Chương 58: Stacking Rewards

[You have slain (II) Hobgoblin Baron lv. 29] [You have slain (II) Hobgoblin(lv. 12) - (lv. 14) x40] [Partial experience granted x82] I watch the scroll bar appear on the side and grow smaller.

"Nope! Shrink it!" I say, knowing the system will understand. As expected, the words crunch into each other, and the scroll bar expands to fit the screen.

"Yes," I nod.

"Very good." [Companionship Pact Leader(lv. 25) > (lv. 27)] [(II) High Human(lv. 10) > (lv. 12)] [High Human's Musculature(lv. 1) > (lv. 3)] [Empower Suggest Companion(lv. 8) > (lv. 9)] [One Mind/Two Bodies(lv. 3) > (lv. 4)] [Bleed Immunity(lv. 9) > (lv. 11)] [Reinforced Skeleton (lv. 1) > (lv. 2)] [Danger Sense(lv. 7) > (lv. 9)]"Sheesh! What happened here?" I raided like, five encampments before this and only got a few skill level-ups. Does the risk of death really make that much of a difference?

It's true that I was kind of punching down for those earlier fights. But dang, that baron packed a punch. Every time I've fought an agility-based warrior, I was beaten black and blue. They had a way of making my danger sense spaz out and give false signals. I think the baron's intention to attack activated it. And when I dodged the intended attack before it happened, he could react fast enough not to attack at all. It's annoying, but there's a clear way to stop it in the future.

I need some area of effect in my skills. The easiest way to get it is obvious. Spells. Though I should probably learn the one Brax gave me before I ask for more. [You have discovered a reward] [Accept(165) / Bank / Consolidate] The reward is inexorably building into something amazing. There's no way to guarantee what it'll be, but I'm hoping with all of my heart that it's a weapon. I don't even care what kind anymore, as long as it isn't awkward. The axe is nice, but it was useless against the baron.

And with the shaft being made of wood, I have a feeling it will someday fail me. I really miss my old gauntlets. Nothing can compare to the feeling of clocking an enemy in the head with a ten-pound weight attached to your fist. Sighing, I open my resources. [Health: 1210(1014)] [Mana: 825(221)] [Stamina: 1425(897)] Huh. You know, I thought the rapier would have done more damage, but I guess not. Because of my screwed-up biology, the baron wasn't able to hit any vital points like my heart or lungs.

It hit my liver, but it was a minor wound and was promptly healed in the aftermath. And because of bleed immunity, it couldn't defeat me with death by a thousand cuts. Once my inner exoskeleton is complete, agility types like the Baron won't be able to touch me. After running away from the castle, I drop the bed on the ground and lay the axe next to it. A quick hop carries me onto the bed to enjoy the comfort that increases every time I go farther into the cavern.

"Haaah. Doesn't get much better than this." Except for maybe a giant pizza. And a girlfriend. And a flatscreen to rewatch the same ten shows I've already watched ten times. I frown. Okay, maybe it could be a little better. Still, being a better version of a normal human makes up for it. More than makes up for it. I pull myself up into a cross-legged sitting position and close my eye.

"Kevin, move mana perfectly," I say, keeping it short and simple. One Mind/Two Bodies All the extra brainpower is used to empower my mind as it dives into the mana cycling through my body. Gently, I pull the rock with Stone Pillar carved on it out of my pocket and hold it with both hands. Having stopped healing earlier, I'm left with a hundred and fifty mana for practice. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I'm greeted with the beautiful spiral that seamlessly moves through the countless miniscule veins which spread through my body. It takes my breath away every time I see it. I can hardly believe that it's my own body that I'm looking at. Small currents flow off the main cycle and move through my fingers to travel into the rock. The pattern inside reveals itself piece by piece as my mana moves through it. Half-spheres, turns, curls, and all kinds of other shapes loop through each other in different ways.

It looks like an art student's final project. Having no other forms of reference, I have no idea which parts do what. I don't even know how modular the thing is, or if it's just a pattern that tells mana to act a certain way. As Brax said, nothing happens when the entire carving is filled with my mana. He mentioned that I shouldn't create the spell in my body, but I don't know how else to do it. I assume he doesn't mean to make it by chiselling a rock like the one he gave me.

As I think, mana continuously flows through the rock and is consumed to power a pointless effect. You're on a timer. Think. Mana exits through my skin, but as usual, it disperses into a mist and quickly fades. Dammit. How are mages supposed to do it? A few minutes later, I give up. The rest of the mana passes through the rock, causing the carving to dim and the invisible effects to end. I hop off the bed and funnel my remaining mana into healing. Should've asked more questions before I left. Oh well.

I'll be able to ask him when I get back. I pick up the bed and axe once again to move to the next encampment. Concern flashes through me as I'm forced to move in plain sight of the castle walls a mile away. I'm sure it'll be fine. When I arrive, I quickly set down the bed and sticks of meat before running to the wall. Instead of making a mighty leap and flying over, I only jump high enough to grab the edge. A quick peek gives me the exact same visual as the encampment before.

But I'm not doing this to sus out the defenses. Once I get a good look at the layout, I drop back to the outside of the wall and run along it. I run just far enough to position myself just right. My legs bend, and I leap high enough to barely crest the top of the wall. The landing places me right where I want to be. Right behind the elite cabin. The cabin blocks the view from all of the soldiers meandering around the campfire in the center, which leaves me plenty of leeway to sneak up.

I curve around the edge of the building and move to the door. A hobgoblin at the fire yells, but it's already too late. I lift my leg and slam the wooden door open, breaking it off the hinges. Rushing inside, I see a fully armored hobgoblin halfway out of its bed and reaching for a bardiche that lies against the wall. Its helmet rests on the ground next to the bed, which allows me to see the shock on its face firsthand. It freezes mid-step and turns when it sees me.

"Sorry, buddy, I've fought hard enough for today." It lunges for its weapon as I finish talking. I drop my axe in the confined space and lunge at it upon seeing movement. Just as it clasps a hand around the weapon, my fist collides with the side of its head. A crack echoes out, and the baron is sent tumbling away from me. I waste no time and rush to the body. My hand isn't just a mass of constructed flesh and bone anymore. The evolution and level-ups from optimized anatomy have changed it.

Dexterity improved over millions of years of evolution was the basis, but it is now shoved to the side for thick, interlocking plates of bone. Getting hit by my fist is akin to being hit by a brick at this point. Combined with my insane strength from having two sources of stats and several body-augmenting skills… When my fist collides with the baron's skull, it's unable to escape against the cobblestone floor. The result is a messy splatter of blood and crushed bone.

Chime The clatter of footsteps makes me turn to see a soldier standing in the doorway. It stares with wide eyes and open jaw at the scene before it. We meet eyes, and I jump forward. It raises its shield as my foot connects, sending it flying from the building. I grab my axe from the ground as I pass through the doorway. When I exit, I see a group of two dozen soldiers standing close, while the soldier that I kicked pushes itself to its feet. The axe pulls back, and I swing.

The swing follows through cleanly, beheading the fallen goblin without losing momentum. I carry the swing and dash at the edge of the formation. The soldier there panics and tries to dodge, but it's too little too late. The head of the axe breaks through the unarmored hips and almost rips the hobgoblin's body in half. I rush and pick apart the hobgoblins one by one. After killing the fifth soldier, the first stragglers start to run to the gate. At the tenth kill, they start a fighting retreat.

Upon seeing me casually dodge an arrow aimed at my head, they abandon the 'fighting' part of the retreat and just run. What comes after is nothing more than a massacre. Five minutes later, I walk from the last cabin. The holographic blue screen floats in front of me as I move. [You have slain (II) Hobgoblin Baron lv. 29] [You have slain (II) Hobgoblin(lv. 12) - (lv. 14) x38] [Partial experience granted x80] [You have discovered a reward] [Accept(185) / Bank / Consolidate] Dang, not a single skill level up this time. How many did I get last time? Like ten? That proves that effort is directly linked with benefit. Or is it risk? I shrug. Maybe both. As long as I push myself and don't keep fighting enemies that are far weaker than me, I'll be fine. I clench my arm and watch the muscle tense. I have to be growing faster than I should be.

There must have been a hundred or so encampments in each of the difficulty areas of wood, cobblestone, and stone brick. But I only visited around twenty of them. Wood had stronger variants as a boss, with orcs taking up the population. Cobblestone had Hobgoblin lords. Stone brick has barons. The angle is clear. I'm going to fight an even higher variant as the final boss. It's gotta be a king. Lords, barons. King always comes next. As I bend to jump back over the wall, my stomach rumbles.

I ate only a few hours ago, so why? I decide to eat a few of the meat sticks on the run home, but something stops me. Something intrusive. It directs me back to the elite cabin. Reluctantly, I follow its orders. My mouth begins to water, and a sweet scent enters my nose. Sweet, tangy, and delicious. I didn't smell anything before. Did I miss something? I step through the door and follow the scent to the back of the room. It doesn't come from a hidden cabinet or stowed pouch.

It emanates from a metal casing that lies against the far wall. A pang of fear shoots up my spine. It's coming from the corpse of the baron.