Leaning against the old car, now full of dents, Kian panted as he stared at the four chitin-wolf corpses in front of him.
[+50 EXP]
[Level up 2 > 3]
[+2 STR, +2 AGI, +1 RES, +1 MND]
[Devourer of Souls activated: +0,22 MND]
[Devourer of Souls activated: skill {Vibration Sensor I} acquired]
Smiling, he untied his dagger from the broom handle—now broken—and tossed it onto a pile with several identical ones.
Good thing nobody wanted to take the brooms from that supermarket.
Although there was nothing valuable in this ruined city, a thing or two could still be used.
Not everyone was willing to risk their lives to carry this kind of stuff out.
Sheathing his dagger, his status interface opened.
───────────────────────────
STATUS
───────────────────────────
HP: [202] / [360,8]
Stamina:[65] / [252]
Focus: [133,2] / [133,2]
Class: [Soul Devourer]
Level: [03]
EXP: [0] / [900]
STR (Strength): [11,66] + [5]
AGI (Agility): [9] + [3]
RES (Resilience): [8,88] + [0]
MND (Mind): [5,66] + [0]
Total Points: [35,2] + [8] = [43,2]
Class Skills:
[Devourer of Souls]
Common Skills:
[Vibration Sensor III (50%)]
───────────────────────────
"Man, I still haven't stolen a single point of Agility," he grumbled, spreading the gelatinous ointment over his wounds.
So far, Kian hadn't gained Agility in any way besides leveling, and it was the attribute he missed most.
But I've definitely improved compared to yesterday.
His first fight against a chitin wolf had been a disaster, to put it mildly.
But now, having fought the same enemy nine times, he could almost fight them blindfolded.
Almost literally:
───────────────────────────
[Vibration Sensor III]
───────────────────────────
Passive.
Within a 10-meter area, can detect movement/contact on the ground.
───────────────────────────
It was a simple skill, but it seemed useful to Kian.
"I don't know what the odds are for normal Awakened, but mine are pretty good," he laughed, pocketing the gelatinous ointment.
As his class stated, his chance to obtain skills upon felling an enemy was higher than normal.
He couldn't say exactly how much higher. But out of nine attempts, he'd stolen a skill six times.
Seems like that's all they have.
Now that he'd experienced it firsthand, Kian was almost sure his class was Legendary.
Could it be Mythic? No, I think it's just Legendary.
As far as he knew, only a few Mythic classes were known.
But since the details were never disclosed, he couldn't compare.
And considering those who had them shot up in levels from the start, that didn't seem to be his case.
Well, time to move.
After a few minutes of rest, Kian stood and stretched, the sky orange with the sun setting on the horizon.
He'd spent the whole afternoon fighting, resting, then fighting again.
Kian only stopped to take his spoils to be sold in Safe Harbor, then returned to fight more.
It would be dark soon, and his heavy body was begging for a bed.
"I guess I should call it for today," he thought, pulling a long rope from his backpack, bought back in the Harbor.
Stowing all the Xerid cores, he tied three carcasses together, then looked at the last one.
"I'll be right back, my precious credit."
With that, he slung the rope over his shoulders and headed back, dragging the bodies along.
***
In a building littered with Xerid corpses and hundreds of Awakened, Kian waited patiently, leaning against the wall.
Eight chitin-wolf bodies were laid out beside him, not counting the one he expected to retrieve, the result of a full day of fighting.
Damn, look at that gear.
Kian eyed with envy a man in full armor carrying a long sword.
I bet you could split a wolf in half with one of those.
Kian could only dream of the attribute bonuses that set provided.
Then a soft voice called out to him.
"By the way, your last name is…?" asked the woman, wearing a matching blue beret and vest.
On the back of the vest was a symbol of a circle divided into four parts.
"Blackwood," Kian answered.
"All right, thank you. So, Mr. Kian, I've already sent these for inspection," she said, pinning a small tag onto each carcass. "Tomorrow you can claim your reward at the Syndicate."
Which means I'll have to find that guy again.
His expression soured at the thought, the image of a lazy middle-aged man surfacing.
"If that's all, I'll take my leave. Thank you very much for your hard work." The woman gave a slight bow and moved on to assist another Awakened.
"Sigh…" Kian exhaled and walked out, heading for the gate.
Glancing at the sky with faint hints of stars, Kian ran to fetch the last remaining carcass.
It's already getting dark, but I think there's still time.
"Let's see… the fare was 600, minus the thirty credits from yesterday. Soon there'll be nine more wolves, so…" His mind tallied his finances as he picked up the pace.
If each wolf was worth around thirty credits, he'd earn 270. Which would be a loss for this trip.
"Damn it, I shouldn't have left yesterday." Kian now regretted chickening out and wasting a day.
I could've thought of this strategy earlier. It's a Node all to myself!
Since it was a small, manageable Node, it basically meant earning money while leveling up with no trouble.
"And these wolves aren't even that hard. They're so predictable." Slowing down, Kian reached the familiar supermarket and scanned around until he found the battered car.
Hmm. If I can hunt ten wolves tomorrow, I should make between two and three hundred, which should be enough to—
He stopped, staring at the empty ground beside the car, where he was sure he'd left the wolf's carcass.
Peering around with difficulty in the dim light, he didn't spot anything resembling a dead wolf.
"Great. It's gone," he muttered with a sour look.
There go thirty credits. Now it'll have to be eleven wolves tomorrow. At least I took the core out.
Since the sale price was so low here, he'd thought about selling the Xerid cores on another place when he returned.
Maybe he'd profit more then?
But losing the carcass was still bad. After all, that could only be sold here, in Safe Harbor.
"Well, no choice. I'll have to wake up earlier tomorrow—" Kian stopped, turning toward a dark mass in the distance.
Squinting, he forced his eyes, trying to make it out.
What is that?
The moon had already risen and the stars were shining now, so it was hard to see anything clearly.
A chill ran down his spine as Kian ducked to hide behind the car, drawing his dagger as he watched.
Damn it, coming here wasn't a good idea. Who knows what shows up at night.
That was way too big to be a wolf.
Regret clawed at his chest as Kian scanned around and spotted what looked like a building nearby.
I think that was an apartment, wasn't it? Maybe I can spend the—
Suddenly, something hit his senses.
It was a low noise, but Kian could perceive it through the vibrations traveling along the ground.
The footsteps were large and strange—four in total—the vibrations showing it was something heavy.
With slow steps, ten meters away, it was drawing closer to Kian.
Damn it, this isn't good.
Heart hammering and unable to see well, Kian trusted his skill, focusing on the vibrations as he edged toward the apartment.
Cold air grazed his skin as the wind blew; Kian rounded the car as the footsteps moved to the other side on his sensor.
Counting on the car to hide him, he slipped away in silent steps toward the building.
At some point, Kian moved out of his skill's range and lost the creature.
Please don't see me. Please don't see me.
Then Kian's back bumped into something. Guessing the door was nearby, his hand groped along the wall until it found a doorknob.
Please don't be locked. Why would it be locked? That wouldn't make sense.
Turning it slowly, the door slid open smoothly, leaving a gap.
Then it jammed, letting out a low groan as Kian's face twisted.
Damn it!!! Stupid old structure.
Cursing hundreds of times in his head, he braced his stomach and squeezed through the narrow opening, slipping inside and backing away from the door fast.
His sensor flared as four footsteps vibrated through the floor, stopping in front of the door.
Unable to see anything, Kian yanked his phone from his pocket, ready to turn on the flashlight as the creature slid a "paw" through the opening.
Too big. There's no way it can fit through that—
After a few steps, Kian's foot struck something, tripping him as he fell.
His knee smashed into a corner and the dagger's hilt hit the floor with a heavy clack.
The sound echoed around, panic spiking through Kian.
Screw this.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAR!" A high-pitched roar rang out behind him, and Kian sprang sideways on reflex, slamming into the wall.
The footsteps vanished from his sensor as a crash smashed the floor where he'd been.
Flicking on the flashlight, Kian's eyes burned for a moment as a small staircase came into view.
And beside him stood a large, dark, elongated creature, two meters long and covered in a bone-like armor.
Black spines jutted from its neck to form a mane, and a long tail like a spinal column swayed behind it.
What the hell is this?