Vergil's journey to Rotroot Forest was a quiet yet ominous trek, lasting no more than twenty minutes, yet filled with a creeping sense of unease. He set off from the old cobbled road that led away from the outskirts of Vaelmont, the village barely visible in the distance as the morning mist clung stubbornly to the ground.
The path was well-worn but narrow, lined with gnarled trees that loomed overhead, their twisted branches creating a natural canopy that dimmed the already weak sunlight. The deeper he went, the more the world around him seemed to shift—crickets fell silent, and even the rustling of leaves grew sparse. The scent of damp earth and decaying wood thickened in the air, a telltale sign of the forest's namesake: the Rotroot trees, their bark darkened in the air, mingling with the faint, acrid smell of something rotting just beyond sight. The wind barely stirred, as if the forest itself were holding its breath.
Vergil walked with measured steps, his senses sharp. Though no visible threat presented itself, Rotroot Forest was known for its eerie presence—an ancient woodland where the trees bore the scars of time, their bark blackened and split as if burned from within. Their roots jutted out like grasping claws, making the terrain uneven and treacherous.
As he advanced, he noticed patches of bioluminescent fungi clinging to the roots, casting an eerie green glow that barely pushed back the encroaching shadows. The deeper he went, the denser the forest became, the thick foliage above twisting together into a near-solid ceiling. What little light filtered through was cold and pale, giving the impression of an eternal dusk.
The path, once clear, became muddied and uncertain. Pools of stagnant water reflected his silhouette in warped, distorted shapes. A distant croaking echoed from somewhere unseen, but even the sounds of wildlife felt muted, as if swallowed by the oppressive atmosphere.
Then, just ahead, the trees parted slightly, revealing a landmark he had been expecting—a dead oak, its hollow trunk split open like a gaping maw. It marked the true entrance into Rotroot's depths. From here, the forest would only grow darker, more hostile, and perhaps… more alive.
Vergil exhaled, steeling himself before stepping forward. The real journey was just beginning.
"I'm here," Vergil thought, his heart pounding in his chest.
"This will be my first time killing, huh?"
Hearing movement in the distance, he quickly took cover behind the trees, making sure to stay undetected. Carefully peering through the foliage, his eyes locked onto the source of the noise.
The creature before him was a goblin—small and wiry, barely the size of a child. Its sickly green skin clung tightly to its bony frame, and its large, pointed ears twitched at every faint sound. Sharp, yellowed teeth tore hungrily into the flesh of a lifeless corpse, strands of sinew hanging from its jagged maw. Beady red eyes gleamed with cruel amusement as it feasted, its long, clawed fingers gripping the body tightly, nails caked with dried blood and filth. The stench of rot and decay hung thick in the air, yet the goblin seemed entirely unfazed, lost in its grotesque meal.
Vergil's grip tightened around his dagger as he whispered in his mind.
"System, analyze the goblin."
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
[Goblin]
Race: Humanoid Monster
Level: 1
Tier: 0
Class: None
Strength: 2
Constitution: 3
Dexterity: 4
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 2
Magic Power: 0
Mana Capacity: 0
Passive Skills:
Lesser Pain Resistance (F-)
Crude Weapon Proficiency (F)
Active Skills:
None
Vergil didn't hesitate. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward and plunged his dagger deep into the goblin's neck while it was still feasting. The creature let out a strangled gurgle, its body convulsing as green blood spilled over Vergil's hand and splattered onto his face. He twisted the blade and drove it in deeper, ensuring the kill. The goblin thrashed weakly before finally falling limp.
Pulling his dagger free, Vergil extended his palm toward the corpse.
"Authority of Predation."
From the darkness of his hand, multiple mouths erupted—black with intricate red patterns, writhing hungrily.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The mouths devoured the goblin's body voraciously, tearing through flesh and bone with unnatural ease. The system chimed.
"1 Strength points gained."
The mouths continued their relentless feast.
"2 Dexterity points gained."
"You have acquired the passive skills: lesser Pain Resistance (F+) and Crude Weapon Proficiency (F)."
Vergil grinned. This skill really is something else.
His gaze shifted toward the mangled corpse the goblin had been devouring. A dagger was embedded in the body's neck, a clear sign of how its owner had met his end.
"Analyze."
A new screen appeared.
[Edran Valmont]
Race: Human
Lifespan: 0 (Deceased)
Gender: Male
Class: Archer
Level: 1
Tier: 0
Strength: 4
Constitution: 3
Dexterity: 6
Intuition-5
Magic Power: 3
Mana Capacity: 3
Passive Skills:
Keen Focus (F)
Basic Bow Mastery (F)
Active Skills:
Quick Shot (F)
Vergil extended his hand once more. The Authority of Predation activated, and the black, fanged mouths emerged again, consuming the lifeless human body.
"1 Strength point gained."
"2 Dexterity points gained."
"1 Intuition, and Magic Power point gained."
"You have acquired the skills: Keen Focus (F), Basic Bow Mastery (F), and Quick Shot (F)."
Vergil furrowed his brows. Strange. I didn't gain as many stat points in the areas Edran excelled in.
The system responded to his thoughts.
"User, this is because the corpse was already damaged. A weakened body provides fewer stat gains. However, you still receive all the skills. As you grow stronger, consuming weaker lifeforms will no longer grant stats. Additionally, the stat conversion is only a portion of the original values."
Vergil nodded in understanding. So, the condition of the body and its strength determine how much I can gain.
The system chimed again.
"New notification."
"What is it?" Vergil asked.
"User is one step closer to unlocking the second function of the Authority of Predation. Obtain 15 skills to unlock this function."
Vergil smirked. "So that's what you meant earlier…"
His eyes then fell on the goblin's remains—nothing but a skeleton now. Among the bones, a small blue crystal pulsed faintly with energy. He crouched down and picked it up.
"Analyze."
[Astralyth Stone] (F-Tier)
Description: The weakest type of energy stone.
Uses:
Can serve as a power source.
Can be absorbed to accelerate cultivation (requires refinement into the user's specific energy type).
Has various applications in magic and alchemy.
Vergil examined the crystal in his palm, watching its faint glow flicker.
"No wonder these are in high demand. They're pretty useful."
His gaze shifted back to Edron's corpse. A silver necklace lay against the remains—not too cheap, not too expensive. A few meters away, his bow and quiver of arrows rested on the ground.
'Poor guy. He didn't even get to struggle. I'll make sure to use your equipment properly... but what's this necklace?'
Picking it up, Vergil activated his analysis skill, but it revealed nothing special. Just an ordinary necklace, inscribed with a name: Elira Valmont.
'Must be his mother. He wasn't wearing a ring, so he probably wasn't married. The Authority only ate his flesh—his clothes and bones are still here. I'll store them, along with his mother's necklace and the crystal, in my inventory. If I find her, I'll return them.'
But for now, it was goblin slaughtering time.
Vergil moved carefully through the woods, his steps light against the damp earth. Ahead, two goblins crouched behind a bush. Vergil pulled out the bow and quiver from his inventory and got ready to shoot
He reached for an arrow, fingers brushing against the feathered fletching as he pulled it from the quiver. His movements weren't fluid—just a little awkward, a little stiff. As he nocked the arrow, the bowstring gave a soft hum, but his grip wasn't perfect.
Drawing the string back, his muscles tensed, but his posture was slightly off. The bow bent, but not quite to its full potential. He took a breath, steadying himself, narrowing his focus on the goblin clumsily pulling at the stolen bow.
The tension in the string wavered slightly, his hold not as firm as it should be. The creak of bending wood sounded, but it wasn't as smooth as a trained archer's draw. A heartbeat passed. Then another.
He released.
The arrow flew—not perfectly, but fast enough. It veered slightly off course before sinking into the goblin's shoulder with a dull thunk. The creature screeched, clutching at the wound.
Vergil clicked his tongue. "Not bad… but I've got work to do. Those passive skills from Edran are helping."
He reached for another arrow.
The second goblin, seeing its fallen comrade, let out a sharp screech before charging at him with a makeshift dagger. It moved faster than expected, its small frame darting across the uneven ground with surprising speed. But it wasn't fast enough. Vergil loosed another arrow, and the projectile struck true, burying itself deep into the goblin's skull. It collapsed instantly, lifeless.
Turning his attention back to the first goblin, which was still writhing in pain, struggling to pull the arrow from its shoulder, Vergil approached without hesitation. With a swift thrust, he plunged his blade into the creature's heart, silencing its agony.
'Authority of Predation.'
Dark, writhing mouths emerged, devouring the goblin corpses in an instant.
"You have gained 1 Strength point, 1 Dexterity points, and 1 Constitution point.
User has acquired the following skills:
Dash (F)
Lesser Poison Resistance (F-)
User has levelled up to level 2, you have gained 3 allotable stat points
"Put all of them in Constitution"
"Your Constitution has increased by 3"
'At this moment in time, Stamina and endurance is the most important thing,
Two hours passed, and the sun hung low on the horizon, casting the forest in hues of deep orange and crimson. Vergil wiped his blade clean, surveying the now-silent clearing around him.
"Looks like I've cleared out all the goblins in this area," he muttered, exhaling. "Took longer than I expected just to track down these last two. I even had to take a break because I was exhausted."
Status Window
Name: Vergil
Level: 3
Tier:0
Title: Commoner
Lifespan: 65 years
Spouses: None
Race: Human
Class: None
Stats:
Strength: 6 → 11
Constitution: 8 → 11
Dexterity: 7 → 15
Intuition-6 → 8
Magic Power: 3 → 4
Mana Capacity: 4 → 5
Equipment:
Basic Clothing (+2 Defense)
Metal dagger (+5 attack)
Passive Skills:
Keen Focus (F)
Basic Bow Mastery (F)
Lesser Impact Resistance (F-)
Basic Pain Resistance (F)
Crude Weapon Proficiency (F)
Lesser Poison Resistance (F-)
Wild instincts (F)
Active Skills:
Authority of Predation (???)
Throwing (F-)
Pack Tactics (F)
Quick Shot (F)
Dash (F)
Feral Bite (F)
Arts: None
Available Stat Points: 3
Vergil furrowed his brow. "The analysis said the goblin on the left had a passive skill called Dim Vision, and the other had Basic Camouflage..."
Without hesitation, he activated his unique ability. "Authority of Predation."
The grotesque mouths of the skill manifested, consuming the two corpses.
[User has obtained 1 Wisdom Point.]
[User has obtained the passive skills: Dim Vision (F-) and Basic Camouflage (F).]
Before Vergil could process that, a new notification appeared.
[User has satisfied all conditions. Releasing the seal on the second function...]
[User has unlocked the second effect of Authority of Predation: Active Skill Combination (EX).]
Vergil raised an eyebrow. "Combination?"
[Combination allows you to temporarily or permanently fuse skills together to create stronger, more advanced abilities. Skill strength and type will depend on compatibility.]
A slow grin spread across his face. "Ha… Hahaha." His laughter grew. "This is broken beyond belief."
[However, at this moment, the 'temporary' fusion function is unavailable as you do not meet the necessary requirements.]
His excitement dimmed slightly. "God fucking damn it, you could've told me that first."
[I had to ruin your mood.] The system responded.
Vergil clicked his tongue. "Annoying piece of shit." Then, shaking his head, he smirked. "Still, this is gonna be fun."
'Combination.'
A large panel materialized in front of him, displaying a prompt:
[Which skills would you like to combine?]
Vergil's eyes scanned his list of abilities. "How many skills can I combine at once?"
[As many as you want, but they must be compatible. Otherwise, the fusion may fail or even downgrade the resulting skill. Compatibility will not be shown.]
Vergil crossed his arms, deep in thought. 'I'll leave Poison Resistance alone for now. If there are other resistances like Paralysis Resistance, I'd rather fuse them later to get something stronger. But Impact Resistance and Pain Resistance… those should work well together.'
"Fuse Lesser Impact Resistance and Basic Pain Resistance."
[Fusing skills...]
[Fusion complete. User has obtained the passive skill: Endurance (E-).]
Skill Name: Endurance (E-)
Grade: E-
Effect: Grants minor resistance to both physical impact and pain, allowing the user to withstand blows more effectively without flinching or being easily staggered. While it does not negate damage, it reduces its effectiveness slightly and helps the user maintain composure in combat.
Vergil nodded in approval. "Not bad for a first attempt. This'll come in handy."
Lets head back now