After the furious battle, three days passed...
I Xerox Zee, woke up and checked my status…
[ "Status" ]
=== STATUS SCREEN ACTIVATED ===
Name: Xerox Zee
Rank: 1 +
Strength : 1
Speed : 1+
Mana : 1
Skill : Rank 10 Mind Memory
The skill that allows users to get in touch with the memories from their other self which existed in the other universe.
Cause and Effect: The user may sometimes be interpreted by the personality of the other self.
LVL 3 : Shadow Style Proficiency : P2
This Skill allows the user to use the sword like the sword is shadow. The slash of the sword will be faster and more powerful than just a normal swing.
LVL 9 : Cryomancy : P1
This is Magic Skill and it is said to be built by the strongest Ice mage in history after fighting the Ice dragon. The use case of this Skill is that it can be used to freeze the opponent. If the user masters this skill, they may be able to freeze the world.
LVL 6 : Dual Skill : Beginner
A special skill that was formed by Xerox. This skill comprises two skills.
I felt a rush of happiness when I looked at my status screen.
Not only had my mana increased, but my Dual Skill was now officially recognized as a Skill in my status.
This meant I'd be able to use it more easily in the future, and the thought filled me with excitement.
After getting myself back to normal, I read some news where the current news was all about the incident that took place in MistShade Training Ground.
As I kept on reading I could see some news which was faked and some news were really about our professors who couldn't save those pathetic students who were killed by those poachers.
The most talked-about news was the interview with Eclipse Academy's Head Teacher, Professor David.
"Professor David, what can you tell us about the recent attack?"
"The Poachers used a teleportation device we've never seen before. This allowed them to infiltrate our test grounds. I've already reported this to The Authority, and they are working on a solution,"
Professor David explained.
"Some people say Eclipse Academy is incompetent for failing to stop even Rank-2 Poachers. What do you say to them?"
"As Head Teacher, I admit I failed in my duty to protect everyone, which led to several casualties. However, our role isn't to shield students from every danger. These situations are similar to what they'll face in real dungeons. They need to learn how to survive and become stronger. As future protectors of humanity, they'll face even greater threats."
"Professor, what do you think the Poachers were after?"
"We believe their goal was to kill our students while they are still developing. Many of the strongest students of the Super Generation attend Eclipse Academy."
"Strongest? Are you talking about Aerox Sun? Was he their main target?"
"It's just my assumption, but one of the attackers, a Rank-4 Poacher, fought Aerox. Given his potential, they likely see him as a future threat. But there's no need to worry as Aerox can already hold his own against Rank-4 opponents."
"Wait, are you saying Aerox defeated a Rank-4 Poacher?"
"Has Aerox already reached Rank-4?"
"That's impossible! He was only Rank-2+ a month ago!"
"Professor, can we interview Aerox?"
The questions kept coming, but Professor David avoided giving more details about Aerox.
The interview quickly became a heated discussion, with reporters focusing on Aerox's strength rather than the academy's failure to prevent the attack.
This seemed intentional—a tactic by the Head Teacher to shift public attention.
After all, seven students had died during the attack, and parents were already questioning the academy's ability to protect their children.
Meanwhile, the headlines buzzed with Aerox's name:
"Aerox Sun: The Future Rank-10?"
"First-Year Student Takes Down Rank-4 Opponent!"
"Aerox Crushes a Rank-4 Poacher!"
==============================
Somewhere in a hidden location:
"Aerox crushed a Rank4 attacker?"
The sound of a phone shattering echoed in the room.
A man's face twisted in anger, veins bulging as he clenched his fists.
He was the Poacher who had fought Aerox, formerly the leader who was sent to kill him.
He had failed his mission. His superiors had punished him harshly, stripping him of his rank and mocking his failure.
Other Poachers treated him with disdain.
To make matters worse, the forbidden fruit he had used during the fight left him weakened, barely able to defend himself against even weaker enemies.
"Aerox Sun…"
he growled, his voice trembling with rage.
"I'll get my revenge. Just wait. When I recover, I'll kill you myself. Your fame, your strength—everything will be mine! Haha …."
He let out a bitter laugh….
====================================
I closed my phone and lay down on the bed, my mind replaying the terrifying events in MistShade Training Ground.
(I'm too weak. If it wasn't for the other students and Professor Mia saving me, I'd be dead right now.)
Even when I used my best move, Dual Skill, I couldn't finish off all the enemies.
That failure nearly cost me my life.
Thankfully, Aria and the others helped me escape.
I don't even want to think about what could've happened if they hadn't been there.
And the worst part?
The story isn't following the novel anymore. In the book, the Poachers's Vice-Leader was supposed to fight the main character and his friend.
But in reality, I had to face both Vice-Leaders myself. I guess I can't rely on everything to go the way it was written.
Maybe it's my fault.
I changed the story when I took the Level 9 Magic Skill for myself.
I must've caused other changes too. But I don't regret it. Without that Magic Skill, I'd probably be dead already.
I tried so hard to keep the world exactly like the novel. But no matter how much I try, it's impossible.
Things keep changing anyway.
(Instead of worrying about keeping things the same, I should focus on becoming stronger.)
That's the main lesson I learned from this fight: power is the only way to survive.
It's just the beginning of the story, and I've already come so close to dying.
Stronger enemies are definitely coming, and I won't make it if I stay like this.
Looking back, I feel so stupid.
But not anymore. I've given up on following like the things written in the novel.
The story has already changed, and I don't need to follow the novel's script anymore.
From now on, I'll use my knowledge of the story to my advantage.
I'll hunt down weapons, Skills, Elixirs—anything that can make me stronger.
I need to get to them before anyone else does.
(But what should I focus on first?)
Weapons?
My current one is already good enough for my rank.
Skills? I already have one of the best.
Maybe, but only high-ranking ones would help—and even with my knowledge, those will be hard to find.
-huh
I sighed, my mind spinning with plans.
Whatever I choose, one thing is clear: I need to get stronger.
That's when it hit me: elixirs.
They're the quickest way to boost your rank.
Even though I just reached Rank-2-, if I could get my hands on the right elixirs, I could rank up in no time.
But there was a problem.
Elixirs don't come cheap.
The ones sold in the market cost a fortune, and I don't even have enough for the cheapest Rank-1 elixir, let alone something for Rank-2.
Buying one was out of the question.
So, I decided...
I had to go into a dungeon.
That's where elixirs and other rare items are found.
And lucky for me, I knew of a specific dungeon from the novel.
It's a Rank-2 dungeon.
You can enter if you're Rank-2- or higher, as long as you pay the entrance fee.
I remembered reading about a hidden area inside this dungeon where rare herbs grow.
One of them is the Snowdrop Flower, a Rank-2 item I desperately need.
I grabbed my notebook and jotted down everything I knew about the dungeon:
the types of monsters, the traps, and even the layout as best as I could remember.
Then, I spent a while looking up details online, just to make sure I didn't miss anything.
I couldn't afford to make mistakes.
Auff!.......