Since they didn’t need her help in returning, Maria merely escorted them to the surface and gave them 3,000 Terris Credits for transportation and dinner.
The arrest had turned out not to be a mishap after all. Between the money and the two-level increase from the black nexite shard, it had been a good night—except for the rising corruption.
Elvis took Caelithia to one of his favorite restaurants a short distance from their house. He loved food, so finding good restaurants in this new world was a must for him.
Caelithia also received a message on her phone explaining that the rider had waited for them. Well, she was sorting that out during the meal.
After they finished eating, they strolled home. The streets were still busy.
"Not much different from Earth, right?" Elvis chuckled as he looked around.
"Yes. But I feel it’s better," Caelithia replied, folding her arms as she looked around.
"Nutcase daughter of misfortune," Elvis muttered under his breath.
"I heard that," she said.
"I didn’t say anything," he denied with a straight face.
"I don’t know if you’ve observed, but we’re superhumans. The higher our levels increase, the more enhanced our senses become. I don’t know if it’s the sound or the vibration of the wind getting louder... like whispers," Caelithia explained, her eyes fixed ahead.
"You’re just a nutcase," Elvis whispered, his voice now very low and almost inaudible.
"You said something?" Caelithia turned to him.
"Nope. Just a loud exhale that maybe... vibrated the air." Elvis shrugged before changing the subject. "So, when did you get the skill?"
"When I entered the dungeon," she said.
"Nice skill," Elvis commented.
"If [Shadow Mist] could move, it would be better," Caelithia remarked.
"Yup! Like a smoke grenade." Elvis nodded.
They continued walking as they discussed the skill, and soon, they arrived home.
Too tired to do anything else, Elvis simply locked the door and collapsed onto the bed without changing. He smiled as he drifted into sweet dreams.
Elvis had gone through so many undocumented struggles. Just as he was about to be crowned king—
BANG! BANG!! BANG!!!
A sharp knock jolted him awake.
"Who is that riffraff banging on the door?!" he yelled angrily.
"It’s Caelithia. We’ve got work to do," she answered from outside the door.
"I have no work to do. Now, goodnight!" Elvis tucked himself under the quilt and shut his eyes, hoping to return to that gratifying dream.
However, Caelithia had other plans, as she continued knocking loudly.
His face scrunched up in absolute disgust. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Suddenly, he heard a rough clicking sound, followed by the door opening. He sat up in a flash. To Elvis’s shock and horror, Caelithia had twisted the doorknob with such force that she broke it from the outside before opening the door.
Another day of being reminded that they weren’t mere humans.
Elvis let out a weary sigh.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Do you know what time it is? It’s eight o’clock. I’ve been awake since five," Caelithia said.
"How is that my business?" Elvis retorted.
But she didn’t reply. Instead, she paced around the room with a humming cube, making Elvis watch in silence, questions filling his mind.
She walked through all four corners before finally returning to settle into the chair beside the desk.
"What was that?" Elvis asked.
"An AT cube. A small device that detects and destroys spyware devices. This is one invention I love about this world. I’m surprised Maria didn’t bug our house. On Earth, my misfortune caused every room I booked to suddenly have a spyware device. Although I began checking manually," Caelithia lamented casually.
"Every time?"
"Every time."
"Are you sure it’s a misfortune problem, or is it your carele—not-clearly-informed self booking shady hotels?" Elvis quipped.
Caelithia merely shook her head and changed the subject.
"Back to the main topic. Did you even check your system? You suddenly gained two levels in your Devourer System, and the next thing you do is become a sloth? Worse of all, you’ve got no Free Attributes."
"It’s only eight. We can start the day by twelve. I still have bruises," Elvis argued.
"Get up. The bruises are all gone. I checked mine. I think that’s the work of the Constitution attribute," Caelithia countered. "We need to sell our kills, buy what we’ll use in the Great Wildwood, return this storage bag... and practice. So many things to do."
Elvis peeked beneath his clothes, and the bruises were all gone.
"Fine. Give me a break. I need to take my bath." Elvis gave up.
"Sure." She stood up and left.
Elvis facepalmed, his frustration evident. "When did she get so naggy?" he mumbled.
He crawled out of bed and went to take his bath. Under the cold shower, he decided to check his system.
────────────────────
[AWAKENER SYSTEM]
└──?DEVOURER SYSTEM?
[Name: Elvis Veyne]
[Race: Human] || ?Race: Human?
[Bloodline: None] || ?Bloodline: None?
[Class: Poison Heresy] || ?Devourer Class: Blood Warrior (Flawed)?
[Rank: Acolyte] || ?Devourer Rank: Acolyte?
[Level: 3 (45%)] || ?Devourer Level: 5 (10%)?
[Skills]: [Mana Corrosion], [Poison Artificer (1)], [Poison Immunity]
└── ?Devourer Skills?: ?Anti-Mana Blood?, ?Blood Appraisal?, ?<Empty Slot>?, ?<Empty Slot>?
[Spirit Beast]: [Human]
└── ?Devourer Beast?: ?None?
────────────────────
[Strength: 4] || ?Devourer Strength: 13?
[Agility: 11] || ?Devourer Agility: 13?
[Constitution: 4] || ?Devourer Constitution: 13?
[Intelligence: 14] || ?Devourer Intelligence: 0?
[Mana: 35/35] || ?Essence: 25/25?
────────────────────
• [Corruption: 21%]
• [Free Attributes: 0]
────────────────────’Nothing much. Just a percent increase in corruption, and a ’1’ beside my Poison Artificer, which should represent the shadow essence. Finally, two empty skill slots for my Blood Warrior class. Unfortunately, I can’t learn a Skill but create mine for this class right?’ Elvis thought as he decided to confirm his thoughts.
———?Devourer Class: Blood Warrior (Flawed)?
?Description: A class born to perfect the physique, yet mutated beyond its original purpose with Anti-Mana Blood as its greatest flaw. It follows a different path of evolution, allowing the host to develop unique blood-related skills by devouring Blood Essence. Attempting to learn incompatible skills results in severe backlash.?
———’So, I can’t learn a skill but can create my own? How do I devour Blood Essence? Should I do it like the black nexite shard? Drinking blood... Doesn’t that make me a vampire?—A partial one?’ Elvis mused, but received no answer.
Turning off the shower, he concluded, ’I should focus on [Poison Artificer]. Maybe it will give me a hint since it’s somewhat similar. I’ve already extracted shadow essence. I’ll check it out when I get back.’