"A nightmare?" Déon wondered as he slowly opened his eyes, only to realize he was in an unfamiliar place.
As he sat up on the edge of the bed, he noticed that the room he was in was very well organized, with feminine decorative touches.
Near the window, flowers had been placed. Déon felt at peace in this place, and at the same time, his heart was pounding so hard it could be heard from outside.
If he felt like this, it was because of the floral scent in the room—it was identical to the one he had sensed when he first met Alexia.
"How stupid of me. But it's obvious—I passed out, and she brought me to her house to take care of me," he murmured, imagining the scene.
"But how did she carry me? Hmm… like a princess? How embarrassing…" Déon continued, blushing furiously as he covered his eyes.
He was embarrassed by the situation and wallowed in his corner when he suddenly remembered something more important.
"The system!" he shouted in a hurry before making his status window appear.
Upon seeing his stats, Déon felt a mix of emotions. He was happy but also sad. What he feared most had happened—he had advanced to Rank E.
"Status Window"
[Name:] Déon
[Species:] Human
[Rank:] E
[Experience Value:] 249 / 1000
[Strength:] 16
[Agility:] 11
[Mana:] 10
[Endurance:] 11
[Status:] Normal
[Intelligence:] 30
[Luck:] 10
[Aura:] 12
[Attributes:] Neutral (None)
[Stat Points:] 350
[Skill Tree: Innate Skill]
1 - [Enhanced Senses (58%):] C
2 - [Sixth Sense]
[Title:] The One Who Overcomes Adversity
[Profession / Class:] Mage
Déon had not planned to evolve without bringing his first innate skill to Rank S, which was why he had postponed the rank advancement the system had offered him after defeating the Hydra.
But this time, the system had asked if he wanted to evolve, and since he was unconscious and didn't answer, the system took his silence as approval. The result of all this was his advancement.
Curious to know what his new skill looked like, he clicked on the second skill to read the explanation.
[Sixth Sense: This is a form of extrasensory perception that grants the user the ability to perceive non-verbal information that is not directly accessible through the senses.]
"Hmm… Sixth Sense, huh? Isn't that something that sounds a lot like Ultra Instinct?" Déon said with a big smile on his lips, thinking about one of his favorite protagonists.
Even though in his previous life the situation didn't allow him much time for entertainment, he had been an unconditional fan of manga, light novels, and anime.
Déon was distracted, but very quickly, a question caught his attention. His innate skill was based on senses, and his second skill was also related to senses. If one were to assume that the rest of the skills he would unlock in the future would also be tied to the evolution of his innate skill, that would mean his skill tree would soon be filled with sense-based abilities only.
"Hmm, so I don't have much chance of getting an offensive skill," he thought, looking worried.
Déon didn't underestimate his sense-based skills, but even if they were powerful, they weren't offensive. He would have to devote more time to his weapon-handling techniques if he wanted to make it out alive.
"Now that I think about it, during the fight against the demonic alpha, just before I passed out, I…"
He hadn't finished his thought when Alexia appeared, opening the bedroom door.
Déon nervously swallowed his saliva as he gazed at her as if she were a fairy.
"She's gorgeous," he thought, naturally turning his gaze away so as not to draw Alexia's attention.
He had already seen her, but that was when she was still wearing her leather combat armor. The girl before his eyes was now dressed in a simple white house dress, which highlighted her curves.
Her blood-red hair fell below her waist, where her rounded hips could be noticed. Her snow-white skin and angelic face would leave no man indifferent.
"Oh! Alexia, is that you?" Déon exclaimed, eager to say the first word.
"Yes, it's me. Are you okay? Uh… I took the liberty of bringing you to my house. I hope you don't mind…" she asked worriedly, approaching to hand him the food she had prepared.
"Here, this is something I made while you were still asleep. I hope it suits your taste," she continued as she gave him the package.
Déon's heart wouldn't stop pounding. Despite all his efforts, he couldn't resist Alexia's scarlet eyes. On top of that, her body scent was so intoxicating that he could no longer think rationally.
"You're really very beautiful, Alexia. Are you…?" he said as he took the food package Alexia was handing him.
Déon hadn't finished his sentence before realizing he had just screwed up.
"Aaaaah, what am I saying? Did I hit my head or something?" he thought as he met Alexia's impassive gaze.
"Uh… I meant to say that your dress looks really good on you. Sorry, my tongue slipped," he quickly added as an excuse.
The situation also made Alexia very nervous, but she tried hard not to show anything unusual. The moment she entered the room and saw Déon already awake, she was slightly shaken.
Déon didn't leave her indifferent either, but unlike him, she knew how to control her expressions, more or less. Noticing that Déon was a little embarrassed, she took the initiative to find another topic of conversation.
"Déon… uh… are you okay?" Alexia asked hesitantly, seeing him a bit restless.
Seeing that she didn't overreact to what he had said, Déon seized the opportunity to move on to something else.
"Yes. Actually, I have a question. Is it true that the higher the rank of the initial innate skill, the greater the chances of obtaining a powerful skill as you evolve?" he asked with a serious look.
...
Nox and his cohort had just exited an A-rank portal. Although some members of the group were in bad shape, he looked as if he had just returned from a leisurely stroll.
"We were lucky, weren't we? Fortunately, the portal only mutated slightly and didn't reach S-rank before we cleared it. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?" Nox asked, slightly annoyed by the words of Kevin, one of his teammates.
"We were lucky? Are you so afraid of S-rank portals? An A-rank portal and look at these injuries? It seems you've forgotten why we separated from the kingdoms to create this independent village," he continued with a cold face.
"Hahaha, come on, Captain, relax. Don't be so serious all the time. It's bad for your health," Johan intervened to lighten the mood.
"Now that I think about it, when are you organizing the coming-of-age ceremony this year?" Johan asked, still sounding carefree, before noticing that everyone had taken on a serious expression after this announcement.
"Hmmm, time flies. I guess sooner or later we'll have to tell them the truth," he said, looking at the sky.
...
Dear reader, I hope you're enjoying the story. If you could support me by giving me power stones, I'd greatly appreciate it. Your feedback and suggestions are also welcome. Happy reading!