Otherworld Delinquent - Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Noah took hold of the shield. It was heavy, but considering the material of the palm tree’s it was easy to guess why. Noah placed his hand through the middle strap, then grabbed hold of the wooden handle near the edge of the shield. He tightened the strap in the middle and felt a lot of the weight diminish as it was distributed across his entire arm.

He raised the shield to test out the Skull, but nothing happened. He guessed he had to receive an attack for it to activate–he hoped.

They’re smart. Noah concluded. That much was certain. From the traps, to their crafty nature, and the weapons that they had made from nothing but the jungle's natural resources. He had to be careful. As the Jungle area was rare, a lot of the enemies within were undocumented.

Then, a familiar, monotonous voice entered his head. Followed by a screen.

You have defeated a - Kobold level 2

| You have defeated a - Kobold level 2

| You have defeated a - Kobold level 5

| Grace coins earned.

World First Title earned - Monster Hunter: You are the first to kill a monster 5x your level. +3 to a stat of your choice.

No wonder that one was so strong. Noah thought. The others weren't sure if the monsters also had this system, and if they could add points into their stats or if it was because of the kobold being older than the others.

I should add the stat points into Constitution and Willpower. Noah decided to place two into Con and the remaining one in Will. Theoretically, he should place them all into Will thanks to his [Pact of Two] Skill, but he was yet to obtain the pathstone required for it. He needed to survive now, rather than think about what was possible later.

The air distorted and another stone appeared from the smoke the monster was emitting.

It was a picture of a man, and all of his muscles were highlighted in a bright neon light. Vivid green lines pulsated as if they were veins.

Noah’s eyes widened. It was an Uncommon Pathstone.

His hand reached forward and another set of text entered his mind. He glanced around and stalked the area to check if there was anything else lurking. But Krall was already scouting for him. After knowing it was safe, he checked the system messages.

You have obtained the Uncommon Pathstone - Might. Do you wish to accept it? Y/N

Might? Noah clenched his hands in feverish excitement. If there was one Pathstone that he wanted, this was the one. It provided bonuses to not just one stat, but two. Strength and Constitution.

Gaining common Pathstones wasn’t all that difficult. All you had to do was complete actions that were closely related to the specific stat that you wanted and one could evolve them from the beginning. But, the Uncommon rarity was different. One had to get the spawn from the action, then it was like a dice roll to determine what would come.

You have gained the Might Pathstone.

Might Pathstone: The upgraded variant of the Strength Pathstone. Might empowers one’s physical attributes, allowing the user to walk the path of a supernatural body.
| Added stats per level: Str 1, Con 1.

You have levelled up.

| Noah level 1 -> Noah level 2

Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.

| Krall level 2 -> Krall level 3

The added stats immediately took effect from his gained level, and the new Title. He could already feel his grip tighten and the pain on his shoulder lessened.

Noah glanced from tree to tree. If the jungle was infested with these monsters, he had to be careful of the noise. And from his screaming before, he wouldn’t be surprised if it attracted any unwanted attention.

Looking back, he didn’t mean to scream. It just–happened. His heart was smashing against his chest and he stopped thinking. He let his body take over in a primal excitement. Is this what hunters felt like during the stone ages? A pain crept into his mind and pulsated within. I’m dehydrated, I need to find water.

With his current mission still on his weary mind, he crept forward through the jungle. His head constantly switched from looking ahead, to down on the floor. The last thing he wanted was to be impaled by a trap and then eaten alive by the razor sharp teeth of the kobolds.

***

Noah didn’t know how many minutes had passed, or maybe it was hours? His head thrummed with a dull beating pain from dehydration, even with the extra pain resistance from his new stats. But it wasn’t the pain that was taking its toll, but the dizziness he was experiencing. He desperately resisted the urge to puke. He couldn’t afford to lose any more fluids.

All his life, he had never experienced anything like this before. He was always lucky in the way that he didn’t have to worry about when he could receive the next drop of water, or when he would be able to eat food for that matter.

Although he did have to steal quite often.

His eyes glanced near another tree that looked identical to the last. Or having to look out for blood thirsty lizardmen and their damned traps.

Another few minutes had passed and Krall placed his hand against Noah’s chest and clicked its tongue. Krall pointed forward.

In front of him lay a puddle that shimmered from the sun’s gaze. Noah smacked his lips at the sight of water. He was about to walk forward when he halted himself. He glanced at his surroundings and focused on his hearing. It wasn’t his strongest attribute. But at least he wasn’t deaf. He just hoped nothing had a stealth skill or something that reduced the sound of footsteps.

The only thing Noah could hear was the sound of birds chirping, getting on with their life with no care in the world. It meant that there wasn’t an overpowering predator in the vicinity. He hoped so, anyway. Noah wiped the cascading sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and stalked the pond to the left.

At first he thought that it was a mirage. He had heard about them all the time during survival stories. The hopeful survivalist that wandered through the desert, their eyes would light up as they came across a hazy picture of water. As they neared, their hope was crushed into a pile of dust. There was no water, only more endless sand.

However, this didn’t appear to be the case. He made sure he retained a respectable distance away from the pool and skirted around as he listened out for any noise. Once he had walked around the entire pool twice just to make sure, he approached with his shield and spear raised.

Don’t trust the water. Noah made a mental note. If there were damned lizardmen then what the hell could be lurking within the waters. Last thing he wanted was for his legs to be ripped off by a mutated alligator.

As he got closer, he knelt down so that the large rounded shield could cover his legs. He stopped right at the water's edge and waited for anything to pop out. But nothing did. Changing his grip on his spear from an underhanded position, to overhand, he began stabbing at the water. Once he was certain there was nothing inside, he dropped his spear and scooped up a handful of water.

He hesitated. If it was poisoned or if it festered with germs he would suffer from diarrhoea or worse, die. He doubted that his meagre Constitution Star would save him from his insides turning to mush. But he knew that if he didn’t drink anything soon, he would die anyway.

He recalled that the water had to be filtered, but he had nothing to work with. He had no water container, nor did he have access to boil it even if he did and he certainly didn’t have the skills or knowledge to make fire with his bare hands. Noah wondered why the kobolds didn't have a waterskin or something, but they probably just drank it straight from the source. If they could do it, so could he, right?

Shaking his head, he dipped his tongue into the puddle that was slowly draining from his hands. It’s not salty. Noah breathed a sigh of relief, then drank the water. He scooped up a few more mouthfuls, but he was careful not to overdo it. He was aware that one could become ill from the unfiltered water. You know, bacteria and all that. So he only drank what he needed to survive, hopeful that only using what he needed would lower the risk of turning ill.

He finished off by dumping handfuls of water on his head, the cool of the water splashed all the way down his chest, and down his back. Noah trembled at the sudden relief from the intense heat that threatened to strip away his flesh.

He glanced at his bare arms. They had already begun turning red and raw. His fingers brushed up against the tender skin but thankfully it didn’t hurt that much, not yet at least, but it was a sign he had to find something to cover himself up. He was certain it would only get worse; he'd have to suffer the full wrath of the sun’s gradual damage soon enough.

With his mind and body refreshed, he remembered that he had levelled up. WIth his dehydrated mind and the class selection to worry about, he had forgotten.

Name: Noah - level 2
Race: [F] Human
Title: Volunteer, Monster Hunter, Trailblazing Tamer

1st Pathstone: [ Dexterity ]
Skill:
Skill:
Skill:
Skill:
Skill:

2nd Pathstone: [ Might ]
Skill:
Skill:
Skill:
Skill:
Skill:

3rd Pathstone: [ None ]

Path: [ Locked ]

Bloodline: [ Locked ]

Basic Skills:

Weapon specialist - level 4
Boxing - level 2
Objectify - level 1
Pickpocketing - level 2
Intimidation - level 2
Sneaking - level 3
Animal Taming - level 3
Shield Proficiency - Level 1
Spear Proficiency - Level 1
Multiversal Polyglot

Status:

Unallocated stat points: 0

Strength: 15
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 15
Wisdom: 16
Magic: 9
Mana: 8
Perception: 13

Grace Coins: 50

Noah noticed that his newly gained skills had slotted themself into the Basic Skills section. He wasn’t surprised, rather he was expecting it. It would be rather concerning if they had moved into his Pathstone Skills as once added, it was a very steep price to remove it.

Although that was information regarding the last world, he hadn’t a clue if it was the case in this one.

Shield Proficiency and Spear Proficiency, although Common rarity, were basic skills. Just like every other Proficiency skill.

Finally was the Grace Coins– Noah’s voice was interrupted as the System intruded into his sight.

Grace Shop requirements met: Obtain your second Pathstone.

Category: Weapons.

Common short-sword: 250 Grace Coins.

Common xiphos: 250 Grace Coins.

Common kukri: 250 Grace Coins.

…

Category: Miscellaneous.

Common Backpack: 300 Grace Coins.

Common Woodcutting axe: 250 Grace Coins.

Common Seed Sower: 250 Grace Coins.

…

Category: Armour.

Common Leather Chestpiece: 300 Grace Coins.

Common Iron Chestpiece: 500 Grace Coins.

Common Bronze Greaves: 200 Grace Coins.

…

Category: Potions

Common: Health Potion: 700 Grace Coins.

Common: Mana potion: 500 Grace Coins.

Common: Stamina Potion: 500 Grace Coins.

…

Noah gazed at the massive screen in front of him, he had to scroll past a countless amount of text to see it all. It was endless, and spanned many pages. All the items stopped at level fifty.

It must be because the tutorial had a level limit of fifty. Anything over that and one would stop levelling within. Although no one had ever reached that to find out, so it was just a guess.

Noah massaged his neck. He looked at the most expensive weapons, namely, the spears. They were all coloured in either gold or purple.

Epic: Level 50 - Spear of the Slumbering One: 100,000 Grace Coins.
| +35 Str, +30 Dex, +20 Vit.

| Grants Epic Skill - Dream Piercer.

Noah’s eyes sparkled at the added stats, but the Grace Coins needed made his mouth dry up. He was able to watch the other contestants, but he had never seen the System interface before.

Dream Piercer sounds incredible. What does it do? He attempted to focus on the skill, but no more information popped up.

I must only be able to see it if I buy it. He moved onto the next, skipping past a few purples, he stopped on the only one that flashed a golden light.

Legendary: Level 50 - The War Phantasm Lance: 200,000 Grace Coins.
| +80 Str, 50 Dex, 50 Vit, 50 WIll.
| Grants Legendary Skill - Unseen War.

Noah’s mind turned numb, the letters were like a lightning bolt that attached to his spine, trembling his bones. Something about them felt like it was reaching out to him, as if it was mocking him that he could never reach it, just like everything else in his life.

I want it. It was a simple sentence, yet once he put his mind to something, he would never stop until he accomplished it. Noah clenched his hands tight, the red from the sunburn turned white.

Taking a moment to calm himself down, he looked at the other categories, mainly the armour. He was in desperate need of protection. He remembered that Spartans often wore greaves, arm guards, and a helmet and he found them within the shop, alongside other armour from different areas around Earth. Old Renaissance armour like full plate, and other lighter armour like from the middle-east.

I’ll stick to the Spartan armour. It’s light, while offering the protection I need. Besides, spartans look fucking awesome. With this decision made, he was about to drink some more water when a twig snapped just behind a push.

Noah moved and readied his shield, his spear at the ready.