Chapter 32: Redefining Strength

The moment they saw Marcus was a joyous occasion of sorts. Even Stella peeked from one of the curtains in the background with a relieved expression. But then they looked down, and saw the state he was in. Such festivity was quickly replaced by concern, and varying degrees of surprise.

His dark gray, almost-black coat was tattered, torn, and caked with blood and dirt in countless places. And that was ignoring the massive hole in it. His trousers were in a similar state, and the guard of his sword seemed like it was encrusted with dried blood.

His eyes were half lidded, as if he was incredibly tired. And yet, they could still see that he was relieved at them, even if he himself was worse for wear. Clara had instantly taken to his side, and held his side, as if to help him walk.

For the briefest of moments, that gesture made Bastille think it was unneeded, before Marcus actually leaned on her for support. Marcus... no, Tobias, a person who seemed to embody the pinnacle of unrelenting human ferocity – seeing him accept support from a girl who seemed frail in comparison to him was... shocking.

And now, Bastille wasn’t so sure if the gesture was unneeded. This boy... no, this guy... Just what exactly had he been through?

And right after that thought concluded, Clara helped him lie down on her bed, and she knelt by his side. She stared at him with a forlorn gaze... almost as if she was attending a dying man.

And somehow, just like that occasion... Everyone was silent. As if the slightest words uttered would suddenly cause Tobias to die.

Bastille stared at the fist-sized hole in his coat and tunic, which revealed his stomach. There was a similarly sized scar, so grotesque, so large... It was obvious that there used to be a gaping wound there, which was only recently patched by a healing potion.

He didn’t even think it was healed. His applied medical knowledge was spotty at best, but even he could tell that such a grotesque patchwork of flesh would open up something sinister if disturbed or touched. How the hell did Tobias even walk with that wound?

“What the hell happened to you, Tobias?” He finally asked, breaking the silence.

“You’re disturbing him.” The girl by his side hissed, as she looked at Bastille with a warning glare. But then a hand reached up to pat her shoulder, and her expression softened as she turned towards him.

“Don’t worry, I can still talk.” Tobias said. Those were the words he said, yet the tone he used to deliver such words were disconcertingly exhausted. His eyes were opened – no, he forced them open, as if he believes that the moment he closes them for longer than a moment, his consciousness would fade away.

“Please, don’t push yourself.” Clara begged softly. Her eyes were focused on his, and the gaze she cast towards him... It was sad, empathetic, and yet warm.

“No...” He replied, and he let out a sigh. It was so loaded, so filled to the brim with emotions. It was truly a sigh of exhaustion. “I need to know something. You... Clara...” He said, and no sooner after he said that, his eyes narrowed at her with focus, purging his own tiredness. “Why do you know my real name?”

“I am your System Keeper.” She said once more, and her eyes shone with a pride that silently said that her duty was noble. And it was hers; proudly hers, alone. “The Abyss had told me of your true name... And left me with the duty to tend to you. But it didn’t tell me why you use a false name, or anything personal about you.”

“The Abyss, is it...” There was brief glimmer of recognition within those eyes. But just as quickly, it was squashed away by a wave of exhaustion once more, manifesting into another heavy sigh. “Yeah... I should have known. So that’s why your eyes are like that now.”

And then, she let out a nod of happiness. Was it because of the fact that she wasn’t denied by the person she wanted/needed to serve? Or was it because he took her just as seriously as she took her duty?

“Wait, you just casually accepted her explanation? Did you know something like this would happen?” Jacques asked, speaking up for the first time. His eyes were strangely curious about the matter, for some unknown reason.

“It’s complicated...” Tobias replied, and he blinked. It was a longer blink than usual, but that only spoke of his inevitable fate sooner or later. “But I do have an idea of why these things happened.”

“Is it really a good idea to talk about that right now?” Bastille spoke up. And then he walked towards the foot of the bed, and gave Tobias a stern gaze. The boy lying in the bed only gave a weak gaze back, and once more, his eyes closed, shivered, then fought to open themselves. “You’re exhausted right now. Just go rest, Tobias.”

“Oh, right.” Jacques muttered, then let out a small shake of his head. “Sorry for keeping you up, you should sleep now.”

“Yeah...” Tobias let out an apologetic grin of his own. His eyes closed once more, and this time, he didn’t fight to open them anymore. “I’ll try to explain everything later...”

He didn’t even finish his statement. He fell asleep in the middle of his sentence, as evidenced by his light, subtle snoring.

Bastille noted that he never snored in the rare occasion that he napped or slept, until now.

Clara’s hand reached down, as she carefully patted his head, and then she hesitantly played with his hair. Her abyssal eyes shone with a contradicting gentle warmth, and the Sorcerer noted that even if he were to tease her right now, she most definitely wouldn’t care about his words.

Jacques only let out a sigh of relief, really. And then he turned away, and walked to his own bed, lying down, and raising his arms to cover his eyes.

He must have been trying to sleep as well, since the night was finally late enough, and this occurrence made everyone forget about the display which happened earlier.

Indeed... It was only a few hours since, but to Bastille, it felt like a lot of time passed since then...

Their idle chatting to pass time, the newfound knowledge of Clara’s contact with the Abyss and her new obligation, the realization that Tobias had a false name, and what the potential implications behind his false name were...

It was one mishap after one mishap, and even though he felt sorry for the woman who was Hexed to kill herself, he just didn’t feel like it was... significant to him anymore.

He idly gave a small gaze towards Tobias’ sleeping face, which seemed peaceful. He’s bound to have one hell of a tale to tell tomorrow, that’s for sure.

And like that, he turned towards his own bed, and the sleep that came after was like his own, comfortable abyss of unconsciousness. Was that supposed to be some sort of pun based on the recent events?

Bastille’s answer was a mental shrug; even as he drifted off to sleep.

***

The Abyss was there to greet him once more. The familiar darkness was always his companion ever since the day he died... No, that was incomplete. He died once (he knew he did), then was returned back to the realm of the living. Ever since then, whenever he slept or was unconscious, he was dragged to this Abyss.

It was cold, dreary, and lacked anything within it. Not light, not sound, not a surface... Nothing.

But at the same time, it served as his mental abode of sorts. The Abyss wasn’t cruel to him, and simply let him do as he pleased within this realm. Which is to train and practice the actions needed for his fighting styles to burn them into muscle memory most times, but other times, he just sat down and thought to himself.

Or at least, that was the plan. That is, until he looked directly behind him, and found a new development. He found someone that he didn’t expect... no, actually... He should have expected this, didn’t he?

It was none other than Clara. Despite the lack of light in such a place, he could see her vividly; her brown hair, the way her chest rose and fell with each breath, and her peaceful, sleeping face.

The Abyss (or Death) – he wasn’t sure what their connection is – wasn’t joking when they said that they would grant him a reward. But he had never expected that his reward... would be a companion in this endless Abyss.

It was simply... unexpected.

So he found himself walking towards her. And then he carefully sat in the empty void beside her, and was simply content to watch and wait for her to wake up.

The first time she found herself in the Abyss... She must have been scared, wasn’t she? The sheer amount of nothingness in this realm also unsettled Tobias the first time he arrived here. But he had gotten used to it quickly; despite his former paranoia, there was truly nothing in here, except for him.

No monsters. No Death. No cruel visions of his worst memories.

Only him, and the accompanying silence of the Abyss.

And then... he felt bad. Clara was not supposed to be within this place. It was simply too cruel to her, and she should have not experienced the terrible feeling of her own senses being derived from her. It must have been especially cruel for her – she did possess the sharpest senses out of all of them, after all.

But he looked down on the newest arrival within this place. She only continued to sleep, her expression truly relieved and peaceful. Her breathing was soft and stable, as she only seemed to continue to dream of her own happy memories within her mind.

And then – just as he looked at her, she finally opened her eyes. Her eyes were a newly forged black, like the color of the abyss, and shone with confusion for a few moments. That was before she realized where she was and who she was looking at, and slowly sat up.

They stared at each other for the longest moment, as if fearing that if they looked away, their companion would disappear and leave them alone. She slowly raised her hand, and daintily touched his face, as if she wanted to believe that he wasn’t just a figment of her imagination. Her shoulders relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief.

“How... did you get here?” Tobias finally asked her, breaking the stillness between them.

“I felt myself blank out once...” Clara began, her voice soft, even in this near total silence. “And then next thing I see... I was already in here. It was... like a terrible dream...”

“It is. I’m sorry for somehow getting you involved here...”

“No, it’s fine...” She said, shaking her head lightly. Then she looked around herself, shuddered, and then turned back to face him again. “I think... You are a prisoner of this place, just like me.”

She probably wasn’t wrong.

“... Maybe that is the case.” He turned away, and gave a polite cough. “If you don’t mind... You could continue with your story.”

“Mhm. So then... I got scared, you see. And then something talked to me. It told me to become Tobias’ System Keeper. It was my duty – my obligation, it said.” She explained, having regained the confidence within her voice. “I asked them who Tobias was, and they told me it was you. I asked why you were using another name, and they told me it was something I should ask you directly.”

“I see...” He let out a nod. That entity... What a weird one. Cruel, yet merciful. Unapproachable, yet generous. Death was like a walking contradiction by themselves. “You can continue if you want.”

“I asked them what being a System Keeper meant.” His ears perked up. “I am to... awaken your potential within you,” She explained, having coughed once and looking away discreetly, “And to serve as your Anchor in this World.”

“What does that mean?”

“I did not know myself... until now.” She said, then extended her hand to him, with an open palm. “It would be far better to show you... And within this Abyss, I know what I can do, and what I must do for you.”

He stared at her offered hand, before hesitantly taking it. The moment he did – something changed. He felt his own, very being... his soul, resonate out.

[RACESCLASSESTITLES]

And then – he felt something touch his soul. Gently, carefully, something intertwined and wrote something within himself.

[STATUSSKILLSCONDITIONS]

It was strange. To feel these words turn into concepts, and to feel these concepts turn into some semblance of reality.

Foreboding did not even begin to explain it.

[VITALITYSTRENGTHENDURANCEDEXTERITY]

Yes... He was beginning to understand... Information wrote itself on his soul, and while he did not know what it was, he felt that it was just... correct. It was as if this was the natural course that he should be taking.

[INTELLIGENCEWISDOMWILLPOWERMAGIC]

[CHECKINGUSER’SCOMPATABILITY...]

[CHECKINGUSER’SSTATUS...]

[CALIBRATING...]

[System Setup: . . . Completed]

[The Ability to draw forth your true potential...]

[Welcome to the System]

“This is...”

“This is what it meant when I said I serve as your Anchor in this World.” Clara spoke. “I am to be your System Keeper; to touch what lies underneath you, and to draw out your potential and your true strength... That is my purpose now.”

“I see...”

Those words she said were courtesy. Now that he knew their souls were linked as of this very moment... He understood what the purpose of this all was.

...

But why was Death helping him? It was one thing to seemingly wait for him to grow stronger, and it was another thing entirely to give him the ability to facilitate said strength.

Did they have some sort of agenda involved?

... No.

It would be impossible to derive any sort of understandable logic from whatever they decided to do.

There was a reason why Death was an entity – they were far closer to a concept, or a God even. He should know that his limited perception of human morality or logic did not apply to them.

“Are you okay?” Clara’s voice pulled him away from his thoughts. She looked at him with a concerned expression, both aimed to him, and somehow, to herself as well. “I’m not... offending you, am I?”

He wasn’t exactly sure how she had arrived to that conclusion...

So he shook his head. “No, don’t worry. I was just thinking to myself for a bit.” He replied. Then he stared at the glowing panel of light they both could see. “Now... how do I use this?”

“Ah, of course!” She gasped, and shifted herself so that she was sitting directly by his side. “You see... you are supposed to tap this with your finger to navigate... But I will do it for you.”

Tobias

Race: Human (?)

Class: Lone Soldier (?)

Title: N/A

[Status]

[Skills]

[Conditions]

“...” He idly stared at the panel in front of him. This... Well... It reminded him of Marcus’ avid description, if nothing else. His memory wasn’t exactly the sharpest, but he faintly remembered that Marcus’ version had an Inventory, but didn’t have a Title...

Was this System different then? Or was it a variant System – something that was derived from a common ancestral version between both Systems?

... And why were his thoughts too articulate and technical all of a sudden?

“If you’re confused, you can always ask me, you know?” Clara spoke, and he gave a small nod.

“You know the details of this, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Huh...” He hummed. “Do you know the exact history of this System?”

“... Unfortunately not.” She shook her head. “I only know how to operate it for you, but I do not really know how exactly it works, or what its history is.”

“I see.” Somehow, he knew that such was a case.

So once again, he eyed the panel of light, before he told her to tap on the first option for him.

STATUS PAGE

Health: 227/720 (+36/hour if resting)

Mana: 300/300 (+15/hour if resting)

Vitality: 24

Endurance: 28

Strength: 25

Dexterity: 23

Intelligence: 11

Wisdom: 12

Magic: 10

Willpower: 21

Level: 1

Stocked Experience: 20,104

Level Up Cost: 600

“...” Clara was silent. She was only staring at the panel which displayed words and numbers.

“Are these numbers... bad?”

“Ah. Sorry. But no, they aren’t. In fact, your Physical Attributes are pretty good. Your Magical Attributes being average aside from Willpower is fine. You’re no Sorcerer, that’s for sure.”

“Does Intelligence really determine how smart I am? Does Wisdom dictate how wise I am?”

“Well... Kinda...? But not necessarily, I think. People with higher Intelligence store knowledge and can recall them more efficiently, but that doesn’t mean people with low Intelligence aren’t smart, you see. Same goes with Wisdom, but in the sense that it increases one’s perception or understanding of their surroundings... but not necessarily their inherent wiseness.”

“... Then what are they used for?”

“Magic. They’re Magical Attributes.”

“... I don’t get it, but I see...”

“Think of it like this. Intelligence is used for logical magic like that pesky Sorcerer’s Fire Spells, while Wisdom is used for more... spiritual magic of sorts. I think Clerics’ Healing Magic falls under this category...”

“Why shouldn’t Wisdom be called something like Spirit then?”

She paused. And then she let out a nervous cough.

“I-I don’t know... Ask the System, not me. I’m just your Keeper, not the creator of this System.”

“I see... Sorry for asking the impossible, then.”

“That’s alright. Anyways, moving on... I will be the first one to say this, and I don’t mean offense to you but... Your System is weird. Please forgive me. I needed to say that.”

“Somehow, I think that’s the case. But why exactly do you think is it weird?”

“That is... Why is it weird, I wonder...? My instincts are telling it’s weird, but I don’t know why it’s weird exactly... I’m sorry again. I know saying a lot of stupid things right now.”

“Don’t worry about it. I kinda got used to it after hearing you and Bastille talk back and forth.”

Tobias saw that her outstretched finger towards the panel of light subtly twitched.

“That is... somewhat annoying to hear. Anyways, you leveling up grants you a point you can spend to raise a stat. Then again, you can always raise a stat by simply doing something which relates to that certain stat. You probably did a lot of physical training back then, which is why your natural Physical Attributes are high to begin with. On the other hand, that stupid Sorcerer’s stat line must be similar to yours, but skewed towards his own Magical Attributes instead.”

“That’s a lot to take in...”

“Don’t worry, I think we have a lot of time in here, you know?”

“I know. So basically... If I do something like five hundred push-ups in a row, six times a day, my Strength would naturally increase?”

“What’s a push-up...? Oh... O-oh... That looks... Yeah. If you have the drive for it, you can manually increase your Attributes like that. Which is what... everyone else does, anyways. Fighters fight, Mages cast spells, and stuff like that make them grow stronger.”

“So this is your duty as a Keeper, huh? To draw out the hidden strength within me?”

“Mhm. It is.”

“So can you also do it to anyone else? Like let’s say, Bastille or Jacques?”

“I don’t think so. My Soul is... well, for lack of better term... simply compatible with yours. I don’t think it’s the same case for them. And besides, this Abyss... is technically your domain to begin with.”

“This is really making me confused...”

“Please don’t think too hard about it, because aside from in-system knowledge, I’m not too sure about it either. Anyways, should we move on to increasing your own Levels and Attributes?”

“Sure. But for reference, what does each Attribute do?”

“Vitality increases your Health, or roughly how much damage you can take before you die. Endurance increases your will to push your body forwards I think. Somewhat like Stamina, but also increases your pain tolerance and... uhm... resistance against physical ailments. Like getting poisoned or something like that.”

“I see... So that’s why my Endurance is the highest...”

“That is... What exactly have you been through...? It must have been rough, wasn’t it? There, there...”

“... Thank you.”

Tobias noted to himself that her back pats felt nice.

“You’re welcome. Strength increases your... well... physical strength. Dexterity increases your finesse, in addition to your overall swiftness. We already talked about Intelligence and Wisdom... So after that, Magic increases your Mana capacity, and finally, Willpower increases your resistance against mental ailments. Uhm... things like fear, or hesitation, I guess?”

“I see... Thank you. Do you mind if I begin my Level up now?”

“Oh, sure, go ahead.”

He spent a few minutes trying to find the best options to increase his stats. But Clara wanted him to put everything into Vitality.

“But... Why though?”

“Uhm, so that... because... so you wouldn’t die anymore.”

“Anymore...? You make it sound like I already died...”

Oh wait. He technically did once, but he wouldn’t mention that fact to anyone. Ever. And besides, what kind of person would believe him? He was still alive, after all.

“With how reckless you are, you would one day. Did you forget how you almost died recently?” Clara said, then idly removed her finger from the panel to jab him in the stomach. That single jab should have been painless – yet it made him flinch. Then he remembered that his true body had a massive wound to that area.

But then... Why did his body sting lightly...? Was his Abyss body somehow linked to his Physical body...? How does that even work...? But there was no sense in dwelling on the thought too much.

“I see... My bad, then. But you see, if I become faster and stronger, I would be able to deal with enemies better...”

And through some logical discussion, he had managed to convince her to let him decide on his own Stat distribution.

“Fine, fine. Do what you would like with your stats. But you owe me a crepe.”

“... You sure love your crepes, don’t you?”

“Of course!”

He also did love crepes. That’s one thing he shared in common with her, after she introduced him to those heavenly treats.

STATUS PAGE

Health: (242/720) > 242/900 (+45/hour if resting)

Mana: 300/300 (+15/hour if resting)

Vitality: (24) > 30 (+6)

Endurance: (28) > 32 (+4)

Strength: (25) > 31 (+6)

Dexterity: (23) > 31 (+8)

Intelligence: 11

Wisdom: 12

Magic: 10

Willpower: 21

Level: 24

Stocked Experience: 804

Level Up Cost: 1076

It should be noted that each successive level up increased the level up cost. Level 1 to Level 2 costed 600, but Level 2 to Level 3 costed 615, and so on... Until Level 24 to Level 25 cost is shown as such. He didn’t know the exact math involved, but he could tell that it’s going to be really, really pricey later on...

“My health really did go up...”

“You did put some points into Vitality...”

“Well, yeah... But also the crossed out values...”

“Ah, right. Well, you can see that you’re recovering some health while resting. I think we spent a lot of time arguing about it, then.”

“I see. That’s because you were quite stubborn.”

“Do you confirm your allocation?” She asked, as if she completely ignored his words.

He let out a small sigh. “Well... yes.”

And then, she raised her hand and touched his chest. Her hands were warm, as light begun to surge from her palms. And then – that same light was absorbed by his body, as well as his soul...

So this was what she meant by their souls’ compatibility...

The fact that their souls were intertwined and one as of this moment to make him stronger is... amazing. That is the only word which encompasses this feeling he was currently feeling right now.

It was almost as if the light that was touching him coursed through his body, giving him a breath of fresh life which seemed to invigorate his body... He felt that his body was primed and brimming with energy, making him faster, stronger, and better than he was before.

And finally, the light from her palms ceased to be. But his newfound strength was still there.

“How does it feel?” She asked, somewhat hesitantly.

“I feel a lot stronger now.” He replied, and clenched his fist.

His muscles were already well-defined by default – so nothing on the exterior seemed to change. But he knew that if he really wanted to, he could probably clench his fists hard enough to make his freshly trimmed nails cut through his palm.

“I see... I’m glad that it worked, then...” Clara said, and gave a long sigh of relief. Then she clapped her chest as if she was proud of herself, then held his hand. “Come on, I still have to show you everything else!”

Tobias let out a small groan. Staring at panels of light for too long was making his head somewhat lurch... Wait, now that he thought about it, the headache suddenly disappeared.

Strange.

So back to the panels of light they went.

Tobias

Race: Human (?)

Class: Lone Soldier (?)

Title: N/A

[Status]

[Skills]

[Conditions]

“Ah, wait, stop.” He said, right when Clara’s finger was about the tap the [Skills] option. She only looked at him with some minor confusion, before he rose his own finger to point at the symbols. “What are those things besides my Race and Class?”

“Ah, right.” She tapped the (?) symbol right next to them, and a panel of light appeared.

Race: Human

Not the strongest creature, nor the smartest...

Not the most favored by Gods, nor do they lead the longest lives...

A human is but a mere pebble in the grand annals of history...

But even mere pebbles could build the mightiest castles of stone...

+25% Experience Earned from all sources.

+25% Additional Experience Earned from any [Crafting] related activity.

All Stats are Hard Capped to 100.

“...” Tobias said nothing, but he gave a minor glare at the panel.

“...” Clara only kept wordlessly staring at the panel of light.

“It’s not wrong, I think...”

“This is... it makes me feel sad...”

“It’s okay. We’re both humans, after all.”

“Mhm, alright. I didn’t know you were actually capable of giving back pats.”

“I learned it from you. You looked like you needed it.”

“I see... Thank you. Do we go on?”

“That would be appreciated.”

Class: Lone Soldier

In theory, you were trained in the Art of War by a retired Soldier.

But practice is a completely different matter.

You were not trained to hold shield walls with your comrades.

You were not trained to live or die with your comrades in combat.

You were not trained to follow military tactics.

You are a lone wolf, who only learned the Art of War from a retired Soldier.

Strength through Solitude...

That is your personal creed.

+Martial/Weapon Skills have increased Effectiveness

+You Fight Better when Alone

-You think your strategies are best for you;

-So you have difficulties when it comes to listening to orders.

“So that’s why you run off and do stuff on your own...”

“Is it...? I don’t feel like I do that a lot anymore.”

“Aside from the part where you ran off and got yourself stabbed through your stomach... You’re more well behaved these days, I admit.”

“... Why do you sound like you’re treating me like a pet of some sort?”

“Ah! Sorry, I didn’t realize it until you pointed it out!”

“Hmm...”

“Hey, are you upset? I’m really sorry, okay?”

“Mhm, don’t worry, it’s alright. Let’s go read the Skills I have, then.”

SKILLS PAGE

[Spear Mastery (Adept)] (+!)

[Sword Mastery (Veteran)] (+!)

[Dagger Mastery (Novice)] (+!)

[Unarmed Combat (Adept)] (+!)

[Tracking Expertise (Instinct)]

[Thrown Weapon Expertise (Apprentice)]

[Throwing Knife Expertise (Grand Master)]

[Wilderness Survival Expertise]

“Those symbols again... What do they mean? They annoy me...”

“N-now... do you want me to tap on them...?”

“That would be nice.”

[+!] - Because of your Class as [Lone Soldier], this skill

has improved Efficiency and Strength!

Clara tapped on the second symbol, but it only revealed the same words. She was about to tap on the first Skill, before Tobias told her to tap the third (+!) symbol. He told her that it might be different than the rest.

“...”

“How about the fourth symbol?”

“Tobias, it’s probably going to be the same.”

“It might be different?”

“...”

It was the same message as the three previous messages. She let out an exasperated, half-annoyed glare at him, before she jabbed her finger towards the first Skill listed.

[Spear Mastery (Adept)] – Level 8 – Weapon Skill

Unlocks Intermediate Spear-derived Skills.

Your Skill with Spears is more than respectable.

Increases Damage with Spears by 48% (+4.8%)

Increases Efficiency with Spears by 48% (+4.8%)

[Sword Mastery (Veteran)] – Level 5 – Weapon Skill

Unlocks Advanced Sword-derived Skills

Your Skill with Swords is approaching excellent.

Increases Damage with Swords by 55% (+5.5%)

Increases Efficiency with Swords by 55% (+5.5%)

[Dagger Mastery (Novice)] – Level 1 – Weapon Skill

Unlocks Basic Dagger-derived Skills

Your Skill with Daggers is barely passable.

Increases Damage with Daggers by 10% (+1%)

Increases Efficiency with Daggers by 10% (+1%)

[Unarmed Combat (Adept)] – Level 1 – Martial Skill

Unlocks Intermediate Grapples and Techniques.

Your Skill in Unarmed Fighting is more than respectable.

Passively Increases Strength, Dexterity, Endurance by 4% (+0.4%)

These Bonuses are increased by 400% (+40%) when Unarmed.

Efficiency: The higher one’s Efficiency is, the less

Stamina/Mana they consume when using Skills.

Huh. Dagger Mastery was stretching it...

That was strange though, because he only remembered using a Dagger for... about half an hour, maximum. And the strangest part was; he was only using it as an offhand weapon at best.

But no matter. A Skill was a Skill, and he shouldn’t look in the gift horse mouth – or so the saying went.

“Are you dissatisfied with your Skills? They look good to me.”

“No, it’s not that...”

“What’s wrong, then.”

“I’m somewhat disappointed that I don’t have an opportunity to sharpen my non-sword [Skills].”

“... I didn’t even know you could use different weapons until now, you know?”

“Well, yeah. But we go Dungeon Delving a lot, and it’s usually cramped to the point where I can’t use a spear even if I wanted to.”

“Fair point.”

[Tracking (Instinct)] – MAX Level – Passive Skill

You are trained by a Hunter.

As long as you can see, hear or smell an animal, then you will eventually find it.

After all... A hunter must hunt.

Your own human senses limit your own ability.

Your maximum tracking distance is 500 Meters.

“So that’s how you’re so good at finding lost pets...”

“They’re scared of me, though.”

“Don’t you think it’s because you’re technically hunting them down?”

“... Understandable.”

[Thrown Weapon Expertise (Apprentice)] – Level 3 – Weapon Skill

Your Skills with Thrown Weapons is acceptable.

Increases Damage with Thrown Weapons (Spears, Axes) by 23%

Increases Range with Thrown Weapons (Spears, Axes) by 115%

Increases Efficiency with Thrown Weapons by 23%

[Throwing Knife Expertise (Grand Master)] – MAX Level – Weapon Skill

Your Skills with Throwing Knives is beyond human limitations.

You, who have shot down a high-flying bird with nothing but a throwing knife.

You have honed this skill to beyond what is considered perfection.

Increases Damage with Throwing Knives by 100%

Increases Range with Throwing Knives by 500%

You do not even need Efficiency.

Your casual throws are considered to be Skills of their own.

“What...? Is this... you did this?”

“It happened.”

“This is amazing and all... But I can’t deny that it kinda hurts my pride a little bit.”

“Why is that? Ah... you’re an Archer...”

“Mhm. But don’t worry about it, I’ve already accepted that fact, anyways...”

Tobias looked away from the interface. He turned towards Clara, and let his hand rest on her head. She instantly turned to face him with widened eyes, but her lips were set to a frown.

“Are you alright?” He asked, and felt himself frowning as well. This girl was dragged within this Abyss with him... and if she was sad in this realm and he didn’t do anything about it, then he knew that his own pride wouldn’t allow him to live with it.

And besides... This girl is his friend. She was important to him like that, especially now that she was capable of drawing his strength and pointing him in the right direction. But even if she wasn’t capable of doing that... She was still a friend of his.

It wasn’t like he only thought of her as important just because of her newfound ability to do so.

“... You’ve really grown more human.” Clara said, and then shook her head. Her eyes were the same color of the Abyss around them, yet they somehow shined within the darkness. “I don’t think the Marcus from a month ago would notice anything, or bother with me even if he did.”

“... I am not Marcus.” Tobias muttered, looking down.

‘Becoming the Hero that Marcus could not become...?’ What a naive, shallow reason... It was only a front he projected, simply because he was afraid of becoming too involved with people.

But in the end... These people... his party... they were his friends now. He wasn’t exactly pushing them away, but he wasn’t exactly the friendliest, either. It hurt. It hurt to lie to them about who he was, and to hide who he really was.

And yet... The Abyss only pushed his emotions down – dampened them, and made him analytical to a fault...

But he knew that such emotion suppression wouldn’t be applicable in the real world, when they finally woke up from this place...

“Exactly. You are not Marcus.” A hand gently touched his face, and he found Clara’s face just a short distance away from his. Her eyes shone their full radiance, even within those dark orbs. “You are Tobias, aren’t you?”

“I am...” He admitted.

“Then that simply means you can stop acting as Marcus, and be yourself.” She said, and it was hard to refute her when she was directly looking at him. “I’m not sure where Marcus ends and where Tobias begins, but I would like to know you better.”

He lightly chuckled. She tilted her head with confusion. “I didn’t know you could be so sophisticated like that.” Her eyes narrowed, and she gave an annoyed, childish glare. He developed an amused grin at her new expression. “That face fits you more, I think.”

“You’re not the only who changed this past month, you know...” She murmured to herself. And then her eyes looked down on his face, before they widened with surprise. Then she launched herself back with a speed that he didn’t know she possessed.

“Hey, are you alright?” He asked, as she hastily sat up, then turned around so that he wasn’t able to see her expression.

“I-I’m f-fine.” She stammered back.

“I see.” He nodded, letting out a great sigh. Then he fell on his back, and he was facing the sky (?) of the Abyss... Naturally, there was only darkness within the supposed skies of this place. “Are you tired? It is possible to rest here, after all.”

There was no reply from the other occupant of the Abyss. But from the corner of his vision, he could see that her head moved up and down in a nod, and he let out a smile.

“I’ll see you again tomorrow... or later, then. I’m not sure how time passes in this place.” He called out, and placed his arms beneath his head to serve as a pillow of sorts.

“Good night...” She called out timidly, and he let out a nod.

And with those words, he closed his eyes, and committed to drifting off to sleep. If his eyes stayed open for a few more seconds, he would have seen her turn around, and he would have seen the confused face she bore.

And he would have seen the words she silently mouthed; “But, what about the rest of your System tour...?”