Chapter 34 - Bloody Reaper

Among all the titles, the one that seemed best suited to me was self-explanatory. I mean, [Indomitable Warrior] and [Furious Berserker] were good titles, and honestly, one of those would have been my choice if it weren't for the last title here. Reading the title, it became clear that it was made specifically for someone with a rune like mine. After all, it's impossible to truly comprehend death without experiencing it at least once.

After pondering all these thoughts, keeping a slight smile on my lips, I didn't hesitate to select my title. In fact, from the start, it felt like the system was guiding me to the paths I should follow. Not necessarily through explicit messages, but because it seemed to know that I would choose the best path, and the best was always linked to my rune.

[Warning: the chosen title is (EXCLUSIVE). By selecting it, the next rewards will be centered around it. Are you sure you want to proceed?]

Although the message was there, presumably to make me think better about my choice, it only reinforced my conviction in selecting this title. After all, the emphasis on the exclusivity suggested by the message could only mean one thing: this title was truly strong. At least, that's how I interpreted it.

I honestly didn't see any reason to refuse the title, so I simply accepted it. As soon as I did, I opened my status screen to view all my statistics, now including my new title.

Name: Noah Jade []

Level: 27

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Title: Blood Reaper

Primary Class: N/A

Secondary Class: N/A

Strength: 2+10

Constitution: 40

Agility: 9

Perception: 15

Intelligence: 16

Ether: 55

Available statistic points: 25

Available skill points: 1

Runes: Return from Death [Lv - MAX]

General Skills: Identify [Lv - 5], Ether Manipulation [Lv - 5], Ether Vision [Lv - 4], Ecopulsation [Lv - 5], Infusion [Lv - 7], Etheric Pumping [Lv - 7], Kinetic Touch [Lv - 5]

Although I wasn't sure how good my statistics compared to others', I believe almost all of them were in a satisfactory state. However, upon seeing my status screen, I remembered that I still had points to distribute. I took advantage of the momentary calm to do this, as nothing significant was happening.

Ether Vision [Lv - 3] -> Ether Vision [Lv - 4]

The reason I increased the level of this skill is nothing too grandiose, but just like before, I know I'll eventually need to use it, so I'm just investing in the future. After that, I turned my attention back to my statistics.

To be honest, my inclination was to invest everything in Ether, but perhaps it's wiser to distribute some in my other statistics. I don't intend to level them all equally; I think it wouldn't make sense to follow that path. At most, I intend to keep my statistics at a decent level while mainly focusing on the key ones that will truly enhance my overall strength.

To start, I chose to invest some points in strength. Despite having [Etheric Pumping] as a help in this aspect, it seemed odd to keep my strength so low while the other statistics continued to grow.

Strength: 2 -> Strength: 10

Ether: 55 -> Ether: 65

Agility: 9 -> Agility: 16

I finished allocating points in my statistics for now. With that done, I closed the window and let out a small sigh. It seems Ellen, beside me, noticed this gesture. Casually, I commented.

I finished picking my title and also took the chance to boost my stats a bit," I said. Ellen simply nodded at my words, while Noelle beside her watched between me and Ellen without saying anything. Well, Noelle wasn't much of a talker, usually. She was the complete opposite of my sister.

"I'm curious now. What title did you choose?" Ellen asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

From my point of view, it was Ellen who seemed like the younger sister, since Noelle was always composed. But I guess that was the charm of these two sisters. With a small smile playing on my lips, I replied.

"It's called Blood Reaper. Seems to be an exclusive title. Well, it's pretty strong, but it has some conditions to activate the buffs. Anyway, I think I made a good long-term choice"

Hearing my words, Ellen looked at me with a surprised expression. It bothered me somehow, as if she didn't believe what she was seeing before her.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh! It's just... honestly, I didn't expect you to tell me. You usually keep these things to yourself until the last minute" Ellen replied, discreetly averting her gaze.

Actually, she was right. I wouldn't normally share this kind of thing with anyone. But Ellen and Noelle had already gained enough of my trust for me to open up a little to them. It's true that I only choose those who can be useful, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't help them in return. While I receive help, I'm also willing to help. That's how I see it.

"Well, I trust you enough to at least tell you my title" I replied, looking at her with a smirk.

"Does that also include your rune?" Ellen asked with hopeful eyes.

"Now you're pushing it" I replied, pushing her face away from mine.

"Stingy" Ellen replied, puffing out her cheeks.

"Maybe in the future" I shrugged.

After that, the three of us got on the bus. It was the only place we could call "home" since I killed that man. The passengers have been avoiding looking at me ever since. Overall, there were few left; most had already started killing monsters to level up.

From my point of view, those still on the bus simply couldn't evolve anymore, even if they left. In the battlefield, we don't have time to take care of others, as we are also trying to survive. Though I may sound harsh saying that, I doubt these people will survive until we all return home.

Anyway, what happens to them is none of my concern. Honestly, I even think it's better that they're afraid of me. I have no intention of helping them, so it saves me the trouble of having to refuse requests for help. They had their chance, just like all of us in the beginning. If they die, it's their fault and theirs alone.

"You're getting quite popular these days" Ellen commented, turning her gaze to me with a playful smile on her face.

"Although it hasn't been as I imagined, it's true, I can't deny that" I replied, shrugging.

Upon hearing my response, Ellen just chuckled softly beside me. Noelle, with her head resting on Ellen's shoulder, was almost asleep. She usually gets tired if she uses her powers for too long, and today she really stood out helping to fend off the monsters. It could be said that many people owe their survival to Noelle's support.

As I thought about that, I rested my elbow on the bus window, resting my face on my hand. Watching through the window, I witnessed the frantic activity outside. Even after every monster attack, people continued to rebuild the defensive wall. Now, they were even adding spikes to contain the monsters' advance.

The reason I'm not helping is because I usually bring food to the camp. So, even if they want to approach me, they can't. Maybe half of these people don't appreciate me or even fear me, but in the end, what could they do? Kill me? They probably already know what would happen if they tried.

"Who or what do you think is doing this to us?"

As I watched outside, Ellen suddenly asked me that question. Looking at her, I saw Ellen stroking her sister's hair, who was now resting on her lap. I didn't know why she asked that question. In fact, I had never thought about it. I had been so busy trying to survive that I hadn't had time to ponder who put us here.

"I don't know... Maybe it's a god, or maybe we died in a bus accident and now we're in hell" I replied, looking out the bus window.

I really had no idea who put us here. All I could do was hope that the main mission would take us back home. Until that happened, my only option was to fight and ultimately survive at any cost.