Chapter 4: Staredown

Chapter 4: Staredown

Malte, surprised by the amount of information presented to him, carefully examined each detail on the screen before him. With a furrowed brow, he looked at the abilities.

The ability 0 seemed like a standard one, as it was the only one unlocked. It could work perfectly as a radar of sorts.

Since he could activate it anytime, it would practically detect anyone trying to sneak up on him, given that they were a Shifter.

Looking at the next ability, he pressed on the [Unlock] button.

Shaft's Mastery: 1/5 ↑

Ability 0: Identify (CD: 15s.)

The ability sends an undetectable sphere around the user up to 5 meters, which allows the user to detect and discern Shafts.

Ability 1: Copy (CD: 94h.)

Permanently replicate another Shifter's ability upon contact. The user can only copy a single ability from a Shaft, which will be chosen at random and stored in the "Abilities Copied" section.

Ability 2: Echo (Locked)

Ability 3: Assimilate (Locked)

Ability 4: Fuse (Locked)

Ability 5: Resonate (Locked)

'I see..'

Recalling how most games functioned, some employed a mana system, enabling players to utilize abilities by expending mana, while others relied on a cooldown system, permitting players to use abilities again after a predetermined period. The abilities in front of me used the latter.

As Malte kept reading the description, he couldn't keep the excitement at the potential of mastering new abilities, each of them representing his achievements in the journey.

Finishing to the end of the screen, he wondered what the requirements and specific tasks for unlocking the new skills were.

'I guess I'll find out along the way.'

Closing the Shaft's Mastery section, he quickly looked outside. As the Dreadspawn was still there, he opened the next entry.

[Shaft's Evaluation: V ↑

Shaft's Evaluation affects the highest amount of stat points you can have.

I - 175 points

II - 150 points

III - 125 points

IV - 100 points

V - 75 points

Shaft's Evaluation can only be increased through upgrading Shaft's Mastery.]

'So basically, the order goes like this.

Shaft's Mastery -> Shaft's Evaluation -> Shaft's Stats

For me to have the highest amount of stat points I can have, I must increase my Shaft's Evaluation, and each level in Shaft's Mastery means a level in Shaft's Evaluation.

That's just so confusing.'

Going through the text one more time in case he missed something, he closed the section and went for the last one.

[Abilities Copied: 0/7 ↑

[All of the Shafts' Abilities you have copied will be stored here. The more Abilities you have copied, the more additional stat points you receive.]

Getting a little bit excited over the last line, he quickly calmed down and thought.

'Wait. Does "additional stat points" mean I can break through the limit? If so, then this ability is completely overpowered, but i'm sure it's not going to be as easy as they make it l-'

"RAAAAAAAAH!"

Disrupting his thoughts, a loud roar was heard outside of the bathroom. The Dreadspawn crawled somewhere in the house, its occasional howls echoing through the dawn. Malte's heart raced as the urgency of the situation settled in. He knew he had to hurry and think of his first step in his plan. Time was ticking, and the danger was closing in.

After thinking for a bit, Malte decided to once again check on the corpses of his family. The thought of approaching those lifeless bodies sent shivers down his spine, but the boy knew he had to see if they had awakened Shafts before their deaths, or if he could even copy the abilities from a dead body.

Making sure the monster's footsteps were far enough away, he quietly opened the door and stepped into the living room.

The gruesome scene that greeted him was almost too much to bear. As he wasn't in his right mind a moment ago, he couldn't keep his thoughts going. The bodies of his mother and sister laid motionless.

Elina's left side of the torso was ripped apart, and both of her arms disappeared, as if they weren't supposed to be there to begin with, blood sprayed the whole floor.

Sophie's small legs were entirely crushed like tin cans under a steamroller, her face was disfigured by a deep scar with 5 jagged lines.

Malte's heart ached as he approached them, the weight of his grief nearly crushing him. He somehow managed to refrain from vomitting.

Kneeling beside his mother, Malte gently took her hand and whispered softly.

"Rest in peace, mom. Don't you worry. I'll make sure that twisted monster won't haunt you anymore."

Turning to his sister, he closed her opened eyes, mumbling.

"You too, sis.. uh, sweet dreams."

'I should've done this later, probably.'

With a deep sigh, Malte stood up and thought of using Identify.

Not even a quarter of a second later, he somehow felt it being activated.

'This feels so weird.'

Sighing again, he looked at the corpses. Nothing happened, unsurprisingly, as the bodies didn't seem to give off any signals or anything.

Just as he was about to leave, Malte suddenly felt his whole back breaking out in a cold sweat. Frozen in place, he turned his head around.

Right behind him stood the damned monster, menacingly, its breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps. With its spiky spine bent forward and its enormous jaw wide open, the Dreadspawn's face was lowered down to Malte's, exuding an overwhelming amount of terror.

The monster's dark obsidian skin, streaked with orange cracks, seemed impenetrable. Its eerie, sewn-shut eyes and outwardly bent ears sent shivers down Malte's spine. He felt that a single wrong move would get him killed.

'How... How the hell did he appear here? How much more careful should I have been? I could have sworn I haven't let my guard down since leaving the bathroom!'

Silently observing the monster, the boy noticed the Dreadspawn's reliance on its hearing. At this point, they have been standing face to face for 5 minutes already, but each second felt like an hour. Thinking of his next move, a good 10 seconds later, he thought.

'Might it have an ability of its own? There's no way those claws could be their only way of offense.'

With the Dreadspawn still standing there, he used Identify, searching for any sign of abilities the Dreadspawn might possess.

Out of nowhere, he witnessed the monster's body glowing bright grey, text materializing above its head.

[Ability 0: Teleport]

As he looked at the text, a smile spread across his face. The ability was perfect in this situation. Although he didn't have time to bury his family's corpses, he would definitely come back for it, and finally take the sweet revenge against Jack.

Yet, the smile's appearance vanished swiftly. After getting excited over the ability, he forgot about the real challenge ahead.

He needed to make a contact with the Dreadspawn to utilize Copy.