Surrounded, Remedy refused to be passive. He anchored himself to the ground, senses on high alert, before brutally breaking the circle. With a sharp pivot, he sprinted toward the goblin on his right.
Mid-stride, he hurled a dagger toward the creature's abdomen. Caught off guard, the monster reacted by pure reflex, swinging its club to deflect the blade.
Mistake.
At the point of impact, the dagger shattered into a cloud of glittering pixels—stored away. The club sliced through empty air, dragging the goblin forward by its own momentum.
Before the creature could process the trap, Remedy was already on it. He leaped, locking his legs around its throat in a perfect flying scissor takedown. The weight of the impact swept the monster's legs out from under it.
As they fell, metal—real metal, this time—flashed in Remedy's hands. Both blades sank simultaneously into each side of the cervical vertebrae.
They hit the ground with a heavy thud. Remedy instantly disengaged in a fluid roll, leaving the corpse behind.
He bounded back to his feet, already facing the pack. A first goblin threw itself at him, its club whistling toward his neck.
With a backhand slap, Remedy deflected the strike upward, breaking the monster's momentum. Without giving it time to recover, he grabbed the creature's neck and yanked it violently toward him. His second hand was already waiting: the dagger was firmly braced at abdominal level. The goblin impaled itself on the steel. Remedy shoved it away with a sharp shove, the blade sliding out coldly, letting the corpse collapse while he already charged the next group.
Like a high-level athlete, he optimized every movement, systematically slipping into their blind spots. His enemies saw nothing but his shadow before the blade struck. He set traps, feinted left to strike right, and executed his targets with fatal precision.
A blade grazed him. A shallow gash opened on his arm. But he didn't slow down. His daggers found throats and hearts.
The enemy ranks thinned at a frightening speed. Soon, silence returned, broken only by Remedy's heavy breathing and the growls of the last three survivors.
[DING! YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED TO LEVEL 9. YOU HAVE RECOVERED: HEALTH: 50% ➔ 55%; MANA: 33% ➔ 40%.]
Remedy's body glowed. His breathing grew steadier.
I leveled up again.
[DING! YOU HAVE REACHED THE SUMMIT OF TIER 0. YOU CAN NO LONGER EVOLVE WITHIN THIS TIER. YOU CAN NO LONGER GAIN EXPERIENCE.]
Remedy stood up. His shoulders finally relaxed. He walked toward the remaining monsters. Their clubs trembled. Their wheezing breath filled the silence.
"Alright, time to wrap this up."
As he lunged at them, the monsters could no longer follow his movements. The moment he reached one, he finished it and instantly launched himself at the next. He executed them all, their bodies slumping behind him.
Devour.
The corpses dissolved and entered his shadow. Meanwhile, his eyes scanned the interface.
═══ STATUS WINDOW ═══
Name: Remedy
Lineage: Human
Tier: 0 — Ordinary Human
Level: 9
EXP: Max
MP: 27,650
Health: 55%
Energies:
• Mana: 40%
═══ CLASS ═══
• Primary Path: Sealed
• Secondary Path: Scourge of Reality
═══ SKILLS ═══
• Secondary Path: Steal, Manifest, Bind, Devour
═══ INNATE TALENTS ═══
• ???
═══════════════════════════
"I've finally reached Level 9. Now comes the hardest part: breaking through to Tier 1."
It was said that at the summit of a Tier, you could no longer evolve or receive experience until you crossed over to the next Tier. So the rumors were true.
The daggers vanished from his hands. A water bottle appeared in their place.
Who would have thought I'd be the one experiencing this myself?
He took a sip of water.
I hope everything goes well for me.
The bottle vanished as well. He stepped out of the dungeon.
He looked up. "Is it night already? Looks like I'll continue the rest tomorrow."
He stretched, threw on his cloak, and pulled out the broken watch. His thumb brushed over the shattered glass before he slid it back into his pocket.
What an intense day. I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
Then his legs carried him mechanically, one step after another, heading home.
***
The next morning. Knock, knock. A silhouette knocked on Remedy's bedroom door.
"Remedy... Remedy, are you awake?"
Remedy's groggy voice answered from inside. "Y-yes, just a second."
The door opened. Remedy emerged, shirtless. He was yawning, rubbing his eye, while his other hand reached toward the silhouette's head to pat it.
"Haaa! Thanks for waking me up, Sora."
Sora, fully dressed, intercepted his hand with her own.
"You asked me to wake you up, so I did, Mr. Enchanter. Don't ruin my hair. I'm already late for school."
When I got home yesterday, I told them I received the System and could finally evolve. They all screamed.
The scene flashed through Remedy's mind: Sora, Flora, and Victor, all three slack-jawed around the dinner table last night.
"Hey, why are you spacing out? Aren't you fully awake yet?"
Of course, I didn't tell them about Ely, the real System, or my true Class. I told them I was an Enchanter. I didn't want to lie to them, but...
"No, no, I'm completely awake." A faint smile appeared on his face as his hand rubbed his abs.
It's better not to involve them in all this.
Sora's eyes naturally followed the movement, dropping down to Remedy's abs. Then she instantly spun around.
"Ahem. Alright, I'm off."
She hurried away, leaving Remedy perplexed by her sudden departure. Her voice echoed from the distance.
"I'm leaving, Mom!"
"Alright, work hard!"
Remedy returned to his room. His gaze drifted to the mirror.
Wow... my abs are really defined.
His fingers traced the cuts. Then they moved up to the tattoos on his neck. His expression neutralized. He let out a sigh and began to get ready.
By the way, did she see the tattoos?
***
In the kitchen, Remedy bent down and turned the gas valve to open it.
He stood up and lit two burners. On one, he set water to boil; on the other, a pan with a drizzle of oil. He cracked an egg onto a plate, added salt and pepper, whisked it, and poured it into the pan. In a mug, he put a little sugar, added hot water, stirred, and set it aside.
He turned off the first burner and flipped the omelet in the pan. He opened a drawer, pulled out a long loaf of dry bread, and cut it in half. He slid the omelet into the bread and pressed it onto the warm, slightly oiled pan. The bread softened. Breakfast was ready.
He turned off the second burner, bent down, and closed the gas valve.
After eating this rare, luxurious breakfast that only happened at the beginning of each month, he stood up, washed the plates, and put them back where they belonged.
"I'm off too, Aunt."
"Yes, work hard..." The voice drifted from the bedroom, accompanied by the whirring of a sewing machine.
Then he stepped outside.
***
He arrived in front of a large, three-story building. The storefront was already bustling. Remedy stood before it, his gaze locked on the sign: Sullen Guild (Branch Office).
Alright, let's do some business...
He walked inside.
The interior was a beehive of activity. Players of all ages and levels were going about their business, chatting in front of notice boards, or lining up at counters. Remedy navigated the crowd. A young man with his group, standing close by, greeted him.
"Good morning, Technician."
He turned to him and nodded. "Good morning."
He resumed his walk as he became the topic of conversation for the group.
"Who's that?"
"Him? That's the famous Technician, haha."
"Him? But is he Level 9?"
"Maybe his grit finally paid off, who knows... Haha."
Remedy overheard them but ignored it. A few other people greeted him as well. Same routine: he replied and kept moving.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down Remedy's spine. Something hissed toward his back. He instantly spun around, his hand clamping down on the man's wrist.
"You... Soren?!"
End of chapter 7