Chapter 122: Analyse
Just another stupid man. Reaching that thought, Kei let out a quiet sigh. Her gaze remained fixed on Kelly’s sleeping figure as her lips moved ever so slightly.
"I’m not much different..."
Shaking her head once more, Kei pushed those thoughts aside and remembered the moment everything had changed.
At some point during this past week, she had realized something important, Kelly’s strength wasn’t overwhelmingly beyond hers. Not anymore. He was stronger, yes... but not to the extent where she would be completely helpless if things ever turned ugly. That realization had eased some of the fear buried deep inside her. But it hadn’t erased her curiosity. If anything... it had only made it worse. After all, that absurd increase in strength... those sharpened senses... his unnatural changes... even Kei wanted to know the secret behind it.
And then, as if fate itself had handed her the answer. The day they were ambushed by those wolves arrived. And for the first time... She saw it. Saw him. Saw everything. His status. His growth. His secrets. All of it laid bare before her eyes as though the invisible barrier that had always blocked her had simply ceased to exist.
Looking back on it now... Kei honestly felt a little stupid for not realizing it sooner. Her gaze remained fixed on Kelly’s sleeping figure as her lips moved ever so slightly.
"Analyse."
The moment the word left her mouth. A translucent screen materialized before her. Kelly’s status. Floating right in front of her eyes.
KELLY KAMIMURA, AGE: 18, MALE
JOB:NONE
LEVEL: 15
WISDOME:18
STAMINA:150
STRENGTH: 60
SPEED:165
ENDURANCE:100
SOUL STRENGTH:99
MAGIC:LIGHTNING MAGIC, SUMMONING MAGIC
SKILLS: GLUTTONY, HOWLING, LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION
"...Gluttony."
The word escaped Kei’s lips almost unconsciously. Even now. Even after seeing it before. That skill still shocked her. Kei didn’t need anyone to explain what it meant. She also possessed an S-rank skill. She knew exactly how absurd those abilities were. Even if an S-rank skill had only a single function...That one function alone could eclipse everything ordinary people considered possible.
And the first time she saw Kelly’s status... The first time she compared it with the statuses of those wolf beasts. She understood. Or rather...
She understood enough. His second skill Howling had given everything away. It was impossible to miss. And yet... Even now, Kei still didn’t truly understand what Gluttony actually did.
’I don’t think... even he understands it’
Kei thought quietly, her gaze on Kelly growing deeper. More thoughtful. More complicated.
’But the results of it... are absurd’
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
’His growth rate...’
A brief pause in her thoughts.
’It’s on the same trajectory as Agawa’
The moment all the pieces connected. Kei felt genuine fear for the second time. A cold chill ran down her spine. Because if her assumptions were correct...If Kelly truly understood how to fully use that skill. Then his future...Would be terrifying. And for a brief moment. A very brief moment. Kei’s instincts immediately classified him as a threat. An enemy.
Because if he ever decided to use that power against her...Just imagining it was enough to make her body tense. Then, Kei let out a silent breath.
’...That was me being stupid’
Her eyes softened slightly as she continued looking at his sleeping figure. At first...Yes, she had been wary of him. Suspicious. Guarded. Ready to run at the first sign of danger. But after everything they had gone through together...After every fight...Every sleepless night...Every time he stood between her and death. Kei could only laugh bitterly at her own paranoia.
’He’s saved me... so many times’
Her fingers tightened slightly around her knees.
’And if he really wanted to use that skill on me...’
Her gaze lingered on his peaceful face.
’He could’ve done it... anytime’
Kei understood that now. Seeing Kelly as an enemy...It would never work. Not anymore. At the end of the day, they were in this together. And in this endless hell. They only had each other. No matter how much she tried to stay guarded... No matter how many walls she built... No matter how often her instincts screamed at her to trust no one. It didn’t matter anymore.
Not after spending this much time together. Not after fighting back-to-back. Not after sleeping while knowing the other was keeping watch. Somewhere along the way. Without either of them realizing it. Something had already been built between them. Trust. Comfort. Something real. Not forced. Not manipulated. Not calculated. Genuine. Because no matter how strong someone was...
No one wanted to survive a place like this alone. Kei slowly looked away from Kelly’s sleeping figure and shifted her gaze toward the flickering flames dancing before her. The warm orange light reflected in her eyes as the crackling fire filled the silence between them.
But as always. Her mind refused to stay quiet.
’This place... is strange’
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
’At first, I only had suspicions...But during the first few days, the beasts we fought were clearly weaker than us’
Her fingers tightened ever so slightly.
’And recently...’
Her gaze deepened.
’Their levels are getting dangerously close to ours’
Kei’s mind drifted back to the beast they had fought not long ago. Unlike humans, her Magic Eyes didn’t work on monsters in exactly the same way. But even so. She could still extract the information she needed. And as she recalled the creature’s status. Her expression slowly grew serious.
FUNGLYIC, MALE
LEVEL: 18
WISDOME:5
STAMINA:190
STRENGTH: 150
SPEED:70
ENDURANCE:150
SOUL STRENGTH:50
SKILLS: FIRE BLAST
For Kei, that beast had been the highest-level monster she had fought since coming to this world. And yet, the more she thought back on its status...The stranger it felt.
’It’s like...’
Kei’s eyes reflected the dancing flames as her thoughts deepened.
’Every beast we’ve been facing... is at the absolute peak of its level’
Her brows narrowed slightly. She had fought plenty of beasts since arriving here. Enough to notice patterns. Enough to understand what "normal" looked like. And under normal circumstances... A beast at her level wasn’t supposed to be difficult. Most of them. One spell. That was all it took.