[Vitality Reinforcent (Unclassified Skill) Tier – Adept]
[Description: A passive skill. Upon learning this skill, the user's Vitality is permanently increased by 20 points.]
"Ooh… that's actually pretty good," Leon murmured under his breath, still staring at the ssage. For the first ti in a while, sothing close to genuine approval crept into his voice. Even with all of Essence Record's absurdity, a boost like this was simply useful, no catch, no activation conditions, no risk. Just raw stats.
Less than a second later, another simple prompt appeared.
[Do you want to learn Vitality Reinforcent?]
Leon didn't hesitate. He nodded quickly, as if the system could literally read the motion, and said softly:
"Yes."
The scroll in his hand broke apart almost instantly into motes of light that floated up and seeped into his body. For a split second, a strange abstract symbol flashed in his vision, sothing like a tree with branches spreading in every direction, then vanished as fast as it appeared, leaving behind a deep, heavy warmth spreading under his skin.
Leon clenched his fingers and slowly exhaled, feeling the new strength in a way that was completely different from gaining Strength or Agility. It wasn't readiness to move, or a sudden rush of energy, it was sothing more primal and stable, like his body had beco harder to break, less vulnerable to fatigue and injury.
For a mont, he realized he hadn't even known skills like this existed, ones that raised pure stats so directly, without extra effects or conditions. Only now did it hit him how wide and unpredictable the range of "growth" could be in Essence Record's eyes.
His thoughts briefly drifted to Marek. Had he ever gotten lucky with a scroll like this, sothing that boosted Strength? Leon didn't believe for a second that his own Strength was lower than Marek's. If anything, he was convinced he'd surpassed him in raw stats a while ago. And still… watching a man handle that massive hamr in real combat remained impressive. A weapon that huge had to be terrifyingly heavy, even for soone strengthened by the system.
Pushing that aside, Leon finally stepped into the pharmacy. It was housed in a multi-story building, and the first thing he did was scan the interior thoroughly, checking corners, the back room, and doors leading deeper, before allowing himself even a mont of inattention. Experience had taught him that places full of resources were rarely empty for no reason.
Only after he confird nothing was going to leap out at him did he start packing thodically. Fever ds, cold dicine, stomach relief, muscle pain treatnt, painkillers, vitamins, he didn't even read brands anymore. He worked by category and common sense. At this point, anything that reduced risk mattered more than labels.
After about ten minutes, his backpack was stuffed to the limit. But when he looked at it critically, he realized it still wasn't enough. He'd already given away his own ds, the ones he'd gathered on day one, and with this many people, demand would outpace supply fast.
So he scanned the pharmacy again, this ti looking for plastic bags. When he found them, he started filling more, adding bandages, gauze, adhesive strips, alcohol, disinfectant, everything that could matter for first aid. He didn't skip syringes, and he even grabbed a few doses of morphine. He didn't want to think about the situations where they'd be needed, but he knew too well that in this world, pain and severe wounds weren't abstract anymore. They were routine.
A mont later, Leon looked over the pile, stuffed backpack, extra bags, and nodded to himself. Even if it still felt insufficient long-term, for now he'd done everything possible without inviting another pointless fight. Every additional delay only increased the chance that soone back in the gym would start getting worse for real.
That was when his gaze fell on a gray Gray Box he'd set on the pharmacy counter earlier while unpacking.
He stared at it for a beat, as if weighing whether random "rewards" were really the right thing to gamble on in a world already drowning in chaos.
Then he stepped closer.
The familiar prompt appeared.
[Do you want to open Gray Box?]
Leon nodded.
"Yes," he said shortly, then, almost imdiately, he added in a whisper, like he was genuinely afraid Essence Record could hear him: "Anything… just not socks. Seriously. Anything but socks."
The box dissolved into gray light that spilled across the counter for a mont, then condensed, materializing into a perfectly ordinary pair of dark sweatpants. Simple. Plain. No symbols, no ornants. The kind you could've bought in any sports shop a week ago.
Before he could even pick them up, the system window appeared.
[Reinforced Training Pants (Normal Grade)]
[Description: Durable athletic pants designed for unrestricted movent. Reinforced fibers subtly enhance physical output.]
[Effect: 4 Strength]
Leon looked at the description, then at the pants, and nodded with quiet approval. Nothing spectacular, nothing flashy, but it t one very basic requirent.
They weren't socks.
Without overthinking it, he changed imdiately, testing how they felt as he moved. The fabric didn't restrict his steps; it was flexible and surprisingly light, and he could feel the difference the mont he shifted his weight.
Sowhere nearby, Valeria gave a soft whistle, clearly amused, but Leon didn't even look at her as another system ssage popped up.
[Equipnt Effect Applied]
[Effect: 4 Strength]
He moved a few tis in place, bent his knees, stepped forward, stepped back, then decided they were comfortable. And while four points of Strength didn't hit like the boosts from so of his other gear, it was still free stats. In this world, even small numbers could decide whether you stood back up after a fight… or didn't.
Valeria's eyes narrowed, just slightly, like she'd suddenly sharpened her focus.
At the sa ti, the ground beneath Leon's feet trembled.
Not enough to knock him off balance. But clear enough that he felt it in his knees and through the soles of his shoes, a dull vibration traveling through concrete.
Leon raised his head, frowning.
"What the hell…" he muttered, more to himself than to her, then walked to the pharmacy window and looked outside.
Several hundred ters away, between campus buildings, a strange dense column of steam rose into the air, pulsing slowly, as if sothing beneath it was breathing. Every few seconds the ground vibrated again, making windows and tal fixtures shiver with a quiet, unsettling rattle. The whole environnt moved like it was responding to sothing huge, sothing not visible yet.
Buildings shook, not like they were about to collapse, but enough that Leon felt that familiar prick of unease.
This wasn't random chaos.
It was rhythmic. Heavy. Regular.
Like footsteps.
Footsteps from sothing that had no business moving through a place made for humans.
"Leon," Valeria said.
For the first ti in a long while, her voice lost its playful edge. No teasing. No provocation. Just cold seriousness.
"You'd better get ready."
Leon turned toward her. She was watching him carefully, no smile, no joke.
"This might be your first real fight," she added calmly. "If you win… you'll beco much stronger."
A short pause.
"If you lose…" Her tone stayed even. "Well. Not every protagonist reaches the end of their own story."
Hearing that, hearing Valeria speak without a trace of performance, Leon looked back out the window, this ti far more carefully, as if trying to pull more than steam and shaking buildings out of the distorted view. If she sounded like this, then this wasn't a mont to ignore signals.
Without a word, he set the backpack and bags of dicine down by the counter, neatly, so nothing would spill, like it was routine work, not preparation for sothing he might not co back from.
Then he drew his two daggers and closed his hands around them, feeling the familiar weight of the blades and that slight tension in his wrists that always ca right before a fight.
He looked toward the pharmacy exit. His face hardened, no anger, no fear. Just focus. The kind that arrives when all unnecessary thoughts vanish and only the next move matters.
He took one step forward, wet his lips as if clearing the last dryness from his throat, and said calmly as he headed outside:
"Alright then. Let's see what a real fight looks like."
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