4 Chapter 4
-[Kenneth]-
Though he was excited to finally be able to raise his stats, he first drove to an empty parking lot. On the way there, he had figured out how he was going to distribute his points.
Under normal circumstances, he'd have put a point in each to know how they work but the meager 3 points he got per level up wouldn't allow him to feel comfortable with that.
He only had one mana related skill and it barely took anything from his reserves, marking Intelligence out for now.
Strength was more complicated. Even with Power Strike, he wasn't even able to knock out a weak EVO. There were EVOs and aliens that were strength oriented. He wouldn't be able to match them unless he planned on solely spending his points on Strength, which wasn't something he could afford to do at this time.
That left three; Agility, Vitality and Perception.
Of the three, Agility and Perception were the only two he'd be able physically measure the change rather than just watch a rise in HP numbers.
That left just Agility and Perception.
He would have liked to have balanced stats all round but he'd have to focus on one or two stats each time until they got to a certain level before moving to the next one.
Getting out of the car, he stretched a bit before moving to one end of the parking lot. Releasing a deliberately deep breath, he took off towards the other end of the parking lot. He repeated it, going back to the other side.
'Okay, now let's see the difference.' He thought as he added 3 points to Agility.
His eyes widened as he just barely felt the slight tightening of the muscles in his body. It was very brief and had he not been attentive, he would have missed it.
Taking his place where he started the first time, he took off once again, his surprise visible on his face as he felt the difference. He returned to his starting line faster than before.
He was tempted to dump the rest in Agility to see how much faster he could go but he stopped himself.
'I should have timed myself before and after I added the points.' He thought with a tired sigh.
Though the increase in speed wasn't small, it wasn't groundbreaking either. 'Moving on.'
He thought about raising Perception one at a time but there was a chance that he wouldn't feel it if he did it that slowly. Instead, he decided to put the remaining 3 points at once to know how much of a difference it was.
Upon assigning the points, he felt the shift almost instantly. He felt the ability of the sensory organs increase.
Sight, smell, touch, hearing and the rest. They suddenly spiked and the difference was very visible.
Vision-wise, he felt like he'd been wearing wrongly prescribed glasses up until now. 'It's really amazing.' He thought in amazement.
He was even more motivated to level up than before after feeling the effects of his increased stats.
•••
Despite what his mother said, he spent the night in the car. Though he had enough money to spend the night in a motel, he wanted to save as much of it as he could for the moment.
He'd have to visit a motel later today, there was only so long he could go without a shower if he didn't want to stink.
He was currently seated in a cafe to get breakfast. His increased Perception stat shone as the guy in the seat behind him began whispering to his companions.
"I can't believe they can even call that freak a hero. He's just a filthy EVO." He could hear the hate dripping off the guy's voice.
"Keep it down Trey. Someone could hear you." One of the aforementioned Trey's companions said in a scolding manner.
"Why should I be afraid of someone hearing me? It's not like they can't see it. They're just too scared to admit the truth." Trey spat out.
Despite the venom in his words, he kept his voice low as he ranted.
Kenneth knew that there were some people who hated EVOs but it was his first time seeing…hearing it in person.
"As much as I agree with you, we can't draw attention to ourselves. We just have to be patient. Very soon, we will be able to kill these filthy EVOs ourselves." Their final companion said.
'Sure. That doesn't sound ominous at all.' Kenneth thought as he listened in on their conversation.
"You're right. Once we get those bad boys, no EVO will be able to taint our city." Trey declared under his breath.
Listening to them, Kenneth showed no visible reaction but his mind was racing about a few things.
From the sounds of it, it was clear they had something that would be able to kill EVOs or at least they were going to have it.
'I guess I've got my agenda for the day.' He thought as he got up to pay for his meal before leaving the cafe.
He got into his car which was parked just outside and began drinking his cup of coffee.
-[Harmful Substance Detected!]
-[Eliminating Substance!]
-[Elimination Complete!]
'Well there goes my caffeine.' He thought in exasperation. 'I'm guessing this means I can't get drunk either.'
He didn't have to wait long as the three men who sat at the table behind him in the cafe exited the building.
He waited for them to get some distance before discreetly driving after them.
He had three objectives at the moment, the first being to find out whatever it was that they were planning to use against EVOs. The second objective was to take said weapon for himself. The third but not the least was to find out who was manufacturing and or selling them.
•••
As he followed them, he noticed how the streets began to look more and more empty. If he continued any further with the car, he risked blowing his cover.
With a peeved look, he exited and locked the car. He was about to continue on foot when he paused for a moment before looking around.
Whether it was because it was still early in the morning or something else entirely, he could count the number of people on the street on one hand, himself included!
Making sure no one was watching, he placed his hand on the car. 'Please work.' He practically begged just as the car vanished into thin air.
He almost pumped his fist in excitement when he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He'd been wondering whether his car was too big to stash in his inventory but hadn't tried it yet.
He didn't believe the car could survive the damage from a fight with an EVO or alien nor did he know someone who could upgrade the vehicle.
Glad that it worked, he discreetly followed them, keeping his distance.
-[Skill Gained 'Stealth']
'Oh joy.' He thought sarcastically
The trio reached what looked to be a warehouse, cautiously looking around to make sure they weren't being followed.
They were unsuccessful in that regard as they were unaware of Kenneth who watched them enter the warehouse.
Frowning, he waited a full minute before going to the entrance. Upon entering, he found himself shocked.
In the large warehouse were a large number of people gathered together and if his guess was correct, they all hated EVOs.
Even with all the noise from the chattering adults and late teens, none of that was what took his attention.
It was a banner that hung from the ceiling, showing a two-colored shield with crossed 'bones' under it. It took him a moment but he quickly recognized why the banner felt so familiar.
'The Forever Knights!'
