Groaning in pain, Pulkit opened his eyes to see Saber licking his forehead. The demonic dog's red eyes glowed faintly, and its body bore numerous injuries. Pulkit tried to move, but agony shot through him. His legs and stomach were pinned under debris.
"It hurts so much," he muttered, gritting his teeth.
Summoning the system screen, he navigated to the shop function. His eyes scanned the recovery items:
F-Rank Healing Potion: 10 Achievement Points
E-Rank Healing Potion: 50 Achievement Points
D-Rank Healing Potion: 100 Achievement Points
Pulkit hesitated only briefly and thought that he should save points for the future.
"What's the point of saving points if I lose my life?"
he said, buying the E-Rank Healing Potion. Using it on himself and Saber, he sighed in relief as the healing energy coursed through his body. The system flashed a notification:
[Remaining Achievement Points: 20]
Feeling partially recovered, Pulkit recalled the notification he'd received before fainting. He opened his status panel to check:
[Title Acquired: The Survivor (A-Rank)]
Reading its description, his lips curled into a smile:
Stage 1: +3 stat points to every attribute.
Stage 2: When survival is in danger, all stats increase by 10%.
"Now this is what a real MC should have," Pulkit said, chuckling. He then remembered the 10 unallocated stat points he had earned. Opening his status panel, he distributed them thoughtfully:
[Pulkit's Stats Before Distribution]
Vigor: 5
Strength: 15
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 5
Perception: 5
Spirit: 5
Mana: 10
[Pulkit's Stats After Distribution]
Vigor: 11 (+3 Title Bonus, +3 Allocation)
Strength: 18 (+3 Title Bonus)
Agility: 11 (+3 Title Bonus, +3 Allocation)
Endurance: 8 (+3 Title Bonus)
Intelligence: 8 (+3 Title Bonus)
Perception: 8 (+3 Title Bonus)
Spirit: 8 (+3 Title Bonus)
Mana: 80 (+3 Title Bonus, +4 Allocation)
"Oh, I see! So my mana increases by 10 with every point I use in it," Pulkit exclaimed, realizing the growth potential.
Feeling a surge of strength, Pulkit gritted his teeth and lifted the debris off himself and Saber. Standing up, he noticed the storage room had miraculously survived the disaster.
"At least something went right," he muttered, heading toward it.
"Saber, come here," he called.
Saber didn't respond. Instead, the demonic dog was licking a pool of blood on the floor. Suddenly, Saber began to glow, and a notification appeared:
[Saber Status Updated]
Skill Acquired: Venomous Fangs (E-Rank)
Effect: Runs deadly venom into claws and fangs. Attacks inject lethal poison into enemies.
Evolution: Hidden evolution route unlocked. Evolution possible at Level 10.
Pulkit's eyes widened. "It must be the blood of that giant snake," he realized. Examining Saber's new skill, he patted the dog's head. "Good job, Saber. You're my favorite pet."
As he spoke, a sound caught his attention—a loud thudding of hooves. Pulkit turned to see a blood-red wild boar charging toward him. Its tusks gleamed like knives.
"Move!" Pulkit yelled, dodging to the side with Saber. The boar's charge narrowly missed them, smashing into the rubble. Saber leaped onto the boar, sinking its venomous fangs into its neck. The boar thrashed wildly, trying to shake Saber off.
Pulkit grabbed a large stone with both hands. "Let's end this!" he shouted, jumping onto the boar and smashing the stone onto its head. The creature staggered before collapsing. Its body turned blue, the venom coursing through it proving fatal.
A notification appeared:
[Level Up: 4]
[Gained: 5 Stats Point]
[Saber Level Up: 7] Skill Upgrade: Venomous Fangs (D-Rank)
Pulkit grinned, patting Saber's head. "It's because of your skill that we killed this wild boar. Otherwise, we'd be in big trouble."
Excited by the thought of having a powerful boar on his side, Pulkit activated his skill to summon it:
[Skill Activated: Summoner of the Dead]
Wild Boar (F-Rank) successfully registered.
Pulkit smiled widely. "This is getting better and better," he said, feeling a surge of hope for the trials ahead. Saber stood by his side, ready for whatever came next.