[<Leach> activated.]
[Constitution increased.]
The string of notifications ended, but he couldn't bring himself to look at it. Blood, grey matter, and spilled-out guts covered the area around him. The stench was so foul that he couldn't help but try to empty his already empty stomach.
He didn't notice Iris standing with the bow at full taunt about fifty metres away under the forest's shadow as he struggled to vomit out all these horrible feelings.
She didn't let go of the bow until the last kobold fell to the ground. As she did, the composite bow vanished in mid-air, leaving behind a tattoo of a taunting bow that resembled a half-moon on the back of her palm.
“That was expected from a four digiter.” She nodded and disappeared without a trace.
On the other hand, Sleagh was groaning on his four. He used to practice hours with spears. Nonetheless, his entire body was sore after this five-minute skirmish. Every muscle inside his body was spasming.
However, his brain had the worst. It felt like it was throbbing inside his skull, and his scalp was giving off steam.
He tried hard to stay awake, but all his effort was in vain. And he lost consciousness.
Sleagh woke up on the cold stone floor, staring at his updated status on the transparent screen.
[Title: N/A
Temporary title: #00008848/*****/Sleagh
Level: 0 (10/20)
Traits: <Leach>
Alinement: Arkid Dimensional Mercenary (Neutral)
Strength: 23.01
Constitution: 28.03
Dexterity: 27.06
Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 20
Willpower: 22
Knowledge: <Intermediate spear mastery (Proficiency 72.43%)>
Skill: <Resonance (C-)> <???>
Quest: 1. Striker (Main).
- Child’s cry (Auxiliary).
- Energy crystal (Daily)*
- Food (Daily)*]
It took him quite some time to calm his mind. It was still his first kill, even if he had categorised them as monsters. And the blood and gore put a lot of strain on his already stained stomach and mind.
The slightest increase in his attribute was because of the ten monsters he had killed. The effect of <Leach> was a little surprise to him.
However, now he understood what the halfling meant. Where others would need ten exp to level up, he would need twenty exp.
“It’s not as bad as the halfling had told me.” Staring at the transparent screen, he mumbled. “Doesn't that mean I'll get an attribute point for every 100 monsters I kill?”
He calculated in his head only to realise that this wasn't a bad trait. Others will improve faster at a lower level, but he may win in the long run.
The next thing that attracted his attention was the star marks on his status.
[Daily Quest: Acquire energy crystal.
Quest description: The tower defense requires a constant supply of energy crystals. The defenders are responsible for protecting the tower, while the striker serves as a supply chain. Provide ten mana crystals to the defenders every day.
<Quest Updated>: One of the strikers had left the tower. Provide ten mana crystals to the defenders every day.
Duration: Daily.
Reward: 30 exp points.
Status: Accepted (3/30)]
[Daily Quest: Acquire food.
Quest description: The tower defense requires a constant supply of food. The defenders are responsible for protecting the tower, while the striker serves as a supply chain. Provide ten food sources to the defenders every day.
<Quest Updated>: One of the strikers had left the tower. Provide ten food sources to the defenders every day.
Duration: Daily.
Reward: 30 exp points.
Status: Accepted (10/30)]
Typically, each striker was required to obtain ten crystals or foods.
However, Iris and the sword boy had left the tower. So, his workload had increased.
However, he was a little happy about it. At least, if they can defend the tower for ten days, he could earn 600 easy exp. But what confused him most were the three energy crystals.
*Boom* Boom*
The sound made the ground tremble. Even without his skill, he could hear it clearly due to his proximity to the ground.
"Do you feel okay?" He recognized the voice. The big man cast a shadow on him.
“Uhh!” He wasn't wounded. However, the intense movement caused every muscle in his body to ache. "It's fine," he said.
“Uhh, what should I call you?”
“Call me Sleagh.”
For a brief moment, the big man was stunned as he stared at him. "I use a spear, and that girl said it means spear," Sleagh smiled. "It's better than just calling me a spear."
The big man nodded. “Then #00012308 would be too long. Call me Bigge.” He said with a big smile.
Sleagh was already over 180 meters. Compared to him, the big guy was still a head taller. And along with the well-trained body, Sleagh felt the name suited him well.
As Sleagh stood up, he found that most of the kobold’s weapons were lying beside him. An introduction appeared as soon as Sleagh grabbed the spear.
[Sharpened Spear (Wood grade)
Length: 162 cm
Attack: 4-7
Durability: 13/20]
[Burnt Spear (Wood grade)
Length: 157 cm
Attack: 6-9
Durability: 18/25]
[Unknown Bone dagger (Wood grade)
Length: 27 cm
Attack: 5-8
Durability: 12/15]
[Bear Bone dagger (Stone grade)
Length: 30 cm
Attack: 17-21
Durability: 27/30]
His eyes lit up when he saw the 'Stone' grade Bear bone dagger.
Even though it wasn't as effective as the Agate spear, it still had two-digit attack stats. He took the pair of burnt spears as well as the bear bone dagger.
“You can take all of them.” the big guy said. “We have no use of them.”
*Boom*
*Boom*
When Sleagh emerged from the tower, he noticed the stone statue was moving. The stone statue stood two meters tall and held a mace in one hand.
"Their name is Guardian. The defender could control them." The big guy responded. As Sleagh inspected the statue, he continued, "Thanks to that boy and you, we were able to defeat two waves of monsters. The kobolds..."
He looked at Sleagh to see if he understood what a 'Kobold' was.
"The monster you killed, according to the twin, resembled a Kobold. So we got three energy crystals for the ten kobolds you killed. We use the energy crystal to wake up the statue."
"Even if we have three crystals, we can only control two of them," Biggie explained. "We believe that stopping each monster wave will allow us to summon one more guardian."
"Right now, I control one. The girl controls the other. After we repel another wave..."
“Why?” Sleagh did not allow him to finish his sentence. "Why did you let her control one?" he asked. "It isn't a game."
“That…” The big guy appeared embarrassed. "My intelligence isn't high enough to control both of them," he explained, scratching his chin.
While he was speaking, the other statue approached, followed by the twins. "I can use it as well," the girl declared.
But as soon as Sleagh looked at her, she stepped back. Sleagh also examined the boy standing next to her.
Despite his timid appearance, the boy was the first to say, "We had to close the door. We don't know who you are. We can't put our lives in the hands of a stranger."
Sleagh simply smiled as he glanced at him. Biggie attempted to relieve the atmosphere as it became tense.
However, Sleagh's stomach grumbled before he could say anything. Sleagh had already emptied his empty stomach twice. It was only natural for him to be hungry.
Sleigh didn’t waste his time on them and asked Biggie, “Where is the kobold?”
Sleagh’s sudden question surprised them. The fear was especially evident on the face of the girl.
But Sleagh couldn’t care less. He turned to Biggie and asked again, “Did you dispose of the body of the kobold?”
“Calm down. We are already in a bad situation.” Biggie couldn’t decode Sleagh’s intention. From his point of view, he felt Sleagh was angry because they closed the door without waiting for him.
So, he tried to explain logically, “We don’t know what will happen from now. We can depend on each other to survive. It is better to support each other than fight between us.”
Sleigh shook his head as he looked at him. He asked, “What do you think I would do with the dead bodies?”
His expression looked anything but reassuring to others. They continue to stare at him for an answer.
Sleagh sighed and said, “The quest denoted them as a food source.”
“Are you going to eat them?”
Sleagh didn’t explain himself and moved to look for them.
Weekly schedule: Tuesday to Saturday, 12:30GMT
