Host! …It's been quite a while.
Darell saw the message from the system and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
He couldn't ignore the undertone of anger in the system's message.
He coughed nervously and asked cautiously, 'U-Umm... how are you, system? Are you going to give me a new quest? Hmm? Or do you have anything important to share?'
He waited for it to respond.
But, a second passed and no message came.
Ten seconds passed.
Thirty seconds passed and he was nervously rubbing his palms together.
A minute passed but still, the system didn't respond.
He couldn't take it anymore.
So, he nervously asked, 'U-U-Umm... s-s-system? Hello? Are you there?'
He waited for a reply.
Several minutes later, the system finally broke the silence.
He received a message from the system.
Will the host disregard the system's warning in the future?
He read the message and took a moment to contemplate the appropriate response.
Finally, he answered, 'Honestly, it depends on the circumstances. If... the reward being offered after completing a quest is too tempting for me then, I... might choose to ignore the system's warni-.'
He had hardly finished replying when the system bombarded him with a flood of warning signs instantly.
WARNING!!
WARNING!!
WARNING!!
WARNING!!
WARNING!!
WARNING!!
He shook his head quickly and said, 'I am sorry! I was merely joking. I promise! I will never ignore the system's warnings again.'
The system heard him and the warning messages in his head vanished.
He sighed in relief after seeing that the system accepted his apology.
Thinking back to his battle with the Scorched Raven General, he asked, 'What do you think I should have done during the fight?'
You should have refrained from fighting the Raven General in the final moment.
He read the system's response and he was confused.
He thought, 'What? But, if I didn't attack it when it was conjuring the large fireball then, I might have been hit.'
He asked, 'Why do you say so?'
The system responded.
The Raven General's HP had already depleted, causing it to die before it could have finished conjuring the fireball.
He read the system's answer and was even more confused.
So, he said, 'How would I know that it's HP had depleted when I can only see it's physical stats? Wait a minute! Is there a skill that allows me to see the HP of others?'
Be patient, host.
The system skillfully avoided answering his question.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
It neither confirmed nor denied the existence of such a skill.
He then asked various questions to the system and they talked for a couple of minutes.
After talking with the system, he sighed and thought, 'I should check out my status. Let's see how strong I have become!'
Name Darell Rogers Race *** Level 13 XP 00/1000 HP 425/425 MP 375/375 Strength 150 Agility 150 Stamina 150 Vitality 150 Defense 150 Intellect 150 Ability Space Skills Space Arsenal, Nihility, Space Tear, Teleport, Star Strike, Gate, Burst, SuperNova(NEW!) Special Skills Inspect, Conceal, Sense, Final Blow, Death's Touch Combat Techniques Reaper Fist, Earth-Shattering Slash System Points 35
When he looked at his status, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself and how far he had come.
His physical stats had been a pitiful 10 when he began and now, after so many months, they had crossed the three-digit mark.
He looked around in his status interface for a couple of minutes.
However, suddenly, his eyes fell on the dark 'NEW!' icon in the skills section.
He looked at the skill beside the icon and he was excited to see that he had completed the quest and had gotten the skill as a reward.
So, he quickly opened the skill menu to see what kind of skill it was.
Skill SuperNova Description
This skill bestows the ability to harness the might of a dying star's millionth-intensity explosion.
The user's overall stats skyrocket by an astounding 1000%, unlocking their full potential within a blink of an eye.
Consumption 500 MP/second Cooldown Period 1 hour
'What the fuck?!', was his first thought after reading the description of the skill.
He was shocked.
He thought, 'An increase of 1000% on all stats?'
This was enough to make him leap in joy.
Yet, all of his excitement waned when he looked at it's consumption and cooldown period.
He realized that if he wanted to use this skill, he had to be at least level 80 and that too, he could only use it for half a minute or less at that level.
He sighed in disappointment.
He noticed that the system had mentioned the rank of this skill.
So, he asked it.
But, the system remained silent.
It simply refused to respond to questions related to the rank of the skill but it would respond to any other question.
'Stingy system!', He thought and opened the system shop to check in it.
However, as he had thought, his search turned up fruitless.
The skill was nowhere to be found in the system shop.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the system points which had reached to an amount of 35.
He rubbed his chin as he thought, 'I have so many system points. Do I buy a new skill or maybe a new combat technique?'
Suddenly, he received a message from the system.
The system would advise the host to not spend the system points. It would suggest to continue accumulating it and buying rank 05 combat techniques and skills.
He read the message and followed it's advice.
He closed the system shop and the status interface.
He sighed as he closed his eyes while laying on his bed.
When he closed his eyes, his mind wandered to the teary-eyed faces of Emma, Lilith, Eric, and Ariel.
He felt a pang of sorrow pierce his heart.
He vowed to himself, 'I must never repeat this mistake. I have to cherish the people who matter the most to me. They care and love me and they would be heartbroken if something terrible happened to me.'
Lost in introspection, he contemplated the choices he had made, 'First and foremost, I hadn't anticipated the dire consequences that happened due to my ill-considered decision. Secondly, I had become too consumed by the allure of the system, enjoying in the intoxicating rush it provided. Thirdly, I had overlooked the repercussions my actions could bring forth. Lastly, a hunger for power and an overwhelming sense of desperation had clouded my judgment.'
He made a solemn pledge to himself, 'I have to make wiser decisions from now on. I have to be aware of the impact some of my decision could have on me and the people whom I hold dear.'
He sighed and went to sleep.
The next morning, birds chirped excitedly on the branch of a tree while the morning rays illuminated the previous dark sky, casting a new light upon the Varona Royal Academy.
Darell, Emma, Lilith, Eric, and Ariel were sitting in the dining hall while talking normally with each other as they enjoyed their breakfast.
However, the students around weren't behaving as usual.
They constantly glanced at Darell and whispered in each other's ears.
They either looked at him in shock or envy or even jealousy.
However, Darell and his friends were oblivious as to why their classmates were reacting this way.
What they didn't know is that their reputation had spread like wildfire after the incident.
It wasn't because of Darell's tragic accident.
No! It was because of something much more important.
They had fought and killed a rank 06 beast.
This was an unprecedented feat for first-year students.
Everybody who heard about their victory thought, 'A bunch of first-year kids fought and killed a rank 06 beast?! Impossible!'
The academy's rules said that first-year students were allowed to only battle beasts that were ranked 04 or less until they had increased their mana to be able to learn rank 05 spells which made them second-year students.
To become a third-year student meant the ability to learn to rank 07 spells, a milestone only a select few achieved.
Learning rank 08 spells or higher was a daunting task because it required the fusion of different innate abilities.
Also, to learn rank 08 spells, one has to completely master different innate abilities.
This 'mastery' was downright impossible to achieve for many and so, those who managed to do it were revered as geniuses.
In this world, mana is made up of manaite.
Manaite are minute particles that form a Manaite Cell in humans when they are huddled together in a group of five.
These Manaite Cells are surrounded by an Outer Manato Membrane and an Inner Manado Membrane which hold them together.
These Manaite Cells are attached to every Red Blood Cell in a human body.
When people recite the intricate incantations written in the spell scrolls, the brain sends electrical signals to every single manaite cell in their bodies.
The manaite cells receive the signals and increase the number of manaite in them.
As a person progresses, the number of manaite in a manaite cell increases accordingly.
For example, a person who has never learned any spell will have a minimum of 5 manaite in a single manaite cell.
Now, when that same person successfully learns a rank 01 spell, the number of manaite in a single manaite cell shoots up to 10.
Similarly, if the same person learned a rank 02 spell, the number of manaite increase to 20.
As the number of manaite increases, the person's physical attributes also increase accordingly.
Since, people who manage to learn rank 08 spells are so few, those who do it without any affiliation to a kingdom or noble family became prized commodities.
Kingdoms and noble families, eager to bolster their military might, would go to great lengths to recruit individuals with such exceptional aptitude.
Meanwhile, in the dining hall, the silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes at Darell and silently ate her breakfast.
Suddenly, Darell felt a shiver run down his spine which made him look around instantly.
The silver-haired girl quickly averted her eyes as soon as she saw Darell looking around.
While looking around, Darell saw a girl with striking blue hair and emerald-green eyes approaching their table.
Emma and Ariel scowled instinctively, their expressions clouded by suspicion.
Past encounters with girls seeking 'help' from Darell or Eric in their spellcasting endeavors had tainted their perception.
Emma and Ariel knew what kind of 'help' the girls wanted.
Anticipating such an encounter, Emma and Ariel prepared themselves to unleash scathing remarks should the girl dare to do so.
The girl looked at Emma and Ariel scowling at her and thought, 'Little chicks trying to protect their eggs? How cute!'
She rolled her eyes at them and stopped in front of their table.
She said, "Instructor Athena has summoned all of you to her office."