♫ I was shot in my left side, injured my love ♫
What did eleven even mean? I missed the prize and became the biggest loser. I just wanted to find a big rock and hit my head with it, hoping it would reset my life points.
Hell, you sure know how to mess with people. The way you hit us sinners with these heavy emotions is no joke. Honestly, I didn't handle the trauma that badly—if we ignore the part where I slapped myself until I could think clearly enough to form this sentence.
But hey, looking at the bright side, I did learn something: punishment and rewards are part of the system here. Even if I felt a sharp pain in my chest for missing out on the Fallen Cut and the cool reward equipment, I couldn't let that stop me from chasing new goals.
"Sukrucuk, did you learn the features of your armor?"
"And I also reached Level 2!"
When I said the second part, my tongue almost gave up on me. My words felt thick and heavy. None of my teammates asked anything about it though—they must have picked up on the sadness in my voice.
"Let me tell you something, Max. At first, I didn't like the name of the armor. But once I wore it, I stopped fearing death. That's why I love this armor now."
Wow, that was a quick turnaround. His words made me curious—what kind of armor made a guy this confident?
"We're listening, bro!"
I couldn't stand it when he kept things to himself. If he ever went quiet and refused to share info, I'd probably go nuts.
Child of Sorrows Armor
Level – 0
Defense: +5
Life Points: +5
Strength: +5
Stamina: +5
20% of physical damage taken is added back to the user's life points. The user also receives 50% of the damage taken by the party member with the lowest HP.
What the hell? I was still dealing with my trauma, and now this? I mean, this armor was insane—in a good way. It literally gave boosts to everything that mattered and had passive abilities that screamed "tank."
If someone had asked me how to design perfect low-level armor for a tank, I don't think I could've come up with anything better than this.
"Dude, this gift is awesome! Even if they shoot a cannonball at you, you'll still be standing!"
"Now you can go to Rimel. Go level up with her!"
Then there was silence. About three or five seconds. Long enough for me to realize someone didn't like my plan.
"Max, before I level up here!"
Sukrucuk's words hit me like a bucket of cold water. So, it happened. The thing I feared had actually come true. But I couldn't back down now.
"Brother Sukrucuk, you're older than us. You're like an older brother—or even a dad to some of us!"
I started my speech with what popped into my mind first. I had one or two seconds to gain control, take a deep breath, and prepare myself to convince him.
"We are wretched sinners, thrown into this exile called Hell. We are like grains of sand, scattered by fate itself!"
"Somehow, we found each other during this miserable time. And now, you—the one who's supposed to look after us—are turning your back on us?"
"If that's what you want, then fine. We'll just say we once had an older brother... and bury that pain deep in our hearts."
I barely stopped myself from ending the speech with a sad Emrah song. I had no idea where I pulled that drama from, but it worked.
Right after I finished, I heard the sound I was waiting for. Sniffles. A shaky voice.
"You really embarrassed me, Max. Is that how you see your big brother?"
'The subject has received the necessary dose, doctor. Should we start the operation?' In my mind, I was lying on an operating table, and a hot nurse was saying that to the surgeon. Yeah, my brain had become a cheap music video.
"Rimel, I'm coming to you now!"
It worked. Time to go back to normal before the drama turned into a full-on soap opera.
"Thanks, bro. Now, everyone say this out loud!"
"Let the Experience Bar be pinned to the top right of my view!"
They all repeated it. I smiled. That meant they were following my lead, and I was still the party leader. And I just discovered something new.
"Brother Max, nothing happened for me!"
"Yeah, Max, I don't have the XP bar either!"
It was Rimel and Toraman. I looked at my own XP bar, blinking at the top right corner of my view. Guess the system didn't bother with people who hadn't leveled up yet.
"Looks like it only shows up when you hit a new level. No problem. I'm coming over, Rimel. Let's get you to Level 2 quick."
"Hurray!"
Rimel's joy lit up the party chat. She had no idea how much we'd rely on her later.
"Toraman, you too! Stop using abilities—just go kill some Fallen!"
The whole party had to reach Level 2. Otherwise, a small mistake could wipe us out in a mob battle.
"No way! That's not happening!"
I jumped at the sound. My brain twisted like a dozen foxes with their tails tied together. Rimel's voice, again. She was screaming.
"What happened? Don't tell me you died!"
I panicked—not just because of the time loss, but because I was genuinely worried about her mental state.
"No, no, I didn't die! I think… another item dropped!"
"I saw it too! I killed a few more enemies, and then something shiny popped up!"
We'd been grinding for hours with no loot. Now suddenly, when our party teamed up, items were dropping? That felt a little suspicious, but I didn't complain.
"Well, someone pick it up! Let's see what our first party trophy looks like!"
Then I remembered I had set the loot distribution to leader-only. Thank God for that decision.
As I smiled to myself, a glowing image began forming in front of me. It started blurry, but got sharper and clearer every second.
It was… a sandal. A simple, gray leather sandal. I couldn't tell much, but then the system's notification echoed in my head.
Hermit's Boot
Level – 0
Life Points: +1
Stamina: +1
Increases the user's Speed by 1%
…Seriously?
After seeing Sukrucuk's armor, this was a joke. The difference between the two items was like comparing a spaceship to a scooter.
"What is this? Is this what dropped? This garbage?!"
Apparently, the others agreed with me. I also learned something new: everyone in the party could see dropped items, not just the leader.
Toraman blurted out exactly what everyone was thinking. Gotta love that guy.
"I don't need this item. Sukrucuk already has his armor. I was thinking about giving it to one of you two… but I'm sending the sandals to Rimel!"
The item had a speed boost, which made it perfect for support roles. That narrowed it down to Rimel or Toraman. I was a little nervous—first loot drops often started fights—but thankfully, the big guy made it easy for me by not arguing.