19 Chapter 19: New Weapon (1/2)
Wilhelm surveyed his familiar surroundings and couldn't help but feel strange. The things he had just seen felt so real, yet distant. The emotions that Doffy felt, and the life he led. Whether it was his goals, dreams, fears, or even fate, Wilhelm was aware of them all.
A peculiar feeling arose within his heart as he scrutinized his new pair of hands. They looked relatively normal, besides their slender and unfathomably graceful appearance. He stood there with a blank look, unsure of how to proceed. His body was still wounded, and the ant carcasses remained.
The dark and humid cave was a painful reminder of where he currently resided. The blood filled ground and frigid weather felt colder than before. The bodies which were still fresh and his wounds that dripped with blood meant that only a small amount of time had passed. In contrast, Wilhelm felt as though a few months had transpired.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead in a self-deprecating manner.
The number of surreal events that had taken place in the last month was uncountable. Monsters, dungeons, and even twisted visions took place. None of that mattered much to Wilhelm, but the thought of burying the dozen or so ant bodies brought him much rage. How many more times would he be forced to dig graves?
With these thoughts in mind, he begrudgingly used his knife to start digging. It wasn't because he wanted to, but because he felt compelled to do so. Like it was some kind of inevitable fate, there was no other choice.
Wilhelm's tired and ragged body was kicked into second gear as he dug. His injuries were closing up a pace visible to the eye. Not only that, but a few more strands of black hair appeared on top of his head.
Unfortunately, Wilhelm was far too focused on the burials to notice anything. He continued like this until one giant hole was created. Instead of making several, he figured that making just one would be easier.
He pushed the ants into the pit and covered it back up with dirt and debris. Once that was complete, he fell to the ground and waited for the systems notification.
[You have received 1200 experience for successfully burying twelve Formicidae]
[12 burial points have been acquired]
Wilhelm heaved a sigh of relief and dragged his mutilated body back to the flame-lake. He wanted to test out his new abilities and stats, but his body was much more critical at the moment. His wounds needed to be cleaned and wrapped, so that they would not be infected and cause disease down the road.
He followed the trail he had marked with his fingernail and soon returned to the lake, where the sparkling-clean water greeted him with open arms. To the untrained eye, the lake looked inviting and beautiful, but to Wilhelm, it resembled death's door.