Chapter 7: Cannibalism (1): Stat Points

『Notice!』

『Conditions to leave the dungeon has not been met.』

『Note: Monsters can exit the portals after a dungeon break.』

I stared at Stucky while rubbing my butt. I had collided with the portal and fallen onto the sharp rock on the ground.

It hurt.

I sighed repeatedly. Even the fire hadn't hurt like this.

Sigh—

I pondered what Stucky had said...

'And here I thought I could leave.'

It was only the humans who could enter these portals whenever they wanted and kill us... as if we were just there to be killed.

I turned back and looked at the cave.

It was closed on all sides.

We couldn't escape even if we tried. Were our fates just to sit here and wait to be killed?

I couldn't understand...

By now, I was sure that every death I had faced was real.

However, the cave somehow made me come back to life...

This meant we were not really valuable if the cave could do it again and again.

I stared at the burnt rope on the side, the one that had tied me down. I had freed myself using Fire Bolt on it after the mimic had ended.

It was still somewhat usable.

I asked Stucky to store it in... uh, the inventory. It might come in handy sometime in the future.

I stood up and walked back, towards the dead bodies that had fallen.

No, I was not going to play the Name game again.

Instead, I just sat amidst them.

I didn't feel any emotion... they had died, sure, but they would come back again. So, it felt as if I was looking at mere rocks.

Though, I did feel something. And that was... hunger!

My stomach grumbled and grumbled.

The small little finger I had gotten from my kin was not nearly enough to fill my tummy and even if it was, after so long, my stomach was already empty.

But what could I possibly eat now?

Just when I had thought that, Stucky asked me to do something... something that I would have never thought about.

『Mission 3: Cannibalism』

『Tasks:』

『—> Eat』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's intestine』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's stomach』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's food pipe』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's lungs』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's windpipe』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's heart』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's limbs』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's tongue』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's eyeballs』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's brain』『incomplete』

『—> Eat a goblin's spinal cord』『incomplete』

『Reward:

—> Per task completion: +1 Stat point

—> On completion of all the tasks: +5 Stat points; Skill x1; Item x1』

I read all of them.

I rubbed my eyes and read again.

I slapped my cheeks and read again.

But even after the fifth reading, I still found what I saw unbelievable.

Stucky was asking me to become Gabor.

I had to eat my kin now?

I lowered my gaze and then stared at my kin for the fourth time.

I recited their name once again, but this time, while deciding what to eat from whom.

It was funny and not at the same time as I didn't feel any emotion.

It's just, I never thought about eating them. But now that I think about it... they are dead. I can feast on them.

I don't know when they would come back to life... but before that, I could complete this... uh, mission.

With that, I walked closer, kneeling to the ground as I stared at him - "Gobro."

Maybe it was his luck, I'm not sure, but he was the last one to die among the dead.

I remember him being courageous... talking about how he wanted to become a... hero? Slay the enemies?

He was courageous.

His head was just next to him - I ignored it because I was going for something else - his heart. Starting with a heart filled with courage would be the best.

My nails touched his chest but they didn't stop at that. They dug deeper and deeper until the skin tore.

Then they pierced even more, feeling slight resistance against the ribs.

By now, a lot of green blood had oozed out.

I had used only my right arm but then I decided to use my left to tear open his chest.

I put a single finger and then many more through the already created wound. Both my hands were side by side, my palms facing opposite directions, away from each other.

And then, with whatever strength I had, I started pulling them apart.

It was my attempt to tear open the chest...

I failed.

I almost felt my bones break.

I was weak.

I didn't gasp for breath or anything, but no matter how much strength I put, to the point that my arms trembled, I still couldn't tear the chest open.

I was weak.

I realized my weakness, my lack of power and realizing this, I recalled information.

'Stat points.'

I looked at the profile which Stucky showed me:

『Stat Point(s): 16』

The information about using the points freely, to boost another Stat, was in my head.

I pulled out both my arms, sat cross-legged near Gobro, and decided to invest some time and grow stronger.

It would be worthwhile if I could actually get stronger.

I even stared at the checklists of the missions which the second Stucky had displayed towards my left.

'Twelve more...', I knew counting, somehow. Twelve more Stat points could be acquired if I finished each of the checklist.

"No, seventeen."

I noticed the additional 5 points that I would get on completing all.

I bobbed my head forward and backward as I then stared at the first Stucky.

『Strength: 2』

Strength was merely 2. It was pitifully weak, so I thought about investing there.

But I didn't.

Doing on an impulse... that's what dumb do right? And I had decided to be promoted from that status.

Not dumb anymore…

I'm an idiot now.

Just an idiot.

I thought about it. Recalling how that female warrior was able to dodge my attacks pretty easily.

Sure, I could invest in Strength, but if they keep on dodging, then it'd be a waste.

I also thought of the possibility of being on the receiving end.

If a strong attack is launched at me... I could just be so fast that I would be able to dodge it!

So I decided to distribute the points between strength and agility.

I didn't do that.

I paused and thought.

'I'll keep getting points now and then. Maybe I should run a test first?'

Yes. I finally decided.

"Let's invest 1 point to all my stats."

『Please click on '+' to invest Stat points to the specific stat』

A '+' thingy appeared next to each Stat.

And I started.

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