Lv1 Skeleton - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bang!

Before I could get back on my feet, he rushed me and pinned my bones up against the wall . Thrashing around it tore off my remaining arm and legs, scattering them across the floor and squished me into the wall .

'Shit! I'll get my revenge!'

I was stuck in the wall, no limbs and hardly able to move . It took hours just to shuffle my way a few centimeters .

Rustle!

Finally, a few hours later I was able to pull out my body from the hole in the wall .

'What a rude guy, threw my limbs around, is it too much to ask to at least put them in a neat little pile?'

I began crawling slowly towards my bones scattered across the cave . I found a piece and tried to put it in its place and was happy to know it fused well . Going around I slowly gathered more pieces and limbs recovering some strength . I had realised that my HP had diminished significantly since I had lost some bones . After about 60 ~ 70 hours I finally found all the pieces and recovered my strength .

'Ughh… I'm feeling alright but my right arm and dagger…'

My missing right arm and dagger were the biggest problem . I was left with only the one arm, two legs a shield and an old helmet .

I returned to the pile of bones where I had found my previous equipment, looking for a suitable weapon .

'What about this one?'

It was a broken femoral bone from a skeleton soldier which was most likely a deceased colleague of mine . I tried to sharpen it against the rock wall but it would always crumble and seemed to have very low durability . At the very least it was nowhere near as solid as iron .

'The Tomb Tyrant's attack power was 20 right? But I'm somehow still alive, was he just fooling around with me?'

My anger towards the big rat was rising and I really wanted to get my revenge .

I thought about trying to level up once . It might only be one level but I hoped something would happen if I hit maxed level .

I gathered some more moss and created the same trap, waiting . Eventually two tomb rats took the bait and I made quick work of them, absorbing the experience . It felt like I had become more skilled after a few attempts .

[+11 experience points]

[+22 experience points]

[Level increased 4 5]

[Level has reached Max]

[Evolution is now possible]

'Was evolution possible?'

Thoughts were racing through my mind as I decided to check my status . What kind of evolution would it be, would it help me overcome that Tomb Tyrant?

Name

Gender: N/A

Status: Normal

Type: Skeleton/ Undead

Class: Soldier

Rank: H

Level: 5/5 (Max)

HP: 15/15

MP: 1/1

Attack: 7

Defense: 3

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 1

Unique Skills

[Resurrection Lv 1] [Night Vision Lv 1] [Falling resistance Lv1]

Titles

[Rat Trapper]

Evolution Choice

[Skeleton Warrior] [Skeleton Wizard] [Skeleton Rogue]

The evolution options seemed to follow a standard RPG series . The skeleton warrior most likely focuses on strength, the wizard seems to be able to manipulate magic and the rogue is probably an assassin type .

Because of my current one armed situation, the wizard path seemed the most advantageous for me . Also, the Tyrant didn't have any magic powers so magic was most likely it's weakness making my evolution path an easy choice .

I stretched out one finger and selected the wizard option on the sphere before my eyes . A light shone on me and it felt like my body was heating up .

'What? Is it done? What's changed?'

I searched every nook and cranny on my body but couldn't find any differences, confused I looked again at my status on the shining sphere .

Name

Gender: N/A

Status: Normal

Type: Skeleton/ Undead

Class: Wizard

Rank: H+

Level: 1/20

HP: 5/5

MP: 5/5

Attack: 1

Defense: 1

Agility: 2

Intelligence: 3

Unique Skills

[Resurrection Lv 1] [Night Vision Lv 1] [Falling resistance Lv1]

[Magic Chanting Lv1] [Fire Shock Lv1]

Titles

[Rat Trapper]

'Hmm . . just Fire Shock?'

Having played many RPG's I was familiar with many magic spells . Fire Shock would usually be one of the lowest level fire spells .

"Fire shock"

I shouted pointing towards the wall

Bang!

[Magic Chanting Level 1 2]

[Fire Shock Level 1 2]

Somehow when it came to magic chants I was able to speak, but except for the magic spells it was still impossible to vocalize anything besides the sound of my teeth chomping .

'This has quite a lot of constraints'

Waiting for my mana to refill I sent out more Fire Shocks towards the wall and began grinding the skill, repeating the cycle thousands of times . I had endless stamina, suffering from neither hunger nor fatigue so besides waiting for my mana I could train the skill endlessly .

[Magic Chanting Level 5 6]

[Fire Shock Level 9 10]

[Fire Shock Level has reached Max]

I had maxed out the skill after using Fire Shock about 4000 ~ 5000 times .

I also concluded that using magic alone didn't give out any experience points .

'How much time has passed?'

Underground in these tunnels I couldn't sense the passage of time because of the lack of fatigue, hunger or need for sleep . Although it was a bit annoying to grind the skill endlessly, I was mostly curious to know if I could become impatient because in my previous life I would probably give up after just 10 tries .

I decided that the slime would be my first victim to practice my magic . Naturally, in RPG's the beginner slimes had physical resistance but were conversely weak to magic . Besides, trapping tomb rats was time consuming and there was always the chance that they escape .

"Fire Shock"

Bang!

When my spell hit the slime which was spread out like a puddle it instantly gathered up into the shape of a ball . I didn't know anything about it's stats or level because I first needed to kill one to check it's status page . The slime turned and began moving slowly in my direction since I aggroed it with my magic .

'I might be in trouble because I only have enough MP for one Fire Shock . '

So I elected to use hit-and-run tactics because the slime was quite slow . Simply running away and waiting for my MP to refill . The slime chased me wholeheartedly, but I could easily keep my distance by simply walking a bit faster .

'Has it been about 20 shots?'

A message appeared before my eyes .

[+77 experience points]

[Acquired knowledge of Tomb Slimes]

[You can now learn new magic]

[Acquired ｟Title: Hit-and-Run｠]

The slime's body melted into a pool of liquid, sinking into the cave floor .

'What! It was just the one but it gave as much experience as hunting three tomb rats at the same time . '

It was a good decision on my part to avoid the slimes at the very start, judging from how much experience they gave they were quite powerful . I opened my status page

Name: N/A

Gender: N/A

Status: Normal

Type: Skeleton/ Undead

Class: Wizard

Rank: H+

Level: 4/20

HP: 17/17

MP: 25/25

Attack: 3

Defense: 2

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 12

Unique Skills

[Resurrection Lv 1] [Night Vision Lv 1] [Falling resistance Lv1] [Magic Chanting Lv6]

[Fire Shock Max]

Titles

[Rat Trapper] [Hit-and-Run]

Spell Selection

[Fireball Lv1] [Lesser Slow Lv1] [Minor Poison Lv1]

It was the perfect fit for me, Fireball would be a bit redundant considering my Fire Shock but Slow is exactly what I needed . Finalizing my selection I turned to a nearby slime .

Status: Normal

Type: Tomb Slime

Rank: G-

Level: 7/15

HP: 22/22

MP: 1/1

Attack: 1

Defense: 1000

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 1

Unique Skills

[Physical Resistance Lv2]

"Slow"

The slimes were originally quite slow but after casting my slow spell, I could simply outwalk it nonchalantly . I decided to raise the level of my Lesser Slow as it might be a crucial survival tool in the future . Beginning the long skill grind I casted Lesser Slow and waited for my mana to refill .

Eventually, after several thousand chants…

[Magic Chanting Lv7 8]

[Lesser Slow Lv9 10]

[Lesser Slow has reached Max]

Magic Chanting was surprisingly difficult to level up compared to other skills . I thought it was a crucial skill to focus on as it served as a foundation to all other spells and in battle, a fraction of a second could make a huge difference . Still, I decided to put it to the side for now and simply let it increase as I grinded other spells .

Now, hunting slimes with Fire Shock was a piece of cake . A single Fire Shock could wipe out 3 HP from a slime .

'Hmm… It seems I would need 15 Fire Shocks to bring down the Tyrant of the Tombs, I don't have nearly enough mana at the moment right?'

One Fire Shock consumes 5 MP, so 75 mana should be enough to kill it . Actually, considering that I'll need to kite it with hit-and-run tactics and casting Lesser Slow ,100 mana would be a more conservative number . Obviously going head to head with it was impossible .

[+77 experience points]

[Level increased 4 6]

MP increased from 25 to 40, as I was a Wizard my mana growth was substantial . I eventually caught all the slimes nearby and was able to hit level 10 . Occasionally I would see the Tyrant in the distance but I always chose to avoid it . After a few sightings I was able to map out its trajectory so I would be ready for my revenge fight . Unfortunately there were no more slimes left to level up .

'I'm not sure how Magic Acquisition works . I thought simply by leveling up I would gain new skills but after reaching a threshold like level 10 I didn't receive any message . '

I tried to brainstorm some new hypotheses for Magic Acquisition . Could the new skills depend on which monsters I hunt? Is there a maximum number of skills I can learn?

Regardless, worrying about it wouldn't help so I decided to simply try to catch some tomb rats, but I needed a different strategy since I had no dagger . I decided to max out my Magic Chanting and hoped with the faster  cast speed I could hit those quick rodents . Several thousands of Fire Shocks later Magic Chanting reached Max . Now, by focusing well I could cast Lesser Slow within 0 . 3 seconds .

I gathered some moss once again and began waiting patiently .

'Please Tyrant, don't show up . '

Fortunately it was four tomb rats that showed up . Do these guys always travel together?

Just as last time, they were cautious at first but eventually, thinking it was safe they rushed to eat the tasty moss .

I casted four consecutive spells .

"Slow! Slow! Slow! Slow!"

Within the short span of just 1 . 2 seconds, all four rats were slowed considerably . At the end of the chorus, I quickly finished them off individually with the bone knife .

[Level increased 10 11]

My leveling speed was much slower compared to the slimes but at least there was some improvement . MP was rising steadily so I prepared another trap and sat down to wait, but this time around there was a problem .

'Shit! The Tyrant!'

I chose a cave which was far from it's usual path but somehow it appeared before me . The moment it saw me it crouched low, heels digging into the ground it's huge body ready to explode with great strength .  

'Oh… he seems to have recognized me instantly it's quite intelligent . Uhh… what should I do?'

My thoughts were in turmoil but the giant rodent had already sprung forth, rushing towards me . I had less than half a second to make a decision .

"Slow! Slow! Slow!"

I quickly casted three Lesser Slows, unsure but hopeful that it could be stacked . Just as it arrived I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding its charge as I checked its status .

State Slow (Low)

Unfortunately the skill didn't stack but it should be fine . I was capable of dodging its charge if it was in a slowed state . Just like I'd done with the slimes I ran around the cave, alternating between Lesser Slow and Fire Shock . Always calculating and keeping in mind my MP consumption, I continued to kite the Tyrant . After going in circles about 10 times the Tomb Tyrant's face became red, seemingly getting angry .

'Shit! Are you using Berserk? Right, it's quite a common skill among bosses . '

Although it didn't dispel the slow effect, its speed increased noticeably .

The Tomb Tyrant only had 6 HP left, I could finish him off with only three more Fire Shocks .

The problem was that I only had 7 MP remaining, which only left me with enough for a maximum of two Fire Shocks leaving him with 1 HP .

I racked my brains searching for a solution .

'Yes, I can try that . '

A crazy idea came to me . It would be too depressing if my other arm were torn off so I needed to defeat him now at all costs .

"Fire Shock . "

I sent the first spell out and put my back up against the wall, facing the incoming Tyrant .

'I have to go through with it, it's the only way . '

I lift up my bone knife to the charging giant rat, my solution was to use its incoming momentum to cause the remaining 1 point damage . Of course my body would also be smashed in the process but it was the only plan I could think of .

Bang! Crack!

I heard the bones in my arm crumbling as the Tyrant rammed me into the wall . I quickly shoot out my last Fire Shock with my last MP right before losing my last arm . Time passed so slowly, like in increments 0 . 1 second . I saw my bones and ribs splintering into tiny pieces just as I saw my HP drop to 0 on my status window .

'Please work!'

My vision went dark like a computer which had been powered down .