When I returned home, I immediately started my preparations. I took the ugly, poisonous mushroom and cautiously cut it, making sure to avoid any of its liquid coming into contact with my skin. I was using the new equipment that the Alliance Research gave me for free when they heard that I was working on a new theory.
'The protagonist had the [Poison Immunity] skill, so in the game, he just ate the mushroom as if it were nothing.'
It was only after several trials and errors by different players that it was discovered that the seed inside the mushroom was the actual item. Since the mushroom was useless and it wasted the progress of a lot of players, it was nicknamed 'the ugly poisonous mushroom' by everyone, including me.
After carefully extracting the seed, I took several antidote potions and placed them in front of me. I already cleaned the seed properly, but it was better to be cautious. I drank one vial of antidote, ate the seed, and then drank another vial of antidote consecutively.
For a few minutes, nothing happened. I checked my status information, but everything was still the same. 'Did I make any mistake?' I started doubting myself.
Then, without any warning, I felt a piercing pain across my whole body. It felt as if millions of sharp needles were poking me continuously at the same time. I wanted to scream, but no sound was coming out of my mouth. I couldn't stand up anymore, so I felt down on my back. I clenched my fists while trying to adapt my mind to the pain, but the intensity kept increasing every second until it was too much for me to bear, and I ultimately passed out.
***
I opened my eyes but couldn't see anything. I didn't panic because I was already used to this darkness. I could feel my whole body drenched in sweat. I looked around and realized that I was lying on my kitchen floor, but strangely, I didn't feel any discomfort. I lifted my body and noticed that it felt lighter. Then I remembered the reason why I was in this condition.
'Damn, if I knew it was going to be so painful, then I would have taken some painkillers. The game never mentioned anything like that.'
I was angry, but as I was getting a glass of water, I was surprised by how my own body felt. I didn't have to look at my status window to know that all of my ability grades had increased. I could move more comfortably. My body felt lighter. My senses have improved, and I can now control the mana inside my body easier. Smiling, I opened my status window.
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Name : Axel Fawn
Age : 16
Race : Human
Job : Hunter (NEW)
Strength : F / B- (NEW)
Stamina : F / B+ (NEW)
Agility : E+ / ♾️ (NEW)
Perception : D+ / ♾️ (NEW)
Magic : E- / B (NEW)
Intelligence : S+ / ♾️ (NEW)
Skill :
Active : Dagger Throw (F), Defence Break (F), Critical Luck (F), Conceal (F), Hide Attack (F), Shadow Walk(F)
Passive: Photography Memory (A), Critical Chance (E)
—————————————————————
I already knew what the result was going to be, but seeing all the changes in the system window in front of me was mesmerizing.
Strength, Stamina and Magic have each been increased by 2 grades, and their potential has been increased by 6 grades.
Finally, no more G+ grades to halt my training time.
But my main abilities were the ones that changed the most. Agility and Perception have each increased by 4 grades, and Intelligence has reached the 'normal limit' S+.
Fortunately, the potential limit for Agility, Perception, and Intelligence has been completely removed. This meant that even after reaching S+, they would keep growing without any limit, but the progress wouldn't show up on the system anymore.
The reason of all those increase in stats was definitely because of this new job. My old job, Assassin, has been changed to Hunter. None of the characters I have played in the game had a job like this, so I was really curious to see what exactly it was.
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Job: Hunter
—> High proficiency with every type of weapon. Decrease the mana cost of all movement, stealth, and attack-related skills. Increase critical damage by 150%. Your first attack against a specific target will always deal critical damage. Movement speed will increase proportionally to the number of enemies you are fighting alone.
————————————————————-
I was completely stunned after reading this description. It was the first time I had seen such an overpowering job. Being able to use all types of weapons is definitely something nobody has. I already have my short sword for close range and my dagger for midrange, and now I will be able to use a bow for long range.
In addition, it gave me an absolute cheat involving all the skills I had. Being able to ignore critical chances and deal critical damage without fail was definitely something nobody had. I had a few questions involving the cooldown or what type of target it could work on, but it didn't give me any more details. So I would have to do some trial and error later.
The movement speed bonus was another boost I didn't expect. It wasn't just good to fight several enemies but also to immediately run away in a difficult situation. I should test its range when I have an opportunity.
'My status looks like a real protagonist now. I just have to keep training as hard as I can before any trouble comes and finds me.'
***
Inside a room on the 22nd floor of the first-year dormitory building, known as the floor of the maid, two beautiful women were having a discussion while eating.
One of them was Alex Fawn's personal maid, Sylvia, and the other was a blonde female human, Rinna. She was the personal maid of Alex Fawn's neighbour, Lucas Astram.
"Did you see the student I was assigned with, Sylvia? He is way more handsome than the student they assigned you. He also finished first in the physical exam, so he is definitely stronger than yours."
Sylvia looked at her roommate without any change in her expression. She didn't know why Rinna was trying to make a competition about who the student they were taking care of was better at. But she had to agree that Alex's new neighbour was indeed handsome.
"Yours may be the strongest, but mine is the smartest. Didn't you see the news? His name is all over Ephiosa." Sylvia didn't want to participate in this silly competition, but she also didn't want to lose either.
"True, but I also heard that he was a selfish and arrogant boy too. I hope he isn't making it difficult for you." Rinna looked at Sylvia with a worried expression. She heard this rumour from a dwarf who was working as an advisor with the Alliance Research.
"Where did you hear something like that? When I met him, I just saw an innocent young boy. Nowadays, he is spending all his time in his private gym."
"He just keeps training? Mine too. That's the only problem I have with him. It's like he is obsessed with training. Every time I tried to have a normal conversation with him, he managed to turn it into a training discussion. I can't believe first-year students are already like that."
***
'Damn, when is he going to come out?'
I was patiently waiting in front of the elevator for the second resident of the 25th floor to come out of his room.
It has already been four days since I changed my Job. During that time, all I did was train inside my private gym. Thanks to Sylvia, I could easily get anything I wanted. So I didn't have to leave my flat.
Today was the first day of the academy. I was wearing the academy uniform, white pants, and a white coat with green stripes around its edges. The colour green signifies that I was a first-year student. We were given the freedom to choose our shirt colour. I was wearing a blank shirt matching my eyes. Of course, I didn't forget to wear my 'poker glasses'.
Right now, I was waiting for the protagonist to leave his room, but it's already been half an hour. I haven't met him yet, so I decided to wait for him before taking the elevator. This should have been the perfect opportunity to introduce myself, but this training addict was taking all his time.
Finally, his door opened, and a white-skin, silver-hair boy walked out. He was wearing the same uniform as me, except his shirt was green. His face looked exhausted, which confirmed my suspicions that he was training all this time. His sky blue eyes reminded me of my original eye colour. When our gazes met, I waved at him while activating my poker glasses to show a welcoming smile.
"Hi, I'm Alex Fawn, your neighbour."