One week has passed since that encounter, that was barely enough time to get all the information straight. Firstly, I was able to confirm that I wasn’t pulled into any more “subspaces”, it looked like the system was honest. I learned another fact too. During the week, I went to the gym everyday and my status eventually increased by one across the board.

I also managed to level up my skills other than [status resistance] by one, and gain 100% beginner mastery of blunt weapons, I have no clue how to evolve it though.

And although my level didn’t increase, my overall strength did.

{James,

Health 200 Mana 50

Job: Player Lv 5 Exp 0%

Base Status

Strength: 12

Stamina: 10

Agility: 12

Endurance: 10

Allocatable Stat Points: 12

Active Skills: Stealth Lv3, Navigation Lv3, Analysis Lv3

Passive Skills: Beginner Blunt Weapon Mastery 100% , Status Resistance Lv 1 }

I didn’t want to use my allocated status yet, someday I will reach a bottle neck and that would decide my fate. I haven’t analysed what the rewards were yet, and also what my new levelled up skills did.

System what do each of the rewards do?

[Answer:

Gift Box: Contains a prize for the player ranging from skills to equipment.

Coins: Can be used in the {System Store}.

Skill Token: Allows the user to Learn a skill based on how many tokens are owned.

Dungeon Key: Opens a subspace with monsters, good for levelling up.]

[Analysis Activated. Retrieving Information…]

{Stealth Lv3: The user can now assimilate with the darkness to completely hide their entire being. If outside of the darkness, the user’s scent, sound, and aura are suppressed by 50%}

{Navigation Lv3: A mental map with many details is drawn in the user’s mind, when inactive (passive mode) the player can get information on the ideal route to travel.

The map now shows enemies on it within 400 metres when in active mode.}

{Analysis Lv3: User gains information on analyzed objects and living beings, more information provided with level up.

The user can now analyse an opponent's weaknesses and strengths.

The user can now gain more specific information about skill usage.}

{Beginner Blunt Weapon Mastery 100%: This is the maximum amount of mastery of the basics, when evolution conditions are met the user can evolve the skill to the next mastery level.}

{Status Resistance Lv 1: The user has a passive (partial) resistance to some status effects such as fear, confusion, and poison.

Can be levelled up the more the user is inflicted with the effects…}

I’m growing stronger, but not strong enough.

It seemed that the dungeon key allowed me to fight those monsters again. If I was to grow stronger, I would need to face the shadows in my heart, I needed confidence.

It was time to head out, but before I did that, I needed to get more weapons. I wanted to get all the masteries that I could get.

I went to two different stores to buy some more weapons. I also wanted to buy books on said weapons to at least understand the theory behind them. The [Beginner Blunt Weapon Mastery] skill I had helped me with intuitively guessing how to use the weapon, but I was still quite clueless about the core fighting techniques and styles…

At my first stop, I bought a replica sword with a sharp enough edge, a bow, a spear with an iron tip but wooden shaft, and thick gloves. I then went to the second stop, the book store, and bought books on how to use each weapon, and some books about martial arts. I planned to take 3 days to train the basics.

✶✶✶

As I walked back home I heard a noise coming from a distance. Ever since my stats increased, my senses became sharper. I went to check what was going on, after making sure that I activated stealth in the shadow of the building.

“Please- don’t hurt me!”

“Blame your parents kid, they didn’ pay up.”

“But- My dad is sick at the hospital!”

“The boss don’ care about any o’ that, c'mon boys, let’s teach ‘im a lesson…”

!!!

The men surrounding the kid started pulling out weapons. I hurriedly moved out to block them at the right moment. As I waited in the shadows, one of the men went for a strike.

“Take this-”

CLANG

“WHAT THE HELL”

The man clearly didn’t know what happened. I moved out from the shadow and blocked his blunt weapon with my bat. Another man tried to do the same thing and I blocked him too.

“WHO’S THERE, SHOW YOURSELF”

That group was now panicking, after determining their individual strengths, I realised something. They’re weak. The ghoul had much stronger attacks than them, and it was only using its bare hands and claws. Finally, it was time for me to go on the attack. I stepped out of the darkness while wearing a mask I bought from the store earlier.

“WHO’RE YOU?!?!?”

I stepped in faster than they could comprehend and took out the first man with a strike to the neck. I didn’t kill him, merely knocked him out. The man beside him went for a swing, but it appeared slow to me. I quickly dodged out of the way and gave that man a bare handed strike to the gut, I held back as much as I could for this one to not die either. I kept doing the same actions until I knocked out all the men, this all took 2 minutes total. Before my classmate could open their eyes, I quickly hid in the shadows and escaped.

“What happened…” was all I could hear after I sped out.

[Passive Skill Unlocked: Beginner Martial Arts 0%]