While walking, I focused my thoughts and called up my status interface. 'Status'
[Name: Abel
Race: Human
Level: 3
Health: 107/120
Mana: 12/12
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 13
Vitality: 14
Unallocated Stat Points: 6
EXP: 0/1000]
'So I seem to regenerate Mana passively over time. That's a relief.'
I observed my status interface, taking note of the changes that occurred after I leveled up. With all the things that happened after my second encounter with the demon girl, I hadn't had the time.
Aside from gaining stat points for leveling, once again I received three unallocated stat points. I wasn't sure which stat I was going to need, so I decided to save them for now.
'Since it seems like I can decide where to pool most of my points, I'll probably have to choose a specific path.'
I could put them in strength, which from the way my muscles grew stronger with each level, I assumed would help with melee weapons and combat.
Or perhaps Intelligence? Would I literally get smarter if I added points there?
I wasn't sure yet, so I decided to push these issues aside.
I also noticed that one point of Vitality seemed to equate to five Health, and it did not regenerate passively as my Mana did. At least it didn't do so quickly, as I was still missing the health from that demonic punch.
In any case, I could feel a slight difference with every level up, across the board. Although I was sure I still didn't understand the full extent of the boons they provided, it left me excited nonetheless.
Most exciting of all though…
'Spellbook'
[Spellbook. Spells learned:
Spell of Minor Healing.
Restores: 60 health.
Cooldown: 1 minute.
Cost: 10 mana.
Invoke method: Within 10 meters, aim your palm at your target and recite the required Vir'il.
Vir'il: Min'Hel]
'So beautiful…. And the Vir'il is translated too, I really should have just checked before bothering with that demon.'
My first spell.
From the excitement I felt looking at this new interface, I had an idea of where I wanted to allocate my points. I wasn't sure it would be safe though… I worried about the implications of the demon girl's earlier reaction.
Feeling a twinge of pain from my cheek as I thought of her, I couldn't help but try my fancy new spell on myself.
Holding my palm in front of my face about a foot from my injured cheek, I recited:
"Min'Hel."
A familiar cool sensation flowed along my arm and into my hand. The faint blue orb appeared right in front of my eyes and I couldn't help but stare at its beauty. I didn't get to stare for long though, as it shot towards my face causing me to flinch.
An ice-cold sensation consolidated around my injury, chasing away the pain. The feeling lingered for a few seconds, then disappeared.
[Health restored to Self: 13.
Mana -3]
'Three mana? I thought it required ten?' I furrowed my eyebrows in contemplation.
'If it's three, it must be because I only needed to restore thirteen health? Since it can heal up to sixty, it requires less Mana if I don't use the full amount?'
Having lost three mana this time, I was noticeably less fatigued as well.
'Interesting.'
During the time I was reviewing my stats and healing myself, I had finally arrived at my destination. Looking at the reddish-brown rock in the sand beach, I couldn't help but smile.
'These things are honestly just cute at this point. Compared to that demon girl or the Arkos, I love these little critters.'
I observed the tide for a moment before walking forward with the incoming wave. In one swift motion, I lifted the spear - aimed - and threw it.
[Damage Dealt - 20]
[You have slain a Paruven Crustacean! EXP gained: 5]
'Easy.'
I was really getting the hang of this.
I approached my trophy and pulled the spear from the sand along with the crab's dead body.
Resting the spear's shaft over my shoulder, I thought to myself, 'Should I eat it raw like the demon girl did? She seemed to be fine afterwards… It shouldn't be poisonous, right?'
I had never liked raw seafood in my previous life though.
'If I can at least cook it…'
Suddenly, I remembered the torches those men had been carrying and although I had no intention of retrieving any of theirs…
'The other three should have them too, right?'
'I could complete my quest… and have dinner.'
I still didn't fancy my chances of winning in a fight against them, but perhaps there may be other opportunities? They chased after the demon girl after all. I experienced her strength first hand, she wouldn't go down without a fight. Although I was stronger now, I knew she still had an edge over me.
Having convinced myself, I started walking south.
***
Hours later.
I had killed several more Paruven Crustaceans as I wanted my dinner to be fresh. Not to mention it was easy EXP.
[EXP: 195/1000]
I noted, after calling up my status.
Resting the spear shaft over my shoulder with my latest prize, I felt my stomach rumble.
I moved my free hand over my stomach as I considered, 'Should I just eat it?'
I hadn't caught even a whisper of the armored men or the demon girl and I must have traveled fifteen or twenty miles down the beach. There were times I drew close to the forest as I walked. Of course, not too close. Just close enough to peer inside and look for the flicker of torchlight or listen for the clanging of armor.
The Sun had taken on an other-worldly blue hue as it lingered around the three-quarters mark in the sky. Night was approaching. I guessed I only had a few more hours left of my first day.
It had already lasted much longer than what I remembered a day should last.
I was even a bit nervous about what the night might bring. Would there be terrors that walked even the beach during the night? Was the Arkos simply scared of sunlight? Has it been stalking me this whole time?
'A problem for the future.' I told myself, trying to push the fear away.
For now, I decided I was going to just eat the crab raw. If worse came to worse, I'd just cast Minor Healing on my stomach.
Scanning the beach, I located a large flat rock just a few hundred steps further south.
'I'll rest there while I eat.'
When I arrived at the rock, I found it to be slightly taller than my new body. Finding a good foothold, I tossed my spear over the top then climbed up.
I took a seat on the flat surface of the rock and rested my spear over my leg. The carcass of the crab was suspended conveniently right in front of me. Taking hold of the base of a leg, I carefully ripped it off.
Staring down at the succulent meat I convinced myself it wouldn't be that bad, even uncooked.
I took a bite.
Chewing slowly with great skepticism, I finally got a taste of my first meal. Scrunching my nose, I noted the crab meat was particularly juicy. Slimy even. The taste though, was actually quite good.
It was a savory flavor that even tasted a little salty, despite the lack thereof. Although the texture wasn't the greatest, after chewing for a few seconds it quickly became bearable.
I finished off the first leg before reaching for a second. Each leg seemed to have enough meat for five mouthfuls.
When I swallowed the last bite from the second leg, I caught sight of something unexpected about a mile further south.
'Birds?'
Come to think of it, I hadn't seen any flying creatures up to this point. These birds were definitely different from what I was used to too. For one, they had two sets of wings. Given they were about a mile away and I could still see them in such great detail, I surmised they must be giant.
I would have considered them to be beautiful creatures considering their pure white feathers if not for their long, naked necks exposing the blood-red skin beneath. That, and the way their long legs dangled below them carrying the carcasses of… humans?
I couldn't see perfectly, but I was pretty sure those were humans dangling from their wretched claws.
Two birds.
Two humans.
If those were from the same group as earlier. Not only had I almost caught up to them, but now there may only be one left.
My chances seemed a lot more favorable now.
Ripping off one more crab leg, I left the rest behind. It was time for payback.
***
After running for about seven minutes, I finally came close to where I had originally spotted those giant white birds.
I stood on a rock with a frown.
Here, the beach was interrupted by the swift current of a massive river delta. Large rocks dotted both sides of the riverbank.
I scanned the delta, searching for my target.
Looking upstream along the river, I noticed a flat clearing of grass along the edge of the forest. It looked like it may have once been a proper road, but had long succumbed to nature and was now home to knee-high bluish green river grass.
About half a mile up river, there was a colossal bridge spanning one side of the river to the other. It was an impressive feat of engineering considering the river was at least half a mile wide. It seemed to be in good shape and made entirely of giant stone blocks.
Aside from the bridge, there were actually quite a few different creatures moving about. After observing a few of them, I nervously hopped down from my rock to avoid being spotted.
The first thing I saw was a smaller example of the bird I had seen earlier. It was gliding ten feet above the middle of the river. I tracked it for several seconds when suddenly an enormous fish with an equally enormous mouth breached the water and devoured the bird whole.
I shivered.
Across from me on the opposite river bank, there was a four-legged creature that resembled some sort of huge black feline. The pale blue sunlight reflected off its body in a strange manner though. I suspected it may even be… metallic. That creature was sitting on its hind legs… Staring at me.
'Two sets of eyes and ears. Creepy.'
There were other creatures moving about the delta as well, but under the gaze of that creepy metallic cat I wasn't going to stick around.
I turned to retreat to the edge of the nearby forest when I happened to see something else up river. Near the bridge on my side of the river, a small black shadow was locked in combat with a shiny silver man.
章 5: 5
While walking, I focused my thoughts and called up my status interface. 'Status'
[Name: Abel
Race: Human
Level: 3
Health: 107/120
Mana: 12/12
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 13
Vitality: 14
Unallocated Stat Points: 6
EXP: 0/1000]
'So I seem to regenerate Mana passively over time. That's a relief.'
I observed my status interface, taking note of the changes that occurred after I leveled up. With all the things that happened after my second encounter with the demon girl, I hadn't had the time.
Aside from gaining stat points for leveling, once again I received three unallocated stat points. I wasn't sure which stat I was going to need, so I decided to save them for now.
'Since it seems like I can decide where to pool most of my points, I'll probably have to choose a specific path.'
I could put them in strength, which from the way my muscles grew stronger with each level, I assumed would help with melee weapons and combat.
Or perhaps Intelligence? Would I literally get smarter if I added points there?
I wasn't sure yet, so I decided to push these issues aside.
I also noticed that one point of Vitality seemed to equate to five Health, and it did not regenerate passively as my Mana did. At least it didn't do so quickly, as I was still missing the health from that demonic punch.
In any case, I could feel a slight difference with every level up, across the board. Although I was sure I still didn't understand the full extent of the boons they provided, it left me excited nonetheless.
Most exciting of all though…
'Spellbook'
[Spellbook. Spells learned:
Spell of Minor Healing.
Restores: 60 health.
Cooldown: 1 minute.
Cost: 10 mana.
Invoke method: Within 10 meters, aim your palm at your target and recite the required Vir'il.
Vir'il: Min'Hel]
'So beautiful…. And the Vir'il is translated too, I really should have just checked before bothering with that demon.'
My first spell.
From the excitement I felt looking at this new interface, I had an idea of where I wanted to allocate my points. I wasn't sure it would be safe though… I worried about the implications of the demon girl's earlier reaction.
Feeling a twinge of pain from my cheek as I thought of her, I couldn't help but try my fancy new spell on myself.
Holding my palm in front of my face about a foot from my injured cheek, I recited:
"Min'Hel."
A familiar cool sensation flowed along my arm and into my hand. The faint blue orb appeared right in front of my eyes and I couldn't help but stare at its beauty. I didn't get to stare for long though, as it shot towards my face causing me to flinch.
An ice-cold sensation consolidated around my injury, chasing away the pain. The feeling lingered for a few seconds, then disappeared.
[Health restored to Self: 13.
Mana -3]
'Three mana? I thought it required ten?' I furrowed my eyebrows in contemplation.
'If it's three, it must be because I only needed to restore thirteen health? Since it can heal up to sixty, it requires less Mana if I don't use the full amount?'
Having lost three mana this time, I was noticeably less fatigued as well.
'Interesting.'
During the time I was reviewing my stats and healing myself, I had finally arrived at my destination. Looking at the reddish-brown rock in the sand beach, I couldn't help but smile.
'These things are honestly just cute at this point. Compared to that demon girl or the Arkos, I love these little critters.'
I observed the tide for a moment before walking forward with the incoming wave. In one swift motion, I lifted the spear - aimed - and threw it.
[Damage Dealt - 20]
[You have slain a Paruven Crustacean! EXP gained: 5]
'Easy.'
I was really getting the hang of this.
I approached my trophy and pulled the spear from the sand along with the crab's dead body.
Resting the spear's shaft over my shoulder, I thought to myself, 'Should I eat it raw like the demon girl did? She seemed to be fine afterwards… It shouldn't be poisonous, right?'
I had never liked raw seafood in my previous life though.
'If I can at least cook it…'
Suddenly, I remembered the torches those men had been carrying and although I had no intention of retrieving any of theirs…
'The other three should have them too, right?'
'I could complete my quest… and have dinner.'
I still didn't fancy my chances of winning in a fight against them, but perhaps there may be other opportunities? They chased after the demon girl after all. I experienced her strength first hand, she wouldn't go down without a fight. Although I was stronger now, I knew she still had an edge over me.
Having convinced myself, I started walking south.
***
Hours later.
I had killed several more Paruven Crustaceans as I wanted my dinner to be fresh. Not to mention it was easy EXP.
[EXP: 195/1000]
I noted, after calling up my status.
Resting the spear shaft over my shoulder with my latest prize, I felt my stomach rumble.
I moved my free hand over my stomach as I considered, 'Should I just eat it?'
I hadn't caught even a whisper of the armored men or the demon girl and I must have traveled fifteen or twenty miles down the beach. There were times I drew close to the forest as I walked. Of course, not too close. Just close enough to peer inside and look for the flicker of torchlight or listen for the clanging of armor.
The Sun had taken on an other-worldly blue hue as it lingered around the three-quarters mark in the sky. Night was approaching. I guessed I only had a few more hours left of my first day.
It had already lasted much longer than what I remembered a day should last.
I was even a bit nervous about what the night might bring. Would there be terrors that walked even the beach during the night? Was the Arkos simply scared of sunlight? Has it been stalking me this whole time?
'A problem for the future.' I told myself, trying to push the fear away.
For now, I decided I was going to just eat the crab raw. If worse came to worse, I'd just cast Minor Healing on my stomach.
Scanning the beach, I located a large flat rock just a few hundred steps further south.
'I'll rest there while I eat.'
When I arrived at the rock, I found it to be slightly taller than my new body. Finding a good foothold, I tossed my spear over the top then climbed up.
I took a seat on the flat surface of the rock and rested my spear over my leg. The carcass of the crab was suspended conveniently right in front of me. Taking hold of the base of a leg, I carefully ripped it off.
Staring down at the succulent meat I convinced myself it wouldn't be that bad, even uncooked.
I took a bite.
Chewing slowly with great skepticism, I finally got a taste of my first meal. Scrunching my nose, I noted the crab meat was particularly juicy. Slimy even. The taste though, was actually quite good.
It was a savory flavor that even tasted a little salty, despite the lack thereof. Although the texture wasn't the greatest, after chewing for a few seconds it quickly became bearable.
I finished off the first leg before reaching for a second. Each leg seemed to have enough meat for five mouthfuls.
When I swallowed the last bite from the second leg, I caught sight of something unexpected about a mile further south.
'Birds?'
Come to think of it, I hadn't seen any flying creatures up to this point. These birds were definitely different from what I was used to too. For one, they had two sets of wings. Given they were about a mile away and I could still see them in such great detail, I surmised they must be giant.
I would have considered them to be beautiful creatures considering their pure white feathers if not for their long, naked necks exposing the blood-red skin beneath. That, and the way their long legs dangled below them carrying the carcasses of… humans?
I couldn't see perfectly, but I was pretty sure those were humans dangling from their wretched claws.
Two birds.
Two humans.
If those were from the same group as earlier. Not only had I almost caught up to them, but now there may only be one left.
My chances seemed a lot more favorable now.
Ripping off one more crab leg, I left the rest behind. It was time for payback.
***
After running for about seven minutes, I finally came close to where I had originally spotted those giant white birds.
I stood on a rock with a frown.
Here, the beach was interrupted by the swift current of a massive river delta. Large rocks dotted both sides of the riverbank.
I scanned the delta, searching for my target.
Looking upstream along the river, I noticed a flat clearing of grass along the edge of the forest. It looked like it may have once been a proper road, but had long succumbed to nature and was now home to knee-high bluish green river grass.
About half a mile up river, there was a colossal bridge spanning one side of the river to the other. It was an impressive feat of engineering considering the river was at least half a mile wide. It seemed to be in good shape and made entirely of giant stone blocks.
Aside from the bridge, there were actually quite a few different creatures moving about. After observing a few of them, I nervously hopped down from my rock to avoid being spotted.
The first thing I saw was a smaller example of the bird I had seen earlier. It was gliding ten feet above the middle of the river. I tracked it for several seconds when suddenly an enormous fish with an equally enormous mouth breached the water and devoured the bird whole.
I shivered.
Across from me on the opposite river bank, there was a four-legged creature that resembled some sort of huge black feline. The pale blue sunlight reflected off its body in a strange manner though. I suspected it may even be… metallic. That creature was sitting on its hind legs… Staring at me.
'Two sets of eyes and ears. Creepy.'
There were other creatures moving about the delta as well, but under the gaze of that creepy metallic cat I wasn't going to stick around.
I turned to retreat to the edge of the nearby forest when I happened to see something else up river. Near the bridge on my side of the river, a small black shadow was locked in combat with a shiny silver man.