Slumped over in the chair and practically convulsing, Aoni had never felt so helpless in his short 16 years of life. As for the pain, it wasn't really an issue because apart from being uncomfortable and constantly twitching and convulsing, he felt it didn't hurt too bad; if anything, it was only extremely uncomfortable.
There's no telling how long this sensation persisted. Still, Aoni knew he was going to be in danger if it lasted for too long, especially when he noticed his vision begin to tunnel toward blackness, a sign that the lack of oxygen was becoming a factor.
And then, as quickly as he was assaulted by the strange feelings and lack of control, it faded away, leaving the lad feeling extremely sore and tense.
"GASP, huff, huff." Inhaling as if emerging from deep waters, Aoni noticed his vision return to normal, albeit speckled by little flashes of multicolored light.
'What…the fuck just happened,' was the immediate thought prevailing in his mind as the lad slowly took turns moving each of his fingers, toes, and limbs, only to realize that everything felt stiff yet different at the same time.
'It feels like I just spent a month and a half working out extensively…' That realization caused Aoni's eyes to widen as he lifted an arm and flexed a bicep before noticing the new definition that hadn't been there before.
He felt stronger by a large margin, and the little frightfest he had been forced to endure suddenly felt 100% worth it. However, feelings aside, Aoni needed some form of confirmation, so of course, he quickly opened up his TD and was surprised by what was there, even if he shouldn't have been because it was to be expected.
______________________
Aoni Thurston
Age: 16
Potential: One Star/G+ Rank (►)
Rank: G-
______________________
Attribute Grade: ☆
Attribute: Progression
Progress Points: 5.85 *-1.5*
______________________
Statistics
Attack: G (►) **
Defense: G- (►)
Speed: G- (►)
Energia: G- (►)
______________________
Just like the notification earlier mentioned, his Attack was raised from G- to G, along with the deduction of 1.5 Potential Points.
'1.5 points to raise it a single step…that's…a lot; I'll need to burn 4.5 points if I want to increase all my stats, but is it worth it, and will it be like what just happened every time?' The fact that he was hesitating wasn't surprising; Aoni had gotten quite a scare from increasing his Attack, and neither his mind nor body had completely recovered yet.
'There's also the chance that I have enough points to increase a single stat more than once…' Aoni's thoughts trailed off as he heard the winds outside picking up, bringing along a howling sound that filled the cave, a stark reminder of how harsh and unforgiving the territory was outside of the safe little hole he was living.
'No…I need to keep moving forward, and if im going to survive out there for longer, there is one stat that needs to be increased more than any other…' Sitting up, Aoni mentally prepared himself, with resolve flashing in his eyes for a second before uttering the mental command to the Traveler's Display.
'Increase my Defense Stat.'
| Increasing Defense from G- to G |
| Progress Points have been Deducted |
Two little notifications popped up beside the still-open TD, and that was when Aoni's hell began. At first, he experienced a faint tickling sensation spread across every square inch of his body.
However, that soon gave way to intense burning and stabbing, a far cry from the uncomfortable feelings brought about by the increase of his Attack Stat; comparatively, Defense HURT A LOT.
With veins bulging and bloodshot eyes, Aoni did his best not to cry out in agony as he noticed his exposed skin rapidly shifting from a deep shade of black and blue to dark purple, then violent and sickly green, all the stages of bruises.
It was as if he was having the absolute shit kicked out of him, then…his vision blurred, and he felt himself impact with the rocky cave floor, followed by darkness.
---
Gaoo…ooo
Ooo…ooo
GAOOO
Off in the distance, Aoni could hear faint sounds, but while his brain could pick them up, it was like he was in the midst of a dream; everything felt floaty and far off.
Gaooo…THUMP
OoOoo…SMACK
'gimmie five more minutes, Mom, im tired…' Aoni thought while imagining himself rolling over in bed.
Ggrrrrr GAOOOOO!
CHOMP!
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" eyes snapping open, Aoni screamed while feeling something bite down on his stomach with extremely sharp teeth, the sensation of which immediately woke him up and caused the lad to shoot to his feet at attention like a soldier.
"What the HELL!" he screamed while looking down and realizing that Glacia was biting his tummy and holding on for dear life, her Emerald eyes sparkling with tears and fear.
Aoni may be dense, but between the LoS and Glacia's apparent body language, even he could tell that the little gal was scared senseless and had done everything she could to wake her lord up.
But when constant hits and smacks didn't work, she had resorted to something a little more drastic…biting his fleshy tummy, which did the trick.
"Atatat, okay, it's okay, Glacia…" Reaching down, Aoni winced while trying to get her to stop biting with some soft head pats. It took some coaxing, but eventually, she released her chomp-down tummy attack, and he was able to scoop her up and calm her down.
In a manner of speaking, her reaction wasn't that unexpected. Aoni was the only one she had in this world, and when he collapsed, it must have made a loud enough sound to wake her up.
Given the fact that he seemed to be cycling through different shades of purple, like some kind of chameleon, it most definitely wasn't a pretty sight for the infant Yeti.
About an hour later, after getting Glacia back to bed, Aoni found himself sitting down in front of the fireplace and trying to figure out exactly what was happening each time he used his Progress points to upgrade his stats.
'When I increased my Attack, it was as if I had been physically training my body for extended periods; only it was collectively executed in a matter of seconds, maybe a minute at most.'
'Whereas when it comes to increasing my Defense, it was as if I had been sustaining a beating for I have no idea how long since I inevitably passed out.'