Chapter 9 - Kaaa-Meh-Maybe?
[ Skill Book ]
• Name: Energy Blast
• Grade: E
• Cooldown: None
• Effect: Conjure and launch an energy ball. Power and speed scale with energy input.
• To acquire: Gently touch the book to your forehead.
"Hehe."
"Now this is what I'm talking about."
Without hesitation, Evan pressed the book to his forehead. It shimmered, dissolved, and vanished.
A flood of knowledge surged through his brain like a lightning-fast tutorial download. When he opened his eyes, it was as if he'd always known how to shoot energy from his hands.
Naturally, he did what any sane person would do—opened his status window.
---
[ Status ]
• Name: Evan
• Level: 3
• Exp: 65/300 (21%)
• Race: Human
• Jobs: { none }
• Titles: { none }
• Health: 160/160
• Energy: 120/120
• Stamina: 260/260
• Hunger: 0/100
• Fatigue: 0/100
• Strength: 10
• Agility: 13
• Vitality: 8
• Defence: 9
• Spirit: 6
• Unallocated Points: 2
• Skills: Energy Blast (E) Lv. 1
---
Seeing the new skill listed gave Evan a tiny adrenaline rush. His eyes locked onto a nearby tree. Time for a little test.
He raised a palm toward the target, preparing to summon a small energy orb when suddenly...
"Wait."
A mischievous grin crept across his face.
"Let's make it a little interesting, shall we?"
Evan assumed a familiar stance—right foot back, arms drawn to his side, palms facing each other as though cradling a glowing watermelon.
"Kaaaa…"
A speck of light appeared between his hands.
"Meeee…"
The orb swelled to tennis ball size.
"Haaaa…"
Now football-sized and humming with radiant energy.
"Meeee…"
Evan's face twisted in giddy anticipation.
"Haaaaaaaa!"
With a dramatic thrust of both hands, the energy ball launched from his grip like a missile.
BOOOOM!
The tree exploded into a shower of splinters and leafy confetti. Its upper half collapsed with a thunderous thud.
Evan was thrown onto his butt, blinking up at the wreckage.
"…That was an E-grade skill?"
Sure, he'd used up half his energy. But who cared? He just nuked a tree.
"For a lifelong human, this is basically a superpower."
He dusted himself off, muttering, "If only it was a beam instead of a ball. I was this close to pulling off a legit Kamehameha…"
Shaking off his anime daydreams, Evan turned back to the loot.
He picked up a hunk of fur-covered meat. The system confirmed it was edible and could restore energy and stamina.
"Nice."
He stored it and picked up a tooth, prompting a new popup.
---
[ Item ]
• Name: Razorlop's Tooth
• Grade: F
• Description: Sharp tooth from an overgrown Razorlop. Usable in forging equipment.
---
"A forging material, huh? Too bad I'm stuck in the jungle without a forge or blacksmith."
He tossed it into his inventory and finally turned to face the swirling anomaly nearby.
"So this is a wormhole…"
Evan inched within a meter of it. After a few seconds of calm breathing, he stepped in.
---
It felt like diving into a cold lake—brief resistance, then immersion. But in an instant, the sensation faded, and a new landscape unfolded.
Evan now stood in a vast underground tunnel. Bioluminescent stones glowed faintly from the walls and ceiling, bathing the place in a soft, eerie light.
He moved cautiously, energy crackling in his hand, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Red eyes flickered in the distance.
Evan didn't hesitate.
A tennis-ball-sized energy orb flew from his palm and pierced the air. The Razorlop's head exploded like a watermelon at a batting cage.
---
[ You have killed Razorlop (Level 1) : +10 exp ]
---
"Hmph. Only 10 exp?" he muttered, stepping over the twitching corpse.
More Razorlops appeared as he delved deeper—some solo, some in groups. A few had slightly higher levels, but none were a match for Evan's growing skill.
---
~ 30 minutes later
Evan stood before a massive gate, grinning like a gamer who just found the boss room.
"This is it… the big boy's lair."
So far, the toughest enemy had been a Level 3 Razorlop. He'd handled them with ease. In fact, he'd even leveled up mid-raid.
"Wormholes are basically cheat codes for exp if you're strong enough."
He popped open his status:
---
[ Status ]
• Name: Evan
• Level: 4
• Exp: 155/400 (38%)
• Energy: 20/140
• Stamina: 156/280
• Unallocated Points: 4
---
"Alright, let's do this."
The gate creaked open effortlessly, revealing a circular chamber lit like a gladiator arena. In the center: a massive Razorlop.
It locked eyes with Evan and roared. The battle was on.
Evan readied his sword. No more warm-ups.
The Razorlop charged—fast.
Even with enhanced stats, Evan could barely track it. But he predicted the strike and countered with his sword.
Clang!
The impact rattled his arms, and he was pushed back several feet. Not good.
Quickly, Evan allocated 2 points to Strength and 2 to Agility. His body felt instantly sharper—quicker.
Round two.
Clang!
This time, he only slid back a meter. The Razorlop stumbled too.
Now they were even.
Evan launched a counterattack. Slash. Parry. Feint.
He wasn't just relying on brute strength—he was using technique.
Humans think. Monsters just swing.
That difference allowed Evan to land several critical hits. Bit by bit, the creature weakened.
Finally, with one last decisive strike, it collapsed.
---
[ You have killed Razorlop (Level 7) : +115 exp ]
[ You have successfully killed all invaders in the wormhole! ]
[ Remaining wormhole energy converted to exp ]
[ You have received 730 exp! ]
[ You have leveled up! ]
[ You have leveled up! ]
[ All attributes +2 ]
[ Unallocated points +4 ]
---
Final Status
[ Status ]
• Level: 6
• Exp: 100/600 (16%)
• Health: 220/220
• Energy: 180/180
• Stamina: 360/360
• Strength: 15
• Agility: 18
• Vitality: 11
• Defence: 12
• Spirit: 9
• Unallocated Points: 4
• Skills: Energy Blast (E) Lv. 1