Chương 15: Hunter

The ground vibrated beneath Eric's feet and shifted upon breaking the ancient wall. Glowing with a subtle blue hue, the walls, floor, and roof showed Eric that he was in the Essence Room. For the first time since entering Purgatory, Eric had uncovered a secret. The system recognized that. /———————————————————————————————\ You found a secret room! Scattered throughout Purgatory, multiple secrets wait to be discovered. Power, danger, and rewards are hidden in plain sight. Are you worthy of discovering them all?

Warning: You may not be suitable to discover some secrets. Some areas have dormant enemies that spawn only by finding them. Rewards may exceed your level. Interactions with the outside world may work differently when in a secret area. \———————————————————————————————/ Another system message flooded Eric's vision several seconds later. /———————————————————————\ Achievement unlocked! Secret Hunter Initiate You found your first secret! Will you find them all before meeting your doom?

Reward: Did you really expect a reward for already finding something? \——————————————————————-/ Whoever's in charge of this place is doing a great job of not being funny. The system keeps giving me meta achievements and buffs. I wonder what's going to happen if I do something extremely specific. After reading through both the secret room message and the achievement one, Eric looked everywhere to find out what exactly happened after entering.

This time the Essence Room didn't have a designated door like the last one, but he guessed this was part of the secret. He turned his head and noticed that the hole in the tower wall remained open. Walking over to it and interacting revealed another screen. Dismissing the pop-up for exiting the Essence Room, Eric felt ready to face more challenges. His head finally seemed clear, but the failed teleport attempts earlier had nearly drained his essence reserves. Before him lay a vast, empty chasm.

Looking down made him dizzy, a shiver running through his body at the thought of falling. Stone tower walls tinted blue lined the chasm on both sides. What was new in this obstacle were the metal poles coming straight from the walls on the sides and hanging over the chasm. It looked like a platforming section for acrobats. Unfortunately, Eric wasn't that agile. On the other end of the chasm was a beautiful stone basin fed by a stream of water.

Sky-blue and crystal clear, the water poured into the basin from the tap shaped like a lion. Above the fountain was a floating book, its pages moving like the wind. Next time I have the chance, I'm definitely choosing a traversal skill. This is becoming ridiculous. Those poles look sturdy enough, but my essence is running low to teleport through all of them. Where's Grim when you need him? Eric contemplated whether to leave this hidden area and go back to Ash.

He wouldn't be able to pass easily, and none of his skills could help. The last Essence Room had mentioned respawning after death, but the warning about secret areas changing the rules lingered in his mind. Experimenting with dying wasn't the best thing here. The blue tint of the surroundings gave information about the challenge he was about to face. Whenever red appeared, Eric had to defeat enemies to progress. Blue signified some kind of puzzle to be solved or an obstacle to be traversed.

I guess crossing the chasm will unlock the fountain on the other side. With his muscles aching and his thoughts a mess from all the adventuring, Eric didn't know how to proceed further until he heard a familiar sound. From the black void, two minions flew upwards. The creatures were barely larger than soccer balls, with silver skin and small wings. Two black horns curved on their heads, and both their arms and legs had claws ready to maim their unfortunate prey.

What caught Eric off guard was that his presence didn't aggravate the minions. He was sure they noticed him because of the repeated sniffing the flying creatures did. The duo patrolled the black chasm in a circular motion. They didn't engage in brutality or a bloodbath. Each time they went to the fountain and returned, the minions faced Eric, locking their gaze upon him. What in tarnation? Why are they here? I guess these guys could circle around forever. At least they're not trying to rip my face off yet.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Sitting on the edge of the chasm gave Eric some ideas on how to proceed further. He wanted to kill one minion to test two theories. If the minions gave essence, he could replenish his power. He also guessed that killing some minions would cause more to spawn in the same place. If none of his plans worked, he would leave the challenge for later. No reward was worth splattering across the bottom of the void.

Standing up and summoning the dagger from his inventory, Eric prepared himself for another spectral throw. He had some essence left to try hitting the patrolling minions. Before launching the projectile, he waited for the creatures to come closer. Adventuring taught him he could absorb fallen orbs from a certain distance. If essence dropped, he didn't want it to go to waste. The moment the minion drifted into range, Eric launched a spinning blade that split the creature clean in half.

Both pieces of the corpse dissolved into silver fragments. Small wisps flew over to Eric and restored his essence with an electric tingle. Patrolling over the area without anyone else, the remaining minion continued its usual route, as if his companion were still there. Now what? Standing alone, Eric looked at the fountain on the other side of the chasm. Killing the minion didn't solve the puzzle, but it gave him the much-needed essence to have more options.

He had another plan that could either work or fail spectacularly. The predictable pattern on the remaining imp led him to the idea to teleport and try to use it as a makeshift raft. If successful, he would cross the endless black void just like a river. Eric had some training from steering the stone golems earlier, so the winged fiends wouldn't pose a threat, or at least that's what he thought. He wanted whatever waited on the other side. More power meant better odds of surviving this place.

Saving his teleport for when the minion was in range, Eric summoned his dagger. After the creature was nearby, he paused for it to come closer and turn around. He teleported onto its back and lodged his blade near its skull. His heart was pumping like a race car engine as adrenaline fueled him. Every part of his body was ready to act, and Eric felt the influx of energy. The minion tried to remove its rider, but its small arms couldn't reach.

Dodging left and right, Eric steered around the metal poles hanging over the black chasm. The ride appeared endless, as each passing moment was a life or death scenario. If the minion died midair, the reaper acolyte's fate was sealed, or at least he would verify the respawn mechanic's function in the secret room. Nearing the other side of the chasm, Eric pulled out the dagger, and a stream of red minion blood shot from the wound.

He jumped in the air and tried teleporting several times until he was close enough to the ledge to cast the skill. All the power from the adrenaline earlier evaporated as soon as Eric landed on the other side of the chasm. His muscles and joints ached from all the tension. Without realizing it, he gripped the handle of the dagger so hard that his hands turned white. Okay… that's it. It's over now. Eric collapsed onto the floor and stared upward.

The sky above was just as black as the nothingness he had just crossed. After a few steady breaths, he finally pushed himself upright and looked toward the stone basin. The lion's head was pouring crystal-clear liquid into the fountain. Sounds of running water completed the serene picture, completely at odds with the insane plan it took to reach it. The secret room was dead quiet, and with the minions gone, there was nothing to disturb the silence except the fountain.

The floating book hovered above the lion's head. It made a loud electrical buzz with each turning page. Eric couldn't wait to interact with the fountain after nearly dying for it. Three big screens materialized in place of the hovering book. Surprisingly, the windows glowed with magic. The first one was on fire. Cosmic energy adorned the right screen, and the middle screen was green and semi-transparent. /—————————————————————————————\ Skill Unlocked!

Fireball Level 1 Description: Summon a sphere of fiery death at your disposal. Consumes essence proportional to the summoned fireball. Grants limited control over external fire sources. By learning this skill, you receive bonus resistance to fire. Absorb external fire to restore essence, up to a cap. Exceeding the limit causes incoming fire damage to convert into damage over time. You wanted fire powers as a kid. Congratulations.

Warning: By choosing this skill, you will reset your skill tree and change your class to Embermage. Do you want to learn this skill? YES | NO \————————————————————————————/ I have to see and analyze everything carefully before committing. The skill in the middle was far more familiar to Eric than the others. /———————————————————————————\ Skill Unlocked! Phantom Hand Level 1 Description: Summon a spectral hand under your control. Apply force through the hand and alter its shape at will.

Skill scales with your Insight and Stamina. This skill doesn't work with delayed casting. Concentration casting can increase the hand's size, reach, and strength. The summoned spectral hand reflects the caster's appearance and traits. Disappears after traveling some distance. This skill advances your Reaper Acolyte skill tree. Missing a limb? Skill issue solved. Do you want to learn this skill? YES | NO \———————————————————————————/ Eric already knew what his choice would be.

The Phantom Hand offered utility he would definitely need. He had some ideas to try later on, but he was curious to read the remaining skill. The cosmic tint on the window floating above seemed intriguing. /——————————————————————————\ Skill Unlocked! Cosmic Ray Level 1 Description: Create a ray of cosmic energy in a line of your choosing. This skill requires advanced aiming mechanics. Holding weapons prevents you from using this skill. Scales with Insight. You can aim even while airborne.

This skill benefits from other cosmic skills you know, offering bonus effects. The longer the ray is, the more essence it requires for casting. Concentration casting increases the width of the ray, while delayed casting can launch the skill after a certain period. Don't make other cosmic beings angry because you're made from flesh and bone. They aren't. Warning: Casting this skill while low on essence may damage the caster! By choosing this skill, you will reset your skill tree and change your class to Star Caster.

This skill does not affect other cosmic beings. Do you want to learn this skill? YES | NO \———————————————————————/ To be honest, all the skills sound fantastic. I'm a little tempted to try the fire spell, but I'll stick to my guns. The cosmic stuff sounds like a hassle, despite it probably being strong. I'm fully committed to being the best reaper I can be! After declining both the Fireball and Cosmic Ray skills, Eric accepted the Phantom Hand. He was ready for the upcoming tutorial.