I halted my swings, my eyes glued to the blue translucent screen in front me. I stood there a couple of seconds frozen like a statue until it dawned on me that I had finally killed it.
Ben noticed my weird state and also paused looking at me with a questioning gaze.
Not only him, but everyone in the class looked at me in suspense. Leaning in closer as curiosity overrode their fear.
Still panting, I leaned on the wall, my right arm tight with exhaustion from the constant swinging.
"It's haaa.... dead haaa... The system confirmed it."
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, allowing a small moment of respite despite the growling and screeching in the background.
A constant reminder of the looming threat that was upon us.
My focus was still on the status screen at the moment. The message was still there, inscribed with frightening clarity.
[You Have Enough Experience To Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Y/N]
'This is it..'
Anticipation couldn't help but bubble up in my chest. It was real. Something I'd always dreamed of.
And perhaps...
Just maybe..
After a moment of preparation, I selected [Y]
In that instant, the exhaustion from the fight that had been gnawing at my bones faded slightly.
It was truly a miraculous feeling.
Though I was for sure still tired, my condition had definitely improved. I'm not really good at estimations but my fatigue should've been eliminated by 20%-30%.
At least that's my guess. It was far from the complete restoration, I knew but in the current predicament I was just grateful for anything.
'Guess the novels didn't exactly lie about this stuff.'
[Name: Padi Nene Kujo Batsa]
[Level 0>1]
[Exp(0/50)]
[Tier 0: Classless]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 17]
[Stats][+5][Click To Expand]
'Damn... That's awesome... No.. focus you idiot.'
I pat my cheeks until they stung slightly before proceeding to check my stats.
[Stats][+5]
[Strength: 10]+
[Agility: 9]+
[Dexterity: 11]+
[Mana: ?]+
[Intelligence: 13]+
[Endurance: 9]+
[Vitality: 10]+
[Constitution: 11]+
[Perception: 15]+
As I read down the list of attributes, my eyebrows rose as I grew quite pleasantly surprised. I wasn't a salted fish but I definitely wasn't a gym rat. This far exceeded my original expectations.
'Then again, to think that my highest stat is perception. All those times I searched for milk in the fridge for it to be right in front of me. I have failed my ancestors'.
My gaze fell on the greyed out [Mana] with a question mark and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
This was mana we were talking about. THE MANA. For Pete's sake, it was the stuff that lets you shoot fireballs, lightning bolts and perhaps even fly.
If I couldn't use it then I really was screwed from the start. Though after seeing the plus sign there, I breathed a sigh of relief.
'Thank heavens.'
I then began considering which stats to increase. Mana was definitely cool but it in the current situation it was hardly practical. I doubted I'd even know how to use it.
My OCD was also begging me to add the five points to Perception to round it up to a nice 20. But as satisfying as it would be, that was plain stupid.
After some back and forth indecisiveness, I finally settled on Endurance. Agility or Strength would've been nice too but my main concern right now was stamina.
Following the internal debate, I decisively put two points in Endurance and saved three in case of emergencies. But right then something happened right that sent me speechless.
[Endurance: 9>9.4]
'How fucking convenient...'
A whole two points. Two points. And I get an increase of 0.4. That means a single point is essentially worth only one-fifth of a stat.
'Forget it... Who am I kidding? I can't even file a complaint'
Even as I launched sarcastic comments at the system, I felt the slight increase in my vigour.
Description? Abysmal. Not even a 10% increase, you could tell from the numbers already. Though at least it counted.
'Close the status window'.
The screen vanished from my sight without a trace. I finally looked around to see everyone staring at me with weird expressions.
"Why are you all staring at me like that?"
One guy spoke up.
"You were acting like a maniac."
"Oh that. I was just checking my stats. I levelled up."
The faces of those who understood the significance immediately brightened, though the mood dampened once more as the noises from the veranda reminded us of the bleak reality.
"Ben, next time you take the final kill. When we beat it down, strike its head and kill it so you can level up. Don't give it space to even breathe."
He nods at me, clearly excited but steeling himself for the next fight. Both he and I have read too many novels too know the consequences of carelessness.
There were some grumbles of dissatisfaction among the crowd at the opportunity but none dared voice them aloud. They were well aware that he deserved it after taking the risk to fight.
I glanced at Charles and Thomas who had wedged the door and were taking turns holding back and gave a sincere nod of approval.
"Charles. Thomas. Thank you for your hard work. If it wasn't for you guys we wouldn't be able to plan this freely. After Ben's turn, the two of you will have a go. Make sure you switch with someone else if you're tired."
Thomas gave a small smile, clearly a bit happy to be acknowledged for his help. Charles, currently holding the door back flashed me a grin. Though the desk had done most of the work, without someone holding it firm the horde would've barged in by now.
"Anytime nerd. When I bashed those hands, they dropped a couple of weapons. Three. Well, four if you're counting the other one you kicked."
I beamed as I saw the small pile of weapons on the floor. We'd struck it rich this time. There were two short swords and a club. Plus the dagger I kicked earlier.
'Nice..'