ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟜: 𝕷𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖘 ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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Not wasting any time, he swiftly departed the area, wary of the scent of the goblin's blood that might attract other predators. The forest around him, already thick with shadows and the occasional rustle of unseen creatures, seemed to close in tighter with each step.

But he pressed on, his senses heightened, and his movements careful. Twenty minutes passed, each one marked by cautious, deliberate steps, until he finally reached his hidden refuge—a hollowed-out tree that had served as his shelter.

Once there, he repeated the now-familiar routine, carefully layering the entrance with branches and bushes to conceal his presence. As he ducked inside, the darkness swallowed him whole. The world outside vanished, leaving him alone in the pitch-black hollow, where the air was cool and still.

He decided it was time to test his newly acquired skill. Activating║Night Vision║, a notification flashed before his eyes, its message clear and unyielding:

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Merging with║Night Vision║will cause a permanent change within your eyes. ﴿

﴾ Do you wish to merge? ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

The decision weighed on him for only a moment. Survival was paramount; any concern about his eyes' appearance was trivial in comparison. With a determined thought, he accepted.

Immediately, an intense burning sensation flared in his eyes, sharp and searing, as if fire coursed through his veins. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as best he could. Another notification followed swiftly:

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Lv.1║Physical Pain Resistance║ ⧼Common⧽ obtained ﴿

Resistance towards Physical pain increases by 1%

﴾ Lv.1║Physical Pain Resistance║ ➟ Lv.2║Physical Pain Resistance║ ﴿

Resistance towards Physical pain increases by 2%

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

The information imprinted itself in his mind, clear and precise, as if it were a part of him now. He marveled at the discovery—skills could be learned through experience, even in such a painful manner.

As the burning subsided, the darkness around him shifted. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The black void was no longer impenetrable; instead, the shapes of his surroundings emerged, dull and colorless, but visible.

The tree hollow, once a cavern of shadow, was now a space he could navigate with ease. Though the colors were muted, the clarity was enough to put him at ease.

Curiosity gnawed at him about how his eyes might have changed, but without a mirror, it was a mystery he would have to leave unresolved. Instead, he focused on his next task: merging with another newly obtained skill,║Nimble Fingers║.

Again, a notification appeared:

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Merging with║Nimble Fingers║ will cause a permanent change within your body ﴿

﴾ Do you wish to merge ﴿ ?

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

He hesitated only briefly before accepting. This time, the sensation was different—sharp, electrifying pulses surged from his brain down through his arms, coursing through his nerves until they reached the very tips of his fingers.

It was like being struck by lightning, a shock that left his fingers tingling and twitching. The sensation persisted for several seconds before gradually fading away.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Lv.2║Physical Pain Resistance║➟ Lv.3║Physical Pain Resistance║ ﴿

Resistance towards Physical pain increases by 3%

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

As the pain finally ebbed away, a peculiar sensation tingled through the fingers, making them twitch and then move rapidly, almost as if they had a mind of their own. It was as if they were performing a complex melody on an invisible piano, the motions fluid and precise, yet completely unconscious.

His control over his fingers sharpened within seconds, each movement becoming more precise and deliberate.

Eager to test his newfound dexterity, he decided to put his║Nimble Fingers║ skill to the test in a way that flirted with danger. He reached for a kitchen knife, its blade glinting menacingly under the dim light, and positioned the sharp tip between his fingers.

At first, he tapped the knife slowly, cautiously measuring the distance between his fingers. But with each successful tap, his confidence grew. The rhythm quickened, each strike of the blade more daring than the last.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The knife flicked between his fingers at a speed that would have been impossible mere moments ago, yet he maintained perfect control. The rush of adrenaline was intoxicating, the thrill of playing with such danger giving him a heady sense of power.

Eventually, satisfied with his display of skill, he set the knife down. His heart still raced as he reached into his mini trekking bag for something to eat, the lingering thrill of his risky game making every bite taste sweeter.

As he ate, his mind wandered to the notifications that had appeared earlier, just after he had defeated the Goblins.

A tab of information materialized in the left corner of his vision, a record of every notification he had received since arriving in the strange place.

He scanned the entries, each one a reminder of the challenges he had faced. Though the dangers hadn’t been overwhelming, they were enough to keep him on edge.

Satisfied with what he saw, he closed the tab and glanced at the top left corner of his vision to check the time.

﴾ ALPHA Program | Day - 1 | Time - 01:05:09 ﴿

It had been just over an hour since he had been teleported here, an hour that felt like both a lifetime and the blink of an eye. With growing curiosity, he opened his║STATUS║tab.

There, under the ‘INNATE TALENT’ category, a new entry caught his eye—║LOOTED STATUS║, his 1st ‘INNATE EXCLUSIVE SKILL’. His mind focused on it, and as if in response, the STATUS tab flipped, revealing a different set of information.

The attributes listed here were familiar, yet altered, their values reflecting a deeper, more complex layer of his new ability.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ LOOTED STATUS ﴿ ⧼ Locked ⧽

Name: Jay | Age: 23

Race: Lesser Human ⧼Male⧽

Est. Level: N/A ✯ | Est. Tier: N/A ✯

Strength: 0 ✯ | Agility: 0 ✯

Vitality: 0 ✯ | Endurance: 0 ✯

Spirit: 0 ✯ | Luck: 7

Health: 0 ✯/ 0 ✯

Stamina: 0 ✯/ 0 ✯

Spirit Energy: 0 ✯/ 0 ✯

Looted Stats: 15 ✯

INNATE TALENT:║ LOOT║ ⧼ Grade Unknown ⧽

INNATE EXCLUSIVE SKILLS:║LOOTED STATUS║

﴾ SKILLS ﴿

⧼ Common Grade ⧽

Lv.3║Night Vision║ | Lv.4║Nimble Fingers║ | Lv.3║Physical Pain Resistance║

﴾ RESISTANCE ﴿

Physical Pain Resistance ➟ 3%

﴾ SPIRIT ITEMS ﴿

⧼ Common Grade ⧽

║Rusted Short Sword║

﴾ WEAPON MASTERY ﴿

STAGE 1 ⧼Lv.1 - Lv.10⧽

Lv.1║Minor Dagger Mastery║ ➟ Lv.1║Dagger Aura║ ⧼Locked⧽

Lv.1║Minor Sword Mastery║ ➟ Lv.1║Sword Aura║ ⧼Locked⧽

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

The║LOOTED STATUS║ tab revealed no mention of Life Energy. Instead, he saw Estimated Level and Estimated Tier in place of the usual Level and Tier designations. All the attributes, except for Luck, were set to zero. Next to each stat, a small star symbol indicated they were Looted Stats.

There was also a new detail—Looted Stats—replacing the usual Undistributed Stats. Curious, he tried to assign those Looted Stats to his attributes, but despite his efforts, nothing changed.

As he stared at the║LOOTED STATUS║ tab, deep in thought, a notification suddenly appeared. It triggered when he inadvertently concentrated on the words Looted Status, suggesting there was more to this feature than he had initially understood.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ To unlock║LOOTED STATUS║, your Looted Stats must be at least twice the value of your Overall Stats in║STATUS║ ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

He realized that the accumulated Looted Stats needed to be double the combined values of his five key attributes—Strength, Agility, Vitality, Endurance, and Spirit—in║STATUS║ to access║LOOTED STATUS║.

He eagerly anticipated using the Looted Stats, knowing they could exponentially increase his chances of survival in this unfamiliar world. With nothing left to do in the║LOOTED STATUS║ tab, he shifted his focus.

At his mental command, the tab flipped back to║STATUS║, where the 5 Undistributed Stats awaited his use.

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