Even though he had experienced the teleporting effect before, Lukas still found it a little disorienting. To suddenly appear somewhere completely different in an instant was weird, especially when any and all of your movements are preserved through the act.

In an instant, the blackness faded and it seemed like Lukas had only blinked before finding himself somewhere else. He still held his hand out to touch the door that was now at his back. When his eyes adjusted and focused, he realized that the cave was dark, but not nearly as much as he would've thought. Moonlight fell onto the slight ramp that acted as entry and exit for the cave, the light bathing everything in a cool silver light. Even with the help of the moonlight, Lukas felt as though he was seeing a bit too much.

Did his new class allow him to see better in the dark? It didn't really seem like it as there were still some shadowy nooks and crannies he couldn't see into. Perhaps it was a result of his increased perception, it had skyrocketed since Lukas had last been in the cave. Maybe it was both the moon essence he had absorbed and his increased perception, he couldn't really tell but his intuition made him think he was on the right track with that.

A shuffling sound echoed out in the cave, pulling Lukas from his thoughts. Throwing his gaze around, Lukas discovered he wasn't alone as a set of angry looking yellow eyes zeroed in on him. It was hard to make the beast out in the scant lighting, but Lukas could definitely tell it was a snake and a big one at that. He wasn't really sure what a reptile was doing in a cool forest cave, but maybe it was warm blooded on this planet or something.

Well aware of his situation, Lukas readied his new dagger and identified his first foe since getting levels under his belt.

Iopie Adder - lvl 15

Lukas had just finished reading the tag before the beast hissed at him and drew nearer. He only had time to take a cautious step back before the adder's head shot forward, no doubt looking to bite him. Lukas wanted to cut the snake's head off before it could, but he couldn't react fast enough. Sure his stats had increased a great deal, but even normal snakes were blindingly fast so it only made sense that a higher level snake would be even faster. If he could see the thing's stats it would probably have a shit ton of agility.

With Lukas being unable to stop the snake's attack, the adder managed to get an easy bite in on the arm holding his new dagger. A stab of pain shot through Lukas' arm, making him jolt and pull away. Immediately he noticed he had a new notification, but didn't dare let himself be distracted and look. He didn't need to look to know what it said though, he'd just been poisoned. While he couldn't feel it at that moment, he could feel the two holes the beast's large fangs had left behind in his forearm. Hot blood trickled down Lukas' forearm and he steadied himself before the snake could take advantage of an opening.

Pulling a bottle from his inventory, Lukas gripped it in his off hand, keeping an eye on the Adder. It decided to strike again, but this time Lukas had seen its muscles tense up before attacking. Ducking out of the massive snake's attack, he charged the inscription on the bottle he held and threw it at the snake's body. The bottle hit the ground near the adder's coiled up body and exploded into tiny pieces, Lukas having put as much mana in the inscription as possible out of instinct.

A putrid black cloud billowed out, encompassing the beast's body. The monster thrashed in pain as the necrotic gas began attacking its flesh. The snake hissed with rage and charged Lukas as it tried to get away from the poison as quickly as possible. Jumping out of the way, Lukas slashed a shallow but long cut into the snake as it barreled past. The scales were tough and hard to get through with his lacking strength, but that didn't matter for someone like Lukas.

Fishing out another bottle from his inventory, Lukas was about to throw it when another attack came from the adder. It tried to bite him again, and he just barely managed to avoid having his head chopped off, taking the bite in the shoulder instead. Before the snake could escape again, Lukas put a deeper cut in its softer underbelly, causing blood to spill out over his once clean clothes.

With a yank, the snake pulled itself back from Lukas' dagger, but before it could do anything else, Lukas threw the bottle. It was gaseous hemotoxin, and when it cracked next to the snake, the resulting cloud happily introduced itself to the snake's bleeding wounds. The adder let out a hellish screech, one Lukas didn't think snakes could make, but it was clear he had quite thoroughly pissed it off.

That hardly mattered at this point, as all Lukas really had to do was let it bleed out with the help of his hemotoxin. It wasn't much and he would still want to get more cuts in to stop the snake's body from getting rid of the poison too fast. So instead of waiting for the snake to make the next move, Lukas went forward. In hindsight it wasn't the brightest idea to charge head first into a cloud of hemotoxic poison with open wounds, but he was excited.

Lukas proceeded to whittle down the snake, taking a few more bites for his efforts, but he was willing to make the trades. He knew he was playing fast and loose with the venom that was no doubt in his body at the moment, but that hardly mattered if he couldn't kill the snake. Eventually, the adder couldn't go on any longer and grew more and more sluggish as a result of its wounds and blood loss. This left Lukas to get a nice and easy kill as he plunged his dagger through the bottom of the snake's head and up into the brain.

The snake's dead body flopped to the cave floor, motionless besides a few twitches. Lukas stared down at the body, not even winded from the fight. It had been a difficult one since he was out of practice, having been holed up in a cave for a while, but he got the job done nonetheless. He checked his health and noticed that he still had plenty, but took out a health potion anyway. It wasn't nearly enough to heal all his wounds, but it was a good start. Next Lukas looted the body, before heading for the mouth of the cave as the snake's corpse shriveled up.

Now that he wasn't in the middle of a fight, Lukas decided to take a look at the list of notifications he now had.

[Iopie Adder - lvl 15] has inflicted [Iopie Adder Venom] on you.

You have resisted [Iopie Adder Venom].

[Iopie Adder - lvl 15] has inflicted [Iopie Adder Venom] on you.

You have resisted [Iopie Adder Venom].

You have inflicted [Iopie Adder] with [Inferior Hemotoxic Poison].

[Iopie Adder - lvl 15] has inflicted [Iopie Adder Venom] on you.

You have resisted [Iopie Adder Venom].

What followed was a nice long list letting Lukas know that he'd been inflicted with venom only to resist it. He was interested in the notification telling him that he had poisoned the snake though, and was also intrigued by the fact that he hadn't been given one from the necrotic poison. That was probably because the poison hadn't made its way into the snake's body. It was nice to know that his notification system would let him know if his poisons affected a beast though.

Scrolling through the long list of notifications, Lukas finally got to the ones he was most interested in.

You have slain [Iopie Adder - lvl 15] - Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level.

Level gained: [Rogue of Night] has reached level 1 - Stat points allocated.

Level gained: [Human (Outworlder)] has reached level 9 - Stat points allocated.

Level gained: [Rogue of Night] has reached level 2 - Stat points allocated.

Level gained: [Rogue of Night] has reached level 3 - Stat points allocated.

Level gained: [Human (Outworlder)] has reached level 10 - Stat points allocated.

You have looted [Iopie Adder].

10 [Copper Mana Coins] have been added to your inventory.

Lukas couldn't help but smile after seeing he'd gained three whole levels right off the bat, that meant the first ability was right around the corner. He did note that he had gained extra experience due to being a lower level and guessed it was based off of race level, considering race level was an average of both class levels. So while he was level 17 in his Combat Alchemist class he was level 0 in his Rogue of the Night class, the average being eight and a half so he was lower level than the adder. He also saw that he'd only gained ten mana coins, and he assumed that was as many as he could loot, at least from these lower level beasts.

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Unable to stop himself, Lukas checked his stats while his vitality worked on his bloody wounds.

Lukas Hellstrand

Race: Human (Outworlder [unique]) - Level 10 Class 1 - Combat Alchemist - Level 17 Class 2 - Rogue of Night - Level 3 Health Points: 603/730 Stamina: 448/500 Mana: 721/730

Stats Vitality: 73 Endurance: 50 Intelligence: 60 Wisdom: 73 Agility: 53 Perception: 48 Toughness: 60 Strength: 48 Willpower: 48 Free Points: 13

Titles: Prodigious Dimensional Traveler, Unkillable, True Heart of a Warrior, Indomitable Worm, Hierophant of the Risen Goddess.

Abilities:

Combat Alchemist Abilities: (Amber Eye of the Alchemist [lvl - 0]).

Race abilities: (Dimensional Traveler), (Tribute of the Fallen), (Steel gut), (Tongue of the Multiverse), (Stranger in a Strange Land).

"Now we're getting somewhere," Lukas thought, happy to see such a large amount of growth so fast.

Having made his way to the way out of the small cave, Lukas looked back at the desiccated snake corpse and set double doors, only to find that the doors were no longer there. He stared at the spot where they had been for a moment, before looking out at the clear night sky above him. A light breeze made its way down into the cave bringing with it the scent of summer.

With one last look at where the doors had been, Lukas said, "You could've at least warned me about the snake, you ass." With that, he walked up and out of the cave and into the open for the first time in a long while.

Stepping out into the long tall grass of the glade, Lukas revelled in the sound it made as it and the trees rustled in the breeze. Taking in a deep breath, he enjoyed the fresh clean scent as he closed his eyes and held his arms out to the night sky. He could almost feel the warmth of those distant stars in his sky, their light traveling untold distances to reach him. With a deep breath and sigh, Lukas opened his eyes once more, gazing upon the eternal beauty above him.

Due to the tall forest around the small clearing, only one small piece of the night sky was visible to him. Even so, the moon was directly overhead, shining down on him. It was nearly a full moon, which provided plenty of silver light that gave an ethereal feel to the forest surrounding him.

With his gaze still locked on the dazzling sky above, Lukas could tell it was about midnight. Before he'd only really been able to tell whether it was night or day and whether or not dusk and dawn were near. Now he could feel the relative time, he assumed this was the result of the Essence of the Moon and his new class. There didn't seem to be any other explanation, at least none that made any sense.

Pulling his eyes from the starry sky, Lukas looked around at the dark and shadowy forest around him. All around he could hear the creatures of the night, and he was struck with a bit of homesickness when he noticed how similar the sounds were to back home. As he looked about, he'd never felt so connected with the forest or so peaceful. At night everything was calm, quiet, and tranquil. If he weren't itching to get moving, Lukas would've sat himself down at that moment and began meditating.

With a nod to himself, Lukas set off. He didn't have any direction in mind, but just began strolling through the dark forest. This wasn't like before, he wasn't a level zero that was extremely fragile compared to the other beasts around. He didn't have to sneak around everywhere, perking up at any sound like some prairie dog. Now Lukas had power and he could fight back, he could make this forest his own, and now that he could progress just like all the other beasts he might just fight his way to the top.

For the next while, Lukas casually walked through the forest, forcibly slowing himself down so as to not go too fast. If he really wanted to he could probably walk at 15 miles-per-hour with his agility, but he wanted to enjoy himself and his surroundings. He didn't keep a look out for any flowers or herbs he could use in alchemy, he didn't keep an eye out for the beast, and he didn't have his guard up. He just walked through the woods.

Back home on Earth that would've been the epitome of stupidity, and would only lead to a quick death from a bear, wolf, or even some smaller predators like foxes or coyotes. Now, Lukas would've loved to fight a bear, just to see if he could do it. He felt confident that he could, considering some of the things he'd killed.

Lukas continued to meander through the forest for a while longer, but when he didn't come across a single beast in two hours he stopped. He wanted to get into a fight, but he also didn't want to be idle and useless. It was obvious that even if higher leveled creatures didn't need as much sleep, the beast still rested at night, staying in their homes.

Not wanting to feel like a wastrel any longer, Lukas climbed a nearby tree with the help of his increased stats. He was able to grab onto imperfections in the bark to clamber his way up to one of the lowest boughs, a good fifteen feet up. Once there, he was able to sit comfortably on the bough with his back against the trunk.

He considered changing clothes, but they'd just end up getting bloody and torn up as well so he held off for the moment. Lukas didn't like the idea of going without a shower and being all dirty again, but he saw no need to change into clean clothes just to get them all gross too.

After getting himself comfortable, Lukas closed his eyes and began meditating. He felt that his rogue class was close to reaching level four, and really wanted to sky rocket through the early levels. There was also his Combat Alchemist class that had gained a fair bit of experience as well, and he felt he was close there too. But he didn't meditate for consolidation, he wanted to do more aura practice.

He was still new to it, having only learned earlier that evening, and he wanted to get a solid grasp on his aura while it was all fresh. Lukas would feel like a massive idiot if he managed to lose what little control he had over his aura. So Lukas got himself comfortable and did some basic aura exercises the goddess, Sera, had shown him. They were all for contracting one's aura, none of the other techniques, but Lukas didn't mind. Contraction was the most important for the moment.

If Lukas didn't have good enough control then all the beast in the forest would be able to feel it, and the more powerful he got the more powerful his aura. It would mean stronger and stronger beasts would seek him out while some of the weaker ones scurried away. It sounded like it was a good thing, but Sera had informed him that because of his nonsensical soul strength he'd only attract beast way out of his league.

So it was pertinent that Lukas learned to keep his aura hidden.

Several hours passed as Lukas worked on his aura, doing his diligent work to set a good foundation for aura control. He only opened his eyes once the first rays of golden orange beams of sunlight filtered in through the forest, and the sounds of beast and monsters began to ring out. Getting up from his sitting position, Lukas stretched, feeling rather well rested.

Jumping down from the tree, Lukas pulled out his wolfskin cloak and wore it properly for the first time. It was ragged and torn, but the fur was still soft, and the hide of the cloak would act as better armor than what he currently had. Which was nothing.

Taking out his dagger, Lukas began walking through the forest, looking for a fight. He used his burgeoning aura senses to try and find enemies. The beast didn't have stellar aura control, so it should be fairly easy to find some. He didn't have to go far before he felt his first target. The aura was strange and ineffable to him. He was still new to feeling and understanding them, the only one he'd felt up to that point being Sera's. Lukas had gotten familiar with her aura signature, but she was a goddess so who knew if hers was even normal or not.

Sneaking through the forest brush, Lukas followed the direction of the aura, being sure to clamp his own down as tight as he could manage. It wasn't great, but a beast around his level shouldn't be able to detect him too quickly.

Poking his head around a tree, Lukas found a Swipe-Swatter with its head buried in a berry bush, eating breakfast. The strange rabbit-fox-like creature was about forty meters away, and should've been well out of earshot, even with those ears. Taking out a necrotic poison from his inventory, Lukas quickly thumbed the stopper off before pouring the deep green liquid onto his dagger. A few droplets fell off the blade and onto the ground, the vegetation there instantly wilting away.

Stowing the now empty bottle, Lukas hefted his knife and began creeping up on the distracted creature. As he approached, Lukas identified it.

Swiper-Swatter - lvl 18

It was the most powerful beast Lukas had come across, besides Sera. Even still, Lukas had full confidence in taking the beast out quickly. When he'd fought the Iopie Adder, Lukas had been thrown off and surprised, caught in a small cave with not much space. But now he was the predator ready to pounce on his prey.

Once he was within range, Lukas leapt onto the creature, and buried his dagger to the hilt in the thing's backside. The Swipe-Swatter let out a pain-filled screech, and kicked him like a horse, sending Lukas stumbling back. Lukas was smart enough to keep a tight grip on his dagger though, and as it was forced roughly out of the beast's body, doing a decent amount of damage on the way out.

The following fight wasn't much of a fight as the Swipe-Swatter's rear legs quickly succumbed to the necrotic poison, turning into more of a reeking mush than legs. From there Lukas was able to finish off the beast with ease, even if he could've just let it die slowly to the poison. He wasn't averse to using the poison, but just standing there and waiting for the beast to die a horrific death was another matter. No, Lukas just killed it quickly to put it out of its misery, before looting it.

Lukas took one step away from the body before he hunched over in pain, gaining his new ability. ​

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