[You have obtained two items!]
[Muramasa's Fangs (Level 1) -
• Shaped like daggers, these twin blades are created from the venomous fangs of the mutated ants. It paralyzes your target for two minutes and reduces half of their health]
[Shadow Cloak(Level 1) -
• Only by walking through the shadow can you grasp it's power, it is a black cloak that conceals the users presence. It provides an additional 50+ boost when using shadow based abilities.]
[Raisen (Level 1 — Level 2)]
The gate to the dungeon hummed with a slight disorienting screech, if he didn't leave now, he'll be trapped forever inside the dungeon.
He ran towards the gate, crossing through at the last second before it closed.
"Phew, that was close." He let out a sigh of relief and lay on the cold ground just right besides the hospital he was admitted in, struggling to catch his breath. He hadn't expected a D-rank dungeon to push him this far. It was a clear reminder—he still lacked power.
"ARGH!" He let out a loud groan, unable to ignore the sharp pain that had plagued him throughout the fight with the dungeon boss.
Unable to take the pain any longer, he pushed himself to his feet and slowly made his way to the entrance of the hospital.
"Ka...zuki." Before he could step into the hospital, a high-pitched, almost angelic voice called out to him.
As he turned, he saw what he could only describe as an otherworldly beauty, a girl with silky black hair, dark eyes, and a slim jawline.
She wore a crisp white shirt, neatly tucked into a short pleated skirt that brushed the tops of her thighs. Knee-high socks hugged her legs, with slim straps attaching them neatly in place.
"Um... Who are y-"
Before he could finish, the girl ran to him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight as tears streamed down her face.
"W-what?" He was shocked, to say the least, he'd never had anyone who cared for him.
Anyone alive, that is.
'Is she a friend of his?' He thought.
"Kazuki... I told you not to go for the awakening ceremony!" In an instant, she pulled away from the hug and drove a heavy blow into the side of his ribs.
"BLEH!" He spat out saliva as he dropped to his knees, clutching his side in pain. He still hadn't recovered from the wounds left by the dungeon's boss, and now, whoever this girl was had just made them far worse.
"Kazuki! Oh my God, I'm sorry." In her rage, she suddenly noticed the pain he was in. Her expression softened, and she quickly helped him to his feet before guiding him into the hospital.
Back in the room where he'd been admitted, the girl stood silently at his side while the doctor in charge flipped through his medical files. Fresh bandages were wrapped snugly around his stomach and arms.
"Mr Matasuragi, I don't know how but you have managed to fracture your ribs once more, but thanks to your awakening, your physical abilities has improved by at least 0.3% so it won't take long to heal, just don't do anything to push yourself."
The doctor was shocked to the core, but in the spirit of professionalism, he had to maintain his composure. When Kazuki was first admitted into the hospital, he was registered with five fractured ribs, then almost immediately, it healed.
And now it was fractured again.
"The Essen-Hunter's Association paid off the medical bills so you're discharged, do be careful for now Mr Matasuragi, miss Matasuragi." The doctor closed the file before leaving the room to attend to his next patient.
'Miss Matasuragi? So this beauty is my sister?'
"It's getting late... Her voice was cold and indifferent, and without a second glance, she left the room and Kazuki followed behind.
It didn't take long for them to get home, an apartment with three bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a living room.
As they stepped inside, she helped him all the way to his room and slammed the door behind her before Kazuki could even walk in completely.
"Hey!" He didn't understand why she acted the way she was, throughout the journey home she didn't say a word, she didn't even spare him a glance.
'Great... Now I have to deal with the issues the previous Kazuki left behind.' He thought.
"What's the matter with you? I'm sorry okay."
"Sorry?" She turned around, glaring at him with tears in her eyes. "You know how I feel about Essen-Hunters, I'm grateful for all you've done for me but there are other ways to make money. You don't have to put yourself in harm's way, I've already lost mom, I can't lose you too."
She stormed off into her room.
He shut the door behind him and slowly made his way to the chair in the corner, sinking into it. And on the table, was a bulky textbook with the title "Essence".
From her last words before she stormed off, he gathered two things. First, their parents were gone, leaving only the two of them to survive. Second, the previous Kazuki had been the one providing for them. And judging by the book lying on the table, he concluded that the only way to truly care for his sister was to become an Essen-Hunter.
"I see, so that's how it is." There wasn't any difference between his life now and his previous life, the only major difference was that he now had something to fight for, something to protect.
"If what that goddess said is true, and if that Primordial invasion she spoke about does happen, in order to survive and protect her, I need strength. I owe that to him for giving me a second chance." By him, he referred to the previous inhabitant of his body.
"And to do what, I need to fully understand this system, but first I need to learn all there is to know about Essence. And as luck may have it, I already know to get that information." A smile curled up the side of his lips as his eyes were fixed intently on the textbook.