2-46 Five tails

[Commencing Evolution...]

Thousands of glittering drops enveloped Erin as she gave the system her permission to commence her evolution. Though she wasn’t fully aware of what these glowing lights were, she did not reject them. She spread her arms with a look of ecstasy on her face. Whatever these lights were, it was filling her with power. The power and strength within her surge and she let loose the gleeful laughter she had been suppressing. 

Regardless of whether her mind was sane or unhinged at the moment, her welcome of the new power was her true feelings. She longed to return to the pedestal she stood upon in her past life and this was a step closer to the pedestal.

The light glowed even brighter as more power gushed into her. Her tails swelled from the brimming power she was receiving. At the height of her limit, her tails split further, from three to five. Her surroundings were repelled by an invisible force, raising clouds of dust while also attracting the attention of nearby monsters who were attracted to the strong. These monsters were those that enjoyed praying on other monsters of their levels. And these monsters were not all rushing to Erin’s way.

[Evolution Successful.]

[Magic Vigour restored.]

The light dissipated. Erin stood with her eyes closed and not a single scratch stained her body but nevertheless, her apparel and armor were still torn and broken, revealing quite a bit of her skin. However, prudence and shame, the two were at the bottom of Erin's current priority. She unleashed a joyful bellow even louder than before. She brought her hands to her face and slowly traced the outline of her own body as if relishing in her newfound powers in the most sensual manner possible.

[Proficiency reached - Toxin Resistance: Lv 2 increased to Lv 3]

[Proficiency reached - Arcane: 27 increased to 29]

[Due to the user's high affinity with Lightning Magic, Lightning Magic’s Mana expenditure has been halved.]

[Innate Skill unlocked - Mana Harvest Lv. 1 gained]

Her new skill piqued her curiosity, even in her current state. She gave it a quick read of the description. She snickered after skimming the words displayed. To simplify the contents, Mana Harvest was a skill that rejuvenates Mana in a large quantity in a single instance by harvesting the Mana in one’s surroundings. The higher the level of this skill, the plentier amount of Mana could be harvested. The requirement of this skill’s usage was simply for the user to be still when cast. The more interesting note was that an abundance of Mana could be harvested from recently fallen enemies. So to say, as long as Erin kept killing, Mana would keep coming her way. It was a skill perfect for culling but poor for proper duelling. 

There was another significant change to Erin aside from her stats. Her current state of mind was still in the grasp of Lust Deviant but she no longer thought everything was completely out of her control. She was still just a slave to her desire but she could at least now somehow dictate which desire to focus on. She steered her desire completely to saving Celia. 

“Mist Pearls… Kill the Necromancer…” She recited those two desires in her heart as she took the first step after her evolution.

Though this new perk wasn’t without its demerits. She felt her desires had only grown ever stronger. Her thoughts drifted to Lyra and she wondered in a reverie of the new things she could think of to spice up their nightlife.

“Patience, Erin… Patience… the time will come...” she told herself as she tittered gleefully at the thoughts. “Must be patient. These desires will be sated in due time...”

She would have loved to relish in her new evolution more but time was of the essence and monsters were approaching her. With renewed vigour, she wielded both of her weapons in her hands, the silver-steel saber and the rusted iron sword. With an anticipating grin and twitching ears, she walked slowly to greet her would-be assailants with her five tails flourished in a display of power.

A pair of Pale Stalkers descended from the trees but not in front of Erin. They landed on the ground without making a sound but their pungent odour was a dead giveaway for Erin. A normal sense of smell would not be able to tell the difference of odor in these parts but Erin had a good nose, especially after her evolution. 

Clad in Arcane Edge, Erin brought her swords to meet the two Pale Stalkers’ attacks. The saber carved through one’s head and the rusted iron sword blocked the other one’s bite. The Pale Stalker with a carved head had died before its regenerative ability could save it. It could regenerate any part of its body but the brain was the exception. This was a common factor across all monsters, no matter the extent of their healing or regenerative abilities, a dire blow to the brain was an absolute. The Undead kind was an exception, of course. The remaining Pale Stalker realized it had bit off more than it could chew by choosing Erin as its prey. It tried to retreat but its path was blocked by an ethereal shield.

“Become my sustenance!” Erin shouted as she bisected the Pale Stalker cleanly into two parts. Deep down, Erin knew she would writhe in shape when she regained her sound mind. She cast Mana Harvest to reap the fuel for her magic from her fallen foes. She stumbled her steps from the unfamiliar feeling of Mana surging into her, but she quickly regained her footing.

Without waiting for the other monsters to catch on, she took off into a sprint and headed deeper into the forest where her quest awaited.

A Dire Wolf came into her path with only its smell as the precedence. The Dire Wolf was certainly larger than normal but Erin wasn’t intimidated by its size. The Dire Wolf swiped at the Fox-kin but she flipped over its paw and impaled it to the ground with her saber. The Dire Wolf cried out and unleashed its jaws on Erin as retaliation.

“Thank you,” Erin muttered smugly as she shot out a bolt of lightning through the Dire Wolf’s wide-open mouth. She shot a few more as assurance.

[Experience gained +15% - Level Progression: 60%]

Just like that, the Dire Wolf fell to the ground lifelessly. 

Erin retrieved her sword and wiped the blade of the beast’s blood with her ragged apparel. But maybe he shouldn’t have. More monsters made themselves known to Erin. An unspoken understanding was cast to the predators. It was futile to ambush the Fox-kin. 

To her would-be assailants, Erin ignored them all and resumed her rush to the basin. The monsters gave a brief dumbfounded look before chasing after her with roars and screeches of indignance for they did not think their presences would be ignored.

An overgrown Serk was slowly gaining on to Erin with a speed that she could not afford to ignore. Jaws opened, the Serk pounced at Erin with a vast distance of twenty meters between them. Erin conjured up an Arcane Aegis but the Serk’s easily tore through the shield. However, the shield did repel the Serk’s attack. Just then, another Dire Wolf appeared in the path of Erin and she smirked with an idea surfacing in her head.

The Dire Wolf lunged and Erin dodged low by sliding under the beast. The Dire Wolf ended up lunging into the Serk which was chasing her. Erin got up and continued sprinting, not bothering a single glimpse of the bloody scuffle she had just caused. Her other pursuers were also dragged into the scuffle. Soon, blood and spleens were scattering everywhere and Erin only had a triumphant smile as a response.

The Pale Stalkers were still on her tail. They traversed on the trees. Therefore, they were not dragged into the bloody scuffle. They were well-aware of Erin’s perception but they stayed hidden and vigilant of their delectable prey. They understood the threat Erin posed but her scent much too savory to be overlooked. They hissed in anticipation and delight as they continued their stalking.

Besides the Pale Stalkers, she also sensed an elusive creature scuttling around in the ground beneath her feet. It was lying in wait. 

Erin had her swords drawn all the while as she sprinted. Any monsters could appear from anywhere and she did not spare a moment to drop her guard. Her eyes were on her path forward but she directed the rest of her sense to her surroundings. She couldn’t help but laugh at the number of presences she had picked up. They were all predators and they were also each others’ prey. 

The deeper she ran into the forest, the heavier the fog became. It was so heavy that her sights could barely see a few feet ahead of her but the perception of her ears and nose were as pellucid as ever. The monsters did not only lurk on the ground or trees but also below the earth. Erin could feel the faint tremor that was trailing the path she had traversed upon. The Grave Wyrm came to her mind but she wagered there wasn’t just one of them.

Coming to a small hill in her path, Erin prepared to jump but right at this moment, the Pale Stalkers sprang into offense. Erin brought her swords around, decapitating an unlucky Pale Stalker that was right in her blade arc.

[Experience gained +12% - Level Progression: 72%]

Erin cursed silently at the dwindling amount of experience she was receiving. The other three Pale Stalkers landed right around her. They remained their distance and slowly circled Erin. Their eyes were on her saber that was still dripping with their kin’s pale blood.

“Come on, what are y’all waiting fer? Supper time?” Erin taunted the creatures and followed with a chuckle.

Whether the Pale Stalkers had the capacity for literacy, it didn’t matter. Insults and taunts were tongues that could be understood without the use of words. They bared their fangs with a growl.

Both Erin and the Pale Stalkers were patient but the same for both of them, time was against them. The other monsters would soon be on them if they lingered in the same spot any longer. 

The Pale Stalkers attacked first. One went high above Erin’s head. One charged straight at her. And the last one went for her legs.

Erin sneered at their attempts with a peal of silent laughter. She battered away the Pale Stalker that went for her head with the rusted iron sword. The one on her level was gifted with an Aura Shot that sliced through its head. And she spun and slammed the last one to the ground with her tails. 

[Experience gained +12% - Level Progression: 84%]

The Pale Stalker which was bashed in the head shook off its headache and threw Aura Shots of its own. Erin grabbed the poor creature she slammed it to the ground and raised it in front of her as a meat shield. The Aura Shot carved the Pale Stalker into pieces. 

[Experience gained +6% - Level Progression: 90%]

The experience was halved since he wasn’t the one who dealt the last blow but Erin wasn’t complaining. She only felt elated.

A bug-like monster erupted from the ground as the last Pale Stalker collapsed into the dirt lifelessly. It pounced at Erin from her back but Erin didn’t so much as to offer a glance and simply cut the bug-like monster into half with her tail.

[Experience gained +10%% - Level Progression: 100%]

[Erinthea: Level 20 increased to Level 21]

[Skill Points gained +2]

[Ability Points gained +2]

[Level Progression: 0%]

Erin moaned with glee. She didn’t understand why. The sound just came out of her as if it was the most natural thing to do. But then again, this was the first time she was under the influence of Lust Deviant in a proper battle. In her current state, she would fit right into the food web of The Singularity. It was only because there were no other people around that she resorted to this measure. Only monsters would fall prey to her blade in these parts. She did wonder what would happen then when her goal was achieved but she decided to think about it when that time came. 

The last Pale Stalker ran wild with its claws. It wanted to run but its primal instinct and its appetite compelled it to fight. Erin threw an Aura Shot but it dodged with swiftness in its movement. It saw how its brethren died and it wasn’t going to make the same mistake. Erin unleashed a few more Aura Shots in which all were evaded by the Pale Stalker. Seeing the futility in her own move, she switched to Lightning Magic. 

“Huh?” Erin muttered at the sight in front of her. The Pale Stalker used the carcass of its fallen brethren to block Erin’s Lightning Bolt. “Oh, how clever,” she praised.

The Pale Stalker threw the roasted carcass at Erin. She cut through the offhanded distraction and was immediately met with the Pale Stalker’s lunge. 

Erin leaned back to avoid a swipe that could have torn her throat. The Pale Stalker pressed on by grabbing onto Erin’s arms. With its sharp fangs, it tried to take a bite. Emphasis on try because that was all it could do before Erin shrouded herself in lightning. The Pale Stalker was quick to realize its fault but Erin held on to it. The Pale Stalker flailed around but its claws could not penetrate Erin’s Arcane Armor. 

Erin laughed at the creature's futile endeavor and the risk that she had just taken. She didn’t know if the Pale Stalker’s claws would be stopped by her Arcane Armor. The monsters here were abnormal, to say the least, and her arm had been bitten by a Wulver. But she had evolved and needed to know her power’s current extent. It would have ended badly if her Arcane Armor was useless against the Pale Stalker’s claws.

With a swing, Erin lopped the last Pale Stalker’s head off.

[Experience gained +12% - Level Progression: 12%]

Without taking a breather, she turned around and sent two Lightning Bolts at a Wulver that was slowly creeping up to her. It was trying to take advantage of her when her focus was on the fight but learning her lesson, Erin did not, for one moment, let her focus loose from her surroundings. This was just how dangerous it was becoming.

But instead of fatigue seeping in, Erin was only getting more excited. She clamped her legs and squirm with delight at the thought of all the strong foes she would be facing down the line. Strong foes meant better experience. She was drooling at the mere thought. The thought of standing her ground and facing off her pursuers crossed her mind. 

“Focus now, Erin! Focus… Focus… Mist Pearls… Necromancer… everything else is secondary...” Erin steered her straying consciousness back on track.

The current Erin clicked her tongue and traversed deeper into the forest. She came across more monsters that hindered her progress. She slew those that she could not ignore. With Mana Harvest and plenty of victims, her Magic Vigour could be said to be endless in her present circumstances.

[Experience gained +54% - Level Progression: 66%]

By the beckon of dusk, she had reached the heart of the terror that plagued the forest, The Singularity. A basin of dead trees and no signs of green lives as far as the eye could see. The only living things were the monsters that seemed to be trodding on the fine line of death and living.

Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin

Level: 21 | Status: Desire Famine: Lust Deviant

Might: 20 (40) | Arcane: 29 (58) | Finesse: 24 (48)

Magic Arts

Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 2

Combat Arts

Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5

Innate Skills

Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 3 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1

Unique Talent

Mystic Blade Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex

Level Progression: 66%

Remaining Skill Points: 6

Remaining Ability Points: 6