Chương 28: Pugilism? (1)

(1) (1) Rowan made his way down the tunnel, mace held at the ready. If anything, he was hoping to run into some bloodspawn, if only so he could get his next set of rations. It also seemed like he was at least somewhat close to gaining another level, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't know how many level 3 enemies defeated equalled just a single level 7. And even if he did, with the way the number of defeated enemies required to gain a level seemed to grow each and every time, he could only make guesses.

There were no vines here, and barely any of the little, skittering critters that had mostly faded into the background for him. They were too fast for him to catch more than a glimpse of one of them, and they hadn't even done anything during his entire time in the territory of the bloodspawn other than just… exist. Shaking his head, Rowan focused. Ahead, he could hear the occasional screech, but they were distant. What wasn't distant, however, were the scratches and sniffs he heard up ahead.

Combined with the occasional noise that was more howl than scream, he was sure that there was at least one of the houndish bloodspawn up ahead. As his chains lit the cave ahead of him, Rowan relaxed slightly. With so many creatures in the huge cavern not too far away, he'd feared that all of the groups would be large. But the hounds in front of them numbered only two. He was still cautious, of course, just not quite as much as he would've been against four or even five enemies at once.

The beasts hadn't noticed him yet, but he still readied his mace. He hadn't been forced to use his chains for a while, and he intended to keep it that way. The low mana use meant that his reserves were regenerating and might soon be full for the first time in a while. But before he engaged, he remembered something. He'd never distributed his free point after his last level up. So he retreated and took a moment to check his status.

Name: Rowan Crowe Race: Human Class: Chained Lord (Inheritance) Level: 8 Stats: Strength: 14 Dexterity: 9 Toughness: 20 Vitality: 15 Mana: 14 Free Points: 1 Active Skills(2/10): Bind lvl 9 Mana Manipulation lvl 13 Passive Skills(0/10): Quests: Defeat the Guardian of the Forest or Defeat the Leviathan (Layer Quest) Defeat 30 Enemies Reach Level 20 System Credits: 110 He blinked in surprise. He'd hit twenty points in toughness. And yet, his arm was still broken… Rowan looked down at his limp left arm.

It was frustrating to be constrained by only being able to use a single one, especially during combat. A while ago, the pain from it might've been debilitating, but now it was just a minor annoyance. Rowan smiled. All of the pain and suffering he'd gone through since arriving here had paid off, at least a bit. Still, it was frustrating to be reduced to using a single limb. Shaking his head, he pushed his annoyance down. His arm would heal. His skill levels had grown quite nicely as well.

Then, he turned his attention to the reason he'd opened the screen in the first place: the free point. Once more, he found himself torn between dexterity and mana. Dexterity was truly beginning to fall behind, and in the new environment he found himself in, Rowan thought he might actually need it. And not just for better dodging attacks. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Still, he could always use more mana.

It had proven itself time and time again to be his most versatile tool. Even his chains needed it to function. But he already had a lot, and even now, his stores were nearly full. So, in the end, he invested his point into dexterity, finally bringing all of his stats above ten. He took one last look at the screen before closing it and bringing his attention back to the duo of bloodspawn. They still hadn't noticed him, just wandering aimlessly and sniffing at the floor.

The two hounds barely had time to react before Rowan was upon them, swinging with abandon. The beasts, neither of them even at level 4, stood no chance. [You have slain Fungal Bloodspawn - Level 3] Despite its fallen comrade, the remaining bloodspawn continued attacking relentlessly, seemingly with little regard for its own life. But no amount of mindless aggression could overcome the sheer difference in strength between them. [You have slain Fungal Bloodspawn - Level 3] Rowan smiled with satisfaction.

Only three more until he would get his next set of rations. And this time, there was no chance he was letting one of the beasts get to his water. He kept moving, actually excited at the prospect of fighting more enemies. But his next prey wasn't a hound but a regular bloodspawn. And a particularly powerful one at that. [Fungal Bloodspawn - Level 8] The creature was the same level as the massive brute he'd fought earlier had been.

It was several times smaller, which meant it probably wouldn't pose as much of a threat to Rowan as his first level 8 opponent had, but that didn't mean he could let his guard down. Before he engaged, he reached into his mana reserves. They were so, so close to being topped off for the first time in ages, so he had more than enough to work with. He set the mace aside, resting it against the wall as a ten-inch blade—one of the longest he'd ever made—formed and settled into his palm.

Then, he formed half a dozen of the mana darts he'd made for the first time not too long ago. They had been surprisingly effective against the doglike beasts, and while he doubted they would be able to accomplish the same against his current foe, they would still do something. Even if they barely hurt it, it would still be good to know. And, just as the bloodspawn noticed him, Rowan charged. The beast tried to retaliate, but found itself beset by a wave of tiny projectiles.

Just as he'd expected, the needles weren't nearly as effective against the regular bloodspawn as they had been against the hounds. They only pierced a few inches into the creature's flesh, serving as a hindrance instead of something truly lethal. Still, the darts, especially those that managed to pierce into the beast's mouth, were enough to make it falter. Before it could find its bearings, Rowan slashed his blade across its neck.

The strike didn't go as deep as he would've liked, courtesy of the monster's high level, but blood still spurted from the wound. But he knew it wouldn't be enough; the bloodspawn didn't die easily, even with entire chunks of their necks missing. The only reliable ways he'd found of killing them were stabbing a blade deep into their head or just hitting them really hard, though the latter worked better with weaker enemies like the hounds. He supposed beheading them would work as well, but he hadn't tried it yet.

The creature recovered in time to react to his next attack, blocking it with its claws. He cursed. He'd nearly forgotten that the bloodspawn were adapting to him, since he'd been fighting so many of the doglike creatures. Thankfully, it seemed that the houndish variants weren't learning and adapting to fight him. Or maybe they were evolving, but they were also just too weak for him to really notice it. Still, Rowan was immediately more cautious in the fight.

He also regretted using the darts against the creature, since the rest of the creatures would now know about the attack. Although he realized that he may have already given them away when he used the needles against the horde of hounds, after all, there'd been one of the regular bloodspawn during the fight as well. He just didn't know enough about how they adapted to be sure. He ducked under a sweeping strike from his opponent and jabbed forward in retaliation.

The beast blocked with its claws, but the blade slid right between them, stabbing into its stomach. Rowan retracted his blade and leaped backwards, dodging the bloodspawn's next strike. Despite its higher level, the creature's technique wasn't any better than that of its lower-levelled brethren, only with more power behind it. But the next time he attacked, the bloodspawn adapted once more. It twisted its claws as it blocked his blade, preventing it from sliding through and nearly disarming Rowan.

With a curse, he stepped back before the beast could rip the construct from his hand. Then, as he was still retreating, he thrust his hand forward as if he were stabbing at his opponent again, but, halfway through, he let go, throwing the dagger. At the same time, [Mana Manipulation] pushed the blade forward. The fungal amalgamation tried to block, but it just wasn't fast enough. The mana construct stabbed into its flesh, twisting and then ripping back out before the creature could properly react.

And Rowan was right behind it. As the beast was still reeling from the wound in its torso, he struck out with his fist. He'd never really attacked with his body before, but mid-fight, he'd had a realization. Perhaps it was because all his life there'd been no System, but the bloodspawn and even the ants seemed so powerful in his mind. Unnaturally so. But now, that applied to him, too, didn't it? He wasn't weak anymore, at least not compared to the man he had been just days or weeks before.

His fist collided with its chest. There was a moment where he thought he might've messed up. Overestimated his strength. Then, the bloodspawn was launched into the air. It flew just a few feet back before crashing to the floor, but still, Rowan felt powerful. The creature tried to get back up, but he was upon it once more, the blade of mana already in his hand. With a final surge of mana, he extended the blade and drove it into the creature's head. [You have slain Fungal Bloodspawn - Level 8] [Level 8 → Level 9]