25. A: Black Crystal

Just as I gritted my teeth and braced myself for impact, the crawling insanity finally reached me, when...

Splash.

Waves sound.

With a sudden, forceful, and rude attack, it threw me... outside the Oblivion... and through my own handmade exit.... toward the sky.... or more like...

Fuuush.

Cutting through air.

Smash.

“!!Ghaa..”

Spitting blood.

Or more like it slammed me toward a tree, I guess.

Thud.

Falling to ground.

And Wow, it really...

“hurts”

.....

Ah, my head hurts.... my muscles too.... my bones.... and my limbs..... Ah, dammit...

“my whole body HURTS....”

Saying so, I lay face down on the ground, too weak to even move, when suddenly...

!!!….

“ghaaa....”

Throwing up.

The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach grows so strong, I end up throwing black blood up...

“Ah, now that’s sucks....”

Saying so, I feel my body, and yeah... it’s the worst... after all, not only am I too exhausted from all that’s happened in the Oblivion, but even my level has regressed, and then there is also this additional weird feeling of weakness I feel.... so, yeah... it sucks.... truly sucks...

“Aah, it feels like suddenly getting your drugs cuts....”

Not like I do drugs, but.... yeah, it’s...

“the feeling... The Feeeeling...”

“Aaah....”

Groan.

It sucks...

Thinking so, I sigh. And then with my body finally getting a little better, I weakly raise my head, and glance at the black blood in front of me.... or more specifically...

I stare at the weird black crystals mixed in it, when suddenly...

!!!….

Crack. cRack. craCk.

Bone shifting sound.

When suddenly, an extreme feeling of pain shakes my whole being, as I...

“ghaaa....”

Throwing up.

Get back to throwing more black blood up...

“shi-... Ghaaa....”

Throwing up.

Shit. Thinking so, I shut my mind from the pain, and then ignoring the weird feeling of my bones grinding, my skin crawling, and also the feeling of heat on my eyes, I do my best in spitting the last crystal in my mouth, before then...

Sigh.

Before then, sighing, shifting a little in my place, and then flipping on my back, as I dizzily stare at the weird broken-glass-like scenery a little further from me.... some twenty to thirty meters, I guess?

Doing so, and feeling grateful to my defence stat, I watch as suddenly the cracks and glass fragments in mid-air start moving, as they rearrange themselves, before then...

Click.

Before then fixing themselves and disappearing with a weird sound, leaving no trail or proof of the supernatural phenomenon that just took place there...

And seeing that, all I could do was weakly smile, before then...

Crack. cRack. craCk.

Bone shifting sound.

Sighing, as I focus on the weird and anomalous feeling my body sent me.... or at least, that’s what I wanted to do, when...

-Conditions have been met.

Extra Skill: Tainted One has been acquired.-

-Conditions have been met.

Lv2 have been reached.-

When suddenly, a series of notifications appeared.

Sigh.

.....

Feeling a little weak and tired, I sigh, before then ignoring whatever anomaly my body is going through, as I stare at the notification series in front of me...

-Conditions have been met.

Lv2 have been reached.-

-Conditions have been met

Skill: Attack Lv5 has become Lv6-

-Conditions have been met

Skill: Defence Lv7 has become Lv8-

-Conditions have been met

Skill: Magic power Lv7 has become Lv8-

-Conditions have been met

Skill: Aura Manipulation Lv1 has become Lv2-

-Conditions have been met

Skill: Physical Arts Lv2 has become Lv3-

-Conditions have been met

Skill: Weapon Arts Lv2 has become Lv3-

But as if everything that just happened wasn’t enough, it happened...

What happened, you say? Well, first was a weird feeling of shock running through my spasming body, and second, was...

-Conditions have been met.

Skill: Regeneration Lv1 has been acquired.-

And second, was a sudden feeling of cool numbness spreading through my whole body akin to drowning in cold water.... no, wait?

“It really is water....”

Saying so, I stare at my shaky right arm, and on it, what I saw was...

“a thin layer of black water...”

Flowing through my wounds, and with my arm, until it reached my palm..... or at least what remained from it, but then contrary to what I expected..... it didn’t stop. No... instead, it continued to flow above it, as slowly...

“No way....”

As slowly, the water took shape in the form of a hand, before then...

“Are you serious....”

Smile

Quickly clotting like blood.

And seeing that, I really couldn’t hold my smile as I moved my left hand and...

Poked that squishy thing.

No, seriously, it really is squishy..... and somehow, it also seems... Delicious?

“No, wait... Delicious?”

“well, that was a weird thought.”

Ah, but I guess it does seem delicious though, so... yeah, let’s ignore that for now, after all, that squishy black hand of mine is currently solidifying.... seriously?

Thinking so, I keep looking and then in but moments, that which was one a squishy delicious Hand looking candy has suddenly changed into...

“a semi-transparent black hand-like crystal...”

And hand-like because slowly as it crystallized, its shape was also getting distorted.... not like it changed that much, but anyway...

“it seems it’s growing darker”

Thinking so, I watch as the black crystal structure slowly grew coarse and opaque when suddenly...

??

I smile surprised, before then closing my eyes slowly. Doing so, and focusing a little, I...

“can feel it...”

My hand, I...

Thinking so, I raise my hand a little higher as if pointing at something, and then opening my eyes, I...

SHATTER.

I quickly stretch my palm, breaking the weird black shell that was covering it.

“Seriously...?”

Saying so, I quietly stare at my hand that was just regenerated, and seriously...

“THAT....”

“was pretty cool”

Saying so, I smile while feeling not only my hand, but also multiple other parts of my body slowly shedding their crystal shells, and doing so, I...

Close my eyes again, as I lay back to rest.