Scarlet
After seeing me focusing on what looks like air to the others, Arnold – who it turns out is the person who turned on the shield for me before – and officer Winslow shoo the others out, leaving me in silence to focus on my newly unlocked skill.
And good they are. Very, very good.
Skill Name:Achievement Requirements:Descriptions:Classifications:SP Price: Predator III
Unlocked through killing a demon at a higher level than you by at least ten levels.
Predator II is required to purchase this.
It grants the user a 12% boost in stats when fighting a creature at a higher level than themselves.
Passive
Static
Rare
20 Predator IVUnlocked through killing a demon at a higher level than you by at least fifty levels.
Predator III is required to purchase this.
It grants the user a 20% boost in stats when fighting a creature at a higher level than themselves.
Passive
Static
Epic
30 Blood BoilUnlocked through killing a demon at a higher level than you by at least ten levels, by killing a demon knight while below level ten, by being level ten or above, and by having blood magic.
An attack skill that slowly makes the blood of the target begin to boil, causing slow internal damage that builds up while slowing down the reaction speed of the target.
Active
Rare
20 Blood SacrificeUnlocked through killing a demon at a higher level than you by at least ten levels, by being level ten or above, by almost dying once, by hurting yourself to enhance a blood skill, and by having blood magic.
A sacrificial skill that allows the user to burn their own blood in order to get a temporary boost in their physical capabilities.
Active
Rare
20 ...I stare at the skills, unsure how I should proceed in my shopping spree.
“You need combat skills,” Tar suggests while appearing in front of me and then floating down to lie in my lap. “I’d suggest getting Blood Boil for a ranged combat skill, Predator III for obvious reasons, and the rest you can choose from there. Either wait for a few more SP to get Predator IV, or go ahead and get Blood Sacrifice.”
Not a bad idea, but just in case, I search through the rest of the skills in the store. But none of them are as good as the top ones, which leads me to believe that the System automatically puts the highest rarity skills closest to the top.
“You could also just use the excess to level Blood Boil if you choose to purchase that one, since it’s not a static skill,” Tar suddenly adds as an afterthought.
Oh. That’s right.
I stare at the skills store for a few more seconds before deciding to just go ahead and purchase Predator III and Blood Boil, then turn to my status and go down to the Blood Boil skill to level it up. Which only ends up taking three SP.
A lot cheaper than I expected.
[Skill ‘Blood Boil’ has leveled up to level 2.]
I look back at my status to see if the skill has changed or not, but it hasn’t. Not in the slightest.
Huh.
“Purchased skills have less of a difference with each level than inherent ones do,” Tar answers my unasked question for me. “It’s-”
I look down at him after he cuts off to find him staring in the direction of the other room with a blank expression on his face.
What’s wro-
He vanishes.
I blink in confusion before trying to get up, only to wince and fail at that as the pain from my injuries grows more severe with the movement.
Why did you disappear and stop responding?
Several seconds pass with no answer.
Right when I’m about to repeat myself, I pause as a familiar voice enters my ear from the other side of the floor, at the staircase where that same person from before – the one equipped with what’s most likely magi-tech gear – enters the floor.
Oh shit.
Why is… oh, right. This is his building. And he was only a few buildings away.
Why didn’t I think about that earlier?!
I try to get up again, only to wince at the pain and fall back down. Then I try to look out the window.
Could I survive a fall from this height? Maybe. Would there be a point? Not really. Then I’d just be in even worse shape on the ground where he would just go find me instead of up here.
What about breaking the window and going into a different room on a different floor?
Not likely with my injuries.
After thinking of several other possible methods of escape, I come up blank.
So I close my eyes and try to fake being asleep.
While doing that, I also listen in on the conversation that Allen is having with the people on the floor. Or rather, by conversation, I mean him asking where I am.
“You want to know where Scarlet is?” the voice of Arnold asks in confusion before saying, “Oh, you’re probably here because she’s a new Guardian. Right, she’s just over here.”
I don’t like Arnold anymore.
After a few seconds, I hear the door to the office opening, followed by footsteps entering it as I keep my eyes closed and pretend to be asleep. Because maybe he might-
“I know you’re not asleep. I’ve had my nanomachines watching you since I got to this building,” Allen says, crushing the hope I had of avoiding a conversation with him for a bit longer.
I open my eyes and fake a smile through the pain of my arm and stomach.
“Hey Allen, how’s it going?” I ask, acting as if nothing’s wrong.
He just stares at me.
Yeah, didn’t expect that to work either. But it was worth a try.
“We’re going to be having a nice long chat, young lady,” he says, a scowl plastered across his face that shows just how mad he is right now.