Chapter 28: Father-Daughter Conversation part 1 [1/2]

1 more chapter after 30m

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[Congratulations on your level up!]

[Current Level: Lv3]

[Experience Needed for Next Level: 75/300]

[Unlocks at Lv5: Number of contractable Eclipses +1]

The amount of experience points doesn't solely depend on the strength of the monsters but also on their status attributes. Even though Callewa's gang members on paper aren't as strong as the goblins from the caves, the experience they provide to Renji during the initial stages is quite good.

A group of around fifteen gang members allowed Renji to level up once more and even have some leftover experience. The only regret was that when Renji checked the experience log, he indeed did not receive any experience from the leader, Grey Wolf.

Previously, Renji had intentionally let Eileen stay in place and did not interfere in his fight with Grey Wolf. One of the reasons was to test this. And the results once again confirmed that his leveling system strictly follows the underlying logic of "Fallen Chronicles"

He can't gain experience directly. Only when the contracted Eclipses participate can he obtain experience from the kills. The girl did land a punch on Grey Wolf at the beginning, but this was deemed insufficient to be considered as participation in the battle.

Renji remembers that in the background of "Fallen Chronicles", the explanation for this setting was that the nature of experience points is actually a form of Tainted Miasma.

When Eclipses engage in combat, their bodies continuously accumulate this Tainted Miasma. As the "protagonist", he can draw out the Miasma from them through a "contract", transforming it into his own power.

This explains why he can't gain experience when fighting alone. It also explains why, during the previous inspection by the knight squad on him and Eileen, especially considering Eileen is an Eclipse, her Tainted Miasma value was still at an extremely low number.

"I really need to level up quickly!" Renji, sitting in the van, couldn't help but sigh deeply.

In his hands, he played with the business card of the young church knight "Tamic", contemplating whether or not to inquire about some of Callewa's bases. He then considered taking Eileen to eradicate a few gang lairs before leaving the area.

It wasn't just about the minimal attribute points from leveling up. After all, even though the protagonist's growth coefficient is even lower than a two-star, a mosquito's leg, no matter how small, is still meat.

But the more crucial point was the abilities and privileges unlocked and enhanced upon leveling up. Those are the real deal.

For example, after every five levels, an additional "contract" slot can be added. And although there's no information now, Renji, being experienced, knows that after reaching Lv7, the "Crystallization" ability can be unlocked.

Previously mentioned was the protagonist's ability to absorb the Tainted Miasma from the Eclipses and convert it into experience points. But with the "Crystallization" ability, he'd have a new option, which is to filter, purify, refine, and eventually crystallize this Tainted Miasma.

That's right, what Renji previously referred to as "fodder" for leveling up the Eclipses, those Tainted Miasma Crystals, came from this process.

After experimenting with another one taken from Grey Wolf, Renji now only has three of the small Tainted Crystals that he brought from the secret chamber. Ideally, he'd save them for his second Eclipse, ensuring they have a starting potential of at least four stars. However, if there's an emergency requiring an immediate power boost, he's willing to use them all on Eileen.

The three small crystals should be enough to max out Eileen's level to 30, making her nearly as strong as a Danger Rank Eclipse. That's the advantage of starting at a lower rank: with just a bit of resources, one can quickly achieve significant power growth.

Reflecting briefly on his "first battle" since arriving in this world, Renji's thoughts returned to the present, looking out of the car window.

Right now, the crew from the Sea Sand Bar, led by the owner Brian, was heading to another bar owned by a friend of his.

According to Brian, after safely getting through a "major storm", it's customary to celebrate and have a good drink. This is a tradition among the scavengers.

Initially, Eileen declined, as she was eager to pick up her mother from the clinic. But Brian reassured her, mentioning he had sent someone to check on Nolan, and the doctor confirmed that Eileen's mother's condition was stable and not worsening. All she needed was surgery, and Eileen shouldn't worry. Brian also firmly stated the "celebration" wouldn't take long, not holding up Eileen much.

Seeing Brian's insistent attitude, even the usually slow-to-catch-on Eileen seemed to understand something and stopped declining.

Brian also heartily invited Renji. Compared to Eileen, Renji instantly understood Brian's intentions. Without needing further explanation, he readily agreed.

So that's how they found themselves in this situation.

The new bar wasn't far, and within a few minutes, they arrived in Brian's old van.

One thing to note, the reason they weren't partying at the Sea Sand Bar was because of some church rules. After all the chaos, for safety's sake, no one's allowed near places with that Tainted Miasma energy for a week. So, Sea Sand Bar was a no-go zone for now.

After parking, everyone went into the new bar. This place was smaller and quieter than the Sea Sand Bar, feeling more private.

Brian knew the owner here. After a quick hello, he got a private room for them. As soon as Renji entered, the Sea Sand crew surrounded him, picking up the lively chat from the car ride.

As Eileen tried to join them, Brian stopped her and silently led her away.

Renji expected this and didn't react, just kept chatting with the others.

Meanwhile, Eileen followed Brian into a soundproof room next door.

Slam!*

The door shut. Alone, Brian stared at Eileen, who looked a bit nervous and avoided his gaze.

After a pause, Brian asked seriously,

"Eileen, look at me. Are you an Eclipse?"

"Huh? Are you joking? Why would I be one?"

"Really?" Brian pressed.

"Of course! Didn't you see the church's results earlier? I have even less of Miasma than you!"

Eileen stood her ground, using their earlier test as her defense, leaving Brian without a comeback.

Finally, the bearded man sighed,

"You know, Eileen, I was great friends with your dad. But unlike him, I wasn't lucky enough to find someone like Nolan. I've never married. So, after your dad passed, I've always thought of you as my own daughter."

"Why are you being so dramatic all of a sudden? We're not parting ways or anything!" Eileen shot back.

"Aren't we?" Brian hinted.