Apparently Marcus and Sieg had a campsite set up in one of the previous chambers the two men had explored in the few days they had been exploring the underground complex. They had given Leif directions and told him they would leave the tunnel doorways open.
Sieg grumbled about 'trusting a monster' but he didn't seem to care enough to do anything about it. The man was complaining out of obligation rather than worry, and Leif didn't really blame him.
Judging by how proficient Sieg was with his axe and the rapid progress at which he tore through the statue trials, Leif doubted he could touch the man, let alone win in a fight.
This is to say, when Leif received the newest flurry of system prompts an hour after they had left he had no idea what to do. He suspected both Sieg and Marcus were at a higher level, though just how high he could only guess.
Should he try to ask them? Wait, don't they think I'm already level 30? And how would I even go about asking? There's so much I don't understand.
Leif sighed and focused on the one prompt he did understand. Two skills to choose from, both had something to do with stances. This didn't seem like a difficult choice, a strong, stable footing would synergise far greater with his current fighting style and body than the offensive alternative.
Just weighing the feeling he got from [Aggressive Stance] to that of [Grounded Stance] made the choice straight forward.
You have gained the [Brawler] class skill [Grounded Stance]!
===
Grounded Stance I:
Aspects: Comprehension, Enhancement (body)*
Grants instinctual understanding of combat stances and their uses.
Grants a bonus to balance, footwork and stability while fighting in a combat stance in which you have proficiency, bonus increased by degree of proficiency.
===
Leif felt the change as he stood there, the forms he had been practising snapped into greater focus. Even while still and not in a stance he felt in more control. He took a step forward and fell into a combat stance.
The martial arts phantom dipped its head slightly as if in acknowledgement of his improvement. And it felt right, as if everything up until this point had been wild flailing. He moved through the early forms, his speed and precision blisteringly fast compared to just a minute prior.
As Leif worked he felt himself shift slightly to enhance his motions. Even without using [Amber Awareness] he could tell his basic forms were rapidly approaching a mastery he couldn't have dreamed of even hours prior.
As he practised the basic forms the phantom performed different poses and movements, becoming more complex and intricate. He had reached this stage prior but had quickly made errors and faltered. This time he lasted two minutes of quickly escalating difficulty before his stance broke.
Leif breathed out and let his body relax. Maybe I should thank the goblin, ork, whatever he was. Almost killing me and smashing me through the ground is turning out pretty great.
His mind wandered to his animals, if Leif had known how close he had been to a goblin infested city he would have sent them far away. Wild animals weren't incapable of protecting themselves, but he still felt responsible.
His body ached and weariness was creeping into his mind. He wondered how long a lack of sunlight would take to affect him. As he walked the maintenance tunnels of whatever this underground labyrinth was he considered the other system prompts he had received.
What would the advancement trial be? But perhaps more interesting, how did skill fusion work?
Choose two or more skills to attempt a fusion!
Warning! Success rate depends on proficiency and understanding of skills in fusion!
Additional skills after two increase fusion cost and amplify failure rate!
Newly created skills will be based on the primary skill and belong to its class!
Skills used in this process are lost after a successful fusion!
Primary skill: [None]
Secondary skill: [None]
===
Leif heard two familiar voices as he entered a new chamber. A tent was set up by the far wall with two figures sitting on the stone floor nearby. Sieg was holding a rounded device with an intricate metallic silver base.
A new voice came from the device, it was distorted and occasionally cut out. As Leif entered both men tensed slightly before relaxing.
"-it's hard to tell their exact numbers, we haven't gotten close since you were captured. A highly evolved orc is beyond our team's ability to handle, and that's working together." Came a male voice from the device.
"If it's a high first strata incarnate it's beyond all of us but Hera. Speaking of, she should be no more than a week away, give or take a few days. You know how it is."
"We have two weeks of rations and that's if we don't pace ourselves. There is also more than enough water throughout the different chambers" Sieg said. He adjusted the device and angled it towards Leif. "We picked up a…"
"An ally." Marcus said through a mouthful of food.
"Right."
"What is that thing?" Came the voice.
"It's Planty." Marcus said, smacking his lips. "Professional goblin slurper!"
My name is not 'Planty'. Leif thought, though he couldn't blame the man for coming up with something on his own. Not like I could tell him. Though Leif had tried to communicate through hand gestures and grunting.
It wasn't very effective, amusing to watch though.
Leif could now see a face within the spherical object. The man was looking away and down slightly. He was bald and with a darker complexion than Marcus.
"Fucking hells guys. That's a [Blight Spriggan], or some sort of variant. Those things are really dangerous. What level is it?" Came the voice, agitated this time. Leif stopped at the words, staring silently into the orb.
"Thirty, at least." Sieg said, his tone grave.
"Kill it."
"No!"
"I'm not kidding Marcus, I'm reading here that those things reproduce parasitically, they can turn you into one of them." The sandy haired man just rolled his eyes. "They're why the unclaimed lands are so inhospitable up north." The voice continued.
"Right right," Marcus waved the voice off, "Keep us posted and all that." He grabbed the device from Sieg and somehow turned it off, he turned to Leif smiling. "Anyway I was thinking, you can't talk because you don't have a tongue? Why can't you just make one with your gold skill?"
Huh?
===
"Eya"
"Ehya"
"Eey"
Early next morning Leif was practising making sounds. It was incredibly awkward, like talking with a dead fish lodged down your throat, Its floppy tail smacking the insides of your mouth. Its salty taste reminding you of the ocean and better times. This got away from me so let's move on.
[Amber Awareness] and [Gilded Body] were receiving massive workouts. Leif's proficiency with both skills rapidly improving. As he did so Sieg followed the instructions of the axe statue, the man was getting better with each failed attempt.
During his speaking practice Leif had downtime. This let him contemplate what the first thing he should ask the two men if, or rather when he mastered talking.
What were they doing here? What was this place and why was it below the city? Who was the voice from the device?
Well, he supposed before anything he would start with introducing himself.
===
"Leaf? Really?" Sieg snorted. It was a few days later.
"Yes..." Leif said, the sound slurred and wispy.
"There's no way." Marcus laughed. "That cannot be your name." The man was practically rolling around on the floor.
"It… is… name… why… you… laugh?"
"B-because," Marcus chortled, wiping a tear away with a finger. "You're a plant monster, and your name is Leaf. Like the thing that grows on trees."
"Oh…"
"Sorry, sorry." Marcus wheezed. "I don't mean to be rude. Do- do you have a last name?"
"Vin…"
"Vine?" The sandy haired man gasped. "Are you seriously called Leaf Vine?"
Sieg choked on the water he was drinking.
Leif glowered internally. How the hell have I been a plant for over eleven years and not realised that? Am I stupid?
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Hyperion Evergrowing: A Monster Evolution LitRPG by Nilsimus
Chapter 21: Understanding
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Leif brooded while he waited for his [Gilded Body] skill to recover after overuse.
Imagine for a moment, that if, whenever you wanted to talk, you had to solve a puzzle cube while balancing on a tightrope. Ok, now imagine something more sensible but equally as challenging. What I'm trying to get across is that it wasn't easy.
Leif and Marcus sat off to the side watching Sieg get further and further into the statues training, with every attempt he grinded away, progressing more and more. The large man's movements were powerful but nearly perfectly controlled. The axehead parting the air like a scalpel, each swing surgical.
"He's really good, you know?" Marcus said with a smile. "Sieg I mean. Really smart too, he beat me in several systems theory classes."
Leif gurgled non-committally. Was there an easier way to switch between contrasting consonants?
"Oh hey, that's different." Marcus said, putting aside the notebook he was writing in and perking up.
The spriggan looked up when he detected something manifest within the chamber. An intent, directed at Sieg. The axe phantom had solidified, it now stood, tangible and in a combat stance.
"Final part?" Sieg grunted. "Gods I hope so, this seriously sucks."
"Kick its ass big guy!" Marcus cheered.
Sieg cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. Then the projection attacked. It moved in familiar motions, never deviating from the forms it had been imparting. Though it moved in new and unpredictable patterns of the pre-existing stances and strikes.
The two combatants whirled and struck, their battle constantly picking up speed. Steel axehead met spectral projection and sparks flew. Sieg winced and drew back as the phantom pressed him. The tall man fell a step behind in the dance of combat, then a second.
The projection spun out from a flurry of quick testing strikes into a devastating overhead swing. Sieg caught the attack on his armoured forearm. Blood seeped from where the armour had cracked and down into the pool of water.
Sieg roared and the air grew cold, shards of ice misted into existence and the water below quickly froze over. Then Sieg burst forward, no longer in the statues' stances, power surged around him.
Ice-layers built up around his axehead, sharpened sheets of infused elemental energy. His weapons edge grew in size and the air screamed as he struck forward and parted the projections head from its shoulders.
It flashed red, then poofed out of existence.
"Nobody fights without skills!" Sieg complained loudly. He gestured to the axe statue. "I don't have your stupid class. Shouldn't have to fight like I do." He trailed off, letting his skills disperse into spooling vapour.
Leif stood. Couldn't he do something about Sieg's wound?
===
Blight's Bounty:
Aspects: Enhancement (Body)*, Technique (Blood)*
Your attacks passively drain vitality from struck foes. You may actively syphon or bestow lifeforce via continuous touch.
Blood you absorb is converted into the amber sap that beats within your heart. This amber sap naturally becomes compatible with any target you bestow it upon.
After you have drained a being of vitality you gain up to +40% to all attributes for one hour. This bonus is lost incrementally over the hour-long duration.
===
He could! Leif had never used the healing portion of the skill on someone else so maybe… He made to walk over but Sieg quickly popped a small red object into his mouth and started chewing. The tall man squinted at Leif. "What? You wanted my blood?"
"Not… blood…" Leif managed to get out. "Can… heal…"
"Sure you can. I'll stick with restoration pills thanks." Sieg grumbled and plopped down where Leif had been sitting next to Marcus.
"You mean 'healing beans'?"
"No. That name is childish."
"But it's bean shaped!"
"I'm not in the mood for this conversation." Sieg sighed. "This whole chamber calibrates to my current level and attributes, but it assumes I have certain skills from a mythical class I don't have. Hells, no one has it as far as I know."
Leif was confused. Mythical class? What's that?
"Hmmm?" He hummed, looking between both men.
"Oh?" Marcus said. "I thought you already knew. This structure is a Mythhold, a training ground of sorts built in ancient times."
"Yeah, but nobody gets a mythical class unless they're already incredibly powerful. So what's the point of a training complex?" Sieg grumbled. "And yes, I know why, I'm just complaining. They used artefacts or 'mythstones' to impart the class onto others, but they don't exist anymore so now these structures are just holy sites."
"Right, but the orc above our heads doesn't know that. He thinks there's something down here that will grant him incredible powers. I don't even know if monsters can even gain auxiliary classes." Marcus said with a shrug.
"Why… here… then…?" Leif asked. If there wasn't whatever a mythstone was down here then why come at all?
"Oh there will still be something of value. Maybe a mana geode? Structures built in ancient times usually incorporated them into their foundations." Sieg said.
Marcus bumped him with his elbow. "Sieg here is hoping for a promotion item. An emblem or higher." The man continued seeing Leif's lack of understanding. "Monsters naturally evolve when they reach certain levels right? Well, humans need to use promotion items like seals or emblems to increase our class tiers."
"But they're damn rare. The system sometimes grants them for performing feats of excellence, but most people buy crafted ones." Sieg said. "We're just academy second years, even seals, the lowest tier promotion item, are prohibitively expensive."
"But we're willing to steal!" Marcus declared. "What're they gonna do? Un-promote our classes? Don't think so!"
"Steal from an elite? What a truly amazing idea." Sieg deadpanned.
"What… About… Milestones…?" Leif asked. The last word took several attempts to say coherently.
"Ah!" Marcus said. "The milestone bottlenecks are a massive pain. A lot of people struggle greatly with the first one. I don't know what they're like for monsters though."
"Level twenty five, fifty and one hundred." Sieg said.
"Right. But reaching the level one hundred milestone is a huge achievement. There are rumours of milestones at even higher levels but I don't know how valid they are." Marcus commented.
"Getting below the skill threshold is a feat in and of itself without spending either a ton of time or a ton of money. Sometimes both. And then there's the advancement trial…" The man shivered.
"Advance…ment…?" Leif asked. He wanted to get an idea of what was involved. How dangerous it might be.
"It's different for everyone. Personal and tailored to the individual. Both Marcus and I passed ours during our first year at the academy. It's usually kept private but there's a bounty put out by certain departments for information about each person's trial. Good money doing it, I have no regrets sharing mine." Sieg explained.
"I still don't think you should have. It's bad luck, I heard the system makes the next bottleneck even harder if you share."
"That's superstitious nonsense." Sieg nodded in Leif's direction, seeing the spriggan's interest. "My trial was about my decision to leave my tribe and come south, about walking away from perceived responsibility and accepting my choice." He shrugged. "There was a monster too but it was hardly worth mentioning, I killed it in a single hit while it was forming."
"I failed my first attempt, lost three levels and was sick for a month." Marcus said with a faraway gaze. "I had to get further below the skill threshold by fusing more than is recommended at such a low level. It cost a ton but shouldn't be harmful in the long run."
"Fu…sion…?" Leif was struggling to form words as he pushed [Gilded Body]'s limb creation to its limits.
"It takes a long time." Sieg explained. "But it can be sped up with mana catalysts like shards. Pretty much any skill can theoretically be fused with any other skill, as long as you can picture what a successful fusion would look like."
"The Academy teaches the 'Trestotle Model' for progression. Each level is like a balloon, gaining experience expands the balloon with the ultimate goal of 'levelling up' being like popping the balloon." Marcus said in a lecturing tone, hand gestures demonstrating something slowly expanding.
"Skills are like a counter weight. They push back against the expansion, only a little bit for each one. But if you go over your skill limit, usually between fifteen and twenty, your skills push down with enough force that progress becomes impossible."
"It's a balancing act, you need to fuse skills to keep yourself below the limit. But each fusion is harder and harder, takes more time and resources. So you can't just fuse a bunch of low grade skills. You need to be selective or else progress at higher levels will be extremely difficult." He explained.
Leif nodded, it seemed to make sense.
"What was your advancement like?" Sieg asked. "Can't say I'm not a little curious how a monster's bottleneck differs from our own."
Leif paused. He hadn't completed his advancement. I still don't know why they think I'm level thirty. He realised.
"You don't have to tell." Marcus said, waving away Sieg's question. "It's personal, I have no intentions of sharing my advancement."
"No… I… don't… know…" How could he explain? Words were hard so he'd settle with a half truth and try again later.
Sieg frowned and shifted. He shot Marcus a look, the other man shrugged.
"I'm taking a break from the pool. It's all yours." Sieg said motioning to the ring of statues.
Leif nodded. He wanted to see how far he could get. Think about his first skill fusion while he was at it.
===
The two humans watched the spriggan activate the unarmed statue and begin the training routine. It was remarkable how quickly Leif was improving over just a few days.
"Think he gained a comprehension skill that involves combat?" Marcus asked as he stretched.
"It's possible. Hard to tell. It's not like we know all the rules of monster skill gain."
"So…"
"First whiff of dishonesty my skill has detected so far." Sieg said flatly.
"So he does know but doesn't want to share?" Marcus considered thoughtfully. "Eh, if anything that makes me more inclined to trust him. Everyone's got secrets, you know?"
Sieg grunted in agreement. "At least I know my skill is working."
"...I can lie more often if you'd like?"
"Helpful as always."
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A note from Nilsimus
Thanks for reading!
===
Exposition chapter. It had to happen at some point.
===
Chapters are released every Wed/Fri/Sun AEST!
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About the author
Nilsimus
Nilsimus
29/07/2023 22:35 04/08/2023 01:51 Australia mate Naked and Afraid
Bio: May my two braincells forever create little sparks of ideas.
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