Jinxed? (2/2)
My attacker mumbled something at me through his destroyed jaw but I was done. They would not end me like this. I was given a second chance by the gods themselves! Who were they to take it away from me, after I had saved them no less! I shoved him to the ground, his blade clattering a few meters away on cold rock. He yelped and pleaded incomprehensibly as I brought down my heel on his face, putting all my strength and weight into it. The man's head caved in with a disgusting sound and an explosion of gore. His comrade screamed in horror as he tried to fight off my arachnid. I picked up his scimitar and stabbed the struggling warrior's hand, pinning it to the ground. My Cave Fisher, not losing the opening, thrust both pincers in the man's neck, ending his life.
[Human Warrior Lv.3 defeated! 24xp gained, 10 Aether points and 16 Gold awarded!]
[Human Warrior Lv.2 defeated! 19xp gained, 7 Aether points and 10 Gold awarded!]
[You have eliminated your first great threat to your Dungeon successfully! You slew humanoids for the first time! You lost monsters for the first time! For these achievements you receive 30xp, 20 Aether points and 1 free Attribute Point. Congratulations on being a force of chaos and diversity!]
[Level up! You have amassed enough experience points to reach Level 2! Level up! You have amassed enough experience to reach Level 3! Two attribute points have been awarded and await distribution.]
I fell to my knees, eyes teary, body soaked in blood and my confidence shattered. My small arachnid, now Lv.5, approached me and rested its pincers on my thigh, like it was trying to support me. I picked up the frightening looking creature and placed it on my lap as I cried from of a mixture of frustration and relief to have just survived.
• • •
Cultivation wasn't just a way to replenish Mana, it also boosted my HP regeneration and was basically my way of resting as a Core. As I opened my eyes and gazed upon my Core Room, I took in the new day, as my surviving Cave Fisher gave me a mental "All clear.." from the Dungeon's entrance. I allocated my attribute points first, prioritizing survival. Two points went in physical and the remaining one in Magic. I would concentrate on crafting a beautiful place to live in, after I was safe. For now I would make us strong.. Strong enough to repel anyone who tried something like that ever again! I myself, had to become stronger as well. Gaining skills, knowledge of martial arts or magic spells and grinding them was key.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Race: Superior Dungeon Core Lv.3
Avatar: Arsani (Hermaphrodite)
Age: 29
HP: 75/75
MP: 33/15
XP: 13/80
Aether: 63
Gold: 54
Physical - 9 (Near Peak)
Mental - 3 (Average)
Social - 5 (Above Average)
Magic - 4 (Slightly Above Average)
Skills
1) Monster Summoning (Rank 1)
2) Dungeon Manipulation (Rank 1)
3) Aether Cultivation (Rank 1)
Passive Skills
1) Fire Resistance (Rank 1)
2) Natural Allure (Rank 1)
Boons
1) Blessed Body (+1 to Physical)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I started off by expending 10 Mana to summon five Amber Jellies and then raising all of them to Level 5 by sacrificing Aether. That had just cost me 35 Aether but by Slimes were now almost 30% larger and definitely much more resilient than before. I sent them off to the main cave and instructed them to guard it. After that I summoned two more Dire Cave Fishers for a total of 6 Mana. They were sent to the entrance in order to help reinforce our defenses, by laying their sticky silk strands once more. My eldest Cave Fisher would take the command of these new additions. That left me with 17 Mana points. I decided to try out something new and conjured a coyote, now that they were available to me. The small wolf was able to knock down a grown man, and a fighter at that. It was also the largest creature I had at my disposal.
The coyote took shape before me, Mana weaving itself into bone, organs and muscle until the animal was all there. "Elgolar Coyote Lv.1" its tag read as its sniffed the air around me and checked its surroundings. It was slightly leaner and smaller than the ones I had faced the previous day, indicating that they were probably of a higher level. I patted its head and it received my affection with a happy bark. Its fur was the color of the dune and its eyes had a dark brown hue. By spending all my remaining Aether, I transferred power into my summon through my touch. Its level was raised to 10, which made me realize that the stronger the creature, the more Aether was required to strengthen it. The difference was impressive however as the coyote's size swelled by 20%, its muscles were strengthened and its hide toughened.
[Elgolar Coyote has reached Lv.10, evolution available! This specimen does not have an evolutionary path. Would you like to sculpt the evolution?]
I nodded mentally and tried to come up with ideas of how to evolve a wolf-like creature. I started simply by increasing its size to a height of 70 centimeters and a weight of 60 kilos, making it almost as big as a timber wolf. I then enhanced its sense of smell and tracking capabilities. To finish things off I increased its muscle strength, elasticity and bone density, even making its spine protrude from its back, giving it a fearsome bony ridge. The final result was a much larger than normal coyote, muscular with bony spines protruding from its back. Its eyes could see better in the dark and all of its other senses were heightened as well. I wanted to enhance its fangs and jaw muscles as well but I had no Mana to spare. As my creation was simply a more primal version of the same animal, I named it Dire Elgolar Coyote and finished the process.
[Excess experience points have carried over after evolution. Dire Elgolar Coyote Lv.2 completed! New evolution crafted! New creature available for summoning! Experience in Monster Summoning skill has been awarded. You are at 86% progression before Rank 2. For your achievements 10xp have been awarded!]
The new beast morphed in front of my eyes, becoming what I had envisioned. It looked fierce and strong but acted like a normal animal rather than the monster most would take it for, as it sniffed the ground, picking up scents and running around me enthusiastically. I was not in a playful mood however. The fight from the previous day had left me bitter and afraid. Not wanting to stop my progress towards becoming more powerful I decided to withdraw to my Core Room and cultivate until the afternoon. When I had enough Mana I would focus on strengthening myself as well. My enthusiasm to experience a new fantasy life had blinded me to the dangers such a world could hold. But now.. I would be the one they ran from. I would become the champion of Trishda and make them respect my strength if that's what it took to live my life however I wanted!