Chapter 5

 Ethan felt the soft sheets rumple under him as he turned on his back. His face contorted and his eyes fluttered open slowly, the light from the sharp brightness of the helium bulb above blinding him as he used his hand to shield his fragile eyes while they adjusted. 

His body felt light as he propped himself into a sitting position on the bed. It took a few seconds before his mind fully Synced with his body, then the memories flowed back into him. Then he remembered his triumph on his first quest.

As expected his injuries were all healed, it wasn't an easy victory but he made it. He called out for the system window internally and as commanded it popped up.

[Quest : slay the Nemean lion, completed]

[Calculating rewards…..]

He waited patiently and quietly for his rewards like a child on Christmas day waiting for his parents to give him the go ahead to open presents. 

[Calculation complete]

[Rewards 

Stat points 7

XP 1000

...]

As expected he got XP and stat points he could use to upgrade his attributes. 

[ Skill rewards 

Intimidation LV 1

Info: Active skill, when activated the target it is used on will feel immense fear. Can only be used on target that are on a lower level or on the same level as the user.

Berserk LV 1

Info: Active skill, once activated all stats will be boosted by 5 for 1 minute. 2 hour cool down 

Brawl LV 1:

Info: Unleash a flurry of punches, kicks, and grappling moves to take down enemies up close. Increases melee damage output, stun chance, and armor penetration for a short duration. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

Dash LV 1]

Info: active skill. Increases speed by 5 for 1 minute. Cooldown 5 minutes.

"Whoa, that's a lot of new skill?" He said with glee, "intimation huh? That's the same skill the lion had. That means I can acquire skills for kills". The skills looked promising, he expected nothing less from a foe that ferocious, the rewards seem adequate to the troubles he faced on the quest.

[You have acquired a title]

"A title? I wonder what that's about, maybe some kind of nickname or something?" He pondered.

[Title: Slayer]

"Info" he called out.

[While this title is active user are able to gain 0.1 HP on every attack user deals an enemy, you also get 1 critical hit in 20 strikes]

Ethan couldn't believe his eyes. Everything felt too good to be true, amazing stats, extraordinary skill and boosts. His life was changing so fast it was hard for him to keep up. He couldn't wait to test out all his new skills. And looking at the quest window, he would have ample opportunities to do so.

He wasn't finished receiving the rewards. Apart from the stat points, new skills and title, he also received a few items.

[ Lions hide: D+ rank item

Durability+15, 

Cold resistance +10

Attack 0

Lions fang dagger: C rank item

Attack 7 ,

Critical hit 5% ]

Durability 5

The items were added to a new tab on the system window labeled "inventory". "Hmmm, this seems very intriguing". Before he could even ask, the system popped up a notice.

[User can summon items from inventory by using command "summon" then item name]

"Well, let's give it a shot. Summon lion fang dagger" he said and immediately the weapon appeared in his hand at the blink of an eye. Ethan's eyes glistened as he gazed at the dagger in his hand. It was a nine inch dagger with a refined leather hilt and a curved blade that looked very sharp and refined. 

He waved it around a bit and noticed it was very light. He didn't have much proficiency with weapons but he better he could learn. "This looks like high tier equipment that the EDC produces." He said then he returned the dagger back to the inventory. He had received all his rewards and all that was left was to distribute the points to his stats.

[Xp 40\400

Host: Ethan Grayson LV 7

Hp 110\110

Strength 16

Agility 7

Durability 10

Speed 8

Intelligence 10

Stamina 8

Mental fortitude 7

Deaths 1

Seeing his stats, Ethan's jaw dropped. Although he thought his stats would level up only when he added points to them, he didn't know there was also another way to do it. 

[Upon each level up , all stats will increase by 1]

"I should have guessed so. I knew something was off with my stats during the quest". He said internally.

He placed his fist under his chin and tilted his head as he went deep in thought. " The fact that I'm getting stronger this fast is all cool and all but I feel like this is kinda cheating". "Oh well, I guess I'll just go with it" he said,dismissing the thought then proceeded to add the points to his stats.

"Ok, so…. I only have 7 points and my strength, durability and intelligence are in double digits, I'll just balance out the rest." Then he added the points 

[Agility 7+3=10

Speed 8+2=10

Stamina 8+2=10]

"Well that takes care of that. I have to admit this system thing is way cooler than I thought," he grinned. "Now that I've gotten stronger, I should be able to join the special forces". His mood suddenly took a swing and his eyes dulled. "If only my parents could see me now", he missed them everyday. There was always something that reminded him of how alone he was in this world. He wiped the tear in his eyes with his sleeve. He loathed himself everyday. 

He reminded he had more quest he needed to complete. "Quests' ' he called out and the quests displayed.

[12 labors of Hercules]

[ Labor 1: slay the Nemean Lion 

Status: complete]

[Labor 2 : slay the lernaean hydra]

...…

Ethan wanted to start the next labor immediately, after all his wounds had healed and he had gotten stronger and felt he now had experience in slaying a beast. But even if he wanted to he couldn't.

[Time till next labor: 47:15:06]

"A timer? Like last time. I guess I'll just have to wait." He said feeling bummed. He felt his back starting to ache. He'd been on the bed for a while and decided to take a walk and stretch his legs. He slid out of bed and put his bare feet on the cold, tiled ground.

He stood and took a long satisfying stretch. His body felt as light as a feather. He stared at the ceiling which looked lower than usual. Maybe it was just in his head, he thought. He walked out of the ward and entered a long, brightly lit hallway. It was a big hospital and he didn't know his way around but that's what made it an adventure.

As he walked down the hall on his exploring, he met nurses, doctors and other non-workers in the hospital. He couldn't really understand why, but they all stared at him as he passed by. He started wondering if he had something on his face and felt quite uncomfortable. 

He approached a young female nurse and asked her where the restroom was, she gave him the directions, "I could show you the way if you want", she said, her voice sounding a bit shaky and her face turning was reddish, "I can manage" Ethan said awkwardly and he walked away as quick as possible.

He arrived at the restroom and there was no one there. He felt pressed and went over to ease himself. "That lady was acting weird, I wonder why" he pondered a

s he finished up and went to wash his hands. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw his reflection. He couldn't even recognize himself.