Ethan was excited for his new class, while it sounded kind of evil he knew he could make it work. One thing he knew for sure was that the class wasn't very flexible in the beginning. It’s after all for slow acting effects over a large area. The knowledge he received from the system laid the whole process out for him in the most basic way.

  Starting at target selection, to transmission, behaviour, desired result. If he had this class back at the game it would kind of work like this: goblins, transmission with plague rain, aggressive and lethal. Of course he could use a different method like his caltrops or even his ice spikes or add transmission methods like airborne particles, skin contact or even blood to blood transmission. If his understanding was correct some forms of transmission are more successful than others. One thing he needed to watch out for was, when he mixed too many things into his plague it could either fizzle out into nothingness, grow volatile and literally explode in his own face during casting or in the worst case, mutate and become uncontrollable for him.

  So it should totally be fine, right? Totally fine, because of his overwhelming confidence he decided to search for another group of beasts. Nora, as always, was very helpful and soon they spotted a herd of deer grazing on a clearing. The fact that such peaceful animals existed in this sickly forest made him wary, those couldn’t be normal deer.

  For once Ethan wished he stopped thinking stuff like that because the moment his thought ended he watched a deer’s head split down the middle and reveal a purplish spiked tongue and rows of teeth on both sides of the head. He identified it, hating every second he needed to look at those things.

  [Mimic Deer - Level 4]

  [Mimics are cunning enemies and great ambush hunters, usually hiding as objects big enough to swallow a human. The mimic deer on the other hands preys on small creatures and large predators, hiding in plain side to portray an ally or easy target]

  The moment he watched one of those monstrosities bend down to some grass only to snap his head to the left at an unnatural angle to swallow some cute bunny, he knew he would kill them. Not because he wasn’t a killer himself, because it just rubbed him the wrong way.

  While he could use his new abilities he focused on [Plague Creation(Advanced)] for this one. Picking the mimic deer he chose his new ice needles as form of transmission and willed the plague to act aggressive and with the goal to kill them. The pain was slowly coming back, but he managed and aimed at the deer with his mind, the needles slamming silently into their skin the next second. Some of them twitched but their disguise couldn’t feel it properly.

  His connection to the plague was there, like a red band it connected them to his magic. The feeling was…intense, he could follow the plague, it wasn't physical like a virus in your bloodstream, it traveled as an energy on hidden pathways through the mimics bodies. Infecting everything the system deemed vital to their survival.

  The next minutes that followed wasn’t something even he wanted to see, but he needed the information, how the plague worked was important, at least that was what he told himself. In reality he just couldn’t stop watching. First it started off tame, some mimics stumbled and had an increased amount of saliva drip from their mouths or tears formed in their eyes and rolled down into their fur. Then it got more violent, the saliva started to foam and turn red, then pink and finally ice blue, foaming up with each breath that left their body, same with the tears, rivulets of blood that turned into icy blue streaks on their faces.

  One mimic after the other started to cough violently, their bodies heaving with each cough that just produced more blue blood and clumps of viscera they puked on to the ground. Finally the first of them dropped on their side, Ethan thought them dead but they started to shake, their eyes turning back in their heads before their bellies swelled up and ripped apart, making them deflate again while a mix of red and blue entrails covered in ice slides from their bellies.

  Slowly the last of them died and he knew the plague could still be transmitted if he allowed it to linger, so he cut off the magic and the plague became inert. He checked his notification and sighed, it worked but it was gruesome.

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  [You killed multiple enemies of varying levels - You gained experience!]

  *Update* Plague created - Cerulean Cough Plague - You gained experience!

  *Update* Plague Mage reached Level 2! Stat points allocated!

  That was something, I really didn’t expect the part where their bellies ripped open. Nora sent him telepathically, she sounded disturbed but not as much as Ethan. He just nodded and turned around. “I must admit, seeing that happen to the goblins sounds horrible, at least I really dislike those mimic deers, who even comes up with that?” he asked and shook his head. “I find it interesting that the ice influences the plague. I wonder if it has different effects with snow…I think I should do that for the goblins.

  Without preparation or even the hint of a plan he decided to visit the camp again, night was quickly approaching and he wanted to surprise them. Ethan felt a pull beckoning him toward the outer rings, feeling like the center wasn’t enough for him anymore. It was just an annoying feeling in the back of his mind but he knew it would get worse the more levels he got under his belt.

  The moment he arrived at the camp he noticed the differences, more guards surrounded the camp, the ogres kept watch instead of eating and new defences were built to fortify the camp even more. The hill was heavily secured this time, multiple guards and wolves kept an eye out for everything suspicious. It seems we left quite the mess last time, they’re on high alert, Nora slithered up to his shoulder to a new spot. In the two days since her birth she had already grown a lot, the biceps she usually wrapped around was getting too small for her.

  You could say that, yeah, but I just need to find a good vantage point farther away. He walked around the perimeter and made sure to keep a safe distance away from it. But with the camp next to a massive forest it didn’t take long to find a suitable tree that could hold his weight. Climbing up in the dark was a different matter and at one point he nearly fell when the branch he was holding on broke.

  He managed to somehow sit down without making it uncomfortable. Then he started to watch the camp. The guards followed the same routes as before only that they’re bigger now, the goblins inside them camp still slept in the same place and even the water barrels he infected didn't move an inch. You know sometimes I feel it’s easy by design, like they want you to memorize it, he said to Nora before focusing on his magic, the plague creation skill active he picks his options. Goblins, plague rain, as snow, skin contact, dormant, lethal.

  With his plague selected he targets the clouds this time instead of needles made from ice. The clouds grew in size and expanded, covering the whole camp. Because darkness was normal here the goblins didn’t notice it at first. Only when snow started to gently drift towards the ground did they become curious. Alarm was raised, the sound of dented bells echoed over the land. The goblins got ready for a fight, the snow landing on them, they inhaled it while running around or drank it when the snow landed in water or on food. But of course, nothing happened to them at all. The plague was, currently, dormant.

  The plague spread even in a dormant state, once sufficiently infected simple skin contact had the chance to spread the magical plague. Once morning came and he felt like most goblins got infected he activated the plague. Switching it from dormant to aggressive, this only drained all of his mana and he nearly dropped from his branch, only Nora kept him steady, wrapping around his arm and some branches.

  A few moments later he felt better, his mana regeneration kicking in. Once steady and his vision clear again he watched the camp. The plague it seems was different this time. The goblins first started to cough, small coughs like when you feel something is stuck in your throat. Soon it grew more violent, some of them never stopped coughing but it didn’t help, their necks started to swell like the tissue was rapidly infected with something that the body wanted to fight.

  Moments later one guard choked and turned a lighter shade of green before collapsing, his neck covered in wounds as he tried to get out whatever he choked on. Ethan’s new eyes shined for a moment. “They choked from the snow, it invaded their bloodstream and froze their throats shut.” he whispered and a shiver ran down his spine. “This class is no joke…”

  He watched them, never looking away because he felt like he owed them that much, watching them die because of his magic. In the end only the two ogres are left, the plague not able to infect them because of his magic. “Let’s go…the swamp is waiting for us.” Ethan climbed from the tree and walked to the magical pull that compelled him to reach the swamp, he only glanced at his notification.

  [You killed multiple enemies of varying levels - You gained experience!]

  *Update* Plague created - Glacial Asphyxia - You gained experience!

  *Update* Plague Mage reached Level 4! Stat points allocated!