Noah's eyes widened as he beheld the ancient-looking armor nestled at the bottom of the chest. Its design harkened back to medieval times or a realm of fantasy, its steel plates offering full coverage for the torso. He noted the leather short sleeves and waist garment, providing flexibility and comfort amidst the sturdy steel. The standing collar, though not suffocating, added an air of protection, while the intricate tribal design etched into the leather caught his attention, hinting at a rich craftsmanship. As he reached out to inspect it further, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and anticipation at the prospect of donning such a formidable piece of armor.
Noah didn't think twice about putting it on. He didn't bother about his bloody shirt since his appearance was the last thing on his mind. Besides, he wouldn't want to feel uncomfortable with metal pressed against his bare skin, even though his body's constitution had improved immensely.
Following putting on the armor, he felt a change in his body. From that, he knew the armor boosted his stats just like the weapons he had acquired. He was itching to know if the armor came with hidden abilities, yet another reason to regret not obtaining the analysis skill.
"Derrick, it's over!"
Taken out of his train of thought by the commotion of the two lovers' quarrel, Noah realized that his chance was coming.
'Hmm, this could work! But… First let's spend some stats just in case. If I fail to get it just because I decided to save my stats for an emergency, then I would never forgive myself. Wait! What am I saying? This is an emergency!'
Noah swiftly accessed his stats, eager to assess his capabilities and determine the impact of his recent achievements
Player: Noah
Race:Human Chimera
Class: Monster Tamer
Gold: 312
Lvl 5
Exp:15/400
Health:87%
Stamina:34%
Mana: 36/36->44/44
Attributes
Defense: 10
Strength:18(19)+2
Agility:14(15)+1
Constitution:22->28(29)+5
Stamina:25(26)
Magic: 17->21(22)
Spirit:40->44(46)
Unused points: 10
Skills
Active
Monster taming(lvl 0)
Killing instinct (lvl 0) progression:1.8%
Passive
Soul cage(lvl 0)
Hunters sight (lvl 0) 9.2%
Stamina regeneration (lvl 0) progression:4.3%
Immortal body (lvl 0) progression: 1.07%
Genetic Synergy(lvl 0) progression:25%
Titles
The fallen
"Oh!" Noah noticed the defense he acquired from the armor, plus the five extra constitution, making his constitution thirty-four. With these enhancements, he felt better equipped than ever to face the dangers that lay ahead
'Well, this changes things… okay! Let's at least make my spirit an even fifty. I'm sure spirit is the main driving force when it comes to taming monsters since the class itself listed the attribute as one of my main focuses. Then I'll arrange my stats accordingly after I'm able to tame this beast.'
After making up his mind, Noah dumped four points into his spirit to make it an even fifty. It wouldn't have been possible without his passive immortal body, which gave him an extra five percent on his stats. Following his decision, he received an unexpected tug on his mind, signifying a new notification.
'Is it because I reached fifty with one of my stats? If that's the case, then I have even more reason to find a proper path to build… but let's see what it is first!'
[Achieved the first limits of 50 stats in spirit, perk based on class, monster tamer obtained; Taming proficiency
Taming proficiency- increases the chances of successfully taming a creature by 10%. Can only level up by increasing spirit.]
Noah wasted no time in reading the definition of the skill he just obtained. The skill couldn't have come at a better time, but after realizing that the skills get stronger the more you specialize in that stat, it made him more determined to not be an all-rounder. Not to mention that not only would it enhance his taming proficiency, it would also empower the other traits that correspond with spirit.
Now that he has obtained his perk, he was more than confident in taming the spider.
"It seems you were fated to be mine after all." Noah was beginning to grow impatient. The spider had been on high alert for a while now. It didn't help that Isabelle's screams kept the spider even more vigilant. It was only until a few more moments passed when he finally saw his chance.
The spider was slowly lowering its legs before it sunk its fangs into the seemingly dead victim's body. He noticed how the students no longer appeared to want to confront the creature. All Noah needed was a chance, and his chance finally presented itself.
"Come to daddy!" He yelled enthusiastically. He couldn't hold in his excitement at the opportunity of taming such a beast. Not only was it strong, its appearance was domineering to boot. It checked off every criterion that he would want.
HISS!
With a swift and daring move, Noah leaped onto the spider's back, using his legs to secure a firm grip around its thorax. The spider reacted with a loud hiss, its body convulsing as it frantically attempted to remove prey from atop of it.
The amount of thrashing it was doing was almost negligible in Noah's eyes. Its recent bout of exhaustion prohibited any large movements, while the spider was also unable to reach him with any of its appendages. He clutched harder to the spider's sides, believing it would maybe attempt to roll over, but either the spider was too startled witnessing its 'food' mount him or it was too exhausted to attempt such a move that could potentially leave it in a more vulnerable position.
Meanwhile, Noah was trying to calm his thoughts in order to perform his taming skill. It was different from the killing instincts ability. Killing instincts was a skill that was more about him accepting the activation of the skill, yet to tame a creature he would have to proactively use and manage it.
'Shit! Every time I feel like I'm about to make a connection, it moves… If you want to play that way then fine!'
All this time Noah was only attempting to passively tame the spider. From the knowledge he obtained from the skill, he somewhat understood that not only would performing the skill this way be less strenuous for himself, but it would also potentially create a better bond when contracting his creature.
It was a worthwhile cause if not for the constant irritation building up from having repeatedly failed to properly perform the skill. Because of its rampant thrashing, Noah opted not to care anymore. Granted, if he were to force the connection, then he would have to undergo a strenuous mental struggle against the spider, but his patience had reached its bottom line.
In the midst of Noah's and the spider's bout, the group of survivors who recently fought against the spider were flabbergasted. They weren't able to peel their eyes away from the scene. They were able to take care of the zombies who were near, clearing a path to escape, but escaping was now the last thought on their minds.
Most of the group were confused about how or even why a lone person would attempt to attack the creature after all the corpses that littered the ground in its vicinity. Not only did he decide to attack it alone, they noticed that he was without a weapon! He was just asking to die.
Even though they all were certain of his death, they still couldn't pry their eyes away; either it was because they were curious to see if the man had something up his sleeve, or they didn't want to be left wondering if he would regret his choice during his death.
Unlike the others watching, Derrick, who was finally discouraged to keep pursuing his revenge, was now thinking about re-entering the battle. He was sure to die if he continued before, but now he had a plan. It was a simple plan: if he used Noah as a sacrifice, then he was sure he could finish it off.
Hisssss! THUMP THUMP THUMP!*
Derrick greedily looked onwards while the spider hissed loudly, the sound of heavy vibrations similar to a miniature earthquake being emitted from the creature as it pounded its legs onto the ground.
His body felt as if he was gaining renewed vigor watching the spider struggle; he could tell that Noah didn't seem to be struggling too much to stay atop it. He was going to use this chance; he needed this chance to redeem himself, more for his pride than for his fallen friends.
Gasps!*
Derrick was brought back from his inner struggles when he heard the murmurs of astonishment around him. He knew the source of their awe could only be directed towards the spider as he looked towards the direction of their attention to notice the particularly odd scene.
The spider and man were no longer moving; both were in a standstill. The situation was extremely bizarre; it didn't make sense. The two seemingly appeared as if they were performing a scene and were told to pause. The spider still had a few of its legs remaining in the air, still in the motion it used to pound against the ground. Its fangs were stuck in the process of rubbing against each other, but unlike before, there wasn't any sound being produced.
Even Noah could be seen frozen in his awkward mounting posture. What no one could understand at the time was the hand that extended to palm the spider's head.
"What the heck just happened?"
"Why aren't they moving? Did he kill it?"
"Someone go and check…who knows, you could probably kill that thing and get loads of experience!"
"Why don't you do it then, idiot?"
One by one, people were beginning to become increasingly curious, while the rest couldn't help but grow restless; their anxiety was at an all-time high. The anxious ones feared that the person they were hoping could lead them to safety could possibly have died. Meanwhile, hidden agendas began to take shape as some individuals saw the spider as a means to secure their own survival.
The person who was becoming the most anxious of them all was none other than Derrick.
"Wait! What are you doing, Derrick?" He turned back to look towards his girlfriend Isabelle. She clung onto his arm with both hands; he could see the tears building up in her eyes. Worry showed in her expression, more than worry, was fear. She was afraid of him dying and leaving her alone. With his previous suicidal actions, she was even more afraid about what he was attempting to do.
Derrick gazed into her fearful and pleading eyes before he looked down towards her hands still holding his arms. He couldn't help but think about everything that happened, building up to this moment. Before shit hit the fan, he considered himself to be a very charismatic individual with above-average charm. He had many friends who would do anything for him and a girlfriend that left many to look on with jealousy.
Just before hell on earth began, he had just enjoyed himself immensely the night prior. Now here he is; most of his friends are gone, the future he thought he had seems nigh impossible to grab anymore. To top everything off, the monster that made him feel this helpless and took so much away from him was stopped by some random individual.
That same individual was able to stop that very creature without a weapon! How was he supposed to take that? Was he that inferior to him? His mind couldn't accept he was inferior. His thoughts began to stir relentlessly, creating excuses for himself to avoid lowering his self-esteem even lower.
'That's right! The spider was tired from my 'friends' sacrifices, because of 'me' we were able to get the spider to this point. I deserve to be the one to kill it, not someone who didn't do anything and is now taking the credit that should be mine!'
The more Derrick antagonized over the situation, the more his frustrations grew. His anger was intensifying by the second; he was borderline approaching insanity. He already witnessed the power increase he could obtain from leveling up and the gear people could acquire from killing the zombies and creatures alike.
'This guy probably stole kills from others just like he's doing now. Yes! That's the only reason he could have a skill to stop it..an-and if I could kill him too..'