Skills

[ Now... we say good bye. I have already provided humanity with the necessities it needs to survive, now it's all up to you humans~ ]

Her response took me by surprise.

[ Goodbye...? I had presumed that you would help us... You seem rather strong so I don't believe it's because you can't fight...? ]

I probably shouldn't have said that, as her expression was not pretty.

[ It's true that I should also fight against the virus, especially right now in its early stage... but unfortunately, I expended too much life force coming to earth and individually talking to each of you humans... I don't have the strength to fight... ]

There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she described her situation.

She wasn't entitled to save humanity yet Aurora had apparently made quite a sacrifice to do so. Now I understood why she had previously expressed her dislike for humans.

I wasn't sure what she meant by 'life force', but it sounded like she would disappear any second, so I quickly took my chance.

[ Before you leave, I wanted to ask for something. ]

My question ended up being a bit too sudden as she took some time to answer.

[ Hmm, interesting~ I can't promise you anything, but speak~ ]

[ Advice... I want to ask for any advice that you deem helpful for my survival. ]

A small grin appeared on the sly fox's face as she slowly started rising into the sky.

[ Heh... Kiyoshi Carter if you wish to survive then... Kill! Kill as many infected as you can! As fast as you can! Take risks and reap the rewards~ ]

Her advice was not what I was expecting.

I was hoping she would tell me some kind of trick or secret function related to the System which would give me a power boast, unfortunately that stuff only happened in fantasy novels...

'Never mind... Aurora's presences and all this other crazy shit would even put the fantasy genre to shame.'

While I was reflecting on Aurora's somewhat barbaric advice, the white fox had already risen to about 10 feet into the sky.

I quickly gathered my thoughts and asked my last question.

[ Will we ever meet again? ]

With a small smirk Aurora moved her lips for the final time.

[ It's possible... yet impossible~ ]

With such peculiar last words, a red light covered her body, and she disappeared... as if she was just an illusion... her voice leaving me alone, to my own thoughts.

It was true that Aurora was nothing more than a stranger and an alien to me, but being able to talk to someone was rather pleasant after all that time.

With Aurora's disappearance the mist around me slowly started to dissipate, but it was taking much longer then I had expected.

During that time I decided to try out the Edge System, which I was previously holding off until my conversation with Aurora was done.

If it was anything like the rpg system that I knew, I would probably shed a few tears of happiness.

I calmed myself down, and after taking a deep breath I loudly shouted 'Edge' inside my head.

A somewhat plain looking screen poped up right infront of me, causing me to flinch.

The screen in question was rectangular in shape with sharp corners. It was jet black in color and it's sides and text were plain white.

'Maybe it's like that because of the color of my tattoo... I wonder what kind of personality it represents...'

I suppressed my excitement as I slowly read the changing white text.

{ Welcome User }

{ ...Beginning Analysis }

{ Analyzing User... Evaluation Complete }

{ Choose one of the following compatible skills... }

The System then showed a screen with three different boxes each with an ability name and description.

- Coward's Sense Lv 1 -

The user will sense a fatal blow 3 seconds before it's inflicted

Passive Skill

No MP is required

*This skill has a cooldown period of 6 hours*

( Skill effectiveness and cooldown will improve depending on the skill level )

- Silent Mobility Lv 1 -

The user will completely block off any sound or smell they produce for 15 seconds

Active Skill

No MP is required

*This skill has a cooldown period of 1 hour*

( Skill effectiveness and cooldown will improve depending on the skill level )

- Unarmed Combat Lv 1 -

The user will get proficient in using thier fists as a natural weapon and it will be easier for the user to learn different close combat techniques

Strength + 3

Agility + 1

Passive Skill

No MP is required

( Skill effectiveness will improve depending on the skill level )

I stood there in awe, as I stared at the screen.

'Aurora probably forgot to tell me that you can get a skill after merging with the system...'

The Edge System most likely provided skills to everyone who merged with it. This was probably to insure that the users wouldn't just die off before they could even try to grow stronger.

My adrenaline started pumping wildly.

'This truly is a dream come true! It also mentions MP and different stats!'

After a moment of celebration I got serious as the mist was almost gone and I was about to face a completely different world.

I quickly compared the three skills and after a few seconds picked the most obvious choice.

'I choose Coward's Sense.'

The other two skills were indeed quite attractive but this skill would be more beneficial in the long run.

I also already had knowledge in close combat and there was no guarantee that the second skill would completely hide me from the infected.

{ Are you sure that you want to choose 'Coward's Sense'? }

'Yes!'

After the System confirmed my choice a black light flashed around my body. This was similar to something you would see in an anime when a character powered up.

I didn't feel any different and I had no way to test out my skill, but the black screen that now showed my actual Status confirmed I had gotten the skill.

Name: Kiyoshi Carter (25)

Class: None

Title: None

Level: 1

Next Level: 0%

HP: 100/100

MP: 10/10

[ Stats ]

SP: 0

Strength: 13 (Avg: 10)

Agility: 10 (Avg: 10)

Intelligence: 10 (Avg: 10)

Vitality: 5 (Avg: 5)

Perception: 4 (Avg: 5)

[ Skills ]

- Coward's Sense ( Passive )

I was a bit uncomfortable yet excited as the mist finally disappeared and I was back infront of the Arcade.