Nilbog rested his back against the wall as he bled. Covering his wounds should have taken precedence, but he could barely move. His hands fell limp beside him, covered with crusting liquids he could no longer distinguish.

Several black screens crowded his vision.

Phase One Ranks

1. Iris The Ferocious

2. Shon Of The Enchanted Flame

3. Nilbog

4. Doyan

5. Syndra The Wrangled You have been rewarded favorably for surviving the First Phase as one of the top contributors! Maintain a streak to earn unique rewards!

You have gained 50 points! General Stats & Parameters

Level

20

Strength

8

Species

Shapeshifter

Agility

17

Class

Sentient Killer

Endurance

14

Profession

None

Constitution

13

Age

1

Soul

12

HP

43/130(18.2/Hour)

Life Force

93/120 (1.44/Minute)

STM

21/140 (+1.96/Second)

Mana N/A

Overall STM

343/700 (+392/Day)

Danger Rank Cub Skills

Soul Siphon (Racial Skill)

Shaper (Racial Skill)

Shifter (Racial Skill)

Sentient Killer (Class Epic)

Lethal Strike (Class Epic)

Murderous Lolie (Unique)

Seventh Sense (Monster Unique)

Status Effects

Shape-Shifting

Your flesh is altered.

You are currently using Husk number 1.

Warning, your Husk is incomplete. Experience gain is reduced by 100%.

Vigorous Nourishment

HP, STM, and Overall STM regeneration Increased by 20%.

Deep Sleep Rest Bonus increased by 30%.

Duration left: 2 hours 43 minutes.

Black Wine

Black Wine is a difficult ingredient, requiring a highly skilled cook in order to bring out its virtues. The inexperienced cook was not able to remove the side-effects of such a potent drink.

Increase the effects of Life Force and Energy skills by 25% for three hours.

Decrease the effects of Life Force and Energy skills by 10% for two hours once the buff duration finishes.

Duration left: 2 hours 43 minutes.

Life Ent Juice

The Ent's condensed Life Force of planetary life flows within this juice, granting it regen properties.

Increase Health, STM, and Life Force regeneration by 10%.

Duration Left: 43 minutes.

A typhoon of words, numbers, and tables blocked everything but the wretched blackness. The only thing left was to see what rewards were available to him, though his mind was too mucky to think about anything, much less make future deciding decisions. In a or two day his injuries should heal, including most of his fatigue. Sleeping would help that.

He’d gotten many bad cuts, but surprisingly, nothing fatal considering how foolish Nilbog was in throwing himself into that dogfight. Those crazed men and women were as dangerous as the Ghouls were.

He tried to wash away the memories of that wretched music. He felt damn violated. The people around him were no better. Iris was getting her ear pulled by the old raisin. Even though she took a few big hits she seemed healthy. Among her already overloaded arsenal she probably had some type of sustain skills. HP returned on kill or damage, if he had to guess. From her equipment, it was easy to guess she was a Ranker. Having a family to finance and train you made a world’s difference. There was no competing with them.

But most of all, one horrid existence remained. All he could see was her head against the piano, unmoving. Unconscious, hopefully. Dead would be even better, though he was far too young to be optimistic.

Nilbog swallowed, his saliva mixed with blood and sweat. Not pleasant. That trail of thought doesn't lead anywhere good. Wishing death on others was exactly what he fought against. The desire was true, he came to terms with that a few moments ago, but he wasn't going to feed it.

Nilbog tried to move, mustering all the little power he didn’t have. He had some green in his STM bar, but that did not mean he could tap into it without a few groans and curses. Nilbog lifted himself halfway up, hands supporting him against the wall, before he fretted and fell forward.

One caught him by the shoulders. Nilbog lifted his head up towards Doyan. “Finally decided to give me a hand, ay?” Nilbog smiled. It was an obnoxious, ugly one. It was a wonder how quickly he learned to twist his childish face.

“I had my hands full,” Doyan replied, distaste in his tone.

He wasn’t the same. The big man was tired. He was changed. They all were. The haughty look that he first gave Nilbog was not there. Maybe this was enough to humble him. “Bloody hands, these.” Nilbog clutched his teeth, slapping away the Doyan's hands. Or at least, he tried to. They were too damn heavy to move, and he had no strength left in him. “I do my part to rally others, while you sat back and kept safe."

“I should kill you for what you did,” Doyan said, his hold tightening. The numbness though was on his side now. There was no fear. Annoyance, fatigue, gloom, but not fear. Doyan was nothing compared to what he just went through. He let his hands drop to his waist, spitting to the side. “Helping you back there might have killed us all, and you know it. It’s your fault for going too far from the group.”

“Fixing people’s mistakes is what we agreed I would do.” Nilbog spat too, more out of necessity than choice. It seemed to be a natural part of being a human. “I did what I had to save my life and hers.”

“Horseshit! The first time you came for the weapons, and the second you came with a mob. I saw you cut the throat of one our own.”

“He swung at me. I will protect myself.”

“He almost grazed you? That’s why you killed the poor boy?”

Nilbog chuckled, holding one hand to his chest. “Poor boy? Poor boy? And here I thought people like you only cared about yourself.” Was this a good time to spit? No, probably not. “Intentional or not, I saved your regrettable life twice. Minus the fact I almost got you killed, and you still owe me one,” he said, walking away as Doyan’s face turned red.

Feeling somewhat pleased about himself, Nilbog turned around and looked for the old lady. His search started with her. Unfortunately, she was surrounded by guards in black and blue uniforms. They were not there in the Phase, which meant they’re level was higher than 50. Their Danger Rank was hidden.

While they were busy, Nilbog used the time to hunt for equipment. Sadly, all his options had substantially large holes in them. It took a bit of rummaging before he finally found a shirt and pants to replace his mangled ones.

The only noteworthy thing was the coat.

Uncommon Rock Alligator Jacket

Equipment Type: Medium Torso Armor

Equipment Star Level: ★★

Slash Resistance: ★

Thrust Resistance: ★

Thermal Resistance: ★

Reduce the effects of Armor Penetration effects by 30%.

Requirement:

Strength: 10

If the equipment was good enough, and the person had enough rudimentary knowledge regarding it, The Game would provide useful information on it. The jacket went all the way down to his knees, something Nilbog was pretty sure wasn't supposed to happen. Not his type of fashion, either, but sadly beggars can't be choosers of their style of exotic leather.

While it was useful, damage reduction was less effective on Nilbog. He just didn’t have enough HP for it to matter.

Using 1nd Rank Life Armor, however, could provide around 30% of a person’s HP as extra Armor plus its own damage reductions. A 4th Life Force ranked was expected to be around 60%, and that’s just the normal person.

That was why Iris could take so many minor hits—the combined pool of her Life Armor plus equipment significantly reduced the damage of attacks. Only high penetrating hits would put a dent on her before she recovered it.

And, of course, Nilbog did not know how to use Life Force or Mana. Once again, it was likely because this body was incomplete. Because of that everything would penetrate him. Having his arm cut off would deal only about 20% of his HP, but the blood loss will finish him in a couple seconds. That’s why preventing attacks from penetrating was more important than having flat HP. Having 50 extra Armor was leagues better than having 50 extra HP. The first could block bleeding, the other could not.

He couldn’t find any other equipment. Other than weapons that always dropped, the worn equipment is destroyed when the Sentient dies. Since that was the case, Nilbog guessed that it was probably more favorable to take prisoners rather than outright kill.

With the limited amount of low tier drops, most of it was quickly claimed by the survivors. Nilbog didn’t try to fight over any of them. From fifty people or so, fifteen remained, each getting a piece or two. On the bright side he found two decent daggers. His kitchen knives both lost a Star in sharpness from the rough use he gave them. That was typical for weapons with low Durability. There were swords around, but they didn’t match his style. Direct combat was something he always avoided, and daggers provided the flexibility he needed. Hit and go was the only way Nilbog was going to get by.

Common Mass-Produced Steel Dagger

Weapon Type: Dagger

Weapon Star Level: ★★

Slash: ★★

Thrust: ★★

Durability: ★★

Just a dagger.

Uncommon Durable Steel Dagger

Weapon Type: Dagger

Weapon Star Level: ★★

Slash: ★★

Thrust: ★★

Durability: ★★★

Just a slightly better dagger.

The star level of the weapon was the most important stat. The rarity, from Common to Legendary, was how hard it was to find stats and abilities that the weapon had, while the star level was how powerful it was. There are probably legendary daggers that were only three-stars, while some mass-produced common weapon might be a six-star.

With all his equipment set, Nilbog resupplied himself with a large bag of food from the leftovers. With his insatiable hunger, it would probably last only a few days.

Sentient Killer Activated

The Difference in Danger Ranks has increased Sentient Killer’s effects by 25%

Nilbog dropped his bag and jumped forward, one dagger already out of his pocket. He led with it as he swung around.

Walking towards him was the wielder of flames clad in Life Armor with such high density that its yellow color became visible. He'd also gone from a Cub to a Wolf.

Shon Of The Enchanted Flame: Wolf

On his side was Iris tugging at his coat with a bruised face. One lip bled down her jaws.

“You,” the man said, glaring at Nilbog. His side burst into flames, causing Iris to jump back with a yelp. He kept marching forward, the veins on his bald forehead sticking out noticeably. “You did this.”

Before Nilbog could what precisely he did, the man dashed forward, his arms lunging forward. Nilbog jumped back, slashing at it.

No penetration

Nilbog’s dagger met his palm head-on, but his Armor was so high that Nilbog's dagger bounced off his hands. It caught Nilbog's face. “Are you always such pest?” he said, stepping on Nilbog’s foot just as he was about to kick. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

“Did I miss the part where you told me?” Nilbog said, struggling as he was lifted off his feet. The man’s palm squeezed his face as it radiated heat.

“Stop it, Shon. It was my decision to—”

“You be quiet,” he hissed. “Do you have any idea how many more points you could have gotten? I told you the most optimal thing you oculd have done, yet you wasted it. ”

“Then he has nothing to do with it. It was my fault,” Iris said, looking down. “I panicked. There were so many of them.”

“Now you lie straight to my face, Iris?” he said, his eyes widening. “You wouldn’t have had the guts to do something so foolish!”

Lethal Strike Activated. Penetration!

You have done 4 Armor Damage.

You have dealt 16 HP Damage.

You have dealt Minor Bleed Damage.

Nilbog’s other dagger went through Shon's forearm. He jutted it forward until the tip appeared on the other side. Lethal Strike could only be used against Sentients. After a two-second charge up plus an obvious red aura that covered his weapon, his attack penetration increased by 75%. It ignored most of Shon's Armor and dealt damage that would be unhealable for a minute.

I should have gone for the head. Nilbog could have thrown it, but that would have killed Shon. Doing that will likely cause Iris to kill him. Nilbog went for the arm, expecting for Shon unclench his fists and yell in surprise, but all he got for his strongest skill was a really angry glare. Tiny flames sparked off Shon's body as the heat went up. A few more degrees and Nilbog’s face would start cooking.

The same. Every one of them.

“You don’t know when to stop, do you?” he said, raising Nilbog further up in the air.

“I really don’t,” Nilbog said, morphing his mouth into his Shapeshifter’s. His lips vanished, leaving a flat line of skin. The insides of his mouth were replaced by a black void that would eradicate anything it touched. He never wanted to put any human flesh in it ever again, but he was not allowed to die just yet. Not until he brought those people down.

“Put him down, you fool,” someone said on the side.

Nilbog flinched. Through the gap in Shon's fingers, Nilbog saw the old lady’s frowning face.

“My lady,” he said, the flames pausing. “In all due respect, this pest should be punished for interrupting a ranker’s training.”

“Guess who told him to fetch Iris you dipshit?” she said, raising her nose in disgust. Her cane was a blur as it smashed into his face. Shards of Life Force Armor flew into the air as it cracked. This time he did release Nilbog as he stumbled backward a few steps.

Nilbog landed on his feet. He took deep breaths--he was able to morph back his face in time.

“You will start a war for this, my lady?” he said, immediately fixing his form. He reached over to his nose and cracked it back into place.

She clicked her tongue, shaking her head. “Tell Barlom he can suck it. I’m handling Iris’s training from now on.”

Shon's face was unreadable. He looked from her to the guards standing in the background. “Oh please,” she said, cackling. “I can whop your ass back to the days when you wet your bed, with or without them, little Shon.”

“I believe we should let Iris decide,” he said, turning towards her. She flinched awake, quickly looking between the two.

“How would a child know how to make a decision? She looks surprised she even gets a say in this.”

“Then it is time we should let her ma—”

“One,” she said, tapping her cane against the ground.

“I’m well in my twenties, my lady. If you think—”

“Two,” she said, taking tiny steps towards him. “Two and a half.”

This time, Shon did curse. He looked at Iris, but stopped short of saying anything when the old lady got to two and three quarters. He sprinted out of the cafe before she reached three.

How terrifying, Nilbog thought, stepping back from the old lady. She counted the seconds before she would beat him. What a sadistic technique.