B1 | Chapter 8

Aidan

It takes me a while, but I finally manage to finish clearing out the large room of bats. With quite a bit of struggle along the way.

But despite that, I only manage to bring my Class to level twelve after killing the second alpha in the very end. Leaving this one till after taking out the smaller bats, unlike the first alpha that I almost ended up forced to fight with the small ones.

It all ends up being pretty worth it though as I look through the messages I’ve got built up.

[Level 15 Cave Dweller Alpha has been slain. Appropriate source mana has been allocated.]

[User’s Class, Void Devourer, has reached level 12. User’s stats have risen by the following amounts: +2 Physical, +2 Magical, +2 Mind, +2 Soul.]

◊*New Class Skill*◊ [Void Pit(Rare) – Grants the Void Devourer the power to summon forth a pit of void mana that devours mana that enters it. This skill is limited by the amount of void mana used to form the pit.] ◊*New Class Skill*◊

◊ Congratulations for gaining your first magic skill! Inputting knowledge of the skill known as ‘Mana Manipulation’ into your mind! ◊

I immediately feel a splitting headache appear, just like when I got identify. Then I find a new skill’s description appearing in my vision.

[Mana Manipulation – This is a skill used to manipulate mana. It is necessary in order to directly interact with the mana in the air and in a user’s body.]

A grin spreads across my face after seeing the magic skill.

Magic! Finally!

When something unbelievable like a System coming to Earth happens, you expect to be able to use magic. It’s just what you expect.

Not that I’ve been disappointed in any of my other skills – except maybe the gaze skill since it’s kinda useless right now – but magic is magic.

With that in mind, I try to use the new Mana Manipulation skill to control magic. And realize I have no idea how to do that despite the knowledge being there.

Damn useless System.

I frown at that thought before beginning to plop down onto the ground for a break now that the two big bats are dead and the cavern is cleared. Only to be rather surprised when I hear something hitting the stone ground, making me turn around to see a large chest having appeared.

Huh.

Boss loot, perhaps?

Were those alpha bats bosses, then?

Also, if that’s the case, then what’s with the three tunnels? Is there more past the bosses?

Or were those just some sort of mini bosses?

I frown while tilting my head and looking between the paths for a few seconds. Then I eventually just shrug and walk over to the chest. Which opens automatically when I get close enough, revealing two things inside of it.

The first is a pair of gauntlets with claws on the ends. And the second thing is an orb just like the stones I’ve been using to decrease my hunger. Except that this one is about ten times as big.

Not to mention that I feel hungry just from the sight of it despite just having devoured the alpha’s source mana.

Descriptions appear above both items.

[Iron Tier Mana Core – The core from a meager Iron Tier creature that may be used as a power source for certain items.]

[Gauntlets of the Bold(Common) – A pair of gauntlets awarded to the bold who challenge themselves through tackling the hard difficulty of the Tutorial. These gauntlets mimic whatever skills the user may have related to claws and applies the skills to the gauntlets’ metal claws. Wearing them also grants the wearer 3 points in Physical.]

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Huh. Those gauntlets look pretty good. Even with their common rarity.

Too bad I can’t use them. The things will turn into regular gauntlets without any effects if I wear them.

After I finish devouring their source mana, that is.

A shame.

I reach down to grab the gauntlets, only for my eyes to widen as I stumble in place from the sheer amount of source mana in them. Far more source mana than even the alpha monsters had.

Come to think of it, the source mana in that chair I was sitting on in the Guide’s office gave me an entire level’s worth of source mana. And it was just a freaking chair.

Does that mean items have more source mana than monsters? Or do the monsters just lose some of their source mana upon death?

I have no idea.

Either way, I feel the source mana in the gauntlets rapidly drain into my body. Completely ridding me of my current hunger without leaving a single trace behind.

Even after that, I still feel the source mana coming in like a broken dam.

Before long, I find both my Class and my Profession leveling up again.

[User’s Profession, Void Creator, has reached level 11. User’s stats have risen by the following amounts: +1 Mind, +1 Soul.]