章節 19: Chapter 19: The Path To Take
Sat with crossed legs on top of his bed, Julius stared at a letter.
He was alone inside of his plain room. Although it lacked electricity, was cold and dim with the only source of light being a candle, he felt relaxed in there.
'It's been a long day today… It's still 3:30 AM too, I should probably get some sleep…' He thought to himself as he stared at the letter.
[Mandatory.]
It was the enrollment letter to the specialised military school for awakeners.
'But I can't decide… will going to there truly make me stronger? For starters, I won't be able to stay here and protect Lyra and Ava if I go… Although if we all go together, that would change things but…'
"Haa… I'll decide after going to the local hunters organisation first thing in the morning." Julius sighed, leaning back against the wall.
He placed the letter down and his eyes flickered to the screen beside him.
'Now as for you…'
[Mails] (2)
[You've completed 'Main Quest: Ice Troll Slayer'.]
[Completion rewards have arrived.]
[Would you like to receive it?] (Y/N)
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[You have levelled up.]
[You have one levelling point available.]
[Would you like to exchange it?] (Y/N)
'Let's start with the quest rewards.'
[Completion rewards for the Main Quest: 'Ice Troll Slayer' has been received.]
[You may choose from the following rewards:]
[Option 1 - Three additional stat points.]
[Option 2 - Shell Game.]
[Option 3 - 50 Experience Points.]
Julius stared at the completion rewards for the main quest.
'I put you on hold because I had a lot going on back then… but now i can finally choose you. Shell game.'
[You have selected option 2: Shell Game.]
The instant he received the notification, his eyes narrowed as a large highlighted table digitalised before him.
It was a simple table with three cups on top.
On the table were three cups. The cup in middle was slowly raised up into the air before a black ball suddenly manifested below it.
The cup fell over the ball and covered it, hiding it from plain sight.
[The shell game will now begin.]
Julius watched as the cups spun around slowly moving in between one another.
After a few seconds of the slow moving spins, it stopped.
[The user must now select which cup holds the ball.]
"Ah… so it's that kind of game. It's a good thing I kept my eyes on the cup with the ball. It's the cup on the far left… this one." Said Julius as he pointed at the left cup.
The cup slowly rose up into the air, revealing the ball hidden beneath it.
[You have successfully chosen the correct cup.]
[Would you like to end the game here and claim your reward?]
[Or would you rather, risk it all and continue on to the second round for a better reward?]
Julius placed his hand beneath his chin, stroking an imaginary beard.
'Last time I didn't end up taking the risk with the casino gambling because it was up to chance… but this… isn't this something that requires skill?'
Julius leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees as he grinned.
"Alright, let's do this. Continue."
[The second round of the shell game will now begin.]
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Julius's eyes were a bulging red, they moved left and right non stop as he struggled to keep up with the speed of the spinning cups.
Even though it was just three cups and he only needed to keep his eyes on one.
It felt impossible. The cups were moving so fast they began to blur.
Despite that, Julius's eyes never stopped. He strained them so they could keep up, he didn't even blink.
And just before he could lose sight of the cup-
It stopped.
[The user must now select which cup holds the ball.]
Julius breathed heavily, and nervously pointed at the cup in the far right.
[You have successfully chosen the correct cup.]
[Would you like to end the game here and claim your reward?]
[Or would you rather, risk it all and continue on to the sixth round for a better-]
'End the game here!' He yelled internally
[Ending the game…]
[Congratulations! You have acquired a Nightmare Key!]
Julius's eyes widened as the table with cups which had manifested began to glow before slowly taking the shape of a small dark key.
Julius inspected the key, his brows raised in surprise.
'A key…? What the hell am I supposed to use this on?'
*Creak*
While inspecting it, the door to his room creaked open causing him to quickly hide the key. A beautiful black haired Vampire with short bangs and spirals which reached down to her shoulders, emerged.
She no longer wore the regal outfit that she had on before, but rather a simply fluffy pyjama that she had borrowed from Lyra. The colours were red which matched her crimson eyes.
"What's up, Ruby?"
She stood by the door, holding onto a pillow. The sight itself was unbearably cute.
"Oh… Just wanted to let you know that Ava's condition is improving. She should wake up tomorrow."
"Ah, is that so… that's good." Julius let out a sigh of relief before showing a warm smile.
Seeing that expression, Ruby couldn't help but smile too. Just as she turned to leave however, she was stopped by Julius who called out to her.
"Ruby…"
She turned back to him only to find him staring right at her, with a bright smile.
"I'm really glad we met." He added..
"...!"
Her cheeks flushed red and she nervously began to twirl her hair. After a few seconds she was silent, pondering over something.
Once she'd decided, she walked over to him and leaned onto his figure on the bed causing their faces to almost touch.
"Julius… you shouldn't tease a girl so much…"
Julius's cheeks grew a little redder, her words, accompanied by the captivating scent having just gotten out of the shower made it impossible not to blush.
After saying such, she leaned back and got up before quickly walking out of the room's entrance.
She stopped in front of it once more.
"Also one more thing… I'm sure you don't want to be reminded of what happened when you were sleepwalking again but this information will be useful for you. The reason you were able to defeat the Undead Knight wasn't because you physically became stronger."
Julius listened closely, his expression serious.
"It was because you were suddenly able to bring out the true potential of your ability… the way you manipulated the shadows, the way you avoided every attack… It's without a doubt, something you can do without that sleep-walking ability. It's something that already comes with your domain."
Julius had never considered that, he thought Nightmare Mode was a simple power boost but it seemed there was more he needed to learn. It's only been a day since he had his ability under his control anyways so it wasn't much of a surprise.
He knew he wasn't even close to mastering it.
"So yeah… try not to rely on that ability too much… If you got hurt, it would make the others upset… Sleep well."
Once she was finished, she left the room. Her back was turned the entire time so he wasn't sure what expression she was making.
"Sleep well, huh… Even if she says that… It's not like I can fall asleep… I'll probably stay awake all night again so I don't have to deal with that shitty nightmare."
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The sun slowly rose only to display a single boy standing in front of a large old shabby hut, although it wasn't on the best condition, it's size definitely stood out in the settlement.
It was the biggest building out of all of them.
And at the very top of it, there was a sign which read 'Hunter's Organisation.'
'I'm back…' Julius thought to himself. 'Let's go get my level checked… and become a hunter.'
Julius pushed the door and stepped inside and was once again greeted by an unexpectedly tidy place.
The wooden floors were clean and refined, the many tables around housed all kinds of hunters with an attendant constantly on the move serving them.
It was just as he remembered.
Julius expected to be the centre of attention again, after all he was scrawny boy who clearly looked unfit to be a hunter. Many glares had fallen on him last time.
But surprisingly, that wasn't the case this time. Two new faces had stolen the spotlight, gathering all the attention of the hunters.
It was a duo.
"Huh?! What do you mean you can't grant me any funds? I'm a high ranked hunter who lost his money, isn't the guild supposed to help in these situations?!" The man asked.
The short girl beside him, watching quietly with a somewhat disappointed look.
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