Chapter 75: A Convenient Skill: Second Wind!
Chapter 75
Tring!
{Quest Completed! Dungeon cleared}
{Rewards will now be distributed...}
{Rewards: +400XP, +5 free stat points; +50NP; +1 new skill}
"Status tab." Zen called out with a strained voice as he managed to stagger toward the pile of bones the goblin boss had been sitting on earlier.
He dropped onto it like a sack of rice hitting the ground with a heavy thud. His wound around the abdomen was still bleeding profusely, showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
His HP was dangerously low, yet he ignored the constant dizziness and decided to check his rewards first.
A blue screen materialised before his eyes, the glowing letters hovering steadily despite his blurred vision.
{Status}
{Name: Zenixx}
{XP: 700/800}
{Level: 9}
{HP: 65/65} {STR: 38}
{AGI: 31} {INT: 38}
{NP: 150} {Free stat: 5}
"Tch! I didn’t even level up from this damn fight. Useless." Zen scoffed inwardly as he eyed the screen, his lip curling in irritation.
"How... where should I assign these free stat points to? I’d rather assign them now than be forced to rush later." He muttered as he stroked his chin, seemingly ignoring the fresh blood soaking through his clothes.
’Agility perhaps? But come to think of it, I already have the wind gale sword and the boots, and both increase my agility stats by plus four each. That’s a total of eight extra stat points to agility.
Which means my agility would reach thirty-nine, rising above my strength stat. I also noticed something along the way—most beasts I’ve encountered always outpace me. The higher their rank, the faster they get.
To even out the playing field, I need more speed. But then again, what good is speed when I don’t have the strength to back it up?’ Zen thought grimly. His head pounded, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him as he rubbed his temples.
"Okay. I think this is the best I can do in this case," he mumbled after a moment and quickly assigned the points.
They went as thus:
{STR: 38 >>> 40}
{AGI: 31 >>> 32}
{INT: 38 >>> 40}
"Now that’s more like it. I distributed them equally. Now both my strength and agility are balanced, and with my gear equipped, they’ll complement each other perfectly. Chiwawa! Looks like the system is in a good mood today." Zen chuckled with relief.
’Let’s see what my new skill is,’ he thought as the screen changed again.
{New skill added: 1}
{Skill name: Second Wind (Lv1): Restores half of the user’s HP and heals up any sort of injuries they may have. (Skill can only be used once a day)}
’The hell?! Is the system crazy today, or just being generous? What kind of overpowered skill is this?!’ Zen almost shouted out loud, but instead forced himself to remain calm. A grin crept across his face as he stared at the glowing letters.
Glancing down, he noticed the hole still torn through his shirt. Blood had soaked deep into the fabric, spreading in dark patches across his abdomen.
"How convenient," Zen smirked and, without hesitation, activated the skill.
{Ding! Skill: Second Wind is about to be activated}
{Are you sure you want to use skill?}
{Yes/No}
"Yes," Zen replied eagerly.
Right on cue, a soft shimmering light engulfed his abdomen. In a split second, the wounds closed, sealing without leaving even the faintest scar. The pain vanished as if it had never been there, and his HP bar jumped back up.
{HP: 48/65}
"Now that’s a little like it." Zen groaned in relief as he leaned back slightly. With a flick of thought, he de-equipped his sword, causing it to vanish into the system’s storage, leaving only his boots still on.
"Much better." He mumbled as he quickly stood up, yawned, and stretched a little before swiftly harvesting the beast cores from the dead beast and storing them all in his inventory.
’I need to get out of here before the dungeon collapses. I think I even have about three minutes left or so,’ he thought as he jogged toward the door, pushed it open, and found himself back in the cave hallway where the portal swirled before him.
Without wasting time, he stood in front of it, ready to step in.
"Wait until I tell the others how I cleared a C-ranked dungeon all alone without even using a veil. Even though I have one, I thought it would’ve activated in the face of danger, but I guess I was wrong. Tch! Let’s just head back to the clan and boast a little." Zen grumbled as he stepped into the portal, not knowing what awaited him on the other side.
__
Back at the clan, chaos reigned. Everyone was in a tight pickle, and one of those individuals was Vynn, who was surrounded by four Lycans. Yet, even in the face of overwhelming strength, he wore a smile.
"I’m having so much fun!" Vynn cackled as he leapt back, lightning coursing around his feet, allowing the beast to slam into the ground and kick up dust.
"Thunder Flash." He chuckled as deep rumblings echoed in the air.
Like a bolt of lightning, he blitzed forward—faster than the beast could react and in the blink of an eye, its head rolled to the ground with a dull thud. Vynn skidded to a halt behind it, a grin creeping across his face.
Sensing a shift in the air, he quickly spun around, meeting the claw of another Lycan. Without hesitation, he leapt into the air, kicked the beast across the head, vaulted off, and landed directly behind it.
Lightning crackled around his hands as he swung them forward with a deafening bang, slamming into the beast’s back. Its eyes widened as it howled in pain, blood spraying from its mouth before it was blasted away with such force that it crashed into a second Lycan. The two tumbled violently across the ground.
"Kek." Vynn chuckled, tilting his head as the last beast charged at him in fury.
His smile widened as the electric buzz in the air intensified. Calmly gripping the hilt of his sword, he unleashed a roaring bang that shattered the sound barrier as he blitzed forward. In a single motion, the beast collapsed with a heavy thud.
’Tch! Didn’t even amount to much.’