The Crawler's growl was low and vibrating. Sebastian froze, feeling the sweat run down his back under his jacket. He activated Resonance. The world became grey, and he saw a red knot of energy right under the monster's armor.
The Crawler jumped. It was faster than it looked. Sebastian felt that same push of Luck in his gut. His foot slipped on the wet stone, and that's exactly what saved him — the monster's claw missed his head by a centimeter, crashing into the concrete.
Sebastian thrust the C-12 knife upward. The heavy blade easily passed through the soft flesh between the armor plates.
[Critical hit!]
[Target neutralized: Swamp Crawler (Level 4)]
[Experience gained: 86 XP]
He breathed heavily, looking at the carcass dissolving in the dark water. Eighty-six units. This was much better than hunting rats. But the biggest surprise waited for him in the ash. Instead of a regular shard, there lay a small grey crystal with a strange symbol inside.
[Rank: E]
[Description: Skill Crystal — "Stone Skin" (Passive)]
A passive skill. This was exactly what a solo hunter needed. It didn't require energy to activate — it just made the body tougher, protecting from strikes. On the market, such a book could cost more than ten thousand credits, but Sebastian was not going to sell it. He needed strength to go even deeper.
—
The next few hours turned into an exhausting marathon. He moved through the tunnel, killing Lurkers and Rats that came across his path. His Resonance worked without stopping, and with every kill, he felt the numbers on his status panel approach the coveted mark.
[Target neutralized: Sewer Lurker (Level 2)]
[Experience gained: 21 XP]
[Experience: 320 / 400]
Each monster gave a different amount of experience. Some were weaker, some were on the edge of evolution. Sebastian methodically gathered these crumbs. Fatigue weighed on him, but he kept moving until finally, golden light covered him from head to toe.
[Level Up!]
[Your Level is now 4]
[You have received 3 Stat Points]
[Experience: 7 / 800]
He leaned against the wall, feeling the new energy patch up small wounds and strengthen his tissues. Eight hundred points to level five. This was a massive number. Now he would have to kill hundreds of monsters to move forward.
He opened his status and distributed the points: two into Strength, one into Luck. His body tightened, becoming denser. Now he felt that the C-12 knife had become as light as a kitchen cleaver to him.
At home, Ariana was awake again. Seeing her son, she silently put a plate of food in front of him.
—
"You've become different, Sebastian," she said quietly. "Your gaze... it has become cold. You look at the door as if you're waiting for an enemy."
"I'm just learning to survive, Mom," he replied.
He lay in bed and closed his eyes. Luck whispered to him that tomorrow's hunt would be even harder. The purple light deep in the collector was still waiting for him, and now, with level four, he was ready to find out exactly what was hidden there.