stepping away from the Portal Most low leveled humans, dwarves, or elves would feel dizziness or other minor effects, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling to go through, but now being something different, Siphex stepped out of the portal with ease, and the first thing that came into his view were rocky dark tunnels with tiny crystals splattered randomly at the ceiling and the walls, giving the dark cave a subtle purplish glow.

'Lord Zurich said I can only get out of the maze if I get stronger, so I guess I'll have to work harder and start leveling up; my only goal right now is power.' 'But I don't see any experience points,' he reflected as he took another look at his level status

 < level (1) > 

< Souls (0/5) >

"Well, being a sort of something Ancient has its advantages, I guess those souls are required to level up," Siphex said as he began walking through the nearest tunnel.

Looking around, he noticed that his vision is colorblind but more accurate and precise; the deeper he went, the darker the tunnel became as fewer and fewer crystals illuminated the way, but this wasn't an issue because his night vision kicked in. It was now as clear as a day. He came to a halt after several minutes of moving through the tunnel when he sensed some presence around the next corner. "That would be my first prey," he exclaimed, strolling carefully and quietly...

At the end of the current tunnel, He saw two raptor-like creatures highlighted with red lines in his vision at the end of the current tunnel, where the tunnel splits into two different routes, the creatures were busy mashing at something dead on the floor.

< Inspect >

(Beast: cave valaptor: common: level 4)

(Beast: cave valaptor: common: level 5)

'Even though I'm colorblind, those red lines make it easier for me to spot enemies, more like veins with blood flowing through them,' Siphex thought as he began to plan his first mob hunt and grow in power. 'That would be a difficult battle for most...

four levels higher. However, my statistics are likely to be higher than theirs, 'Let's see if these legs of mine are as sharp in combat as they appear,' he thought as he crept up on the valaptors.

Siphex was relieved that his small spider-like body, combined with his 'Nimble' passive, allowed him to move almost silently...

'If I can land a surprise sneak attack on the stronger one, I will deal extra damage, and while it won't be as much as having the < stealth > skill, it's still better than confronting them directly,' he reasoned as he slowly approached a perfect attacking distance.

Siphex was waiting for the right opportunity and was completely focused, so he didn't notice that his eyes were glowing with a purplish hue.

while the valaptors fought over what was left of the dead 'thing' Siphex quickly bounced silently with a speed he didn't expect, landing right beside them spinning and slashing one of his pointy sharp legs at the level 5 valaptor's neck. The valaptor on the right didn't even notice Siphex's arm slicing through its neck with no effort, blood splashed, and the valaptor head rolled and hit the wall. ... 'Holy Crap,' Siphsx exclaimed, as he was astounded by his body's effectiveness and response, quickly turning around and dodging the bite of the other valaptor...

**** Wish******

Siphex expected to receive a notification for his first kill after jumping backward and gaining distance, but he didn't... 'I guess it's not the same as an experience system,' he thought as he dodged another bite and a tail swipe...

"Haha, I guess I'm getting used to this speed; it'd be easy to take your head on," Siphex chuckled as the surviving Valaptor launched another assault, which Siphex deflected and turned his body for a quick stab. He stabbed the valaptor in the chest, but it wasn't enough to kill it, so he evaded another bite to the right and tried for another stab, which came in quickly as his arm went and pierced straight through the head of the last valaptor...

*swish*

   *Splatter*

As siphex dragged his leg like a blade, brain stuff fell out, leaving a large hole in its head. The poor valaptor sank to the ground, lifeless.

*Thud*

"Wasn't that... ehh... simple? "Now let's see how this soul thing works," he exclaimed eagerly.

When he examined the bodies of the dead valaptors attentively, he discovered that the red lines had vanished, leaving only a faint breathing white glow visible in the middle of the corpse's chest. 'That should be near its heart, probably what I need,' Siphex decided as he ripped the body open with its sharp leg to uncover the glowing organ. "It's funny that staring at it with hunger doesn't make me sick."

It was hard enough to gaze at a dead beast's organ without wanting to eat it. As he reached and ate the highlighted heart, Siphex muttered, "Well, down we go."

It was weirdly wonderful to feel his sharp teeth crush the soft once beating heart a minute ago. He was disturbed by notifications while savoring the flavor.

< heart consumed >

< bloodlust increased +1>

< Souls+ 3 (3/5) >

He smirked as he did the same for the other corpse after noticing the notification.

< heart consumed >

< bloodlust increased +1>

< souls+ 3 (6/5) >

< Level Up + >

< Active skill unlocked: Venomous Touch >

< Venomous Touch: Active >

 ( your physical attacks deal 200% of your INT + DEX as poison damage over 30 seconds. this effect stacks to a maximum of 3 stacks ).

" finally an Active skill, let's see. combined stats into continuous poison damage that stacks " siphex said as he opened his status

Name: Siphex

Race ( Arachnoid: Rare )

Class ( null )

Level ( 2 )

Souls ( 1/10)

< stats >

STR ( 7 ) VIT ( 5 )

WIS ( 6 ) INT ( 11 )

DEX ( 8 ) CHA ( 9)

- available points (3) < Skills >

.

 Active ( 1/3 )

- < Venomous Touch: Active >

 ( your physical attacks deal 200% of your INT + DEX as poison damage over 30 seconds. this effect stacks to a maximum of 3 stacks ).

-

-

passive ( 2/3 )

- Arachnoid insight :

 ( the pure blood of the Ancient Reishalion runs through your veins, you gain the blessing of your ancestors: you are 100% resistant to poison & cold. 25% resistant to illusions).

- Nimble :

(your movement is partially muffled, your movement speed is increased up to 25% the closer you are to your target ).

 Utility (1)

< bloodlust ( Racial passive )>

( as an apex predator, consuming hearts will increase overall Stats by 1%, but will also increase skills cooldown by 5%. this effect lasts for one hour and stacks to a maximum of 10 stacks).

< >

" Utility Bloodlust, another new passive, appears to be a double-edged sword; I enjoy the boost in stats; it would be handy in constant farming; however, raising skill cooldown by up to 50% is... too much... I understand that Active skills aren't a problem right now, but they will be later, and it appears that I will be stuck with it for a long time because it reads 'Racial Passive'." Siphex pondered as he went on.

"Now that I don't have a class, it's best to just equal out my stats; the new active is beneficial, but the cooldown disadvantage... Also, compared to my VIT, my INT and DEX are already high; I'm already quick, nimble, and can dodge, But I don't enjoy being so squishy, so let's beef up the defensive measures just to be safe.' Siphex made his decision after putting all three points in VIT.

"That will make fighting several foes a lot more comfortable, no time to waste," Siphex exclaimed as he hurried into the tunnel in search of more hearts.