Thud!
The ground tremored as each towering body of the night monsters fell down by the groups assault. Using the barrier proved advantageous for them, the monsters carcasses reverberated the edges of the domain in each fall, spilling of blood that did not pass the barrier.
The night monsters despaired, the night, mercilessly killed without a fight, as the humans within the barrier bombarded them with attacks.
In each fall arise another arises, not only the one Kreig had killed before, but some other types as well. Surprisingly, there were wolves, rabbits, even.
Kreig's face distorted in pleasure—he felt ecstasy killing the monsters stronger than him. Though in a way he'd not gain battle experience or what the others call honor, he didn't care.
He didn't need that to survive.
If he had to kill, then he would. Additionally, these monsters heavily served as his nourishment. If the goblins he'd fought earlier net him 10 essence per kill, each night monster provided him a sufficient amount to tier up in no time!
Each one of the night monster nets him approximately 90-120, depending on the type.
Their carcasses fell on the ground, not disappearing, but were preserved under the moonlight.
Kreig, Durian, and Exel mercilessly aimed their weapon at the monsters, baiting them using their emotions.
In total, they've killed at least 5 already, but the night monsters seemed endless. Kreig asked them before the fight, he told them he'd like to take the last hit for the kill against the monsters so he could measure the amount of essence they'd give.
Huff… Huff…
The two gasped for air, but Kreig remained unfazed and faced the monsters head-on. His sword dripped with blood, its edges slowly succumbing into nothingness.
In this subtle moment, he realized something.
These monsters aren't sentient. But are insanely attracted to emotions.
He thought.
Before they'd even start going on the edges, they'd eyed them from outside the veil of the barrier. They pushed their eyes inside, but to no avail; they were pushed back.
It had only been an hour and a half, but they'd already killed five monsters, giving enough essence for Kreig to have his lord level to tier up.
"Let's stop for now," Kreig muttered, his clothes now drenched in sweat. Despite the ecstasy he'd felt fighting the monsters, he didn't let the feeling get ahead of him.
At his command, his two tired subjects slumped to the ground. Exel hyperventilated, while Durian caught his breath.
"My lord, that was too tiring!" the two exclaimed in unison.
At first, they were scared to fight against the monsters; however, after killing two, they'd finally grasped the technique. Their lord kills it, they bait and damage it, repeat.
The skin of night monsters was thick, and they also heavily resembled animals from Leaxuire. However, as much as they resembled the animals of the outside world, they looked more like a morphefied version of them.
"Status." Kreig muttered.
A semi-transparent blue menu appeared in front of him, something only he could see.
***
Lord Name: Kreig Haven
Resonance Name: Haven
Lord level: Level 1, Tier 1 (upgradeable)
Resonance: Soulbound (unique)
Essence: 999+(51)/999
Domain Name: Haven
???
Lord skills:
Mini Map (Low-rank) – Allows the lord to visualize his domain on his head.
Extraction (Unranked) – Allows the lord to subjugate or extract Resonance and essence from the enemy lord's domains.
Summon (Unranked) – Summon units to fight for the lord using summoning stones dropped by monsters in the abyss.
***
"Exel," he called out.
"Yes, my lord?" Almost immediately did he answered.
"How do I tier up?" He asked Exel casually.
Exel's eyes widened in shock, even Durian couldn't hide his surprise, either. But they quickly regained their demeanor, their eyes shifted in anticipation.
"My lord, to tier up, you only have to focus your mind on clicking the button beside your window. According to the knowledge the void granted me, your existing skills should be upgraded, and at least some more info about your domain will be displayed on your status." Exel muttered in newfound excitement. His lord has only spent almost two days inside the abyss, but he'd already reached such levels.
'My lord truly is great!' he thought.
"Additionally, my lord. Once you tier up, the area of the shield should expand by 50 meters more in all sides. In total, your domain should have 400 meters by then. All the lingering monsters will be repelled back outside, so if you want to do it now, you don't have to worry about the monsters taking advantage of the loose barrier." Exel explained with a respectful bow.
His explanation answered most of Kreig's question; however, he quickly realized how the more he learnt, the more he craved to know more.
The hunger to know more is by no means a good thing. Geniuses are born with their never-ending curiosity.
"Well then... I will tier up now, please bear with me." He muttered, looking at the two figures near him.
Hummm—
Kreig calmed his mind and entered utter silence. Like when he entered The Endless Abyss, he had himself seated in lotus position, before finally letting out a deep breath.
Huff...
He said I need to guide my consciousness upgrade...
'Haven,' he whispered deep inside his thoughts.
The same semi-transparent window appeared before his eyes.
Is it because I'm much more collected now that it appears much clearer?
He asked in the depths of his mind. Then, he willed his subconscious to click the 'upgradeable' button beside his essence.
At once, he was assaulted by a strange feeling that seemed to embed an imprint in his very mind. He felt a headache, bearable, yet extremely uncomfortable. Then, he found himself enveloped by a strange cloud, something his senses couldn't depict, and then Boom.
For Kreig, who focused like a monk in hibernation, he felt nothing more than the headache and strange bliss enveloping his body. But for his subjects, their lord was going through a special breakthrough, causing the monsters outside to be thrown away at a distance, and the veil of protection to expand 50 meters more on all sides.
Then...he opened his eyes.
His obsidian-like eyes, which seemed to feast on the very light, opened widely in newfound strength.
He muttered, almost immediately. "Status."
***
Lord Name: Kreig Haven
Resonance Name: Haven
Lord level: Level 1, Tier 2
Resonance: Soulbound (unique)
Essence: 51/2999
Domain Name: Haven
Domain area: 400m
Lord skills:
Mini Map (Low-rank) – Allows the lord to visualize his domain on his head.
Extraction (Unranked) – Allows the lord to subjugate or extract Resonance and essence from the enemy lord's domains.
Summon (Unranked) – Summon units to fight for the lord using summoning stones dropped by monsters in the abyss.
***
His mouth distorted a cruel smile, causing the two of his subjects to shudder.
"Shall we have a feast, dear subjects?"
He muttered, his face glancing at the two, then swiftly shifting at the monsters from a distance.