John's POV

"T-this..."

"Is this what humans call a treasury?"

"Y–yeah– but this much... I've never heard of a Cave like this."

My legs had regenerated after an hour or so and I could now walk by myself. What greeted us as we finished the staircase were piles of golden treasures. Torches that seemed to burn for an eternity by some sort of magic made the treasure shimmer with divine valour. I grabbed one of the coins from a stack. It was heavy and polished. I liked the touch of it.

Turning to the vampire, I noticed how he forcefully calmed himself down. "Yes. This much could probably buy a city or two in the human kingdom," he said. "That's why we must report it to master."

"Report it to master? Why?"

We found the treasure so it should be ours. Why did Ezra want to report it to master?

"So that he can use it." the vampire explained with a smile. "So that he will be satisfied with us."

As I heard the vampire, I felt something foreign yet familiar speak in my mind, alternating between speaking, whispering and screaming.

What are you doing?!

Kill him!

Don't let him take away the treasure... our treasure!

Do it...

Kill him!

I arched back and fell to the ground.

"You okay?" the vampire asked and went over to help me up.

The voice appeared again.

Now!

Slit his throat when you have the chance!

Let him bleed to death!

How dare he want to take away our treasure?!

Urges to unsheathe my sword and let the blood from his maggot-white throat dye the ground red caused my hands to shake. GO AWAY! I forcefully shrugged it off and took his hand. I went over to a stack of treasure and sat down. Massaging my skull, I was trying to figure out what happened there. Why did I want to do that and what was that voice in my mind?

I swept my glance across the room and stopped at a certain object. It was the size of a skeleton's skull, white with crimson round markings on its surface, and lay in the corner of the room on a puffy, indigo pillow. I slowly walked over. As I picked it up, a black screen shone up above the egg, and Eve's voice spoke in my mind.

[You have found a Red-Striped Egg. To hatch, please insert your mana]

Red-striped Egg

–An egg unknown origin.

Species: ???

I was at a loss for words but decided to try to ask Eve.

Sadly, her response didn't help me at all.

[I can't quite explain that, John. The gift of manipulating mana cannot be taught by others easily. However, mana users across the world often say it's similar to being one with your weapon. That is one of the many reasons many warriors often develop into mana users as well as the other way around when mana users want to improve their mana control.]

I shrugged at the explanation and pondered over what do to. Without much to go on other than Eve's words, I put the egg down on the pillow and unsheathed my sword. I then began to swing earnestly, trying to become one with the sword.

"Eve, how do I become one with the sword?" I asked, quite unhappy with how little knowledge I possessed.

[To become one with the sword takes ten years, I've heard.]

"Please, don't make fun of me, I don't want to wait that long. I want to see what happens when the egg hatches."

[Very well, I will stop teasing you. Master has forbidden me from telling you many things but becoming one with the sword isn't one of them. In the end, it will all be up to you. Listen up...]

Sora's POV

After having searched with the squad for less than a day, we found the end of their tracks. The last ones were in the snow front of a mountain crack just big enough for a full-grown beastman to squeeze though. Well, big enough for most. Some of the bigger ones of like the rhino, elephant and bear families would have a harder time.

I wondered if it was a trap set up by the undead but by the orders of our squad commander. We entered and only three from our squad was left behind, told to guard in case the undead escaped us inside the cave. The prairie dogs were left outside as well. They wouldn't do any good inside the cave.

As we stepped inside, I was able to smell their scent. The scent of the sticky Skelly and the vampire who– no, the monster who left Slugy on the brink of death and killed Raia. I whimpered out. Why did I leave? Why did I not stay? My ancestors were probably ashamed of me. A dogman who abandons his allies? Disgracefull!

Some of the beastmen glanced at me in surprise from the whimper but looked away when they saw I was fine. I looked over to the mouseman. He kept his fair share of distance from mine. He knew that if he got close to me, and the others didn't look, even if all I had was a minute, I would tear him apart and dig out his intestines. I may have kept my life by reporting to the squad leader at the nearest outpost but he ran away in battle. He deserved punishment! He deserved a fate worse than death!

After a while of walking, we came to a pair of bronze doors. Only after ten of us pushed our hardest to open the doors did we succeed. Did the undead really open this door with only the two of them? Or maybe they have escaped outside? Maybe I should report this to the Squad leader? On second thoughts, I shook my head. I had seen her contempt for me and the mouseman. It was likely this cave would be where I spent my last moment because of our previous defeat. Therefore, I must avenge Raia. Since I will die anyway, it doesn't matter at whose hand. I'd rather had a chance at killing the vampire and die myself than having the squad commander turn me into bird food.

"They are likely hiding beyond the staircase." the squad commander said inside the great hall loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Hear my words! We are fifty powerful beastmen. They are two weak and detestable undeads. Who will win? Is it them?"

"No!"

"Then who is it?"

"We!"

"Louder!"

"WE!"

"THAT'S RIGHT! ADVANCE!"

We roared at the words of the squad commander. The fiery blood of survival and hate ignited in our bodies and we stormed up the stairs. Even Ozerath Kazaar would have been trampled under us as we charged!

John's POV

I don't why it was so easy for me, but I easily mastered the one with the sword state. It gave me a massive ten percent more strength and agility and was a passive skill. It was after I had mastered the one with the sword state that I began to try and manipulate mana and inject it into the egg.

"Why doesn't it work?" I muttered and continued to visualise my mana flowing into the egg.

I interrupted my mana training and looked over to where Ezra stood. He was busy taking notes about how much treasure there was in the hall. The voice that spoke in my mind hadn't appeared since that time and I couldn't figure out what it was. Like everything unknown to me, I blamed it on my past life. After all, I've never had those impulses. But I guess I was similar down there in the flaming abyss. How I kept collecting items and objects and hanging them in the tree. I called them for treasures and refused anyone to have them. I even stole from other skeletons.

I shook my head and looked down at the egg. It's surface was filled with tongues of crimson red, like flames licking a burning house. I placed my hand over the egg and visualised mana flowing from my hand into the egg. But then a thought struck me. What was mana? Thinking about mana reminded me of the blue health pool in my character menu. Maybe it was like injecting that mana into the egg? I visualised my mana bar pouring into the egg. SHUA!

[You have unlocked a new class by clearing a special condition!]

Mage

–Mages are wielders of a mysterious energy known as mana. They exist in different forms and holds special meanings for all races. Humans call them sorcerers, Dwarves call them tinkerers, and Elves call them druids. There are many other names for these mana wielders, and each and every type walk their own path.

Grade: Uncommon

Effect: 5% increase in wisdom and intellect.

[ Mage Class Passive Skill Selection. Please choose one... ]

– [Fire Mage: Fire Mages are known as the tempest of the battlefield. They control the raging element known as fire and bow to no one. *Enables the Fire Elemental Skill Tree.*]

– [Dark Mage: Dark mages are known as the nastiest bunch of all mana wielders. They excel in summoning beings from the underworld and using them to fight. *Enables the Dark Elemental Skill Tree*

– [Ice Mage: Ice mages are known as the freezing oblivion. They bring destruction in form of cold and can sweep life clean with their incredible chill. *Enables the ice Elemental Skill Tree.*

I was astounded as I was faced with the passive skill tree selection for the mage class. I didn't know what an elemental skill tree was, but I sure knew what a dark mage was. They were necromancers. As tempted as I was, a kind of me was repelled from choosing the dark mage. I would easily abandon my master if I could and if I became a necromancer myself, and summoned these kinds of beings from the underworld... I shuddered. I definitely didn't want to place my trust in others. Therefore, I would not choose the dark mage. Either it was fire mage or ice mage.

Hmm, what was most dangerous. Fire or Ice. Fire... the image of the flaming abyss down in the underworld overwhelmed my senses and made my spine sweat. Ice... yeah, that was not so bad. The mountains we walked through here were not so bad. The cold chilled my bones but it was nothing compared to what I had to feel down there. I nodded. I had decided. Fire mage it was.

[You have chosen the Fire Elemental Skill Tree. Next point will be available at level ten.]

[ Mage Class Active Skill Selection. Please choose one... ]

– [Fire Bolt: A bolt of fire able to scorch an opponent black. Requirements: 20 mana. 10 seconds cooldown.]

– [Dark Bolt: A bolt of darkness able to induce an opponent in a nightmare. Requirements: 20 mana. 10 seconds cooldown.]

– [Ice Bolt: A bolt of ice able to freeze an opponent into a statue. Requirements: 20 mana. 10 seconds cooldown.]

I quickly selected the fire bolt without spending much time thinking. Since I had decided on going down the path of a fire mage I would keep it as such. Also, who didn't fear fire more than ice and darkness? I sure did!

Something made me wonder about this skill tree thingy in the passive skill selection. Why was it different from the other classes?

"Eve, is the Mage class different from other classes? Why recieve a skill tree?"

[It has to do with Mana, John. The Mage class is a class that can't be unlocked without mana and is therefore regarded as an uncommon class. Your previous classes, the Blacksmith class and the Swordsman class, are basic classes and don't require mana to be used. Therefore, they don't reward the user with a skill tree.]

I nodded. Her explanation would probably make more sense as I grew stronger.

Now, back to the egg. I injected my mana by thinking of the blue mana pool flowing into the egg. It worked. I saw a marine blue sheen cover the egg, bubbling lightly like waves. I continued to push mana into the egg and sensed how my mana pool became less and less. Soon, it was only a smidgen less. I gritted my teeth and poured out the last drop.

CRACK. Sudden cracks began to appear on the surface of the egg. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. I looked with wonder as the egg slowly opened up and a small black creature with crimson-colored stripes crawled out. It was covered in light green slime and shook its body to remove it. Almost trying to wriggle out of it. I laughed and looked at my hand. I was hesitant. Then, with a nod, I clapped the creature. It squirmed under my bony fingers. So cute. It had four legs and two wings which were drenched in slime.

KWI–KWE–KCCHI!

The small creature made cute noises and tried to flap its drenched wings. The creature raised its head and looked at me. It had big, blue-pupilled eyes. I clapped its head and the creature pushed it against my hand. A gentle laugh unlike one never thought myself to be able off escaped me. The creature really wa– CRUNCH!

The baby dragon Alrunenth Jr has acknowledged you as his master with a friendly nibble. Beware, If he feels that you have failed to live up to his expectations, he will abandon you in search for someone who is more worthy.