Guardian Melkrys, Oathbreaker [Level 5, Weakened, Heavily Restricted, Level Reduced] has been successfully slain in battle. A Temporary Party has been detected. Calculating contribution…

1. Jack Fletcher- 62%

2. Sarah Jackson 38%

Cultivation experience is being distributed…

Please collect your reward for slaying [Guardian Melkrys] within 29:55 minutes.

Jack felt illusory blue flames surge through his body, modifying and improving his body— raising its maximum potential for improvement. Seconds later, a golden light enveloped him, healing all the bruises, internal wounds and nicks he’d suffered in battle, warm comfort flowing through him. Perhaps admitting it was a sign of weakness, but he had looked forward to this euphoric feeling of absolute safety, even if it barely lasted for a second.

You have reached Cultivation Level 4 [77%]! You have received 5 Free Points! You have reached Swordsman (O) Level 5 [1%]! Qi Pool has increased by 1!

You have unlocked Skill: Qi Projection [Lv. 0].

Qi Projection

Description: A successor skill to [Qi Blade]. After [Qi Blade] is cast, [Qi Projection] can be cast in succession to transform the skill into a projectile attack. At higher levels, greater amounts of Qi can be imbued into ranged attacks. Maximum range: Twenty Meters.

Knowledge flowed into his mind, and Jack’s eyes slightly widened in surprise as he marveled over the new skill he had acquired for reaching level 5 in the [Swordsman] class. Though he figured there would be an equally painful cost associated with his Qi Pool, the tradeoff was worth it for ranged attacks.

His attention was attracted by the treasure chest in the center, a resplendent glow illuminating it. A light, translucent dome flickered into his vision, one that had not been visible to Jack previously, before shattering into a million pieces. So he actually had to kill the guardian to access the loot, how misleading.

The dome around them was still intact, so oddly enough they were the safest they could be at this moment, at least for the next thirty minutes— and it was a break he sorely needed, to take some time to process… his actions.

Walking over to Sarah, he checked his Qi Pool.

Qi Pool: 2/13.

“Damn it,” He hissed under his breath, not realizing just how taxing the fight with [Guardian Melkrys] had been. If he had lasted just a few more minutes, Jack would’ve been forced into a much more bloody confrontation, because he knew that he would not stop coming after him. He felt off since killing Melkrys, a sense of nausea and repulsion pervading through his body, making him feel vulnerable.

If [Guardian Melkrys] had access to his Qi, just how easy would it have been to slaughter him and Sarah? ‘How vexing’ had been the man’s words after he evaded his deathblow, and truly– for a man who could likely kill him with the flick of a finger earlier, it would truly be a vexing experience. His ingenuity surprised him even now, the battlefield awareness required to trade a wound in exchange for disarming Sarah, with the very manacles used to restrict his abilities— it was not a matter of levels or stats, but one of resolve, cunning and insight.

‘Man,’ Jack thought to himself. He used the word ‘man’ when he thought about Melkrys this time around, and not entity. The latter was a term he had used, perhaps, to shield his own psyche. But he could not deny the truth when it stared him down, right in the eye. The gender did not matter, but he was as human as Jack was, with the ability to think, to feel pain, to even, feel remorse and compassion.

“Did I even win?” Jack asked himself, the battle replaying through his mind. Did he? A blindfolded, shackled man managed to disarm a spear wielder and almost kill him instantly— did he win? If the man was determined enough, could he not have traded blow for blow until he found an opening and throttled him to death with his chains? Perhaps the more accurate question was, did the man even want to win? Jack knew that Melkrys was likely an exception— if he was put in the same circumstances, he would have no sympathy for the attackers that tried to kill him.

Jack sighed, and then bowed deeply to Guardian Melkrys’ corpse, a peaceful smile resting upon his face in contradiction with the world around him. At that moment, that just felt like the right thing to do. The Guardian itself had no item of value on his person, otherwise an option to loot would have shown up. But Jack himself wasn’t sure if he had the stomach to loot the man, after what had transpired.

Sighing again, Jack turned around and walked towards Sarah, who gazed at him with complex emotions in her eyes. He sat down next to her, feeling her shoulder rub against his own.

Sarah seemed like she wanted to say something, but ultimately just rested her head against his shoulder, letting out an exhausted sigh.

Jack extended his right hand, wrapping his arm around her neck and drawing her closer. He felt some of the nausea vanish, Sarah’s warmth providing him with a comfort that was hard to describe with words alone.

“I killed him,” Jack whispered under his breath, not knowing if what he felt was guilt or just exhaustion.

“We killed him,” Sarah replied, burying her face deeper into Jack’s shoulder, a shudder running through her body as she said those words out loud. Words that once spoken, could not be withdrawn.

Jack just held her close, realizing that his hands were slightly trembling. His mind tried to forget, but his body remembered— thrusting his sword into the man’s chest, a spray of red blood drenching his leather vest.

“Is going this far to survive, even worth it?” Jack found his thoughts spilling out of his mouth, for once letting his guard drop around a stranger. A wave of exhaustion hit him, as he realized how tiring it was to live the way he did— trusting no one, always having his guard up, getting close but never too close. To him, it was still the logical way to live after what he’d experienced growing up, but that didn’t make it the correct way.

“The world has already gone crazy, Jack,” her frail voice replied, and Jack felt a wet, warm sensation on his shoulder. She was crying. “The question is….,”” her voice broke at the end, but Jack knew the rest of the sentence. She was quoting him, after all.

“How far will you go to survive?” Jack completed the question with a hoarse voice, and it filled him with a strength, a resolve, that was his own and yet felt alien at the same time. Because now he shared it with another person, a common goal that he had instilled in another only to be reminded of it.

Jack felt his limbs flood with strength, getting back up to his feet gently, and offering Sarah her hand. She averted her face and wiped her tears, before accepting it. Jack led her forward while continuing to hold her trembling hand, walking towards the resplendent golden chest. They had done much for this reward, and Jack would not be denied at this stage.

Guardian’s Blessing [F-] to [F] Grade. Can be claimed once per party member. Current Blessings Remaining- 2/2.