window of a second or less for him to act.
As long as the ring proves to be a surprise element for the enemy, it was useful!
Almond looked at the mountain from afar, which was spreading out glow as the evening descended.
'Let's wrap up the preparation before entering that area. The Goblin Colony is on the way, so I'll clear it and level up, but before that…'
He picked up Jacob's storage pouch and put it in his backpack. He also put Spirits of Jacob, Lamp, and Seyung into Spirit Kodoku.
Afterward, Almond used his class skill—Spirit Devour (S).
'Let's see how this skill rolls.'
[You have devoured a level 2 Dire Wolf Spirit.]
[You have gained +1 Strength]
[You have devoured a level 3 Goblin Warrior Spirit.]
[You have gained +1 Health and +1 Stamina.]
[You have devoured a level 2 Dire Wolf Spirit.]
[You have gained nothing.]
'Wait, what? No more points after just devouring one?'
'Let me try with a higher level one.'
[You have devoured a level 3 Dire Wolf Spirit]
[You have gained +1 Mana.]
'Before using one more level 3 Wolf, I should check the goblin one.'
[You have devoured a level 4 Goblin Archer Spirit.]
[You have gained +1 Focus and +1 Perception]
'Interesting. Level 3 Goblin Warrior gave me two stat boosts, and level 4 Goblin Archer also did the same.'
'Is it because they are different monsters?'
Almond grinned and looked at his clenched fist filled with newfound power. 'Let's continue. It feels awesome to actively feel myself getting powerful.'
[You have devoured a level 3 Dire Wolf Spirit.]
[You have gained 0.5 Strength.]
'Well, better than nothing. I have four wolf spirits left, so I'll use them for Spirit Wraith ingredients.'
'Next.'
[You have devoured a level 5 Goblin Captain spirit.]
[You have gained +2 Mana and +2 Strength.]
'Awesome.'
Almond could feel strength surging from within, both physical and magical.
[You have devoured a level 4 Goblin Archer spirit.]
[You have gained +1 Perception.]
'I have one more Goblin Archer, but I might get nothing or 0.5 if I devour it. Hmmm, nah.'
'I better use it as an ingredient since I'll have more spirits to devour later anyway.'
Almond put the Goblin Archer spirit in the Spirit Kodoku pocket along with the four Dire Wolf Spirits.
[You have devoured a level 5 Goblin Warrior Spirit.]
[You have gained +2 Stamina and +1 Focus.]
'Nice,' Almond grinned from ear to ear, feeling his stats increasing.
Others need to level up to increase stats or eat rare and precious potions that are always in demand but not always in stock.
Not to mention, whenever such items are found in the labyrinth, or even raw resources that can be processed to make a potion that increases stats, the big shot guilds and those with the money grab them first.
Many also end up in Auctions.
'My stats are already way higher than what people of my level should have,' Almond's eyes glinted.
[You have devoured a level 4 Goblin Guardian spirit.]
[You have gained +1 Focus and +1 Health.]
'Alright, this is it.'
The remaining spirits were of two Level 4 Goblin Warriors and one Level 3 Goblin Guardian.
'I already devoured a level 5 and a level 3 Goblin Warrior spirits. Hmmm, I might get nothing, but I'm not sure since I could also get 0.5 stat points.'
Almond thought for a moment and decided to experiment since he felt it would be better to find the limits and effects of the skill properly.
[You have devoured a level 4 Goblin Warrior Spirit.]
[You have gained +1 Health.]
'Alright, so it's related to my level to a certain extent since I devoured a level 5 Goblin Warrior before this, and this level 4 Goblin Warrior still gave me a full point.'
Almond put the remaining level 4 Goblin Warrior and level 3 Goblin Guardian within Spirit Kodoku's pocket, along with four wolves and one Goblin Archer.
'I need eleven spirits more to create a spirit wraith. Alright, let's do this!'
Spirit Kodoky: [9/20]
Spirit Pocket: [0/100]
Almond started walking towards the Fairy Mountain, but his next goal was the Goblin Colony, which was somewhere at the base of the Fairy Mountain in the west.
The rough and slightly green open ground continued for five hundred meters before more trees appeared.
'There's fire atop a wooden tower and…' Almond squinted his eyes and focused, which caused his eyesight to get better, and he gained a slightly zoomed-in view. 'That's a goblin, which means that's the place I am looking for.'
But he was still around a hundred meters away from the Goblin Colony.
*Rustles…*
Almond paused as he heard a rustling sound.
'My senses are sharper…'
'There!'
Almond infused Mana in his Wolf Claw Gauntlets, causing both gauntlets to turn into a beam of dreamy light before they transformed into two spectral Dire Wolves!
'Go!'
Almond commanded the wolves to get into the bushes.
"Wait, wait! Please, stop!"
Almond hurriedly commanded the wolves to stop upon hearing the words before an orange-haired girl with a short ponytail emerged from the bushes, a wand in her hand.
She was surprised upon seeing a familiar face.
'This guy is the one who sleeps in the corner mostly and gets bullied sometimes…I think.'
"You…Almond, right?" she asked with a bit of doubt.
[Natalia]
-Adventurer Rank: Bronze.
-Level: 4
-Class: ???
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone