Chapter 15: Came Out Tougher
Noah floated weightlessly among soft and drifting clouds. There was a gentle warmth surrounding him like a comforting blanket. He felt calm, at peace. As he gazed upward, a face came into view, hazy and blurred, but achingly familiar.
“Mom?” he murmured, a childlike hope in his voice.
The figure above him laughed lightly, a sound he hadn’t heard in so long. “I’m not your mom, silly!” the voice chimed.
Ah… he had been dreaming, he realized.
Noah’s eyes blinked open, and the warmth didn’t vanish; it shifted, tangible and real. His vision focused, and he saw Althea leaning over him, her hands hovering close to his chest. A soft pink glow emanated from her palms, bathing him in soothing light. His aches began to ebb, his muscles relaxing as if coaxed into healing by her magic.
The calmness of the dream faded as Noah became fully aware of his body’s pain—his limbs throbbed with soreness, and every breath came with a dull ache. But the warmth from Althea’s healing light kept the worst of it at bay, grounding him back in the reality of their hard-won survival.
“I… am alive…”
As Noah’s senses fully returned, he took in Althea’s appearance—and his heart sank. Her arms were marred with patches of frostbite, raw and angry against her skin, and her face showed traces of strain she was clearly trying to mask. She looked exhausted, her body trembling slightly, yet she focused all her energy on healing him.
Without thinking, Noah grabbed her hands, halting the pink glow that flowed into him. "Althea," he said, voice firm despite the pain that still lingered in his own limbs. "You need to heal yourself first. You’re... you’re hurt."
Althea shook her head, pulling her hands back. “I can’t,” she murmured, her voice steady but worn. “The frostbite isn’t just ordinary. It’s from a malicious skill. It won’t respond to normal healing… I just have to endure it until it fades on its own.”
Seeing the concern etched on his face, she attempted a reassuring smile. To ease his worry, she concentrated, summoning her pyrokinesis to create a faint warmth around her body. Soft tendrils of heat curled around her frostbitten arms, easing the discomfort and chasing away the lingering chill, though her face still held the shadow of pain.
“I’ll be fine, Noah,” she assured him, though he could see the strain behind her smile. “I’ll make it through… just like you did.”
Relief and gratitude flooded through Noah. It was a powerful wave of emotion he couldn’t contain. Without thinking, he pulled Althea into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping around her before he even realized it. He was alive, thanks to her—he was still here. He felt the weight of that, and for a moment, everything else faded away.
Althea stiffened, blinking in surprise. “N-Noah, I’m freezing cold. You should probably let go.”
Noah laughed softly, refusing to loosen his grip. “I’m fine,” he replied with a warm grin spreading across his face. “In fact, I’d rather share my warmth with you. And with your pyrokinesis… doesn’t that mean double the warmth?”
Althea paused, and though she tried to hide it, his words seemed to have an effect on her.
Noah stumbled back as Althea gently pushed him away, her cheeks tinged with a soft pink. He blinked, the realization of his impulsive hug settling in, and heat rose to his own cheeks. “Uh—sorry,” he mumbled, averting his gaze. In the midst of his embarrassment, he reached up to touch his ear and froze, noticing it felt…whole.
“What…did you do?” he asked, surprised, his fingers running over the healed skin where the skeleton’s teeth had torn through. “My ear… regenerated…”
Althea looked away, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. “I…used my new skill. ‘Lover’s Resolve.’” She hesitated, a blush deepening across her face as she said the word “lover,” but she quickly cleared her throat and continued. “It’s strong enough to regenerate lost fingers or, well…small parts like that if I put in enough time.”
Noah’s face flushed, but he forced a casual nod, pretending he hadn’t caught her momentary awkwardness. He felt a pang of guilt too, a sense of shame rising as he realized just how much he had relied on her. Something—maybe pride, maybe frustration—nagged at him. He should have been stronger, should have done something more.
“How long was I out?” he asked, a bit quieter.
“Three days,” Althea replied, and before he could react, she added, “Don’t worry, I’ve checked—the dungeon doesn’t seem to require food or water. We’re…sustained somehow.”
Noah frowned, hardly reassured by this “irregular rule” of dungeons she explained. If anything, it made him feel more uneasy. Unnatural or not, he didn’t like the thought of staying somewhere where survival didn’t make sense.
Evidently, it was a silver lining…
Noah glanced down at his torn, ragged shirt, taking stock of how beat-up he looked. “Looks like I’m in need of a new shirt,” he muttered, managing a tired grin.
Althea nodded. “Well… I had to remove it to apply the potion,” she explained. “It was easier that way.”
He shrugged casually. “No worries. Clothes can be replaced.” He moved to the bag they’d managed to carry with them and started rummaging, pulling out a few old, half-torn books and even a dusty, worn leather journal—likely the former possession of a now-dead and deader skeleton.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Here,” he said, holding out his battered shirt along with the useless books. “Let’s make a fire. You’ll need it to rest properly, especially with those frostbites.”
Althea’s eyes widened, looking from the items in his hands back to him. “You want me to burn these?” she asked, frowning. “We don’t know if they’re completely useless. They might hold clues or instructions…”
Noah shook his head, undeterred. “Trust me,” he said, his tone confident, “there’s no way they’re as useful as you are. You’ve done enough running on fumes as it is.”
She stared at him for a moment, a bit taken aback by his sincerity, then finally relented with a soft sigh. “Fine,” she murmured, reaching out a hand. Flames flickered at her fingertips, and with a small, controlled burst of pyrokinesis, she set the makeshift pile ablaze.
Leaving Althea to rest and recover from her frostbites, Noah set out for a bit of treasure hunting, hoping to find anything left behind from their battles that might be useful. The dungeon’s single, winding path made it easy for him to retrace his steps. He’d ditched his ragged shirt and put on the dead adventurer’s shirt, which was a bit loose but far more comfortable. The camo pants also felt more maneuverable than his own chinos, which he now folded and slung over his shoulder.
As he moved further down the dim corridor, he soon arrived at the site of Althea’s fierce battle with the skeleton swordsman. Charred bones and shattered remains littered the floor, and a broken blade lay cast aside, dull and cracked. He carefully picked through the scattered remnants, testing a few gauntlets but quickly realizing they were too damaged to be of any use. Then he found a pair of greaves that seemed intact, albeit battered.
“These might actually come in handy,” he muttered, slipping the greaves onto his legs. They felt heavy but durable, a small upgrade to his protection. Moving a bit further, he spotted the two swords Althea had left behind. One looked almost ready to snap in half, but the other was still somewhat serviceable, so he took it along as a backup.
Satisfied with his findings, he finally made his way back to Althea. She’d fallen asleep beside the neatly crafted bonfire she’d made within a small pit. The soft glow flickered against her peaceful expression, and Noah let her be, grateful she was getting some rest at last.
Turning his attention to the remains of the skeleton warrior he’d fought, he inspected the battered shield, but it was too warped and splintered to be of any real use. It was nearly bisected in half. His eyes fell on the warrior’s mace, still intact despite the damage surrounding it. He picked it up, testing its weight with a swing, and was surprised at how easily he managed to wield it—his [Body] stat lending him a strength he hadn’t fully appreciated before.
Still, he was far from achieving superhuman physicality.
Noah smirked, giving the mace a few more swings before settling beside the fire.
He reviewed his status screen, eyeing the twenty unassigned stat points he’d earned from leveling up. He’d reached Level 7 now, and after his last intense battles, those points felt more valuable than ever. But how to use them? He wasn’t entirely sure.
He glanced over each stat with a critical eye:
Name: Noah O. Knight
Class: Freedom
Level 7
Stats (20)—
Body: 39
Mind: 10
Soul: 12
Skill: Fly, Swordsmanship, Aerial Strike
His [Body] stat had given him the endurance and strength he’d needed in that last fight, allowing him to wield the sword with surprising ease and keep his [Fly] skill active for longer stretches. But his other skills, like [Aerial Strike], reacted differently to his stats; rather than increasing how often he could use it, the skill seemed to gain raw power with the increased [Body] stat.
It was frustrating—he knew stats had specific effects, but everything seemed to work slightly differently depending on the skill. The quick answers he’d found online about stat effects now felt overly simplistic, and he couldn’t rely on them as much as he’d hoped.
For a moment, he considered putting his points into [Mind] to increase his focus or [Soul] to support future skills he hadn’t yet unlocked. But if he threw too many points into the wrong stat, he could end up unable to use his current skills effectively. And in this dungeon, with Althea hurt and relying on him, he couldn’t afford to weaken himself.
In the end, Noah decided to stay put for now. No need to be hasty—he could use Althea’s advice.
Noah noticed the flames starting to flicker lower and, without a second thought, quietly folded his chino pants and placed them onto the fire, hoping to keep Althea warm. Her breathing was calm, yet her skin still showed the pale marks of frostbite, and he winced seeing the depth of her injuries. Hours passed quietly as he kept watch, occasionally adding what little fuel he could find to keep the warmth going.
When Althea finally stirred, her eyes fluttered open, still heavy with exhaustion. "How are you feeling?" Noah asked softly, his voice careful and concerned.
Althea managed a faint smile. “Better… thanks to you.”
After a pause, Noah asked, “How exactly do stats affect skills? I’ve been trying to figure it out. It doesn’t seem straightforward.”
Althea pondered his question for a moment, then replied, “It depends on how the skill is defined… which can get really vague.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “Take my skill, Pyrokinesis, for example. In the context of my class, Kitsune, it’s treated like a secondary organ. So I can ‘wield’ fire almost as naturally as I can use my hands. If I put more into my Body stat, I’d likely grow more resistant to fire, eventually becoming almost immune to my own flames. But if I raised my Mind stat, I’d have more control, be able to shape my fire more precisely—create intricate shapes, maybe even control the intensity and flow better. If I raise my Soul stat, conversely, I can unleash more firepower.”
She leaned back, her eyes showing a hint of passion for her abilities. “In short, stats can unlock aspects of a skill’s potential that aren’t immediately obvious. However, it is different for every skill…”
Althea carefully wrote out the details of her System interface on a small scrap of paper, showing it to Noah with a bit of hesitance. She knew it was a level of trust they rarely afforded others, but if anyone had earned it, it was him.
Name: Althea Morrow
Class: Kitsune
Level 7
Stats (0)—
Body: 6+4
Mind: 18+6
Soul: 30+10
Skills: Pyrokinesis, Fire Bolt, Purge, Fireball, Lover’s Resolve
She began explaining, “Each skill has a natural disposition toward certain stats, like Mind or Soul, where the effect of those stats shows most clearly. The skill name is actually very literal; it’s almost like a hidden roadmap. Take ‘Fire Bolt,’ for instance—it has an obvious tie to Mind for precision and intensity. But Pyrokinesis is a broader skill. I could research more about fire manipulation to find new applications or ways to enhance it with Mind and Body.”
Noah listened intently as she explained, taking mental notes on the strategy. Althea’s approach was both logical and intuitive, something he’d never fully grasped from his previous studies of the System.
As a gesture of trust, he decided to reciprocate, writing down his stats and skills to show her.
Together, they spent the time discussing their skills, Althea pointing out possibilities he hadn’t considered before. They passed the hours like this, speaking softly under the dim light of the fading bonfire, trading insights. Noah felt his strength fully returned, but a glance at Althea’s still-pale face told him she was far from ideal combat condition.
She tried to reassure him with a smile, but Noah could see the fatigue in her eyes. Even so, he admired her quiet resilience.