The night was calm, the soft crackling of the campfire the only sound breaking the stillness of the cave. The two women sat near the fire, their faces illuminated by its warm glow. Yuki leaned back against the cave wall, the weariness of the day melting away as they settled in for the night. The weight of their journey felt lighter here, in this moment of peace.

  Lirien, ever the steady presence, was focused on carving through some of the materials they had gathered earlier. Her motions were rhythmic, practiced, and there was something reassuring about how she moved—so at home in her surroundings. Yuki watched her for a while, a soft smile tugging at her lips. The elf’s unshakable composure, even in the face of all they'd been through, was comforting. It reminded Yuki that not everything in this strange world had to be so overwhelming.

  "You know," Yuki began, breaking the comfortable silence, "it feels strange, not being on edge every second. I’m actually... rexed. I can’t remember the st time I felt like this."

  Lirien gnced up from her work, her eyes softening. "You deserve it. You’ve been through a lot. We both have." She paused, her tone growing quieter as she added, "This world... it’s not kind. But for now, we’re safe. So let's enjoy this calm while it sts"

  Yuki nodded, grateful for Lirien’s quiet assurance. "Yeah. I’ve... I’ve been so focused on surviving that I haven’t really thought about what’s next. But I think I’m ready for a break. Just to breathe."

  Lirien smiled, the corners of her lips lifting in amusement. "You’re always in survival mode. I have been trying to keep up with you."

  Yuki chuckled at that. It was true; she'd thrown herself into each task with single-minded determination, always pushing forward. But here, with Lirien beside her, it was easier to let go, even if just for a little while. "I suppose that’s one way to put it."

  The fire crackled again, and they fell into an easy rhythm, talking about small things—what they'd seen that day, the strange creatures they'd encountered, and even sharing stories of their past. For once, the conversation didn't feel like a distraction; it was a real connection, one Yuki hadn't expected to find in this foreign world.

  After a while, the conversation slowed, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. Yuki y back against the ground, staring at the ceiling of the cave. The warmth of the fire made the darkness of the night feel far away, like a protective bnket. Her golden eyes flickered with the reflection of the fmes, her mind wandering.

  She absentmindedly opened her status window, scanning through the various updates that had accumuted during their travels. But something caught her attention. A single line—bold, and unmissable.

  [System Notice: Ascension Avaible - Do You Wish To Ascend? Y/N?]

  Yuki blinked in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. Ascension? What was that? She'd heard Lirien mention it before, but never had she been given the choice. Was it some sort of power boost? She couldn’t deny the curiosity gnawing at her, though doubt lingered in the back of her mind. Ascension... It sounded significant.

  Her fingers hovered over the options, her pulse quickening. The word "Yes" seemed to pulse with an enticing energy. Maybe... maybe this would be the key to understanding the world she was in at least a little bit. Or maybe it was a mistake. Either way, she felt something pull at her, urging her to take the leap. Why not?

  With a quick, decisive motion, Yuki clicked “Yes.”

  Immediately, she felt it—a heavy, almost suffocating wave of energy crashed into her, as if the very air around her thickened. Her muscles grew sluggish, her limbs heavy. Panic surged briefly in her chest as she gasped for breath. What’s happening? she thought frantically. Her heart raced, and the world seemed to tilt, the ground beneath her unsteady. The pressure mounted until it felt like her very body was colpsing under its weight.

  Ah Shit... I should have expected something like this...

  Yuki's thoughts then began to blur, her focus dimming as the sensation grew too overwhelming. A wave of exhaustion swept over her, and despite her best efforts to stay awake, everything went dark.

  Hours ter, a soft voice gently roused her from unconsciousness. “Yuki.”

  Lirien’s voice, gentle but edged with concern, pierced through the fog of her mind. Yuki’s eyes fluttered open, groggy and disoriented. Her body felt heavy, like every part of her was made of lead. The dim light of the cave filtered through her blurry vision, and she struggled to sit up.

  “Yuki,” Lirien repeated, her voice soft but steady. “Are you okay?”

  Yuki’s eyes shot open fully as the reality of the situation hit her. She was—again—naked. Her face flushed crimson, panic bubbling up in her chest. She instinctively covered herself, her heart racing. Not again! Why am I—what happened?

  Lirien’s light ugh startled her, breaking through her flustered thoughts. "It’s not the first time, you know," she said with a teasing smile.

  Yuki’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Wh-what?! I—why am I—?!” Her voice trembled as she struggled to sit up, desperately trying to cover herself despite her body feeling heavy. “Lirien, what happened to me?”

  Lirien only chuckled softly, her amusement tinged with something else—genuine warmth, perhaps even affection. "It’s normal after an Ascension. Don’t worry about it. You’ll get used to it. I assume your clothes were part of some skill?"

  Yuki’s heart was still hammering in her chest, but hearing Lirien’s calm reassurance made her panic subside just a little. “I... I should’ve known. I just... I didn’t expect it to make me pass out like that. And yeah my clothes where”

  “You will never get used to it,” Lirien said with a grin. “But you’ll be fine. You’re stronger now. Go on Check your Stats.” she said grinning from ear to ear.

  Yuki turned her gaze to the status window that had appeared in front of her. It was still open, and her eyes flickered to the updated stats. She swallowed hard. She had ascended. But what did that really mean? Her head still felt foggy, and her body ached from the pressure.

  The changes were immediate, and the weight of it all was still slowly beginning to sink in. So... this is what leveli- i mean Ascensions feels like...

  Her fingers hovered over the window as she tried to process everything. And so she stared at the stats window for a moment as she pondered questions to herself.

  Lirien's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you going to stare at that all morning, or are you going to put some clothes on and join me for some food?"

  Yuki gave a small ugh, shaking her head. "Yeah Yeah. Give me a sec." she says with a grin before using [Void Resonance] to create clothes from the cracks that formed around her body "I guess I’ll eat. After all, your hunting it."

  Lirien protested "What do you mean! I hunted st time!"

  Yuki smiled before trying to get to her feet before pressing her back against the wall of the cave "well since you went through an Ascension before you should know how taxing this is. I can barley stand right now" she says shakily. Lirien frowns before nodding "yeah i kinda forgot about that." and interlocking her hands over her head and sighing "Alright i will go hunt something for today" she said before walking towards the entrance of the cave after grabbing her bow "But Your Hunting Tomorrow And The day after!" she says before running out the cave.

  Yuki nodded, her gaze flickering back to the status window. She had a lot to think about. But for now, she would take one step at a time. "yeah sure"

  Updated Status

  Name: —Race: Void-Infected Human (Intermediate)Ascension: 2Status: No Job Css

  Attributes:

  Vigor: 1240/1240 +600+10%Magic: 1080 +600+10%Strength: 1160/1160 +600+10%Spirit: 945/945 +600+10%

  Skills:

  Uncommon: [Swordsmanship TI]Rare: [Foreign Energy Absorption TI], [Overwhelmed TI], [Detection TI]Unique: [Void Resonance TI], [Harvest TII], [Survivor TI]Legendary: [Hero TI], [Celestial TI], [Infernal TI]Traits:

  Passive F: [Alert TI]Passive B: [Shadow Affinity TI]Passive A: [Survivor T1], [Easily Forgotten TI], [Mana Overflow TI], [Ether Overflow TI], [Death Faded TI], [Touched by the Void TI]Passive S: [Hero’s Charm TI], [Infernal Aura TI], [Celestial Spirit TI], [Soul Damage TIII]Passive X: [Void Infection TI], [Soul Circuits Internal Break TII], [Soul Fracture TI]Titles:

  Epic Titles: [Overcoming]Css-Based Titles: [Jobless]Curse Titles: [Touched by the Void], [Death Faded]Unique Titles: [System Survivor], [Mortal Celestial]Fate Titles: [Discarded], [Survivor]World Titles: [Summoned Hero], [Forgotten One], [Celestial], [Infernal](Intermediate) - grants 10% to all stats

  Yuki sat cross-legged in the cave, her eyes locked on the glowing status window in front of her. She brought a hand to her chin, studying her stats with a focused gaze. A 600+ stat increase wasn’t bad at all, and on top of that, a permanent passive 10% stat boost was also a welcome addition. However the fact that this passive increase was connected to her race also brought worry to Yuki's face did this mean the void infection progress? she checked her skills and traits seeing if there was anything different with [Void Resonance], and [Void Infection]. There was nothing, no change so that made Yuki calm down some after realizing she wasn't in any immediate danger but that also brought additional questions some of which she would have to ask Lirien ter.

  Having finished analyzing her stats Yuki looked down at herself, her fingers brushing against her arms and torso, noting the subtle shifts in muscle tone. Her exploration paused abruptly when she noticed her chest. Her cheeks flushed as she realized the fullness was... different. Larger.

  “What the hell...?” she whispered, her hands hesitantly moving to confirm what she was seeing. “No way. Did I ... grow in my sleep?”

  Her thoughts spiraled, toggling between disbelief and frustration. It wasn’t just her chest—her whole frame had subtly changed, adding curves and definition in ways that made her acutely aware of her body.

  Her status window was still open, and her eyes traced every line, trying to piece together the changes and what they might mean. She was so absorbed that she didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until the sound of something heavy being dropped snapped her out of it.

  Lirien stood at the cave's entrance, a skinned stone boar slung over her shoulder. She dropped it on the makeshift table with a dull thud, her sharp dagger already in hand. “Breakfast,” she said casually, kneeling beside the boar and beginning to carve it with practiced precision.

  Yuki blinked, startled. “Oh... Lirien, you're back already.” She quickly dismissed the status screen, though the changes lingered in her mind.

  “I’ve been gone long enough for you to lose yourself while staring at your status,” Lirien said with a knowing smirk, not looking up from her work.

  Yuki hesitated, then ventured, “Lirien... can I ask you something?”

  “Shoot,” Lirien replied, slicing the boar into neat portions.

  Yuki took a deep breath. “About the system. How much do you know about it? Like... about race changes or things that happen during level-ups?”

  Lirien paused, gncing at her. “Race changes? Those are rare. Usually tied to extreme circumstances or exposure to something... unique for For Intelligent races. Monster races are different, they can and usually change races every level up.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Why do you ask?”

  Yuki hesitated, debating how much to reveal. “I just... I noticed some changes after my Ascension. Physical changes. And my race updated to (Intermediate).’”

  Lirien’s brow furrowed, and her hands stilled for a moment. Before turning towards Yuki “What is your race again?"

  Yuki hesitates for a moment before speaking "Void-Infected Human"

  Lirien nodded to herself before closing her eyes in thoughts "Void-Infected Human... That is odd since your race says human and humans should not have variants." she said before brining a hand to her chin.

  "Its likely from the 'Void-Infected' part of your race. I haven't heard of any races called void before but monster races have variants. Usually starting with Intermediate, then High, Arch, and True. From what my dad told me long ago Variants are stronger versions of members of each race and anything above high the same ascension as you shouldn't fight it. That's all i really know sorry i don't know more than that."

  "You have nothing to be sorry about Lirien" Yuki Finished with a smile before they finished preparing the meal in silence, Yuki's thoughts churning. After they ate, Yuki finally voiced another question that had been bothering her. “Lirien... why did I grow after leveling up? Is that normal?”

  Lirien leaned back, a pyful grin spreading across her face. “It’s not uncommon for your body to change after an Ascension, especially the first one. It's just your body adapting to the power you’ve gained.”

  "Yuki frowned. “Okay, but why... this much?”

  Lirien’s grin widened as her gaze flicked pointedly to Yuki’s chest. “Well, it’s not just height. Looks like your... assets got a boost too.”

  Yuki’s face turned crimson as she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. “W-what?! W-why are you looking at t-that?!”

  Lirien ughed, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “It’s hard not to. You’re more... filled out now.”

  “Great,” Yuki muttered, burying her face in her hands. “Just... fantastic.”

  “Rex,” Lirien said, her tone softening. “It’s part of the process. Happens to a lot of people. Besides, it’s not like you’ll keep growing every time. To my knowledge just the first ascension does that.”

  Yuki peeked at her companion, still feeling mortified but also slightly reassured. “So... this is normal?”

  “For the most part,” Lirien said with a shrug. Then, with a teasing smile, she added, “And hey, some people would kill for those changes. Consider it a bonus.”

  Yuki groaned, but despite herself, a small ugh escaped. “Thanks, Lirien. For... putting up with me.”

  “Anytime,” Lirien replied with a smile, patting Yuki on the shoulder. “Besides, you saved my life. Now, keep eating. You'll need to eat and rest as much as you can so you can fully recover by tomorrow.”

  Yuki smiled back. "Alright, Lirien. But I do have one more question."

  Lirien smirked. "Fire away."

  "Is it also normal that my window changed? It looks so much different than it did before I ascended," she said with a puzzled look.

  Lirien leaned against the wall of the cave, her arms behind her head. "Yeah, that's normal. It’s also a perk of ascensions. Once you reach milestones, system interactions become easier. It also makes the system give better descriptions of skills that you'd otherwise need to experiment with to figure out. You still need to experiment with skill usage, but the milestones make it easier."

  Yuki looked over at Lirien before turning to face her status window again. "I-I see."

  Kiera_Yanagi