Vol.01: Ch.05: The Secret System: A Tale of Sibling Bonding and Survival

Darell fidgeted nervously as he prepared to confess to his sister, Lilith. He knew that his secret could either strengthen or weaken their relationship, but he had to come clean. With a deep breath, he uttered the words, "I have a system."

Lilith's reaction was not what Darell had anticipated. Instead of shouting or scolding him, she simply scoffed. This caught Darell off guard, and he nervously awaited her next words.

"Do I look like an idiot to you?" Lilith questioned, her tone serious. "How did you know what type of monster it was?"

Darell's eyes widened in surprise. "I swear I am speaking the truth," he insisted. "I can see the stats of beasts and people with my skill that I got from my system."

Lilith's expression became more solemn, and she narrowed her eyes. "If you're telling the truth," she warned, "then you should know that people will hunt you down to get that system."

Darell sighed heavily, knowing all too well the dangers of possessing such a valuable tool. "I know," he replied. "That's why I'm training harder than ever before. If I'm too weak, some greedy bastards won't hesitate to take my life for the system."

Lilith nodded in agreement, a fierce determination in her eyes. "Don't worry, brother," she vowed. "I'll train harder too so that I can beat those bastards who come after your life."

With those words, Lilith embraced Darell in a tight hug, and they stayed like that for several moments, each silently pledging to protect the other. Finally, they pulled away from each other and, with a nod, continued their training.

Determined to strengthen their skills and gain valuable resources, the siblings continued hunting rank 01 beasts. With precision and expertise, they eliminated several formidable creatures and obtained a bounty of rank 01 beast cores.

In this world, the value of beast cores was astronomical. Only the wealthiest and most influential individuals could afford the higher-ranked beast cores, which were essential for a variety of purposes. For instance, beast cores imbued with Light abilities could be used to power lamps, while Fire ability cores served as fuel in restaurants.

The ability to awaken innate abilities was an exceedingly rare trait among the populace. However, for those fortunate few who could harness this power, mastering their abilities opened up new avenues for growth. They began to practice rank 02 abilities, which were acquired through dedicated training and had never been seen as innate abilities before.

These rank 02 abilities were diverse and powerful, ranging from Dust to Magma to Mist. However, the road to acquiring these abilities was treacherous and grueling. Only an infinitesimally small portion of the population could hope to master the necessary innate abilities, let alone progress to rank 02 abilities.

With a swift and precise strike, Darell plunged his blade into the heart of the saber-toothed Ice tiger, a fearsome rank 02 beast. The creature let out a final roar before collapsing onto the ground.

Darell deftly removed the beast's core from its chest and passed it to Lilith. With a concentrated effort, she absorbed the energy within the core, her body briefly glowing with a faint aura.

"Why didn't you take Lynia's core? It had the same ability as you," Lilith inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"It wouldn't have been of any use to me. As I continue to level up, my mana reserves naturally increase," Darell explained, his eyes glinting with a steely determination.

"But what about that horn? Why did you take it?" Lilith pointed to the sizable horn in Darell's hand.

"I used my skill to assess it and found that it's a rare rank 03 object. I thought we could sell it at the Academy for a tidy profit," Darell replied matter-of-factly.

Lilith nodded thoughtfully but suddenly exclaimed, "Brother! Why don't you try absorbing the horn? It could provide some unexpected benefits."

As Darell absorbed the horn, he felt a jolt of energy coursing through his body. His eyes widened as he saw the horn glow in a brilliant golden light before vanishing. Symbols and words flashed before his eyes, and he felt a rush of power filling his body.

[DING!]

A notification sounded in his mind, and he quickly read the message.

[Congratulations]

[You have learned a new rank 03 skill - Nihility]

[Description - Allows the user to completely negate any attack below rank 04. Can be activated with other defensive skills. Consumption - 30 MP]

Excitement coursed through Darell as he shouted, "HOLY SHIT!"

Lilith looked at him, worried. "What happened?"

"I learned a new skill," Darell said, his eyes shining. "It's a rank 03 skill called Nihility. It allows me to completely negate any attack below rank 04."

Lilith's eyes widened in surprise. "That's incredible! Can you show me?"

Darell nodded and said, "Use your strongest offensive skill on me."

Lilith hesitated for a moment before summoning her rank 02 skill 'Ice Chains'. Several chains of ice shot out from the ground and covered Darell. He quickly activated his new skill, and his body became transparent, leaving only a grey outline of his figure.

Lilith shouted in disbelief, "What the hell is that?"

The chains went through Darell's body and came out the other side. Darell smiled and said, "That's the new skill I learned from the horn. It's called Nihility, and as you saw, it's a rank 03 spell."

Lilith pouted and said, "That's not fair. How come you learned a rank 03 skill, and I haven't learned any rank 03 spells yet?"

Darell chuckled and said, "If you want, we can try to find some rank 03 Ice beasts. But we have to be careful."

Lilith and Darell ventured deep into the icy terrain, hoping to find some high-ranking beasts to battle. They trekked for what seemed like an eternity until they stumbled upon an ominous cave, its dark entrance beckoning them inside. As they carefully approached the cave, they heard a faint sound that seemed to be coming from within.

Darell's face lit up as he whispered, "I think we've hit the jackpot! Let's check it out!" Lilith nodded in agreement, and they stealthily crept inside, their footsteps muffled by the icy ground.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, they suddenly came upon a sleeping Ice Serpent, its long, scaly body coiled protectively around a clutch of eggs. Darell couldn't contain his excitement as he whispered to Lilith, "We've stumbled upon a gold mine. We can kill the Ice serpent and snatch its eggs to sell them!"

But they knew it wouldn't be easy. They had to be careful not to wake the beast, or it would be the end for both of them. Lilith took a deep breath and used her skill 'Fog of Dread', shrouding the entire area in a thick, smoky mist that made it hard to see. The serpent stirred, sensing the disturbance, and quickly opened its eyes, enraged.

With a deafening roar, the serpent unleashed a barrage of icy spikes in all directions. Darell quickly used his newly learned skill, 'Nihility', to negate the attacks, while Lilith conjured an icy shield to block them. The two adventurers were quick on their feet, dodging and weaving between the flying projectiles.

Darell's eyes glinted with excitement as he checked the serpent's stats:

[Beast - Ice Serpent]

[Rank - 02]

[STR - 55]

[AGI - 66]

[VIT- 45]

[DEF - 62]

He then turned to Lilith and said, "Conjure an Ice sword and throw it to me when I say so."

Darell charged towards the beast, his body glowing with a faint golden light as he activated his 'Nihility' skill. He leaped high into the air and shouted, "NOW!"

Lilith quickly conjured an icy sword and hurled it towards Darell, who caught it mid-air and plunged it into the serpent's head. But the beast wasn't finished yet. It quickly covered itself with an icy shield, making it almost impenetrable.

Without wasting a moment, Darell unleashed a powerful punch, the impact causing the serpent to falter and struggle to get back up. Lilith then used her skill, 'Ice Chains', to hold it down, and conjured several icy spikes that pierced the beast's body in all directions. The serpent whimpered and struggled to get free, but it was too late. After a short while, it drew its last breath and its lifeless body lay on the ground.

Darell and Lilith sat by the entrance of the Ice Serpent's lair, taking a moment to catch their breaths. Adrenaline still coursed through their veins as they relished the thrill of the hunt. Darell had taken the Ice Serpent's core and stowed it away in his inventory with ease, thanks to his skill 'Space Arsenal.' Meanwhile, Lilith had managed to nab the serpent's eggs and passed them over to Darell to store away as well.

As they stepped out of the lair, Lilith raised her head to observe the sky. "The sun will be up soon. We should hurry back before anyone realizes we've gone missing," she said with a hint of urgency in her voice. They quickly made their way out of the forest and waited for the adventuring carriages to pass by. They found a carriage with an empty slot and slipped into it unnoticed.

Their hearts racing, they made their way back to the guild. Upon reaching the receptionist's desk, Darell handed over the Ice Serpent's beast core. The receptionist examined it and rewarded him with several scrolls. Darell handed them over to Lilith, saying "Here are some rank 02 Ice ability spells for you." Lilith was grateful and thanked him.

With their mission accomplished, they left the guild and sneaked onto a carriage heading towards Xena. Once they reached the town, they carefully made their way back to the mansion. Darell quickly made his way to his room, disposing of his clothes and taking a refreshing bath to rid himself of any evidence.

Finally, he sat down on his bed with a sly grin. 'Looks like it's time to check out the system shop,' he thought to himself.

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