"They want me to kill some spirits? But I'm not a hunter," Martyn grumbled, seeing what his second test would be about. He didn't have the required gifts for that.
["What are you worrying about, kid? This test is at a comfortable level for you."]
"That voice... Tyran, is that you?" The boy recognized the voice instantly; it was the god who put him through his first test.
["Yes, boy, it is me. In this test, you will also be in my care. But I asked Hela for some help, and she lent me several of her low-ranking spirits. I thought you might like this better than fighting more of my wolves."]
The god's reassurance gave Martyn a bit more confidence.
"I don't really like scary stuff, but it's better this way. I don't want to get bitten again," Martyn replied with a satisfied face. "But as I said before, I have no idea how to win. I'm not a hunter."
["That's why you don't have to worry, kid. You still have one of my knives, remember?"]
"Yes, I had it, but I lost it when I ran out of consciousness yesterday," Martyn replied to the god in an embarrassed manner.
["No, boy, you didn't lose it. It must be in your inventory."]
The god's words confused Martyn. "What inventory are you talking about? I don't have any inventory."
["Wait a second, didn't Odin teach you? I thought he did. Well, listen to me, we gave you a power like a game class."]
"Yeah, I knew that. At first, I thought it was weird, but it was you," Martyn was slowly understanding what the god wanted to tell him.
["Well, that system was planned by us for your comfort because this way it will be easier for you to understand it. Now I will teach you how to use it. Focus on your right hand."]
Martyn followed the steps indicated by the god and focused his attention on his right hand.
["Good, now concentrate all your energy on that hand. It doesn't matter if you don't feel anything; just do it."]
Following the god's instructions, Martyn imagined an energy in his hand, which for a strange reason formed a kind of tattoo on his hand.
["Well, it's already active. Now your eyes will see something amazing."]
"Something amazing? What do you—"
Martyn was going to ask him about the mystery, but his eyes saw it for himself. In front of him appeared a system window as if it were a video game. "Hey Tyran, what is this?"
["Hahaha, I told you you were going to be surprised. That right there is our gift to you. You can become stronger with this. Come on, use it."]
With a mocking laugh, Tyran invited Martyn to play with the window.
"Well, let's see..." With some hesitation, Martyn touched the window, managing to get into something that displayed his information and other options.
[Martyn Tryggvason]
[Level: 2]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 21 years old]
[Rank: None]
[Stat Points]
[Skills]
[Inventory]
[????]
[????]
"Wow, it looks like a video game. This is supposed to help me get stronger, isn't it?" Martyn spoke with a smile. If he could get stronger this way, maybe he could take the hunter wannabe test in the not-too-distant future.
["Yes, boy. You have already gained several stat points, and in the inventory is the weapon I gave you yesterday. Good luck."]
After saying those words, Tyran's voice disappeared from Martyn's head.
"Okay, I think I'm getting a bit of an understanding of all this. You said I had several stat points. Should I try using them?" With interest, Martyn touched the stats option.
[Rep Stats:]
[HP: 30/30]
[EXP: 0/50]
[STR: 3]
[AGI: 5]
[STA: 4]
[VIT: 3]
[INT: 2]
"Wow, I knew I was weak, but this is absurd." After looking at his stats, Martyn couldn't help but feel disappointed with himself. His best stat was agility, and it was only 5 points.
"I have 10 stat points. I think I should raise strength and agility so I can complete this test better."
[You have added 5 stat points to strength]
[STR: 3>8]
[You have added 5 stat points to agility]
[AGI: 5>10]
"Well, I guess I should test the difference." As soon as he read the information, Martyn dropped to the ground to do several push-ups, managing to do more than he normally could.
"Good, I feel much better. Time to comply with the test."
[You're using the item: normal knife]
"Time to hunt." Full of conviction and new confidence, Martyn delved deeper into the temple.
***
"I don't see any ghosts around here." The search for spirits had started several minutes ago, but Martyn hadn't found any.
"I really wanted to test myself." Martyn complained as he went down some stairs.
"I'd like to just—"
[Warning.]
Martyn, who was just complaining, was taken aback by the message on the window.
"Danger? That just means something's nearby." Martyn looked for the source of the threat and found a one-eyed creature with a round body, which floated in front of him.
"Are you supposed to be a spirit? I thought you'd be scarier." Martyn teased the spirit a bit as he held the knife.
"You don't seem to be talking, so I'm coming for you, you bastard." Without wasting a second, the young man lunged at the spirit, which dodged every attack attempt and spat out some kind of stone.
[HP: 25/30]
(Did that thing seriously take 5 life points off me? The worst part is that it hurt. I can't imagine what kind of stuff hunters face.) Angry with the specter, Martyn tried to stab it again without success.
(There must be something else. Wait a second, I know what to do.) Surprisingly, the boy threw the knife at the specter, managing to hit it in the eye.
[You have defeated an enemy]
[Experience gained: 10 points]
[EXP: 10/50]
"There you go, you son of a bitch!" Martyn showed a bright smile as he saw the specter fall to the ground. It was the first time he defeated something without getting hurt so badly.
"Alright, let's get on with it." Lifting his knife off the ground, Martyn began to scan the entire temple.
"Great, there goes another." After searching for several minutes, Martyn had defeated two more wraiths of the same caliber as the first.
"I noticed two things about this mission. One, it seems like it's a mission for me to level up and gain confidence."
[EXP: 30/50]
[Wraiths defeated: 3/4]
"The second thing I noticed is that if I manage to dodge their attacks, I can pick up this kind of slimy bullet." Martyn took from the inventory what the wraiths used to attack.
[Item: Yoke bullet]
[Info: Your level is too low to use this function]
"I'd really like to know what it's for, but for now, let's finish this test." Martyn decided to close the window and look for the last wraith.
"You give off a different air." Martyn didn't have to look far to find his next target, as it was waiting for him in the center of the temple.
The specter in question was a floating skull with three eyes. It looked like he'd have to stab each one if he wanted to win.
[You are facing a low-rank boss]
(I see, it's a kind of boss, but that doesn't matter. I'm going to kill it.) With self-confidence, Martyn lunged at the spirit, but to his surprise, it opened its mouth and threw a bigger kind of rock at him than the ones thrown by the wraiths before.
"It's coming too fast." Martyn was stopped by the rock's blow, which made him bleed a little.
[HP: 12/30]
(It's more complicated than I thought. I must do something.) Martyn took distance from the spirit while thinking of what to do.
(Let's see, I can't throw the knife at it because it still has two eyes left. If I had something else to… Wait, it will be possible.)
[You have taken out the item: Yoke Bullet X2]
As if a light bulb had turned on in his mind, Martyn came up with the idea of using the collected items to win.
"Okay, let's try it." Concentrated on the combat, the young man rushed back against the specter, throwing three stones at it. Two of them hit it in the eyes.
"There's only one left." The wraith, in defense, made its own attack, so Martyn had to think fast.
"There is no choice, all or nothing." Martyn threw the knife at the specter and decided to cover himself with his hands, receiving the specter's attack to an even greater extent than before.
[HP: 2/30]
[Enemy defeated: 4/4]
[Experience gained: 20 points]
[You have gone up a level]
[Reward will be given after leaving the place]
"I sure had a hard time defeating him."
Martyn spoke while still on the floor, looking at the window.
[Congratulations!]
[You have defeated your first boss. It will be added to the achievement room]
"Great, but the best of all comes now." With some effort, Martyn stood up, smiling at the last message in front of his eyes.
[Test Two: Temple Cleansing]
[Completed]