Family Man System: Taking Care Of My Family Makes Me OP

Chapter 30: First kill

[Status:

Strength: E-

Speed: F+

Endurance: E+

Intelligence: E+

Mana: E]

[Congratulations, host. Your potential has risen to Rank D in every attribute except Mana. Due to your recent exposure to high-mana items and monsters, your Mana has the potential to reach Rank C.]

[Your body has already undergone minor changes and successfully adapted to them. Kill monsters and continue to level up to reach your maximum potential.]

Holding a plain steel sword he had rented for twenty points, Kai wasn’t sure whether he should feel relieved or remain tense.

Only twenty seconds remained before the challenge began.

Naturally, he was happy that he finally had a means of leveling up. Yet that opportunity would amount to nothing if he couldn’t rein in his fear and face whatever awaited him.

’I have to do it... for Elara. I need to protect her.’

He repeated those words in his mind, reminding himself of what was at stake. Slowly, the tension in his body began to ease.

Then the buzzer sounded.

It was time.

Clank.

The sound of heavy metal rattling somewhere in the distance resonated through the corridor.

Shwarp.

Blue flames suddenly ignited on either side of him, revealing the long stone passage in which Kai stood.

Something was approaching from roughly fifty meters away.

Screech.

A blade dragged limply across the cold stone as its wielder advanced toward him.

Clad in rusted armor, its face concealed beneath a battered helmet, the knight continued its steady approach.

Its pace was neither fast nor slow, giving Kai just enough time to prepare himself.

He raised the sword before his face and lowered his stance.

He wasn’t accustomed to wielding a sword, but necessity had left him with little choice.

The knight drew closer.

Kai didn’t budge an inch.

Then, without warning, its stats appeared before him.

[Name: Unnamed Knight]

[Rank: Unranked]

Kai frowned.

His eyes widened a moment later when a rusty blade tore through the holographic letters.

"Woah!"

He leaped backward just in time.

The tip of the blade struck the stone floor with a sharp scrape before bouncing off and redirecting toward him.

’I can see it.’

Maybe it was the difference in rank—God, he couldn’t believe he was actually thinking something like that—that he could see the attack clearly, almost as though the trajectory had been laid bare before him.

The blade swept toward his neck.

Kai ducked beneath it, allowing the attack to pass harmlessly overhead, then drove his sword forward.

The tip slipped through the narrow gap between the knight’s helmet and chest plate.

SQUELCH.

The sensation was unmistakably that of steel piercing flesh.

Kai winced at the feeling as the knight staggered backward. He immediately pulled his sword free.

There was no blood on the blade.

Nor did anything spill from the knight’s wound.

The creature simply staggered for another step before collapsing with a resounding,

CLANG.

Its body suddenly began to dissolve into dark smoke, leaving behind nothing but its rusted armor and sword.

He lifted the chest plate and saw a notification appear before him.

[Slain an Unnamed Knight: 2 SP]

[Congratulations on your first hunt in the ruins.]

[Reward: Memory Recall]

[Rank: ??]

[Description: You can revisit the memories of your battles and learn from your mistakes. Additionally, this skill allows the host to observe and assess opponents, enabling the host to learn their movements and train against artificially created holograms for better preparation.]

CLANG.

Kai’s attention was pulled away from the description when another heavy metallic sound echoed through the ruins.

Then another.

And another.

His eyes sharpened as he tossed the chest plate aside and settled into his stance.

This time, three knights emerged from the darkness.

They looked almost identical to the one he had just killed.

’Their stats are similar, but they have the numbers this time.’

Kai couldn’t afford to become careless simply because he was stronger than them.

These creatures had been created to kill him.

And as horrifying as that realization was, it also served as a reminder of what he was facing. The threat forced him to remain alert, sharpen his senses, and push himself beyond his limits.

The knight on the left surged forward, covering the distance in a couple of swift steps before bringing its sword down in a sweeping arc.

"Hup!"

Kai didn’t take any chances. He sprang backward, intending to use the momentum to slash through the knight’s neck, but he was forced to abandon the attack.

CLANG!

Another knight came at him from the side, its blade cutting diagonally through the air.

Kai tilted his body backward, narrowly avoiding the strike rather than pressing his attack against the first knight.

But the instant he regained his footing, he realized the third knight was waiting for him.

Its blade was already raised.

This time, it was aimed straight at his head.

Kai hastily raised his own sword and knocked the attack aside, redirecting the blade and sending the knight stumbling forward.

His hand trembled as he retreated, putting some distance between himself and the three knights.

He wasn’t tired. Not in the slightest.

But he had narrowly avoided two surprise attacks that could have left him seriously injured.

That realization alone was enough to make him pause and gather his thoughts.

The three knights remained standing, unharmed.

Worse, they had already spread out and were beginning to flank him.

Kai drew a deep breath.

Then he made his decision.

"I need to get aggressive now. Can’t have my daughter searching for me when she wakes up."