Mason snuck under the panicking spider and stabbed upwards with all his strength, plunging steel into its heart.
"REEEEEEEEEEEE-"
It's dying screeches were cut short as the Blade pierced through it's head, spearing it's mouth and brain. The now dead spider flopped on the exhausted Mason, forcing him to shove it to a side.
[You have slain an F-Tier Monster!]
[710 Coins have been awarded]
[You soloed a Boss above your tier!]
[[Web Spinning Arts Lv. 1] and 20 Points have been acquired as compensation]
[Congratulations! You cleared this scenario!]
[Assessing your performance...Platinum Clear!]
[You have received 200 Coins, a F rank dagger, E Rank "Spider Queen Suit" and the Skill [Create Traps Lv.2]]
[You cleared the optional challenge of slaying the Sentinel!]
[Compensation: E rank "Spider Queen Sword", Skill [Quick Recovery Lv. 1] and Cultivation Manual [Genuine Heavens]]
("[Genuine Heavens].")
The book appeared in his hands while the rest was stowed in his inventory. This was the main thing he was looking for, as it was a "hidden piece" that could only be found in the tutorial. After passing it, acquiring it would be impossible. And even if it was, Stephen would have taken it. He originally wrote it in for the main character, but he needed it more.
He opened the book and a bright light shone on him from the pages. Words, information and images entered his mind. Most Martial Arts and Cultivation Manuals have this property of transferring it's knowledge to the first reader. Of course, the book could still be read, but it would have to be practised conventionally.
[[Mental Library Lv. 1] processes the information…]
He could feel the information organizing itself within his mind, and in a few seconds he comprehend the whole thing.
[You have learnt [Genuine Heavens]]
He put the book away and turned to the spider corpse. Several spots of light could be seen on it.
Drops. A convenient way to acquire loot from killing non-human creatures. There will always be junk items (Japtem as you may call it), but the stronger the creature and luckier the killer, the more treasure there would be.
[Raw Monster Fluid (F, Poison, Refine)]
[Raw Monster Fluid (F, Poison, Elixir)]
[Raw Monster Fluid (F, Poison, Body Forging)]
[F-Tier Poison Monster Core]
[Broken Chitin Plate x5]
[Poison Sac(F)]
[Webs x7]
"Not bad."
Mason proceeded to hack off both of the thin sharp front legs of the spider with his Blade. Although Drops were the most convenient method of gaining loot, it was not the only way. Drops do not affect the body of the monster, so butchering it was possible. He hacked off two sharp blades the length of his forearm and a few chitin plates.
[You have learnt [Dismantle Lv. 1]]
Just as Mason was about to leave, he heard the hissing of air and leapt to the side. A distortion in the air flew past where he was standing previously. If it struck him, breaking a bone would be very likely.
[Hundred Steps God Fist]
("Damn! I was too slow.")
"Oh? You dodged that? Interesting…"
Stephen, the real protagonist, is here. He was alone, meaning he slew everyone else on the bus. Then again, Mason was the one who wrote this in. Most of those on Stephen's bus were [Killers].
("Damn psychopath.")
"Your speed means you have high stats, you could have ran past...but you still chose to fight the spider...how do you know about the "hidden piece", hm? Far fewer corpses than I remember...you must have helped them cross the Sentinel." Stephen's gaze locked on to Mason.
Mason was in a dilemma.
("Should I act stupid, or show off what I know?")
Acting stupid would be hard, especially after killing that Sentinel. But if he admitted his knowledge, would Stephen try to kill him or not?
After a few seconds, Mason made his choice.
"Here, this is what you want right?" Mason tossed the manual over.
Stephen flipped the book open and spoke without looking up, "You already used it."
"The book is still readable. Besides, I'm sure you still remember the technique from last time, right? Just practice it once or twice and the skill will come back."
"That's tru- wait what?" Stephen's head shot up but Mason was already gone.
Mason sprinted into the school and made his way into the school hall, where everyone was gathered. Although his wounds hurt from this, potentially fighting with Stephen would hurt more. Besides, [Quick Recovery] would let the wounds stabilize soon. He sat down in one of the chairs and waited.
Stephen entered the room and looked around as he sat.
[Fade Away Lv. 1]
Mason lowered his head to blend in. The "ceremony" was due to begin soon, so as long as he was not found before then, everything would be fine.
Seven stone statues that definitely did not exist before today were there, and once Stephen entered, the hall doors slammed shut, and different voices entered his ears, evaluating him.
"Good stats, he killed the Sentinel? Impressive."
"He already has a class, we can only grant him a skill."
"How does he have so many class skills?"
"He must be very talented."
"300 Coins for him."
"What does he want right now…[Scavenge] and a Mana Elixir? Smart boy."
[300 Coins have been sponsored]
[You have learnt [Scavenge Lv.1]!]
[You have learnt [Spiteful Tongue Lv. 1]!]
A small glass bottle with a clear blue liquid appeared in his hands. Most of those around him are now holding weapons. He glanced over at his friends. Keith was wearing a silvery breastplate. It was quite elaborate, with chain mail and padding underneath, and a skirt and greaves to protect his legs, giving the aura of a knight. Haley was holding a bracelet and had closed her eyes with a grateful expression on her face.
This ceremony gave strength to the participants, but the extent to which it empowered them was based off their desires. It seemed like their desire for power was strong.
("Most likely because of me.")
"Now, we will explain a few things." One of the statues opened its mouth and spoke to everyone, "This world is now a survival game, and those watching are Mythoses. Based on your performance and potential, they may express their interest in you. Let the first round of sponsor selection begin!"
[Sponsor Selection Round One]
[Several Mythoses show interest in you]
[Who will you choose?]
[Twin Wolf Lord]
[Vast Monster]
[One-armed brave]
[Thief of Giants]
[Lord of the Holy Words]
Five requests, and all of them well known Gods. That blew Mason away. An average person would be lucky to receive one, those with decent luck or talent would garner the interest of two or three, while the particularly outstanding ones may get four or five. Six would be limited to those important characters like Stephen.
For now, that was not important. He only had to pick the one that gave him the most benefits. The strange names were one they gave themselves based off their own traits.
First, the Twin Wolf Lord. Erlang Shen, who was well known for being the greatest warrior god of heaven, battling Sun Wukong evenly in Journey to the West. His notable abilities include the 72 Transformations, his Third Eye and his Celestial Hound. Quite the tempting offer. Mason kept that in mind.
Vast Monster is a title given to Jörmungandr. It's immense size and lethal poison were guarantees for its power. Not quite as good as the Twin-Wolf Lord though.
The One Armed Brave was the Norse God Tyr, who lost his arm from Fenrir's due to the Aesir's betrayal. He is the bravest of the Norse Gods, and holds power befitting one of the few war gods among the Norse Pantheon.
The Thief of Giants was Loki, the Liesmith. Although his abilities would mesh well with his [Wordsmith] class, he had crossed Loki earlier, so god knows what tricks would be played on him if he accepted.
The last one, Lord of the Holy Words...strange, he wasn't watching him earlier...why express interest now? Mason doesn't remember such a Mythos being in the story.
("Let's break down the name first.")
"Lord" and the presence of other gods most likely meant that he was a god, if he was merely a mythical king or ruler the competition from the other Gods would have pushed him out.
"Holy Words" most likely referred to his domain. "Holy" could stand for purity, the divinity of a god or a high level of power. "Words" had multiple interpretations, but they all should work well with his class. Not to mention, he wanted to know who it was that didn't appear in his novel
("I choose the [Lord of Holy Words]")
[You have selected a sponsor]
[We hope you profit from this contract!]
A message from the [Lord of Holy Words] appeared.
[Look at your phone]
("Huh?")
Baffled, he switched on his handphone and saw a notification from Discorn.
Zen Ferox: [Hi]
("?!!")
[Wait, you're a god?]
[I have been called that, yes]
[Why did you ask me to delete the novel? Why did you approach me? Who are you?]
The suspicions Mason had been suppressing all these years sprang back up. The lucky draw he never signed up for, the strange prize, the lack of information on Zen Ferox as a writer and much more.
[Your sponsor has sent you an item]
[??? pocket watch of ???]
[Withdraw item?]
("I'm sure it'll be fine, it won't be a time bomb or anything.")
("Withdraw.")
A gold cased antique pocket watch appeared in his hand, which promptly exploded into glowing shards.
("I can't even crack a joke now?")
[Unique Skill [???+] is activating]