He hoped this would also distract them from any talk of marriage nonsense.
The lizardmen growled in agreement, and the system translated their response: “Understood, Chief!”
Corvin shook his head, but at least he could understand them now, well, somewhat. The skill wasn’t perfect; it didn’t translate everything, but he got the gist.
“Two rules,” he continued. “First, we share everything we hunt with the group. Second, cores go to anyone who wants to grow stronger. If no one claims them, the one who killed the beast gets to consume it.”
With the ground rules set, Corvin slipped away from the night’s feast. He had left all the prey as well for them to split. Wasting points like that hurt his little greedy heart but he knew that this would build a stable connection with the tribe. Nera stayed behind, eating more and keeping an eye on the overly excited lizardmen.
***
Corvin lay on his bed, alone, staring at the tent’s ceiling as thoughts churned in his mind. Why is the system forcing me to take care of them? Why make me learn their language? None of it made sense. Wasn’t this tutorial supposed to be simple: level up, gain a class, return home, and take my revenge? But now… now I wasn’t sure what the system was planning.
He sighed, covering his eyes with his forearm as the migraine finally set in. Even my damn head is against me, he cursed silently. This damn system. It’s pushing me to grow stronger, but also to protect? Very suspicious. And the quests it’s been giving me; it’s like it’s pushing me against stronger and stronger enemies all the time… How will I even fight those orcs? What should I do about that lava lake? Should I just ignore it all?
The thought tempted him, but his pride wouldn’t allow it. No, Corvin never gives up, especially if I can gain something from it. Damn it all, system, you motherfucker you are playing with me, aren’t you? He sat up in the dark tent, cursing under his breath.
I can’t wait until you can talk again. Oh, you’ll get an earful. A mad smirk twisted his lips.
Then another thought struck him. What even is this world? Did the system create it? Is it part of my own world, or just a fantasy? No… no, the pain I feel every day is definitely real. He chuckled, low and bitter. So, either a separate world or something the system made. Can it make worlds? Well, seeing what it did for an Iconless, I’d say the bastard can do anything. He laughed again, the sound hollow. The longer he went without real company, the more he found himself laughing at his own thoughts.
And what was that earlier? That feeling, like something was watching me. Never a good sign. I need to grow stronger. Oh, right, the points. He opened his status window. Twelve points stared back at him. I'll save them for now. If needed, I can use them instantly. He didn’t want to waste them, not when they could mean survival or unlocking a skill.
Just as he was about to sleep, the system chimed pleasantly:
[Special deeds will be rewarded with points]
[Calculation completed]
[Due to the user’s many special achievements and quests completed, the calculation took longer than expected.]
[40,000 points awarded for 1 Hidden Quest completed]
[180,000 points awarded for 3 special achievements]
[20,000 points awarded for 2 completed quests]
[Total Points: 240,000]
Corvin stared at the glowing text, his mind screaming, though no sound escaped his lips. What the fuck? Did it just hear me complain and decide to shut me up with points? This timing is way too suspicious. He stood and paced in circles inside the tent, glaring at the screen.
You know what? Who cares. I need these points. Fine, system, you can buy my love with gifts, you bastard. A grin spread across his face as he opened the Market and dove straight into the Armor tab. Heat resistance was a priority now, and these points were a godsend.
Hmm, I’d need a new shirt or pants. A helmet as well. Or a ring, maybe? He scrolled through rare items, 70,000 to 90,000 points each. Rings and accessories were around 120,000. I always feel so poor. Fuck me…
He refused to replace anything still intact, frugal to the core. Then his eyes lit up. There it is! A long-sleeved silk shirt shimmered on the screen.
[Crimson Skin]
Type: Shirt
Rarity: Rare
Created from the finest volcanic lava silk. Adapts to the user’s physique and color preference.
Fire damage reduction: 30%
Raises proficiency with fire-related skills.
Price: 85,000 Points
I’m not sure what that last part means, but I’ll take it. He chuckled as the shirt transferred to his storage. Next, pants.
[Salamander Leggings]
Type: Pants
Rarity: Rare
Created from treated salamander leather. Worn by inhabitants of the Volcanic Nation of Drumell.
Fire damage reduction: 20%
Special effect activates when fire resistance reaches maximum.
Price: 70,000 Points
Perfect. With these and my skills, I should last long enough in that hellhole to research it. I just need to watch out for that damn turtle. He moved on to potions, then nearly fainted. 10,000 for one Greater Healing Potion? Are you insane? And 2,000 for a Regular Mana Potion? Holy, grinding his teeth, he bought 20 Regular Healing Potions and 10 Mana Potions, leaving him with 45,000 points.
Good enough. I’ll save the rest. One day, I’ll buy a Legendary weapon. He stared at the Weapons tab before closing the Market and finally lying down. That was a distraction… but a good one. Still, the system felt suspicious as he drifted into sleep.
***
Corvin woke with the first rays of sunlight and strolled through the tribe. The lizardmen no longer feared him as before, a small victory that made him smile. After his walk, he shared a quick breakfast with Nera, who had returned from her early hunt.
“I’m heading back to that cave today,” Corvin said. “Got some good gear. Can you stay here and protect the tribe? Please?” He knew heat was Nera’s weakness and didn’t want her to suffer again, but he also wanted someone strong nearby while the others hunted. That unease in his stomach from last night still lingered.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Nera hissed in protest.
“I know, I know,” Corvin soothed. “We’ll raise our resistance slowly. But for now, I need the tribe safe. You can go next time, okay?” He pleaded.
Unwillingly, Nera nodded and slithered up the watchtower, scanning the horizon.
“Thank you, Nera!” Corvin called as he returned to his tent, donned his new gear, and rushed toward the cave.
***
Corvin stepped into the charred cavern, the memory of being burned alive clawing at his nerves. He winced. Still hurts… damn it.
Okay, focus. Status check, prepare everything. He opened his status window and immediately facepalmed so hard his head rang.
“Are you kidding me? Damn you, Corvin!” he cursed aloud. The Night Lord title had been active the entire time. Just imagine the loot I could’ve gotten yesterday. I basically left gold lying in the dirt. He spat on the ground, leaving the title as it was. He’d need it for the dark cave anyway. Next time, I won’t forget...
He dumped six points into Strength and six into Speed. I should save it as I planned, but no time to play around.
His body shimmered faintly as muscles tightened, fibers growing denser, more efficient. Corvin jumped, dashed left and right, testing his new limits.
“Good. Faster, stronger. This system really is something.” A grin split his face as he leapt into the hole ahead, sprinting toward the vast underground chamber.
The heat hit him like a wave as he neared the opening, but this time it was bearable. His new gear was doing its job. He slowed, moving carefully toward the entrance.
The deeper he went, the heavier the heat pressed against him. Alright, time for the plan. If that damn bear could grow so strong, I could at least snag one more skill. He chuckled and sat cross-legged where the heat was brutal but not lethal.
For half an hour, he breathed in and out, letting the scorching air sear his lungs and body. Slowly, his body adapted. He edged closer, inch by inch, refusing to use skills or potions, only his body and armor.
Two hours passed before the system chimed.
*** Resistance Leveled Up: Fire Resistance Lv. 5 ***
Relief washed over him as the heat dulled to a nuisance.
It’s working! Yes! Next time, I’ll bring Nera to raise her resistance, too. Smiling, Corvin rose and strode toward the chamber’s entrance.
***
As he barged into the massive chamber, Echolocation pinged signs of no enemies around. It even breached the deep magma but could not return any information. I wonder if I ever level it up to maximum, will it become super strong? He chuckled at his silly thoughts and sat straight at the entrance again, adapting his body to the heat.
This time, he spent five hours slowly crawling and sneaking towards the magma lake before the system notified him about his Fire resistance reaching Level 6. With this and his armor, he could now walk around the massive cave without issues. Though reaching the island and the crystal in the middle was another thing.
He explored every part of the massive chamber but found nothing. The only thing he could see was rivers of magma flowing towards the massive lake, but he had no way of exploring deeper towards their source.
Finally, with nothing else to do, he stood at the shore and stared towards the floating, burning crystal heart. Should I jump over there? But wait, that bear probably did not have a way to cross over, and yet it evolved. But how? He stared at the lake, the corpse, and the crystal, thinking.
Fine. Let’s figure this out before I rush into my death. A mad laugh escaped him as he focused on the crystal. The longer he stared, the clearer the vortex became, spinning inside the heart, sucking in heat and radiating deeper crimson energy.
What is that? That is weird, right? He shook as he noticed the red burning like energy that he had not seen before.
*** Skill Unlocked: Mana Eyes Lv. 1 (Active) ***
When activated allows the user to see the world of mana. Allowing one to control the mana within and around the user more easily.
Cooldown: None
Duration: Until Canceled
Mana Cost: 2 Mana per second
*** Skill Leveled Up: Enhanced Vision Lv. 4 ***
[Congratulations on reaching a new realm of understanding!]
[+5 Stat Points]
What the hell? A new realm of understanding? What does that even mean? He stared, confused, but shook it soon off; this was not the time or place for questioning the system.
Corvin used his newly acquired skill. His crimson eyes shone as red as boiling blood as the world before him turned into a storm of burning red energy.
Red energies swirled in the whole chamber, all circulating the crystal heart. It devoured heat and mana, then spat out purer crimson energy.
Corvin froze, awestruck before the sight of this new world he had just stumbled into. Then he noticed his arms and legs. There were lines, like arteries flowing through his whole body, connected to his heart and his Magicka root.
So, this is my mana circuit. And my heart sucks in the mana from the environment and stores it into my Magicka root in my plexus. Oh, so that is how the bear evolved...
Corvin finally realized something and sat before the mana lake, focusing all his attention on his heart, or better to say, on the mana circuit around his heart that connected his whole body to his Magicka root.
He used his Mana Eyes to observe the flow of mana of his body and of the crystal heart and tried to mimic it.
Slowly, he focused his circuit to suck in the mana the same way as the heart did. The circuit started spinning mana in a small vortex around his heart region and then sucked it in. As the hot, searing pure red mana entered his body, Corvin screamed.
“Ahhhhhhh. It burns; it burns. What the hell is going on?” He cried as his whole body started turning red.
Through the pain, he saw that his mana circuit was growing red from the pure red mana it was absorbing, but it was not moving this new mana anywhere; it just kept absorbing.
As his chest cavity became a fire pit, even his blood started heating up as his Health started dropping slowly. “Shit!”
He tried to stop the vortex, but it was useless. It seemed that as soon as the cycle started, there was no stopping it. “Good job motherfucker. You will kill yourself. Bravo!” He roared as his health continued to dip.
As the burning mana started cooking his insides, he could only lie on the floor with nothing to do to help ease the pain.
“Fuck. Okay, last chance to figure this out.” He whispered as he activated Infernal Hide.
Flames covered his body as his fire resistance shot to maximum, and burning mana calmed down for a moment.
“I have 30 seconds to figure this out, or I’m toasted.” He focused his Mana Eyes and his Enhanced Vision on the crystal and the vortex. It sucks in the pure mana, and then what? His eyes darted around the crystal before they landed on the corpse beneath it. There, between the heart and the corps, was a faint mana line.
The heart sucked in mana, led it into the body, keeping it barely alive, and then pulled it back in and out. “It’s a cycle, a damn cycle!” Corvin shouted and focused on his body as the Infernal Hide faded and pain resumed, stronger than ever.
“Aaaah, not now. I won't die. Not like this. Not today!” He shrieked, forcefully pushing his mana circuit to send the burning hot energy through his body. The more he forced it, the more his body resisted. The unnatural hot mana and the pain were like an enemy to the fragile human body.
“I don’t care if it hurts you, bastard. Flow! Flow. Damn you, flow, you are my body!” He roared, awakening every monster within a kilometer radius, as finally he forced the burning mana to pass through his mana lines and into his Magicka Root and then through his main mana circuit behind his heart, dissipating heat outside his body.
But Corvin didn’t stop; his health was still dropping, now already under 1000. His body still did not fully adapt to the scorching heat.
“More, give me more. I need to hurry this up!” He roared and used all the strength he had to jump onto the small island where the amount of crimson mana was abundant.
He used Sprint and Dash and landed on the small rocky island, rolling on the ground as his skin started burning, and his health dipped under 500.
“Aaaah, big mistake!” He cried out and started drinking healing potions. He drank one potion after another as his body and mana circuits burned, adapting to the environment. As his mana hit 0, he drank the mana potions he had to keep his Mana Eyes active. It gave him a sense of safety as he could observe what was happening.
This continued for half an hour until the pain finally subsided, with only five healing potions left.
*** Resistance Level Up: Fire Resistance Lv. Max ***
Fire damage reduced by 80%
*** Skill Level Up: Mana Circuit Lv. 6 ***
*** Skill Level Up: Mana Eyes Lv. 3 ***
*** Skill Unlocked: Fire God’s Vortex Lv. 1 ***
Type: Legendary Skill
The user’s body will absorb more mana through an ancient secret method of the Leviathan tribe. Due to the effects of the skill, the user’s body had been remodeled to adapt to the new mana absorption method.
Due to the nature of the mana absorption method, the user will be more proficient with fire mana, and the user’s body will adapt to fire environments faster.
[+20 Magicka]
[Mana Regen will now regenerate the same amount of mana per second]
*** Hidden Quest Updated: On track of evolution. ***
The user had found out the secret method the beast had used to evolve. Find a way to take away the crystal heart and defeat what may come after.
Reward: Will be calculated depending on the completion.
Recommended level 200.
High Fire Resistance is needed.
“What do you mean, take away the heart? Are you insane?” Corvin shouted as behind him, the lake bubbled and rippled while three massive turtles rose from the magma’s depths.
“As expected,” Corvin spat at the ground, surrounded by snapping jaws. “I did scream like a bitch.”
Skills Unlocked: Mana Eyes Lv. 1, Fire God’s Vortex Lv. Max
Skills Leveled Up: Enhanced Vision Lv. 1 > Lv. 4, Mana Eyes Lv. 1 > Lv. 3, Mana Circuit Lv. 1 > Lv. 6, Fire Resistance Lv. 4 > Lv. Max
Intrinsic Ability Unlocked: Mana Regeneration from % every 5 seconds to % every 1 second.
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