[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 96: The City (Patreon)

Edge spent the next hour surveying the first island of the dungeon’s final zone.

Although he had decided to call this region “the city” for reference, not every isle was home to a crumbling structure, and he had no idea what their original purpose had been. Or what they’re doing inside a dungeon for that matter.

He was pleased to discover that this island was free of monsters and other hazards. Although it was home to a few smaller structures, he didn’t find any treasures, but his exploration was rewarded in another manner instead. While he was using Penetrate Foliage to search for lurking predators, he spotted a flock of birds hiding in the undergrowth.

They were stage-zero animals, about the size of an Earth duck. Edge had been running low on provisions for days, and the sight set stomach rumbling with a hunger that had nothing to do with devouring his next skill.

He took down two birds with a flick of his chakram while Foebinder snatched the others from the air. With his prize in hand, Edge walked over to the middle of the island, then gathered enough stones to build a firepit.

After plucking the waterfowl, he set the meat over a brick of smokeless charcoal to turn it into jerky—enough to fill his belly for several more days. He wasn’t about to leave his meal unguarded, so while he waited for the meat to finish cooking, he got in some training with his naginata, then began poking through the closest ruins.

His grin grew wider when he found some edible mushrooms growing beside a pile of rubble that looked stable enough to bear his weight. He placed the fungi inside his pack, climbed to the top, then surveyed the surrounding structures. Or what was left of them at any rate. This must have been some manner of warehouse or workshop, given the layout and lack of interior walls. Too bad everything but the foundation has long-since collapsed.

While he wasn’t going to find any treasure on this island, the elevated vantage point was a perfect place to get a better view of the neighboring isles. After glancing over to make sure that nothing had approached his cookfire, Edge activated Conceal, pulled out his spyglass, and took a long look around.

The city continued for about two miles in every direction except the way he had come. It was bordered by the dungeon’s bamboo walls, which eventually came to a point on the opposite side of the Savage Garden’s fog-door entrance. He wasn’t sure where the boss’s chamber was, but he suspected that it was somewhere in that area.

The series of riverways running throughout the city was even wider than the river bordering the swamp, and Edge would never have been able to reach the other islands without his new form of transportation. Good. The open water should slow the jailbirds down. I’m sure they will eventually find a way to cross it, but if anyone wants to use a raft or build a bridge, they’ll have to deal with the monsters first.

The islands varied from the size of a baseball diamond to a quarter mile in diameter, and most of them were home to some manner of ruins. Some of the buildings were only piles of rubble, with a few skeletal beams protruding from their foundation, like the one he was sitting on now. Others were more or less intact, and they were his best bet for finding something valuable.

Edge could see monsters roaming on many of the isles, and more were certain to be lurking in the water below. Unlike the swamp, he didn’t see any sign of creatures warring for corrupted resources below the waterline.

A few of the islands were covered in boulder-studded hillocks instead of buildings, and he spotted the entrance to what he thought might be a series of caverns on several of them. I wonder if the city’s corrupted resources are inside. I should probably avoid those isles just in case.

The monsters in the city were stronger than those inhabiting the swamp, but the difference wasn’t as pronounced as between the dungeon’s other zones. From his perch, Edge didn’t observe anything stronger than early stage three. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight. The mid-stage three elites were already a deadly obstacle. If the city had been filled with monsters that were close to their level, he wouldn’t have been able to hunt here at all.

By now, his lunch was ready. He ate one of the birds and a few mushrooms now, then put the rest into his pack for later. He decided that this island would be a good place to camp until he found a building that was safe to use as a new base of operations.

After refilling his canteen, Edge picked out his route, gathered his gear, and Repel Waterskied over to the next island, intending to survey as much of the region as possible before calling it a day.

The next morning, an endless bank of mist met his gaze, which meant that the hunt was on. Right now, the convicts were still working near the border of the jungle, so he headed over to a remote corner of the swamp, ready to start stealing skills and cycling up as fast as he could.

***

Edge spent the next three days battling the denizens of the Savage Garden, training every waking moment that he wasn’t stalking his prey.

Whenever the mist was out, he hunted in the swamp, starting with the monsters he had identified as a good match for his skillset. On clear days, he explored the ruins while learning everything he could about the creatures inhabiting the city.

Conceal and Shadow Step saved his life on numerous occasions as Edge waged war against the other contenders who were fighting to claw their way up to the top of the dungeon’s kodoku pot.

Although he was pressed for time, he chose his opponents with care. He eliminated most of his enemies using ambush tactics, followed by a judicious use of skills. For the rest, he waited until his quarry was weakened or otherwise vulnerable before making his move.

While he kept an eye out for new powers to add to his collection, he stole duplicates of his existing skills whenever possible, maximizing the efficiency of their Absorption. He claimed one copy of Regulate Temperature from a sniper lily and Repel Water from a strider.

Edge put everything else he Absorbed into Vigor, trying to take the Rare aura to rank two before merging it with Ghost Armor. It was a gradual process, but since the skill had come with about half of the experience it needed, he was getting close and hoped to obtain the upgrade before taking on another elite monster. He tried to use Extraction the moment it was ready, taking advantage of the reduced 20-hour cooldown.

At the end of each day, he spent a subjective hour in his skill village, doing everything he could think of to strengthen his bonds with his powers. He tried talking to his skill avatars and playing with them. He had them gather round while sharing stories of his adventures and his observations of the dungeon, asking for their advice on tactics and life in general.

Only Chibime and Foebinder seemed to grasp the details of what he was saying, but Edge still felt that it was time well spent. As their connection deepened, he hoped to figure out novel ways to take advantage of these relationships—like how he had regrown his hair with Regeneration, talked Conceal into shielding him at night, and gained more control over how Double Slash manifested.

As for the giant looming beyond the black door, Skill-Eater continued to slumber, although it seemed to be sleeping less deeply these days. Even from the murky depths of unconsciousness, Edge occasionally received a distinct emotion or impression from his mysterious partner.

Although Skill-Eater hadn’t woken up or spoken to him directly, he was hoping that he could solicit it for advice in an emergency. His connection to Foebinder was improving too, and the chain had warned him about monsters lurking nearby on two separate occasions.

He ran into the bone slime from time to time, deeply relieved that it hadn’t gotten the drop on him. He watched the elite monster from a distance as it battled a crocodile the size of a whale, then it again as it stalked a group of convicts who were exploring the swamp.

Both encounters had left him with the firm conviction that out of everything dwelling within the dungeon, it was the fight that he wanted the least. The elite’s deadly touch, amorphous body, and army of skill-using skeletons made the blob the worst possible enemy for his skillset. It was, however, an excellent distraction, stymieing the advance of the jailbird crews as they pressed deeper into the swamp.

The Crimson Claws had lost at least four members so far. One had fallen to the bone slime—overwhelmed by its minions while trying to break free. Their spells and magitech weapons had lit up the wetlands for miles around, and the survivors retreated after a fierce melee.

Edge had found the remains of another prisoner yesterday morning. Or the remains of their remains at any rate, since it was only part of an arm and scraps of leather armor. The last two had perished while crossing one of the rivers running through the swamp.

The convicts had been piloting a makeshift raft, using a skill that drove most monsters away. The women had learned the hard way that the power didn’t work on them all. One second, they were halfway across the river. The next, a pair of immense jaws rose from the water and snapped shut with the clatter of tooth against tooth.

It happened so fast that Edge didn’t get a good look at the creature—just a flash of yellow scales and the convicts were gone, raft and all—their legacy reduced to ripples on the water. He shuddered before moving on. I’m glad that I didn’t try that approach.

When he returned to his island hideout for the night, he pulled up a summary of his recent gains.

You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle-up your core. Your new cycle is: 5.

You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle-up your core. Your new cycle is: 6.

For defeating 7 cored opponents stage 2 or above, you have earned 7 Mortium.

Now that his Durability and Disruption were high enough to survive a few heavy hits, Edge decided to round out his other attributes. He placed three points into Endurance, two into Amplification, Reflex, and Control, and the last point into Power. He waited for the potentia to work its magic, then moved on to some intensive training.

At the end of his workout, his Guide appeared, informing him that he had officially accomplished a long-term goal.

By conditioning your body, your Speed has increased by 1.

By conditioning your body, your Control has increased by 1.

Edge grinned as he read through his updates, thrilled to have finally maxed out his conditioning. But that wasn’t the only pleasant surprise that appeared on the screen. Apparently, getting those last two points had cleared the requirement for acquiring a new trait.

While it wasn’t as good as the traits the System had awarded for surviving in the face of overwhelming odds, it was still a welcome development.

You have accomplished a notable feat and have been awarded a trait.

Trait: Fit and Toned

You’ve managed to push your new body to the limit, maxing your conditioning across the board. I must admit that you’re looking pretty good. The monsters will have some eye candy to appreciate while they’re tearing you apart. That being said, you aren’t the baddest mofo in the dungeon. Not by a long shot.

Oh, and be careful, I don’t think the bone slime will be alive for much longer.

Effects: +1 to all physical attributes.

Shit. If that’s true, then I’m running out of time. I’ll have to accelerate my plans. Edge was still trying to wrap his head around the changes that the System had undergone in the aftermath of the anomaly, which thus far had only shown up in the descriptions of his quests and traits.

He honestly couldn’t tell if the planetary AI was trying to help him or hoping to watch him die in a spectacular fashion, much less deduce the motivation behind its messages.

He put the issue on the backburner for now, along with all the other mysteries that he had no means of unraveling at present, then opened his menus and equipped his new trait. Once he adjusted to the sensation of power congealing around his body, he moved on to considering his profile. Now that my conditioning is maxed, I don’t need to include that section anymore.

Attributes (Values in parentheses are provided by your traits)

Physical Attributes

Power: 12 (14)

Endurance: 12 (14)

Durability: 23 (26)

Reflex: 12 (13)

Speed: 14 (16)

Control: 12 (14)

Perception: 12 (13)

Energetic Attributes

Generation: 13

Amplification: 16

Disruption: 23 (25)

Taking in just how much he had grown since entering the dungeon, let alone waking up on Ord, blew Edge away. He was already on par with the Puppet Town’s elite forces, including Trapper and the senior deputies. Only Earl, Lilly, Able, Gram, and a few other heavy hitters were stronger than he was, and at the rate he was progressing, he wouldn’t be behind them for long.

That being said, while he was a match for a single jailbird, he still lacked combat experience against other core-wielders. An unlucky encounter with one of the Claws’ crews could end his life in short order, not to mention the dungeon’s elite monsters and a fair selection of the rest.

Edge was in a better position than before, but there was a lot that he still needed to accomplish if he wanted to live long enough to see his friends again. I need more time. I’m still not strong enough to complete the quest. I can’t afford to let the jailbirds take out the bone slime yet. I must disrupt their plans long enough to find the boss’s chamber, kill the other elite, and pick up a few more cycles.

He sighed, then steeled his resolve, prepared to put his life on the line. This next part is going to be risky as hell, but I don’t have a choice. I’m ready to go all in and let the chips fall where they may.