The Sword Saint’s Second Life As a Fox Girl

2-48 The Singularity

Erin leaped through the air with grace. Her saber flashes around her with sharp precision. As she planted her feet on the damp soil of the ground, her foes fell apart from her cut that possessed both precision and brutality. The six monsters that lunged at her were all instantly slain with that nigh-unseen streak. 

[Experience gained +90% - Level Progression: 120%]

[Erinthea: Level 23 increase to Level 24]

[Skill Points gained +2 | 12]

[Ability Points gained +2 | 12]

[Level Progression: 20%]

Erin didn’t sheathe her saber. There were always monsters lurking within the vicinity. There was an instance where she tried to sheathe her sword but the moment she showed signs of easing her guard, monsters pounced from places her eyes could not perceive, but she still had her ears and nose.

The skies had completely darkened. There were no stars. Only ominous clouds lingered in the blackened sky of the night. The fog was thicker than ever the deeper Erin dove into The Singularity. Since the stars were absent, her view was dark but thanks to Night Vision, it didn’t matter.

The quantity of the monsters had also increased. Not just the numbers but the individual strength was also a stark difference from the usual monsters she encountered outside of the fog. Every monster seemed to have a peculiar quirk that helped it survive in this dreadful environment.

Hours had passed. Erin had lost count of the monsters she had fought. It was an endless thrill of battles. The disappointing part was her inability to slay the majority of the monsters she encountered. The monsters here were prone to retreat when they felt they were losing. Nevertheless, Erin’s level had increased by three. Her Lightning Magic and Arcane Aegis’ level had also increased by one from repeated usage. Though the same couldn’t be said for Mana Harvest. This skill was undoubtedly her most frequented skill due to the constant need of replenishing her Mana. Yet, not a single level was rewarded from repeated usage.

Knowing she could have harvested more if Mana Harvest was at a higher level, Erin tried to allocate points into the skill but she was prevented by the system.

[Error. User under potential baleful influence. Allocation of points is currently prohibited.] 

It was referring to her Lust Deviant state. The system prohibited her current self from tampering with her own stats. While the current Erin was frustrated enough to take it out on the monsters, the future Erin would be extremely grateful for this restriction.

Erin’s current self had half a mind to let her sanity revert back to normal but she held herself back. If she went back to normal now, she would not survive The Singularity. Her stats were currently doubled due to Lust Deviant. While Erin understood there would be consequences for allowing Lust Deviant to be active for such a long time, she had no other choice. Time was short and this was the fastest method. Whenever she felt like her sound mind was returning she would consume a vial of aphrodisiac she procured from Olivia just to retain her Lust Deviant state. Whatever was holding the skill back, was now gone.

Erin consumed the last vial and headed forward. Her body was warmer than ever. Strangely, even her womanhood was becoming wet. Every once in a while, she would squirm with her legs closed as a wave of ecstasy washed over her. The feeling only got stronger for every kill she made. It had arrived at a point where she would peak with pleasure if she slew more than three foes at once. At first, it was hard for her to function with the endless wave of pleasure but gradually, she became accustomed to it. Now, she was crying out with pleasure for every kill she made even if she didn’t pique. The pleasure was simply too much regardless.

While her wounds were healed by her level increments, her armor and attire were still tattered. The chilly winds hit her skin but the cold was a stranger to her in her current state. In fact, it was making her more excited. Her tattered apparels were only enough to cover her sensitive spots; she still had that much of a sense but beyond that, it was barren of shame. 

Erin continued to fight her way through The Singularity in such a state. She came across more Pale Stalkers but not all were hostile to her. Not to say some would not show hostility towards Erin but some were merely engaged with other enemies at the moment. The monsters were in a constant state of battles for their survival. Everywhere she went, there were at least groups of monsters fighting for something; food, territory, mate, or simply for sports. 

The Pale Stalkers fought Erin with extreme caution. They had understood the threat she posed. They refused to withdraw completely due to their nature. They compromise by staying true to their name, stalking Erin throughout her venture.

Although Erin was cautious of the Pale Stalkers, her main focus was directed at an entirely different matter; that is to search for Mist Pearl flowers and the Necromancer. Mist Pearls could be found under shades and damp places. The soils she had trod were all damp but no shades as far as she could see. She had looked inside logs but those were infested by shrooms and strange large bugs. Although she didn’t know how a Mist Pearl flower looked like, she had Appraisal for that oversight. In fact, the oversight was caused by her reliance on Appraisal in the first place. 

“Hmm?” Erin murmured at an interesting sight. Under a stack of withered logs, in between the compact spaces, she saw a flower with pale green petals and a bud of a pale purple. A grin appeared on her face when she saw the result of Appraisal. It was as she hoped, the flower was a Mist Pearl.

Erin steered her conscience towards that flower. Since Mist Pearl was the impetus of her rampant desire, she rushed towards the pile of logs and quickly scattered it all away with her forty points of Might. Since these logs were withered, they were lighter than she thought. She plucked the flower without a thought. The sane Erin would have screamed at herself for such a thoughtless act but in her current state, she only smiled deliriously at the flower. Before she could think of any way to bring the flower back intact, her Sixth Sense reacted to a danger coming from her right.

Erin quickly moved from that spot and a blast of darkness seared the place she had been. She turned to her sudden assailant that didn’t seem to emit any presence. When she saw her assailant, she understood why. It was a skeleton in ragged robes, floating above the ground with a dark aura covering it. It was a Lich, level twenty-six. But Lich wasn’t the only thing written on the race tab. There were also; Familiar of Ba’al.

Erin laughed. “So your name’s Ba’al. Nice pet you have there, Bal,” Erin said, mockingly. 

“You’re a fool.” An insult escaped the Lich’s proverbial lips. Its voice was as ominous and empty as Erin had remembered.

“And what does that make you, someone whose plans have been foiled by a fool all this time?”

“That girl will die...”

“Not if I find you first.”

The Lich laughed in a hollow tone. “You will not find me. This place is vast.”

“Aye, but you shouldn’t have sent your pet to me. Now, all I need is to follow that thin trail of miasma.”

The Lich turned silent but Erin didn’t miss the twitch on its bare jaws.

“Oops, did you think I wasn’t capable of such a thing?” Erin tittered.

“You lie.”

Erin pointed her finger towards the northeast. 

The Lich flinched.

“I may not be able to see any Spirits here with Spirit Sight but I can still see miasma perfectly. Especially the thin string that connects your pet and you, the master. You underestimated me, Ba'al.” Erin tittered some more.

“Silence!” The Lich yelled and unleashed javelins of darkness at her. The javelins didn’t hold as much power as the first attack but it was faster by miles. Erin swiftly dodges them by a hair’s breadth and returned an Aura Shot at the Lich. An aegis of the blackest shadow absorbed her attack.

“Fuck!” Erin cursed but not at the fact her attack was absorbed but the Mist Pearl in her hand was hit by one of the dark javelins. A rage began to brim within her.

The Lich sniggered at that sight. “I see… It’s those flowers you’re looking for… Then come to me… I have plenty in my cave.”

Erin stifled a laugh at the puerile joke that crossed her mind. Even in rage, her devious mind allowed her to wander into such territory. 

“But first… a gift...” The Lich said and let out a deathly shriek. When it stopped, it stared at Erin with a grin, presumably. “Enjoy,” it bade and vanished into the fog.

Although the Lich left, Erin had remembered the trail of the miasma that connected the Lich and Necromancer.

Monsters could be heard running towards Erin’s way. The deathly shriek was most likely a summon of the monsters. Every monster was now rushing to her. While Erin was thrilled to be gifted such an amount of experience coming her way, there was no way she could fight against that amount of monsters and time was against her. 

Erin’s battle lust was still going strong due to the constant ingestion of aphrodisiacs but she steered her current self towards the direction of the Necromancer. She reasoned with her current self with the fact that the Necromancer would most likely have strong pets for her to fight. That odd reasoning satisfied her current self and broke off into a sprint towards that direction.

Monsters, familiar or new, she slew them all. Her rusted iron sword couldn’t cut but it worked well as a blunt weapon. She had bashed not a few monsters head in with it. The monster amassed into a chaotic horde. It hindered Erin’s progress but at the same time, it also made it easier as the monsters were busy fighting each other.

“Alas, you lot finally appear,” Erin guffawed. In front of her view, she saw a group of six Wights running towards her way in a jittery manner. The Wights weren’t as strong as Marcus or William but since they were closer to their master, they were more tenacious. So to say, they were harder to kill.

But Erin wasn’t daunted by that fact. She was significantly stronger than the moments she fought Marcus and William.

The longer Erin was under Lust Deviant’s influence, the more uninhibited she was. Also, the way she used her abilities was getting even more impetuous. Something she wouldn’t be able to replicate as these moves were rash and wasteful of movements and energy. She infused her saber with lightning and coated it with Arcane Edge. She flipped over the Wights who all attacked her at the same time. As she landed, she twirled her saber and spun along, unleashing a lightning-infused aura radially. The six Wights were all caught in the attack. They weren’t just cut into half but also seared into an ugly black by the lightning.

[Experience gained +60% - Level Progression: 80%]

That move alone took a quarter of her Magic Vigour. It was absurdly wasteful just to slay six lesser Wights but on the other hand, it saved a lot of time, which she was pressed on. She immediately used Mana Harvest to absorb the meagre amount of Mana in her vicinity. Miasma was plenty but Mana wasn’t and she didn’t have the means to convert Miasma into Mana.

A few more Wights appeared but before Erin could make a move, the local monsters interfered. The sight made Erin wonder how the Necromancer dispatched its familiars and thralls to the outside lands without the monsters picking them off. She came to the conclusion the familiars and thralls did not just march right out from The Singularity, which raised another question, just what other tricks did the Necromancer had.

Erin ignored the conflict and pressed on to the Necromancer’s presumed hideout. Aside from the Wights that appeared from here and there, the local monsters were more of a problem. The more fight she got herself in, the more attention she was attracting. Some were reckless to throw themselves at Erin but some stayed back and observed, like the Pale Stalkers. 

But Erin cared not for the monsters. She slew only those that were completely in her path. Her eyes were focused on the small dot in her sight. It was an entrance to a cave and also, where the Lich’s trail of miasma originated from. Her grin widened, revealing a pair of sharp fangs she had somehow grown.

[Experience gained +70% - Level Progression: 150%]

[Erinthea: Level 24 increased to Level 25]

[Skill Points gained +2 | 14]

[Ability Points gained +2 | 14]

[Level Progression: 50%]

[Magic Art: Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1 - Acquired]

Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin

Level: 25 | Status: Desire Famine: Lust Deviant

Might: 20 (40) | Arcane: 29 (58) | Finesse: 24 (48)

Magic Arts
Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 5 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 3 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv 1

Combat Arts
Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5

Innate Skills
Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 3 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1

Unique Talent
Mystic Blade Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex

Level Progression: 50%

Remaining Skill Points: 14

Remaining Ability Points: 14