บท 29: Tip the scales
Spear Tongue (Your tongue becomes a projectile you can eject from your mouth with a speed dependent on the Agility attribute)
This was the trait I had chosen after killing and eating 10 frog shooters. It was supposed to be a trump card against the War Shadow—but here I was, using it against a filthy dwarf instead.
"Nasty shit," was all I thought as I pulled myself to my feet, feeling the bloodied appendage retract back into my mouth. Shadow Flesh turned out to be a gift that kept on giving and was already doing its job, turning what should have been a lethal wound into a more manageable one.
Blood still pooled at my feet, but it was a mere trickle compared to what should have been. Having only striated muscle tissue in my abdomen was a bizarre sensation, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
I glanced around, my eyes settling on the two fresh corpses at my feet. The fight had been brief—brutally so. Just moments ago, these two were living, breathing people. Now, they were just meat, no different from the goblins I had butchered before.
There was no guilt and no remorse. It was all just a means to an end, like every other kill.
I hadn't exactly planned on taking on humanoids until I hit Level 2, and even then, only after carefully researching my prey. But here I was, staring at two dead adventurers, wondering whether this was a windfall or an unnecessary hassle.
'I guess it depends on how Fenrir's hunger reacts, huh?'
But before I could ponder further, I had another problem to deal with.
I turned, pressing my hands to my stomach, trying to look as weak and non-threatening as possible. I ignored the smell of fear wafting through the air and the faint click of a crossbow bolt being loaded just out of sight.
She was smart, I'd give her that.
The smart ones were always a pain in the ass.
"I'll be back in 10 minutes. Take what's yours," I called out, my voice somehow steady and normal despite my deformed tongue.
I then began limping away, careful not to move too quickly. Every step was measured, my legs tense and ready to dodge a bolt if I had to. But it seemed she wasn't interested in taking that shot. Not yet, anyway.
I kept walking, putting a good distance between myself and the scene before I finally let myself relax.
I lay down, popping a few goblin magic stones into my mouth to take the edge off. The sweet taste spread across my tongue, and I welcomed it.
I'd made a mistake, I knew that much. I'd been too noticeable—strolling around the upper floors almost naked, jumping over adventurers just to get into the dungeon faster, avoiding conversation like the plague. I'd stuck out like a sore thumb, and someone had noticed.
Alas, this couldn't be the only reason they were after me. Not with the way I looked lately. Beggars would have thrown coins at me if I went for a stroll in the city, I was sure.
No...there was fatter, easier prey to be found.
The dumb fucks I killed might have been hunting for any newbie, but my shadow-filled gut told me something different. That they'd been set up by someone and I had a good idea who.
Liliruca Arde. A whitewashed thief, recovering drug addict, mediocre side character, and low-level love interest for our lord and savior Liaris Freeze, at least according to the anime.
She was also more ruthless than I'd expected. Shooting the dwarf in the knee like that? Cold-blooded, to say the least.
'Why me though? Was it simply bad luck?'
She wasn't much in the grand scheme of things—barely a footnote, really, but I knew that she was part of the Soma Familia in name only, and she hated adventurers with passion before Bell came along and "caught" her like a Pokemon.
She also had a skill that allowed her to change her appearance...a skill that would let me hunt people easily.
'No way I'm getting a clean kill,' I thought. She'd seen me kill two adventurers without so much as a blink. She'd run off, and there was no telling where she'd disappear with her shapeshifting ability...if she escaped, I would have made an enemy for no reason and without any benefits. She might even have other tricks up her sleeve, like that magic stick...magic sword?
'I also don't yet know if I can even get skills from anything other than monsters...'
This was a tricky situation, interesting but not necessarily good. Drawing too much attention to myself before I was strong enough to deal with it was a death sentence—cheat powers or not.
Still, there was a way to spin this to my advantage. There always was.
I got to my feet, feeling the slight tremble in my muscles as the magic stones did their work. I'd have to tread carefully, make sure I didn't bite off more than I could chew. But if I played my cards right, this could turn into something useful. I just needed to be smart about it, cautious.
I glanced back in the direction of Liliruca, weighing my options once again.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
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Stats right at this moment:
Power: 144 -285(G)
Endurance: 158-315(F)
Dexterity: 172-301 (F)
Agility: 112 -234(G)
Magic: 287-412 (E)
(the stats will begin growing faster as stronger monsters are hunted)
Physical State: Moderate-High injury
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