Dungeon diving

Hey! It's been a while!

Sorry for the delay.

This chapter is for the one that is late, from two weeks ago.

The one from last week won't count since I was taking a week off.

Today's chapter will be released later.

If you forgot what happened, here's a little summary

-First month ended.

-MC needs to do some tasks for Dae, not exactly for him, but its mostly as preparation for the future.

-Mc arrived at the Academy city, I don't think I named it.

-He got inside by using a secret passage owned by the Chains a secret multi-continental organization

-After he got inside, he got his job as a Warden and entered the academy where he got his first taste of the corruption that plagues the academy.

-His first day has just started and he is currently at Library N.6 outside of the main academy building in order to peacefully accumulate the credits needed so he can further his plans.

This is where we are right now.

I tried to boost the Mc's personality in this chapter and I would be happy to know your opinions.

In a sense, I also tried to decrease some info dumps, but I can't write the story without some basic information as background... It makes me feel empty if I don't add them...

I don't know, if it gets too bothersome, tell me so I'll actively try to reduce them.

.

.

.

----------------------------

/A few hours later…/

"What to do now?" Said Philip as he cleaned the dust from the bookshelf

'It was late in the afternoon and Philip was close to finishing all of his assigned tasks in the library.'

'Normally, this would mean he had some spare time to train or read some books to improve his Skill.'

"But I can't focus…" He said as he rested his head on the pristine bookshelf

"Sigh…"

'Exhaling slightly, Philip turned around and sat on the old yet comfortable desk chair of the library.'

"This place is really remote huh, the day is coming to an end and I only saw 8 students…"

'Philip gazed at the ceiling and read the time on the clock.'

Why did they put the clock up there?

And two of them were... Tsk!

'Bored, Philip rested his arms on the table and thought:'

Is this okay?

"..."

It has been a little bit over a month since my boring university life was put to a halt with me and my colleagues being summoned to this chaotic world…

'Soon' to be chaotic…

While everyone else received incredible abilities, I got a strange Skill and had to suffer for 5 months in that nightmarish place under the guise of a tutorial...

Or was it more? Sometimes I feel I spent way more than just 5 months...

Anyway, I retained my sanity and returned way stronger, my resolve was also at its peak.

And I also wanted to explore this world and one-day return home if possible.

After all, I may find my old life boring, but that doesn't mean I hated it, on the contrary.

My family and friends are there and even though the old University head will take care of our disappearance, that doesn't mean my family will accept it…

"My own plan…" Whispered Philip

Urg… I need to sort my thoughts out before anything else.

There… There is this thing that suddenly popped into my head as I mopped the floors of the library.

What am I supposed to do and how will I do it?

At the start, I used to believe I had everything planned.

But soon after we got established in this world, I met the abnormal existence that is Dae.

The Human with memories of a collapsed future…

Or so… Or so he says.

"..."

'Philip frowned hard as he scratched the back of his head.'

Dae… Initially, I used to think that he was extremely suspicious.

But, when did this change?

"The contract…" Whispered Philip

That's right, the contract.

Because the contract forced us to be honest with each other it made me instinctively believe in him.

One thing to remember and consider is that Dae is a master of magic and inscriptions… No, he might be even more than that!

He devised a plan for me to by-pass the magical barriers of the Academy and a way for me to null this… 'Slave-Contract', so it isn't too far-fetched that the contract we made was hoaxed from the beginning.

"But, it's not like he was lying to me either."

He did everything he promised and shared a lot with me even though he didn't gain much from it.

And as payment, I am doing these missions for him.

Are they dangerous? Yes.

Is this enough to pay for his help during the first month? I don't know, because, in the first place, the things at play here are already beyond my scope of knowledge.

The more I read the more I understand how much of an abnormal occurrence I am... And consequently, him...

And from his words, he said this wasn't a matter of payment, but an investment for the future, since what I am doing benefits not only the two of us but everyone else.

How exactly?... That's a little hard to explain, but the closest aftereffects of these actions are the delaying of the war between the Humans and the Northern races.

"Like when I stopped the slaves from crossing the borders…"

What I am thinking about is: What happens after this?

Dae's main objective is to put a stop to whatever's going to happen a few years down the line.

And he plans to do that by changing 'past events' and slowly gathering strength and support.

However, I can't fully trust him in the end.

"I read many novels with similar endings…"

After everything ends and the heroes are left in the world, what are they supposed to do?

"... Perhaps I am getting too ahead of myself and putting too much dirt on my friend."

Dae is not a good guy, but he isn't a bad guy.

His personality is rather straightforward, but his wisdom is what makes him unpredictable.

He told me things from the future and apart from the contract, there is nothing that guarantees the veracity of his words…

At the very least, they are not completely bullshit…

However, I understood one thing from this.

"I need to seek strength outside of his expectations… Just in case."

He gave me this notebook filled with all sorts of secret knowledge and tips to help me control and develop my own powers.

Just by this, I can see he is trying to help me in finding a path and not by controlling it…

You can also say that following this book, my strength would become very easy to be calculated by him.

But in the first place, considering his experience, hasn't this been the case from the start?

Being cautious is not that bad right?

'Philip stayed in thought for a little longer before he slammed his right hand on the table, getting up from the chair in the process.'

"Enough of this." He said with determination

Why am I doing all of this? And why did I accept such a dangerous task?

"It's simple." Philip turned around, walking towards the doors of the library

I realized this when I was in the 'tutorial'...

Wealth? I don't need that.

Fame? Why would I care for fame in another world?

I don't need other people's recognition…

For power?… Close, but not entirely.

What I want is an adventure… Something to give meaning to my life.

The thrill of exploring a place someone has never been before.

Or seeing something completely mythical.

Experiencing your power advance, to a point where you can suddenly fly on your own…

Isn't it incredible? That through self-improvement a normal man can shatter boulders and bend thick metal beams…

It's a bit childish, but seeing the numbers grow gives me unparalleled motivation.

While Dae wants to save the world and as many people as possible, I simply desire to experience everything this world has to offer…

It's not like I don't care about the people… I am not a psychopath…

It's just that I don't feel as compelled to save them like him.

Perhaps that's due to the memories of his past life?

…

'Philip made his way to a desk near the library's door…'

(Like this)

'There was a small, square metal box below the desk.'

'Philip grabbed the box and placed it on top of the desk, before removing his badge from his chest and placing it on top of it.'

/Buzzz…/

'With a buzzing sound, the badge trembled and started to float a few centimeters above the box.'

{Processing…}

'Immediately after he put the badge on top of the now glowing box, he heard a faint female voice on his ears.'

"This takes longer than initiating Google back at home…" He whispered to himself, annoyed

'A few seconds later, with a flash, a blue screen materialized above the badge.'

'There were several lines and options in it, but Philip immediately went to check on his tasks for the day…'

{Organize the books on the first floor of library N.6 -> Completed, rewarded with 3 credits…}

{Organize the books on the second floor of library N.6 -> Completed, rewarded with 3 credits…}

{Organize…}

'A series of similar and repetitive tasks suddenly appeared in front of Philip.'

'They all rewarded meager amounts of credits, but the sheer number, when put together, makes up to an incredible amount of credits…'

'Organizing, Mopping, Cleaning, acting as the librarian… Etc.'

{All tasks have been successfully completed, you have received a bonus for your outstanding performance} Said the female voice coming out from the badge

{Would you like to transfer the credits to your account?}

"Oh? Yes of course."

What a surprise. I didn't know this was a thing.

But I guess it makes sense.

The Academy system is not exactly a machine but a special type of creature linked with the main tower where the Principal resides.

It oversees all of the Academy, including its defensive and offensive systems.

It's fair most of the time, as it was made to incentivize the students and the workers within its scope of influence to improve.

So a bonus makes sense when you imagine the sheer scale of what I did today.

Despite this being a smaller library in comparison to the others in the Academy, it is still massive in size.

It would take days for a normal person to organize and clean everything, but I easily sorted everything out.

This boring work paid off in the end…

"Although… I don't think I will be able to repeat this tomorrow…"

There is no need to clean such a remote library every day, much less organize its books.

And I am sure I would be penalized if I disorganized the books… No cheating is allowed in this place…

And in any case, who would go to such lengths just so they can receive a handful of credits for a full day of work?

'Philip shook his head.'

How's my balance?

'He swiped his hand in the air…'

{205 Credits}

"..."

That was fast…

But I guess that makes sense since I started with an extra 100 credits.

And I also Mind-controlled that fattie…

"Sill… It's a bit too fast…"

I don't want to attract unnecessary attention…

So I guess it's time to have some fun!

'Smiling creepily, Philip made his way out of the library after making sure there was no one inside.'

'Even though he didn't notice anyone entering the library in the past hour, he decided to double-check just in case, since, in the situation a problem happens, he would be penalized… '

'His worst experience so far was when he noticed two students entering the library 2 hours ago.'

'He ignored them as he always did, but instead of studying like most kids…'

'The two started to fuck in the corner… Greatly displeasing Philip.'

'And to make matters worse, he was deducted 10 credits for allowing 'mischief' in the library.'

'So he gave the boy blue balls, stopping him mid-act by knocking the two 'kids' out and leaving them near a tree outside.'

'He was afraid he might lose a few more credits if the kids made the place 'messier'...'

'Philip's face twisted as he cleaned the floor afterward…'

…

'Slowly, Philip made his way across the academy.'

'He didn't return to the main grounds, but instead, he made his way to the outskirts of the academy.'

'By following the magically lit ground in the middle of the forest, Philip felt he was in a badly written fairy tail.'

'On his way, he stopped by a restroom to change his clothes, putting on his classic Hunter garments.'

'He also had a long silver sword on his back.'

'Within half an hour of walking, he stopped in front of a 4-floor tall shop.'

"Finally."

I haven't run since I didn't want to attract the guards' attention…

Otherwise, it would've taken a few minutes…

'There were two guards in front of the shop, they were clearly well trained just by looking at their immovable posture.'

'Like statutes in a mausoleum, they were unmoving despite the chill of the night.'

[Lv ?]

[Lv ?]

"..."

'As expected, the two guards were above his Skill effect threshold.'

'Not that it mattered…'

"... Halt." Said one of the guards as he moved his spear to the side, blocking Philip's path

"What is this about?" Asked Philip, already annoyed

Not this face again…

'Despite the helmet, Philip could see a bit of scorn on the guard's face...'

"The 'Lair of Reptiles' closes after 6 Pm in order to avoid students from being in the Dungeon and missing Class." Said the guard

"..."

'Philip was speechless.'

'First, did he look like a student? He might be wearing a mask, but he was over 180 Cm tall. If he was a student, he would be a third-year or later student…'

'Second, this is complete bull, such a rule does not exist. The only rule to the Dungeon is the ones that impede a lower-ranking student from challenging a higher ranking Dungeon.'

'Third, this is the lowest ranking Dungeon, and also the only one where even Rank 1 Wardens can attend for free.'

'Forth, he has a badge on his chest that indicates what he is!'

'Oh… That's what this is about…'

"Oh! I see, I came at the wrong time…" Said Philip as he rolled his eyes

'He also secretly taped his badge, transferring 5 credits to each of the guards.'

"So? What are you doing standing still? Turn around and leave, no trouble." Replied the guard on the right, completely ignoring his action

"?"

Playing hard to get? You guys can't even use my credits…

They would need to convert the Warden credits into Student Credits…

And this would raise suspicion as to how they acquired that in the first place…

Unless they already have a way to deal with that.

I guess corruption has infiltrated this deep...

"Hahaha… It's like this my friends, I really need to access this Dungeon…" Said Philip as he transferred 10 credits to each of the Guards

I don't want trouble, but don't think I will allow this sort of shit against me.

Fuck, I lost close to half of what I gained today.

I hope today's trip is worth it.

"..."

"..."

'The guards looked at each other and moved their spears from Philip's way.'

"..."

If this happens again I will make them regret it.

'No more words were necessary as Philip entered the Shop.'

…

'The shop was rather extravagant, but it also had a rustic feel to it.'

'Wooden walls and stone beams for support with many noble banners and other things decorated the place.'

'There were many displays around the shop with many products inside of them.'

'Most importantly, the shop wasn't empty.'

'In every corner of the shop were guards similar to the two outside, it seems exaggerated but everything had a reason…'

'They were protecting the entrance of the Dungeon and all of the products on display, most of them seemed to be reptilian based…'

'Claws and scales being confectioned into armor and weapons, together with other alchemical products made from all sorts of plants most likely prevenient from the Dungeon.'

"It's quite lively…"

'As he said that, Philip looked around the place.'

But in a bad sense... I see no customers, only guards...

'His eyes locked to a desk near a massive Golden door.'

'There was a woman working behind the desk, she had a cheerful personality as she sorted the papers and cleaned the desk.'

'Her hair was brown and tied in a ponytail, she had a pair of thick glasses on her face, but she had a rather pretty and flawless face… If you disregarded the dark circles around her eyes…'

"Excuse me." Said Philip as he looked at the girl

/Ploft!/

'The girl suddenly fell on the ground.'

"Oh?! Sorry!" She said as she got up from the ground

"..."

Isn't she the clerk? Why is she so distracted…

'The girl quickly organized the papers she dropped on the ground and put them on the table.'

'Her eyes darted to Philip, who was currently masked.'

'She immediately noticed the badge on his chest and her expression changed.'

'Not to one of scorn, but of pity…'

'She looked at the mask and seemed to assume something as she became sad, confusing Philip a little.'

"Are you here for the Dungeon?... What a silly question…"

"Yes, I am." Replied Philip

"In that case, you just need to pass through that door." She said as she pointed to the golden door on the side

"See that small translucent glass ball near the door? Just pass your badge near it and the door will open on its own, there is no need to notify me about it."

"Oh? How did you know that?" Asked Philip

"Well… Your… People like you tend to come to me for that exact purpose, so I assumed that… Sorry if that wasn't the case."

"Thanks for that, I didn't know of this small detail."

There is a lot to know, not everything is explained in the guide/rule book.

"I'm glad to help! If you have any questions just come to me!... Although I doubt you would do that…"

"And why would that be the case?" Asked Philip

"Hum?! Did I say that out loud?... Well… It's just that I am used to being alone in this place."

"You don't seem alone." He pointed out as he looked at the guards

"Those guys? They are worse than statutes, they don't move at all, all day long!"

'The guard remained unmoving…'

"I can look at a statue with no problem but those guys… It's awkward…"

"But why is there no one else in here?" Asked Philip

"That's because of the fact this is the weakest Dungeon in the Academy." Replied the girl

"Everyone knows our Academy has many Dungeons due to its unique environment, but they normally only think of those late-stage Dungeons that developed Towers, forgetting about the smaller ones like this one."

"Truth be told, most of the newcomers don't even know of the existence of this Dungeon, and it doesn't help that the Academy has many other Dungeons and it's massive in size… I mean, I get lost pretty frequently in this place and I've been here for over two years." She chuckled slightly and showed the third-year badge on her chest

"In the past, the teachers would recommend students to challenge these minor Dungeons so they could improve themselves, but this changed in the past few decades…" There was a slight scorning tone on her voice

"Most students nowadays will only challenge the bigger and more famous Dungeons, completely skipping these ones."

"Being honest, it's mostly for glory and fame, it has reached a point where you would be seen as a coward if people were to find out you challenged these 'meager' Dungeons."

"However, if that wasn't enough, the rewards you can get by challenging this Dungeon are… Well, trashy."

"Even an entire proficient party would be in deficit if they raided this place solely by the price of repairing their equipment after this, because of this fact, this place slowly lost importance." Taking a deep breath as she spoke

"The only people who still challenge this place are the desperate, the curious, the weak, and …" She said as she looked at his badge

"Hum… So why all the guards?" He asked as he looked around

"Well, it may be rather abandoned, but this is still a Dungeon with potential. Today, it may be ignored, but in 300 years or more, it may become a new Dungeon Tower."

"A Dungeon's value only increases over time."

"..."

I know that, but what confuses me is that, if this place was so abandoned, why spend resources on it?

You could just seal the Dungeon and wait for it to grow.

With the powerhouses in this place, it wouldn't be difficult to prevent monsters from getting out, and even if they did, wiping them out wouldn't be a problem.

Whatever is on their heads, this only means this place is entirely for me.

"Sir?" Asked the girl seeing Philip deep in thought

"I only have one more question."

"Throw it, not like I have much to do."

"Are there any commissions in this place?"

'A commission or commonly called missions are normaly requests from either a third party or the party in control of the Dungeon for the acquisition of something within the Dungeon.'

'This is just one type, there are several types of missions that can be performed within a Dungeon.'

"..."

'The girl remained there stunned.'

"After everything, I said you still want to challenge this place?" She asked

"Yes."

'The girl frowned, but shook her head, it wasn't her problem.'

"For your question, yes, we do have commissions, several in fact."

'As she said that, she took out a stack of papers from inside a drawer.'

"Just because this place is not very frequented, that doesn't mean the number of missions would decrease, in fact, they only seem to be piling up over time, it has caused me quite the headache."

"Take a look and take your pick, I'll wait on the side."

"Isn't there a rule that limits someone to a single quest or something?"

"Depends on your rank and a bunch of shenanigans, in here, you can get as much as you want."

'Philip smiled.'

…

/A few minutes later, within the Dungeon…/

"If the map is correct I should be… on the third floor by now…"

And yet, I haven't seen a single animal.

Only a few trails…

As the name implies the 'Lair of reptiles' is a Dungeon whose main theme is Reptilian monsters.

Probably, in the early days of this Dungeon, a large number of such monsters were attracted to the Dungeon due to its unique environment and they quickly multiplied while pushing away other species.

It's not like there aren't other species apart from reptiles, it's just that the amount of Reptiles is so big that people decided to name after that…

"Hum?"

'Philip turned his face to the side, noticing something on the wall.'

'It was a gray snake, about the size of his arm, completely camouflaged.'

'He decided to use his Skill on it...'

[Clay snake

Description:

A gray snake with a minor color-changing ability.

Its size varies from 30 Cm at birth to 4 M during its adulthood.

It possesses mild paralyzing venom, but it's known for being rather docile during all seasons with the exception of its mating season.

Its diet consists of smaller insects and reptiles. But it can also eat some fruits if desperate.

The name clay snake is due to its natural gray color and its habit of burying on soft clay for protection.

Its skin can be used for the confection of Minor Circle scrolls and its fangs can be used in the confection of...

...]

"A Clay Snake, one of the targets for a few commissions…" He said as he took out his silver sword from his back

'The snake did not move, it was just a snake in the end.'

/Swush!/

'With a simple swing, Philip cut out the snake's head.'

[+205 Blood Echoes]

"No item drops?"

"I still need its fangs and skin though, the rest is secondary."

'He skillfully took out a small dagger and cut the entire skin out of the snake without spilling blood in less than half a minute.'

'With all the hunting he has done in the world of the tutorial as an Old Hunter, Philip is now an experienced master Butcher, and this is reflected in his Abilities...'

[Butchering LvMax]

'If this is a good or bad thing...'

"Continue…" He said in a positive tone as he stored the skin and fangs on his box tool

(N0)

…

'It had been around an hour since Philip got into the Dungeon.'

'And he was bored.'

"No wonder this place is abandoned."

"I barely saw any monsters, and they weren't even challenging in the least."

Their levels are below 5 on average for these surface floors and they are all scattered around the place.

"At this pace, I might get to the Core room without any trouble…"

Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration… The Core room should be over a Km below the ground.

"But I still find it strange why the number of monsters is so low."

A Dungeon is normally the perfect environment for monsters.

(N1)

On that note, why are the creatures so sparse and docile?

I mean, according to the records, this place should've been filled to the brim with monsters, the only way for this situation to happen would be in the case where people came to this Dungeon on a daily basis…

Strange, perhaps the monsters only gather in deeper areas…

"If that's the case…" Said Philip as he took out a flute from his Class inventory and blew it

'The ground suddenly trembled as a massive snake slowly emerged from it.'

'The massive creature looked at Philip with its large eyes.'

"Hey buddy."

"Ssshh."

'Philip jumped and sat on top of its head.'

(Also, how about we name the Snake?)

"Our target is the deeper areas, lets's see if we can find anything tasty for you."

"Ssshh."

…

'As time passed by, the two made their way deeper underground.'

'As Philip expected, the deeper he went the stronger and more numerous the monster became.'

'He came to the conclusion that the students did not come to this place due to how long it takes to reach these depts the normal way.'

'Carrying heavy gear several hundred meters underground while having to worry about poisonous snakes and insects is quite the challenge…'

[+ 437 Blood Echoes]

[You received, Large Crocodilix Fang]

"Perfect." Said Philip as he collected the loot from yet another creature

'His strategy was pretty simple.'

'If he saw one of his mission targets, he would kill it fast and collect his loot while feeding the rest to the snake.'

'After a while, he collected most of his mission items, so he just let the snake devour anything on its path. It's just a shame that by doing this, he would lose any potential drops.'

(N2)

'But it was fast nonetheless, the Snake's unending appetite also helped.'

"What that?"

'It was more of a ravine instead of a cave, Philip couldn't see the depths.'

'Philip grabbed a wooden torch from his inventory and threw it at the ravine.'

'Thanks to the extra source of light, Philip could now see a lot.'

"Interesting."

"There is a small path on the side of the Ravine, but it isn't completely safe due to those creatures…"

'On the walls and ceilings of the cave, he could see dozens if not hundreds of massive winged creatures similar to Earth's Pterodactyls.'

"They just look more fearsome." He said as he noticed their massive beaks, half the size of his body

[Lv 30]

[Lv 27]

[Lv 20]

[Lv 23]

[Lv 24]

[Lv 22]

…

"Their average Levels are in the mid-'20s while the stronger ones are in the early '30s…"

"And considering their massive numbers…"

It's certainly something I don't want to face.

"I can't just leave, how about I test one first?"

'As he said that, Philip took out another item from his inventory.'

'It looked like a strangely shaped curved blade, but that was all.'

(Image)

/CLANG!/

'Philip suddenly moved his left hand that was holding the sword, and with the sound of metal clashing, the blade suddenly split into two becoming a…'

'Bow?!'

[Simon's Bowblade MK.2 +9

Description:

Choice weapon of Simon, one of the first Healing Church hunters.

Simon despised firearms, and so the Church workshop had these specially fashioned to his liking. The large curved blade serves as a bow when transformed.

But aside from a few close friends, Simon was scoffed at for his choice of arms, for who would dare face the beasts with a measly bow?

A certain igneous Hunter saw potential in this weapon's unique design and improved it.

At the cost of its usability… It would require 10 men working together to pull its string.

How would Simon feel upon seeing this bow?

]

'Philip took a metal arrow from his inventory and put it on the string…'

'He aimed and let the arrow fly.'

/Fiuu…/

'With the low sound of wind being pierced, the arrow made its way towards one of the creatures on the ceiling.'

"... It's more effective than I imagined…"

Perhaps a bit too much…

'The arrow precisely hit the head of the monster, sticking it to the solid ceiling.'

'Its body swung lifelessly…'

"These arrows are hard to make and I doubt I will find someone who can make them in large quantities anytime soon…"

Oh yeah, I can just buy more of them…

But it would be a pain to collect the loot on the ceiling…

"I'll just try to not have them stick to the ceiling." Said Philip as he held his breath and pulled another arrow from his inventory

'Let the massacre begin.'

…

"KAAA!" Screamed the Pterodactyl as it flew towards Philip

/Splurge!/

'But he calmly sent an arrow towards its head.'

[+ 2377 Blood Echoes]

"Things are looking good!" He said as he killed yet another Pterodactyl

'Philip looked up to see several dozen Pterodactyls flying above him.'

'On his left, the giant snake created mayhem as it swung its body around the place, eating and crushing several of the flying reptiles at once.'

"If I could hunt like this every day I would be able to max my Class stats in no time…"

It's unfortunate these creatures need time to repopulate…

That is if any survive.

"KAAAAA!"

'Philip turned into smoke as he stepped to the side and cut one of the Pterodactyl's wings off.'

'The blood splattered on his face, drenching his black bandana.'

'The smell of blood seemed to excite Philip, his eyes also turning red as he dashed forward.'

'He transformed the bow back into its sword form and cut another Pterodactyl that flew too close to him.'

'He condensed the nearby blood, transforming them into spikes as he threw them in the air, impaling several of the reptiles at once.'

"?!"

'Suddenly, something seemed to click inside his head.'

'It was a crazy idea, but he felt it was the right thing to do…'

/STAB!/

'Philip plunged his sword into his abdomen, splattering blood on the ground.'

'Without even protesting in pain, he took the sword out of his belly, a strange red energy now enveloped the sword.'

[Lady Maria combat technique Lv9 -> Lady Maria combat technique LvMax]

'He swung his sword sideways, creating a massive red wave that swept most of the Pterodactyls in the sky.'

/Tud… tud… tud…/

'When their corpses fell on the ground, they seemed dried, as if all liquid had been drained from them.'

'Philip's red eyes looked at the scene without any emotion.'

'His mask fell off revealing his ferocious expression.'

'His teeth seemed a bit sharper…'

[Castle Town ***** has detected an irregularity within your mind]

[Your mind has been forcibly returned your mind to its normal state]

'Philip's eyes returned to their normal sheen.'

"Hum?... This again?" Said Philip as he spit some of the blood inside his mouth on the ground

"I really need to leave this Class behind, it's way too dangerous…"

'Philip took out a blood vial from his inventory and injected it into himself, healing the hole in his stomach.'

"Urg... This feeling is terrible..."

The Old blood Trait, if I didn't have this mental Trait I would've succumbed to it and became a beast long ago…

All hunters are plagued by this... The possibility of becoming a beast.

(N3)

I hate that it's so edgy too…

This situation is similar to when I ingest a beast pallet, it brings me closer to beasthood.

It's just an artificial way to make you reach a state close to becoming a beast in order to get power.

Very dangerous, if you lose sight of yourself for even a moment you may never return to being a Human.

In this case, I came closer to becoming a beast due to the stimulation from all of this brutality…

"It makes me wonder what sort of beast I would become if I did transform…"

'Philip looked around and noticed the Snake devouring the bodies of the monsters.'

'He exhaled loudly, not wasting any more time and making his way to collect the loot.'

'Completely drenched in blood, the Hunter finished its hunt.'

…

.

.

.

Notes

N0

You may have forgotten, but Philip only has 3 inventories, one from his Class, one from being a hero, and the last one is the box he got from the Chains organization before he got into the city.

The first one has many conditions, the second one is very small, and the third one is decent but incredibly expensive given its conditions.

N1

Monsters are not exactly animals, as said long ago, once a monster starts to level up and grow strong, it then becomes a monster.

N2

If you forgot how the soul series works, non-bosses have a chance to drop an item that needs to be collected by the player, it's the same for the mc but he needs to interact with the white flame, something that is rather hard when the creature's body is inside the snake…

N3

If a Hunter succumbs to their thirst for the hunt, they will lose themselves and slowly beastify.

That's why there are Hunters of Hunters, to stop these consumed Hunters from becoming nightmarish beasts.

The Mc is in no way safe from this, despite his high tolerance.

But even if his mind shifts, his Trait protects him from fully losing his way.

Nevertheless, it's still annoying

If you forgot, this is his Trait:

[

…

Traits:

Old blood infusion

Inventory(+)

]

That's it…

Perhaps I should show you his secondary stat window?

Everything is updated apart from his blood echoes, it's the same as last time

Once again, this is his secondary stats, so him being Level 300 doesn't mean he can take an actual Level 300 in this world.

I think it's pretty easy to understand why.

Any questions, doubts, or points to make I am here to lend my ear.

[

Name: Philip Vinten

Class: Old Hunter

Subclass: Military veteran

Insight: 26

Blood echoes: 224728 (1407552 for next Level)

Level 363

Vitality: 99

Endurance: 99

Strength: 99

Skill: 99

Bloodtinge: 99

Arcane: 60

Abilities:

Lady Maria combat technique LvMax (10+3)(Hybrid)

Gehrman Footwork Lvmax (10+3)(Hybrid)

Ludwig combat techniques LvMax (10+3)(Passive)

Super Human senses Lv9 (12)(Passive)

Greater Riposte LvMax (15+3)(Passive)

Perfect Throwing technique LvMax (Hybrid)

Stealth Mastery Lv2 (5)(Passive)

Handcraft LvMax (Passive)

Butchering LvMax (Passive)

Medicine Lv8 (Passive)

Tinkering Lv7 (Passive)

Smithing Lv5 (Passive)

Eviscerate Lv9

(...)

Skills:

Summon messenger Shop Lv7 (Active)

Predator's presence LvMax (Hybrid)

Critical strike LvMax (Active)

Multi-Task LvMax (Passive)

Traits:

Old blood infusion

Inventory(+)

]