Chapter 4

Anastasia stood on top of the corpse belonging to one of the cosion, her heart racing from the adrenaline of the fight. More screens appeared around her, notifying her that she and her [Skills] had [Levelled up]. She was breathing heavily, leaning on her rapier, which was stuck in the forehead of the fallen creature, using it for support as she desperately tried to catch her breath. She had managed to defeat all four of them, yet the victory came at a cost. Her body was marred with bite marks and scratches, evidence of the fierce struggle she had endured. "I-It's almost night?" she gasped, glancing up at the darkening sky, but then a wave of dizziness washed over her. "Poison... need… bag..."

Anastasia began stumbling toward the flipped car, which lay crushed on its side like a broken toy. The poison she had mentioned coursed through her veins, a lingering effect from the fangs of the cosion. If she had been bitten by one that was Level 5 or higher, the outcome would have been dire. Luckily, they were only Level 2 and 3, which meant their poison wasn't as potent. Still, it left her feeling increasingly sick, dizzy, and plagued by a relentless headache that threatened to overwhelm her senses.

She reached the car and sank to her knees, her vision blurring as she fought to stay conscious. She tried to avoid the shards of shattered glass, but her condition made it nearly impossible. In a moment of desperation, she ended up increasing her injuries while dragging the bag out from under the wreckage. With trembling hands, she opened it, revealing a small wooden box nestled within. Lifting the lid, Anastasia was greeted by the sight of small tubes filled with a vibrant yellow liquid, glimmering faintly in the fading light, offering a glimmer of hope amid her struggle

Healing Elixir

Rank F

By drinking or applying it to injuries will heal instantly, while more severe ones would stop the bleeding, however, it won't close them. It can detox the user from minor poison.

It had been right beside her when she awoke, making it one of the other rewards bestowed upon her. With a sense of urgency, she threw the tube into her mouth and felt a wave of relief wash over her. However, she knew it would take time for her to truly feel normal again, as the effects of the [Elixir] gradually coursed through her veins, rejuvenating her weary body.

As the [Elixir] slowly took effect, giving her strength and clarity, Anastasia meticulously gathered the blank from her bag before placing it securely on her back. She then steeled herself and made her way over to the gruesome sight of the corpses of the cosions that lay sprawled out before her. Once she reached them, she carefully pulled out what appeared to be a tactical knife, its blade glinting ominously in the dim light. With a grim expression, she used the knife to slice open the carcasses' chests. Disturbance flickered across her face as she began to rummage through the insides, her movements deliberate as if she were searching for something of great importance. Moments stretched into what felt like an eternity until, at last, she seemingly found what she sought. Drawing her arms from the carcass, her hands emerged, glistening with a thick, green liquid. Clenching her fingers together tightly before slowly opening them, she revealed a stunning purple bead that filled half the palm of her hand. "So there really was one… a [Monster Core]," she murmured, awe and trepidation mingling in her voice as she contemplated the significance of her discovery.

Monster Core

Quality — Rank F

A energy nuclei within a monster, which creates while giving the monster's its power and skills.

Anastasia's sight moved and fell on the other carcasses before up at the sky. "I need to hurry and find cover."

Night ended the first day and Anastasia was sitting in one of the business buildings on the second floor. She managed to clean herself because for some reason there was still running water. She was eating fruit that was taken from the store on the first floor. Anastasia looked at the floor where the cores sat after she whipped them of the green blood of cosion. They were glimmering thanks to the fire she set, although she broke the fire alarms just in case they went off. However, there wasn't any power so it wouldn't be activated. "How do I use them in real life?" Anastasia picked up one of the cores and held it above her head. She tried thinking back to [Survival] and then threw the core into her mouth. However, the moment she did pain ripped throughout her entire body. The core inside her mouth disappeared as she rolled in agony. Sweat poured as she clinched onto her chest. Screens began appearing in front of her.

[New Skill Acquired]

Poison Resistance

Level 1

One will be able to reduce the effect of poison depending on the level of poison used. If the level of the Poison is lower then the Level of Resistance then it is numbed. If the level is higher it is reduce by 5%.

"So I gained a new [Skill]?" Anastasia was looking at the screen as the pain caused by the absorption of the [Monster Core] began fading. Anastasia was just lying on the cold, hard ground. She just stared at the ceiling while trying to catch her breath. Once her breath returned to normal. "[Status]." She called out and her status' window appeared.

Status

Name — Anastasia Rosebery

Age — 25

Level — 9

Rank — F

Class — Magic Knight

Stats

Potential — SS

Strength — 5 (F)

Agility — 7 (F)

Stamina — 5 (F)

Intelligence — 10 (F)

Senses — 4 (F)

Mana — 8 (F)

Luck — 7 (F)

Charisma — -50 (FF)

Skills

Swordsmanship (Lv 6)

Thunder Sword Art (Lv 5)

Lightning Magic (Lv 6)

Poison Resistance (Lv 1)

Insight (Lv ?)

But the moment she saw it she sat up in surprise. She couldn't believe that her level was this high only after the first day. 

Her sight turned back to the other three on the floor beside her, she began to wonder what would happen if she continued absorbing them all. Anastasia was already [LV 9] and not only that but she had over forty-five [Stats Points], points that she could put towards any of her stats to increase its power. It looked like she gain five every time she levelled up. "Defeating monsters of higher levels should double experience points but they triple." Her sight turned back to the other three on the floor beside her, she began to wonder what would happen if she continued absorbing them all. "Even the cores are basically going up one or two whole levels." She couldn't understand why, but they came to mind. "Maybe my points are more because of the rewards?" Anastasia looked at her stats where her eyes fell on [Potential]. This was something which didn't appear in the game. Perhaps it was the reason she was levelling up so fast. Anastasia turned back to the cores. "I wonder how many levels I go up with these cores?" She was asking herself while picking up another core, ready to absorb it. The night to come would be a very painful one for Anastasia.