I now have two mice standing guard on either side of the cave entrance. I notice that my range of vision has increased, as I can now see outside. To the left of the cave entrance, there is a tree, and there is tall grass nearby that is approximately the size of two baby mice stacked on top of each other.
I open the [Skills] menu.
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Skills
Skill Cost Type
Bloodthirsty Aura (F) I 0.5 mana I Active
Mana Manipulation (D) I null I Passive
Mana Vision (D) I null I Passive
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I check the effects of Mana Vision (D)
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Effects
Bloodthirsty Aura: causes slight fear in beings 6 steps around you
Mana Manipulation: you can move mana better 10% increase in mana
Mana Vision: You can see using mana 20 steps around you
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It seems that my vision has expanded to 20 steps, but I don't notice any additional effects. "Shame," I mutter to myself.
I haven't used Bloodthirsty Aura yet, so I make a mental note to test it out on any other creatures I come across.
As I wait, I observe my mice staring intently at something I can't see. They appear ready to fight off any intruders attempting to enter the cave.
Finally, I see what has caught their attention: another mouse. This one has black fur, sharp eyes, and appears larger than the mice I've encountered before. It sprints towards my two mice, who are now standing closer together. When they are within range, the larger mouse overpowers them. Realizing they are at a disadvantage, I quickly command my mice, "Bring him within 6 steps of me." They lure the larger mouse closer while attacking, and when it finally reaches the desired distance, I activate Bloodthirsty Aura.
The adult mouse freezes in fear for three seconds, which gives my mice enough time to pounce on it and tear it apart, devouring its flesh like starved beasts. Bits of the mouse's body scatter everywhere, and its blood splatters across my two mice. By the time the adult mouse regains its freedom, it is heavily wounded and unable to fight back. It meets its demise as my mice continue tearing it apart until it's dead.
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You Have slain a young mouse
Reward: 15 EXP
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After killing the young mouse, I observe that it was not an adult, but indeed a young mouse. It appears that baby mice are the lowest tier, followed by young mice, and I assume adults come next based on what has happened so far.
Realizing that it's probably not a good idea to leave the corpses where they are, I give the order to my mice, "Drag the corpses to the back of the cave." The mice promptly follow my command, first dragging the adult mouse's body, then the other mice that were killed earlier. Once they are done, I instruct them, "Go to your previous positions and guard me," and they immediately return to their designated spots, guarding me once again.
I notice that the mice I have don't seem to eat. Perhaps they live as long as I do, but I'm uncertain about this since I cannot communicate with them to find out.
With my mana now fully replenished, I decide to check the [Monsters] tab to see if I have unlocked anything new from slaying the young mouse.
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Monsters
Total EXP: 25
Monster I Cost
Mouse I 100 EXP
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Looks like my guess was correct. If I kill any new creature, I obtain a blueprint for it, although I'll only acquire it if I actually need it. Now that I understand how Bloodthirsty Aura works, it's a useful skill to have.
I decide to create another mouse, carefully weaving it into existence using all of my mana. Once it takes form, I give it a specific order, "Go outside and hunt weaker creatures than yourself, then bring them here." I'm curious to see what a baby mouse can accomplish on its own outside of the cave and observe how well it hunts. The mouse springs into action, darting past the two mice guarding the entrance. I watch as it heads left, passing the tree and eventually disappearing from my range of vision.
I open the [Menu] to check for any updates or changes.
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Menu
Name: Drasker Limnosqun
Gender: Null
Creature Type: Monster
Creature: Dungeon Core
EXP: 25 / 100
Health: 10 / 10 I Health Regen: 0.1/min
Mana: 0 / 11 I Mana Regen: 0.1/sec
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Intellect: 12 I Wisdom: 12 I Vitality: 5 I Willpower: 10
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I see no changes as I expected but how do I increase my other stats, maybe they increase when I level up.
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You Have slain a Big Spider
Reward: 3 EXP
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Huh, it seems that the classification of creatures depends on whether or not they can pose a threat to me. I had initially assumed that insects wouldn't count as I assumed they would be too weak.
As I observe, something enters my field of vision. It turns out to be my mouse, dragging a spider that's about the size of my original human hand, despite the fact that I am no longer human. Taking note of this development, I modify my previous order. I instruct the mouse to only bring creatures here if it hasn't killed them before. Complying with my command, the mouse returns outside after depositing the corpse here, leaving a trail of spider blood in its wake.
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You Have slain x2 Big Spider
Reward: 3 EXP
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It appears that the mouse is quite skilled at fighting spiders and locating them.
it has been some time since the mouse last killed anything.
It's possible that the mouse cannot find any suitable creatures in its surroundings for it to slay, or the mouse itself has met its demise.
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Monsters
Total EXP: 34
Monster I Cost
Mouse I 100 EXP
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Menu
Name: Drasker Limnosqun
Gender: Null
Creature Type: Monster
Creature: Dungeon Core
EXP: 34 / 100
Health: 10 / 10 I Health Regen: 0.1/min
Mana: 0 / 11 I Mana Regen: 0.1/sec
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Intellect: 12 I Wisdom: 12 I Vitality: 5 I Willpower: 10
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