Items: None
Allocatable stat points: 1
Evolution points: 0
Coins: 0
[Half of the eye of extirpation; improves sight within the darkness and increases the chance to strike vitals.]
Wilhelm nodded his head in understanding and stroked his mighty beard. He was unaware of what the chances were to strike a vital, or how that even worked within combat. However, it was still much more appealing than the previous bland explanation.
He scanned the dark cave with his newly acquired eye-prowess and noticed a few visible improvements. He could vaguely see the thick walls and make out a few of the ant carcasses.
Satisfied, he began to dig a few holes with newly found determination. He temporarily forgot about the fact that he was stuck inside of a dungeon with no way out. In fact, he even whistled a melodious tune as he dug the graves.
This continued for a few hours, and Wilhelm's drowsiness slowly crept up to him. The sleep he had ignored was now beginning to bite him the buttocks. His only saving grace was the dozen or so graves that were nearly complete.
Sweat trickled down his near-nude body as he finally finished the last hole, to which he heaved a sigh of relief. Wilhelm sincerely hoped that every other secret class was just as troublesome as his was, though it was unlikely.
He hurled the large ants into the pits one by one until he received another string of notifications, which he dismissed for the time being. He gained yet another 1200 experience and twelve burial points, which made him a few steps closer to his goal.
Once he was done viewing his new and improved status, he returned to the lake and contemplated about where he should place his unallocated stat point. He had been upgrading stamina for a while now, and it was now equal to his strength.
His initial plan was mainly putting points into both agility and stamina. However, the other attributes were proving to be worth is while as well. Though, his dream of becoming young still diluted his judgment, causing him to place a point into stamina once again.
[Stamina has been leveled up]
Immediately, an exhilarating feeling washed over his body, and the impurities in his pores were rinsed away. His skin became even paler, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to disappear. Finally, he could pass as a very handsome thirty-year-old man.
A refreshing smile formed on Wilhelm's lips as he fell to the ground and closed his eyes, making himself comfortable. As a man who had slept in the toughest of conditions, he had long trained himself to be capable of sleeping wherever he pleased.
…
The next morning, sunlight leaked into the cave from the large hole in the roof. It illuminated Wilhelm's sleeping figure and caused his eyelids to flutter. The glaring light irritated his skin which provoked him to prematurely wake up.
He slowly stood up from the ground and stretched his limbs while yawning. His dirty-blonde hair, which possessed streaks of black, flowed behind his shoulders and swayed with his movements. The surroundings were relatively peaceful, and not a single sound could be heard.
Seeing that nothing had rudely intruded on his peaceful sleep, he decided to plan out his next day and future path. First of all, his current strength was not capable of conquering the dungeon, so he would have to procure power from within. To do this, he would need to hunt the weak monsters until he became powerful enough to reach the higher levels.
As it stood, minor stat points would not be sufficient enough. Although they increased his abilities by leaps and bounds, it was still not enough. It required a considerable amount of experience to level up, and the number of creatures inside the dungeon was limited.
The only way he could see himself getting out of the dungeon alive was advancing his class and evolving his skills. If it were anything like the games in his past life, then there would be a few paths laid out in front of him. Not to mention the fact that his skill had already evolved, this proved to him that progression was possible.
The main issue that bugged him was his low-level. Since he had received a class at level five, then his advanced class was probably at either level fifteen or twenty. It already took him a few days to level up once; now it would take another a week or maybe even month until he reached those levels.
A sigh escaped from Wilhelm's lips as he scratched the back of his head. The world he was thrown into was riddled with secrets, so he didn't give up just yet. Who knew if his class would power-up in the future, or if he could gain some sort of powerful item? There was no use crying over spilled milk.
Wilhelm grabbed the nearby knife and placed it inside of his loincloth as he departed from the lake. He figured it was about time to map out more of the dungeon and locate the ant and grottenburg nest.
The feeling of being trapped alone with monsters irked him. However, Wilhelm had long become crazy from years of fighting in wars. His personality had been cultivated and held back for years. That was why he could laugh in the direst of situations and smile from the most painful of memories.
Even now, a small smile crept onto his lips as he thought about leveling up from killing the beasts. He was a unique person, and anyone else would've surely gone insane by now. It was no easy task to survive in such a circumstance, especially when your only meals consisted of disgusting grottenburg's and flame water.
As he thought to here, he traveled further down the vast cavern and took a few turns that he had skipped previously. Compared to when he had first entered, the cavern was extraordinarily quiet, which confused him. It was as if those minotaur-like creatures scared off the other monsters on the bottom floor. If so, why did no other creatures approach the lake when they left?
Countless unanswered questions assaulted Wilhelm as he investigated the confusing cave, marking his path as he went. As he treaded deeper, another two pathways appeared in front of him. These two, however, were slightly different than the others.
The one on the right was slightly bigger, but possessed a strange acidic liquid dripping from the roof. On the other hand, the one on the left seemed to be a different color, as if it was recently dug and inhabited.
Both paths showed signs of life, and Wilhelm could easily guess which creatures they inhabited. He could still remember the acidic saliva that the grottenburgs' produced, and the digging skills the ants possessed.
Wilhelm inwardly marked this place as dangerous and quickly departed. Instead of entering their nests like a mad man, he would hunt them down when they were alone. Who knew how strong the ant queen and grottenburg parents were?
Wilhelm used the markings on the wall and soon made it back to the lake, where he decided to drink a few gulps of flame-water. He had somewhat grown used to the pain, so his reaction wasn't as distinguishable as before.
He cleaned himself and sharpened his blade, patiently waiting until night befell. He could assume both creatures were nocturnal; as such, he would need to wait until night to hunt. Before that, however, he would prepare.
He hummed a peaceful tune as the sound of a knife being sharpened on a piece of stone resounded throughout the small cave.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Wilhelm continued sharpening the dagger until the sunlight disappeared. Forthwith, instead of the sun, the moon and stars came out. They irradiated their beautiful luminescence onto the lake, causing it to sparkle with a prepossessing beauty.
He admired this picturesque scene for a few moments before standing up and stretching his arms. The blade in his hands was slightly rough. However, it would cut remarkably well—he made sure of that.
After mentally preparing himself, he sauntered toward a location near the ant nest. If he moved too close to the nests, then the creatures would be able to call for help. Furthermore, there was no telling if the Primera's were nearby.
With this in mind, he decided to move into a branched off pathway, just a few dozen meters away from the dens. He laid in wait, crouching behind a significantly large crack in the ground. There was no perfect way to hunt, but he could rest as
sured that there would be a few visitors tonight.
His stomach once again rumbled in protest as he waited. The last thing he had eaten was that grottenburg, which was an entire day ago. The more he exerted his body, the hungrier he became.
Thankfully, he could ignore his hunger for a substantial duration of time, and focus on the task at hand. His eyes and ears were constantly on high alert, never resting, not even for a single moment. The dagger was always brandished in the perfect location, ready to thrust when necessary.
Like this, minutes turned into hours, and Wilhelm waited for a total of three before finally, the sound footstep rang in his ears. The sound of clicking and mandibles pressing against each other echoed out from the entrance.
Dirt and rocks were being dragged by a small squadron of ants. They were busy making more tunnels, escape routes, and delivering food to their queen. Their work ethic was exceptional, and not a single ant took a break, nor moved sluggishly.
Unfortunately for them, however, they didn't notice the human figure spying on them from afar. Wilhelm stealthily crept onto the ants from behind, his dagger gleaming, ominously. The occupied ants weren't able to catch a glimpse of a single thing.
Slowly but surely, Wilhelm reached the back of one of the digging ants. Without hesitation, he thrust his blade downward, embedding it into the ant's neck. It squirmed and squealed as its blood flowed out like a river.
The loud noises and movement alerted the other members of the squadron. They growled dangerously as they rushed toward Wilhelm, attempting to save their kin. Seeing this, Wilhelm quickly finished off his foe and backed off.
He stared the rest of the ants in the eyes. They were a group of around eight, each one with a different distinct feature. Some of them were red, while others were black. A few of the unique ones even possessed a greenish thorax.
Wilhelm presumed this to be the work of evolution, so he didn't pay it much mind. Instead, he cautiously circled the group of ants, cutting off their escape route. Even if they were aware of his presence, he was still much stronger than them.
In response to his threatening movements, a few of the ants didn't hesitate to attack. They were rather brainless creatures, commanded by the hive-mind. The three that charged forward looked somewhat standard, with an ordinary red carapace and thorax.
The ant in front was quicker than the rest, and soon reached Wilhelm's figure, where it then proceeded to lunged forward and chop down with its thick jaw.
Wilhelm squinted his eyes and maneuvered to the right, barely dodging the lunging ant. He then leaped backward, avoiding the other two and landing next to the first ant. Before they could even react, he stabbed his dagger into the first ant's antennae.
It squealed in anguish and caused a few of the other ants to join the midst. Soon, a group of six ants surrounded Wilhelm, cutting off all paths of possible retreat. The injured Formicidae was especially angry, grinding its jaws together.
Without its antennas, its sight and sense of direction would be impaired. Although most ants were capable of sight, it was rather dull. They usually relied on their other senses, which came from their antennae.
Suddenly, one of the ants with a green thorax turned its body around and shot a ball of acid from its behind. It coursed and sizzled through the air, shocking Wilhelm. The surprise attack caught him off guard, and he only had enough time to evade a lethal blow.
It landed onto his shoulders, burning a layer of skin straight off. The smell of burning flesh wafted up into the air, causing Wilhelm to frown and scrunch up his nose. A few beads of sweat trailed down the sides of his face as he tightened his jaw.
"That stings!" he cursed whilst rubbing his burnt shoulder. He was a man who could tolerate all kinds of pain. However, that didn't mean he was immune to feeling discomfort, burning, and injuries.
A growl escaped from his lips as he rushed toward the acid-spitting ant. He put both of his hands to the side and scraped the ground with his knife as he ran. The loud sound, reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard, stunned the group of ants.
Wilhelm used this moment of confusion to reach the acid-spitting ant within a few seconds. A wild smile formed on his lips as he repeatedly stabbed downward. He only stopped once the other enemies recollected themselves.
They grew enraged at the sight of one of their kin dying, so they mindlessly charged at him without a second thought. Wilhelm too rushed at them. The acid spitting Formicidae could not attack him if he were engaged in close combat with the other ants.
He used his nimble limbs to evade the ants' crude way of attacking, only striking them when suitable, at the perfect time. Nevertheless, their numbers were far too overwhelming. As such, wounds started to appear on Wilhelm's fair skin.
Compared to the other group of workers he had assassinated prior; this squadron of ants was much more advanced in terms of strength. Their intelligence was higher, and they were not wholly absent of fighting capability.
Blood seeped from his many wounds as he barely managed to fend off his enemies. He aimed for their vital points and antennas, weakening them when he could. This gruesome battle continued for another quarter of an hour, until finally, only he and one more ant stood on the battlefield.
The carcasses littered the ground, and a considerable amount of blood dripped into the fissured ground. Wilhelm heaved a deep sigh as he inspected the last remaining ant. It was a head taller than the rest and possessed a set of black jawbones.
"So, you're the leader, huh?" Wilhelm grunted angrily as he cracked his neck. What he had expected to be a free lunch, ended up becoming a life and death battle. Not to mention the fact that his upgraded eyes didn't seem to have much of an effect.
Let alone a critical ability; he felt as though his strikes were even weaker than before for some reason. Perhaps, that was due to the higher tier monsters, or his body was merely fatigued. Either way, his anger had sky-rocketed due to his unfortunate luck as of late.
His teeth ground against each other as he trod forward, knife in hand. The ant-leader retaliated by using its most basic primal instinct, surging ahead. It leaped into the air, mouth open wide. Its eye dilated as the distance between it and Wilhelm closed.
Time seemed to stop as Wilhelm squinted his eyes, placing one foot forward and stabbing his cracked dagger forward. His knees bent as his back bent rearward, barely sliding under the ant's body.
Using his opponent's inertia as assistance, he slashed the belly of the ant, gutting the creature with ease. The innards fell onto Wilhelm's already mangled body and accentuated his bloody figure.
A few deep breaths escaped from his mouth as he shakily stood up from the ground, expecting the robotic notifications to ring in his head.
[Acidic Formicidae has been slain, two hundred experience acquired. x3]
[Warrior Formicidae has been slain, three hundred experience acquired. x1]
[Formicidae has been slain, one hundred and fifty experience acquired. X4]
[1500 experience has been acquired; you have level up!]
[You have received one unallocated stat point]
[You have received one evolution point (one every eight levels)]
[850/4000 EXP required for next level]
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Wilhelm's dark eyes couldn't help but light up at the string of notifications that appeared within his line of sight. He momentarily forgot about his mangled body and collapsed onto the ground, landing on his buttocks.
His body was wounded significantly. However, he was especially excited about the new "feature" in his status. A small smile even formed on his lips as he whispered to the magical thing inside of his head.
[Evolution point: Once a sufficient amount of experience has been acquired, you will be awarded one. The human body is incapable of withstanding your current strength, nor is it possible to hold more mana. Thus, you must choose one of the options below if you wish to survive and gain more strength]
[1. Kitsune tail; increases adroit and dexterity]<
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[2. Imp horns; increases mana sensing capabilities]
[3. Maestro's metacarpus and fingers; Increases techniques and abilities with the hands]
[4. Tauren tusks; Increases strength and durability]
[If a choice is not made within twenty-four hours, the system will choose for you. Your future choices will become determined based on your decision—choose wisely]
Wilhelm heaved a deep sigh of exasperation as he fell onto his back, peering up at the ceiling. His prior enthusiasm was just about washed away once he realized that it was a critical turning point for his future.
Considering the fact that the system supplied him with a timer, and an ultimatum, it was inevitable that he acquired at least one of the four. He could also assume that the selection would be altered depending on the person's feats and difficulties, similar to when choosing a secret class.
The Holy Land Page 10
