I was mistaken. Again.
It irked me for a while, but I decided to let it go. I might be quite far from their location. How far, I couldn't tell. I hoped I was reasonably close. The trail remained consistent which is all that matters since I still have plenty of time left.
The path was surprisingly smooth, unlike the last time I was ambushed. That experience was not great. I don't want to be food by anyone. This time, it was relatively safe.
No obstacles,
No disturbances,
Just a peaceful journey.
SQUEAK!*
And, of course, I had to jinx it. F*ck me
I halted, cautiously scanning the area of the source of the noise. Up ahead, I noticed a presence and quickly used <identify> to reveal what it was.
[Lifeform found!]
[Vendo Rabbits]
[A species of rabbits famous for their carnivorous appetite]
Carnivorous?
Before I could process that thought, the rabbit charged toward me.
I looked back at it, and its color turned to red, surprising me more.
'Oh, it's a carnivore.' I just processed that now. 'and it’s hostile now.'
Should I Run? Pfft, no. Why would I do that? If it decided to attack me, might as well fight back.
[Skill activated: Gluttony]
As the rabbit approached, my body enlarged itself like it was welcoming the rabbit to go on forward. The rabbit couldn't react in time as I finally grabbed ahold of it firmly, leaving no chance of escape. I could feel some resistance of it inside but it started to die out and soon it was nothing more than experience points.
[Vendo Rabbit killed]
[Gained 100 exp]
Still not enough for an ascension.
Disappointed but was soon delighted when the system decided to play Santa for the second time
[Bonus reward: To congratulate the host for the first kill. The system has provided a random skill chest reward. When opened, the host will obtain a random skill.]
I beamed at the message. Finally!
Without wasting any time, I opened the chest.
[Congratulations!]
[The host has gained the SKILL: Smash(N)]
'....' Honestly, this looks pretty good. Nothing to complain about,
I checked its description.
[Smash(N)(Lvl: 1): When the host uses bounce and flies mid-air, the skill improves the damage of the physical attack upon landing.]
Oh, so basically, I can now smash them with my body. A good use for the bounce skill. I can combine them to form a powerful attack.
Actually, I’mma test it out just to make sure I'm not ignorant about the skill.
First, I used <bounce>.
As I flew midair, I immediately called out my skill <smash>.
Then I felt myself descending faster as if there was added weight to my body. A loud thump occurred as I landed, bringing up dust and debris everywhere.
Interesting.
Can't say I'm not satisfied with the result. Seems pretty strong.
The rabbit was a good encounter, perhaps a blessing in disguise. It may be hostile, but not beyond my capabilities. So there was nothing to worry about it. I just hope more will come.
SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
Oh?
A few more of those rabbits just showed up on my radar.
If I had lips, they would curve into a devilish grin.
////////////////////////////////////
[Vendo Rabbit killed]
[Gained 100 exp]
[Vendo Rabbit killed]
[Gained 100 exp]
[STATUS]
[Host: Valt]
[Lvl: 5] [Exp: 106/420]
[Health: 340/340]
[Species: Slime]
[Sections:]
[STATS]
[ABILITIES]
[SKILLS]
[QUEST]
After turning the two carnivorous rabbits into another mere experience points, I continued on as if nothing happened.
Too bad there were only two though.
As time passed, I grew more and more bored. Honestly, I expected more encounters of the rabbits as I went on, but it was all for naught. I should really stop expecting things; it’s not like they go my way anyway.
Probably I scared them off or something.
Now, with nothing else to do, I couldn't help but wonder, "System, are you sentient or something? Do you have a mind of your own?"
“.....”
“Oh, come on! At least talk for once. It’s not gonna hurt.”
“.....”
Why am I even trying?
After that failed attempt to communicate with the system, I decided to spend the road quietly and alone. Quite depressing, you may say.
After a couple of minutes or so, I reached the end of the trail. What I didn't expect was that further ahead was a dead end. The trail stopped where I stood.
Did they disappear? I thought as I surveyed the area. It would be impossible for them to leave no trace and vanish like that. He seems to have cleaned it spotless since I couldn’t find any more.
There must be some magic stuff going on here. Did they teleport?
That's possible, though if only the Lich had that kind of magic. The teleport I can understand, but why? Why would he destroy the traces? Could it be he was afraid that someone would find him?
He seems cautious. Made me wonder why
Damn it, it can’t end like this.
'Think, Valt, think.' I tried to wrap my head around it and not panic.
Maybe I could find another trail if I go back. Maybe this trail is just a decoy, yes, it must be a decoy.
I have plenty of time. Plenty of time. If I didn’t waste a single moment of it, I could make it. I'm sure of it.
Finally, after calming myself down and keeping my mind clear, I proceeded to go back.
Still, why do I have this bad feeling?
Just before I could even start to move, something from the ground started pulling me in, stopping my actions instantly.
I couldn’t react in time as it sucked me in.
Wha-AHH!!
As always - any comment, feedback, criticism, suggestions is very welcome
