Skill-Eater: Prison World Saga-Chapter 50: Passing Grade

Edge stared down at the monster’s gory remains. He did his best to stoically endure the pain of his wounds until the grenade’s effects wore off and Regeneration kicked in, providing blessed relief to his seared skin.

Everyone walked into the center of the clearing, then Snake looked at him and said, “That wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s dead and you’re not, so you got the most important part right. Effective use of resources and solid judgement regarding how much punishment you can withstand, although that reckless charge was a sloppy move. On the other hand, you had to contend with a nasty surprise and recovered admirably. I think we can consider this fight to be a fair judge of your ability.”

Despite his criticism, the man seemed pleased that the stage-one members of the crew could hold their own in a brawl. Edge realized that the shadowkiller was holding a Disruption grenade. He was ready to throw it if someone was going to get badly burned. Maybe he isn’t as callous as I thought. Snake pointed out a few areas where each of them could have handled the situation better, then turned to face Fox and Tessa. “Do either of you have anything to add?”

“You didn’t have to press that attack,” Fox said. “Pulling back and revaluating your options would have been the smart play after you realized that you were dealing with something unusual. That being said, a do-over isn’t usually possible in the heat of battle, so coming up with a way to finish the job in spite of a setback was a good experience for you.

“Edge, you need to be careful not to become overly reliant on Regeneration. In addition to Disruption shutting it down, there are skills out there that can create wounds it won’t be able to heal, or not nearly as fast at any rate.”

She offered a few pointers to Jumo and Mel, then said, “Each of you has room for improvement. But considering that monster was above your stage and a bad matchup for your skillsets, the three of you did remarkably well for your first fight in a dungeon.”

“Normally, I would have warned you that there was concentrated mana suffusing the ground,” Tessa added. “I’m glad that no one was seriously hurt. That flesh-molding skill isn’t something that you’re likely to run into often, so good job on dealing with an unusual power that you didn’t see coming.”

While the stage-two warriors offered their feedback, everyone else sat down to recover from the high-energy engagement. Tessa confirmed that the other flame-pillar traps had dissipated when the maggot died, so they didn’t have to worry about setting more off. The monster didn’t have anything valuable to harvest. They dissolved its corpse too, then got ready to head out.

By now, Edge had changed his mind about Snake’s personality. The man wasn’t nearly as terse after entering the dungeon, and though there was a hardness to his words, he was trying to help the weaker members grow instead of treating them like a burden.

Edge didn’t have a chance to steal a skill during the fight, but he wasn’t too worried. He hadn’t spotted anything good yet, and there were so many monsters in here that he was bound to Extract three by the end of the day. However, he hadn’t walked away from the battle empty-handed. He summoned his Guide to check out his updates.

You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle-up your core. Your new cycle is: 19.

You have 3 attribute points awaiting allocation.

By conditioning the connection between your body and brain, your Perception has increased by 1.

For defeating a cored opponent stage 2 or above, you have earned 1 Mortium.

Awesome. Only two more cycles to go until I reach the end of stage one. Then I just need to clear the conditions to evolve, and I will finally reach stage two.

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Being so close to evolving had Edge giddy with anticipation. He was eager to pick up more slots and broaden his skillset, not to mention acquire more attributes with every cycle. But he was even more excited about the other changes that his core’s evolution would bring. If it was anything like what had happened when he had reached stage one, Skill-Eater would gain some serious upgrades to its existing powers—possibly even a new ultimate ability.

He was also looking forward to his next conversation with the ravenous lord bound in chains. To learn more about the mysterious entity that had become closer than his own shadow, strengthening their relationship in the process. But that was a worry for another day. Or at least another battle. Right now, he needed to spend his potentia and continue clearing the dungeon.

Given the nature of the Savage Garden and everything that had happened during the last fight, he decided to spend his points on Perception this time around. Noticing critical details fast enough to react had made the battle with the grub manageable, helping him to avoid its projectiles and evade most of the fire traps. As a hunter, it was vital that he could sense trouble coming before it found him, especially while exploring a deadly dungeon filled with monsters, traps, and other lethal hazards.

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He asked the others to wait a minute while he consolidated his gains. After the potentia was released from his core in a buzzing rush, it went coursing through his nerves and sensory organs.

His skin tingled as his sense of touch grew more responsive. His vision sharpened and the surrounding soundscape became richer and more distinct. The stench of monsters permeating the air grew even more foul, and he knew that his sense of taste had been similarly enhanced.

By now, the burns on his armor had repaired themselves, and his injuries were already a distant memory. Snake assured everyone that he wouldn’t force them to fight unassisted again, and the crew was ready to head out after Mel flagged their path with another strip of cloth.

As the team continued to explore the Savage Garden, it became clear that the zone bordering the dungeon’s entrance had its own theme, which they decided to call “the maze.”

Dozens of clearings were connected by a series of labyrinthine trails. The glades varied in size, ranging from ten feet across to over a hundred. Each was the territory of a stage-two monster, which fed upon a pool of corrupted magicytes. All the clearings were battle-scarred—filled with torn earth and shredded foliage. The legacy of countless battles that had taken place before their arrival.

Through observation and deduction, the crew learned that the glades were constantly changing owners as the monsters inhabiting the Savage Garden waged war upon each other. By this point, the clamor of combat in the distance was a constant companion, adding another layer of tension to the jungle—a visceral menace that had soaked into the very trees and stones. The entire dungeon was a battleground, its limited resources fueling an endless cycle of violence, growth, and consumption.

A few of the clearings were filled with creatures locked in mortal combat, like the first glade they’d come across. But most of them only had a single occupant that was guarding a corrupted pool. A twisted parody of the symbiosis between beasts and mana seeds.

On two separate occasions, Team Arrow had to beat a hasty retreat to get out of the way of a monster that was walking down the trails. Fortunately, the creatures were on their way to assault one of the clearings instead of stalking the crew. Although the hunters were planning to kill them all, fighting in the narrow confines of the maze was a measure of last resort.

They defeated two more glade-holders over the next hour and a half—a monstrous frog with a weaponized tongue, and one that looked like a fish with legs. Neither was a match for all six hunters working together, and they defeated the foul things without taking any serious wounds in exchange. The crew added the valuable parts to their growing collection, which they would split after they were done clearing for the day.

By now, Tessa was certain that the maze held the weakest monsters in the dungeon. Its stage-one inhabitants were battling it out in the dense overgrowth, feasting upon each other until they evolved to stage two and gained the strength to challenge the masters of the clearings and claim a tainted pool for themselves.

She theorized that whenever a monster grew powerful enough, it would leave the maze and take the fight to the next zone, continuing the dungeon’s circle of destruction. That as the crew progressed deeper into the heart of the Savage Garden, the danger would rise accordingly.

The dungeon’s bizarre pseudo-ecosystem made Edge wonder how monsters came into being to begin with. What relationship the process had to that corrupted alien landscape he had viewed after stealing skills from the blightlings on the Painted Lands. He asked the others, but no one knew the answer. It was common wisdom that the System had genetically engineered the monsters of Ord, but no one knew for certain.

Both shadowkillers were interested in the topic, since it was related to their specialty, and Edge hoped to discuss the matter at length once they had completed their mission. But for now, all that mattered was slaying the boss of the Savage Garden, along with the parade of horrors they were certain to encounter along the way.