- Someone Else Can Level Up? II
Later that night...
"I'm done for today; let's see what that woman wants from me." Frizz whispered, grabbing his jacket and heading outside as he was done with today's shift. (I was supposed to visit Mill today, but that can wait.)
Frizz was suddenly tapped from behind, catching his attention. "Frizz, I am glad you made up with Mina." Mr. Sim chuckled, looking at Frizz with proud, joyful eyes. "Mina's a good worker, just focused and goal-oriented."
(What a nice way of saying that she's very competitive.) Frizz thought, slightly rolling his eyes but no longer having a single feeling of dislike towards her coworker. "Well, we made up. If it weren't for that gang attack, we wouldn't be on the best terms."
"Ah yes, I remember. Anyways, be careful." Mr. Sim leaned closer, whispering. "She's the jealous type, I can tell," Mr. Sim whispered as he winked, chuckling.
"Oh, the wonders of youth." Mr. Sim quipped as he crossed his arms.
"Jealous? Jealous of what?"
"You're buddy-buddy with that new worker, Yani. I caught Mina several times these past few days, glaring at you two."
Frizz furrowed his brows, looking away, deep in thought. "Anyways, I won't keep you. Good work today." Mr. Sim waved his hand, heading back inside the convenience store.
"Jealous..." Frizz uttered, trying to wrack his mind around his boss's words. (Nah, that can't be; she has a boyfriend.)
"Hey, Frizz!" In perfect timing, Mina called from the convenience store. "Want to head home together? It's been a while."
(How many times have I rejected some of her offers? I've lost count.)
"Sorry, Mina. I have some urgent business to do; maybe we can walk home together and have a snack tomorrow night?"
Mina's eyes widened in surprise and excitement. Those were the words she had been waiting to hear, an invitation. "Yes! I mean, of course."
"See you tomorrow." Frizz waved goodbye, walking away as Mina bore her sights on his back.
Three minutes later...
Frizz looked around, noting the absence of a certain woman. "Where the hell is she? She wanted to meet me here," he mulled, sighing and scratching his head.
(This better not be a trap or something.)
"Up here." A voice emanated from above; it was Divine flying around.
"Aren't you scared? That you'd be seen?" Frizz asked, noting her carefree attitude.
"When you're able to fly, trust me, you'll do it more often than walking. The freedom is just too great. Anyways, before we get to brass tacks, let's spar."
Frizz stepped back, unsure of what to say. "S-spar? You're clearly a high level and we just met; why would I spar with you? Do you greet other people who can level up this way?"
Divine lightly scoffed, noting his apprehension. "I apologize for being forward; however, I do need to see how you'd fare against a fellow leveler. Think of this as some sort of litmus test."
"It's just policy at this point. Hei, our boss, is very interested in you for some reason."
(Hei, I wonder what kind of a person he is.) Frizz thought as he crossed his arms. "You guys have been stalking me for a while, haven't you?"
Divine chuckled, not answering his question. "If you spar with me, I'll give you this experience shard." She produced a mineral, crystal in appearance, and had a faint white glow to it. "This should be enough to level you up. You're level fourteen, right? This should be enough to level you up to fifteen."
Frizz furrowed his brow, forming a serious look. (An experience shard? I can level up ASAP, but in exchange, I'll be beaten to a pulp.)
Divine stretched, slightly bouncing her chest, then straightened up, squinted her eyes, glared intently, and ruffled her hair. "It's a nice night to spar, don't you think?"
"Give it to me first." Frizz held out his hand.
"Give me that first, and I'll fight you. You want enjoyment, right? Maybe that 'fight-first' policy is true, but I can tell you're just eager to throw it down, not spar."
He demanded, putting his foot forward. "It's not fun to beat up a level fourteen, so why not a level fifteen?" Divine crossed her arms, licking her lips as she contemplated the conditions.
"I am not going to run away if that's what you think," he assured, causing her to snicker.
"Yeah, that'd be dumb. I can catch up in a jiff." Divine smiled, putting her hand on her hip and tossing the experience shard to him. "Just bite on it."
Frizz caught the shard with his right hand and immediately bit down, eager to level up and grow stronger, and not caring if it was a lie or a trick.
[System]
Experience shard used: 500 experience absorbed.
(500 experience, that's enough to level me up twice!) Frizz exclaimed internally, glancing at the squinting and smiling woman. (Did she knew about this?)
[System]
New name is now level 15.
Select a perk: [Mark of Decrepitude II], [Poker Face], [Convincing Words], [Wind Dash], [Conduit Tips].
He shrugged his thoughts away, focusing on the perk selections. "Wind Dash."
[System]
New name received: [Wind Dash]
Displaying descriptions: When the skill
The system notified him again. "I don't think I leveled up twice in a row. This is a nice feeling." He muttered, barely hiding a grin.
[System]
New name is now level 16.
Select a perk: [Gluttonous Approach II], [Sturdy Bones], [Pumped Up], [Efficient Spellcaster],[Long-caster].
"Sturdy Bones." He selected but with great hesitation. (Not my first pick, but I am about to have my ass kicked; this should help me somewhat.)
[System]
New name received: [Sturdy Bones]
Displaying descriptions: The perk user's bones are moderately stronger than average; fractures heal slightly better.
(I knew it was a good choice. Stronger bones means I can punch harder and tank more blunt damage.) He mused, not hiding his grin and making Divine whistle in astonishment.
"I guess I miscalculated the experience boost. I should've given you the smaller shard, but oh well." Divine shrugged her shoulders, somewhat happy with her miscalculation.
(Sturdy Bones and Wind Dash perks, huh? He's focusing on the defense, it seems.) Divine mused, curious and slowly growing impatient. (Sparring with the other third rates are mostly restricted, and fighting summons are hardly interesting anymore. This should be a good fight.)
"Spar, I mean." Divine corrected her line of thought, adjusting her sports bra. (This is a spar, not a fight; tone it down.) her impulses almost exploding.
[System]
Fighter perk upgrade: [✬High Morale II✬]
Description: Confidence boosts the perk user with even greater physical prowess, but fear and doubt greatly weaken the perk user's physical prowess.
Fighter skill upgrade:
Description: When activated, the perk user's movement and running speed are doubled for thirty seconds. (15)
White Knight perk upgrade: [✬White Knight's Constitution II✬]
Description: The perk user is immune to most toxins, venoms, and poisons.
White Knight skill upgrade:
Description: Significantly more glittering pink and white pretty flowers harmlessly explode outwards from the body, providing significant obstruction or party effects. (6)
Frizz smiled upon seeing the upgrades of his class perks but furrowed his brows upon looking at the next system notification.
[System]
Fighter perk acquired: [✬Antibody✬]
Description: Slightly increases the perk user's immune response against diseases and viruses. Recovery from illness occurs twice as fast.
Fighter skill acquired:
Description: Moderately increases neural processing of information speed, allowing the user to perceive the world in almost slow motion for fifteen seconds. (10)
(This isn't right; where are the white knight perks and skills? I should be acquiring new ones.) He eyes the woman in front of her, obviously growing impatient. "Give me a moment; something's wrong," he excused.
"Oh? What kind?"
(Should I tell her? No wait, I should tell her; she knows a lot more compared to me.)
"It's my subclass; I never received new perks and skills after reaching level sixteen. Do you know why?"
"Oh..." Divine smacked her lips, kicking the dirt beneath the ground, and began to explain. "Well, not all classes and subclasses are equal. The same goes for perks, skills, and talents."
"See, some subclasses aren't very strong, and their leveling is very limited. Some have a maximum of two or three levels until they're maxed. Subclasses are there to supplement your class, not replace it."
"Classes are similar; you second-rate levelers get a class every ten levels, and if you CHOOSE to get a new class, then you stop getting perks or upgrades for your previous class. Ultimately, it is all up to you."
"Will you get a new class and broaden your capabilities, or will you stick to one class and maximize it until you reach the level cap?" Divine added, raising both her arms. "Of course there are exceptions and outliers, but they're rare."
"As for perks, some can upgrade while some can't. Those that can have limits; some can be upgraded twice or thrice. The usual maximum tier that you can acquire is the fifth," Divine explained with no hint of condescension, often making gestures with her hands to emphasize her words. "The same thing applies to skills."
Divine lowered into a fighting stance, right foot forward as she dragged her left behind, and placed her right elbow up, almost covering her face and ready to fight. "So, if you're not getting any upgrades or new perks for your subclass, then you've hit that maximum level of it."
"I can explain more, but you have a deal to uphold, don't you think?" Divine playfully winked, charging forward and producing a gust of wind behind.