I opened the door to my room and walked outside, making my way downstairs to the living room before heading towards the exit of the house. My house was spacious, allowing me to store plenty of items, but now wasn't the time for that. I reached the entrance, locking the door behind me before stepping out into the fresh air.
"Muttering to myself, I activated my status screen. The familiar blue interface appeared before me, displaying my stats:
Name: Kenzo Tatsu
Level: 6
Fatigue: Full
Job: N/A
Titles: The Player
HP: 1175
MP: 545
Strength: 21
Vitality: 21
Agility: 24
Intelligence: 15
Sense: 15
Remaining Points:20
"Alright, let's see how much stronger I've become," I said aloud as I started running. To my amazement, my speed surpassed that of cars and even bicycles. I felt invigorated, with seemingly endless stamina.
Curious to test my newfound abilities, I activated my skill, Dash. In an instant, I felt my speed nearly double for a brief moment before returning to normal. I continued dashing repeatedly, trying to maintain the skill for as long as possible. After spamming Dash for about five minutes, exhaustion finally caught up to me. I leaned over, gasping for air, when something caught my attention.
"What is this?" I muttered, noticing deformed creatures huddled together in a corner. They appeared to be curse spirits, grade 4 according to the system notifications.
As I approached for a closer look, their murmurs became audible.
"Mommy, I don't want to go to school."
"Why does he get it and I don't?"
"School is too hard."
Despite their babbling, no one seemed to notice the existence of these creatures. I walked closer, realizing there were many of them piled together.
"Oh, hell no," I exclaimed, taking a better look at the swarm. Without hesitation, I invoked my skill, Purification Ball, launching it at the spirits.
System notifications filled my vision:
[You have dealt 200 damage.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 10 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 10 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 1 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 1 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 1 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 10 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 10 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 10 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 10 EXP.]
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit...]
"That was easy," I remarked, observing the lifeless bodies. I casually left the alleyway, walking away as if nothing had happened.
Time skipped, and I began to notice similar spirits floating around people everywhere I went. A smile crept onto my lips as I realized the implications.
"I can gain EXP even outside of dungeons," I said, a small smile forming. I let out a giggle before regaining my composure and making my way back home. It was time to create a training schedule.
Time skipped a week, during which I hunted grade 4 curse spirits.
[You have killed a grade 4 curse spirit. You gained 10 EXP.]
[You have leveled up.]
Level: 8
Fatigue: Full
Job: N/A
Titles: The Player
HP: 1385
MP: 760
Strength: 23
Vitality: 23
Agility: 26
Intelligence: 17
Sense: 17
Remaining Points: 30(9)
"I've killed so many grade 4 curses, and they seem to respawn quickly," I remarked to myself as I made my way to school. I wore the ogre necklace around my neck, ready to tap into its power whenever needed.
I nonchalantly attended class, tuning out distractions. When the final bell rang, I swiftly left my seat and exited the school. After walking a considerable distance away, I noticed a strange creature staring at me.
I observed it, and above its head, I saw:
[Grade 3 curse spirit]
[HP: 125]
[Strength: 10. Vitality: 10
Agility: 9. Intelligence: 3
Sense: 4]
"This one's of a higher grade than the grade 4 curses," I muttered, looking at the creature. However, it still seemed weak to me.
Setting my backpack down by the roadside, I cracked my knuckles, pulled out a dagger from my inventory, and activated Mana Enhancement. The dagger shimmered with enhanced power, and I felt a surge within me.
HP: 1385
MP: 760
Strength: 23[+4.6]
Vitality: 2️
3[+20%]
Agility: 17[+20%]
Intelligence: 17
Sense:17[+3.4]
Remaining Points: 36
I dashed towards the curse spirit, slashing it relentlessly with my daggers. My speed was too much for it to handle.
System notifications flooded my vision:
[You have dealt critical damage: 30.]
[You have dealt critical damage: 33.]
[You have killed a grade 3 curse. You gained 100 EXP.]
I returned the iron daggers to my inventory and retrieved my backpack before walking back home, feeling satisfied.
"Interesting," a man commented, watching me as I walked away after slaying the curse. "He didn't use any cursed energy," he mused softly. Then, shrugging, he said, "This can wait. I need to buy some sweets."