CHAPTER 23: PERCEPTION

Wade had time for only one final thought as the claws descended towards his face.

’Is this how I die?’

Skreech!

He blinked in shock as a transparent, golden barrier appeared before his face, sending the claws skittering over its surface.

He turned to the side, wide eyed, just in time to see Rowan wink at him. In an instant, the man had turned back to his own fight, killing three wraiths at once.

Wade skipped back as the wraith surged to the side, trying to bypass the barrier. Another wraith was heading towards him from the side. If he allowed them to move as they like, he’d be caught fighting on two fronts as they converge in a pincer attack.

He dashed towards the end of the golden barrier, swinging his sword just as the wraith emerged from the side.

The wraith slid under his sword, claws digging into the floor to stop its momentum.

Wade’s sword bounced off the edge off the barrier, sending him stumbling backwards. The barrier winked out of existence a second later.

He regained his balance, turning just in time to see the second wraith leap towards him.

His mind went blank, and his body moved on its own.

He surged forward, summoning [Basic Ward] and slamming it into the face of the wraith. The wraith’s head snapped back, sending it flying a few feet.

Wade turned, his perception already alerting him of the second wraith.

He swung his sword, and the wraith’s head dipped, trying to duck under the swing again.

"Gotcha." Wade grinned savagely.

He angled his sword downward, tearing through the wraith’s back and shearing it into two. It shattered into pieces.

As the glass shards sprayed in the air, he ducked, just in time for the second wraith to sail overhead, its claws tearing through where its head should be.

Wade’s hands snapped up, catching it by its biceps, and with a twist of his waist, slammed it into the floor. It shattered into glass shards.

Wade stood there, staring at it with wide eyes. ’I... did that?’

That was when the sound of clapping filled the hall.

He looked up to see Rowan clapping enthusiastically, a big smile on his face. "Bravo! Bravo!" The man called out.

Ingrid stood there, leaning on her bow, one leg crossed, and Sebastian had his axe over his shoulder. Sprayed on the floor around them were countless glass shards. It looked like they’d killed their own wraith and had watched the rest of his fight.

"Err...," Wade scratched the back of his head, "thank you?"

That was when the notifications appeared.

Ding!

[Congratulations. You have slained: Mirror Wraith(x4)]

"You did good." Sebastian said from where he stood. "You still have some unassigned stat points left, right? Now, think about your fight. What stats would’ve helped you fight better?"

Wade thought about it. The fight had been mostly carried by his perception. Without it, he wouldn’t have surely died a few times in the fight. If he couldn’t tell where the wraiths were coming from, he’d have been gutted.

There was also [Basic Ward]. If not for it, he would not have been able to control how many opponents he could fight at once. It had been a good decision to follow Rowan’s recommendation.

Of course, his breastplate had helped too. He looked down at the piece of equipment, a smile appearing on his face. He’d have to thank Tom the next time he saw the man.

He looked up to see that the rest of his party were already sifting through the glass shards, picking up the loot the wraiths had dropped. Of course, not every wraith had dropped loot.

Rowan looked up to see him staring at them. "You’d better hurry with your changes," he called out. "There are still more wraiths in the first ring. This was just the first wave. We don’t want them to catch us with our pants down."

Wade nodded, immediately calling for his status. It appeared before him in a flash of golden light.

[Name: Wade Barrett]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Dimensional Merchant]

[Origin Skill: Dimensional Ledger]

[Level: 1]

[Exp: 25%]

[HP: 165/165]

[MP: 140/165]

[Strength: 30]

[Agility: 31]

[Perception: 24]

[Constitution: 25]

[Stat Points: 25]

[Skills: Observe, Conceal, Inventory, Exchange, Basic Ward]

He frowned at his stats. He didn’t need Strength, nor Constitution. Not right now. The most important stat he needed now was Perception. And a bump to Agility. It’ll also have the added effect of increasing his mana points.

’Perfect.’

He poured eleven points into perception, bringing it up to 35. Then, he placed nine points into agility. It now sat at an even 40 points.

He watched as his mana points ticked upwards right before his eyes.

[MP: 200/225] ↑

With a nod, he closed the window. He looked around, trying to see if there were any changes in his perception. He should be four times more perceptive than the average human.

He blinked a few times, his vision going hazy for a second before settling. He blinked, unable to believe his eyes. He didn’t know how to describe his vision. If before he had been seeing in HD, now, he was seeing in 4k.

"This game sure has good graphics." He joked.

"Are you done?" Rowan called out from where he stood. It looked like they were done with gathering the loot.

"Yeah." Wade nodded hurriedly, dismissing his status screen. He walked over to them, joining the huddle as they all looked at Sebastian.

"Dungeons are usually more forgiving with the first wave." Sebastian began. "We won’t have as much free time to gather loot going forward, so if you have a chance, simply grab the loot. Understood?"

"Yes, captain."

"Good." Sebastian hefted his axe. "Now that Wade has calmed his nerves, we will be sticking to the formation. That means closing in tighter, even if they attack from above."

"Wait a minute." Wade frowned. "We scattered earlier because of... me?"

"Of course." Rowan snorted. "You needed to be given a chance to show yourself that you can do this. Now, your confidence has been restored. Besides, I could’ve protected us from the falling wraiths with my barrier."

"Oh."

"We can’t wait here for the wraiths to come and meet us." Sebastian continued. "If we do, we would not be able to complete this ring before the second one drops. That means leaving this hall."

He shifted his weight, raising his axe and gripping it with both hands. "Ready?"

"Ready."