Snake Wizard

I awake to an empty cave, that was previously filled with buzzing vibrations of sound. Big Ape seems to have gone out for something, maybe food, but that does not matter in the slightest. I just remembered something that could make or break my existence. I leveled up Energy Manipulation to LV 3. I quickly flip through to the skill.

Energy Manipulation: LV 3

This skill allows the user to use mana in various ways in which the user imagines. The most basic manipulations require 6 mana, while requiring 12 mana per Intermediate Manipulations. Leveling up allows decrease in mana and increase in ways of control.

Current controls known:

Basic:

Ball: Turns your mana into a spherical orb that can be used to attack or defend.

Spike: Turns your mana into a spike that can be used to attack

Wall: Turns your mana into a wall that can be used to defend.

Intermediate:

Boost: Turns mana into a physical enhancement.

A feeling of power rushes into me as I realize what this means. I quickly pull up the skills that feel long lost and forgotten.

Lightning Magic: LV 1

This skill allows the user to manipulate the lightning element allowing access to lightning mana. This skill will increase the cost of any mana form by 1000%, but increase the speed and damage dealt by this attack by a large margin. By leveling up this skill, the increase in cost will be lowered as well as speed and damage boost will be strengthened.

Water Magic: LV 1

This skill allows the user to manipulate the water element allowing access to water mana. This skill will increase the cost of any mana form by 1000%, but increase the defensive capabilities and adaptability of the spell to be increased by a large margin. By leveling up this skill the increase in cost will be lowered as well as the Defensive and adaptability bonuses will be increased.

Wind Magic: LV 1

This skill allows the user to manipulate the wind element allowing access to wind mana. This skill will increase the cost of any mana form by 1000%, but increase the speed and stealth of the attack by a large margin. By leveling up this skill the increase in cost will be lowered as well as the speed and stealth bonuses will be increased.

MWAHAHAHAHAHA. This is perfect, with a 1000% increase in cost to the most basic controls give me a cost of 60, my maximum mana cap, though it has to be worth it for this type of upgrade, right?

After a little bit of gigging I head outside to the beautiful forest of Vyin. After a little searching I find A perfect testing dummy. A Large bear. Though I didn't really have a thing against bears until the whole Mana Pool fiasco, I now have a burning hate for those big fuzzy idiots. Not like Big Ape in fuzzy no, I would never mean that...

The bear seems to have get instantly enrages as soon as I enter its vision. It charges at me and I activate my new dash skill. '....wow' I thought I knew what speed was like before, but man, this increase is insane. It feels like I can move a few meters in what feels like seconds as I simply glide through the bears attacks. After a few minutes of the bears sluggish attacks my spell is ready.

I prepare my body as A Massive Spike emerges through the air, lightning split off the beautiful spike as it seemed to captivate the bear as he stood there mindlessly watching the spike. After looking at the spike for a few seconds I let it rip. A vibration akin to a lightning strike filled my body as all that remained of the bear was a charred corpse as the system released a notification.

<You have killed a Tier 3 Stone Bear LV: 15, you have gained 150 EXP>

After a quick moment of staring at the area where the bear used to be I started to laugh "hahahahaha HAHAHAHAHA MAGIC IS JUST TOO OP" I laughed myself hoarse as I slowly made my way back to the cave to meditate back the lost mana. After 5 hours I finally top up on mana. I find a blissful notification from the system.

<Meditation has reached LV 2>

Dang though this magic takes a lot of energy out of me I think it is totally worth it. It takes 5 hours non stop to regenerate the amount of mana lost in that short period of time. Big Ape and the little monkeys make there way back to the cave with a creature I haven't seen in the forest yet. A monstrous looking Elk is slowly being dragged through the entrance of the cave. The Elk looks dead as a doornail as the huge antlers scratch at the floor as he drops it on the ground. "Food" he speaks in a simple voice as he sees my questioning glance. I look at the group of monkeys as they dig into the food comically. Though there making a mess it is quite refreshing having some company.

After awaking from a comfortable nap I find the huge hind leg of the Elk lying before me. Dang Big Ape actually hunted for me as well. I guess we won't have food problems if he can hunt so easily. I dig into the hind leg with ease as the hind leg is no more in front of me. I go outside and start looking for something stronger to try my powerful new magic skills on.

After a bit of thought I remember a specific part of the that I said I wouldn't go back to. The deepest part of the forest I knew, the place where the biggest animals exist that I have seen so far other than that Alligator and the Turtle. A few minutes pass as I travel through the forest at an amazing pace when I remember that I actually completed the quest I got earlier, it completely crossed my mind because of the Mana Pool incident. I quickly open up the quest bar as I look to accept a new quest.

<The following Three Quests are the only quests you can choose from >

-Wretch Killer ( Turtles Disciple Quest)

Description: Wretches are everywhere and rampant, do your job and kill one.

Requirements: Kill one Wretch, the higher level the Wretch killed the more rewards you will gain

Rewards: ???

Penalty: Death (no time limit)

-Bear Slayer ( do to previous actions )

Description: Bears seem to have it out for Snakes and Apes alike, time to teach them a lesson.

Requirements: Kill 20 bears

Rewards: 3000 EXP, the Bears fear towards you

Penalty: Bears will rapidly hunt you down(1 week time frame)

- ??? (Bloodline Quest)

Description: More will be found out after accepting the quest.

Requirements: ???

Rewards: 1% of ??? Bloodline purity.

Penalty: Death(???)

What the heck is going on with these quests. All of them seem like suicide. How am I supposed to kill 20 bears in 1 week, is this the system trying to nerf me? What the heck? There is now way I am ready to take on a Wretch and 20 bears is unacceptable so I guess I have to accept the Weird Bloodline quest.

<Congratulations user on picking up the First Bloodline Quest, don't die>

-YOU ABZ NOT A BZZ (BZZZZZNE QUEBZZ)

DESCRIPTION: ABOMINATION

REQUIREMENTS: KILL THE MAGIC ALLIGATOR

REWARDS: 1% OF BZZZT BLOODLINE PURITY, STAY HUMAN HIDING IN BEAST CLOTHES

PENALTY: BECOME A WRETCH(2 DAYS)

A shiver ran down my spine as I read the mission. 'What is going on'. Is the system malfunctioning? A feeling of pain enters my body as if something in my head is being set on fire and is pouring gasoline on itself.

<System has detected an error. Current System is going to be removed from hosts brain while new, non error filled system is replaced into your head. Time remaining until new system is installed: 48 hours>

"WHAT THE F*** IS GOING ON". What does the system mean saying i'm going to become a wretch. The system won't fix itself until the penalty timer is already timed out. A feeling of worry enters my body as reread the strange quest but before I can read it the entire status screen disappears. I need to kill the magic alligator, the one in the Mana Pool. Though he is obviously much more powerful than me if I don't I will turn into one of those Wretches.

Something seems to click in my mind as I remember something the Giant turtle said. He said Wretches where made out of beasts who tried to become human, or humans who tried to become a beast. Shivers run down my spine as I realize whats happening. I am a human reincarnated as a beast, therefore I fit the criteria quite easily. But if that was so then wouldn't I already be a Wretch? What the heck is going on.

I slowly slither towards the mana pool as I realize something that makes my entire being shudder. I am just a glitch in the system. Something that passed by detection when spawning, instead of becoming a Wretch I turned into a creature. I slipped through the detection process, if that is true does that mean there is no one in this world like me? I push the thoughts towards the back of my mind as I rest a few kilometres away from the mana pool, hiding into a temporary nook as I think about what I am about to do. After much worrying I slowly drift into an anxious sleep.

Shortly after falling into sleep I awake to the presence of something staring at me. This night seems to be quite active as I stare out from my hole into the noisy forest. I look at a figure very familiar to my memory. An inexplicably tall horrifying white figure. He slowly walks up to the hole and bends down in the most unnatural way possible as his lifeless face is right by my hole. "you....are....like....me".

I awake from my sleep with adrenaline flowing through my vein at the lifelike dream, the first dream I had gotten since I entered the forest of Vyin. More of a nightmare than a dream.

After prepping my self I slowly go towards the mana pool. After making my way to the outskirts of the pool I find my self greeted by many sleeping creatures. After a few minutes watching the peaceful creature I feel a vibration as the surface of the pool shakes as a large crocodile appears shaking water from it's massive body. It looks at me densely and in my head I hear a happy voice "There you are, I have been asking many creatures to help find you to bring you back to the pool so I could discuss something with you". He pauses slightly as he sees my silent form. "I am dreadfully sorry that I banished you from the Mana pool, it was very unfair of me to judge you before I could even ask the creatures who started the fight. I am sorry for my misjudging and I warmly welcome you back to the Pool."

I look at him and say one phrase, a phrase filled with sorrow and regret "I'm so sorry" A lighting bold appears out of the air and starts to shriek through the air towards the Giant alligator.