5 Monster Collector
Chapter 5: Monster Collector
[Leon Blade Lv. 3(2/400) HP: 3000/3000 MP: 3000/3000]
[Your system has been upgraded.]
[You've received a shop feature.]
Because the darkness snakes were giving just two exp points and Leon's level ceiling expanded significantly, he'd decided it was time to move forward and reach the last room. He also felt doubtful about sleeping in the dark forest, so it was best to proceed.
And so, Leon appeared in the fourth room. It was all white and empty, like usual. He casually lay on the cold floor and closed his eyes, thinking about his experiences in the tests so far.
'Yes, it's much better than laying in a comfortable bed, doing nothing, and just falling deeper into a depression.' Leon inwardly whispered, then his thoughts reached a pretty nice point. 'They wouldn't like seeing me without any ambitions… While I might not be able to aim for the top again, I'll enjoy the new world well. I will try to find someone as good as you, Athena.'
And as lovely memories took over Leon, he slowly drifted away to dreamland.
Eight hours later, Leon's eyes sprang open, and he glanced around with a slightly dazed expression. Everything he had gone through wasn't a dream, after all.
And as he clenched his hand, Leon felt much stronger and different, too, as though he could feel mana coursing through him. He stood up, stretched, which was rare for him nowadays, then gazed ahead with clear and confident eyes.
"Last challenge…" Leon muttered, then suddenly clasped his cheeks. "Forward."
He grasped the knob as though yanking it, then opened the doors. An immense chill swept and invaded the white room, creating icicles and layers of thick ice. Leon stood frozen, too, gawking at the black spirit floating not too far away from the doors.
It was naturally the darkness world, yet the man's black cloak somehow stood out.
"Why…" he whispered in a cold and furious tone, "Why don't you have a hero complex, too?!"
At his feet, his cloak fluttered wildly, the darkness expanded, seemingly running away from his fury, and coldness became so unbearable that Leon couldn't speak or think straight.
But soon, the man controlled his feelings and reverted all changes with just a flick alone.
"Hero… complex?" Leon stuttered, unaware of the black spirit's turmoil.
The hood bobbed a few times, and then the man replied, "For a reason you can guess, your tests had to be altered to be harder. Your first test had an addition of screams of the deceased, which heavily impacted your mind. I thought the second test would be fine as it is since it raises many questions. I thought I'd have a lot of time to prepare harder enemies for you in the dark forest… But you simply strolled through the second test! So… where is your hero complex?!"
All recent humans with blessed bodies and minds, eligible for a second chance, spent a lot of time on the second test. One of them buried the first victim, whose head usually rolls to the challengers, and he'd spent one day digging the grave with his hands.
Another one worked with the person he'd saved to ensure their survival, finding her cute. Perhaps, it had been love at first sight, but that didn't go well anyway.
And there were more situations like those, which slowed down the chosen ones.
"You might think that those tests were easy… But let me tell you that you wouldn't have had such an easy time had it not been for your humanity's peak body. You have a much faster reaction speed, and sharpened instincts, which adapt fast to your circumstances, and your comprehension is way above human's senses. In fact, if you weren't held back by your weaker soul and mind, you would be even better. Your body has also been neglected, both by your depression and lifestyle. But I understand — we all have flaws, don't we?" the black spirit asked nicely.
Leon could only reply in the same way, "You flatter me too much."
"I don't like that answer," the black spirit replied, then spread his arms, revealing white and slightly grayish hands, "For your last trial, you will have to go through me. I'll match your level and bring out the cold water of the Underworld Rivers. Fear not, Leon Blade, level three spirit can only do so much."
After saying those words, the black spirit's index fingers twitched slightly, and cold water burst out from the darkness walls as though he'd broken a dam. It fell heavily onto the ground and rushed at Leon, who was sprinting toward the fifth room long before water appeared.
In his circumstances, what could he have done differently? He was just a normal human a few hours before! He didn't have any skills, and his level was also just three.
'Forward! Forward!'
Only that one word repeatedly echoed in Leon's mind, for his will to live had been long since rekindled. He wanted to keep going forward, taste happiness once again, and hold that for an eternity.
But to want something and to do something were greatly different. Leon soon lost his grounding as the cold water hit him, sweeping him away from his final destination. He drifted away and away while losing control over his body. In fact, he became like an ice statue instantly upon a touch.
The river soon pushed Leon straight to the fourth room's doors.
A few minutes later, it disappeared.
Yet, Leon stood frozen, shrouded in layers of ice.
"Leon Blade." The black spirit's voice shook the whole corridor and other tests. At the same time, cracks started popping out on Leon's frozen skin. "You really don't fear death."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At first, Leon was utterly riddled with cracks. But those kept bursting out and shattering into pieces, only to finally free Leon from the shackles of the Underground Rivers.
He took a weak but confident step forward. A moment later, he made a second step. He kept shivering and stuttering, his teeth playing quite an amusing melody, but Leon carried on and did what he had been doing for the whole test — move forward.
"May you see a darkness of victory," the black spirit wished from the bottom of his heart, then silently disappeared after those words, not having enough patience to look at Leon's slow march.
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[You have entered the fifth room.]
[The Oracle has cleansed your negative effects.]
Feeling as though someone or something soft embraced him, Leon's negative effects, mainly the ice of the underground, melted away, and his consciousness mended up instantaneously. Leon could move just fine, and no longer felt heavier, numb, and as though nails were prickling him.
He lifted his eyes and gawked at the grand statue of a woman in a white dress, which stuck to her curves tightly. Her face was hidden behind a mask with a noble design. At first look, she was like an angel, for she had fluffy wings behind, spreading like fans three times her size.
Leon couldn't think of her as an angel, though. He felt something odd within himself, as though he was looking at someone equal to him.
How stupid was that?
[Ah, so it's written in the stars.]
She moaned pretty cutely.
[If you follow his path, you'll find answers to your desires.]
[You've been given a special Monster Collector class from The Oracle.]
[You've received a special monster card, Scarlet Fox Louise.]
Leon received more than he thought he'd get.
And then, The Oracle continued.
[You're so different… Your paths will rarely cross, but I'll pray for you, Leon.]
"Well, thanks," Leon nodded faintly and thanked the statue.
For some reason, and he really despised that, he couldn't really bow before her. She didn't seem to mind it, so everything was fine. And with all rewards in his system, Leon had no more reason to stay in the fifth room.
"It seems like I've received more, so I'm grateful. Thank you again, and may we see each other in the future." Leon genuinely smiled and bid farewell to The Oracle like they were good buddies.
Then. he suddenly felt an unfamiliar pressure on himself. His vision spiraled, a bizarre feeling of his organs turning upside down went through him, and he felt like he was in a washing machine!
His eyes became clouded with blurred vision… and then he appeared in a different location.
[Welcome to the Freya World.]
Leon looked to the side, then to his left side, confirming his safety with just his guts alone. Then, he opened his system, which was the best system a resident could ever possess.
He clicked on his inventory and brought out a special card. On this card, Leon saw a beautiful woman with scarlet hair and blue eyes. She had very peculiar fox ears on her head, three fire tails behind her back, and a pretty cute face. Her clothes were pitiful, though, for she had just a plain, brown, and tattered shirt.
"She's classified as a monster?" Leon genuinely questioned aloud, feeling doubtful, then activated the card.
It lit up like flames, then, with sparks still dancing around Leon, the card manifested into a real fox girl. She had a red and heavy collar around her neck, tightly connected to Leon's wrist through a chain.
"Ah… H-H-Human E-E-Emperor-" the fox girl stuttered, her eyes rippling with genuine fear, and her legs trembled like swaying trees.
Leon wished for the collar and chain to disappear, and it did as though it were a conscious thing. The fox girl then dropped onto her knees and looked at him like a frightened beggar.
Yes, she looked fine without any bruise or wound, but those slave-like clothes and her fearful eyes scratched Leon's heart. She was clearly unstable and in an even worse state than Leon was before his second chance.
Well, he'd been in such a depression that he'd have been dead had it not been for the black spirit.
No sane person would cross red lights while caring about his life, right?
"I am not the human emperor," Leon gravely said, then summoned chains and the collar again, only to take them off and shove them deep into his inventory. "And you aren't the slave."
"Then, who am I?" Louise asked faintly, her memories in shambles.
Leon smiled faintly at her, and as she looked deeply into his eyes, he replied, "Life is what you make it. I'd be honored to help you make it merrier. See, I hate being alone. And I just appeared in this world, so I'll take the lead and invite you to my party. Louise, would you like to adventure with me?"
Although Leon had taken off the collar and chains, Louise still had a connection with him, but Leon had given her so much freedom she could break it and free herself utterly from him.
However, she had many holes in her memories and wasn't even sure of her existence. Louise had just a few clues, and those were connected to the person wielding Monster Collector Class before her and someone known as the human emperor.
Thinking of that existence and her circumstances, Louise understood one thing. "It feels so good to be able to think, Master…"
Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks.
Leon gazed at her for a while, wiped off some of them, then looked away and stared at the cloudless sky, "Yes, it is."
[Louise has joined your party.]
[You can start developing your first monster.]
[All development will be written on her monster card. You develop her through interactions and experiences with her. Louise's development paths are all within your control, and you decide on them through your treatment. Her current potential is limitless, for she's a chaste and untainted girl.]
[Scarlet Fox Louise is legendary existence with extraordinary skills within her bloodline. You can pick one of her legendary skills for your use and tailored development.]
