"This is strange, it didn't even bleed."
Raven took a deep breath and calmed his breathing a little, then noticed that his hands were slightly trembling.
But he knew deep inside that this trembling wasn't from fear or anything like that.
No, he had long surpassed the fear of fighting.
This was excitement; his hands were trembling from excitement for something they had once been used to in the past.
Something that had been present every day of his life years ago.
And without even realizing it, his lips had already curved into a faint smile that disappeared once his breathing returned to normal.
"Man, I missed this."
He heard Mor's broken voice inside his head, happy about the fight that had just happened, which was rare, as Mor seldom expressed emotions—battle was one of the few things that made him feel alive.
"And I didn't miss it at all."
"Hahaha, lie to yourself with those words, but your body already betrayed you."
And so, silence filled the air for a moment as both of them stopped talking.
Out of nowhere, before Raven's eyes appeared the transparent blue screen that still felt a little strange to him.
[You have killed a first-class monster!]
[You have gained experience]
[Your level has increased!]
[You have gained 5 potential points!]
[You have gained 1 skill point!]
[A new skill has been registered: Swordsmanship Level 1]
Many pop-up windows appeared in front of his face at once; he read them all, and after understanding them, he closed them.
"Each level gives me five potential points and one skill point. I guess that's good?"
And since there was no guide or anyone to tell him the value of these points, he decided to do the only thing he could.
He opened his personal status window and found a + sign beside the statistics, so he decided to add one point to the Exilis, which was at zero.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the number on the screen changed from zero to one.
At first, he didn't notice any difference, which made him feel like he had wasted a point for nothing.
However, after a few moments, he felt a strange warmth rising in the middle of his chest.
It wasn't a burning heat but rather a comforting warmth, like when you drink something warm.
The warmth lasted for several moments before fading away, and in the place it had disappeared from, Raven felt something strange inside his chest—something that hadn't been there before.
[One of the sealed personal traits has been activated: Heart &#@&]
[Heart &#@&: Doubles the user's existing Exilis]
Crack!
As if chains that had been binding him suddenly broke, he felt a wave of strange energy surge throughout his entire body.
This energy made him feel as if he could do anything at that moment.
After several moments, his state returned to normal, and his mind regained its clarity.
"Phew, this Exilis is definitely something incredible, like the magic I've seen in movies. And this personal trait that just unlocked—where did it come from? And why is its name unclear?"
Many questions filled his mind, but unfortunately, he had no answers for any of them.
So he turned his gaze toward his personal status window and read his current stats.
[
Name: Rave (Mor)
Age: 28
Level: 2
Exilis: (20)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Potentials :-
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Endurance: 10
Exilis: 1
Potential Points: 4
-----------------------------------------------------------
Skills :-
Swordsmanship: Level (1/1)
Skill Points: 1
-----------------------------------------------------------
Personal Traits:
{Patience}
{Genius}
{Plunder}
{Heart &#@&}
{Locked}
{Locked}
{Locked}
]
"Hey! Watch behind you."
While he was busy reading, he heard Mor's voice in his mind warning him, which made him instantly close the window and look behind him, tightening his grip on the sword.
From between the tall trees, two figures walked out, holding worn-out swords, and in the place of their eye sockets were glowing blue flames watching Raven eagerly.
"Waaaaaahhhhhh!!!!"
An annoying screech-like sound came from the two monsters as they began running toward Raven at full speed, waving their swords wildly like madmen.
Raven took a deep breath and adjusted his stance, holding his sword before him, ready for the incoming attack.
When they got close enough, the monsters cleverly changed the direction of their strikes.
They swung their swords toward his right waist and head, making it hard for him to defend, so he jumped backward several steps, avoiding the attack.
Clang!
"Phew…"
The monsters' attacks hit nothing but air, and that seemed to anger them as they started moving separately.
One attacked him from the front, while the other circled around to strike from behind.
But Raven saw an opening in their movement and took the initiative, attacking the one in front of him.
Whoosh!
His sword easily sliced through the monster's neck, separating its head from its body and sending it crashing to the ground.
Thud!
But it wasn't over yet—he turned his back to the dead monster and looked at the other one right behind him, its sword raised high, aiming for his head.
Before the monster's strike could land, Raven had already moved his sword, blocking the incoming blow from above.
Clang!
The swords collided, sparks flying to the side.
The monster tried to press Raven down, but its strength was inferior.
Raven pushed its sword away and pierced through its armor, landing a direct strike to its heart.
However, contrary to his expectations, the monster didn't stop moving—it raised its arm and tried to grab Raven's face.
Raven pulled his sword out of the monster's chest and retreated several steps, eyes filled with confusion.
"What's going on? I stabbed it in the heart and it didn't die."
Then he remembered how he had killed the previous monsters—each time, his strikes had hit the head.
"I think I understand how to kill them now."
He focused on the monster with the large hole where its heart should've been, tightening his grip on the sword and stepping his right foot slightly back.
"Waaaaaahhhh!!!"
The monster screamed in rage from being stabbed in the heart and charged madly toward Raven.
Whooosh!!!!
But unfortunately for the monster, Raven didn't give it a chance to move—he lunged forward, and with a swift swing of his sword, he severed its head from its body.
Clang!
"That was a little too easy."