Bathed in the dim light of the full moon, Al-Hek dragged exhausted and wounded the goblin corpses over to Jean. “Mom... It hurts!”
Jean smiled and walked over to heal him. He wasn't bleeding too much, but his wounds would eventually kill him from the toxin impregnated in the goblin's primitive weapons. “I've reached level 13!”
Watching him limp and behave like a child, Jean couldn't help but smile even wider. “When I went to look for you on the plane of souls and arrived at the castle, there was a noblewoman organizing the defenses. She knew she was going to die, but she still didn't abandon her people. When I asked her about you, her expression changed... It was your mother, wasn't it?”
He lowered his head. “She died that very day! I guess that's why it was my particular hell.”
“There's one thing I don't understand. Why did she look so much like you if you did choose Reincarnation?”
"Wha-What are you talking about?"
“The Keeper of Souls told me you were a reincarnate.” Jean hesitated too late at his bewilderment. ” Eh... I'm sorry! I thought... Nothing! Forget it!”
Al-Hek walked away distracted. “Thanks for the healing!” Within seconds he was once again fighting another group of goblins in the distance.
The next to take a break was Dih. “I'm almost at level 19.”
Jean nodded without turning around, her gaze was fixed in the direction in which Al-Hek had walked away. "I think I've goofed. I asked him about his mother, the noblewoman in the castle who helped us.”
Dih received the healing with relief. The poison was no match for her Body Purity, but the wounds prevented her from fighting comfortably. “Don't short-circuit the poor guy. Reincarnated people forget that they once lived on Earth.”
“Now it makes sense.”
"I've heard that reincarnated people are grouped together by the system with others who have chosen the same thing. It creates a common past for them. Kind of like being given a part in a play without knowing it's your new reality.”
Jean felt even guiltier; she didn't want to tarnish the memory he had of the noble woman, whether she was his real mother or not. “Is there anything else I should know? I don't want to screw up again.”
“Not much! Sometimes they start with a higher level. Sometimes they acquire it with the wealth provided. And sometimes the system fulfills some desire they wanted with all their might.”
“And what benefits do we have?”
“Remembering our life on Earth and preserving the appearance of our bodies is not enough for you?! It may sound like crap, but for me it's much better to remember than to forget everything as it happens to them. The greatest heroes of this world chose Insertion. They started from the mediocrity of being a level one and made it to the top. The reincarnated ones are weaklings who..."
Jean looked at her kindly. “Are you okay?” She didn't want to remind her of what had happened with Jerok, but.... “Al-Hek feels guilty and doesn't know how to tell you how sorry he is.”
Dih avoided her gaze. “I'm perfectly fine! Tell him to forget it! I already have!” She said as she turned around abruptly and her trail disappeared behind some bushes in the distance.
Jean sighed and began to corrupt the 26 new corpses. Cursed Graveyard was already at 82%.
“I want to create a servant! ... What options do I have? What does it cost?”
The whispers explained that she could shape it into any form she wished, but at level one, it would be small. No bigger than a cat or a bird.
“What will be its limit later on?”
They didn’t asnwer.
“[They don't understand the question. The limits are ambiguous for the system, and non-existent for a Cursed. Another thing is the power of your skills.]”
“Be more specific! Can they be as big as a dragon?”
“[Relax, Khaleesi! At most they can become the size of a horse!]”
“What if I want to improve it and the system allows me to do so?”
“[Try to use the system's rewards on useful things to survive, not in whims with legs.]”
Jean narrowed her eyes. “I know who you mean and I hope you understand...”
“[Yeah, yeah! That they are your friends?]”
“Keeping them safe is important to me!”
“[You weaken yourself by worrying about them. They won't be able to keep you company for long. They can't even keep up with you.]”
“I don't desire to reach the top by abandoning everyone I hold dear!”
“[The top?! What confidence! …But I'm sorry to tell you that there is no one at that top you think you can reach!]”
"Let's drop the subject for now! ... Tell me about the Goblin King's dungeon! The whispers had barely told me it’s an open dungeon like the majority.”
“[There are 4 types of dungeons.]”
“Types? I thought dungeons were differentiated by the difficulty level of the creatures that inhabit them.”
“[Please! Don't make the mistake of using the pathetic system created by the adventurers! That there are only two types, what a foolishness!]”
"Okay!! Enlighten me then!"
“[As I was saying, there are 4 types. The first are characterized by being easily accessible and most of it, inhabited by low level creatures that dwell both inside and near the entrance. The difference between inside and outside is hardly noticeable until you discover the trap. These types of dungeons are monster burrows.]”
“Ok! What about the others?”
“[The second type are those that have a single entrance that also functions as an exit, while the third type have secret entrances that cannot be used to exit. They are usually teleportation circles and pitfalls.]”
“And the fourth?”
“[The fourth type is the most dangerous, since no mortal knows about them.]”
“Why?”
“[No adventurer has ever returned from one. It's not known how one ends up inside them or if is possible to get out, since they act as a living entity in constant change.]”
“Really?”
“[Yes!]”
“Then I shouldn't have any problems with this one! This dungeon is a first type one, isn't it?”
“[Don't be overconfident! In all of them, the deeper you go, the more difficult it becomes to survive. And the problem comes with the fact that their depth is indeterminate, since few know that most of the dungeons are actually paths to other... places.]”
“So, the goblin king isn't the final enemy?”
“[Of course not! The goblin king is the farthest enemy anyone has ever reached alive and returned to name it.]”
“And why isn't it called the dungeon of the goblin king Ak-Crest!”
“[Because nobody cares about the name of the damn thing!]”
“What lies beyond the goblin king?”
“[You're aiming too high, young lady! The clouds don't let you see the top! Focus first on the mountainside and carefully prepare your climbing gear.]”
Jean smiled just imagining the magnitudes of power one could be up against in this world; the magnitudes of power she could achieve. She then looked at the dungeon. A mass of rock and earth surrounded by forest with several small entrances.
“I'm going to explore it. I'll leave the boys in the village!”
“[With Choog getting hungrier and hungrier... Are you sure?]”
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"That's why I'm going into the dungeon! I need to increase my attributes to close the gap as soon as possible!"
“[I hope you keep in mind that there is no miasma in this dungeon, and therefore, the enemies will hardly give you any experience. Wouldn't it be better to let them join you? At least they will level up a little more and...]”
A point of light in the distance shook Jean's concentration. It was advancing slowly across the countryside toward the village. She knew it was a torch by how her enhanced vision in the dark amplified the photons.
She absorbed the remaining corrupted corpses and met with Dih and Al-Hek. After healing them, they followed the torchlight. Al-Hek volunteered to do some scouting; he was by far the stealthiest of the three. From what he found out on his first expedition, there were 4 individuals.
As they approached the village, Choog's barking could be heard again. He seemed much more agitated than before. Maybe too much so. The 4 individuals walked deeper into the village, but avoided approaching the town hall.
Jean asked Al-Hek to follow them while Dih led the women out of the inn. She stood near the village. The roar inside her and the whispers were terribly agitated; every step she felt closer to death.
"Why is he so dangerous? It only has one relic doesn't he? It’s because of his level?"
“[Reincarnation in this world also allows humans to reincarnate as beasts and certain creatures. Choog is now an experienced war dog who has fought alongside adventurers for a decade.]”
“Are you implying that there is a human soul inside Choog?”
“[It's the only reason a cursed relic would choose him as a host.]”
Jean's desire to fight Choog was plummeting. She hated the idea of fighting someone who had dedicated his life to protecting others and had ended up doomed by outside forces. The thought that it might be someone like Al-Hek was a nagging problem.
“[What you are trying to avoid is beyond your control. Choog is completely corrupted and the relic is inciting him to…]”
The barking increased in intensity as the few survivors of the village, including the 4 newly arrived individuals, moved away in the direction of the north entrance of the village. Jean watched it all from the south gate.
A crash in the town hall made her take a step back. The timbers propping up the main entrance of the building couldn’t withstand the onslaught of the beast, and now it came at full speed in her direction. His huge red eyes glowing in the night made her shiver from head to toe.
Jean ran into the countryside while channeling mana into her fists as fast as Demolishing Blow allowed it. Hastily, she conjured Cursed Tenacity to boost her Intelligence and turned around to unleash a powerful psychic scream. Choog slowed the charge to a near standstill.
?Beast Aspirant?
Level 31
Name: Choog
Marks: [Peasant Eater], [Cursed]
Details: This beast is possessed by the cursed relic, Uzuf.
Highest Attribute (Strength): 62
Choog's long fur gave him the distorted appearance of a symbiosis between a lion and a wolf. It was mostly white and gray, except for the much blood that stained his mouth and paws. However, that was not the only thing dripping from his mouth. His muzzle was covered with a grotesque looking substance that deformed his head. It looked like a black steel mask that included teeth as long as Jean's hands.
Jean unleashed another psychic scream. The beast shook his head and roared so loudly that he himself lit up slightly with an orange-red glow. The vibration made Jean stagger, time that Choog took advantage of to charge. A lunge so swift that she only dodged it thanks to whispers warning her to jump to the left; she escaped by centimeters.
She had not yet finished dodging and rolling when the beast attacked again. This time it was twice as fast. The pain came quickly, striking her as she tried to get to her feet. Her balance was off. When she looked for the source of the immense pain in her left arm, she went pale. The arm was gone. Blood was gushing out. Her cursed armor stretched to cover the mess, but it was only with the help of her cursed healing that she succeeded.
Jean watched helplessly as Choog closed his jaws on her arm. It collapsed in a macabre crunch. Her ears ringed from the stress as tears of rage streamed down her cheeks. Clenching her right fist, she realized she still maintained Demolishing Blow; it had reached full power.
Anticipating that a psychic scream wouldn't stop the beast long enough, she changed her focus. From Intelligence to Strength. She would strike with Cursed Punish combined with Demolishing Blow. She just hoped her fist would withstand that madness.
Jean charged, staggering slightly as she ruminated on the thing that never left her. The thing that always pushed her forward. “Give me back my arm! Don't expect me to chicken out! Nothing in the world can defeat me! NOTHING!"
The beast charged with the half-chewed arm in his mouth from her left. Jean unleashed a psychic scream, but without the power-up, it was considerably less effective. As soon as she reached him with the powerful punch to the jaw, the beast sank his claws into her back. Luckily, the impact had managed to shatter his teeth. That allowed her to deliver another punch to his right eye.
Choog rolled to the left. Blood gushed as Jean charged the combination again. The despair of seeing her arm completely shattered on the ground enraged her to the point of madness. The pain was excruciating, but her right fist was eager for revenge.
The beast looked at her warily from a distance; the pain had gripped his being. Jean screamed again. Cursed Graveyard had dropped drastically, but that wasn't going to stop her. Either she fought with everything or she fell after giving it her all.
A new impact with the same combination of skills split the beast's spine. Choog's scream culminated with the fall of both to the ground, but that didn’t mean that neither of them were defeated.
Choog crawled in her direction as he had no control of his hind legs, desperately trying to swallow her. Jean rolled, dodging each attempt until she finally managed to get up with some difficulty. She again imbued her fist with mana along with most of the corruption she had left. The beast's skull caved in. He was blind and practically immobile, but he still tried to bite her.
Jean laid her hand on his side and transferred corruption to cast Cursed Binding. Choog shuddered furiously as the corruption entered inside him. A corruption so powerful that he couldn't dominate it.
Jean thought about saving him by removing the rune, but in that moment of compassion, the beast contorted with extreme violence. His bones broke and deformed along with his flesh. His entire body resembled a huge maw now.
His weight crushed Jean to the ground as his bones dug into her body. The pain was terrible, but it did not last long. The intense roar inside her answered her unrelenting desire to not give up. A voice shouted from the depths of her soul. It was so powerful that her entire being was rendered unconscious.
[UZUF, OBEY YOUR MASTER! I'M EVERYTHING! ]
When Jean regained consciousness, a blinding light urged her to close her eyes again. Dih was trying to calm a young woman crying uncontrollably.
Jean rose to a sitting position and covered her eyes with her left hand. It wasn't until a few seconds later that she realized her arm was back in place. Intact. It was a relief to feel it again, as it was to see that Choog was nowhere to be found. The worrying thing now was not to pass out again, Cursed Graveyard's reserves were at rock bottom.
[You have defeated Beast Aspirant. Level 31.]
[You have acquired +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +2 Endurance, +1 Perception]
[You have learned Haste — Level 1
Allows you to channel mana through your body to move 50% faster. It will not manifest as an independent skill, it will be combined into Cursed Rush.]
[You have learned Charge Attack— Level 1
Allows you to channel mana through your body to move twice as fast for a brief moment. It will not manifest as an independent skill, it will be combined into Cursed Rush.]
[You have learned Cursed Rush— Level 1. Unique Skill. Combines the effects of:
? Dash
? Haste
? Charge Attack
Power your body with corruption to move 100% faster. Can be overloaded to increase speed by up to 150% but it supposes a great burden to Cursed Graveyard.]
[You have learned Pain Resistance — Level 1
Does pain affect your response times? Your pain resistance is now 10% higher.]
[Cursed Armor has been enhanced.
You can now store the cursed weapons in an exclusive dimension for them. You can only activate one weapon at a time. Keeping a weapon active consumes mana, vitality and corruption.]
[You have obtained Cursed Frenzy, your first cursed weapon.]
[You have learned Cursed Frenzy — Level 1. Unique Skill.
Like any cursed weapon, it steals life force and mana with each hit. In addition, it adds a temporary burst to your attributes while equipped.
? Strength: +22
? Dexterity: +17
? Endurance: +31]
[Cursed Tenacity, Demolishing Blow and Psychic Scream have increased up to level 2.]
[Last Breath and Swift Strike have increased up to level 7.]
[Cursed Perception and Cursed Search have increased up to level 6. Rank 2.]
[Swift Strike has increased up to level 7.]
[Cursed Punish has increased to level 7. Rank 2.]
[Cursed Healing has increased to level 4. Rank 3.]
[Pupil of Evil and Hunger for Evil have increased to level 8. Rank 3.]
[Mission: ?Find and kill Choog to extract the Uzuf relic!? completed!]
[Cursed Cemetery has tripled its reserves and improved its efficiency by 20%. Now, you can supply 20% of the corruption requirements with mana.]
The young woman knelt down and hugged Jean. “Gods! I thought that thing was going to kill you! No one let me help you!"
“You would have died!” A young man blurted out as he shook his head.
After realizing that the four individuals were Erish, Yarosh and the other 2 guys from the lake, Jean instinctively activated Soul Collector. She didn't know why she did it, she just did it.
Her vision changed to reveal the presence of the approaching peasant women and a blinding point of light a few paces away. Her chains tried to reach the soul, but they couldn't even manifest. She extended her hand to help them, but the soul disappeared without warning. “What on earth?!”
“What's going on?!”, asked Erish in surprise.
“[Don't worry, I've protected it. Go to the ruins when you've recovered! Dawn may break while you're trying to talk to him.]”
