10 Chapter 10 - Status Window

"What did he say?"

Sasaki Seiji scratched his head as he looked at Claire's direction.

"It's something about system thing." Claire replied.

"Huh? Wait, let me ask him—" before Seiji could stand up, Jin Hyoon shook her head by the side and said, "He's fast asleep."

"Tsk, captain it is." Seiji clicked his tongue and leaned back.

"We can't blame him, he suffered severe injuries. I'm a bit guilty trying to blame him earlier," Hyoon lowered her head in shame, "But I can't help it, he said he knew about this world."

"Familiar, not knew. How is it possible for him to know about this world? I guess he probably read about it from fantasy novels or have played games," Seiji said in mocking tone as he added, "In fact I'm also familiar with a world like this, I've designed a lot of RPG games."

"Anyways, you said he mentioned about system. It's probably about system window. Wait let me try."

Seiji immediately widened his eyes as soon as he saw the status window appeared in front of him.

"What is it?" Claire asked as she noticed Seiji's shocked expression.

"Try thinking about the word status in your mind, you'll see what I see."

Hearing this, Li Jing and Dmitri leaned forward curiously. When they saw Claire's strange expression, they immediately did the same thing.

"Amazing, it even has information about my characteristics and how I died—" Jin Hyoon suddenly covered her mouth in fluster.

"What's this unique skill?" Li Jing asked as she blushed, her pale face reddened like a ripened tomato when she read something embarrassing.

"Unique skill... If I am correct, these skills are, as its name implies, unique, meaning there's nothing like it. But..." Seiji scratched his hair as he added in consternation, "Whoever designed this game is an amateur, there's no description on the skills under the category of unique skills."

Dmitri by the side waved his knife from left to right as he sat, he made a thrusting motion then retracted it swiftly as he nodded coldly, seemingly lost on thought.

Suddenly, Dmitri's stomach growled as the rest of group gave him odd stares. The tip of his nose reddened as he glared at them and took out a loaf bread and devoured it one go. He drank from his bottled water, gulped down a quarter of it, stood up, and lie down near a wall.

Seeing this, Jin Hyoon couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"We should also eat."

"Yeah," Seiji nodded as he took out a loaf bread and asked, "What do you think about the people who left the hall but didn't get any food?"

"Rations are very important, considering captain said that there is a constraint or condition placed within us. Hmm, something like increasing our susceptibility to hunger. Which basically means our digestive system is on overdrive, I'm not sure," Claire glanced at the blocked entrance and continued, "But having no ration means it is possible for them to get crazily starved, it's just a matter of time."

Jin Hyoon furrowed her brows and muttered, "I heard he asked Rheena if she received the same rewards as we did..."

Perhaps mentioning the young girl who was brutally killed, which the group clearly was trying to avoid mentioning, her voiced couldn't help but trailed off as the rest suddenly went silent.

Seiji who was oblivious to it went "aha" as he said, "I clearly heard that she didn't receive any food, else captain wouldn't give her food. I guess he's pretty useful after all. Because that means that we're the only one having it easy. Think about..."

Jin Hyoon cut him short as she interjected as though she realized something, "... About the people who didn't decide to leave the hall that wouldn't get the First Privilege Reward. They wouldn't have any foods at all, add that to being pursued by several hounds, they'd be in a worse situation than us. I see, so captain gave us the opportunity to be ahead of them!"

When Jin Hyoon scanned the group she found Li Jing was already fast asleep.

While Claire at the side was nodding at her, "See, that's why we shouldn't blame him. Of course he made a mistake, but he already paid for it. It's not like, just because he's the leader, he's responsible for everything. We have our own mind to think for ourselves, and we've agreed to join him voluntarily."

Claire lowered her head as a brief guilt flashed in her eyes while clenching a pouch in her hand.

She stood up as she sat near the entrance, "It'll be my first turn, get some rest now."

Seiji lied down on a flat surface uncomfortably while cursing as Jin Hyoon walked towards Claire.

"Before I sleep, would you mind me asking? How did you end up here, how did you die? You seemed capable, intelligent, and successful."

Claire brushed off her blonde hair covering half of her face, her oceanic blue eyes stared at Jin Hyoon for a moment as she answered flatly, "Shit happens."

"Pardon?" Jin Hyoon asked dazedly, apparently caught off guard by her remark.

"Just go to sleep. The night is long. I'll take captain's turn so the more you rested, the more I can be assured you wouldn't fall asleep while guarding tonight. I don't wanna wake up missing an—" Claire stopped short when she was about to utter "arm" but immediately changed it with "ear," even though it doesn't make any sense.

"Okay, I'll just lie down near here, just give me a nudge." Jin Hyoon lie down sideways as she softly muttered, "Isn't this like living my dream, hiking and camping?"

Meanwhile, Jeemin who was behind a boulder, far away from the entrance, veiled by a shadow, opened his eyes.

'Haaa.'

Liu Jeemin lifted his head up in a daze, before regaining focus. He scoffed at himself as he said, "'Gave you opportunity'? It's pure luck that we were rewarded food. If you didn't discovered the cave, I would have ended up as a food, and I would be responsible for all of your deaths."

He sighed depressingly.

Then he furrowed his brows, lost in thought.

A strange skill just activated beyond my control...

A skill on that magnitude that can read people's memories, even though it can only grasp fragments of it, is highly unlikely a passive skill.

Passive skills are a type of skill that either amplifies active skills or are always active(on) skills without the user needing to actually 'act' on using it.

Moreover, if the general information he had from the varieties of novels he have read are true, then memory-reading related skills are not unique, and are something that everyone can learn and use.

Soul search, to think that I have such an insidious skill.

In normal occasion, he would be incredibly happy at this discovery, but now, he actually felt even more depress, knowing that that skill was used on Rheena's soul.

His guilt deepened when he remembered what he saw earlier, considering soul search is generally harmful towards a soul.

Is revival allowed in this world? I have to find ways to revive her. It should be possible in this fantasy like world, right?

He clenched his fist as his nails dug on his palm.

Not only he had no idea what laws does this world has, his grasp on the nature of the system is still minute.

He wiped his silvery tears and stared at the empty air in front of him for a moment.

He noticed that the cave was strangely bright. It seems that the rocks and gems scattered everywhere the cave serves as the source of light illuminating the things around them.

[Status Window]

Name: Liu Jeemin, ???

Titles: None, ???

General information

Current state: Struck with minor injuries, loss of limb, excessive blood loss. (Recommended to rest)

Physical: 62kg/167.3cm

Cause of Transmigration: Suicide, ???

Mark: g, ???

Level 0

Class: None, ???

Talent: Average

Skills:

A. Unique skills:

~Resonance

B. Acquired skills:

None

Personality:

-Inconsistent (Does not have fixed traits)

-Confused

-Delusional(Imitating other traits)

-Projection(Tries to present how he think of himself)

Mental level:

-Weak-willed (gives up easily)

-Depress(not enough desire to live)

-Logical(thinks reasonably)

-Impostor Syndrome(fear of being exposed as fraud; gaining success though hardwork and luck is not interpreted as matter of true, personal ability)

Overall Stats:

Power: 1(0%)

Agility: 1(0%)

Defense: 1(0%)

Stamina: Low

Mana: None

Universal Points: 0

He felt dizzy reading the barrage of information in front of him, add that to his lightheadedness from losing too much blood, his eyelids struggled to hung open. He then decided to just examine it tomorrow.

At least he was able to inform the rest of the group first about the status window.

Consumed by drowsiness, he glanced at Rheena's body briefly before he fell asleep.

Claire, who was observing Jeemin from the blocked entrance frowned when she heard Seiji's elephant-like snore.

Dmitri jolted awake and picked up a pebble near him and threw it towards Seiji's direction. The pebble almost went inside Seiji's mouth as Claire prepared to jump in a moment if Seiji accidentally choke on the pebble Dmitri threw.

Luckily, it only hit his face as he groaned and covered his face with his arm. Not only that, he also stopped snoring but showed no indication of waking up.

When Claire was about to scold Dmitri, he was already fast asleep while sucking on his thumb.

She could only shake her head in helplessness.

*

"What the hell."

Cipriani Markez gasp for breath as he ran like a dog after falling into the Forest of Labyrinth from the hall.

"You useless priest, why not just get yourself eaten and slow them down. You'd be saving us, the heavens will surely reward you for that."

He vented at the priest grabbing a hold of his coat as if it was the priest's last life's support in life.

"The God guided me to you!"

"What in the bull is that?!"

"Ahh God dammit! Rock, try throwing me some tree's branch."

"Yes boss! Boss, it's getting dark, where are we heading?"

"Do you I think I have any idea about this place?!"

The dusk started to creep in the sky as the hounds chasing after them slowly dwindle down in numbers.

Noticing this change, Cipriani Markez slowed down and scanned some trees with lower, climbable branches.

"There!"

As he slapped the hand of the priest holding his coat, he climbed on the tree nimbly.

I hope these hounds can't climb.

As soon as he arrived at the top of the tree he immediately shouted, "Rock, crouch down!"

Hearing that, Rock abruptly crouched down and narrowly avoided a huge hound pouncing behind him.

"Boss, ahh, you've already found a tree's branch?"

"Quick moron, I ended up finding one, climb on the other side."

Cipriani Markez's heart was pounding because Rock wasn't even aware he just avoided death.

"What about the priest boss? This branch here can hold two people."

Rock asked as he climbed atop the tree like a monkey.

"Go lend him a hand."

Cipriani sighed at the sight of the priest praying in front of the huge hound heading towards him.

"Hey, Mr.Priest, grab a hold of Rock's hand, praying will only get you eaten."

The priest seemed to be waiting for such words as he quickly move like a fox as he grab a hold of Rock's arm pulling him up while his priest's robe got bitten by the hound.

"Ahh!"

While watching the tug of war, Cipriani Markez took out a matchbox and lit a stick on fire, shocked by how strong the fire emanating from the matchstick, he almost dropped it down.

Hope this works.

"You owe me one you damned priest!"

He yelled as he threw the lit matchstick towards the hound playing a tug of war with Rock while the priest served as their rope.

He could only wryly smile as he saw Rock grinning atop the branch, seeming to enjoy the tug of war.

After the lit matchstick hit the hound and burned its fur on its face, it whimpered and loosen its hold on the priest's robe, causing Rock to finally pull him up.

The hound's eye menacingly looked at Cipriani Markez like it was etching the face of the man who prevented it from having a delicious meal.

"Y..o...u f.o..o...d."

After growling and uttering almost incoherent words, it immediately left like it was afraid of something.

"Boss, you heard that?! The dog spoke!"

Cipriani Markez looked at the receding figure of the strange hound as the darkness completely swallowed the sky.

Interesting, worthy of becoming my pet.

He licked his lips and disappointedly glance at the spot where the hound spoke.

[The Watcher Prophet is thanking you for saving the priest]

[You received 750 credits from the Prophet]

[100 credits has been deducted due to the Adaptation Zone's policy]

What's this?

[Tutorial Shop is now available, would you like to purchase items?]

His eyes narrowed as he received weird messages inside his mind.

Hahaha, what an interesting world, there's even the concept of money.

His lips curled up at that, what he considered, as an incredible discovery.