The Survival of an Inferior

30. Approaching Death



Lena takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. 

A ball of blue energy mixed with the green life force, forming a new and stronger energy, a cyan power with traces of yellow. 

Sweat drips from both of our bodies and stains the bedsheets. 

"What's happening?" a maid asks Radz outside the room. "It's been an hour."

Radz shrugs. "I'm...not sure? The young master is doing something to Lena."

"Eh? What?"

"Ah, my bad...my wording. I meant the young master is circulating mana within Lena for some reason. We will find out when they are done." 

The life force disconnects in my arm and I retract. 

"Huff Huff...I..." 

Without opening her eyes, Lena already feels a familiar burst of sensation.

"I-It's back..." She mumbles.

"Hah...Alright..." I say.

!

She wears her pyjamas and turns around, grabbing my arm.

"Young master! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I don't feel anything," I say, rubbing my wrist.

...

"U-Uhm...I'm very sorry for"

"You don't need to apologize, I was at fault," I reply with a smile.

"But..."

I get up and head for the door. "Rest well."

"T-Thank you..." Lena says.

I nod and left the room.

"Young master? What did you-"

"I helped her recover her energy core. Although one-third of her accumulated mana dissipated, she can still use magic."

"Wha-"

I ignore Radz's further questioning and head down the corridor.

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Lena Grande is extremely grateful and deeply regrets her rant.

Her Favourability for you is over 60. She now trusts you unconditionally. 

Unless the player betrays her, her Favourability will never go below 60.

She can now be chosen as an ally in the player's party.

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Words of your deed will spread across Chael. Since people love Lena, they temporarily trust the player until the crisis is over. 

Reputation increases from -400 to -392

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My lips slide into a malevolent smile. "Heh..." an uncontrollable chuckle pops out.

The excess life force is given by the Pill of Life so I lose nothing.

================================== 

2 days later...

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{Weapons mastery}

Firearms: 1624

Dagger:42

Sword:0

Bow:0

Spear:0

Heavy:0

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Welcome to your class' skill tree.

You currently have 1624 mastery.

Reach 5000 mastery for a class upgrade.

Effects:

+3% power for all firearms

+1.5% reloading speed

Available Mastery Points:1424

Skills:

-Full Focus[Active][lvl 1]

Your mind will process thoughts and images phenomenally, temporarily slowing down time in your perspective for 1 minute. This skill is affected by mental status ailments.

After the use of this skill, the player's mind will be dazed for a few seconds.

(Learn)(800 mastery points required)

-One with the weapon[Passive][lvl max]

Your attack stats can increase the power of firearms.

(Learn)(1000 mastery points required)

-Marksman Prodigy[Passive][lvl max]

Mastery gained is doubled and additional mastery can be obtained from killing enemies. 

(Learn)(3000 mastery points required)

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"Full Focus" has been selected 

-800 mastery 

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I'm deep enough into the forest to encounter a gregarious rabbit with noticeably bigger hind legs of different fur colours. A tier 2 coney. 

Although it is harmless to humans, its speed and leaping power are amplified by three times in the second tier, making hunting a tier 2 rabbit a respectable achievement.

I reveal my presence to alert the rabbit. The rabbit jolts and starts leaping away. 

I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes.

*BOOM!* 

A mental outburst expands within my eyes. All of my senses are temporarily maximised to their full potential. Not just the rabbit, I can "see" everything around me. A second feels like ten. 

With an instant reaction time and accuracy, I predict the rabbit's path and blast its head off.

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+1 skill exp 

1/100 exp(Full Focus)

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"Phew..."

I stand up and walk towards the carcass. Suddenly, an immense headache bombards my mind, my vision becomes blurry, and a piercing echo rings in my ears. 

"Ack!?" 

My body falls to the ground as I cover my ears with gritted teeth. 

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Due to the effect of "Mental Resistance", the aftereffects of "Full Focus" are mitigated. 

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The unnerving discomfort slowly fades away after a few seconds.

"Huff huff..." I pant.

Damn it...If my mental resistance is not high enough, it will be too dangerous for me to use Full Focus in a one versus one situation.

After enduring all the pain from consuming endless potions, I developed two passive skills.

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Mental Resistance(lvl 1)

Weak times create strong men.

You are slightly numb to mental trauma.

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Pain Resistance(lvl 1)

Continual pain becomes a Tuesday.

You are slightly numb to pain but the damage inflicted remains.

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Pain resistance is a double-edged sword...

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Name: Samuel Turner

Title: None[Choose]

Class: Marksman

Lvl: 56

Hp:510/510

Mana: 0

Atk: 47.11[+]

Def: 59.24[+]

Dex: 37.01(77.01)[+]

Mag: 0

Luck: 70[+]

Free stats: 14

Skills:

[Marksman]

-Bullet Hell(lvl1)

-Full Focus(lvl 1)

-Cooking(lvl1)

-Throwing(lvl1)

-Potion Brewing(lvl1)

Passive:

-Luck(lvl 2)

-Beast Hunter(lvl max)

-Mana Sense(lvl 1)

-Pain Resistance(lvl 1)

-Mental Resistance(lvl 1)

Blessings:

-Fairy

Turner Bloodline awakened 

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I've used what Tier 1 potions can offer in terms of stats. My actual dexterity is the highest because of "Nature's Wrath".

I pick up the carcass and return to Chael. It's late, the sun is setting. Lena notices me in the woods near Chael and waves at me.

"Young master!" She says with a pleasant smile. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you."

"Hunting some game." 

"Everyone already started, grilling the meat and whatnot. They are having the feast of their life before having the battle of death tomorrow," says Lena. "I-I am thinking of helping too. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask me."

I nod and went ahead. Lena follows behind.

Lights and smoke fill the sky in the centre of Chael. I decided to avoid the commotion. 

"Hm? Are you not hungry?" Lena asks.

"Yeah, you can leave the leftover for me-"

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The breath of death descends upon your soul. 

The end may be near.

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A chill runs down my spine.

"Young master?" Lena asks me, who simply stands there dazed.

Did something go wrong? This message usually shows up when the player have a "gut feeling" of death approaching. 


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