After cursing Chaos for a while, Kai brought out his newly gained Skills.
…
[
Skill: Murderous Lust
Grade: D-
Specification: Boost an Item's physical effect using Contestant's Perception
Requirement:
1. Perception >15
2. Correspondence >15
3. Title: Serial Killer
Attributes:
1. Mana Consumption: 50 MP
Effect:
1. Perception +2
2. Item's HP Damage: +25%
]
…
Kai instantly liked it for one reason.
It was simple. Simple and Effective and easy to put to the test on the field.
For someone like him, who had lived a life fighting, surviving, and killing with blades, this was a good Skill.
Then, Kai brought out the second Skill.
…
[
Skill: Heart Rhythm
Grade: D+
Specification: Cause resonance between two hearts
Requirement:
1. Charisma >25
2. Title: Adulterer
Attributes:
1. Only works on opposite sex
2. Proximity Limit: 1000 meters
Effect:
1. Causes the Contestant and the target's hearts to resonate upon prolonged interactions
2. Such resonance is noted by a distinct skipping of the heartbeat
3. The resonances have three parts: Resonance of Appearance, Resonance of Respect, and Resonance of Sacrifice
4. The Contestant must cause the three resonances by himself by any means possible
5. After the three resonances, having intimate relations with the target causes the final resonance: Resonance of Love
6. Once all resonances have occurred, the target will become an unconditional follower
Warning:
1. The Contestant may fall to the effects of the Skill
2. If the target leaves the Proximity Limit before the first three resonances, then the Skill will not work on the same target again
3. Resonance of Love will fail if the target doesn't consent to the acts of intimacy
4. Once the Skill fails, it will not work on the same target again
]
…
Kai licked his lips.
Now this was a Skill that could alter the courses of Missions.
Moreover, D+ Skills weren't just a way to divide the Skills into levels. They represented the genuine strength of a 6th-floor Contestant.
If Kai didn't have his Glitch and had enough Luck, then he would have gotten Skills from Hidden Missions, too. Yet, those Skills' grades would have never crossed the equivalent grade of his floor.
For example, Kai was a 4th-floor Contestant, and the equivalent grade that represented his floor was D-.
Top powerhouses of the 4th floor had at most 2-3 Skills of this grade, and at least 1 or 2 Low-level Uncommon-graded Items. Rarely a Contestant from the 4th floor obtained a D or D+ Skill. Such a Contestant would be marked as a monster unanimously.
The only reason that Kai enjoyed skills reaching above D- was because they were given to him by the Blood Essences.
Magical Creatures, even at the equivalent grade, were stronger than the Contestants. This discrepancy of strength between magical creatures and Contestants vanished as one went up the floors, but not because creatures became weak; instead, it was their numbers that decreased with higher grades.
So, it shocked Kai that a Beginner-level Title had granted him such an absurd D+ Skill.
Not to mention, Titles, more often than not, had only two levels. Beginner and Advance. In rare cases, they had three, and four levels of Titles were almost unheard of.
To get such a Skill at Beginner-level meant that the next Skill might be C+ or even B- grade.
Kai's breathing quickened. But these thoughts weren't the only reason for his ecstasy.
It was the 5th point under the Effect section of the notification — Once all resonances have occurred, the target will become an unconditional follower.
Kai remembered another Title that required him to have unconditional followers.
…
[
Title: Dimensional Leader
Specification: Make 3 main storyline Characters follow you voluntarily and unconditionally
Status: (1/3)
Effect:
1. Correspondence +5
2. Worth +15
3. Charisma +25
4. Skill: Dimensional Summoning
Note: Only 1 Title can be equipped at a time
]
…
Like Adulterer, Dimensional Leader also granted Kai a Skill at Beginner-level.
If he were to predict this Skill's grade, then based on Heart Rhythm, there were excellent chances of it being at least a D grade as well.
Now that guess excited Kai.
But soon he frowned, his eyes lingering over the Heart Rhythm's Stats up and down. There was no direct HP, MP, or SP consumption, true. However, there were no direct instructions to go about this Skill, either; especially when it came to the first three resonances.
It seems, Kai contemplated, I must use a combination of manipulation and true feelings to achieve these Resonances. It's a Skill that demands much but gives even more in return. Let's hope it will be worth it.
One more crucial point was bubbling in Kai's heart, though.
He couldn't use this Skill for just anyone. If he were to get unconditional followers, then he must get the best of that Random World.
Kai squinted his eyes, imprinting this thought into the back of his mind.
Suddenly, another notification popped up.
…
[[
Allowance time finishing in 9… 8… 7…
]]
…
Fuck! Kai cursed, looked around, and decided to go down the mountain's slope.
The moment the countdown reached 0, with an audible pop, Kai got exposed to the Random World.
What happened next, Kai couldn't have fathomed in a hundred years of contemplation.
Kai's reptilian pupils became the size of threads. Goosebumps covered the back of his neck and hands, and the extremities of his fingers and toes throbbed with rushing blood.
The wind rustled the surrounding leaves, and lifted his Haori, blowing it up towards the mountain. His white hair seemed to hang midair as though time had slowed down.
Kai's instincts were roaring bloody murder.
Then the shout came down the mountain, tearing the wind and cold alike, and making him shudder to the bone.
"NEZUKO!!!"
Kai looked over his shoulders, ignoring the intense trembling of the wooden case on his back, and saw a black spot dashing towards him, enlarging with every next moment.
He kicked the snow and blindly ran down the mountain using his full Agility.
It was too soon, Kai told himself. Other than the basic information on Demon Slayers and the Demons, he knew nothing. He had thought to get some information from a Sponsor before, but never could he have imagined that the Systems had already decided to fuck him in the ass.
"Let go of her! Coward!!!"
What's up with this guy?! Kai thought, frowning. Icy wind blasted against his face, making his eyes water, but he kept running, his feet leaving deep impressions on the snow.
Once again, Kai looked over his shoulder and got a tremendous shock.
How can this be?! Kai asked, facing forward, gritting his teeth. How is he faster than me?!
It wasn't Kai's fault that he doubted such a possibility.
This was Kai's first time encountering a main storyline Character from a Random World whose difficulty grade was D+. Yes, the Magical World of Harry Potter was also a D+, but that was because he had combined three floors' worth of missions, and it focused on Magic rather than physique.
Not to mention, the info Kai had received from the Systems mentioned that these Demon Slayers were human. He knew that below the 3rd Set, and if only the Active Attributes were considered, then Contestants were nothing but at the limits of human beings' capacities.
With Kai's Agility of 16, it meant that whoever was chasing him was already near the threshold of 20 points known to the Contestants.
The entire sky was blanketed by a thick layer of clouds, but even then one could feel that the sun had already set by the golden-pink glow shooting out of the horizon.
And as Kai saw this glow, another image formed in his mind like a distant memory.
A blade, surrounded by gurgling water, was hacking at him from behind.
***************
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