Light returned.
And it was too bright.
Zaire was blinded and stunned. His mind naturally reacted, trying to move his body.
But his body refused.
"Fuck!"
Every fiber ached horribly; even his bones had a strange, jittery feeling.
Other than that, he felt... congested.
Arng, it's suffocating!
Slowly, his eyes adapted to the blinding light. Squinting, he scanned his surroundings.
He lay in a bed, his right leg—knee down—sealed tight in a cast.
Other than that, he looked like a mummy. Bandages were everywhere.
To his left was an IV drip, actively injecting something into him.
Probably nutrients. Still a scary thing.
He couldn't move his body; otherwise, he'd have removed the needle from his arm.
Anyway, the room was empty and lavish.
...Messiah's manor, most likely. The vibe is similar.
Bot... what happened?
[YOU COLLAPSED AFTER YOUR SKILL BLOOD OF ATLAS ENDED.]
Duh.
[...]
Okay, dude. "Duh" means what you said is obvious. I want to know what happened after I collapsed.
[NOTED. MY POINT OF VIEW IS YOUR EYESIGHT. AFTER YOU COLLAPSED, YOUR LIDS WERE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE THREE TIMES EACH—BRIEFLY EACH TIME. THREE TIMES BY NALA VON NAISOM AND THREE TIMES BY AMELIA SKYLANCE. NALA VON NAISOM'S FACE EACH TIME WAS PANICKED, SCARED, AND CONCERNED, RESPECTIVELY. AMELIA SKYLANCE'S WERE GAUGING AND INTELLIGENT.]
... Amelia's a doctor, huh? I fucking hope so. And lol, bless Nala.
Thank you, bot!
[YOU'RE WELCOME.]
After the brief conversation, Zaire muttered,
Stat sheet.
[ZAIRE ZONTES - THE GAIAN CHAMPION OF TITAN COMMANDER ATLAS]
[LEVEL 1 (67/100)]
[VITALITY - 72/100]
[STRENGTH - 8]
[AGILITY - 10]
[ENDURANCE - 14]
[WILL - 8]
[MAGIKE - 2 (1 regeneration per hour). CURRENT: 2/2]
[SKILLS:]
[PERSEVERANCE (LEVEL 4) - Increases mental resolve against tribulations. Provides resistance to overwhelming emotionality. Directly increases WILL upon leveling up. (Passive)]
[TERRA BULLET (LEVEL 3) - Bullets made of Magike. 1 Magike to create, 1 to launch. (Active)]
[BLOOD OF ATLAS (LEVEL 2) - Grants a trace of Primordial Titan power. Extremely destructive; advised for use only as a last resort. Vitality drops to 1 upon use. Current duration: 10 seconds. (Active)]
[RESOLUTION (LEVEL 5) - Increases physical capacity to withstand tribulations. Directly increases ENDURANCE upon leveling up. (Passive)]
Whoa! 67 kills? I don't remember having that many. Bot, explain.
[YES, LEVEL ONE BEASTS ARE WORTH A SINGLE POINT OF EXPERIENCE. BUT KILLING A LEVEL TWO BEAST WHILE AT LEVEL ONE IS WORTH 50 POINTS.]
Huh. So if I kill higher-leveled beasts, I need fewer kills?
[YES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF LEVELING UP, YOUR HYPOTHESIS STANDS TRUE.]
Zaire looked at his skills. Everything had leveled up at least once during his fight with that creepy gremlin with the dog-mug.
Bot, how do skills actually grow?
[THE READIER YOUR BODY IS. YOUR FRAIL BODY WILL COLLAPSE IF YOU UTILIZE THE SKILLS AT THEIR FULLEST. THUS, THE MORE YOU USE THEM AND THE MORE YOU TRAIN YOURSELF, THE MORE THE SKILL WILL GROW.]
Perseverance saved me, didn't it?
[YES. WHEN YOUR MENTAL STRESS REACHED NEW HEIGHTS DUE TO THE FEAR INSTILLED BY THAT BEAST, PERSEVERANCE LEVELED UP. IT WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU MOVE AND START DEFENDING YOURSELF.]
I was a badass in that fight, wasn't I?
[KILLING A HIGHER-LEVELED BEAST ALONE IS INDEED EXCEPTIONAL.]
Zaire grinned wordlessly.
He hated killing, but when he reminded himself of how he'd handled that beast, he started stroking his own ego.
That was fucking cool, Zaire.
*****
Zaire was bored out of his mind.
He was tired of glazing himself and talking nonsense with Bot.
He tried getting up, but he really couldn't.
My health is 72. That should be enough to get up, no?
He asked Bot about his immobile dilemma.
The brother was unhelpful. Gah!
Zaire was lost in his own thoughts, thus he missed the distinct click-clack of heels.
They stopped near the room door, and she came in—Amelia Skylance.
Messiah Ate's right hand.
The handle turning finally made Zaire notice the incoming person.
He immediately frowned, disappointed to find Amelia instead of Nala.
"You're awake."
"Mmhmm... How long was I out?"
"A week."
"What happened to the plan of breaking into Teal City?"
"A couple of couple people died."
"Four?"
"Yep."
"How?"
"I wasn't there to see it."
"Give me something, c'mon."
"No. It's you who has to give me something. How did you kill that beast? What the fuck are you?"
"Where's Nala?"
"This is a funny instance, isn't it?"
"..."
"It very much is. We're two people with questions. We need answers so badly, yet here we are—at a standstill."
Zaire looked at her.
He was intimidated.
Here he was, bedbound. There she was, looking scary, spouting lines like a villain.
He had to cave. And cave in he did,
"I killed many beasts. Earlier, I lied about my kill count. I said 17, right? Well, I had around eighty-something. And during the expedition, that eighty turned into a hundred. I got a skill. A bullet. And when the beast pounced onto me. I shot. The wound will be there in the corpse. I remember it going through its head. Yeah."
Amelia smiled at him.
She had a wide mouth—it fit her sharp, angular face.
But there was something about the bright glow in her expression that made Zaire's stomach lurch.
She slowly put her hands up and made a crisscross with her fingers.
"Dhen dhen dhaa... That's the wrong answer. Nala is dead!"