Vision 4 - Scammed (4)
Just before the door was opened, I was watching as the big guy lowered his foot toward the woman's head.
I didn't want to care about who lived or died.
I was trying to convince myself that it was best to let things unfold as they were. That way, I could be certain about the future. If I created variables, they would only cause problems for me later.
It was for the best. Once again, I tried to convince myself.
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[ The Nubecula 'Who Likes Cigars And Candy' is holding his breath. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' has a concerned look. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Kafzeil' is smiling. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Razel' is observing you. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Yael' is observing you. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Belzeebub' is curious about your choice. ]
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The Nubeculas were watching too. I didn't care, but then... why am I conflicted? If I truly believe in my views, why does time seem to slow down?
I could see the big man's foot descending in slow motion. I could see the teenage girl's desperate face. I could see the regret in the determined look on the mother's face.
The words just came out of my mouth on their own.
"Share 'strength' and 'agility.'"
It was as if Persephone already knew my thoughts. As soon as the words left my mouth, notifications flooded in.
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[ The benefit of the Soul Contract has been used. ]
[ The higher existence 'Persephone' has shared her stats with the lower existence Arthur. ]
[ The strength and agility stats have been shared. ]
[ Strength Lvl.4 -> Strength Lvl.54 ]
[ Agility Lvl.4 -> Agility Lvl.57 ]
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It was a massive increase in stats. For a moment, I wondered what Persephone's actual stats were. I was sure they were much higher than what I'd received.
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[ Your body is not suitable for such a huge increase in stats. A time limit has been set. ]
[ Time Limit: 10 minutes ]
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Of course, there was a time limit. Honestly, I was feeling pretty stressed right now. It was as if my muscles would explode if I took a single step.
At that moment, another message appeared.
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[ The Exclusive Skill 'False Awakening' has reduced the strain on your body. ]
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My exclusive skill took effect, and I felt much better. I took a step and moved at superhuman speed.
I first reached the mature woman. The big man's foot was inches above her head. I dragged her out from under it just in time. She seemed to notice me—her eyes, wide and shaking, locked onto mine. Her agility was truly her strongest stat.
I smirked at her, then lifted her over one shoulder. Next, I moved to her daughter and lifted her onto my other shoulder.
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[ The Active Skill 'Flight Lvl.9' has been shared. ]
[ The skill level has exceeded your limit. ]
[ The effect of the Active Skill 'Flight' has been greatly reduced. ]
[ The Active Skill 'Flight Lvl.1' is activated. ]
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I activated the flight skill and, with all the agility stats, flew out through the window I'd entered. In an instant, I was at the forest tree near the shed. It wasn't far—I could still see inside the shed through the window.
I set the mother-daughter pair down on the ground, their backs against the tree trunk, and then canceled all the skills. As soon as I did, a wave of fatigue rushed over me. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.
"Argh..."
I leaned against the tree trunk, sitting upright. Then, messages started appearing before my eyes.
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[ The Nubecula 'Kafzeil' is satisfied with your action. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Kafzeil' comments: "Marvelous." ]
[ 2000 points have been donated. ]
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2000 points? He was being extremely generous.
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[ The Nubecula 'Who Likes Cigars And Candy' comments: "I don't like your heroic cliché." ]
[ 1000 points have been donated. ]
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Why was this guy acting like a tsundere? I was being watched by some seriously weird Nubeculas.
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[ The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' is proud of your action. ]
[ 1000 points have been donated. ]
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They were giving me too many points. What was going on? This wasn't normal.
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[ The Nubecula 'Razel' likes your dramatic exit. ]
[ 100 points have been donated. ]
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Finally, someone normal showed up. 100 points weren't too much.
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[ The Nubecula 'Yael' is observing you. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Belzeebub' is observing you. ]
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' is watching you with shining eyes. ]
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Multiple messages appeared in front of me. As soon as I read the last notification, I felt as if the ground had slipped out from under me.
"Uhhhh..."
A groan escaped my mouth. I was still sore from the fatigue. For some reason, 'False Awakening' didn't activate to ease it this time.
"Are you alright?"
A sweet, thin voice caught my attention. It was the teenage girl I'd saved. She looked concerned. Well, she should be—my body was aching all over the place. But I didn't have time to dwell on it.
I checked the notifications again, and it was still the same. It really was 'Gumiho.' I felt like my days of peace were slipping away.
Gumiho is a Korean name for the nine-tailed fox, famous in Japanese mythology. According to legend, if a fox lives past a thousand years, it becomes a spirit capable of taking on different forms, with its favorite being a young, beautiful woman.
It might sound good that someone like her is taking an interest in me, but in the 'Milky-Way Revelation,' Gumiho is infamous for spreading rumors. She's as cunning as the legends say. So, someone like her taking an interest in me was not good news. But all I can do is shed some crocodile tears.
"Hey, why are you crying? Are you that hurt?"
I looked at the girl again. She had a concerned look on her face, taking my tears seriously.
"Yes. I'm hurt, and I feel tired."
I answered blankly, without any denial. Her expression grew even more concerned.
"What are you talking about? You should just feel a little tired after overexerting yourself."
Astral-Persephone looked at me as if she didn't fully believe me. I ignored her—it wasn't like I could talk to her with all these Nubeculas watching. And who knew what Gumiho might do?
"Then why did you save us? You weren't obligated to."
This time, the voice had a mature charm with a defeated tone. It came from the mother of the girl. She was leaning against the tree trunk, her head down.
I tried to stand up. My legs were still a little numb, making it difficult. The girl reached out to support me, but I raised my hand to stop her and walked toward her mother.
"What's the problem? In the end, everyone came out alive."
Hearing my calm statement, the mother looked up at me. I hadn't noticed before, but there were tears in her eyes—genuine tears.
What is this?
She looked pitiful. I had the urge to hug her, but I didn't. Now that I looked at both of them, the teenage girl had an innocent look that made her appear cute, while the mature woman had an hourglass figure—not too exaggerated—and looked truly beautiful. Still, neither could compare to Persephone. I doubt anyone could.
Both of their clothes were dirty from the battle. They wore simple white garments under light leather armor. They were agility-type fighters through and through.
Points in this world aren't easy to come by. You either get them from Nubeculas or through hidden and miscellaneous scripts. All of those are hard to find, so people tend to invest their points in one characteristic to specialize in it.
The mother looked into my eyes and spoke.
"You're weird."
"Maybe I am."
I shrugged. Maybe I really am weird. I hadn't wanted to save them at first, but then I'd done the exact opposite of what I thought I should do.
"Are you really alright? Let me check if you have any injuries."
The teenage girl asked the same question again, while I could see her gaze slipping to her mother. That was where her real concern lay, but It seemed she felt she should at least check my injuries since I'd saved them.
I looked at her, but my gaze shifted past her, through the window into the shed. A man in a military uniform was in the middle of the arena. The referee and the military officer were talking.
As I watched the officer speaking to the people inside the arena, a message flashed before my eyes.
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[ Your mentality is greatly shaken. ]
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I recognized him. The thought echoed in my head.
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[ The Exclusive Skill 'False Awakening' is activated. ]
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"Timothy Sullivan," I mouthed the words in a whisper.
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[ The Active Skill 'Prescient Description Lvl.1' is activated. ]
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[ Name: Timothy Sullivan
Age: 38 years old
Blessing: None (one is showing interest)
Active Attribute: Defender of Justice (General)
Active Skills: Encourage Lvl.2, Word Detection Lvl.2, Weapon Training Lvl.4, Problem Solving Lvl.2, Sword Training Lvl.4
Passive Skills: Adaptability Lvl.1, Self-Confidence Lvl.3, Sense of Justice Lvl.3
Overall Stats: Strength Lvl.81, Stamina Lvl.78, Agility Lvl.74, Magic Power Lvl.69
Description: The existence has an immense sense of justice. He is ambitious and prideful. He wants to make the world a better place and reach a higher ranking. Currently searching for someone important. ]
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He might not look like much—well, compared to me, he is like a god. Strength 81? In a normal world, he could lift a building without breaking a sweat.
He's an important figure for the future. His blessing section shows that one Nubecula is interested in blessing him.
If I remember correctly, after he rises to an even higher military rank and strengthens his position, his Sense of Justice attribute reaches a level where a Nubecula decides to bless him.
He'll also be very useful when an overload of dark matter occurs. And there will be various 'scripts' in the future where his skills will come in handy.
There's just one problem: the guy is a justice freak and a hypocrite. Hear me out, If you're standing in front of your enemy with a gun in your hand, he's the type who'll lecture you on how noble it is to spare that person. Why the hold up? The enemy is an enemy not because spat on a roadside.
I really don't want to deal with someone like him.
Mhmm... no way... no how... I'll just avoid him.
He also has trust issues—bigger than mine. He thinks everyone else is a criminal.
As I was processing this, I realized I was familiar with the scenario involving Timothy.
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[ You recognize the scenario. Your perception has increased. ]
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My perception increased, and a scene from my dreams flashed through my mind.
<...The officer walked around the shed, inspecting the people present. He quickly scanned everyone in one motion...>
<...He was about to turn and walk away when he heard a voice.
"Hey, you big guy."
The voice belonged to the referee of the arena, who oversaw the matches...
...You came and... the mother-daughter pair disappeared.>
<...The officer searched the area outside the shed. He found a mature woman and a teenage girl sitting beside the window...>
<...The officer approached them. The girl flinched a little, but the woman just looked confused.
"Hello, little girl. I'm Officer Timothy Sullivan."...>
I recalled the scene. I turned my head and used the new skill I'd acquired on the mother-daughter pair.
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[ The Active Skill 'Prescient Description Lvl.1' is activated. ]
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[ Name: Charlotte Fedora
Age: 17 years old
Blessing: None
Active Attribute: Preserver of the Loved One (General)
Active Skills: Dual-Blade Lvl.1, Dagger-Wielding Lvl.2, Battle Training Lvl.1
Passive Skills: Confidence Lvl.1, Common Sense Lvl.1, Learning Lvl.2
Overall Stats: Strength Lvl.26, Stamina Lvl.38, Agility Lvl.39, Magic Power Lvl.25
Description: She is confident and thinks with common sense. She is extremely eager to learn new things. Currently worried about her mother.
Right now, the person is under a Slave Contract.
]
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[ Name: Dianna Fedora
Age: 42 years old
Blessing: None (two are showing interest)
Active Attribute: Jane Foole (General)
Active Skills: Dagger-Wielding Lvl.3, Battle Decision Lvl.1, Absolute Sense Lvl.2, Dual-Blade Lvl.2
Passive Skills: Defeated Lvl.3, Cautious Lvl.2, Analyzing Lvl.1
Overall Stats: Strength Lvl.31, Stamina Lvl.41, Agility Lvl.45, Magic Power Lvl.29
Description: Jane Foole, a spark of potential hidden within. Right now, due to extremely low self-confidence, her growth has been halted.
Right now, the person is under a Slave Contract.
]
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Suddenly, I understood the whole situation.
Damn it! I've been scammed!