The flurry of notifications came as Ryuk felt a drain on his consciousness. Removing himself, he opened his eyes to find he was now in the clean bedroom.
Just on his finger was the tiny snake, which looked around with flashing blue eyes before quickly slithering down Ryuk's body. It darted off to a corner, flashing here and there, curiously observing everything.
"Well, it's literally been less than a minute since It arrived in this world.
Won't be surprising if it sees the world as unfamiliar."
'At least, you don't have to lay eyes on that slummy area where I come from. This place is still much cleaner...' Ryuk thought with a chuckle before focusing back on the light by the corner of his vision.
"Activate System Interface"
[System Interface]
[Name: Ryuk Knull]
[Age: 16]
[Race: Half-Knull, Half-Unknown]
[Level: 1]
[EXP: 100/100]
Does Host wish to level up?
The system asked, and Ryuk nodded.
"Yes."
The moment he gave the order, he felt a warm flow of energy coursing through his body, its source none other than his heart. But like a mirage, it soon faded away.
[Congratulations, Host has leveled up to Level 2.]
[+10 Stat Points gained.]
[Total EXP: 0/200]
[Level Up Cards: 1]
Does Host wish to use the Level Up Card?
The system asked, and Ryuk nodded once more. Right now, he needed all the strength he could get—it was either now or never.
[Congratulations, Host has leveled up to Level 3.]
[+10 Stat Points gained.]
[Level Up Card: 0]
[Stats]
Strength: 14
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 15
Charisma: 7
Endurance: 15
Luck: Null
Attribute Points: 20
How does Host wish to allocate Attribute Points?
It asked, and Ryuk's eyes narrowed.
The scene before him was anything but familiar, but with the numbers right before him, he could guess that if he added points from his stat pool to a particular attribute, it should correlate to an increase in his strength.
Right now, if there was something Ryuk noticed, it was the fact that his stats were highly disorderly. He would love if there was balance among them all, and therefore, he made his choice.
"Add 6 points to Strength. Add 5 points to Agility. Add 5 points to Intelligence. Add 4 points to Charisma."
Immediately, Ryuk went still as he felt the return of the energy. This time, it was so hot, traveling through his body with every single heartbeat as he felt his body growing lighter yet stronger.
The sensation lasted longer this time, for around 15 seconds, before quieting down. Once more, Ryuk regained himself as he clenched his fists, and the air shook from the sudden force.
"So this is the feeling, huh? The feeling of growing stronger. A pretty addictive sensation," Ryuk thought while the notification appeared before him.
[Congratulations, Stat Points have been added.]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 20]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Charisma: 11]
[Endurance: 15]
[Luck: Null]
Attribute Points: 0
Once he finished with leveling up his strength, Ryuk moved on to the next tab.
[Skills and Abilities]
[Basic Skill: Regeneration - Level 1]
Description: Host's power to perfectly recover from injuries.]
[Contracted Skill: Frost Veil - Level 1]
Description: The user can create a thin, misty barrier of frost around themselves, reducing visibility for enemies and slightly dampening incoming attacks by lowering their momentum.
Additional Effect: The veil also slightly enhances the user's stealth abilities, allowing for quick escapes or ambushes.
Important Note: The frost barrier lasts for only a limited time—20 seconds.
This duration will increase based on the contracted beast's familiarity with the technique or the Host leveling up the skill.
The effect grows stronger in colder environments or when surrounded by water, which could potentially enhance the frost density.]
The long details appeared before Ryuk as a smile bloomed on his face.
"I finally have a skill of my own," he mused aloud.
Of course, Ryuk was well aware of the extent of skills.
He had seen some hunters in battle unleashing powers that allowed them to easily overwhelm mutant beasts.
He had always wanted to possess a similar ability, but when he asked his uncle why he didn't have one, he was simply told to wait for his time.
Mo matter how much he pestered, his uncle never said much more. All he gave Ryuk to fight was a small knife, and nothing more.
But now, Ryuk possessed one.
Slowly stretching out his hands, Ryuk closed his eyes as he delved into himself.
When he was young, he had been so amazed by abilities that he had begged hunters to teach him how to use one, and Ryuk himself had learned it.
That was why, as his consciousness disappeared into himself, a cold white aura began gathering at the center of Ryuk's palm.
Immediately, the mist began seeping all over the area before slowly covering Ryuk completely.
Opening his eyes, Ryuk looked at the mist, waving his hand through it.
"It doesn't seem to affect me, and I can see the room just as I could before," Ryuk observed.
The serpent was also looking at him clearly through the mist without any problems.
"Of course, it only works on others, not me," Ryuk thought.
He tried to maintain the ability for as long as he could, and just when 15 seconds passed, the mist strated fading, soon disappearring completely, exactly after 20 seconds.
Immediately after, a loud sound pierced through the room.
DRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM
It was the sound of Ryuk's stomach rumbling, but somehow, he couldn't help feeling that he wasn't truly hungry.
Instead, it was as though hunger was being projected to him.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Isha, who was slowly slithering toward him.
"Wait!?"
[Yes, Host. Using the ability causes the contracted beast to feel drained as the Host is using its Apex Power.]
[Since the beast doesn't have much Apex Power due to its newborn state, the Apex Power is substituted for food, and the hunger will be projected to the Host himself.]
"Seems fair," Ryuk said. "The important question is, how do I get food for it? What does an ice serpent even eat?"
Lost in thought, he saw another notification flash before him.
[Perhaps Host should check out the Shop tab.]