"..."
[Damn it, what should I do now? I doubt they'd just let me walk away...]
Kaelen awkwardly chewed a piece of dried meat that was given to him by Margaret a few moments ago after she was done comforting him. At that point, it had been roughly thirty minutes since Igor stormed away.
[They really seem like nice people, but...]
He raised his eyes and stole a glance at Margaret who sat on a thick, exposed root of a large tree. She would, on occasion, retrieve her pocket watch and anxiety would distort her expression.
[...What were they thinking? They'll never make it to the Fifth Floor alive, let alone conquer this one. They're doomed.]
Kaelen swallowed, hoping to rid himself of the bitterness that swelled in his mouth. It was a strange feeling, looking at someone knowing very well the chances that they would die were high, and that neither they nor himself could do anything about it.
[She must be waiting for her other party members. Is it just the three of them?]
[Should I just take my chances with her and just run? I don't want to be around when they get slaughtered.]
He began kneading an invisible lump of dough, his eyes filled with sorrow for strangers he barely even knew.
Was it perhaps guilt for having designed their graveyards with his own two hands?
"Don't worry too much Kiddo..."
Noticing Kaelen's expression, Margaret made an attempt to cheer him up by feigning a warm, carefree smile.
"...Let's wait for Lead and the others to come back."
"Our Leader is very reliable you see, I'm sure he'll know what to do, he always does!"
She spoke those words confidently as she hugged her staff and turned her face to the direction they took when they left in the morning.
"Art..."
A single word that was not even complete escaped her lips as she continued waiting patiently for their safe return.
"..."
[Three days huh, I'm sure Charymos is absolutely livid right now.]
[Knowing him, he'd definitely send a search party after me or my corpse... I'm honestly surprised that he hasn't found me yet.]
[Which is why I need to leave. I know their fates are already sealed, but my presence here will only accelerate that.]
"Sigh..."
He sighed heavily and turned his gaze to the thick canopies.
[Ah... By the way...]
He remembered something of great importance.
[Open Status Window!]
──────────────────────────
Status Window.
Ding!
> You have leveled up!
> You have leveled up!
> You have leveled up!
> You have leveled up!
- You are now level 10, congratulations!
- All core stats increased by + 40!
- You now have access to Elemental Magic!
- You can now cast 1st Circle Magic spells!
Ding!
>Determining Attribute affinity...
-Determining... Determining...
Ding!
>Congratulations! You have a strong natural affinity for the following attributes: Fire, Lightning, Earth and Water!
-However, due to the high level skill [Mana Sensitivity] you are able to learn other attributes.
Ding!
> Congratulations on your monumental achievement, you have defeated a foe many times stronger than you are!
-You have earned 2000 Exp!
- Mana Sensitivity (S-) has evolved rank to Mana Sensitivity (S+) !
- Low-level Regeneration (C-) has evolved to Low-level Regeneration (B)!
-Monarch's Aegis (A) has evolved to Monarch's Aegis (A+)
-> [Active Effect] duration has increased to 12 seconds!
- Creator's Eye (S-) has evolved to Creator's Eye (S)
-> [Global Positioning System(GPS)] subskill has been added to the [Map Creation] subskill, however this only applies to maps you have created.
Ding!
> Your class Magic Spearman has upgraded to Lv.8
- Your Agi increases by 0.6 when wielding a spear!
- Your Str increases by 1.2 when wielding a spear imbued with Mana!
- Your Crit increases by 0.08 when wielding a spear imbued with Mana!
- Ordinary spears can now no longer withstand your Mana, it is therefore advised that you equip enchanted weapons.
───────────────────────────
[Yes! I'm finally at level 10!]
Kaelen clenched his fists victoriously but he bit his lips to prevent a wide grin.
[And all of my skills evolved, this is great!]
He really wanted to jump up and down and shout with joy, but the situation made him a prisoner to his own emotions.
[Well... Except this one, the bug or whatever it is...]
#>@$: SS+ Rank (Sealed)*
[There are less than 40 skills of this calibre in Bloodbound Ascension, I wonder which one it is?]
[Or maybe its an entirely new skill just like Creator's Eye...?]
[...]
He stared at the illegible writing of the mysterious skill for a brief moment before turning his attention elsewhere.
[A subskill added onto another subskill?]
[... My poor gaming mechanics, they're a jumbled mess now.]
He quietly clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Leader! What took you guys so long?!"
Margaret's voice pierced Kaelen's ears and he saw a group of people approaching them, one was familiar to him.
[So he's the leader...]
Kaelen finished his food and stood upright.
"Margaret... Sorry, the reconnaissance mission didn't go quite as well as we had hoped."
"We couldn't find a single Orc, they either retreated or regrouped... If it's the latter then, we should expect a swarm of a much greater magnitude than before."
"Not only that, we'd have to deal with the Boss monster of this floor all at the same time."
Julius took the opportunity to bleed out his heart on Margaret, a stress-induced vein streaking his frontal lobe.
"O-oh... Well, I'm just glad everyone made it back safely."
Seeing her Leader with such an expression was a rare occasion, leaving her a bit flustered.
"Aww~ Were you worried about us?"
Arthur teased.
"Huh? Don't fucking talk to me you bastard, why would I worry about you?"
Margaret frowned.
"Oi don't start. Stop acting like some kids, this is not the time."
Hank cut off their banter before it could intensify.
"Oh? Look honey, the child finally woke up."
Helena finally noticed the pink-eyed boy standing behind Margaret and they all turned their attention to him.
"Yeah he's up... But he says he doesn't remember anything."
Margaret whispered.
"That could be because he was in a comatose state."
Julius said as he walked closer to Kaelen.
[... That strangely colored Mana, I was hoping to get an explanation for it.]
[And not only that, the pillar of light was much more potent than what someone of this child's caliber should be able to produce.]
Julius mused and slowly extended his hand.
"Do you remember me? My name is Julius Vanger, an A-rank Adventurer, I am also the leader of this party, Soaring Boar."
Kaelen accepted Julius's gesture and shook his hand, but it was so large in comparison that he felt as though he'd equipped a gauntlet.
"I am Kaelen... That's the only thing I remember."
He sulked and averted his gaze.
[This guy... He's so intimidating.]
"I see... That is unfortunate."
"You fought so valiantly that I had hoped you were from a tribe of warriors."
Julius slowly lowered his hand and turned to the others.
"Oh Julius, you're so stiff dear, look at how much you've frightened the boy!"
Helena stepped forward with her hands on her waist.
"You don't have to be intimidated okay, he may look like a scary ogre but he's a actually a softie~"
She said as she patted Kaelen's snow-white scalp, her words causing Julius's brow to twitch.
[He's so adorable! And his eyes are so pretty.]
"Please allow us to introduce ourselves, my name is Helena I'm the Supporter."
"This beady-eyed man is Hank, he's adept in stealth attacks and infiltration."
He pointed to Hank who smiled warmly.
"Nice to meet you kid, don't be afraid of us and just make yourself at home."
He said, his smirk becoming a wide smile.
"H-hey Vice Lead, are my eyes really beady?"
He whispered, but Helena ignored her and continued:
"That's Arthur, he's our Marksman, he's said to have never missed his target."
He pointed to the young man with a mane of blond hair who flared his nostrils proudly.
"Haha! Yeah, that's right. You can call me big bro if you want okay? Hehe."
[Pfft... He's so energetic.]
Kaelen's lips slightly perked up.
"Eh? He just smiled? He's been so cold this entire time."
Margaret blinked in disbelief.
"Haha! Why would he smile around a scary old ha —"
Thonk!
"Argh!"
"Shut up before I kill you, damn bastard!"
She struck Arthur's head with her staff, and they began bickering as usual.
"..."
[They definitely have a thing for each other.]
It was so blatant even in Kaelen's eyes.
"Ah, I guess you've already met Igor? Where did he go?"
Helena finally noticed Igor's absence.
"He probably went to go poop."
Hank replied.
"Nah, you know how he is, he threw a tantrum and stomped away... It's been close to an hour since he's been gone though."
Margaret sucked her teeth.
"Well, he should be back soon. Igor is logical, he knows not wander on his own in such a dangerous place."
Julius began to unstrap his vambraces.
"So what do you think Kaelen, would you like to stay with us until your memory returns?"
He glanced at the pale-skinned child.
[...]
[He's giving me... An option?]
[Wouldn't it have been better, from their perspective, to keep me around until my memory returns so they could join hands with other Humans and figure out a way forward?]
Kaelen couldn't understand if Julius was being rhetorical, naive or if they were that confident in their ability to survive even on their own.
[Well... This is what I wanted so I shouldn't complain.]
He filled his lungs with air so he could speak loud and clear:
"No, I'm sorry but I —"
RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
[!!]
A figure came bursting through the undergrowth like a raging bull, startling all who were present and they instinctively drew their weapons — except Julius.
"Pant!... Pant!..."
Thud!
The figure collapsed to his knees and began drawing heavy breaths, the right side of his face drenched with blood, and his heavy shield riddled with dents.
"I-igor?! What the hell happened to you?!"
They all rushed over to him with horrified expressions — Except Julius.
"Cough! Damn it! What the hell were those damn cockroaches?! And why were they so large?!"
"I almost died to mere insects, how disgraceful!"
The short-statured man stood to his feet, his armour painted with the insect's fluids.
[As expected... Charymos is hot on my tail.]
"Yuck! Did you just say large cockroaches?!"
Helena and Margaret grimaced.
"So? Did you kill them all?"
Hank furrowed his brows and turned his attention to where Igor had come running.
"Yeah... Huff... But there were more, but I managed to escape."
He finally caught his breath and Helena healed his injuries.
"Leader..."
Hank whispered worryingly.
"Yes, you're right... We need to move, they probably let him go on purpose."
Julius spoke in a calm voice and began tightening his vambraces.
[!!]
"What?! Yuck! What are we waiting for then?! Let's get the hell out of here!"
Margaret felt her skin crawl and they quickly began to make preparations.
"Kaelen... I don't know what you were about to say but as you can see, it's dangerous out there."
"So I insist, please stay with us until further notice."
Said Julius with a stern voice and gaze that suggested he wouldn't take no for an answer.
[I see... He never had any intentions of letting me go.]
Kaelen felt ashamed to have assumed that a seasoned Adventurer would be so naive.
[It's possible for someone at his level to keep Mana Essence active at all times — therefore he knew that Igor was coming.]
[What a sly man... I played right into the palm of his hand.]
Kaelen had no other choice but continue following them.
───────────────────────────
Status Window.
Name: Kaelen.
Race: Homunculus.
Level: 10 (Exp: 2 258/10 000)*
Class: Magic Spearman- Lv.8*
──────────────────
Core Stats.
STR: 104* INT: 109* LCK: 0
AGI: 106* MP: 110* VIT: 105*
%##%: ???
───────────────
Derived Stats.
HP [VIT + Gear Value+⁰]: 105*
STA [VIT + AGI(30%)]: 136.8*
ATK [STR + Weapon Value+^0]: 104*
EVA [AGI + LCK(50%)]: 106*
CRIT [(LCK(20%) + ATK)/100]: 1.04*
─────────────────
Skills.
Mana Sensitivity: S+ Rank
Low-level Regeneration: B Rank
Creator's Eye: S+ Rank.
#>@$: SS+ Rank (Sealed)*
Monarch's Aegis: A+ Rank.
────────────────
Attribute Points: 18
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
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