Chapter 31: Rewards and Revelations
A sharp, metallic chime sliced through the silence—clear and resonant, like the unsheathing of a divine blade. The very air trembled. Time faltered. For a moment, the world held its breath.
Ding!
A glowing interface bloomed before Lei Feng's eyes, like divine scripture summoned from the void.
---
> ━━『 OmniClass God System Interface 』━━
[Status Panel]
Name: Lei Feng
Level: Awakener Lv. 8 (Magic Initiate)
Talent Rank: ???
Mana Core: ??? (Special)
Class: None
Elemental Affinity: None
EXP: 225 / 275
HP: 170 / 170
MP: 120 / 120
━━『 Attributes 』━━
Strength: 32 (+2)
Agility: 16 (+2)
Endurance: 16 (+2)
Intelligence: 7 (+2)
Perception: 8 (+2)
Free Stat Points: 10
---
Lei Feng blinked. Once. Twice. Then his eyes widened.
"Level 8?!" he breathed. "I broke through two levels... while sleeping?"
His breath caught in his throat. His gaze locked onto the EXP bar.
Just 50 EXP away from Level 9...
A grin crept across his face. His heart pounded.
> The system must have granted me over 400 EXP overnight...
Even while unconscious, I still gained that much... That battle was worth it.
But then—
Ding!
Another window unfolded, laced with crimson runes that shimmered with ominous energy.
---
> New Ability Acquired!
Skill: Killing Intent (Passive)
"Makes the user's presence feel like a harbinger of doom, striking fear into the hearts of enemies. Increases all attributes by 50% and boosts critical hit chance. However, this aura also amplifies the user's bloodlust. It cannot be deactivated until the target is eliminated."
---
Lei Feng's jaw slackened.
"A passive skill that boosts all my stats by fifty percent and increases crit rate?" he muttered, voice thick with disbelief. A thrill shot down his spine. "That's... insane."
But then his expression darkened.
"Cannot be deactivated until the target is eliminated..." he murmured.
A long breath escaped his lips.
"This isn't a skill for friendly sparring. It's a battlefield skill... a killing skill."
---
Ding!
> You have unlocked your first skill.
Skill Page has been activated.
---
The interface shifted with fluid grace. Blue-lit panels rippled across his vision like water.
---
> ━━『 Skills 』━━
Innate Ability: Indomitable Will
Effect: When facing overwhelming odds, the Host's mental and physical resilience drastically increases. The lower the Host's chances of survival, the stronger the Host becomes.
Passive Skill: Killing Intent (Rare)
Mastery Level: 1%
---
Lei Feng chuckled.
"A Rare grade..." he whispered. "That's above Advanced. My first skill is already this good?"
> Skills are graded in three tiers.
Tier 1 – Low, Intermediate, Advanced, Top, and Superior.
Tier 2 – Rare, Rare+, and Epic.
Tier 3 – Epic+, Legendary...
He didn't know what came after that.
Still, he could feel it—1%. Dormant. Waiting. He wasn't strong enough to bring out its full power yet.
But that only made his grin grow wider.
"I'll get there."
---
Another soft notification blinked into view.
> [System Notification] +¹
"Huh?" His brow furrowed. "More rewards?"
"Open."
---
> Loot Gained:
+5 Intermediate Grade Health Potions
+5 Intermediate Grade Stamina Potions
---
His hands clenched unconsciously. A hum of excitement buzzed through his veins.
He swiped open his inventory tab.
---
> ━━『 Inventory 』━━
3 Low Grade Health Potions
5 Low Grade Mana Potions
5 Intermediate Grade Stamina Potions
5 Intermediate Grade Health Potions
Nameless Sword
---
"Intermediate potions… That's mid-grade," he muttered, eyes gleaming. "These would cost hundreds of thousands of credits."
> Looks like that hellish battle was worth it. The rewards… are amazing.
But just as the joy crested—
His heart skipped.
His gaze darted back to the inventory.
Then—
"My phone!"
Panic surged through him. He patted down his pockets—empty.
Cold sweat trickled down his brow. His eyes swept across the battlefield.
Blood-soaked soil. Mangled corpses. Burned trees. And yet...
> He didn't gag.
If it were before, the stench alone would've broken him.
Then it hit him.
"Free Stat Points: 10..."
"System," he called aloud, "add five points to Perception."
---
> +5 to Perception
━━『 Updated Attributes 』━━
Strength: 34
Agility: 18
Endurance: 18
Intelligence: 9
Perception: 15
Free Stat Points: 5
---
The world shifted.
The dull haze over his senses vanished.
The rustle of leaves, distant birdsong, the dying groan of a creature not quite dead—it all sharpened.
He could smell the scorched bark. Taste the copper tang of blood. Feel the faintest tremor in the air.
Then—
He saw it.
Half-buried in dirt, beside a headless corpse—
His phone.
Relief flooded him.
He darted forward, scooping it up with care.
He wiped the grime away, pressed the power button.
Please still work…
The screen flickered. Glowed.
"No cracks?" He blinked. "Not even one. Just scratches."
He let out a breathless laugh. "Sometimes I'm amazed by how far tech's come in this world."
He glanced at the clock.
10 a.m.
"How long was I out?"
Grrrr...
His stomach growled like a distant beast.
Lei Feng rubbed it with a wry smile.
"Even as an Awakener, I still need food. Reduced doesn't mean removed."
His eyes drifted to the corpses.
The thought came unbidden.
Meat...?
He nearly gagged.
"Definitely not eating those. Especially not the vultures…"
He turned away, shuddering.
"Time to hunt."
But this area? No longer useful.
He needed stronger prey—and better EXP.
With a flick, he summoned the BeastCall Database.
The phone shimmered. A 3D map unfolded before him.
---
> ━━『 Zone: Core Beginner Zone 』━━
Magic Beasts Detected:
Shadow Panther [Lv. 7]
Terrainian Bear [Lv. 8]
Goregutt Bison [Lv. 9]
Goblins [Lv. 10]
→ …
---
His eyes locked onto one name.
Goblins.
He didn't bother reading further.
His lips curled into a smirk.
"Interesting…"
With a flick of his wrist, the phone vanished into his inventory. A second motion summoned the Nameless Sword into his grip.
The cold steel felt like home.
He exhaled.
"Time to hunt… and hit Level 9 while I'm at it."
Then his voice dropped—low, resolute, edged in steel:
"Next stop—Level 10. I awaken a Magic Class… and then, it's on to the Tier 2 Zone."
His grip tightened.
"That's where... my real Awakener journey begins."