A dumbfounded look sat on my face as I stare at the message.
[Move southwest.]
Nothing like this had happened yet, and I didn't have any sort of map, so where the hell is it trying to take me?
The only time I could think of something remotely like it was the tutorial when I asked it where to go. Hesitantly, I call out, "Tutorial? You there?"
A long silence follows, and my cheeks tinge themselves red in embarrassment. "Of course not…"
I stare at the message again.
[Move southwest.]
"Hm."
Deciding to test the message, I move west. It didn't react after a few steps, so I began walking in that direction. In less than 5 minutes, a 'ding!' sounds.
[Move south.]
"So it is taking me somewhere." My nose crinkles as I try to think of what the destination could be. I highly doubt something called my Life Statscreen would bring me somewhere extremely dangerous. "Maybe it's finally hearing me out on my hope of finding a town?"
Excitement begins to take over my heart as it starts beating faster. I start running south. I fall at least five times, but the thoughts of civilization overrun my annoyance easily.
I quickly deplete nearly my entire Stamina pool, though, and have to resort to speed walking in the direction it told me to, all while watching my Stamina slowly tick back up. I grit my teeth in impatience, each tick seeming to take longer and longer.
My impatience grows worse as another Boar roars at me from up ahead. "Goddammit," I mutter, pulling the Upper Canine out of my Inventory.
"Slash."
[Skill Slash was activated.]
With a screech, the Boar lowers its head as an orange hue takes over its tusks.
[Strong-Armed Boar has activated Skill Bash.]
Critical Eye has activated already, too, but I designate the Mark as useless, as it's near the front left hoof of the Boar. Instead, I dash forward, as the Boar charges at me. I tilt my body low as I get closer, as if I am going to slide under the ivory sprouting out of the Boar's mouth, but the Boar only lowers its head further to block that.
Luckily, that was what I an counting on.
Planting my leg under me, I leap forward, narrowly avoiding the curved bone from slicing into my hip and instead landing on top of it. The unexpected added weight for the Boar causes its tusks to slam into the ground, dispelling the Bash Skill. A large jolt runs through its body as it hits the ground, causing me to fly towards the rest of the Boar. Quickly reacting, I swing my legs up and absorb the impact with them and I land on the angry pig's forehead, right where I had killed the last one. As I was nearly perpendicular to the ground, I couldn't stay here, so I twist my body and leap again, this time down the rest of the Boar's body. I spin around like a torpedo, extending my arm and the blade out to swipe at the Boar. Finally, I pour Mana into the blade, and it grows over a foot longer.
[Skill Skewer was activated.]
Slash!
A large chunky splat sound is heard before a clean slicing one follows. I hadn't fully decapitated it, but about three-fourths of its neck separates from itself, and the spine is cleanly disconnected. I stick my feet out to catch me again, but this time my feet couldn't keep up, and as I continue to twist I flop onto my back, the continued momentum throwing me like a rag doll for a few more feet before I end up in my familiar upside-down position.
An irritated groan rises from my throat, and I flip over to inspect the Boar. The last bits of its life that it had desperately clung to disappear like the wind leaving its lungs, and the encounter iss over.
[Obtained 20 EXP from the Strong-Armed Boar.]
[Obtained Ivory Tusk(x2) from the Strong-Armed Boar. (Please touch the body to collect.)]
[???: Progression increased.]
[Total Progression: 96%.]
I quickly swipe away the messages, dusting myself off and throwing the sword behind me. A screen catches the blade, storing it in my Inventory. Kneeling down by the body, I place my hand on it, and the tusks on the Boar disappear, just like the Canines of the Ogre. I check my Inventory, but contrary to the Ogre's odd teeth, the Ivory Tusks were just that: regular tusks.
Soon, I was walking again. I check my EXP progress and the Progression for whatever the upcoming reward was, then look once again at Klum's Reincarnation.
[Cooldown remaining: 5 hours, 57 minutes…]
"Shit," I mutter, picking up my pace until I am almost running. The last thing I check on was my Stamina, which when Imy eyes land upon I sigh in dismay.
[Stamina: 9/40]
I had used even more of what I was trying to regenerate by dispatching the Boar so quickly. Still, it was better than a prolonged fight. It also causes a thought to cross by in the back of my mind. 'I've really grown pretty strong since coming here. The fight with the other Boar had only gone well because of the two Critical Hits I had landed, mostly by luck. But this Boar I had defeated with a single strike, and it wasn't even a Critical Hit.'
A grin spreads across my face. 'Still, the Skill has allowed me to grow exponentially due to being so broken. I mean, 350% is insane.'
I continue thinking about my accomplishments and how I might continue to grow with a small grin sitting on my face.
- - -
A little before the cooldown has reached 5 hours, my Stamina finally hits max, and I begin running again. Once I start, it only takes me about 20 more minutes to reach the foot of a mountain in front of me. Due to the tree coverage, I hadn't been able to see the quartz-looking stairs until I was right up on them.
"Is this it?"
As if to confirm my thoughts, a new message popped up on my screen.
[Ascend.]
"A mountain village, maybe?"
With curiosity filling my brain, I begin climbing.
And climbing.
… And… climbing.
An hour later, I am huffing and wheezing, but there was still no end in sight as the stairs continue curling upwards around the corner of the mountain.
"Who the hell… would make this kind of trip??"
Still, I am desperate to hopefully find a place that cooked and seasoned meat, and preferably meat that didn't come from a bug. In my rush to get here, I hadn't thought of storing the Boar, and left the body behind. Even if I had…
'I'm full on my Inventory.'
There were 5 spots for all my weapons, 3 sticks left, 4 bug bodies, and the tusks I had collected. I never knew if there would be something I needed to hastily store, and while I could drop the sticks, that didn't solve the problem of only having 5 more usable spots. I would need a sheath to carry my weapons in soon, or I would have to make some kind of sling.
As I ponder how I might be able to use the exoskeletal legs of the bugs to potentially make a sheath, I walk around the bend of the mountain, and a sight for sore eyes finds its way into my vision.
A tall, two- or three-story building sits nestled into the side of the mountain, surrounded by the natural trees growing everywhere. Atop its roof is a statue of a lady with long flowing hair on her knees. A strange looking sword rests on her thighs, and her hands lay gently on the scabbard. Her features, and the building in general, were simply—
"Beautiful." The sight is so intensely amazing that the word slips from behind my lips.
"I need to break this habit of talking to myself before I meet any new people," I sigh slightly, walking towards the building with renewed energy.
As I approach, I realize just how big the building — and the statue — are. It towers above me, looking as if it were far more than just three stories. Yet, the outer design of the building only suggested there were that many, causing my confusion to grow. Still, it was a building, so I press on.
I still hadn't seen a single person around such a large place, yet it was impeccably maintained. With lack of a better plan, I walk up to the doors, which were actually about 5 times the size of me, causing me to crane my neck far back just to fit it inside my vision.
Unable to wait any longer, I push upon the door. It was heavy, but still moves pretty easily. Sliding open silently, the entirety of the inside of the strange building is revealed.
Rather than three stories, it was all just one gargantuan room. There were long flights of stairs leading up to balconies on the edges of the single room, but that only went up one 'story.' The third story had windows that slanted upwards to allow light in, as the only other sources of light were candles by the shrine towards the back of the room.
The shrine has the same woman in the same pose as atop of the building, and now that I had a closer look, I can see her closed eyes and gentle smile that radiate a sense of serene feeling. 'Why does she look so familiar?'
The realization hits me as I take a few more steps into the room and spot small pillows laid about in circles. "This building is a shrine."
There was a man who had been sitting in front of the statue and had been so still that I thought it was just another one — same pose and all — and proves he is a human only when his head suddenly snaps up, throwing his shoulder length blond hair back sharply.
"Ah, so I've been found at last, it seems," the man says with an arrogant smile, gracefully standing up. "Now, tell me. Are you here to serve me, or just to fall by the sword of the next Sword Saint?"
I blink a couple of times, appalled by the entitlement of one man.
"Sorry… who are you?"
- - -
[Klum's Reincarnation (Unfound Autoskill)]
[Cooldown remaining: 9 minutes, 12 seconds…]