Disrespectful Monkey
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level...]
...
[All stats has been increased accordingly!]
Blake's vision was drowned with notifications from the system right after he killed the Brown Iron-skin Bear, the exp he gained was enough to propel him to level 13. Moreover, he was surprised that the Exp he gained was amplified multiple times.
It was all thanks to the level difference and also being a Spectral Vampire.
Due to the Order of the Enigma passive skill, he gained 100% bonus exp from killing the giant bear. Based on the skill description, Blake could only assume that the giant bear is considered a prey monster for the Spectral Vampire.
Possibly due to the fact that the giant bear has blood inside of his body.
Since killing the slimes earlier didn't trigger the Orden of the Enigma skill, then it's very likely.
Now he can savor the taste of victory with a triumphant smile.
As Blake advanced to the thirteenth level thanks to the Brown Iron-skin Bear, he also felt that his muscles are getting more compact and stronger. Every part of him seemed to be renewed and strengthened.
Similar to earlier, he felt a bolstering warmth sweep inside his body, making him stronger.
"Phew... that felt good" He mused to himself.
Even though it was quite a pleasant feeling, he realized one important thing.
Despite he managed to reach level 13, he can still feel pain all over his body from the fight against the giant bear. Checking his status window, he finds that his HP and MP are still like earlier, they didn't recover as the norm.
'If it's like this, the Shadow Dormancy skill becomes more valuable' Blake thought with a nod.
As he was enjoying the warmth of leveling up, his eyes shifted elsewhere.
Looking at the Brown Iron-skin Bear's carcass which now has two pouches that are glowing with green lights hovering above it, he decided to go over to them excitedly. It's time for him to harvest his loot.
Grabbing the two pouches with his hands, two tabs also accordingly opened in his vision.
[Brown-furred Jacket]
Level: 15
Grade: D
Item Quality: Basic (50/50)
Stat Increase: +50 Defense
Description: A sturdy jacket made from the thick skin and furs of the Brown Iron-skin Bear. The furs provide excellent insulation, and the design of the jacket offers superior defense as tough as iron, allowing the wearer to withstand even the harshest cuts.
[Ironhide Sword]
Level: 15
Grade: D
Item Quality: Good (100/100)
Stat Increase: +35 Strength and +20 Agility
Description: A formidable cleaver forged from the resilient sharp inner hide of the Iron-skin Bear. The blade is capable of slicing through tough armor and flesh with ease, and its lightweight nature also enhances agility, enabling swift swings in combat.
Blake inspects the loot he gained and was quite satisfied with them.
One is armor that he can use on top of the plain shirt of a farmer that he's wearing right now, while the other is a much-need weapon. It's hard to fight using his bare hands instead of with a weapon.
With this, he doesn't need to worry about that anymore.
"To be honest, I expected you to lose against that bear considering that it has mutated. But it's great that it ended up like this" Salana suddenly commented from the side, looking at the Brown Iron-skin Bear's carcass while walking over to him.
Upon hearing this, Blake clicks his tongue in displeasure, "Give me a break already"
Deciding to ignore Salana who is only getting on his nerves all the time, he summoned the two items he acquired from killing the Brown Iron-skin Bear. First and foremost, he wears the Brown-furred Jacket and finds that it fits his body perfectly.
Inspecting the jacket, Blake finds that it was quite a stylish garment.
People in the real world would pay great money for something like this, the outer layer boasts the bear's lustrous and dense furs and is also soft to the touch while still retaining its durable properties.
On the other hand, the Ironhide Cleaver is quite a fearsome sword.
The Ironhide Sword is thick and broad, the hilt is wrapped in a durable leather grip which provides a comfortable hold to the wielder, and also the blade is quite menacing with a dark metallic sheen at its sharp edge.
Blake didn't hesitate to wear the jacket and also wield the sword firmly in his hand.
Swinging the sword a couple of times, the sword makes a whooshing sound as it cuts through the air, and he can't help but smile, "Now this is the game world I was expecting, not fighting with my bare hands like a lunatic"
"Learning to fight bare-handed is a must, it's a good experience for you" Salana chimed.
Even though most would focus on using a weapon, the fundamental need to know basic unarmed combat is a necessity. Not only would it come in handy, but it will also help a person to learn to wield their weapons quicker.
While looking around the place, a question then popped inside Blake's head.
"Say, if I log out from the game, what happened to my avatar?"
"Of course, your avatar would lose consciousness. So don't log out until you're in a safe place, preferably in an inn of some sort so you won't be pickpocketed or worse killed during your sleep" Salana replied nonchalantly.
It's already as expected, knowing when to log out is the basis of this kind of game.
Upon hearing this, Blake has another question in mind.
"What about the time? Is there any difference between here and the outside?"
"Based on what I know, the time outside should be slower when you are here. One hour outside should be around two or three hours inside, you can manage your time with that in mind" Salana replied again, answering the questions to the best of her knowledge.
From what he can remember, it should've been two or three hours since he played the game.
Since it has only been an hour outside, he decided to keep on going.
[Status Window]
Name: MoonDespoiler
Title: Supernatural Enigma (EX)
Class: Gladiator
Race: Spectral Vampire (EX)
Level: 13 (1,600 / 16,900)
Hp: 1,500/1,500 -> 1,700 / 7,500
Mana: 200/200 -> 791 / 920
Strength: 57 -> 77 (+35)
Agility: 101 -> 128 (+20)
Vitality: 113 -> 153
Spirit: 91 -> 111
Intelligence: 34 -> 46
Luck: 0
Attributable Stat Points: 12
Attributable Class Skill Points: 12
Racial Skill Points: 30
Active Skill(s): Thrust (D), Shadowblood Manipulation (SSS), Phantasmal Shadow Phasing (S), Proxy of Blood (SS), Adaptable Mutation Lvl.1 (SSS), Shadow Step (A), Blood Lance (A)
Passive Skill(s): Gladiatorial Focus (D), Overlord of the Night (S), Shadow Dormancy (A), Nocturnal Blood Sight (SS), Inner Anathema Strengthening (S), Perfect Scythe Proficiency (S), Order of the Enigma (EX)
Gold Coins: 10,000 Silver Coins: 10 Bronze Coins: 51
Condition: Severely Injured
Now that he has reached level 13 and is a small step away from reaching level 20 to gain the Persona Quest that Salana wanted, he decided to keep hunting in this dim-lit forest before searching for a nearby settlement.
Inside this forest, he should be invincible and doesn't have to worry about anything.
But as he was about to do that, his eyes landed on the giant bear's carcass.
Located below its neck Blake finds a golden circle-shaped mark, he inspected it and attributed this to the work of the First Act, the First Moon God that somehow corrupted this giant bear and caused a mutation.
Even the mark is shaped like a moon, so he was quite certain of his assumption.
What he doesn't know though is how and why the giant bear is corrupted.
Scouring through the forest in search of more mobs that can provide him more exp and items, Blake was only able to meet a few even though he has been expanding his searching radius for about a mile.
Maybe it's just him, but he feels the eerie forest is too devoid of living beings.
After an hour of going around the forest, he only found a group of more than thirty monkey-like creatures, screeching and making wild noises as they glide from one tree to another nimbly while simultaneously sticking together with the group tightly.
The monkeys also seemed to be intelligent, they has a great sense of danger.
Since they are high up in the trees, Blake tries to aggro them by shouting at them. But instead of them coming to attack him, the monkey-like creatures only glanced at him before ignoring him.
It caught Blake really off-guard as he was made to look like a fool by these creatures.
"Why in the actual holy sacred mother of life does the developer make the monkey act like this? Shouldn't mobs charge at the players when they are within range, no matter how strong they are?" Blake complained as he didn't expect this.
Blake can only watch as the monkey-like creatures glide away nonchalantly.
Upon hearing his remarks, Salana giggled on the side as she seems to already be expecting this and anticipated the look on Blake's face. "Of course, the game is not that simple. Mobs are not mindless creatures"
"If they saw a player trying to fight them like you, then they would be suspicious" she added.
Giving Blake a teasing glance, she then asked, "How does it feel to be ignored by monkeys?"
Smiling with a clenched jaw, Blake can't help but grin his teeth as the Lunaris game doesn't follow the normal gaming logic. It's unfair and frustrating But he was more mad because this gave Salana something to mock him with.
Now he doesn't have anything to hunt, the forest is completely empty.
Despite feeling frustrated, he couldn't do anything about this. It's not like he can catch up to the monkey-like creatures gliding on the trees anyway, the distance from the ground to the monkey-like creatures is quite far, and his skills are not fit in this situation.
If he decided to climb, the monkey-like creatures would be long gone.
Even if he uses the Blood Lance skill, it probably wouldn't be able to hit them. Just thinking about this alone forces a sigh out of Blake's mouth, it's not worth it to insist on pursuing them.
Blake then deliberates whether he should abandon this forest and search for nearby cities.
Just as he ponders about that, Salana suddenly opens her mouth and said, "If I'm not mistaken, there's a way to attract them to you instead of you chasing them, that's if you still want to catch them"
"Really?! What is it?" Blake quickly turns his head towards her with sparkling eyes.
If there's really such a way, then he wanted to know.
"Tell me! You said it yourself that you want me to reach level 20 quickly, and I really need a hand here. If you know something that can do that then tell me" As Blake said that, his eyes catches sight of one monkey-like creature looking down at him from above.
Upon seeing this, Blake tilted his head to the side in confusion.
But then out of nowhere, the monkey put its hand on its butt and threw something at him. Knowing exactly what it is, Blake was in disbelief before he quickly dodged it using his Shadow Step skill.
Considering what the thing heading his way is, getting hit by it is not an option.
Splat!
Gazing at the pile of turd that landed right where he stood earlier, he paused for a second as shock can be seen across his face. But soon enough, his expression darken after his mind managed to wrap around what just happened.
Glaring at the monkey-like creature, he pointed at it angrily.
"God damn it! Come down here you stupid monkey! Don't be brave when you're that high and I can't do anything to you! Just you wait, if I ever get my hands on you, I swear that you'll be sorry for this" Blake shouted at the top of his lungs.
Instead of being intimidated, the monkey-like creature smirked before gliding away again.
Veins of anger can be seen bulging on Blake's face and neck, he was not about to let this disrespect pass like that. As a dignified player, being disrespected by a mob hurts his pride. If it was an NPC, he could deal with it.
But a mob? That's totally absurd.
Shifting his attention back to Salana, he then steps forward with clear anger on his face.
"Salana, that damn monkey literally threw shit at me. Tell me how I can make them come to me, it's freaking personal now!" Blake said demandingly, his eyes burning with the fire of vengeance.
No matter what, he's not going to leave the forest until he exacts his revenge!