Level Up

The two Familiars were digesting the energy from the fruit nearby. Xu Zhi never dwelled for long on questions she couldn't answer right away, so before long, she set the Game Console beside her and started reading.

But as soon as she began, she noticed something different.

Her ability to understand and absorb knowledge had improved again. When she tried working through math problems she'd once found difficult, she realized she could now easily construct the necessary diagrams in her mind. Even her logical reasoning had improved considerably.

"So it wasn't completely useless. It just affected my brain?"

That was fine. At least it was better than having no effect at all.

Xu Zhi didn't get to read for long before Doggie was the first to wake from its slumber.

The first thing it did after waking was sniff around to locate Xu Zhi. Its eyes were still closed, but its paws were already carrying it toward her. As soon as it opened its eyes, the whole dog eagerly pounced into Xu Zhi's arms as she sat on the sofa.

But Xu Zhi mercilessly pushed it to the floor.

"You're too big now. You're heavy!"

Xu Zhi gasped for breath. Heaven knew, when Doggie had pounced on her, she'd nearly thought she was about to suffocate.

Did it think it was still a tiny puppy?!

Doggie seemed to have grown a little more. It was probably about a meter and a half long now, with smooth gray fur, sturdy, powerful limbs, and sharp eyes. But whenever it looked at Xu Zhi, its eyes were still damp and pleading.

Rejected when it tried to cuddle, Doggie whimpered in disappointment. It settled for lying beside Xu Zhi's feet and cautiously resting its head against her leg. This time, Xu Zhi didn't refuse.

What she cared about more now was how much Doggie could absorb after eating the Black Fruit. She picked up the Game Console and saw the result.

[Your Familiar digested some of this fruit's energy. It isn't very powerful, so it couldn't fully absorb all of it. Even so, it still reaped considerable rewards.]

The wording was familiar, though the evaluation differed slightly from the one Little One had received the first time it ate a fruit.

[Familiar: Dog Lv11→Lv13

Spirit: 120→200

Body: 860→1100

Attribute: Blade

Traits: Strength Lv6, Sense of Smell Lv5, Alertness Lv3, Sharpness Lv4

Special Ability: None]

[Current Evolution Points Required: 1000/2500]

It had gained two levels and another thousand Evolution Points, but the results weren't particularly impressive.

Xu Zhi had expected Doggie to be unable to digest the fruit completely. Still, Doggie had performed well lately, and it had found all four of the fruits. No matter what, Xu Zhi should give it one.

As she rubbed the head resting on her leg, Xu Zhi was surprised to find that it felt nice: fluffy and warm. With the power out, it was a rare, automatic heater in this cold city.

A little while later, Little One finally woke from its slumber. Since it had controlled its size, Xu Zhi couldn't tell how it had changed by looking at it, so she opened Little One's Game Console panel.

[Your Familiar perfectly digested this small fruit. Since it is still growing, it reaped considerable rewards.]

[Familiar: Python Lv16→Lv18

Spirit: 350→600

Body: 1500→1800

Attribute: Blade

Traits: Toxin Lv6, Sharpness Lv5, Bloodlust Lv5, Cunning Lv4, Strength Lv5]

Special Ability: Transformation Lv2]

[Evolution Points: 0/5500]

If Doggie gaining two levels had been within her expectations, then Little One gaining two levels had completely taken her by surprise.

She'd thought Little One would fall just short of level 18 after eating the fruit. Who'd have thought it would reach exactly that?

If it kept absorbing and converting energy at this rate, after eating the last fruit, wouldn't it be just a little short of breaking through to level 20?

What's more, the four levels Little One and Doggie had gained between them had brought Xu Zhi some very noticeable benefits.

The changes were no longer as subtle as before. This time, she could clearly feel her body growing lighter and her limbs becoming stronger. She had completely left behind the frail body that a gust of wind could knock over, and most of the weakness that had plagued her had faded.

Xu Zhi couldn't medically assess her condition, but the way her body responded to even simple movements made her feel that the illness that had plagued her for so long seemed to have disappeared.

Her heart didn't rebel when she exercised. She was a normal person now, albeit somewhat weak from years of inactivity. At least she was no longer as helpless as she had been, unable to lift anything or do any physical labor.

This was wonderful. It made Xu Zhi happier than even Little One and Doggie both leveling up.

She was already looking forward to having more Familiars and finding out what heights they could help her reach as they continued to level up.

Her brain seemed to be improving constantly, and now she could clearly feel the benefits of her body growing stronger too. Perhaps after a while, she'd be able to deal with enemies without relying on her Familiars.

While Xu Zhi was celebrating, the Narrator reminded her that she still had something left to do.

She already had two chances to draw a Familiar's trait, and the Narrator urged her to use them soon. They would expire in 12 hours, but Xu Zhi wasn't in a hurry. She gave Little One the last fruit and decided to wait until it had leveled up before using all three chances at once.

"By the way, is it possible to draw a blank trait? Like, could the draw fail?"

[No, but you can only draw traits from designated Familiars, and there's a chance of drawing the same trait more than once.]

"Got it."

Xu Zhi nodded in understanding. So she could draw twice from Little One and once from Doggie.

"Are the odds of getting the same trait high?"

[The draws are completely random.]

"So it depends on luck? I like that."

Xu Zhi wasn't afraid of leaving things to luck. She had a lot of confidence in her own.

Since Doggie wouldn't be able to level up again anytime soon, Xu Zhi drew its trait first.

She'd never drawn a trait from Doggie, so there was no chance of a repeat. And with two chances still available for Little One, she didn't particularly care what she got from Doggie.

[Drawing...]

[Congratulations! You drew: Alertness Lv3]

[Since you are different from your Familiar, the trait will change slightly.]

[Alertness: You will find it easier to notice subtle changes around you and pick up on changes in people and things.]

"Not bad."

Xu Zhi wasn't disappointed. Alertness was a useful trait for someone living in Cloud City.

The ability to detect danger was important. If you couldn't even spot danger, how could you avoid it or fight back?

Doggie seemed to think Xu Zhi's "not bad" was praise. It wagged its tail excitedly and rubbed its fluffy head against Xu Zhi's leg. But Xu Zhi suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Are you male or female?"

Doggie looked confused at the question, but the Narrator answered on its behalf.

[Familiars have no sex. They will only grow in the direction you wish.]