Nowhere to Run
Even for Kaen, who was accustomed to moving nimbly through the narrow corridors of the mine, running blind was challenging.
The deepest part of the quarry was unexplored. One misstep could cause him to plunge into a ravine or hit his head on a rock cliff.
Despite Kaen's speed, the scorpids were close behind. Their multiple legs gave them a strong grip on the rock, and their tapered bodies allowed them to slide over and under fractures. They took shortcuts to quickly reach their prey.
"What should I do? I didn't escape the guards to die down here! I need to power up!" Kaen exclaimed, speaking directly to the Void System.
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[Recommended action: upgrade skills and engage fight]
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"Should I upgrade my skills? How can I make a decision while running? How many enemies are behind me? I can't count them all!"
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[I can sense about fifteen enemies behind you. Unfortunately, the amount of mana in each of them varies. You need the 'Null Sense' skill to know the exact number. This skill costs 5 FoM.]
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Kaen kept running and entered an unknown tunnel. After each corner, he looked over his shoulder, hoping the number of enemies would decrease.
Identifying the exact number of nearby enemies by sensing their mana would not save his life. He needed a skill to kill those scorpids and find an exit.
"List the skills I can acquire with seven Fragments!" Kaen exclaimed, trying not to stumble. As he ran, the shrill cries of the scorpids echoed through the tunnels of the mine.
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[Here is the list of skills you can acquire with 7 FoM at Level I of Void Resonance:]
[Null Sense: Allows you to sense Mana flows in the environment and living/inanimate bodies. - Cost: 5 FoM]
[Void Sight: Reveals weaknesses in magical beings or constructs - Cost: 6 FoM]
[Void Skin: Confers minor resistance to magic (10% magic damage reduction). - Cost: 7 FoM]
[Void Shield: Creates a small shield made of Void on the forearm resistant to both physical and magical attacks. - Cost: 6 FoM]
[Void Splinters: When a spell is successfully cancelled, Void splinters are released near the container, causing AoE damage. - Cost: 7 FoM]
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Kaen scanned the lines of the interface as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, a black halo enveloped his eyes and spread across the upper part of his face.
"I know what to do."
Kaen braked abruptly and rotated his supporting foot backward. Without moving, he waited for the flying attack of a scorpid that tried to strike him with its mana-soaked stinger.
He ducked, dodging the blow, and struck the insectoid with the pickaxe, which became wedged between its organs and carapace.
Extracting the weapon from the corpse took a couple of seconds, seconds that were enough for another scorpid to bite Kaen in the shoulder.
"Screw you, monster!" he yelled, wincing in pain as he grabbed the scorpid's tail forcefully. With vigor, Kaen ripped the insect's tail away from the rest of its body. The head remained in place, its teeth lodged in his shoulder.
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[Obtained: +2 Fragment of Mana]
[Fragments of Mana: 7]
[New Abilities available]
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Kaen started running again. The enemies seemed to be increasing instead of decreasing. With the scorpid's head still attached to his shoulder, he accessed the system interface.
"Spell Shield! I want to learn Spell Shield!" he shouted, resisting the pain.
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[New skill unlocked: Spell Shield – Cost: 6 FoM]
[Remaining Fragments of Mana: 1]
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The tunnel that Kaen was walking through ended. The road came to an end at a destroyed bridge. Continuing in that direction was impossible.
Kaen turned around and saw that the scorpids were all there. There was no way out! He had to fight!
"Let's do this, you bastards! I survived the attacks of that damn mutant, I won't die here!" he exclaimed. Clenching the fist of his right hand, he noticed that his hand and wrist were covered by the same black stain that covered his eyes.
Like thin, dark veins, strands of Void ran up his forearm and created a small, circular shield similar to those used by gladiators in the Roman Empire.
The shield's surface was as hard as durable metal, but not flat. Many intertwining black filaments moved and pulsed as if they were alive.
The scorpids rushed to attack like an angry swarm from all directions.
Kaen juggled his shield and pickaxe, spinning around and striking various enemies. Black blood flew in all directions, the scorpids' and Kaen's, who was wounded several times by their bites.
The insectoid corpses fell one by one from the ravine behind Kaen. However, the more scorpids he killed, the more they multiplied. More of them sniffed out prey and rushed to the swarm's rescue from the tunnel.
The Spell Shield struck another enemy, smashing it to the ground and severing its head.
All it took was a moment of distraction, and a searing pain shot through Kaen's side.
When he turned around, a scorpid's stinger, sharp as a blade, had penetrated his flesh. Unlike a normal hematophagous insect, it wasn't trying to suck blood: its tail was swelling and deflating.
"Aargh!"
Kaen turned and struck the scorpid's head with a pickaxe, killing it instantly.
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[Obtained: +9 Fragments of Mana]
[Fragments of Mana: 10]
[New Abilities available]
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As Kaen read the interface, he continued to wriggle. There were too many enemies. One after another, they bit their prey, trying hard to drive him to exhaustion.
Kaen's vision began to blur.
Moving blindly, he attacked and killed as many as possible with his shield and pickaxe until a small explosion rumbled through the cave.
"Blooorgh!"
A white, stinking smoke billowed around Kaen. Immediately, all the scorpids broke away from his body and began to run wildly. In the darkness, the insectoids' blue eyes moved up and down.
Within seconds, they disappeared into cracks in the rock and stopped attacking.
Kaen remained on his knees, coughing. His vision was blurred, and the prolonged use of the Void System had drained his energy.
"Who's there?" What was that? Cough!"
The sound of footsteps made him turn toward the edge of the cliff.
A hooded figure watched him in silence from a nearby ledge. Despite the limited visibility, he could tell from the way it moved and its size that it was a human being.
With all his remaining strength, Kaen lifted himself off the ground. He pointed his pickaxe at the figure and held his shield close to his chest, ready to protect himself. The smoke quickly dissipated, and visibility stabilized again.
Suddenly, a dart struck Kaen in the neck.
"Not again..." he whispered before falling unconscious to the ground.