A deep chime resonated through Corvin’s mind as glowing runes spiraled around the wheel, forming a vortex of light.
The vortex of light shone as bright as the sun before flying into Corvin and entering his mind.
[Congratulations! You have unlocked a Hidden Skill.]
*** Skill Unlocked: Abyssal Mist Control Lv. 1 ***
Rank: Legendary
Grants control over mist and fog within a 10-meter radius.
Passive: Water-based attacks deal +40% damage.
Active: Mist Veil – Summon dense mist that reduces enemy vision and accuracy by 50%.
Bonus: Mist can carry faint illusions to confuse enemies further.
If activated:
Cooldown: 1 Hour
Duration: Until canceled
Mana Cost: 250 Mana + 2 Mana per second while active
Then another notification flashed:
[Error]
[User’s existence is affecting the skill!]
[Unexpected Bloodline Resonance Detected: Demonic Heritage]
[Hidden Upgrade Activated: Abyssal Mist Control Lv. 1 > Abyssal Dominion Lv. 1]
Active Effect Upgrade:
Mist becomes infused with demonic essence, draining 1% enemy's stamina per second and applying Fear for 5 seconds upon activation.
Bonus: While inside your mist, gain +10% Lifesteal and +5% Attack and Movement Speed.
Cooldown: 12 Hours
Duration: Until canceled
Mana Cost: 400 Mana + 5 Mana per second while active
Corvin stared at the screen before him, not sure what to think.
"This is insane, right? I’m not crazy… am I? It feels like I’m finally moving forward. With this, I can stand my ground against the monsters of this world.”
Corvin laughed, eyes gleaming as he read the skill description again, now updated.
*** Skill: Abyssal Dominion Lv. 1 ***
Rank: Legendary
Grants control over mist and fog within a 10-meter radius.
Passive: Water-based attacks deal +40% damage.
Active: Summon dense mist that reduces enemy vision and accuracy by 50%. Mist becomes infused with demonic essence, draining 1% of the enemy’s stamina per second and applying Fear for 5 seconds upon activation.
Bonus: Mist will carry faint illusions to confuse enemies. While inside your mist, gain +10% Lifesteal and +5% Attack and Movement Speed
If activated:
Cooldown: 12 Hours
Duration: Until canceled
Mana Cost: 400 Mana + 5 Mana per second while active
Yep… pretty broken,” Corvin muttered, grinning. “Nera, we’ve got our own domain now. And with Nocturnal, we can probably see through the mist. Oh-ho, no more puny traps, because we bring the trap with us.”
He giggled like a child, utterly overjoyed. Well, in some societies on Eryndral, sixteen was still a child, but not on Karnia. Here, you were considered grown at ten and ready to fight for the church.
Corvin’s thoughts lingered on his new skill for a moment before shifting to his other ticket.
“Time to snag some nice armor. Hopefully a shirt.” He chuckled, tossing Nera one of his last apples. “Daddy’s in a good mood, eat, eat.”
He smiled as Nera crushed the fruit in her maw and swallowed it whole. She didn’t mind her father’s antics, as long as the food kept coming
***
Corvin activated the armor selection ticket. Three shimmering screens materialized before him, each displaying a different set of armor alongside its detailed description.
[Snappmaw Cuirass]
Type: Chest Armor
Rarity: Epic
Reduces incoming physical damage by 15% and grants immunity to Bleeding.
While inside mist or water, gain +10% Attack Speed.
Vitality +25
[Scalebreaker Greaves]
Type: Leg Armor
Rarity: Epic
Negates terrain penalties in water or mud, making the user faster and more agile as if born within such environments.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Jump height and Dash distance increased by 10%.
Agility +18, Movement Speed +12%
[Coarsehide Mantle]
Type: Cape
Rarity: Epic
When HP drops below 30%, auto-summon a 10-meter mist field for 5 minutes (Can be used once a day).
While inside mist, gain Fear Aura, which reduces enemy accuracy by 15%.
Strength +12, Magicka +10
Corvin stood frozen, face blank.
“How is anyone supposed to pick just one? I want them all, every single one!” He lunged at the screens greedily, fingers brushing against the glowing panels. These weren’t just armor pieces; they were masterpieces. Even Boridus only had the simplest Rare gear, and his father’s Epic full plate was locked away like a royal treasure.
“Come on, system, do me a favor? You won’t lose anything, and it would mean the world to me,” Corvin pleaded.
[User intention recognized.]
His lips curled into a hopeful smile, only for it to collapse a heartbeat later.
[Denied. User cannot influence rules set by the Creator.]
“Ah, damnit. Fine, fine… worth a shot.” He sighed, eyes narrowing as he studied the options.
First things first, that armor is great, and it gives a lot of defense, even gives immunity to bleeding, not sure how that works, but that could be useful.
Then he took a look at the leg armor. Hmm, this is strong, but only if I fight in the same terrain all the time, which is not possible. Okay, pass on that. The last item was the cape. This is also good. But it’s also similar to the new skill I got. Ah fuck it, I really want a cool-looking chest piece. I won't regret it, I swear!
He tapped the choice. The screen flared, and a glistening dark-silver cuirass emerged into his arms. Bone fused with strange metal, its surface etched with the image of a lunging alligator.
Corvin ran his fingers over the fine craftsmanship, grinning as he strapped it over his ragged shirt. It wasn’t much, but it was his first real armor.
Turning to Nera, he beamed. “Look, Nera, my first piece of armor! Don’t I look cool?” He chuckled, patting the cuirass like a prized trophy.
Nera stared back, still enjoying the effects of her apple. Her eyes softened with a flicker of sorrow. As her intelligence grew with each level, she understood more about how hard Corvin’s life had been. Even a hatchling could sense the weight he carried.
Corvin admired his new armor for a few more moments before forcing himself to focus. There were still system warnings he’d ignored in the rush of rewards.
***
“First, let's put five points into Intelligence. That’s the only stat that I have been neglecting. Might even make me as smart as you, Nera.” He chuckled as the serpent hissed mockingly. “Oh, sure, sure you are a wise baby snake. Naturally!” He smiled as he went to check what this thing called the Market was.
But just as the stats were assigned, he noticed that his mana regen stat rose a bit while his mind grew a bit faster, a bit calmer, like he’d aged a year in an instant. “Oh, so that’s how it is. Intelligence raises Mana Regen. Good to know. I guess I’ll need to raise all my stats equally… ugh. More levels, I need more levels.” He groaned, "Let's check this Market thing!" summoning the Market screen.
[Welcome to the Market]
The system chimed as tabs unfolded in glowing text:
[General Goods] [Weapons] [Armor] [Miscellaneous]
He tapped General Goods. Rows of items appeared: healing potions, mana potions, food, bandages, antidotes, and more.
Each item had a number on its left. Probably a price Corvin thought. As he checked other tabs.
In the weapons and armor tabs, there were countless items from Common to Legendary; the stronger the weapon, the more it cost. As he scrolled through the list to the Legendary items, his mouth started drooling. Then he saw prices in tens of millions of points and almost cried.
Then he checked the Miscellaneous tab, in which were fishing rods, beds, blankets, simple clothes with no stats, wood, utensils, and anything one could need in life.
“Holy shit, this Market thing is insane, but what are these points? How do I get points?” Corvin asked aloud, hoping for an answer.
[Current Points: 1000]
[Corpses of defeated enemies can be traded in for points]
[Special deeds will be rewarded with points]
[Currently Calculating…]
The system chimed, making things a bit clearer for Corvin.
“Only 1000 points? Let’s see what I can buy with this. He opened the General Goods and started browsing the healing potions.
“What, 100 points for a Lesser Healing Potion and 500 for a Lesser Mana potion? 1000 for Regular Healing Potion? Are you trying to rob me in broad daylight?” Corvin cried out before he recalled the system's message.
I can exchange the corpses for points! Let’s try.
“System exchange all corpses except Boa’s for points!” He whispered, guilt gnawing at him. He still hadn’t told Nera he’d finished off her dying mother.
[Hobgoblin’s Corpse (Uncommon) Exchanged for 1000 Points]
[Grey Dove’s Corpse x3 (Common) Exchanged for 300 Points]
[Lizardmen’s Corpse x3 (Common) Exchanged for 300 Points]
[Current Points: 2600]
Corvin frowned, disappointed. Still, he wouldn’t use Boa’s corpse; he wanted to sell it in the real world for money. I must save it. I have not a single copper coin, even beggars are richer than me. He exhaled in desperation.
Then an idea came to him. He started running over the swamp, picking up corpses of lizardmen and alligators, leaving one alligator for Nera to snack on. He even stored the Snappmaw’s corpse, which was the same rarity as Boa; he would keep that as well for now.
“System exchange all these as well!”
[Lizardmen’s Corpse x4 (Common) Exchanged for 400 Points]
[Soldier Lizardmen’s Corpse x4 (Uncommon) Exchanged for 4000 Points]
[Swamp Alligator’s Corpse x5 (Uncommon) Exchanged for 5000 Points]
[Current Points: 12000]
“Shame, I hoped for more… but this works. Let’s go shopping, Nera!” He cheered as the serpent slithered closer, curious about his frantic gestures in empty air.
[Regular Healing Potion x6]
Restores 500 HP instantly and 50 each minute for five minutes
[Lesser Mana Potion x5]
Restores 100 MP
“Okay, that should be good for now and now for tonight's feast!” He shouted as he spent all the remaining points on some high-level food and a much-needed fresh shirt.
[Roasted Azure Lamb x1]
[Sweet Potato Pie x2]
[Spirit Ale x2]
[Razorwind Pidgeon Pie x2]
[Black Cotton Shirt]
“Nera, my child, Daddy’s going to show you how much he appreciates you. Now, our last task before we leave.”
Corvin opened his Quest window, heart pounding as glowing text unfolded across the screen.
*** Class Quest: Defy Fate ***
Through your actions and decisions, prove that you are beyond the designs of the laws set upon this realm. Challenge Fate and win. Take what is rightfully yours.
“Haha… what does that even mean? You give me a quest without telling me how to complete it? Fine, whatever, I’ll keep doing what I’ve done since the start. Whatever keeps me alive!” He laughed, nodding for Nera to follow him back to their hideout.
Before leaving, he scavenged six simple spears and a few bows with intact arrows; the rest lay shattered from the wild battle.
***
Corvin and Nera returned to their hideout as night slowly draped its veil over the realm.
Corvin unpacked the food he’d purchased and arranged it neatly on the riverbank. Thankfully, the meal came with plates, so at least it wouldn’t roll in the dirt.
“Ta-da! A feast to celebrate our survival and a big milestone. We’re moving forward, Nera. Truly moving forward.” He smiled at the serpent.
Nera coiled beside him, staring at the strange dishes she’d never seen before.
“I tried some of these when I was young,” Corvin murmured, voice tinged with nostalgia. “Back then, I was treated like royalty. How times have changed… I haven’t had a proper meal in a decade. Only scraps and suspicious meat. But tonight, tonight we feast.”
He drew a goblin dagger and sliced the roasted lamb into pieces, giving most to Nera, who needed more food than he did.
The serpent swallowed the meat and bones whole, her body rippling with satisfaction.
“You like it, huh? I’m glad. Eat up, there’s plenty!” Corvin cheered, biting into a lamb chop. Tears welled in his eyes, joy and relief flooding him after so long without real food.
The two lingered there, eating and drinking, savoring their hard-won peace. For a brief moment, the world felt kind.
But far across the forest, the blue-scaled lizardman was already preparing to move. He had lost too many soldiers to mysterious deaths, and his patience had run out.
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Skills Unlocked: Abyssal Dominion Lv. 1
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