The safe zone's gentle warmth wrapped around them like a blanket, and for the first time since arriving in the beta realm, they could truly breathe. The adrenaline was finally fading, leaving behind the strange mix of exhaustion and exhilaration that came with surviving something that should have killed them.
"I still can't believe we actually did that," Ava said, turning her spear over in her hands. The cheap iron was chipped and stained with bear blood, but it was still intact. "An hour ago I'd never held a weapon. Now I've killed a monster."
"Don't think about it too hard," Axel advised, testing the weight of his axe. "That way lies madness. We did what we had to do to survive."
Raven nodded, though his mind kept replaying moments from the fight. The way his Sword Mastery had whispered instructions his body barely knew how to follow. How his Saint's Endurance had pushed back the pain and exhaustion at the crucial moment. The gap between what his abilities were telling him and what his inexperienced body could actually execute.
His friends had no idea how much his EX-rank class had carried them through that fight.
"We should allocate our attribute points," Ava said, pulling up her status screen. "Two points to spend. I'm thinking Agility and Stamina. Speed and endurance seem pretty important for staying alive."
"Strength for me," Axel declared without hesitation. "Both points. Mountain Kings are supposed to be powerhouses, right? Might as well lean into it."
Raven pretended to consider his options, though he'd already decided how to distribute his three points. "I'm thinking Strength and Stamina," he said casually, though he quietly allocated his three points across Strength, Agility, and Stamina. His friends didn't need to know about that extra point.
They all focused on their status screens, the familiar warmth of enhancement flowing through their bodies as the points took effect.
The familiar warmth of attribute enhancement flowed through his body as the points took effect. His muscles felt slightly more responsive, his reflexes a hair sharper, his breathing a touch easier. The differences were subtle but real.
---
ID: Avarice
Name: Raven Hayes
Jobclass: Sword Saint (EX)
Level: 2 (1%)
Title: N/A
Attributes:
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Stamina: 11
Charm: 10
Class Abilities:
- Sword Mastery (F Rank)
- Saint's Endurance (F Rank)
Skills:
- Inventory
---
"You know," Axel said, stretching his enhanced arms, "when you really think about it, we've come pretty far in just a few hours. This morning we were ordinary people. Now we're... what? Monster hunters?"
"Awakened," Ava corrected. "That's what the system calls us."
"Right. Awakened." Axel rolled the word around like he was tasting it. "Has a nice ring to it."
Raven's mind went to his inventory, where several items waited. There was something else they'd received, something important.
"Wait," he said, memory striking. "The party formation. We all got something when we formed our group."
Ava's eyes widened. "The Grade 2 magic crystals! I completely forgot."
"Oh right," Axel said, pulling up his inventory. "The system said something about awakening magic attributes?"
The three friends looked at each other, a new kind of excitement building. They'd been so focused on survival that the promise of actual magic had slipped their minds. Now, in the safety of the zone, it felt like Christmas morning.
The crystals materialized in their hands simultaneously. Unlike the monster core, which pulsed with raw, predatory energy, these were different. They seemed to contain pure light, swirling patterns of energy that hurt to look at directly.
---
[GRADE 2 MAGIC CRYSTAL DETECTED]
[ABSORPTION WILL AWAKEN MAGIC ATTRIBUTE]
[WARNING: PROCESS IS IRREVERSIBLE]
[CONTINUE? YES/NO]
---
"Together?" Ava suggested.
"Together," Raven agreed.
They selected 'YES' in unison.
The world exploded into sensation.
Raven felt the crystal dissolve in his hands, but instead of disappearing, it flowed into him. Energy coursed through his veins like liquid fire, rewriting something fundamental about how his body worked. His vision shifted, and suddenly he could see currents of power flowing through everything around them. The trees, the grass, the very air itself pulsed with invisible energy.
Mana. This was mana.
His chest felt like it was expanding, making room for something new. A reservoir of power that hadn't existed moments before. It was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure.
The process lasted exactly five minutes, though it felt both eternal and instantaneous. When it ended, they all looked... different. Not physically, but there was something in their eyes, a new awareness, like they'd gained an additional sense.
---
[MAGIC ATTRIBUTE AWAKENED]
[MANA POOL ESTABLISHED: 50/50]
[MANA REGENERATION: 1 MP PER MINUTE]
[NEW STAT UNLOCKED: MAGIC]
---
"I can feel it," Ava whispered, staring at her hands in wonder. "There's something inside me now. Something... powerful."
"Same," Axel said, flexing his fingers. Tiny sparks of energy danced between them, though they faded quickly. "This is incredible. It's like we've been upgraded."
Raven nodded, though his experience felt deeper somehow. His Sword Saint class seemed to resonate with the awakened magic in ways that felt natural, like pieces of a puzzle finally clicking into place.
"And speaking of upgrades," he said, focusing his mind on his inventory. The Basic Meditation skill book materialized in his hand. "We got this from forming a party."
Both his friends leaned in to examine the book. It looked old, bound in leather that seemed to shift colors in the light.
---
[SKILL BOOK: BASIC MEDITATION (F RANK)]
[ABSORPTION WILL GRANT MEDITATION SKILL]
[EFFECT: ALLOWS FOCUSED RECOVERY OF HP, MP, AND STAMINA]
[SECONDARY EFFECT: IMPROVES CONCENTRATION AND MAGICAL CONTROL]
[CONTINUE? YES/NO]
---
"That sounds incredibly useful," Ava said. "Especially the healing part."
"And magical control," Axel added. "We're going to need that if we want to figure out how to actually use this mana we just got."
Raven absorbed the skill book without further hesitation. Knowledge flooded his mind, not overwhelming like his class abilities had been, but gentle and organized. He understood instinctively how to enter the meditative state, how to guide his internal energy, how to accelerate his body's natural recovery processes.
It felt like remembering something he'd always known but forgotten.
"How does it work?" Ava asked eagerly.
"I'll show you later," Raven promised. "When we have more time to practice."
"First among us to get an additional skill," Axel said with a grin. "Lucky bastard."
If only they knew it was actually his third skill, not counting his class abilities. But that was a secret that had to stay buried.
As they continued comparing their new capabilities, a soft groan interrupted their conversation. All three turned toward where the unconscious girl lay, and saw her stirring at last.
Finn, who had remained faithfully at his sister's side throughout everything, immediately perked up. "Nona! Nona, you're waking up!"
The girl's eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first but gradually clearing. She looked around in confusion, taking in the crystal trees, the safe zone's gentle glow, and finally her brother's worried face hovering above her.
"Finn?" Her voice was hoarse but steady. "What... where are we?"
"We're safe," Finn assured her, taking her hand. "These people saved us. They killed the bear that was chasing us!"
She pushed herself up to a sitting position, wincing slightly, and her gaze found Raven and his friends. They had approached quietly, not wanting to startle her, but close enough to be ready to help if needed.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice carrying a mix of gratitude and wariness. Smart girl, being cautious even of potential rescuers.
"I'm Raven," he said gently. "These are my friends, Ava and Axel. We found you and your brother being chased by an armored bear. You were unconscious when we got there."
"They killed it!" Finn burst out excitedly. "All three of them! It was huge and scary and had big claws, but they killed it dead!" He pointed directly at Raven with the devastating honesty that only children possessed. "And he saved you with a kiss! Like in the fairy tales!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Raven felt his face burst into flames. "I... that wasn't... I was helping with… Potion! It's completely different!"
But the damage was done. Nona's face had turned an impressive shade of crimson, her mouth opening and closing without sound. She looked like she was trying to disappear into the crystalline ground.
Axel's laughter erupted like a volcano. He doubled over, slapping his knee, tears streaming down his face. "Oh my god! A kiss! He kissed her! This is the best day ever!"
Ava's expression was something else entirely. She was staring at Raven with a look that could have frozen lava. There was something dangerous in her eyes, something that spoke of jealousy barely held in check.
"Helping," she said, her voice carefully neutral as she remembered. "Of course. Very... heroic of you."
"It was medical treatment!" Raven protested desperately. "She wasn't breathing! What was I supposed to do, let her die?"
"Oh, I'm sure it was very medical," Ava said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Finn, completely oblivious to the emotional minefield he'd just detonated, continued cheerfully. "It worked though! She's awake now! Just like when the prince kisses the sleeping princess!"
If it was possible to die of embarrassment, Raven was certain he was about to find out. Nona looked like she was having the same problem, her face now approximately the color of a ripe tomato.
Axel was still laughing, now making exaggerated kissing noises. "Mwah! Prince Raven to the rescue! Wait till everyone back home hears about this!"
"You tell anyone and I'll use you for target practice," Raven threatened, but his voice cracked on the words, which only made Axel laugh harder.
The mix of emotions swirling through the safe zone was almost tangible. Embarrassment, jealousy, amusement, and lingering adrenaline from their recent battle created an atmosphere that was both ridiculous and oddly intense.
Nona finally managed to speak, though her voice was barely above a whisper. "Thank you. For saving me. All of you."
Her eyes met Raven's for just a moment before darting away, her blush somehow deepening even further.
This was definitely not how he'd imagined their first victory celebration going.