Free Web NovelChapter 4: First Spell
[Gold Reward Box gained]
Before Alex could properly read everything, a warm energy surged through his body. The sensation spread from head to toe, washing over every injury he had suffered during the battle. It felt like every damaged part of him was being repaired at once.
His torn arm healed. The pain vanished, and the exhaustion in his muscles disappeared as well. Only the mental fatigue remained.
"What the hell? How am I perfectly fine?" Alex muttered as he flexed his fingers.
He looked through the notifications again and arrived at a likely conclusion. The healing must have come from leveling up. If that was true, then the information was incredibly important.
In theory, he could survive even life-threatening injuries as long as he leveled up afterward. However, Alex doubted it would remain that simple forever. Every computer game he had played required killing more enemies as levels increased, and he suspected the System worked the same way.
Alex pulled himself into a sitting position against a broken wall. Physically, he felt fine, but his thoughts were still a mess. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.
His gaze drifted toward the monster’s corpse. Blood covered the ground around it, and some of it had splashed onto his clothes. The smell told him that staying here was a bad idea.
If there were more monsters nearby, they would eventually be attracted by the scent. Alex pushed himself to his feet, intending to leave immediately. As he did, something caught his attention.
A white crystal orb had materialized beside the corpse.
Curious, he walked over and picked it up. The moment his fingers touched the orb, another notification appeared before him.
[Level 3 Gene Potential (Low Rank) found]
[Would you like to absorb it?]
Alex had no idea what Gene Potential was, but the phrase Low Rank immediately stood out. The Netherclaw Prowler had been far stronger than any human, yet it was apparently considered low rank species.
That realization was unsettling. If creatures like this were low rank, then how powerful were the higher-ranked species? Alex wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
After a moment of consideration, he selected yes. The monster was clearly stronger than a normal human. Absorbing its Gene Potential could only help him survive.
The orb melted into his body. A pleasant warmth spread through him, relaxing every muscle as it passed. Another notification appeared almost immediately.
[Your Species level has increased. Level 1 → Level 2]
[2 stat points gained]
Alex raised an eyebrow. So Gene Potential increased Species Level. That seemed straightforward enough.
However, a new question appeared. If the monster’s level determined the amount of Species level gained, then why did the System also care about Species rank enough to show it? There was obviously something important he was missing.
He decided to leave that mystery for later. Right now, understanding his status was more important. Taking a breath, he spoke aloud.
"Status."
A familiar blue screen appeared before him.
[Alex Mercer]
[Species: Human, Level 2 (Low Rank)]
[Rank: Initiate, Level 2]
[Class: Mage]
[Spells: Body Reinforcement Spell]
[Stats: Strength (6), Agility (5), Constitution (4), Mana (1), Mind (10)]
[Free Stats: 4]
[Talent: Spell Evolution]
[Physique: None]
[Rewards: Gold Reward Box (2)]
Alex had free stat points right now. According to the computer games, he should be able to increase his stats with them. What should he increase?
He went over what the stats should be about.
Strength likely represented physical power, Agility probably affected speed and reflexes, and Constitution seemed related to stamina and durability. Considering his old lifestyle, where he never worked out, having low Constitution wasn’t exactly surprising.
Mana was probably the fuel for spells. Mind affected mana control, as told by the Guide. Since he was a Mage, increasing one of those two stats seemed like the obvious choice.
However, he had no Spell. So, using free stat points for Mana or Mind was a waste—
’What?’
Alex noticed something strange. He had a spell.
His eyes narrowed as he selected it. He was fairly certain that spell hadn’t been there before.
A new window appeared.
[Body Reinforcement Spell, F rank, Level 1]
[Now you can strengthen your fingers, hand, or tongue. Oh, wait, you don’t need to strengthen your tongue. You are bitchless.]
[Effect: Can strengthen a body part.]
Alex stared at the description for several seconds. Then he read it again to make sure he hadn’t imagined it.
"Who is writing these descriptions?"
The spell description was ridiculous, but he ignored it and focused on the useful information. If the spell could strengthen parts of his body, it might become one of his greatest advantages.
’This must be how I could damage the monster. The System recognized what I did as a spell.’
Curious, he immediately tried to activate it.
A sharp pain shot through his heart. Alex nearly blacked out and stumbled forward, catching himself against the broken wall before he could collapse. He stood there for several seconds, breathing heavily while waiting for the dizziness to pass.
When the pain faded, he finally understood what had happened. He had exhausted his mana already. The failed attempt confirmed what he had already suspected. Mana was the fuel needed to use spells.
Strength and Agility were useful, but this spell could potentially provide the benefits of both. If he increased Mana, he would be able to use the spell more frequently and improve his chances of survival. Without hesitating, Alex allocated all four of his free stat points.
[Mana: 1 → 5]
A strange sensation spread through his chest. It felt as if an empty container had suddenly been filled.
He activated the spell again. This time, the Spell activated far more easily, almost as if someone was guiding his mana. A warm sensation traveled from his heart into his arm before settling in his hand.
Alex looked at his strengthened hand before gripping a damaged section of the wall beside him. The concrete crumbled beneath his fingers with a crunch, turning into dust that fell to the ground. He stared at the result for a moment in silence.
The spell was far stronger than he had expected. Satisfied, he deactivated it and shifted his attention to his rewards. There were still two Gold Reward Boxes.
At first, the second Gold Reward box confused him. Then he remembered the hidden quest notification and realized where it had come from. It was the reward for being the first person from Earth to kill a monster.
Alex scratched his head as he thought about it. There were countless people on Earth who were stronger, smarter, and more experienced in combat than him. He wasn’t a soldier, martial artist, or hidden genius.
After considering the situation, he arrived at a simple explanation. Most summoned humans probably hadn’t encountered monsters yet. Alex had simply been unlucky enough to wake up beside one and lucky enough to survive the encounter.
"...No, but seriously, what kind of luck do I have to meet a monster the moment I wake up? Am I playing on hell difficulty or something?" he grumbled.
Receiving no answer, Alex opened the reward boxes. Two treasure chests materialized. The lid of the first chest opened.
[Water Bottle (Trash Rank) Gained]
[Since you won’t use the No Shit Pill, just take this.]
[Effect: 2-liter water bottle to quench thirst.]
A plastic water bottle appeared near his feet as the Gold chest disappeared. Alex picked it up and examined it briefly. Even after everything he had experienced, watching objects materialize from thin air still felt strange.
Magic, technology, or something else entirely was the reason behind all of this. It didn’t really matter right now. Unscrewing the cap, Alex took a long drink. The cool water tasted sweet and refreshing. It immediately eased the dryness in his throat.
Alex felt reinvigorated. Considering his circumstances, this was actually a valuable reward. He set the bottle aside and focused on the second Gold chest. The lid slowly opened.
[Origin Spell Physique (SSS Rank) Orb gained]
[D-Don’t misunderstand! I am not giving this because I want to see how Spell Evolution works! Hmph!]
[Effect: +100% leveling speed of spells. Can gain enlightenment at random intervals to learn new spells.]
..
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