—
[Lurker of the Night]
Core Stats:
>[Strength: E+]
>[Dexterity: D-]
>[Intelligence: E+]
>[Endurance: E+]
>[Charisma: E+]
Talents:
>[Lurking Thread: E+]
[Abilities: Deployment]
[Sticky and fast, use it to trap your enemies or increase your agility]
—
Zarek's head snapped back, his torso being pulled forward far faster than it or his legs. The whiplash made his vision spin, and for a moment, he was almost disoriented.
Almost.
The Lurker manifested in full a moment later, landing on the ground with its four limbs, its sharp elbows pointed to the skies. Its maw was open, unleashing the thread pulling Zarek forward, and when it saw that its prey was coming close, its forelimb formed a claw, slashing out with viciousness.
Despite the rapid changes, Zarek's expression was entirely deadpan. He couldn't even feel his usual excitement right now.
By this point, his hand was already on the Lurker Whip by his side. He unfurled it with seamless motion, whipping it out not toward the Lurker, but the ground beneath them.
It attached with a strong PAT. Zarek's arm flexed and he wrenched himself down, veins pulsing along his forearm.
The timing was just enough. Though he continued forward, his trajectory had lowered enough that the claw of the Lurker passed overhead. All he had to do was duck just the slightest bit.
The moment he sensed the sharp winds overhead, Zarek's wrist twitched and the whip unlatched itself from the ground. All of a sudden, the tension in the Lurker's sticky black thread reached its peak, reacting akin to a spring unleashed into the world.
Zarek accelerated forward even faster than before now, but this time, it wasn't what the Lurker wanted to happen at all.
Unfortunately for it, what it wanted didn't matter right now.
With a tap of his foot to the ground, Zarek's forward momentum tilted just the slightest bit to the side, just enough that his landing position was no longer straight ahead, but rather toward the very arm the Lurker had used to swipe a claw at him.
With his other arm, he unsheathed his machete.
Chi.
Everything happened so fast that there was hardly a sound of blade entering flesh at all. All the momentum of the Lurker's thread became Zarek's power.
It had foolishly left its side completely open to attack the moment it missed, and Zarek took advantage, thrusting a thick, heavy edge right into the meat of its body.
The Lurker shuddered once, and then collapsed to the ground.
A single exchange was all it took.
Zarek landed on the ground again, sheathing his blade and hooking his whip to his waist again.
'Not bad. I think I'm getting some of my wits back.'
Even now, Zarek didn't think he was at his peak. It had been 18 years since he was drenched in battle night and day. The bulk of his reflexes and skill would recover very fast because he had too much experience, but there were still the finer details, those edges that really divided the strong and the decent, that would take time for him to unearth again.
That said, gaining such a strong Scouting Skill right from the start would certainly help with that.
The benefits of strong senses couldn't be waved away casually.
—
[You have received: {D Class Godsfall Intent Elixir}]
—
Zarek took the bottle into his hand, tossing it up and down as though it was a baseball rather than maybe the most valuable thing on the wheel. At least, from an objective sense, it was.
The reason Zarek had gone for the others first was because they were more of a help to him in the immediate future. While this was more valuable than the others, he could do without it. But if scaling what he needed right now, this was lower on the priority list.
In this world, Zarek had learned long ago to not take anything for granted. Who knew if he would suddenly be attacked by that alpha earthworm, or if someone else would come and vie for the wheel, or maybe he would make a mistake in his timing and the wheel would land on something he didn't want?
Godsfall Intent sounded complicated, but it wasn't really. It was something he could have gained ahead of time if he had entered his usual favorite Godsfall Tear.
It changed the character of Godsfall, allowing it to display all sorts of abilities from elemental ones to more complex ones.
This Godsfall Intent Elixir was probably a chance to allow his Godsfall to become a lot like these Lurkers, forming threads and strands from his body to stick to things or add to his agility.
It was pretty useful in the long run, but not more useful than the whip in the immediate future.
He couldn't emit Godsfall from his body yet, so this Elixir, while valuable, again… wasn't all that useful to the current him.
The fact it was D Class, though, was fascinating. That meant if properly used, it would definitely become more effective than the whip, and maybe even unlock an ability outside of its elasticity and stickiness.
Zarek looked toward the last two items on the wheel and chuckled. The reason this Elixir was only maybe the most valuable was because of these last two. But he couldn't get them without offering the Gambling Hub a Godsfall Crystal.
"So you're still not going to appear, huh? Alright. I'll force your hand a bit. How many deaths can you withstand?"
There was a flash in Zarek's eyes as he looked to the skies. By now, it was no longer just dusk, but the blood moon was high above, beaming down with menace.
Familiar red solar flares began to emit from Zarek's body. It was about time he break into E Warrior in earnest.
He unsheathed one machete with a hand and unfurled his Lurker's Whip with the other. Finally, he was beginning to feel some excitement again.
The ground rumbled.
'Show me what you've got.'
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three Turned worms shot up from the ground, their circular rows of teeth grinding away as they arched down toward Zarek.