As Vyn walked out of the training room, he headed directly to the last floor. His steps were steady and purposeful, filled with a new confidence. He made his way towards the administrator's desk, which was tucked away in the corner of the floor. The corridors, usually bustling with activity, were almost empty, their silence echoing his footsteps.
The administrator was taken aback by Vyn's appearance. Earlier that day, when he had entered the skill library, he had looked full of life, with a determined glint in his eyes. But now, he looked as if he had battled chaos itself.
His face was smudged with soot, giving him the appearance of a warrior who had just returned from a fierce battle. His clothes were frayed and tattered, as though they had been clawed by monsters. His skin bore strange marks, not wounds, but reminders of a fierce struggle he had endured.
Most striking were his bloodshot eyes, flickering with the shadows of the horrors he had witnessed, making him seem haunted by ghosts only he could see.The administrator gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in horror.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" she exclaimed, her voice trembling.
"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern," Vyn replied, managing a smile as he handed over the jade pass. He intended his smile to reassure her, but it twisted into something more sinister in her alarmed eyes, deepening her shock and eliciting a sharp gasp from her.
Her mind raced, imagining the grueling training Vyn must have endured to emerge in such a ghastly state.
As an attendant of the grand skill library, she was no stranger to the sight of rankers exiting the training rooms in less than perfect condition. Yet, none had ever presented themselves quite like Vyn, who looked as though he had single-handedly battled his way out of a dungeon catastrophe, possibly as its sole survivor.
"If-if you..." she stammered, trying to offer further help or ask about his situation, but Vyn was already walking towards the entrance. In the dim light of the hallway, his figure looked like a ghostly silhouette, a shadow moving through the quiet corridor.
As Vyn stepped out of the building, he drew a deep breath of fresh air, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. The cool breeze gently caressed his cheeks and played with his hair, creating small whirls around his face.
He squinted at the bright morning sun with his bloodshot eyes, thinking about the grueling session he had just endured.
He realized now that he was no longer the weakling who had barely scraped through his last dungeon. His power had surged, growing stronger with each trial he faced.
This newfound strength was necessary for the mission he had to undertake on the battlefield. However, redeeming his honor still seemed like a distant goal that required relentless effort and determination. He knew he had a long road ahead, filled with challenges that would test his limits, but he was ready to face them head-on.
At this moment, his body felt drained of almost all vitality, like a hollow shell. Every step he took was a reminder of his exhaustion.
Though he had healed his wounds using his newfound healing skill, the process was incomplete. His spiritual energy had plummeted to near exhaustion, drained by the brief but intense usage of the skill, leaving lingering internal injuries and overwhelming fatigue.
Every muscle ached, and his bones felt like they were made of lead. This was a stark reminder of the massive toll the skill exacted from him.
All he could think of was rest. His eyelids felt heavy, and he longed for the comfort of a soft bed. He felt like he needed a year's worth of sleep to bring his body back to its peak condition.
His mind was foggy, and his movements were slow, as if trudging through a thick swamp. With these thoughts weighing heavily on him, Vyn walked unsteadily towards the guild house, each step feeling like a monumental effort.
Upon reaching the guild house, he pushed the door open gently, his movements weak and labored, betraying the little strength he had left.
The door creaked open, and the bustling noise inside the hall ceased abruptly, as if someone had pressed the pause button on a lively scene in a movie. All eyes were on him.
His fellow guild members stood huddled together in the center of the hall, their gazes fixed intently on him. It felt like a déjà vu moment for Vyn, eerily similar to the scene he had encountered when he returned from the dungeon two days earlier.
"Bloody hell!" someone exclaimed, breaking the silence.
"What in the world happened to you?" another voice added, filled with concern.
"Were you attacked by a monster…?" a third voice chimed in, disbelief evident in their tone.
A chorus of astonished voices shattered the silence that had blanketed the room. Each pair of eyes was wide with shock, their gazes fixed on Vyn's ravaged appearance.
He looked as if he had narrowly escaped the fiery gates of hell itself—bruised, charred, and utterly bewildered. His clothes were tattered, and patches of soot covered his skin, making him look like a ghostly apparition.
Was such a transformation even possible? Just two days after miraculously surviving a monstrously strong beast in the D-rank dungeon, Vyn now stood before them, a haunting figure from a nightmare. Could such horrors truly exist in this world? The guild members could hardly believe their eyes.
Vyn's comrades were buzzing with curiosity and eager to pepper him with questions about his harrowing escape from the dungeon. But upon his return, Vyn had immediately sequestered himself in his room. He was pale, gaunt, and clearly in distress, so they respected his need for rest and left for their morning training. Yet when they returned, Vyn's room was empty, and there was no sign of him.
And now, a day later, he reappeared in a ghastly state...
His skin was ashen, his eyes were sunken, and dark circles framed them. His hair was unkempt, and he was trembling as if he had seen a ghost. Something was terribly wrong, and they needed to uncover the truth to aid him in any way they could.
Whispers of concern filled the hall as everyone tried to piece together what had happened.
Could it be that Vyn was cursed by the monster in that dungeon? The thought wasn't far-fetched. Some monsters were rumored to weave curses that doomed their victims to a life of bizarre misfortunes and relentless calamities, a fate arguably worse than death for a ranker whose days were spent battling such monsters. The idea sent shivers down their spines.
Vyn could almost hear the whispers and feel the weight of their intense stares, each one piercing through him like a needle. His head throbbed with a dull ache, and he had no energy left to entertain their curiosity or their concerns. All he wanted was to find solace in the quiet of his room.
Without uttering a single word, Vyn hurried to his room. The voices trailed after him, a mixture of concern and confusion, but he closed the door with a decisive thud, silencing them. He collapsed onto his bed like a withered leaf caught in a gust of wind, and almost instantly, his consciousness drifted away into a deep, oblivious sleep.
As the radiant evening sun stretched across the horizon, Vyn stirred from his slumber. He pulled back the curtain by his window, revealing a breathtaking view. The golden light bathed the room in a warm glow, making it feel like a haven of tranquility.
It seemed he had been asleep for quite some time, as the sun had already set, leaving behind a trail of pink and orange hues that painted the sky like a masterpiece.
He stretched his arms, feeling the satisfying creak of his bones, as if they were thanking him for the rest. His body felt remarkably refreshed, a stark contrast to the weariness that had clung to him like a second skin before his sleep.
Every muscle felt invigorated, and he was ready to face the rest of the day with renewed energy.
The last couple of nights had been unusually restorative for Vyn, a peculiar luxury on this cursed battlefield where restful sleep was as rare as a friendly face.
He was grateful for the moments of reprieve that he had been granted. It was as if the universe had conspired to give him a break from the chaos and uncertainty of the battlefield, offering him a rare gift of peace.
However, the system's sudden chime broke his reverie.
[Host's Vitality has increased by 2]
[Host's Spiritual Energy has increased by 3]
Vyn was surprised and quickly summoned the translucent system window into the air before him. He scanned the updated stats and realized, with a sense of wonder, that his Vitality and Spiritual Energy had increased to 5 and 15, respectively, even though he had no skill points left.
The numbers glowed softly, a testament to his progress.
Piecing together the clues, Vyn deduced that these unexpected gains were the fruits of his recent grueling training. The relentless assaults from the crystal orb must have fortified his physical resistance, enhancing his Vitality. At the same time, the intense focus on his Spiritual Energy seemed to have expanded its capacity beyond his previous boundaries.
Vyn felt a sense of pride and accomplishment for having overcome such challenges and come out stronger. His hard work was paying off in ways he hadn't anticipated.
Although the system didn't announce it, Vyn noticed another surprising change: his stamina had increased from eleven to sixteen.
He deduced that this increase must have occurred during his intense training session at the skill library. Perhaps the system had indeed announced it, but in the chaos of dodging the attacks from the crystal ball, he had been too preoccupied to register the update.
Vyn could distinctly feel the physical transformation that accompanied the boost in his stats. The evidence was clear in the training grounds where he had managed to withstand and evade the barrage from the crystal ball for an impressively long duration without succumbing to fatigue.
It was almost as if he had morphed into a new person, one with the stamina of an energized rabbit on a caffeine rush. He marveled at the changes, feeling both stronger and more agile.
After participating in dungeon raids for two years, Vyn was well aware of the limitations of his body. He had previously allocated stat points to increase his stamina by three points, but now the changes seemed even more remarkable. He could feel the difference in every movement, every breath.
He wondered what kind of powerhouse he was evolving into, and the thought was both thrilling and terrifying.
The idea of amplifying his capabilities by pushing his limits stirred up a spark of excitement in Vyn's mind, unveiling a realm of possibilities he had never considered before.
What if he could transform himself into an unstoppable force, a veritable monster among men? The thought made his heart race with anticipation.