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Day 14, the last day of the 2-week period of extreme Growth…
/Somewhere inside the forest near Resko…/
In the middle of the forest where the tall trees blocked the golden rays of the sun, a creature dashed around at high speeds…
/Fwoosh!/
(Image)
It was a pale red creature, it's skin could only be described as tight, or completely invisible, as if its muscles were full on display.
It had an overall Human shape with a head, chest, two arms, two legs…
But its head was devoid of eyes, with only a massive maw full of sharp teeth and a thick bone plate to protect its forehead.
Its chest and shoulders were protected by a thick bone-like armor that twisted around itself and fused with its red, strong muscles.
Its right hand was different from its left one, however, as it had a massive blade appendage growing from the back of its palm, extremely sharp and meant for it to ambush prey during its hunts.
It was a monster through and through… And yet, it seemed to be running from something for its life, fear was written on its horrifying face.
/FWOOSH!/
From behind it, a creature even faster than it jumped into a tree, gazing at its prey like a hawk from the sky.
Its eyes glowed faintly blue, Mana coursing through its veins...
/BAM!/
The newcomer jumped from the tree trunk, shaking it due to the power, using it as a base to canon ball itself forward like a bullet…
/CRASH!/
/FWOOSH!/
The beast evaded to the side, allowing the new creature to collide with another thick tree, breaking it in half as it slid far away…
Those weren't your ordinary trees, even this beast would have difficulty breaking one in half like this, a testimony to whatever was currently hunting it…
"Kurk!"
But it wasn't completely unscathed, as in its left arm was now bleeding as if something extremely sharp had cut it.
And this plus the broken tress only meant that it was time to run faster…
/FWOSH!/
But it was too late.
From behind it, something grabbed its shoulder, pinning it o the ground.
"ROARRR!"
The beast roared with everything it had as it slid due to its previous momentum, trying everything it could to shake off the other monster.
Now, it was clear to see their differences… The beast was at least twice bigger than the unknown creature, but even so, that didn't matter to it.
It was afraid, it simply wanted to run away...
"..."
Without uttering a single noise, the unknown creature raised its right arm, reddish black steam started to form…
The creature grabbed the arm of the beast and pulled!
/RIP!/
In one motion, the arm was detached violently, making blood rain all around the surrounding plants, insects, and the small animals that were hiding, not making a sound.
"GUAAAAA!"
The beast suddenly produced a high-pitched noise, but it wasn't enough to deter this new creature, it grabbed the back of its head and twisted, breaking something before pulling…
/SPLAT!/
Blood splattered all around, and finally, silence.
/Drip… Drip…/
The unknown creature slowly got up from the ground, but its eyes never went away from the creature beneath it.
It was ready to pounce again, just in case it decided to move suddenly...
/Rustle…/
The leaves from the bushes rustled from behind it, and another creature appeared…
It was…
"You did it, congratulations." Said Tina as she looked at the man in front of her
"... Urg..."
The creature wiped the blood from its face and asked:
"Can I sleep now?" Dale replied tiredly as he ignored the system notifications
It was Dale! Although he looked like a caveman, leaves, and others things were glued to his skin, and mud could be seen all around his legs and chest as he was only wearing his underwear.
Using clothes would only deter his movements... Or so he was told by this lady in front of him.
"Of course dear, after all, you finished the goal I set for you much earlier than I expected, rest is something you deserve." Tina replied with a pleased smile
"Thank the Go…"
Dale suddenly stopped, he felt hot and his knees were now wobbly and weak…
"Looks like it's starting, don't worry dear, it'll pass soon."
"For now, you may rest, don't worry about the surroundings but be sure to leave soon, no matter what, a forest is still a dangerous place."
"And... When you're back, take a bath first, you smell terrible." Tina said as she shook her head
"I'll go first." Tina said as she disappeared from Dale's sight like dark smoke
"..."
/Thud/
He sat on the ground and breathed in...
"Sigh, finally, a break." Dale said with difficulty as his body heated up
'Just show me my notifications first… I need something to distract myself with.'
[DING]
[You slew the Elite Monster, Armor-Clad Iju-Ivi Devil]
[+ 9.2% xp]
[You Leveled up to 39!]
[All Stats +2]
[You killed 10 different Lesser Devils while under the influence of the Mark of the witch]
[Basic requirement has been achieved]
[The Tripodial Mark has etched itself on your body, altering your physique…]
"So that was why it hurts… What the fuck is this?..." Dale asked himself as he face palmed
[DING]
[Your body has perfectly fused with the Mark, achieving increased effects!]
[Fused Tripodial Mark (Minor)
Effects: Gives you the Passive Effect, Strengthening of the Fallen (Minor)
Requirements: Strength 20, Constitution 60, Dexterity 15, Mental Power 45, Reflexes 10, Mana 100
Description: In old times, thought to be the Mark of the Devil, and thought of as a Curse due to its connection to Witches, the Tripodial Mark was only later deemed to be a blessing…
The Mark contains a side effect, it will actively try to devour its user as it contains the resentment of the Devils sacrificed for its host's growth...
This, however, is a perfect Mark, birthed only in the strongest warriors, bearing no risks as it has instead, been devoured by its prey.
]
[Unique Quest, Introduction to Dancing Shadows has been completed]
[You received the Shard of a Greater Devil
You understood the Skill, Prime Source 1-Star
+88% Level xp
Especial Stat -> Prime Origin has been created
]
[Unique Quest, The Unknow Devil has activated]
[Requirements: Pass the Shard of a Greater Devil to Tina]
The more he read, the clearer his mind became...
"Looks like my suffering this past week wasn't in vain…"
'My hands, chest, legs… Everything hurts… But I can't stop smiling.'
Dale raised his right hand and pulled it closer to his face.
Now, there was a triangular mark filled with smaller rune-like marking on the back of his hand…
It looked pretty cool… If it was a tattoo, unfortunately, it was more of a scar, and it was gross and painful to look at...
As if someone had cut him on purpose...
"The mark changed… But that's it."
"All of it for this, to be honest, I could live without it…" Dale said disappointed
'Open Status.'
[Player: DareDevil (Dale Houston)
Attainments: Body Reformation; Eclipsed; Massacre of 100; Culling Blade; Forged Heart amidst desperation; Minor Enlightenment; Heart Gate Open
Level:39 (92.8%)
Class: Alma Conqueror 1.7%
Character Status:
Strength: 128(156); Constitution: 128(156); Dexterity: 128(156); Mental Power: 103(128); Reflexes: 103(128); Mana: 128(153 -> 306)
Soul Power: 10(35)
Prime Origin: 38(63)
Skills:
Slot 1-> Spear Technique 5-Star (Neutral)/ Mana Conduction 4.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 2-> Close quarters Combat 3.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 3-> Stable Emotions 3-Star (Passive)
Slot 4-> Spatial Awareness 1.5-Star (Passive)
Slot 5-> Fighting Spirit 4-Star (Active)
Slot 6-> Miasma Immunity 2.5-Star (Passive)
Slot 7-> Vital Heart 1-Star (Active)
Slot 8-> Confluence 0.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 9-> Prime Source 1-Star (Neutral)
Temporary Skills: None
Current Effects:
Aspect of Might -> All Stats +15
Physical Training -> Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity +3
Molded Heart -> Mana Ratio = 2
Heart Gate -> Mana +50
Fused Tripodial Mark -> Strengthening of the Fallen (Minor) All Stats +5*2=10
Body Reformation -> Natural Healing and Stamina recovery speed have been greatly increased
Blessed by Ju-Arkesios -> Constitution +10 while within a 5Km radius of any of his Temples (Not in effect)
Vegetarian Soup -> Mana Sensitivity has greatly increased (2H 12 min…)
Inventory (+)
]
"... I take back what I said, this mark is sick…"
'Plus 10 to all stats? Sorry, I misjudged you… A foolish complaint due to my frustration…'
'The most important thing about these All Stats is how they can affect both the Soul Power and… Whatever this New Stat is.'
'One thing I noticed about it is that... It's 38, exactly double my age... I'm thinking too damn much.'
"This Mark... It seems it can grow… It's probably connected to this questline."
'One week ago, I was tasked with this nonsensical task of killing harder and harder monsters…'
'At first, it looked okay, I was strong, very strong, and more than eager to test the things I learned in the forest…'
'But it wouldn't be so easy, because… I was forced to hunt with my bare hands... And naked, half naked as I still have my underwear.'
'Worse, I had to hunt with a strange mark Tina carved on the back of my hand…'
'I'm not joking here, she grabbed a sharp bone knife and carved my hand brutally before applying some strange solution that burned like hellfire…'
'Can it get any worse? Of course, it can.'
'Due to my body's high rate of regeneration, she had to re-apply it every day when we went to the forest, even though it was supposed to last weeks if not longer due to it being... A fucking scar.'
'It hurts… A lot, especially the substance she applied after, it made me feel sick and my hand felt like falling off from the pain.'
'But I guess that was necessary for the gains… Yeah, I need to think of the gains...'
"It would've been better if she actually explained to me what was going on, but she simply gave me a few sets of instructions to follow before stabbing my hand and throwing me in the forest to hunt a monster I never saw before…"
'And I'll be honest, being in here with scary-looking monsters without a weapon, alone, and naked, isn't the most pleasant of experiences, especially during the night, since we also came here to hunt during those times.'
'Otherwise, I wouldn't have managed to finish this damn quest in a week.'
"This Mark can also seemingly grow as given by the Minor Pre-fix, that is the most important thing..."
'If that really is the case, then I'm in for some great times… And pain...'
'If I have to go through a similar process every time I wish to improve it...'
"I shudder merely at the thought of that."
"For now, enough of this damn forest." Dale said as he turned around
'I need a bath.'
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Notes