[14th Everdusk 2103], Verdant Hollow Dungeon, CGA Branch
"Ah, then I'll choose to eject it. I don't think I'm compatible with this bloodline. Even if it suits the body, it's not aligned with my path."I dismissed the foreign bloodline, letting my talent extract and reject it cleanly. The search for the monkey continued.
"Alright, you two follow me, but keep some distance. I don't want the monkeys spotting you right away."My skeletons cracked their jaws in eerie agreement—perhaps that was their version of a nod—and I moved ahead, keeping them just within range.
Wandering aimlessly for a while, I eventually heard subtle rustling above the trees. As expected… I was being followed.
"Tch. You guys really think I didn't notice?" I muttered upward. "Just reveal yourselves already."
I picked up a stone and hurled it into the treetop canopy. A screech echoed back as five monkeys dropped from the branches, baring their teeth. One of them had a red welt on its face—likely from my pebble.
"Alright, five of you. Time for a little game called Hunter Catches Prey."I raised my hand and activated my skill.
Another skeleton, Level 2, emerged beside me. The monkeys flinched, clearly startled by the new arrival. Their courage began to wane when two more skeletons stepped out from behind.
"Hehehe, let me show you what a gang fight really looks like."
I lunged forward with my summons, and the battle erupted. The monkeys were surprisingly coordinated this time. Unlike our previous encounter, they fought back fiercely.
I handled two of them myself. My body still felt off—it wasn't the same form I once had. Its size and build clashed with my refined fighting style. Still, my enhanced stats tipped the scales.
A monkey leapt at me, aiming for my neck. I sidestepped cleanly and slashed its body.Each strike from my blade cut through them easily. One hit reduced a third of their health. Confidence surged as I shifted into a more aggressive rhythm.
Slashes tore across their furred bodies. I was overpowering them.
One monkey, now enraged, recklessly lunged for a fatal blow.Big mistake. I evaded and drove my blade through its side. It spasmed violently, screeched... then fell limp as blood coated my sword.
The second monkey froze. Terrified, it bolted.
"Oh no you don't."
I hurled the monkey's corpse aside, then grabbed my sword and flung it at the fleeing one.The blade pierced its shoulder and pinned it to a tree with a guttural screech.
The sound sent the other monkeys into a panic, weakening their morale. My skeletons capitalized on the shift, gaining the upper hand.
"You really thought I'd let you escape?" I said, walking toward the pinned monkey, now trembling.
"Sheesh… this body's stamina is terrible. I can barely finish a proper fight," I muttered, fatigue weighing down my limbs.
"Feels like this body was made for a mage, not a frontline fighter," I grumbled as I grasped the hilt of the embedded sword. A twist made the monkey howl, but I silenced it with a final thrust to the chest.
"...Sorry. Not what I wanted. Just... the way things are."I turned back to help my summons, but it was unnecessary—every monkey lay defeated, shivering in pain.
"I'll end this quickly. No need to drag out your suffering."
I finished the job swiftly.
Sadly, no Fire Slash activation.
"Gather the bodies," I ordered. I wanted to use them before they disappeared.
The skeletons clacked their jaws and moved to pile the corpses.
Just as I stepped forward to use my talent, a notification pinged.
{You have killed 5~Lv.3 Forest Monkeys. You've gained 100 EXP.}[230/150 EXP]{You've levelled up! Lv.2 → 3}[80/200 EXP]{You've gained 10 Unassigned Stat Points.}
[You've gained 12 Evo-Enchant Points. Total: 13.]
"Nice... now let's plunder."
A phantom energy spiraled from my hand, hovering above the bodies.
[Talent has detected 5x Lv.3 Monkey Corpses. What would you like to do?Options: Plunder | Dismantle | Store in Inventory]
"Plunder them."
[No talents, skills, or abilities detected.One degraded bloodline detected.Basic stats identified.]
"Plunder the stats only."
The energy drilled into their corpses, then flowed back into my body.
[You've gained: +3 Vitality, +2 Agility, +2 Strength, +1 Intelligence.]
"A feast of stats… even some Intelligence? Not bad."
I felt the surge of power—my body slightly more refined, my mind a bit clearer.
"Time to assign my stat points. Every single one matters right now."
_______________________________
{Stats}
Health Points (HP): 150 (HP= 1:10 Vitality) (Regen: .75/minute = 15*.05)
Mana Points (MP): 140 (MP = 1:10 Intelligence) (Regen: .70/minute = 14*.05)
Strength (STR): 13
Agility (AGL): 16
Vitality (VIT): 15
Intelligence (INT): 14
Endurance (END): 9
Stamina (STA): 9
Unassigned Stats: 10
Attack Power: 35+7 {Physical} [ATK: STR+AGL*1.2], 21 {Elemental} [MAG: 11*1.5]
Defense:18+5 [DEF: END+STA*1]
__________________________________
"Allow me to put it this way: at the moment, my stats are lacking," said as I allocated my stats to the attributes, after which my stats appeared quite impressive
_______________________________
{Stats}
Health Points (HP): 150 (HP= 1:10 Vitality) (Regen: .75/minute = 15*.05)
Mana Points (MP): 140 --> 160 (MP = 1:10 Intelligence) (Regen: .80/minute = 16*.05)
Strength (STR): 13
Agility (AGL): 16
Vitality (VIT): 15
Intelligence (INT): 14 --> 16
Endurance (END): 9 --> 14
Stamina (STA): 9 --> 12
Unassigned Stats: 00
Attack Power: 35+7 {Physical} [ATK: STR+AGL*1.2], 24 {Elemental} [MAG: 16*1.5]
Defense: 26+5 [DEF: END+STA*1]
__________________________________
"Not perfect, but a hell of a lot better than before."
-- To be continued --