“Bro, did you see that? Something flashed inside just now. It was kinda creepy. Go check it out, will you?”
Nai had huddled against You, her two paws planted firmly on his fluffy back as she shivered.
“Huh?”
You get scared by the tiniest thing and hide behind me. Looks like you’re still just as afraid of this stuff as you were when we were little.
You knew his little sister was terrified of anything paranormal. He was a little on edge himself, but they weren’t in familiar surroundings anymore. Danger lurked everywhere.
And they were so weak right now that they could really end up dead here.
“Let’s toss a pebble in there first and see what happens.”
Their levels were too low. They didn’t even have the most basic Scan skill, so they’d have to use the most primitive method.
You picked up a small stone in his mouth, then jerked his head and flung it with all his strength. The pebble flew straight toward the source of the light.
Tap... tap. Tap... tap...
Then You tossed in a few more pebbles.
“The sound keeps echoing back for a while, then it fades. That means this place goes pretty deep... And nothing’s come running out, so let’s head in.”
“Do we really have to go in?”
Nai glanced at the pitch-black cave entrance, then nervously nibbled on You’s tail.
“If you don’t want to get beaten to death by a giant leaf monster, or if you want to figure out how to get back, your big brother thinks taking a risk is worth it.”
“Eek... O-okay.”
Nai gave in. Just as You had said, they seemed to have a few routes to choose from, but when it came to safety, going inside was clearly the better option.
After roughly a few dozen seconds, You had carefully examined the layout inside the cave.
The two foxes headed into the dark, mysterious underground cave...
Crackle, rustle~
Inside the tree hollow, the two siblings crawled along slowly. They’d been at it for nearly ten minutes. The narrow tunnel was getting wider and wider, and there were more and more loose stones underfoot.
“Hey, little sis, what was your talent skill again? You never told me.”
“Ah!!”
You had been getting a little bored as they walked, so he suddenly spoke up. His sister, already on edge, jumped at the sound.
“Jeez, little sis, why’d you yell so loud? You scared me!”
You was at a loss for words. At that volume, even the monsters deeper inside must’ve heard them.
“Oh... Oh... I was just staying alert, haha... You mean my talent skill? I don’t really know what it does either. Here, take a look.”
Race: 【Fox Cub】
Level: 【LV.0】
Rebirth: 【0】
Attack: 【1~1】
HP: 【12】
MP: 【12】
Talent Skill: 【Engraving】
Sub-Skill: 【None】
Skill Points: 【0】
EXP Needed for Next Level: 【0/1】
You studied the information that had just appeared. What was this talent skill, Engraving? He’d never heard of it in GE. Could it be a special skill she’d gained after transmigrating?
“So, little sis, have you tried using it?”
You asked.
“Of course, but nothing happened. Maybe it’s like your talent skill and you have to trigger it with your tongue?”
As she spoke, Nai stuck out her little tongue and licked her own arm. You leaned closer too. But after a whole minute, nothing happened.
“Ah, don’t tell me they gave you some useless talent...”
You said casually, but Nai felt like his words had hit her right in the heart.
“It’s not useless!! You black-crow fox! I’ll bite you!”
“Ow! Little sis, why are you biting me?!”
After a while of peaceful chatter and laughter, they finally reached what looked like an exit. A light was coming from beyond it.
The two of them... No, the two fox demons held their breath and crept forward, finally reaching the cave’s opening.
“Oh my gosh! It’s an abandoned underground mine!”
The siblings exclaimed in surprise. They’d never heard of a place like this on the floating island in GE.
Abandoned mine carts, tracks, and scrap metal littered the area. Farther off, a little magma flowed across the ground, glowing brilliantly.
“Bro, look! What’s that next to us?”
You looked where his little sister was pointing and spotted a few flickering lights.
You narrowed his eyes and looked toward the lights.
“Oh! Those are Candle Moths! They must be what was making the light earlier. I remember their stats perfectly.”
Race: 【Candle Moth】 Details: A creature whose body will burn up along with the candle stuck to its back once the candle has completely burned down.
Level: 【0】
Attack: 【0】
HP: 【5】
MP: 【1】
Talent Skill: 【Burning Life】
Sub-Skill: 【None】
EXP Needed for Next Level: 【Cannot Level Up】
“Oh, this is great! With these around, we won’t have to worry about surviving on this floating island. They’re basically free XP!”
You was already getting excited. At last, they had a monster they could fight.
“Oh, Bro, those are Candle Moths? I thought they were some kind of ghosts. They scared me to death!”
Nai said, clutching her chest as her heart pounded.
“Little sis, go gather a bunch of pebbles by the cave entrance. We’ll take them out one at a time.”
“O-okay!”
The siblings dashed back to the cave entrance and bent down to pick up pebbles. After a while, they’d collected enough to pile stones across half the entrance. Then You and Nai started hurling them as fast as they could.
Miss!
MISS! MISS!
Candle Moth HP -1
After several rounds of attacks, the two fox demons finally landed a hit. They threw themselves into it even harder.
Candle Moth HP -1
Candle Moth HP -1
Critical Hit! Candle Moth HP -2. Gained 1 EXP. Congratulations, you’ve leveled up!
You’s status screen changed, and a faint glow appeared around his body.
Race: 【Fox Cub】
Level: 【LV.1】
Rebirth: 【0】
Attack: 【1~2】
HP: 【15】
MP: 【15】
Talent Skill: 【Low-Level Healing (Upgradeable)】
Sub-Skill: 【None】
Skill Points: 【1】
EXP Needed for Next Level: 【0/5】
“Whoa, this feels nothing like the sensation you get from GE’s enhanced headgear. It feels so good!”
You wore a faint smile, his eyes closed as he savored the pleasant feeling that came with leveling up. It was like stepping out of a bath or finishing a massage—his whole body felt light and floaty.
Seeing how blissful her big brother looked, Nai hurled the stones from her mouth even harder. Soon, a second unlucky moth fell.
Nai enjoyed the same refreshing sensation as her big brother.
Once they’d finished savoring the pleasant feeling of leveling up, the two foxes threw themselves into it even harder. Whenever they ran out of pebbles, they went to gather more. They didn’t stop until every moth had been killed.
By then, both siblings had reached even higher levels.
Race: 【Fox Cub】 Name: 【You】
Level: 【LV.5】
Rebirth: 【0】
Attack: 【10~30】
HP: 【32】
MP: 【32】
Talent Skill: 【Low-Level Healing (Upgradeable)】
Sub-Skill: 【Enhanced Throwing LV.1】
Skill Points: 【5】
EXP Needed for Next Level: 【0/30】
Race: 【Fox Cub】 Name: 【Nai】
Level: 【LV.5】
Rebirth: 【0】
Attack: 【15~25】
HP: 【32】
MP: 【32】
Talent Skill: 【Engraving LV.1】
Sub-Skill: 【Precise Throwing LV.1】
Skill Points: 【5】
EXP Needed for Next Level: 【0/30】
