Drip. Drip. Drip.
There was blood dripping from Kian's lips. He watched his hands in horror as he saw the creature he ate not long ago. He wanted to puke because of the stench of the rat, but he gulped down everything. He hasn't eaten anything yet, so he became hungry.
And if he wanted to stay in the Nightmare Castle, he would have to get used to eating raw meat of small critters. He needed them to survive.
Kian was panting when he saw a small faint light on the window. It was when he realized that the boss monsters did not leave the main hallway of the castle. In the room that he was in, he was safe.
The man watched the sun rise from the horizon. "Juan said that the sun rises at precisely seven o'clock."
Kian took a deep breath. "It's now 7:01."
The man gathered himself together. He searched the room for anything that he could use. He utilized the blanket and the curtains to wrap around his body. He needed to stop the bleeding or else he would die before he could even start farming.
Now, he needed a weapon. Any kind of weapon would be useful for him. Since his skills show an error, he was unable to conjure any type of weapon. "I need something sharp and…"
The boy stopped when he saw the large mirror in the corner of the room. He took a chair and slammed it on the mirror. He also tested his theory about the monsters around the castle. The shattering of the glass created a loud sound, enough to be heard from outside.
If the monsters were roaming around, they would hear the grass breaking.
He waited for minutes. He waited for minutes more until no monster showed up. This sent a slight sense of relief down his spine. At least now he could do whatever he wanted, as long as he wasn't near the main hallway.
To make his weapon, Kian took a long broken piece of the mirror. He used a torn piece of blanket as a handle for his blade. "It's not the sturdiest blade in the world, but who says I would hunt large creatures?"
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
Kian heard more mice running around the hallway. He smirked and watched the sun behind him. The monsters in Hell Pit were weaker during the day, that's why they hunted the bosses in the daytime. If that theory was correct, then the monsters inside the Nightmare Castle would also be weaker.
Kian gripped the handle of his dagger. "Let's find out."
For the next two days, Kian survived by hunting small monsters around the castle. He had eaten rats, bats, and sometimes even cats and dogs that wander around. He didn't choose what he ate nor did he have the chance to choose. He wanted to survive, he had to do everything to survive.
"Six o'clock," Kian whispered. "It's too late for me now."
He glanced behind him. On his belt, there were four carcasses that hung. He would eat two for dinner, and one in the morning. For now, he has to find another room to sleep in.
The theory that Hell Pit monsters are stronger at night was proven tested by Kian. Just the night before, Kian tried to hunt a small rat. He was surprised that he got overpowered by the creature twenty times smaller than him.
What he did during the night though, was read. All throughout the castle were books and manuals on different things. So far, he knew how to sew and embroidery. He learned that skill in the first room that he entered.
The second one offered weapon making and blacksmithing. He read through some of the books, but he knew that it was different from actual creation of the weapons.
That night, Kian was inside a girly room. He saw perfume, makeup, and a lot of mirrors that were shattered. There wasn't any book on the shelves of the room. Instead, there were many jewelry and accessories.
Kian inspected the jewelry. They were made of silver and some made out of gold. He then looked around and grinned at himself.
"There's enough metal for me to cook into a weapon," Kian said. "I should get the blacksmithing book tonight and make myself a sword. It would be much better than running around empty handed. At least with a weapon, he could deflect some damage if he ever encountered a strong opponent.
"Eight thirty," Kian whispered. He was bored inside the room. He didn't want to sleep because it would stop him from counting the time. If the morning comes, he would start all over again and this time, it would become inaccurate.
When he ran out of things to do, Kian laid on the bed and sighed.
< Hero: KIAN
Level: 4
Soul: Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer
Physical Damage: 54
Magic Damage: 50
Physical Defense: 22
Magic Defense: 22
Movement Speed: 20
Attack Speed: 20
Skills: [Error]
Special Ability: [Error] >
For the next two days that Kian was inside the Nightmare Castle, his level only increased by two. This was because he could only hunt for the small and the weak creatures, which have lower EXP. He wasn't happy with his growth, so he needed to improvise his plan of action.
If he wanted to kill bigger monsters, he needed to have a stronger weapon. That was the first plan in his mind.
The man took out a notebook and a pen that he got from other rooms. The first few pages of the notebook was the floorplan of the castle. He already explored most of the establishment apart from the lobby and the floors higher than three. He scanned the notebook to the fourth page where the first floor was mapped.
"If I want to go into the blacksmith studio, I have to pass by the lobby," Kian whispered to himself. "But I don't need to pass through that because there's another way."
He glanced at the second page of the map. It was there that he saw another path to enter the blacksmith studio. He needed to pass by a longer series of corridors, but it was safer.
"Alright," Kian smirked as he took all of the gold and metal in the room. "It's time to prepare."
The man ventured the castle halls and found his way into the blacksmith studio not an hour later. It was a long way there because the castle was humongous, but it was worth it. As long as he didn't have to pass through the lobby, he was safe.
"Eight thirty," Kian whispered. "I have to spend my day here."
He entered the room with a smile on his face. The Nightmare Castle wasn't as nightmarish as it would seem. Apart from the lobby and other large creatures roaming the halls, the castle was filled with useful items.
Even the blacksmith studio had coal and the necessary equipment. They didn't look too abandoned, so Kian was positive that he could still make a good sword using them.
As the man grinned, his eyes dawned on a corner of the room. There, a stack of paper was placed. They contain blueprints and plans for different projects. Kian scrolled through the paper, taking what he thought he thought would be useful. He continued to scroll through the projects until he saw one that captured his mind.
"Conqueror's Mask? Forged from the Conqueror's Crown. It allows the user to gain the Conqueror's Raw power?" Kian read the blueprint. "What is the Conqueror?"
He scanned through the notes until he saw the status of the project on a small note attached to it. "Completed, but locked away in the vault due it's highly unstable."
The blueprint captivated Kian's eyes intensely, much more than what he wanted. There were more useful weapons, but this one latched into his mind and he wasn't going to leave the castle until he got the mask.
"Conqueror's Mask," Kian grinned, making up his mind. He wanted pure raw power, and among the blueprints, this one was the only that looked promising. "I need this weapon."