MTLNOVEL Chapter 17: Player Is Weak!
Evan's muscles screamed in protest as he moved, but he didn't dare slow down. Not when Victor's arm was wrapped around him, dragging him forward. It wasn't a gentle support, more of a desperate push to keep going.
They moved together in strained silence, the only sounds the crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional pained gasp from either of them.
At long last, the small clearing appeared in front of them.
The remnants of a fire smoldered in the center of the clearing, but that didn't even matter to them. All they wanted was rest.
Victor, with the little strength he had left, helped Evan toward the carriage.
However, just as they were a few steps away from the carriage, Evan groaned softly in pain.
"Hold on." he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice strained.
Evan wanted to argue, to push Victor away and tell him he could manage on his own, but the words never made it past his throat. It felt as though his mind and body were contrasting in their wishes. In this case, they were.
"No." he muttered weakly, trying to pull away.
"Just drop me here. I can walk on my own... Just... drop me."
Victor's grip tightened around his arm, steadying him. The strain in his voice deepened, but there was no hesitation in his actions.
"You're not walking anywhere. Not in this state."
With a sigh, Victor eased him down, as if the effort might break him. He didn't let go immediately, his hand hovering over Evan's shoulder for a moment before he withdrew.
"Rest for a second." Victor added.
Evan's breath was ragged as he collapsed beside one of the carriage wheels, his body sinking into the dirt.
"I don't think I'm gonna make it much further." Evan muttered, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.
"I'm done. My body... it feels like it's giving up."
Victor didn't respond immediately, his gaze distant as he crouched beside Evan, examining his injuries as he careful chose his words.
His fingers brushed gently over Evan's side, probing carefully. Evan flinched, a sharp intake of breath catching in his throat as Victor's touch sent pain radiating through his ribs.
"Stop…" he hissed, wincing.
"It hurts."
His eyes flicked to Evan's face, searching for any sign of weakness, but there was none. Only the quiet resignation of someone who had been through too much.
"You're not in shape to keep going."
Victor muttered.
"But we don't have much of a choice."
Evan closed his eyes, fighting the dizzying waves of pain that were crashing over him.
"I can't..." he began, but the words got caught in his throat.
He couldn't admit it—couldn't bring himself to say that he was done. The thought of surrendering to the pain, to the helplessness, was unbearable.
Victor, seeing the internal battle raging inside Evan, sighed and straightened up, brushing dirt off his hands.
"Don't worry. You're not the only one. Vin's passed out in the back of the carriage. I'm in no better shape than you are, but we'll rest. We'll figure it out."
Evan closed his eyes for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts he couldn't quite put into words. Then he glanced at Victor, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"What about the knights? They're probably still on our tale." he asked quietly.
"Do you think they'll...?"
Victor's expression darkened.
"I did what had to be done. The forest is covered with the perfume we found. They won't be getting close to us anytime soon."
Relieving a sigh, Victor turned around, ready to depart and complete his former mission- burying Henry and Susan- since it was thr least he could do.
"Well. I better get going." He muttered as he attempted to proceeded away but Evan's words however stopped him right away.
"I know why you did it...I know why you accepted to have those innocent lives lost... killed them to protect us, and if you didn't kill them, they'd probably be dead by the beasts hand as well. So, I get it." he said, his voice strained,
"but....I just want you to know that no matter what, I'll never forgive you for breaking your word."
Victor stood silently, the weight of Evan's words hanging in the air between them.
He sighed.
"I know," he said quietly.
"But one day, I truly do hope you'll learn to forgive me. Until then, I'll wait." Without another word, he turned and walked toward the bodies.
Evan didn't respond, his mind too clouded to form coherent thoughts.
Instead, he simply let his head fall back against the carriage, the rough wood scraping against his scalp.
His thoughts kept drifting to the system, to the trials, to the strange voice that had echoed in his head.
As if on cue, the chime of the system sounded, sharp and insistent, drawing Evan's attention away from his physical discomfort.
[Ding!]
[System notification]
[Congratulations, Player!]
[You have slain the Widowmaker.]
[ You have received 5 points.]
Evan's brow furrowed in confusion.
' Five points? That was the reward for nearly dying? For risking my life against that monstrous beast?' The frustration surged within him, hot and bitter.
"Five points?" he muttered, his voice laced with disbelief.
"What a joke."
The system screen flickered in front of him, offering him an opportunity to open the menu.
[Trials: progress"1/12]
[Rewards: 5 points]
[Quest: A selected side trial weaved to existence for the player based on the players current power level.]
[Each quest must be completed with 30 days. When a quest is completed you will recieve 5 points. Spend wisely]
[Player information]
[Player: Evan Lawler
Age: 19 years old
Trials: 1/12
Level: 1/1000
Hero tools: 0/4
Current class: Class E]
[Player is weak!]
'Ouch...was that last part really necessary?'
You see, based on the system, they were 5 classes of power in the verse.
*Class A
*Class B
*Class C
*Class D
*Class E
Based on the power scale of each of this classes, Evan truly was weak, but this didn't get much concern in his head. The scale didn't matter in this instance for him.
There was a sense of order as the systems displayed its several notifications. His eyes narrowed as he scrolled, pausing when he reached the system info section.
According to the system info, there were twelve trials in total, it seemed. He had completed one—survival. Barely. And the reward for that had been a paltry 20 points. A meager sum for what he'd endured.
But then his eyes caught on something else—quests. Side trials. The kind of tasks that would shape his path, for better or worse. But the consequences of failing these quests were... unsettling.
If he didn't complete them in time- in 30 days to be exact- his HP would decline. He couldn't afford that, as ultimately it would mean death.
And then, there was the rank system—
strength, skill, endurance,stamina, intellect... and Rinn.
'Rinn...what the hell does this even mean? Is it Japanese or something? Whatever it is, it's special enough to be locked away by the system. It could be my trump card.'
Evan frowned, a deep ache in his chest as he thought about the trials ahead.
'But in order to obtain it, I'll need to be stronger. So I guess I have to level up?' he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
At the end, he allocated 3 points to Endurance and 2 points to skill- exhausting his 5 points.
"Great." he muttered, his voice thick with sarcasm.
"Another down. Now all that's left is Rinn and Intellect, ri-"
Before he could finish his mutter-another notification popped up—a soft green glow surrounding it. It was like an invitation, a challenge rather.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Player. You are now facing the Trial for Courage. Task 2: Intellect.]
Evan's heart skipped a beat, the words sending a chill down his spine.
'The second trial? So soon? Intellect? What did that even mean?' He was already hanging on by a thread—how could he face another trial? He had only survived the first and easiest trial and was at the verge of death and now the second trial had begun.
It could only spell one thing for Evan and he knew this- Trouble.