Looking at the vast forest, I smiled. Umbra Astrum illuminated me as I pranced through the dense brush. The forest was quiet; the wind was very weak today. The bushes that I climbed past rubbed against my clothes. Even my Earthen Sense did not alert me to anything. I tried my best to find some slime, but there was nothing.
Heightened Perception allowed me to see through the darkness quite well, but even with that, the forest felt darker than usual. Turning around, a gust of wind hit me, causing my hair to fly and the leaves to fall. Behind me, a vibration caught my attention; turning quickly, I saw that a branch lay in front of me. I looked up but could not spot where it had fallen from.
Picking it up, I raised an eyebrow.
Are those teeth marks?
Examining the branch, I saw that it was covered in jagged marks, and on one end it seemed to have been ripped. Another vibration caught my attention; turning quickly, I saw another stick. Slowly approaching it, I found it to have the same marks as the first. My eyes darted around, my body turning quickly.
Something is here, but I can't sense it.
A vibration behind me made me turn towards it, but to my dismay, it was a large stone. Suddenly, Earthen Sense exploded as an even larger vibration moved towards me from where I was looking. My heart raced, my body turning as quickly as possible. My eyes met a set of slit yellow eyes. The creature had black fur and long whiskers; it opened its mouth and hissed, revealing large fangs.
Trying to dodge, I was too late; the creature pounced upon me. I brought my arms up, dropping my bag and sword, and watched as its fangs dug deep into me. I grunted as its weight knocked me to the ground, causing my head to slam violently against the floor. My head throbbed, but the creature kept biting into me. Its claws slashed at my stomache, causing me to scream out.
I squirmed, but it kept me pinned beneath it; my arms were trapped, and I couldn't reach it with my legs. It pulled out of my arms, revealing that its fangs were slightly damaged due to One WithAcid. It hissed and tried to bite down on my neck. I moved, avoiding the bite, leaving its fangs to lodge into the dirt.
Can't my skill melt its fangs? How strong are they? My blood could even melt stone!
My eyes locked upon the creature momentarily.
Moonveil StalkerRace: MonsterLevel: 4
With my arms free, I slammed my fist into the creature, sending it tumbling to the side. It hissed at me before slowly backing up. Quickly standing up, I watched as it backed up slowly. I held my stomach, which was dripping with my blood, my shirt ripped and beginning to dissolve. The two holes in my arms healed slowly, along with the gashes in my stomache. It snarled before disappearing into the darkness along with its vibrations.
I coughed, still recovering from using my magic earlier, my head beating like a drum. I breathed heavily, my eyes tracking the forest around me. A small vibration appeared behind me; I flinched and almost turned but stopped myself.
No, don't fall for it, Luna! Remember what the commander told you: don't fall for the feint; commit when they commit.
Another vibration appeared to my right, slightly larger than the previous one.
No, not that either; lure it out.
Now, to my left, a vibration appeared. I turned slightly, then turned back instantly, feeling the Moonveil Stalkers' vibration begin to appear. It snarled and leaped out from the darkness, but this time I was ready. Facing the creature, I sidestepped out of the way and elbowed the monster in the face, causing it to roll across the ground. It wobbled back to its feet and whined silently; blood dripped from the creature's nose, and it looked at my anger filling its eyes.
I dashed at it and turned my hand to slime. Grasping at it, my expression froze as the monster tore a chunk of slime from it. I screamed out, the slime converting back to normal. An entire side of my left hand was missing a chunk. Grasping the wound, I stepped backwards, my eyes locking with the monster. It seemed to grin at me as it chewed on the slime before swallowing it.
How can it swallow it that easily?
I grunted, blood dripping from between my fingers and onto the ground, dissolving it. Fleeing back into the darkness, the Moonveil Stalker hissed. My hand ached, and the wound seemed not to be healing fast. I looked around the forest, waiting for it to make its next move; a small vibration behind me, and then a large one to my left. I focused, waiting to feel the vibration that I knew was the creature's.
My stance was solid, and then I felt it; turning, I faced in that direction, but nothing came. My heart raced, panic filling me. My eyes searched for it, but the vibration vanished. The forest was quiet once again.
It knows I can feel its vibrations; it's been testing me!
I turned violently, preparing for its next attack, then small vibrations echoed from all around me. I spun, searching for it, but it did not appear. My blood went cold for a moment as I heard a snarl above me.
My eyes widened, my head snapping towards the sky; the creature seemed to have jumped from a tree and was now falling towards me. In panic, I tried to move, but it was too late; the creature struck me like a boulder, sending me to the ground. It lashed out, ripping into me with its sharp claws; I yelled out, blood drenching the floor around me. The smell of burning grass filled my nostrils. It bit at me, my arms keeping it away from my face.
I panicked and tried to kick it away, but it pinned me. Its weight pushed my arms down, its biting inching closer to my eyes. Its saliva covered me; it bit into my arm and ripped a piece of flesh out. I screamed, but there was no one around to hear me. I looked at my hands; they trembled violently, blood flowing from the left one. With all my power, I searched for the mana that floated around me.
Drawing it in with all my focus, I brought it to my right palm. I coughed violently, blood spewing from my mouth. Black and red tendrils formed in my right hand, creating a small dagger. An eye appeared in its hilt, looking at me for a moment before the tendrils lashed out, wrapping around my palm. I coughed more, blood soaking the creature's face; it licked its lips and smiled.
This is all I can muster...
Moving my right arm away, the Moonveil Stalker overpowered my remaining weakened left arm; it fell quickly. Using the arm, I directed it to try to miss my face. It worked, but the monster still bit me, sinking its fangs deep into my left shoulder. I grunted, feeling my hot blood ooze out of me. Bringing my right arm up with all my power, I thrust the dagger into its side.
It wailed and flailed its limbs, but I wrapped my left arm around it, keeping its head deeply planted in my shoulder. Using Sticky Slime and Body Density, I held it tightly. It cried as it realized it was stuck, knowing that it could not escape; it bit deeper and clawed faster. It ripped at my skin, but I twisted the dagger before pulling it out.
It cried, but I stabbed it again and again; the flesh around the wound turned black. My vision began to fade, but I could tell its strength was faltering. With one final strike, I watched as the eye in the hilt closed, and the dagger fell apart. The creature bled black blood profusely, and the wound had turned completely black, chunks of flesh falling off of it. I felt the creature's grip loosen, and its claws stop moving. Letting go slowly, the Moonveil Stalker toppled over, its yellow eyes still open and still full of pain.
I rested my head against the ground, my eyes falling upon the creature. It breathed slowly, its eyes slowly closing. With one final breath, the Moonveil Stalker's body went limp. My head pounded, and blood still flowed from me; I felt tired. In front of my eyes, a purple screen appeared, but before I could read it, my eyes fell closed, engulfing me in darkness.
Gasping, I awoke, shooting up; I sat on the floor, the fight still repeating in my head. I looked at my stomache; the claw marks had mostly healed, but I couldn't say the same thing about my shirt... Feeling my shoulder, the puncture wounds were gone as well. The wound on my hand was still there, but it had recovered significantly. My head ached, and I still felt wobbly.
Demonic Regeneration is useful, but it sure takes a toll on me.
Looking over at the creature, my eyebrow raised as I saw a slime sitting on it, slowly dissolving its feet. Slowly moving over to it, I smacked the slime off of the Moonveil Stalker. It rolled to the side, jiggling.
"This is mine," I told it firmly, even though it couldn't actually understand me.
It wriggled while moving towards me. I reached out, converted my hand into slime, and stuck it into the slime, devouring it quickly.
I looked up, finding two purple screens floating in front of me.
Acquired 5 EXP
Acquired 40 EXP
Looking at the dead Moonveil Stalker, I smiled. Placing my hand upon its body, I began dissolving it.
Even though the creature was massive, from all my experience, its mass gets completely converted into blood, which is stored within my blood bank, so I can eat it all without worrying about getting full.
After a few minutes, all that was left was the creature's heart. Converting my hand back to normal and picking it up, I licked my lips.
And this is for me!
I bit into the heart, chewing slowly while savouring the taste. After a few minutes, I swallowed the last of it. Smiling, another purple screen popped up in front of me.
Acquired Silent Tread lvl 1
Yes!
I jumped up to my feet, pumping my fist in the air. My vision went fuzzy as I did, causing me to tumble to the ground. As I hit the grass, I laughed while breathing heavily.
I guess I haven't fully recovered yet. But at least I got a new skill!
Looking up, I opened the Demon System.
-----------------------------------------------------
Name: Luna
Title: ####
Race: DemonBorn (Mythical)
Tier: 1 (fledgling)
Class: Devourer (Mythical)
Lvl: 3 (45/400)
Blood: (40.7/250)
Magical Affinity: Demonic
Skills:
Class Skills:
Tier 1
-Gluttony lvl 1- ???
Intrinsic Skills:
Tier 1
-Gelatinous Form lvl 5- 36.8 blood
-Body Density lvl 4- 24.5 blood
-World's Knowledge lvl 1- ???
Tier 2:
-One With Acid lvl 2- 4 191.5 blood
Passive Skills:
Tier 1:
-Swordsmanship lvl 1- 7.5 blood
-Silent Tread lvl 1- 7.5 blood
-Demonic Regeneration lvl 8-124.2 blood
-Heightened Perception lvl 6- 55.2 blood
Tier 2:
-Pain Nullification lvl 6- 67 352 blood
Regular Skills:
Tier 1:
-Earthen Sense lvl 4- 24.5 blood
-Sticky Slime lvl 3- 17 blood
-Voice of Command lvl 1- 7.5 blood
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Looking at my system, I smiled. I found the new skill and focused on it.
Silent Tread — Tier 1 Passive Skill
Allows the user to instinctively control how their weight is distributed while moving, reducing the sound and vibrations produced by footsteps and other movements. Effectiveness increases with skill level and movement control. Rapid or forceful movements are harder to conceal.
I thought about the skill and then about the Moonveil Stalker
So that's how it could avoid my Earthen Sense until right before striking! That's very useful; it complements me very well.
I thought about the creature for a moment, and how it almost killed me.
If I were any weaker, I would have died...
My fist clenched; I pushed myself up to my feet, and my eyes fell upon the blood-stained grass at my feet.
I need to grow stronger. If I am struggling against a creature like that, I'll never make it into Crownspire Academy... I only have three months left to prove to them that I'm ready!
Looking up, I saw Umbra Astrum's light illuminating my face; it was now at the peak of the sky. My eyes widened, and my face paled.
I passed out for a lot longer than I thought! I need to go!
Trying to run, I slipped. Standing up, I stumbled slowly through the forest.
"Shit, I'm going to be late."