[Merging System - Unlocked!]

[1st received skill: Passive, Category: Health]

[Lowest Tier Regeneration - Allows the user to heal minor injuries within an hour if remain still.]

Shay lay in a dirty puddle, dizzy, glimpsing at what the system displayed.

Only trees and bushes were visible around him, distant from his assigned group.

'Fuck… some… minor… healing skill!' His shouting thoughts couldn't come out of his mouth.

He was grievously wounded and weak, to the point that he might drown in the puddle he had landed on, holding his head right above it in an attempt to survive.

His legs were cut, although missing his veins. As his body turned numb, his skin became paler by the loss of his blood.

'Art. Arthur! Arthur!!!'

Why was someone calling out for Arthur? He didn't know, but there was no one close by. Was it his thoughts? Perhaps a lost memory? However, his name wasn't Arthur.

'I am just going crazy. Right? Hahaha,' his laugh was weak, waving the dirty water right below his nose with his breath.

While on the verge of death, another system sound popped into his head, giving him a mild headache.

[Mission: Drink water from the puddle. Reward: Water Purification skill, Category: Survival]

The system was unable to generate a better quest. This was as horrible as it sounds. He didn't know what the brown-colored water would do to him. As far as his knowledge went, his stomach couldn't handle it, as some diseases could emerge from just drinking a mouthful.

'I might… as well… try it.' Exhausted to hell, his wounds burning by the cold and heavy rain, he lowered his head and started sipping, his nose touching the wavy surface.

[Quest completed: Water Purification skill granted.]

[Possible skill merge. Do you wish to proceed?]

By just thinking about his answer, the screen in front of him flashed with bright light, his head aiming down, still trying not to drown by a stupid cause.

[Root Regeneration - Can heal injuries by touching any water source. The healing effect improves with a higher grade of water purity.]

His neck was giving up, enduring the neck pain until the very end.

Splash!

The puddle, after a few seconds, started to lower. Small green particles appeared around Shay's body, mending his injuries. The pouring drops improved the effect of his skill, while the puddle prolonged the healing. An interesting synergy, yet he despised the specks of mud covering his face.

'Fuck, how did I even survive this shit?'

If he had been pursued by a beast in the Guarded Forest, a well-known spot for the High School graduation exam, he might not have survived. What had happened was that his own classmates cut his legs from behind, inflicting various depths of lacerations, forcing him to run for his life. They had planned it a long while ago, without giving it off. Just thinking about this, he had the urge to cut their throats when he met them again.

"Shay! Shay!! Shay!!!" A faint voice was heard to his right, shouting deep down from her lungs.

A sense of familiarity dwelled inside him, yet he was unable to move or talk. Even though his skill healed his injuries to some extent, he was drained out of his energy.

Luckily, the voice got closer and closer, being on the right track.

"Shay! Thank god you aren't dead. Those guys will pay for everything they have done to you!" She promised while crying out loud, turning him around to check his injuries.

His lips were dry, rock solid, showing crackles on their surface, while a dead expression showed his exhaustion.

She immediately removed her backpack, searching frantically, her hands trembling.

"Please. Please! Ah. Got it!"

She pulled out a plastic bottle, opened a lid, and poured water, with care, through his lips.

Gasp!

Shay lifted the upper part of his body, looking around with fear drawn on his face, he noticed the familiar person.

Before he could see her at whole, she hugged him, tears flowing from her round green eyes. While they stayed in that position, he could feel her small slender body, as he stroked her back covered by straight blonde hair.

"Jeez, I really thought I was a goner," He said with a light tone, easing up the tense situation.

"Don't joke like that! Your injuries don't even look that bad."

However, something didn't seem to add up. She had clearly seen the deep cuts, even if she looked from the far back of the group, hiding her presence.

"Yeah. I am such a lucky guy. Haha," he smiled after his expression.

"Well, we are not in a position to joke around, though."

"I know. I know. But you have a Bloodline Mastery, not like someone present, right? I'll try to not get in your way, Kel," he said, feeling like a hindrance to the person next to him.

Not only was she gorgeous for her age, but she was also talented and smart, always being scored at the top of their class after tests. Kelly's experience differed from Shay's. The teachers favored her a lot while Shay was disregarded. At least in his sword class, he excelled, always practicing with the master.

"Do you know the way back?" he asked, hoping she didn't go after him blindly.

"Of course I do… not."

They stared at each other, the sounds of raindrops occasionally breaking the silence by hitting tree leaves and puddles.

"I should have guessed."

Sigh.

"Do you at least have a map in that thing?" He said, pointing at the backpack.

"I hate to break it to you, but I only brought provision supplies, nothing else."

Shay rolled his eyes with disappointment, checking the position of the sun. He knew the guarded camp was on the west side. The only problem was the beasts carved up their territories in a strange manner. If they stepped inside them, they risked running into a group of powerful beasts.

"Are you confident enough with your skills?"

"Why wouldn't I be? The flames I possess are godly compared to the others in our school. We should be fine."

Although he had a worried look, he still grasped her slender hand and led the way to the camp.

"Wait," she said after sprinting for a few minutes.

"Here, take it. And I don't want to hear any excuses. I can do fine without a sword. It's better to be able to protect yourself, instead of hiding behind my back at all times."

Kelly stuck the sword to the ground, and crossed arms, waiting for him to pick it up. Shay nodded and clenched the sword handle with his left hand and then continued to lead the way.

Swish. Rustle. Rustle.

They both stopped in place, gazing at the bush that had moved a while ago, readying up their fighting stances.

After one minute, a rat, foraging, revealed itself as the bush's intruder. A sigh of relief sounded from the duo, preparing to run again.

Chomp. Squeak.

Beneath a bush, a rat digging let out a fading squeak.

Then, they both glanced where they'd earlier spotted the rat, expecting danger.

Shay shivered a lot, drenched by the rain, and his sweat, and coldness started to burn his skin. Unlike Kelly, warmth radiated throughout her. The flame wasn't limited just to her palms.

"We should try to escape. Who knows what that creature was? If it follows us at a faster pace, then after that we should start worrying about it." Shay said, thinking about the easiest way to escape.

"On the count of three, we turn and go straight. The camp can't be that far."

Kelly nodded and waited for his counting. He was a true mastermind when it came to strategizing and being able to assess dangerous moments with ease.

"Ok, now is the moment. One… Two… Three!!!"

Retreating, they listened intently for any sounds.

Dash. Clang.

Shay had heard a feeble sound behind them that closed up the distance in an instant.

"I prayed to god for it to not be this fucker!" He screamed while fending it off.

Of course, they were on the southern west side, where the Two-headed Snakes lived. One of the worst possible beasts to encounter in this forest was this creature. It was known for its speed, razor-sharp fangs, and paralyzing venom. Even a small drop of it would paralyze its opponents for an hour.

[Mission: Defeat the snake. Reward: Poison Defiance, Category: Resistance]

"Hey, snap out of it and help me, for fuck's sake!"

Although Kelly was his best friend, she sometimes needed to be pushed to do something on her own. Seeing her stunned in place made him furious. He hated shouting at her, but this time, his life was at stake. This seemed to have worked. Her hands were covered in a vigorous blaze. Mist unfolded around her as the droplets landed on her arms.

Before the exam, Shay taught her hand-to-hand combat techniques that could be useful, especially when facing monsters. It was his idea to let her hands be engulfed in fire while fist-fighting.

She dashed to aid her friend, grabbing the Two-headed creature's linked tail, intensifying the heat. A smell of burned skin and scales was released while the creature was baked alive.

The snake heads felt endangered, screeching in agony, turning around to attack what had limited their movement. But before they could move, their heads were sliced off of their shared body. Despite their body missing both heads, the nerve impulses were sent to the muscles, wiggling and struggling in Kelly's grip.

"We can graduate now," she smiled, thinking this should be enough to graduate.

In this test, you could choose to fight solo, or in groups. The difference was, if you fought solo, you could hunt several weak creatures, being able to pass just like that. With a group, though, you had to fight stronger enemies, bringing back a few of them. Since this was one of the most dangerous monsters in the Guarded Forest, it should be enough to pass as a duo.

[Quest completed. Poison Defiance skill granted.]

[Poison Defiance - The ability to nullify weak poison effects.]