───────[ STATUS WINDOW ]───────
Name: Alex Grey
Level: 1
Title: Player, Otaku
Class: None
Affiliation: None
HP: 120 / 120
CP: 0 / 0
Stamina: 35 / 35
EXP: 28%
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⚔️ STATS
Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 6
Perception: 4
Stat Points: 1
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- Skills
- Analyze (Lv. 1)
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- Quests
- [Main Quest] End the Era of False Peace
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After leveling up to level 1, Alex had gained 1 stat point in each stat and received 1 bonus point. His HP had increased by 20, and stamina by 5.
Not to mention, leveling up also fully restored his HP and stamina—which was a relief for him.
"Still, to kill that thing in one hit... this sword has some crazy bonus."Alex used Analyze on the sword.
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- Skill Failed
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He used it again.
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- Sword of Life: ????
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Looking at the name, his mouth twitched.
"Hey! Don't touch my sword!"Suddenly, the sword vanished from his hand and reappeared in Aiyana's, who glared at him angrily.
"Well, if you had done something, I wouldn't have needed to," Alex said, looking at her red face.
"...Shut up. These ghosts were so weak that defeating them would've lowered my status."
"Also h-how..."
She lowered her head, eyes on the ground.
"How? What do you mean?" Alex asked.
"How can you pull the Sword of Life? It should be impossible. Only I should be able to..."
"What's wrong if I pulled it out?"Alex looked confused. Was the sword connected to some hidden plot? If so, he had hit the jackpot.
"YOU... you have to become my partner."Aiyana's voice grew quieter as she spoke.
But maybe because his Perception had increased, Alex actually understood her clearly.
"BUT… THAT'S impossible! I won't marry you! My partner can't be you!"She declared it with a determined expression.
Not knowing how deeply her words cut, Alex's hands trembled as he held the controller.
'I know no girl wants me, but even in a game, am I that bad? Neither 3D nor 2D girls want me as their partner?''Also, what's with that determined face? Are you willing to die just to avoid marrying me?'
Alex really wanted to cry. Since morning, his loner heart had been attacked way too many times.
"I—""Stop. I don't want it either, so let's just forget anything like that ever happened," Alex hurriedly said, afraid she'd attack him again.
"Huh? Are you mocking my vow?" Aiyana looked at him again, voice trembling with anger.
"WHAT?! Wasn't it YOU who—"
"I made a vow before my ancestors to marry anyone who lifts this sword. Since then, many have tried, but none succeeded. And now you're saying to forget everything? What kind of irresponsible person are you?"
Alex, who had always loved 2D girls and saw every one of them as a waifu, for the first time, realized some could truly be annoying.
Looking at Aiyana, he recalled the girls in his class who seemed just as unreasonable.
"Listen, Aiyana, you—"
"WAHHH I don't want to marry you! I want my partner to be the most handsome man in the world! He has to be strong, with a good personality! He must be cheerful, lift my spirits when I'm down, and be romanti—"
Looking at Aiyana—now crying and rambling about her dream partner—Alex, who was ready to yell at her, paused.
He wasn't as unreasonable as her, after all. Wanting a good partner was something he could understand, even respect.
"...But what did I get? A guy who hides his face. I bet he's so ugly, that's why! His personality is boring, and his voice has no emotion! WAAAH!"
Okay, take back the sympathy.
Then, another scream echoed—this time, louder and more intense.
Looking around, Alex saw four Wailing Shades surrounding them.
"Tch. Of course this would happen—we're still in this ghost-infested place."
Aiyana stopped throwing her tantrum and turned serious.
"We'll talk later. For now, let me clear this place."
Saying that, Alex used Analyze on the enemies. Not much had changed, but their levels were now 7, 7, 8, and 9.
"Let's try out this new baby," he muttered, collecting his First Kill reward.
A beautiful, deadly red sword manifested in his hand. A wave of death aura so dense it became visible flowed out.
As he gripped the hilt with his right hand, a notification appeared.
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- Sword of Death: ????
- Grants: +50% to all stats, immunity to all negative buffs
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"WOAH! This is so OP!"
Aiyana, frozen in fear, looked at the Sword of Death in horror. Her red eyes gleamed brightly, and the Sword of Life in her hand reacted violently before calming down.
"C'mon, you pale freaks. Today, I'll show you what real death looks like."
Rushing toward the nearest Shade, Alex noticed how fast he'd become. Previously, it took him 5 seconds to cover 10 meters. Now, just 3.
Don't underestimate that time difference—even a small boost in speed could mean everything.
Like now. Before, if he entered a monster's 1m range, it would dodge with ease. But now, closing that gap and making a sudden leap, he swung his sword in a deadly semicircle.
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Wailing Shade: 0 / 200
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A screen appeared above its head as it gave a shriek of relief. Its soul escaped and vanished, like before—but this time, Alex saw it clearly.
He was stunned. The animation was so real it gave him goosebumps.
Suddenly, the air vibrated and the ground trembled slightly.
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HP: 116 / 120
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His HP was now dropping—2 per second.
Shocked, Alex realized that only the level 9 Shade had damaged him before. Now, it looked like the other two were using skills too.
He tried using Analyze again, but failed. Then again—another fail. On the third try, it finally worked.
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- Rage Cry:Voice filled with the rage of dead souls. Increases soul attack by 20% while bypassing defense.
Duration: 1 minute
Cooldown: 2 hours
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"What the f—"
This skill was a cheat. Bypassing defense? Where was the logic in that? He thought the game was supposed to be realistic!
Even with just 1 minute of use, if he didn't act fast, he might not survive.
So, he decided to take out the level 7 enemies first before facing the stronger ones.
To be continued…