Back in the goblin colony, after burying the entire place, I saw the green screen pop up. It displayed the familiar message, asking me to sacrifice the souls of the goblins and captives.
It feels incredibly sobering realizing that I indeed killed several innocents in our escape.
Yet knowing the fact I am responsible for their deaths. I feel hollow.
It's sickening. Is it because I didn't experience their deaths myself? The lingering adrenaline running through my systems since the summoning? Or have I always been this way even on Earth?
Whatever the case, I feel sickened by my lack of an emotional response.
…
Okay, maybe I'm being a bit too dramatic. I'm not getting any strong feelings of guilt that make me want to cry or puke.
I just feel peeved.
Look, I do feel bad for being forced to indirectly kill the captives, but it's on the level where I feel like it's more of an inconvenience than an egregious sin.
To describe how I feel, it'd be more like, 'great no one's going to let me live down these rumors for at least two weeks.
…
It's scary, honestly.
But I'm a naturally scatterbrained and care-free person who goes at his own pace. Maybe I'll feel guilty later on when I encounter the relative of one of my victims, who knows?
Alright, moving on from my melodramatic moment.
There's something more important I have on my mind.
And that's the new skill I acquired.
Naturally, to show respect for the victims, I deselected their souls and consumed only those of the goblins.
I think it said something about elite goblins or goblin warriors, but that doesn't matter since they're dead.
I have acquired another new skill.
Except this skill is mighty unusual.
What do I mean by that?
Is it some weirdly named or worded skill with secretly busted mechanics?
No, it's not.
Instead, it looks like this on the green screen.
[???
???]
Completely unknown.
Herein lies the problem: if I don't know what this skill is, how can I use it?
"Activate whatever this skill is."
The next moment, a book falls onto my lap.
Not just any book.
This was the exact book I encountered in the Eldritch void world with floating islands.
I pry at the pages, but the book doesn't budge an inch.
After several minutes, I give up and dismiss the book from my hands.
Perhaps there's a secret prerequisite I have yet to meet. Maybe sacrifice a few more souls?
If it took me several hundred goblin souls to just get this chuuni-esque grimoire, how many will it take to get it open?
Whatever, there's no way I'll be able to open it today.
With a thought, I dismiss the book.It vanishes into thin air, like it was never there in the first place. It'd be pretty damning to have someone discover that on my person, especially since I am on the run.
Leaving aside my skills, I check my levels.
From the number of goblins I killed, I levelled up to level 13.
A good ten jumps.
Ten level-ups usually let someone get new skills, right?
Despite reaching such a high level, I didn't get any new skills. Instead, my current ones levelled up.
Eldritch Mote rose to Level 5 and changed into Eldritch Bullet.
It now has the following description.
[Eldritch Bullet (Level 3)
Shoot forth three small concentrated orbs of Eldritch energy or a single powerful shot.
Damage and range are significantly increased. Incredibly effective, even against armored enemies or creatures with thick hides.
Causes immense pain to target. Unless by Divine or Infernal will, injuries are near impossible to heal.]
Aside from the massive buffs this spell gained, that text seems incredibly descriptive for some reason.
Might be the effects of leveling up, or completing a fragment of the spell.
Here's what the useless appraisal skill now reads:
[Eyes of The All-Knowing (Incomplete 0.1% restoration in progress)
Provides guidance on certain matters.]
I level up ten times, and the damn thing only increased by 0.1%.
Still, that's better than nothing.
I test it out on a nearby tree.
[A sturdy oak tree, nothing special. Can be logged to make some decent timber.]
Hunh? It's more informative compared to when I first used it.
If leveling up ten times gets me 0.1% completion, then that means I have to level up…
At least 990 more times!?!
Can a person even level up this much!? This is in the realm of Gods at this point!
Ugh… how useless.
Maybe I'm using it wrong, but in its current state, it's a proto-Appraisal skill with a developing personality.
That's two out of the three checked. Time for the last one.
Let's see…
Ah, there we go.
[Rune of Protection (Level 2)
Create a Rune that protects against both magical and physical elements.
Will face one direction. Can be summoned at an angle.
Multiple Runes can be created overlaid or at different angles to protect the caster and nearby allies. Up to two Runes can be created.
Durability and spell size have been greatly increased.]
Hey! This isn't bad in the slightest!
Although it doesn't say the amount of punishment one Rune can take, I have high hopes for it.
The first level version of this spell easily fended off the countless head-sized rocks threatening to smash my skull apart back in the goblin cave. Surely, it can defend against a couple dozen weapon strikes or monster attacks.
Plus, much like the Eldritch Bullet, I feel like I can cast it however many times as I want without getting tired!
Man, being a warlock is awesome! …Is what I want to say, but it did make me an enemy to this whole world.
Negative thoughts aside, based on what I gather so far, if I want to acquire new skills, I have to sacrifice more souls to the System. Levelling up will only boost my stats and skills. Honestly, I don't trust the System that much. Nothing good can possibly come from an entity that demands souls in exchange for power, but it's not like I have much choice.
Speaking of stats, I wonder how strong I've gotten. I managed to reach level 13, but I don't feel a sudden surge of power that lets me lift cars or sprint a one-minute mile.
Okay, I admit, that's mighty unrealistic of me, but I should feel something, right?
This isn't going to be a cliche where characters don't feel any change, underestimate their own strength and then suddenly unleash it during a climactic fight?
Honestly, I have no clue.
I wouldn't say I'm in horrible shape. I get good cardio. Though when it comes to physical work with my arms, like push-ups, I start trembling at thirty.
Perhaps I should test things out.
I drop on all fours and attempt thirty sets.
My arm strength has definitely improved, but this exercise has taught me little about my stamina or speed.
I don't think I need to run several laps around the farm. I could do that, but it'd be a waste of time.
No, instead I'll do something far more productive to test out the strength I gained.
Farm labor.