Glowing softly in front of Josh was a gorgeous-looking pearl. It was similar to the one he had seen on Floor 6. Either he had been extremely lucky back then, or it was a reward mostly given for risking one's life. Josh slowly picked up the item. 

<Rank E+ - Bloodline Pearl of the Great Gnoll Hunter.>

-Grants a random ability or form belonging to a Great Gnoll. 

Josh clearly felt that his Gluttony bloodline had helped him so far. He couldn't help but have hopes toward what this new one would bring him. Josh didn't wait any further as he activated the pearl. 

He felt like a kid opening presents or an adult doing an unboxing. Instantly a surge of mana came toward him, but this time it was different. Last time it had gone toward his entire body, but this time it went toward his eyes only. 

Josh could feel his eyeballs becoming numb. Then came an unbearable itching. Yes, this wasn't a sensation that was supposed to be possible for an eyeball, but that's how it felt. He felt like his eyes themselves were already in the process of evolution. 

Josh instantly opened his status screen to look at his skills. 

#SKILLS# (28)

-D Weapon Mastery

-E Great Gnoll Bloodline: Piercing Eyes 

-U (F) Gluttony Bloodline: Endless Stomach

Wow. Somehow Josh had raised his Weapon mastery along the way once more. His Gluttony Bloodline was at the same rank that it used to be. However, Josh had noticed that he had been eating more and more recently. Perhaps this was the precursor to a rank-up. 

Now, he needed to figure out what this new ability really meant. Josh tried driving mana to the best of his capabilities toward his eyes, but he failed pitifully. Every skill he had used so far was possible thanks to his equipment. 

Josh felt like his body was akin to a truck with lots of fuel (mana) in it. But, without a driver, it wouldn't be able to actually move by itself. The set equipment was the one that somehow controlled all the mana to make it do something amazing. 

Josh really wished that he'd be able to see more clearly through this whole mana problem one day. That is when his vision changed! The world became filled with a red hue, a blood-colored one. For a second he questioned his sense before nodding in understanding. 

It seemed like he had unknowingly activated the Piercing Eyes ability. It seemed like wanting to see the world in a new light had been enough to trigger it. As he activated the ability, Josh realized that it barely took any mana. It actually felt about as hard to keep active as it was to breathe. 

There was actually something else at the location of the fallen Boss. There seemed to be a stack of white bones. At first, it confused Josh, but then he guessed that this thing was somehow related to the giant bone bow the Boss had carried.

<Bone Fragments>. 

- Assemble them all for a surprise. 

How many were there? Josh would slowly figure it out later. Ah, but now his only priority was to exit the Tower and train this new vision ability of his. Back in the real world, there was something sketchy happening. For some reason, people began staring at him as if he was a freak. 

He somehow still made his way back home without being stopped. That is when he began in-depth testing. He tried the Piercing Eyes with every possible kind of luminosity. It actually gave Josh the ability to see in the dark! Wow! He kept trying it until he gained perfect mastery of it. 

But there was way more to the ability. It wasn't just utility, no there was also a cosmetic aspect to it!  Whenever he activated it, his eyes would look like bright red lasers. Yes, for him, that was the best part of it. He glanced in the mirror while giving a devilish grin, his eyes glowing red. Yes, perfect!

Josh, then decided to instantly return to the Tower. He once more went to fight the Boss Gnoll. He quickly used the same completely ridiculous strategy to defeat it. Soon a red-glowing-eyed Josh was defeating his green-glowing-eyed nemesis. 

How long would he have to collect bone fragments in order to get a new item? Josh didn't know, but he felt curious. After killing the Boss there was a one-hour cooldown before he could use the white and sticky ability. 

That is when Josh simply decided to use his plan B. This one did not require any sneaking around nor did it involve any specific item.  This is how he began fighting the gnoll Boss head-on. Also, how he ended up getting his ass kicked.

Josh had the perfect plan, or so he thought. He'd somehow use the trash gnolls to fire volleys after volleys at the enemy! Friendly-fire FTW. Then he would move in for the kill. Now, there was a huge issue. The stray gnolls didn't dare to even raise their weapons at the Boss….This was bad! 

Furthermore, the Boss's power itself was way higher than Josh had expected. It was so damn strong! The hellish version was actually shooting fast and true! It was akin to fighting someone with an aimbot! 

How could Josh even survive such a situation then? Well, as he kept killing random gnolls while fleeing, he somehow managed to drop a wooden bow. At that point, he still had no ammunition. After killing way more gnolls, Josh finally dropped a few projectiles.

That is when began some extremely sad-looking archery combat. This fight lasted so long that it had Josh questioning life. Well, it was more the fact that any single faux-pas and he'd be dead. Meanwhile, he barely scratched the creature with every attack.  As he kept dodging like a Boss, he finally managed to take down his enemy.

Let's just say, the many times that Josh killed the Boss afterward...He used the meat method! He simply waited the hour before attempting it again and again. Somehow the Boss was getting slightly intelligent but still couldn't resist the smell of food. Josh could even use the waiting time to drop some more normal bows to sell. 

Josh kept going until a new bow stood in front of him.  He couldn't help but gasp appreciatingly to it. It wasn't that it seemed that strong. No, there was a super cool ability. Yes, it was the exact same as the gnolls to generate arrows out of nowhere! Actually, it was out of mana but whatever. 

<E+ Bow of The Great Gnoll Hunter.>

Still, this fight had been an eye-opener. Josh needed to find a way to remedy his lack of skills. Sure, he had a few from the sets…but would that be enough for his climb? 

Probably not…

****

[A/N] Artwork in Comments ^_^v, fan art