I Awakened as an SSS-Rank System Maker!-Chapter 26 - The Weight of Sacrifice

Chapter 26 - The Weight of Sacrifice

"Alright," Lucas muttered to himself, "I need to figure out what to say to the scout who's going to meet me outside." He ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit that didn't do much to calm his thoughts. He had to be convincing... he had to make sure no one suspected anything was wrong.

After a long moment, Lucas finally smiled, and the smile was almost bitter. "Okay, here's the plan. I'll tell him that we faced an S-rank dungeon boss, and it was incredibly strong. Siman sacrificed himself to save us. He was able to defeat the dungeon boss, but because of the explosion, everyone died. Only Andre, Darlin, and I survived. Darlin treated us, but everyone else perished." He shook his head to himself.

A heavy silence filled the air as he reviewed the plan in his mind. It seemed like it had been rehearsed, but that didn't mean it was easy.

Before he could sink further into his thoughts, an idea flashed into his mind. He quickly turned to his system interface and opened the screen in front of him. "Alright, let me see the rewards I've gotten."

First... the 10% of Darlin's power.

He took a deep breath, opened the system, and spoke aloud, "Recover all powers."

Immediately, he felt a surge of energy flood his body. It wasn't just a simple rush; it was like fire coursing through his veins, flowing into every part of him, transforming him. For a moment, he felt every muscle in his body tighten and then relax. It was an exhilarating feeling. Strong.

"Amazing," Lucas muttered, smiling as the sensation faded and his body settled. He looked at his status window. "But when will I reach rank B?" he wondered aloud, his mind racing with possibilities. He hadn't felt this alive in a long time.

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He couldn't stop thinking about it. His excitement growing, he opened his second reward: the status window. "Status window," he said firmly.

A screen appeared before him, displaying his name, Lucas Arthur, his rank, C, and his level 1. His available points were 3.

Lucas stared at the screen in amazement. "Wow, amazing. I can evolve like the followers..." He stopped. His fingers hovered over the rest of the information, the complex details seeming to pulse on the screen. "But why does this seem strange?" he muttered to himself as he saw many fields.

There was power, mana, agility, refinement, magic, taming, spirit, mind, intelligence, perception. So many things to think about. Things he didn't yet understand.

"What is all of this?" Lucas wondered softly, his voice barely a whisper. He was astonished by the possibilities before him. He scrolled down further and noticed there were also fields for skills and inventory, both of which were empty. "I guess I need to fill these in," he thought, wondering how he could open these fields.

He noticed some features listed in the system:

Follower Feature

Status Window Feature

Danger Detection and Enemy Assessment Feature.

"Great! Now I can see all the information I need," Lucas said, excitement filling him. Everything had suddenly opened up before him.

He looked back at his available points and then at his strength stat. Without hesitation, he allocated all three points to strength. The system confirmed, "Confirmed, strength points allocated."

Lucas felt it immediately. The surge of power was precise, but undeniable. It was like a small pulse of strength spreading through his body, like a calm wave crashing against his core. He clenched his fists. "Awesome! Now I see a brilliant future ahead of me. Haha."

He turned to Andre and Darlin, who had been silently watching his interactions with the system, and gave them a wide smile. "Come on, let's get out of this dark dungeon," he said, trying to shake off the lingering cold, harsh atmosphere of the dungeon.

They stepped through the magic gate and emerged into the light of the outside world. The sun's warmth hit their skin, a sharp contrast to the damp, dead air of the dungeon. Birds chirped, the breeze was gentle, and there was a soft whisper in the air that made Lucas pause for a moment.

But their moment of calm didn't last long. As they stepped further into the open space, a black car appeared on the horizon. It was sleek and ominous, standing in stark contrast to the quiet farm surrounding them. A man in a brown suit stood in front of it, his arms crossed, his gaze unwavering.

"Congratulations on your escape," the man said, his voice smooth but sharp. "I'm the scout, Kim."

Lucas tensed. He hadn't expected just one of them. "Where's the rest?" Kim asked, glancing between Lucas, Andre, and Darlin.

Lucas's face stiffened, and he swallowed, his throat tight. He wasn't sure how to say it, but he had no choice. "They're dead," he said in a low, heavy voice. "We're the only ones who survived. Siman sacrificed his life to save us."

Kim didn't flinch. His expression remained unreadable. "Hmm, alright. I'll write this down," he said, pulling out a small notebook and jotting something down. "Thank you for what you've done," he added, a touch of gratitude in his voice. "I can take you to your homes."

Lucas nodded, his mind still reeling from everything that had happened. He wasn't ready for a conversation about Siman's death, not yet. Not when things were still too fresh.

They all got in the car. The windows were tinted, cutting off any sense of the outside world. Kim spoke to the driver, "Let's go." The engine revved, and the car began its journey.

Kim remained silent for a few moments before speaking again. "So, what's your address?" he asked, looking at Lucas.

"Lisa Hotel," Lucas answered, his mind distant, his gaze fixed on the moving scenery outside the car. Everything felt surreal. A world full of light and life, yet none of it mattered anymore.

After a few moments of silence, the car stopped in front of the hotel. The building was tall, clean, and welcoming. Kim approached them and handed them a small bundle of papers. "The rewards have been divided among you," he said casually. "You can check them."

Lucas opened his phone, and a message appeared:

10,000 Coron Coins.

His eyes widened slightly. It was a large amount.

Andre and Darlin each received 15,000 Coron Coins, as they were rank B. Lucas couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride. He hadn't reached there yet, but he was getting closer.

Kim watched Lucas for a moment before speaking again. "I gave them 15,000 because they're rank B, while you're rank C."

Lucas smiled, a small, almost sarcastic grin forming on his lips. "Heh, I can buy an apartment with this amount and food for two months," he thought, his mind spinning. He hadn't expected much, but now he felt like he had some power.

"Thank you," Lucas said, nodding to Kim as they left the car.

Inside the hotel, Lucas went straight to the reception. "I'd like to buy an apartment," he said, his voice calm.

"Yes, of course," the receptionist responded with a warm smile. "I'll give you an apartment in the building behind the hotel."

"Thank you," Lucas said, his mind already racing, planning his next steps.