Chapter 3- The first Subjugation

The quiet, tense journey suddenly shifts into a very matter-of-fact execution and looting. Adding just a little emotional response (shock, adrenaline, guilt, numbness) would help bridge this jump and deepen Vergil's

Vergil's journey to Rotroot Forest took no more than twenty minutes, but every step gnawed at his nerves.

He'd left the cobbled path that curved away from Vaelmont, the village now a faded silhouette behind a veil of morning mist. The road narrowed quickly, swallowed by tangled underbrush and trees twisted into unnatural shapes. Their gnarled branches arched overhead, forming a shadowy canopy that dimmed the already pale light.

With each step, the world grew quieter.

No chirping insects. No rustling leaves. Just the squelch of damp earth beneath his boots, and the scent of rot thickening in the air. The infamous trees that gave the forest its name—Rotroots—loomed around him, their bark blackened and cracked like ancient wounds. Some leaked a tar-like sap that bubbled in silence.

He pressed forward.

Patches of bioluminescent fungi clung to exposed roots, casting a sickly green glow that barely pierced the gloom. Pools of still water mirrored his reflection in warped fragments, and what little light filtered down felt cold, like moonlight trapped in daylight hours.

Then the path widened.

Ahead stood a dead oak, its trunk hollow and gaping like the mouth of a beast. It was the mark: the true entrance into the heart of Rotroot Forest.

Vergil paused, inhaling slowly. His fingers brushed the hilt of his dagger.

"I'm here."

His heart thudded once. Twice.

"This will be my first time killing, huh?"

A rustle.

He dropped low and slipped behind a tree, careful not to disturb the wet foliage. A few meters ahead, something moved. Slowly, he peeked through the leaves.

A goblin.

Small. Wiry. Barely the size of a child. Its sickly green skin clung to its frame like wax stretched over bone. Jagged claws gripped the body of a corpse—human, mangled—and tore into its flesh with sharp, yellowed teeth. Beady red eyes glittered with mindless glee, its long ears twitching with every sound. The stench of blood and decay reeked from its meal.

Vergil's hand tightened on his dagger.

"System," he whispered in his mind, "analyze the goblin."

A translucent screen flickered to life.

[Goblin]

Race: Humanoid Monster

Level: 1 | Tier: 0 | Class: None

STR: 2 | CON: 3 | DEX: 4 | INT: 1 | WIS: 2 | MP: 0 | Mana Cap: 0

Passive Skills:

Lesser Pain Resistance (F-)

Crude Weapon Proficiency (F)

Active Skills:

None

Vergil moved.

He burst from the shadows, feet silent on the wet earth. The goblin turned—too late. His dagger plunged deep into its neck. It screeched, gurgling as he twisted the blade, hot green blood spraying across his arm and cheek. Its claws scraped weakly at his shoulder.

He drove the dagger deeper. The goblin spasmed—then went still.

Vergil didn't flinch.

He extended his palm.

"Authority of Predation."

From his hand, black mouths erupted—ringed with red glyphs, sharp teeth gnashing hungrily.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Flesh and bone vanished in moments, consumed by writhing, otherworldly hunger.

[1 Strength point gained.]

[2 Dexterity points gained.]

[You have acquired: Lesser Pain Resistance (F+), Crude Weapon Proficiency (F).]

Vergil exhaled, wiping blood from his cheek. The mouths retreated into his palm.

This skill really is something else.

Then he saw it—the body the goblin had been feeding on. A dagger protruded from the man's throat.

"Analyze."

A second screen appeared.

[Edran Valmont]

Race: Human | Class: Archer

Level: 1 | Tier: 0 | Gender: Male | Status: Deceased

STR: 4 | CON: 3 | DEX: 6 | INTU: 5 | MP: 3 | Mana Cap: 3

Passive Skills:

Keen Focus (F)

Basic Bow Mastery (F)

Active Skills:

Quick Shot (F)

Vergil extended his hand once more.

"Authority of Predation."

The mouths returned. Silent. Efficient. Ruthless.

[1 Strength point gained.]

[2 Dexterity points gained.]

[1 Intuition and Magic Power point gained.]

[You have acquired: Keen Focus (F), Basic Bow Mastery (F), Quick Shot (F).]

Vergil narrowed his eyes.

Strange. I didn't gain as many stats as I expected from him.

The system answered before he could speak.

[Because the body was damaged, the stat gains were reduced. You still gain all skills. As you grow stronger, consuming weaker lifeforms will no longer yield stats. Conversion values are partial by default.]

Vergil nodded.

So strength and condition matter… Got it.

The system chimed again.

New Notification.

[User is one step closer to unlocking the second function of the Authority of Predation. Acquire 15 unique skills to proceed.]

Vergil grinned, blood still clinging to his cheek.

So that's what you meant earlier…

His eyes then fell on the goblin's remains—nothing but a skeleton now. Among the bones, a small blue crystal pulsed faintly with energy. He crouched down and picked it up.

"Analyze."

[Astralyth Stone] (F-Tier)

Description: The weakest type of energy stone.

Uses:

Can serve as a power source.

Can be absorbed to accelerate cultivation (requires refinement into the user's specific energy type).

Has various applications in magic and alchemy.

Vergil examined the crystal in his palm, watching its faint glow flicker.

"No wonder these are in high demand. They're pretty useful."

His gaze shifted back to Edron's corpse. A silver necklace lay against the remains—not too cheap, not too expensive. A few meters away, his bow and quiver of arrows rested on the ground.

'Poor guy. He didn't even get to struggle. I'll make sure to use your equipment properly... but what's this necklace?'

Picking it up, Vergil activated his analysis skill, but it revealed nothing special. Just an ordinary necklace, inscribed with a name: Elira Valmont.

'Must be his mother. He wasn't wearing a ring, so he probably wasn't married. The Authority only ate his flesh—his clothes and bones are still here. I'll store them, along with his mother's necklace and the crystal, in my inventory. If I find her, I'll return them.'

But for now, it was goblin slaughtering time.

Vergil moved carefully through the woods, his steps light against the damp earth. Ahead, two goblins crouched behind a bush. Vergil pulled out the bow and quiver from his inventory and got ready to shoot

He reached for an arrow, fingers brushing against the feathered fletching as he pulled it from the quiver. His movements weren't fluid—just a little awkward, a little stiff. As he nocked the arrow, the bowstring gave a soft hum, but his grip wasn't perfect.

Drawing the string back, his muscles tensed, but his posture was slightly off. The bow bent, but not quite to its full potential. He took a breath, steadying himself, narrowing his focus on the goblin clumsily pulling at the stolen bow.

The tension in the string wavered slightly, his hold not as firm as it should be. The creak of bending wood sounded, but it wasn't as smooth as a trained archer's draw. A heartbeat passed. Then another.

He released.

The arrow flew—not perfectly, but fast enough. It veered slightly off course before sinking into the goblin's shoulder with a dull thunk. The creature screeched, clutching at the wound.

Vergil clicked his tongue. "Not bad… but I've got work to do. Those passive skills from Edran are helping."

He reached for another arrow.

The second goblin, seeing its fallen comrade, let out a sharp screech before charging at him with a makeshift dagger. It moved faster than expected, its small frame darting across the uneven ground with surprising speed. But it wasn't fast enough. Vergil loosed another arrow, and the projectile struck true, burying itself deep into the goblin's skull. It collapsed instantly, lifeless.

Turning his attention back to the first goblin, which was still writhing in pain, struggling to pull the arrow from its shoulder, Vergil approached without hesitation. With a swift thrust, he plunged his blade into the creature's heart, silencing its agony.

'Authority of Predation.'

Dark, writhing mouths emerged, devouring the goblin corpses in an instant.

"You have gained 1 Strength point, 1 Dexterity points, and 1 Constitution point.

User has acquired the following skills:

Dash (F)

Lesser Poison Resistance (F-)

User has levelled up to level 2, you have gained 3 allotable stat points

"Put all of them in Constitution"

"Your Constitution has increased by 3"

'At this moment in time, Stamina and endurance is the most important thing,

Two hours passed, and the sun hung low on the horizon, casting the forest in hues of deep orange and crimson. Vergil wiped his blade clean, surveying the now-silent clearing around him.

"Looks like I've cleared out all the goblins in this area," he muttered, exhaling. "Took longer than I expected just to track down these last two. I even had to take a break because I was exhausted."

Status Window

Name: Vergil

Level: 3

Tier:0

Title: Commoner

Lifespan: 65 years

Spouses: None

Race: Human

Class: None

Stats:

Strength: 6 → 11

Constitution: 8 → 11

Dexterity: 7 → 15

Intuition-6 → 8

Magic Power: 3 → 4

Mana Capacity: 4 → 5

Equipment:

Basic Clothing (+2 Defense)

Metal dagger (+5 attack)

Passive Skills:

Keen Focus (F)

Basic Bow Mastery (F)

Lesser Impact Resistance (F-)

Basic Pain Resistance (F)

Crude Weapon Proficiency (F)

Lesser Poison Resistance (F-)

Wild instincts (F)

Active Skills:

Authority of Predation (???)

Throwing (F-)

Pack Tactics (F)

Quick Shot (F)

Dash (F)

Feral Bite (F)

Arts: None

Available Stat Points: 3

Vergil furrowed his brow. "The analysis said the goblin on the left had a passive skill called Dim Vision, and the other had Basic Camouflage..."

Without hesitation, he activated his unique ability. "Authority of Predation."

The grotesque mouths of the skill manifested, consuming the two corpses.

[User has obtained 1 Wisdom Point.]

[User has obtained the passive skills: Dim Vision (F-) and Basic Camouflage (F).]

Before Vergil could process that, a new notification appeared.

[User has satisfied all conditions. Releasing the seal on the second function...]

[User has unlocked the second effect of Authority of Predation: Active Skill Combination (EX).]

Vergil raised an eyebrow. "Combination?"

[Combination allows you to temporarily or permanently fuse skills together to create stronger, more advanced abilities. Skill strength and type will depend on compatibility.]

A slow grin spread across his face. "Ha… Hahaha." His laughter grew. "This is broken beyond belief."

[However, at this moment, the 'temporary' fusion function is unavailable as you do not meet the necessary requirements.]

His excitement dimmed slightly. "God fucking damn it, you could've told me that first."

[I had to ruin your mood.] The system responded.

Vergil clicked his tongue. "Annoying piece of shit." Then, shaking his head, he smirked. "Still, this is gonna be fun."

'Combination.'

A large panel materialized in front of him, displaying a prompt:

[Which skills would you like to combine?]

Vergil's eyes scanned his list of abilities. "How many skills can I combine at once?"

[As many as you want, but they must be compatible. Otherwise, the fusion may fail or even downgrade the resulting skill. Compatibility will not be shown.]

Vergil crossed his arms, deep in thought. 'I'll leave Poison Resistance alone for now. If there are other resistances like Paralysis Resistance, I'd rather fuse them later to get something stronger. But Impact Resistance and Pain Resistance… those should work well together.'

"Fuse Lesser Impact Resistance and Basic Pain Resistance."

[Fusing skills...]

[Fusion complete. User has obtained the passive skill: Endurance (E-).]

Skill Name: Endurance (E-)

Grade: E-

Effect: Grants minor resistance to both physical impact and pain, allowing the user to withstand blows more effectively without flinching or being easily staggered. While it does not negate damage, it reduces its effectiveness slightly and helps the user maintain composure in combat.

Vergil nodded in approval. "Not bad for a first attempt. This'll come in handy."

Lets head back now