Limitless Evolution With My Character Merge System

Chapter 17: First Kill

Storm stood strong, the wolf's blood covering most of his body—no, both Storms stood together.

The clone faded away within a few seconds, leaving only the real Storm behind as he caught his breath.

Ember quickly rushed to Alden, "That was dangerous. You took a great risk by taking off like that to deal with the beast."

"Storm was having difficulty fighting the beast, so I couldn't back down and let the opportunity to help him slip away just like that," Alden sighed.

As she examined Alden's body, she couldn’t find any deep wounds, only a few minor scratches here and there.

"But how is it possible that you were still able to move after such heavy damage?" Ember asked with a confused look as her eyes searched carefully for any hidden injuries.

Ember was very confused.

She had seen the wolf charge at Alden, and there was simply no way he could have avoided getting a serious wound from such an attack.

"You're really lucky to have survived the wolf's attacks."

"Stay still while I heal you," she said in a confused tone, pushing aside the troubling questions that were starting to give her a headache.

Perhaps, Alden hadn't sustained any serious injuries after all; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to stand until he was fully healed.

Alden sat down so that she could begin her work.

"I'm all ready for your treatment," he said with a wide smile, stretching his arms out and even mimicking her tone in a playful way.

Ember chuckled heartily, "Damn lucky you're having the last laugh instead of the wolf."

With her hand held over his head, a faint white light began to slowly come from her palm. It soon formed into a transparent, whitish ball that began to flow directly into Alden's body through his pores.

[Character healing taking place <88% of your health restored>]

The energy felt cool and soothing as it spread through his body.

[An external energy has been detected flowing into your body

]

[Would you like to block the energy?]

Alden ignored the notification that appeared, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the calming sensation. Ember's healing sped up his recovery.

Darian and Zara then walked up to them.

"Alden and Ember, you two were reckless, even foolish, by putting your lives on the line," Zara said coldly. "You rushed to fight an enemy without a proper plan or preparation."

Alden opened his eyes and listened carefully. He wasn’t angry at Zara’s words; she was right, especially considering his hasty rush to engage the wolf.

"Ember, you need to improve and learn how to use your advantage in long-distance attacks against your enemy, since you're a supportive class user. You should have targeted its weak points to give your teammate a better chance," Darian chimed in.

"You're lucky that was just an F-rank wolf. If it had been a higher rank with more speed and fighting power, I wonder how you would have fared," Zara said sharply, her tone still cold.

"As for you," Darian said as he bent down to speak with Alden.

“You did well in your first fight with a beast.”

"But your last move was wild. Next time, be careful not to get caught in your enemy’s trap—study and plan ahead instead of rushing in blindly."

Darian gave him a few pointers, like a senior guiding a junior who lacked experience.

"It was your first time, though. You were brave, unlike the little girl beside you who trembled in fear during her first fight," he whispered with a playful smirk.

"Seriously?" Ember shrugged as she faced Darian with an angry expression.

Darian raised his hands while laughing. "I didn't say anything about you, little one."

"Thank you, seniors, for your advice," Alden admitted with a bittersweet smile, recognizing his mistakes and showing his gratitude as he saw his own errors clearly.

Alden was also shocked how he was brave to fight against a scary beast at that, he never expected it.

[Health fully restored 100%]

Soon, he was back to full health, no longer feeling any pain in his body or bones. He stood up, stretching as if nothing had happened at all.

"I'm okay now," he smiled. "Your healing energy is very effective. Thank you."

"Thank you?" Ember replied, her eyes wide. "For what?"

"For healing me..."

"You don't have to thank me. If you want to show your thanks, just treat me to a good meal," she said with a childish grin as she walked away to check on Storm.

"Looking for a treat when you're still lagging behind in your training and skills. We really need to stop going easy on you," Storm remarked coldly.

"Ahhh, what an annoying brother."

"Rest for a few minutes before we move out again and clear this dungeon quickly," Darian instructed while gazing into the distance.

##Alden's POV##

I sat down on top of a rock.

"Just an F-rank wolf was so difficult to handle, even when teamed up with Ember. If Storm hadn't stepped in at that last moment, my life would have been cut off," I thought, reflecting on my actions.

"I couldn't even face the beast head on."

I chose to fight the wolf without using any wind skills or copying them.

I wanted to test my current strength against a weak beast and see how far I could go, and now I understood my true potential.

With wind skills, I knew I could do much better.

A screen appeared before my eyes, showing many notifications.

[Ding! First kill

]

[You received several rewards for your first kill]

[+10 CP | +1 Strength | +1 Agility | +1 Endurance | +1 Intelligence | +5 Free Points]

[Instant Level Up]

[Level 1 → Level 2]

A bright smile spread across my face. As expected, there was a reward for killing the beast—just like I had read in some novels back then.

This was truly a win-win situation for me.

I was lucky to have a system that aided me in this dangerous world. Without it, I wondered how I would have coped in such a dangerous place. The system gave me all the advantages I needed.

'Character stat.'

[-STATS-]

HOST: Alden Finn

TALENT: Character Merge

RACE: Human

«STATS»

LEVEL: 2

EXP: 0/250

HEALTH: 100%

CP: 15↑

STR: 2↑

AGL: 2↑

INT: 3↑

END: 3↑

-SKILLS: Character Merge (SSS), Character Scan (SS), 10x Reward (SS), Skill Fusion (SS), Character Heal (SS)

TALENT SKILLS: Character Merge NUM [1/3] [Character profile view]

[Free point=5]

???: YET TO UNLOCK

CHARACTER SHOP: Open shop [Yes/No]

[-STATS-]

Seeing how my strength had increased from just one kill brought a sweet feeling to my heart.

I used the command for the character profile view and then opened the only available character I saw there.

.....!

[Copying Wind control (B) and Wind speed (C) successfully]

I felt a rush of knowledge as the system gave me the new skills—Wind Control and Wind Speed. It was as if I had always known how to use them. A brief headache came and went and soon I understood the skills completely.

"Wow," I whispered in amazement. It felt like the skills had always been a part of me.

I moved my fingers, feeling the air around me. With these skills, I could attack quickly and be more agile.

I tested the skills quietly, creating a small gust of wind that swirled around my hand. It felt great, and I couldn't wait to try them in a real fight.

"Alden, ready to go?" Darian called out to me.

I stood up and stretched slowly. "Yeah, I'm good. Feeling better than before."

Darian gave me a quick look but did not ask more. "Good. Let's move on. We need to clear this dungeon fast."