Milo shuffled the deck with a nervous smile, glancing at everyone watching him.
"Uh… see, hehe, I can do some magic tricks."
With a hesitant flick of his wrist, he produced a card from the palm of his hand. He tossed it up, then spread his hands, causing more cards to appear from seemingly nowhere. Spinning, he opened his mouth and pulled a series of cards out as they tumbled to the ground.
He grinned nervously, continuing his routine. Flinging his hands right and left, producing card after card from thin air. It would have been an impressive display… for an ordinary magic show!
But as Milo continued, the faces of the troops slowly shifted from interest to blank stares, some raising skeptical eyebrows. This… was not quite what they'd been expecting.
"Hey, man, show us the real magic!"
"Yeah, like jumping super high, throwing deadly cards, something cool!"
"Those are just tricks; I could probably do better."
"C'mon, show us your real power!"
They complained.
Milo chuckled nervously. "Ah, hehe, no, wait. I have something better."
He spread the cards in his hands, then scratched his head awkwardly, pulling a small flower out from behind his ear. He grinned.
"Come on, don't joke around!"
"We need the real deal!" The troops' patience was quickly wearing thin.
Atlas furrowed his brow, curiosity now mixed with growing confusion. He quickly checked Milo's status.
[Name: Milo Blackwood]
[Level: 62]
[Strength: 78 | Agility: 200 | Intelligence: 90 | Constitution: 120 | Stamina: 135]
[Job: Entertainer]
[Cautious Retreat (A) - Sleight of Hand (A) - Dual Facade (SS) - Card Shuffle Obsession (A) - Quiet Listener (B) - Timid Persuasion (B)]
[Cautious Retreat: When feeling threatened, there is a chance to evade attacks, slipping away with agility thanks to a natural instinct to avoid harm.]
[Sleight of Hand: Exhibits exceptional skill in sleight of hand tricks, with quick movements that allow small items to be hidden or distractions to be created with ease.]
[Dual Facade: When certain triggers occur, an alternate persona takes control. This transformation amplifies raw power and shifts abilities, unleashing a side capable of unmatched ferocity and resilience.]
[Card Shuffle Obsession: A habit of constantly shuffling a deck of cards to calm nerves, often done even when the situation doesn't call for it.]
[Quiet Listener: With a tendency to observe quietly, valuable information is often learned by letting others speak, especially in social situations where anxiety is present.]
[Timid Persuasion: A gentle, sincere way of speaking that can disarm others, sometimes inspiring a sense of protectiveness in those listening.]
"What?!" Atlas's frown deepened. "Is this some kind of mistake?"
Milo had only three talents rated A, and to make matters worse, his stats were below average. Sure, his level was decent—62—but his stat points were abysmal! Even worse than Atlas's.
But what was this SS-rated talent? Dual Facade?
Is the System trolling me?
And then he saw Milo's Job classification: Entertainer. Not even a fighter!
"Hey, Milo… come on, stop joking around. Show us your power." A few of the troops started to stand up, moving toward him.
"No! Wait… wait… I have another trick!" Milo held up his hands, signaling them to keep their distance. "Just give me another chance, hehe…"
Garen, the leader of Cinder Team, stepped forward with his massive frame. "Hey, give him some space. Maybe he just needs a moment."
Kaida, the leader of Blaze Team, shouted from her seat, "Hey, don't be lame! Stop acting! You're Rank-S, right? You should be at least as strong as Lyrassa!"
Garen reached out to give Milo a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but Milo backed away in panic, only to stumble over the edge of the platform and fall, again!
"Sorry, man, I didn't mean to scare you. Here, let me help you up." Garen reached down to assist Milo.
"No! No! Wait, I'm fine."
"It's alright. Here, I'll give you a hand."
"No!" Milo said, his tone firm, a sudden edge of panic in his voice.
At that moment, the air seemed to change, an eerie stillness fell, and Atlas felt a blaring warning in his instincts, though he couldn't explain why.
Kurogasa suddenly appeared near Garen, Karian stepping forward as well, his greatsword at the ready.
"What's going on, Kurogasa?"
Even Lyrassa floated over swiftly, positioning herself near Kurogasa.
Garen, still intent on helping, reached for Milo's arm. "Come on, man. Relax, it's okay. We're all friends here."
"Don't come any closer! Don't touch me!" Milo protested, his expression now fully panicked, almost frightened.
"Man, I'm not going to hurt you!"
"No!" Milo shouted this time, his voice loud and frantic, making everyone pause in confusion.
"See, I just want to help you up." Garen gave Milo a light pat on the shoulder.
In an instant, time seemed to freeze. Everyone felt a jolt, a shockwave that hit them right in the chest, almost like a strike to the heart. At the same moment, a pulse of energy erupted from Milo.
"My Lord!" Kurogasa shouted urgently, but there was no time.
The energy wave surged outward, and vines sprang up around Milo, forming a net to contain the blast, but the force was too much—the vines shattered, and the impact exploded in all directions, sending everyone sprawling.
Suddenly, Morganna appeared in front of Atlas, taking the brunt of the shockwave to shield him.
Karian quickly steadied himself, greatsword drawn, while Kurogasa readied his chain blade.
"Your stupid Gacha thing," Morganna muttered, "bringing us a problematic individual."
Weren't you one of them too?
But wait—what just happened?!
"I said don't touch me!" Milo's voice echoed, and another wave of dark energy blasted out, rattling everyone.
The man was now standing with tendrils of dark energy wrapping around him like shadowy vines. Karian and Kurogasa immediately took defensive stances, weapons at the ready.
Milo's body began to grow larger, his voice deepening with fury.
"Who dared to touch me?!" he roared, ripping his own shirt apart in a fit of rage. "I'll kill anyone who lays a hand on me!"
What is that?! Atlas thought, stunned.
Milo's body bulked up grotesquely, muscles swelling to unnatural proportions, wrapped in a cloak of dark energy. His eyes glowed with an eerie light, and another shockwave burst from him, sending everyone scrambling back in fear.
Even Garen, who had been the closest, retreated to the edge, wide-eyed with terror.
"Do I need to kill him?" Morganna said.
"No, wait," Atlas replied.
Milo's rage was uncontrollable—he let out a brutal scream, and another wave of energy erupted, sending debris and anything nearby flying back.
"Wait! Don't ruin my plants!" Mira yelled from afar.
Milo turned to her, sneering, "Who cares? I don't!" He paused for a moment, then scowled. "You stupid rabbit! Get rid of those pathetic, pleading eyes of yours!"
"Milo, get a grip on yourself!" Karian shouted. "If you don't, we'll have to stop you by force."
"Don't call me Milo," he bellowed. "I'm Raze!"
"Look, I know you're filled with 'rage', but control yourself in front of the Lord," Karian insisted.
"I'm Raze, you motherfucker! You brainless musclehead, I'll slap that mouth right off your face and send you crying back to your mother's womb!"
"Oh, damn! I like this guy," Karian said, grinning.
"You filthy rat," Raze snarled, glaring at Kurogasa. "Don't even come near me with that stench of yours."
Kurogasa raised an eyebrow, remaining calm. "I think our new friend here might need a lesson in humility."
Atlas's mind was racing. Raze? Who—or what—exactly was he dealing with here?
His gaze sharpened as he checked Milo's status, everything had changed!
[Name: Raze]
[Level: 62]
[Strength: 411 | Agility: 134 | Intelligence: 56 | Constitution: 210 | Stamina: 221]
His information was different now, even his name had switched to Raze. And his stats… they had spiked, brutally.
What the hell? Raze?!