Chapter 2: Panic and Fury
Panic seized the girls, and in the chaos, the twins let go of me. I hit the ground with a dull thud that pulled a muffled groan from my throat. The impact, however, sent a jolt of adrenaline through my body. My eyes, previously clouded, cleared.
"What’s happening?" I growled, my voice barely audible due to my dry throat. I pushed myself up on one elbow, trying to get to my feet. I turned to see Lira, who looked at me with eyes full of guilt, seeing me on the ground with new open wounds.
Laila, breathing heavily, pointed towards the village entrance.
"The... the monsters! They invade the village every month and force us to give tribute, but this year... we have nothing! The Sun God’s curse burned all the crops. We don’t know what will happen, maybe we all die today!" Her eyes filled with frustrated tears as she clenched her teeth, grabbing her head. She was utterly terrified.
I got to my feet with difficulty. My body screamed with every movement, but a fury began to burn inside me. Monsters, invaders, tributes... Laila’s terrified gaze reminded me it wasn’t the time to be lying around, lamenting.
I activated my ability, making my eyes glow with a faint blue light, and suddenly, the world became clear, not just visually, but with an avalanche of information.
* [Hero’s Eye] Activated.
* [Status Panel]
* Name: Jax Cole
* Level: 97