[+80 XP (25 Daily quest + 55 kill)]
[5 stat points credited! A stat point can level up any stat by one. ]
[New class: criminal unlocked!]
[Level 1 criminal 0/70]
[Class addition stats affect—]
[Strength: 12—>13]
[Agility: 10—> 13]
[Charisma: 25—>21]
[New attribute unlocked!]
[Stealth: 4/4]
It still didn't stop, and another batch of notifications appeared.
[Signature Skill:
Primordial Assimilation (Efficiency 1 —> 4)
(Improvement: Ability analysis and previous user's usage data. Just request the system for it.)
[Active Skills:
Blood of Vitality (Efficiency: 5 —> 7) (Improvement: Blood to heal efficiency improved.) Eye of Sanguine (Efficiency: 10 —> 11)
(Improvement: Range increased by 10 meters.)
[Level: 1 (XP 80/600)]
My breathing grew ragged. The shimmering sound effects, as if opening purchased loot boxes, countless notifications, and bright red fireworks all over the screen were so perfect that one might think a gacha company made this system.
Criminal, heh? It was kind of like assassin class in video games, but it seems like anything can be a class if even slave was one.
Right now, it was better than anything I could've gotten. I needed something like agility or stealth the most.
But… My charisma! Alya wouldn't start thinking I grew ugly or something, right?
[No, charisma just improves your natural charm and luck further. Natural charm won't just vanish even if charisma gets down to 0.]
[But it's advised for the host to spare some stat points for charisma or leveling up criminal might do what you fear.]
"Hm, hm." I nodded twice. Maybe I'd physically change to shady shady-looking dude when I level [Criminal] up.
Also, down at the branch, one of the echo circles had 0.80% on it, instead of 0. After remembering how hard it was to kill Sue and eat his heart, I felt a bit disappointed at the progress.
Summoning heroes sounded like the most exciting part, but I'd probably need to wait a whole lot longer.
[Extra rewards: Newbie Gift pack]
Eh? These were all just quest rewards? My eyes widened as a grin appeared, my palms itched as I clicked the button
The screen dimmed as a slow loading appeared, previous notifications clearing.
[You can make a choice in the rewards of the newbie gift pack, btw. (;]
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
[Choose carefully tehehe! Your life depends on this T_T]
I will! Just show them already!
[Option 1: One hundred stat points. Your body healed back to its prime. No one is stopping a 100 Stealth/Agility version host!]
[Option 2: Level up to level ten instantly. (Multiple rewards like new skills, stat points, etc., are rewarded at every level up. Efficiency of skills improves as well.)]
[Option 3: Unlock one Echo+ Elixir of the first dawn+ Commandment of submission.
( You can skip the whole process of gathering XP to summon Echo.
Elixir of the first dawn allows you to recover anyone's physical body to the deepest levels, back to their prime for 20 minutes(One-time usage item)
Commandment of submission allows you to command any person to perform any one action till completion. It could just be "Kill yourself," and you can kill even the toughest Gods like this.
[Option 4: Hand of tomorrow. Allows the user to borrow all powers, from skills, stats, and combat experiences from their future self for three minutes.]
Holy shit! My body began trembling, my fingers scratching my trousers.
This was just too much. I want everything! My eyes were glued to the first option.
I will definitely be invincible if I choose this… I can move at blinding speeds and jump tens of meters without any momentum with just mere double-digit or less stats.
I almost pressed it. Being both healed and buffed was a sure way to escape. but froze mid-action.
Level up almost always buffs all stats equally, and I don't know, it may even be greater than a hundred. Basically, automatic balanced growth.
It's vague, though. Could be a bad deal compared to stat points.
Options three and four, though, were weird as hell. They truly showed how terrifyingly incredible this system was.
But what if the future in option four meant just two–three days in the future? Even if it meant years, and I am certain I would be really strong, three minutes were just way too low for it to be anything worth considering.
Third, on the other hand, really looked out for all my problems. If those heroes don't have their powers, I could recover them; if they don't obey, I at least have the hope to give them a command like "Protect me" to survive.
…
[…Are you sure about choosing option 3, host?]
"Yes," I muttered while rubbing Sue's silky white robe and locating its pockets.
My mood improved when I felt the leathery texture inside the warm pocket.
I looked yo at the low-hanging, bland ceiling, made with the same metal as the door was. I don't even want that hero for a better chance to escape… Then, I would've chosen option one or two.
I wouldn't rely on that to escape. It's more thrilling in this improvising way I am going, and I am clearly good. I glanced at the mummified corpse of Sue from the corner of my eye.
I had to admit. Unlocking the hero was the main reason. It was to skip gathering 10,000 XP and do what I wanted to do.
Though I can't just rely on that card. I need their permanent allegiance, their wisdom, and their battle experience. Ain't no way just using them like a one-time get out of jail card like system was intending.
With a shrug, I pulled out the wallet. So heavyyy.
I smacked Sue's chest with approval. That's a slave trader for you! Though my smacking removed parts of his chest, making them fly like ash.
Without paying it any mind, I spread the wallet open from both sides with a thirsty look. The smell of old paper and tobacco filled my nostrils.
It revealed the most pleasant thing to any man: stacks of notes. I pulled 'em out with a drooling mouth.
Five notes were marked [Bronze pounds], ten [Silver pounds]. I lustfully rubbed my face on them, taking in the musky smell of the grey paper.
It looked almost like an old dollar bill.
And of course, the main picture at the center was different—A well-proportioned lady's upper body portrait. She wore a plain, fluffy blouse, her hair tied in a simple bun.
Her face had that simple charm that made one keep glancing at it over and over again, but mostly, she reminded me of some Victorian underdog's rise, drama's maid.
After some admiring, I fidgeted through the rest of the wallet's contents. No more money, but two other things.
[@#$#@((#@)]
An identity card of sorts, with a small pick of the younger Sue. The text besides it was written in weird, incomprehensible symbols, but somehow, I understood what they meant.
[S. Killis. Sue]
And below it was a giant, QR code-like symbol that I felt some sorta weird energy from.
Second, a small piece of yellow paper, folded ten times to fit the wallet. Strong smell of ink entered my nose as I gently unfolded it.
It was a letter.