More monsters had joined the horde while Vipera and I fought. It had become a tenuous balance, we were killing monsters as fast as they could arrive to the battle. If more continued to arrive, though, we might be in trouble. I had long ago surpassed the number of kills required by the dungeon notice that had appeared before me. There were places nearby where I would be knee or hip deep in the corpses of monsters I'd slain if I walked into the mounds. There hadn't been any time to loot any of the bodies to get them to fade away.

  I gritted my teeth, sweat pouring down my face, mixing with the monster blood that covered me from head to toe, as I swung my weapon in a wide arc, cutting down three more [Copper Skimmers]. They were fast and their hits hurt when they made it through, but the smaller birds were fairly fragile for their level. What they had in speed, they'd traded out their durability for. Vipera hissed fiercely from beneath me, her electric blue energy pulsing brightly as she lunged at a monster that had tried to flank us. For the last several minutes, she'd stayed in a loose coil around my legs, defending me from monsters that tried to take me out at the kneecaps. This change had come about in a particularly desperate moment when one of the [Plains Stalker]s had bowled me over from behind and I'd scrambled to get my feet back under me.

  "We can't keep this up forever," I muttered, my muscles screaming in protest as I parried a vicious claw swipe. Vipera's eyes flashed in agreement, her body coiling protectively around my legs. I could feel her [Venomous Aura] empowering every strike of my dagger. I was loath to give up the experience we were gaining here, but the situation was becoming untenable, and I was still on the clock. I couldn't take too much time here. I sighed, then pushed mana into my bracers, triggering the Skill within.

  The pulse expanded from me rapidly, like a shockwave emanating from my body. The monsters, frozen in their tracks, stared at me with wide, unblinking eyes. The plains were silent but for the gentle rustle of grass in the breeze for a single moment. There wasn't a single monster in the horde that could compete with my Charisma stat. Interestingly, I couldn't recall ever seeing a monster with higher charisma than mine.

  I channelled more mana into my bracers, feeling the familiar rush of power coursing through my veins. A second, stronger pulse flared across the plains, causing the remaining horde to turn tail and flee. I let out a sigh of relief as I lowered my arms. The [Aura of Fear] had done its job well. It might be a Skill tied to the item, but it had its uses even if I couldn't learn it myself.

  As I looked around at the aftermath of the battle, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. The ground was littered with monster corpses and loot, and I had managed to gain even more experience points than I had expected.

  I froze, staring at the notification in front of me while Vipera slithered around the area, poking the monster corpses, adding more and more notifications to my backlog. My mind had completely ground to a halt. It hit me then that I wasn't growing the same way I had in the Soul-Sheer, where my stats were distributed evenly. I apparently had a Charisma focused Class since that was the highest increasing Stat. I couldn't help but feel a little FOMO over all the points I'd put into Strength and Dexterity.

  What would I be able to do if all those points were in Charisma instead? The idea taunted me, but in the end, they were points well spent, and I enjoyed having the balance of stats I had. I wasn't as lopsided as many people who levelled their Class normally from level 1 would be. For now, I held my Free points in reserve. I didn't feel like I needed them anywhere in particular, and I'd rather have them for an emergency. A 9 point boost could make a significant difference in the middle of a life or death battle.

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  With Vipera slithering by my side, I unlocked from my stupor and started walking despite the gears in my mind still spinning at full speed. I accepted all of the loot notifications, just to get rid of the annoying buzzing in the back of my mind caused by too many waiting system notifications. The system didn't like it when you ignored it for too long. My aura flared out as I searched for the exit from this chamber of the dungeon. I was treating this like my experience with the underground chambers in the Soul-Sheer. I'd cleared the objective for this chamber, so now the way to move on should be open. I crossed the plains searching for the exit, wandering back and forth at a fast jog. I noted the increase in my aura size; it had grown when I'd levelled up, but I hadn't noticed it in the heat of the battle. It seemed like it was tied to my Charisma, which made sense since my aura was tied to a Class Skill. I pulsed [Aura of fear] to keep the remaining monsters away. I could feel some of them with my aura lingering around the edges of the pulse where its power waned.

  As I searched the plain, I headed in the general direction of a massive tree I could see off in the distance. It seemed to be fairly close to what I would imagine as the center of the plain. I had my suspicions that was where the exit would be, but being thorough often paid dividends, so I continued my zigzagging path across the plains. Hours passed by as I made my way closer and closer to the great tree, more certain than ever that it was at the center of the plains, and exactly where I was supposed to be heading. I reached the base of the tree, staring up at its massive form. The trunk reached at least a hundred feet into the sky on its own, and the branches reached dozens of feet higher.

  The gnarled brown bark that covered its surface was the only thing about it that reminded me of a normal tree. The leaves that covered its branches were all metallic, shimmering in hues of copper and brass. Streaks of orange similar to the tall grass raced along the branches, almost like veins. The air around it was an odd mix of fresh and metallic that I found rather enjoyable.

  My aura located a hollow in the great tree's roots, almost like a burrow. It didn't take much effort to find, with a close idea of where it was, thanks to my aura.

  Once I was inside the dirt of the burrow, it rapidly transitioned to the familiar rough stone of the room I started in. I was in another short corridor trailed by Vipera as I made my way forward. As I stepped into the stone corridor, the air grew noticeably cooler. The metallic scent of copper and brass that had permeated the plains faded, replaced by the musty smell of damp earth. Vipera slithered close behind, her electric blue energy pulsing softly in the dim.

  The passageway curved gently to the right, and I could hear the faint sound of rushing water echoing from somewhere ahead. My muscles still ached from the intense battle, but the thrill of discovery pushed me forward. What else did this dungeon have to offer me? As we rounded the bend, the corridor tilted upwards at a sharp angle, the smooth floor becoming stone steps, and light filtered into the tunnel from above.

  We emerged from the tunnel in the middle of a forest of trees that looked rather like redwood. Every single one of them was huge, bigger than the great tree on the plains by a large margin. Their trunks stretched hundreds of feet into the air above our heads. I let out a soft whistle as my head swivelled around, taking in the sight of the forest.

  "I love magic," I said softly, unable to contain the grin that spread across my face.

  The peaceful moment was shattered by a roar that reminded me of nothing so much as a really, really big cat. I looked for the source of the noise and found it rather quickly. It was hard to miss the seven foot tall lion that looked like it weighed a ton prowling towards me. Then I noticed the scorpion tail weaving in the air above the lion's body.

  "Manticore." I hissed, triggering [Analyze]. If this beast was anything like the mythology it came from, then if it was more than one or two levels above me, this might get nasty. The manticore's eyes locked onto me, its massive form coiled like a spring ready to pounce. I could feel the raw power emanating from the beast, its muscles rippling beneath its tawny coat. The scorpion tail swayed hypnotically, its chitin glinting with an oily sheen that hinted at deadly venom.

  I didn't look deep enough to see the details on the monster's Skills, but I didn't need to. Thankfully, they were fairly self-explanatory, or at least it seemed like they would be. Better stealth, better tracking, the ability to close the distance quickly, with an enhanced attack that probably caused some kind of bleeding debuff. That seemed to be what it would get from its general skills, while its species skills provided it with more options. A roar that probably inflicted some other kind of debuff if the target couldn't resist its effects, a venomous attack likely related to its tail, a durability buff, and another enhanced physical attack. All in all, the damn thing was a beast. It had more Strength and Dexterity than I did and edged me out on Endurance as well. I had the upper hand in Charisma, Perception and Intelligence, though.

  I could probably beat this monster as a human, but I'd likely take wounds to do it. It had enough stats to match me, a boost and various ways to attack me. Its size was a factor as well. No matter how much Strength I had as a human, I was still just human-sized, and I only weighed a couple of hundred pounds. I could compensate for some of that with stats, but not all of it. The simple reality was that if the monster got hold of me as a human, it could probably shake me like a bag of candy until the goodies came out.

  I glanced back at the Drone that was floating back away behind and above me as Vipera faded away, reading my intentions through our bond.

  "Don't freak out, Uncle," I muttered just loud enough that I figured the drone would pick it up while the manticore was being quiet. I'd been hoping to keep this one under my hat a bit longer, but it just wasn't practical to avoid using it.

  I triggered [Hollow Web Metamorphosis].

  Suddenly, the manticore wasn't facing a man-sized morsel of meat that looked rather tasty, even if it would have to peel the meat out of the coverings. It was facing a massive chitin-armoured spider that was almost the same size as itself, and was looking at it like it was very hungry. Starving.

  My gaze swept around the area, and my own spider body. I'd grown and changed a bit since the last time I'd used my transformation Bloodline Skill. It seemed my Bloodline Class evolution had done more than it said on the tin. Not that I was complaining. My leg span stretched out several more feet, now pushing twenty feet, and my thorax had added some more weight. It seemed to be just a general size increase that stayed in proportion. The real addition was in the chitin that made up my exoskeleton. My thorax was covered in interlocking armoured plates of hardened chitin, as were my legs. I could feel the increased weight, but it didn't feel like it would hinder me at all. I let out a hiss and raised my forelegs into a threatening posture, deadly tips poised to strike.