Where is its core? The chest? Head?
He bent back down, examining its body closely. Alex hoped to see the core hanging out somewhere. Hands on the creature again, he pressed on parts of it, feeling around, trying to get lucky. Roaming his fingers across the Kobold’s body, he didn’t find a lump or hard object, but he did feel something strange.
What is that…? It’s… like…. energy? It's as if I’m holding a hose with the water on. There’s motion there. Like it’s alive but not alive at the same time. Is this what magic feels like?
Focusing on it, Alex closed his eyes. Feeling the ebb and flow of the energy, no, the mana. It was difficult to focus through the pain in his leg, but he managed.
It’s flowing through every inch of the thing. Legs, arms, head, claws, everywhere. If I’m smart, I can follow it and find where it's all heading.
Following the flow, his hands tracked the feeling, hoping it would take him right where he wanted to go. Its core. And that’s when his hands settled just below the creature's heart.
Found it, he cheered internally. But before extracting the creature's core from its chest, he wanted to continue looking at the mana inside the Kobold.
There was a sense of earthiness to it. Alex got the impression of fresh soil being dug up, rocks broken, and a feeling of sturdiness. .
Earth mana, maybe? That would make sense, I guess, if they like living in caves and such.
Ready to do the deed, he drew his sword and moved closer to where he had felt the core. This is going to be disgusting….. Ugh.
Sword in hand, he started slicing open the area above the Kobold’s chest, cutting through the scales, which were stronger than he expected. Reaching inside, he felt the core. Its warmth radiated from its hard surface and his fingers as they wrapped around it. Having it in his grasp, he slowly pulled it out and held it up before his eyes. He was in awe of it, the mana, and its beauty.
Monster Core (Unranked)
The mana core created by an unranked monster.
So it is mana! I was right. If these monsters have mana and mana cores, I should have mana too. I just need to figure out how to use it.
The Core doesn’t feel like earth mana, like the mana inside the Kobold did. Seems weird that its mana would feel different. It feels more.. Neutral? I don’t know how to describe it.
The smell of the blood and the kobold’s open chest, slowly roused his thoughts and brought him back to reality. He realized he was covered in its blood, as was the core in his hand. It took all his effort not to vomit.
After a few seconds of dry heaving, he willed the core into his Soul Vault, then checked to make sure it appeared on the list.
-Soul Vault-
Coins
System Coin (Unranked) - 1
Gems:
Cores:
Monster Core (Unranked) x1
Hands still on the Kobold, he felt the energy slowly drain away from it. But it was small and seemed to be slowing down. Eventually, after a few minutes of watching, the drain stopped.
That must be because I took out the core. So monsters must always retain some mana, even after the core is removed. That’s good to know.
Alex pulled a sip from the canteen, relishing the chill bite of fresh water on his parched tongue. His leg throbbed and burned in agony, but it didn’t stop him from moving.
It was time to go.
As he limped on, the tunnel began to rise slowly. The walls transitioned the farther along he moved, becoming less natural-looking and more rough-cut, possibly from all the mining. But he kept moving, his hiking boots crunching the small, loose rocks beneath his feet as lava continued to appear, though only in small batches. The heat in the tunnel stayed high.
It took him a few more minutes of walking before he started to hear another rhythmic tink tink tink.
Knowing what was likely ahead, he took his time, slowly inching towards the sound.
Kobold Miner (Level 3)
Kobolds are a race of lizard-like monsters that prefer to live underground. They're aggressive and devious. If located outside a dungeon, they are known for setting traps and ambushing unsuspecting adventurers who stumble into their territory; inside a dungeon, they do not use traps. This Kobold variant is among the weakest, focusing solely on mining.
He wondered if he could change the information he saw, since he already knew it all; he would rather just see a name and a level. Focusing, it only took a second for it to change.
Kobold Miner (Level 3)
Perfect, it worked. It's handy, but kind of weird that I can work with the System like this. I wonder what else I could do.
After he watched the miner for a minute, he realized the sound and the Kobold swinging his pickaxe didn't match. Listening closely, he found the rhythm was too quick.
Shit, there must be another one nearby. Alex moved a little closer, staying out of sight, and scrutinized the Kobold and the tunnel.
If I fight this one, the other one might overhear and join. I don’t think I can fight two at once.
Can I kill him quickly or quietly enough? That's the real question here. And do I even have a choice in this? If I turn around and go back where I started, who's to say the other tunnel isn't as bad or worse?
Choice made, he steeled himself and crept slowly forward, coming up behind the Kobold. In range, he lunged forward. His sword stabbed into its back, aimed for the creature's heart.
Alex’s overeagerness made him get the angle wrong; their size difference throwing him off.
The blade had been aimed too high, piercing right through its shoulder, and causing the Kobold to let out a loud cry. He tried to stab it into the creature again, but failed when it reacted too quickly. It spun around and attacked wildly with its pickaxe. Panicked by the pain and wound, one of its attacks had accidentally blocked Alex’s second thrust.
The monster then started barking loudly, trying to call for aid.
Shit shit shit! Alex thought after hearing the rhythmic tapping stop in the background, knowing what that meant.
The other one is coming. I need to finish this quickly. Kicking out with his foot, he caught the Kobold off guard and shoved it back into the wall.
He then brought his sword around in a slash from the side, two hands gripping it for the extra weighted momentum. The sword hit the Kobold in the side, cutting deeply and pushing it farther away from him, but as it moved, so too did its tail. The hit knocked Alex’s sword out of his hands, causing it to clatter to the ground.
Freed from Alex’s assault, the Kobold started to run away. It ran up the tunnel as fast as its injuries would allow, its small legs and desperation giving it strength, moving much faster than it should have been able to.
Knowing he couldn’t let it get away, he ignored his sword and ran after it. Quickly closing the distance, he then jumped onto its back, causing the small creature to fall to the ground under his weight.
Alex punched the Kobold in the back of the head. It hurt his hand, but he didn’t care.
It squealed and barked harshly, trying to free itself. But before it could escape again, he wrestled the pickaxe from its grip and swung the mining tool at its head. The pointed weapon pierced the skull of the Kobold, silencing the creature forevermore.
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Relief and joy washed over him. He’d won. Alex had a big grin on his face, which he quickly suppressed.
The shuffle of feet scraped along the ground, alerting him and causing him to turn. A pickaxe narrowly missed his head and smashed the rock below, embedding itself into the firm stone of the cave.
He rolled away before another attack could come.
Scrambling back to his feet, he noticed the body of the Kobold he had already killed.
An idea bloomed.
He picked up the Kobold's corpse. Alex swung it like a bag of groceries, right into the new attacker. It stumbled back at the impact, tripped over the uneven ground, and fell.
Seeing a new opportunity, Alex pounced, bellyflopping right onto the scrambling Kobold.
The monster grunted, hissed, and attempted to use its offset teeth on Alex’s body. Meanwhile, he just shrugged, not to let it slip out from under him. Should that happen, who knows how much damage he might take, and at this moment, his leg continued to bother him.
Tightly, he gripped it, not allowing the Kobold to get any momentum to swing its pick or bite him. At the same time, the creature was scratching him with its claws, digging into his torso, neck, and arms.
During one of the moments of thrashing around, Alex saw a sheathed dagger on the hip of the Kobold. He reached down and grabbed it, ripping it out of its sheath. Dagger in his hand, he thrust it into the Kobold’s chest, pulling it back out and stabbing it back in multiple times until it stopped moving.
Silence once again returned to the dungeon.
Crawling off the corpse, he moved to the wall and leaned against the hard stone in an upright position.
“Damn that was close,” his chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. “And why the hell didn’t I level? I don't see any screens popping up.”
A few minutes passed as he lay there, resting. He wasn’t wounded much from that fight, just some scratches again, luckily. A majority of the damage was to his pride after failing to use his sword and then having to bellyflop a lizard toddler.
Oh, and that's after throwing a corpse at it. God, I suck at fighting. The medieval and kendo classes I took did not prepare me for this. Not one bit. I should have paid more attention in those classes... or at least taken more than one semester. I'm just swinging my damn sword like I saw in movies or anime.
While lying there, Alex saw a blinking exclamation mark in the corner of his eye…
… you’ve got to be shitting me. Is that what I think it is?
You have slain Kobold Miner(Level 3)
Experience and SP gained
Congratulations, you’ve reached level 2!
+6 free stats points gained
You have slain Kobold Miner(Level 3)
Experience and SP gained
YES! Alex let out a big grin. Were the notifications minimized for some reason? Or do I need to always open them myself like that?
He pulled up his status to take a look and distribute his points:
Alex Everett
Race: Progenitor
Level: 2
Profession: Progenitor’s Path
Class: Progenitor’s Path
Stats
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Endurance: 7
Toughness: 8
Perception: 7
Wisdom: 9
Intelligence: 9
Willpower: 11
Free points: 6
Hmmm.. Now, where should I put my points? Definitely, wherever it will help me survive down here. Well, there's no point in putting any points into the magic-related stats so then I can rule out Intelligence and Wisdom. Willpower is good enough for now; it won't do much for me at the moment, nor will perception.
That leaves me with Toughness, Endurance, Agility, or Strength.
Feeling a bit better, Alex stood and paced as he considered his decision.
The biggest issue during my fight, aside from my lack of skill, was definitely the damage I was doing. Piercing attacks worked fine, but the slashing strikes barely did enough, so I'll start with 3 points in strength to help that.
To balance out my strength and speed, we’ll put 2 points into agility to match my strength, then put my last point into Toughness to keep me alive.
He glanced at the stat changes and was happy with his decision. When the new stats were put in, he felt his body convulse– Strength soared into his muscles, feeling them grow stronger, quicker, giving him more control and power.
Stats
Strength: 7->10
Agility: 8->10
Endurance: 7
Toughness: 8->9
Perception: 7
Wisdom: 9
Intelligence: 9
Willpower: 11
Free points: 0
Alex wanted to test his new stats, but he couldn’t because his leg was injured. It would have to wait.
He did notice some differences right away, though.
They weren’t huge differences, but they were definitely noticeable for him. His sword felt light, allowing him to swing it easier and more quickly.
These changes are amazing…. and this is only level 2! I can’t imagine how I'm going to feel when I get a few more levels under my belt.
Another notification came up before him, which made his eyebrows rise, eyes wide in surprise:
Congratulations on reaching level 2. You have unlocked a new skill. Please pick an available skill from the list below:
-Stealth-
-Power Strike-
NEW SKILLS!! Finally, a skill, kind of sucks there are only two options though. [Stealth] and [Power Strike], huh?
When he focused on the first choice, Stealth, the description came up before him:
Stealth
A basic scout skill that allows the user to blend into the shadows. This skill makes them harder to detect visually while also reducing the sound they make when moving. Stealth breaks if the user moves too quickly, attacks, or makes excessive noise.
Consumes Mana during use.
That would be really helpful for me down here, surrounded by monsters higher level than me, and also a lot of darkness to hide in. Consumes mana.. hmm..
He resisted the urge to pick [Stealth] immediately and focused on the second skill choice:
Power Strike
A basic warrior skill that empowers the user's next attack by 100%, doubling the power of the blow. This skill will work with any melee weapon, including hand-to-hand combat.
Consumes Stamina on use.
30-second cooldown.
Ooooooh, I want that one too. Having access to a powerful attack whenever I needed it could turn the tables in a fight. It's a shame I can't take this one yet... I really need that [Stealth] skill. I won't survive down here without it.
Choice made, Alex selected stealth.
Congratulations, you have learned the skill Stealth.
As he thought about the skills again, something confusing sparked his memory.
He leaned against the tunnel wall, relaxing for a moment. It took him a few seconds, but using his willpower, he brought the [Power Strike] and [Stealth] skill information back up and reread them.
A basic warrior skill and a basic rogue skill? I’m not either one. Why did it give me the option to pick those skills?
Always so many damn questions.
He shrugged it off. Pushing it away for now as he looked over the area to get his bearings. The milky eyes of the dead Kobold stared back at him from a bloody heap nearby. Strangely, he’d quickly gotten over the distaste of the corpses, at least where there was loot to be had. However, he’d never forget the smell of it.
Do you wish to loot Kobold Miner (Level 3)?
Yes/No
A single System Coin materialized, with the second Kobold bringing more of the same. He sighed at the poor loot and dirty job he was about to do.
I guess I should get these damn cores now.
He tried the dagger he had taken from the creature instead of using his larger sword. The small blade sliced through the Kobold’s scales and flesh, though Alex had to use considerable force to get the job done.
The sword is too damn long. Cutting cores out is short and dirty work. Better to use this thing than the weapon I’m going to use for fighting. Easier to leverage this little thing, too. Getting through the scales isn’t easy.
After he extracted the core, he put it away in his Soul Vault and checked his new totals.
-Soul Vault-
Coins
System Coin (Unranked) - 3
Gems:
Cores:
Monster Core (Unranked) - 3
So happy I don’t have to worry about carrying those Coins and Core, he smiled to himself, thinking about carrying around a big bag of them on his hip.
