Poor Cultivation (The Slayer of Heaven Book 1): A LitRPG Wuxia Series

by Alan Bard

  A choked gurgle rose from his throat—I thought I broke his ribs. I took all my anger out on him with the last blow. I even seemed to see a golden stream flowing around my fist, some kind of an energy cloud. This energy threw the old man back, slamming him against the wall.

  You have dealt a critical blow to [Reborn Mutant].

  [Reborn Mutant’s] current HP: 18%

  Attention! You have created a unique skill!

  The sequence of moves is listed in the database (Canon, Level 1) under the system name [As Strong as Pistol Fire].

  I tried to walk, but I staggered.

  As Strong as Pistol Fire, sounds cool, doesn’t it? I asked the voices, but they were silent.

  I was shaky and sweaty; my mouth was dry and my body ached. It seemed that creating a unique skill took a hell of a lot of effort. My vision was blurred and my head was pounding. I thought about the absence of any reward, new levels, or experience—this real-life game sucked.

  Aren’t we supposed to finish him off first? asked a cold voice.

  The old man looked like a crumpled sheet of paper. With his ribs broken, he had almost no chance of surviving. But something stopped me from approaching him and dealing the final blow—I wasn’t sure whether it was fear or the sense of near, incomprehensible danger.

  I ran to Jelena and bent over her. Feeling her faint pulse, I breathed a sigh of relief. Rio was alive, too; the blade didn’t really hit him. However, neither of them were moving. I wondered if it was due to some magic effect, something not of this world—I had felt something when the knife hurt me.

  I looked at the blade lying between the bones—it looked like a normal knife. However, its description was much more interesting.

  [Enchanted Bone Knife]

  Combat Characteristics: &??&&&?

  It's not a malevolent artifact made by the Dark Lord to enslave you.

  The next moment, the strange sensation in my hip returned. It was a little frightening that I had been grazed by an enchanted blade with unknown effects. For a second, I saw red-brown threads enter my body through the cut, attach themselves to my muscles, and weave into my veins.

  [Reborn Mutant] has cursed you.

  Damage dealt is increased over time: 0.01%

  A magic curse?

  I doubted that I could do anything about this strange poison now—this particular problem was to be left for later. I sat down next to Rio and examined his wound. It wasn’t clear why he had fainted, it was just a scratch—I was wounded, too, but I seemed to be fine. Perhaps I had some kind of protection I didn’t know about. Who wouldn’t hate mages after this, when a simple wound could kill you just like that? I slapped and shook Rio by the shoulder, just in case. Surprisingly, he coughed. His face twitched slightly and he opened his eyes. He was silent, staring out into the darkness behind my back, then looked from the old man to the Totem.

  “Okay, you seem to be fine,” I said, trying to soothe myself.

  As I approached Jelena, I saw that she was lying in a small pool of blood, her face sick and pale. There was a laceration on her arm, and she had lost a good deal of blood. In movies, vampires sucked blood from their victim’s neck—it turned out they didn’t care about how they got their food. At least this one didn’t.

  I heard some noise at the farthest end of the room.

  The geezer turned out to be more resilient than I thought—still lying on the stone floor, he appeared next to the Totem and froze with his hands outstretched, as if he was placing a sacrifice upon an altar. Tentacles made out of brown mist reached out from the Totem and got into his eyes and mouth. I saw them reach the place in his head where I had my Core, and charge him with its chaos energy.

  A second later, he stood up. Leaning on unnaturally long arms, he trudged toward me.

  “Sh-hit!”

  I stepped forward and activated Pistol Hook, the combination for which flashed in my memory.

  You have dealt a critical blow to [Reborn Mutant].

  Damage dealt: 98%

  That’s it? Alpha sneered. Who’s willing to bet that he’ll rise from the dead again?

  I think this is the end of the poor old man, Beta said casually.

  His life truly seemed to be nearing its end. The Cultivator drew my attention to the bone knife in his hand, and to the purple cocoon hidden in his rags. I mentally reached for the strange item and noticed a few brown threads among the iridescent, violet ones it was made of. This disgusting color was everywhere here—it was as if things and creatures that had interacted with the cracked Totem were beginning to rust. I touched the cocoon in my mind, and it cracked. I then felt pressure in my chest. A silhouette appeared before my eyes, with a glowing Core and channels spread through its body.

  So, he wasn’t that dumb. He killed a player and looted them, knowing that he’d find a use for any item he found. Here’s a weird idea... A player dies and turns into a NPC-vampire that restores energy via a cracked Totem and blood of other players, restoring brain cells and turning back into a human.

  So, Nicky, you killed a person who has been struggling to return to normal for God knows how long, Alpha said in a malicious voice. How do you feel about it?

  I personally think that this idea is stupid, and that we didn’t kill anyone. Beta suddenly decided to support me in its own strange way. Also, there’s definitely no way that we could prove this theory.

  Attention! You have received a set of [Power Armor Seals].

  Prevents an attack that does not exceed 1,000% of the unit’s HP.

  Can be used repeatedly.

  A second later, holes flashed on the silhouette, giving me a hint where the seals should be placed: forehead, chest, back, elbow, and knee joints. But as I tried to do so, I got another message.

  Unavailable for your current rank.

  [Power Armor Seals] are available to units of the Captain rank or higher.

  So what now?

  Something flashed, disorienting me for a moment, and the seals were gone. What the fuck? I wondered. One moment they were in front of my “third eye,” and then they just disappeared! The old man didn’t have any, and it seemed that I had none as well. I mentally called up the silhouette with the Core and Contour again, and saw the small seals inside my Core. They lay there, at the bottom of the sphere, like coins in a round flask. I didn’t think that we had an inventory, so I was glad to see that there was something akin to it. It seemed that this Core thing could store not only energy, but also all sorts of, uh, so-called... energy structures.

  “Ni-ick!” Jelena moaned. “I feel bad!”

  “Rio?” I asked, looking at him and trying to look calm.

  “Some kind of poison,” he answered hoarsely. “The damn vampire, he either poisoned his blade, or it’s some curse, I have no clue. Jelena, what do you think? You’re the healer.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m fucking dying here.” Despite her cry and the pool of blood she was lying in, she didn’t look that bad. “The system recommends that I eat, but I doubt I can do it—I feel sick and dizzy.”

  I was about to tell them about the glow from the Totem that seemed to infect anything it touched, but I was confused by Joe’s excited voice coming from a distance.

  “Guys, where are you? Are you alive?”

  “For now!” Rio shouted back. “Alive, but slightly injured.”

  I picked up the Bone Knife and noticed something interesting. The handle was of a peculiar shape, with small protrusions at the end and hollows and grooves between them. I looked at it carefully and it dawned on me what it was—a key. It was a bone blade, with a handle that was supposed to open some lock. But what kind of lock? The system didn’t give any hints. Before anyone saw it, I slipped the strange key into my jacket pocket. The blade was short; I just had to be careful not to accidentally cut myself.

  Joe finally appeared. He stopped in the middle of the cave, looked at the three of us, and then stared at the Totem.

  “Man, where have you been?” I asked. “We were a
lmost killed here!”

  “Shit! A cracked Totem,” he said under his breath. “These things are dangerous. Rio, Jelena, can you walk? I’ll explain later. Nick, how are you?”

  “I’m all right, man.”

  I helped Jelena up, and together we hobbled to the exit. Supporting Rio, Joe followed us—behind us, the weird, rusty glow oozed from the broken Totem, filling the cave.

  Chapter 18

  DEFORMATION

  One by one, we climbed out of the cave, and Eli took turns greeting us with a bear hug.

  “Thank God, you’re all alive. I was already thinking about punching my way through with my fists!”

  I gave him a smile and patted him on the shoulder. He hugged the pale Jelena the longest.

  “Stop being so lovey-dovey,” Joe said. “Every second counts!”

  Eli sat down on the ground and put the girl’s head in his lap. Joe took a crystal from a leather bag attached to his belt and leaned over her. I focused my gaze on the strange stone in his hand.

  [Stabilizer]

  Mineral

  Stops the process of destruction of energy structures. Degree of Deformation should not exceed 51%.

  “The system can show your degree of Deformation,” Joe’s voice was flat. It was the sort of voice doctors used when talking to the relatives of their patients. “Your life depends on it. Tell me the number.”

  “Twenty-nine,” Rio croaked. “Deformation? What’s that?”

  “Forty-five... Shit, it’s forty-nine...”

  Jelena’s life was hanging by a thread. Another moment and the process would’ve been irreversible, but she was lucky. Joe activated the artifact. Jelena’s cheeks turned pink and her breathing became steadier. She stretched, closed her eyes, and... fell asleep.

  “You got lucky!”

  Joe took out a second, similar crystal and placed it in Rio’s hand. He, too, fell asleep.

  “This thing is weird,” Joe said. “It’s not even an artifact, but a mineral of some sort with certain features. You can find it in this place not far from Wolf Moor. I’ve never seen anyone else up there beside us, so we have enough of this stuff.”

  “What’s this Deformation thing?” Eli asked, nodding at the two sleepyheads. “They don’t look the slightest bit deformed.”

  “It’s not about how they look like, but about what’s happening inside them. If you could look from the inside, you’d see their Contour and Core being destroyed.”

  I noted to myself that Joe at his level could see not only his own Core but that of other people as well. He also assumed that we, the recruits, couldn’t see such a thing.

  Seeing that the two would be sleeping for a while, I sat down and crossed my legs. Placing a dried blade of grass in my mouth, I told Eli what a mess we had gotten ourselves into.

  Having finished, I turned to Joe. “So, is this deformation some kind of energy of damaged Totems?”

  Joe sat down across from me. Eli towered over us like a statue.

  “Well, uh... sort of. I’d say... I’d say that it’s just bad energy. They call it an abyss-type one. But, uh, I dunno.” He spoke irritably. He then nodded at Rio. “Four-eyes here would probably tell us that there’s no such thing as bad energy. Another smartass I met called it entropy. I don’t know what that means, and to be honest, I don’t really care.”

  “But this deformation comes from cracked Totems? Does it?” I asked.

  “Yeah... But it’s pretty impossible to break a Totem—you’d have to be a superhuman to do that, or a mage at a very high stage. However, if you break it, it, uh, starts dying, I guess? It starts releasing this abyss energy that devours all life and all light. Give me that thing you picked up there, Nick.”

  I swore under my breath but handed him the knife. Joe took it and turned it about in his hand.

  “It’s a bad thing,” he said. “Enchanted by someone unknown for an unknown reason. Its energy isn’t strong enough to pass through my Core’s shell. However, it could cause problems for you if you keep it.”

  “I wonder why no one uses this energy,” Eli said. “I mean, why not charge a sword or a spear with this abyss thing? Couldn’t that kill a wizard?”

  “Ha, it’s better not to mess with this thing. You’ll be screwed, like that vampire. Even using it as a weapon of last resort is a bad idea. But... There’s always some crazy bastard willing to try.”

  Joe’s lips crooked into a grin, and I felt like throwing the blade away, even despite it being a secret key.

  “How dangerous could this knife be?” I asked, my voice low.

  “All of its abyss energy is already out. But I can’t see its enchantment structure in detail. One thing is for sure, however—it’s not dangerous enough to harm me. The choice is yours, Nick... You can keep it or throw it away,” he said, smiling.

  Having given it a thought, I grabbed the knife and slipped it back into my pocket.

  Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

  “Wise choice,” Joe said. “I think it’s time to wake up our sleeping beauties.”

  I thought that the two would wake up feeling like zombies, but they woke up feeling refreshed. We ate fish and discussed what we should do next.

  ***

  “The coast is clear, so it’s time to return,” Joe said. “There’s three hours before nightfall and it’s a two-hour walk to the base. We’ll go hunting tomorrow. For now, we have enough fish to last us a day.”

  “Do you eat wolves here?” Eli asked.

  “We eat everything, but hunting wolves is tricky. It’s difficult and dangerous. By the way, you ate wolf meat, we gave it to you.”

  “Are there many wolves here?” I asked, turning my head and scanning the slope.

  “Too many,” Joe answered.

  “What do they feed on? You?”

  “They mostly hunt mountain goats,” Joe said with a smirk on his face. “But they’re even harder to catch. They’re timid and they run away as soon as they see a human.”

  “What about shooting them with a crossbow?” Rio asked.

  Joe spread his arms.

  “Geez, you’re so naïve, guys. Have you never hunted before? We had experienced hunters in our cohort, and even they had difficulties hunting them.”

  As horrible as killing animals sounded, I felt an adrenaline rush just thinking about it. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was. A sense of adventure? Thrill of the hunt? A new challenge? I felt ready for anything. I had caught a huge fish; I could do the same with a goat.

  So, what’s your plan? Get lucky? That’s stupid, Nick. It’s getting dark and we’re stuck God knows where near a camp full of crazy bastards. Need I remind you that they’ve crucified a girl?! Alpha seemed quite angry. If the voice had a face, it’d be flushed, with eyes burning with rage.

  Actually, they didn’t crucify her, they hung her. There’s a difference. Still, I also don’t see how you could catch a mountain goat. Beta’s face would be white and strained, eyes steady and evil.

  I wasn’t listening to them, being too busy thinking. Back when I was fishing, not only did my movements become faster, but I also seemed to be able to feel the fear that the fish felt, knowing that it was being hunted. I had a feeling that this was some weird power of mine, so I wanted to put that theory to a test.

  “Three hours before sunset, you say?”

  Joe looked at me with what seemed like reproach.

  “Yes, something like that. Are you suggesting a hunt? Are you nuts?” He raised his voice. “A blind man would see that that’s a bad idea. We have neither good weapons nor good artifacts. I’m the only fighter here, and you don’t know how to do shit.”

  Did he have a point? Probably. Did I care about it? Not at all. I wanted to see what I was capable of and where my limits were, and I wanted to do it today. What did Green say? Be a jerk and an egoist?

  “Shut up!” I barked. “Go home and hide under Victoria’s skirt. Or go surrender yourself to those psychopaths from the Alliance. As long as we�
�re alive, we can make a difference! Death isn’t an option and I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. I’ll go hunting, who’s with me?”

  Rio came over, crossbow at the ready, as did Eli. His mace would be useless, but it was better than nothing. Joe tried to keep his emotions in check. Suddenly, his face relaxed into a smile.

  “Meh, we’re screwed anyway, so let’s give it a try. I won’t leave you.”

  “Where are the goats?” I asked, and he waved at the mountain range.

  Well... That does make sense...

  “So let’s take a little detour,” I said and stepped forward.

  I needed either a trail, or a scent of any animal—that was the first step of my plan. After a few minutes, Joe suddenly stopped, cocked his head, and pointed to the sky, just to the right of the two spiraling birds. We, too, threw back our heads, and soon we could make out a faint black dot hovering in place.

  “What’s that?” Rio asked first.

  “The Eye of Sauron,” Joe said angrily and spat at his feet. “The damn drone, it’s watching us.”

  We stared at it for a while, and then it was gone.

  “They’re always somewhere around,” Joe said. “It’s pissing me off.”

  “Even when there’s a fight?” Rio asked.

  “Especially when there’s a fight. However, they never interfere.”

  We moved on. I emptied my mind, exposing it to the whistling of the wind, the cries of the birds circling above us, and the rustling of the grass and trees. A hunch made me turn toward a low hill strewn with black stones.

  “What’s there? Over the hill?” I said under my breath.

  “Ghost Valley,” Joe whispered. “Dead ground. There’s no grass, just lichen. The realm of the abyss energy.”

  The ominous name didn’t stop any of us. We ran up the hill, then two hundred yards across a lifeless plateau, and saw a valley with boulders protruding from the ground, sharpened by wind and rain, looking like petrified monsters and strange animals. Silvery-white lichen was scattered between them like snow.

  “I’ll be perfectly honest with all of you, this place is creepy as fuck,” Rio said, looking down. “What happens to us if we enter this valley?”