Mr. Thompson urged, his voice strained but steady. He was clutching his injured shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding with one hand. Despite the pain, he kept his focus on the monsters below, watching for any sign of movement.
Harry took a deep breath and forced himself to stand. His muscles were burning from the climb, and his heart was still pounding from the adrenaline rush, but they couldn't afford to rest now. The Endwalkers and the smaller creatures were still out there, and they were too close for comfort.
"Mr. Thompson's right," Ms. Reed, the biology teacher, said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We need to keep moving. We can't stay here."
Mr. Avery nodded in agreement, helping the teacher with glasses to his feet. The man was wincing with every step, but he gave a determined nod, signaling he could continue.
The group began to move again, quickly gathering their things and starting down the other side of the rock face. Harry took a moment to glance back at the creatures below. The Endwalkers were still, but he could see the smaller creatures whispering amongst themselves, eyes darting back and forth between them and their larger allies.
"They're planning something," Mr. Greene muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowed as he watched the monsters. "We need to stay one step ahead of them."
Harry looked at Mr. Greene in shock, not expecting him to say such things. Mr. Greene seemed to notice his gaze, so he shot a glare.
Harry quickly looked away as he always did.
"Come on, let's go." Mr. Greene sighed helplessly at his antics.
Harry nodded, still catching his breath as he fell in step behind the others. His muscles ached, and every heartbeat pounded in his ears, but he forced himself to keep moving. As they descended the rocky slope, he finally allowed himself a glance at the message window hovering at the edge of his vision.
[You have killed a Forest Gremlin.]
[You have gained 1 AP (Ascendancy Points).]
Harry blinked, surprised. He hadn't expected to get anything from the little creature that Mr. Thompson had punched out. He remembered the sight of the monster, the gremlin crumpling against the tree, its lifeless body indicating just how fragile it was despite its dangerous archery skills.
'How did I kill one? Or did one of the rocks I threw manage to kill an unlucky gremlin fellow?' He wondered since he knew only the last hit would count as a kill in most cases. 'And there was no level up? Is AP the alternative to Exp or something else...? Hmm...'
Another message appeared before him.
[Your Agility has increased.]
A spark of excitement flared in Harry's chest.
He hadn't felt any different, but maybe that was why he'd managed to climb so quickly and help everyone up. His attention was drawn to another notification, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the words.
[You have consecutively created foolish yet good ideas that helped you and your fellow humans survive.]
[You have earned 5 APs.]
[Your Intelligence has increased by 1.]
"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to himself, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the dire circumstances. He hadn't even realized that coming up with those plans would earn him something extra. Maybe his brain was worth something after all.
'I think AP isn't exp but similar. But how can I use it? Will I level up or something if collect the required amount of it? Or will it be used to improve my stats or skills? Well, if we can learn skills, that is...' His mind briefly wandered to what he could do with the Ascendancy Points. 'Sigh, I think I will discover it as time passes.'
'Wait, if I got something, then maybe the others did too. Mr. Thompson probably got similar messages since he was the first to kill a monster and protect everyone.' Harry quickly realized.
He glanced around at the others, wondering if they were also receiving similar notifications. If they had, no one was showing it—everyone was focused on moving forward, away from the pursuing monsters.
Mr. Thompson, despite his injuries, moved with a determination that seemed to ignore the pain in his shoulder. Harry marveled at the teacher's resilience. He must have gotten something, Harry thought, recalling the impressive punch that took out the gremlin. Maybe Mr. Thompson was leveling up too, just like in a game.
As they made their way down the other side of the rock face, the group quickly fell into a tense silence. Each person was absorbed in their thoughts, the reality of their situation settling in like a weight on their shoulders.
Harry kept a close eye on Mr. Thompson, hoping for some sign that the teacher was also aware of the strange system messages. But Mr. Thompson's face remained focused, his eyes scanning the terrain ahead, looking for any signs of danger.
Finally, unable to hold back his curiosity, Harry sidled up to Mr. Thompson and whispered, "Mr. Thompson, did you... feel anything weird back there? Like, when you killed that creature?"
"Hmm?"
Mr. Thompson glanced at Harry, his eyes widening in surprise at the boy's question. His brow furrowed slightly, and he hesitated before answering. "What do you mean, Harry?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to reveal too much before understanding what the student knew.
Harry met Mr. Thompson's gaze, his expression earnest. "I mean... did you get some sort of message, system notification? About... killing that creature?"
Mr. Thompson's eyes narrowed, studying Harry closely. How could Harry possibly know about the strange messages he'd received? The teacher's mind raced as he recalled the notifications that had appeared before him after he'd punched out the gremlin.
[You have killed a Forest Gremlin.]
[You have gained 2 AP (Ascendancy Points).]
And then there was another message not long ago.
[You have demonstrated bravery and protected your fellow humans.]
[You have earned 5 APs.]
[Your strength has been increased by 1.]
Mr. Thompson's heart had pounded when he first saw those words, his mind struggling to process what they meant. It was as if he was in some bizarre game, but this was all too real. He had initially thought it was a hallucination brought on by the stress and adrenaline, but hearing Harry mention it now made him realize it was something more.
"How did you—" Mr. Thompson began, then stopped, reconsidering his approach. He needed to be careful. He couldn't reveal too much without understanding Harry's knowledge.
But then it hit him—Harry was always daydreaming and talking about fantasy worlds, games, novels, anime, and comics. He knew all about that kind of stuff. Maybe Harry was drawing a parallel to those things?
Taking a deep breath, Mr. Thompson decided to take a chance. "I... I did see something. Messages. Like in a game or a story. It was... strange. How did you know, Harry?"
Harry smiled as he heard him admitting it. Well, he already got his answer when he saw Mr. Thompson being surprised but he just remained ignorant.
'He is being cautious. Then, let me act like a fool to fool you.' Harry thought. He knew now their world was changing, it would be hard to trust anyone, at least according to the knowledge he had.
"Haha, I knew it." He exclaimed like a kid. "This always happens in comics and novels! When you kill something you will gain exp and level up! Did you level up too, teach?"
Mr. Thompson looked at Harry with a bit of suspicion but then sighed. It seems Harry was indeed guessing. There was nothing to worry about.
"No, I didn't level up or anything." He replied watching as Harry had a disappointed expression. But it quickly changed into hope. 'He's still a teenager after all...'