Hera was staring at the translucent window in front of her. She had read everything ten tis, but it seed impossible.
Not her stats, it was well known that every now and then soone did sothing and the system had to change whatever it was to a more acceptable outco. She rembered a level four baseball player that stacked a few skills, making his fastball break not only the bat that it hit but also the arm of the batter who was level ten. Soon after that, his skills changed, and he couldn't use that powerful throw anymore.
What made her speechless was the skill. Hidden skills were rare, but a hidden skill that can evolve is absurdly rare. No rule said that hidden skills could not change, but at the sa ti, she wasn't aware of anyone who had seen one.
She read the skill description more ti and took a deep breath before hitting the increase all button. Just like that, all her stats went from 10 to 11. Now, she had 3 bonus points.
What Michael had said the night before rang in her head, "If you have an average 12 on your stats, you can join."
If this was really happening, she could be an explorer today. Not after her next level up.
She pressed the button once more and saw the numbers change. Now she ets the requirent to get in even without a skill. But maybe this evolved skill would count. After all, it would increase her stats by a lot.
Hera pinched her arm to make sure it wasn't just a dream.
"Ouch!"
She was surprised by how much that hurt, although it made sense, her strength had almost doubled, her brain need so ti before being able to adjust. For a while, she would have to be very careful. She got up and started walking towards the bathroom to take a shower. Her sheets were drenched because of the process, most likely. The body probably used a lot of energy to change soone after they level up, and energy generates heat, so the body needs to sweat to cool off.
Hera stopped. How did she reach that conclusion so fast?
She was not a dumb person, but her mind always seed to take so ti to get to the result she wanted. Maybe... her intelligence attribute?
It increased by 4 points. Hera opened her stats and tapped on the attribute to read its description.
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Intelligence: increases the ntal ability of the user.
The higher the attribute, the faster the stored data, can be accessed.
It also increases the strength of magic based skills.
Current modifier: 2%
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Hera knew this by heart, even if she had spent the last five years trying to forget this knowledge. However, she still was surprised the increase had such a powerful effect.
She took a shower to clean all the sweat and tears that covered her from the previous night. The pressure of the water was relaxing. For the first ti in years, Hera felt truly happy.
Looking to the side, she saw the creams and moisturizers that a friend had given her a few months back, and for the first ti, she decided to use them.
One hour later, Hera ca out of the shower, feeling refreshed she looked in the mirror. Her face was still hers, but different. Her skin seed smoother, and her long blond hair replaced its split ends and greasy look with a cleaner and silkier feel. Even while she brushed it like she always did, the feeling was different.
"This must be the Charisma attribute. It improves our looks and what else again?" she thought to herself.
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Charisma: Increases the attractiveness of the user.
Due to its subjective nature, the attribute is based on what the user finds attractive.
It also increases the friendliness of intelligent creatures in the MAZE.
Current modifier: 2%
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The last line was new. Hera was sure of that. She knew the descriptions by heart, and there was no ntion of creatures in the MAZE. She reread it to be sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.
Intelligent life inside the MAZE. That was sothing Hera never considered, but it made sense. Such a big place was bound to have created so sort of intelligent life. She took her phone and saw the twenty-three missed calls from her boss, including a few texts threatening to fire her.
Stolen story; please report.
"That's fine," she thought.
Before going to the Guild, Hera wanted to quit. Her future is as an explorer. There was no reason to keep any other job available. To her, there was no other option, not anymore.
Hera put on her dark grey jeans, a light blue hoodie, and her black combat boots. She always felt more comfortable with practical clothing. Now that she would be an explorer, people would stop saying things like, "You should dress up more."
She took her keys and bag and went outside her small studio apartnt towards the train station. It was ti to start her dream.
Quitting her job was the first step, thankfully her boss wasn't there. Today the manager Alia was in charge. She was a sweet older woman that always tried to help the employees, even when the boss was harassing them. Hera didn't give a reason to quit. She didn't want to be bombarded with questions about it. She just wanted to leave this place.
Alia tried to make Hera stay, but she knew it was for the best. Hera was a timid, and sweet girl, and the boss took advantage of it, everyone knew. She was happy to see Hera going sowhere else, especially since she had a spark in her eye.
It's been a few hours since Hera left ho, and she was about to change her life. Or at least that's what she expected to happen. After taking a few deep breaths, she walked through the front door of the guild.
She looked around. The guild was bustling, young people who seed to be excited were sitting in one of the benches. A group of kids wearing the sa uniform seed to receive a tour from one of the attendants. Hera's eye seed to gravitate towards a strong-looking man with suntanned skin and thick grey chops walking towards the locker room.
The man gave a powerful impression on Hera. She wondered why no one else seed to pay any mind to him. Brushing that aside, she walked toward the counter.
"Excuse ."
A dark-haired woman was sitting on the other side of the counter. She gave Hera a big smile.
"Hello! Welco to the Explorers Guild, I'm Carol, what can I help you with?"
Hera always got surprised when soone treated her so well, even if it was part of the job.
"Oh, hi, I'm Hera... I'm here to join the guild," she said, trying her best to show so confidence.
"That's great Hera, do you have your card? I can check the system for your information with it," Carol got up from the chair so she wouldn't have to speak so loudly.
Hera gave her card to the attendant and kept looking around, seeing the guild with a different light.
Since she found out her stats, this place seed to be dreadful and scary. It was the source of her worst mories. The mont her life went wrong.
But now it seed warm, happy, and full of hope. She chuckled, thinking about how she was too young to be thinking like that when Carol said.
"I'm sorry, but we don't have any job openings available at the mont, but I can put you on the waiting list," The attendant smiled and handed the card back to Hera.
"Ah, No.. I an, I'm here to beco an explorer," Hera said, embarrassed for not making things clear.
"Oh, sorry, but according to our file, your level 1 stats don't et the criteria to beco an explorer. Since the Devil Hunt, we need to have so minimum requirents in order to have safer conditions," Carol gave a soft smile. She was used to turning people down like that.
"But... I'm level 2." Hera said, activating her card.
The cards only show any info for its owner unless they are activated. It was just the basic information, the na, level, and job. Most people would have it as a civilian.
Carol frowned. The system said that Hera Kingsley was level 1, and she could only change that for the first ti in a guild. However, there was no record of her ever doing a level up, and the guild never got that part wrong. Today was a terrible day. She had been dealing with problems since the beginning of her shift.
Apparently, there was at least one more to deal with.
"I'm sorry, but there is no record of you increasing your level. If you wish to pay for a level up, you must co back after making the appointnt online."
Hera blinked a few tis. Her level was 2. The card said it.
"But, I'm level 2."
Carol gave her a stern look.
"Hera, I understand that you must really want this, but we need to trust the people that beco explorers, we can't have soone that would change the information that shows in the card just to get in."
Hera never heard about being able to change what the cards said. And she leveled up. It wasn't her fault the guild records were missing.
"But I..."
She started talking, but Carol cut her off, raising her hand.
"Look, you can make an appointnt to level up, you can leave, or they can escort you out. I apologize for being rude, but we have a full day today, and I don't have ti to deal with stubbornness."
While she spoke, two burly n approached Hera by the sides. They looked like bouncers from clubs and escorted her to the exit. Because of their presence, she felt too intimidated to say anything. However, when Hera saw the big open doors get closer, she stopped walking.
"I'm not going," she said.
The two n looked at each other, and with a sigh, the one on the right spoke.
"Look, miss. It's better if you go, we don't want to make a scene."
Her hands were shaking. It would be the third ti she left the guild being robbed of her dream. And this ti, it would be unfair. She t the requirents and had a skill. It was her right to apply to be an explorer.
"I'm. Not. Going. Let talk to Helena," she said.
With the ntion of the na, Carol got up and was about to call the security back, but the following events happened too fast.
The man that spoke to Hera grabbed her arm and started to push her towards the exit. Hera, being pushed, focused her entire body into pushing the man back, slamming her feet in the ground as hard as she could. She felt a tingling sensation covering every part of her and then focusing on her legs.
She intended to push back, to stop the man from taking her outside. But sothing else happened. The mont her feet slamd into the ground, she was launched towards him. After the impact, he went flying backward with her. Both hit the ground and slid towards the counter.
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Hidden skill unlocked: All In (Active)
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