Author's Note: Yoooo! I finally got around to making a cover :D ! All of my training in kindergarten has finally shown its use :p I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Please feed me with comments so I can see how I'm doing :3 

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"Battle Credits... are those different from Crystal Points?" Jimmy asked out loud. 

[Affirmative. Further information is restricted until the Early Alpha stage has begun. ]

Jimmy put his fist to his head and glanced back towards his car. His posture went tight and his face became contorted from stress. There was just too much he didn't know.

"I really gotta get home," he muttered to himself.

Though this was his desperate wish, Jimmy stifled his desire upon glancing at the injured man who he could finally take a good look at him now that there was no imminent threat of death. The man was on the heavier side, but judging by his fight with those creatures, a good amount of that weight must be muscle. After a bit of thought, Jimmy noticed that the man bore an odd but striking resemblance to Babe Ruth in terms of body shape and height. That comparison was only heightened by the powerful hit he delivered on the creature with the bat.

Of course, questioning the man's appearance was nowhere near as important as dealing with his injuries. His cuts and scratches did not appear to be anything deep, but there were a ton of them. The man informed him about a first aid kit inside the truck, which Jimmy hastily retrieved. Since the truck was a wreck, the two had to sit on the rough road while Jimmy bandaged him up.

"Thanks for the help, kid. I'd be a dead man if you didn't show up" the man spoke while getting his left arm wrapped.

"Don't worry about it. There was no way I could just leave you stranded with those things"

The man paused for a second before asking:

"So... what were those things anyway? I swerved out of the way thinking they were people, but that's clearly not the case," the man groaned, clearly regretting his decision before continuing, "I honestly don't know what's weirder, monsters randomly appearing or a kid managing to kill four of them with a floating rock."

Oh right... I should probably explain what's going on.

"Sorry about that; I'm not really sure about much, but I'll explain the stuff I do know from the beginning. It all started when I was born-"

"Please be serious for a second," the man interrupted with a sigh.

Honoring his request, Jimmy explained the general details about the situation while he continued to bandage the man, though he left out the details pertaining to his title and the bonuses that came with it. The man listened with deep interest, butting in with many questions- most of which Jimmy had no answers to.

"So, you're saying I could get a rock shield too if I get my hands on one of those crystals?" the man inquired after getting the summary.

"I doubt everyone would just get the same ability, so you'd probably get something else. Now that you mention it... you didn't get the crystal from that dude you killed, did you?"

"I just found out about them a second ago, kid" the man replied.

"Calm down, Grumpy Pants. I know you're stressed, but I'm not exactly accustomed to this either" Jimmy paused for a second to think before continuing, "My ability lets me absorb the crystals automatically, so I've never had to get one myself, but from what I can tell, they're probably located in the chest of the creatures"

The man nodded and steadily rose to his feet. He gradually made his way over to the wreckage of the truck and bent down to pick something up from off of the ground. Upon the man's turn back towards Jimmy, the moon's light illuminated a piece of sharp metal debris in his hand. After acquiring this make-shift knife, the man's next stop was at the sight of the fallen creature. He cautiously kicked the corpse onto its back before violently thrusting the metal shard into its chest. 

The scene was still a bit much for Jimmy, who was still woozy after cracking a creature's skull open in the fight before, causing him to subconsciously glance over to the sight of that corpse. Instead of a carcass, barren road occupied the space where the creature should have been. Naturally, Jimmy looked to see whether the other corpses were still present, only to see that they had all met similar fates.

"That's strange, I know for a fact those things were dead. Could they have disappeared or something?" Jimmy thought out loud. 

[ Affirmative. Once a lifeform's crystal is removed, its body will soon fade away. ]

"Whoa, that's interesting! Thanks again for the help, robot voice!"

Jimmy sincerely appreciated the help the voice was giving him, however it was clear that the voice was limited in what it could say. Putting aside the power he receives from the crystals, Jimmy has also been getting Crystal Points and now Battle Credits, but these were worthless until Jimmy found out how to use them.

"Hey, kid! I got the crystal!" a voice called out from behind.

Jimmy turned around to see the man standing proud above the body with a small black crystal clutched in his hand.

"All I have to do is crush it and I'll get an ability too, right?" he eagerly asked.

"Yes, but you should really wait until-"

Before Jimmy could finish, the man's fist closed and golden particles flowed into his palm. The man froze for a second with a focused expression on his face. 

"Oi... you didn't mention me having to be asleep after I use the crystal."

"I was literally trying- never mind, it doesn't matter. Just quickly get in my car before you pass out, I don't want you to get ambushed while you're sleeping."

Realizing the dire situation he was now in, the man rushed towards the car. A moment later, however, a thin purple beam of light shot down from the sky and hit his back. Instantly, his body went limp and the man collapsed onto the asphalt. 

After letting out a sigh, Jimmy unenthusiastically trudged over.

"... your faceplant will be considered payback for not giving my bat back."

With that final line, Jimmy dragged the bulky body to its intended destination.