[Help her.]
Alvin sighed in annoyance at mr. Pie's orders, but he carried them out anyway. He scanned the area around him to ensure no monsters were lurking to attack Elena in his absence, then ran towards Meryl and decapitated the beast that was about to tear her face apart. Before the other monsters emerged, Alvin spotted the green ball.
He stomped on it with his foot, causing the ball to explode, releasing a green gas that spread quickly through the air. Alvin hurried to cover his mouth to avoid inhaling it, but he calmed down and removed his hand after reading the new message from mr. Pie, which said: [This gas does not affect you. It is specifically for the Noctilz monsters.]
- [It causes them temporary paralysis before they lose consciousness.]
Alvin watched as the monsters gradually collapsed, unconscious, and those who remained conscious stood still, unmoving. Once the last one fell and he confirmed there were no more, he turned to Meryl behind him and said with frustration, "Can you stop being such a burden?"
- [Don't speak to her like that, you rude fool!]
But Alvin paid no attention to the planet's message. He kept his angry gaze on her frowning face; she looked like she was about to cry, her eyes glistening. "If I were you, I'd kill myself," he said disdainfully, then walked toward Elena, leaving Meryl behind.
Tears flowed down Meryl's cheeks as she walked toward the dark passage. She raised her sword and began killing the sleeping monsters with trembling hands, her eyes never stopping their tears.
- [Don't mind what he said.]
"He's right... I'm just a burden," she said quietly as she struggled to pull her sword out of the skull of a monster that had already died. Meryl gasped as she wiped her wet face, then walked to another monster to kill it.
- [Do you like flowers?]
- "Yes..."
"[I have a large garden, filled with many kinds of flowers. I'll bring you here one day.]"
Meryl's breathing steadied, and her hands stopped trembling. She ventured deeper into the passage to reach the sleeping monsters in the back and asked, "Is the Hallinor flower from your garden too?"
Several minutes passed without an answer. Meryl thought she might have annoyed Mr. Elyor with her curiosity. She scolded herself as she checked whether the monster below was truly dead, even though she had driven her sword straight into the middle of its head.
"[No. It's planted in the garden of someone dear to my heart.]
[By the way, you're the only person I've ever picked that flower for.]"
Warmth spread through Meryl as she read the words, and she smiled without realizing it. It felt nice to have someone pick flowers just for her... "Thank you, Mr. Elyor."
Meryl had no idea how much time had passed in that dark corridor. Mr. Elyor had told her before that the number of monsters exceeded 30. But after counting them herself, she realized there were more than 60. Regardless, she had gained a great deal of experience points.
Despite the corpses around her and the smell of blood and death, Meryl sat down near the wall and leaned her back against it. She needed a bit of rest. Surely Elena had left with Alvin by now, so there was no need to hurry back to meet them.
She opened the "Core Ability Points" tab, and the panel showing her total experience points popped up immediately in front of her.
{207 experience points acquired.
- You can allocate the points to enhance your core abilities.
- Or convert them into currency (5 points = 0.003 coin).
◄ [Allocate Points]
◄ [Convert to Currency]
◄ [Postpone Decision]
Warning: Currency conversion is non-refundable!
Instant bonus for allocating points within three minutes:
1. +13% Stamina (for 6 hours).
2. Hallinor Flower (Gifted by: The Last Minstrel.)
Time remaining to decide: 03:00 minutes
◄ [Accept]
◄ [Decline the Quest]
}
She smiled wearily, the feeling of triumph tickling her heart. She had gained a lot of experience points, which meant she could boost several core attributes.
"What do you think I should raise?" she wrote in the chat and sent it immediately to Mr. Elyor.
Meryl didn't have to wait long—his reply arrived quickly:
– [How many experience points do you have?]
– "I have 207."
– [Good girl, you've gathered quite a lot.]
Meryl's smile widened, and her cheeks turned pink.
– [Distribute the points as follows: 2 to strength, 1 to speed, 2 to stamina, 1 to healing, 2 to senses.]
Meryl nodded obediently and did exactly as Mr. Elyor instructed. Her core ability points were now as follows:
Strength: 4
Speed: 3
Intelligence: 3
Stamina: 4
Five Senses: 4
Healing Ability: 8
{200 points successfully allocated!
Granted Bonuses:
+13% Stamina (Effect duration: 06:59:59)
"Hallinor Flower" has been added to your inventory.
(Gifted by: The Last Minstrel)}
Special Note:
"You've reached the maximum 'Healing Ability' available in Level One."
}
Meryl rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. A little rest—that was all she needed.
Far from the darkness of the corridor and the corpses within it, Elena was pulling her dagger from a monster's chest and plunging it back in again and again, her tense features betraying her inner turmoil.
There was anger—at herself for taking a life.
There was the will to survive.
There was also the disgust she felt each time the blade pierced and tore through flesh.
And then there were other feelings—ones Elena didn't fully understand, but could sense stirring within her.
She gave herself a few minutes to catch her breath and stop her body from trembling. She just needed a moment to rebalance herself.
Suddenly, Meryl came to mind. Elena immediately started scanning the area around her. "Meryl?" she called out as she walked in every direction searching for her.
Alvin already knew where Meryl was, but he chose to stay silent—secretly hoping she had been killed by some monsters. But when he saw Elena panicking, screaming, and pulling at her hair in distress, he sighed in frustration and silently grabbed her hand, leading her toward the corridor.
— [You jerk!]
Alvin glanced at the message after watching Elena run toward Meryl, who looked… unconscious. Or perhaps just asleep.
— "She's annoying."
"[Be aware that her planet has given me a warning about you.]
[It clearly stated: If your embodiment dares to hurt Meril's feelings again, I will descend to Earth myself and crush him.]"
"Let him descend then. I'll kill him along with that annoying girl."
"[Alvin, don't be so full of yourself. You're too weak to fight even the weakest among us, let alone that planet.]
[You can't even stand in his presence.]"
Alvin smirked mockingly upon reading the last message, then quickly typed and sent a response: "If he were as strong as you say, he wouldn't have chosen someone as weak as her."
"[It's none of your business whom the planets choose, you insolent fool. Just remember—you're all merely pawns on our chessboard…]"
Away from Alvin and Mr. Pie's conversation, Elena's heart was pounding as she watched Meril with her eyes closed. Though she could see her breathing, Milena thought Meril was dying, so she grabbed her shoulders with both hands and shook her violently, screaming, "Meril, don't die!"
Meril opened her eyes in a panic, her body rocking back and forth. "What happened?" she asked fearfully, glancing around as if expecting a monster to attack them.
"I thought you were dying!" Elena replied anxiously as she inspected Meril's body to make sure she was okay.
Meril, noticing Elena's worried expression, began checking herself for injuries—until she realized she was fine! Her body was healing itself, so all the wounds had already vanished!
"I'm fine!… Uh, what are you doing here?"
"I'm obviously looking for you," Elena replied loudly, her tone tinged with disbelief—what else would she be doing here if not looking for her?
Meril stared into Elena's black eyes for a few moments, her expression sullen, a flicker of shame crossing her face for thinking that Elena had left with Alvin and abandoned her.
"I got worried when I didn't find you near me."
"I'm sorry…" But Meril couldn't finish her sentence, as Elena suddenly pulled her into a tight hug and said gently, "I'm just grateful you're okay."
"[You've got yourself a good friend.]"
Meril read Mr. Elyor's message and smiled warmly before hugging Elena back. Yes… she really had found a wonderful friend.
Now that the three of them were back in the same room as before, Alvin sat on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, watching with irritation as Meril helped Elena assign experience points to her main abilities.
"[My future sweetheart looks so pretty when she talks.]"
Alvin looked at the message with a disgusted expression before glancing up at Elena when she asked Meril in a puzzled voice, "How many coins do I get for killing one monster?"
Meril popped a piece of candy into her mouth and replied, "One coin for a monster, and three coins for killing a human."
"So that means… hunters are more valuable than monsters."
"I don't think so. Maybe… they just want us to kill each other."
Elena found Meril's answer convincing—especially since the hunters were already fighting among themselves…
"How many coins do you have now?" Meril interrupted Elena's thoughts with her question, handing her a small bag filled with colorful candies while she waited for an answer.
"I think it's… 304. But I didn't kill that many!" Elena replied, confused by the number of coins.
"Maybe some planets donated to you. By the way, how about getting some sleep? I'm exhausted."
Elena didn't answer. Instead, she pulled Meril toward her, and the two of them stretched out on the couch. Both closed their eyes without worrying about the monsters—because they knew Alvin would handle it. And though Meril was certain Alvin didn't care about her life, staying close to Elena was reason enough for him to help.
As for Alvin, who watched them with a calm expression that gave nothing away, he waited until he was sure the girls were asleep before entering the 'Shop' and then the 'Black Market' section to begin searching for something to spend Mr. Pie's money on.
Though the search took a while, he didn't seem the least bit concerned… until he found something that piqued his interest and made him smile despite himself.
"Mr. Pie, I found something interesting."
"[I'm not buying it for you. And stop wasting my money in that damn market.]"
"I'm sure you'll like it… unless, of course, this is just another one of your scams."
"[What is this cursed thing now?]"