The Holy Land
Page 16
Wilhelm dusted off his limbs as he yawned into the air, scratching the back of his head in the process. He was a bit higher in the air, so the breeze was stronger than before, caressing his face with a gentle touch. The other monsters were unaware of where he had disappeared off to, and none of them even thought to look up.
He walked toward the edge of the plateau, gazing downward. The lake seemed even more beautiful than before, as if it were welcoming him with open arms. Unlike the smelly caverns, the air in the dome-like area was quite fresh as well, creating an almost perfect place to rest. Nonetheless, the massive quantity of powerful creatures was a bit disheartening.
A few plans formulated inside of Wilhelms' head as he laid down on the ground. Water had already been temporarily taken care of, and he could wait to eat food until tomorrow. The foremost element he lacked right now was a plan to become stronger. And what better place to do that than an untouchable height.
As he thought to here, a strong sense of comprehension assaulted Wilhelm. Since he had received experience and strength through killing monsters, that goes to say that training his body would also increase his power. Reasonably, both exercise and practice would not only actually raise his stats, but also supply him with skills.
A smile formed on his lips as he reached this conclusion, causing him to check out his status with expectation.
---------------
[Character Information]
Name: Wilhelm Siegfried
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Level: 10, [3750/8000 EXP]
Class: Undertaker (1) [82/100]
Strength: 13
Agility: 17
Intelligence: 16
Stamina: 13
Magic Power: 1
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10
Skills: Krav Maga (level 10), indomitable will (level 1), superior intellect (level 2), Gun proficiency (level 10), Night-eye (class-skill), masterful hands (level 5), Spectral Dagger (level 1),
Items: None
Allocatable stat points:
Evolution points: 0
Title: Insect Marauder
Coins: 4
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Wilhelm appreciated his new and improved status for a few moments before laying down and closing his eyes. He formed a simple training regimen to follow whilst resting, opting to commence his grueling practice tomorrow, at the break of dawn. He hadn't completed any military drills or even combat practice for that matter, in years, so he was looking forward to the next morning.
As such, without much more thought on the subject, he peacefully drifted off to sleep. The immense fatigue was harder to handle than he had initially thought, resulting in his current exhaustion.
Steadily creeping along the hollows and coming across strange creatures at every turn was soul siphoning. Insects, minotaur’s, spiders, ants, eggs, you name it, Wilhelm had practically seen everything.
Thankfully, he could sleep on an elevated platform, away from most of the animals which ran amok down below. Their wails and growls irritated Wilhelm's sleeping figure, but he had slept through much worse in the past. The sun that peered into the cave gradually faded and was replaced by the moonlight, to which a different set of monsters entered.
As if there were some sort of tactful agreement amongst the monsters, the wolves and bears departed, while a group of giant alligator-like monsters entered. Their large limbs treaded across the ground as they slowly made it to the lake, drinking large gulps of flame-water when they arrived. On the other side, the insects squirmed fearfully as they too backed off, presenting the alligators' free reign over the extensive body of water.
Wilhelm wasn't aware of these events occurring, and didn't wake up until the sun finally glistened once again, illuminating the dark grotto. He stood up from the ground and stretched his limbs, admiring the cool breeze that fluttered his obsidian, black hair. His muscles were becoming more and more defined the longer he tallied inside of the dungeon. Unbeknownst to even himself, he was slowly becoming a deathly handsome middle-aged man.
He walked over toward the edge of the plateau and observed the lake for a few moments, not even bothering to question the absurd number of alligators. He had long gotten used to the obscureness of the dungeon. Instead, he decided to start his morning exercises, which he assumed could also increase his stats.
First, he started with a round of basic pushups, training his upper body and isolating his triceps. Then, he went on to sit-ups, planks, squats, and finally, finishing off with mountain-climbers. Sweat rained down his body as he finally finished the first set of the exercise; taking a short break before continuing.
His black hair greasily stuck to his forehead as he pulled out both of his daggers. The last time he had practiced with them, he gained an extremely overpowered ability. So, it would be silly if he didn't continue. He slashed at the air and tried his hardest to recollect the memories of the past when he had trained in the military.
Like this, another hour or so went by, and the blazing afternoon glow replaced the morning sun. The physical exertion caused both Wilhelms' stomach and dry mouth to grumble in irritation. He used his forearm to wipe the beads of sweat on his forehead, peering back down at the lake.
The alligators still swarmed the insides, but they didn't appear to be too strong. With these thoughts in mind, Wilhelm scaled down the side of the protruding rocks and landed softly on the ground. He didn't feel much of a threat from the opposing party, so he withdrew his daggers, and stealthily approached the back of one of the alligators. The foolish creatures didn't notice his presence as he crept onto one of them.
It was lazing by the edge of the water, a fair distance away from its kind, basking in the sun. Even a smile formed on the reptiles face, completely unaware of the incoming danger. It wasn't until Wilhelm thrust his dagger downward and pierced the skull of the alligator, did its expression finally warp.
Alas, it was far too late. The alligator wasn't even given enough time to react before it died, its brain pierced. With Wilhelms dagger proficiency, it wasn't challenging to slay an unsuspecting creature. He smiled leisurely while grabbing the alligator by the tail. 'It would appear that I worried for nothing' he thought smugly, not noticing the hundreds of eyes that were gazing upon his back.
It was only an instant, but Wilhelm could feel an enormous amount of danger from behind him, causing him to turn around. The mana within both the air and water was pooled into one area, the center of the alligators. A huge ball of energy was forming, and the dozens of alligators gazed upon Wilhelm with an incalculable quantity of killing intent.
"It was just one damned alligator, cool your jets," Wilhelm said without much thought, dropping the carcass and running away from the ominous ball of mana. The creatures themselves weren't overpowering, but they appeared to be capable of using some form of magic.
Wilhelm ran as quickly as he could, only looking over his shoulder when the sound of hurling wind rang in his ears. A gigantic, blue, swirling ball of pure energy was headed straight for him at an appalling rate. His eye dilated in shock as he jumped to the side, just barely avoiding a head-on collision.
The powerful magic attack hit the position Wilhelm was in just a few moments ago, forming a vast crater, and creating a huge gale of wind. Wilhelm was blown a few meters away, receiving a few minor injuries. The sheer magnitude of the blast caused Wilhelm to look at the crater in disbelief, droplets of sweat falling down his forehead.
Unfortunately, Wilhelm was not the only one shocked. The group of alligators were also surprised that Wilhelm was able to dodge their attack, so they charged up another one. Much to Wilhelms dismay, this is one was a tad bit larger than the other.
A hum escaped from Wilhelm's lips as he ran toward the entrance of the cave —Tactical retreat!
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
A sneer seemed to form on one of the alligator's lips as Wilhelm attempted to escape from their enclave. They were the unchallenged rule
r of the second floor. Subsequently, their pride also couldn't be matched. The second ball of energy quickly darted to where Wilhelm was running, kicking up dirt and rattling the inner walls.
Wilhelm glanced over his right shoulder and couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock; it was nearly twice as big as the last attack!
His erratic eyes darted around the thick cave as he tore off his loincloth and tied it around the hilt of one of his daggers. Wilhelm had happened to run close to the extensive entrance, with the mass of destruction tailing him from close behind. He didn't really have many options — If he ran out of the enclave and sneaked into the hollow passages, he risked the entire cavern to come down and topple over him. On the other hand, if he faced the magic attack head-on, he risked the ultimate demise of his "second life".
Thus, a rather hateful plan had concocted inside of his head. He threw the dagger upward and embedded it deep into the wall, where he then used the cloth to swiftly climb up the vertical walls. Of course, the ball of energy followed him every step of the way.
Once Wilhelm reached the hilt of his dagger, he peered down on the ever closing in death ball. It was magic, so it was naturally controlled by the reptiles below. This one detriment caused a broad grin to form on his face as he leaped over the amassed mana. His figure arced through the air and swiftly landed onto the ground.
Wilhelm roared at the alligators. His legs were riddled with scrapes and sore joints as he made a last-ditch scramble toward the alligators. The reptiles began to precipitate as they attempted to stop their own attack from hitting themselves. They were forced to counter the streams of mana with even more mana, draining them of their surplus energy.
This was especially so for the temporary leader of the damnable reptiles; it was sweating a river, and reptiles don't even sweat. This fact was a testament to how much energy they were currently producing. Wilhelm's threat was reduced to a mere nuisance in comparison to their very own magic.
Seeing this, Wilhelm glanced behind him and noticed the shrinking attack, causing loud, melodious laughter to leave his mouth. Leaving a powerful nuclear weapon in control of such small-brained creatures was ludicrous.
In the past, the military was constantly divided based on one simple topic — AI. As artificial intelligence became more and more proficient, generals had started to use them to nuke enemy fortresses. Although this was a good idea, in theory, many people started to veto such actions. It was based on the fact that sometimes information was incorrect. Civilians and even allies could be bombed, as there was no human controlling the plane. As such, a large division was created within the army.
Wilhelm personally thought that both parties were idiots. Often times, information was never actually wrong, it was just worded in a pleasing way. Those civilians and allies were always meant to be bombed; it was simply labeled as an accident. Human control was always pathetic, because living creatures always focused on one thing; living.
Since this was normally the case, it was only natural that the alligators stopped their attack instead of committing suicide along with Wilhelm. However, their depleted mana reserves were a pleasant surprise.
He twisted his remaining dagger as he charged into the flock of tired reptiles. While they were busy stopping their own spell, he decided to use this chance to massacre them.
Quick and precise, he moved like a shadow and cut their throats, letting them bleed to death. One kill turned into two, and two turned into four, and four turned into eight. Slowly, their bodies began to pile up on top of the lake, disheartening the rest of the alligators. Most of their energy had been focused on their spell, leaving Wilhelm to do whatever he pleased with them.
What felt like an hour was actually only a minute or so. The spell was finally stopped, and the head alligator breathed in a sigh of relief. Yet, that relief only lasted for a meager second. As it turned around to celebrate with its kin, their body-less figures entered into its sight.
Yes, Wilhelm had decided to behead each and every alligator while the leader was busy inside of his own little world. Since speed was Wilhelm's strongest virtue, the task actually wasn't that hard. He laughed in delight at the alligator who was trembling in anger.
Ruthless? Cruel? Yes, Wilhelm was the embodiment of both of those things. But much, much, more than that, he was practical. He strolled toward the glaring beast as if he were taking a walk in his very own garden. All of this was a test based on a theory — the theory of evolution.
And as if on cue, the raging alligator's skin began to turn red and increase in size as if its rage had evolved it into another species. Unlike Earth, where every creature possessed an unbreakable limit, this world was the opposite.
Every creature was capable of evolution, but according to Wilhelm's theory, a few conditions needed to be met. One, a strong influx of emotions or change towards the body. Or two, they achieved a certain mastery or reached a limit that must be broken through evolution. The system that was presumably supplied to every other human wasn't some kind of magical being, it was simply something that recorded their capabilities and supplied them with value.
Skills were not handed out by the system; they were obtained by the user itself. Basic proficiency in cooking would not be recorded, because it was a normal function. As for dagger mastery, a lot of training and above-normal capabilities were required for such a skill.
The only thing that boggled Wilhelm's mind was the "class" function. Not only did it appear to alter his genetics, but it also seemed to change his personality. Albeit, all of these speculations could not be supported by any concrete evidence.
Thinking to here, Wilhelm disregarded his unnecessary thoughts and focused on the raging monster in front of him. Although he was quite serious, his naked body and flopping dong rendered a completely different image.
"Hello, my new training partner, it is a pleasure to meet you," Wilhelm whispered to himself while licking his lips.
…
[Alcutrot has been slain! X20]
[20,000 experience has been rewarded]
[Raging Alcutrot as has been slain]
[5,000 experience has been rewarded]
[Spectral daggers LV1 has evolved into Spectral daggers LV3]
[Congratulations, you have leveled up!]
[Congratulations, you have leveled up!]
Hearing the string of notifications, Wilhelm whistled a small tune and observed the corpse below him. It was covered in cut marks and appeared to be tortured; it was what Wilhelm had used to practice.
"You were quite the sparring partner… thank you, Big Red," he commended and decided to check out his new status.
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[Character Information]
Name: Wilhelm Siegfried
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Level: 12, [4,500/20,000 EXP]
Class: Undertaker (1) [82/100]
Strength: 13
Agility: 17
Intelligence: 16
Stamina: 13
Magic Power: 1
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10
Skills: Krav Maga (level 10), indomitable will (level 1), superior intellect (level 2), Gun proficiency (level 10), Night-eye (class-skill), masterful hands (level 5), Spectral Dagger (level 3).
Items: None
Allocatable stat points: 2
Evolution points: 0
Title: Insect Marauder
Coins: 4
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Wilhelm scoured through his new stat-sheet and couldn't help but nod in approval. Although more and more experience was required to level up, he could now focus on things other than leveling up. Upgrading skills and acquiring titles seemed to be just as important as leveling up and obtaining allocatable stat points.
With such thoughts in mind, he inspected his improved 'Spectral Daggers' skill.
[Spectral Daggers LV3 - user will move 45% faster with daggers wielded]
Satisfied, Wilhelm then looked down at all of
the bodies present. Bitterness assaulted him as the thought of burying each and every single one of them filled his head. "It would appear that we'll be spending more time together, big red," he said with an exasperated sigh.
After mastering the art of burying multiple bodies — which was basically just digging a tremendous hole for all of the carcasses to fit in, he was able to finish it in only thirteen hours. Yes, thirteen hours of pure digging.
Bitterness wasn't even able to accurately quantify the number of grievances that Wilhelm currently felt as he kicked the remaining bits of reptile inside of the pitfall, besides big red. Even the exorbitant experience and burial points didn't make such a cumbersome activity close to being worth it.