Yumi gazed at her system screen with sparkling eyes. "Hey, look! I leveled up again!" she exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement.
[STATUS]
◆ Name: Yumi Tachibana
◈ Health: [100/100]
◈ Stamina: [100/100]
◈ Level: 22 (+20)
⋮
✧ Abilities:
⤷ Water, Fire,
Her level, which had initially been just 2, had now skyrocketed to 22. Yumi sighed, her expression shifting slightly. "Wow, now I have two elemental abilities. But... I wasn't the one who killed the dragon. I kind of feel guilty about it."
Zen, walking beside her, nodded slowly. "It seems the system can't detect my presence, so it credited you with the kill," he explained calmly.
Yumi tilted her head, her eyes filled with questions.
"Hmm, by the way, I didn't expect you to have fire powers. Where did you get them? You clearly don't have a system like mine."
Zen just exhaled lightly, his face remaining neutral. "Hmm, I don't know, either," he answered briefly.
Yumi furrowed her brows. "What do you mean, 'don't know'? Just how many abilities do you actually have?"
Zen gave a faint smile. "How many do you think?"
*Such an ambiguous answer,* Yumi thought. *He's clearly hiding something. But he doesn't seem inclined to tell me more. Maybe it's best if I don't push it.*
The two of them continued their journey toward Quellis. The capital was still far away, so they decided to rest in Quellis first. The rugged, stone-laden path beneath their feet felt rough underfoot.
*There's one more thing bothering me,* Yumi mused. *Zen killed one of the heroes. What will happen from here on out? But, honestly, that person didn't deserve to live. He was supposed to be a hero, but his attitude and actions were far from heroic. And Zen... he didn't even seem remorseful after killing him.*
Yumi glanced at Zen from the side, trying to read his expression. But, as always, his face remained unreadable.
---
Dax frowned, his eyes scanning the horrific scene before him. "What happened here?" he muttered, his voice tense.
Beside him, Lina stood frozen, her face pale. Before them, dried pools of blood stretched across the ground, surrounded by lifeless bodies. The train that should have been on the tracks now lay in ruins, its metal twisted like a toy crumpled in the hands of a giant. The rails themselves were torn apart.
Lina cautiously stepped forward, her eyes locking onto a figure lying not far from them. "This... is Hero Ryon?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Dax followed her lead, and when they both stood beside Ryon's body, one thing became unmistakably clear—no heartbeat, no breath. Just silence.
"He's dead," Dax said, his tone heavy. "Who could kill a hero?"
Lina scanned their surroundings for clues, but there was no trace of the perpetrator. Only destruction and death. "We need to report this," she said, trying to steady herself.
Dax nodded slowly. "You're right. Whoever did this... they must be dangerous."
Without another word, they turned back, leaving the scene with hurried steps.