5 Returned To The Hunt

Several minutes later... - The Chittering Forest - Joyde's Point Of View...

System Message

The Chittering Forest welcomes you with open arms, old hunter.

+20% movement while in the instanced zone - The Chittering Forest.

Oh wow, the forest actually remembers me? I'm flattered. You see, although I had no idea about the town's existence, the forest surrounding it is familiar to me. Its also the reason why I already knew so much about the boars, I've been here before.

Sneaking silently into a bush, I release a minor grunt as my scythes erupt from my hands. Calming myself down, I close my eyes.. think... how did I use to do this? Ah, that's right... I remember... Focus on the sounds and colors around you, on the earth and stone, feel the skies and the cold winds breeze...

System Message

Your insight has allowed your Chaos Soul to reclaim one of its former powers. You have regained the skill, Living Aura.

Living Aura is a skill which allows its user to connect to the life around them, allowing them to detect all and any lifeforms within a one hundred meter radius.

"Chaos and Life are one and the same. To differ one from the other is a fool's errand. One must realize that they are, as an individual, forever a part of a greater whole." - The Teachings of Rhean, ch1, part 3.

As this skill only levels up alongside your Chaos Soul, it has been set to MAXED and cannot be improved without being absorbed by or absorbing another skill of the same type.

The Teachings of Rhean? I don't remember writing a book, although its highly possible one of my former followers recorded and wrote the things I've said before because I remember that particular sentence when I first taught a squadron of soldiers how to properly hunt. Come to think of it, one of them was a young elven man, it could easily be him. Wait, does this mean that anyone who unlocks this ability gets to read my words... lovely.

Shaking my head out of my stupor, I reopen my eyes as the world turns mostly grey, allowing the hot orange colors of the living things around me to become visible. There's a boar some fifty meters to my left, drinking from what seems to be a small pond.

Silently, I approach the boar while making sure to contain my KI as I do. Reaching the bush closest to the boar, I leap forward but not with twin fang as it is likely the boar will dodge, putting me in an unfavorable position. Instead, I use Chaos Rush to charge into it, promptly making it lose balance."SQUEE!" It squeals loudly as pain erupts from its sides, several ribs being broken as my fist and scythe's dig into its flesh.

CRITICAL HIT! (244dmg) Wild Boar (lvl12) has started bleeding.

I grin widely as I watch half of its health bar disappear and nearly all of it become red. Normal Health is colored green, red health means you have a dot on you which will take the indicated health away unless removed. Without a moments notice and the grin still on my face, I tear my scythes out, causing even more bleeding damage. The boar shivers and tries to regain its footing but, I quickly vault over it and, shoving my scythe deep into its mouth, say with a crimson smile, colored by the boar's blood."Game over."

Another critical, this time fatal as the boar falls down onto the ground. Two items drop from the boar, a piece of Boar Meat and a Femur but I throw them aside as looting animal bits without using the proper skills to acquire them makes sure that they're of the lowest possible quality. And I have absolutely no need of such things. Low level players may pick them up so they can sell them out of a desperate need for money but I certainly don't fit in that category, now do I?

First things first, I walk over to the nearest tree and tear off the lowest branch, then I use my spey blade to sharpen said branch. After that was done, I lift the boar so its head is in my hands and promptly impale it upon the branch. Then, using the same knife, I cut a ring around starting below an ear and continuing all the way around the neck keeping underneath the other ear. The effect should be sort of a necklace cut all the way around the boar's neck.

Then I use the trailer knife to, quite literally, trail a ring across the top of each of the boars legs. Then I cut a similar ring just above the knee and right afterwards I connect these rings with a shallow straight cut, peeling off the skin using the spey knife to cut the fat, when necessary.

Starting at the necklace I've made before, I use my trailer to cut the skin off the body. Then I grasp the top of each upper corner of skin with my hands and pull them down, peeling the skin off carefully, as I need it to result in the highest possible quality.

I repeat this process until there is no skin left and then put the boar back down onto the ground as I throw the torn skin over to the side onto a pile and take the best looking bit into my hands.

Thanks to your careful and detailed work, you've acquired a high quality Wild Boar Skin.

Your Survivalist skill has increased by 10%.

Success! Although... 10% is a bit much for a single skill increase. Then again, its probably because of my Chaos Soul and its ability to *Remember* my previous powers, which means any skills which I've had on Rhean will probably advance exponentially quicker than something I didn't have.

I then use the spey knife to cut deep into each of the rings around the boars legs, to the point where the bones become clearly visible. Then, sticking the needle-pointer in between, I dislodge the joint, promptly separating the leg haunch from the rest of the body as I cut through the other side now that the bone is no longer holding it.

I repeat this process three more times and then loot them.

You've acquired four Wild Boar Haunches - Transformed into 12 pieces of Wild Boar Meat (High Quality).

Your Survivalist skill has increased by 5%.

Considering how adding names for all the animal bits would be nothing more than a headache, other than in special exceptions, the game transforms them into regular meat. That said, humanoid body parts are all named and separate as inventory items, which is something that I and every other player out there who have actually dissected somebody just to see what would happen if you brought a freshly severed head to an NPC find immensely funny.

"Heh.." I chuckle to myself as I remember a certain forum thread for the beta where some dude cut off his friends head and then showed it to him later which then made the game bug out and the whole server crashed. Hopefully, Aurelius has managed to fix that by now.

Managing to cleanly cut off the meat on the backside of the boar, I turn it around to its belly and do the same, gathering 23 three meat in the process and maximizing the amount to 35 pieces in total. That's the difference between using a skill and just killing something. One low quality meat, in comparison to 35 pieces of High Quality meat. I mean, I guess that considering I only got 35 pieces because of my previous skills, but that's still a bit much.

Then again, I remember that I only managed to procure 4 pieces of low quality meat when I first started the game so maybe I'm just over exaggerating this, but there should at least be some form of balancing aspect, like a limitation of 10 meat per boar.

Regaining my senses, I find myself having already dislodged all of the boars bones and looted them.

You've acquired fifteen Wild Boar Bone (High Quality).

Your Survivalist skill has increased by 5%.

Nodding to myself at my good work, I set the butchered remains on the side and dig a hole in the ground, burying them with a prayer."May you be reborn in the flames of Chaos."

System Notice

Respect The Forest and it shall, in turn, respect you, old Hunter.

+5% to all stats while inside of The Chittering Forest.

All these small benefits gained for small things... I wonder if this just means how people are dicks and nobody does this at all, because that's the only reason why I can see myself getting all of those buffs. Anyways, what's my stamina at? Why am I asking? Because skinning a boar usually makes your character tired, especially when you are as focused as I was just now.

Stretching myself, I say."Show Stamina Bar."

System Notice

Error: You possess no stamina bar.

... Wut...

Blinking at the system notice, I tilt and shake my head in confusion. I have no stamina bar? Did they seriously remove that from the game?... no, that can't be right. Wait a minute, this probably has something to do with my Chaos Soul, does it not? Think, Leo, think!

Hmmm, maybe the unstable energies which tore my new flesh apart when I regained my Chaos Soul kicked this body into overdrive, a constant state of regeneration which would make it impossible for me to grow tired.

System Notice

Due to your immense insight, you have realized one of the aftereffects caused by having your Chaos Soul inhabit new, non-attuned flesh.

Suddenly, a burst of power surges through me as I fall to my knees with a grunt of great and terrible pain."HURGH!"

System Notice

The unstable, latent power that your new flesh was incapable of fully containing has started to leak through, allowing your Chaos Soul to use the very energies which destroyed its new flesh to repair and adjust.

Your leaking Chaos Energy grants you +10/s health regeneration and +50/s stamina regeneration which is more than any of your current abilities take, thus completely removing the Stamina bar from your status.

As your Chaos Soul repairs its host flesh through time, these benefits will be weakened. Once your flesh is fully repaired, you will be granted a new skill "Hellfire Overdrive" which will serve a similar function.

You have gained +10 intelligence for this realization.

Your strength has increased by 5.

Your agility has increased by 5.

Since Insight is already MAXED, the 5 points you've gained just now will be allocated to vitality. (Chaotic Life-Force effect applied, bonus doubled. +100 hp points)

Time until next Breakthrough - 14h 34min 55s

The pain passes away as swiftly as it came and I form a wicked smile upon my face. This means that every time my soul achieves a breakthrough, the passive regeneration will weaken but I will gain stats in turn. And the excess Insight turns to health? Wow, that's not overpowered at all. Just how I like it.

"Beep! Boop! Oh what's that, my little robot? Your sarcasm detector is going haywire? Well no shit, dumb ass. We're watching Leonardo, after all." Harold's amused voice echoes in my mind as I let out a laugh.

Standing up from my kneeing position, I take another look around using Living Aura and, finding my next boar, I rush towards it with newfound glee clear upon my frame."CHAOS RUSH!" The sheer momentum of my charge instantly killed the poor boar as I slammed into its neck, breaking it with a savage strike.

Turning around within mere moments, I realize that I've charged into a whole pack of wild hogs, ready to bore me to bits. Grinning savagely, I feel my eyes widening with glee as I Twin Fang into the nearest boar, tearing through its spinal cord with relative ease.

CRITICAL HIT(365dmg)! Vertebrae Severed! Wild Boar Matriarch(lvl15) is unable to move!

Laughing as I realize that I've just butchered an elite mob without breaking a sweat, I dodge a charging boar with what looks to be a glowing aura around him."Oh, whats this? Did I hurt your bitch?"

"GRUUUUUUEEERH!" The Boar Patriarch charges me again and I sidestep his charge and position my scythe towards his mouth as he approaches. To his credit, the patriarch manages to avoid being fully sliced in half and receives only a slight cut through his snout.

Grinning, I kick him aside, making the boar lose his footing and fall but before I could finish him, another younger boar charges me but, not having learned from watching its elder, rams himself fully onto my awaiting scythes."Devour." I say in the heat of the moment, causing my Chaos Soul to completely devour the poor creature, leaving not a trace of its existence as the ability finishes.

System Notice!

Your satiety bar has been maxed. Eating any more will make you feel sick.

And here comes the first drawback of what seems to be another overpowered ability at first. Devour, as its name might hint on, fills your satiety bar when used. Later levels of the ability create a so-called *Chaos Stomach* which allows you to use the ability on bigger creatures, but for now I'll have to make due with one boar's worth.

The Patriarch stands up on its legs weakly, looking at me with pleading eyes, accepting defeat."If I leave you now, you'll just be targeted by other predators as you are much weaker without your family."

I tell the beast for I know it can understand. Soon, the boar lowers its head in acceptance. Silently, I approach him and place my hands around his neck."May you be reborn in the flames of Chaos." With a resounding crack, I snap it, killing the Patriarch.

Turning around to see the still squealing but not moving form of the matriarch, I approach her and place my fist under her neck."May you be reborn in the flames of Chaos." My scythe erupts suddenly, ending the matriarch's life relatively painlessly as it tears through her skull in an instant.

Yawning into my palm, I gather the boars onto a pile, but before I can do anything else, the sound of footsteps echoes from behind me."Look guys! Its an evil player!"

"Huh?" I mutter out, already annoyed as I turn around to face a group of four people."What do you want?" I say threateningly, but keep my KI aura down as I look at their levels.

Five, seven, three and seventeen? So the mage is trying to power level her friends, eh?

Without answering me, she turns around with a finger in the air, as if she is a teacher about to explain something."You see, EUPHORIA, like most MMO's, is full of jerks and assholes who do bad things and make life hard for other people. This guy is one of them. Killing him gives you a boost to fame and may even get you an invite to some secret factions which deal with disposing of trash like him."

"Oooh, are you going to kill him?" The group asks with smiles of curiosity. The fools.

She grins as her white cape twirls around her, following her frame as she turns to face me."Yep! I don't know what managed to do as a level one, but you sure are an unlucky one!" She says to me as she lifts her staff high into the air.

Great, a fucking white mage has appeared, just what I needed right now."FIREBALL!" She exclaims loudly as I let the blast hit me at full force... thing is... Chaos Souls kinda... make the bearer immune to most fire attacks. This low level fireball is one of them, yeah.

Thinking that I'm dead, she turns around with a proud smile."And that, ladies and gentleman, is how we deal with evil as-URGH!" She stops dead silent as my Twin Fangs tore through her lower back and out of her stomach.

CRITICAL HIT! (214dmg) Vertebrae Severed! White Mage Selindra (lvl17) is unable to move.

"As a supposed wannabe heroine, you should never underestimate a bad guy." I tell her, annoyance clear in my voice as blood gathers in her mouth and I force her down onto the ground before firmly planting my foot onto her neck.

CRITICAL HIT! (211dmg) White Mage Selindra has been silenced!

Having fully dominated her, I turn my face upwards to face the shivering and terrified forms of her friends."Drop any items and money you have onto the ground and scram."

Within moments, the shove whatever equipment they possess onto the ground alongside their coin pouches and run away... well, the girls do, but the dude who is a level three warrior, the lowest of the group, stands his ground."Don't worry, Sel! I'll sa-URG!"

Not wanting to let his heroism poke at my sanity, I stab my scythe into his stomach and dig into it with my hand. He apparently realizes what I'm about to do and shakes his head in negative, pleading me."D-don't!"

I then ram my other fist inside of the open wound and grab his spine from the inside as I raise him up into the air."IRYAAAAAAAARH!" I grunt out with glee as I tear him in two, blood and guts covering me whole.

"A-a-aaah, aahh, aaiiii..." Several fearful echoes come from behind where the warrior previously stood as the remaining two members of their party stand on shaking legs, yellow liquid leaking down their legs. I grin as I approach them."Hmm, what a perfect opportunity to have some fun, don't you think, girls?"

They shiver and shiver as the right one tries to leave the game, repeatedly pressing that *Dive OUT* button... however, you cannot leave EUPHORIA while in combat. Grasping them both by the neck, I speak."Fortunately for you two however, I've already managed to acquire my woman for the day..."

And with that, I make my scythes erupt once more, tearing through both their skulls before I rip their heads clean off their shoulders, manic laughter escaping me as I do."M-monster..." A silent voice is heard from behind me as the girl, Selindra manages to mutter out, having downed a healing potion which was enough to heal her crushed throat, but not her back.

Walking over to her with a smile on my face, I crouch down in front of her."Y'know, while what you tried to do here is most certainly annoying... I feel like I should thank you, Selindra."

She gulps in deep as the last bits of her hp bleed away."T-thank m-me?"

I beam at her with a wondrous smile, causing the woman to slightly blush despite the situation."You've made me remember why I never quit this game in the first place..."

Standing up and positioning my foot above her head, I exclaim with a crazed expression."After all... BUTCHERING PATHETIC WHELPS LIKE YOU NEVER GOES OLD!" And with that, I slam my foot downwards, promptly shattering her skull and killing her.

System Message

Due to your immense brutality, you have acquired a new passive, Savagery!

Savagery has been absorbed by two of your main skills, Battle Feast and Hunger For Carnage!

Savagery grants you a 20% chance to proc an activation of the skill Hunger For Carnage by a non-fatal blow.

Savagery makes all of your critical attacks double the current bonuses granted by Battle Feast! (Stackable: 2x)

These bonuses can be achieved when fighting beings considered lifeless, unlike the previous ones.

System Message

Your Chaos Soul revels in the slaughter!

Your strength has increased by 5.

Your agility has increased by 10.

Your intelligence has increased by 2.

"Through carnage, I feast!" - The Chronicles Of Rhean, ch 5, pt 9.

System Message

You've killed several innocents, but since they attacked you first, you will lose no fame.

+20 infamy

+Black and Void souls will no longer consider you a gnat. Reputation gains normalized.

+Bonus reputation with White Souls reduced from +100% to +80%

"Kuhuhuuhuuhu, MUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA!" I let out a massive maniacal laugh as realization dawns upon my frame. The main beauty of a chaos soul is that, alongside normal actions, your stats may spontaneously increase via performing certain actions during combat. Like killing everyone in a messy way, basically.

"To live is to eat. To eat is to kill. To kill is to fight.... and to fight, is to live." I spoke silently as I promptly looted all of their available equipment. Even though most of it is nothing more than training gear, its till useful as training gear grants an extra boost of 20% when a repair skill is used on it. And I can just tear the gear up myself once I get a hammer and start leveling up my repair skills.

The mage though, had an interesting weapon on her person."Inspect."

System Message

You've acquired a Legacy Weapon!

Name: ??? Stats: ??? Effects: ???

A strange black cane which you've found on the corpse of a Destined One. This cane fills you with a sense of both familiarity and immense foreboding.

Reading through the message, I take a look on the ground and spot her staff lying next to her corpse in a pool of blood."This wasn't something she dropped... and what's a legacy weapon?"

Shaking my head and figuring I can just read it up on the internet later, I store the cane in my own inventory and turn around towards the dead boars which have thankfully not yet despawned."Well, time to get to work!"

Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...