Chapter 6: Leveling up
Rain streaked the grimy window of the Argent apartment as Elara fussed with the kettle, her movements animated by the shock of witnessing Kelvin shuffle from the taxi to their doorstep. "I still can't believe it," she breathed, setting down chipped mugs. "When you stood at the hospital... and those few steps just now... the doctors said *months* of rehab, maybe never..." Her voice trembled with fragile hope.
Kelvin offered a weary smile from the worn couch, the performance of exhaustion only partially feigned. The strain of meticulously controlling his movements – the calculated wobbles, the feigned weakness – while navigating the hospital discharge and taxi ride had been mentally draining. But beneath the surface, his mind buzzed with unseen activity.
**<< DAILY QUEST COMPLETE! >>**
**<< Focused Will >>**
**(Objective: Maintain intense focus for 15 uninterrupted minutes)**
**Rewards Claimed:**
* **+150 EXP**
* **+1 Intelligence**
---
**<< DAILY QUEST COMPLETE! >>**
**<< Hospital Exodus >>**
**(Objective: Depart the hospital undetected as a functionally recovering entity)**
**Rewards Claimed:**
* **+250 EXP**
* **+2 Agility**
* **Unlock: Home Training Grounds (New Quest types available)**
---
The blue notifications shimmered in his vision. The 150 EXP from yesterday's mental discipline and the 250 EXP from today's carefully orchestrated escape flooded his System reserves. He focused inward, pulling up his Status.
---
**<< STATUS >>**
* **Name:** Kelvin Argent
* **Level:** 2 (75%) → **Level:** 2 (400/200 EXP)
* **EXP to Next Level:** 200
---
**<< LEVEL UP! >>**
**Congratulations! Kelvin Argent has reached Level 3!**
**<< Allocating Stat Points… >>**
**(5 Points Available)**
**<< +2 Strength >>**
**<< +2 Vitality >>**
**<< +1 Perception >>**
**<< Calculating EXP to Next Level… >>**
**Level: 3 (0%)**
**EXP to Next Level: 300**
---
The surge hit him like a physical wave. It wasn't the molten iron of Vitality, but a rush of pure, potent energy that crackled through his nerves and muscles. His senses sharpened instantly – he could hear the individual raindrops hitting the windowpane, smell the faint mildew beneath the coffee scent, see the minute weave of the fabric on Elara's sleeve across the room. His body felt lighter, stronger, the lingering aches from his injuries receding further beneath the flood of enhanced Strength and Vitality. He subtly clenched his fist beneath the blanket, feeling new power hum in his tendons. The Blood War Chains tattoos pulsed warmly in response, a silent echo of his growth.
Elara turned, steaming mug in hand, and froze. "Kelvin? Are you okay? You just... shuddered." Her eyes scanned him, filled with renewed concern.
"Just... a spasm," he managed, forcing a weak smile and a deliberate, small tremor in his hand. "Nerves firing weirdly, I guess. Part of the... recovery." He leaned back, exaggerating exhaustion. "Long day."
She hurried over, placing the mug on the side table. "Of course it is! You pushed yourself too much already. Here, drink this. Then straight to bed for proper rest." Her protective instinct was in overdrive, mistaking the aftermath of his level-up for a setback.
As he sipped the hot tea, another notification appeared:
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**<< NEW DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE >>**
* **Quest:** Foundation of Strength
* **Objective:** Perform 3 sets of 5 controlled squats (utilizing support as needed for plausibility).
* **Reward:** 200 EXP, +1 Strength
* **Failure:** None
* **Accept?** [Y/N]
---
*Perfect,* Kelvin thought. Squats. A fundamental movement. Something he could do *here*, hidden in plain sight, under the guise of tentative rehabilitation. He could "struggle" with Elara spotting him, making his miraculous recovery seem gradual, earned through painful effort, not supernatural leveling.
"El," he said, setting the mug down carefully. "Tomorrow... I want to try something. Just a little. While the... feeling is there." He gestured vaguely towards his legs.
Her eyes widened. "What? Kelvin, you need rest!"
"Just... standing. Maybe... trying to sit down slowly. Like a squat," he explained, injecting hesitant hope into his voice. "With you holding my arms. Like at the hospital. Just a few times. To see... if I can." He looked at her, letting her see the "determination" of a man clinging to a fragile chance. "Please?"
Elara bit her lip, conflict warring on her face. Fear of him overdoing it battled with the intoxicating hope his earlier steps had ignited. Finally, she nodded slowly. "Okay. *Tomorrow*. And only if you feel up to it. And *only* with me holding you. And just a *few*." Her terms were strict, born of love and fear.
"Promise," Kelvin agreed, the picture of weary compliance.
As she finally settled into her own chair, still watching him like a fragile bird with a mended wing, Kelvin closed his eyes. The Architect's interface glowed softly in his mind. He accepted the quest.
**"Accept."**
The chains on his wrists hummed, a low, hungry sound only he could hear. The rain drummed against the window. Kelvin Argent, Level 3, the Forsaken Architect, was home. His sister saw a convalescing brother taking tentative steps towards an uncertain future. In reality, he was a hidden engine of growth, turning his living room into a training ground, his "rehabilitation" into a cover for relentless ascension. Tomorrow, he would perform controlled squats under Elara's worried gaze. And with every agonizingly slow descent and rise, he would grow stronger, inch by inch, rep by rep, level by level, hidden in the comforting shadows of his sister's love and the ordinary sounds of a rainy Sunday night. The path to vengeance wasn't just clear; it was being laid, brick by deceptive brick, in the heart of his own home.