Chương 26: FIRST LEVEL-UP

Jimin's mind went blank for a moment. Level-up… I leveled up!!! That glowing system message echoed in his mind. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might burst through his ribs. Of course. Killing monsters is the only way to level up. Finally… I am no longer trapped in E-1 rank hell. A strange heat rose from his chest to his throat. His hands trembled from something dangerously close to joy. He had fantasized about this moment for days. He had made it. He had really made it. Let's check.

"Jimin!" His thoughts shattered from Ji-hye's calling.

"Jimin!"

"Yeahh…" he blurted, almost jumping out of his skin as Ji-hye's voice snapped him back into the real world. She was kneeling beside the wounded man, hands glowing faintly with healing light, her brows knit tightly together.

"We need to move him to a safer place right now."

"Okay," he replied quickly, shaking his head as if to clear the buzzing in it. He collected the dagger and the knife, their blades still sticky with goblin blood. Then, he turned the man over. Up close, the boy's face was clearer. Though it was smeared with dirt and blood, his features were still soft, youthful. He looked barely older than Jimin himself. He's… just a teenager like me. Jimin swallowed. He slid his arms beneath the boy's back and knees and lifted him.

To his surprise, the weight didn't strain him nearly as much as he had expected. His arms held steady. He moved quickly, boots splashing through shallow puddles of water until he reached the end of the alley, hiding behind a dented dumpster stacked with torn garbage bags. Ji-hye followed, immediately kneeling beside the wounded boy again. Jimin leaned back against the wall and exhaled deeply. Now… status window. Without wasting a second, he summoned his status window.

—------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 2 HP: 300/300 STA: 160/160 MP: 125/125 PE: 210/210 STATS: STR: 8(+1) AGI: 8(+1) END: 9(+1) INT: 10(+2) WIS: 8(+1) VIT: 7(+1) CHA: 4 PSY: 15(+3) LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: 5 Unique Skill: Skillmaster. Skills: Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Telekinesis (Lv. 4) Telekinetic Spin (Lv. 3) Telekinetic Barrier (Lv. 3) Meditation (Lv. 4) Growth (Lv. 3) Dash (Lv. 3) Appraisal (Lv. 6) Psychic Reservoir (Lv. 2) —------------------------------------- His breath hitched. Damn… Everything had jumped. His resources, his core stats; almost everything had climbed. His eyes lingered on the two numbers that stood out the most. INT +2… PSY +3… His lips curled upward faintly. And five free stat points… His gaze sharpened. If I want to fight, I need these stats right now. It's obvious. He didn't hesitate. All right…

two to vitality for sustain, one to intelligence for support, two to psyche for more power. The system flickered and refreshed. —----------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 2 HP: 320/320 STA: 170/170 MP: 135/135 PE: 240/240 STATS: STR: 8 AGI: 8 END: 9 INT: 11(+1) WIS: 8 VIT: 9(+2) CHA: 4 PSY: 17(+2) LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: 0 Unique Skill: Skillmaster Skills: Telekinesis (Lv. 4) Telekinetic Spin (Lv. 3) Telekinetic Barrier (Lv. 3) Meditation (Lv. 4) Growth (Lv. 3) Dash (Lv. 3) Appraisal (Lv. 6) Psychic Reservoir (Lv. 2) —----------------------------------------- His eyes gleamed. A grin tugged at his lips as he immediately pulled up his Telekinesis skill window. — 【Skill: Telekinesis】 Category: Active Type: Offense / Control Rank: Rare Level: 4/50 Description: Manipulates objects at a distance. Consumes psychic energy and mana. Power, precision, control, and range increase with each level.

Scaling: • PSY → Lifting capacity, power, precision • INT → Range, control Base Weight: 14 kg + (17 × 1) kg = 31 kg Range: 11. 5 m + (11 × 0. 5) m = 17 m Cooldown: None Cost: Mana and Psychic Energy; based on object mass Proficiency: 68% —--------------------------------------- Base weight thirty-one kilos… and range seventeen meters… His pulse quickened. I can fight now. For real.

"All right," he muttered aloud, pushing himself off the wall.

"You focus on healing him, Noona. I'm going." Ji-hye blinked.

"Hmm… huh… Where are you going now?"

"To kick some goblin ass," Jimin replied, as he was sprinting out of the alley. He sprinted out of the alley. The street beyond looked even worse than before. Fires burned in scattered pockets. Windows were shattered. Cars lay overturned. Screams echoed from different directions as goblins ran rampant. Several had already reached this area. Two manaborns were struggling to hold back a small group. Their breathing was heavy. Their attacks were sluggish. If they break through… they'll reach the alley.

Jimin didn't hesitate. He charged forward. His confidence was high, since he had already killed three goblins. A few more goblins noticed him. Their yellow eyes locked onto him, nostrils flaring as they sensed bloodlust. They charged. Jimin raised his hands slightly. The dagger and knife lifted off the ground as if pulled by invisible threads. So smooth… He could already see the difference in power and control. He threw the blades toward the goblins. Both blades shot forward. The goblins tried to block.

Their crude weapons almost clashed; but at the last second, Jimin changed their trajectories. The blades curved unnaturally, slipping past their defenses and slicing cleanly into their necks and then twisted it. Blood gushed out violently. The goblins collapsed instantly. But he barely slowed down. The remaining three fell just as quickly. He moved with a calm he had never known before, disposing of them with clean, efficient movements. As he almost rounded the corner, a notification suddenly popped up.

— [Level-up] You have leveled up. You are now Rank-E, Lv. 3 —-----------------------------------------"Haha… Hell yeah!" he shouted.

"Too easy…" But his laughter died instantly. As a crushing presence slammed into him like an invisible wave. His breath caught. His skin prickled violently. Every instinct screamed danger. His eyes widened. In his sight, an eight-foot-tall goblin stood at the far end of the street. Muscles bulged beneath thick green hide. Its tusks curved forward like blades. Its eyes burned with savagery. Around it was an army of around thirty to maybe forty goblins. Shit… Goblin Chief. The Boss monster. His legs stiffened.

Before he could move, several goblins broke from the formation and charged toward him. He raised his hands, forcing his weapons forward; but he was actually quite worked up. So much so that he missed that a goblin archer had already shot an arrow at him from a blind spot. He noticed it, only when it was almost about to hit him. I'm going to… But a sudden blue bubble appeared around him. Clang! An arrow bounced off it. Jimin froze.

"What…?" Jimin muttered. The barrier vanished within four seconds; but the goblin warriors were already almost upon him. He shot his blades toward them desperately. But then- A sudden streak of blue lightning passed past his shoulder. It slammed into a goblin warrior. Sparks exploded outward. It chained from that goblin to the other goblins around it. One goblin collapsed. Then another and then another.

The entire front line crumbled, twitching violently as sparks danced across their bodies and they fell on their knees. Jimin just stared. But he turned his head around for a second, just to check. He saw a majestic man clad in mage gear approaching calmly, his cloak fluttering faintly. It was a familiar face. Jimin whispered, "Hyun-woo!"