Free Web NovelChapter 19: Chapter19-Skill Rank Upgrade Card
Which one should I pick?
Last time, I’d rushed into a decision without thinking it through. I let desperation guide me instead of logic, and I ended up with that "Returnee" card. Technically SS rank, sure, but completely useless for actual survival.
I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
I closed my eyes and took a breath, letting everything else fade away for a moment. I needed to think clearly.
A few seconds passed. Then I felt it. That quiet certainty when both instinct and reason aligned.
The second card.
Without making it obvious, I pretended to stretch my arm like I was adjusting my grip on the sword. My hand drifted forward casually, and my finger grazed the second card.
The instant I touched it, the system’s voice rang out in my mind.
[Host! You have chosen the second card!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have been rewarded with a Skill Rank Upgrade Card!]
Skill Rank Upgrade Card...
The name was pretty self-explanatory, but I wanted to be absolutely sure.
I directed my thoughts at the system. ’Can you give me more information about this card?’
[As you wish, Host!]
A new screen appeared before me, clean and simple.
[Host, this card allows you to upgrade any skill in your possession by one full rank.]
Huh.
That was... decent, actually.
I felt a flicker of satisfaction, though not quite the rush of excitement I’d been hoping for. I guess part of me had expected something more immediately game-changing. But this wasn’t bad. Not at all.
I’d save it. Once I finally got my hands on a real skill, I could use this to push it up a tier.
I dismissed the screen with a flick of my wrist and pulled up my character profile instead.
---
**Name:** Michael Frostburne
**Race:** Human
**Current Rank:** Normal
**Current Level:** 1
**Title:** 0
**Progression to Bronze Rank:** 1% (1/100
levels)
**Progression to Level 2:** 10% (1/10 essences)
**Total essences required:** (11/1000 essences)
**Potential:** 0
**Attributes:**
[Power]: Normal
[Speed]: Normal
[Spirit]: Normal
[Recovery]: Normal
Free Attribute Points: (2/10)
**Human Racial Abilities:**
- Notifications
- Quest
- Inventory
- Skills (0/1)
---
Hmm. Level 1.
Fair enough.
I dismissed the screen and turned my attention back to the cavern floor, where the remaining goblins were still writhing in pools of their own blood.
There had to be at least three hundred more of them scattered around.
Which meant if I killed them all, I’d probably hit level 31 by the time I was done. Maybe a bit higher if I was lucky.
Not bad. But definitely not enough.
Still, that wasn’t what was bothering me right now.
While looking through my rewards earlier, I’d noticed I’d been given some attribute points. But I had no clue how to actually use them.
I reached out to the system mentally. ’System, how do I use attribute points?’
The answer came instantly.
[Host, simply click on the "Current Level" section and then confirm by selecting "Yes."]
I paused.
Wait. What?
’You’re saying I click on "Current Level"? I thought attribute points were for upgrading my actual attributes, not my level.’
[Apologies, Host. The system functions differently than you expected. Attribute points are allocated to level progression, not individual stat increases. This is built into the core algorithm and cannot be changed.]
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
The words slipped out before I could stop them, my frustration bleeding into my voice as I drove the sword down into the nearest goblin’s throat.
The blade punctured straight through. Dark green blood erupted from the wound, spraying upward and splattering across my chest and face.
I didn’t even bother wiping it off. My clothes were already ruined. Soaked through with goblin blood from head to toe. The stench was unbearable, thick and metallic, clinging to my skin and making my stomach turn.
But I kept going anyway. This was the price. If I wanted to survive in this world, if I wanted to get stronger, I had to push through.
And besides, I needed to hurry.
I still had to find that SSS-rank skill. The faster I finished this, the sooner I could move on.
I tightened my grip on the sword and started moving faster, cutting through goblins with more urgency now.
***
"Fuck... I actually did it..." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
The voice that came out was barely more than a rasp. Exhausted. Completely spent.
It belonged to someone lying flat on the ground, soaked in blood.
That someone was me.
After finishing off the last goblin Allen had left for me, my legs just gave out. I collapsed right there on the cavern floor, too drained to care about the sticky green blood pooling beneath me.
I was breathing hard. Each breath felt like it took everything I had.
While I lay there trying to pull myself together, a shadow fell over me.
Allen appeared above me, looking down with an expression I hadn’t expected.
He was smiling... A little...
Wait! Is he really smiling?
"Well done, young master," he said, his voice warm. "Congratulations on reaching Normal rank."
I blinked up at him, genuinely surprised.
That was the first time I’d seen Allen smile since I woke up in this world. It wasn’t forced or polite. It was real. Gentle, even.
And somehow, seeing it made the tension I’d been carrying around him just... fade. Like it had never been there at all.
Though part of me stayed cautious. I couldn’t completely let my guard down. Not yet.
I forced a tired smile. "Couldn’t have done it without you."
Allen shook his head softly. "I only handled half the work. The rest was all you. No need to thank me."
Typical.
He never missed a chance to praise Michael up, even when it wasn’t deserved.
I let my gaze drift away from him, tilting my head back to look at the ceiling. The glowing rocks up there pulsed faintly with soft blue light, casting shifting patterns across the stone.
They really were beautiful.
While staring up at them, I slowly raised my left hand and checked the time on my watch.
***
Name: Michael Frostburne
Total Rules Broken: 0
Time: 1:40 PM
Date: 4th February
Year: 2130
***
Damn.
It had taken me almost a full hour just to kill all those goblins.
Way too slow.
But honestly, I couldn’t blame myself. I’d been at this nonstop for over an hour and a half. My entire body was wrecked.
I opened my character profile to check where I stood now.
Level 34.
Decent progress, at least.
Anyway.
I turned my head slightly toward Allen. "Allen, could you step outside the dungeon for a bit? I’d like to rest here on my own for a few minutes."
Allen looked at me quietly for a moment, then gave a small nod. "As you wish, young master."
And just like that, he was gone. One moment standing there, the next completely vanished, as if he’d never been there at all.
The second he disappeared, I let my eyes fall shut.
Did he actually leave, though?
I had no way of knowing for sure.
But I really, really hoped he had. Because in about twenty minutes, I was going to do something I absolutely could not afford for him to witness.
If he saw what I was about to do, there’d be no explaining it away. He’d know something was off. And once that happened, the suspicion would only grow.
I was going after the Future Sight skill.
I’d been thinking about it this entire time, waiting for the right moment. I just needed to recover a little first. Get my strength back. Then I could move.
For now, I’d rest.
***
After resting for a few minutes, I slowly pushed myself up and used Allen’s sword to steady myself as I stretched out my sore muscles.
Everything ached, but at least I could move again.
Alright.
Time to find it.
According to Meelon’s review, the Future Sight skill was hidden in a secret room somewhere inside this dungeon. To get to it, I needed to locate a specific rock marked with the symbol A14. He’d said it was tucked away in one of the corners of the cave.
So that’s what I needed to do now.
Find that rock.
Shouldn’t be too hard. I knew exactly what I was looking for.
***
"Where the hell is it?"
I muttered the words under my breath, irritation creeping in.
I’d been searching for fifteen straight minutes and still hadn’t found anything.
I was standing in one of the corners now, running my hands along the rough stone wall, checking every uneven surface and shadowed gap.
Nothing.
Damn it.
I pulled back and decided to recheck the corners I’d already been through. Maybe I’d missed something the first time.
I started moving toward the east corner.
As I walked, my eyes drifted down to the goblin bodies scattered across the floor. Pools of dark green blood were still spreading slowly around them, thick and glistening under the faint glow of the cave.
I looked away and kept moving.
When I reached the east corner, I started the search again, this time going slower, more deliberate.
Several more minutes passed. My hands were starting to hurt from scraping against the stone.
Then finally, in the west corner, I saw it.
"There it is. Finally."
The symbol A14 was carved into a small square-shaped rock protruding slightly from the wall.
Exactly like Meelon described.
Without wasting another second, I pressed down on the square-shaped rock.
The moment I did, a sharp crack split across the wall in front of me, zigzagging from floor to ceiling.
Then it began to widen.
Slowly at first, then faster, until the entire section of stone pulled back and revealed a hidden passage leading into another room.
I stepped closer and peered inside. What I saw surprised me so much that I unconsciously whispered, "Wow."
