Chapter 155: Pigs Guild (1/2)
[New rune has been gained: Stealth-I.]
[Stealth-I: Hide the target from creatures with less than 100 points in perception. The effect decreases the more perception someone has over a 100.]
Arthur gained this rune after he killed the undead knight, which was a high-tier monster, by himself. It had a long explanation, but its effects were simple with clear limits.
If someone had less than 100 points in perception, they wouldn't be able to see Arthur. If someone has over 100 points, then the effects start wearing off the higher their perception is.
This would help Arthur if he ever needed to avoid the nuisance of being spotted by both humans and monsters. Of course, for someone with Si's perception, there would be no effect at all. However, this rune was still at its lowest tier. He could work to evolve it further.
It was a moral dilemma as to what he would do with Juan's body. He can either try to return it to his family or stay out of it. In the end, Arthur decided he couldn't explain how he could defeat such a monster. Furthermore, he didn't think his story would like how it ended for him.
After that, he burned the body to ashes. He couldn't leave it here in case another parasite tried to control it. No human deserved to live forever as an undead, not even Juan who had tried to ditch him at that time. That didn't mean Arthur mourned him, it was just basic decency.
Arthur's current level progress was now 23% even after defeating the undead knight. However, it was expected given that more monsters would be needed to level up the higher his level became. He grabbed the core of the undead knight and absorbed it.
[Your mana has increased by 1.]
[Your mana has increased by 1.]
[Your mana has increased by 1.]
This was a hefty sum given how hard it is to accumulate mana the stronger he became. That's why there were very few powerhouses in the world.
Arthur would need to go back to the city for two days. The competition was fast approaching and he needed to be done with it to guarantee his enrolment in Jerano. After that, he would be cramming runes until his ability evolves as well.
For now, he decided that he would keep on hunting. Before that, he used the Stealth rune on his body and felt his presence weaken. As he sprinted and passed some skeletons, they didn't even notice his existence.
He killed them all with his fire rune. It was no longer a hunt but a one-sided massacre. Unlike the earlier platoons, the rest of the skeletons in the valley of the dead were scattered, making them harder for Arthur to kill.
Nonetheless, his progress in levels kept rising and so did his mana. Sadly, he couldn't absorb the essence from the undead. That's why his other stats didn't rise at all. On the other hand, his mana rose explosively.
This had to do with the fact that the undead had more mana than normal monsters. Monsters converted mana to attributes they employed like strength or agility. For the undead, their core was their everything.
Arthur found a group of five skeleton twin-bears. Maybe this style was rather popular among parasites or maybe this was a club of some sort, but Arthur had no mind of studying their behaviors. As he drew near, one of them turned his way in confusion.
This parasite, or undead, ability to perceive things was higher than its peers. That didn't stop Arthur from dashing into their midst, raising his arms, and flailing wildly as a fire tornado engulfed the five monsters.
The one with high perception walked toward Arthur, covered in the flames that he had survived. It clawed in an attempt to behead Arthur but a barrier rose to block the attack.
”Don't struggle against death, this isn't your world, to begin with.” Arthur punched at the bear's torso, splitting it in half with a loud crack. The monster swayed before it fell.
The rest of the monster also kept trying to rearrange their bones, connect them using mana, and survive the flames. However, Arthur gave them no time and took away their cores.
[Your mana has increased by 1.]
[Your mana has increased by 1.]
[Your mana has increased by 1.]
…
The notification kept rolling as Arthur left a trail of bones as he passed through the valley. As he killed another human-spider, the sweet message of leveling up arrived.