Spoils of Battle

Levin lay on the stretcher, drenched in cold sweat, as his two colleagues carried him toward the police station.

"Let's head back to the camp first; we'll discuss your distribution of call girl advertisements later," Ellie's tone had shifted from concern to one tinged with cold disdain.

"Sergeant... I can explain..." Seeing his social death looming—or rather, already upon him—Levin desperately racked his brain for any plausible excuse.

One of his colleagues, who was carrying him, couldn't resist chiming in, "Oh? Explain what, exactly? Did you have a stress-induced dream about Maier enjoying 'Black Gold Temptation' while unconscious? So, you thoughtfully tucked a poster into his bed for his... fantasies?" At this, even Ellie's gaze toward Levin grew more contemptuous.

Damn, they beat me to it.

"No, Sergeant, it's not like that, it's just..."

"Enough. I don't want to hear it right now. More importantly, do you have any idea why someone attacked you?"

"Sergeant, honestly, as a guardsman who's only been on duty for seven days, I can't think of anyone who would harbor such hatred toward me to send a death warrior and a supernatural to kill me." As Ellie shifted the conversation to the serious matter, Levin breathed a sigh of relief, though his brow furrowed in thought. He genuinely couldn't fathom any force bearing such deep enmity against him.

In the past few days on duty, his main tasks had been driving away fraudulent agents who preyed on outsiders and shutting down small shops operating without a business license.

Would doing that in Weimar warrant assassination by a death warrior? Do they really have the time for that?

"Fortunately, you were quick-witted enough to capture one of them alive," Ellie glanced at the black-robed man being carried by another guardsman—the same assailant Levin had knocked out after extracting the poison capsule from his tooth. The moment reinforcements arrived, they had bound the man tightly. "Once we bring him to the station and interrogate him properly, we'll naturally uncover the truth."

"Sergeant Ellie, death warriors typically don't say much."

"No matter, we might still glean some useful information. But on that note, Levin, your performance was impressive." Sergeant Ellie's eyes flickered with surprise as she glanced at Levin.

"According to you, you first captured this death warrior in a one-on-one fight despite being ambushed, and then you held your ground against a speed-type supernatural until I arrived.

"I'm impressed with your abilities. Keep it up. Once you've recovered, I'll appoint you as acting deputy sergeant."

Levin's colleagues looked at him with envious eyes. He had worked in obscurity for three years as a trainee, and within just seven days of becoming a full-fledged guard, he had earned Sergeant Ellie's admiration and even been promised the position of acting deputy sergeant.

Ellie's previous deputy had been promoted to sergeant due to merit and was assigned to another unit. The position of deputy sergeant was currently vacant, and according to the city guard's rules, only supernaturals could hold officer ranks, though acting deputies could be appointed with more flexibility.

There was no second supernatural in Ellie's squad, and based on recent combat performance, Levin was undoubtedly the strongest.

Not only had he withstood an attack from a strength-type supernatural seven days earlier, but he had also managed to survive a deadly encounter with both a death warrior and a speed-type supernatural, scoring one kill and one assist.

Whether in terms of courage or skill, Levin had earned everyone's recognition, making him well-deserving of the acting deputy sergeant position.

So while his colleagues were envious, there was little resentment or jealousy.

The only issue was his rather malicious sense of humor when it came to pranking his fellow guards...

"Don't worry about that for now. Focus on recovering, then report to my office. I don't know what's up with you, Levin—barely a few days into your new role, and you've already fought two supernaturals. It's just..." Ellie shook her head, unsure whether to attribute Levin's luck to fortune or misfortune.

In the normal course of duties, a city guard might at most assist in fighting a single supernatural, but Levin had already faced two alone and lived to tell the tale—though it left him bedridden for days each time. Still, it suggested he possessed remarkable combat potential, perhaps even the ability to break through and become a supernatural himself.

Hearing Ellie's words, Levin temporarily pushed aside his worries.

Since they had captured a live enemy, it would be up to others to handle the interrogation and uncover the truth. For now, his priority was to heal.

But given how intense the battle had been, there should be some movement in the system, right? Levin thought, opening his system interface.

[Successful Deception! Earned Trickster Myth Points: 42]

[Current Myth Rank: One (42/100)]

A bountiful harvest! Levin's eyes lit up as he reviewed his deception records. The most points were gained during the illusion's shattering and his bluff against the curved-blade man, totaling 30 points, while the remaining 12 came from his illusions attacking simultaneously during the battle.

"Illusions being attacked means the enemy was misled by me. Simultaneous attacks by two illusions also caused misleading effects on the enemy. Perhaps the acquisition of Myth Points is related to the target's level and the impact of the deception?" Levin mused, trying to deduce the system's criteria as he continued browsing the system information.

[Congratulations to the Host for Achieving the Achievement: First Blood]

[Description: Everyone takes their first step, often on someone else's last.]

[Reward: Unlock Combat Profession System and Earn 100 Experience Points]

[Current Combat Level: Warrior Apprentice 0 (+) (1024/1000)]

Levin placed his hands on his chest, trying to steady his racing heart. If the Myth Points had made him excited, this reward was enough to make his eyes gleam with anticipation.

According to his drill sergeant during training, he was just one step away from becoming a warrior-type supernatural—translated into system terms, he needed 1000 experience points to reach Level 1 Warrior. He had 924 experience points.

And now, this achievement had conveniently awarded him 100 experience points, meaning he could now become a supernatural!

Had he been a supernatural, the previous battle wouldn't have been nearly as harrowing; he might have even been able to defeat the curved-blade man with his illusions.

[Achievement Unlocked: Narrow Escape]

[Description: You've cheated death—yet again, perhaps?]

[Reward: You've gained the Feat [Resilient] (Gain Extra Maximum Health Points)]

What does that mean? Are you saying my transmigration counts as one, and nearly getting hacked to death and then saved counts as another cheat? Isn't that cheating the cheater? Levin mentally grumbled at the system, noting the new feat listed in his system's skill column. With the appearance of the [Resilient] feat, Levin felt a surge of vitality from within, even making his current injuries seem less severe.

"This feat is quite practical," Levin felt the new surge of vitality within him, realizing he might heal a few days sooner.

[You have earned the title: Call Girl Ambassador] 

[Description: You have diligently recommended suitable call girls to those around you, establishing yourself as a renowned ambassador for such services.] 

[Reward (effective upon wearing): +10 Affinity with Call Girls]

Who needs such a reward! Levin was so infuriated that he almost lost his breath, closing his eyes to calm himself.

After much deliberation, Levin chose to equip the title—after all, having it was better than not. It might prove useful.

Having reviewed all the achievement and title information, Levin was carried to the infirmary by his colleagues. After receiving emergency treatment from the guard doctors, Levin was left to rest alone in a private ward.

Levin hesitated over whether to invest his precious 1000 experience points into leveling up to a warrior, considering that his system seemed more suited to the combat styles of wanderers or mages.

"I don't know where the attackers came from, but given the significant losses they suffered and the fact that we captured one alive, they are unlikely to let this go..."

"Therefore, enhancing my strength is paramount. The sooner I gain more power, the safer I will be..."

"Almost forgot, my sergeant is a werewolf." Levin recalled Ellie's heroic demeanor while saving him and her initial concern when he was injured, making it difficult to reconcile with the image of a brutal, bloodthirsty werewolf.

Does she have some hidden agenda? From the descriptions of the chaotic mark, it could be a passive imprint or perhaps a curse.

With only a few days' acquaintance, it is hard to determine whether Ellie's inherent nature is kind, or if her apparent compassion is merely a facade concealing a brutal wolf.

What is her true motive? If she is pretending, what could her purpose be within the guard force? If the kind, caring Ellie is her true self, wouldn't joining the guard be akin to walking into a trap?

Could she maintain her disguise for a year or two, with monthly transformations, without detection?

Moreover, even if her nature is kind, the wolf blood mark would increasingly make her more bloodthirsty and savage. As long as she lives, her sanity would be eroded day by day...

Levin ultimately decided to invest in leveling up as a warrior apprentice.

There were too many lurking threats to afford leisurely consideration.

Feeling like he was strapped with two ticking time bombs, Levin was filled with a sense of urgency. The only way to ensure survival was to grow stronger.

[Combat Level Up!] 

[Base Attributes Enhanced!] 

[Current Combat Level: Warrior 1 (1024/3000)] 

[Reward Feats: Mighty Strike, Follow-Up Slash, Combat Reflexes]

Levin felt a warm power spreading through his body, transforming him. The shackles of mortal limitations were easily dissolved by this new force, elevating his physique to that of a supernatural being.

Even his injuries had improved significantly.

His mind also presented the information and usage details for the three new feats.

[Mighty Strike: Focus your strength on your next attack to increase its damage, similar to a power strike, but with a slight decrease in accuracy. You can choose whether to activate it.]

"This is far superior to the typical mighty strike and game-based power attacks," Levin thought with delight. Typical warriors could use a power strike to unleash greater force, but it required a recovery period before reuse. The more seasoned warriors had shorter recovery times, but a period was always necessary.

In D&D-like games, mighty strike is a common feat, generally reducing accuracy to enhance damage. 

Here, however, Mighty Strike seems to apply the power strike effect to every attack, which is a significant improvement.

Levin was well aware of the power of a mighty strike, having been defeated by one previously. Just this feat alone brought him immense satisfaction. What about the other two feats?

Levin shifted his focus to the remaining feats.

[Follow-Up Slash: When you break through an enemy's defense, you can immediately attack another target within range.]

"So this is how it works..." Follow-Up Slash is also familiar from D&D-style games, where hitting one enemy allows a subsequent attack on another within range. However, here, the effect seems slightly altered.

"What exactly constitutes breaking through a defense? I'll need to test this in combat..."

Levin turned his attention to the final feat, Combat Reflexes.

Combat Reflexes was also familiar to Levin, generally increasing the number of opportunity attacks in games. What would its effect be here?

[Combat Reflexes: When you detect an enemy's weakness during battle, you can immediately exploit it with an attack.]

"This effect differs greatly from the game version... It seems practical experience will be needed to assess its effectiveness..."

"Nevertheless, after the upgrade, my physique feels significantly improved. Perhaps after some rest, I'll be able to get out of bed and train. There will be opportunities for sparring then."