In a split second, the young man seemed lost in thought. Suddenly, he turned his gaze to Seraphina, staring at her intently and coldly. The intensity of his gaze made the girl raise an eyebrow.
"Wait a minute. So, the water source we're heading to was already on our route?"
"Yes," Seraphina replied with a decisive and slightly haughty expression.
"In that case, I think I should reduce your percentage. 70 to 30 now seems too much for me. Given the new information, 10% seems more reasonable."
Seraphina frowned.
"I don't see where you're going with this. We had an agreement. If I omitted some details, that's on you for not considering the possibility that the water source could be en route. I gather you've never dealt with charlatans in your life and have always shopped at high-end retail stores."
Daniel was seething. The worst part was that she was right. If he backed down now, he'd be breaking the contract, further ruining their relationship. And he did shop exclusively at brand-name retailers! However, he was deeply irritated that she had deceived him so easily.
"You've just admitted that you're a charlatan."
"I'm just trying to survive," Seraphina stated calmly and firmly.
"I'm sure all charlatans say something similar."
Seraphina turned her head away with a proud expression, crossing her arms, clearly sticking to her words. Daniel noticed a faint smirk on Seraphina's face, which infuriated him even more.
"Well, fine. You're right. But in that case, I don't think you'll need my protection when you dive face-first into the water source to quench your thirst."
This time, more than mere irritation crossed Seraphina's face – there was a flash of anger.
"So you're blackmailing me? Obviously, if I don't lower my share, you won't protect me at the water source."
"Obviously," Daniel echoed with an indifferent tone, smirking to himself.
"I hope you realize this goes both ways. Don't expect me to cover for you when you try to quench your thirst."
"Don't worry, I'll look out for myself. Besides, don't forget, unlike you, I have 70% of the canteen. So I don't think I'll have any thirst issues."
Seraphina's face went from displeased to irritated to outright furious. Clenching her fist and gritting her teeth, she shot Daniel a fierce, withering glare. Yet, this time, he didn't flinch and met her gaze evenly.
Seraphina trembled with anger, and a sudden urge to throw something heavy at Daniel—maybe even directly at his eye—so that he could feel the same pain the Blood Bushes felt, came over her. But instead, she took a deep breath and then exhaled.
"Twenty... eight percent..." Seraphina said, looking away in irritation.
"Ten," Daniel calmly replied.
"Twenty-seven."
"Ten," Daniel stood firm.
Seraphina sighed.
"Enough of this charade. Ten is impossible. Obviously, you're anticipating a different number."
"Obviously," Daniel echoed, which earned him a hostile glare from Seraphina.
"Twenty-five."
"Fifteen," Daniel finally met Seraphina halfway, but this only further irritated her. She sighed deeply.
"Well, if you're so eager to leave a helpless, weak girl without water, watching her suffer, fine. Twenty percent. I hope you won't be plagued by guilt and remorse if I die of thirst."
"Don't worry, I don't think I'll have that issue with you."
"And what are you trying to say with that?" Seraphina glared at him, unintentionally summoning a stone that she clenched tightly.
"Who knows. Don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm glad our deal went through. 80 to 20, right? That's even 3% more than I expected."
Daniel was met with a look full of hatred and fury.
"If it turns out that you're the traitor, I will be the one to kill you."
"I don't doubt that," Daniel replied calmly, swiftly shifting his gaze from Seraphina's murderous stare, and lowered his head, "Status."
Name: Daniel Grey.
Age: 19.
Level: 3.
Experience: [110/200.]
Points: 264
Class: Undefined.
Weapon: Short Stone Sword [10% chance to apply "Paralysis"]*
{The author's note: Yes, I've added another line about the weapon. Apologies for the lengthy system.}
Health: 57.
Energy: 84.
Strength: 9.
Build: 9.
Agility: 11 (12) [+10%]
Reflex: 12.
Mastery: 16.
Intelligence: 10.
Accuracy: 10.
Luck: 12.
Wisdom: 12.
Willpower: 10.
Skills: Active: ___
Passive: [Cheater.]
Main Inventory [5/5]:
[Canteen.], [WineWorm Scale x2.], [Blood Spikes x2.], [Map.], [Stone x2.]
Homemade Bag [1/7]:
[Vine of Corruption.], [Empty.], [Empty.], [Empty.], [Empty.], [Empty.], [Empty.]
Condition: [Mask.]
Fetish: [CBT.]
Sense of Hunger: 30%
Sense of Thirst: 69%
Sense of Desire: 79%
Sense of Cold: 2%
Sense of Heat: 7%
Bleeding: 9%
Daniel refrained from focusing on his senses, not wanting to spiral into a state of melancholy, and he didn't have time to delve into his items either. He merely checked the types of items – discovering they were materials, and wouldn't be of much use in combat.
What truly occupied Daniel's thoughts were his attributes, more precisely, the fact that the system had, for the second time in succession, elevated an attribute he had no intention of boosting.
`But now, I think 'wisdom' isn't as useless as I thought before. I feel a bit like my mind's become sharper, somehow. I feel like I can think in wider ways now. Maybe that helped me come up with a plan quickly against the Blood Bushes. But regardless of how quick-witted I've become, my physicality can't keep up. I barely made it against those "Threat" rank monsters without getting hurt bad. There are stronger enemies waiting for me. I have no choice... I need to risk it,` Daniel thought, feeling a bit annoyed.
He didn't want to do it. He really didn't. But he didn't have much choice.
Given the odds and how things felt, there was a good chance he wouldn't make it. So, Daniel decided to go all in.
"Random increase or decrease in stats," Daniel voiced impassively.
Seraphina's eyes widened in astonishment. She stared at him, visibly stunned.
"Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.
"Who knows," Daniel replied with an icy demeanor.
Without Seraphina uttering a word, Daniel was fully aware of the audacity of his move. However, he also recognized the innate risks of the Western Territory.
With his increased wisdom, Daniel realized how important even one point could be in this game. If he got just one more point, his chances of surviving in the Western Territory would go up. While he might have gotten through the Volcano on pure luck, here, skills and attributes mattered a lot.
`Yeah... Skill...`
Even after defeating more than ten monsters, Daniel`s skill hadn't shown any signs of life.
`12% chance to gain a skill from a kill? What a scam,` Daniel shook his head. `If the skill doesn't work, I need to boost my points,` he thought.
On one hand, he could lose up to five stat points, which would drop his slim survival chances to zero. But on the other, he could gain up to ten points, which would surely help him survive the Western Territory.*
{Note from the Author: For those who've been with me since chapter one, I've adjusted and balanced the stat increase and decrease mechanics. Where once random stats ranged from -50 to +100 points, they now range from -5 to +10. I thought it'd be less harsh this way.}
Daniel wasn't really hoping for a full ten points, though.
Even +1 to his strength would've made him incredibly happy and boosted his survival odds.
In front of him, a circular wheel appeared. The Wheel of Fortune was divided into colored sections labeled "+1 to strength", "-1 to strength", and so on. At its center, a shiny red button beckoned with the word: "Spin".
He felt a knot in his stomach. His fate was on the line. Seraphina watched him, shocked. Taking a deep breath, Daniel said,
"Spin." Seraphina's face displayed a mix of confusion and anger. The wheel spun. Each time the arrow neared +10 or -5, his heart skipped a beat. In the end, the arrow landed on -1.
A system message popped up.
[Attribute "Accuracy" has decreased by one point.]
`As expected,` Daniel sighed inwardly.
"Stop this now! We've just had a conversation about charlatans, and how easily you fell for my trick, and you're using your points on this clear system trap? It's obvious that the system has manipulated the percentages in such a way that you will primarily end up in the negative! Furthermore, you're recklessly depleting your points on such a transparent ruse!? It's the epitome of deception in this game, and only the most naive child or an utter imbécile would succumb to it!" Seraphina shouted, while Daniel stared contemplatively at the wheel. "Do you realize your reckless decision endangers both of us? I don't know how many points you just lost, and obviously, you won't tell me, but if you stop now, there's a chance we could survive," Seraphina said, staring intently at him.
"Spin," Daniel said indifferently, prompting Seraphina to look at him in shock and confusion, abruptly getting up from the ground. She was at a loss for words.
Daniel, however, didn't even pay her any mind, let alone listen to what she was saying. All the while, he was grappling with the decision of whether to take the risk or head into battle, knowing his survival odds would be next to nothing.
Nevertheless, Daniel decided to take the gamble one last time. He watched the wheel's pointer intently as it swiftly moved across the colorful sectors with inscriptions.
Suddenly, a tightness gripped Daniel's heart. The wheel's pointer began to slow down, and it seemed to be stopping near a section labeled "-5 mastery." Dizziness overwhelmed Daniel, and his throat went dry. The pointer was almost stationary, positioned midway through the "-5 mastery" section.
Unable to bear it, Daniel closed his eyes.
The wheel came to a halt.
DING.
Daniel heard a system notification. Slowly, he began to open his eyes.