Spearbound

Kade was far too optimistic. He expected to find more goblins throwing themselves at him, but it had been a bunch of nothing since he told himself to put on a show.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been for the damned forest. No matter where he went, it was so uniform and neat that it had to be unnatural. It was a creation of someone, but who, he had no idea.

The only saving grace was the occasional clearing he came across. They were a sorely needed change to the monotone forest, and all were similar to the one he appeared in at the start.

“Are you sure there aren’t any other monsters for me to kill?”

The system didn’t joke when it said it would only reply to ‘queries within reason.’ It didn’t acknowledge his question.

Kade traveled in a straight line. Since everything looked the same to him, he might go in circles otherwise.

He wondered why he only met three goblins in what was apparently the middle of nowhere. There were two spear goblins and one archer goblin. They might have been some type of scouting team, but that was hard to believe when there was nothing to scout.

Kade saw a sudden cluster of trees up ahead, with bright sunlight nearly blinding the view of what was past it. He didn’t get excited. It was just another clearing, like the many others he had seen before.

He thought little as he stepped past the cluster of trees, but after he did, he really didn’t have any thoughts at all. He stood frozen as he stared at the vast lake before him. It was a shade of blue that he only imagined existed in the most popular tourist spots.

Not that Kade had seen it in person. He had been too poor and then too busy to even think about leaving Chicago’s vicinity.

He scanned the new area and saw that it was just as abandoned as the woods he had left behind. The only difference was that an immense, flat grass plain replaced the forest beyond the lake.

Kade half expected—hoped—goblins to pop out of nowhere and attack him. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

He warily walked closer to the lake, well aware that this could be extremely dangerous. It wasn’t uncommon for large bodies of water in RPGs to contain a nasty surprise.

Kade was ten feet away when the interface appeared.

The Arcana Well

These waters anchor this Rift Zone. If disturbed, it will draw the attention of the world’s protectors to fend off the attempt to unbalance this world.

Kade quickly backed away. He wanted another fight, but not with things that supposedly protected the world. He was the definition of a novice at the moment and needed to build his way up to this fight.

Kade was about to give a wide berth to the lake when he realized what its name implied.

“Hey, system. If I take a dip in the water, will I become stronger?” When the interface didn’t immediately reply, he was about to assume that the system didn’t think it was worth an answer.

Yes.

He felt tempted. He could destroy a goblin that was three levels above him, so he had some hope that he could beat the protectors if the lake increased his [Arcana Level] to a high enough level.

Kade’s common sense won out in the end. There was no time limit to complete his objectives. He would be risking his life for no reason.

He followed his original plan. He gave a wide berth to the lake and walked into the grass plains. There must be some sort of gathering of goblins he would run into.

***

Kade observed the giant rats in the distance. The ten-foot-tall blades of grass gave him enough cover to stay hidden as he planned his attack.

The flat grass plains had slowly become more and more untamed until they turned into a freakishly tall grass forest. He felt like an insect with his small size compared to the grass.

Kade didn’t care. He finally saw more monsters, even if they weren’t goblins.

Five of them were sleeping in a close huddle. The rats had chewed the surrounding grass to the base, leaving a small clearing that was almost too perfect for an ambush.

If his aim wasn’t so atrocious, he would’ve loved to take out a few of these rats before jumping into the fray himself. Unfortunately, he had no hand-eye coordination at this…

Wait. That’s what [Dexterity] is for.

Kade had to stop himself from audibly face-palming. He had ignored the attribute altogether in favor of [Speed], thinking that [Dexterity] only affected things like flexibility, which he found unimportant.

He had to make sure.

Kade mentally nudged the system with the question, and the interface gave him an answer.

[Dexterity] helps your physical agility, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. You are correct in assuming it will improve your accuracy.

Kade didn’t dawdle. He used one and a half points on [Dexterity] and the rest on [Speed].

Free Points: 2—>0

Dexterity: 1—>2.5

Speed: 2.5—>3

He sensed the rats were at a level similar to the archer goblin he destroyed. With five of them to deal with, he figured he needed just a bit more speed to keep himself untouched, or at least mostly unharmed.

Kade felt that the rest of his attributes were more than enough as it was.

He carefully put down the bundled spears and unwrapped them while monitoring the rats. He estimated he could launch two of the spears before the chance to ambush them disappeared. So that was what he would do.

Kade shifted slightly to get a better view and a clearer shot. He eyed the rats that were furthest from him in the huddle, not only to make the ambush easier when he joined the fray, but also to give himself a bit of leeway if his accuracy was still complete shit.

He launched the first spear, and the second followed immediately after. Before the spears could land, he was already shooting toward the huddled rats.

His thrown spears met their targets, though it wasn’t as accurate as he had hoped. Instead of striking the rats’ heads, they lodged themselves in the middle of the rats’ bodies.

Kade ignored the pained screams the two wounded rats let out. A sense of unease settled in with the other three now on full alert.

He reached the huddle and plunged his spear into the rat closest to him. It didn’t have the chance to make a sound before it turned into white dust. The interface made a dull sound, but as he requested, it stayed hidden until he was done with the fight.

He was already onto the next rat, but this one was ready for him.

Kade bent his body awkwardly to avoid the sharp teeth about to bite off his arm. If he hadn’t increased his [Dexterity], there was no doubt he would’ve lost that limb.

He jumped back to put some space between him and the rat before barely bringing up the spear in time to block it from leaping on him. It skewered itself on the outstretched spear and turned into white powder.

Kade didn’t even have the chance to think about the accomplishment when he felt a sharp, tearing pain in his legs. The interface flashed despite his command to avoid disturbing him.

Warning: You are experiencing heavy bleeding!

He growled in anger as his vision turned red. He pushed down the nearly debilitating pain and blindly slammed the back of the spear down to dislodge the rat that had just taken a bite out of his leg.

He then twisted the spear and thrust it down on the rat’s head.

Kade stumbled back as it turned into white powder. The two rats with spears sticking out of their body wobbled towards him. He would’ve been in a terrible spot if they had been in peak condition.

He could feel chills taking over his body, and his leg was about to give in. He had glanced at it when he killed the rat that took a bite out of him, and he was missing nearly all of his calf. He had no idea how he was still moving the leg at all, but he wasn’t complaining.

Kade was still running on pure anger, but he was well aware that he had to kill the remaining rats as quickly as possible. He hoped that the energy he absorbed from them would be enough to heal his mess of a leg.

“Well?” Kade directed at the rats with bared teeth. “What’re you waiting for?”

He was sure the meaning of his words didn’t provoke the rats. It was likely just the sounds itself that was enough.

Both of the rats screeched before launching themselves at him. Kade immediately knew that he had made a mistake. He wouldn’t be able to dodge both.

He gripped the spear tightly and decided to sacrifice the right side of his body. His right leg was mangled, and adding a similar disability to his left side would be his end.

Kade let out a battle cry of his own and launched himself at the rat on the left. He shifted his spear to his left arm and skewered the rat through its open mouth while the other bit through his right arm.

Warning: Your health has fallen below 25%!

He snarled as the rat tried to tear his arm off. He quickly followed the motion of the rat’s head to prevent it from succeeding before trying to pierce the spear through its underbody.

Kade felt the spear break, finally giving from the extreme stress it had experienced. He didn’t miss a beat. He let go of the broken spear and grabbed onto the rat’s head before putting his entire weight and strength into twisting it.

He heard a loud crack before the rat finally turned into white powder.

Kade collapsed to the ground and lay on his back as he felt his injuries finally taking their toll. Thankfully, it also felt like his wounds were on fire. It caused the pain to skyrocket, but it paradoxically gave him relief. He was recovering.

He chuckled in relief as his wounds started to heal, his muscles regrew, and the skin re-stitched. The interface made a faint sound again, and this time, it showed itself since the fight was over. He read the messages that he had missed.

You have destroyed 2 Gnawers (Arcana Level 7)!

Spear Throw (Level 1)—>(Level 2)

You have destroyed a Gnawer (Arcana Level 8)!

Skill Learned!

Spear Impale (Level 1) - A powerful attack that can immobilize or severely damage an enemy by piercing them through.

You have destroyed a Gnawer (Arcana Level 10)!

Footwork (Level 1)—>(Level 2)

Kill 10 Monsters (3/10)—>(8/10)

Level-up! (x5)

Arcana Level 5—>Arcana Level 10

Free Points: 0—>5

Level-up bonuses applied.

Constitution: 7—>12

Endurance: 4.5—>7

Strength: 6—>11

Kade had wondered how his strength never really faltered, even after his injuries. This was why. He just had more of it, so even with injuries, it felt like nothing had changed.

He winced at the increased burning as the wounds healed themselves faster and read on.

You are the first human to reach Level 10 as a [Warrior]!

You have been rewarded a Soulrend.

Choose the form (weapon) it should.

He had never heard of that word before. “What’s a Soulrend?”

A Soulrend is a weapon you choose to accept as part of yourself. In your planet’s lexicon, they are in the form of cold weapons. Fragments of your soul will form the weapon, and activation requires you to sacrifice a minimum of half of your vitality.

Despite being fully healed, Kade felt more alarmed than ever. “What do you mean by sacrificing my vitality? That would be temporary, right?”

It is the same as losing your health. You can naturally recover or seek healing.

He relaxed, finding that explanation much more clear. But he still had some questions. “What happens if the Soulrend breaks? That’s an issue if it’s made out of my soul, no?”

The fragments of your soul return to you. You may activate your Soulrend again to reform the weapon.

Kade liked the idea of this—he loved it. Having a weapon that was basically indestructible would be amazing.

The question now was what weapon should he choose. He knew the sword had to be the top choice to most, but in the short time he used the spear, he had found that he was more attached to it than he should be.

And he had been using crude wooden spears made by goblins. The Soulrend sounded impressive, so if he made his weapon a spear, he expected something impressive. Plus, he already accumulated [Skills] that were spear-focused.

He had to have it.

“Spear!” Kade said with a little too much excitement.

Spear chosen.

Soulrend added.

That’s it? Kade called on his interface to show his full status.

Kade Beckett

Arcana Level 10

Class: Warrior | Skills: 4

Soulrend (Dormant Spear)

Race: Baseline Human

Titles: N/A

MP: 1/1 | MP Recovery: 1% per minute

Stats:

Constitution: 12

Endurance: 7

Strength: 11

Dexterity: 2.5

Speed: 3

Wisdom: 0.5

Free Points: 5

He thought he got scammed. “Why does it say ‘Dormant Spear’ next to Soulrend?!”