Chương 33: Chapter Thirty-Three: Levels! Yippee!

The second I spot the beast; I duck under cover while observing the rest of the area. Just as my master foretold, I soon spot four more of the monsters scampering around. < Forest Skidder - Level 25 > < Forest Skidder - Level 21 > < Forest Skidder - Level 21 > < Forest Skidder - Level 24 > The sheer difference in levels between the group and I is staggering.

Just by watching them graze with their long beaks and moving around in tiny bursts of speed, I can tell their intelligence is not on par with the goblin enchanters I saw back on Floor One. Their actions are led by a more primal instinct rather than any sort of sentient thought process. Regardless, I will not let this sway my caution around the monsters. Master Lirin detailed how team coordinated the skidders are. They slowly bombard their prey while stacking on debuffs using their venom.

Eventually, the prey can't move anymore, and the skidders have free rein to devour their prey. Now the only question is, how am I supposed to fight them? My skills have come a long way, and I can think of a good number of attacks that could be useful, but the fact remains that I am only level 11. Realistically, the monster's speed alone would probably be able to blitz me in a split second. Master Lirin also said to not engage against a mob type of monster like the Forest Skidders.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling I won't be able to find monsters of such low level this easily again. Mana runs through my body erratically as I mull over my options of attack. There are some interesting things I really want to try with <Emit> and <Infuse>, but most of all, I want to test out my new skill. <Mana Construct> sits in my Status begging to be used like a pocketed hundred-dollar bill at a casino.

Finally deciding on a course of action, I let mana pour from my hands as a ball of mana begins forming in front of me. I smirk to myself as I feel the shape consolidate with almost no effort at all. As it reaches the size of a baseball, I play around with the orb for a moment. I haven't had a lot of testing time since I originally gained the skill, so I do a quick check to see how it interacts with the rest of my skills. < Mana Construct Lvl. 1 -> Mana Construct Lvl. 2 > < Mana Construct Lvl.

2 -> Mana Construct Lvl. 3 > Within only a few moments of me moving the ball through the air with <Mana Control>, the skill levels twice. My smile widens, and I begin to fill the construct with the radiation from my body. The entire process is almost too easy, as <Infuse> seamlessly allows the energy to flow into the sphere. The ball begins to glow with an orange color, and I can see the surface ripple and expand.

Before the ball bursts from the sheer amount of energy I am filling it with, I quickly use more of my mana to strengthen its surface as a container for the radiation. < Mana Construct Lvl. 3 -> Mana Construct Lvl. 4 > In only a few seconds of forming the ball and filling it with radiation, a significant portion of my total mana pool is already gone. At this rate, I could probably only manage maybe two more of the balls before I bottom out.

I spare a glance at the monsters once more before filling the surface with even more mana while shrinking the sphere to the size of a golf ball. At this point, it takes the majority of my focus with <Fixation> to hold the sphere in such a small state. Staring at the angry orange ball in front of me, I wonder for a moment what would happen if I just tapped it with my finger. Something tells me that such an action would spell the end of The Pillar altogether for me.

Using <Mana Control>, I send the radiation filled orb right into the middle of the small pack of Forest Skidders as quickly as I can. Master said that the beast's mana senses were fairly weak, but due to how fast they are, I don't want to give them any chance to escape. My orange orb finally reaches the pack, but as I go to set off the ball, nothing happens. A bolt of panic runs through me, and I hurry to trigger the orb over and over again by creating a tiny hole in the surface of the mana barrier.

Unfortunately, it seems that I have accidentally discovered the limit of my range with <Mana Control>. I can't get closer either, as I don't want to attract the attention of the skidders. I continue to try and set off the orb, but one of the monsters notices the ball hovering nearby and lets out a bird-like trill to its mates. Cussing quietly, I reach as far as I can toward the construct with no luck. At this point, all the skidders have surrounded the ball, and I desperately try to get my creation to trigger.

The bird-like monsters cock their heads and rumble at each other in a show of confusion as the earthen-colored feathers that reach down their backs sway in the slight breeze encompassing the woods. One of the monsters gets closer to the orange spark in interest, and I stop my struggling and instead just watch the approaching skidder. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Just one tap, that's all I need.

As if listening to my pleas, one of the monsters reaches forward with its thin, clawed hand. Like a child observing a bubble float in the air, its finger closes the distance and pokes the orb. A wall of fire fills my vision, and <Polarize> is the only thing that stops me from being blinded due to the bright flash. A loud boom follows after the explosion, and my ears are filled with a ringing noise as a shower of wood splinters and shards of rock pepper my body.

< You have defeated: Forest Skidder - Level 21 > < You have defeated: Forest Skidder - Level 21 > < You have defeated: Forest Skidder - Level 22 > < Congratulations! You have reached: Level 12 > < Congratulations! You have reached: Level 13 > … < Congratulations! You have reached: Level 16 > My body is overtaken with a surge of pressure as the new levels pour in and raise my attributes.

Shortly after, the smoke of the explosion clears up to reveal the three corpses of the skidders that died in the blast along with a sizable patch of burnt earth and cinders. Forcing myself to overcome the feeling of the new stats settling in, I look at my handiwork with surprise and delight. The three bodies of the skidders are scorched, and pieces of their remains are scattered due to the heavy kinetic energy I filled the orb with. Wait… three bodies?

Just as I go to check my notifications to confirm the number, a rush of air whistles next to my head and I look up to find a pair of needle-thin brown claws mere millimeters away from my eye. The sight shocks me, and I stumble away from where the last two skidders are halted in midair right where I was previously standing. Thin mana barriers encompass the two higher leveled monsters that were apparently fast enough to escape my new concussion bomb.

"A textbook display of shortsightedness. After only one encounter, you are almost out of mana and a moment from death." Master Lirin appears from behind a nearby tree with a hand stroking his slender chin. His unnatural blue eyes are fixed on the monsters next to me, and before I have a chance to say anything, the barriers shrink in a flash, killing them instantly.

"I suppose it was lucrative enough for the first bout. I see you gained five levels because of that ridiculous attack. Allocate your attributes with no less than three levels worth going to BDY. You can put the last of your points in whatever attribute you see fit." I do exactly as Master Lirin says.

"Boy, do you think I am an imbecile? I can tell you just put all of your points into PWR."

"My finger must've slipped."

"Your finger did not move at all. Your attribute points are allocated verbally or mentally."

"I have no other excuses prepared Master." The warlock's lips draw a thin line, but he doesn't slap me as I expected.

"You will not use <Mana Construct> again for the rest of your time in the Northeast Wilds. Is that understood?"

"Yes, master!"

"Good. I will also not be assisting you from now until you reach level 20. If at any point you are at risk of death before that goal, I will watch you perish." Master Lirin says nothing more before disappearing behind a tree once again. Still dealing with the effects of the huge influx in stat points, I stiffly check the tree he had walked to, only to find nothing. My respect for the warlock rises as his presence evaporates without a trace and I am left in the forest alone once again.

Now that it is just me and the woods, the first thing I do is scratch at my skin with abandon. Five points from the level ups and another fifteen from my free stats allocation has totaled in a whopping twenty points straight into my PWR attribute. The volatile mana screams through my network as my body tries to adapt to the sudden change.

I am forced to raise my emission rate unreasonably high as <Fixation> works overtime to reduce the severity of the symptoms caused by the empowered radiation flooding into my body. The drastic increase in my mana pool and regeneration rate fills me with all kinds of new options to work with, but to stem the surging tide running through my network, I <Infuse> mana throughout my entire body until my muscles cramp.

Due to the Master's new restrictions and lack of assistance, I will have to be significantly more careful from now on. First order of business is getting the hell out of here. The bomb I set off was anything but subtle, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if every monster in the area were heading toward me right now. My skin swells while still under the effects of the level up, and I dash away from the scene toward a higher elevation area of the wilds.

Eventually, I cross over to a rockier environment with less trees than before. Packed earth and sharp, jutting pieces of granite litter the area, but I feel none of it on my feet due to the amount of mana I am currently channeling through my soles. My mana perception is almost non-existent though, so when I accidentally step on the wrong part of a small hill I was scaling, nothing prepares me for the hill to rise underneath my feet.

A roar echoes against the rocks around me, and I quickly clear the hill right before a level icon spawns where I was crossing only moments before. < Honlir - Level 40 > Skipping to a stop, I face the mountain-sized goliath as soil rains down its spiky, armored back. The hill I had been attempting to leap over turns slowly to reveal four thickly muscled legs covered in shifting pieces of dark rock. Its face is just a large boulder with two slits that resemble eye holes.

Overall, the beast looks like a stegosaurus had a baby with a mountain, and this monstrosity was the result. The beast bellows again with an almost palpable force, but my still ringing ears deafen most of the noise despite easily being able to hear Master Lirin earlier. The warlock would probably not be too happy about me already stumbling haphazardly into another monster so soon after the last ones, but luckily I doubt he will emerge from his silent observation to scold me.

Since the Honlir's speed is its biggest weakness, I round to the far side of the monster while watching my surroundings to identify the best route to lead the beast like Master Lirin advised previously. Without <Mana Construct>, I'm not sure how I will be able to inflict any real damage on such an armored opponent, but I also don't want to let the chance to get more levels pass by. Before the moving hill can whirl on me, I jump forward and fill my fist with as much mana as I can without making it explode.

Hurtling toward the monster, I plant a punch with all of my strength right on its hind leg. The impact sends a shower of dirt into the air, creating a small dust cloud, and I cradle my wrist as I quickly jump away before the Honlir can counter. The mana I infused in my wrist reinforced my body, but the experience was like punching a metal wall with my bare hand. The dust cloud clears, and dark rock is revealed underneath where I attacked.

From where I stand, no cracks are visible at all on the monster's natural armor. I almost decide to leave right then, but the Honlir has a different plan, as it bellows with rage from my strike and begins lumbering forward, slowly but surely gaining speed while its eye holes focus solely on me. Shit.