[No, Master.]
[It seems the magic is coming from the person heading our way.]
But before I could breathe a sigh of relief, the ugly giant was still alive. Its body was still smoking, the white-hot flames clinging to its flesh and cauterizing the wounds, saving it from instant death.
It was obvious it's still breathing.
"Tch, stubborn bastard." I didn't care. I clicked my mental trigger.
Without hesitation, I immediately closed in on the Ogre General. I slashed at it several times before leaping onto its massive head and driving my blade straight through its neck.
Finally, its giant head rolled across the ground after being completely severed.
A blue, semi-transparent notification box flickered weakly in my vision.
======= [ SYSTEM STATUS ] =======
Name: Landra Aurelius
(Level Up x2! Experience gained from mutated Ogre General = 47,000 Exp : 10 = 4,700 Exp)
=================================
Ugh, that lousy, ugly bastard only gave me that much!? The side effect of taking the Status UP (10x) skill is a real pain in the ass.
But before I could even celebrate the victory or listen to the remaining system notifications, a wave of cold, absolute darkness washed over my brain.
The time remaining after using that glitched skill had run out, and the severe side effects of overloading my body were taking full effect.
'Ah, shit. Am I... dying again?'
My legs gave out, and I collapsed forward into the dirt, my consciousness instantly plunging into a silent, pitch-black abyss.
Darkness. Absolute, heavy, and silent.
There were no thoughts, no pain, and no sound. It felt exactly like the void I had experienced after falling from the skyscraper in my previous life.
I was entirely convinced that my reckless exploit had killed me, erasing my soul from this world just as the game servers had been shut down.
Then, slowly, a dull, agonizing throb began to pulse in my chest.
"Ugh..."
A weak, pathetic groan escaped my lips. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt like they had been sealed shut with lead. My throat was as dry as sandpaper, and my entire body felt completely paralyzed—as if my soul was trapped inside a cold, heavy stone statue.
I couldn't move a single finger. I couldn't even twitch my toes.
"Landra! Please... please open your eyes!"
I could hear her voice, but my eyelids still refused to budge.
After what felt like an eternity, I felt a gentle, trembling pair of hands clutching my shoulders, shaking me with desperate, frantic energy.
With a massive effort of will, I forced my heavy eyelids to flutter open.
The bright, warm sunlight of the late afternoon hit my eyes, forcing me to squint. As my vision gradually cleared, I saw Lilia's face hovering directly over mine. Her beautiful blue eyes were red and swollen from crying, her silver-white hair messy and stained with dirt. She looked utterly exhausted, but the moment she saw my pupils dilate, a look of profound, tearful relief washed over her face.
"Landra! You're awake... thank the gods, you're actually alive!" she sobbed, burying her face into my chest.
I wanted to pat her head, but my hand refused to move. I was still completely paralyzed. I looked around, my neck barely able to tilt.
'So, this is what happens when I use that skill until the time limit runs out, huh.'
I hadn't passed out before because I'd deactivated the skill with plenty of time to spare, so there hadn't been any side effects like this.
'Damn you, Chrono—you could've at least told me from the start that the side effects could be this bad.'
Now I know. That skill is a double-edged sword.
It's incredibly helpful in a pinch, but also extremely dangerous. Leveling up becoming ten times harder and losing consciousness when the time limit expires? Give me a break—sheesh.
We were back inside the covered wagon, parked near a quiet clearing by the roadside. Through the open canvas flap in the distance, I could see the towering, charred remains of the Ogre General where I had finished it off.
"How... long?" I managed to croak out, my voice incredibly raspy.
Lilia quickly lifted her head, wiping her tears with her sleeve. "You've been asleep for almost nine hours. I... I didn't know what to do."
Nine hours, huh? But as I took in our surroundings, a faint wave of confusion washed over me.
'Did those people from before come back? Why the hell are we back in this wagon again?'
Ignoring the murmurs of the passengers around us, I focused my mind to open my character system sheet and allocate my stats.
======= [ STATUS WINDOW ] =======
Name: Landra Aurelius
Level: 10
Class: None
Attributes:
Strength: 12 (Physical Attack 24)
Agility: 20 (Speed 40)
Vitality: 13 (HP 52)
Dexterity: 9 (Accurasy 18)
Intelligence: 45 (Mana 450)
Luck: 7
Remaining Stats Points: 10
Remaining Skill Points: 200
Physical Attack: 34
Physical Defense: 31
Magical Attack: 45
Magical Defense: 16
Speed: 40
Accurasy 18
HP: 52/52
Mana: 59/450
=================================
Well, it looks like all my stats went up by 1 point except for Luck and Intelligence, and now I have 10 stat points left to allocate.
Just as I finished allocating all my newly acquired stat points to Strength, the carriage lurched violently—likely from hitting a rock on the bumpy road.
A woman stood beside our bench, her presence exuding an aura of authority that was subtle yet dangerous. She wore high-ranking mage robes adorned with silver silk, and a heavy, polished staff rested lightly against her hip.
Her sharp, analytical eyes swept over the trembling Lilia before fixing directly on my paralyzed form.
"So, the brave swordsman finally decides to join the living," the woman spoke, her voice smooth, icy, and carrying the natural weight of high nobility.
"I have to admit, I never expected anyone to survive a duel against an A-Rank monster like that all on their own—let alone unleash a finishing move right after my spell."
She stepped closer, the faint scent of sulfur and rare herbs clinging to her mantle. "My lady would like to speak with you. That is, if you can even stand."