Questions

The power granted him significantly more stamina than Rama had before. As a result, he could feel that his body's limits had greatly expanded. Even after completing all the repetitions to increase his Strength stat, Rama still didn't feel exhausted.

He was now in the sideyard of that old building. This building had few inhabitants, which was also the reason his landlady was so fierce about collecting rent.

Because the place was quite deserted, Rama could comfortably train here on his own. Although it was just a field with damaged concrete in some parts, it was sufficient for Rama.

He didn't even bother to clear the fallen dry leaves around him because he was too excited to follow the exercise regimen given by his power. Rama was slightly bothered by it, but he would clean up the dry leaves and trash later.

For now, he had enough space to do the exercises. The exercises looked quite detailed as if he had a personal trainer.

Rama was panting, his shirtless body glistening with sweat under the scorching midday sun.

< Strength +5! >

As he saw the words floating in his vision, Rama felt some of the fatigue he had experienced earlier disappear. He smiled, sensing a slight change in his body.

He grabbed the bottled water he had prepared on the edge of the field, drank it, and then continued his exercises.

Time passed, and eventually, Rama completed all of his exercises as the day turned to evening. The sun had descended much lower than when he had started this exercise. His Strength, Stamina, and Agility stats had each increased by 5 points. Rama could feel the changes in his body, and he smiled with satisfaction.

Suddenly, his stomach rumbled. After the exercise, it was only natural that he would feel hungry, especially since he hadn't eaten lunch.

Rama quickly headed to his basement, took a shower, and then went out to find some food.

~~~

Alysia sighed with a frustrated expression. She crushed a coffee can in her hand and tossed it into the trash.

"Where is he?"

Alysia still hadn't found any trace of Rama after searching for hours. The sun was now setting, but she had found no clues about his whereabouts except that he often took porter missions at the Veil Guards guild.

Feeling frustrated, Alysia decided to go to the fast-food restaurant conveniently located in front of her.

She ordered a burger and took it outside, intending to continue her search for Rama. However, she didn't expect that the person she had been searching for would walk straight to her.

Rama was wearing a worn-out black hoodie and seemed in a hurry. He didn't even notice her at the entrance and walked straight into the fast-food restaurant.

Alysia snorted. 'Guess you can't predict fate.'

After getting the burger she had been craving – Rama bought two for himself – he left the restaurant with a smile on his face.

Rama opened his burger and was about to take a bite when a familiar voice made him turn.

"You looked really hungry. You didn't even notice me."

Rama frowned, wondering what the girl was doing here.

"O-Oh, hey..." Rama said. "What are you doing here?"

"Why? Not happy to see me here?" Alysia replied with a faint smile.

"What? No," Rama said. "I'm just asking. Ah, whatever."

He began to walk and took a bite of his burger. The first bite, after the torturous hunger he had endured, was so enjoyable that Rama closed his eyes as he chewed.

Alysia followed him, grimacing at his expression. "Is it really that good?"

Rama nodded with his mouth full.

Alysia chuckled as she saw his expression. "We need to talk," she said next.

Rama looked at her with a questioning expression, still chewing.

Understanding the meaning behind his look, Alysia continued. "I need to ask you in detail about what happened back there. I didn't see it because I got knocked out, so I need to know how you killed that Ghost."

*cough!*

Hearing that, Rama choked. Alysia took another can of coffee from her pocket and handed it to Rama. He gratefully accepted the coffee and took a sip.

"You also managed to kill the giant wolf-shaped Ghost, so you should know how I killed the other one," Rama said after drinking the coffee.

"Yes. But I know that the Ghost with the appearance of a muscular man with a chained scythe and spiked ball was stronger than the wolf," Alysia said. "And you could kill it by yourself."

'Well, I didn't kill him, actually.' Rama turned his face away, avoiding Alysia's gaze. It's true that he could have killed the Specter Behemoth by himself. But after he defeated it, there were things that happened that he couldn't tell her.

Rama wondered how he should answer Alysia's question. It wasn't an easy thing to do because Alysia had realized that he had enough strength to defeat the Specter Behemoth, but he couldn't use magic. He didn't know what answer to give her, except that he had turned into a chubby giant Ghost.

"I got lucky," Rama said curtly.

"How?"

"I, uhh... I could move fast enough to avoid the Ghost's attacks. Then I took the opportunity to land a fatal blow on it," Rama said, looking in another direction. "I can't tell you all the details. That fight was chaotic."

Alysia nodded in understanding. "I thought so."

Rama secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I want to know what sword technique you have."

"Oh, it's something called Rookie Slash," Rama replied casually, chewing the remaining half of his burger.

Alysia furrowed her brow upon hearing his answer. "What did you say?"

"Rookie Slash."

Alysia was dumbfounded. There's no way he could have killed that giant Ghost with just a rookie technique.

"What about your magical affinity? What element do you use?"

Rama started to feel suspicious. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

"I just-"

"Are you still alive?!"

Rama and Alysia both turned simultaneously upon hearing that voice. As soon as they saw him, Rama's expression changed.

Donovan, accompanied by Alexa, stood in front of them, about to enter a nightclub.

~~~