ALL NOVEL Chapter 15
The War Shadows lunged at me with their frigid talons extended. In that instant, my mind crystallized with clarity. I could not allow them to surround me. In a chamber as vast as this, if they hemmed me in, it would spell my doom. They were creatures of unerring precision, swifter than any human could track with the naked eye. Should I falter, they'd rend me asunder in the blink of an eye.
"Huff~" I let the air leave my lungs.
With haste, I grasped the limp body of the War Shadow I'd just killed and hoisted it aloft as if 'twere a shield. Not that it was light, but the fear of dying bestows strength you ne'er knew you had. Wielding the corpse as a barrier, I charged toward the others.
My footfalls resounded on the stone floor as I barreled into the throng, shattering their formation ere they could regroup. I thrust forward with all my might, hurling the cadaver at them. Two of the War Shadows stumbled, toppled by the impact, and crashed to the ground.
I knew then that this was my moment to strike.
"Hah!"
I brandished my chainsword. I'd always known the blade was keen, but this was the first time it cut through the air with such a clear whistle. The first War Shadow fell with a single stroke to the neck, its head tumbling to the ground ere its body followed. The second raised its claw in defense, but my blade had sunken into its skull before it could react.
Two more dead. Four remained.
The surviving War Shadows soon converged upon me. Their movements were undoubtedly fast and somewhat coordinated, but not wholly intelligent. They were low-level monsters. They were not thinking creatures, more akin to predatory animals.
Still, a less seasoned adventurer would have fallen by now, but I, though a novice, was a strange one.
And I stood before the foes. My chain sword carved an arc, and silvery light traced a crescent moon in the darkness as I used my legs to dance betwixt razor-sharp talons. I felt an icy hand brush my flank, and another rent my left arm.
-15 HP
-20 HP
I wasn't always fleet enough. The system alerted me each time my HP waned. A faint vibration in my peripheral vision, concurrent with the dwindling HP bar. But I ignored it. The one who would forfeit a moment's focus for those figures would be none other than myself.
Every time the claws pierced my body, I loosed a low growl, but the attacks were not dire enough to wrench me from the fray. Though these monsters were swift and silent, they could not coordinate their efforts properly. It could be said that this was their weakest point. Their dearth of wit caused them to strike in a disorganized manner, and that afforded me the openings I craved.
The next War Shadow lunged, and I evaded it by a hair's breadth, pivoting on my heel and lashing out in a horizontal sweep that cleaved its torso. It had no chance to react.
My peripheral vision caught a looming shadow from the left. Talons extended and my pupils dilated. I nimbly sidestepped, and the sting on my cheek confirmed that the claw had grazed me. I sprang at it, driving my sword into its chest with a forceful thrust. My chainsword quivered in my grasp as it sundered the strange flesh.
One by one, I felled them.
Two remained. I couldn't say they were few, but they were a paltry number compared to before. The burden on my shoulders lightened. Though my arm muscles smoldered from exertion and sweat beaded my brow, I sensed that I might yet escape with my life intact.
The penultimate War Shadow sprang at me. I sidestepped nimbly and struck it mid-leap, driving the blade straight into its belly and hurling it to the ground. Scarcely had I drawn breath when the last monster thrust its talons towards me, but this time its wasn't as hard. I evaded it, and with one final stroke, my sword found its mark in its skull.
The chamber fell silent. Naught but the echo of my ragged breath and the thud of inert monster forms collapsing to the floor remained.
I stood stock-still, my heart still thundering in my chest, as the system flashed a series of experience messages before my eyes. I disregarded the Drop and instead gazed upon the HP bar, my eyes widening like saucers in disbelief. The air caught in my lungs, and I felt a chill course through me from crown to sole.
[HP: 15/700]
The crimson bar, akin to blood, pulsed in rhythm with my own heart. A mere thread of life, nigh empty.
Surrounded by corpses and besmirched with the black blood of the War Shadows, I drew a deep breath. Though no debris lay in sight, as soon as I stepped backward, I stumbled and fell ass over heels to the ground, most ungracefully.
And there, seated amidst the mess, laughter erupted from my throat. I guffawed until my throat burned and tears spilled from the corners of my eyes. It was neither sorrow nor despair. It was simple, triumphant contentment. I teetered but 15 points from death's door. One more blow and I would have been undone.
Yet I lived still.
Still seated, the echo of my laughter fading in the heavy air of the dungeon, I opened my inventory and withdrew an HP potion. These vials were the most common drops in the system, and though they tasted not particularly pleasant, they were my lifeline.
Each vial restored 200 HP immediately and then 10 HP per second for 30 seconds. The lowest rank, but the only rank I had. Plus, according to the information, I could only consume one potion every five minutes.
I leaned against the wall. I sniffed the potion as if it were perfume. Too bad it smelled uglier than horse shit. As I felt the liquid slide down my throat, I forced myself to swallow.
The effect of the potion began to work. My HP bar slowly rose, going from red to orange and slowly approaching a healthy green.
Pushing my luck to the limit, fighting until I had one foot in the grave... wasn't exactly the smartest strategy.
I opened the system screen. The stats section.
---
―Welcome, Eithan―
---
―Level: 6
―Hp: 255 / 700
―Mp: 350 / 350
---
―Race: Human
―Class: None
―Title: None
---
―Stats―
Strength: 40 (+15)
Endurance: 40
Dexterity: 40 (+10)
Agility: 40 (+10)
Perception: 70
―Additional Stats―
Vitality: 0 ― Vitality increases HP (1 Vitality = 10 HP)
Intelligence: 0 ― Intelligence increases MP (1 Intelligence = 5 MP)
(Vitality and Intelligence value does not increase with level)
―Stat Points: 30
---
―Active Skills―
None
---
―Passive Skills―
―Energy Transmutation: Each time the user receives a Falna Upgrade, Abilities' Points in the Falna will be converted directly to System Stats.
---
―Equipment―
―Main Weapon: Chain Sword (Rank F) ― Strength +15, Dexterity +10
―Boots: Shadow Boots (Rank E+) ― Passive Skills Effect: Diminishes the wearer's footfalls by 50%. Agility +10
---
(Before you say: "This stat is garbage", you should know that 1 point in the Eithan system is equal to 10 points in the Falna system)
My gaze lingered upon the 30 Stat Points with no distribution. With each level ascended, 5 SP were automatically added to each attribute, but I was also granted 5 extra SP to distribute as I saw fit. And now, having attained level 6, I had amassed 30 of these points, biding their time.
The crux of the matter was, I had yet to touch them.
It wasn't that I lacked desire. Sure, I really dying to enhance them. I longed to feel stronger and faster. In any common game, I would have dispensed those points the moment they were bestowed. But this was no mere game. I lacked the comforting assurance that I could "test the waters" and observe the outcome. This was my real life; there was no means to reset the points.
What if I erred in my allocation? What if I amplified an attribute I oughtn't have and lived to rue the day?
In games, one's chosen Class hinges greatly upon the distribution of SP. Should I invest too heavily in Intelligence, I would surely tread the path of a Mage. But were I to spread them betwixt Agility, Perception, and Dexterity, I would clearly be molding myself into an Assassin.
Of all the classes―Mage, Assassin, Knight, or any other―I had always felt drawn to the ways of a Mage, or maybe an Assassin.
The funny thing was that my Perception was surprisingly high from the outset; I had 40 points, while my other Stats scarcely reached 10. Should I elect to become a Mage, that lofty Perception would be wasted. On the other hand, if I became an Assassin, those points would prove invaluable.
In truth, I'm stuck between what I want to be and what I'd be better off being.
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