Potential described the maximum number of times he could level up.
Unless he changed his class, he could only gain three attribute points and three skill points by killing monsters for experience.
Damien didn't know how he could change his class.
Maybe an option would appear once he reached the maximum level of his current one.
He didn't get to think any further on this topic as the office window shattered and a mosquito monster flew in.
Seeing it whizzing through the air with its sharp proboscis pointed at his face, Damien's eyes twitched.
Had a disaster zone opened nearby?
[A quest has been triggered. Hunt the monster who wants to kill you. Reward: 1× rune.]
The quest didn't seem challenging to him. Having killed a mosquito monster before, he knew they weren't as tough as they looked.
He hurled the chair at it. Impacting against the chair, the mosquito monster was sent spinning through the air before it crashed into a wall and fell down.
Seeing it crash into the table, Damien grabbed the chair that had fallen to the ground and rushed over to it before it could recover from the fall and fly away. Then, he kept striking it with the chair until a notification popped up.
[You have slain a Lower Rank 9 Blood Drinker. You have gained +2 EXP. You have acquired a Soul Matrix.]
[Blood Drinker's Proboscis (Type: Weapon) (Durability: 100/100): You can summon a rapier imbued with the special characteristics of the Blood Drinker. Every time you kill someone using this weapon, a portion of your HP will be restored. If your HP is full, your stamina will be restored.]
[Quest completed. You have been rewarded +1 rune.]
Seeing what the weapon type soul matrix "Blood Drinker's Proboscis" could do, Damien found it amazing.
"But how do I equip it?"
The moment the desire to hold it welled up in his heart, a white light flashed in his right hand.
Damien suddenly felt like he was holding onto an object.
He looked down and saw a rapier in his hand.
More than half the size of his body and as narrow as a pencil, it was entirely black. Its pointed tip radiated a sharpness akin to a well-honed blade and its hilt was anything but elegant, designed to suit a twisted aesthetic. But he had no complaints as it fit his hand like a glove and was quite comfortable to grip.
"I see. I can summon it with just a thought," Damien said, very pleased with this discovery.
Another question popped up in his mind.
"Can I also put it away with just a thought? If so, carrying Soul Matrices would be completely hassle-free."
He thought about putting it away, and the weapon in his hand transformed into a ray of light that sank into his body.
Happy to see it worked, Damien nodded, "Very convenient."
Before he could decide his next move, a warning blasted out of the school speakers.
[A disaster zone has opened within the school premises.]
[All students and faculty members, please make your way to the designated safety shelters nearest to your location and take refuge there until it is safe to come out.]
[All Professional Skill Users on site, please follow protocol and assist in locating and eliminating the source of the disaster zone.]
The school speakers repeated the announcements multiple times before falling silent.
Only then Damien was able to pick up the shouts and screams for help coming from outside the office, which made him move to the window with shaky steps to see what was going on.
Hell was unfolding outside the main school building.
From his vantage point, he had a clear view of the school playground.
There, students were running in all directions, fleeing in panic while crying for help as monsters chased after them.
The students moving away from the main school building slammed into an invisible wall and fell to the ground. Before they could get back up, the Blood Drinkers pierced them with their proboscises and sucked out their insides, reducing them to shriveled corpses.
If Damien had any doubts about what he heard over the announcements, they were completely erased after seeing what was happening outside, and it left him feeling distraught.
Loss of life was always tragic. What was more depressing was that he was trapped in the same situation that had separated him from his father forever not too long ago!
"Why am I so unlucky?"
Swallowing his frustration, Damien moved away from the window before he could be noticed by the monsters outside.
Then, he planned his next move.
Because disaster zones opened at random, every institute, residential building, and public space had reinforced shelters built inside them that could provide refuge in times of danger.
These spaces were made of reinforced materials.
In a disaster zone, they were the safest hiding spots for humans, as weak monsters couldn't break into them.
Monsters were divided into ten ranks, starting from rank 9 and going all the way up to rank 1. Any creature stronger than that was classified as special grade, and even nukes were completely useless against them. Each rank was further divided into four grades: lower, upper, greater, and peak.
Rank 9 monsters couldn't break through the materials the reinforced shelters were made of, and most disaster zones could only spawn these types of weak monsters.
From Damien's current location, the closest reinforced shelter was the underground bunker below the main school building.
While ignoring the cries for help reaching his ears, he decided to head there to survive this disaster.
His decision was grounded in logic and completely sound. After all, he was only as strong as an ordinary trained adult, and trying to play hero with that kind of strength in this situation would get him killed faster than a mosquito running into a buzzsaw.
He could hold his own against a blood drinker, but if he was besieged by a group of them, he would be cooked.
After peeking through the hole in the door and confirming the coast was clear, he cautiously made his way out of the office and stepped into the corridor with the broken window where he had encountered the first blood drinker.
As he was rushing through it, a Blood Drinker flew in from the shattered window, its proboscis cutting through the air and aiming straight for his face!