บท 12: Chapter 12. First kill
"Aaaahhhh!"
He screamed as its stomach was ripped apart, its entrails spilling on the ground.
Its friends looked on in horror as the beast stepped on their comrade's head, blood dripping from its mouth.
"We need to run!"
One of them threw their rusty dagger at the monster as it tried to run, but he was too slow.
It took seconds, as the monster easily evaded the weapon and appeared over them, biting their neck.
With a gurgling scream, he fell as the monster ate, purple blood splattering everywhere.
"W-We are doomed."
Amongst the two remaining, one of them fell to their knees as they held their heads, weeping.
The other one, who had a little more fighting spirit, held their weapon in two hands, trembling in fear.
Then he heard it.
Step. Tap. Step. Step. Tap. Step.
Something was coming, tapping the ground with something, the sound was rhythmic and constant, coming from the tunnel the monster came from.
He spun around, his tiny heart beating quicker than ever before.
There in the darkness, he saw something slowly walking towards him.
It was big, human-shaped, with glowing green eyes.
The being approached it, the tapping getting louder until the thing was looking down at it.
"AAAAAHHH!"
With a warrior's scream, he jumped, the rusted dagger tightly clenched in their hands.
Bang!
Before the iron could even reach the figure, it swung something white, hitting him on the side of the head.
He felt his skull cracking open, the life draining out from its body.
"I…wanted to live."
There and then he died, before his body fell on the cold wet ground, and the towering figure squished his body into a pulp.
*****
"F***in Goblins."
I turned the power of my eyes as I swung my bloody weapon a few times, getting rid of the goblin's blood as best as I could.
"Almost gave me a heart attack when it jumped at me."
Pissed, I kicked the body aside when I was sure it was dead and got everything it had.
It's been about 3 hours since I have been down here.
If not for my busted leg, I could have moved way quicker and killed more of these bastards.
Oh well, I still did well.
This was about my 30th goblin that was killed and looted, their stuff lying in a bag that I…borrowed from one of them.
Since mobility was out of the window, I relied on a different fighting method.
"Woof!"
Dust came to me, its tail wagging with a goblin army in its mouth.
"Who is a good boy: You are a good boy."
I scratched my head trying to not get the blood on me.
Turns out Dust was quite strong.
He could move very fast and tore these little buggers into pieces as if they were made of paper.
"Let's keep moving."
Leaning on a piece of wood that I found, I slowly continued walking, the bone drenched in blood in my other hand.
As we reached an intersection with another tunnel, I sighed.
"Why the hell is this so hard?"
It was tiresome to walk with a bad leg continuously; the strain on my nerves was something else.
Even with eyes used to darkness, I was already moving blind, and to use the power of the 'eyes of the deceased' to see put more strain on my body, basically draining me to the edge of my life.
"Ugh, let's stop for today. I need to sleep."
With my dog next to me, I sat down against a wall and started to eat some hard bread while opening up my status window.
[
Name: Mathew
Race: Human (Hyuman)
Age: 24
Class: Awakened. (Pacted)
Rank: F
Pacted Entity: [???]
Curse: [Untell]
Skills: [Enhanced Strength], [Manna Pathway], [Eyes of the Deceased], [Will of Life], [Minor Mana Sense] [Basic Magic Aptitude] [Ritualistic Magic Aptitude] [Summon Familiar] [Guiding Can]
]
"Sigh. Nothing changed. How the hell am I supposed to know if I made it or not."
Closing my window and eating slowly, formulating a plan.
First, I need to get stronger. I can do that by killing monsters and learning from monsters. The first part of the plan is being done, so I need to focus on the learning part. I need to study that book more and use the rituals and stuff like that to get more power.
Ugh, why do I have to study now? I am missing my farm. No learning, just keeping the livestock happy and myself fed. I want to go back to the old days.
While eating my bread, I activated the eyes of the deceased and read the book that I got from that shop.
[
The Magic Bullet
The Magic Bullet is often considered the quintessential spell for novice spellcasters, serving as a fundamental introduction to the manipulation of mana. While it may lack the complexity of more advanced incantations, its simplicity is precisely what makes it an essential spell for beginners.
I Introduction
The Magic Bullet is a foundational spell that enables the caster to harness pure mana and propel it as a concentrated, high-velocity projectile toward a target. Though it is deemed elementary in the realm of magic, the spell holds significance due to its importance in understanding mana control, focus, and precision.
II. Casting the Spell
To cast the Magic Bullet, one must adhere to the following steps:
1. Focus and Visualization: Begin by calming your mind and concentrating on the target. Visualize the pure essence of mana gathering at your outstretched hand or fingertip.
2. Gathering Mana: Reach out with your magical senses and draw mana from the surrounding environment. Imagine it converging into a compressed, radiant sphere of energy.
3. Direction and Intention: Choose your target, focusing on it with unwavering determination. Imagine the mana sphere becoming a projectile, ready to be launched.
4. Release the Energy: In one fluid motion, release the mana projectile from your hand, directing it towards the target. Visualize its trajectory, speed, and impact.
III. Effects
The Magic Bullet, while simple, can be surprisingly effective. Upon impact, it delivers a blunt force to the target, akin to a solid object hitting it. The intensity of the impact depends on the caster's proficiency and the amount of mana channeled into the spell.
IV. Advancing Your Skills
As a foundational spell, the Magic Bullet offers an excellent platform for growth. By mastering this spell, you hone your mana control and precision, setting the stage for more advanced spells. To advance your skills, consider the following:
1. Increase Mana Capacity: Work on expanding your mana pool, allowing you to channel larger, more powerful Magic Bullets.
2. Improve Aim and Accuracy: Practice targeting smaller and more distant objects. The precision gained will benefit you in casting more complex spells.
3. Speed and Reaction: Challenge yourself to cast the spell swiftly. Being able to react and cast in the heat of the moment is
crucial in combat situations.
4. Variations: Experiment with variations of the Magic Bullet, such as imbuing it with elemental properties or adding homing capabilities for advanced targeting.
]
It was clear it was short; it was ….
"I understand nothing of this."
I closed the book and massaged my head.
"I wanted to cast spells and all but this is just bulls***. How am I expected to? Sigh, no, there is no point in b****ing about it."
I stood up with the rest of the bread in my mouth.
"Let's go. We have other things to do."
Going through the way we came down, we climbed back to the surface.
There were some scavenger monsters in the way, goblins, and some low-level slimes that were eating the bodies.
We took care of the goblins but left the slimes behind.
Those things were disgusting.
Nothing but a blob of acidic goo that dissolved meat and metal. They were slow and had nothing of value to kill for.
After 3 hours of moving blindly and stumbling through monsters, I finally reached the surface.
"Phew, finally."
I commanded Dust to move next to me and started walking through the streets.
As I passed through several back alleys, I saw a pair of tough-looking characters.
Both of them were muscular and had scars on their faces, with eyes telling me that they weren't strangers to violence.
I kept my head low and kept walking.
This type of character was not uncommon down here, but if one doesn't look for trouble, fights don't happen.
What is the point of shedding blood for nothing?
I passed by them when one of them bumped into my shoulder.
Suddenly, he screamed with a smile on his face then turned to me.
"You broke my shoulder, you b******!"
The other one stepped behind me.
"Hey, my friend needs healing now. How will you compensate us?"
You gotta be kidding me.
I was tired of killing goblins, and I had no more desire to kill these people.
No, it would be better to say I didn't have a desire to kill.
Monsters? Sure. Humans? No.
If I did that, if I took a life like that, I wouldn't be better than the monsters or the hunters who see us as monsters.
I will not fall to that level.
"The guy I just bumped into smiled as he clenched his fist before my face.
"Give me everything you have and we will not hurt you too much."
Dust growled, seeing this drawing their attention to him.
"What is this? A dog? We are taking it as well. I know someone who buys them for his cooking."
Bam!
Unconsciously, my fist hit his face, making him stagger, as he spit out blood and teeth.
"Y-You b******!"
The one behind me hit me in the back of the head with his fist, making me struggle a bit, but there was not a lot of damage.
"...So this is the difference."
Hyuman to Hunter. This is what the hunters feel when they are fighting us.
No, if we consider I am also hyuman than a normal hunter might find this even easier.
They are something above us.
I turned around and punched him in the stomach.
As he bent forward, I pushed him to the ground.
"You two are way too weak. Just leave."
He didn't respond; instead, he just puked in the mud.
STAB!
I froze up, hearing the distinct sound of metal piercing flesh.
I slowly turned and I saw the guy who I just punched in the face behind me, holding a knife.
I followed the weapon with my eyes and I saw dust on its hind legs, the blade piercing its chest.
"Tch. stupid dog."
He pulled the weapon out, red blood spraying from the wound and hit my dog on the head, making it yelp as it fell to the ground.
"Next time I will not-"
I swung my weapon.
My body moved on its own, with my mind empty.
The sight of my weapon hitting the left side of his head. The bone that I have been using since day one breaks from the force of the impact, the sight of a skull cruising and then exploding, the sound a body makes as blood is pouring out from the body.
The sound of a last breath.
I felt nothing when this happened.
Is this what hunters feel? Killing monsters and us?
I walked over to Dust and examined the wound.
It was severe, with blood gushing out from it with its breathing getting slower.
"...You were a good partner."
I pat its head as life slowly faded out from its body, then as it finally died, its body slowly became transparent until there was nothing left.
"...Right. It was a summon. Wait, then I can summon it back?"
I reached my palm out.
"Summon Familiar."
The same draining feeling washed over me and soon in a flash of light, Dust was before me again, tail wagging.
"Nice. An immortal dog as a partner. Useful."
"Ugh."
I turned to the source of the sound; the guy who I made vomit was slowly getting up from the ground; he was also holding a knife.
"You… I will… I will…"
Quickly I moved before him, grabbing the hand he was holding the knife then, still holding the broken bone, I hit him on the shoulder with the jagged end, stabbing it deep.
The man screamed as he let go of his weapon.
"Hurts, doesn't it?"
While speaking, I activated my power.
3 people
There were three spirits attached to his body.
"This is the same pain the 3 people you killed must have felt."
Slowly I put my feet on his head and pushed his feet in the mud.
"You have no right to beg for your life. But I do accept money. Tell me, how much is your life worth?"
I leaned closer, words leaving my mouth that I didn't expect to hear.
"If you want, we can even make a deal. Your life for…. I don't know."
I whispered.
"Interested?"
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