Chapter 8 [Experience Bar]

[October 4]

Inventory:

Candles: 300, Pine Logs: 5 bundles, Heater: 1, Snow Boots: 2 pairs, Blankets: 5.

Consumption:

Candles: 5.

Used for lighting and during evening prayers.

Pine Logs: 1/4 bundle burned for heating, cooking, and memorial services.

Snow Boots: No new wear, in good condition.

Heater: No new wear, in good condition.

Blankets: No new wear, in good condition.

...

In the resting room of the cemetery church, the old nun recorded today's consumption of supplies.

Yesterday's heavy snowfall has not stopped.

When she went out to check, the fence gap in the cemetery needed repair, and the church roof's snow accumulation required careful attention.

Thus, she added a line to her notes for supply needs:

Repair Supplies (Estimated):

Wood Planks: 10, Nails: 500

...

Next, it was food.

With the heavy snowfall, the cold winter had arrived, and the scarcity of food in the town was inevitable.

The nun began to write:

Food Inventory: 30 hard loaves of bread, 5 bottles of red wine, 8 cabbages...

The quill pen paused.

According to past winter consumption, the church's food reserves were sufficient.

Over the years, she had been eating less and less, and these supplies would definitely be enough for her alone.

While she was thinking, the ink at the tip of the quill began to spread on the paper.

Scribble, scribble, scribble—

The quill began to write again.

The nun's expression was calm as she added a few more lines to the food reserves and included an extra blanket and boots in the supply list.

At the same time.

In the room next to the resting room, Lindsey woke up on an unfamiliar wooden bed.

He groaned, struggling to sit up, and looked around.

He was in a simple brick and wood room, lying on a wooden bed with only a sheet. On the side of his head, a black wooden table was placed under a wooden window; on the side of his feet was a row of dusty cabinets.

Between the cabinets and the table, there was a space about two meters wide leading directly to the door, which was all that was in the room.

"..."

Lindsey looked down and saw that he was covered with a thick blanket, perhaps the most valuable thing in the room.

"Unfamiliar room..."

"I seem to have been brought to the church and then fell asleep..."

Lindsey blinked groggily.

He recalled his previous experiences, immediately using his ability to check his body, and then—

"Achoo!"

Lindsey, as expected, had caught a cold.

First, he was in a fire, and then he was in the snow, running for his life.

After such a series of events.

How could a 13-year-old not get sick?

Looking at the clear red text next to his character status, [Disease—Cold], Lindsey frowned and continued to read.

Then, something surprising happened.

He saw a notification.

[Task Completed]

[RPG Module Ability Upgraded, Level: 2]

[RPG Module Gained New Skill—Experience Bar.]

[Experience Bar: Integrates the player's experiences, training, and achievements, converting them into experience in the experience bar, providing a stable and reliable upgrade process for various abilities.

Note: The difference between RPG games and reality is that when players fill the experience bar, they become stronger.]

Lindsey looked down.

Sure enough, a small experience bar was added behind each of his attributes, with Agility, Constitution, and Willpower already more than half full, looking close to leveling up!

Lindsey was happy for a moment, but his face soon fell.

He remembered how he had upgraded the [RPG] module.

"If every time I upgrade my ability, I have to almost die..."

"Who can take it?"

"I'm not some battle race that can constantly be on the brink of death and then come back strong!"

Creak—

The wooden door opposite the bed where Lindsey was lying creaked.

He looked up, and it seemed that the old woman next door had been startled by his coughing and came to check on him.

"Ah, thank you for your help!"

Lindsey hurriedly thanked the benefactor who had helped him.

Although he had relied on his courage and wisdom to defeat the monster, he had also relied on the old woman's help to escape the deadly cold when he reached the edge of the town.

However, the old woman did not acknowledge Lindsey's thanks.

She turned and closed the door, then slowly walked to Lindsey's side, her ink-black eyes calmly looking at him:

"Child, where are you from?"

"I..."

Lindsey instinctively wanted to evade the question.

But he looked at his attribute panel, and next to the red [Disease—Cold] notification, there was a faint mark that read [Law—Criminal Mark].

This was the mark left by the Law Knight.

The mark of a criminal from the City of Law.

Lying at this moment might make him feel better.

But if the truth came out, whether a child could run away was one thing.

But with the Law Knight's extremely strict style, how could the old woman possibly escape?

To betray his savior for his own benefit?

What a joke!

Lindsey's gaze suddenly became firm. He swallowed and coughed lightly.

After controlling the urge to cough, he seriously and truthfully told the old woman his story:

"My name is Lindsey, from Anvil Village, and I am the son of a farmer."

"On the eve of the Harvest Festival, a Law Knight brought a prisoner to the village. He was an acquaintance of our village chief..."

He slowly recounted yesterday's harrowing experience.

Lindsey did not want to cause trouble for the old woman, so he omitted some details, such as the thorny law sword emblem on Yarvith's chest armor.

Soon, Lindsey's coughing echoed through the room again.

His story was over.

Lindsey knew that this choice would make him immediately continue his frantic escape, but the honest answer also made him feel a great sense of relief.

Lindsey lowered his head.

He waited for the old woman to order him to leave, thinking:

If he was lucky, she might give him something to eat, but after that, he would be on his own.

He had now activated the [Experience Bar].

Thinking hard, he wasn't completely without a chance to survive...

"A person's life will not continuously absorb suffering, but the fruits it bears will never be just pain and despair."

The old woman spoke, interrupting all of Lindsey's plans.

Then, she said:

"Child, you are very tired. Continue to rest."

Lindsey's eyes instantly moistened.

Even though his mind was that of an adult,

In just one day, he had experienced two life-and-death crises.

He had struggled with all his might to tear open a gap in the desperate situation and crawl out.

If this happened three times in a row!

How many real people could endure it?

Lindsey was full of gratitude.

He raised his head again, wanting to express his thanks and his fear of involving the old woman.

But at that moment,

He saw the old woman already getting up to leave.

When she left, the door was closed tightly, preventing any cold wind from entering the room where Lindsey was lying.

(End of Chapter)