Chapter 40 : Memories(2)

Boom!

"Aarrgghhhhhh"

*sizzle*

"Ahhhhhhhhh"

*Hiss*

Bittu let out a sharp scream as his body burned from the intense heat.

*Slam*

The power held in the fireball slammed him heavily into the dungeon wall, so much so that, because of the impact, he slid on the rough wall, further injuring him in the process.

"Aaaarrggghhhh"

"Cough... C-Cough"

The impact made him cough out the saliva from his mouth more than a few times.

.....

"Cough.... Cough.... Cough..."

After being thrown by the blast, Bittu found himself laid on the floor while coughing severely.

*hum*

His ears were ringing while his eyes were blurry, blood coming out of his mouth.

"Aarrggghhhh"

He couldn't even feel the cold floor because of the burns he had suffered from such a lethal attack.

The skin on his lower body has all turned red from the intense burn it has suffered.

"Ahhh"

"Huff... Huff.. Huff... "

"Ahhh"

'Thank god, I put my stats into the constitution.', Bittu thought with relief. But amidst the pain that was reflected in his eyes, it was barely visible.

With great difficulty, slowly Bittu got up on his feet. He shook his head a few times to clear his vision and, with his now slightly blurry eyes, looked around.

'W-Where are you?'

Bittu looked around for a while until he realized that he could feel something in his right.

He immediately followed his perception and looked there. He saw a reddish-orange skeleton with cracks all around its body, lying on the ground.

The skeleton, unable to control the intense attack because of finishing the spell before it was completed, itself got hot.

'So, it's this guy that attacked me."

Bittu was looking at the skeleton seriously since the tingling sensation was still there when suddenly a screen flashed before him.

[Mutated skeleton mage Lv. 6-

Strength-> E

Agility-> C

Stamina-> ∞

Constitution-> D

Perception-> B

Spirit-> B

Description : An ancient mage that was awakened from its slumber because of an intruder.]

Bittu was surprised seeing the screen before him.

'It's actually slower than me. Then....'

'It would be quite easy.'

Bittu immediately locked his eyes on the skeleton and raced towards it. Within a second, he arrived before the skeleton and punched right at its skull, even when his own body was aching a lot while his legs were numb.

The skeleton, despite having high spirit and perception, could only see him arrive before it in a blur. It could not react even if it wanted to because of its low agility and constitution.

*crack*

*crack*

Bittu landed a punch right on its skull. However, even though the already cracked skull cracked further, it didn't break. He didn't give up and landed another punch right after at the same spot.

*crack*

*crack*

Unable to do anything to its opponent because of its lacking agility, the skeleton crumbled to pieces.

[You have killed a Lv 6 mutated skeleton. Spirit+1, perception+1]

As an orb of light entered his body, a notification flashed before his eyes. However, his eyes were currently attracted to something that was right behind the skeleton.

"A staircase?!"

However, before he could ponder about it, something else attracted his attention.

"A scroll?!", he cried out loud in surprise and wonder as he saw the skeleton change into the scroll.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he immediately picked it up.

[You have found an ability scroll. Would you like to learn the ability? ]

The scroll was in a deadly black hue, with arcane symbols pulsating in dark, coagulated ink. Running fingers along its surface, a subtle shiver coursed through him, as if tapping into hell's reservoir of forbidden power with ominous whispers that could bewitch him, if not careful.

Bittu was mesmerized by the appearance of the scroll. He felt an unknown force from the bottom of his soul urging him to learn the ability. He, not going against his instincts, immediately wanted to say yes. However, a new notification flashed before his eyes that stopped him in his tracks as confusion flashed in his eyes.

[Your class reaper wants your agreement to give you a new skill. Would you like to agree to it?!]

"My class reaper wants to give me a new skill?", Bittu said with confusion.

"Isn't my class, Jocker?!", he said as he remembered having read his class being Jocker.

However, before he could think further, a new notification flashed before his eyes.

[Your class Jocker suggests that you agree.]

"What?! Should I really?", Bittu thought, unable to come to a decision.

"....."

'Do I really do it?'

'I don't even know who they are?'

'First of all, I don't even know where I am?'

'Is this really a dream?', he thought, thinking about the all the realistic things he has experienced here.

"sigh"

After a lot of hesitation, Bittu came to a decision, "This is a dream, so the decision shouldn't matter, since I am getting something instead of giving, so it should be okay."

"Okay, I agree.", he agreed helpless. He really didn't know what to do. However, the moment he said that.

The scroll that he had in his hand turned into a goofy liquid and, with its deadly dark hue, entered into his body before he could even understand what had happened.

A while later, when the scroll entered him, fury consumed his mind as he said out loud, "You tricked me. You never said anything about taking this skill too–"

However, before he could protest, he suddenly fell unconscious. Though his body was still standing still however his eyes were void.

Suddenly, out of thin air, a dark and inky aura appeared. Slowly but surely, it covered his body in a cocoon. When out of nowhere, Bittu's body inside the cocoon began to tremble uncontrollably and, just as it did, new notifications flashed before him, which he couldn't read.

[Your class Reaper is connecting with you.]

[Connecting... 1%.....5%...10%.....25%..... 50%.....75%...90%....95%....97..98..99...100%]

[Congratulations, you have gained approval of the special class Reaper.]

[Your status has been updated. You can now see your sub-classes.]

[Congratulations, you have gotten your fourth skill from your class, Reaper.]

[Class: Reaper (Special class)

Skill 1 : Shadow blink (active)

Rating : A

Description : You can now travel through the shadows instantly in the range of your perception. However, be careful. If you provoke the being that resides within, then you shall face the consequences.

Skill 2 : Locked

Skill 3 : Locked

Skill 4 : Locked

Skill 5 : Locked

Description :: A class given birth by the grim reaper; The one known as " The Harbinger of Death".]

All these notifications appeared, but Bittu was not awake and wasn't able to feel the joy of getting another powerful skill.

However, someone else was there that was joyful for him getting a new and powerful skill.

....

In an absolute dark place, almost as if it held no light, several cards were standing tall in midair.

Seven really being cards, while the last one being a deck of cards. However, one thing to notice was that only two of the cards had a glow in them while the rest five appeared dull.

Similarly, four cards appeared to be lively while the remaining ones looked dull and rusted on the deck.

Suddenly, one of the card changed into a masked man adorned in a suit. It then turned towards the newcomer and said, "I didn't think you would be the first one to join our little team."

"....."

The newly formed card didn't say anything and stayed quiet. It totally ignored whatever the masked man said.

"Come on, don't be like that. We will be together for a long while. We should get to know each other."

"....."

Once again, the masked man got no response.

"Sigh..."

"You really are a loner, it seems.", the masked man said with a forced smile. Its efforts to make friends with a legendary being proved to be futile.

"At least you could have showed how you look."

"...."

Once again, no response came from the other side.

"Sigh", the masked man shook his head as he sighed and was about to change back into the card when suddenly the newly formed card changed its appearance.

In place of the card, a cloaked figure shrouded in darkness, wielding a scythe, appeared. Its skeletal face that was barely visible hidden beneath a hood, with empty eye sockets peering out. Long, bony fingers extend from its robe, clutching the ominous tool of death. A sense of foreboding and inevitability surrounded its presence, symbolizing the end of life's journey.

A smile appeared on the masked man's face, which was hidden well by the mask. Without saying anything else, it turned back into a card and sat there. The cloaked figure also didn't say anything and changed back into its card form.

....

Meanwhile, the shock that Bittu suffered earlier has once again brought him back to reality from the realm of illusion. However, leaving the illusion before finishing it had its own side effects...