The orc's body hadn't even hit the ground properly when Grey's vision flashed again.
[Level Up!]Level: 2 → 3Stat Points Gained: 10Skill Point Gained: 1
He blinked.
"Two levels?"
The girl sheathed her blade and walked over as if dismembering a monster was routine.
"It was higher level than you," she said. "Shared experience scales better when the gap is large."
Grey stared at her.
"You can see my level?"
She nodded once. "You're not hiding it."
He froze.
"I can hide it?"
She paused, then looked at him more carefully.
"...You really are new."
He focused inward.
Status.
The screen appeared instantly.
Level 3.
Ten stat points.
One skill point.
He swallowed.
"Can everyone see this?"
"Anyone with Appraisal," she said. "Or equivalent perception skills."
Grey glanced at her again and tried Appraisal one more time.
??? – Lv. ???HP: ???Emotion: Mild Amusement
She smiled faintly.
"Still can't see it?"
"No."
"Good."
That wasn't reassuring.
They moved away from the corpse quickly. The smell of blood carried.
As they walked, she spoke first.
"My name is Lyra."
"Grey."
"I know."
He stopped.
"…How?"
"You look confused every time your screen appears."
He coughed. "Right."
They reached the rocks she had been hiding behind earlier. A worn leather pack sat there.
Lyra picked it up.
"You need three things immediately," she said. "Money. A weapon. And a registered identity."
Grey frowned. "Registered?"
"Every settlement tracks status holders. It's law."
That caught his attention.
"Why?"
"Because people with skills can destroy towns."
That was fair.
They walked for nearly an hour before Grey finally asked the question burning in his mind.
"What are you?"
Lyra glanced sideways.
"Human."
"That's not what I meant."
She stopped walking.
For a moment, her emotional state flickered in his perception.
Guarded.
Then calm again.
"I'm someone who chose to leave home," she said. "And someone who doesn't want attention."
"That's not suspicious at all."
She smirked.
"You're free to walk the other direction."
Grey looked back toward the forest where the orc had appeared.
"…No, I'm good."
A notification chimed softly.
[New Skill Available for Unlock.]
Grey focused.
A branching tree appeared beneath his skill list.
Beginner Skill Tree – Available Paths:
Combat Affinity
Mana Sensitivity
Survival Instinct
Insight Expansion
Luck Alignment
His eyes locked on the last one.
"Luck Alignment?"
Lyra glanced at him again.
"You have a high Luck stat," she said casually.
He stiffened.
"How do you—"
"It's obvious."
She gestured vaguely at him.
"You're alive."
That wasn't comforting.
"Luck is unpredictable," she continued. "Most people don't invest in it. It doesn't give consistent returns."
Grey stared at his screen.
Luck: 10.
Higher than anything else.
"I won the lottery before I got here," he muttered.
Lyra stopped walking again.
"You what?"
"Never mind."
He focused and spent his single skill point.
[Luck Alignment Lv. 1 Acquired]Passive Effect: Minor increase to probability of favorable outcomes.Hidden Effect: ???Growth Condition: Trigger fortunate events.
"…Hidden effect?"
Lyra's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You chose Luck?"
"Yeah."
She studied him for several seconds.
Then she nodded once.
"That may be interesting."
As the sun dipped lower, stone walls came into view.
A town.
Not large. But fortified.
Guards stood at the gate wearing chainmail and tabards marked with a silver crest.
Grey focused on one.
Town Guard – Lv. 6Emotion: Bored
Stronger than the orc.
He didn't like that.
At the entrance stood a metal archway carved with runes.
Lyra slowed.
"Important rule," she said quietly. "Do not lie while passing through."
"Why?"
"The Gate reads intent."
Grey stared at her.
"…That's terrifying."
"Yes."
They stepped forward.
One of the guards held up a hand.
"Names and origin."
Lyra spoke first.
"Lyra. Independent."
The guard nodded and gestured toward the arch.
She passed through.
Nothing happened.
Grey stepped up.
"Grey. Independent."
He walked through.
For a split second, warmth brushed against his skin.
Then—
[Identity Registered: Grey][Faction: Unaffiliated][Bounty Status: None]
The guard waved him through.
Lyra exhaled softly once they were inside.
"Congratulations," she said. "You now exist legally."
"Comforting."
The town bustled with activity.
Humans dominated the streets, but Grey spotted a broad-shouldered dwarf arguing with a merchant and, in the distance, what looked like an elf with silver hair.
His Emotional Insight flickered constantly.
Greed. Fatigue. Suspicion. Contentment.
It was overwhelming.
"Does this ever turn off?" he muttered.
"Yes," Lyra said. "Focus inward and dampen it."
He tried.
The emotional noise dulled.
Relief flooded him.
"So," Lyra said, stopping in front of a modest inn. "What do you want to do with your second life?"
Grey looked up at the sign swaying in the evening breeze.
He had money once.
He had lost it.
Now he had levels.
Skills.
Potential.
"I don't want to drift again," he said quietly.
"Then don't."
She opened the inn door.
"Adventurer's Guild opens at dawn."
And somewhere deep beneath the mountains surrounding the region, a sealed chamber pulsed once.
Lightning mana reacted.
Something had arrived.
And it had been noticed.