"Seriously... no starter weapon? What kind of RPG logic is this-"
A faint clatter of bones cut her off. Two skeletons stepped out from behind the trees, glowing eyes set into empty sockets. One carried a crude bow, the other twirled a pair of jagged throwing knives.
[Enemies Detected: Skeleton Archer (Lv.1), Skeleton Rogue (Lv.1)]
Sun Jing swallowed. "Okay... don't panic. Just... test the waters."
She activated Photographic Reflexes, and in an instant, their movements slowed in her perception. The skeleton archer nocked an arrow, while the rogue lunged with a wild slash.
She sidestepped, letting two arrows whip past her hair, then twisted to avoid the rogue's swipe. Her fist shot out almost instinctively, cracking the rogue's skull with a satisfying crunch. Before it could recover, she pivoted and delivered a clean kick across its torso.
The bones scattered in all directions, dissolving.
[+5 XP]
[Photographic Reflexes has leveled up → Level 2]
Sun Jing blinked at the notification, then smirked. "Okay, maybe this isn't so bad after all."
The archer skeleton had jumped high into the air, loosing a rapid barrage of arrows.
Sun Jing bent backwards in a half-bridge, the arrows raining down in a deadly storm around her. She rolled out of the way, dirt clinging to her tank top.
"Oh, come on! Who gave you Legolas training?!" she yelled, diving behind a tree.
Her eyes caught something glinting-the rogue's discarded dagger. With a quick dash, she scooped it up, spun on her heel, and hurled it at the airborne skeleton.
The dagger sank straight into its skull.
The skeleton froze midair, then clattered into a pile of bones, dissolving like the first.
[+5 XP]
Sun Jing stood there panting, hair sticking to her face. Then she realized what just happened.
"I... I actually did it?" She looked at her empty hands, then at the XP notifications, and finally at the glowing remains fading into nothing. "Holy crap... I just beat up skeletons with my bare hands. Mom would be so proud... probably."
The system pinged again.
[Quest Updated: Defeat 5 waves of enemies. Current Progress - Wave 1 Cleared.]
The ground cracked under her feet as five more skeletons rattled into view-three with swords, one with a mace, and another archer aiming from the back.
[Wave 2 - Enemies: 3x Skeleton Warrior (Lv.1), 1x Skeleton Warrior (Lv.2), 1x Skeleton Archer (Lv.2)]
Sun Jing tightened her grip on the daggers she'd scavenged. "Alright... five of you, huh? Guess it's time to test the big guns."
She twirled one dagger experimentally, then pointed it forward. "Okay, let's try my magical power, Hazy Moon."
She slashed through the air and a surge of blinding energy ripped outward. The blast tore through the forest with a sweeping arc of destructive force.
Three of the skeletons froze mid-step before being engulfed. Their bones disintegrated into glowing dust, vanishing completely.
[+5 XP]
[+5 XP]
[+5 XP]
A warm glow enveloped her.
[Level Up → Level 2]
Sun Jing lowered the ruined dagger just as the blade shattered in her hand, leaving only the hilt. She stared at it, dumbfounded. "Whoa... I... I actually did that?!"
She glanced at the empty hilt, then at the faintly glowing scorch marks across the ground. "That was... insanely strong. But, it drained a bit of mana."
The system popped open her status window.
[Status - Sun Jing
Race: Fairy/Demon/Human Hybrid
Level: 2
HP: 125/125
Mana: 300/267
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Magic Power: 25
Luck: 5
Charisma: 14
Special Trait: Hazy Moon (Innate)
Unused Stat Points: 6]
Sun Jing tapped her chin. "Okay... six stat points saved. Should I dump them all into Strength so I don't break my hands punching bones? Or into Endurance so I don't get turned into a kebab later? Ugh, decisions..."
Sun Jing's magenta eyes narrowed as the last two skeletons advanced, arrows and blades glinting in the dim light of the dungeon
She gritted her teeth and drew her last remaining dagger. "Alright... no more messing around."
Arrows whistled past her head. She rolled sideways, landing gracefully despite her flustered expression. "Okay... I think I'm getting used to this."
She steadied herself and activated [Hazy Moon] once again. Her dagger blade glowed brighter than before, then unleashed another devastating arc of magical energy that tore through the two skeletons.
They shattered into dust and bone fragments in an instant.
[+10 XP]
[+10 XP]
The system chimed pleasantly.
[Wave 2 Complete.]
[Time Limit: 1 minute to allocate stat points and collect loot.]
Sun Jing looked down at the scattered remains of her foes. Daggers, a cracked short sword, some rusted arrows, and the shattered hilt of her previous blade lay strewn across the dirt floor.
"...Great," she muttered. "Now I have one minute to decide how I want to spend my life points."
Before she could think further, a notification popped up.
[Hidden Quest Complete: Defeat 7 Skeletons.]
[Reward: 100 Gold, x5 Throwing Knives.]
Sun Jing blinked. "...Wait, hidden quests? Since when does this thing do side quests?" She gave a wry smirk. "Okay... maybe this is starting to feel like a game after all."
She quickly bent down, grabbing the daggers and strapping them to her back along with the bow. Her fingers lingered on the shattered hilt. "...I guess I'll just treat this as an investment."
She looked up at the glowing timer ticking down in her HUD. Six stat points. One minute.
The glowing HUD countdown ticked relentlessly in the corner of her vision. Six points. Six decisions.
Sun Jing tapped her chin, then smirked faintly. "Eh... I'll just spread them out evenly. Can't be that bad, right?"
She selected each stat in turn: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Luck, Charisma, and Magic Power-adding one point to each.
A soft chime confirmed her choices, and her stats updated.
[Status - Sun Jing]
Race: Fairy/Demon/Human Hybrid
Level: 2
HP: 125/125
Mana: 300/300
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Endurance: 6
Magic Power: 26
Luck: 6
Charisma: 15
Special Trait: Hazy Moon (Innate)
Unused Stat Points: 0]
[Stat Allocation Complete.]
[Mana Restored to Maximum: 300/300.]
Sun Jing clutched her fists, taking a deep breath. "Alright... time to lock in! I can do this, I can do this!"
She stepped forward into the forest, boots crunching over a carpet of leaves. The air grew heavier, tinged with an eerie hum.
[Current Progress - Wave 2 Cleared.]
[Wave 3 Incoming.]
Before she could think, the trees ahead shimmered and shifted, revealing a clearing filled with weathered stone ruins. In the center was a raised stone platform covered in glowing runes.
Cautiously, Sun Jing stepped onto it. The moment her foot landed, the ground trembled.
From the shadows of the ruins, skeletons began to materialize. Bone by bone, they clattered into existence.
Twenty skeletons.
They surrounded her instantly. Ranged skeletons loosed arrows from afar while others brandished swords, axes, and spears. Their glowing sockets burned with unnatural light. (Ryusei: You got this twin✌🏻)
[Enemies Detected: Skeleton Warriors Lv.2-4 (x20)]
Sun Jing swallowed hard, her chest tightening. "I... I can't do this!" she yelled, stepping back instinctively.