NOVEL NEXT Ep. 8 Exploration Part 1
In The Pit
I slowly wake up with a groan, still lying on the floor where I collapsed. The first thing I see as my eyes focus is the wolf about a foot away from me. I scream and try to crawl away from the dead wolf but all I manage to do is to painfully reopen all of my wounds. After a second I calm down and realize that the wolf is dead, I let out a sigh of relief and sit up carefully.
'Health!'
HP: 1/158
Wow, I came so close to dying again! I really need to find a way to get stronger! I push aside such thoughts for the time being and focus on meditating for a few hours so I don't bleed to death.
HP: 31/158
With my wounds closed again I carefully get up and have a long drink of water, then I eat half of the leftover mushroom soup. After I am done eating I approach the wolf's corpse and recover and clean my daggers. Then I skin and butcher the wolf.
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Skinning has progressed to level 4!
Skinning
Level 4
Agi +4
You can skin small to large normal animals.
As I am butchering the wolf I come across a strange orb located inside the wolf's chest. I stare at it intently trying to figure out what it could be.
*Item*
Beast Core
Quality: Average
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Observe has progressed to level 2!
Observe
Level 2
Int +2
You can identify items with intense study.
It is possible to absorb the Beast Core. Do you wish to proceed? Y/N
'I can absorb it? What does that even mean? I guess there's only one way to find out. '
"Yes!"
*DING*
You have absorbed the average Beast Core!
HP +50 MP +50 Str +5 Agi +5 End +5
"Wow! That's amazing! I need more beast cores!!"
Talk about an easy shortcut to getting stronger! The fight almost killed me but this is worth it!
'Status!'
Name: Ash
Race: Black Lion
Title: None
Class: None
Level: 0
HP: 31/223
MP: 100/100
Str: 34
Agi: 33
End: 37
Int: 27
Wis: 23
Cha: 19
Unspent Points: 0
Quests: (4)
Skills: (13)
Crafts: (7)
I've definitely gotten stronger. First I need to heal up, then I need to continue exploring while acquiring and leveling up skills. I start off with my normal workout routine, then I draw both daggers and go through every combat motion I can remember from all the various anime and manga.
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Dagger Basics has progressed to level 2!
Dagger Basics
Level 2
Agi +2
You do 10% extra damage with daggers.
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Dual Wield has progressed to level 2!
Dual Wield
Level 2
Agi +2
You can fight with a weapon in each hand.
Once done exercising I have a long drink of water then settle down to heal some more. I meditate for the next four hours.
HP: 71/223
When I am done meditating, I eat the last of the mushroom soup then decide to work on some of my craft skills. First, I go out to the well room and after checking it is empty I gather up the best bones I can find from the pile and carry them back to my room. I sit down with my dagger and start carving. First I turn a skull into a bowl to go with my spoon, then I make a plate out of a hip bone.
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Scrimshaw has progressed to level 2!
Scrimshaw
Level 2
Agi +2
You can carve normal bones into basic items.
Next I carve a knife and fork, then I carve several needles for sewing. Now that I have carved everything I can think of I turn my attention to the rat pelts. The wolf hide still needs some time to cure, so I decide to try sewing the pelts together to make myself some pants.
*DING*
Congratulations! You have acquired the craft skill Leatherworking!
Leatherworking
Level 1
Agi +1
You can craft crude items from leather.
The planned pants end up being shorts due to lack of material, but what matters to me is that I no longer have to run around naked. Using the leftover scraps I make a belt to hold the dagger sheaths. The rat gut has worked fairly well as cord, I got the idea because I remember reading once that in the middle ages violin strings had been made from catgut.
Since I have used it all I set out the tendons from the wolf to dry in a similar way, I hope to be able to use it on whatever I make from the wolf hide. Not being able to think of anything else to craft at the moment I decide to meditate for another four hours before going exploring.
HP: 111/223
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Meditation has progressed to level 5!
Meditation
Level 5
Wis +5 Int +1 Cha +1
A skill for recovery. HP 15/hour MP 15/hour
'Hmm extra stat bonuses at level 5? Nice! I bet that means level 10 will be special too.'
Now that I am a bit more healed I decide to do some exploring so I drink my fill and check my weapons then set off towards the well room. I don't activate stealth but I do walk as quietly as I can. I am thinking that the stealth skill hasn't leveled up from using it so maybe I need to actually practice being sneaky.
I find the well room as I left it, so I move along the right hand wall again. This time I pass the first passage which leads to the mushroom room and continue on to the next passage. This passageway looks just like the others except it isn't as dusty which should mean it is in use, so I move slowly and cautiously keeping on guard against running into goblins.
The passage goes on for thirty feet before a side passage opens to the left. Looking down it I can see that in about fifteen feet it ends in a T junction. After listening intently and not hearing any movement I decide to continue down the main hallway first.
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Stealth has progressed to level 2!
Stealth
Level 2
MP Cost 15
You can hide in the shadows and move quietly.
'I was right, I have to practice the skill, not just activate it!'
After another ten feet I find a door on the right, not only is this the first door I have found but when I try to open it I find it is locked. I crouch down to take a look at the keyhole and am surprised to faintly see light on the other side similar to the light in my room. Since I don’t have the tools to try the lock and not wanting to risk the noise of trying to break the door down I continue down the main hallway.
After another thirty feet it opens up into a room where I can see the flicker of firelight. So I slowly and cautiously sneak towards the room until I can see inside. What I see in the room is five goblins sitting around a small campfire. While I want to kill them I decide it is probably best not to get into a fight yet since I am only at half my HP. So I quietly move back down the corridor.
Heading back towards the well room I pass the locked door and then take the right turn into the side passage. I silently move to the T and take a look around the corner, both ways only go about ten feet before opening into what looks like small rooms. Seeing no movement and hearing nothing I approach the room on the right first and take a look inside. Inside I see broken and rotten crates making me think this used to be a storeroom.
I am fairly surprised that the wood down here hasn't long since rotted away, but as I think about it other than the stream and the trickle in my room the rest of this place is bone dry which will have slowed the decay. Well at least if nothing else in here is useful I have a supply of wood for cooking.
I turn around and head the other way to check the other room before going through the piles of rubbish. The second room is the same size but instead of crates it looks more like collapsed shelving. After I take a closer look I recognize parts of armor racks and figure out this was probably an armory long ago. Hoping to find weapons I start sorting through the piles and stacking the remaining wood for easier carrying.
After I search the whole room, I only find an old rusty mace and a broken buckler. So I take them and an armload of wood and make my way back to my room. Once back I clean up the mace and then take a few practice swings with it.
*DING*
Congratulations! You have acquired the combat skill Blunt Basics!
Blunt Basics
Level 1
Str +1
You do 5% extra damage with blunt weapons.
I decide the buckler is beyond my ability to repair but I think of another use for it. So I start a small fire and put the tripod over it, then I use the buckler as a makeshift pan and I start cooking some wolf steaks and mushrooms.
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Cooking has progressed to level 3!
Cooking
Level 3
Int +3
You can cook food without burning it.
Never having eaten wolf before I am not sure if it is normally this delicious. Whatever the case I clean up the mess then make several more trips to fetch wood while being as sneaky as possible.
*DING*
Congratulations! Skill Stealth has progressed to level 3!
Stealth
Level 3
MP Cost 15 Agi +2
You can sneak up on average beings.
After cleaning out the armory I have enough wood stacked in my room to last for several days. Deciding I have done enough for the day I settle down to meditate for eight hours.
HP: 223/223
MP: 100/100