"Without further delay, I will now reward all of you who survived the first game!"
As soon as she spoke, a golden panel materialized in front of them.
[Rewards]
[1x Unique-Level Skill (Random)]
[300 EXP]
[Accept/Reject]
Seeing the panel, everyone's faces lit up with joy they could barely contain. After being hunted relentlessly by those monsters, they had eagerly anticipated their rewards.
"Your rewards have been distributed. I hope you find them satisfying," Sophia continued with a calm tone. "As for the second game, it will begin tomorrow. Until then, feel free to rest and enjoy yourselves. Oh, one more thing! We've provided you with essentials—tents, food, and other necessities. Simply call out 'storage,' and everything you need will appear automatically."
With that, the once shimmering blue sky returned to its tranquil state, and Sophia's voice faded completely.
"Tsk! They even provided basic necessities for us. How considerate," Merlin muttered with a sly smile.
Despite his curiosity about the supplies, his attention remained fixed on the golden panel hovering before him.
"The rewards are certainly intriguing and plentiful. I wonder what kind of unique skill I'll get," Merlin muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Without hesitation, he tapped [accept] on the golden panel. Instantly, his body was bathed in a radiant golden light. The same phenomenon occurred to everyone in the safe zone who accepted the reward, their bodies glowing brilliantly.
A few seconds later, the light slowly faded. Merlin felt a wave of refreshment sweep over him, and even the scratches on his back had completely healed.
"This is truly miraculous! Is this the effect of leveling up?" Merlin wondered in awe, examining his transformed body.
Before, he had appeared dull, tired, and a bit grimy. Now, after leveling up, his appearance was completely revitalized, as if he were in his prime condition.
Driven by curiosity, he whispered, "Status."
[Status]
[—Name—: Merlin Crown]
[—Age—: 25 years old]
[—Traits/Characteristics—: Cunning, Selfish, Calculating, Prioritizes personal gain above all, and Cowardice]
[—Title—: -]
[—Level/XP—: 2 (200/400)]
[—HP/Mana—: 1500/1350]
[—Class—: -]
[—Attributes/Talents—: 150 LCK (Mythic), 109 INT (Legendary), 150 CHA (Mythic), 55 AGT (Epic), 54 VIT (Epic), 36 END (Unique), 40 STA (Unique)]
[—Skills—: Eyes of Truth (God), Hypnotic (Unique)]
[—Items—: -]
A status panel appeared before him, and Merlin's eyes widened in astonishment as he took in the changes.
"Level two... All my attributes increased by a few points except [CHA] and [LCK]. Even my [HP/MP] has risen significantly! This is amazing!" Merlin exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across his lips, brimming with excitement.
The increases in attributes and [HP/MP] were among the most significant benefits of leveling up, making those who experienced them much stronger than before.
Of course, not everyone's attribute points increased at the same rate. The talent associated with each attribute played a crucial role in this. Those with talent levels like [Legendary], [Mythic], or even the highest, [God], certainly had the potential to become formidable figures in the future.
"Brother Merlin! I've leveled up!" Shen Ling'er's excited voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him from his reverie.
Merlin smiled gently, glanced at Shen Ling'er, who beamed with happiness, and lightly patted her head.
"Good! With this level-up, you'll definitely grow stronger," Merlin praised warmly.
Afterward, Merlin whispered, "Status."
[Status]
[—Name—: Shen Ling'er]
[—Age—: 19 years old]
[—Traits/Characteristics—: Shy, Insecure, Honest, Fond of Cute Things, and Admiring of Brave Figures]
[—Title—: -]
[—Level/XP—: 2 (200/400)]
[—HP/Mana—: 1180/2200]
[—Class—: -]
[—Attributes/Talents—: 89 LCK (Legendary), 165 INT (Mythic), 101 CHA (Legendary), 38 AGT (Unique), 45 VIT (Epic), 32 END (Unique), 33 STA (Unique)]
[—Skills—: Detection (Unique)]
[—Items—: -]
Shen Ling'er's status panel appeared before him instantly, and as he read it, his expression stiffened.
"Damn it! What's with that [INT] increase? I remember Shen Ling'er had 145 points in [INT] before, but now it's 165. Is this what they mean by the gap between geniuses and ordinary people?" Merlin muttered, his throat tightening in disbelief.
After his own level-up, his [INT] attribute, which had been 99, increased to 109. This revealed that the [Legendary] talent boosted attributes by ten points with each level-up.
But Shen Ling'er, with her [Mythic] talent in [INT], had gained a twenty-point increase—double what he received!
For the first time, Merlin, who had once taken pride in his status panel, felt a sense of defeat. The panel, which had once filled him with satisfaction, now seemed dull and unremarkable.
Noticing Merlin's downcast expression, Shen Ling'er couldn't help but feel concerned. "Brother Merlin, why do you look so sad? Is something bothering you? If it is, just tell me! After all, we're siblings now."
She blinked innocently, offering him a gentle smile. As she looked at him with such concern, Merlin felt an unexpected warmth spread through his chest.
In his previous world, he had lived alone, surrounded only by lies and deceit. This was the first time someone had shown him genuine care, and it stirred something deep inside him.
However, Merlin quickly steadied himself and pushed those emotions aside.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Merlin replied in a calming tone as he gently combed through her hair. "By the way, what unique skill did you get?"
If such a question were asked to others, they would most likely be unwilling to answer. The status panel and the skills obtained were personal secrets, and they wouldn't share them with anyone.
However, now that he and Shen Ling'er were brother and sister, Merlin was certain she wouldn't hide anything from him.
As Merlin had predicted, Shen Ling'er hid nothing and quietly replied, "I obtained a skill that allows me to detect the presence of people or monsters within a radius of five hundred meters."
"Oh?" Merlin raised an eyebrow, then quickly glanced at the [Skills] column of Shen Linger's status panel to read the full description.
"[Detection (Unique): A unique-level skill that allows the wielder to sense the presence of living creatures, such as humans, monsters, or animals, within a radius of five hundred meters. This skill can evolve to Mythic level as the user's level increases.]"
"A skill that can evolve to Mythic level? This..." Merlin was stunned, hardly able to believe what he had just read.
Just like attribute talents, skills were divided into six levels—Common being the lowest and God being the highest.
According to Quinella's explanation, a skill at a certain level, like Unique, shouldn't be able to evolve further. But now, Shen Ling'er's Unique-level skill had that very ability, and Merlin was sure it would shock anyone who found out!
"What about you, big brother? What kind of skill did you get?" Shen Ling'er asked with curiosity.
Merlin snapped out of his reverie, glanced at his panel, and began reading the description of the new skill now listed in his [Skills] column.
"[Hypnotic (Unique): A unique-level skill that allows the wielder to hypnotize any living creature and make them obey their commands. However, this skill only works on creatures weaker than the wielder and has a limit on how many can be hypnotized. The skill can evolve to God-level.]"
As Merlin finished reading, his normally indifferent expression shifted, and his heart raced.
"Damn! This skill is incredible!" He exclaimed inwardly with excitement.
He had already been shocked that Shen Ling'er's detection skill could evolve to Mythic level, but he hadn't expected his own skill to be even more powerful—it could grow all the way to God level!
An idea suddenly popped into his mind, and he glanced at someone ten meters away from them. A small, sly smile curled on his lips as his purple eyes gleamed with a faint purple light."Brother? Why are you so quiet? Don't you want to tell me?" Shen Ling'er pouted, clearly eager for his answer.
Merlin chuckled, giving her cheek a gentle pinch before replying, "Sorry, I was reading the description of my skill and got a little distracted."
Shen Ling'er rolled her eyes at his excuse, then urged, "Then tell me quickly! I'm really curious!"
Merlin gave a small nod, about to speak, when suddenly, a man's deep voice rang out behind them.
"Pretty lady, would you like to sleep with me tonight?"