Chapter 6 - The power of persistence

Since as long as she could remember, Ellen Doe had always been protecting her sister. Her parents, though loving, sometimes arrived home late from work, leaving Ellen to take on the responsibility of looking after her sister. To Ellen, her sister was her world, and she would do anything to ensure her safety.

So, when this strange phenomenon happened to her, Ellen had to think quickly. While holding onto her sister tightly, she scanned the surroundings of the bus until she noticed something peculiar in her sight.

Most of the bus passengers had a warning sign above their heads. A small orange dot glowed. Ellen didn't know why, but for some reason, she quickly interpreted it as a warning sign, looking around for more clues.

Ellen noticed that most passengers had an orange glow above their heads, but some were in red. She felt an instinct to avoid those marked in red, a sense of dread coursing through her body at the thought of joining them.

"Look, it's the mist again"

"What the hell is that? It seems to be alive"

"Look, it seems to be bringing someone else"

Curious about the commotion of the passengers, Ellen peeked out of the bus. As the mist dissipated, a man suddenly appeared. While everyone was scared, he displayed an expression of disappointment, glancing sideways.

But there was something more significant: for the first time since arriving in this place, Ellen saw someone marked with a small green dot above their head. Whenever she thought about joining this person, a comforting feeling of peace filled her mind. At that moment, Ellen decided: she needed to somehow ally herself with this individual, both for her own protection and for the safety of her sister.

***

With that thought in mind, I was seriously pondering which statistics I should focus my points on. First and foremost, I would discard Intelligence and Ether; the former because I'm not sure of its functions, and the latter because I don't even know what it's about. That left only Strength, Constitution, Agility, and Perception as valid options.

Among these options, I'm inclined to choose Agility and Perception. However, the problem is that my current condition is not good at all; one of my arms is completely messed up, so I honestly don't know to what extent I could benefit from these statistics, especially if I need to rely on just one arm.

(Damn, I don't have time for this) I murmured, frustrated.

Given my current state, I decided to invest my points between Agility and Constitution. Although I'm not entirely sure how Constitution can benefit me, I presume it's related to physical endurance. It's a gamble, but I can always try another approach if this one doesn't work out. With that decision made, I quickly opened my Status window and distributed the points.

Constitution: 3 -> Constitution: 10

Agility: 1 -> Agility: 4

Immediately, an excruciating pain shot through my entire body, as if my bones were being crushed and reformed at the same time. I hadn't expected such a intense reaction; I had imagined a more gradual and less painful process.

As the pains gradually subsided, I noticed an almost instant difference in my body. How? Well, my previously injured arm somehow now I can move it effortlessly. Furthermore, my other wounds were beginning to heal rapidly. If I had to guess, Constitution seems to enhance the natural physical capabilities of my body.

Previously, it felt like my strong body was operating on a low-quality battery. Now, it feels like my strong body is operating on a high-quality battery, capable of working in harmony with it.

Anyway, it wasn't time for comparisons. As I got up, I cast a final glance over my body and was surprised to find that I was already in fighting condition, even though only a few minutes had passed.

Observing the Hobgoblin, I was immediately reminded of its imposing figure. While Ellen, Leo, and the other guy fought with determination, it was clear that the effectiveness of their attacks was lacking. However, there was no time to hesitate. I tightened my grip on the dagger and advanced towards the Hobgoblin with determination.

As I advanced, I noticed that my speed had increased considerably. A sensation of lightness took over my body, as if I were as light as a feather. Taking advantage of the Hobgoblin's distraction with my companions, I lunged towards its neck, propelling myself through the air. The creature didn't have time to detect me as I approached silently.

I fixed my gaze on the exact spot where I would aim, and then, with all my strength, I drove my dagger into its neck. However, to my surprise, the resistance I encountered was much greater than anticipated. Although I managed to pierce its skin, the resulting cut was surprisingly shallow. Overall, I only alerted it to my presence on its neck.

With a deafening roar, the Hobgoblin began to thrash furiously. Despite its agile movements, my recent improvement in agility made it easier to dodge its attacks. Before its arms could reach my position, I leaped out of its reach and landed beside Ellen, who gave me a surprised look.

"Are you okay? It looked like you were about to pass out a moment ago" Ellen asked, looking at my relatively bloodied arm.

I nodded in agreement with her with a simple nod of my head, knowing that it wasn't the right time for us to exchange warm words.

"Do you have any plan? We've been trying to damage it for a while, but things aren't looking good. Its skin is much more resistant than that of normal monsters" Ellen said, her expression clearly showing desperation.

Actually, I didn't have any concrete plan in mind. I mean, the monster was almost three times bigger than me. However, that didn't mean I couldn't come up with a plan. At best, we could at least try to escape, depending on the outcome.

"It depends... Do you think you can immobilize it for some time? Even if it's just for a few seconds?"

Even I know I'm asking for something practically impossible, but honestly, no one here has a plan. If we don't try the impossible, we're doomed to death.

"... Maybe, I'm not sure if I can make this work properly, but I have an ability called [Electrokinesis] It seems I can emit electricity from my body, although I've never tested it before. I believe that if I get close to it, I can electrocute it for a few seconds... maybe" Ellen replied, with a scowling expression.

Even she seemed puzzled by her own words. Moreover, I was surprised that she suddenly revealed her ability to me. Honestly, I don't intend to share mine with others. I don't know enough about them to trust so openly, as Ellen did, unless there's a logical explanation for her frankness, perhaps related to her rune. If my rune can be something completely out of the ordinary, I imagine hers could be too.

"Should be enough" I replied, turning my gaze to Leo and the other guy.

"Hey, you guys over there"

My words caught both of their attention, and they immediately turned their gazes to me.

"Distract this thing for a while so Ellen can get close" I commanded.

The looks they both gave me clearly said: "What is this guy thinking? Didn't you see the size of this thing?" Still, they agreed, perhaps because they didn't have a better plan.

With that, they resumed their attacks against the monster, distracting it. Ellen discreetly approached the monster and, when she saw an opportunity, grabbed onto its leg. Then, Ellen's hair began to levitate as a crackling sound emanated from her.

Soon after, her body started emitting electricity, causing a momentary paralysis in the monster. This interval was exactly what I needed since I had no plan in mind to defeat this creature.

But I figured if I kept stabbing at the spot where I struck first, I could make my dagger go deep enough to mortally wound it. However, something I didn't expect was that Ellen's lightning also affected me.

Still, I persisted in stabbing the Hobgoblin's skin with my dagger. Finally, when green blood gushed from the wound, I realized I had hit a relatively vulnerable area because the monster thrashed about so violently that not even Ellen could keep it still.

I couldn't stay in that spot anymore, so I leaped onto its back and quickly climbed onto its head. From there, I leaped again and reached its face, where I struck its eyes with my dagger. The monster thrashed in every possible way, but I held my ground.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, the monster finally ceased its movements and collapsed to the ground, the translucent screen appearing before me as proof of its death.

You defeated [Hobgoblin - Lv - 5] Experience was gained.

You leveled up [2] -> [3] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

You leveled up [3] -> [4] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.