Monkey Business Part 3

*Select a new skill or Upgrade an already existing skill for Bloody Rex*

Wait, hold on a second. Do you mean I can actually choose to get a totally new skill or level up one of my existing ones? This is kind of amazing, like those growth weapons you see in mangas and animes. Okay, let me check this out. I stared at the Status Screen, feeling a mix of excitement and curiosity.

*New Skills*

Mana Drain - 50 BP

Stamina Drain - 50 BP

Bloody Hound - 100 BP

*Upgradable Skills*

Life Drain - 100 BP

Total Blood Points (BP) - 100

Got it, there are three fresh skills up for grabs, and one of my current skills can get a boost. I need to think this through. So, I took a closer look at each option, trying to figure out which one would work best for me.

Mana Drain

Drains the enemy's mana and gives it to the user. Five percent of the enemy's mana is grained every time it's used.

Energy: 200

Stamina Drain

Drains the enemy's stamina and gives it to the user. Five percent of the enemy's stamina is grained every time it's used.

Energy: 200

This skill seems to work like a mana vampire – it lets me suck away an enemy's mana and absorb it for myself. Each use grants me five percent of the enemy's mana. Not a huge amount, but over time, it could be quite handy. It costs 200 Energy to use, though. Stamina Drain is like the stamina version of Life Drain. When I use it, I can steal five percent of the enemy's stamina and add it to my own. So, in theory, I could keep going in a fight for much longer. It costs 200 Energy, just like Mana Drain.

Bloody Hound's Mirage

When activated, this skill conjures a spectral counterpart of the original wielder of the Bloody Axe Rex, summoning it to fight by your side for up to ten minutes. Named the Bloody Hound's Mirage, this ethereal ally boasts exceptional speed and agility, making it a challenging target for foes.

With strategic precision, it primarily targets enemies' lower extremities, slashing at Achilles' heels and tendons to hinder their movement. This spectral presence introduces a unique dynamic to battles, blending offense and defense in your favor, as the Bloody Hound's Mirage wields the axe with a flurry of strikes that disrupt opponents' movement, adding an enigmatic edge to your combat prowess.

Energy:1000

Wow, this looks like an awesome skill but it's kind of expensive. And slowing down the enemy's speed is always a plus. But for now, I don't actually need an offensive companion I already have Truck-Kun.

Let's take a look at the last option, which is an upgrade:

Life Drain - 100 BP

Drains the enemy's health and gives it to the user. Ten percent of the enemy's health is gained every time it's used.

Energy: 1000

The upgrade seems straightforward – it increases the energy cost per use and enhances health absorption by five percent. While it comes at a price, the prospect of draining more health in battles is enticing.

After pondering my options, I've settled on my choices: Mana Drain and Stamina Drain. These skills seem versatile and could potentially turn the tide in various situations. With my mind made up, I selected both skills, integrating them into my combat repertoire. Now, let's see how effective they prove to be in the heat of battle.

*New Skills Mana Drain and Stamina Drain have been added to the Bloody Axe Rex*

*Warning User Doesn't Have either Mana or Stamina detected Energy Instead*

*Converting Mana Drain and Stamina Drain to Energy Drain*

*Conversation Successful*

*Special Condition has been met user has both Life Drain and Energy Drain*

*Merging both skills to generate a new skill*

*Generation successful*

*Soul Steal has been acquired*

Wow, that was a lot of information to digest. It seems that I don't possess either mana or stamina, which is probably why the skills were changed to drain energy instead. But now I'm left wondering, what exactly is this "energy" they refer to?

And there's another revelation: the combination of Life Drain and Energy Drain results in a new skill named Soul Steal. This has piqued my curiosity. Time to delve into its details and see what this skill has in store for me.

Soul Steal

Soul Steal stands as the epitome of blood magic mastery, endowing the adept with an unprecedented dominion over energy manipulation. This extraordinary ability sets itself apart by enabling the practitioner to remotely siphon both an adversary's health and an extensive array of energies—encompassing Mana, Aura, Miasma, Force, Prana, and Radiance—within a ten-meter radius, all without necessitating physical contact.

By seamlessly weaving an ethereal connection between intent and energy, Soul Steal effortlessly extracts ten percent of the target's life force and their complete energy spectrum. This infusion of vitality reinvigorates the user, simultaneously leaving the foe visibly weakened and drained.

The essence of Soul Steal lies in its adaptability, coupled with the unique characteristic of operating within a ten-meter radius without any requirement for physical touch. Set against other energy-draining skills, this arcane art highlights the adept's pinnacle of mastery in the realm of blood magic.

Energy: 1000

Wait, what's this? Mana, Aura, Miasma, Force, Prana, Radiance... Why does this world have so many different types of energies? It's overwhelming. And now I realize that I've never actually used Life Drain before, not to mention it requires physical contact to activate – that detail was never mentioned in the description.

On the other hand, this Soul Steal skill seems incredibly powerful. It can absorb energy within a ten-meter radius. That's like having a cheat ability. With my total energy around five thousand, I could potentially steal half of someone's health and energy when fully charged, and then use the stolen energy to steal even more. It's an incredible advantage.

I'm itching to try it out, but the only monsters around here are those small monkeys. Absorbing their energy would likely result in a net loss for me, just like with Life Drain. This skill seems more suited for use against something like bosses – if this world even has bosses. Alright, I've rested enough, time to get back to hunting.

Continuing my hunt for monkeys, I found myself relying on the Pocket Sand skill quite often. It's a cheap skill that immobilizes a single enemy, allowing me to take down others with ease. With this strategy in play, I managed to kill over a hundred and twenty monkeys.

Suddenly, the Status Screen popped up once again.

*Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 9*

*You have Gained 100 P.O.W.E.R Points*

*Proficiency has Reached 100%*

*Pocket Sand(E) has been Upgraded to Pocket Sand(D)*

*New Functions*

*Allows the user to use more sand when activated no can blind or immobilize a small group of enemies*

Great! Now I can immobilize a small group all at once. With this newfound ability, I can hunt the monkeys much more efficiently. Encouraged by my success, I continued my rampage through the forest.

*Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 10*

*You have Gained 100 P.O.W.E.R Points*

*Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 11*

*You have Gained 100 P.O.W.E.R Points*

*Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 12*

*You have Gained 100 P.O.W.E.R Points*

*Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 13*

*You have Gained 100 P.O.W.E.R Points*

After the exhausting ordeal of hunting down monkeys, I managed to level up four more times. With just fifty more of these creatures to go, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

As I considered my next move, a peculiar sight caught my attention—a small, aged house nestled in the forest. I couldn't help but wonder who would construct a dwelling in such an isolated location. My curiosity was piqued, and despite my reservations about potential dangers, I decided to approach the house.

With cautious steps, I closed the distance to the house. I tried the door, surprised to find it swing open effortlessly without any lock hindering me. As I stepped inside, an unsettling scene greeted me—an intact skeleton seated with one hand on its pelvic region, accompanied by a box of tissues nearby. The room was dimly lit, the glow from a device resembling a television casting an eerie ambiance.

But the screen displayed nothing but static, emitting a dull and continuous buzz. Intriguingly, the skeleton held something in its other hand. I approached cautiously, my eyes drawn to the object – a spherical crystalline ball with a captivating blue hue. Its diameter measured about 7.5cm (approximately 3 inches), and at its core, an intricate symbol of four white drops was etched. As my fingers made contact, I felt an odd stickiness, and no matter the angle I observed it from, the four white drops symbol remained unchanging.

Curiosity piqued, I wondered if using the skill Appraisal on it might reveal more.

"Appraisal"

Once I spoke those words the Status Screen Popped up and there were some texts written on it.

*Blue Balls*

*Collect all Seven Blue Balls to summon the Blue Dragon Long Wang*