Chapter 3: Academy Arc (2)
Athan explored the school compound, which seemed more like a town than anything. There were some school grounds, but most of it was composed of shops and buildings owned by real people.
He stuck to the shadows, until night fell and the moonlight bathed his body, which was still pristine and sweatless after all that roaming.
[Daily Quest 3 complete!]
[Reward: 20 Experience Points]
[Exp 100/100]
[You have leveled up]
[Exp 0/200]
[Identify Lv.1 acquired]
[All Attributes increased by 2]
[Current Skill Points: 2]
[Activating Skill Points Tutorial]
The [Skill Tree] window opened up and text boxes appeared, and the system voice started up.
[Skill Points you have acquired can be used to unlocked skills on the Skill Tree]
[The various branches on the Skill Tree are Curse Sorcery, Blood Sorcery, Moon Sorcery, Shadow Sorcery, Death Sorcery, Hunter, Thaumaturgy, Recovery and Mental Manipulation]
[It is recommended that you take the skills Hunter's Eyes and Regeneration. Blood Potential can be exchanged for skill points 20 to 1, and attribute points 10 to 1]
[Your Blood Pool stores blood to fuels your Skills or feed you]
Since the almighty system had said so, he unlocked the skills Hunter's Eyes and Regeneration. He also experimented a little with [Identify].
He found out that he could use it indefinitely, and on basically everything. It was basically an appraisal skill. He appraised the book on aura he was given.
[Level 0 Aura Awakening Book]
[Absorb for 10 Exp?]
Athan was surprised, but immediately did so. He quickly returned to the dorm and lay down in bed. He didn't need to sleep, but did so anyway.
The next day, all his roommates decided to introduce themselves.
"I'm Victor. My ability is Lightning." The blond rich kid said smugly.
"I-I'm Joe. I haven't awakened my ability yet." The average kid (average Joe?) stuttered.
"I'm John. I'm a dual ability user." John winked at Athan, who pretended not to notice.
"I'm Athan. I also haven't awakened my ability."
That concluded their bonding session. They then headed into class and Athan checked his Daily Quests.
[Daily Quests]
[1. Win a battle]
[2. Consume blood]
[3. Use a skill]
The first class was about training and awakening Aura. The second about live combat.
"In this class, you will be learning close combat. As you know, humans have learnt to forge Dimensional Weapons out of materials found on other worlds. These weapons are sturdier than normal weapons, and can strengthen their user."
"You will first select a Dimensional Weapon, and then fight each other one on one. No aura, no abilites and the other teachers and I will referee."
Everyone was then led into a room filled with shiny weapons. While most people immediately went for a sword, Victor picked up a spear before proceeding to list the various reasons why spears were actually the best cold weapon.
Joe, being thoroughly persuaded, picked up a spear too while John chose a pair of short swords.
Since he mostly learnt hand to hand combat, Athan decided on a gauntlet. He used [Identify] on every item before settling on a dusty pair of clawed gauntlets.
[Daily Quest 3 complete!]
[Reward: 10 Experience Points]
[Bone Devil Claws (damaged)]
[Strength +7]
[Agility +10]
[Fortitude +10]
[This weapon used to be a ranked item, but was damaged and lost some of its power]
Most other items only boosted one or two attributes by no more than 5, so this weapon was definitely superior.
He strapped them on and felt the power flow through him. The black metal and white bone was quite edgy, but he liked it.
His name was called and he stepped onto the stage. Opposite him was a greatsword wielding hunk.
He confidently flashed his C1 on his wristband and grinned, "Stay still and let me hit you up, it'll hurt less that way."
Athan immediately activated [Identify].
[Nate]
[Health: 20/20]
[Aura: Stoneskin Lv.1]
[Fatigue: 0]
[Strength: 19]
[Agility: 15]
[Fortitude: 19]
[Mentality: 10]
[Perception: 12]
Isn't he a little too weak? I guess without abilities, humans are quite weak.
Athan stepped forward and threw several punches that Nate failed to block. He tried swinging the greatsword, but his movements were too slow and unskilled.
After dodging a wide swing, Athan slipped behind Nate and held his claws around Nate's neck.
"Athan wins! Next pair!"
Nate gritted his teeth in rage like an overused trope. If knew that if he had used his ability, he would have won.
"Athan! I dare you to fight me outside th-
Athan had already turned and left, watching Victor struggle slightly against his opponent with his superior spear.
Nate: "..."
[Daily Quest 3 complete!]
[Reward: 20 Experience Points]
[You have defeated a Grade 1 Human!]
[Reward: 20 Experience Points]
Athan inhaled deeply, smelling a weak but enticing scent. He noticed it came from the cuts and bloodstains on the people around him. His stomach rumbled slightly and he licked his lips.
He glanced down at his gauntlets, realising that he had yet to taste blood. Sadly, he did not draw any blood from Nate since he held back. Next time he fought, he would make sure to dent his opponent's face.
"Athan and Lyla! Arena 3!"
Lyla climbed onto the arena and immediately felt a chill from Athan's intense staredown.
Her weapon was a saber and surprisingly she knew how to use it based on how she held it.
She blinked as Athan's eyes seemed to darken for a moment but it went back to normal.
[Hunter's Eyes]
The moment he activated this skill, his vision changed. The world seemed to turn into vague outlines and colors and he remembered how to use this skill based off the description on the Skill Tree.
He could choose to see things as outlines or solid, allowing him to see through solid objects. He could also zoom in or slow down his perception and he could mark targets, a small receptacle locking on to their hearts.
He could also see various glows that he realized was Aura. This one skill has so many uses, no wonder it was suggested to learn it first.
Lyla was quick and nimble, but his locked-on eyes were not fooled. His claws slashed her arm lightly, drawing out blood.
The alluring smell got even stronger and he barely held himself back from licking the blood off his hands. One claw to the neck later, he won the match and stood to the side, tentatively licking the blood.
Instantly, an explosion of sweetness and taste bloomed on his tongue, and he hurriedly lapped up the rest.
It was just enough for a taste, but not enough to sate him. He started to regret taste testing as he felt his hunger grow even stronger.
On the plus side, they got to keep their dimensional weapons, which cheered Athan up.