Chapter 7 - Calculating the Rewards…

"I almost didn't make it because of you!" I try to yell as I angrily scratch at the screen in front of me, but my voice cracks horribly and my throat restricts my voice, as if in fear I would tear a hole through it. And, of course, the screen isn't really there, so I can't grab and strangle it. With a sigh, I ignore the messages for now and pull out the weapon to inspect what I had used to kill this monster of a Boar.

As I thought, the only thing that comes out of the dead husk was the handle, up until the hilt. A few pieces of metal clink as they break off and fall to the ground ungracefully. With nothing else to inspect, I check out the handle. It was so incredibly plain, just glancing at it was enough to discern all of its main features. It was quite literally just a piece of a stick with a dirty wrap poorly wrapped around it.

"What the fuck," I breathe out slowly, letting it slip from my hands as I take a few steps back, intending to sit. I only got to the second step before my heel catches on a root, and tumbling I went. I finally end up upside down against a trunk, similar to the night before my death, but rather than embarrassment this time, I feel… good?

My heart is still racing so fast I think it might burst from my chest and live out its dream of being a race car. Sweat still falls from the tips of my hair, which wasn't very styled to begin with, and gleams a bright white against the sunlight. Yet, the feeling of accomplishment overruns all of this. If I was in my old body, I would've died at least three times over in that one fight. I had already grown leaps and bounds, and this new life had just started. 'I guess, if this was 1 Dexterity, I probably had 0 before.'

Maybe starting again as Klum, even with the stats I had from my last life, wouldn't be as bad as I thought in this new world.

Righting myself after teetering on my side for a second, I mentally order all the screens that had popped up into the middle of my vision. Instantly, 11 messages fly in front of me. I swipe away the five I had already seen — the Critical Mark hit, the tutorial messages, and the 'defeated Boar' and 'calculating rewards' ones. That left 6 more to check out. I read them one by one, my eyes widening more and more with each one I read.

[Untrusty Dagger]
[Rank: Extremely Common]
[Description: … The stick might've been better. This excuse for a dagger is held together with a few wraps and a prayer to the Gods.]
Atk: +3
Def: +0
Spe: +8
Dur:0/6


I blink, once, then twice, then three times. "How the hell did I manage to kill that thing with this??"

I was dumbfounded, and stare for another few seconds before shaking my head. I had killed it, and survived, so that was what mattered now. Tossing the handle to the ground, I store the Eldwood Stick in my Inventory. Worse comes to worst, at least that's usable.

Moving on, I look at the next messages.

[Obtained 20 EXP from the Strong-Armed Boar.]
[User forcefully gained an extra 10 EXP for fighting a stronger enemy.]
[Obtained Strong Leather Armguards. (Please touch the Strong-Armed Boar to collect.)]
[User Leveled up!]
[User gained 5 stat points.]

The rest of the messages made my heart skip a beat. Five stat points, just like that. I had been worried that only certain circumstances would raise my stats, like how my Sixth Sense had kicked in or the double DEX caused a DEX point, but this… this was amazing.

Without wasting any time, I quickly open my Life Statscreen. Before I can do anything, another screen opens over it, and I watch it move curiously.

[30/25 EXP]
[29/26 EXP]
[28/27 EXP]

The number on the left rapidly depletes, while the one on the right rises at the same rate. Finally, it stops when the number on the right doubled what it originally had been.

[5/50 EXP]


The message suddenly disappears, revealing new info on my Life Statscreen.

[Name: Klum]
[Age: 17]
[Lv: 2]
[EXP: 5/50]
[Health: 16/25]
[Mana: 24/24]
[Stamina: 19/25]


STR: 4 MAG: 2
AGI: 6 DEX: 2
VIT: 3 INT: 7
Free Stat(s): 5

ACC: 4
DEF: 3
POW: 4

[Skills: Klum's Reincarnation (Unfound), Critical Eye (Rare)]

My teeth shines from the giant grin that spreads on my face. My DEX had already gone up, but I sink another two points into it in giddy joy.

[New Stats come into effect in 3…]
[2...]
[1…]

A satisfying feeling runs through my body like a live wire. I became aware of my entire body, and it feels loose and ready to respond at a moment's notice. It isn't anything incredible in reality, but I could feel the difference immensely in just 3 stat points. It was like going from being colorblind to seeing color. The coordination was insane to me, who was used to feeling alienated in my own body.

I go to add the three other points to DEX as well, but the same feeling from right before the Boar attacked causes me to pause. I know that this time, it had something to do with the Stats I was about to add. I lower my finger as I ponder why I feel this way when I was so close to becoming so dexterous.

"Oh."

The realization hits me harder than a dumb bitch in a red sports car.

It hadn't been Dexterity that had saved my life several times over in that last fight. In fact, if I had maybe even just one less Instinct, I probably would've been one-shot by the Boar's sneak attack. Without the Agility, I wouldn't have made it out of the way.

If I had a few more points in Strength, I might've killed the Boar with the first Critical Hit.

With a sigh, I reassess my Stats, before distributing the last three points the way I feel will best help me survive, at least until I find civilization. Once I do, I'll go on a Dexterity rising spree.

Nodding my head in agreement to my Statscreen, I close it before checking out my surroundings once more.

There were only trees as far as my new amber eyes could see.

With a sigh, I resort to Plan B. "Tutorial, you wouldn't happen to know where the closest town, village or city is, would you?"

[* Communicating with the World Lines. *]
[* Huh. All I can say is go south! *]

I look at the overly optimistic messages in disdain. 'For a tutorial, it doesn't seem too sure about this.'

But, with a lack of a better idea, I collect my reward from the Boar, then use the sun to orient myself and begin walking.

* * *

[Name: Klum]
[Age:17]
[Lv: 2]
[EXP: 5/50]
[Health: 22/30]
[Mana: 24/24]
[Stamina: 25/30]

STR: 5 MAG: 2
AGI: 7 DEX: 4
VIT: 4 INT: 7

ACC: 5
DEF: 4
POW: 4

[Skills: Klum's Reincarnation (Unfound), Critical Eye (Rare)]


(Ranks in Puria are as follows, from low to high:
Low Rank: Extremely Common, Common, Uncommon,
Mid Rank: Rare, Super Rare, Ultra Rare,
High Rank: Legendary, Unfound)