Far away, in a dimly lit chamber, a woman sat cross-legged on a high-backed chair made of polished obsidian.
Her long, raven-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her skin glowed faintly in the sparse light filtering through the narrow windows.
Her eyes, a deep crimson hue, were closed as if in meditation, but her mind was elsewhere—focused, concentrated on her power.
She was sitting around a table, with other people observing what she was doing.
"You think she saw something?"
"Never seen her this focused, so she probably did."
And less than 30 seconds later.
The connection snapped.
Her crimson eyes shot open, glowing faintly in the dimness of the room.
The disruption was immediate, unmistakable.
A surge of irritation swept over her as she realized what had happened: one of her crows, her eyes across the vast world, had been destroyed.
It was the crow that was supposed to survey [Undead Land].
Did one of the undead see it?
No, they weren't smart enough to detect that.
So it was a human.
"Who dares..." she whispered, her voice barely audible but dripping with curiosity.
Standing from her chair, she moved gracefully across the room, her long black robes trailing behind her.
"Leader?"
"Shut up," she replied.
The chamber she occupied was at the heart of the Black Crow Guild's hidden sanctuary, a fortress of assassins known only to a few.
The Black Crow Guild wasn't just feared—it was legendary.
Its members, all trained killers, could end lives without a trace, and its leader, Ravenna, was the most feared of them all.
Ravenna extended her hand, summoning a holographic map that hovered in midair.
It displayed the location where her crow had been stationed—near the edge of the Desolate Land, in the vicinity of [Undead Land].
She frowned as she saw the remnants of the crow's last moments—the unmistakable flare of a powerful [Grand Fireball] spell.
"That kid..." she muttered under her breath.
"I don't like being watched," she heard from the crow's [Super Hearing].
But instead of being mad like she always was, she suddenly smiled.
It was rare for a human to actually notice that her crow was a camera.
"So you don't like being watched, hm? Interesting."
She tapped a slender finger on the map, considering her options.
She could send assassins, but they would kill him without thinking.
That kid was strong, she could feel it, but not enough of a threat—yet.
No, for now, she would watch from afar, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Aleothor," she called out, and another black crow appeared out of thin air, "You are my most powerful and stealthy companion, watch that kid and do not let him notice you."
[Toxic Claws (Rare)]
[Description: Can be used on swords, daggers, arrows and shield to infuse them with the 'Poison' attribute.]
[+2 Skill Points (Legendary)]
...
"!!!" Alex's neck almost snapped by how fast he turned back to look at the panel.
Skill points!
[You have reached tier 2, thus your extraction talent now allows the extraction of skill points, though they are rare.]
"Amazing!"
It seems that upgrading his extraction talent worked also when his strength evaluation increased!
He had also been struggling with leveling up his skills because of the sheer difficulty in acquiring these skill points.
But now, maybe he could actually manage to get to the max!
[Skill Points: 20]
As said before, you can level up skills by either using them many times, though no one really knows the exact amount, it's randomized but gets bigger after each level.
Or, the second way, is to use skill points. Continue your journey with m.vl-em,py-r
[1 skill point = +1 level for skill.]
But you would have to remember the fact you needed a massive amount of them to evolve your skills once it reached level 10.
It was all about strategy and how to put out your skill points.
In the end, Alex quickly moved on.
After what felt like hours of battling through the thick undergrowth and poisonous creatures, the trees began to thin.
The sickly yellow-green leaves gave way to clearer skies, and the oppressive fog lifted slightly.
In the distance, the silhouette of Bell City came into view, its towering walls rising against the horizon.
[Extraction talent activated, +6 skill points, +84 strength, +Poison Wolf Fur x2]
[Your "Powerful Slash" skill has leveled up to level 2!]
[Your "Lightning Bolt" skill has leveled up to level 2!]
[Your "Boulder Smash" skill has leveled up to level 8!]
[Your "Crimson Shard" skill has leveled up to level 8!]
[Your "Grand Fireball" skill has leveled up to level 10!]
[Do you want to consume 50 skill points to upgrade "Grand Fireball" to "Explosive Fireball"?]
50 skill points.
Reminder that Alex only has 26 right now.
This was just how expensive evolving your skills is.
"Maybe later."
Alex let out a breath of relief as he emerged from the forest, the Toxic Forest finally behind him.
With a determined look in his eyes, he set his sights on Bell City and began walking, his skeletons trailing silently behind him like loyal shadows.
Whatever lay ahead, Alex was ready.