Chapter 5: Escaping the Spider's Web
Taking a deep breath, Ben jumped off the leaf and slowly glided towards his targeted point. It was a relatively easy task compared to how he thought of it. With turbulence and mosquito flights, Ben wasn't very far from the runway.
A few centimeters of walking were all it took for Ben to reach the vulnerable point. Beads of sweat were forming on his little mosquito face, and he gulped nervously. "Here we go!"
Using all his force, Ben bit the neck with his two fangs, and surprisingly enough, his fangs were able to peep through the beast's thick skin without the beast knowing about it. Or maybe the beast was so busy resting that it simply couldn't care less.
Relieved by the response of the beast, Ben sighed as he slowly pulled out his two fangs from the beast's skin. As soon as he made the effort to pull his fangs back, a warm liquid flooded his mouth with pressure like a fountain.
A sweaty aroma entered his nose, followed by a tangy sweet taste. It was as if a charge of electricity ran through Ben's body as soon as he tasted the warm liquid. Without thinking, Ben gulped it down his throat, as if his body were not under his control.
╬═«Quest Update»═╬
[Drink blood (0.05/2.5 mL)]
"Hmm, it's like a mosquito wine-tasting experience. I can already imagine the reviews: 'A delicate blend of animal hemoglobin with hints of oak and desperation'," Ben chuckled to himself, feeling rather proud of his unorthodox approach.
╬═«Quest Update»═╬
[Drink blood (1.85/2.5 ml)]
...
[Drink blood (2.5/2.5 ml)]
A series of notifications popped up on Ben's screen as soon as he finished consuming 2.5 ml of blood from the beast. It was a clear signal to him that his work was done here. Ben closed all the notifications on his screen and flew away in the air to find a safe spot.
The forest was full of weird-looking and abnormally large creatures. In a place like this, Ben couldn't help but daze off while looking at the notifications. So, instead, he searched for a safe spot. where he could relax and check the system's notifications. Not to mention, there were too many questions in his head that he needed to ask.
It didn't take long for Ben to find a rather old tree with multiple holes in it. From the looks of it, the tree was somehow burned or damaged by something. Even after this, Ben flew around the tree to ensure that there were no other creatures living in it.
After he ensured his safety, Ben chose a small hole with multiple openings, he planned to make it his temporary base. Even if some creature attacks him from one side, he can always use the other routes to escape.
Ben sat inside his terminal base as he opened the notification section from the system's menu. Somehow, with his old gameplay experience, Ben wasn't facing any difficulty with operating his stats and quest. As soon as he turned on the notification, a series of notifications popped up before him.
[Mutant Rox, advanced-tier blood has been consumed.]
╬═«Quest Update»═╬
[Drink blood (2.5/2.5 ml)]
[Congratulations! You have completed the first quest. "Drink Blood"]
[Calculating rewards...]
..
[Exp: 5/5; ▓▓: None]
[New Skill Obtained: Blood Tracer]
─» Description: Blood Tracer turns your vision into a paraworld view. With the help of this skill, you can search for blood sources within 25 meters of your range.
«─Congratulations─»
You have leveled up to level 2.
All stats: +0.2
Free Points: +0.2
...........
╬═«Quest Update»═╬
─» New Side Quest: Evolve to Evo 1
─» Requirement: Reach level 5 for evolution.
.........
In a mere second, Ben's whole vision was flooded with notification screens. He didn't know if it was good or bad.
"Hey system, can you give me arranged notifications one by one?" Ben asked, expecting the system to be able to do this much, at least. And he was not disappointed by the system's response.
[Sure host, here is the series of notifications in order.]
Notifications on Ben's screen started juggling as soon as the voice responded. In the next instant, the notifications from the system were arranged in order of time. [Old─» New]
Ben was surprised looking at the rewards, but what surprised him more was the new quest. According to the quest description, if Ben could level up to level 5, he would be able to evolve into a new genetic species. Now this was something Ben didn't find in RPG games, so he asked the system about it.
"System, can you explain to me a little more about the evolution thing? And how is it different from leveling up?" He asked hesitatingly.
[Sure host. Think of it this way: this universe works on magic. Magic is present inside all living and non-living creatures. [To store this magic...]
"Wait, wait, wait!" Ben interrupted; he was expecting some scientific answer, but the answer he got was just above his head. Just what was the system talking about? Magic! Isn't this supposed to be something from a fantasy?
"I am lost there; did you say magic?" Ben pondered, and he also recalled the system saying this thing in the past, but he didn't have free time back then to ask this question. "Please explain to me about magic."
Magic is the name given to the primal energy in this universe. The very purest form of energy from which all other energies are derived Example: fire, light, heat—all energy is directly or indirectly derived from magic.]
[Those who can master control over this energy can use it to store, manipulate, and create different kinds of energies.]
"Wait, does that mean I can use magic as well?" Ben asked, contemplating the possibilities. Normally, if someone told him about magic and these kinds of stuff, Ben would probably laugh out loud, but after what happened to him in the past few days, Ben had no reason to doubt the system's words.
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