Enhanced by Unholy Mana, Matthew’s stats increased by more than twofold. Meaning that, basically, his level skyrocketed from level 39 to something close to 100. However, as Faralynn and the others showed, lower level creatures in a group were more dangerous than the sum of their levels.Fighting two Quibungos at once, both at level 50, Matthew was having a hard time.
Even though Belial’s blade could easily cut through most Vital Shields, hitting your target depended solely on the skill of its wielder.
The Quibungos vocalized loud gritty howls from their mouths on their backs, taunting Matthew to attack them. When Matthew stepped forward to cut his target, they stepped back while the other one tried to get Matthew from the back.
Matthew was forced again and again to dodge.
When he brought out his gun to shoot them, they quickly separated and repeated their strategy to draw his attention on one side while the other tried to attack on the other.
Matthew had one gun in his hand and shot at the Quibungo who ran between the thorny vegetation at high speed. He knew he had to be smart. Now that he understood how the two monsters fought, he devised a plan.
He permitted that the monster on his back approached while he kept shooting at the other. Matthew was patient. Using his Sixth Sense skill and his Sense Others skill, he waited until the last possible moment.
The Quibungo jumped, bringing both his sharp talons at Matthew’s back, but its claws only met air in its way.
Matthew melted into the shadows at the precise time, using the miasma covering him as a smoke screen. While the monster looked around trying to find where Matthew went to, he was the one to surprise the creature this time.
Aym’s blade swung in a wide arc, taking both of its legs. The natural blade heat cauterized the wounds and it didn’t bleed. Matthew had materialized himself at the Quibungo’s back. It didn’t even see where the attack came from.
With Belial’s sword, Matthew pierced its head while it tried to run away with its hands.
At the same moment, the second Quibungo threw a huge rock at Matthew that hit him and made him stumble and fall onto the ground.
It then charged at full speed at Matthew and mounted him, pummeling him hard as a monkey against the ground. And then it grabbed Matthew by the waist and lifted him from the ground, taking him over its head and into the huge mouth on its back.
Matthew was a bit stunned by the blows he took, but the stench of that creature’s mouth brought him back to the moment. Before its teeth closed on him, he used his Witchcraft skill to inflict a feeling of disgust on the Quibungo.
It threw Matthew away as if he were a rotten fruit.
He landed on his feet and charged forward, not giving any time for the beast to straight its back.
The Quibungo jumped back and dodged Matthew’s first slash. But with bad posture, it lost its balance. Its talon slid on the loose rocks on the ground. It fell on its back.
From there it was done. Matthew took its head with surgical precision at an impressive speed. The dark blade slicing its vertebrae like butter.
Matthew took a deep breath. And then looked around searching for any other enemy, but there was none.
"Matthew!" Faralynn called him from a distance, running in his direction with her bow in her hand.
"Here!" Matthew called her. "I’m ok. They’re dead."
"Thank the goddess." Faralynn said while Mia and the others approached.
"I guess that’s over." Eric gave a relieved sigh.
They returned to the camp. Adrenaline was still pumping in their blood, preventing them from getting any more sleep. The sun would be up in a couple of hours.
Matthew sat down with the others in a circle. Each one fiddled with their stat screens, they all leveled up.
And then Matthew looked at his own.
"Congratulations!
You drew a tier 1 class!
Healer"
Healer. Drawing a level 1 class at level 40 was anticlimactic. Matthew chuckled at his luck. He decided to take the Neutralize Poison skill in case any of them was stung by a goat man’s tail.
"Matthew Lordstone – Level 40
Doctor (T2) – Level 1
Warrior (T1) – Level 4
Gunner (T2) – Level 2
Plague Doctor (T3) – Level 1
Ranger (T4) – Level 1
Summoner (T2) – Level 3
Priest (T1) – Level 2
Necromancer (T3) – Level 1
Witch (T3) – Level 1
Witch Doctor (T3) – Level 1
Caller (T1) – Level 2
Assassin (T3) – Level 1
Berserker (T4) – Level 1
Tautomancer (T3) – Level 1
Mage (T1) – Level 1
Miko (T4) – Level 1
Lancer (T3) – Level 2
Swordsman (T2) – Level 1
Scout (T1) – Level 1
Merchant (T1) – Level 3
Defender (T1) – Level 1
Thief (T2) – Level 1
Dancer (T4) – Level 1
Shadow (T4) – Level 1
Hydromancer (T2) – Level 1
Healer (T1) – Level 2
Worker (T1) - Level 1
Seer (T3) - Level 1
Stats
HP = 63/ VIT = 63
MP = 100/ MAG = 65
STR = 63/ AGI = 65
MIN = 63/ CHA = 61
Skills: Anesthesia (E), Imbue Mana (B), Boost Gunpowder (D), Resist Disease (E), Animal Companion (E), Purification (E), Unholy Mana (E), Witchcraft (E), Healing Totem (E), Summon Spirit (D), Pact (E), Spirit Magic (E), Reckless Agility (E), Berserk (E), Copy (E), Lingering Mana (E), Summon Lesser God (E), Stand Magic (D), Summon Pact (E), Sharpen (E), Sense Traps (E), Identify (D), Vitality Boost (E), Sense Others (E), Secrecy (E), Entice (E), Bless (E), Shadow Form (E), Create Water (E), Heal (E), Inventory (E), Sixth Sense (E), Neutralize Poison (E)."
"What did you get?" Mia asked him while he distributed his free points.
"Healer. My second level in it." He answered.
"Oh. Nice." Mia said, trying to hide her disappointment.
"This makes you the youngest person to reach level 40 in history, doesn’t it?" Faralynn commented.
"Level 40 at 20 years old?" Eric whistled with surprise. "That’s quite a feat."
"Well, it’s been really hard." Matthew laughed.
"Yeah. You almost died more than any other adventurer I know." Vanessa remembered them and asked him for a mana potion.
Matthew distributed mana potions to all.
"Who was before Matthew?" Eric asked.
"The Northern Star." Faralynn said.
"Oh." The big man exclaimed. "Does this mean that Matthew is on the path to reach the Great Three?"
"If he keeps almost dying. Yes." Vanessa was stern.
"Which level are they?" Mia asked.
"I don’t think they made it public. But based on what Monica can do... They must be above level 100 by now." Faralynn pondered.
"100?" Matthew was the one surprised. That was close to the strength of a Demon King, at least a Duke. No wonder they could create a blade like Orpheu’s.
"They’re monsters." Mia exclaimed.
"And what each of you picked for your next class?" Matthew asked. "You who can pick." He chuckled, shaking his head at the irony.
"I’m taking Tautomancer." Mia said. "To use other people’s skills against them." She smiled shyly, afraid of being judged on her build.
"Did you get the Copy skill?" Matthew asked.
"I did."
"That’s smart. A Mage with copy skill can surprise a Warrior when fighting hand to hand. If they expect you to be weak and suddenly you match their strength when crossing blades... That can give you the upperhand." Matthew pondered.
Mia smiled happily. Her thought was to use the copy skill to supplement the fact that her Strength was 0. But Matthew’s reasoning gave her security in her choice.
"I got Assassin. For the Agility. I also got an S in Sense Treasure. Hopefully it will point us in the right direction" Vanessa said.
"I got Samurai. I’m too dumb to use anything but raw strength." Eric laughed loudly.
"You know I’m getting Magic Warrior. I want Spellblade on level 40." Faralynn said, more so that the others would know.
"Nice." Matthew smiled.
He took a deep breath and looked up at the stars. His eyes settled on Orion.
"How do you think Kaoru is doing?" Matthew asked.
"Let’s hope she’s further away from the sword than us." Eric laughed.
Then a terrible feeling took over Matthew. His Sixth Sense skill warned him of danger.
"Duck!" He shouted and none of them hesitated.
The sound of gunfire rang over the night and a bullet embedded itself on the floor missing Mia’s head by a hair.
"How didn’t I sense them?" Vanessa exclaimed.
They looked around. They were surrounded by skeletal figures using leather armor highly decorated with bright colored embodiment and jewelry. They had muskets in their hands and bullet belts around their waists and chests. They wore strange hats made of leathers with their brims raised up and decorated with flowers and stars and coins, all made of gold or silver.
Mia raised a mana wall around them protecting the party from a volley of bullets.
"Fucking undead." Eric gnarled.
Matthew used his Identify on them. They ranged from level 20 to level 30.
Cabra da Peste, he read. They moved like a wild west bandit group, but shot in organized fashion like an army.
Matthew took out his guns. They found the things that killed that adventurer party all those nights ago.