Seeing this, Nera switched tactics. Dark beams of miasma shot from her maw, piercing through the lizardman in front of her and striking the alligator’s right eye.
The beast bellowed in agony, snapping its eye shut as its HP dropped, just a sliver.
“That’s my daughter!” Corvin roared, dashing behind her. He snatched up his spears and hurled them with deadly precision, killing two more lizardmen. The rest of the greens lay dead, victims of poison.
[Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 3000]
[Level Up!]
[Your Beast Leveled Up!]
[Experience toward next level: 10%]
Finishing off those greens and yellows had paid off. Corvin allocated one point to Agility and the rest to Strength, then surged forward with the hobgoblin’s spear in hand. This should heal me as I fight, he thought grimly. He would win this battle, no matter what.
Two items appeared in his inventory as the lizardmen fell, but there was no time to check.
“Nera! Hit its other eye with Miasma Beam as soon as you can. Daddy got a plan!” Corvin shouted, leaping high with Dash and landing on the alligator’s massive back.
“Hello, you called!” he yelled, summoning Coilbreaker and driving it into the beast’s spine with all his strength. The blade sliced through its scales like butter.
[Critical Hit!]
[Weapon Effect: Brittle Armor Activated]
[Status: Poisoned | Bleeding]
[Weapon Effect: Hemorrhage – Bleeding Intensified]
“Oh, right! Extra damage against armored enemies. Hihi!” Corvin giggled like a child, throwing his weight onto the blade’s hilt and forcing it deeper. A geyser of blood erupted, drenching him in crimson.
“Nice and warm, like a blanket!” he laughed as the blood gushed under the effects of the blade, the monster's health nosediving, then he switched to his spear, stabbing relentlessly. Each strike poisoned the beast further and healed him instantly, a clever workaround for the amulet’s debuff.
But the alligator wasn’t going to let him do as he pleased. It bellowed and unleashed a surge of mana, blasting Corvin off its back. Its tail whipped around like a living weapon, swatting him midair like a fly. He twisted his body, avoiding a direct hit as it sent him crashing into the swamp.
[HP: 595/1150] [MP: 340/340]
Corvin coughed blood, his left arm hanging limp. “Holy shit… I felt that!” He screamed as he popped his shoulder back into place, gritting his teeth through the pain. With a clenched fist, he charged forward again while Nera fired another beam of miasma into the beast’s remaining eye, even as the never-ending ripples dragged her closer to its maw.
The last beam struck its remaining eye, and with blood gushing from its back wounds, the alligator finally snapped. Rage consumed it.
A massive wave surged behind the beast, rising like a tsunami before crashing down toward Nera and Corvin.
Corvin reacted instantly, activating Dash and summoning Aqua Barrier as he grabbed Nera, shielding her with his body.
The wave slammed into them, tossing both backward to the clearing where the lizardmen had fallen.
[HP: 295/1150] [MP: 231/340]
Corvin groaned as the barrier shattered. Nera, thankfully, was unharmed.
“Nera… Daddy will protect you,” he rasped, forcing himself upright. “But please go finish those smaller alligators, the wave dragged them out of their holes. We need those level-up boons.”
Without time to waste, Corvin grabbed his spears and hurled them at the Snappmaw. Each strike pierced its front legs where the scales were weakest, releasing more poison into its veins.
[Snappmaw Alligator Lv. 200] [HP: 27,175 / 40,400] [MP: 300 / 1,500]
[Status: Poisoned | Bleeding]
[HP drain initiated. - 30 HP per second]
“Look at you,” Corvin sneered, laughter bubbling up despite the pain. “Not so undefeatable now, huh? Hahaha!”
He drew his last weapons, a spear in one hand, a scimitar in the other, and dashed forward like a comet.
Behind him, Nera coiled around a smaller alligator, sinking her fangs into its neck and tearing it apart.
Corvin’s body glowed faintly as he launched himself skyward once more, ready to rain death from above.
[Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 8810]
[Level Up!]
[Your Beast Leveled Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Your Beast Leveled Up!]
[Experience toward the next level: 84%]
Thank you, Nera, Corvin thought as he spun midair, narrowly avoiding the beast’s blind tail whips before landing on its back.
He drove his spear deep into its spine, anchoring himself as he hacked away with his scimitar like a madman.
The Snappmaw’s HP dipped below 10,000, and suddenly its scales shimmered a deep blue, vibrating as a chilling mist spread across the battlefield.
“Oh no, you won’t escape!” Corvin snarled, reading the monster’s intent. He stowed his weapons and gripped nearby Coilbreaker’s hilt, ripping it free before plunging it down again and again. Each strike painted the mist crimson.
[Critical Hit!]
The beast, desperate and dying, launched into the air with a thunderous leap. The force slammed Corvin against its back, crushing him as it spun midair and plummeted toward the swamp.
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“Nooooot good!” he cried as the Snappmaw crashed down, burying him beneath its massive body in the mud.
Then, a chime echoed in his mind as his blue shattered barrier flickered weakly around him.
[Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 35,600]
[Level Up! x9]
[Your Beast Leveled Up! x9]
[Experience toward next level: 21%]
[Congratulations, you have defeated the Area Boss.]
[Additional rewards will be given.]
[Calculating…]
[Congratulations, you have passed Level 30]
[Market Unlocked]
[Class Quest Unlocked]
[The First User Title Bonus Effect Activated!]
[Item Received: Weathered Coat (Rare)]
Long coat made from the finest alligator leather.
Effects:
- Movement Speed +15%
- Water Damage Received -30%
Corvin ignored the notifications and clawed his way through the mud toward Nera.
She had just finished off the last surviving alligator and collapsed, her strength restored by the level-up surge.
Corvin pulled her into his arms, tears streaming down his mud-streaked face.
“Forgive me, Nera… It was my fault, all my fault. I sent you here alone. It should’ve been me. I only cared about my plan… about killing the lizardmen and leveling up. I failed you.” His voice cracked as he clutched her tighter.
“Forgive me. Forgive me. I will never leave you. I will never use you like this again.”
Nera stared at him, confused. She had completed her mission perfectly, so why was her father crying? Why was he asking for forgiveness?
She didn’t completely understand his words, but she felt his pain. Slowly, she coiled around him, letting him cry into her scales as the mist cleared and silence fell over the swamp.
***
After some time, Corvin finally calmed down. He exhaled slowly, wiping the mud from his face before pulling up his rewards screen.
“Thank you, Nera, daddy will treat you with the biggest dinner ever," his eyes darting towards the massive alligator's corpse. "But first things first, stat points. I can’t risk something else showing up while I’m unprepared.”
He gently patted Nera’s head and handed her one of his last apples. She accepted it without a sound, her coils relaxing slightly.
Corvin opened his status window.
“Level 36, huh? Not bad… I can’t believe I’ve gained so many levels already.” His eyes scanned the glowing numbers, hesitation creeping in.
“Okay… let’s see.”
The stat screen hovered before him, rows of attributes waiting for his decision. Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence, Magicka, all tempting, all critical.
Corvin frowned, fingers hovering over the allocation buttons. “Do I go full Strength for damage? Or Agility for speed? Vitality for survivability? Damn it…”
He clenched his jaw, feeling the weight of every choice.
Status Points: 33
HP: 1546/1546 | MP: 340
Strength: 27 [+5]
Agility: 24 [+10]
Intelligence: 20
Vitality: 36
Magicka: 34
Mana Regen: 9.2 / per 5 seconds
Luck: 16
“Okay… let’s do 20 into Magicka. That should be enough to unlock Miasma Breath. I’ll need that for the next fight.”
The status screen pulsed as his Magicka climbed to 54. Deep within his chest, the Magicka Root stirred, pulling in ambient mana. Corvin’s heart pounded faster, his body burning from the inside out.
He clutched his chest as searing pain tore through him, bones aching, muscles screaming, skin aflame.
“Oh god… what now?” he cursed, before a final surge of agony ripped a scream from his throat. Sweat drenched his already blood-soaked body.
*** Skill Unlocked: Mana Circuit Lv. 1 ***
Once the user awakens the Mana Circuit, they become attuned to the hidden energies of the world.
Mana Circuit allows free control of mana, enabling spellcasting and learning new magic.
This is the most rudimentary form of a circuit, but it can evolve over time.
Corvin blinked at the glowing text. “A… Mana Circuit? I’ve never heard of anything like that. None of Father’s books mentioned this. Not even that bitch Isolde ever spoke of it; she only whined about her Magicka Root being empty.”
Then realization struck. “Wait… does this mean I’m stronger than Isolde now?”
He leapt to his feet, feeling mana surge through his veins. His entire body radiated warmth, a pleasant hum of power.
“Ember!”
He cast his weakest spell, which could also be thought of as one of the simplest magics, a simple flame. As the system activated the skill, Corvin felt mana flow from his body into the Magicka Root, then channel into his palm. A flicker of fire bloomed in his hand.
“Interesting. It felt like the system was using mana within my body to cast the spell.” Corvin stared at the small flame within his palm, thinking deeply about the system.
He sighed with defeat. Currently, he needed the system more than air; he needed this power, and he would sell his soul if it meant growing stronger. He closed his palm, extinguishing the skill, and proceeded to divide the rest of the stats.
***
Alright… 4 into Vitality, 3 into Strength, and 4 into Luck. That should do it.
The status screen pulsed as the points were allocated. Corvin’s body shimmered faintly, muscles tightening, bones reinforcing, and even his frame stretching a few centimeters taller.
He exhaled, feeling the surge of power, then opened his storage. Two new items gleamed inside, gifts from his title.
[Old Leather Pants (Common)]
A sturdy pair of worn pants.
Effect: Vitality +3
[Red Bandana (Uncommon)]
A bandana once worn by a lizardman warrior.
Effects: Debuff Duration -30%, Agility +5
“Not bad. Definitely better than what I’ve got.” He glanced down at his shredded pants and what used to be a white shirt, now a blood-soaked rag barely clinging to his chest.
Corvin slipped on the new pants, tossed the old ones into storage, and tied the bandana around his neck. Finally, he shrugged into the weathered alligator-leather coat.
“Well… not exactly brand new, but damn, it’s nice. Poor folks can’t be picky, right, Nera?”
He struck a pose for her. Nera tilted her head and gave him a look that screamed judgment. Corvin chuckled nervously. “What? Don’t look at me like that. You’re getting smarter every level, aren’t you?”
Then the system chimed in his ear:
[Calculation Completed.]
[Due to the user performing an unexpected deed, extra rewards will be given.]
[+5 Stat Points]
[Level 200 Armor Selection Ticket (Snappmaw Alligator Edition)]
[Snappmaw Alligator Lottery Skill Ticket]
Corvin’s eyes widened. “Oho! Another selection ticket… and what’s this? A lottery? What the hell is a lottery?”
He appraised the ticket, and his face paled.
[Snappmaw Alligator Lottery Skill Ticket]
Activate to spin the wheel and receive one of the area boss’s abilities.
Final reward depends on the user’s Luck stat.
“Oh, fuck me. Why don’t you just fuck me? Here, take a reward that depends on my shitty Luck.” Corvin cursed, stomping the muddy water like a child throwing a tantrum.
“Fine! Let’s get it over with!”
He activated the ticket. It floated upward, glowing brilliantly as a massive wheel materialized in the air. Each segment bore a skill name, some large, some tiny. The better the skill, the smaller the slice.
[Spin the wheel and receive your reward.]
Corvin scanned the options, eyes gleaming. “Rippling Taunt… Water Jet… Greenriver Tsunami… Damn, these all look good. But who cares what I get? Anything will be useful at this point.”
He grinned and spun the wheel with all his strength.
“Gimme something good, come on…”
The wheel clattered, slowing down. Bing. Bing. Bing.
The arrow stopped on a medium-sized segment. “Area Mist? Not bad, that’s the fog the beast summoned, right? That’ll be useful.”
Then, another Bing.
[Luck stat has activated.]
Corvin froze. “Activated what? WHAT, DAMN YOU?!”
The wheel ticked forward one more space… landing on a smallest pure white field marked with three question marks.
[???]
Open the Spoiler for stats!
Skills Unlocked: Mana Circuit Lv. 1
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