"Ugh… they stood no chance. Magic is… awesome," he breathed, his voice a mix of awe and unease.
Arlo then turned his attention to the numerous screens that had appeared before him.
[Mail.]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have earned a level-up point.]
[Would you like to exchange your level-up point for rewards?] (Y/N)
-
[You've completed the 'Quest: Shadow Wolf Slayer'!]
[Completion rewards have been sent.]
[Would you like to receive them?] (Y/N)
"Oh, so I get two rewards? One for completing the quest and the other for leveling up…" Arlo mused, his curiosity piqued. "I wonder what the rewards are… I'm curious, but should I really check it out here?"
He glanced around, taking in the gruesome scene that surrounded him. If it weren't for the orb of light illuminating everything inside the barrier, he would have been engulfed in complete darkness.
"Hmm… I'm curious though, and it's not like I plan on heading back now," Arlo reasoned, his mind made up. "I still haven't tested advanced class magic, so I'm going to head deeper into the forest anyway. Might as well get something useful."
Coming to that conclusion, Arlo accepted the first option, exchanging a level-up point for a reward. The moment he did, a bright, blinding light emanated from the screen, transforming into three glowing blue cards.
The cards bore no markings and were simply blank, yet they seemed to pulse, sending strange waves of energy into their surroundings.
[Please select a card of your choice.]
Arlo stared at the cards, his eyes sparkling with excitement. After contemplating for a few seconds, he reached for the card on the far right.
"They all look the same, so I'll follow my gut. Besides, you can't go wrong if you go right!" he exclaimed, grabbing the card with confidence.
The instant his fingers made contact, another bright light was emitted, revealing the contents of the card he had selected.
[+5 stat points.]
Arlo's eyes widened as he stared at the card in disbelief.
"F-Five stat points? Does that mean what I think it means? Can I apply it to my own stats—"
Before he could finish his thought, the card vanished from his grasp, and his status tab automatically opened, interrupting his musings.
[Strength:5] (+)
[Agility: 5] (+)
[Stamina: 5] (+)
[Sense: 5] (+)
[Mana: 0]
[Available Stat Points: 5]
Seeing the status tab, Arlo's eyes began to sparkle, his mind and heart racing as he stared at the screen. It was just as he had thought; he would be able to allocate the points accordingly.
"With this, I'll be able to get stronger even without relying on the book…" Arlo murmured, his voice filled with gratitude. "Cosmic sage who created this system… thank you."
He gave a respectful bow to the grimoire, acknowledging the power it had bestowed upon him. Just as he was about to allocate the stat points, he was interrupted by the contents of the other two remaining cards he hadn't selected, revealing themselves.
[+2 Ability Points.]
[+1 Spin Of The Wheel.]
Arlo's attention shifted to the remaining cards, surprised to see them still there. He had assumed that he was only allowed to take a single card as a reward.
"It said select a card, so I assumed it was only one, but maybe I'm allowed to keep the other two as well?" he questioned, reaching out to grab them.
However, just before his fingers could make contact, the cards faded and disappeared from sight.
"Eh? It disappeared?" Arlo looked around, searching for the vanished cards. "Was it just showing me what I would have gotten if I had selected one of the other two options?"
The disappearance of the cards felt like a gut punch from the system, especially since one of the rewards had sounded particularly appealing.
The disappearance of the cards felt like a gut punch from the system, especially since one of the rewards had sounded particularly appealing.
'The spin the wheel reward sounded interesting…' Arlo mused, his mind wandering. 'I wonder what sort of wheel it was and what I could get from spinning it… The ability points, on the other hand, might've been useless since I don't have an ability.'
Arlo had seen earlier in the [Ability] section that ability points could be used to strengthen one's abilities. Unfortunately, without an ability of his own, he wouldn't have been able to do anything with the points until he acquired one.
"Although I guess saving up points would be a good idea… but moving on…" Arlo muttered, shaking his head to refocus on the more pressing matter at hand: his stat screen.
[Strength:5] (+)
[Agility: 5] (+)
[Stamina: 5] (+)
[Sense: 5] (+)
[Mana: 0]
[Available Stat Points: 5]
Arlo stared intently at the stat screen, contemplating his choice.
'It has to be Mana, surely,' he thought, his mind set on his goal. 'I want to be able to at least defend myself with spells in case I accidentally drop the book or something.'
Coming to that conclusion, Arlo made his decision.
'Apply all my stat points into Mana.'
[Unable to allocate stat points to the selected 'Mana' stat.]
[You cannot allocate stat points to the selected stat as you do not have a Mana core.]
"Eh? Seriously?" Arlo's eyes widened as he read the notifications. "What the hell is a mana core?"
It was the second time he had heard that term, the first being when the vampire girl had mentioned it. Just what exactly did it mean?
'How do I get a mana core?' Arlo wondered, hoping for a response from the system.
Despite his question, the system remained silent, causing him to let out a dejected sigh. Left with no other choice, he distributed the points into the other stats.
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 8]
[Stamina: 5]
[Sense: 5]
[Mana: 0]
[Available Stat Points: 0]
After allocating the stat points, Arlo reviewed the updated screen. While still feeling a little down about not being able to increase his 'Mana' stat, the sight of his improved agility and strength provided some comfort.
"I don't feel any different, tho—"
Arlo's words were cut short as a surge of energy rushed through his body. He could feel his muscles bulging and growing denser, his body becoming lighter. The surge lasted for a few seconds before eventually fading away.