Night Vision Acquired
As the makeshift torch dimmed, Alex quickly sold one of the Green Viper's cores. Alex now had sufficient shop coins to buy the Night Vision skill from the system shop.
"System, buy the Night Vision skill."
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[The host has acquired the F rank skill Night Vision]
Skill: Night Vision (Passive)
Rank: F
Description:
- Enhances the user's vision in low-light conditions, allowing to see clearly in darkness
- Enables quick adaptation to changes in light levels
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The very next instant, Alex's eyes narrowed sharply, and then he could feel changes happening in his vision the next moment.
It lasted for just a moment, and his vision came back the very next moment, but now one could find that his eyes glowed softly in the darkness—a subtle radiance reminiscent of the nocturnal creatures that navigate the night.
The cave's dark passages were instantly illuminated as the Night Vision skill heightened his ability to perceive the world in the absence of light.
Alex marveled at the enhanced clarity of his surroundings, allowing him to navigate the cave without relying on a flickering torch.
"Finally, a bit of convenience." He muttered to himself, reassured by the radiant glow of the Night Vision skill.
With heightened visibility, Alex ventured deeper into the cave, encountering narrower passages and the distant echoes of unseen creatures.
The air grew denser as he delved further, and the eerie sounds intensified.
'I barely dodged that incoming Green Viper in time; if I cast this spell, I should be able to protect myself while increasing the mastery over it.'
Feeling a sense of caution, Alex decided to cast a protective barrier around himself.
"<Dark Barrier>" he whispered, and an ethereal dark dome materialized around him, shimmering with a faint, dark energy.
The barrier not only provided protection but also allowed Alex to test and enhance his mastery of the defensive spell.
Alex was determined to make the most of this opportunity to increase his spell mastery, ensuring that he was well-prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.
The cave had a straight passage with no twists or turns or forked diversions. After his first encounter with Green Vipers, he didn't encounter a single one of them.
After a few more minutes of walking, the cave's architecture shifted, revealing a vast dome-like chamber.
The ceiling soared overhead, and the echoes of eerie whispers filled the cavern, accompanied by the ground's unsettling slithering noises, creating a symphony of its own.
Alex didn't have the luxury to stay and admire the natural sounds created.
The slithering was from the Green Vipers below, and above were the Dimwingeds—bat-like monsters with shimmering wings.
Their numbers were much more than Alex initially anticipated, but that didn't scare him in the least bit. He was instead excited, witnessing the sheer numbers of them as he could amass a lot of points by killing them.
Not only that, the Dimwingeds were said to have lustrous wings which were sold at a high price.
Imagining all the benefits he was about to acquire, a glint of pure excitement shimmered in his eyes, and his lips curled up as a chuckle fought to come out.
'Well, it's a good thing I have this skill; otherwise, these bats would have spotted me instantly if I hadn't ditched that torchlight.'
The Dimwingeds acquired their name because they were very sensitive to light. They always stayed holed up in dark, enclosed spaces like these during the day and slept soundly, much like the ones in this cave.
If Alex had come in here with a torchlight in hand, he would have instantly woken up these bats, and they would have swarmed him, attacking until he was completely devoured by them.
"<Dark Ice>" Alex tried to cast the same spell twice simultaneously, using both his hands, and it worked as he dual-cast them.
His strategy for this was simple, yet ingenious—he would freeze as many of these Dimwingeds as possible, causing them to fall on the Green Vipers beneath and killing them in the process.
The ceiling was well over 15 meters tall, and the Green Vipers were just below the Dimwingeds. So, this strategy should work, or at least cause some damage.
Seeing no harm in trying it, he tested his idea.
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[The Host has killed an F rank Monster] X9
[+450 XP and +9 SP]
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The outcome was not satisfactory, as the Green Vipers suffered only some physical trauma. The kills came from the dozen or so Dimwingeds he froze, which died as they shattered on impact.
Alex's bet was 50-50 on the idea. He was expecting something like this, so the very next moment, he dual-cast <Dark Lightning>, one above and one below.
He immediately electrocuted another bunch or so of these monsters instantly, those that were the first ones to react to his surprise attack.
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[The Host has killed an F rank Monster] X13
[+650 XP and +13 SP]
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By the time all of this happened, all the monsters in the cave were alerted to Alex's presence. The group of both Dimwingeds and Green Vipers attacked him.
His barrier appeared to be strong enough as it easily withstood the barrage of attacks. However, it wouldn't hold up much longer if Alex didn't do anything.
Having only killed half of these monsters, the rest of the Dimwingeds swarmed him, covering his dome-shaped barrier and slowly gnawing away at it.
The Green Vipers were relentless as well, hitting the barrier with sprays of poison and slamming it with their tails.
Seeing this, Alex unleashed a fury of <Dark Fire> and <Dark Lightning>. He couldn't care anymore and had to stop caring about whether their skin burned in the process or not.
He was now only left with the intent to slaughter these monsters as fast as possible, which swarmed and covered him from every direction.
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[The Host has killed an F rank Monster] X17
[+850 XP and +17 SP]
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After depleting his mana reserves to the brim and starting to experience mana fatigue, he finally managed to kill all these monsters.
He slumped down, resting amidst the smell of burnt flesh, and finally deactivated his <Dark Barrier>, which surprisingly held out so far, protecting him from any of the attacks.
The mana fatigue made him experience serious headaches, but it was manageable for him, given his worse experiences in his previous life with such pains.
Amidst the burnt, horrid smell of flesh, along with the closed, eerie, dark environment, Alex rested in one of the corners.
Despite the terrible aches, he chuckled in amusement as he saw all the points he had acquired today, "Totally worth it!".
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[Experience: 2700/10000]
[System Points: 63]
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