It was a cold, snowy night. The city that was bustling with life had fallen asleep, leaving some dark places here and there.
"Where is it? Where?"
A young boy in his early teens was strolling alone in the dark alley, rummaging through some piles of trash. Judging from the clothes he was wearing, he was definitely not from the rich. It seemed like he was looking for something.
"No… Mother will be mad at me…"
He kept thrusting his hands inside the trash, ignoring the putrid smell and disease it might carry. To him, finding the thing he was looking for was much more important than even his life at the moment. When he was still busy, he heard faint footsteps coming closer towards his direction. But he paid no heed, and kept continuing what he was doing.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Hearing a soft voice behind him, the boy turned his head a little. He saw a girl around the same age as him standing behind him. She was wearing all black with a cloak as the addition. Her bluish azure eyes met with his. The girl was shocked for a moment, but she returned back to normal in no time.
"Who are you?"
The boy asked softly. His hatred and loneliness reflected through his dead-fish golden eyes. Looking directly at his glare, the girl smiled slightly and pulled her cloak, revealing a gorgeous face.
"No need to be afraid. I was just asking what you were doing here.", she reached her hands for him. "Come on, get out of that rubbish bin."
Seeing the girl reaching her hands for him, the boy only stared blankly. He didn't know what she was trying to do. The last time he saw someone reaching for him was his mother beating him up. The boy curled in the corner after recalling that memory.
"Uh… Eh?"
The girl was making a troubled face. She was so confused and sweating profusely.
"Don't hit me, please…"
The boy begged with a hoarse voice. After hearing that, the girl stopped for a moment. She squinted her eyes and stared at the boy.
"What is this…?", she covered her eyes with her right hand and staggered a little. "Hahaha… Ridiculous… What the hell were the higher-ups thinking!?"
She screamed while staring upwards. Flashes of memories invaded her mind. She knew it well. She knew too well what kind of hardship the boy was living. She used to be the same as him.
"I can't… I just can't…"
Drops of tears started to appear in her eyes. The boy who was watching the whole scene no longer curled his body. Instead, he was looking directly at her crying face. He then approached her, slowly.
"Why are you crying? Did I do something bad to you?"
The boy raised his questions innocently, smashing her heart into pieces. She looked at the boy and responded.
"No, you did nothing…", she paused for a brief moment. "Hey, what's your name?"
"My name's Fayre… Fayre di Inferi."
After hearing the boy's words, she clenched her fists tightly, leaving some marks on her palms.
"Listen, Fayre…", she whispered. "Will you come with me?"
She extended her hand again, but this time, she was also smiling.
"Let me teach you how to live in this rotten world."
***
[—e up.]
Ugh… So noisy.
[—ake up.]
Huh? What?
[Farenna, wake up.]
I hurriedly opened my eyes and found myself laying down on my back. My head was aching a little bit.
"Ugh… What happened?"
[You passed out right after defeating the behemoth.]
I slowly regained my senses. Yes, I was hunting a behemoth earlier.
"How long has it been?"
[Approximately 2 hours.]
Damn. I was passing out that long? No wonder my head hurt slightly. I could also feel my eyes swell a little.
[Did you have a nightmare?]
"No…", I lowered my head and smiled a little. "I just remembered something from the past… Before I even got chosen as an Apostle…"
[...]
"Man, I kinda wanna meet her now. She was around the same age as I so how old is she in this life? 7 years old?"
I spoke to myself.
[I do not know how to respond to this.]
"Nah, it's okay. I was just talking to myself, Dea. Instead of that, can you please show me the loot I got from the behemoth?"
[Affirmative.]
Dea replied almost instantly.
[You acquired Thick Leathers x8, Big Bones x10, Behemoth's Meat x26, and Infernal Core x1. You also leveled up to 3.]
"Hmm…", I sat down and crossed my legs. "How many stat points do I have now? 10?"
[Yes. Do you want to distribute the stat points?]
"Alright. Distribute them to AGI and DEX equally, please."
[Affirmative.]
The next moment, I could feel a surge of power in my body. It was as if I got much stronger than before.
[You are indeed becoming stronger.]
Hearing Dea stating that made me feel relieved. It wasn't much but that was enough to calm myself down. My effort paid well, that was what I thought at the moment. Suddenly a question that I had forgotten resurfaced in my mind.
"Hey, Dea."
[What is it?]
"I have a question."
[Ask away.]
She gave her permission.
"Am I the only one having something like a game-like feature like this? Or is there anyone who can also use this?"
Dea went silent for a moment before she replied.
[There are several individuals who are also able to gain access to the world system. Coincidentally, one of them is from mankind.]
"I see… Wait, huh…? Mankind!?"
[Yes. But the access is limited since 'she' is only allowed to look at her own parameters and skills. But it would be different if she gained an [Appraisal] skill.]
I was dumbfounded by the fact that a human had access to this cheat-like system.
[Coincidentally, again, you have knowledge of that certain individual.]
A certain someone appeared in my mind. How should I put it, I had a hunch she was hiding something behind me no matter how many times I regressed before? No, it wasn't just that. A figure that would always help me in all my past lives. The very person I had just dreamed about.
"Annette Schwarze…", I whispered slowly.
[Correct.]
It all fell into places. I remembered she sometimes spaced out and stared at the air in front of her blankly. I also caught her mumbling to herself several times. Realizing that, I couldn't shake off this restless feeling since I knew her well.
"I see… So Ann was trying to hide this from me.", I frowned slightly. "Did she know I was an Apostle?"
[I am not sure but it will be safer to assume so.]
Well, that was to be expected. No matter how jerk I was, I never showed off my title as an Apostle.
"Man, this sucks.", I laid my body down again. "Dea, tell me. What do I do now?"
[I suggest you take out the Infernal Core you acquired earlier.]
I completely forgot I got something outrageously valuable. Even in my past lives, an Infernal Core could fetch quite a fortune, along with the Ambrosia Crystal. Then I realized something.
"Dea, I at least hunted 3 Asuras, right?"
[If you are asking why you did not encounter any Ambrosia Crystal, the answer is that you devoured all of them, along with the materials.]
"Huh…!? Wait, I accidentally ate those valuable shits!?", I shrieked in horror.
[That is the reason why you never feel hungry. As I have said before, you have eaten a lot.]
I felt my whole body limping. The thoughts of me consuming those pure blobs of energy rendered me speechless. I wouldn't be surprised if I was foaming in my mouth, but that wasn't the case.
"Is that also the reason why I'm still sealed now?", I looked at the chains in my right hand.
[Correct. In order to process the pure energy inside your body without any risks, you must at least evolve 5 times first.]
The road seemed so long for me. After panicking for the whole 5 minutes, I calmed down.
"What should I do with the Infernal Core? Gulp it?"
[By consuming the Infernal Core directly with your mouth, you will receive a huge amount of EXP based on the Asuras it was harvested from as well as 5 stat points as bonus.]
A moment later, a reddish orange sphere appeared in front of me. It was really nostalgic for me to see that thing again after a long time. When was the last time I found an Infernal Core? My 25th regression? At that time, I sold it and gained a lot of money. But now, I didn't even have the urge to sell it. My growth came first.
"Do I just put it in my mouth and chew it?"
[Yes.]
Dea's simple answer was already a sign that I had to do it now.
"Ugh… I don't wanna put this thing in my mouth…"
[Brace yourself. Think of it as a medicine to make you stronger.]
I grabbed the core and opened my mouth. By the time it made contact with my teeth, I hesitated, knowing that it was a literally hard object.
"Ugh… Dea, help me!"
Tears started to gather in the corner of my eyes. The core was as big as my palm, and I had to shove it in my mouth.
[Close your eyes. You will find it easier to consume it while closing your eyes.]
Following her advice, I closed my eyes and opened my mouth as wide as I could. I shoved the core inside my mouth slowly. And…
Crunch!
I chewed it. It was like eating hard candy but without any taste. Instead, a warm sensation spread through my whole mouth. Slowly but certainly, I kept chewing it until it was soft enough for me to swallow it.
Gulp!
I swallowed it.
"Urk…! W-What is this!? Aaaaaaaahn…!?"
I squealed and started to have convulsions. My entire body felt so hot. A tingly sensation spread through my whole nerves, worsening the seizure I was having. Not long after, it all stopped while I was still convulsing from time to time. It then stopped completely.
[Congratulations. You have gained—]
"S-Stop it! What was that!?"
My face blushed red. I couldn't see it but I definitely knew it.
"Why did it feel like that!? As if I was… Gaaaaaaaaahh!!"
[You'd better stop right there. Continuing to say that will tarnish Goddess Bona Dea's name even further.]
"How about my name!?!"
I rolled my body in embarrassment.
*Farenna's newest status
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{{{ Status }}}
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Name : Farenna
Gender : Female
Age : 8 y.o
Race : Lv. 7/30 Blood Nymph (↑4 Lv. Up)
Status : Sealed
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Sync. Rate: 10.01%
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HP : 200/200 MP: 100/100
SP : 70/70
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STR: 12 LUK: 5
AGI : 20 (↑5 Up) DEX: 15 (↑5 Up)
INT : 12 VIT : 23
Unallocated pts: 25
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Equipments:
· Weapon : Spear of ??? (EX)
· Headgear : None
· Armor : Rough Golden Gown (Rare)
· Torso : None
· Feet : None
· Misc. : Sealing Chains of Hell (EX)
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Skills:
· Appraisal Lv. 3
· Devour (EX)
· Bona Dea (Unique)
· Crafting Lv. 1
· Weaving Lv. 1
· Weaponize Lv. 7
· Berserk (Mutation)
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Blessings:
· Blessing of Purity & Chastity
· Blessing of Growth (Inherited)
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Curses:
· Curse of Wrath
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Titles:
· Regressor
· Goddess' Apostle
· Rotten to the Bone
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