Chapter 18: Curiosity Killed the Cat

It was an interesting-sounding skill. Based on the information he received after he evolved the skill, it seemed like it was a skill that utilized [Brutal Strike] and [Combat Trance] to augment his close combat ability. It was his second rare skill and if [Spatial Perception] was any indicator, it was going to be a very useful skill.

However, as much as he wanted to at the moment, Julius couldn’t just experiment with his new skill. He had to find another location for the night. The scent of blood would attract who knows what. Furthermore, changing locations was easier than moving the entire carcass. After a little while, he found a spot a couple of miles away that seemed safe. It was a small alcove between the creek and some rocks. It was much more hidden than his last camp.

Julius also brought with him the rabbit. It was still dirty but he managed to remove most of the dirt from it. Plus, he was still really hungry and a little grime wasn’t going to get in the way of it.

He gave it another once over before he created a small flame to heat it and kill any bacteria that might be on it. Once it was nice and charred again, he bit into it.

It was gritty and slightly earthy from the dirt marinating its surface. Sadly, it wasn’t the most pleasant of meals, especially compared to how it was before he got attacked, but it was still the first thing he ate today. Julius polished off the rabbit in quick order and then got ready for bed.

The rest of the night was uneventful, except for the occasional distant loud roars and the sound of trees falling that woke him up periodically.

When he woke up he went to the creek and washed himself up. He thought about going back to check on the corpse but was conflicted. On one hand, he was curious as to what that thing looked like in the daylight but also thought there might be other predators attracted to it. The mana core inside of it would be valuable normally, but with him being in the middle of nowhere it didn’t hold much value unless he found civilization.

On second thought, he didn’t have any money on him. Nor did he have anything of value to trade for. Now that he was thinking about it, that core would be able to pay for information or supplies if he found a town.

A couple miles later he arrived at his old campsite. The corpse was still where he left it much to his surprise. He had really thought the corpse would have been eaten by now, but it was pristine. Not even scavengers had touched it. It was very odd and made him wary.

Quietly checking the surroundings, Julius stooped down and inspected the monster closer. He was correct in assuming it was similar to a wolf. Its features were distinctly canine. It had a beautiful coat of pure black that absorbed the light and was soft to the touch. Julius would estimate it to measure around six feet long from head to tail. The massive claws are what grabbed his attention.

The claws were closer to small swords. He was very fortunate he wasn’t sliced by those things, it would not have taken much for them to bisect him.

Julius bent down and searched for the monster’s mana core. The location was slightly different depending on the species, but it typically was found in the chest or head of most monsters.

Monster cores were used in a variety of ways. The most common is ground down to make pure essence, which could be used to make items that increase skill progression and growth toward the next tier.

Since Julius was a Tier 1 now, he needed to work towards his advancement to Tier 2. Tier 1 was about creating a mana core, but Tier 2 was about becoming one with that mana. This process would physically enhance individuals past mortal limits and once they were completely infused with their mana, they would undergo an evolution.

Their bodies will adapt and change to better reflect their core’s mana. For example, those with earth affinities will often have bodies that are more robust and rigid. Also, those with water affinities become more flexible and adaptable.

It was commonly seen by wealthy families to use cores with the same affinities to create potions or supplements that increased their advancement. With that being said, it was known that those who used cores as a way to progress were on average, weaker than their peers. Additionally, those who choose to go this route become bottlenecked at the next tiers. Therefore, this method is used for people who are non-combatants and those with crafting professions.

Julius still didn’t have a knife so that forced him to take a step back and use a [Firebolt] to open the chest cavity more. Expectedly, it was a gruesome scene, blood and internal organs were scattered about. Luckily, due to it being at least a Tier 2, the mana had preserved its flesh still and it wasn’t starting to putrify. Unluckily, he still needed to jam his arm into its disgusting chest.

After a bit of rummaging, he finally found what he was looking for. It was a small marble-sized sphere that contained pure air affinity essence. Julius did have a medium air affinity, but he didn’t choose to use any air mana in his core and had no other plans to do so.

I already have enough on my plate, no need to get greedy, he told himself.

At the last moment, he also ended up removing the claws from the monster. They weren’t exactly a knife, but they would do until he found or bought one himself. Then he left the scene, one core, and several claws richer.

Julius made his way back to his second camp and decided to make himself a quick breakfast before he headed out. He was still pretty hungry and could also use another bath since he was covered in blood. He found another rabbit and dispatched it in the same manner as before. This time he was able to enjoy it and wasn’t interrupted by anything that was trying to eat him.

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It wasn’t until several more hours of walking that Julius finally saw a change in scenery. The forest ahead had a massive clearing. Julius walked out of the forest and into the open field. About a few hundred paces later, he saw a small dip in the grass up ahead and got closer.

What he saw astonished him. In front of him was a ginormous bowl, that looked like a crater you would see from a meteor or like he had seen in dormant volcanos. The inside of the hole was completely made up of dark-colored rock and slate. He would estimate the bowl was about a few hundred feet deep and at the bottom of it was a glowing light emanating a soft blue hue.

Julius was naturally curious and decided to work his way down the slightly steep incline to get a closer look. He took his time climbing down and was careful where he stepped, some pieces of rock were loose and he could easily fall if he wasn’t paying attention.