Kaito was still catching his breath, reading the system notification of his monster kills, when another pop-up appeared.
It showed the experience he'd gained:
You Gained:
Goblin Scavenger (10) : Exp +50
Coastal Stalker (3) : Exp +24
---
Just as Kaito saw the experience totals, several more notifications flooded his vision, appearing one after another.
---
Lvl: 5 Exp: 20/20
LEVELED UP!
Rewards:
HP +20
MP +20
SP +20
Stat Point +1
+1 All Stats
Coins +100
Lvl: 6 Exp: 23/23
LEVELED UP!
Rewards:
HP +23
MP +23
SP +23
Stat Point +1
+1 All Stats
Coins +130
---
Lvl: 7 Exp: 25/25
LEVELED UP!
Rewards:
HP +25
MP +25
SP +25
Stat Point +1
+1 All Stats
Coins +150
As the notifications vanished, Kaito felt a powerful surge ripple through his body.
A warm, invigorating energy spread from his core, mending any lingering fatigue from the fight.
His muscles felt tighter, his mind clearer, and a renewed sense of vigor flowed through his veins.
It was a tangible increase in strength, agility, and overall vitality, far beyond just catching his breath.
He could feel his very being improving with each level, making him feel more capable and ready for whatever came next.
Kaito stood on the beach, his chest heaving, his mind reeling from the sudden rush of power.
He was genuinely surprised by the rapid succession of level-ups.
He needed to see the numbers, to confirm the changes with his own eyes.
"Player Status!" Kaito called out, his voice a little hoarse from exertion and excitement.
Player Status
Name: Kaito Kuromaku Lvl: 8 Exp: 21/28
Age: 16 Race: Human
HP: 434/434
MP: 282/282
SP: 357/357
Coins: 1730
Stat Point Available: 4
Unclaimed Rewards: 0
Stats:
Strength (STR): 23
Agility (AGI): 15
Vitality (VIT): 16
Intelligence (INT): 13
Resolve (RES): 13
Charisma (CHA): 18
Luck (LCK): 13
Skills:
Viper's Strike
Iron Guard Stance
Will of Steel
Silent Draw
Aura
Lucky Break
Shadow Mark
Kaito's eyes scanned the updated status screen, taking in the significantly higher numbers.
He now stood at Level 8, with his HP, MP, and SP all seeing considerable boosts.
His Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence, Resolve, Charisma, and Luck stats each increased by three points from the combined level-ups.
On top of that, he has 4 Stat Points Available to allocate as he wished, and his Coins had grown to 1730.
Kaito pumped his fist, a grin spreading across his face.
"Alright! That's a lot!" he exclaimed, looking at his new stats.
"But I'm not done yet."
His thoughts immediately went to his updated Player Status.
He quickly brought it up in his mind, his eyes going straight to his Charisma stat.
"I can get it to 20 with two of my Stat Points," he realized, seeing the potential.
Without hesitation, he issued a mental command.
"System, allocate 2 Stat Points to Charisma."
A notification immediately popped up:
Charisma (CHA) has increased to 20.
Stat Point Available: 2
Before Kaito could even process that, another notification shimmered into view:
NEW SKILL ACQUIRED!
Soul Reader (Passive):
Gain the ability to sense the presence of people around you and discern their true nature by their aura.
As the text for Soul Reader appeared, Kaito felt a subtle shift within himself, like a new sense awakening.
It wasn't a sudden burst, but a gentle unfolding, allowing him to perceive more than just physical presences.
Just as this feeling settled, he detected multiple forms approaching from his right.
Most were faint, but one presence was incredibly strong, a dark, heavy aura that made the air feel thick and unsettling, its true nature clear to his newly acquired skill.
A group of students, clearly having already formed a party, was heading his way.
Kaito immediately used his Aura skill, his presence vanishing like a wisp of smoke.
He ran quietly, slipping into the denser part of the forest.
He hid behind a thick tree, listening intently as the sounds of the approaching students grew louder.
A second later, the group reached the beach.
Their chatter died as they saw the scattered, lifeless bodies of the goblins and Coastal Stalkers.
Some students gasped, stepping back with pale faces.
A few even gagged, turning to vomit into the sand, clearly shaken by the brutal scene.
But one of them reacted differently.
A tall, muscular guy with deep, blood-red hair, braided to appear short, walked calmly towards the corpses.
He carried a massive battle axe, its blade glinting in the light.
*Illustration
This was undoubtedly the source of that strong, dark presence Kaito had sensed.
He looked at the mangled monsters, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"Someone strong," he said, his voice a low rumble.
"I hope I meet them, haha."
---
As Kaito heard the man's chilling comment, a cold dread settled in his stomach.
He recognized him.
"What the hell, why is that guy here?!" Kaito thought, his mind racing.
"Is he really a student here? No, there's no way."
"Then how did he get in, and why is he here?"
"Goddammit, another variable not being in the game that changed in this world."
That man, with his dark presence and battle axe, was no ordinary student.
He was a demon worshipper in disguise.
Kaito immediately turned and ran towards the opposite direction, deeper into the forest, as fast as his legs could carry him, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the dangerous newcomer.
He didn't gamble on his Aura skill being enough to fool someone like him.
---
After several minutes of running at full speed, Kaito finally came to a stop.
He couldn't feel the chilling presence of that man anymore.
Catching his breath, Kaito's mind raced, finally putting a name to the face.
Ragnar Wolfsbane
"A villain in the game," Kaito thought, his brows furrowing.
"He's supposed to be a thorn in Eric's path, but he was never supposed to be here."
"He should have been in the third arc of the game."
The realization hit him.
"That's why he looks so young right now, but damn, he's already taller than most students here in the academy."
"In the future, he's almost as tall as two people."
"How did he slip into the first years without getting noticed?"
The unexpected appearance of such a powerful and dangerous figure this early was a massive, unwelcome change to the world he knew.
Kaito's mind raced, trying to gauge the danger.
He knew Ragnar Wolfsbane from the game, and even a younger version of him was terrifying.
"How strong would the Ragnar of this time be?" Kaito wondered.
"He uses fire magic like Eric, but his swings are more explosive and destructive."
He can split the ground with his axe and make it look like lava is coming out of the cracks.
"If you took his swing head-on, be ready to be blown away."
He sighed, the weight of the new information settling in.
"I really hope I don't meet him again," Kaito mumbled to himself.
A grim determination set in, however.
"But I have to be thankful that I'm lucky enough to find him this early."
"I'll be able to think of a plan on how to deal with him if I ever unfortunately meet him again."
---
When Catherina opened her eyes, a sharp, cold breeze immediately hit her face.
She was somewhere high up in the mountains, jagged peaks rising around her like ancient teeth against the sky.
She looked around, a sigh escaping her lips.
"I ended up in the very place Kaito said is bad to be in," she mumbled, a touch of resignation in her voice.
"I need to travel down this mountain now."
Her immediate priority was finding a way down. She decided that first, she must find a path leading downwards.
After several minutes of walking with extreme caution, navigating the steep, rocky terrain, Catherina finally saw a familiar sight, a clear path winding its way back down the mountain.
But a click of her tongue followed, a sign of her irritation, at what she saw blocking it.
A group of goblins had set up a crude camp, completely cutting off the path.
She sighed again, this time with more exasperation.
"There goes my peaceful travel," she said under her breath.
She didn't jump out and attack immediately. Instead, she decided to examine their numbers and weapons from her hidden vantage point.
"Alright, let's see what we're dealing with," she murmured, her eyes scanning the ragged group.
It looked like there were 13 of them.
Five goblins were armed with slings, another five carried spears, and two of them held staffs.
"Magic-using goblins, huh? Right at the start of the exam?"
Catherina muttered, a hint of surprise in her voice. "That's unexpected."
Her gaze then fell on the last goblin.
It was sitting on what looked like a makeshift throne, made of rough stones and scavenged materials.
This goblin appeared to be commanding all the others.
"Ahh, so that's why they know to block the path," Catherina said, a new understanding dawning on her.
"One of them is smart enough to command them with something like this."
She paused, considering her options.
"A goblin leader this early? This isn't just a random encounter."