Upon reviewing the details of the "Shrink Spell," Adam's eyes gleamed. A maximum agility boost of 100 points was no trivial enhancement.
Consider this!
His current agility stat stood at 113 points. Using this spell would effectively double it, and even in the late game, a 100-point increase remained a significant advantage.
The only drawback? It could only be used twice per day.
Mental occupation "Wizard"?
It was the first time Adam had heard of this class, though he vaguely recalled another called "Witch."
"Shrink Spell!"
Adam fixed his gaze on the demi-human, who was leveraging its speed advantage to keep its distance, and intoned the spell softly.
Thump!
His heart gave a sudden lurch, and his body rapidly shrank, halving in size in an instant.
Simultaneously!
A newfound sense of lightness surged through him, unlike anything he had ever felt.
Adam examined his diminished frame, marveling at the sensation. The iron sword in his hand now seemed oversized, slightly awkward to grip given his reduced stature.
But the impact was minimal.
Assessing his condition, he noted that aside from the reduced size and a dramatic speed increase, his other stats remained unaffected.
After a brief adjustment to the unfamiliar sensation, Adam lifted his head, locking eyes with the stunned demi-human. A grin spread across his face. "Let's continue."
Whoosh!
Adam's footsteps blurred, his body transforming into a white afterimage as he surged forward at breakneck speed.
"Ah ri!"
The demi-human clearly hadn't anticipated Adam wielding such power. With a shriek, it turned and fled.
Before, its speed would have outpaced Adam entirely, but now, the demi-human held no advantage.
Coupled with the "Forest Rift" ability of his magical item, the gap between them closed rapidly!
"You can't escape."
Adam's cold laugh echoed as he raised his iron sword. "Fourfold Slash of Light!"
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Four sprays of blood erupted from the demi-human's limbs.
Thud!
The fleeing demi-human let out a pained cry, its body tumbling uncontrollably from midair, crashing onto the decayed leaves and broken branches below.
Adam dispelled the "Shrink Spell," his body returning to normal. Sword in hand, he approached the demi-human, regarding it calmly. "Now, can we talk?"
Meanwhile, the insectoid monsters summoned earlier had been nearly eradicated by the ten Archangel Flames and the Principality of Observation, yielding another surge of experience points.
[Experience Gauge: 8762/10000]
More intriguing than the experience gains was the noticeable growth in the curse energy within Adam's body.
Owing to the sheer number of insectoid monsters slain this time, the increase in curse energy was far more pronounced than when he had defeated the two manticore-like creatures previously.
"Shall we have a chat?"
Adam softened his expression, addressing the demi-human with a gentler tone.
His curiosity about this place was growing.
"Curse... monster!"
"Kill, kill me!"
The demi-human's green, bloodshot eyes glared at Adam with venom, its hoarse voice roaring.
Faced with a creature whose emotions were volatile, speech disjointed, and mental state questionable, Adam couldn't help but frown.
Piecing together the few words it sporadically spat out, it seemed the mysterious demi-human's hatred and hostility weren't directed at humans but at the curse energy afflicting both Adam and Leinas.
Even so, this realization offered little practical use.
If communication was impossible, there was no point.
Kill it?
The thought crossed Adam's mind, but he hesitated, reluctant to act.
This deep swamp held secrets, and the demi-human before him, capable of speech, might be the key to unraveling them.
Adam's gaze shifted as an idea struck him.
"Years ago, a demi-human like you left this swamp and ventured into human territories," Adam began.
A ripple of emotion flickered in the demi-human's resentful eyes. Its contorted expression froze, and a spark of vitality seemed to ignite within its lifeless demeanor.
"It's Pasha!"
"It must be Pasha!!"
The demi-human struggled to rise, its excitement palpable as it fixed its gaze on Adam. Its severed limbs, however, forced it to writhe awkwardly.
Adam's expression eased. He produced a regeneration potion and poured it over the creature's wounds. "Looks like we can talk now."
As the injuries healed, the demi-human scrambled to its feet, rushing toward Adam. "Where is Pasha? Is he safe? How is he now?"
Tears glistened in its green eyes as it spoke.
"Calm down. Before I answer, can you address my questions first? Who... or rather, what race are you?" Adam asked.
"Gnome!"
The demi-human answered swiftly, then added, "Forest Gnome, Dorgan Petrified Lizard!"
Gnome?
Adam paused, scrutinizing the creature closely. It was a rare race, and its stature did resemble the fabled gnomes of legend.
A Forest Gnome, no less, an even rarer subtype, rumored to carry elven blood, which explained its bark-like skin.
Whether that rumor held truth remained uncertain.
It wasn't surprising that Adam hadn't immediately recognized its race. The Forest Gnome's appearance was closer to a human savage than anything else.
It was only its ability to speak that kept Adam from classifying it as a mere monster.
"Dorgan Petrified Lizard? That's your name?" Adam repeated, finding the name peculiar.
"Yes, yes!"
The bloodshot hue in Dorgan's eyes faded slightly. Its fur-covered face twitched as it spoke eagerly. "Petrified Lizard is my ability. In our tribe, every warrior chooses a powerful monster to bond with through a magical ritual."
"Those who succeed may take the monster's name as part of their own."
Petrified Lizard clearly referred to the petrified lizard form.
"Tribe... tribe!"
"Dead!"
"All dead! Where is Pasha? Where!"
Dorgan's body trembled as it uttered the word "tribe." Its murmurs grew erratic, and its briefly stabilized mental state spiraled back into madness.
Thud!
With a muffled sound, Adam delivered a swift chop to the back of Dorgan's neck, knocking it unconscious.
"What a headache, but at least we can communicate now."
Adam gazed at the slumped Dorgan, rubbing his temple thoughtfully. "I'm starting to piece things together."
He looked up.
The Archangel Flames, having dispatched the insectoid monsters, were now flying back one by one.
"Spread out and attack all monsters in the forest. If you find any creatures like this one, bring them back or report to me."
Adam issued the command to the ten Archangel Flames.
As scroll-summoned entities, they lacked the seamless mental control of his personally summoned angels.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Archangel Flames scattered in all directions, diving into the surrounding forest.
Soon, experience notifications began refreshing on his panel, though most yielded only around ten points each.
This forest paled in comparison to the Great Forest of Tob; high-level monsters were scarce here.
Night fell.
The crackling of burning wood filled the air.
Adam sat by the campfire, clutching the "Orb of Death." Using its Magic Infusion ability, he siphoned a portion of his own mana into the orb.
His current mana pool was sufficient for crafting third-tier scrolls, but fourth-tier scrolls were beyond his reach.
Crafting fourth- to sixth-tier scrolls required double the mana, 10 points.
Second-tier "Mana Accumulation": 10 points.
Fourth-tier "Angel Summoning": 20 points.
In total, crafting a single "Fourth-Tier Angel Summoning" scroll demanded 40 mana points, not accounting for the additional cost of "Fourth-Tier Papermaking."
"Pasha!!"
A frantic scream pierced the night from beside the campfire. Dorgan, roused from its coma, bolted upright.
***
Every 5 reviews and 200 power stones, a bonus chapter will be dropped.
(5,10,15, 200, 400, 600, and so on then two bonus chapters will be dropped, 1 for 5 reviews and 1 for 200 power stones, so that's 2 bonus chapters!)
And if you want to read more than 50 chapters early, feel free to visit pat re on. com / Xelenea (remove space).