The glowing red orb drifted into the cave, casting pulsating, sinister shadows on the stone walls.
It hovered in the center of the small chamber, scanning, before emitting a soft chime.
Outside, the voices grew clearer.
"He's in there. And a child."
"Forget the boss's orders. Kill the girl, grab the target. Let's get this over with."
Three figures stepped through the entrance, their dark leather armor creaking with each movement. They moved with the predatory confidence of seasoned hunters cornering their prey.
The one in the lead held a longsword, its polished steel gleaming in the orb's red light.
The man to his right had his hands empty, but crackling blue energy danced between his fingertips—the sign of a powerful skill user.
The third held a wicked-looking curved blade that seemed to drink the light from the room, an A-rank weapon if Kenji had ever imagined one.
They were professionals. He was a guy with a rock.
The little girl, still hiding behind him, tugged on his tunic. "Can you fight?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a desperate hope that twisted Kenji's gut.
He let out a short, sharp breath that was almost a laugh. He looked from the three armored killers to his own pathetic stats, still visible on the blue screen only he could see.
Strength: 1. Agility: 1.
He was literally the weakest possible human.
"Huh?" he said, a grim, wry smile touching his lips. He gave her a sideways glance.
"Don't worry about me. I'm used to dying."
The girl's eyes widened, a flicker of confusion and horror crossing her face.
But there was no more time for talk.
"Get the boy!" the leader barked, pointing his longsword at Kenji.
The man with the A-rank blade grinned cruelly and lunged forward, not at Kenji, but at the easiest target—the little girl.
His movements were a blur, the curved blade slicing through the air aimed straight for her neck.
Kenji's blood ran cold. He tried to move, to shove her out of the way, but his body was hopelessly slow. It was happening again. He was going to watch someone die.
But the girl didn't scream. She didn't run.
Her terrified expression hardened into one of fierce determination. She shoved herself away from Kenji, her small hands thrusting forward.
"[Blade Fire]!" she yelled, her voice ringing with unexpected power.
An inferno erupted from her palms. Flames coalesced, twisting and compressing with a sound like a roaring forge until they formed a brilliant, searing blade of pure fire, about the length of her arm. She swung the fiery weapon in a desperate, surprisingly fluid arc.
The attacker, caught completely off guard by the A-rank skill coming from a tiny child, tried to pull back. He was too slow. The Blade Fire connected with his chest plate.
Metal melted and hissed, and the man let out a choked, agonized scream as he was thrown backward, landing in a heap just outside the cave entrance, his armor glowing cherry-red and smoke pouring from the wound.
He wasn't dead, but he was out of the fight.
The other two men froze, their confident smirks wiped from their faces, replaced by utter shock.
In that single, frozen moment, Kenji saw his chance. It wasn't a choice born of courage or heroism. It was pure, desperate instinct. He couldn't fight the other two, but the man on the ground... he was an opportunity.
"The knife!" he hissed at the girl.
Her concentration on the Blade Fire broke, the fiery sword dissolving into sparks. She looked at him, startled, then seemed to understand.
She fumbled at her belt and tossed him a small, simple utility knife.
It was a pathetic weapon, but it was enough.
Kenji didn't hesitate. He scrambled out of the cave, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
The downed man was groaning, trying to push himself up.
Kenji fell upon him, plunging the small knife into the gap in the armor at his neck with all his meager strength.
There was a wet, sickening sound. The man's body went rigid, then limp.
And then, Kenji's world exploded.
A flood of blue screens filled his vision, overlapping and chiming like a thousand slot machines hitting the jackpot at once.
[You have slain a Level 10 Blade Dancer!]
[Experience Gained: 10]
[Talent 'Infinite Growth' (SSS-Class) activates! Experience is multiplied by 1000!]
[Experience Gained: 10,000!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
The notifications scrolled past his eyes in a blinding, glorious cascade.
[You have reached Level 11!]
[All Attributes +10!]
[You have gained 50 Stat Points!]
A tidal wave of energy surged through him, a feeling so intense it forced a cry from his lips.
It was like being struck by lightning and finding it didn't hurt, but instead filled every cell in his body with raw, untamed power.
His muscles, once weak and trembling, now felt like coiled steel springs. His senses sharpened, the world snapping into a new, vibrant focus.
He could hear the frantic heartbeat of the girl behind him, smell the ozone from the skill-user's crackling energy, and see the terrified disbelief in the eyes of the two remaining hunters.
He pushed himself to his feet, the bloody knife feeling impossibly light in his hand.
He felt... strong. For the first time, he felt genuinely, unbelievably strong.
The leader of the 'X' team finally snapped out of his shock.
"What... what just happened?" he stammered, looking at Kenji as if he were a ghost.
"He killed Joric..." the skill-user whispered, taking an involuntary step back.
"But... he had no aura. He was a civilian!"
The leader's fear quickly hardened into rage. He raised his longsword, its tip now pointed directly at Kenji's heart.
"I don't care what he is! He's dead! Both of them!"
The skill-user raised his hands, and the blue energy crackling around them intensified, coalescing into a sphere of volatile lightning.
Kenji stood his ground, his new, powerful body thrumming with energy.
He glanced at his status screen, a savage grin spreading across his face.
[Kenji]
Level: 11
HP: 110/110
MP: 65/65
[Attributes]
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Stamina: 11
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
(Available Stat Points: 50)
He had fifty points to spend and a growth rate that defied all logic. The two men in front of him weren't just hunters anymore.
They were his next source of experience points.