Sophia watched the little girl squeal with excitement before letting out an exaggerated sigh. Despite that, she couldn’t hide the smile on her face.
"I really can’t believe you. A little while ago you were fighting monsters with a completely calm expression, and now you’re doing all this because you couldn’t accept a little girl calling your stick figures ugly," Charlotta said.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, wearing an innocent expression that could unfortunately not fool his friend.
Sophia rolled her eyes before pointing toward his forehead. "I can tell how much mana you’re sending into your head. My Faith can’t even reach your brain anymore because you’re reinforcing it so much, so don’t pretend this isn’t your revenge."
Alex acted as though he hadn’t heard a single word. Seeing that reaction, Sophia laughed quietly before the teasing expression gradually disappeared from her face.
"It’s good to see you’re still yourself," she murmured, her smile becoming noticeably gentler. Before Alex could respond, she turned around and hurried out of the shop to join the others.
The monsters from the Supermart were coming out after the Wild Orc died, while members of both Stefan’s and Alex’s groups intercepted them before they could spread through the streets. Most of the monsters were only around Level 6 to Level 8, so Alex didn’t bother joining the fight.
At his current level, those monsters wouldn’t provide enough experience to matter, or a challenge. More importantly, several members of his own faction still needed to reach Level 5 before he could complete the tutorial quest.
Letting them handle the fighting allowed them to level up, gain combat experience, and complete Alex’s Tutorial Quest at the same time.
Ophelia and Rae, however, stayed inside with him. They insisted they would keep watch while he rested, even after Alex told them he didn’t need anyone protecting him.
Rae simply stayed near the broken wall with her rifle ready, while Ophelia shook her head as though refusing to discuss the matter any further.
A sudden notification appeared at that moment.
[Mind: 13 → 14]
He stared at it for a moment, surprised. His Mind stat had increased barely an hour ago, so seeing it rise again this quickly was completely unexpected.
After thinking it through, the answer became fairly obvious. The only unusual thing that had happened since then was Faith healing the damage caused by unstably boosting his brain.
Faith didn’t seem to simply restore injuries. It appeared to temper the body as it healed, allowing another stat increase after the damaged area recovered.
That made him think of Aura. Warriors tempered their bodies through Aura as well, so perhaps both abilities worked in similar ways.
Would Aura temper the body better than Faith, or would both produce the same results? Alex couldn’t be certain, but he had a feeling Aura worked faster since it was meant specifically for combat.
The drawback was obvious, though. Aura could only be used by the Warrior who possessed it, while Faith could be cast by a Priest on anyone.
A faint smile formed on Alex’s face. During the Wild Orc fight, he had risked by forcing the boost on his brain beyond its limits. Such a thing had unexpectedly given him another path to become stronger. If this method really worked, it could let him increase his stats much faster than before.
The problem was that there was one major obstacle. His friends would never agree to him repeatedly injuring himself just to gain stats. Fortunately, he already had a possible solution.
Life Element Rune.
After learning the Mana Circuit Spell and obtaining his Class, he planned to begin searching for a Life Element Rune. If his assumptions were correct, the Life element didn’t just restore stamina but could also heal injuries.
What he needed was a healing spell that repaired damage while still allowing the body to adapt and become stronger. It would temper his body like Faith and Aura. He wasn’t sure such a spell existed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it did.
Finding magic like that would be difficult for most people. Alex, however, had the Spell Evolution Talent, which gave him a real chance of learning the exact rune he needed.
If everything worked out, he would have a reliable way to temper his body without needing Aura, or Faith. He wouldn’t need to rely on free stat points either. That made the idea worth pursuing.
As for pushing himself until he suffered injuries, Alex wasn’t afraid of it. The faster he became stronger, the sooner he could save his family. If he wasn’t fast enough, he might fail to save them at all. That possibility was enough to silence any hesitation.
Hell Difficulty had already taught him what this world demanded. You either became strong, or you stayed weak and died. Alex had no intention of dying.
Of course, he understood that Battle Instinct was still affecting his emotions, making thoughts like these seem calmer than they normally would. Even so, he knew that even if he did not have the spell, his decision would be the same.
He might be a bit apprehensive without its influence, but he would still search for the Life Element Rune. He would still find a way to temper his body and grow stronger.
A few minutes later, Ophelia began looking around the damaged shop. There was a small kitchen toward the back, and although most of the shelves had already been emptied, enough ingredients remained for a simple meal.
She murmured an apology before she gathered what she needed and quietly began to cook.
"Charlotta hasn’t had a proper meal since last night. She needs something warm before we continue," Ophelia explained while preparing the ingredients upon noticing Alex’s gaze.
Alex nodded, but as he watched her work, he noticed she was using far more food than one little girl could possibly eat. Judging by the size of the pot, she clearly intended to feed everyone who returned from fighting.
The faint aroma of the cooking made him realize something he had completely forgotten.
..
Author’s Note: If you’re enjoying the novel, consider leaving a vote. It helps the novel a lot. Thank you!
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter