Chapter 230: Out of the Frying Pan (1/2)

Zac started absorbing energy for his core the moment that they settled in for the night, holding a divine crystal in one hand and a miasma crystal in the other. As soon as the core was filled up he began the process of turning back to a human again.

Since he had already turned he first thought about staying that way for a while. He could take the opportunity to both gain a couple of levels and work on his quests. However, in the end he decided against it, which was why he was currently emptying himself of miasma from all his pores.

There were a few reasons to this. The most important was the safety issue. There were dangers both known and unknown prowling the mountains, and his combat prowess was far higher in his human form. Perhaps that would change in the future, but for now it was safer to have access to his Hatchetman class. He only had one skill at the moment, and Zac believed that the best use for [Deathwish] was to handle large groups of weaker enemies.

Secondly, there was the issue of Thea. He had already explained that he had gained the ability to gain a second life by turning to an undead, bu the never mentioned anything about a second class. He was therefore a bit leery about grinding his class while traveling with her.

She had proven herself to be a solid ally through thick and thin during the hunt, but the had also realized that family was extremely important to her, even if she was a bit of a loner. If he for some reason came at odds against the Marshall Clan she would stand with them, and he was unwilling to show all his cards at this juncture. He knew he'd already slipped up a couple of times by now, but he could only channel his inner Ogras and strive to do better from now on.

A cloud of miasma was slowly gathering above Zac as he expelled everything in his body until his vision once again began swimming and he lost consciousness. When he woke up again he was relieved to find that he wasn’t bound like the last time, but Thea was still sitting close-by observing him.

”Pretty impressive,” she commented when she noticed that Zac was back to being a bonafide human. ”Are you able to turn into anything else as well?”

”I’m not some shapeshifter,” Zac muttered as he cracked his neck.

He truly needed to find a better method for the change. Having to die just to turn was a huge pain in the ass, and it felt extremely uncomfortable as well. Every cell in his body screamed for sustenance, but the had to repress those basic impulses and let his body slowly get drained.

”So what’s next?” Thea said as she started setting up her tent.

They were inside a small house at the foot of a mountain, but she still chose to erect her one-man tent. She had done the same every night since they started traveling together, and Zac guessed she wanted some privacy as she slept. He knew it wasn't an issue of not wanting to get dirtied by the floor beneath since he'd seen her caked in both blood and grime the last days without as much as lifting an eyebrow.

”Nothing’s really changed. We should start hitting the top tier palaces again if you’re up for it,” Zac said after mulling it over for a bit.

Thea nodded before she got into her tent, leaving Zac to take the first watch.

Zac sat down next to the doorway of the structure as he looked out into the darkness. The darkness this night didn’t seem very oppressive and he could spot the weak stars in the sky, meaning that there probably wouldn’t be a nightly assault this day.

Since he had some time to spare he decided to go over his gains from the past day, and first opened his status screen.

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

62

Class

[F-Rare] Hatchetman

Race

[E] Human

Alignment

[Earth] Port Atwood - Lord

Titles

Born for Carnage, Ultimate Reaper, Luck of the Draw, Giantsbane, Disciple of David, Overpowered, Slayer of Leviathans, Adventurer, Demon Slayer I, Full of Class, Rarified Being, Trailblazer, Child of Dao, The Big 500, Planetary Aegis, One Against Many, Butcher, Progenitor Noblesse, Duplicity Core, Apex Hunter, Heaven's Chosen

Dao

Seed of Heaviness - Middle, Seed of Trees - High, Seed of Sharpness - Early

Core

[F] Duplicity

Strength

370 [Efficiency: 116%]

Dexterity

221 [Efficiency: 116%]

Endurance

375 [Efficiency: 116%]

Vitality

239 [Efficiency: 116%]

Intelligence

90 [Efficiency: 116%]