Zoe started at the text of the floating menu, unsure if being a peasant vampire was bad or not. It’s probably the lowest rank. I mean, it is a rank, right? I can’t imagine what else it would be.
She reached up and rubbed the back of her head as she began to scan the Traits. Well, most of this seems like what I would expect from a vampire, but what is that about? She thought as her eyes glanced to the last trait she had. Strong Mana Veins. It must have something to do with magic, maybe it's kind of magic circuits? Or maybe more like meridians? So many questions, so few answers. As always, more questions, one day I have to get around to finding the answers.
Zoe reached up to her bare shoulder. I’m lucky I’m a vampire, despite everything, there is no way I could have survived that as a human.
She leaned back and looked up at the sky, feeling the warm light of the not-sun shine down on her. But really, what the hell was that? I mean, a horse, then a massive wolf, that is some main character luck right there, it could have only been worse if I had to fight a hippo or moose.
I wonder how Ivan’s doing? I’m sure he is doing fine, I mean, looking back, that was definitely setting some death flags. I’m sure it will be finnnne.
I hope.
Zoe wiped her sweat from her forehead one last time, then stood up. She held her spear in her right hand as she watched the timer count down.
[Sixth Trial: Heating]
[Description: To forge a blade, one must first heat the metal. ]
[Completion condition: Kill the Zombie 0/1]
[Failure conditions: Death, Retuning to floor zero]
[Rewards: Move to Trial seven, Mana potion(Low-grade) or Qi pill(Low-grade)]
The smell was the first thing that hit her. Her hand was pinching her nose before she even realized it. It was not as helpful as she would have liked, the smell of rotting flesh still wafted past, making her almost gag.
She turned her whole body to face the direction from which the smell was coming. The rotting corpse shambled toward her. Its head slack as if barely holding on.
Skye rushed in, thrusting her spear out, piercing it into the zombie’s head with one blow. But the Zombie kept slowly walking toward her, unstopping even as the flesh connecting its head ripped off in chunks, falling to the ground.
OK, this is fine, Skye thought as she moved back. The zombie was slower than her, much slower. She swung her spear, sending the zombie's head sliding off.
I don’t remember reading about zombies in the guidebook. I guess that must be rare? Skye thought as she slowly stepped away, the headless body following her. Humm wait. She began to walk around it, and the body followed her. I wonder how it's detecting me? Can’t be sound or sight, so maybe mana? Then the realization hit her, it’s like a golem! Golems detect targets by their mana, and the way to take down a golem is to break its core!
Skye quickly made a plan, then started her attack.
She moved it to range and thrusted before taking two steps back and striking once more. Do not rush, you don’t have a time limit, so just stay calm. She reminded herself as she realized she almost overextended.
Slowly, the checklist of where its core could be began to run out of options. As the Zombie was poked full of holes, and it was starting to have a hard time moving.
Then her spear pierced through where its right lung would be, and she felt more resistance than she had until now. The Zombie froze, then fell forward as she pulled her spear back, ripping it out of the undead’s chest.
At the end of her spear, she found a large fleshy-looking gem, which then seemed to pulse for a moment before it shattered, fading into blue lights along with the rest of the zombie’s body.
[Sixth Trial: Heating | Cleared ]
[Starting Seventh Trial | All other rewards will be granted on return to floor zero.]
What's it going to be this time? A stone golem, maybe a giant spider? She thought as the new window appeared.
[Seventh Trial: Pressure ]
[Description: A Pressure blade needs pressure to grow.]
[Completion condition: Kill the Skeleton Knight 0/1]
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
[Failure conditions: Death, Retuning to floor zero]
[Rewards: Move to Trial Eight, Mana potion(Low-grade) or Qi pill(Low-grade)]
Zoe swiped the window away quickly. She focused on the Knight that had appeared before her. It was covered from head to toe in armor, in its bony white hand gripping the sword in one hand and a shield in the other.
Ok, at least this one was in the guidebook. Zoe thought as she launched forward, aiming to pierce its head and hit the core in the center of it.
The Knight moved its shield up in a simple motion far more fluid than she expected, stopping her spear in its tracks.
Zoe stepped back just as it lunged at her, its sword only a few inches from her, piercing skin.
Not having time to think, she stepped, her eyes focused on its legs. She swung her spear, pulling her hands back to make it as long as she could.
She watched as the Knight’s legs were swept out from under it, making it fall to the ground with a clattering sound.
Zoe raised her spear and thrust it down at the skull of the Knight, only for its arm with the blade in its hand to swing at her, cutting into her foot as she pierced its bony head, shattering the gem-like core.
Zoe slammed her spear in the ground and squatted down to check on her foot. The side of her ankle was cut, but no blood dripped out as it rapidly formed a seal over the wound. But progressed no farther.
Guess I’m low on blood, not good. Zoe thought as she stood back up and grabbed her spear.
[Eighth Trial: Cooling]
[Description: After pressure, a Blade needs to cool.]
[Completion condition: Kill the Juvenile Huge Centipede 0/1]
[Failure conditions: Death, Retuning to floor zero]
[Rewards: Move to Trial Nine, Newbie Mana user loot box, or Newbie Qi user loot box]
Oh, Oh no. Zoe froze as she read the words, I should leave.
[Return to floor zero]
[Are you sure?]
Zoe looked at those words before her for a moment, then let out a breath she did not know she was holding as she turned back, “No.” She whispered under her breath as she faced it down. It was large, as big as the Apex wolf and then some, and it was the insect she feared most.
Fuck, this system is definitely picking targets best on my weaknesses. Zoe thought as she watched the Ice Centipede skittered along the grass surrounding her.
How to fight massive monsters rule one. Target the joints. Zoe recalled before as she ran, charging for the large legs nearest to her, Do bugs even have blood? She wondered as she pulled her spear back and hacked at the Centipede’s leg joint, cutting right through it. Quickly, she reached out with one hand, grabbed the severed leg and brought it up to her mouth and bit down.
It tasted bad, like three-week-old cheap Chinese fast food, but she felt that same power flow through her body as the pain from the small cut on her ankle healed right up.
It had turned inwards now, heading right for Zoe.
But Zoe just jumped, flying over its body like it was nothing, landing on top of its smooth body and sliding down onto the other side, cutting off three more legs with one swing.
As she ran along the outside of the centipede, cutting off legs, a large shadow loomed over as the head of its head shot out, aiming for her, only for her to jump out of the way, cutting another leg off and biting into it for a refuel.
This thing is not as scary as I was imagining!
Zoe turned around with a wide smile on her face, her eyes glowing crimson. She watched as the Centipede fell onto its side, dragging itself along, its large mandibles biting at the air.
Zoe leaped, landing on the top of its head and raised her spear and struck down again and again, breaking through the top of the beast's head until finally it stopped moving and shattered into bits of light.
Realizing the ground she was standing on was disappearing, Zoe ran and then jumped off, landing on her feet as she turned back. That was so FUN!? She thought, her smile slowly leaving her face as her blood high began to run out.
…Ah Shit, she thought as she rubbed her forehead. The effects of drinking blood came fast and faded just as fast.
She rubbed her eyes as she closed them for just a moment, and then she opened them again. I missed the clear message again. She thought as she read over the new window.
[Ninth Trial: Sharpening]
[Description: Once cooled, it's time to sharpen the blade. ]
[Completion condition: Kill the Fragment Dullahan 0/1]
[Failure conditions: Death, Retuning to floor zero]
[Rewards: Move to Trial Ten, Mana potion(Mid-grade) or Qi pill(Mid-grade)]
“Hah?” Zoe said as she looked up just in time to see the massively armored man with a blue flame where his head should be, riding towered her on the back of a skeletal horse.
I think I may have pissed off the tower. Zoe thought as she held her spear forward. Then, just before the Dullahan had reached her, it stopped and got off its skeletal horse. Then held its hand out, gesturing for Zoe to come to it.
Oh! It's challenging me? Well, I can’t beat your ass without getting closer!
She thrusted, targeting a joint where the neck connected to the breast plate of its armor, only for the night to barely move its sword, binding her spear and pushing along it, giving her no room for counterattack.
Zoe twisted her body, avoiding most of the attack, but she felt a small line of blood run down her face from where the blade had managed to reach her.
It's going to be hard to even hit this guy. Zoe thought as she managed to get back into a stable position. Then she waited, ready for the moment that he moved. The Dullahan seemed to get the message, and she could swear she saw it smile as she ran it without fear.
Zoe could not risk missing this shot, even the possibility of a counterattack, so she pulled back and then used every bit of her body's strength and thrusted at the sword arm of the Dullahan. She felt the spear stack to bend under the force, but he managed to punch right through the Dullahan’s upper arm, causing the arm to go slack.
Not letting up, she quickly polled and went for another thrust aimed at the Dullahan’s other arm.
She felt her back buckle as she was sent flying before she knew what happened.
As she landed on the ground, her back feeling like a horse had kicked it, she turned around and realized that was exactly what had happened.
She forced herself to stand, feeling the warmth that she had started to understand run through her body. I think I can take maybe one or two of those hits before I can’t heal anymore.
Zoe held her spear out as she looked over the horse’s body. The core must, but somewhere its head? Wait, do I even need to kill the horse? I mean, it only said to kill the Dullahan. No, that is half right. I bet they share one life. Zoe quickly snapped out of her thinking as the Dullahan, now back on its horse, was raiding towered her clearly, there was no sign of it slowing down.
Zoe gripped her spear, glad she had managed to hold on to it. Then waited for it to be in range and thrusted, aiming for the horse's head, which she managed to pierce right through as the Dullahan swung it sound down at her.
Zoe felt a sting in her shoulder as she jumped back, watching the horse's head reform. Now it was clear that the only way to take it down was to kill the Dullahan.
I’m running low on healing, so I have to end this. Zoe leapt using all the power she could muster. Crashing shoulder-first into the Dullahan, she felt pain shoot through her body as she forced the Dullahan to the ground.
Her spear had been lost somewhere during the tackle, so she raised her fist and punched into the chest of the Dullahan, denting it with the first blow, then breaking through with the next.
She raised her first one last time, feeling light-headed as she forced her fist into his chest, crashing through the flesh and bone right into the heart of the Dullahan.
She heard the horse crash down to the ground behind her as the Dullahan below her began to turn into nothing more than light.
[Ninth Trial: Sharpening | Cleared]
[Tenth Trial: Ascent]
[Description: You are weak, but may one day become strong. But is that all, or do you hold the potential to become the strongest?]
[Completion conditions: Kill the Goblin lord 0/1, Or Kill Goblins 0/100]
[Failure conditions: Death, Retuning to floor zero]
[Rewards: Move to Trial Ten, Inscription potion. ]
Zoe saw her room expand, the white walls growing in a line, making it around twice as big as it was. There she saw a small army of goblins, then one massive one standing at the back holding a large club.
This is protagonist level BS. She thought as she stood by pure willpower, whipping off her mouth, which was curled into a smile, I’m going to become a battle addict at this rate.
