Growth

"Huu…" I heaved a deep sigh of relief as I summoned my freezer to serve as a barricade while Paul and I entered yet another unknown apartment.

As expected, the room was dark, but it posed no problem for me.

"Settle down…" I said, not paying much heed to the shivering underling behind me.

I sat on one of the sofas available in the parlor and rested my back on its soft surface.

"Haaa…"

I was feeling a little strained, but it was no issue for me. Despite how many Demons I had killed just a few moments ago, I barely felt exhausted.

After killing the horde of monsters, including the Hell Kobold Spawn (Adult), I had leveled up like crazy. Still, with my guard up, I had used my heightened senses to scan across the area for the presence of any Demon, no matter how minuscule.

These kinds of Demons usually move in large groups, but there were always exceptions to the rules, like the first one that attacked me. Using that logic, I refused to rule out the possibility of any extra Exp generator remaining on the first floor.

I had found only a few roaming about, and most of them were on the verge of dying due to their <Hunger > status.

Seeing how they writhed in pain as they growled at me, I had no choice but to put them out of their misery.

At least I could boldly say that I had performed a noble deed.

Seeing the [You Have Leveled Up] sign made the effort well worth it.

Clearing the first floor didn't take as much time as I'd thought, and I was certain I could proceed to the ground floor, but I didn't want to be overconfident in the tide of the battles which were now in my favor.

The last time I grew a little cocky… Things had ended badly…

Using this rationale, I decided to withdraw for the moment. Paul, without being told what to do, had already started picking up the Demon cores. Of course, they were too much for him to handle on his own, so I helped out.

Fetching the equipment I'd used in the onslaught we just experienced, I placed all valuables in my [Subspace].

"Hmmn… Strange…" I mumbled, noticing something different about the reaction of my Gift to the new Demon Cores.

[Alert!]

<Error! Can Not Place This Object In Compartment Due To Incompatibility>

No matter how hard I tried, it kept showing the same thing.

It took me some time, but I eventually realized that the Demon Cores I got from the (Soldiers) and (Adult), even though they were still of a 'Lesser' grade, were not in the same category as the ones from the regular 'Spawns'.

Even the glow and size appeared different. The (Soldier) Cores had a larger size and glowed brighter, while the (Adult) cores were even more massive, nearly the size of my fist.

"Interesting… Does this mean what I think?" I smiled in anticipation.

Since I had always kept spare slots, I stored the (Warrior) Cores in one compartment, and the (Adult) Cores in another.

After recovering everything, I scanned the hallway for any suitable place to stay.

My senses had reached a point where I could vaguely sense the condition of the apartments close by. From the smell to the sound, it had become a lot easier to pick more preferable places to rest.

"Let's use this place!" I said to Paul, who obediently nodded as he trailed behind me.

Now that we were here, and I finally had a chance to breathe easy, it was time to check my growth.

I'd been anticipating this.

"Status Window" I stated.

Like clockwork, the golden panel appeared before me, showing me much higher numbers than I expected.

[STATUS INFORMATION]

- Name: Jeremy Lewis

- Level: 39 - Exp: 79.91

- Race: Human - Job: None

- Age: 16 Years

- Sex: Male

- Height: 5" 3. – Weight: 115 pounds

- Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

- Karma Points: 100

- (G) Karma Points: 5

[Stats]

- HP: 2,000/2,000

- MP: - -

- Strength: 430

- Agility: 2,200

- Vitality: 2,050

- Intelligence: 5,950

- (G) Factor: 90

{Gift: [Subspace]}

- Items Equipped: None

- Allies: <1 >

~ Paul (Level 1)~

Skills Possessed: <1 >

[Status Condition]

<None >

[Additional Information]

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

[End Of Information]

"Holy shit!" I nearly exclaimed as I viewed the monstrous stats I had accumulated.

In this single hunt, I had leveled up more than my previous efforts combined.

This was insane, unbelievable!

No wonder the hunt felt much easier compared to the other times I had fought. Even when using the sword, every move I made, every swing of the blade… they all felt natural.

I smiled gleefully. Just as I wanted, I had reached another milestone.

"I've gotten stronger!"

Of course, I knew this wasn't the time to relax. Many things still bothered me. For example, I had killed nearly 200 Demons, including two much stronger species compared to the usual, yet I had only leveled up this much.

"My growth is slowing down, uh…"

Since that was the case, it wouldn't do me any good to waste any more time here than I had to.

From my peripheral vision, I could see Paul across the room. It looked like he wanted to say something, but was hesitant to.

I ignored him and focused on the more important matter at hand.

"[Subspace]" I muttered, seeing the blue window materialize before me.

I tapped on the two slots which contained my newly acquired Demon Cores from the new Demon subspecies.

If my guess was right, then…

The two kinds of Cores poured out, and I placed my hand on the two sides, the left containing several cores from the Hell Kobold Spawn(Soldiers), while the right had the single Demon Core from the Hell Kobold Spawn (Adult).

>ZZZZTTTZZZ<

I felt a sensation on my skin, similar to the first time I tried learning a skill from the Demon Cores. My body tingled indicating my sync with the items.

An icon appeared in front of me, just as I expected.

[Hell Kobold Spawn (Soldier) Demon Core Equipped]

[Hell Kobold Spawn (Adult) Demon Core Equipped]

[.]

Yes, now then… Show me what you can do!

{System Notice}

[Hell Kobold Spawn (Soldier) Skill 'Spike Attack' Available]

[Save Skill In Skill Slot?]

[Yes] [No]

[Hell Kobold Spawn (Adult) Skills 'Venomous Spike' and 'Venomous Claws' Available]

[Save Skill (Venomous Spike) In Skill Slot?]

[Yes] [No]

[Save Skill (Venomous Claws) In Skill Slot?]

[Yes] [No]

{End Of Information}

My eyes widened in anticipation as I witnessed three new Skills appear before me. Only one question appeared in my mind… Which do I choose?!