"Well, I suppose that's it," Kian muttered, looking at the three tied-up chitin wolf corpses.
There was nothing different about his last day. He spent as much time as possible hunting, leveling, and earning points.
Despite waking up early and planning a lot, Kian had to end his day against his will.
"It's really unfortunate. But I suppose that's to be expected from something of such low quality."
Pursing his lips, he stared at his trusty dagger.
───────────────────────────
Chitin Dagger
───────────────────────────
Attribute Bonuses:
+STR [5]
+AGI [3]
Durability: [4] / [100]
───────────────────────────
Unfortunately, the lifespan of his only weapon was coming to an end.
"Damn, I'm going to have to spend more money," Kian complained with a pang in his heart.
There was no way to continue hunting, if he forced it any further the dagger would give way.
And when its lifespan ended, all the power the blade possessed would disappear. It would become useless scrap.
At best, he could sharpen the edge and use it like a normal knife. But without any attributes, it's of little use in a real battle.
With a sigh, Kian put away what was left of the dagger, preparing to head back.
Stretching his arms, his shoulders groaned as he watched the sun in the middle of the sky.
"Well, here we go," holding the rope that tied the wolves, he took one last look at the parking ramp.
I hope it's still here when I come back next time.
Or maybe not, as Node would probably grow and become more dangerous.
But by then, someone would probably have discovered it and eliminated it.
A shame to let this pass.
After all, pieces of a Node were worth a lot of money. But Kian simply didn't have the strength to clear the place.
Unconsciously, Kian turned toward an apartment across the street.
The broken door reminded him that what had happened wasn't a dream. His escape rope was still tied to the third floor.
One day…
He didn't dare go inside, even though he doubted it was there.
One day I will hunt you down. And I will steal your skills and attributes.
Next time, he wouldn't run away.
***
Getting into the truck, Kian chose a seat in the back by leaning against the window.
Status.
He called out in his mind, an illusory interface appearing before him.
───────────────────────────
STATUS
───────────────────────────
HP: [365,7] / [365,7]
Stamina:[255,5] / [255,5]
Focus: [140.4] / [140.4]
Class: [Soul Devourer]
Level: [03]
Exp: [350] / [900]
STR (Strength): [11.88] + [5]
AGI (Agility): [9.66] + [3]
RES (Resistance): [9.02] + [0]
MND (Mente): [6.02] + [0]
Total Points: [36.58] + [8] = [44.58]
Class Skills:
[Soul Eater]
Common Skills:
[Vibration Sensor IV (12,5%)]
───────────────────────────
It wasn't so bad after all.
He finally managed to get some points in Agility, now being his second highest attribute.
Looking back, my class is actually pretty good.
A smile appeared on Kian's face as he thought of his main skill.
Today he managed to kill 7 chitin wolves. Adding the other 9, he got a total of 3.5 points thanks to his class.
That's a little over half a level. I wonder how much this will change after the first Class Milestone...
Once he reached level 15, he would not only gain a new skill from his Class, but his others would also be improved.
In addition to also gaining more attribute points as you level up.
I can't wait for that. How many attributes will I have stolen by then?
As the truck began to move, Kian fell deeper into his thoughts, looking forward to the future.
***
Adjusting his backpack, Kian walked through the city, a stark contrast to the ruins he had been in.
After a few hours of travel, he finally arrived in the Republic. The moon shone faintly in the night sky, the stars barely visible due to light pollution.
I think that's the only good difference between here and out there.
While beyond the Border it was as if the world had ended, here in the Republic everything was beautiful and new.
The skyscrapers of the ruins paled in comparison to those of the Republic. Lights shone in some of the buildings' windows, indicating the presence of human life.
There were no hovercars yet, but the vehicles were all more advanced.
They were low to the ground, almost touching the ground, while the wheel rims were all covered by a metal plate.
Furthermore, fuel has been completely replaced by electric batteries.
"Ah, home sweet home, as they say." Taking a deep breath, a smile broke out on his face as he arrived at a large building.
Entering, he was soon greeted by the doorman with a mustache, reading something on his phone sitting at the counter.
"Well, well. Look who's back from the dead," he said, putting down his phone.
"Oh, don't tell me you missed me? It hasn't been that long." Kian waved as he headed toward the stairs.
"Well, I can't say I felt it," the man said, stroking his mustache, "but the other one certainly did."
Kian paused for a moment at the mention of a doorman, fearing the worst.
"Oh yeah, I imagine he was freaking out the last few days, right?"
"Oh, sure. He went around asking everyone, looking for you." The doorman leaned back in his chair, retrieving his cell phone. "I heard he even contacted the police."
Damn, screw this.
Sensing a massive headache approaching very quickly, it seemed that what he feared most had happened.
At that moment, it seemed easier to deal with a second round of hide-and-seek with that night demon than to go upstairs.
Forcing a smile, Kian said goodbye, walking straight to his room.
Well, it's late now. Maybe he's sleeping.
Arriving at room 109, Kian slowly unlocked the door, peering through the crack.
On the other side, the room was completely dark, the only light came from the LEDs on the refrigerator.
Cautiously, Kian entered, closing the door quietly.
Mission complete.
Once inside, Kian tiptoed towards the refrigerator.
Let's see what we have here.
As he was looking for something to eat after hours of traveling, a voice rang out in the darkness:
"A bit late for a late-night snack, isn't it?"
Kian jumped as he bumped into the refrigerator door, its contents shaking and threatening to fall out.
Footsteps vibrated across the floor, approaching the wall as the lights came on to reveal a young man, not much older than Kian.
In the middle of the kitchen, the young man stared at Kian with an ugly expression that did not flatter his handsome face.
He had small black eyes and fair skin, his dark hair was shorter and neatly trimmed compared to Kian.
His straight eyebrows were furrowed as his chiseled jaw was clenched tightly.
"Damn it, Adrian, you can't do this, it'll give me a heart attack." Taking a deep breath, Kian pressed his racing heart against his chest as he stared at his brother.
"Oh, so I'm the one who has to worry about whether I'm going to give you a heart attack or not?
Rolling his eyes, Kian looked away, heading back into the fridge.
"How long were you there? I didn't see you coming." Kian asked, failing to notice his brother through [Vibration Sensor]
"Long enough to see you walk in like nothing happened," Adrian replied, narrowing his eyes.
What kind of person just stands in the kitchen doing nothing?
Without answering, Kian grabbed one of the leftovers from the fridge, trying to open the microwave when a hand stopped him.
"Excuse me?" Kian complained to the owner of the hand holding the device.
"Where have you been?" he demanded.
"Nowhere, really." Kian shrugged.
"I'm not kidding, Kian. Where. Were. You?" Adrian stepped closer, his gaze lifting to his.
"Tsk, why does it matter? It's only been three days." Clicking his tongue, Kian opened the microwave.
Silence fell in the kitchen, with Adrian massaging his temples, while Kian just stared at his spinning food.
"Kian," Adrian called, his voice softening as his expression relaxed, "what's going on?"
What's up with that now?
Concerned by his brother's tone of voice, he turned around suspiciously:
"What do you mean?"
"Look, let's not play dumb now." Adrian sighed,
"I've heard…things about you. Things I'd rather believe are nothing more than a sick joke."
Crossing his arms, Kian's mind went to the mention of Adrian's encounter with the police.
"Well, I don't know what you heard, but I'm fine, okay?" Kian replied, taking away his food.
"Then why did you disappear?" Adrian asked, his tone slowly rising,
"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you respond to any messages? What have you been doing this whole time?"
"I didn't do anything, okay?"
"Then why do the police say you're acting like a criminal?"
"What an exaggeration."
"You're exaggerating, Kian." Adrian paused, reflecting on everything he'd heard.
"Fighting? Stealing?Extorting ? What is this, are you some kind of gangster now?"
"You're making it sound worse than it really is."
"Because it's horrible." His brother shouted, his face slightly red,
"They put you in prison over and over again, thinking it would teach you something, but you learned nothing!"
Adrian stopped, panting as he stared at his little brother who avoided his gaze.
"Kian, what have you been doing these past few days?" He asked calmly, his voice almost pleading.
Staring into Adrian's eyes, for a moment the thought of telling the truth passed through his mind.
Tell about how he awakened, how he fought monsters, how he got stronger and how he had an amazing class.
No chance.
There was no way he could tell the truth.
"Look, I don't know what you're thinking, but I didn't do anything that would get me in trouble, okay?" Kian replied, walking away.
His brother would never accept that Kian was an awakened.
Entering his room, Kian closed the door, his heart weighing as heavily as his backpack.