Chương 28: SEEDS OF GROWTH

Jimin reached the orphanage just as the sky finished sinking into a dull violet dusk. The old building stood quietly behind its rusted gate, its yellow corridor lights already glowing softly, warm and familiar in a way that made his chest loosen a little. The sounds of children playing hide-and-seek drifted faintly from inside. Everything looked the same. And yet, everything felt different. As soon as he stepped through the entrance, a familiar cough reached his ears.

"Jimin?" Mrs. Han stood near the stairs, holding her glasses loosely in her hand. Her brows were knit together, worry etched into the lines of her face. She hurried over as soon as she saw him.

"Are you all right? Why are you so late today?" she asked quickly.

"The news…" As soon as she slid her glasses onto her face, her eyes widened.

"Blood?" Her voice jumped an octave. As she noticed the dried bloodstains on Jimin's clothes.

"Why is there blood on your clothes?" Jimin froze. Shit! I forgot about that. She stepped closer, looking at him anxiously.

"Are you hurt? Don't tell me you got caught up in that rift outbreak. But that route…"

"Please, slow down, Mrs. Han," Jimin interrupted gently, raising his hands.

"I'll explain." He exhaled slowly.

"Yeah… I got caught up in the Rift outbreak."

"What?!"

"Yeah… But I'm okay," he quickly added.

"Don't worry. It's not even my blood. It's the goblins'." Her expression went through several rapid changes; shock, fear, disbelief; before finally settling into something closer to relief.

"You… fought them?"

"Yeah… I even killed a few goblins," he said quietly. Mrs. Han stared at him for a moment longer, then let out a heavy sigh. Her shoulders slumped, and she pressed a hand to her chest.

"I see…" Her lips curved into a faint, complicated smile; proud, worried, and tired all at once.

"That was still reckless. You could've been hurt… or in worst case..." She stopped; not finishing the sentence. She shook her head slowly.

"Forget it. What matters is that you're fine. But what were you even doing there in the first place?" Jimin hesitated.

"I… I went for a new job."

"A new job?" she asked.

"You worked at the fast food shop, right? Did they fire you?"

"No-no," he said quickly.

"I quit. This new part-time job pays way better."

"What is this new job?" He scratched the back of his head.

"Uh-Nothing special…Ummm… I'm really tired. Can I go to my room now?" She studied his face for a second, then nodded.

"Of course, Jimin-ah. Freshen up and get some rest. Dinner will be served soon."

"Thank you," he said, bowing slightly. He turned and hurried down the corridor. I can't let anyone know right now. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Mrs. Han thought looking at him, Kids grow up before we know. My Hyeong-jun was the same as well. —------------ Jimin entered his small room, closed the door behind him, and leaned against it for a second before walking to his bed. He dropped down onto the mattress and let out a long breath.

Everything finally hit him all at once. The fatigue, the exhaustion, the smell of blood, everything. He stared at the ceiling. Then, he opened his status window. —-------------------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 3 HP: 350/350 STA: 185/185 MP: 165/165 PE: 300/300 STATS: STR: 9 AGI: 9 END: 10 INT: 13 WIS: 10 VIT: 11 CHA: 4 PSY: 21 LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: 2 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) —--------------------------------------------------"… Damn," he whispered. He slowly sat up. My stats grew a lot. Then he checked his LP. It showed- [Current LP: 2010] His eyes widened.

"Two thousand and ten LP… That's insane," slipped from his mouth. A slow grin crept onto his face. This proves it. Killing monsters really is the fastest way to grow stronger. But the smile faded just as quickly. But there's no way for me to kill more of them right now. And I can't exactly wish for another Rift outbreak either. He leaned back against the headboard, staring at the number. My best bet is to wait for my Novice Hunter License… Or… An idea crossed his mind. He opened the Skill Creation window.

A familiar translucent interface spread before his eyes. Right now, I can only train. But LP gain through training alone, is slow. He thought back to countless strategy games he had played in the past. If anything that I have learned by playing strategy games is that to grow stronger faster, one needs more resources and for more resources; one needs better production early on. He started filling in the name and description. A confirmation window appeared.

—--------------------------------------------- Would you like to create this skill? [Yes] [No] —--------------------------------------------- He selected Yes. Another window appeared. —---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Skill: Gourmet] Category: Passive Type: Utility Rank: Custom Description: Eating delicious or rare food generates extra LP.

Cost: None Cooldown: None Required LP: 200 【Create】　【Edit】　【Delete】 —------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Custom rank?" He frowned slightly. It doesn't even have a level. He tried to edit it and add levels. But it didn't respond. It didn't change. So it's fixed. He shrugged.

"Well, it's cheap, at least." He confirmed it and created the skill.. Then he continued. He made two more skills. —--------------------------------------------- [Skill: Euphoria] Category: Passive Type: Utility Rank: Custom Description: Heightened emotional moments (romance, thrill of victory, artistic joy) grant extra LP.

Cost: None Cooldown: None Required LP: 250 —--------------------------------------------- —--------------------------------------------- [Skill: Training Freak] Category: Passive Type: Utility Rank: Custom Description: Intense training sessions generate LP steadily. Cost: None Cooldown: None Required LP: 280 —--------------------------------------------- [Current LP: 1280]"Huff…" That amount hurt. But this will pay off. He closed the windows and laid back, staring at the dim ceiling. With this…

my LP generation just increased in three different directions. Food, emotion and training. This is how I build my foundation. After freshening up, he went to dinner. He ate all of his food, as he was famished. Though, his mind still replayed today's events. Later, he returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed. Today… was exhausting. But tomorrow….. He closed his eyes.