Ares' voice softened.
> "It hurts, doesn't it?
This is a real battle, Wei."
Wei's breathing was heavy—
but her eyes were shining brightly.
"I… liked that.
Let's hunt some more."
Wei took a deep breath and moved toward the slimes again—
but this time, she wasn't the same Wei who got scared from a little pain.
Something inside her had changed.
In just a few moments, she defeated the other two slimes as well.
This time, she stayed alert and didn't let the slimes get close.
[ Monster Defeated ]
[ XP +20 ]
[ MP 980 / 1200 ]
[ Monster Defeated ]
[ XP +20 ]
[ MP 970 / 1200 ]
Just as Wei finished those two, a few more slimes appeared.
Five slimes now stood in front of her.
But the more slimes appeared,
the brighter Wei's eyes seemed to shine.
There was no fear left in her heart anymore.
[ Monster Defeated ]
[ XP +20 ]
[ MP 960 / 1200 ]
[ Monster Defeated ]
[ XP +20 ]
[ MP 950 / 1200 ]
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ Level: 1 → 2 ]
[ XP Reset: 00 / 200 ]
[ MP Reset: 1450 / 1450 ]
Wei kept using her blade to defeat the monsters.
> "Do you want to use magic?"
[ Monster Defeated ]
[ XP +20 ]
[ MP 1430 / 1450 ]
"Really… I can use magic?"
> "Yes, you can.
But not today.
You need to improve your control first."
"Alright."
[ Monster Defeated ]
[ XP +20 ]
[ MP 1420 / 1450 ]
[ Monster Defeated ]
[ XP +20 ]
[ MP 1400 / 1450 ]
While hunting slimes, almost two hours passed.
Wei had defeated about twenty-nine slimes.
Meanwhile, Hao had taken a small nap.
When he woke up, he began looking for Wei.
He assumed she must have fainted somewhere—
with her strength, that seemed likely.
Hao was getting angry at himself for leaving her alone.
He quickly started searching.
Then, after walking a little distance,
he saw Wei—still fighting.
"Just… one more…"
Hao heard Wei's voice in her mind.
And then he saw her strike.
The slime was defeated.
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ Name: Wang Wei
Level: 3 → 4
XP Reset: 00 / 500 ]
> "Nice work, Wei…"
A small smile appeared on Wei's face.
She sat down. Hao walked over and sat beside her.
"Wei… did you defeat all of these?" Hao asked, stunned.
There were nearly thirty slime cores lying on the ground.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Yes… is this not enough?" Wei asked, confused.
"No, no—this is a lot.
But… didn't your MP run out?"
"When the level increased, it reset.
So it didn't cause any problem." Wei explained.
"But… MP doesn't reset instantly after leveling up.
It usually takes 24 hours…"
Hao's expression stiffened.
"Wait—did your level… increase multiple times?
In a single day?"
"What do you mean?
Levels don't increase in one day?" Wei blinked.
"Can you show me your Status Window?"
Hao asked, still shocked.
"Ares, show Hao my status window."
Wei said.
And it appeared.
==============================
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Wang Wei
Race: Human (Reincarnated Soul)
Job: Adventurer
Reward Option: Choose any 3 jobs later upon Rank Promotion.
Visible Rank: F
True Rank: (Hidden)
Shown Potential: C
True Potential: (Sealed)
Level: 4
XP: 0 / 500
HP: 1230 / 1230
MP: 1950 / 1950
Stamina: 1050 / 1050
==============================
Attributes
Strength: 45
Magic Power: 126
Agility: 57
Focus / Will: 55
==============================
Skills
• Lumina Lv.4
==============================
Support Skills
• Dimensional Item Box (Lv.4)
• System Voice Link (Ares)
———
"I didn't expect this…"
Hao stared at the window, stunned.
"What happened?" Wei asked nervously.
"These values… are unusual.
I think your attributes are almost equal to Liang's."
Hao said quietly.
"What…?"
Wei froze.
"Wei, listen carefully.
Never show your status to anyone."
Hao said seriously.
"Yes… I understand."
Wei nodded.
She also wanted to stay low-profile.
"Good job, Wei."
Hao smiled softly.
"Maybe I don't need to worry about you anymore."
"Don't say that… I'm not that strong yet," Wei wiped sweat from her forehead.
"You'll learn slowly. Come on, let's go home."
Hao stood and offered his hand.
"Wait… I'm tired…"
Wei exhaled deeply.
"And these cores…"
> "You should use your Item Box."
"Item Box"
Trusting Ares, Wei focused—
and a dark circular portal began pulling all the cores in.
One by one, every core disappeared inside.
Hao watched quietly.
" Item box? "
"Yes. I think I got this skill because of my reincarnation.
Time doesn't pass inside it,
so we can store anything."
"Wei… listen to me carefully.
Don't mention this skill to anyone but me."
Hao warned.
"What's wrong?" Wei asked gently.
"This skill is extremely rare.
If others find out… they will chase you."
Wei understood.
Then Hao remembered something.
"You had a skill named Lumina, right?"
"Yes. I tried that magic earlier.
I saw it in the System Magic Book.
But it disappeared soon after."
"I'll teach you magic."
Hao raised his hand—
a large sphere of water formed instantly.
"See? Magic is easy."
"Okay… Lumina."
Wei extended both hands.
The skill activated.
But Wei didn't know how to control magic.
Lumina Lv.5 was too powerful.
A small orb of light became a massive shining sphere.
"Hao… what do I do!?"
Wei panicked.
Hao stared blankly for a second—
then snapped back.
"Throw it toward the sky! Hurry!"
Wei immediately did.
The massive orb rose—
then exploded in the sky with a tremendous blast of light.
"Was… that Lumina?"
Hao exhaled deeply.
"Yes… I didn't know it would get this big…"
Wei's voice trembled.
> "You need mana control, Wei."
Ares spoke gently.
"Mana control…"
Wei repeated.
"Yes. Otherwise… you could destroy the entire city."
Hao said after hearing Wei thought.
"Come. Let's go back to the palace."
Hao said, holding her hand.
___
"Hao… I want to see the stores.
Can you explain them to me?"
Wei asked as they returned to town.
"I will.
But we can't enter today."
Hao pointed at a shop.
"That is a Potion Store."
Wei looked.
The shop had a bottle symbol.
"Potions… what are they for?" Wei asked.
"There are three types.
First: Green Potion
for small injuries,
and slow MP recovery in 10 minutes.
Second: High Potion
heals big wounds
and restores MP in 0.06 seconds.
And lastly—
the Intimate Potion.
It can regrow lost limbs.
But it's extremely rare.
Even money can't buy it."
"Oh… I see.
And that store?"
She pointed to a symbol of a pendant.
"That's a Magic Locket.
It saves you from dying inside a dungeon."
"Saves from death…?" Wei was confused.
"If you wear that pendant in a dungeon,
and a monster kills you—
you revive outside the dungeon."
"That's amazing…!"
Wei's eyes sparkled.
But they couldn't go there today.
She decided to return next time.
And so—
Wei and Hao walked back to the palace together.
---