Chapter 41. Struggle Against Time.

Main Story from the Protagonist's Perspective.

In brief recounting the recent battle, one could say it went relatively smoothly, aside from a few mistakes made by Adil. Perhaps he made them because of me, being distracted by my attacks, but the main outcome remains—the victory over the spider. Now, the spider's large body slowly sank to the bottom of the swamp.

System Notification: +2700 experience points. Level Up Level Up Level Up

Upon seeing the notifications, I immediately began allocating the new skill points. I currently have 12 distribution points. This time, I decided to increase my health and agility, investing all points in them. The distribution looked like this:

Name: Temir

Race: Human

Age: 22

Level: 18

Strength – 20 (15+5)

Agility – 13 (7+6)

Intellect – 54 (50+4)

Health – 180 (135+45)

Speed – 65 (35+30)

Mana – 378 (350+28)

My damage also increased, now reaching 145, significantly boosting my overall damage. I think it's time to make use of that dagger; I just need to check its damage. Storing the axe in my inventory, I immediately pulled out the dagger and armed myself. According to the information panel, my damage was now:

Damage: 190 (145+45)

Now, I have 40 more damage than during the spider battle; perhaps I could even disable one of its legs with a single strike. By the way...

""Ever, will you convert the spider's body?"" - I asked her.

""Are you sure?"" - she inquired.

""What's the problem?"" - I replied with a question.

""Won't it raise questions from the people around you about where the body went?"" - she almost chewed up her response in a questioning tone, likely filled with sarcasm.

""Just didn't think about it."" - I uttered, covering my face with my hand. If it weren't for the people around me, I would have definitely slapped myself.

""But I can make it look like the body scattered."" - Ever said after my mental agony.

""Well, you could have done that right away."" - I said, but quickly added after second thoughts. ""Of course, I understand that you were teaching me, thank you."" - I said. I don't know why I'm so afraid of her, or rather, afraid of offending her.

""Initiating conversion."" - she said in her usual tone. After her words, the spider's body beneath me began to quickly sink into the swamp, and the remaining visible legs seemed to dissolve.

Quickly using ""shadow leap,"" I found myself on the islet where the wounded were being treated. Looking around, I noticed Adil's figure emerging slowly from the muck, and I hurried towards him. Approaching him, my hand reached out to him; somewhat bewildered, he took my hand, and successfully leveraging it, he climbed onto the patch of land.

As he rose, he immediately pulled out a water bottle from his inventory, which he promptly used up, dousing himself with it—or more accurately, using it to clean his armor and sword, which had gotten quite dirty.

Throughout the time he tidied himself up, I stood silently, unsure of what to say now. I had conflicting feelings of joy and resentment; mostly, I was grateful to him. Perhaps if he hadn't come then, I wouldn't be here now, but if he had come with me, killing the spider together would have been much easier. In general, I had many thoughts, ranging from joyful to sad. Okay, I'll keep quiet, but Adil, too, did his things in silence, although he threw glances in my direction. Our silence eventually lasted long enough until Sasha, who had approached us, spoke up.

""What are we going to do? Will we go in search of Arachna, or will we stay with them?"" - she asked, addressing mostly Adil than me.

This question made me ponder. Of course, I could leave the summoned birds with them, and most of them seemed more or less fine, but they've been healed and could provide resistance, although not against the boss, but against a monster similar to the previous spider, they definitely could. Mostly, the question is whether a spider similar to the previous one will appear here, or will it be Arachna, the dungeon boss?

"How many points did I earn?" I suddenly asked Ever.

"For that, you earned 1250 points; currently, you have 1270 base points available," she replied.

"Alright... What can I do with that many points? Is there an ability for... Oh, I've got it! Look for an ability for quick mana regeneration," I said, realizing what I currently lacked.

"Mana? There are several abilities suitable for you. The 'Shadow Deception' ability creates illusions with mystical power upon activation. Shadow illusions penetrate through enemies, dealing damage that immediately converts into mana, transferring to you," she explained, waiting for my nod.

"The next ability is 'Magic Flow,' a passive ability that operates based on the strength and number of enemies around you. The more and stronger the enemies, the faster mana will regenerate," she continued, patiently awaiting my next nod. Earlier, she used to list all abilities in a row, which took time for consideration, but now she seemed to be guiding me, as one would assist a child choosing candies in a store. It felt strange, though.

"And the last ability is 'Arcane Essence,' allowing you to exchange your health or enemies' life energy for mana. Passive in nature, it responds to any decrease in health, whether yours or your opponents'. After dealing damage, a portion of mana equal to half the damage is transferred to you," she concluded, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

After a little contemplation, I came to the conclusion that the abilities were essentially similar, prompting me to ask her a question.

"If we understand it that way, the first and third abilities are almost identical, aren't they?" I asked her, puzzled.

"Perhaps, but their essence differs. In the first case, you will have to spend your own mana to create illusions, although damage will be inflicted, but most likely, it will be small. In the case of 'Arcane Essence,' you restore mana even from a simple blow to the enemy," she explained in an instructive tone. The more she tried to be kind, the more I felt like a burden she was constantly trying to lift.

"Understood, thanks for explaining. Now, can you tell me the cost?" I asked her hesitantly. She does hit my confidence quite hard.

"The 'Shadow Deception' ability costs 1000 points. The 'Magic Flow' ability costs 100 points. 'Arcane Essence' is priced at 1000 points," she stated.

"So, it adds up to 2100 points. Are there any other abilities?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course, but they are currently unavailable to you," she replied with a smirk.

"Then I'll buy 'Magic Flow' and 'Arcane Essence,'" I declared.

"I want to remind you that there are level restrictions on the abilities you acquire. 'Arcane Essence' restores mana to a certain level of damage; the higher the level of the ability, the more mana will be restored, and the higher the restoration threshold will be. 'Magic Flow' will also strengthen with subsequent levels," she explained.

"Ah..." I sighed, after which I brought my hand to my face. Of course, I can improve abilities. Well, damn, I said and turned to her.

"How many points do I need to enhance 'Piercing Shot'?" I asked her.

"You will need 500 points for the second level, 1000 points for the third level, and 2000 points for the fourth level," she replied.

"But I can't upgrade it to the fourth level yet, can I?" I asked her.

"No, you can't," she replied.

"Alright. And how many points do I need to upgrade yours?" I asked her.

"Upgrading the system to the fourth level will cost you fifty thousand points," she said in a monotone voice.

"What?!" I exclaimed, unintentionally furrowing my brows aloud. I was shamelessly shocked by her words. How many spiders do I need to kill for that? Well, okay, if we count spiders, it would be about 24 spiders, but it's just an unimaginable amount.

Glancing around, I noticed eyes fixed on me, so I had to awkwardly smile and say, "Sorry, just checking my status." I placed my hand on my temple and forced a smile. People around me might think I'm out of my mind, but what could I do?

"Perhaps after clearing the dungeon, you'll get a discount of several thousand points. The more dungeons you clear, the cheaper the upgrade will be for you," she suddenly responded, addressing my outcry.

"I remembered! You mentioned taking a commission for passive level advancement," I said happily. Perhaps the people around me think I'm crazy, but what can I do?

"It's good that you remembered. Yes, I have to take a small commission for my work to level up faster," she said, confirming my words.

"Don't worry, I'll try to level you up faster," I said enthusiastically, adding, "What do you think, should I stay with them or go in search of the dungeon boss?" I asked her.

"You can stay, considering that a spider will fall on you in a few seconds," she said. After her words, I sharply turned my head up and shouted, "Everyone, move aside!"