Chương 35: Chapter Thirty Four

Ding! Dodge (E) has Leveled up! 16 – 17 Had he lungs, Bob would have breathed a sigh of relief at the alert finally materializing. Reaching out to crush his opponent in an almost absentminded show of force. Not even allowing the window to pop up; unconcerned about the singular experience point its death would be granting. He would have gone longer if he could have afforded to, but a quick glance at his improved 'Danger Sense' had shown that he would have been pushing things if he did. So, goodbye Mr. Crabby.

He'd estimate it had been roughly a week since his major windfall inside the Manor's 'Master Bedroom'. A week spent trying to grind as many Skill levels as he could. First with the slaughter of the fourth-floor crabs; and then by using 'Taunt' to tempt the crustaceans covering the roof-top – though he still had no idea as to how they'd gotten there – into falling down onto the third-floor balcony. The experience had actually been very fruitful.

Not only had he gotten 'Dodge' to level seventeen, he'd also bumped up 'Taunt', 'Lesser Crushing Tongue' and 'Toothless Grasp' a similar or even greater amount. The last one getting very near its next evolution. Sadly, He couldn't say the same for 'Beginner Rope Weapon Mastery'; which he hadn't managed to gain a single point in for some reason. Nor any of his attempts to gain either a 'calmness skill' or try to independently use his Mana. The less said about the latter effort, the better.

Unfortunately for him, however, 'magic classes' were going to stay on his schedule. As well as his attempts to increase the level of the Skills he already had access to. No matter how slow they might grow against the primarily 'F' rank crabs he could lure off the rooftop. And no matter how few of those he could sense remaining. Had he unlimited time with each of them, he imagined his gains could have been far grander. Unfortunately, he didn't.

And for the same reason that he hadn't traveled below the third floor since his last Species level up. The reason he was grinding Skill levels in the first place. When Evolving 'Treasure Sense', Bob had been given three options. Ones he'd banged about in his head for twenty to thirty minutes before making his choice. They differed slightly from a normal evolution in that the Class Skill itself didn't change. At least not in name or general function.

Instead, the evolution simply added or boosted an individual aspect of the skill. The options he was given being 'Range', 'Detection Level' and 'Mapping Function'. Their descriptions making the boosts quite evident.

Range Increase Doubles the effective range of 'Treasure Sense' Detection Level Increase Increases Detection Level of 'Treasure Sense' Unveils Monster's Species, Level and Ranking Unveils (Minor) Concealments Map Function'Treasure Sense' Now allows its user to 'sense' walls and passages inside the Dungeon. Giving a mental 'Map' of the user's surroundings It was a hard choice. All the options being ones he wanted to have.

But, given the situation he was in, as well as the scare he'd had with the octopus, Bob eventually decided to go with 'Increased Detection Level'. A decision he'd had no regrets about since. Which wasn't terribly surprising, given that it was likely the only reason he was still alive. As soon as he'd selected the ability, 'Treasure Sense' had seemed to light up with new energy. Bob immediately noticing the almost instinctive understanding he'd gained of how to look deeper within the auras.

A strange twinge of thought which suddenly had the species, rank and level of his target appearing within his mind. Something which honestly took a little getting used to. Bob preferring when the system kept its little illusions, at least cosmetically, outside of his head. He was about to mentally dive to the first floor, curious how powerful the Crab from Behind the Wall really was, before he noticed something. Something which had him almost subconsciously activate 'Lifeless Disguise' as he froze in terror.

And that would be all the new auras that didn't use to be there before. One of which was halfway up the stairs to the third story. Its aura was different from the others. An almost opaque greyish fog that seemed to flicker in and out of existence the longer he 'stared' at it. Its oddness almost making Bob hesitant to 'touch' it with his mind. He still did, however. Even as he cringed at the 'oily' feeling it left behind on his brain. Though the sensation was forgotten only moments later.

The information he received being so much worse. Stalker Mad-Crab (D) Level 11 Threat Ranking: Extreme The prideful thoughts surrounding the power and potency of his newest evolved Skill were instantly extinguished. The arrogance he'd felt after demolishing the spindly spider-crab lookalikes now sitting like a bitter pill at the back of his throat. Because D-rank crabs weren't like their lesser brothers and sisters.

Even at the height of E-rank, the scale and strength of the creatures only just seemed to be creeping past what could be called 'normal'. Each one looking like some viral A. I. image of 'World's biggest crab' you'd find on your alcoholic uncle's Facebook page. D-rank blew right past that. The only fitting description for them truly being 'Monstrous'. This reveal had immediately necessitated a quick migration to the fourth floor.

Whereupon he just as quickly found himself an empty room and entered into a state of temporary hibernation; waiting for the hard-shelled assassin to head back down to the second story. Something which took most of a day. Afterwards, he had cleared out the few threats on the top floor – four F-Rank crablets – and despaired over its available 'treasure' – a half-dozen copper trinkets – before then stopping. And, for the first time in over a week, sitting down to think beyond his next victim or hiding place.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. With all the monsters cleared out, the top two floors were essentially his. A private fiefdom carved from the greater crab empire. He could easily slaughter anything 'F' or 'E' rank which might wander up, and the larger, more dangerous crabs preferred not to climb the stairs in the first place. The only exception to this being the 'Stalker' crabs; which he was currently keeping a very close eye on.

Their movements towards the third floor during his 'training sessions' largely determining their length. If nothing else, he could comfort himself with the fact that they were nowhere near as intelligent as the octopus. Some sessions going quite long after they'd gotten themselves 'trapped' inside of a room during their attempts to charge towards his location. That being the only reason he'd managed to get 'Toothless Grasp' to level nineteen, in fact.

Their idiocy allowing him to spend almost an hour walking around with two 'F' rank crabs stuck in his mouth. That same level of idiocy probably meant he wouldn't have any trouble sneaking past them either, to be fair. Or any of the other more dangerous crabs in the building. Though, should he really be in a hurry to leave the manor, he could also simply throw himself off the balcony. He'd had numerous chances to do so safely, in fact. The crabs rarely spotting him until he'd been there some time.

But he wouldn't be doing that either. Because if he wanted to have any hope of surviving outside the manor, he first needed prove he could survive inside it. This was rather quickly shown to him when he started delving into signatures at the edge of Treasure Sense's range. And finding nothing but mid-to-high D-ranks. That wasn't even the worst of it, either. Given that his Skill's radius only covered the greater Manor Grounds; not coming close to the large, open streets. And in the open streets, Goliaths roamed.

He watched them from the balcony, sometimes. During breaks from his training. There didn't seem to be many in the area, each probably having their own swath of territory, so every time they passed by was an event. Usually a gruesome one, given how efficient they were at slaughtering their fellow arthropods. The things were beyond powerful, their claws snapping together so forcefully that they created a vacuum within the water. The very shockwave enough to easily destroy most of their opponents.

To easily destroy Bob. Or, at least, Bob as he currently was. After thoroughly clearing the building of most of its weaker inhabitants, there were a grand total of sixteen crabs located within the manor. Nine of those were 'E' ranks scattered between the first two floors. A near-even mix of lower and higher-level specimens. None of these really concerned him. He was already powerful enough before his latest transformation that, even grouped up, they weren't much of a threat.

The remaining seven were different, however. And before he left the manor, Bob was determined to kill at least six of them. The problem was, how to do so. Three were of the already identified 'Stalker Mad-Crab' variety. D ranks all; though individual level varied. One lingering on the bottom floor while the other two sat on the second. Both of the latter seeming to prefer the hallway Bob had previously chosen not to head down.

Something which had him, for perhaps the first time, feeling truly grateful for the mimic portion of his brain. An additional three were larger presences he'd already been aware of. All being low to mid-tier 'D' Ranks scattered around the first floor; each seeming to have claimed their own small territory there. One being listed as a 'Crazed Crushing Mad-Crab', while the other two were revealed as 'Bladed Claw Mad-Crabs'; both apparently having chosen the same evolutionary route.

Though his evolved Skill had managed to tear through the 'Starved Mad-Crabs' with little to no effort, he felt uncertain it could do the same to something a full rank higher. Especially for the three which had taken a more tank-y evolution path. His base strength simply not providing enough for the Skill to work with. They all were, on average, between twenty to thirty levels higher than anything else he'd fought. Which meant an enormous amount of attribute growth.

It was possible that the 'Stalker' crabs were rocking a low-con thief build, meaning he might at least be able to damage them, but everything else was likely too tough for him to presently budge. Thus, his present training montage. Though, honestly, while his improvements had been substantial, he wasn't sure they were currently enough to take on even the weakest looking of his targets. And they most certainly weren't going to be enough to kill lucky number seven.

The 'Crab Behind the Wall' not disappointing in its reveal. Colossal Armored Mad-Crab (C) Level 2 Threat Ranking: Impossible The most horrifying thing, Bob realized later, was its level. The fact that the Dominating Aura filling the manor was caused by a creature at the weakest point of rank 'C' truly making him terrified for what might come after. Especially when 'after' seemed to be roaming the streets right outside the manor gates.

Luckily, it seemed, much like the starved crabs in the master bedroom, to be stuck wherever it was. The beast not moving more than five feet in any direction during the entire time he'd been here. Which meant he probably didn't have to worry about it interfering with his fights against its lower ranked siblings. Still, while Bob fully intended to see every D-rank crab in this building dead, he was also emphatic about not rushing himself. Fully intending to wait until he'd evolved some of his Skills to 'D' rank.

And, hopefully, found himself another Class. Though, of course, there had been another small hiccup here as well. Bob had initially considered just choosing 'Deep Sea Hunter' as his second class in order to take care of his Strength issues. It seemed to be its primary attribute after all, and the specialization in the slaughter of seafood would probably narrow the distance all on its own. He eventually decided against it however, simply unwilling to choose a class so lowly ranked.

Before making up his mind however, he decided to check it again in his 'Available Classes' tab. Only to find things weren't as he left them. On opening the window, he immediately noticed that he was a Class short. His total of four inexplicably shrunken down to three. The insulting 'Bottom Feeder' no longer anywhere to be seen on the page. Something which only attracted his attention until he noticed a more pressing concern.

This being that the slightly less insulting – but by no means tempting – Class of 'Bait' was now listed as 'F' Rank, rather than 'E'. There was no given explanation from the system, even when politely asked. But it didn't really take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on. Especially given that the last time he checked was prior to his evolution.. As his Species Ranking had gone up, the Ranking of Classes had, similarly, gone down.

Even to the point of non-existence, should 'Bottom Feeder' be any indication. Luckily 'Treasure Hunter' seemed to be excluded from this. Still holding its 'B' ranking on his status page and, hopefully, able to advance the same number of levels. He was initially fairly upset by this, before realizing he should think of it less like losing access to something, and more like gaining it. After all, it seemed unlikely that the A-rank classes would just disappear. They weren't gone.

The previous ones simply pushed down while something more powerful took their place. Unfortunately, it made things in the short-term aggravatingly more difficult.

'Deep Sea Hunter' probably would have been worth taking at rank 'C'; given it would have alleviated his most pressing current issue. But with it having been pushed down a rank, the benefits simply wouldn't be enough. Not only would he lose out on many potential Class levels – twenty, if he was remembering correctly – but he'd also lose out on the Skill evolutions those levels allowed him. Probably attribute points per level as well.

The one's 'Treasure Hunter' gave him at 'B' rank having blown his expectations out of the water. It was simply too much to lose. Even if it helped him out of his current situation; what would that matter if it doomed him in the next? Bob had to be as forward thinking as possible when planning this out. There weren't any take-backs. All of this put together meant that Bob didn't expect to be leaving the manor anytime soon.

Determined to squeeze every last drop of treasure and experience he could out of the crab infested building before trying himself against the outside world. Still, that didn't mean he'd be here forever. And on the matter of his eventual exploration of the city, he finally had a bit of good news. While his Species might be slightly stymied by its insane requirements for growth, he may've lucked out by falling into one of the few places somehow able to satiate it.

Fifty times his current total might seem like a lot, but it felt like far less when he realized that he hadn't yet finished clearing one of the many manors filling the massive valley. Much less ventured into the larger, more city-like group of structures near its center. And each should contain gold. More than gold, in fact. As every home was basically guaranteed to contain at least one treasure. And that was only if the resident had lived a particularly lonely life. Bob smiled as his tongue reached inside himself.

Bringing out an item he expected to be collecting many more of.' Golden Badge of Azcoran Citizenship (C)' Value is appraised at: 20 Gold Pieces Bob wasn't sure if 'Azcora' referred to the valley, the greater city, or even some unknown, massive Empire. But he did know he was thankful for the gaudy evidence they left behind of their classist society. Especially when they were worth twenty gold a pop. He would still have to find them obviously.

Which would almost certainly entail crushing his way through hordes of crabs. But he was starting to feel more and more comfortable when considering that process. He was starting to feel more and more comfortable with a lot of things, honestly. Something he suspected might be due to his skyrocketing 'Willpower' stat. The panic, loneliness and existential dread which had plagued the majority of his time here not vanished, but certainly having had its volume turned down.

He couldn't find it in him to complain about the mental manipulation, though. Hard to be angry at something which had not only made his life more tolerable, but even – dare he say it – occasionally pleasant. Though the idea might have felt alien only a few weeks ago, Bob was beginning to look forward to his daily crab fights. To truly revel in his Skill increases. Even his attempts to manually use his 'Mana' only irritated him as much as they did because he could sense something there.

Something he just wasn't quite grasping correctly, or understanding properly. But that was fine. He had the time to figure it out. And once he had, he would rob this city blind. Continually transforming himself until he was the kind of monster no sane person would even think to fight. The sort of optional, DLC Boss that seems purpose-built to generate hate-mail for the Dev-team. And as for what would happen once the city was picked clean? Well, Bob would cross those bridges when he came to them.