Chapter 51: Emergency

Out of breath, Kai remained standing in the dungeon room, having just slain the first general.

The knight had been sneaky and frighteningly fast with his attacks, but the moment Kai discovered a way to obtain even the slightest source of illumination, the battle was effectively over.

After all, the knight was simply weaker than him.

[Congratulations, host. You have cleared the first act of the second stage. While the battle was anticlimactic and the host did not learn much from the encounter, it was nevertheless an astounding performance.]

"..."

Somehow, Kai felt as though the system was slightly disappointed that the battle had ended so quickly. Perhaps it had expected him to struggle more, but since he had managed to exploit what was essentially a loophole in the trial, it ended within a minute.

Truthfully, if he had allowed the battle to continue, he might have learned more about his own limitations.

His senses had certainly improved, but discovering just how far they could be pushed would have required enduring considerably more pain.

And, as far as Kai was concerned, willingly subjecting himself to that kind of suffering when there was an easier solution was simply foolish.

So yes, he had chosen the easy way out.

[Reward: 300 SP, Rune of the Blind.]

Kai hummed in surprise when he saw the second reward.

’Does this rune make me blind?’ he asked, half-jokingly.

But the system’s response was completely serious.

[Indeed, host. As long as you fight in complete darkness with zero visibility or with your eyes closed, your other senses and reaction speed will receive a massive boost.]

’Hmm. Quite useful, I must say.’

Kai was genuinely impressed. Much like today’s battle, there was always a possibility that he would find himself fighting in darkness again.

Having a rune specifically designed to compensate for the loss of sight could prove invaluable when that happened.

Speaking of SP, Kai had been wondering for some time what exactly he could purchase with it besides weapons.

He selected the potion option and began browsing through the available items.

There were four categories in total: healing, recovery, poison, and miscellaneous.

Kai opened the healing category.

Four options immediately appeared before him.

[Low-grade: 200 SP]

[Description: Heals minor wounds and cuts. Can also be used to cure low-grade poison.]

[Expert-grade: 500 SP]

[Description: Can heal major wounds and illnesses, and even regrow small body parts such as fingers. Can also function as an antidote for medium-grade poisons.]

[Elite-grade: 2000 SP]

[Description: Can regrow severed limbs, cure curses, illnesses, and high-grade poisons. Replenishes stamina and magic while also restoring lost blood.]

[Monarch-grade: 4000 SP]

[Description: Can bring someone back from the clutches of death. There is no curse, poison, illness, or wound that this potion cannot heal. Additionally, provides a short-duration buff that automatically heals any wounds inflicted during its effect.]

"..."

Kai stared at the description in utter silence.

The first three were extraordinary, but still within the realm of what he had come to expect from the system.

But the last one?

That was on an entirely different level.

’System... can I really bring someone back from the dead?’

His expression slowly turned serious.

’Like anyone?’

[Host, there is a time limit to that as well. If the person has been dead for no more than a day, the potion can restore them.]

"..."

Dang.

The confirmation stunned Kai even further. Even in today’s world, where ridiculous and seemingly impossible abilities had become a reality, bringing the dead back to life remained beyond the reach of humanity.

Sure, there were abilities such as necromancy that allowed users to raise the deceased and turn them into loyal followers, but this was fundamentally different.

This potion did not create some twisted imitation of the dead. It could return a person to life exactly as they had been, restoring their body completely.

A chilling thought suddenly crept into Kai’s mind.

He knew he would protect his family with everything in his power, but there were always variables beyond his control.

People like Drake and his family possessed enough influence and power to take that control away from him, to hurt the people he cared about and do things Kai did not even want to imagine.

He could not fight fate itself.

But perhaps he could change it.

And now, he possessed something that could give him a second chance even if the worst were to happen.

His gaze hardened.

’System, I need to earn more points. And fast.’

[Host, the system will undergo several upgrades to provide you with regular updates regarding methods of obtaining more experience points as you progress. For now, the host is advised to leave the ruins and return later for a more efficient exploration experience.]

The advice caught Kai off guard.

"Wouldn’t leaving reset the entire stage?"

[No, host. If you had abandoned your battle with the Blind Knight, only that particular act would have been reset. This stage is divided into multiple fragments, or acts. Completing each act automatically saves the host’s progress.]

Kai grinned.

"Nice. Then I wish to leave for now."

He was not particularly tired, but with a better understanding of how the system worked, Kai had a feeling that earning points would become much easier from this point onward.

Besides, becoming stronger was no longer his only goal.

Now, he wanted to become rich as well.

CLICK.

Kai turned the key and stepped out of the darkness, only to find himself standing in the same alley he had entered from earlier.

He immediately raised a hand to shield his eyes.

After spending so long in suffocating darkness, suddenly being exposed to the blazing sunlight was anything but pleasant.

BZZ.

Just then, his phone began to vibrate.

Kai pulled it out, and his eyes widened when he saw more than twenty missed calls from the same person.

The man was calling again.

Without another thought, Kai answered.

"Mister Adam?"

The response came almost immediately, hurried and tense.

[Kai... Miss Jean is in danger. Someone has been sent to verify her presence at your place.]