I panicked, and the first thought to cross my mind was to intercept the beast. Before the big cat could even spring off of his hind legs, I tossed my fire stick at him, managing to nd a solid hit on his snout. The creature reared back with a hiss, his attention suddenly drawn to me.
“Hey! Your fight is with me!” I hollered bravely, despite the fear gnawing away at my gut. Strangely enough, the Sabertooth didn’t scare me as much as a dead Starr did. She was still healing, and the st thing I wanted was seeing her mauled at my expense.
I searched the ground for more ammo, and this time, I reached for a thicker branch of wood that hadn’t touched the fire yet. The beast stared at me as I went into our lumber reserve like I’d lost my mind. The sheer audacity of my attack briefly stunned him, and for a second, I thought I was a little crazy, too.
But little did I know, the dragon was more strategic than she seemed. She was resilient, taking off into flight, her circling pattern over the beast distracting him away from me.
With a war cry, I lunged forward again, but this time, I was going for his eye. I just had to get close enough to hit it. So I took my chance, ignoring the little voices in my head telling me that I shouldn’t climb a prehistoric beast! I did it anyway. I leaped onto the beast’s back, feeling the coarse fur bristle beneath my hand. Immediately, he rejected my brazen move, thrashing around to get me off. His roar filled the air around us, a sound so loud it made my fucking eardrums pop.
[HP: 90%]
Live health point stats—that was helpful insight.
My codex updated me on dealt damage, which motivated me to continue hammering on.
Gripping any tuft of fur I could hold onto, I grappled against his savage writhing. The sabertooth twisted and spun, trying to buck me off his back, however, my body remained pstered against his. I clung on and continued to climb while Starr got dangerously close, trying to thwart his efforts in getting rid of me.
I was afraid for her—her options were limited. It was clear that Starr didn’t have enough energy to roast him. If she did, she would have already attacked with her breath weapon. Not only was she out of stamina, but her mana was dry, too. Judging by the state I’d found her in, she’d been in a fight recently, which was why I didn’t want her getting too close to this thing. Either way, she was helping me the best way she could, devoted to bringing this behemoth down.
As the sabertooth bucked once more, I tightened my grip around his massive neck, took a deep breath and plunged my wooden spear directly into his eye. The cry that followed was affirmation of my hit. He flicked his head back hard, my grip on his fur slipping. With another jerk, I flew, taking the bloody stick with me. I nearly twisted my ankle on that fall, but that was the least of my worries. The beast was distraught, and I was in line for his strike.
On his hind legs, he bucked upward and sshed the air. I dodged the blow, my arm getting nicked in the process. At first, I didn’t feel the sting. With all of the adrenaline pumping through my blood, the intense sensation was deyed.
I stumbled back, giving myself some distance to analyze the gash. It was bad, but honestly, it could have been worse. His long cws tore through my muscles, my instant reaction to heal it bringing my hand over my wound. It was at least nine inches long, and I was struggling a bit in trying not to let it gross me out. I triggered my [Heal] ability, a gift I should supposedly thank my goddess of a mother for, and in under five seconds, the wound was already starting to seal up.
My arm began to shake. Unfortunately, the monster wasn’t going to stand there and wait around for me to finish stitching up. So as the beast wailed in pain, I had to use this chance Starr and I had to finish it off….
I wasn’t a hundred percent, but I’d make it work. One arm was limp, its strength low. My good arm would have to compensate as I mapped out my opening. Aiming for his underbelly was my best bet—this was where the beast was most vulnerable. The sabertooth swung his gargantuan paw again, and this time, his motives were clear. He wanted to counter my rush down, though the wound I had inflicted on him earlier made his movements slow and awkward.
I sidestepped another swipe and darted forward, the tip of my wooden stick aimed for his fleshy underside. The beast roared, rearing back on his hind legs at the st moment to avoid contact. He was smart, but he forgot that this was still a one v. two fight….
Starr had a trick up her scales.
She swooped down, her razor-sharp talons raking over the sabertooth’s back. That’s right, keep him standing…. A forward cut drove more muscle power than an upward cut. This position was perfect for the kill!
I thrust my weapon with all of my strength. The weapon pierced through the beast’s underbelly, sending shockwaves of raw pain through his abdomen. His roar was powerful, a sound so primal and horrifying that it gave me fucking goosebumps. Each scream was a terrifying reminder of what this creature could do, but it also gave me hope; I was hurting him, driving him back.
[HP: 40%]
The sabertooth staggered, a feeble attempt to shake off the pain. I tightened my grip on my weapon, gritted down on my teeth, and stabbed again. My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out the beast’s roars and Starr’s frantic screeching.
In a fsh, the creature lunged at me. I rolled to one side, barely avoiding his outstretched cws. He crashed down onto the ground where I had been standing moments ago. I looked down at my stick—it was splintered from impact, and it probably wouldn’t hold up against another attack.
Thankfully, I wouldn’t have to worry too much about that. The beast made a mistake when he lunged at me again. He sped up the bleeding from his wound, draining all the energy he had left. His knees buckled under him, and soon the monstrous beast colpsed onto the ground, stirring a cloud of dust.
I panted as I backed my steps toward our fire pit, Starr flying next to me. I was all out of usable wood, so I turned to the femur of the baby deer, the same one that Starr had been chewing on earlier.
Her sharp teeth had turned the blunt joints into fine points, perfect for piercing flesh. I picked it up, feeling the weight in my hand. It was lighter than the wooden stick, but significantly sharper. As Starr hovered near me, sensing my pn, I nodded toward her, silently telling her to stay back.
Starr examined the fallen beast as she slowly drew back, her reptilian eyes as sharp as ever. Even with his strength drained, we had to be cautious; he wasn’t dead, not yet. Not until I ran in and impaled the side of his neck, the outpour of blood oozing down his white fur.
I made sure to keep my exit routes open just in case he retaliated. Thankfully, he didn’t do much of anything as his health continued to drain. Before I knew it, those shallow breaths finally tapered away, and my codex updated his health points:
[HP: 0%]
At st, I could take a breath of relief in knowing that the threat was gone.
After I wiped the sweat from my brow, I realized a notification flickering in my codex. I was being prompted to loot it.
“Oh good. Maybe we could get something nice out of this kill.”
The sabertooth was cssified as a monster, which meant that it was to be used for leveling. Sy the monster, and get experience points to level up. There were lesser and greater monsters, and this one was beled as a lesser.
Kinda’ hard to believe, but I’ll roll with it.
“Fur pelt, good quality, 10 silver coins, and a simple short knife. Pretty damn decent for a level 9 beast.”
Starr cooed delightfully, and I was two seconds from celebrating too when I noticed that I’d leveled up quite a bit:
You’ve leveled up:
Level 5
New Skill Slot Unlocked
New Skill Slot Unlocked
[current skill slots open: 2]
-Free Points Accumuted: 20-
Beat one level 9 beast and jump to level 5—no, this couldn’t be the norm. In fact, I knew it wasn’t. I remembered seeing that my pure bloodline gave me a boost in world leveling. As for the reason I acquired two skill slots, I turned to my codex for answers. Luckily, there was a drop down section for more info, which highlighted the fact that I’d surpassed level 2 and reached level 5, rewarding me with two slots. If I’d been magically affirmed, I would have unlocked two new skills right off the bat. But I wasn’t a magically affirmed god just yet.
Reaching level 2 triggered another prompt from my codex:
You have successfully progressed a world level
Select a Css to Master
Fighter
Hunter
Assassin
Warrior
Knight
Barbarian
Berserker
(personal strength analysis has affected your avaible options)
Really? So my little scuffle with a tiger was enough data for my codex to draw out my css selections for me?
Well, what if I wanted to be a mage? Or a padin? Or even a warlock?
I snorted at the thought of being a healing tyrant, but I guess these selections made sense considering my background. I was a fighter at heart. You could always find me in the ring, perfecting my skills and learning how to channel and conserve my energy while sparring. So these options were fitting.
Speaking of mage, my codex mentioned that the use of skill scrolls was optional. If I didn’t want to use them, I could invest in buying specialized magic infused weapons, which didn’t work as well as skill scrolls, but they did get the job done. My system also advised me that using skill scrolls would define me as a mage, and that my skill scroll options would cater to my css as well. For example, if I selected warrior, I’d only get to select warrior-css scrolls, and summon warrior-css magic. Granted my selection wouldn’t be as diverse as a white or dark mage’s, I was still thankful that I’d get to use my mana tank.
“Hmm, honestly, it’s between fighter and barbarian. A fighter gets lower css bonus values, but they are spread across three attributes. While a barbarian gets only one high value for strength. My natural bonuses for charisma and endurance for being part god were high, 5 points per level up, but limited to only those attributes. Getting a boost for strength would definitely come in handy if I’m to protect my harem….”
I stroked my chin at my options, then considered warrior-mage for a second. I’d get a bonus of two points for two attributes whenever I leveled up—dexterity and willpower.
“Warrior mage is a middle ground between fighter and barbarian, and the mage aspect leans into more spells,” I whispered to myself, then asked my codex to give me a synopsis of the avaible skills scrolls for warrior-mage. Each required specific world levels, and upgrading them also required specific skill-type leveling. Though, for the most part, a warrior-mage’s options weren’t bad. “A lot of AOE attacks, some defensive spells and offensive spells. Hmm, I guess warrior-mage wasn’t too bad.”
So I selected my css, warrior mage. Instantly, my codex updated itself:
Codex
Name: Lucien Barros
Age: 21
Race: Human (Titan)
Rank: D-
Css: Warrior Mage
Profession: --
Location: Sector: K-2-10
Level
5
Attributes
Bonuses
Total
Strength
22
0
22
Agility
16
0
16
Dexterity
4
+10
14
Endurance
7
+20
27
Perception
10
0
10
Fortitude
4
0
4
Charisma
4
+20
24
Willpower
8
+10
18
Free Points:
--
Harem Count
0
HP: 90%
Mana
1,500 MP
Stamina
270
Skill Scroll Locker
2 slots free
Inventory
Cellphone, Fur pelt, simple short knife
Currency
10 silver coins
Armor Tier:
(Fortitude Boost: x)
--
Skills
Level
Description
Multiverse Adaptation
--
Instant expertise of nguages both written and oral.
Inspect
--
Identify the species and level of another creature
Heal
2
Ability to heal living creatures.
Fertile Charm
1
Promote growth to living things. Rate of growth depends on level.
(At max level, you will be blessed with natural magic affinity, at which point skill-scrolls will not be required)
*Pure Bloodline*
Level up buff
I applied 10 points to agility and 10 points to strength. My codex also applied all of my css bonus points as well, adding 10 points to dexterity and 10 points to willpower.
Skill Level Up
[Heal]
Level 2
Great, I just leveled up my healing ability.
“I’ll just have to be patient for now and wait until I complete my first quest, so I can fill up these skill slots,” I said, then turned to Starr. “You did good, Starr,” I congratuted with a smile. I noticed she didn’t level up, probably because the baby dragon didn’t do any damage. I was grateful for her help regardless, letting her fly in my hand so I could give her a loving pet. I finished healing her wound before I tended to my own, patching us both up. Once I was done, I turned to Starr. “How about we find a cave to bunk in for the night? That way we can avoid more unwanted guests.”
Honestly, finding a cave was my first thought, but I couldn’t spot any around us. I didn’t want to exert more energy than we needed to search for it, though after being attacked by a giant tiger, we really had no other choice.
