Choice - 17

Choice - 17

I was tempted to level up I dashed in the opposite direction of the beast horde, only to take a sharp turn at the first opportunity, circling as much as the complicated corridors had allowed.

Corridors that I could remember more sharply than I expected, considering most of my attention was focused on trying to track the smell of the stables and the location of the other servants rather than just the layout.

Memory stat was proving its worth.

I moved as fast as I could when I listened to the sounds of combat, which was showing signs of spreading, more and more servants letting out crazed cries, begging for various aspects of destruction for power and blood.

It didn't make me feel any better about the sole skill in my possession. That destruction title was clearly not good news.

I only spent a second feeling bad about it. Ultimately, I needed to get away safely from whatever was going on, which was a challenge enough.

Unfortunately, there was only one potential exit, and that path was blocked by a battle between beasts

And crazy people, I completed as I saw a movement at the other end of a corridor. A servant, with a blade in his hand, swinging desperately, his expression reflecting a rage and ecstatic ones, one that would have been enough to unsettle me even without the disgusting crimson glow in his eyes, making him look more like a monster than a man.

Yet, that madness was not without its benefits, every swing of his leaving a lingering glow of similar nature on the beasts he was attacking. Something dangerous, considering that it took only a few wounds to take down the beasts that were making me struggle.

That wasn't the only change. He was also considerably faster than the other servant, and if the ease he managed to shake off the beasts that managed to take a bite was any indicator, stronger as well. Either the servant I had fought against was a weakling.

Or the crimson transformation they were going through granted them those improvements at a great cost.

Interestingly, despite all the improvements, his fighting style was oddly similar to the previous servant. The swing itself was different, but the movement pattern was the same. Complete the attack fully, pull back to the exact starting position, and deliver another full-powered, oddly perfect strike.

Weird, but it gave me hope to pass him without leveling up.

That was not to say leveling up again was not tempting. Tripling my Strength to deliver deadlier hits was tempting, and so was increasing my Agility to boost my reflexes. But neither temptation was enough to rival the fear of triggering Toross' attention.

I rushed forward, joining the beasts to attack the servant. The servant didn't react to my presence, not even registering me as a threat, while the beasts didn't try to attack me. I wasn't an expert on the spear, but after using it to murder hundreds of beasts, I managed to develop a basic competency.

I waited a few seconds, waiting for an opportunity, which came in the form of one of the larger beasts, slamming against him just as he was starting to swing. I pushed the spear forward, pushing as hard as I could manage in his weapon-wielding arm until the spear pushed through it and sank against the carcass of a beast behind him.

Pinning him.

And, I charged forward, leaving him to fight the rest of the beasts.

I didn't try to kill him, because even against an ordinary servant, it took dozens of hits before I could take him down. I had no idea what was the limit of his new Health, but with the ease, with which heshrugged off beasts' attacks, it couldn't be too shabby.

I didn't have the time to deal with them. Instead, bet on his crazed nature and ignored him, hoping that he would focus on the beasts, ignoring me. Though I didn't expect him to just pull his arm until he broke the spear, attacking the beasts once more.

I rushed forward, ignoring the battle that was going on, staying away from the edge of the battle.

And, somehow, managed to reach the stairs without coming across another group. I climbed the stairs desperately, once again pulling the sigil from my pocket, ready to unlock the door immediately, and considering whether it was worth the risk of trying to close it behind me if the door was already open.

A kind way to tell me to move. Yet, just as I jumped up, I found myself reaching the next stage, I triggered the leveling process once again, the glow surrounding me intensifying by a great margin.

[-4500 Experience]

[Level up!]

[Stat Points +10]

[-5400 Experience]

[Level up!]

[Stat Points +10]

[-6500 Experience]

[Level up!]

[Stat Points +10]

I didn't have the time or intention to repeat the process, as I was aware I had only a couple thousand experience points remaining, but during the last level-up, the sensation was different.

Like the path forward was blocked.

Even as I jumped again, trying to understand the reason.

It didn't take long.

[Level: 10

Experience ( / )]

With no indicator for current and future experience, it was clear that the system had reached its limit. Whether temporarily or permanently, I had no idea, nor did I want to actually test it. Instead, I continued jumping through the stairs, hoping that the corrosion that was going on would damage the invisible barrier that was keeping the balcony inaccessible as well.

When I climbed up, I came across several body parts, ripped violently, likely signs of the battle I managed to trigger but ended much differently than I expected.

"Hopefully the balcony would work," I found myself muttering as I finally reached the next floor, the corridor that was connected both to my room and the room that I had been summoned.

That red energy was coming from the courtyard, and it covered the next set of stairs completely, with no angle to be leveraged to climb further even if I put all the points I had just received into Strength.

The sound of the commotion was overwhelming as well, monster cries that put the little stampede I had created into shame, occasionally cutting short with huge thuds, hardly something that made me enthusiastic about testing it in the first place.

I dashed, hoping that I wasn't about to lock myself into a dead end.