Mordred stared intently at the glowing notification before him, time seeming to freeze, the world around him blurring and fading into the distance. Beside him, Kael knelt in the blood-soaked sand, desperately performing chest compressions on the old man's lifeless body.
- "Come on, old man," Kael murmured in a hoarse, nearly broken voice. "Don't give up on me now we just survived hell! Breathe, damn it, breathe!"
But Mordred knew. He knew it was too late. He understood the devastating efficiency of his new skill, and he was certain there was no return for the man he had just coldly struck down, even as guilt began to gnaw at his soul.
His orange gaze burned intensely, fixed on the translucent screen floating before him:
[Absorption complete: Please choose between: → [Physical Stats] → [Physical Skills]]
He inhaled slowly, briefly closed his eyes, then silently pleaded as if in a desperate prayer:
