Chương 12

Panic rising in his chest, Ethan considered his options. Five minutes was nowhere near enough for cultivating to gain health. Hell, he didn't even have that long as his health would be dropping to zero before the timeline. The only thing that came to his mind was to level up. If he could get another 10 stats, he could still survive. Barely. He made up his mind, and without a second thought, dashed toward the goblins. In about 3 minutes, he needed to kill them without getting hit.

Taking a risk, he made a small detour to avoid the spider. If it still blocked his path, he'd have no choice but to fight the spider instead. At this point, he didn't have the luxury to pick his fights. Even if that drake somehow appeared in front of him, he would charge like a moth drawn to a flame. Nausea and dizziness hit him as he ran, but thankfully, adrenaline was pumping through his veins nonstop, his heart feeling like it was about to burst.

Two minutes in, he caught sight of the goblins, and there was no trace of the spider. He increased his speed even more and yelled to get their attention. The goblins stopped and turned back, looking startled as they glanced at each other. To his horror, they seemed to be hesitating because of the maniac who screamed and sprinted toward them, but they decided to fight in the end.

Ethan laughed aloud with bloodshot eyes as he deflected the short, rusty sword and kicked the goblin in its chest, sending it rolling across the ground. The other one jumped on him immediately. He blocked the attack, but found himself pushed back. This one had packed quite a bit of strength, and it fought like a savage. Changing his tactic, he focused on his footwork and dodged the next two strikes before driving forward and using his shoulder as a battering ram.

When the goblin lost its balance, he leaned ahead and slashed his knife at breakneck speed, slitting its throat and almost severing its head. Essence poured in, but it wasn't enough. Ethan looked at the other goblin coming at him with hungry eyes and took a quick glance at his resources. Health: 30/220 Mana: 21/120 Stamina: 50/180 Steel clashed steel. His knees felt weak, his vision swayed, and lines of blood traced down from every opening on his head. And amidst all that, he found an opening.

He closed in and parried the sword with one knife and plunged his other knife into the goblin's heart. When it still struggled to free itself, he twisted his weapon and ended its life. However, the Exp still wasn't enough. Gritting his teeth, he looked around in desperation. His bleeding eyes lit up. A [Fabric Tear] appeared in front of him and another one about 100 feet away. His knife passed through the portal and emerged next to the white stag on the ground, penetrating its skull.

'DING! You've leveled up.' Holding his breath, Ethan dumped every point into Vitality at once and let out a mad laugh as he spread his hands.

''I knew the DINGs were the way to go!'' Then he collapsed onto his knees and puked his guts out. Trying his best to not pass out, he waited like that until the poison's effects ended. Once he regained some of his clarity, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and pushed himself to his feet, dragging himself to store the corpses. And this day had started so nice. How did it turn out like this in a blink? Looking at the two gorgeous moons that hung in the darkening sky, he shook his head.

They seemed to watch him in amusement, as if saying, 'Welcome to Elisium.' Ideally, he would like to be as far as possible from the poison-spitting giant spider, but he was in no condition to travel, especially at night. His best bet was to return to the cave and heal before trying to find a safer place. As he plodded through the lush forest with a somber face, he reflected on his near-death experience. I got too cocky after getting the skills. Outside of the pocket realm isn't that different from the inside.

I'm still too weak to fool around. This won't do. Before thinking about traveling, I need to get used to my skills and reach tier-1 as soon as possible. In the end, it was his own choice that led to this predicament. Something like [Anchor Pull] or [Presence Erasure] would be much better to ensure his survival in this mad place, but he still went with [Blink], thinking that it would be the most useful one in the long run.

The other skills he'd gotten were a gamble that paid off as he really didn't think that'd work. There were better alternatives, but these were the best ones in [Blink]'s range. The fourth skill that he'd failed to nab by a hair's breadth was actually [Void Fang], which he'd rather have instead of [Void Wrap], even before learning its high cost. In any case, that was all water under the bridge now. He'd make the best of what he had. Once he found a relatively safe place, it would be training time.

He wouldn't leave until he was confident in himself. Inside the cavern, Ethan curled up at the corner next to the stalagmites and fell asleep right away. Gradually, he woke up with a throbbing headache, but he was feeling slightly better. Looking at his not even half-full health bar, he decided to eat something first and cultivate for half a day to heal faster before leaving the place, and perhaps taking a quick bath on his way. He pulled his half-eaten rabbit out of the store ring. It appeared out of thin air.

Quickly, he snatched it before it dropped to the ground. It was greasy and smoking hot, the same as he'd left. It seemed that the ring had some kind of stasis effect after all, at least for the short term. Happy with the finding, he finished the meal leisurely and drank some water before starting his cultivation session. Although he had no idea how any of this worked, following the void manual's steps was easy enough. He quickly fell into a pattern and entered the state of deep meditation.

From there, he had two options, he realized. If he focused on the process of his mana making twists and turns through his mana channels as he filled his resources or accumulated more essence, he could chase all other thoughts and lose track of time without much effort. No wonder people managed to cultivate for ridiculous amounts of time without getting mad or bored to death.

On the other hand, he could let that process run in the background and give his attention to other things like improving his skills, or anything else he wished for. With some concentration, he could even hear the wind blowing outside of the cave without getting out of the meditation. This state of mind was perfect for contemplation, it came as naturally as breathing. His mind was calm and collected, yet also sharp and clear. In spite of that, he was clueless about the inner workings of his new skills.

From their descriptions, only [Void Wrap] made some sense, as it sounded like a simple concealment ability, but [Blink] and [Fabric Tear] continued to elude him in their mysteries. Hopefully, that would change with more experience and observation. His thoughts drifted into the build he wanted to achieve. The lack of mana was his biggest problem right now, and improving that area meant sacrificing others. Every gamer knew that an equal skill distribution led to mediocrity.

Min-maxing stats came with high rewards and high risk, while choosing to lean into a few of them and ignoring others was a relatively safer option. Of course, this all depended on the person, their talent, and their individual skills. He felt that using his skills without holding back could make up for his weak stats. And if he could get more skills that synergized with what he already had, the advantage could become even more pronounced. He didn't need to rain fire upon his enemies or bury them beneath mountains.

As long as he had skills that amplified his fighting style and overcame his weaknesses, it would be more than enough. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. His style always revolved around speed and efficiency. He didn't like to play with his food. The sooner he could end the fight, the better it was. And if he had a chance to escape when it became dangerous and try again later, it was all to the good.

Hence, he planned to keep his Agility as the highest stat for the foreseeable future. Plus, he could downplay his speed and use it as a trump card when it mattered. As for the lowest stat, Perception seemed to be the best candidate, followed by Endurance and Vitality. He wondered whether there were items that would help with them. Potions, for example, could give him some breathing room for the latter two.

Just the thought of a weapon with a lifesteal ability sent chills down his spine and filled him with burning desire. Alas, he lacked too much information. Were there even civilizations and intelligent species in this world? What if it was all dominated by beasts, and sapient beings were things of the forgotten past? He shuddered at the thought. Sure, it was possible, but very unlikely. After all, this whole expedition had started with Animus finding an old space ship in one of the government facilities.

All thanks to that, they managed to build an inferior version of it, and even the coordinates of Elisium came from there. As for the owners of the old ship and their fates, nothing was known except for their likely humanoid appearances. Why they came to Earth, what they wanted, or what happened to them were all a mystery, and Animus always had time and resources for mysteries.

When Animus made a worldwide announcement, sharing all the evidence and possible approaches, Ethan was on a journey of self-discovery and starting a new life. He had disbanded The Dominion and stopped playing Cut-Throat just a few months ago, travelling in places where people outright denied everything Animus had offered and represented. Admittedly, they were a minority, mostly consisting of remnants of old governments fighting against warlords and wanna-be tyrants.

He jumped at the chance without giving much thought. There was nothing on Earth he was reluctant to leave behind. His aunt was his only living relative, and she never shied away from reminding him that his presence was barely tolerated because of whatever Ani provided them in return. She didn't know what exactly had happened to him after losing his parents, only that he was with some scavenger kids. She was deadly afraid of him corrupting his cousins and made sure they didn't spend much time together.

By the age of 15, he started living with his friends more often than not, and when he became somewhat famous through VR, he used all his contribution points to live on his own. Fortunately, entertaining others was also considered a contribution, even though you needed to reach a big audience to stop doing anything else and live a lavish life. He did miss some of his friends, but there was no point thinking about it now. The journey through the stars took 120 years.

Unless Animus had come up with some miraculous technology, they were all dead by now. Even so, the years had not affected him the same way; he still needed time to come to terms with this. Lost in thought, he continued to cultivate until his resources were almost full. Once done, he stood up and stretched his arms behind his back. This cultivation thing isn't that bad, actually. A pity the speed of gaining Exp can't compare with hunting. I wonder if it's the same with everyone else?

Looking down at his blood and grime covered clothes, he scowled. They'd turned into this not even an hour after washing them thoroughly. He really needed to find some spare ones. Idle steps carried him toward the entrance, which seemed to be a whole different world from the cave. Vibrant leaves of the trees shimmered under the afternoon sun. The sound of the crickets suppressed the coherent yet chaotic songs of the birds.

Some sparse clouds drifted in the sky, and a giant spider hung on a cliff– Ethan threw himself back with wide open eyes. The same lovely spider from yesterday landed right in front of him, its legs sinking into the solid ground as if it was mud. You gotta be kidding me. Did it follow me here? But why did it not enter the cave to attack when I was distracted? The cave was fairly spacious, but it was also full of stalagmites and stalactites. For a creature this big, those could become problematic.

Or maybe it had gotten spooked by the chains that absolutely locked it in its place for a whole minute and decided to ambush him out in the open. Trying to calm himself down, Ethan took a cautious step back. The spider launched itself forward. He used his first [Blink] to save himself. Then he rushed toward the area packed with stalactites and called his knives, gritting his teeth as one of them fell to the floor. When he picked it up, the spider was already upon him.

He turned to block its leg and started backing off as he fended off the attacks. However, he was not strong enough. He couldn't deflect the sharp leg completely and got stabbed in the shoulder. When he tried to [Blink], the skill didn't respond at all. Fuck! Does it not work when I'm in contact with others? Good to know. With a loud cry, he rotated his body slightly and jumped back, getting out of the hook yet expanding the wound even further.

When he tried to move between the stalactites, the spider started destroying them one by one. If one strike wasn't enough, the second one surely destroyed the rocks, throwing their pieces all around as loud cracking sounds echoed in the cave. At least this offered some brief time for him. Waiting for the right moment, he opened a [Fabric Tear] and tried to stab the spider in the eye, but it dodged in the nick of time, his knife not even making a scratch on its head. His cover was demolished piece by piece.

Just before the last one was gone, he dashed forward and rolled under the beast before pushing himself up and stabbing its belly with all his might. His chef's knife cracked and broke apart upon impact, making him choke at the sight. The spider jumped sideways and charged right after. Switching his other knife into his right hand, Ethan found himself blocking its front legs once again as they grazed his skin when he failed to dodge. The beast pushed him back until his back was on the cave wall and opened its mouth.

Already anticipating it, he [Blink]ed into the air right next to its neck. As the spider spat its poison onto the wall, he raised his knife and turned his body, slashing the knife at its neck with a swift motion. The wound he caused was not even an inch deep, while the knife broke in two, leaving him gripping the handle with white knuckles. This thing was so out of his league, it wasn't even funny. Ethan wanted to scream in frustration but didn't have the luxury.

Before he landed on the ground, the spider swung one of its legs and hurled him into a small boulder like a line drive, cracking his ribs and breaking his left arm on the crash. This time, he did scream. It had a primal quality that felt more defiant than painful, resounding in the cave and turning even louder. The spider didn't care. It came for a finishing attack and thrust its leg toward his head. A [Fabric Tear] appeared in front of his forehead, and another right behind the boulder.

The leg entered the first one and exited from the other. Releasing the broken hilt, he grabbed its limb and yanked it to the side, letting the portal's inner side slice it like a knife through butter. A high-pitched shriek broke out from the spider as the tip of its leg fell behind the boulder, dark ichor pouring out from the wound. Ethan dashed toward the severed limb and grabbed it in a flash. When the furious beast arrived, he pretended to escape while looking back.

Before its remaining front leg penetrated his chest, with the last bit of his mana, he [Blink]ed and emerged on top of the spider. Clamping his legs, Ethan mounted the beast and started jabbing its neck as hard as possible. His third strike cracked a small opening on its carapace as the beast tried to get him off its back. It was no use; his legs glued him to the spot as he kept puncturing the same place with a feral look.

The six legs on the sides couldn't reach him there, but that wasn't the case for the front leg. Piercing thrusts came one after another. Between his attacks, Ethan dodged left and right, barely avoiding fatal hits, though the attacks still scored his upper body. When it pierced his stomach, he took it as a challenge and drove the severed limb into its back as far as he could. With another cry, the spider pulled its leg lightly and aimed for his chest. This was too close to his heart.

He didn't want to take any risks and used his talisman. A pale blue shield covered him in an instant and blocked the attack. Not wasting any time, he pushed the limb even further and even plunged his arm to the elbow right after. The spider shook, but he didn't stop. He wouldn't stop until he heard the fucking ding. Back and forth, he drilled the beast with manic eyes and increasing enthusiasm.

''JUST. FUCKING. DIE. YOU. PIECE. OF–'''DING! You've leveled up.'

'DING! You've leveled up.'

'DING! You've leveled up.'

'DING! You've reached Tier-1. All stats increased by 10.'

'DING! You've learned [Mana Sense].' The spider's legs gave up as its lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Ethan gave it one more thrust and yelled one last time for the cavern's acoustic system,'' – SHIT!''