Chapter 52 | Crimson Tuskers, Leaving the First Layer
While avoiding the fires and destroyed buildings that still smoldered around him, Alicar left the base using the many destroyed walls left behind by the goblins, slipping through the rubble.
He emerged in a forest once again, though the surroundings were much different than the one in the Initial Stage, a stark contrast to what he had grown accustomed to.
Starting with the sky, it was currently night, but there were three moons in the sky right next to one another forming a triangle, an eerie sight that made him pause.
One of the moons was actually almost fractured completely in half, its broken halves suspended in the void, and the third one had a massive crater that made it look like an unblinking eye watching over the land.
As for the forest itself, it emanated a much more powerful mana source than the one in the Initial Stage, the very air thick with energy that made his skin tingle.
If he could use Appraisal, he’d have loved to check all his surroundings and understand what he was dealing with, but he couldn’t.
Either way, Alicar was now in a level 15-20 zone, meaning that he’d have to go backward to find monsters more suited to his current strength.
This wasn’t what he had expected from the First Layer at all after entering it, but as Brian said, this was much more intense and unforgiving than anything he had faced before.
After a few minutes of walking through the dense forest, he was met face to face with yet another pack of monsters.
[Crimson Tusker Lv.16]
[Rank: Uncommon]
They all gazed at him with their tusks glowing with mana, their eyes filled with hunger and aggression, and they rushed toward him without hesitation.
Alicar lifted his staff, summoning a wall of earth in front of the tuskers, hoping to slow them down, but unfortunately, they smashed right through them with brute force.
’More strength than the goblins I guess,’ Alicar thought as he jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the charge, channeling his mana around his staff before sending his elemental attacks at the three tuskers.
Bam! Boom!
A fireball hit one of the tusker’s side directly, causing an explosion that made another stumble, and an ice spike impaled the last one, though not enough to kill it outright.
Somehow, all three tuskers were still alive, their thick hide and natural resilience protecting them from death despite the damage.
And they seemed more angry than before, their eyes glowing with a crimson light as they charged forward with renewed fury.
’Bloodlusted...!’ Alicar thought as he became more cautious, his body tensing, ’Damn, First Layer monsters really are no joke, they just keep coming.’
Alicar rolled out of two of the Crimson Tusker’s charges, his agility barely saving him, but the last one hit him directly, making him crash against a tree with a heavy thud.
Still... once more, Alicar was actually pretty fine, his Platinum Body skill absorbing the brunt of the impact.
While he was fighting the three monsters, Alicar was thinking about his skills and how to improve them.
’For other awakeners who don’t have Infinite Evolution, the only way to improve their skill rank is by increasing their proficiency,’ he mused.
That meant that for a skill like Elemental Attack, it would be about understanding each element and being able to use it better with practice.
As for a skill like Platinum Body... wouldn’t the only way to increase proficiency be to just get hit over and over, building up resistance through pain?
That sounded painful to Alicar, but anyone with a tank-related ability would likely have to go through that grueling process.
Still, he pushed through the pain and fought on.
BOOM!
After several attacks and being hit many times, Alicar managed to kill the three tuskers, all of them dropping to the ground with heavy thuds.
Ding!
[You have killed x3 Lv.16 Crimson Tusker]
[You have levelled up to Level 12!]
[You have gained one point in every attribute, and two free attribute points.]
"Well, at least I’m getting stronger, slowly but surely," Alicar muttered, catching his breath.
Every level he gained was one step closer to being able to defeat an enemy like the Goblin Commander, though the gap still felt immense.
Even now, Alicar still felt like he’d lose in a direct confrontation with that creature.
He tried to store their bodies for later use but was met with an error.
Beep!
[Small Storage Ring is full, please free some space.]
’Damn...’ Alicar cursed under his breath.
The monsters in the Initial Stage were much lighter, allowing Alicar to grab a few of them, but these were too large to fit in his limited storage.
Clang!
He tried to use the Cutting Knife for the second time, hoping to carve something useful, but much like against the goblin, it couldn’t pierce at all, the blade useless against the thick hide.
Seeing that, Alicar couldn’t help but think he was wasting his time, his efforts yielding little reward.
’The main thing I need right now is money, and sitting around just exploring isn’t gonna work out,’ he realized, his mind sharpening.
And with that in mind, while he was out of combat, Alicar had made his choice.
Ding!
[Do you wish to leave the "First Layer"?]
Entering and leaving the First Layer the first time could be done anywhere, but after that, one needed to take the gates, a system restriction.
The reason why, as always, was unknown, though every single race needed to follow that rule without exception.
"Yes," Alicar nodded, his voice firm, "I need to sell these goblins and buy something to pierce through the skin of these monsters."
Just like that, a flash of light erupted as his body turned into particles that disappeared, leaving the First Layer behind.
But right as Alicar left... around a dozen figures appeared from beyond the trees, emerging from the shadows.
"Damn it, he left right as we were about to attack!" one of them growled, frustration in his voice.
"Did you see that guy? He was level 12!" another spoke, wearing a weird uniform with an insignia on it, clearly part of an organized group.
"Yeah, kind of weird, but he managed to kill these things, which is impressive for someone at that level."
And finally, the leader, a tall man with a scarred face and a mechanical eye that glowed faintly red, looked at the spot where Alicar left with a cold smile spreading across his lips.
"Mark this location along with the many others on our map," the man pointed at it, his voice dripping with malice, "We’ll return there and kill him to take his things, that’s our only way to get stronger in this place."
"Yes, boss!" the many awakeners nodded as they marked the spot with an X on their map of the nearby area.
They vowed to come back to deal with him, but they had other people to "take care of" so they couldn’t just all sit in one spot, their operations spanning the region.
"Well," the leader’s expression turned more grim as he clenched his fist, a chilling smile on his face, "We’re all level 15-20, so what can a bunch of weaklings even do to us."
"You two," he pointed toward a man and woman, "You’re new to the group but its time to prove your worth against this one."
"Y-Yes!" they both nodded as they positioned themselves in that area, aiming to wait until they could ambush him.
Not many who entered the First Layer knew about this, but these people were called Strays, criminals who escaped the Awakener Association by remaining in the areas of the First Layer out of the association’s authority.
They killed many awakeners, most times just to survive as they could acquire items, but some truly enjoyed the feeling of killing and the power it gave them.
Either way, it seemed like Alicar had become their next target, and they would hunt him down when he returned.