Lv1 Skeleton - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Quick note – I changed the Title [Irregular] to [Coldhearted] because it is a more accurate translation .

Enjoy~

"Wait, I can smell some sulfur" said Gwyn . I wasn't able to detect any smells but I had my suspicions that there was an abundance of sulfuric gas . The smoke in the air had a distinct color, there were mushrooms growing along the way and the moss which was originally light green was turning yellow . After what felt like two hours of walking along the same road, I had yet to meet a single living creature .

"Huh? I can hear the sound of water!" Gwyn shouted excitedly .

The sound of water flowing down a waterfall could be heard in the distance .

"Common Chompy! Giddy up!"

It had been a long time since I had heard some sound, so I ran forth excitedly .

After another dozen or so minutes we finally arrived to the end of the tunnel, there was a large pit, about 40 to 50 meters high with clouds in the air and sunlight shining down from above . It looked like a huge garden, roughly 500~600 meters wide . I could hear the birds chirping, and a waterfall running down the cave wall to finally form a lake in the middle .

The mouth of the tunnel in which I was standing was roughly 15 meters from the floor, it must have been the passage the dragon used to travel back and forth .

A lush and vibrant rainforest existed here and the sounds of various animals could be heard .

"No way! This is great~! Woooow! I can't believe there's a forest here, Can I maybe meet some of my kin? So cool!"

The moment I stepped out of the cave my bones were exposed to the burning sunlight .

[You have learned Sunlight resistance Lv1]

Although I didn't feel any pain there was a certain unpleasantness . I carefully covered all my bones with robes and stepped into the light . Fortunately I learned that if there was no direct contact with sunlight I was fine .

Gwyn forced her way out from within me and rushed towards the forest .

"Ugh Waaah!"

Gwyn immediately came running back almost three times a fast, she was being chased by 3 large albino white ant-like insects the size of a child . They looked somewhat similar to the food I encountered within the dragon's stomach .

As they were approaching I quickly used my new Identification skill to view their Status Page .

Status: Normal

Type: Giant Termite

Rank: G+

Level: 19/30

HP: 322/322

MP: 10/10

Attack: 50

Defense: 30

Agility: 15

Intelligence: 5

Unique Skills

[Magic Resistance Lv2]

'Magic resist… this is going to be hard . '

I didn't expect a monster which looked like a giant ant to possess magic resistance let alone level 2 .

"Slow! Slow! Slow!"

I quickly casted a slow spell for each but surprisingly one was able to resist its effects . I calmly sent out another slow as I kited them back towards the tunnel I just arrived from .

"Fireball!"

Fireball was both a high damage and area of effect spell so it was ideal for this kind of situation with several opponents but it would consume so much of my mana .

'Uggh so annoying!'

Because of the termite's high magic resist my fireball only did about 30 damage and my MP could only sustain 10 fireballs .

"Fireball!"

[Fireball level 6 7]

With it being at Level 7 the damage each fireball caused them was now 35 . Perhaps I could level it up more it would somewhat offset their ridiculous magic resistance .

I casted some more slows and then took a break to let my MP regenerate . Although I was a bit slower now that I was carrying the egg, I was still able to outrun these termites . When my MP was back up to about half, I once again started dishing out the pain .

[+144 experience points]

[+288 experience points]

[+576 experience points]

[Level increased 8 12]

[Acquired knowledge of Giant Termites]

[New spells selection]

[Acquired ｟Title: Exterminator Lv1｠]

I didn't like the sound of the new title but I was receiving a tremendous amount of experience points through this slaughter .

I had heard that termites get around and mark trails with their pheromones which explain why countless of them were rushing towards my position . Gwyn who was flying in the air alerted me of the incoming trouble .

"Chompy! There are more and more termites coming up . "

As expected they swarmed together but they weren't quite all in the AoE1 of a fireball so I casted slow on the ones in the front, to group them together .

"What are you going to do? There are already at least 20 of them"

I was chanting magic and clacking my teeth .

"Fireball"

My slows soon wore off and I was glad to see that they achieved the desired effect . The termites were now running in a tight, huddled formation chomping their mandibles as they hurried along .

'Great they're all running at the same pace, time to move on to phase two!'

I turned around and sprinted along the tunnel until I reached the area with the strange yellow smoke . Looking back every once in awhile I was able to confirm that that they were still chasing me down .

'Perfect they're still behind me . '

I took out the bottle from my bag and pointed to Gwyn .

"You want me to go inside?"

I nodded and Gwyn went in, We had developed a sense of trust over the last few adventures so she didn't doubt my intentions .

Shick! Shick!

Their mandibles seemed to be chomping down in anticipation .

I look back once more to verify that they are still following me before finding a small corner where the smoke didn't reach . When the termites rushed in to the designated area, I didn't hesitate and immediately spammed my spell .

"Fireball!"

"Fireball!"

"Fireball!"

"Fireball!"

[Fireball level 7 8]

Boom!

The yellow smoke immediately combusted upon contact with my fireballs creating a series of deafening explosion . The flames enveloped the insects, charring their exoskeletons black .

Gwyn was rolling around in the bottle, evidently dizzy but otherwise unhurt .

[+144 experience points]

[+288 experience points]

[+576 experience points]

[+1152 experience points]

. . .

[+147,456 experience points]

[Level increased 12 50]

[Level has reached Max]

[Evolution is now possible]

[You can now learn new magic]

[｟Title: Ant Exterminator｠ 1 2]

[｟Title:Coldhearted｠ 1 2]

Dozens of messages appeared before me .

'Great! This is what I aiming for, killing several monsters at the time is so rewarding!'

I quickly open my Status window to indulge in my beautiful stats .

Name: Chompy

Gender: N/A

Status: Normal

Type: Skeleton/ Undead

Class: Enchanter

Rank: H+

Level: 50/50

HP: 312/312

MP: 844/844

Attack: 24 (+9)

Defense: 12 (+2)

Agility: 32

Intelligence: 74

Unique Skills

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

[Fire Shock Max] [Lesser Slow Max] [Fireball Lv8] [Acid Resistance Lv1] [Identification Lv1]

[Sage's Wisdom Lv1] [Weapon Enchant Lv3] [Armor Enchant Lv3] [Sunlight Resistance Lv1]

Titles

[Rat Trapper] [Hit-and-Run] [Savior Lv1] [ColdheartedLv2] [Dragon Slayer Lv1]

[Ant Exterminator Lv2]

Skill Selection (2)

[Inferno Lv1] [Intermediate slow Lv1] [Poison Lv1] [Water Sphere Lv1]

[Necromancy Lv1] [Lesser Swiftness]

Evolution Choice

[Lich] [Skeleton Shaman] [Skeleton Tamer]

'With so many rewards I'll definitely thrive here . '

Making up my mind I decided on the two skills; Inferno and Water Sphere . The latter was to make sure my baby dragon wouldn't die of dehydration if I couldn't find a water source and Inferno was simply to increase my dps . My evolution choice was of course, the Lich . I was already walking along the path of a mage so it felt like the natural next step . When I confirmed my selection ,my bones went from the previous red to a dark black .

[You have learned Necromancy Lv1]

[You have learned (Passive) Lifesteal Lv1]

[You have learned (Passive) MP regeneration Lv1]

[You have learned Physical resistance Lv2]

It was a good thing I hadn't selected Necromancy previously or I would have missed out on an extra skill . Unfortunately, there was also an unexpected side-effect of my evolution .

'Oh right … . I forgot what being a Lich meant . '

With a passive like Lifesteal, I would be constantly absorbing life force from creatures within a certain radius, looks like it's time for Gwyn and I to part ways .

Despite it being burnt, I separated the insect meat from its shell and stored it in my bag . I then grabbed the bottle holding Gwyn and headed back towards the small forest, still carrying the egg on my back . Gwyn was asking why I didn't let her out now but I could already notice that the bright light she emitted was dimming . It hurt my heart knowing I'd lose my companion but we had to split up .

I looked around carefully for signs of monsters, finally choosing a safer part of the forest . There was a small stream and the running water was crystal clear, nearby colorful flowers were blooming creating a utopian vibe .

Click!

I opened the bottle letting Gwyn out .

"Chompy! What are you doing? Do you intend to leave me here?"

I nodded heavily .

'Why? Why do we have to separate?"

I pointed at myself and then Gwyn while moving my thumb across my neck .

"I will die because of you?"

I nodded again .

"I can't die!"

I shook my head, although a pixie is a spirit which enjoys long life it will still die if exposed to a Lich's lifesteal over long periods of time . I could already feel Gwyn's life force draining and the plants around me had begun to wilt . She also seemed to understand the situation and had a resigned look on her face . Taking the egg with me I began walking away, unable to look back .

"Chompy! I'll just wait here! When you get a chance come and visit! I'll always be waiting to see you!"

Gwyn's voice began to fade in the distance, I had lost my great smiling companion who'd always stay inside my skull .

After a few hours of walking, I had come back to the dragon's nest . I was returning the egg to its proper place . I didn't have much of choice because I worried it would also die due to the lifesteal .

'Come on, break out!'

'Hm, are you awake in there?'

Although I did have to leave it behind I had the selfish desire to want to see it born .

Crack Crack

The little guy was struggling to get out and finally breathed a lungful of fresh air . It was about as large as a mid-sized dog at 40 centimeters high . Sticking it's head out, it looked around before its gaze settled on me .

'Don't come near me!'

I tried waving it off but it kept approaching enthusiastically .

While running back I try to check its status .

'Oh nice, he has that!'

[Lifesteal Resistance Lv1]

After just a short time it had naturally developed a resistance to my lifesteal passive . Unable to contain my happiness I gave it a big hug .

Kueeeeeeek!

While hugging it was licking me vigorously, seemingly it recognized me as its parent . I had been sad since separating from Gwyn but I was lucky to quickly find a companion I could be close to .

I began to think of the weak mage, lying alone in the cave . She would probably have a much better chance at survival in the lush forest . I carried the little guy on my back and because it looked hungry I threw it a piece of burnt termite meat from my bag . It tore at the meat with such gusto one might believe it actually tasted good . It was cute to hear it’s snoring sound as it immediately lay down to sleep, satisfied with the meal .

I went back to the Catacombs to check on the mage's condition . It had been nearly 4 days and she seemed to have recovered considerably during that time .

"Thank you for the meat you left me . "

Maybe the dragon's meat contained special properties which helped her heal quickly . She tried to approach me to express her gratitude, but I held my hand out signalling her to keep her distance .

I had determined that my passive lifesteal had a radius of about 5 meters so if she came any closer she could be in danger . I began walking the same way I came, turning around and signalling her with my hand to follow .

She quickly picked up her bags and came along, at least she was smart enough to keep her distance . When we arrived to the small forest several hours later she couldn't contain her joy .

"Wow! This is simply incredible! I've never seen such a beautiful scenery!"

She was clearly unable to recognize the dangers present . If only she knew how dangerous this place was she wouldn't have such a blissful look . I pointed out a relatively safe spot, indicating her to go and wait there .

'Is this a good spot?'

Kueeeeeeeeek!

The baby dragon on my back finally woke up and was stretching innocently, not a care in the world . I placed him down gently and stretched my hand out to grab a nearby sapling .