I stood, breathing heavily, atop the corpse of yet another goblin. Blood dripped from the metal pipe in my hand. My heart was pounding, but not from fear — from exhilaration.
Something within me was awakening, something far more dangerous than any monster.
At that moment, a new notification flashed before my eyes:
Congratulations!
You have reached Level 2!
HP +25 | MP +25
10 free stat points acquired.
Choose a level-up reward:
— 20 stat points
— +25 HP and MP
— 100 coins
— Random weapon
— Random skill
I squinted at the screen. Well then… first upgrade.
I had to choose wisely.
20 stat points? Tempting, but... I still didn't even know how the stats actually affected combat. All this leveling felt too abstract for now. Maybe it would be useful later, but not immediately.
Extra HP and MP? Solid choice, especially the mana — each imp summon burned 20 points. But so far, my base pool was enough for two summons, and I couldn't summon more anyway. Not much of an advantage right now.
100 coins? And what would I do with those? Buy gum in a dead school? Ha. Without a store or anything like that, money was worthless.
Random weapon? Considering my pipe was doing just fine, and I wasn't exactly a ninja vaulting off walls with a katana… Not ideal. Though, it was tempting.
Skill. Now that was different.
A skill — something I didn't have yet, something that could change the entire flow of battle. Passive, active, defensive, summoning — anything would be useful. I had already seen how vital even a simple summon could be.
— Well, that's settled. I'm picking a skill.
The notification shone brighter, and a second later, something strange washed over me — like someone had opened a hidden vault and dumped alien memories straight into my mind.
New skill acquired:
Demonic Summoning Sea (Level 1)
Effect: You can store up to 0/4 summoned creatures in the dimension of darkness and summon them at will.
— What the... — I stumbled back a step, stunned.
A summoning sea?
So… I could hide my imps? Like in a pocket? And then unleash them when needed?
A skill window popped up in front of me.
For now, I couldn't store any — "0/4" — but the existence of the ability itself opened up a flood of possibilities.
Ambushes.
Stealth.
Battlefield control.
Before, I had to waste precious seconds summoning, burning through HP and MP.
Now, I could have them prepped and ready.
Even better — I could hide them from others. From allies. From enemies. No one would know who was with me. And if needed, I could release them right behind an opponent's back.
A shiver ran down my spine.
This power... it was dangerous.
But also incredibly useful.
— Good, — I chuckled darkly, — time to prepare for some real hunting.
I opened my stat window. The layout appeared before me:
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Perception: 5
Free points: 10
— Better wait with this, — I muttered. — No need to rush.
First, I need to figure out how these parameters actually work in the field.
Maybe later I'll invest in perception or endurance.
Wouldn't want to mess up my build this early.
I closed the menu and moved forward.
The remains of the imp were still evaporating into the air; the second one trailed behind me like a shadow, dragging dust with its tail.
The school corridor grew darker and wider.
I moved slowly, careful not to make a sound.
Once again, the goblins appeared — their squeals and grunts echoed from around the corners.
— Let's begin. Summon! — I commanded, and before me, the second imp materialized again.
HP and MP drained away — 10 and 20, just like last time.
I ordered them to attack.
The imps lunged at the enemies, acting with growing confidence, their movements nearly synchronized.
They bounded over desks, rained down from above, and stabbed gleefully with their daggers, manic joy twisting their small faces.
I finished off the ones trying to flee, still wielding the same battered pipe.
It was getting easier.
Not physically — emotionally.
After the eighth goblin, I didn't feel even a flicker of guilt.
These weren't "living beings."
They were "coins."
"Experience points."
"Targets."
Total killed: 8 goblins.
Experience gained: 160
Coins: +80
But just as I was about to head toward the staircase leading to the first floor, I spotted movement.
There, by the wall, among the corpses of a boy and two girls, something larger loomed.
A goblin — but not an ordinary one.
He was nearly my height, his muscles bulging under his skin.
He held two curved blades in his hands, and his eyes… his eyes were intelligent.
He wasn't charging recklessly.
He stood still, studying me like a hunter sizing up prey.
A glaring red warning flashed on the screen:
Warning!
Special monster detected:
Cunning Goblin (Level 3)
I gritted my teeth.
Damn it.
The first enemy stronger than me.
And judging by the look in his eyes… he knew exactly what he was doing.
— Let the fun begin, — I whispered, tightening my grip on the pipe as the imps behind me scraped their daggers against each other, eager for blood.