ENERGI: THE PRIMORDIAL CONDUIT[OP MC, APOCALYPSE, SURVIVAL, AND LITRPG]

'Huh?'

Kael was stunned. He wasn't alone; the previously clamoring noise in the hall died instantly into a pin-drop silence.

Yet, Alice didn't seem to care. She tightened her hold on him, the pressure finally waking Kael from his trance. Normally, he would have been shocked, then elated to feel the bountiful curves he usually only admired from afar. But after the hell he had endured this past hour, he simply relished her warmth. Almost unconsciously, his uninjured arm rose to coil around her waist.

'So soft and... fragile?' The thought passed quietly through his mind. Despite the fact that they were both caked in dried blood and grime, Kael drew in her scent with a soft inhale—a surprisingly clean fragrance that cut through the smell of ozone.

They remained locked together for several seconds before Alice pulled away. She didn't say a word, nor did she look at him. With her expression as unreadable as ever, she retreated to the side, seemingly unfazed by the stunned stares of the others.

Kael felt a sudden, sharp sense of loss when she withdrew, but he shook it off as Rose, Sophia, and even Natalie rushed to hug him.

Claire stood a short distance away, a relieved smile on her face as she watched the trio dog-pile Kael to his visible dismay. Rose and Sophia were one thing, but he still felt a prickle of discomfort under Natalie’s enthusiastic attention.

He barely had a friend a day ago; most of his peers were mere acquaintances. Yet here he was, surrounded by people who genuinely cared whether he breathed or not. Kael felt his heart warm.

After a few minutes of frantic questions about his health, the group retreated into the room, which now lacked a door. Finding a place to sit, Kael rested his back against the wall. Sophia and Rose flanked him like guards as he studied the others.

He had already clocked Nathan’s growth, but he was still surprised by the group’s progress.

'Nathan is Level 5. Sophia is Level 4, and Rose is already at Level 7. With how much EXP a Legendary class requires, that Mage Zombie must have been a gold mine.'

Seeing how low Sophia's level still was, Kael discarded the idea of asking the young girl to heal him. With how grievous his internal injuries were, he doubted she would have sufficient mana to heal him. Most importantly, he didn't want them to be worried. He would just have to settle with healing as his Energi reserve refilled. His thoughts shifted back to observing the room.

'Ms. Claire is Level 8, the highest in the room.'

He wasn't entirely surprised by Claire. Her Elite-rank class was easier to level, and given the sheer number of leeches they had slaughtered, her growth was logical.

But then his eyes shifted to Alice.

'Level 8 too? How?'

Quick math told him Alice would have needed nearly four hundred EXP to jump from six to eight. Even with their strategy of dropping worms to their deaths, the numbers didn't add up. Of course, Kael remembered she received at least, ten percent of any kill made with weapons made by her, but still...

'She must have kept hunting after I left.' The thought lingered. Even with an Epic class, facing those leeches alone was suicide. She must have constantly put her life on the line.

'But why?'

The question stuck in his mind, but he was pulled back to reality by his sister’s voice.

"So, what treasure did you receive?"

He turned to see the spark of excitement on Rose's face. "Oh, did you actually get something?"

Rose shook her head, which didn't surprise Kael—he knew how stingy the system could be. But her next words made him freeze.

"I’m not the only one. Everyone got items. Lots of them."

"What?" The word felt heavy in his mouth.

Rose didn't bother explaining. She tapped into her inventory, and one by one, items began to materialize in the air before her. Seeing Kael’s dumbfounded look, the others laughed softly and began mimicking her. With everything they had survived together, the need for secrecy had vanished.

Kael watched, mesmerized, as ten bottles containing liquids of various shimmering colors appeared before everyone except Natalie. As he focused, system messages bloomed across his vision.

---

[STRENGTH POTION (COMMON)]

A faintly crimson liquid that pulses with raw physical energy.

Increases Strength by +3 for 1 hour.

Stack Limit: 3 (Duration does not extend)

---

[SPEED POTION (COMMON)]

A light green fluid that shimmers with restless motion.

Increases Speed by +3 for 1 hour.

Stack Limit: 3 (Duration does not extend)

---

[VITALITY POTION (COMMON)]

A dense amber liquid that radiates a steady warmth.

Increases Vitality by +3 for 1 hour.

Stack Limit: 3 (Duration does not extend)

---

[MIND POTION (COMMON)]

A deep violet solution that glows faintly from within.

Increases Mind by +3 for 1 hour.

Stack Limit: 3 (Duration does not extend)

---

[HEALTH POTION (RARE)]

A radiant red-gold liquid that emits a soft, soothing glow.

Instantly restores a large portion of health and accelerates natural recovery for a short duration.

---

[MANA POTION (RARE)]

A luminous blue elixir that ripples like liquid light.

Instantly restores a large portion of mana and increases mana recovery rate for a short duration.

---

Kael had barely processed the windfall when Rose pouted, a look of genuine grievance on her face.

"But the system scammed us!"

"What?" Kael raised a brow. Even with this haul, she felt cheated?

Ms. Claire stepped in to clarify. "We should have received more, Kael. But because the inventory cannot store more than 10 items, the system randomly discarded the rest and only gave us these."

Understanding dawned on him. 'That's why the distribution is skewed. Rose has mostly Mind potions, Sophia has Mana, and Alice’s haul is primarily Strength and Speed. The system prioritized what it thought they needed... or just rolled the dice.'

Kael quickly turned to Claire. "Did the system mention how to upgrade the inventory slots?"

Claire sighed and shook her head. "No."

Just as a sense of unease began to stir in Kael's gut—and he prepared to summon his own status screen—a burst of crystalline sparkles drew his attention. He turned toward his sister and froze for the third time that day.

A shimmer of ethereal light spun into existence, weaving together like threads of silver glass. In seconds, a small, elegant crown settled over her hair, its sharp, regal points framing the smug, triumphant look on her small oval face.

*****

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