It was now or never; gathering all my courage, I took my first step outside the shield. The rest would fall into place. I was rapidly approaching an isolated Fallen when my surprise attack went down the drain the moment he spotted me.
"I'm gonna kiss you, c'mere, I'm gonna kiss you!"
Almost at the same time, the Drunk, who had just been heading toward another human, started talking, slurring his words. As the other guy and I approached each other, I was faced with the last scene I ever wanted to see: the mob had locked onto his victim and was slobbering all over his cheeks with kisses.
'Is this what's going to happen to me in a second? No, it can't be like this, my life wouldn't go down the shitter because of alcohol for a second time!'
This was the sentence I repeatedly screamed in my head when I was three steps away from the big encounter. However his influence affected me, the Drunk's face looked exactly like Big Bro Muharrem right now.
"I'm gonna kiss you, c'mere, I'm gonna kiss you!"
"I'll fuck up your ancestors!"
Up to this point, I had only thrown a punch once in my life, and that was the action that started the chain of events that landed me here; I suppose I owed the slap I just laid on the mob to that very same event.
I closed my eyes, prayed to the Creator, and let the slap fly. I didn't have much hope inside; I just thought maybe I could do a little damage before he locked onto me.
"Smack!"
A ringing sound echoed in my ears, and there was a slight pain in my body; normally I'd be upset that I got hurt, but right now I was purely in a state of shock because the sting came from my own hand.
When I opened my eyes, the Fallen named Drunk was laid out flat on the ground, looking up with eyes rolling around in their sockets like marbles; one breath later, he slowly faded and vanished.
I had killed him. By taking out a Fallen all on my own, I had saved myself from the eight-hour torment. I wanted to scream madly, dance like a maniac; the moment I planted that smack right in the middle of his mouth, I had knocked the poor bastard senseless.
It was neither the time nor the place to celebrate. The partner of the mob I just slapped had already finished off the human he was showering with kisses and turned his head toward me.
"I'm gonna kiss you, c'mere, I'm gonna kiss you!"
I had to run immediately. I was about to turn my back, and if it weren't for the things that caught my eye at the last second, that's exactly what I would have done.
There were a few copper coins and a hand-sized book on the ground; what I saw was clearly the loot from my first hunt. Overcoming my fear, I snatched them up in a single swift motion and started running back toward the shield with all my might.
I was running in front, the Drunk behind me. While wandering in his own zone, the bastard mob gave everyone the impression that he was about to bite the dust at any second, but when he got aggressive, he turned into a greyhound.
However, fear turns a man into Usain Bolt. I stepped inside the shield with a massive grin on my face. I was proud; by killing a Fallen, I had even obtained a book, and this item looked very similar to what I saw in the Skill House.
What else could happen? I immediately wanted to open its cover to examine the item, but then a weird feeling filled me. It was as if the whole world was spinning, and before I knew what was happening, I passed out.
I was reliving the sensation of falling I had experienced right before coming to The First Layer of Hell. The flowers that had bloomed with joy inside me withered, and the butterflies fluttering in my stomach said goodbye, hoping to meet again in another spring.
"Wake up, Sinner!"
A bright light completely ignored my eyelids and pierced directly into my brain; it was impossible not to answer its call.
"You have punished a Fallen; you will now be able to access your skills and stats!"
"Go back and keep fighting, do good deeds, and reach the day you will attain your salvation!"
The shapeless light spoke without taking a breath. I didn't answer. I couldn't speak even if I wanted to anyway; as a Sinner, I wasn't in a position to do whatever I pleased.
My insides were dropping again. Even though I was terrified the first two times, it had become a habit by now, so on the third time, I let myself relax as if I were floating on my back in the sea.
This was the exact state I was in when the flow of information started pouring into my brain. I was beginning to learn my level and my stats.
Name: Max
Title: Sinner
Level: 1
Health Points: 10
Magic Points: 10
Energy: 10
Attack: 10
Defense: 10
Strength: 1
Endurance: 1
Agility: 1
Wisdom: 1
Skill: None
Class: None
A panel appeared in front of my eyes shortly after. Yes, my eyes were closed right now, but I could read what was written very clearly, as if they were inside my brain.
I was overjoyed when my stats were revealed. After my first hunt, access to some information had been unlocked for me. As I continued falling, another line of text slowly began to appear under the Class section.
Alcohol Resistance: Special Immunity – Resistance against the effects of Alcohol-based Fallen of the same level or lower.
I'd say I could drop dead from shock, but I was already passed out. You get the idea—such a massive wave of joy washed over me. What did this mean?
I could easily hunt in the zone with the alcoholic mobs. As long as I prevented them from hitting me, I no longer needed to fear the eight-hour torment.
The only thing I was thinking about right now was how I gained this special effect, and whether the items I looted from my first hunt were still with me. I suppose I'd get the answers to my questions soon, because the falling sensation I was experiencing was almost over.
It didn't take long. Three or five seconds later, I felt the touch of dirt on my back. As I slowly sat up, I squeezed my hand in a panic and then let out a deep sigh of relief.
I still had my loot. Right now, there was only one question on my mind: how on earth had I gained immunity to alcohol attacks?
Since I had plenty of time now, I would definitely find an answer by calmly going over everything that had happened, but first, I wanted to examine the hand-sized book I had acquired.
With gentle motions, I cleaned the cover of the book, which was coated in dust and dirt. Gold-leafed letters, on the verge of losing their shine, greeted me here.
Physical Skill - Unstoppable Fist
It was a skill book resting in my hands. For a while, I calmly stared at the cover of this item, which bore two lines of text.
The sense of humor here was truly sharp. I held a skill book for my right fist, the lead actor in the incident that got me expelled from school, and even though I fell into Hell because of the raki I drank on my last night—maybe even in my final hour—I now had resistance to alcohol.
As the thoughts running through my head came to a conclusion, I got goosebumps all over. While lamenting to myself, I had found the answer to the question in my head.
Actually, my sins and good deeds were perfectly balanced, right up until the glass of raki I drank within that final hour; yes, this must be it. Because I fell here due to just a single sin, this immunity was the Creator's mercy toward me.
And what about the fist? It was the starting point of the path stretching all the way to Hell. Back then, I had abused my power, and now I was being given the chance to save myself using that exact same power.
I hadn't forgotten what the shapeless light told me before I fell.
"Go back and keep fighting, do good deeds, and reach the day you will attain your salvation!"
It was heralded to me that the day would come when I would fight, do good deeds, and finally attain salvation. Without waiting for even a second, I opened the book's cover and let the light overflowing from it flood my brain.