Reaper's Resurgence: A System Reset

Alexia Knight

I end up using this testing period to also regenerate more of my soul, since the majority of the testing doesn't really require me to use any skills. Except teleporting, since that's a convenient skill to have for sneaking around a giant natural tree house hive thingy.

My tests start out with simply trying to sneak up on the bugs, which fails rather quickly as they hear me by the time I step within five meters or so of them even when I'm walking as quietly as I can. And in each of the five times I tested them, they always heard me at around that mark before I teleported back out of sight, always making sure to have a good spot to hide within two meters of myself during the tests.

After that I run a test simply by standing up at the top of the cliff that has the tunnel back to the maze of spiders before waiting for one of them to see me. But they never do.

So their eyesight isn't as good as I was expecting.

As for their sense of smell?

I realize in the middle of trying to approach one while thinking of a way to test it that they don't have noses. And if they can still somehow smell without one, they don't seem to be able to do it well since they haven't smelled me yet.

Then again, I don't stink. I think.

After I reach a safe place I can't help but sniff myself, only to cringe slightly.

Okay, maybe being covered in bug guts and poison over and over again while wearing carapace armor and being cut open all the time isn't a very good way to smell good.

Maybe I can take a bath after I kill these bugs? They won't need that water anymore after all. And I don't appear to need to drink water either.

I should keep some of the water just in case I do though. Since for all I know, I might just be able to go far longer than before without needing water.

Well, anyways, I raise a hand and send a quantum bolt flying into the air above the forest, but surprisingly none of the bugs seem to even notice. Then I send another one closer down to them, in between the trees themselves without hitting any of the trees. And this one they notice, but only after it gets within a dozen or so meters of them.

They also can't seem to figure out where it's coming from, instead simply growing confused.

Alrighty then. Tests complete.

These creatures have no sense of smell, terrible eyesight despite their night vision, but great hearing. Although I'll bet their vision is better in the light just because of the fact that the scythid from before could see me across the river. That or they just heard me.

And they have sharp scythes that seem to have some poison on them.

My arm can attest to that.

I glance at my status considering how it overpowered my 80% immunity to physical damage with the magical poison damage.

Good. Regenerated a decent chunk while doing that testing, even if I did occasionally teleport.

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I look down at the scythids who are now going back to whatever they were doing before I begin climbing down the cliff again. And once I reach the bottom, I quickly move into a bush before waiting for a scythid to get close without any other scythids nearby this secluded location.

One second passes. Then another.

Soon half a minute goes by with the only noise being the chitter of the creatures filling the forest until one of them finally approaches with its eyes on a random stack of food set here for seemingly no reason. And the moment it grabs it, I jump forwards while teleporting straight to it and stabbing it straight through the throat with my glaive. Then I grab it and teleport back close to the bush, dragging it the rest of the way in myself.

And that's one.

[Level 27 Lesser Scythid Defeated. User's earned EXP has been increased due to killing a being whose level is five or more higher than their own.]

[Eight points have been earned for killing a creature seven levels above you.]

I glance at my soul to find that it cost over twice as much soul to teleport something other than me.

Interesting to know.

I look at the corpse I dragged past the bushes with me before just tossing it into the cliff wall, making the start of what should hopefully be a rather large pile by the end of this.

Either that or I end up running and climbing the cliff like my life depends on it from a horde of bugs. Because my life would depend on it.

I look back out before crouching and moving up to the bushes as I hear the footsteps of another bug approaching. And when I reach the bushes and peek through, I find and hear the creature pausing in front of the food while tilting its head slightly in what I can only assume is confusion.

That has me tensing up slightly, since one thing I didn't think to test was their intelligence. And if they're smarter than mere insects… they may notice their people going missing one by-

The creature just steps forward and reaches for the food, not bothering with the fact that someone else was supposed to grab it.

Nevermind. Looks like they're stupid.

I jump out of the bushes while teleporting before stabbing it in the throat as it's reaching down, grabbing it, and teleporting back while jumping back into the bushes again. Then I toss its body over to the other one and return to my spot in the bushes.

This is a very nice and hidden location with only one way to get in outside of from above. So it's rather nice to use as a little hiding spot.

Let's see how many of these bugs I can assassinate before they notice me.