Chereads / Demon Lif / Chapter 2 - 6-10

Chapter 2 - 6-10

[ARC 1] CHAPTER 1: LAW OF THE UNDERGROUND JUNGLE

*Wheeze*, *wheeze*, d-did I get away?

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

New Location of Interest found: [The Water-Knot of Glavras], Floor 9

Should I take that as an answer? I know at least where I am. But exactly what is here?

The view from after I exited the tunnel leading out of the lake-grotto was a wide field... but still underground. From the name, I would say this place is a... Dungeon? It has that kinda feel. Besides, what cave would be divided into "floors" like this one?

Was the lake on Floor 10, or 8 then? No, it was the 10th. No other tunnels were leading the way further downwards, meaning the lake must be the bottom floor.

Not that it has anything to do with me. Or rather, I want nothing more to do with that. Those ghosts, or whatever they were, are too scary! And I don't wanna meet the thing in the lake that made [Magic Sight] react like that. Nessie has probably nothing against that.

Time to change focus on the current floor. It is a wide space, probably 150-or-something meters high, but the ceiling is covered with some fog-like substance so I'm not sure. Several hills, around half the height of the cave, had created a natural labyrinth inside the open cave. The hills were too high and too large to climb up on without any tools, or maybe wings?

Even so, not climbing them isn't an option. It isn't because I have the heart of a hiker, but 'cause of the blockades in the roads made by the hills. Huge boulders that glowed in a pale blue due to [Magic Sight].

Those are monsters alright. Maybe some kinda Mimic, or something with the [Camouflage] skill? Anyway, there are two of them on each side of the entrance to the area beyond the tunnel leading to the lake. Meaning, I'm stuck!

The only other way is to climb on those hills. Still, they're so steep, it's better to call them walls. I need something like a rope to climb up these.

Is there some rope skill available... there is. Among the many races I designed, there was a certain group of monsters that had access to such a skill.

I snuck into the blindspot from the boulder-Mimic's viewpoint and accessed the Skill Shop, a function of the World System anyone could access to trade Skill Points for skills. Let's hope Grey Demons also can learn it...

SKILL SHOP

Available skill points: 1.0

Search by word: thread

Search by skill []

Available skills:

There it is! The [Spider Thread] skill was always asked for as the spider monster's evolution requirements. The other two are unknown. Good thing I've got an encyclopedia on hand!

[Threadsmanship] is a skill that enhances one's ability to handle threads, while [Cutting Thread] gives threads a Slashing attribute. Wait, you can cut people just with threads!? I want that!

Seriously though, I need to think about this. [Spider Thread] is, as its name suggests, a Monster Skill, meaning that if I pick that, I'll limit the choices of other Monster Skills available for me. Are simple threads made by consuming SP, meaning stamina, worth it all?

I've got no sort of "fighting style" at the moment. My race is the sort that's useless at the beginning after all. And I'm as fresh as they come. My only good point is all that darkness-related stuff...

That [Aura of Darkness] was something that reduces the opponent's stats and gave them status ailments, was it? From the name, it sounds like one of those moves where continued exposure to it would increase the debuff... then won't threads be a good match with that?

Trapping and holding them down with threads, then keep on spewing aura at them from a distance... I like it!

I just wanna check my other options. Flight skills, no hits. Levitation... is no good. Teleport? You wish.

Not that skills like that could be obtained with just 1 Skill Point, and I don't wanna risk a potential initial skill for something that dubious. At worst, I would have to take something like Flight Reinforcement, if that's a thing. I'll play it safe for now. Skill Points are easy to farm for me after all. I get double the amount.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Acquired a skill from the Skill Shop.

Acquired skill: [Spider Thread Lv.1]

Let's hope this works. I feel no different after getting... screw that. There's a new feeling in my body. If I do this...

*Splat*

It came out! Threads came out of my mouth when I spat! But, yuck... that's nasty. It's more like spit than threads-!?

What the-!? My tongue!? When I spit, I found out one more secret of the Grey Demon's anatomy: their tongues are freaky long!!

It's not on the level of a frog's but it's still half as long as my legs. Ah! Since Grey Demons have such bad balance, do they use their tongues to pick up food? I think I'm on to something here.

Well, that's interesting and all, but I need to focus on the threads for now. Let's see if I can...

*splat*

Yup. They can come outta my hands as well. Not so sticky as well. The books said that I can manipulate the stickiness, but I don't know how yet. Let's get those hands moving then!

---

Urgh..., argh..., halfway... there...

Phew. That was some trial. Good thing this platform was here so I could take a rest.

The climbing went relatively painless, except for the massive exhaustion. Despite being a newborn, I'm more well-fitted than I expected. Could this be the reason why the goddess reincarnated me with an adult body?

Still, it was good timing that I reached this platform right now. Why? Because someone else's going to become prey for the boulder-disguised monsters.

A group of fishmen-like creatures was wandering towards the entrance of the tunnel leading to the lake on the next level. They were armed, but only with primitive spears and knives.

Could they be related to sahuagins from my world? [Identification] don't reach that far. I seriously need to increase its level...

No matter, the fishmen won't last long. [Magic Sight] is better than [Identification] in range, so I can see that the fishmen's magic is weaker than the fake boulders in that department. Or, it's better to say they're practically non-magical. It could be they're physical muscleheads, but I'm not that optimistic. If they do get rid of the boulders, then that's a-okay for me.

Alright, the moment of truth. The fishmen are passing the boulders...

*Chomp!*

Eh? Ah!? The top half of one of the fishmen disappeared!

The boulders! They're... snake-headed turtles? No, since we're on land (or better yet, under it) should I call them tortoises?

Anyway, one of the two tortoises had chomped off that lost part of the Fishman just now. Despite being a tortoise, it was so fast I couldn't see it! The guy that was just eaten even took half a step after the bite, as if the remains of the body didn't register it was eaten!

The other four fishmen stopped in shock, only to be the prey of the tortoise behind them. Another Fishman got eaten, while the remaining three tried to get into position to counterattack.

That was brilliantly prevented by the first tortoise again, who took another Fishman as a snack. The two remaining fishmen must have understood that they were no match, so they dropped their weapons and tried to escape the place.

What-!? The second tortoise did something I never would have thought was possible in real life! It withdrew into its shell, then it started to dash around, like those shells you throw in that well-known game franchise with the mustaches plumber!

The two fishmen had no chance and turned into a bright red spot on a boulder. The parts of their bodies that didn't turn to mush were sent everywhere... and one of them's coming this way!

*Splat!*

Ugh... one of their arms was sent flying all this way... bleurgh...

The two tortoises started to eat the remains of the fishmen. I-I don't think I wanna have fish for a while. Not sure where there's food in this place, but I'm not hungry enough to eat the arm here. Especially that gruesome spectacle.

Let's just keep on climbing. My numbness in my hands disappeared while I watched the splatter show... huh? There's something down there... A snake?

A dark-colored snake was slithering around the ground, looking for body parts of the fishmen that was just killed and that the tortoise doesn't care about. Is it a scavenger?

... You know, I may not be too far off. It must have used a skill like [Stealth], or the weaker version, [Hiding], to escape [Magic Sight]'s effect.

Then... we both ignored each other 'cause we lacked the necessary skills? Just like those fishmen from before! ... I'll take up a search skill when I've got the Skill Points for it.

"SHAAAA!!" - Snake

Huh? Oh crap! I just met the eyes of the snake! It looks up here with murder in its eyes!

Why!? Is it 'cause of the arm that's up here? But there are tons of remains down there!

Yikes! It started to climb up the wall! And it's fast! Like, five times the speed I had!

F-fine! If you want this arm, take it!

*Toss!* *Hit*

Oops. I hit the snake. S-sorry. Wasn't on purpose... and here he comes again!!

I can't fight here, there's too little space to work with! And that snake looks stronger than me. Heck, I was born just today! No way I'm gonna know how to fight.

Then, let's get outta here! Throw threads, secure, and climb!

... Oh yeah. It climbs five times faster than me. What shall I do now!?

If I could just get to the top, then I... wait a sec. If I can't reach the top before it reaches me, then don't I just need to slow it down?

I pretended to slip and positioned myself upside-down while staying secure with the thread wrapped around my wrists. I finished the preparations just in time! The snake just climbed up on the very same platform I had rested on.

Go! Certain-kill attack, Thread Spit!!

The massive goop of threads and spit hit the unsuspecting snake head-on, gluing his head to the platform.

Now, certain-kill attack number 2! [Aura of Darkness]!

A black fog-like thing came out of my body and headed towards the snake.

"SHIIAAAA!!" - Snake

Mwa-hahaha! Keep on squirming, you pathetic unprocessed wallet!

The snake felt intense pain while being bathed by the Aura. Or, it looks like he does that. If he's faking that, then he would have won an Oscar with his hands down! Oh, snake. Right...

Now that it's this close, won't [Identification] work?

Scavenger Snake

That explains things somewhat, but not his stupid level of anger over me. Before I hit him in the face the first time, I mean.

Urgh, I'm starting to feel lightheaded. Is it because of the skill? Better stop then and CLIMB!

I fixed my position and started to climb towards the top again. Finishing him off? No way! That snake's big enough to take a chokehold on two of the fishmen at the same time! Let alone little, adorable me!

I kept on climbing while the snake tried to remove the sticky threads. It managed to force itself off the platform and looked up to continue the chase. However...

*Rumble, rumble, rumble, RUMBLE*

*SPLAT!*

Strike! Take that, you stupid sucker! If boulder-bowling existed, I could take a crack as the champion title!

I saw the boulder during the first half of my climb, and that its foundation was starting to crumble. So, I took the opportunity to use the last juice of [Aura of Darkness] on the rock, give it a little push, and there you go. One pancake Scavenger Snake, ready for take-away. But phew, that was close.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Your level has increased. Reached Lv.4

You have earned 0.3 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.3 Skill Points were earned.

Karma Value has decreased.

Acquired title: [Giant Killer]

Acquired skill: [Strength Increase (Small) Lv.1]

Acquired skill: [Vitality Increase (Small) Lv.1]

Bonus EXP acquired.

You have earned 0.3 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.3 Skill Points were earned.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Your level has increased. Reached Lv.5

You have earned 0.1 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.1 Skill Points were earned.

Eh? Hold on for a second. Didn't, like, lots of stuff pop up now? Eh? Eeeeehh!?

Greydra

Kigal-Note: Skills

Skills:

On Terra Sol, people and creatures can obtain special abilities known as Skills.

Almost all skills, except for two special groups, can reach a skill level of 50. Skills that have reached Lv.50 can be traded for a higher-ranking skill. This process is called "Skill Evolution".

When a skill reaches a certain level, a derivative skill gets unlocked in the Skill Shop. Obtaining a class will also unlock new skills. In this case, the skills will be related to that class.

One can also use several skills at certain levels for a Skill Merge Evolution, where you obtain a new, advanced skill that combines the effects of all the component skills.

Skills that lack skill levels are perfected skills, and they cannot be improved anymore.

The different skill categories:

Alvatria's comment: Remember that Darkness attribute skills are the best skills.

ARC 1] CHAPTER 2: FUTURE PLANS AND KING OF THE CAVERNS

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

[Identification] skill level has reached Lv.10.

[Status Identification] has been added to [Identification Lv.10]

Skill [Discern] has been unlocked in the Skill Shop

You have earned 0.1 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.1 Skill Points were earned.

And another skill bites the dust.

It's been quite a few days (it feels like more than a month) since I was reborn, but things have been going... smoothly, I guess.

After I read about my race in the Kigal-Note, I made sure to stay out of the way of any monster possible, as probably anyone could best me in a fight, unless I got lucky again like with the snake.

Dungeon or cave, in places like this, the stronger guys would be at the bottom layers, while the weaker guys should be closer to the entrance. Maybe there's someone weak enough for me to farm EXP on! It's still better than being here with boulders trying to make a snack outta you.

The good news is that there aren't too many monsters that can climb up to the hills, so I've been using these heights to escape any troubles, and monsters as well.

The only guys on this floor who can climb all the way up to here are the Scavenger Snakes, and they stick to eating the remains of the meals from either those snake-necked tortoises like the first two guys or a cobra-like Water attribute monster that sometimes cooperate with the tortoise.

Not sure what the latter two guys are, as [Identification]'s range can't reach them from up here. It's safe up here, so I won't be going down anytime soon.

Food's no problems, as the whole place's littered in flora. The other monsters kept away from them for some reason, so I needed to figure out what kinda plants they were. That was done when I got [Identification] to Lv.5. A simple ability known as [Name Identification] got unlocked then. That, plus the Kigal-Note, was just what was needed to solve this mystery.

The reason why vegetables ain't on the menu is 'cause of this special plant known as the Crackerberries. They're an Explosion attribute plant species that literally blows you up when you're getting too close to them. They grow with other plants, camouflaging themselves to look just like them, so eating plants with these pests around is equal to playing Russian roulette with dynamite instead of bullets.

Funny thing is, their Explosion attribute was the reason why I'm able to figure them out. All hail [Magic Sight]! Even so, I needed to use the Note to figure out what was edible from the non-explosive ones. Some were goods, some were misses... I miss a good egg-and-bacon breakfast now... not to mention BBQ. Wonder if there are some non-monster fishes here?

Speaking of which, it became the third skill to reach Lv.10. [Identification] from before is the fourth guy.

The first one was unsurprisingly [Night Vision]. It also comes in colors when reaching Lv.10! The first colorful view of the marine blue caves was breathtaking...

Back to the point, the second skill that reached the good, ol' Lv.10 is [Spider Thread]. There was barely a moment between this guy, and [Night Vision]! But when I gave it a thought, I do use it to make bridges and for climbing, as I keep on walking on the higher area of this floor. I also used it against the snake, which was way higher in level than me, as proved by me getting the [Giant Killer] title. Maybe you get some bonus proficiency when using skills against stronger targets? Like in games?

When we're on it, let me give a quick explanation about titles. They're special abilities, similar to skills, that are automatically acquired when fulfilling certain requirements. In [Giant Killer]'s case, that was to kill a creature that was at least 10 levels higher, and their racial rank was one higher than my own.

Titles come with tons of rewards, such as bonus EXP, up to two skills, unlock certain classes, and you may even get some Skill Points! With [Giant Killer], I got two skills, [Strength Increase (Small)], and [Vitality Increase (Small)]. They're skills that improve your status values, not that I feel any different from before.

As for the effect of the title itself, an increase in damage is inflicted on those with a higher level, or higher rank in the racial hierarchy. Or, better yet, both at once! Sweet. Except for the part that I'll probably be toast if I face something like that.

You also get an equal amount of Skill Points, depending on how many Points the killed creature's race gets when they level up or reach a tenfold level with a skill. The snake was rank E- so I got 0.3 Points... which was doubled due to the whole Champion-thing,

Due to that, I've earned a total of 2.2 Skill Points since I was born. The initial 1 Point is not included.

I leveled up 4 times due to the snake, giving me 0.4*2, meaning 0.8 Points from only that, then 0.3 from the title, doubled to 0.6, for finally, those from the four skills lately, giving me 0.8 more Points.

I used up 1 Point after the snake episode, to get the [Threadsmanship] skill I saw when I got [Spider Thread]. The skill is what's called, a "Weapon Proficiency" skill. Meaning that even a doofus with a sword can use it with they get a [Swordsmanship].

Yeah. Threads can be used as weapons. Who'd known? Except for all the guys out there that watch anime and spy movies?

It helps me make better thread-based creations as well. Like laces! Okay, I joked. It helps me make what I call web bridges. And I know the name's too spot-on. But anything that helps me avoid the monster-infested ground floor is fabulous in my book.

Oh, and I used the remaining 1 Point as well, leaving me with only 0.2 Skill Points in the wallet. The new skill is called [Danger Sense], which is better than nothing within detection abilities, I guess.

Now then, I've been delaying this for too long, but people may be wondering about the System Message I got before. The [Discern] skill is a little something that allows me to "double-identify" the results that [Identification] brings up.

This is needed since [Identification] can only tell me how many skills, titles, and blessings, the target of identification has. Besides, it's faster to identify it rather than to look it up in the book all the time.

Therefore, let's not waste any time! Take up the Skill Shop... searching using one of the skills in my possession... using [Identification] for the search... and presto!

SKILL SHOP

Available skill points: 0.2

Search by word:

Search by skill [Identification]

Available skills:

Power-up [Identification Lv.10]: 1 Skill Point for 1 level up.

Ugh, 3 Points... Anyway, this is another way of using the Skill Shop. You can look after skills that are related to the one you used for the search, and it's even possible to gain new levels with it by paying Skill Points! I would rather obtain new skills instead, but every man to his taste..., or in this case, every demon.

Still... those other two skills... I won't be needing them in this cavern, or Dungeon, or whatever. Still, it's not stupid to keep a memo about them existing.

Anyway, there's no need for [Discern] at the moment. [Identification] at Lv.10 can't show skills yet anyway. Just look:

Only stats, gender, level, and name! The gender, level, and name came when the skill reached Lv.5.

At Lv.15, I can see these Karma Values, and at Lv.20, you can see the skills, along with the Skill Points. I need that [Discern] skill to see what the skills really are though.

Lv.30 lets me see the traits of the guys, but not what they are until I get [Discern]. And Lv.40 lets me see titles, but, again, you need [Discern]. And at Lv.50, the Blessings from the gods are shown. I don't even need to mention the need for that other skill, do I?

Therefore, there's no dire need for [Discern] right now, but I wanna have more skills! And not live in this snake hole! Stairs to the next level, where are you!?

---

Zzz... One grilled chicken... Two grilled chickens... Zzz...

*rumble, rumble, rumble!*

Whoa!? I'm up!

"SHAAAAA!!!" - ???

That sound-! A snake? Where's... whoa!

A gigantic... cobra? Something that looked like a bigger, and more regal-looking, version of the Water attribute cobras that I've seen on the ground floor. It's so big, its head touches the fog-banks in the ceiling! Its scales look more like sapphires than snake scales, and on its head, there is some sort of crown? Horns? It just looks like he has some crown on top of his head.

*SPLASH!!*

WOW! Was that something like a dragon's breath? Whatever it is, large amounts of water came out of the cobra's mouth. And it reaches even here! Wait, was these 'hills' something that was formed from the cobra's mouth?

... This is a guy I don't wanna mess with. I think I'm gonna call him the king cobra from now on.

Hey! That's a Fishman! Or, what's left of him. Don't tell me they challenged the king cobra? They must have. I don't think a Fishman would get taken out by water after all.

Maybe that's why there are not so many different types of monsters here? They got flushed away by the king cobra! The Water attribute monsters must have some ways to cope with the flow, and the Scavenger Snakes can just escape to higher ground.

This event has furthered my will to escape this floor. Let's just go the opposite way of the water flow, as it's probably being led towards the lake tunnel that goes downwards. Just need to steer clear of his majesty. He gives me the shivers.

Hmm... maybe these fishmen are some sort of invaders? The king cobra blasted them 'cause they were moving on his turf. That sounds plausible. Then, considering the position of the king cobra's blast (which should be the direction the fishmen came from) with the water flowing towards the lake, the entrance should be... around that way!

It's also an area that I haven't looked at yet, according to my map, so let's check it out afterward. I'll wait for his majesty to go to sleep. In the meanwhile, I'll hide behind this big rock...

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

[Danger Sense] skill level has reached Lv.10.

You have earned 0.1 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.1 Skill Points were earned.

Truer words were never spoken!

Greydra

Kigal-Note/Perception Skills: [Identification]

Description:

[Identification] is a skill that allows the user to see the status of their targets, meaning the skill holder can discover the strengths and weaknesses of their targets.

One can also find out the identity of creatures and items, which is the real reason for this skill's existence. However, people are more interested in the first use of it.

To further see what the results of [Identification] is, one needs to use the [Discern] skill, which is unlocked in the Skill Shop when [Identification] reaches Lv.10. When [Identification] reaches Lv.25, it unlocks the [Probing] skill, which allows the skill holder to detect if someone tries to fake or change the result of [Identification].

Alvatria's comment: As it would be too easy if all this was in one skill, we decided to split the effects into three different ones.

[ARC 1] CHAPTER 3: THE CHAIN QUEST

We're going on a hike, we're going on a hike. Hip, hip, hurrah, we're going on a hike. In a cave tunnel!!

People may want to ask for my happy mood, but I'm too hyped over finding this entrance to the next level! And to escape the dreaded floor 9!

Believe me, that place was worse than I've could have imagined myself. I got a peek at a cobra and a tortoise before I left the place with [Identification], and boy those results were bad.

The guy on the top's the tortoise, while the other one's the cobra by the way.

I GOT NO CHANCE IN HELL!!

This place has to be a Dungeon! Please let it be a Dungeon. In the way that there are only weaklings on the first floors. Please!

I don't know whether it was good- or bad luck that made those two monsters pass by me right before I went into the tunnel (hopefully) leading to the next floor.

The tunnel itself is just as dark as the previous place, only dustier, and with more boulders here and there. On the previous floor, there were lots of water sources here and there, which was good against dehydration. This dry tunnel's a refreshing change of scenery. It doesn't smell like a snake hole either. Wait, do I have a nose?

! My [Danger Sense]'s tingling. Someone is coming down from the tunnel! Let's go ninja behind that boulder for now. [Stealth] and [Camouflage], don't fail me now!

I waited while holding my breath... until two cobras came along. Phew, glad I noticed them. That sudden increase in the [Danger Sense] skill helped. Give it to his scaly majesty.

"(Then this half-year's inspection was done, old chump.)" - Cobra 1

Huh? What?

"(Indeed. It is quite a tedious affair. Why cannot this Genesis God's vestiges be self-sufficient?)" - Cobra 2

I can understand what the monsters are saying! Even if all the other guys only roared like unintelligent monsters... oh, yeah. This must be that [Language Adaption] thing. Guess it only works on languages that have a meaning.

Still, Genesis God? That doesn't sound like stuff you should play around with.

"(Don't say things like that. It is bound to invite a catastrophe.)" - Cobra 1

"(You are right. Even if those Sahuagins do not know the worth of that floor, who knows which people could stumble across this Dungeon?)" - Cobra 2

Some topics I wanna know more about! Let me hear more!

"(Did you smell that?)" - Cobra 1

Oh, crap! Activate [Stealth] and [Camouflage] at full force!

Argh! They're still coming this way! [Stealth] and [Camouflage], [Stealth] and [Camouflage], [Stealth] and [Camouflage]!

"(It's just a regular old rock, friend.)" - Cobra 2

"(Did someone redecorate lately? I wish we had thermal visions like those pests that always try to eat the remains of our meals. It would be easier to figure out if a new smell came from a living being or not.)" - Cobra 1

"(Yes, those small snakes are annoying. That they have some handy skills that only make the irritation grow. To think those pests are sullying this glorious realm of lord Glavras.)" - Cobra

They left for Floor 9 while complaining about the Scavenger Snakes. So it's not only I who hate them.

But still, that was TOO close. Got some info from this suspense horror, but it probably shortened my lifespan. That just now was seriously scary. The only good part was that they weren't the type of monsters from horror movies. I'm bad with those, I think.

Besides, why are cobras more sophisticated than me? It's insulting! Not to mention humiliating.

---

And, I've reached the end of the rope. Or tunnel, if you wanna be figuratively about it.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

New Location of Interest found: [The Water-Knot of Glavras], Floor 8

This Floor is much smaller than Floor 9. It's only the size of a gymnasium, and most of the space is occupied by a huge, illuminating crystal in the center of the room. It hurts my eyes after all these days without any lights.

Other than that, this place's free from any greenery or water sources, so I have to move on.

But before that, there's something I wanna check. All this talk about "Glavras" and "Dungeon" has made me want to do some research. And this place's as good as deserted, at least for another half year.

After hiding myself behind some cover, in the small chance of something passing by, and looked up this place in the Kigal-Note.

... Bad news. There is no news!

When I used the Kigal-Note's auto-search function, I got nothing on "Glavras" itself, and on the page about "Water-Knot" of Glavras", the only thing that's written is this:

"A Dungeon created by the vestiges of the Genesis God. Due to this, the Water-Knot of Glavras is outside the Ultimate God's authority, meaning that the gods cannot collect data from the Dungeon on their own."

Well, that's troublesome. And this Genesis God that it was talking about?

According to the Kigal-Note, it's a super-massive energy entity that was worthy of the name of Genesis God. Its powers were so great, even the entity's ego was destroyed by those powers, resulting in a creature of destruction. It sounds more like the beast of the apocalypse than a creator god to me.

The entity felt several gods of different worlds that tried to stop the entity from destroying its world, and many others in the process. Then, twelve concepts of elements, too vague to be called gods, were sent into the fight. The elements leached off the power of the Genesis God and turned into the twelve Ultimate Gods, each as strong as the chief gods of other religions.

The Ultimate Gods then fought and defeated the Genesis God. However, the "corpse" of the Genesis God turned into a new world that overflowed with the powers of the entity. The Ultimate Gods were made the rulers of that world, and created a special "World System" to stabilize the overflowing power. The world was then named after the Genesis God's name; Terra Sol.

... I didn't expect to find out about the creation of the world when I was looking for the truth of the Dungeon. Ehm, then what about vestiges of this god?

Ehm... some parts of the Genesis God's body broke off during its battle with the Ultimate Gods, and those pieces fell to Terra Sol after the world was created. These vestiges throw off the World System's automatic analysis abilities, making the area around the vestige a black box unless you investigate the place yourself.

Crud. No walk-through for me then. Then, is this place the vestige? Hmm...

GWAAAAH!! TURN IT OOOOFF!

Y-yikes. That was a bad idea. I tried to use [Identification] on the huge crystal pillar, and my brain almost got scrambled! With extra crispy bacon on the side even.

The hidden Dungeon, the Water-Knot of Glavras, is a threat to all waters in the world, but due to the interference of the vestiges of the Genesis God, further information about the Dungeon is not acquirable.

People who enter this mirage-like Dungeon, try to establish a connection between it and the World System.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

You have earned 1.0 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 1.0 Skill Points were earned.

Quest Clearance EXP acquired.

And this is... what? I got some points, so I don't wanna complain, but an explanation would be just as thoughtful. That, and I got WAY too few points when considering the risks! Sure, it's enough for a skill or two, but my grey matter almost turned charcoal black!

I wanted to leave this stupid floor as soon as possible, but when I was making my way for the entrance to the next floor...

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Chain Quest discovered: [Bug the Knot (I)]

Alright, now what?

Connection with the Water-Knot of Glavras and the World System is now fulfilled!

From the newfound information gathered from the connection, it is believed that the Dungeon creates a special barrier field by utilizing the vestiges of the Genesis God. This barrier will prevent any higher forces from noticing the existence of the Dungeon unless it is someone stronger than the Genesis God itself.

Plant tracking devices across the Dungeon to bypass the disruption barrier, and put a stop to the devilish Dungeon.

A new Quest, which was made from my actions just now. Should I feel proud? 'Cause I'm only feeling confused.

The Quest itself looks like a delicious offer. Just 1 Skill Point sounds like too little for the trouble, even if it's doubled, but Power Spots are spots of high aether concentrations. [Magic Sight] will find them with no troubles. And hey, it's the first floor. If push comes to shove, I can just look for the exit rather than the Power Spots and leave this crazy place.

Also, this Quest is probably something like a chain quest you can find sometimes in RPGs. You complete one Quest, and a new one pops up as a result. The difficulty will spike as you keep on chaining the Quests, but so does the reward. Some things may be different from what I know, but whatever. I can check up in the Kigal-Note on my way up the floors.

To be honest, this is quite a good deal for me. I have to start from the entrance, and I've got the [Auto-Mapping] skill to help me remember where the exit is. Meaning I can use this Chain Quest as a sort of training ground. I don't expect that a Grey Demon will be gladly accepted by the outside societies, so why not make use of this hell hole for some serious level grinding?

But, what race should I aim for? The Kigal-Note doesn't explain what actions must be done to evolve into a specific race. All it says is that one gets evolution options after completing several requirements when reaching the level cap.

Maybe I should aim for one of the races I designed? They are the monsters I know the best of on all of Terra Sol. Guessing their evolution requirements should be a piece of cake.

... Though, it depends on whenever those guys are added to the World System...

Well, that time, that sorrow. It's good enough to simply set a reasonable goal, then pick up whatever skills, races, and even classes, based on that goal.

First off, what should the goal be? In, what creature did I design that I have a possibility of evolving into? That whole "Adaptable Demon" thing limits me to the demon race, so I should start from there. How many demons did I design again?

... Kur Kigal. Let's aim for that one.

It is the most human-looking of the whole bunch, and it's a demon of Darkness and Heretic attributes. Since it was designed to be an assassin, it's probably stealth-related, a style I've been dedicating myself to since I was born.

The requirements for its evolution must be something like being a Darkness- or Heretic attribute demon or having skills of the same attributes. That, and probably a class like Assassin. It wouldn't be weird for that to happen. Let's see what the Kigal-Note has on the Assassin class...

Tsk. There is such a class, but I need to complete the Rogue class before even thinking about starting it.

In that case, I'll go the humble way and try to not get into any fights as I go down to the first floor. That reward for setting those tracking devices is enough to cover for the Rogue class. I just need to keep my eye out, so I won't get squished by some random monster.

After getting the class, or fulfilling all the requirements for it, I should aim for the [Discern] skill, since picking any more Monster Skills could move me away from the Kur Kigal-route.

Instead, I should pick Heretic attribute skills, but those are probably better to take with my free initial skill slots. I should also look for some sort of item box skill with them as well. There are no such skills that come from being a demon after all.

... This is gonna be so awesome!

Greydra

Kigal-Note: Classes

Classes:

A class is a profession based on a specific archetype.

Classes are available from the Skill Shop after completing certain requirements. One can have up to 5 classes, one Main Class, and the rest being Sub-Classes. It is not possible to change classes, except when one upgrades them.

Classes are mostly only used by humanoids, as the World System does not give any heads-up when someone fulfills the requirements for unlocking a class. Instead, a certain Magitech tool is needed to reveal what classes one has completed the requirements for.

As they lack access to such Magitech tools, monsters are practically incapable of obtaining classes. However, some monster races may obtain a class due to evolution. These situations are mostly seen in demi-monster species.

Merits:

A class will grant status corrections to stats that are related to the profession. In some cases, the status could drop instead of increasing, making the selection of classes extremely important.

Classes can also unlock special skills in the Skill Shop that are impossible to obtain in any other way. They also grant abilities when they reach certain thresholds in the special class levels each class has. Most of the time, they are special skills specific to that class.

Types of classes:

There exist five different groups of classes, with each category specializing in a different subject. These are the Warrior classes, the Magician classes, the Scout classes, the Artisan classes, and the Special classes.

Main- and Sub Classes:

The amount of classes one can take is limited to 1 Main Class and at most four Sub Classes.

The Main Class obtains all the special abilities and status corrections of the selected class and is represented as the person in question's main occupation. Meanwhile, Sub Classes only obtain 75% of the status corrections and a limited amount of the special abilities that come with the class. The number of Skill Points needed to obtain the classes differs depending on what type and ranking of the class.

While the Main Class is available to everyone, the Sub Classes have restrictions based on one's racial rank and level. One must also pay an additional price for each Sub Class one obtains after the first one.

The Sub Classes gets unlocked at the following levels:

Rankings of classes:

Classes are divided not only into categories but also in ranks.

These ranks are created to show the difficulty of the requirements that are needed to be fulfilled to obtain the class.

As a class with more difficult requirements are more powerful than its peers, these rankings also work to demonstrate how strong a class can be. This also means one can unlock a class of the same ranking, but more powerful abilities, if one completes the requirements for that class.

The Skill Points needed for each class are also determined by these ranks.

The ranks are as follows:

Alvatria's comment: Special classes matches my taste better than the others.

[ARC 1] CHAPTER 4: THE 101 IN PEST EXTERMINATION

Wheeze, wheeze, damn it all. These last floors have been killin' me...

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

New Location of Interest found: [The Water-Knot of Glavras], Floor 4

I mean, who makes the fifth floor a freakin' water coaster!? Not to mention without life rings or lifeguards!! And the 'car' is just a simple big shell! AND the floor had several cobras, whose size told me they were the missing link between the normal cobras and the king cobra from Floor 9!

Before that, on Floor 6, I needed to play a trapeze artist over a chasm filled with stuff I didn't even wanna look at! The only good thing was that there were barely any monsters and lots of food (veggies). If it wasn't for that stupid cursed chasm...

But the worst was Floor 7! "Why", you ask? 'Cause, it was a freaking WAR ZONE!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I arrived there. Tons of tortoises, spiders, and dinosaurs were fighting those Sahuagin guys from before. And they had dinos to help them as well!

The blueish spiders were creepy large, half a size bigger than me. Their abdomen was smaller than a regular spider, to the point of not being there. They fought by spewing water in powerful bursts at the opponents. There was also a bigger type of spider, with its head being formed like a human's upper body, arms and everything included. It didn't look too much like an Arachne though

The dinos looked like those velociraptors, I think? I'm no dino-professor, but they looked like those from the famous movie of the dinosaur park. Their bodies were colored with a mix of dark grey and dark blue.

Also, some of those guys looked like the evolution of the raptors. They were bigger than the raptors at least. Then they had some fin-like kinda stuff on their arms and legs. Quite pretty, if they weren't on a bloodthirsty carnivore!

The tortoises looked the same as usual. But they had some evolved friends with them as well. A bunch of bigger tortoises with TWO heads! Come on!

The Sahuagins looked like they usually did. Guess those guys at Floor 9 were a recon party, 'cause it sure looks like the Sahuagins are trying to conquer this place.

The strangest thing is, the Sahuagins also had some dinos on their side. And of the same race as well! The only difference was that the Sahuagin dinos had equipment on them so that people wouldn't mistake them for those of the other side.

And that's just the rank-and-files of the war. There were, from my point of view, three leader-rank monsters on each side of the conflict.

On the "Glavras" side, there was a big, Tyrannosaurus Rex-looking monster, probably another evolution of the dinos. Then there was some stupid-big spider with an abdomen bigger than the rest of it! And it was pulsating like a heart to boot. Ew. Finally, we had what looked like the top evolution of the tortoises, a freaking hydra with a shell!

On the "Sahuagin" side, there were three super-dinos. One of them looked like a spinosaurus with blades all over its body. The second guy looked like an ankylosaurus. The third looked like a raptor again, but it had quite the colorful plumage. It looked like one of those shamans from cartoons.

Needless to say, it was obvious that I had no chance against this "All-Star battle royale of the Water-Knot". My [Stealth] and [Camouflage] skills each passed Lv.10 long before I had managed to sneak around the battle. Seems like I can't complete the Quest for the seventh floor, that is if the Quest goes that far.

Well, back to the current floor. Floor 4 looks more like an ordinary cavern system than any of the other places. There are not too many monsters either. I think the Dungeon was forced to move all their forces to Floor 7 to stop the Sahuagin invasion, leaving only a bare minimum of personal in the other floors, except for Floor 9, which the king cobra guards. It must be the Dungeon's final line of defense.

Well, guess I can start hunting now. I'm tired of chewing on weeds all the time. Not that I can cook the meat... will my stomach be okay?

Anyway, hunting on the fourth floor's too risky. I need to get to the first one before considering anything like that. However... I need some real way of attacking. The closest thing I have on hand is that [Aura of Darkness], and that's closer to a debuff than an attack.

One of the requirements for the Rogue class was to kill creatures undetected by others. And I need to do so 50 or more times!

I need some way of getting the deed done, or else I can kiss any hope of obtaining Kur Kigal goodbye. I need to start looking... but first, I need a good night's rest. Where's the camping area?

---

One homemade, spiderweb base later...

It took some time, but I managed to build a secure resting place for me now. *Sniff*, it's been too long since I've had a good night of sleep.

I discovered a small, hard-to-see opening in the wall, and it led to quite the cave. 'This place's perfect for a hideout', was my thought when I saw it, so I started to work on it the moment after I had checked the place was danger-free.

I covered the entrance with a cloak of the same color as the Dungeon walls (self-made, don't ask about the quality), then I set up some real, deal, spider webs. These took some serious training exercises to learn how to make. And seriously, they aren't that well either. Better than nothing.

Well, I've got a camp, some (questionable) defenses, and a not-sticky web-bed. I've even collected a huge bag filled with greens for snacks! I'm gonna get the best sleep ever. And that tells something.

Now that I have my camp, I can start looking over means of attacks. I was planning on getting Heretic attribute skills, so an attack of that nature? No, maybe not. The Heretic attribute screams "I'm wasting MP!!" in big letters and in stereo too. [Aura of Darkness] needs all the MP it can get, so I need something MP-green, and it should be related to the Rogue class, aaaand, Kur Kigal.

Hmm..., what about poison? That sounds rogueish. And even more assassin-ish. I'll check what's up for sale.

SKILL SHOP

Available skill points: 3.0

Search by word: poison

Search by skill []

Available skills:

That was more than I bargained for. Am I that poisonous? They all only need SP, so they are kinda what I was looking for... what the heck's [Poison Tongue]!?

My brain must be tired. Let's get some sleep before I collapse. 'Night.

---

Zzz...! I'm up! I'm up, I'm up!

What's going on? I'm far from feeling refreshed, but my sleepiness has completely disappeared. And for some reason, I'm getting the chills here.

... Something's coming. My [Danger Sense] is telling me that. And my very soul screams to follow what it says.

I made a rope outta threads and positioned myself over the entrance to the cave. Whatever that's coming won't see me up here with the first. So who's our unfriendly visitor?

...!? Roaches!?

Oh, I was wrong. Wait a sec! That's roaches! Big as a cat, yes, but still!

*Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch...*

Hey! They're eating all my veggies! Wasn't that emotionally connected to them, but still... And now they're eating the thread bag? And the rock I used to keep the bag standing!?

Does [Stealth] work on these guys? 'Cause getting eaten by roaches isn't how I want my final moments to be. Please don't fail me now [Stealth]!

Seems like the roaches have finished their... "devouring"? They're leaving the cave now, not spring a single glance towards me. Phew, that was-!? Two of them looked at me! Don't look at me, I'm not food!

... The two roaches looked towards where I am, then they turned to each other, and... made faces as if they saw something disgusting, then they left.

...... Alright, you damn roaches! Calling me disgusting? It's on now!

---

I kept on looking for where the roaches had gone to. An easy task, as all the tunnel paths they had taken, was left bare due to them. How much can they stuff into those small bodies of theirs?

As I searched the tunnels for the pests, I discovered that the inhabitants of this floor were either the usual Glavras spiders, a type of frogs double as big as the roaches, which was called Pond Frogs, and several mouse species.

I didn't care so much about them, except for the rats. I must be able to defeat those at least? They had the same stats as the other pests, but they didn't have any secret weapons like the roaches' swarm strategy.

The rats are called Greycave Rats, due to them often being seen in caves, and because they can eat rocks and dirt to replace real food. They act as the bottom-feeder of the bottom-feeders, according to the Kigal-Note. Tough luck for them.

After some more searching, I found the roaches. And boy, this was more than I expected! A whole cave the size of a baseball stadium, filled with wall-to-wall roaches. Layers of them even! And in the center of the cave was a whole different roach, the size of a small car. It had some golden-colored horns on it, so maybe a king roach? Wait, it's a queen. It just gave birth to some new roach eggs. Urk...

But yeah, my flames of revenge just died out. I mean, it's way too many of them down there! It's like a pest exterminator's worst nightmare!

It's only because the tunnel I peek out of is around 50 meters in the air that I can spy on them without being noticed. But the moment I try to attack, the swarm will climb up the wall and drag me down, or just eat me here.

Thinking about it, the spiders from before looked like they were patrolling with determination before. Was it because of the roach infestation? The only possible way looked like to take care of the groups that patrolled the tunnels with patrols of your own. The Dungeon's heavyweights were all busy with the Sahuagin invasion after all.

While pondering the Dungeon's local governing, I went out of the tunnel and out to the crossroad. Let's see, I came from the path that leads downwards from here, but there's another one leading upwards. I had only taken the path I was in right now because I heard the noises of the roaches, but couldn't this road upwards lead to the next floor?

With that idea in mind, I kept on going upwards... only to have my idea popped with a needle. The tunnel ended in a T-junction, with the lower end being the path I'm currently in, and the other two having flattened and not going any further upwards.

Oh well. I've gotten quite higher up now, so I should have come closer to the next exit... what's that sound? A muffled, but still powerful sound came from somewhere. I went into the junction, careful for anything around the corners, and tried to listen after the source of the sound.

It comes... it comes from the wall? I leaned my... body... towards the wall, and... it's water. Tons of water is flowing just behind this wall.

Then... that water coaster from before... did all the water come from this floor? Or, is the fourth floor a simple pipeline system that gives water to the water coaster on the fifth? This... I can make use of this.

---

A patrol of Glavras Aquarects, spider monsters of the Water attribute, kept their many eyes open after the pesky vermins that had occupied this floor of the majestic Dungeon.

This was a futile effort, as the vermin had a Queen that could reproduce the pests in less than a week. Still, as loyal guardians of Glavras, the Aquarects could not let the vermin roam loose.

The Aquarects decided to move closer to the area where the Queen had laid lair. They were not foolish enough to attack the swarm as a whole, but shaving off some of the vermin the moment they left the safety of their lair is an idea they could live with.

Just then, one of the Aquarects noticed something strange on the floor. A single stripe of white, with two more stripes creating an arrow at certain intervals, pointing up the tunnels.

The Aquarects was dumbfounded by the strange sight. They tried to touch the white stripe, but it was stuck on the ground. It looked like it was leading somewhere. While the Aquarects were not stupid, as they figured out the possibility of a trap, but the novelty of the strange substance had awakened their curiosity. Also, the Aquarects were the guardians of the Dungeon. Why should they not investigate a strange occurrence like this?

The Aquarects kept on following the stripe of white, only to find it leading to a wall. There was a deformed-looking picture of one of the vermin drawn on the wall. The vermin was laughing as it pointed towards the viewers, meaning the Aquarects.

Blood instantly went to the Aquarects' heads. Without caring about the probability of it being a trap or not, the five Aquarects blasted the painting of the wretched vermin with their [Water Cannon] skill... only for the wall that the picture had been drawn on to collapse.

The Aquarects couldn't believe their eyes. The walls of the Dungeon could withstand anything! That was what their common sense told them, so the shock of it being crushed before their eyes delayed their reactions so much that they could not do anything before they were swept away by the raging torrent.

---

Score! Jackpot! Banzai!

Those stupid spiders did just as I wanted! It was worth weakening the wall with [Aura of Darkness] all this time. I wasn't sure if they would get the roach I had drawn on the Dungeon wall, but they reacted just as I hoped!

I was in one of the other paths in the T-junction, watching over the water leaking from the "pipeline" flushing down the tunnel. Most of it was going to flow down the path I had originally taken there, but some of it was going to the roach cave!

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Your level has increased. Reached Lv.6

You have earned 0.1 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.1 Skill Points were earned.

A level up even! That's a nice bonus... but shouldn't I get more? It was five of those big-ass spiders. Or maybe I only got a small chunk 'cause I only lead them to take their own life with their stupidity? Eh, whatever. I got some EXP from this without having to risk my life, so I'm happy.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Acquired title: [Vermin Bane]

You have earned 1.0 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 1.0 Skill Points were earned.

And this is... the water must have reached the roach cave. It doesn't look like I'm getting EXP for that, but Skill Points works as well.

Now that my mood's been lifted, let's go to the next floor. I found the exit just past this tunnel here, so there's no need to stay in this roach hotel. That, and the water gushing outta the hole in the "pipe" is more than I expected. I'm not gonna stay here only to be flushed away when more of it breaks due to the water pressure!

Greydra

Kigal-Note/Titles: Vermin Bane

Further Information:

A title granted as a reward for those who slay vermin.

It is different from regular Hunting Titles that have upgraded versions of themselves, nor does it grant any damage corrections against vermins.

Another point is that one does not need to be directly responsible for the death of the vermin. One only needs to play a notable role in the extermination of them.

Alvatria's comment: This title was added after the suggestion made by all the goddesses.

A REINCARNATED DEMON'S LIFE OF WONDER

[ARC 1] CHAPTER 5: DEPRESSION, EXCITEMENT, AND A PINCH OF TROUBLE

*Chomp*

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Level has increased. Reached Lv.8

You have earned 0.1 Skill Points

Due to "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 0.1 Skill Points were earned.

Ugh... I hate doing this. The EXP helps though...

I'm currently on Floor 3 of the Dungeon. Having made a base on a ledge on the Dungeon walls, and checking that there aren't any buggers or other creatures that could bother me up here, I made a temporary base and had a little vacation. And why shouldn't I? This place's too beautiful not to stop for a break!

Floor 3 is an open-area floor like Floor 9 and 7, but most of the space is taken by the large rivers here. There are also large pools of calmer waters with some underwater connections to the rivers. In these pools grew massive trees, mangroves, was it? They granted the dull grey caverns a refreshing, tropical look, not to mention some well-needed lighting, as the trees' leaves were glowing all on their own. There went my [Night Vision] proficiency.

All I need is a fancy drink with a parasol and pineapple slice, and you got a real resort. The monsters here are those Greycave Rats, Glavras dinos, and Pond Frogs. Like the one I just killed.

After seeing the weak-ass stats of the rats, I decided to earn some EXP and real experience. The only times I've killed monsters were either by dropping a rock on them or several tons of water. I needed a battle plan to cover up my weakness in stats, so why not try it on someone even weaker than me?

Therefore, I made the name of Vermin Bane no shame and went on some real rat extermination. Not that these rats have Vermin traits.

Still... rats are too scrawny to be used as meals... and the EXP's in the same category...

Also, there were some strange readings that [Magic Sight] picked up from the corpses. Turns out, the rats had parasites in them...

For the above-mentioned reasons, I quit my job as an exterminator. Now I'm a frog hunter!

The plan of hunting is the same for both species though: set up a net between two large objects, the walls or boulders, then wait for an idiot to get caught. You can say I'm going spider-style with this operation.

After the monsters are trapped, I'm finishing them off with a close and personal bite. And not just any bite. Not at all. It's [Poison Bite]!!

I got 2 Skill Points for free for my little stunt with the pests at Floor 4, so I used them to award myself with the skill. I also got [Poison Resistance] for 1 Point to counteract any recoil from the Bite, but to be honest, I was going to need that one sooner or later. It's [Poison Resistance], you hear me! Now I just need something to paralyze and stun, then I'm gonna be unstoppable!! Okay, maybe not that much.

Back to the point, I used my newly acquired venomous fangs to put rats and frogs outta their misery of being trapped. Hmm? Isn't being bitten and poisoned to death more of a misery than being trapped in a web? Nah, I'm gotta be imagining it. The rats and frogs are sure to thank me in the next world.

I had to stay clear of the frogs though when I did all this. Unlike the rats, which had no means of escape or to strike back, the frogs had that stupid-long tongue of theirs! Do they use some kinda whip-skill with those things!?

No matter, thanks to the successful hunts of 7 rats and 3 frogs, I've obtained enough EXP to get to Lv.8. Were they any tasty? It's unprocessed monster meat! Did you think it would taste anything related to real food!!?

No matter, I've gotten a good idea to make up for all those gross meals... not the plants though. They're way too tasteless.

What I'm talking about, is these fruits on those mangroves! Fruits are sweet! And the other monsters eat the fruit with no hesitation and smiles on their faces when they eat them, so it has to be some super-duper nice fruits! Heck, I saw a rat that drowned when it was trying to get to the trees!

Me, on the other hand, have spider threads of the finest silk. And, I've got the perfect excuse to brave the constant monsters that walk around the trees at every hour of the day, but hey, I've got a lasso of the finest spider silk.

Top that. Now, I'm gonna get some good food!!

---

WAAAAAH!! NO WAAAAY!! WAAAAAAAAHHH!!

I can't taste it! The-, the sweetness-! It's, it's, it's not there!!

The fruit's fleshy and juicy and all that, but the taste ain't there! But why!? It should taste something, or else the other guys wouldn't be so crazy about it! And no, they aren't mind-controlling mangrove fruits. I've checked the Note. Then what's the cause?

*Gasp*! Is it me? Is it that Grey Demons can't taste stuff except for bad meat? NOOOOOO!!!

There's no proof, but I'm sick of this body even without that! Urgh, why didn't such a piece of information written in the Kigal-Note? Or the selection screen at that limbo office? I've been swindled!!

Alright, calm down Garami. You only need to get two more levels, then you can evolve into something with real taste buds. But before that, there's something I need to get.

SKILL SHOP

Available skill points: 3.0

Search by word: discern

Search by skill []

Available skills:

Good thing that [Darkness Reinforcement] and [Threadsmanship] reached Lv.10 during the hunting season.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Acquired a skill from the Skill Shop.

Acquired skill: [Discern Lv.1]

There. That should prevent any more misleading information... when I get those two levels, I'll get to read the fine print. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!!

... Alright. This whole no-delicious-food thing is tearing on my sanity. Maybe there is something with this fruit.

Wonder what I can evolve to. I'm equally excited about it, but also a little scared. I mean, you turn into a completely new type of creature... maybe not "completely new", but you get the point.

Still... what I can evolve to... I thought that having Darkness- and Heretic skills, plus the Assassin class, would help me getting the Kur Kigal evolution, but what about the other evolutions?

... That's it. I'm getting those initial skills right now! At least, enough to put me on the rails to Kur Kigal. Turning into races with abilities similar to Kur Kigal will increase my odds after all.

Let's see... if my memory's right here, then I've got four more free skills for the taking. What should I pick? Something related to traps? I've got a good share of stealth skills, and more is to come with the class... I wanted to take those Evil Eyes skills that I read about in the Kigal-Note, but I'm not bad enough for them... yet.

Maybe some weapon skills? But I don't have any weapons. Then should I just go for a Heretic attribute skill? But even if I divided my mana usage between it and [Aura of Darkness], I still don't know WHICH skill I should take. And asking for skills with the Heretic attribute is gonna give me a damn long list. Too long to figure out what's good or not in there.

This is gonna be more difficult than I first thought. Too bad that I can't pick Monster Skills as... ugh! I overlooked the possibility to simply search for Monster Skills instead of getting [Discern]! I could have taken the skill as an initials skill!

Oh well. Done's done. That Quest on the first floor is gonna give me 6 Skill Points. The whole Champion-double thing's included.

Then, should I aim for something that's gonna help me with that Quest? I've got a mapping skill, [Magic Sight] that lets me see Power Spots... but I don't have anything to carry those "tracking devices" with. Why didn't I think of it before? An item box skill's an obligatory trope for an otherworld adventure! I just gotta express myself well enough here...

Initial Skills selection:

Numbers of initial Skill slots remaining: 4

Search for Skills: [A skill I can store stuff in a different dimension, or similar]

Available Skills:

[Spatial Storage] is the only possible choice here! The shadow- and mirror ones may sound cool, but that's all. Spatial sounds way better, so no hesitation here! Boop.

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Acquired skill: [Spatial Storage Lv.1]

Oh, yeah! Who's got the number one item box in town? Me! Let's see, to use it I need to... that was easy. A wavy opening appeared right in front of me. Can I store this stone... I could! And it doesn't use any SP or MP!

Speaking of which, I need something to help me with this constant lack of usable MP.

Initial Skills selection:

Numbers of initial Skill slots remaining: 3

Search for Skills: [Skill that manages MP]

Available Skills:

Ooh. Give me them all!! If I had unlimited skill slots... Better pick the guy that looks the most helpful and take the others with Skill Points. In that case, Auto-Recovery sounds like a winner. [Mana Drain] sounds tempting, but it doesn't mention how much MP is needed for the skill, nor how much you can drain. But I'm keeping an eye on you, [Mana Drain].

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Acquired skill: [MP Auto-Recovery Lv.1]

Now I'll save the two last slots for a Heretic attribute skill, and in case I need a specific skill later on with that Quest.

Ha-ha-ha! Nothing can stop me now! Except maybe for the king cobra. And the all-stars on Floor 7. And much more... anyway! I'm better than ever!

Maybe I should take my time traveling to Floor 1? I mean, there's no way that there is someone else that can complete the Quest before me, right? Ha! Good one.

---

"Hello, gang. I've got our new assignment ready. We are going to search for the Forgotten Mountain." - Swordsman

"The Forgotten Mountain? As in the one where people expect to find the cause of the drought?" - Hobgoblin

"... Impossible to find..." - Orc

"Terd is right. The Forgotten Mountain is a place that keeps itself hidden with a mirage-like barrier created by the Genesis God's vestiges. Not even the gods can find that place." - Priestess

"Actually, the Mountain was easy to locate, but the mirage-like abnormality suddenly appeared 20 years ago, so it may be something different. Though, the theories that say that this incident and the sudden drought are related, are not to be laughed at. At least, that is my thoughts." - Elf

"You're all right, but there are no worries even if we don't get turned into the heroes that stopped the drought. We will only be searching for treasures that have been unearthed due to the drought in that area. No need to look for a Mountain that's not possible to reach." - Swordsman

"If you say so. But, will it be enough with just the five of us?" - Hobgoblin

"That is why I've gotten a supporter to help us this time. And believe me, she's a godsend." - Swordsman

"How 'godly' then?" - Priestess

"Just the best Sprite swordswoman that hails from Solomar! Now, pack your stuff. We've got a long journey ahead of us." - Swordsman

"Relax, we've got lots of time. What's the worst thing that could happen? Would some monster steal all the good Quests located there? Ha! Good one." - Hobgoblin

Greydra

Kigal-Note/Skills: Magic Eyes

Magic Eyes:

Magic Eyes are a type of skill that is centered around the skill holder's sight.

These types of skills are divided into two types:

Truth Eyes and Evil Eyes:

Among the Magic Eye skills, there exist two sub-categories that are only attainable once one has 100 positive or negative Karma Values.

These skills are more efficient than regular Magic Eyes, as well as having rarer and stronger effects.

These are the Truth Eye skills (for positive Karma Value) and Evil Eye skills (for negative Karma Value).

Alvatria's comment: In hindsight, it was good that Chaos proposed these skills.