My Two Status Windows

Chapter 38

[Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 38: The First C-Rank (2)

Finally, C-Rank.

And to think I’m the first human to achieve it.

There were people who awakened a year earlier than me...

Choosing the Apostle Commander really was the right decision.

I proceeded with the rank-up without hesitation.

[You have ascended to Awakener Rank C.]

[Class skills are enhanced.]

[Soul Mediatior skill has leveled up to LV2.]

[Soul Reaper skill has leveled up to LV2.]

[Attribute Absorption skill has leveled up to LV2.]

[Spirit Enhancement skill has leveled up to LV2.]

[With the enhancement of the Spirit Enhancement skill, the stat limits have increased.]

Oh, nice.

I had been wondering how to upgrade these skills, and it turns out ranking up does the trick.

I wanted to carefully review the skill descriptions, but those damn Uruks wouldn’t stop attacking me.

“Ugh, these annoying bastards.”

Leaping high into the air, I crushed the heads of the Uruks one by one.

When I got a moment of respite, I opened the Neutral Faction status window and saw my SP was at 3,710.

Now that all stats could be raised to B, I immediately increased Mana, Technique, and Luck to B.

Then, I invested all 8 stat points earned from reaching level 50 (starting from level 34) into Mana.

About a quarter of the white "B" letter’s lower portion turned blue.

[Name: Kim Jiho

Class: Soul Reaper

Guardian Deity: Aurelia, Goddess of Volcanoes

Title: Conqueror of the Orcs

Level: 50

Body: B

Mana: B

Technique: B

Luck: B

SP: 3,110]

Wow!

All stats at a clean B.

I swapped my title from the “Bat Awakener” from Order Faction back to Neutral, and replaced it with a new one I had earned, “Pioneer of Earth (Hero).”

[Pioneer of Earth (Hero)]

[Rank: B.]

[Title given to the first human to achieve C-Rank and Hero Rank. Increases all stats by 10%. Effect applies only while at C-Rank.]

Oh!

A 10% stat boost?

That’s quite a handy effect.

The downside is that it only works at C-Rank, but if I ascend to B, won’t they give me a “Pioneer of Earth B”?

The “Conqueror of the Orcs” title I was using before was supposed to terrify orcs, but maybe the dragons lured them away or something—it ended up being utterly useless...

“The Apostle has grown weaker!”

“Now is our chance!”

Was it not entirely useless after all?

The moment I changed the title, the Uruks seemed to think I had weakened and launched an even fiercer assault.

Was their earlier behavior them holding back?

Persistent bastards...

“Summon Flame Chariot.”

Thanks to my enhanced Mana, the Flame Chariot I summoned was upgraded, now pulled by four horses and significantly larger.

While still slightly smaller than the one Liana had initially demonstrated, the number of horses matched hers.

“Charge!”

As the empowered Flame Chariot rolled forward, flames erupted from the ground in its wake.

Previously, flames would rise along the chariot’s path, but now they were more than twice as large.

Moreover, the fire didn’t dissipate quickly but continued to burn fiercely for a long time.

“Arghhhh!”

“The flames... they’ve gotten stronger!”

“Shaman! Do something!”

The Flame Chariot rampaged, turning the battlefield into a sea of fire.

The Uruks, writhing in agony amidst the flames, evoked a strange new feeling in me.

It felt... good.

Watching the Uruks burn in flames felt good, hearing their screams felt good, and seeing them try to save their comrades only to be engulfed in flames felt good too.

Stop bothering me and just die already.

Dodging the flames, an Uruk tried to approach me, so I smashed its head with my fist.

Crunch.

Its helmet caved in, and its skull shattered.

My gauntlet was drenched in blood, and I could feel something soft and squishy under my fist.

Ah...

Is this its brain?

Grasping the squishy substance, I squeezed it, feeling it squelch under the pressure.

I climbed onto the Uruk’s shoulder and rummaged inside its head.

This is fun.

Smashing heads is fun, watching bodies collapse lifelessly is fun.

A chilling thrill coursed through my spine, awakening my senses, and it felt exhilarating.

Thud.

When the Uruk’s body finally collapsed, I moved on to the next one and smashed its head just the same.

Once again, that tingling sensation of pleasure coursed through me.

This was different from before.

I’d never felt this kind of exhilaration, even when killing enemies.

Ah...

What is this?

Was slaughter always this thrilling?

Conquering, trampling, and massacring enemies—was it always this enjoyable?

As the upgraded Flame Chariot turned the battlefield into a fiery hell, a smile crept across my face.

Why didn’t I realize how fun this was until now?

This feels amazing.

[Pollux looks at you with contempt, wondering if your mind is already succumbing.]

[Aurelia urges you to quickly upgrade the Form Preservation skill before you lose yourself completely.]

Suddenly, messages popped up.

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on me.

Ah... Is the Form Preservation skill not fully active because I ranked up?

Is this what it’s like without it?

Was the thrill of slaughter and the pleasure I felt part of the Uruks’ nature?

Did I absorb those traits while plundering their souls?

Goosebumps rose on my skin.

I quickly opened the Premium Shop window.

Dodging the Uruks’ attacks roughly, I

“Is it enemy magic?”

“No, what is that? How do we deal with it?”

Even our allies were bewildered.

“Grrrrr...”

“Fall back! Retreat!”

“Is this the descent of a Flame Angel?”

The enemy troops hesitated, backing away.

With all eyes on the sky, the flaming wings flapped slowly.

With a single forward sweep of the wings, the wyverns in mid-flight disintegrated in an instant.

There wasn’t even a trace of fire left on them.

As soon as they touched the wings, they simply ceased to exist.

And then, in the direction of the wing’s sweep, a tidal wave of blazing flames surged forward.

A firestorm that completely dominated the sky.

The wyverns caught in its path were consumed.

Unlike the wings themselves, which annihilated instantly, the firestorm left their bodies burning, sending them plummeting to the ground.

The sight of wyverns engulfed in crimson flames falling like meteors was breathtaking.

The wyverns crashed into the enemy lines, turning their camp into utter chaos.

The flames spreading from their burning bodies were unstoppable.

The battlefield became a searing inferno.

The stench of charred corpses filled the air, and a vision of hell unfolded before us.

“Fall back... fall back! The Flame Angel has descended!”

“Run! We must wait for Lord Akardian to arrive!”

“We can’t face an angel! We need Lord Akardian!”

The once-fearless Uruks, who charged relentlessly no matter how many of them fell, were now terrified.

Their advance halted, and they fled with their tails between their legs.

The formation was in shambles, and some soldiers even abandoned their weapons.

Hah.

After all that, they’re running now?

One flap of the phoenix’s wings completely changed the tide of battle.

Our allies, though still confused, rallied with newfound courage and began clearing out the remaining enemies within the fortress.

[A Divine Phenomenon has been invoked by an A-rank Mythical Beast. This is a miraculous event impossible at your current rank.]

[Magic ability scores in the Order faction have permanently decreased by 3.]

[Magic ability scores in the Neutral faction have permanently decreased.]

[Magic recovery rate is reduced by 50% for one week.]

Ugh.

My magic stats permanently dropped!

By 3 points, no less!

And even the Neutral faction stats went down?

Ugh... I must’ve earned a lot of SP.

I’ll just raise them again.

I tried to console myself, though the loss of magic stats was painful.

Without that phoenix’s wing flap, we would’ve lost the battle.

Don’t regret it... Don’t regret it.

I repeated the mantra to myself, though I couldn’t help feeling a bit of regret.

Sigh.

Let’s check how much SP I earned.

I must’ve gained a lot.

Just as I was about to open the status window, another message appeared.

Its content was far more ominous than anything I’d seen before.

[The Chaos Lord who destroyed the planet Kevrian, the Lord of Death, senses the Divine Phenomenon.]

[The Lord of Death will investigate whether the gods have broken their covenant.]

[The Lord of Death is watching you.]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]