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Energy Eater - Chapter 23 - Victory
🕑 Added 2024-08-13 13:00:06 +0000 UTC#### Author's Note ####
A friendly advice. Maybe don't read this one if you are eating.
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I stepped back with a smile on my face. The Eater was dead, and I was the one who killed it. It was by no means easy, and my own weapon did nowhere near enough damage to it, but still. A win was a win.
With {Body Regeneration} still running, I took charge of the particles, sending them to the places that hurt the most. My back, which still had issues, and my left shoulder. When I gave up trying to dodge, that side got torn to pieces by the monster. There was still close to 9 minutes on the skill which should give some decent results. Especially since it was more powerful now.
However, as soon as I took over, a sharp pain spread around my body, my muscles were burning, and the spots where the Eater hit me hurt like hell. Especially my chest. I had barely felt anything once the tentacles pierced the skin, but now, it was even hard to breathe.
“The fuck? What is going on?” I gasped, trying not to fall to the ground.
[User took control of particles responsible for {Body Regeneration}, in doing so, the small amount of particles that were responsible for controlling the level of pain user would feel were given different orders.]
“Since when does {Body Regeneration} stops pain?”
[Once user became tier 1, skill {Body Regeneration} was improved as it is closer to its original tier. The new function is to reduce the pain felt by user.]
“Ok, then, can you do that again? While the skill is active. Just the bit to stop the pain, I’ll control the rest.”
[Acknowledged.]
As soon as the System answered, there was a tingling sensation at the back of my head, just at the base of the spine, as the pain vanished. No, not vanished, I still could feel it, and there was a part of me that understood how bad each wound was. It was as if my body could still recognize the pain I should be feeling, but without the actual pain behind it.
“Can I use {Body Regeneration} again? To have another layer of the effect at the same time?” most of the particles were still focused on the wound in my back. It was bad, during the fight the adrenaline kicked in and I didn’t realize what was happening. Not only was my skin and some of the muscles torn, but they also burned, and started to close thanks to my healing skill. However, with each big movement I did, the wound was ripped open again and again. The result was a mess of an injury where each part was healing in the wrong way. If I didn’t fix that somehow, I would end up struggling to move in the future.
[Skill {Body Regeneration} can have two casts overlapping since user is now at tier 1. To increase the number of casts, user must reach tier 2.]
“Perfect,” without missing a beat, I called the skill again. Letting the second cast focus on my shoulder and chest. The first use was already covering my entire back, adding more to it felt like wouldn’t do anything.
“Let me see my status, and the new skill.”
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Cassandra Ydorf - Level 2
Titles: Enduring Heart
Tier 1 - Formless Monk
Mind 3 - Body - 7
Memory - 6 Energy - 1/7 (2 Reserved)
1 attribute point available.
Skills - 6/6
Formless Series - Passive
Energy Storage - Passive - 1 Energy
Memory Bank - Passive - 1 Energy
Body Regeneration - Active - 1 Energy/ 10 minutes
Compression - Active - 1 Energy/ 5 uses
Formless Steps of Prey - Active - 1 Energy/10 minutes
Mind of Possibility - Unavailable
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“More Energy? Really? I just got an extra point,” I gasped.
[According to user’s class description, Energy will have an increased growth rate.]
“Perfect, I’m not going to complain about that. Also, put that free point into Mind.”
[Acknowledged.]
“What about the new skill?”
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Formless Nodus Swipe - Active - Fledgling
Cost: 1 Energy
Single use
Using the image created by Nodus Secundus, the Formless Monk performs a move that mirrors the tail of a dragon.
Delivers a powerful blow when the attack is made in a swiping motion.
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I glanced to the Eater, its body was still there, but if memory served me right, it was now letting out a smell that repelled other animals. I had no idea what it would do with another Eater, or even if there was one nearby, but for now, this place felt safer than anything else. Turning back to the System, I asked. “Can we do that thing with {Mind of Possibility}? To see the skill?”
In front of me, standing over the Eater, Proxy appeared again. That pseudo holographic version of myself. She got into a fighting stance, took a step back, and went for a spinning kick. Aimed at the large rock. However, it didn’t look like anything special. There was no glow or anything of the sort, and she only hit the stone without doing anything. It looked more like it was just showing a regular move as a comparison. My theory was quickly confirmed. Proxy got back to position and went in for another kick. This time, an orange glow appeared around her waist and moved along her leg, creating a constellation. Once her heel connected to the rock, a massive crack appeared, almost as big as the power behind Burst of Strength without its limiter.
Proxy then presented her leg to me, and there was no wound. Not even a scratch. She then stepped back as my staff appeared in her hand. As she got into position, holding the pole with both hands and going for a spinning attack. The glow this time spread from her waist, following all the length of the staff. The impact against the rock sent splinters flying off in various directions. Even if the rock still stood strong, there was a large chunk completely broken, and cracks covered the entire structure.
Despite the incredible sight, I was focused on something else. For a brief moment, just before the attack connected, the constellation of particles spreading across Proxy’s body and staff looked like the tail of a dragon. An actual tail. Scales, spikes, muscle, the whole deal. I thought the text was just something to make me happy, but this truly looked like something made to mirror a dragon. Now, let’s be honest, a dragon, an actual dragon, if they were a thing, would crush a rock like that without even attacking it. But still!
I really wanted to take that skill, but there was nothing to take away. {Compression} was still too good, without it I wouldn’t have been able to kill the Eater, and {Formless Steps of Prey} kept me alive for way longer than I thought it would be possible. I still didn’t have enough Energy to think {Energy Storage} was unnecessary, and {Memory Bank} was the only way to save a skill for later. {Formless Series} would be required for that skill, and I won’t even dream about getting rid of {Body Regeneration}. So… I couldn’t get that one. Not right now.
With a sigh, I told System to save Formless Nodus Swipe for later. There would come a day when I got to use that skill, it was just going to be later. Maybe I could even swap them when I was in a safe place to play with the new toy. Once the 10 minutes of both {Body Regeneration} casts were over, I felt much better, but my back and my shoulder were still not in peak condition.
Using the skill one more time, my Energy dropped to 0. Walking along the forest like that would be dangerous. Sure I could’ve done that before the System, but what was the point of having this kind of power if I couldn’t use it. Sys noticed my frustration, and we had a brief discussion before they gave me the best, worst suggestion I ever heard.
[User could consume the liquid still present in Eater’s body. Said liquid has a high concentration of Energy and can not only refill users’ Energy but also {Energy Storage} or {Mind of Possibility}. The amount of Energy recovered will depend on how much user consumes.]
I paused, it was one thing to drink that white blood in a moment of desperation, but now… my stomach churned just by thinking about it. Not because of the taste, that was fine. It was more the concept. I would be eating an Eater’s blood. An Eater that might have devoured my friends, my family. However… giving me Energy wasn’t the only benefit. It could give me a skill. An Eater skill. The ones I’ve had saved my life again and again, could it be something even better? So what if I had just gained an incredible skill and couldn’t use it, the Eater could have something that was worth swapping for? And if that really was made out of someone I knew, leaving it here wouldn’t change thigs.
Steeling myself, I walked over to the Eater’s body, kneeling down before the pool of white liquid forming on the ground.
‘It’s just water, it’s just water, it’s just water,’ making a cup with my hands, I closed my eyes and started drinking.
After just a couple of sips, the System said, [User Cassandra has reached maximum Energy. Would user like to convert remaining Energy to {Energy Storage}, {Mind of Possibility}, or into SP for the next level.]
‘Storage then {Mind of Possibility}, if both are full, then to SP,’ I replied. That was the easiest way to do things. Everything that ended up in {Energy Storage} could be used for something else, and I had no intention of coming up with a decision right now.
I kept drinking, and trying not to think, just gulping down the ‘water’ in front of me with my eyes closed. After I don’t know how long, I made a mistake. Opening my eyes to see how much was left, I saw a few broken black tendrils floating in the water. They were unmoving, but they were clearly part of the Eater. Yet, they looked like worms, parasites created by the Eater. Swimming in the white blood I was drinking.
Seeing that made me lose the fight against my stomach. I immediately threw up, leaning my body to the side.
“Fuck this. I’m done,” I retched again before standing up and leaving that body. No skill was worth that.
Using a different puddle, one with only rainwater, I started to clean myself. Even sloshing some water inside my mouth to get rid of any residue.
“Tell me I at least got a decent amount of Energy,” I asked the System.
[User has completely filled both {Energy Storage}, and {Mind of Possibility}. Remaining Energy was converted into SP, advancing the progress to the next level by 45%.]
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Current level - 2 - tier 1
Progression to next level: 73.1%
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“What the fuck. There was that much Energy in there?”
[Correct. System also identified signals of Energy having been under an effect similar to {Compression}.]
“They Eater compressed Energy itself? Can I do that?”
[User is unable to replicate the effect. Data suggest either a different skill being used to create that condensed Energy, or the presence of an organ that assists with said process.]
I looked back at the Eater, sitting in a pool of that luminous white liquid. It almost felt worth it to drink that… almost.
Triggering {Body Regeneration} one more time, I grabbed my staff and walked away. Even if I wanted to turn the Eater in a weapon or something, its body would quickly decompose, and the liquid… hopefully the rain would wash it away. If an animal decided to drink that, maybe I could hunt it later to get some more SP.
Without the creature around, I was finally free, and all I wanted was to search for Pops.
To the east there was a large river, and a settlement by the shore. That was the closest place to my old home. If people survived, they likely went there. Especially since we used to trade with them. Usually, the trip took two days, but that was mostly because people needed to stop and rest. With the amount of Energy coursing through my body, the actual Body attribute I currently had and a sparse use of {Formless Steps of Prey}, I think I can get there by sundown.
