This time, the darkness posed no obstacle; he saw as clearly as if it were midday, a gift from his newest title. When equipped, the title replaced his Night Vision skill with Nocturnal, transforming him into a creature of the night. His senses sharpened, his vision turned flawless, and his speed and damage improved. Though drawing his new blade would halve his newly enhanced speed, he had decided to save that for specific situations anyway.
With this advantage, he chose the right path this time and raced through it. Not a single living creature crossed his path. It seemed the entire cave system belonged to the Boa, and nothing dared trespass, which was good news for Corvin.
After nearly ten minutes of relentless running, he burst into a vast chamber.
Bones were scattered everywhere. Piles stacked like hills, remains of monsters and beasts of every kind. Corvin froze, staring in disbelief. How many had the serpent devoured? Was its strength born from the countless lives it consumed? A chilling thought struck him: Will I have to take just as many lives to grow stronger?
He drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’ll do what’s necessary. Boridus… Father… You’ll all die by my hand. Whatever it takes.” His fists clenched, anger twisting his pale face.
Slowly, he moved deeper into the chamber, scanning for anything of value. Another thought gnawed at him: What is this world, really? Judging by the bones, the snake had lived for centuries. But wasn’t this supposed to be a training place, a system-created space? I’ll have to ask the system once I escape… if I escape. He chuckled bitterly and sighed.
After appraising countless remains and finding nothing, Corvin reached the far end of the chamber where a massive nest lay. Three enormous eggs rested there: two shattered long ago, their occupants long gone, and one still intact, silent and unmoving.
Instinctively, Corvin appraised it and froze.
[Dud Egg of Cave Boa]
Rarity: Rare
An unhatched egg of the serpent. The egg failed to hatch because the ambient mana and mana within were insufficient for the embryo’s development.
“So, monster eggs need rich mana to grow…” Corvin murmured, resting his hand on the shell. “Interesting. Could this be worth something?”
[The Night Lord title is interfering with the incubation process…]
“What the hell does that even mean?” Corvin barked, jerking his hand away. But before he could think, another chime echoed in his mind.
[Due to the user’s interference, the impossible has occurred.]
[Use 50 MP and 100 HP to restore balance within the egg and hatch the beast?]
[Yes] [No]
Corvin stared at the prompt, muttering under his breath. “What is this? You want me to sacrifice all my mana and a chunk of my health… just to hatch a monster that might kill me?”
He hesitated, then frowned. Wait. If the system offers this, maybe it’s worth it. And I can recover my health, and mana probably as well, after leveling up, just like last time, I also have those potions I took from the goblins… Hmmm….
“Ah, screw it. Whoever said Corvin isn’t a risk-taker?!” He grinned, slammed his hand on the [Yes] prompt, and shouted, “Do it! Let’s risk it!”
[Sacrificing resources needed for restoration…]
Pain exploded through his body. Corvin collapsed, clutching his head as his heart and muscles twisted in agony. Mana and vitality drained like a flood, while the egg pulsed with ever-growing dark miasma.
[Anomaly detected. The user’s vitality has unpredictably influenced the hatchling.]
[Reconstruction in progress… 1%]
Gritting his teeth, Corvin forced himself onto his knees, eyes locked on the notifications. Before he could process what was happening, his ears twitched as the footsteps echoed from the tunnel.
“Fuck, those green bastards are coming. Aaaah, I don’t have time for this, and I feel like shit right now.” He groaned, staggered to his feet, and yanked a dead hobgoblin’s spear from his storage and drank two healing potions. Then, moving fast but silently, he slipped behind a mountain of bones near the entrance.
****
Corvin gripped the spear, even though he had never wielded one before. Against goblins, speed mattered more than skill; drawing the Coilbreaker would have been suicide.
Echolocation.
Soundwaves rippled from his body, sweeping down the tunnel. The image formed in his mind: five small green figures, daggers glinting faintly as they moved with unnerving speed. Their bodies were lean; their eyes adapted to darkness.
Scouts… or assassins…
If he struck first, he could take a few down. As long as he had enough health, the amulet’s poison would finish the job. And in this darkness? He was faster and stronger than ever. A plan crystallized, stab, retreat, let poison do its work.
A grin tugged at his lips. Time for the mole man to show his power. A flicker of madness danced in his eyes.
Behind him, the egg pulsed violently, releasing waves of miasma interlaced with faint flashes of white light. The massive black shell now glowed like a beacon in the Boa’s nest.
“Great. Another damn problem.” Corvin smacked his forehead just as the goblins slipped into the chamber, their eyes locking on the fading light.
One screeched. The others followed, creeping toward the nest.
Don’t think so. Leave my investment alone. Corvin growled inwardly, appraising the five before lunging into the attack.
[Goblin Scout Lv. 34] [HP: 1,240/1,240] [MP: 100/100]
[Goblin Scout Lv. 25] [HP: 675/675] [MP: 50/50]
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[Goblin Scout Lv. 27] [HP: 770/770] [MP: 55/55]
[Goblin Scout Lv. 29] [HP: 870/870] [MP: 80/80]
[Goblin Scout Lv. 20] [HP: 420/420] [MP: 35/35]
Their health isn’t that much higher than mine… but underestimating them would be stupid.
With a sharp whoosh, Corvin lunged from behind the bone mound, driving the spear into the weakest scout’s back. The weapon flared green as his HP ticked down by one.
The goblin shrieked, daggers clattering to the floor as dark green veins crawled across its skin almost instantly as it writhed in agony and fell rolling on the ground, screaming like its whole body was on fire.
Oh, nice! This works great! Corvin chuckled, eyes gleaming.
“Come at me, bitches! Time for payback!” He spun and thrust at the next goblin, but this one was ready. It dodged with a hiss while the other three fanned out, circling him like predators. Their snickers grated against the silence. They could smell his lack of strength.
“What the hell are you laughing at, freaks?” Corvin snarled, sweeping his spear in a wide arc. The goblins leapt back, but one wasn’t fast enough; its forearm split open, instantly blackening.
The goblin screeched, hacked off its own arm without hesitation, and bound the stump with a rag tied at its waist before retreating behind its kin.
“Aren’t you proficient?” Corvin muttered coldly, realizing just how bad the situation was.
Before he could run away and plan his next move, the three remaining goblins darted forward in a blur. Corvin raised his spear, but it was too late. The poisoned goblin behind him lunged, sinking its teeth into his ankle.
“AAAAAAH! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Corvin roared, pain ripping through him. He couldn’t shake it off as the other three were already upon him.
“Fine! COME AT ME!” He bellowed, hurling his spear with everything he had. The weapon whistled through the air, impaling one goblin mid-leap and slamming it into a mountain of bones.
The other two shrieked and drove their blades into him, one into his left shoulder, the other into his right forearm, as he raised his arms to block.
[HP: 49/300] [MP: 0/50]
A crimson pop-up flashed before his eyes. Great. I might actually die. And to the damn goblins.
“Why is it damn goblins again. Every fucking time shit happens to me, it’s the damn goblins.” Corvin roared, hurling the two goblins off him with raw strength, summoning another spear from his storage, and drove it straight through the skull of the goblin still gnawing at his ankle.
[-1 HP]
[Damage dealt: 100%]
[Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 1,000]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Light flared around him as wounds sealed and his Magicka core brimmed with mana.
“Hahaha! Two levels and full heal. Let’s fucking go!” Corvin yanked the spear free and turned to the remaining four. One was armless, another lay impaled and bleeding, while the last two glared at him with murderous intent.
Kill the armless one first. He is the closest one.
Corvin leapt high, nearly brushing the cavern ceiling, and hooked onto a stalactite. A grin split his face. Hehe, I’m so clever. He melted into the shadows, smirking as he prepared to attack.
The goblins froze, panic flickering in their eyes. Their vision was perfect for navigating caves, but not for piercing deep darkness. They had no way to find darkness-covered Corvin, who waited like a predator.
They fumbled for small clay pots, which filled their pouches, and hurled them upward. Corvin smirked until the pots shattered against stone, erupting in bursts of fire.
What the?! Holy shit! His grin vanished. Time to end this.
He dropped from the ceiling like a cannonball, summoning Coilbreaker midair. The grotesque blade cleaved the armless goblin clean in half, smashing it into the ground as Corvin landed with fury-filled gaze. Corvin stored the weapon in a blink and drew his spear again, ignoring the fresh level-up notifications.
The two remaining goblins screeched and vanished.
Invisibility? Oh, great. A dark grin curled his lips. Echolocation.
Soundwaves rippled through the chamber, painting their positions in his mind. One was charging for an attack. The other sprinted toward the exit, likely to call reinforcements.
*** Skill Level Up: Echolocation Lv. 3 ***
“Yeah, yeah…” Corvin chuckled, veins bulging as he hurled his spear. It sliced through the air and impaled the fleeing goblin’s back. The creature shrieked as invisibility shattered, poison crawling through its veins.
*** Skill Unlocked: Basic Spearmanship Lv. 1***
The last goblin hissed and lunged in a suicidal rage.
“Coilbreaker, say hi to our new friend.” Corvin summoned the blade and swung it like a bat. The blade connected with the goblin directly and slammed it into the cavern wall with a sickening crunch. The creature coughed blood before sliding lifeless to the floor.
Corvin laughed, retrieving his spear from the nearby corpse. Level-up notifications flickered again as he stalked toward the final goblin, barely clinging to life.
“Bye-bye, bitch.” He drove the spear through its skull with a satisfying crunch.
[Damage dealt: 100%]
[Experience gain reduced due to the user’s Constitution]
[Experience gained: 1200]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Corvin ignored the pop-ups, walked over to the other goblin next to the exit, yanked his spear free from the corpse, and stored both weapons. His ears twitched, but he couldn't hear anything else.
He took a moment to breathe and stabilize his thoughts. That was intense, but I managed to do it. I can do this. No backing down now anyway... He waited a bit to cast Echolocation again to double-check. Soundwaves rippled outward, but the chamber remained silent.
“They’ll send reinforcements once they realize these scouts aren’t coming back.” He cursed under his breath. “Fine. Let’s see what I’ve got and prepare for the next wave.”
His status screen flared to life:
Level: 6
EXP toward next level: 30%
Status Points: 12
HP: 550/550| MP: 50/50
Strength: 20 [+5]
Agility: 8 [+10]
Intelligence: 16
Vitality: 25
Magicka: 5
Mana Regen: 2.6 / per 5 seconds
Luck: 4
“Haha! Twelve points to spend? Hell yeah!” Corvin laughed, exhilarated. “Alright… Vitality first. That was way too close. Five points there. Five into Magicka, I need that Miasma Breath unlocked fast! And two into Luck. Can’t hurt. That should be good for now!”
He confirmed the allocation. Light surged around him as his muscles tightened, skin thickened, and his heartbeat thundered like a war drum. Mana coursed through his Magicka root, pulsing with raw energy.
Only his Luck raising he couldn’t feel at all, he hoped that it would do something in the future. “Can’t be worse than zero...” He shook his head, scooping up the goblins’ crude daggers and stashing them. Firecracker Bombs and Poison Darts joined his storage as well.
“Goblin hunting pays well,” he muttered with a grin, striding toward the nest.
***
At the back of the cave, the egg was now shrouded in a swirling black mist, flashing dim light in rapid bursts. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
[Reconstruction in progress… 98%]
“This thing’s growing fast…” Corvin’s pulse hammered as the progress bar froze at 99%.
[Due to the user’s influence, hatching speed increased.]
[Additional energy required.]
[Use remaining Mana and 100 HP to complete the process?]
[Yes] [No]
“Fine! Take it all, gods damn it, I’m not stopping now!” He slammed the confirmation.
Agony ripped through him again as he collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest as his life force drained away.
The egg convulsed violently, cracks splitting wide. Darkness exploded outward, swallowing the chamber. Then something stirred within the void.
A slow, deliberate movement stirred the black mist. A sleek black serpent slithered free, two meters long, its scales glistening like polished obsidian.
It raised its head. Bright yellow slit-pupiled eyes locked on Corvin. And atop its skull, a single horn, pure white, glowing like a beacon in the gloom.
“What the hell…? Shouldn’t this be another Cave Boa?” Corvin whispered, stunned.
[Celestial Neather Boa]
Cave Boa reborn through absorption of vitality from an impossible existence.
[Hatching complete.]
[Hatchling has recognized the user as its parent.]
The serpent hissed softly, gliding toward him. It stopped inches from his face, then lowered its head and rested it on his shoulder.
[Achievement unlocked: Are you… my mommy?]
“I’m WHAT now?!” Corvin cursed, staring at the glowing horn and the creature coiled around him.
Achievements:
Do the Impossible- Kill an Epic-type monster while at level 1
Are you, my mommy? – Hatch a new species of monster and make it recognize you as its parent.
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