Chương 5: B1 | Chapter 5

Aidan Yeah, my body really is strange. I feel fine even after having about six holes drilled into my body. Two from the first bat and four from the next two bats I manage to bait into the tunnel and kill just like the first one. A single bat at a time. And all six holes made by the bats fangs are leaking black blood while I'm still walking around without any further pain beyond the initial period where they didn't leak any blood.

More important than any of that, though, is the dinging sound followed by System Messages that appear in my vision while I'm in the middle of draining the second monster corpse of source mana. [Level 5 Cave Dweller has been slain. Appropriate source mana has been allocated.] [User's Class, Void Devourer, has reached level 3. User's stats have risen by the following amounts: +2 Physical, +2 Magical, +2 Mind, +2 Soul.] ◊*New Class Skill*◊ [Claws of the Devourer(Uncommon) – Grants a small lifeforce drain effect to the Void Devourer's claws, healing the Void Devourer with every slash.] ◊*New Class Skill*◊ ◊ User has unlocked their Skills Menu. ◊ Skills Menu? I'm guessing it's some sort of menu to see my skills? Now that I actually have one other than Identify. But… where is it? I tilt my head as blood continues gushing from my wounds. Meanwhile I finish devouring the source mana in the corpse after reading the messages.

After a brief pause, both from noticing a countdown in the top right corner of my vision that wasn't there before along with the words Skill Menu, I focus on the words Skill Menu. Making a new wave of words appear in front of me. {Racial Skill} [Physique of the Void Crowne(UNIQUE) – The Void Crowne is the supreme existence of the Void Realm. None surpass it. Born to move around the Void, the Void Crowne's near infinite blood is infused with the power of the void. Destined to return to the void should it ever be spilt. The Void Crowne's blood, if given willingly, may evolve any void creature's species once. However, if not given willingly to a void creature, the blood of the crowne will burn like fire until expelled from the void creature's body. The Void Crowne's body is also designed to devour the source mana of any System Item to improve his own source mana.] {Basic Skill} [Identify – This is a skill used to identify living creatures. It is necessary in order to pierce through the natural defense an Awakened being has to any sort of scrying. Beware, for it may notify the creature being identified of the act should they be perceptive enough.] {Basic Skill} {Class Skill} [Claws of the Devourer(Uncommon) – Grants a small lifeforce drain effect to the Void Devourer's claws, healing the Void Devourer with every slash.] ◊*New Class Skill*◊ I stare at my skills for a few seconds before muttering, "Huh…"

Looks like I did have another skill before my first Class skill. Other than Identify. Although it doesn't seem to be directly combat related. Probably. That explains my blood situation though. Except the 'not coagulating' part. Considering the skill says 'near infinite blood' in it. I guess that means I can't bleed out? Although nonstop bleeding is kind of annoying too. I glance at my wounds with a frown. Briefly wondering if they will ever heal on their own.

Considering how supreme the System keeps making the Void Crowne species out to be, I doubt it wouldn't let the species naturally regenerate its own wounds. So they probably heal. Somehow. As for that 'Void Crowne blood evolves void creatures' thing? That probably helps a lot with the Void Creator Profession. Anyway, I can't waste any time. It doesn't take much to figure out what that countdown in the corner of my vision is for.

And while I am already level three in my Class, I don't know if later levels will be harder to get or not. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. They probably will if videogame logic is to be used. But it would be nice if that isn't the case. The countdown itself just says a simple twenty-seven days, twenty-three hours, and thirty-six minutes. Most likely meaning that I've been in this place for twenty-four minutes already.

I also want to see if using my claws on those bats can heal my injuries. So I quickly make my way through the tunnel again, once more leaving the corpse of the bat behind just like the last two. And when I reach the cavern filled with dozens of bats flying around, I make sure to hide behind a corner before identifying one of them. Making the thing start screeching before rushing in my direction. A rather useful strategy I figured out after the first one.

After all, if they're notified about being identified, then it's the best way to get the attention of just a single bat. I bait the bat around the corner and a little bit further, act like I don't know it's about to catch up to me, then I spin around and slash right at it. Only to miss as I time it incorrectly. Because I forgot I just leveled up. So I'm faster now than I was before. An entire twenty-five percent faster.

Still, I quickly manage to recover and rush up to the bat since it was startled by my sudden turn-around. Then I slash at it with my right hand's claws. Cutting jagged lines all across its front. And when I do, I see a faint black light shining from all the injuries on my body. With the injuries closing ever so slightly before the light fades. Not bad. I continue slashing at the bat until the thing dies. And this time without having any new bites thanks to the stats I got from my level-up.

Not to mention my growing experience dealing with these things. [Level 5 Cave Dweller has been slain. Appropriate source mana has been allocated.] After all, they may be at higher level than me, but that doesn't mean they're smart. And these bats are, indeed, very dumb. They just fly after their target without paying attention to anything else. I learned that by the third one I hunted. And this one didn't do any different.

On a more important note, my wounds seem about halfway closed now thanks to the cuts I got on the bat before killing it. So I go ahead and drain its source mana before making my way back to the cavern. At which point I repeat the process. Healing up the rest of my wounds. But while I'm in the middle of draining this bat, I get another set of lovely System Messages. [User's Profession, Void Creator, has reached level 3. User's stats have risen by the following amounts: +1 Mind, +1 Soul.] ◊*New Profession Skill*◊ [Void Core Creation(UNIQUE) – Grants the Void Creator the power to create void cores. The power of the void core is equivalent to the amount of mana and source mana used to create it.] ◊*New Profession Skill*◊ Nice. I have no idea what that's supposed to do. But higher stats are always a plus. I take a deep breath before smiling. Then I proceed to head back to the cavern while rolling up my sleeves. Time to hunt more bats.

It took three bats to raise my Class to level three, and another two bats to raise my Profession to level three. Which meant it took about five bats total, ish? To raise my Profession to level three. Seeing as I doubt I'm getting any source mana for my Profession by killing things. Professions level from doing Profession things, according to the bonus hungry Guide. And killing bats probably isn't Profession related. So I'm just getting source mana from draining their corpses.

With that in mind, I head back to the cavern and begin repeating the process over and over again over the course of a few hours. All the way until the last bat in the cavern is dead. Marking about seventy bat deaths total. Which levels me up twice. Straight up to level five in both my Class and Profession. And yet, without any new skills in either, unfortunately. After that, I proceed to move on into the next tunnel on the other side of the bats' cavern.

Where I begin to find bats moving through the tunnel in groups. And since there's no twists and turns in this tunnel, I end up fighting multiple bats at once. Three of them, in fact. With all three charging from different directions. I grit my teeth when two of them manage to bite me. Just sinking their fangs into my neck and my shoulder. But I manage to slash through the third one with my claws. Right into one of its wings, ripping said wing open and forcing it to crash to the ground.

Without delay, I jump forwards before slamming the bat biting onto my shoulder into the ground while also stabbing my claws into the bat I already crippled. Killing the bat on the ground and knocking the wind out of the bat biting me. Making the thing stop drinking my blood for a second. A wave of lightheadedness assails me from the blood loss in my neck, proving that it is still possible for me to run out of blood so long as it's a continuous drain like this.

Yet, ignoring that lightheadedness, I grab the bat on my shoulder and rip it off. Stabbing it in the eyes with my claws at the same time to kill it. Then I reach for the bat on my throat and stab straight into the back of its head. Killing it without much struggle now that my stats have risen to a point that may even be surpassing the bats. [Level 5 Cave Dweller has been slain. Appropriate source mana has been allocated.] After pulling the now-dead bat's fangs out of my throat and dropping it on the ground, I feel my blood beginning to return to me at a rapid pace. And once I've recovered enough of it, I gather the three bat corpses so that I can drain all three. Seconds pass during the process of draining them, with each second that passes making my frown grow deeper. Until the very last drops of source mana enter me, and I finally get what I want. Another set of messages. [User's Class, Void Devourer, has reached level 6. User's stats have risen by the following amounts: +2 Physical, +2 Magical, +2 Mind, +2 Soul.] ◊*New Class Skill*◊ [Gaze of the Devourer(Uncommon) – Allows the Void Devourer's gaze to reach into the depths of the Void, granting the Void Devourer's gaze the power to see through illusions, souls, and everything wishing to hide from the Devourer.] ◊*New Class Skill*◊ So… it's some sort of eye power? Something to see illusions and stuff? I can see that being useful in the future, but not right now.

These bats don't have anything like that. I let out a sigh before climbing to my feet. Well, back to the hunt. With that thought, I continue walking through the tunnel.