A Safe Place

"Status Window"

The shimmering golden panel appeared, immediately revealing the new information displayed on its screen.

I was at Level 6 before I got assaulted by those pesky group of Demons.

Since I leveled up four times in the earlier mishap, the anticipation to see higher numbers rushed through me.

[STATUS INFORMATION]

- Name: Jeremy Lewis

- Level: 10 – Exp: 10.30

- Race: Human

- Job: None

- Age: 16 Years

- Sex: Male

- Height: 5" 3. – Weight: 115 pounds

- Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

- Karma Points: 100 – (G) Karma Points: 10

[Stats]

- HP: 600/600

- MP: - -

- Strength: 140

- Agility: 750

- Vitality: 600

- Intelligence: 1,600

- (G) Factor: 90

{Gift: [Subspace]}

- Items Equipped: None

- Allies: None

Skills Possessed: <1 >

[Status Condition]

<None >

[Additional Information]

A human with the last Gift. Possesses the interest of God.

[End Of Information]

I strictly observed the panel, and though the numbers had increased, I didn't feel satisfied with my growth.

"More… I need more…" I muttered.

In order to not experience what had just happened ever again, I had to be overwhelmingly strong.

Looking at the growth of my Status Information, I could only conclude that… Each [Stats] had its specific growth rate upon every level up.

I created a mental image in my head to picture the rate at which they developed.

For every [You Have Leveled Up]

<HP > increased by 50

<MP > was invalidated. For some reason, it didn't rise at all… Was it because I didn't have any magic-related Gift or Skill?

<Strength > increased by 10

<Agility > increased by 50

<Vitality > increased by 50

<Intelligence > increased by 150

I still didn't know what the (G) Factor meant, but it remained constant.

There were still many things I didn't understand, but there's no use dwelling on them now.

I decided to focus my attention on the things I could use at that point, if the others were useful, they would be revealed eventually.

"Skill Slot" I uttered.

Immediately, another Golden panel appeared by the side of my Status Window. It was a good thing no panel closed unless I willed it to.

[SKILLS]

- You Currently Possess 3 Skill Slots

• Slot 1 - <Claw Attack>

• Slot 2 – Empty

• Slot 3 – Empty

[Skill Slots Will Be Added As Your Level Increases]

I tapped on the only skill I currently have, wondering if more information would be displayed if I did so.

[Skill Information]

<Claw Attack>

Grade: 1 (Fixed)

Level:1 (Upgradable)

A skill obtained from the lesser Demon, 'Hell Kobold's Spawn'. It is a low leveled skill that hardens, sharpens, and elongates the fingernails of the host, making it a deadly weapon for combat.

[Currently Unavailable For Use Due To Cooldown]

Time Left Until Next Use: 3 Mins 51Secs

[End Of Information]

"Tch, what a useless Skill!" I spat.

I suppose you could only expect this much from a Grade 1 skill. I couldn't change its Grade, but it looked like I could upgrade its level.

Fortunately, I had more Demon Cores to do just that.

"[Subspace]"

Immediately, the blue window appeared on my left side, making it three windows displayed simultaneously.

<Hell Kobold Spawn's Demon Core (Lesser) x25>

I had gotten a number of them from my previous encounters.

The first 7 cores were from my initial attack on the Spawns. They were initially 8, but I had used one to obtain my current Skill.

I had killed 3 Hell Kobold Spawns with my Claw Attack, increasing the number of Cores to 10.

Using my 'Deep Freezer Crush', I had managed to kill off the remaining Hell Kobold Spawns that gathered atop me to feast.

This has given me an extra set of 15 Demon Cores.

"They should be enough" I muttered.

Bringing out the remaining Demon Cores, I made sure to have contact with every one of them.

As I did this, pings reverberated within me, and a system notification appeared.

[Hell Kobold Spawn's Demon Core x25 Equipped]

Perfect.

Since I was in the confines of that apartment, no one would be interrupting me.

I went back to the Skill page and tapped on the Level of my current skill.

<Claw Attack>

Grade: 1 (Fixed)

Level:1 (Upgradable)

Upon tapping on the Level, it displayed another tab, indicating the option of increasing my Skill's overall power.

<Claw Attack>

- Current Level: 1

[Demon Core Required For Level Up]

{Current Demon Core Equipped: 25}

[Select Level]

I smiled. Quickly tapping on the [Select Level] icon, I saw a few numbers available to me. However, the highest was 10. Looks like that's the max level.

This was no time to be frugal with my use of the Cores. I could always get more, plus, this was necessary for my survival.

I tapped on the Highest Level (10), and the golden window in front of me glowed.

[You Have Upgraded This Skill To Max Level]

{Total Number Of Demon Cores Extinguished: 9}

- Demon Core Left: 16

It was time to check the Skill Description again.

[Skill Information]

<Claw Attack>

Grade: 1 (Fixed)

Level: 10(Max)

A skill obtained from the lesser Demon, 'Hell Kobold's Spawn'. It is a low leveled skill that hardens, sharpens, and elongated the fingernails of the host, making it a deadly weapon for combat.

[Currently Maxed Out]

- All restrictions on this skill have been removed.

- Skill Duration Has Been Extended

'Cooldown Time' Has Been Shortened

[Current Skill Duration Period: 1 Hour]

[Current Skill Cooldown Time: 1 Minute]

This was bearable. At least I wouldn't need to hold out for very long to use the Skill again, plus it was useful since I could utilize it for a long period.

I still had 16 cores left. While I couldn't directly absorb them to Level Up, they were still going to come in handy… I'd return them to my [Subspace] for now.

After returning them, I gave a huge sigh and closed my eyes for a bit. I was exhausted.

It had been a really long day, with too many things happening in quick succession within a short period. But, it hadn't all been bad.

"There's still something I have to do…" I muttered, pushing away the drowsiness that enveloped me.

While I was certain I wouldn't be interrupted even if I slept then, it was not advisable for me to become relaxed.

"I'll rest after I'm done for today!"

I was too exhausted and spent to return outside and resume killing Demons, but there were still something I could do within this apartment.

"It's time to experiment even more!" I grinned.

I needed to test my level of strength, and compare my present stats to my previous one, contrasting the two where necessary.

My intelligence had also become quite high, it had become necessary to know how it worked.

"Who knows, I may even discover the hidden truth behind the (G) Factor and Karma point system"

These were all important, however… Something else would have to come first.

I looked around the living room I was in at that point. Even though the lights were off and the drapes shut, I could still see through the dimly lit room. Maybe it was due to my increased stats, but my vision was better than it was before.

It's because of that I realized.

"This was a nice apartment … Clean… Cozy…"

The owner probably went out to celebrate Christmas and never returned. Decorations of the season hung around the house and festive ornaments filled the room. Clearly, this person had been in a festive mood.

What an idiot.

But, this was just my luck!

"With such a wasteful person living here… I wonder how much useful stuff I can find in this lovely home" I grinned.