NOVEL WEB Chapter 4. Reborn
My body hurts, and it feels like my mind is broken. When I woke up, I was in a location that was unfamiliar to me. The land was lush with green, birds were chirping, and the wind was a pleasant feeling on my face.
As I took in my surroundings, I smiled, "I'm alive." I was so joyous, and while I got lost in the joy, I completely missed the most important part of this situation. I looked down, and I finally realized.
"My body! What happened to my body!?" I was awestruck by the change in my physique; my entire body structure had changed. In my past life, I was no taller than 5'3; now I am well over 5'7. I'm not too tall, but it's still a huge difference. I now have jet-black hair with blonde streaks throughout it. My hair reached down to my shoulders and felt very smooth. Compared to my past, when in the past life I had brown hair with a slight blonde tint to it, this was all very different. These changes were amazing and very surprising, but they don't compare to this.
"Why do I have scales on my body?" I said as I recoiled in fear. It was not just the scales, but also the black, jagged rocks sticking out of my head.
"Are these horns?" I wondered as I felt the protruding rocks; they felt surprisingly smooth and very hard on top. They are no longer than a few inches, and I couldn't even tell they were there; it was like I've had these all my life.
"Ouch!" I yelled as I felt a jolt of pain through my back. I looked back and saw a much larger cow than any cow I'd seen before.
"Can a cow even be that big?" I thought as I glanced at its face. It was chewing on something, or at least trying to chew it. As it kept chewing, another jolt of pain shot through me. When I gave the cow another look, I realized the thing that the cow was chewing was connected to something. It was connected to me from behind!
"What the hell?" I screeched as I realized I had a tail. It was starting to hurt and I thought this cow might bite it off.
"Stop!" I yelled as I tried to rip my tail free. With a jolt of my back, my tail, like it was a knife sliced through the cow. It felt as if I cut through butter.
!Ding! "Level up"
"Huh," I said as I let out a confused sigh. Is this a video game? I wasn't too familiar because my parents never let me do anything other than chores but I'm pretty sure this is something that would happen in a video game. And why am I some sort of animal? Does it have something to do with the voice I heard in the abyss?
!Ding! "Do you want to absorb the soul of the Alarian Cow?" Yes/No
"Absorb the soul?" What does that mean? I was starting to get overwhelmed. What is happening to me? What is this place?
"Breath, just breathe." I hardened my will and started to think about the situation. I died, killed by my father, and was reborn. I was reborn in a world that is not my own, and I have a new body that I'm not familiar with. I have skills like in a video game and I'm able to level up. It is like a dream, but this is my second chance. I can't waste it; I need to survive.
"With these new powers, maybe I won't be weak anymore; maybe I can protect the people I love."
!Ding! "Do you want to absorb the soul of the Alarian Cow?" Yes/No
"Yes," I said
!Ding! "Alarian Cow successfully extracted"
!Ding! "+2 to strength, +4 to vitality."
!Ding! New skill obtained: "Strengthen."
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Strengthen Description
Skill rarity: common
Cost: 50Mp
Strengthen buffs the user's strength stat by 20% and uses 1 mana for each second it is activated
Evolution: Conditions not met
!Ding! new skill, "strengthen," has been added to your stat window
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"What is all this information?" I say out loud.
Is this a skill? Am I able to absorb skills from other creatures?
"It said my skill was added to my stat window?"
So does that mean I'm able to see my status? This really is like a game! It said stat window right, so let's try this.
"status," I speak the word clearly.
A window that is blue and transparent pops up in front of me. It's just like I thought! This life might actually be fun!
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Status
Name: Jasmin Belle
Race: Lesser Demon
Title: Unknown
Job: None
Level: 2
Health: 135/140
Mana: 230/230
stats:
Strength: 13
Vitality: 14
Agility: 10
dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 15
Sense:9
Unused stat points: 3
Skills:
Natural Element Resistance
Strengthen
Night Vision
Race skills:
Soul weaver
Demon eye
Demon's Fear
Claw strike
Tail whip
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Lesser Demon Description
Lesser Demon is the lowest rank in the demon race; demons excel in striking fear and misery into the souls of their enemies. Demons are known for their magic but they do not slack in raw power. The lesser demon rank is known as the seed of chaos and is feared by all races due to being able to evolve. Lesser demons are hunted on sight so they can not reach their true power.
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Soul Weaver Description
Skill Rarity: Race, Legendary
Cost: Nothing
Allows the user to steal some stats and the skills of a defeated opponent. The user can preserve the souls of their defeated enemies to use to fight their foes at a later time.
Preserved souls 1/10
Evolution: Conditions not met
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Natural Element Resistance Description
Skill rarity: Unique
Cost: Nothing,
Passive skill
Gives the user resistance to natural elements.
Evolution: condition not met
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Night Vision Description
Skill Rarity: Common
Cost: Nothing
Passive
Allows the user to see in the dark.
Evolution: Conditions not met
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Demon eye Description
Skill rarity: Race, Common
Cost: 20 mana every minute this skill is active
Allows the user to see a few seconds into the future.
Evolution: Conditions not met
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Demon's Fear Description
Skill rarity: Race, Unique
Cost: 100Mp
Strikes fear into the enemy's heart, decreasing all their stats by 30% and raising the user's stats by
10%
Evolution: Conditions not met
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Claw strike Description
Skill rarity: Race, Common
It costs 10 MP+5 MP every second it's active
Engulfs the user's demon claws in hellfire.
Evolution: Conditions not met
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Tail Whip Description
Skill rarity: Race, Common
Cost: 0 Mp
Strike your enemy with your obsidian tail.
Evolution: Available
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!Ding! Do you wish to evolve the skill "Tail Whip"? Yes/No
"Wow," the words practically fell out of my mouth. All these skills are amazing; Soul Weaver still confuses me though. All of my skills are very straightforward but Soul Weaver seems unique; it is the only legendary skill I have. That means it must be good, right?
!Ding! Do you wish to evolve the skill "Tail Whip"? Yes/No
"Oh ya," I wonder why this skill can evolve. Is it because I killed that cow with my tail? Well, there is no reason to think about it.
"Yes," I say out loud.
!Ding! Skill "Tail Whip" has evolved into "Flaming Tail Whip."
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Flaming Tail Whip Description
Skill rarity: Race, Unique
Cost: 10 MP + 5 Mp every second the skill is activated
Engulf your obsidian tail in hellfire and Strike your enemy.
Evolution: Conditions not met
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" This is amazing," I gasped. I decide to say the skill in my mind and my tail lights on fire. The fire doesn't even burn; it actually feels pleasant. I stared at it for around half a minute, then I started to get lightheaded as my flame went out. I wondered what happened and realized that my mana must have gone dry. I decided to open my status and there was my answer.
Mana: 0/230
My hunch was right; I'm going to have to be more careful from now on.