Mark cautiously walked through the dark tunnel. It was damp and cold inside. He heard the echo of his own footsteps. His sword was in his right hand, and the wound on his left arm was cured by the healing potion.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1H8p45odRP
"I need to think of a plan," Mark muttered to himself.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWDS0ma66D
As a soldier, Mark was well aware that penetrating the enemy's defenses blindfolded was not the best idea in the world. He stood in a wide open cave and took a moment to assess the situation. In his mind, the blue box with his character's stats appeared right in front of him.
[CHARACTER SHEET]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoT0vEPrcE
Name: Mark Vance84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVi2H0sdD9
Class: None84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRnVxlBulI
Level: 1 (45/100 XP)84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf7u8o0uWG
Health: 95/100
It said that Mark only needed 55 XP to level up. Mark was wondering if something good would happen when he reaches level 2. Would his stats increase? Would his wounds be healed automatically? He had to find out for himself, which meant more fighting.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxI8gHqwnLv
Mark moved deeper into the cave. The tunnel's incline became steeper. He took some strategic footsteps in the dark and used the shadows to conceal his movements. After walking for about ten minutes, the tunnel finally opened up into a large cave.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kvjzD3fbi
Unlike the dark cave that he was just in, this one was lit up by the soft glow of giant mushrooms. In the center of the cave, a few creatures were busy munching on the glowing fungi.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwX9bJ195sx
"Snakes?" Mark muttered, looking at the creatures. They kind of reminded him of giant, ugly rats with rock-like spines on their backs. The strange creatures let out a crunchy sound as their jaws worked against the thick mushroom stems.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmySMm5NtvK
Suddenly, the text appeared above the creatures' heads.
[Spiked Rodent - Level 1]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRtExrZG5c
[HP: 40/40]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSupBq53pd
[Spiked Rodent - Level 1]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fxUMSBufH
[HP: 40/40]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXVTw75uP5
[Spiked Rodent - Level 1]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPrauGLXP7
[HP: 40/40]
There were three of them. Mark remembered that in the military, it was not advisable to start a gun battle against three opponents without backup. However, those little guys looked easy to kill since they only had 40 HP each. Mark took a good look at the terrain to plan his attack. He was lucky that there was a narrow space between two boulders nearby.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qYCHaUlJL
"Choke point," Mark murmured, analyzing the situation. "If I can get them to follow me there, I'll have the advantage since they will have to attack one by one." With that being said, he picked up a small rock and threw it as hard as he could. It made a loud clacking sound as it hit the wall near the rodents.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObDrjE4AzU
The three Spiked Rats stopped chewing on the mushrooms and turned their heads toward the sound. After a moment, they turned around and saw the soldier standing near the cave entrance. The creatures squeaked furiously and ran toward him. Mark didn't run in fear, instead, he nonchalantly walked towards the narrow passage, where he had seen the opportunity to strike. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and got ready to fight. The first Spiked Rodent almost reached the narrow passage when the other two bumped into it and slid on the floor.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTEi3ARD7f
The first one jumped up and down in excitement and attempted to finish the human off with its jagged teeth. Fortunately for Mark, he dodged the attack using the Danger Sense skill and chopped off the creature's head with a single powerful blow from his heavy iron sword.
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[Good Hit! You dealt 22 damage to the Spiked Rodent.]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0meDdC1qSs
[Target is dazed!]
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The rodent's body spun around several times before falling on the ground. Mark wasn't done yet and ran toward the Spiked Rodent to deliver a killing blow. He planted his short iron blade right through its neck and killed the creature.
[Enemy Defeated! Spiked Rodent (Lv.1) killed.]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0boYhoebXI
[You gained 20 XP.]
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Before the screen could clear, the second Spiked Rodent jumped over the corpse of its friend and immediately started attacking Mark. It was really mad and started throwing the spiky rocks from its back at him.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ll1I5KX2T
"Ugh, those things are fast," Mark growled, raising his left arm to shield his face. Two of the pointed rocks embedded themselves in his leather vest, while the third one scraped his cheek, drawing blood. [You took 8 physical damage. Health: 87/100].84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xqZ9U8PdF
"Nice try, but you're too slow," Mark muttered, using his boxing skills to slip through the attack and quickly jam his short blade into the second Spiked Rodent's chest.
[Critical Hit! You dealt 35 damage to the Spiked Rodent.] The second rodent squeaked in pain and surprise before dying.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEuEuVbOWX
[Enemy Defeated! Spiked Rodent (Lv.1) killed.]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOXa17DW38
[You gained 20 XP.]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECoruqoOcB
[Experience: 85/100]
Mark faced the last Spiked Rodent. It looked petrified as it tried to run away. "Oh no, you don't," the last one squeaked, trying to escape in the opposite direction from the glowing mushroom forest.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUhppK6L6B
"I can't let you go," Mark growled, chasing the creature. Since he was bigger than the rodent and had longer legs, it only took him three steps to catch up. He raised his steel short sword and delivered a powerful horizontal strike. The weapon cracked the last Spiked Rodent's ribs, sending it sliding across the cave floor.
[You dealt 15 damage to the Spiked Rodent.]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HDjrkxnjA
[Enemy Defeated! Spiked Rodent (Lv.1) killed.]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7z8h76QKi
[You gained 20 XP.]
Suddenly, the beautiful golden light surrounded Mark's body. The cut on his cheek vanished as the dull pain in his body transformed into a wave of pleasant sensations, filling him with energy. A few more screens appeared in front of him, sparkling with light.
[LEVEL UP!]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwRs4Q0hcl
You have reached level 2!84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVKRBYaybI
All Health and Mana have been restored.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVUWauCi1u
You have received 5 Attribute Points to spend.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoManU3pwl
You have received 1 Skill Point.
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Mark let out a happy sigh, being overwhelmed with emotion. He felt absolutely fantastic, as if he had just finished a seven-course dinner and a good night's sleep. The leveling system in this game was something else!84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBdBhKKwJp
Mark sat on the cave floor and took a moment to enjoy his achievements. "Five attribute points and one skill point," he said quietly, looking at his new character sheet. He knew he had to wisely put his points; every attribute point and skill point mattered in these kinds of games. Mark had a lot of things to consider because he chose the class of a frontline soldier. Strength and Constitution were the most important stats for him, but Agility was also needed to dodge attacks. He decided to raise Strength by 2, Agility by 2, and Constitution by 1.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZvzgiNv7b
As soon as he put his attribute points, Mark felt a slight improvement in his physical condition. His muscles became a tiny bit stronger and firmer, and his legs were getting more agile. Mark focused on his skill point. A new box with skill descriptions appeared in front of him.
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[AVAILABLE SKILLS]84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydHwjJtRDk
Heavy Strike (Active - Level 1): Cost: 10 Mana. Your next melee attack deals 150% physical damage. Cooldown: 10 seconds.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJqr8nnXX9
Sprint (Active - Level 1): Cost: 5 Mana. Increases your movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jA8ewPPU1
Inspect (Active - Level 1): Cost: None. Allows you to see monster, item, and environment descriptions.
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Mark thought it over for a moment. Heavy Strike and Sprint were useful combat skills, but he was in an unknown world with no idea about its rules and dangers. In the military, the most critical asset was always the information. Specifically, knowing the enemy's weaknesses was the most important strategic advantage.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTilO0Kug0u
"I choose... Inspect," Mark announced loudly.
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[Skill learned: Inspect (Level 1)]
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Mark smiled as he looked at the glowing text.
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[I'm inspecting the Spiked Rodent's corpse: A common underground monster. Its meat is quite bitter, but it is edible when cooked. The spines can be used as needles...]
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"Bingo," Mark said, cutting off thin slices of meat with his short iron sword. He remembered the survival skills taught in the army and thought that there was a decent chance for making some fire. He stood up and looked around the cave with a renewed sense of confidence.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSy95CDT0c
Mark stared at the large wooden door at the end of the mushroom forest. His adventure in the world of Aethelgard had only begun!
and then Add to home screen.