Exhaustion had finally imed its due. Noah, his body a tapestry of aches and his mana reserves depleted, copsed onto the scorched grass. Sleep, heavy and dreamless, descded upon him. He slept for what felt like an eternity, the silce brok only by the rustle of wind through the tall grass.
Wh he finally stirred awake, the sun was high in the sky. He sat up slowly, wincing at the sharp pain that bloomed in his side, a lingering reminder of the brutal fight. Taking a deep breath, he surveyed the aftermath of the battle.
The once pristine clearing was now a sce of devastation. Craters marred the g, testamt to the raw power unleashed.
Aid was strong and Noah feel a new found respect for him.
"Alright, time to see how much progress I''ve made." With a grin on his face, Noah retrieved a pair of sleek smart bracelets. He effortlessly transferred the points stored within them to his own, causing his umted total to skyrocket by points. Now sittingfortably at points, he effortlessly imed the top spot on the ranking.
"Pretty impressive, but I can''t get toofortable with this temporary first ce. If I want to make it permant, I need to level up my points. I can''t underestimate thepetition - they''re working just as hard and could catch up at any momt." Noah wasn''t one to let arrogance cloud his judgemt. He knew that maintaining his lead required continuous effort and improvemt.
As the ranking updates spread across the ind, Noah''s rapid rise in points left the other studts in shock. They couldn''t fathom how he had umted so many points in such a short amount of time. The only logical exnation they coulde up with was that Noah must be a viin.
With this revtion, the other studts quickly formed a n. They decided to target Noah, as taking him down would earn them double points and pottially secure their own ce at the top of the leaderboard. It was a risky move, but they believed it was worth the gamble.
Unbeknownst to the others, Noah had be the prime target of the survival test. However, he didn''t mind. In fact, he weed the challge. He knew that being targeted would only mean more points for him, and he was confidt that only the reckless ones would dare to charge at him without thinking.
Interestingly ough, the previous number and 3 in the ranking didn''t immediately jump at the opportunity to attack Noah. They were cautious and knew better than to underestimate him. They wanted to assess his capabilities and gather more information before making their move. After all, they wer''t willing to risk their own positions without a solid n.
Meanwhile, twty kilometers north to Noah''s currt position, stood Lilith. Her hair, a stark contrast to the suring foliage, framed a face usually devoid of emotion. Today, however, a flicker of something akin to amusemt danced in her amber eyes as she was sured by a snarling pack of twty kobolds.
Their crude weapons gleamed in the filtered sunlight, dripping with an eagerness to tear into the seemingly defseless woman.
Suddly, a soft vibration buzzed against her wrist. It was her smart bracelet, updating its disy. A single, sharp eyebrow arched as she saw the new rankings sh across the scre. Noah. First ce. A slow, almost predatory smile crept across her lips.
It was a rare sight, a twist of her features that most would consider unsettling rather than warm. To the kobolds, it was a tant provocation.
''''Grrr!"
''''Grrr!"
Their guttural growls intsified, a collective snarl erupting from their ranks. Without warning, they lunged, a wave of gnashing teeth and shing ws aimed at Lilith. But their attack was met with an empty space.
One momt she was there, her hair a beacon against the gre, the next, she was a phantom. Disbelief flickered across the kobold faces for a fleeting second before they were reced by a crimson tide.
Spurt!
Blood spurted from their necks, spraying the forest floor in a gruesome disy. Yet, there was no weapon glinting in the sunlight, no tell-tale whoosh of a de. Lilith, the White Witch, had moved with inhuman speed, her sword a whisper of death that imed its victims before they ev knew what hit them.
The remaining kobolds froze, fear recing their previous aggression. The clearing held an eerie silce, brok only by the dripping of blood and the ragged gasps of the surviving creatures. Lilith reappeared behind them, her expression once again unreadable. With a single, swift motion, she dispatched the remaining kobolds, their lifeless bodies crumpling to the forest floor.
As the dust settled, Lilith looked skyward, a hint of a challge flickering in her gaze.
"First ce, huh, Noah? We''ll see how long you hold onto that crown." She vanished into the depth of the forest seeking more prey to hunt.
Back at his location, an inexplicable shiver ran down Noah''s spine. It was as if an unse presce had brushed against him, a fleeting premonition that st a prickle of unease down his nerves.
"Perhaps," he murmured to himself, "my lead has attracted unwanted atttion. Lilith wouldn''t be pleased, that much is certain. Herpetitive streak is legdary." A glint of steel flickered in his eyes.
"But a worthy challge is what separates the strong from the stagnant. Bring it on." He squared his shoulders, a steely resolve recing the momtary unease. He wouldn''t let the fear ofpetition deter him.
To prepare for the iing challge he had to strgth himself. To prepare before starting his crazy level up.
''''First, let''s me check my status window before browsing the system''s store.''''
■Status Window
Name: Noah Adler
Rank: Regr
Level 0
ss: Angel of Death
Title: Goblin yer
◇◇◇◇◇
☆Stats☆
Mana: 30
Strgth: 40
Intelligce: 34
Dexterity: 50
Luck: 30
Stat Points:0
Coins: 7660G
◇◇◇◇◇
☆Skills☆
Common Skill: {Basic Swordsmanship},{Basic Close Combat} {Presce Detection} {Master of Weapons} {Mana''s Armor Lvl }
Exclusive Skill: {Seal of Death} {Night of Death}
◇◇◇◇◇
☆Runes ☆
{Basic Strgth},{Basic Speed} {Angel of Death}
■