Chapter 22

Delirious

Janus could feel a warmness radiating from his wounded arm that only intensified as he continued onward. Worried, he stopped and looked at the arm. The skin was a bright red, and his arm had swollen where the snake originally bit him.

Maybe I should go back, but how am I going to get out of this place with only one good arm?

He hoped the tunnel marked on the map was lit and close enough to the ravine floor that there would be little climbing. It was a gamble to trust the map. Whoever had drawn it did not seem very concerned with measuring distances. Janus could only guess that he had been heading in the right direction.

The ravine intersected with the tunnel he had come from at a 90-degree angle. According to the map, if the ravine was long enough, he should reach the other tunnel at some point. The problem was not knowing when.

What if I turned back just before I got there?

The thought was not a comforting one.

-

Janus wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It was difficult to focus on anything but the pain coming from his arm. He wondered if it was the product of an infection or venom from the [Rock Constrictor]. There was no telling which would be worse. If it was venom, maybe he could just wait long enough for it to wear off.

He almost missed the next group of [Rock Goblins] as he stepped into another small collection of huts. Thankfully, the creatures appeared to be just as surprised as he was.

Janus used his new spell, creating masses of reinforced mana and launching them into the diminutive monsters. It was less effective than the arrow point arrays, but each projectile was comparatively cheaper than a mana arrow. He had to improvise a solution to push the reinforced mana through the air, but directed mana explosions seemed to do the trick. He wasn’t sure if it was the same method the [Rock Goblin Shaman] had used.

The new spell was brutal, and it sometimes took two or three of the projectiles to defeat a single goblin. It was much less refined than the mana point array. It felt like Janus was just bludgeoning the monsters to death. But it worked, and soon the entire camp had been cleared out.

[You have defeated an enemy: Rock Goblin] x5

[Your Mana Reinforcement skill has gained 1 level]

[Your Mana Burn skill has gained 1 levels]

He spent a moment checking his recent notifications. The skill gains he had made recently were pretty significant. [Spell Weaving] gained skill levels very slowly, but that made sense to Janus as it was an evolved skill.

He was considering his next move when an arrow shot out from the darkness. Reflexively, he attempted to raise his wounded arm to deflect the projectile. The arrow sliced into his swollen flesh and a mess of blood and pus poured from the wound.

Moron! Using your arm to stop an arrow!

Janus lit the area with a flash of light and found his target.

[Rock Goblin Shaman - Level 25]

Why is it using a bow?

Janus prepared a pane of reinforced mana. Moments later, another arrow bounced off the barrier. The improvement Janus had learned from the last Shaman had strengthened his reinforced mana significantly. Janus suppressed a smile.

Don’t get cocky. You can die at any moment down here.

He cautiously approached the goblin and realized why it had been using arrows instead of skills.

It doesn’t know the same skills as the last shaman!

The revelation immediately changed the nature of the fight in Janus’ mind. The shaman had used a skill to create a thorny ring of green light around its body. Janus could see the mana from the skill expanding in every direction from the ring. Without his mana sight, he would have only seen the ring itself.

He wasn’t entirely sure what the spell did. It didn’t take long to figure out as he inched closer. The mana sprang out from the goblin, almost as if it was a living thing, and formed hardened spikes of mana. It was like a thorny shell, preventing Janus from getting close. The shaman fired another arrow. It passed through the shell harmlessly and narrowly missed Janus’ head. The strange spell had distracted Janus. He had nearly forgotten that the goblin was trying to kill him.

Janus created a small mana marble and tossed it towards the shaman. It rolled along the ground until it bounced off of the protective shell. He detonated the pearl and with a pop, the explosive mana shattered a portion of the protective shell.

The shell is being maintained by that array near the shaman’s body. It isn’t super durable, but it can easily deflect attacks and reform afterwards.

The real benefit of the spell was the caster’s ability to fire projectiles out of it from within. Janus’ mana barriers blocked his own attacks as much as they defended against enemy attacks. He was in a unique position to study the strange thorny mana array as long as the goblin could maintain it.

I need to check on my arm, but this spell could be really useful.

Janus was certain he could disrupt the array with by launching a few balls of reinforced mana at the shaman. The first would shatter the protective shell and the follow up attacks would hit the array and disrupt it. However, doing so would make it impossible to study the array with his mana sense.

He was confident that he could stretch the fight out long enough to replicate the skill, though, and erected more mana barriers to defend himself. The goal wasn’t to defeat the goblin, but to survive long enough. And Janus was confident that he could survive. He even took a moment to check his arm. Thankfully, the arrow hadn’t pierced the limb. Instead, it had sliced through his swollen flesh.

It was nauseating to look at, but not serious enough that it couldn’t wait.

It didn’t take long before Janus could replicate the array. It lacked the offensive nature of the goblin’s defensive shell, but he was sure he could figure out the thorns as he got used to the new spell. Unfortunately, his mana was running low. He would have to finish off the goblin sooner rather than later.

Janus launched several reinforced balls of mana, one after the other. The first two shattered the shaman’s defensive shell and the others slammed into the shaman’s body. The shaman was knocked back into the ravine wall and the green ring circling its torso dissipated.

Janus made sure to keep up the onslaught, forming an arrow point array above the shaman and watching the mana arrows fall.

[You have defeated an enemy: Rock Goblin Shaman]

[You have gained a level]

[Your Spell Weaving skill has gained 1 level]

[Your Mana Burn skill has gained 2 levels]

Mana burn tended to level faster the closer Janus was to running out of mana. He always had a general concept of how much mana he had left in his mind, but only knew the specific number if he checked his status. Worried, Janus did just that.

Status Name Janus Alamy Class Enhancer Level 26 Guild None Life 459 / 544 Mana 37 / 760 Stamina 499 / 598 Stat Total Base Class Skill Item Strength 49 26 0 23 0 Endurance 46 26 0 20 0 Dexterity 28 26 0 2 0 Intelligence 125 26 52 47 0 Wisdom 105 26 26 48 5 Skill Level Bonus Bravery 4 5 Wis / Lvl Writing 8 1 Wis / 5 Lvl Sprinting 7 1 End / 5 Lvl Spell Weaving 6 20 Int/Wis + 1 Int, 1 Wis / Lvl Pow. Enhancement 3 20 Int/Str + 1 Int, 1 Str / Lvl Mana Reinforcement 19 1 End / Lvl Mana Burn 16 1 Wis / 5 Lvl Staff Fighter 2 1 Dex / Lvl Empty --- --- Empty --- ---

His life had constantly been on the line, but he couldn’t argue with the results. Fighting things solo raised his skill levels very fast. Most delvers he had spoken with didn’t even have an evolved skill. Although, the skill requirements were often more than just raising the skill’s level.

Janus didn’t have the time to consider his skill gains. His mana was almost completely empty. He might not even have enough in the tank to seal the arrow wound in his arm back up. He glanced at his arm. The swelling had actually reduced quite a bit.

Maybe sealing the wound up trapped the pus inside.

He sat and went through his pack, ripping apart what was left of his blanket. Taking the strips of blanket, he formed another bandage.

This will do until I have enough mana to deal with it.

The amount of health that Janus had lost was the most alarming thing on his status. Almost a fifth of his total life! Confronting death in such a quantifiable way made Janus’ head spin. Knowing just how he could go until he died wasn’t really something he had considered before.

Level 26… I think that’s the level Devon was when I met him.

Janus had considered the scarred swordsman to be untouchable. The man had always seemed so much further ahead, so much more experienced. Janus wasn’t sure what to think now that he was in the same position.

Thankfully, the [Focus] that Dario had given him allowed him to regenerate his mana much more quickly. It seemed to be more effective when he wasn’t fighting, but that might have just been his imagination. Time seemed to slow down whenever he had to fight for his life, anyway.

After about an hour of resting, Janus attempted to seal his wound. The mana flowed over the cut and the skin began to mend.

[New skill obtained: Lesser Healing]

Cost: 50 Mana per second

Cooldown: 10 Minutes

Description: You can heal moderate wounds. Serious injuries take more time to heal. This skill will not heal significant internal injuries.

Bonus Stats: 1 Wis per level

Janus lost concentration on his spell as the notification entered his mind. He could nearly cry as he read the description.

The mana cost is insane, but I should be able to fix my arm completely with this!

It was an incredible relief. Once he healed his arm, he could climb out of the ravine. He could even return to the tunnel he had come from now. He didn’t have to place all of his bets on the other tunnel that may or may not be up ahead.

Activating the skill, Janus gasped. The pain slowly faded from his arm and the wound finally closed for good. It took nearly all of his mana to completely heal his arm, but he couldn’t stop himself once he had started. He hadn’t even realized his arm caused that much pain until now.

[Your Mana Burn skill has gained 1 level]

I might actually make it to Bear Station at this rate.

He remembered the system when it had given him [Str. Enhancement]. It was a similar situation to the one he was in now. It was a mystery why the system hadn’t tried to give him the [Arrow Point] skill, or any of the other skills he had replicated. Perhaps they were class specific? Maybe the system would only grant him a skill that he couldn’t feasibly replicate?

Janus wasn’t sure. If Tsula had made it out of Crow Station alive, he would have to track her down and get her insight.

Reinvigorated, Janus stood and shouldered his pack. His excitement had given him a burst of energy.

I should still wait for more mana before I push on.

He had to control himself, pacing back and forth for almost another hour until most of his mana had returned. He noted that this dungeon did not seem nearly as hostile as the one Dario had taken him to. Perhaps that would be another question for Tsula.

He was tempted to remain in the dungeon once he had finally found the exit. With the healing spell, he might be able to safely gain levels against the [Rock Goblins]. It was especially tempting to try and find other shamans with new skills to replicate. However, Janus wasn’t sure if his food and water could hold up to any more delays.

The new healing skill had him so giddy that he had to suppress a whistle as he walked.

Keep a calm head. The skill is just another tool. I can’t become complacent after coming so far.