Aftermath
.....
[Ace POV],
"Ugh," I mumbled softly as my entire body ached.
I felt pain all over.
I tried to open my eyes but couldn't.
It was difficult for me to even open my eyes seeing as I felt weak and depleted of strength.
I could only stay in this state for now, but I could hear sounds outside and around me.
So when I overheard someone asking, "Is he awake?" and 'Will he be all right?' and 'Can you hear me, Ace?'
I could tell the voices talking belonged to Anna and someone else I don't know or recognize.
I did, however, call out her name.
"Anna," I said, and then I felt a hot breath on my face.
She said, "Ace," and went on;
"How are you feeling?" she inquired.
"Do I look alright?" I said and continued;
"What happened after I passed out?" I wondered as it was obvious I had.
But I'm curious about what happened to the monster and how we managed to escape.
When she heard what I said, she began to describe what transpired after I went out.
"Well, after being hit by the mutated eagle attack and passing out, we were left to fight the monsters on our own," she explained.
The word 'we' caught my attention in what she said, but I didn't say anything and continued to listen to her.
"And we were lucky because, before you passed out, your last attack managed to hit but not kill the monster, but it was enough because the damage output was greater than anything I could imagine," she said.
'Of course, it would cause serious damage given the bow's capabilities and the part where I used all of my mana.' It's just a shame I couldn't see it,' I thought as I listened to her.
"It was fortunate for us that your arrow managed to land a critical hit on the mutated eagle, allowing us to finish the rest," she explained and went on to say.
"Aside from the battle with the mutated eagle and us getting out of there when it was over to avoid monsters that might come over because the battle might have attracted some monsters, nothing much happened, but you," she said, but couldn't finish her speech.
I was aware that my body wasn't in good shape without her even letting me know.
It's a wonder I'm still alive.
Perhaps leveling up improved my body's ability to take a beating.
It's also surprising that they managed to kill the monster rather than flee from it.
I was finally able to open my eyes after some struggle.
The first thing I noticed was Anna's face, which had what I assumed was a worried expression on it.
I couldn't see where I was because of the position of my body, but I could tell it was a room.
But it was dark.
Maybe Anna made it that way.
I told Anna as I lay on a soft surface;
"Was it that boy you were talking to before me?" I inquired, and Anna nodded.
She was about to say something that was not directed at me as her head cocked in a specific direction.
I assumed she was about to call the boy and interrupted her, to which she obediently listened and said;
"So, what are we going to do about....you?" She stated.
"Oh, that's not something hard to fix," I said, puzzling her, but I ignored her and summoned the primordial chronicle in my head as a blue panel appeared in front of me.
[Status],
[Name: Ace Blaze],
[Age: 17],
[Race: Human {Homo sapiens}],
[Level: 6{+}],
[Job: None],
[Store: Locked],
[Title: None],
.......
When I noticed the somewhat familiar level sign that had reappeared in my panel, I activated the + sign to level up.
I'm curious as to how many times I can level up using the primordial records I've accumulated.
I wasn't as concerned about my situation as Anna because when I heard the monster was killed, I knew I'd have at least one chance to level up, which would make my situation better.
And the monster was obviously stronger than any monster I'd seen or faced before, so I was confident I'd have enough primordial record to level up.
I was finally able to move a little after the surge of power that came with each level up, startling Anna who hadn't expected the sudden movement.
She slapped her forehead as an expression of realization appeared on her face, perhaps that she had simply forgotten that leveling up also heals the body.
Ignoring her and finally being able to move a little, I looked at the state of my body and had to admit that I was a mess.
A large portion of my skin had been burned and mutilated, as it was obvious at first glance that I had suffered from severe skin burns, and it was not on the level that even current technology could heal quickly.
Seeing this, I called out the primordial chronicle in my head and checked my status.
[Status],
[Name: Ace Blaze],
[Age: 17],
[Race: Human {Homo sapiens}],
[Level: 7{+}],
[Job: None],
[Store: Locked],
[Title: None],
I activated the + sign again, seeing that I still had another chance to level up, and immediately felt another surge of power as my injuries slowly healed.
Looking at my body again, I noticed that, while there were still skin burns in some areas, they had faded and the pain had subsided.
I wasn't completely healed, but moving around was no problem.
I just had to put up with the minor pain I felt when I moved or I could level up again to fully heal, but looking at the level section on my status and seeing no + sign, I knew it would be a while before I could level up again.
I'm currently at level eight.
'I wonder how high my level is now in comparison to other people in the world right now,' I thought as I looked at Anna, who was smiling for some reason, and the unknown individual in the room and said flatly;
"I think its time we talk"