Chapter 14: Gloria’s shock.

Sometimes the reality is even more unbelievable than a piece of fiction.

Teo had never expected to meet Gloria, who was an important person, in the dungeon. Her status was beyond even an A-grade citizen. No matter which base camp she goes to, the higher-ups there would be willing to be her servants and tend to her every need. Money, status, and power; she had them all on the tip of her finger.

On the other hand, he was barely qualified to be a D-grade citizen. He had nothing, not even freedom. Any passing official could scold or hit him, and he would have no choice but to endure it with a smile. Resistance means punishment.

He didn’t even have a surname and grew up in an orphanage whose matron kicked him out after he reached five years old. You are old enough to earn your keep— were her exact words before she threw him outside the establishment on a hot day.

They were like heaven and hell apart.

Yet, someone like her was asking him to join her team. It would have been more believable if she was pranking him.

Teo used [Mind over Body] to manipulate his right arm and slapped his cheeks. He didn’t even care about the depletion of WIL. Ouch! It hurts. I’m awake and not hallucinating. So that means…

“I— I…” What could he say? What should he even say? All he could think of was how it would be an opportunity for him.

After this fight against the level two zombie, Teo got to know the shortcomings of going solo. There was no one to watch his back. Moreover, a lack of adequate knowledge of the dungeon and its monsters made him misjudge their threat level, which nearly sent him to his death. He shuddered to think what would have happened had Gloria not been there.

“What with that face? You don’t want to?” Gloria had been on the receiving end of Teo’s colorful facial expressions and weird actions. At first, she just let them slide, but his continued silence annoyed her. Among her peers, she was not known for one to have a lot of patience— which was ironic considering her preferred style of combat leaned towards sniping and cover-fire.

Teo was pulled back from his reverie by Gloria’s impatience-filled question. He peeked at her face and smiled secretly after seeing her furrowed brows. She was nervous. Maybe she isn’t that different from us after all.

“I’d love to.” He admitted, showing her one of his best smiles. He would have to be a fool of the highest order to let go of this opportunity.

Gloria returned his smile with a lopsided grin. “You made the best choice of your life. haha”

XXX

“So, how long are you gonna be like that?” Gloria asked, curious about Teo’s condition. “If it’ll be too long, then I can carry you to a safer place that I know.”

Teo took a peek at the notification and shook his head, “five more minutes.”

“I just saw you moving your hands, though. What’s up with that?” She looked at him suspiciously. Was he lying to her?

“It’s a skill,” Teo replied.

“Ohhhh… sounds like quite an amazing skill.” She didn’t know what else to say. She was quite skeptical about his claim, but for the time being, she pushed back her inquiries to a later time. “Aaaaaaanyway, since we still have five minutes before your full recovery, let’s exchange basic pleasantries, shall we?”

“Yes. Of course, we should.” Teo understood what she meant by exchanging pleasantries. It was about giving a basic rundown on your [Class] without revealing too much. Just enough information to form a synergy with others in the team. Teo had been running around with hunters for years; he knew some of their usual protocols.

“Great.” She clapped her hands and nodded her head. “I’ll go first then. I’m Level 8 and don’t have a class, yet. Most of my points were distributed between AGI and MAG. I’ve got three offensive skills and one support skill.” She boasted with a proud look on her face. “How is it? Am I strong or not?”

“Very strong.” Giving a thumbs up was impossible, so Teo settled for a nod. He had already seen what she was capable of, so there were no lingering doubts in his heart about her prowess. If she can topple over nine zombies and one level two zombie in a split second— she was already better than average joe [Player].

“Thank you. Now, it is your turn.” She said, expectations reflecting on her face. She wanted to learn more about the brave man who dared to take on a level two on his own. He must be really confident with himself if he went ahead with that plan.

Teo followed Gloria’s blueprints as he recited the bits about himself. “I’m Level 5, and like you, I don’t have a class either. I have added all my points to WIL, with occasional ones thrown into MAG. One offensive—”

“Wait,” Gloria pushed her palm out, interjecting him in mid-sentence.

Teo stopped talking, furrowed his brows, and threw her an annoyed gaze. Stopping him just when he was about to get to the good part, she better have a good excuse. “Yes?” He grunted out a reply.

Gloria could care less about this sudden shift in his attitude. There was something else that she had to make clear; because she believed she heard something pretty outrageous for a second. “You added most of your points to WIL? As in the one that governs mental toughness, right?”

“Yes,” Teo nodded, confused.

“Why?” She fired back, her eyes growing in size. She couldn’t make a sense of his actions. There were five other stats where he could have distributed his points and gotten tangible benefits. Why did he waste them all on an attribute which didn’t have too many practical usages? Is there a hidden trick I don’t know about? She questioned her knowledge of various stats and their functions.

“What do you mean ‘why’? Why else would you think I added points there other than to resist the wraith cries?” Teo said in a matter-of-fact tone. What’s her deal? Why would she ask such an obvious question?

Wait a second! She didn’t mention anything about WIL. That means she never added points to that attribute. Then, how did she resist those negative status effects? The system clearly advised me to add points to WIL.

“Are you serious? Please tell me you are not.” Gloria said in a pleading tone— her face paling just a little. She hoped and even wished for him to admit it as a joke. Unfortunately, the look coloring his face at the moment told her everything she needed to know. Teo wasn’t joking with her. This mad lad had really added all his points to WIL.

“I am serious, though. Those cries do come in odd times. I didn’t want to get caught up in it while in the middle of a battle.” Teo said, his voice coming off in a much more somber undertone. “How do you resist [Fear]? I don’t think you have added any points to WIL.” He asked, curious.

“Reverse flow breathing.” She shrugged her shoulders. “They taught us this method in high school. How come you didn’t know about this?”

“Oh, I see,” Teo sighed and rested his head on his hands. No wonder he didn’t know of the existence of such a wonderful technique. They were reserved for those who were allowed to attend the schools. If only he could go to one. I wouldn’t have wasted so many points on WIL if I knew about that method. Come to think of it, didn’t it make me stronger either way? I don’t think I’ve suffered a loss, though.

“I’ve never been to a high school.”