—Miasma Emission.
This Skill had been effective all along, but it needed some time for its full effects to show.
Thanks to being in his presence for an extended period, these three humans were already feeling the side effects of their life force being forcibly siphoned.
This caused them to become extremely lethargic and clumsy.
It allowed him to finally reach the chest and open it.
"N-no way! He found a Treasure Chest!"
"But how?!"
"We have to attack, but what if this is some kind of Skill?"
"Should we retreat?"
"No!" Against the counsel of the two girls, the young man took a brave step forward and tightened his grip on his blade's hilt. "This is only a weak Ghoul. There's no way it has a Skill!"
Normally, he would be right.
But Constantine was no ordinary Ghoul.
Because of his beginner-friendly package, he had awakened a Skill early and even possessed slow regeneration, something that most common Undead didn't have.
Thanks to this, he wasn't dead yet.
In fact, he managed to hold out until he brought out a timely lifesaver from within the chest.
—A Full Recovery Potion!
"Finally!"
Constantine did not hesitate to drink from the vial. This immediately restored his body completely, though it didn't increase his Level.
He was still at Level 1.
'Once I reach Level 0, I can basically be one-tapped. Even without striking my weak spot, as long as the required damage is dealt, I will die.'
However, unlike before, he wasn't in such a precarious situation.
For one, he had all his limbs intact.
Secondly, although he didn't currently possess a weapon, and the chest indeed didn't contain one, he was no longer in a passive situation.
The Adventurers before him were the ones in weakened states.
"Q-quick... We have to drink Recovery Potions."
"O-okay!"
"We'll take turns! Guard me!"
The Adventurers took a few steps back to heal and resort to their new tactic, but why would Constantine let them do that?
If he were a regular Ghoul, he wouldn't have been able to understand their intentions.
But he was special!
Without waiting for them to bring out their Potions, he charged at them and tossed as many things as he could find at them.
From the arrows that had been shot at him to the shards of the shield that had broken into pieces.
It didn't matter.
All he needed to do was distract them.
As long as he prevented them from consuming their Potions, they would never recover.
The longer they held on, the weaker they would become.
Their only solution would be to flee.
That was exactly what they did.
"R-retreat!!!"
Constantine considered letting them get away, but he quickly changed his mind.
'I have lost too many Levels. If they run away and have the chance to drink their Potions, they might return to finish the job!'
He couldn't let that happen.
Thus, he chased after them without slowing down for even a moment.
Fortunately, although they were close to the entrance, the lethargy affecting the three, as well as Constantine's timely interference, made their escape painfully slow and impeded at every turn.
To their horror, the more time passed, the slower they became, until they could no longer move.
All three eventually collapsed to the ground.
They couldn't even swing their weapons during their final moments. They could only watch, terrified, as this mysterious Ghoul approached them with an expressionless, monstrous face.
Constantine didn't attack them.
Even though he was now a monster and felt a strong urge to kill the living, he could strangely restrain himself.
Perhaps this was his special gift as a Player and not merely as a character. This would also explain his ability to understand human language.
Rather than kill these people, Constantine stripped them of all their gear.
Once he was done, he took a few steps back and watched them.
He could have walked away at that moment. These people were no longer able to harm him.
But he simply stood.
And waited.
Until—
[You Have Leveled Up!]
[You Have Leveled Up!]
[You Have Leveled Up!]
[You Have Leveled Up!]
[You Have Leveled Up!]
[You Have Leveled Up!]
Constantine smiled at that moment.
It was a bitter smile.
'They're dead. Although I didn't kill them with my own hands, it's still my fault that they died.'
This wasn't a game.
These were real people who died because of his choices.
Yet, for some strange reason, Constantine didn't feel anything.
No, that wasn't quite accurate.
'There is a small sensation inside me, but it's more akin to relief than anything else. Like a heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders.'
He strangely felt good about this outcome.
This was why he smiled so bitterly.
'In the end, whether it's killing a group of Goblins or humans, it makes no difference at all. No, wait, there is a difference...'
After Constantine checked his Status Window, his smile grew wider.
—Level 7!
"Humans give a lot more EXP."
Constantine watched as the three humans before him slowly vanished. Despite the realism present in this world, people still disappeared when they died.
"This could be because they're converted into EXP..." he quietly muttered before finding nothing left where they had died.
Just as he expected, there were no drops.
'They were novices without Skills or anything special. Once I stripped them of all the valuables they had, there wasn't anything left.'
As for the loot he ended up receiving, it was somewhat beyond his expectations.
'Three changes of clothes, though two are women's outfits. A common bow and almost a dozen arrows. Two common daggers. I also received a few Ability Boost Potions and Minor Recovery Potions.'
Unlike Full Recovery Potions, Minor Recovery Potions could only help alleviate injuries and restore durability to a certain threshold.
Major Recovery Potions went a step further in terms of restoration.
As for Full Recovery Potions, they ensured that the entire body was restored.
Of course, these changes didn't affect lost Levels. Even if the body was restored completely, if the Level had been lowered, that person's durability would still have decreased, making it even easier to injure them again.
This was why Recovery Potions, while useful, weren't the most vital.
Even in the game, this was the case.
"Now, should I store these items in my Inventory? But if the same thing that happened just now happens again in the future, won't I lose access to many useful things when I need them?"
After thinking out loud, Constantine decided to store only the two sets of women's clothing.
He also got rid of his tattered clothes in favor of the male Adventurer's more practical outfit.
Afterward, he equipped the sword, placing it in the scabbard on his hip. He slung the archer's quiver over his shoulder and hung the bow across his back. He tucked a dagger into each boot.
As for the pouches containing the Potions, he tied all three of them around his waist.
It was a little bulky carrying so many things, but Constantine could only resort to this.
He simply couldn't trust the System.
"Now, I should return to check out the rest of the loot in that Treasure Chest."