Chapter 14
{Rewards…}
{Congratulations! Your First Quest has been completed.}
{Rewards will now be distributed…}
{Calculating…}
{Calculation done: Rewards distributed.}
'Finally,' Zen thought inwardly, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he swiped on the system screen hovering in front of him with his mind. The display shifted with a faint shimmer.
{Rewards: +20XP, a new skill, +1 in STR and AGI stats.}
'Huh? Just that? I nearly died in that damned quest and this is all I get?' Zen gritted his teeth and glared at the system screen in frustration. His face contorted in disbelief and rage.
{You should be grateful you even got all these.}
'Did I freaking ask you?'
'System! Pull up my status screen!'
{Status}
{Name: Zenixx}
{XP: 20/100}
{Level: 1}
{HP: 15/20} {STR: 4}
{AGI: 4} {INT: 5}
{NP: 0}
---
'Sheesh! My stats are pretty low. It's a wonder how I managed to kill that C-ranked beast. Right! It was with my wits. I guess being a hardcore gamer does come with its perks,' Zen chuckled inwardly, flexing his one good arm slowly. His fingers curled into a fist before relaxing again.
'I feel a tiny bit of strength running through me though. It feels good. Anyway, let's see what my reward is. I hope it's something decent. Otherwise, I swear I'll hunt this system down myself.'
{Skill Tab}
{One skill added}
{Skill Name: Inspect (Lv. 1)
Type: Passive/Active
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Range: 15 meters
Effect:
Allows the user to scan a living creature within range and view basic information including:
---
'Huh? Is that all? Everything I did, all my hard work, for this useless skill? And I can't even scan beasts above B rank? Damn it! This system is useless to the core!'
{Be grateful you got a skill, damn it.}
"Fuck you and this damned game!" Zen roared without thinking, the words spilling out loud before he could stop them.
The entire room fell into a sudden, awkward silence.
Every head turned toward him.
Noticing the quiet and the stares now pinned on him, Zen froze. His body stiffened as he slowly sat upright on the hospital bed, an awkward and nervous smile creeping onto his face.
'Di…did I just shout aloud?'
"Hey! What's your problem?" one of the recruits barked as he stood from his seat, his footsteps loud and aggressive as he strode toward Zen.
"Uhm… I'm so sorry for disturbing you all. That wasn't my intention. I didn't know I was speaking aloud," Zen said quickly, bowing his head in apology.
A few recruits scoffed and turned back to their conversation, seemingly done with him. But not the one approaching.
"Don't you know you're supposed to keep your thoughts to yourself? Not only did you not greet your seniors when you walked in, you decided to disturb our fun? How dare you?" the recruit yelled, standing right in front of Zen now.
Zen gulped loudly, his throat suddenly dry.
"I… I… I'm sorry, bro. I made a mistake, and I—"
His sentence was cut short by the stinging pain that lashed across his cheek. A slap loud and harsh struck him hard, drawing a speck of blood from the corner of his lip.
"Keep your damned apologies to yourself," the recruit spat as he lunged again, his hand reaching to grab Zen's mangled arm.
But just before contact, another hand shot out, intercepting the attacker's wrist with a firm grip.
"You shouldn't be doing this," said a calm but firm voice. The owner of the hand stared the recruit down, his tone carrying a quiet warning that cut through the room like a blade.
Then, a handsome young guy who looked to have been blessed by the gods in terms of beauty stepped forward.
He had slick, combed-back blonde hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to swirl like the ocean. His tall, slightly bulky frame stood around 6ft, exuding confidence and calm authority.
His grip on the bully's hand was firm, and this act drew the attention of everyone nearby, causing the surrounding people to pause and stare at the developing scene.
"What are you doing holding my hand? Let me go now!" the bully shouted in anger, glaring at him with wide, furious eyes.
"You were about to do something foolish, so I stopped you. You should be thankful," the blonde-haired guy said with a calm tone, his face void of emotion.
"I was about to do something stupid? This peasant ruined my peace and quiet by screaming," the bully snapped back, his chest rising and falling.
"So? Is that enough reason to want to attack him? Besides, he didn't only disturb you with his shout. We all heard it," the blonde-haired guy replied, his eyes narrowing with subtle irritation.
"Just shut the hell up! Just because you're handsome and all that, you think you're some hotshot? You think you can tell me what I can and cannot do?" the bully roared, his voice booming through the room.
"We're aiming for the same thing...getting into the Silverfall Clan. If we succeed and become members, is this how we'll treat each other?
We're supposed to be potential clanmates, not enemies. That's why I'm stopping you," the blonde-haired guy said firmly as he finally released the bully's hand.
"You sure he would even make it in?" the bully asked with a sneer, bursting into a short laugh. "Look at him. He even has a broken arm!"
"Which you were just reaching for earlier. And who are you to write others off? As far as I know, anyone can fail the assessment. So don't get cocky," the blonde-haired guy scoffed with a shrug.
"How dare you!" the bully bellowed, preparing to lunge forward when the doors to the room suddenly swung open with a loud creak. Two individuals stepped through, halting the argument immediately. The room fell silent.
A man and a woman stood at the entrance, both wearing official-looking outfits. Their presence alone commanded attention.
"Who's Zen?" the woman asked, her voice firm but not unkind.
Instantly, Zen raised his hand. The woman started walking toward him, prompting both the blonde-haired guy and the bully to step aside and give way.
"Let me see it."
"See what?" Zen asked, confused at first. Then he noticed her eyes focusing on his broken arm. "Oh!" he exclaimed and extended the injured limb forward.
Without a word, the woman ripped off the makeshift sling. Her hands began glowing with a fierce, bright white light.
She placed them gently over Zen's broken arm and body. A radiant glow spread across his skin, and within seconds, the light dimmed. Zen's arm was fully healed, good as new.
Tring!
{HP bar full}
'Such a strong healing essence. Damn! This woman must be at least at the B-ranked level,' Zen thought, blinking in awe as the woman stood up and turned to leave. The man, on the other hand, stayed back for a moment, scanning the room with a calm yet stern gaze.
"Your baptism will begin in three days. Don't fight amongst yourselves. If you've got energy to expend, save it for the assessment. Anyone caught fighting will be kicked out of here," the man announced with authority. Without waiting for a response, he turned and followed the woman out.
'The assessment, huh? I wonder how tough it's gonna be,' Zen thought with a quiet sigh, seemingly forgetting the heated moment that had just unfolded.