Chapter 8 GIFT FROM THE BLACK ALTAR

The stone guardian attacked without warning, his greatsword swung horizontally with brutal force.

WHOOOSH!

I reflexively ducked, the wind from the slash enough to mess up my hair. The sword slammed into the stone wall behind me.

DUAAR!

The rock cracked, dust fell. I stared at the slash marks.

"Good."

"Can't be hit."

Quite simply, the Guardian pulled his sword out of the wall with ease. With such incredible strength, I immediately moved to the side, giving the monster no room to lock onto its target.

Bosses like this usually:

slow

hard

irritating

Hopefully at least two out of three. I attacked first, stabbing the guardian in the thigh.

CLANG.

Thorny Branch bounces.

...

I stared at my weapon, and the Guardian stared at me. We both understood one thing: that had been embarrassing. High defense, as expected. The Guardian raised his leg and kicked, and I barely had time to dodge.

BUK!

My body was thrown several meters, my back hitting the floor.

"UGH-!"

My breath was forced out, the pain was excruciating. I rolled quickly before the large sword struck my fallen position.

BOOM!

The floor shattered. Okay, no more mistakes. I got up, clutching my chest. The increased vitality helped a lot, but I was still human. I activated Minor Mana Sense. Focus, feeling the flow of energy. This guardian wasn't truly alive; it was powered by mana core. That meant there had to be a weak point. I circled the guardian, searching. The monster attacked again, a vertical slash. I dodged, counterattacking to the arm.

CLANG.

Still useless.

"Yes, I know your armor is thick."

"No need to show off."

I kept moving, my eyes focused, and then I saw it. On the back of the guardian's neck was a small red crystal embedded. Oh, the classic core. I like the predictable look. The problem: it was high up, and the guardian wouldn't just wait. I needed an opening, I breathed.

"Good."

"Simple strategy."

Trap first, I raised my hand.

Root Snare!

Roots sprouted from the floor, wrapping around the guardian's legs. It worked, a little. His movements slowed, not completely stopping. As expected, a level gap. But enough, the Guardian let out a mechanical roar and tried to break the roots. I ran forward, jumping onto the broken rock beside me. Then onto the guardian's shoulder. Fantasy parkour, I love it. The guardian tried to grab me, but I was faster. I climbed onto his back, reaching his neck. The red crystals were clearly visible.

"Meet."

I activated Ember Slash, the Thorny Branch igniting a small flame. It then stabbed the crystal.

CRACK.

Guardian froze for a split second, cracks spreading from his neck to his entire body. Very good, I jumped down. The next second

BOOM!

The guardian's body collapsed into a pile of stones, the room silent, dust filling the air. I stood still, breathing heavily, my body aching. But life prevailed.

A notification appears.

Ancient Stone Guardian defeated.

EXP gained.

High reward bonus.

Level 12 reached.

Level 13 reached.

Strength +2

Vitality +2

Mana +2

I smiled broadly.

"Useful."

A further trial notification appears.

Trial complete.

Reward unlocked.

The black box on the altar opened automatically with a simple click. Unfortunately, there was no dramatic music. I approached, and inside the box was a plain black ring. Made of dark metal, it had tiny root engravings on its surface. Its mana was dense. It was intriguing, but I touched it. As soon as my finger touched the ring, information flooded into my head.

Artifact obtained:

Rootkeeper Ring

Effect:

20 slot item storage

Small mana regeneration

Compatibility bonus with plant-type classes

I froze. A storage ring? Seriously? Jackpot. I immediately put the ring on, it fit perfectly. Great, I tried to focus. A blank space appeared in my mind. Storage, 20 slots. I almost laughed with joy.

"Civilization."

Finally, no more awkwardly carrying random loot.

I entered:

map

food

water bottle

knife

Everything went into storage, beautiful, the pinnacle of technological fantasy, I was very satisfied. But as I was about to leave, my Minor Mana Sense suddenly reacted again. There was something else, still in this room. I stopped, focusing. The sensation came from beneath the altar. A hidden compartment? Interesting. I searched around, found a small crevice, pressed a certain stone, and clicked. The altar part shifted, a small compartment opened, and inside was an old book, its cover dark green, dusty, and engraved with golden roots. The mana in this book was even stranger than the artifact. I picked it up, and as soon as I touched it, a notification appeared.

Skill Book detected.

Compatible with user.

Skill:

Nature Assimilation

Requirement:

Plant-compatible class.

I looked at the book, then at my class, then at the book again. I smiled.

"Oh."

"So finally someone appreciates this class."

I opened the book, and a green light enveloped my body. The skill information was instantly absorbed.

A notification appears.

Skill learned:

Nature Assimilation

Effect:

Speeds up regeneration when in natural areas.

Enhances sense of plants and resources.

Minor healing while resting.

I nodded in satisfaction, sustaining my skill. Excellent, I'm now more suited to being a forest dweller, survival complete. Dungeon cleared, artifact acquired, skill acquired, rewards doubled. Today was truly productive, I checked my quest progress.

Day 2/7

Survival continues.

Only the second day.

And I have:

kill a classmate

kill hunter

clear mini dungeon

can storage ring

Honestly? Solid progress, I left the altar room. Climbing back to the surface, the sky outside was already dark, the second night had begun. But this time was different, I was stronger. More prepared, and most importantly, I was beginning to understand one thing. This forest wasn't just a dangerous place, it was a place full of resources. A zone of opportunity, if I could survive seven days, I might emerge as a monster, just as planned. But as I exited the ruins, I stopped. Because in front of the entrance, someone stood. A woman, short black hair, light armor, holding two daggers, her gaze sharp and definitely not a monster. Not an ordinary hunter either, she stared at me for a few seconds. Then she said,

"So you're the one who's causing a commotion in this forest."

I sighed.

"Popularity is tiring."

The woman raised her eyebrows slightly, assessing, analyzing, dangerous, intriguing. She twirled one of her daggers.

"Calm."

"I haven't decided whether to kill you or not."

I smiled faintly.

"Good."

"Because I haven't decided whether I want to believe you or not."

The second night suddenly became more interesting.

[END CHAPTER 8]