CH1.5

This was a problem: essence was needed to ascend, but if I used it all to loot, I wouldn’t be able to ascend a tier. Every time I looted it would be a gamble. It was like I was using aura for a skill. I wouldn’t even have aura until the next tier.

I placed my hand on another corpse, and my essence entered it. From it, a bloody heart rolled on the ground, covered in small black crystals stretching out like roots. This had to be something I could use. My third eye opened to inspect the item.

Lesser Shub Heart

Tier: Black

Rarity: Rare

Type: Ingredient

Effect: An ingredient with the eldritch affinity. It could be used with alchemy.

Was my comprehension too low? Did I need a background in alchemy to learn more? I didn’t want to have to get the Identify skill. At this rate, it was required to use my ability.

Bodies surrounded me, and this was my chance to test my ability.

I wasn’t out of essence by any means, and I certainly wasn’t out of chupacabra. One by one, their bodies dissolved. A few became ingredients while others became more pills. I gained pills for studying, strength training, and steroids. There was a herb called horny goat weed that promised to make me like a goat in the rut. None of the items were particularly impressive. The one weapon was a spear with a goat’s horn at the end. It was a common rarity and had no enchantment.

My essence was running low, and it looked like my ability was actually worthless. The bodies of the monsters might have sold for a few hundred dollars a piece if we could preserve them and get them out of here. Monster corpse spatial bags were expensive, but they practically paid for themselves. Unfortunately, only a yellow-tier ascender could qualify for a loan for one. Unlike houses, which any ascender could walk in and get a loan for. Spacial bags were worth quite a bit. Ascenders could die in a tower, and the bag could be stolen or devoured by monsters.

The last goat dissolved and a pill bottle with a black cap appeared. I touched the lid of the medicine bottle and found it wasn’t made of plastic like the others. The cap felt like crystal. I popped it open, and inside was a shining pill.

100 Pure Goats Pill

Tier: Black

Rarity: Epic

Type: Consumable

Effect: The concentrated and purified essence of a hundred slain Negro Chupacabra. When consumed, the essence is released within the user at a steady rate until depleted.

I’d heard of something similar, but if what it said was true, then reaching red tier wouldn’t take a year. Essence wouldn’t be a problem at all.

I wanted to swallow it. My core was essence-starved, and this would do more than restore what I lost during my looting.

Luna stopped my hand. “Not here. I think we learned a lot about your ability. Gather what you can in a bag and lets head home. Mom will be happy. You did well on your first climb I’m proud of you.”