Don's vision snapped back into full clarity. The curse broke like shattering glass.
He saw the remaining goblins—only three warriors left from that group of seven. The shamans were already chanting again, preparing another curse.
And the cage. Ten meters away. The girl inside, staring at him with those hollow, dead eyes.
"VRAK'SHUL THAR! DECAY!"
Another curse—this one aimed directly at his flesh. Don felt his skin begin to rot where the dark energy touched it, the sensation like acid eating through him.
[WARNING: DECAY CURSE - HP DRAIN ACTIVE]
[HP: REGENERATING… INSUFFICIENT - CURSE DAMAGE EXCEEDS REGENERATION]
[MANA DRAINING RAPIDLY]
[They're KILLING you, little seed! Slowly, but surely! Kill the shamans! NOW!]
For once, Madness was right.
Don couldn't reach the shamans directly—too many goblins between him and them. His mana was draining too fast trying to fight off the curse. His stamina was dropping.
He needed a different weapon.
A weapon with reach.
Don let his fire dagger dissipate. Both hands came together, his Imagination flaring to life.
[SKILL: IMAGINATION ACTIVATED]
[MANA COST: 75]
[CREATING: PRIMITIVE FIRE SPEAR]
The weapon materialized in his hands—six feet of solid flame, its point white-hot and deadly, its shaft warm but not burning against his palms.
And the moment he gripped it, something clicked in his mind.
[NEW WEAPON DETECTED: SPEAR]
[ANALYZING…]
[SKILL: LEARNING AND ADAPTATION ACTIVATED]
[SPEAR MASTERY: NOVICE → ADEPT]
[KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
Memories flooded Don's consciousness. Not his memories—borrowed ones, extracted from some deep well of knowledge by his Learning and Adaptation skill. How to hold a spear. How to thrust, to parry, to use the weapon's reach. Techniques that would have taken years to learn downloaded into his muscle memory in seconds.
It felt like he'd been training with spears for years.
Don's grip shifted automatically into the proper stance. His body weight distributed correctly. His eyes tracked the shamans with the cold calculation of an experienced spearman.
[Oh… oh my. That's NEW. That's WONDERFUL. You just became a master of something you've never even HELD before. I love this skill SO much!]
Don ignored Madness. The three remaining goblin warriors were charging him, trying to capitalize on his moment of stillness.
He showed them why reach matters.
The fire spear lashed out—faster than his sword, longer than their weapons, unstoppable. The first goblin ran straight onto the point, the flames punching through its chest and erupting out its back.
[+20 XP]
Don yanked the spear free and swept it in a wide arc. The second goblin tried to duck under it—the blade-point caught it across the throat, the heat cauterizing even as it cut.
[+20 XP]
The third goblin was smarter. It stayed back, weapon raised defensively, yellow eyes darting between Don and the shamans.
Don didn't give it time to think.
His spear became a blur—thrust, withdraw, thrust, feint, thrust. The goblin blocked the first two strikes, barely avoided the third, failed to recognize the fourth as a fake, and took the fifth directly through its skull.
[+20 XP]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL 4 → LEVEL 5]
Power flooded through Don's body. His wounds closed faster. His mana surged. The decay curse shattered, unable to maintain its grip against the sudden influx of energy.
[ALL STATS INCREASED]
[MANA: 485/1150]
[STAMINA: 18/32]
[FREE POINTS: +5]
[SKILLS UPGRADED TO LEVEL 5]
[YESSSS! CAN YOU FEEL IT?! THE POWER! THE GROWTH! WE'RE BECOMING STRONGER, LITTLE SEED!]
Don felt the difference immediately. His spear felt lighter. His movements faster. His body humming with newfound strength.
But he had no time to savor it. The shamans were already preparing another curse, their voices rising in that terrible chant.
Fifteen goblins left. Four shamans still alive.
The cage was right there—ten meters away.
"System," Don said quietly, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Distribute points. All five to Strength."
[DISTRIBUTING STATUS POINTS…]
[STRENGTH: 23 → 28]
[POINTS REMAINING: 0]
The change was immediate. His muscles density increased. His grip on the spear tightened until the flames themselves seemed to pulse with his heartbeat. Power thrummed through every fiber of his being.
Don's lips pulled into something savage.
The shamans finished their chant.
"THRAK'UL SHAR! SHAR'KETH!"
Dark fire erupted—four bolts screaming toward him from different angles.
Don didn't dodge.
He created.
[SKILL: IMAGINATION ACTIVATED]
[MANA COST: 100]
[CREATING: PRIMITIVE FIRE SHIELD]
Flames materialized before him—not handheld, but floating, a circular wall of fire three feet in diameter. The dark bolts slammed into it and exploded, black and white flames consuming each other in a spectacular detonation.
[NEW WEAPON DETECTED: SHIELD]
[ANALYZING…]
[SKILL: LEARNING AND ADAPTATION ACTIVATED]
[SHIELD MASTERY: NOVICE → ADEPT]
[KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
Another rush of knowledge. How to angle a shield. How to brace for impact. How to use it offensively, defensively, as both weapon and protection.
It felt like he'd carried shields for years.
[You're becoming a walking ARMORY, little seed! Every weapon you touch, you MASTER! This is MAGNIFICENT!]
[MANA: 385/1150]
Don didn't stop. The fire shield dissipated—he didn't need it anymore. His left hand came up, flames coalescing again.
[SKILL: IMAGINATION ACTIVATED]
[MANA COST: 50]
[CREATING: PRIMITIVE FIRE DAGGER]
The familiar weapon returned. Spear in his right hand. Dagger in his left. Both burning with white-hot intensity.
[MANA: 335/1150]
The shamans' eyes widened. They'd thrown everything at him—curses, dark fire, coordinated attacks—and he was still standing. Still armed. Still hunting.
And now he was stronger.
Don exploded forward.
Three goblins tried to intercept him. The fire spear took the first through the throat before it could even raise its weapon. Don spun, using the spear's momentum to sweep the second goblin's legs out from under it, and his dagger plunged into its back as it fell.
[+20 XP]
[+20 XP]
The third goblin swung a morning star at his head. Don's new strength meant he could simply shove the spear's shaft up to block it.
The weapon's chain wrapped around the spear, and Don yanked—his enhanced strength tore the morning star from the goblin's grip and sent it flying.
The goblin stared at its empty hands in shock.
Don's dagger ended that shock permanently.
[+20 XP]
Five meters to the cage.
A goblin with twin swords tried something fancy—spinning slashes, complex footwork, the kind of technique that looked impressive and was utterly useless against someone with Adept weapon mastery.
Don's spear thrust straight through the flourish, catching the goblin mid-spin and lifting it off its feet. He slammed it into the ground and moved on, letting the flames do the rest.
[+20 XP]
Two meters.
The shamans were chanting again—not a curse this time, but something else. Something that made the air scream.
"VRAK'TAR SHUL'MOTH! WEAKNESS!"
A wave of dark energy washed over Don. He felt his muscles go slack, his strength draining away like water through a sieve.
[WARNING: WEAKNESS CURSE - ALL PHYSICAL STATS REDUCED BY 50%]
[DURATION: 90 SECONDS]
[STRENGTH: 28 → 14]
[AGILITY: 30 → 15]
His spear suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. His legs like lead. His body betraying him.
[Oh no. Oh NO. Little seed, this is BAD. This is VERY bad. You're too SLOW now, too WEAK. They're going to—]
The shamans were already preparing their next attack. The remaining goblins were circling, sensing weakness, moving in for the kill.
Don looked at the cage. At the girl inside, staring at him with those hollow eyes.
One meter away.
He couldn't fight like this. Couldn't win with half his strength gone. But he could reach her. Could free her. Could—
[CALCULATING TACTICAL OPTIONS…]
[RECOMMENDATION: RETREAT AND RECOVER]
[CURSE WILL EXPIRE IN 90 SECONDS]
Ninety seconds. A lifetime in combat.
But the girl was right there.