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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72KfoKgXMG
"I need to think of a plan," Mark muttered to himself.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2A8goJSnT
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]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQK1uQ1I9o
Name: Mark Vance21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCjBeDWfAA
Class: None21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iCcQQmIP6
Level: 1 (45/100 XP)21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYy4gPXNs0
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCUUdugx6o
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPcL5XgDKD
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hIboV5Kgp
"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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVpf28CWSR
Suddenly, the text appeared above the creatures' heads.
[Spiked Rodent - Level 1]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRQxxC8JQ8
[HP: 40/40]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqogBgurDy
[Spiked Rodent - Level 1]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1wepknZkS
[HP: 40/40]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqMhQlFudi
[Spiked Rodent - Level 1]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwFkzJpFnM
[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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjEFybpZIF
"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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKIMQyFsgT
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVXgHpIwGu
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.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcTJQJ0a72
[Good Hit! You dealt 22 damage to the Spiked Rodent.]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBJtf04ZDv
[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.]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxG3sZLNA3F
[You gained 20 XP.]
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNCeEB0hBZ
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mF3GLQGvz
"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].21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenUWuG4eN1
"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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPGTtp9CId
[Enemy Defeated! Spiked Rodent (Lv.1) killed.]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKq0nkairk
[You gained 20 XP.]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyFKyrQr9Q
[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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTcPupbKym
"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.]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeou1noiO7x
[Enemy Defeated! Spiked Rodent (Lv.1) killed.]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9VKtrjw2B
[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!]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbz6rOjN6D
You have reached level 2!21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmv9cz52Ot
All Health and Mana have been restored.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCMsewe9kD
You have received 5 Attribute Points to spend.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaOLzgyoqH
You have received 1 Skill Point.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOLWCahJX8
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!21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0B3hlUefzn
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 1.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsZGUpDOaY
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.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTX5T2xCrE
[AVAILABLE SKILLS]21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM2wiGlkGV
Heavy Strike (Active - Level 1): Cost: 10 Mana. Your next melee attack deals 150% physical damage. Cooldown: 10 seconds.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYVUDjviei
Sprint (Active - Level 1): Cost: 5 Mana. Increases your movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiFJXBl9Ji
Inspect (Active - Level 1): Cost: None. Allows you to see monster, item, and environment descriptions.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXs8geInMC
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSl2doXVnZ
"I choose... Inspect," Mark announced loudly.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4aFbmRK1S
[Skill learned: Inspect (Level 1)]
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Mark smiled as he looked at the glowing text.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIa6SvBsaMS
[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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNMhRUrKG2
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.