C23: Results of the grind.
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'Fun fact number one: the system sells me bold hunter marks for 2,000 echoes. Now my initial thoughts on the farm here was to just go for the two pigs and then the dogs along the street before using the mark to restart once again but then I remembered something.'
'I have Gerald'
As such, I now also execute the local group of kidnappers near the lamp and the single fallen hemwick witch before slaying the pigs and dogs and that shoots my grind results up by a few thousand echoes. Breaking a few of the blood letting coin for increased drop chance ensures that I always got at least one twin blood stone shards from these guys along with the set of two normal bloodstone shards they also have a chance of giving.
'If I prioritize killing a few kidnappers, the half hidden witch, the two pigs and the six dogs on the streets. I get 13,043 echoes per run. Minus the cost of the mark itself, This means I can reliably get 11k echoes per run.'
I think to myself after having gone through my first run and returning to spend my echoes completely on the newly obtained bold hunter marks from the system.
This was made all the easier as I had initially returned to the dream and upgraded my weapons a bit. Having obtained an initial sum of 33,741 (curse bad, skill good), I spent a large sum (about 3k) of it to firstly upgrade my gear in the dream to +6. At least the saw cleaver I did but the rest I was only able to initially get to +3 as I had good luck before to consecutively get a bunch of twin shards for upgrading but now I need to hunt a bunch more if I want to keep my current gear up to par with my saw cleaver. I had to kill a few more kidnappers to get the remaining stones but those echoes were part of the batch that was lost during one of my early runs.
To explain this better, after my initial exploration of the hypogean Goal. I had returned and upgraded my gear before spending the remaining 30k echoes on 15 bold hunter marks. I had made the mistake of getting cocky due to the power of my weapon and had gotten hit and run by the pig on the stairs…twice. Losing me about 3k echoes from slaying the two kidnappers and witch during my initial run.
After losing those echoes, I had gone into a rage that unlocked a new skill for me but it's not one I really want to use anymore due to the implication of it but I cant deny that it's level rose quickly and helped my other skills level up too.
[Berserker rage learned due to Hosts Emotional State.]
[Berserker Rage level 1: User goes into a rage that causes 1.5x stamina loss with all actions in exchange for a 1.8x boost to all attacks and movement. Damage boost is further affected by current beasthood gauge. EXP gained for skills during rage increased by 1.2x]
I had eventually gotten my revenge on the pig and the other local creatures but I'm still getting pissed off at just the memory of those few thousand echoes being lost. It's like heartburn.
Nevertheless, I returned to the grind, though better this time as I remember the items I have. Such as the Blood Drained bead which doubles all my echoes gained until I rest at a lamp.
With better skills and Gerald's help I was able to increase the power of multiple skills. As a result, I'm also rich now.
Out of my 20 runs, I died 9 times in total as a result of carelessness with the pigs, my laziness kicking in and them crushing me under their snouts or accidentally getting a larger group of dogs to surround me with no escape. Thankfully these mistakes were made early on and I was able to recollect those lost echoes. It was only the first run that had truly made me lose echoes.
As for my skills, there are a large number of them that have gotten tons of levels, including the berserker rage itself, though I did have to stop using it after one message appeared.
[Berserker Rage has gained the required experience. Level 1->level 2 ->level 3->level 4->level 5->level 6]
[CoK has risen to 12%] 'ah shit, guess i cant be angry anymore.' I mused to myself as I didn't really feel the numbness I had before when using vials. I wouldnt mind using this skill more if it continues like this, the gradual sensation wasn't too bad. Especially with results like these.
[Visceral has gained the required experience. Level 5->level 9]
[lesser Agility has gained the required experience. level 2->level 5]
[Scent Masking has gained the required experience. level 2->level 5]
[Minor Stealth Steps has gained the required experience. level 3->level 6]
[Throwing has gained the required experience. Level 2->level 5]
[Pain Resistance has gained the required experience. level 4->level 6]
[Skill Pet has gained the required experience. Level 1->level 4: User can now extract more abilities from tamed pets or level up extracted skills.]
This was especially the best result I had from this whole venture. As it gave me the option of outright increasing the previous poison creation skill to level 4 (1 skill point per level, used for getting a skill or leveling it up). Learning this, I immediately invested into more skills from my pet which was the correct result as after getting the only other 'known' skill from Gerald, this popped up from the subsystem.
[Pet: Gerald has no other claimable skills for the owner. Would the user like to use two pet points for claiming a random pet attribute?]
"Shore" I jokingly respond which thankfully the system accepts an answer, perhaps reading my intent but it got to work.
[Ding: processing, categorizing racial powers, Dismissing incompatible abilities. Ding Process complete. The Owner has gained Vileblood Physique.]
"Wha! ACK!" I respond in shock before a deep pain takes over my body. It feels like worms crawling around, I even see various spots on my body bulge out and move around. This would have totally been a great reminder of the original mummy movies scarabs if of course, this wasnt happening to me.
But it was.
And now I must suffer in silence.
My only saving grace was that I had chosen to do this at the end of my 20th run and that too, in front of the chapel where my lamp is.
I cant really say how long this had all been but what I do know is that my skills have been accumulating xp again. Case in point:
[Pain resistance level 4 has gained required expereience, level 5, level 6. Mutation in nerves detected due to new physique.]
[Pain resistance has been split into two new skills: Physical pain resistance. Greater Sense]
[Physical pain resistance has adopted all aforementioned EXP. Due to lower quality of skill, required EXP to level up is reduced. Physical pain resistance at level 9.]
Finally the worming sensation stopped as I felt a newfound strength course through me. Looking at my status, I saw that my strength directly doubled. Vitality increased by 1.5x and stamina got a huge boost as well. Though I faced another surprise from my system following this boost
[Compatibility detected between Hunters Physique and Vileblood Physique. Would you like to merge them?]
"Can I get any sort of hint of what the results would be?" I try to question the system and it actually responds.
[System will extract key aspects of both physiques into a new physique that bears both names]
"I see" I respond with a monotone tone, already knowing by this trope that im just about to go through more pain to merge the two.
"Just do it" I relent as it's present me's pain that future me will thank me for taking on as it soars far higher.
The system doesnt let me know it's starting as it just immediately starts and I have begin to spasm while all my muscles and joints lock up turning me into a doll. Though my spasming does send me off the stepsI was sitting on earlier. Having crawled here somehow in a haze during the vileblood physique integration.
Unlike before when I went into a haze, I feel everything this time around. My body heat rises up as if my blood itself turned scorching hot and burning my insides. My muscles begin to stretch and compress over and over again like balloons.
And don't get me started on my bones, or lack there off as they essentially liquify as they spew out tons of new blood, coating themselves in this new found blood.
For quite some time, I had become just a fat skin bag as other than the heat my organs were going through, they remained in their same positions, seemingly hovering in place for whenever the time would come for everything to heal once again. Though that wouldn't be anytime soon.
[Subsidizing lost blood with bloodstone shards]
"What" I respond in my mind in confusion before I find my newly grinded twin blood stone shards appear right above me and then as if the heat of my own blood ignites these stones. They begin to melt like how I do when I wish to upgrade my weapons. Though this is more streamlined like the game as after being melted down. They drip like melting candles upon my flesh.
This is not a pleasant sensation, in fact, none of this is. I regret everything and this better be some major upgrade as otherwise I'll sue the Moon Presence for every child it could ever want but never get.
When the last drop of the bloodstone 'candles' finally comes down and the system doesnt extract any of my remaining normal bloodstone shards does my body begin to change.
The most obvious being that i now emit a small blood light around myself, not too useful since I already had darkvision. Speaking of my vision. It's gone.
Gurgle
I barely emit a single sound before all my organs seem to have been crushed into paste with the sole exception of my brain but I can't be sure that won't be done either.
Pockets of blood spill out from me as instead my bones begin to reform and work overtime to grant me new, blessed blood. Oh joy.
That newly minted blood now flows into my organs as if sponges, they gradually inflate to their original stature and maybe a bit bigger.
I finally regained sensation in my toes but I still can't …oh, no wait, there's my eyes and vision.
I gradually slump up against the steps as my clothes have come off as a result of my transformation. I pick them up and find that they expand in response to my touch as I put them on.
"Strange" i say as I clench my fist. I go inside the chapel and examine the kidnappers dead body.
"I'm taller now. One piece here I come" As I make my joke, I immediately collapse face first as the final step of my new physique gets to work on the last organ, the brain.
While I only have a vague recollection of needles prodding where It shouldn't. I do eventually regain consciousness. Though I feel lethargic and energetic at the same time which is tripping me up.
After a minute I realize what is actually happening to me. My body is so strong and fast now that my brain had trouble coordinating it all. But with it's own upgrade, it was able to process the change far better than it was before and i realize I had actually twisted my ankle when putting on my pants earlier but I just couldn't sense it all.
[Vileblood physique has merged with Hunter Physique. New Blood-Hunter Physique formed.]
'What does it do?' I ask mentally as I don't trust myself to not bite my tongue as I am now.
[Blood-Hunter Physique: Retains the initial enhancement from the hunter physique but adds in vileblood enhancement naturally. User now has vileblood title permanently on]
"Alright" I huff out as to say that word, doesnt require me to actually move my mouth too much, just my tongue.
[Stats]
Insight- 20
Echoes: 400,860 [1]
LVL 32:
Next cost: 6273
Vit- 15 (+3 drained) + 11 = 26
End- 12 +7 = 19
Str- 13 (+3 drained) + 15 = 28
Skill-14 (+2 drained) + 7 = 21
Bloodtinge - 3 + 7 = 10
Arcane-9 + 9 = 18
{Reader Note: drained stats are already excluding the og base stats. Fake Vitality stat: 15 - 3 + 11. <- not like this. Without drain would be 18 + 11 instead}
"Alright" I say with a bit more excitement at seeming such a major boost to my physical stats, especially the robust ones like strength, vitality and arcane.
[Warning: Certain skills have been induced to mutate or evolve due to new algorithm regarding skill experience]
[Visceral has evolved to (Hallow) Visceral strike]
[Physical Pain resistance has evolved to (nullifying) Physical Pain resistance]
[Hunter blade proficiency has reached level 8 from 5]
[Hunter tactics has reached level 5 from 3]
[Harvest has leveled up once]
[Minor Stealth Steps have mutated due to darkness mastery skill. (Shadow) Stealth Steps level 1 gained)
[Scent masking has mutated due to the new physique. Scent Negation created. User no longer excretes sweat or any scent that can be used for tracking while active]
[Jumping has reached level 8 from level 1]
"The….jumping one…is out of …place here" I speak slowly, making sure to not bite my tongue or anything else in my mouth. Though i do have to not that my teeth are now perfectly straight with no imperfection, my 'fangs' are also a bit longer but not dramatically so.
As no other pop up shows up anymore. I think about my next actions.
'I have tons of echoes now thanks to the grind. I am certainly thankful for the blood draining bead. These echoes could be used for levels or enhancing the level of my new physique, I could also buy a few things too.'
I slowly think as I return to the dream once more. Yet while I was thinking, I tried to get used to my strength and during this repeated motion of clenching and unclenching my hand, I made a startling realization.
'I have more bones.' The thought shocks me as all of my fingers no longer just three joints [2] but five. I marvel at my own body as I clench and unclench my hand. After some brief experimentation whilst walking, I find that applies to my legs and other bones too. My muscles are hyper atrophied as a result yet they act like lean muscles…somehow, just consider it an eldritch truth because I'm certainly not human anymore.
I'm sure the old man will be shocked by my growth spurt' I think happy thoughts of his crippled misery to reignite my own joy, which is doused moments later as I remember I have to regrind for twin bloodstone shards to upgrade my gear again.
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Word Count = 2821
Enjoy
Lots of new changes as a result of the grind, new levels, skills and so much pain. Isn't it wonderful?
I could have positioned the readers note down here too but felt it was more imperative to explain in case anyone forgot how the curse actually affected things. Lemme know if I should keep all future reader notes down here as well.
[1] the 400k echoes value takes into account loses from curse which are then mostly negated by level 1 harvest and 8 runs that were interrupted halfway due to carelessness (and 10k loss from 5 more hunter marks bought to even out for 20 runs)
[2] So let's analyze a single finger. Firstly we have the tip of the finger then just a bit past halfway through the length of a finger is the primary joint most seen and then all the way to the knuckle. If you agree with this analysis then you also agree that it can be reasoned that any single finger segment (except thumb) is 1/3rd of its own length before the joint comes in.
MC's fingers now follow a 1/5th formula with extra bones and joints while retaining a generally same form (that of a hand-obviously) Just imagine an armadillo curling up into its shell when mc clenches his fist or grabs anything. Alternatively, the dolls own hands share a similar resemblance if prefer that visual.
Whether you like the chapter or not, drop a comment. I can't be letting myself get complacent in my writing. I still have plenty of growth in all forms.
discord channel still has the next chapter preview like usual: https://discord.gg/rE6gtg28XH
Patreon.com/Xanok to find me.