There were several ways he could go about this. He could push Strength up to ten and balance himself physically or split between Agility and Vitality to stabilize both movement and endurance. Perception was another tempting option, bringing it to ten would likely sharpen his awareness even further.
But that wasn't what caught his attention.
Titles.
He had already seen what crossing ten in Intelligence did, and more importantly, he had been the first. That meant there were more of these thresholds, and there was no guarantee others weren't already approaching them.
"Better to take them now," he murmured under his breath. Without wasting any more time, he focused on Agility and willed two points into it.
The response was immediate.
8 → 10
This time, he braced himself.
The change hit differently.
Instead of nausea, a sharp surge ran through his body, like his muscles had suddenly been rewired. His balance shifted for a moment, his center of gravity adjusting without warning. The world around him felt… different.
Kael instinctively took a step forward and nearly overstepped. He caught himself mid-motion, blinking once as he recalibrated.
"…Alright," he muttered, flexing his fingers, rolling his shoulders. His movements felt lighter now, more responsive, like there was less delay between thought and action.
Before he could test it further, another window appeared.
[Attribute Pioneer (Agility) (Earth): You are the first among Earth's residents to reach 10 Agility.
Effect: +5% Agility Efficiency]
[Agility efficiency → smoother + faster movement execution]
A small smile formed.
"Yeah… I'll take that."
Without any delay he shifted his focus to Vitality and pushed the remaining points into it.
8 → 9 → 10
The moment it crossed ten, his body reacted again. A deep, internal pressure rose within him, like something reinforcing his bones, thickening his endurance from within. His breathing slowed, steadied, and the lingering fatigue from the fight seemed to fade even further, replaced by a freshness.
He took a deep breath, trying to feel the new surge of energy, only to be hit full force by the nauseating stench of the cave.
"God damn it," Kael cursed, immediately coughing as he tried to clear the smell from his throat.
A new window followed.
[Attribute Pioneer (Vitality) (Earth): You are the first among Earth's residents to reach 10 Vitality.
Effect: +5% Vitality Efficiency]
[Vitality efficiency → better damage absorption / stamina usage]
Kael exhaled slowly, his eyes moving across the three titles he had just secured.
Intelligence. Agility. Vitality.
Three thresholds.
Three firsts.
And just like that, the gap between him and everyone else had widened before they even realized what game they were playing.
"…Good start," he said quietly.
Kael bent down and picked up one of the fallen tridents, testing its weight in his hand before giving it a small spin. He was not used to using cold weapons, but it would do. With that, he straightened and began walking forward again, his steps slow but no longer hesitant.
Something had changed.
The pain, the near-death, the healing, everything had left behind a strange clarity. A faint excitement in his chest, the kind he hadn't felt in a long time. Back on Earth, the thrill had dulled over the years. Jobs became predictable. Risks became calculated.
But this?
This was different.
Uncertain. Dangerous. New.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he moved deeper into the cave, his senses sharper now, his grip firm around the trident. The darkness pressed in from all sides, the foul smell still lingering in the air, but it didn't bother him as much anymore. His mind was already moving ahead, anticipating what could come next.
After a few turns, the narrow path abruptly ended.
Kael slowed. In front of him stood a wooden door.
It looked out of place.
It was old and cracked. Splintered along the edges as if it had been forced open and shut too many times.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Beside the door, nailed unevenly into the rock, hung a broken wooden plaque. One side of it had snapped off, leaving it tilted at an angle, barely holding on.
Faded words were carved into it.
"Poison of Rebirth."
Kael stared at it for a moment before letting out a quiet breath.
"…Well, that was unexpected."
That was one of the objectives. He had assumed he would have to clear the entire layer first and only then find whatever this "Poison of Rebirth" was supposed to be. Tightening his grip around the trident, he pushed the door open and leaned slightly to the side, peering in first instead of walking straight through.
The door creaked loudly as it gave way, the sound stretching into the darkness beyond.
He waited a second. But there was no movement or sound. Seeing no one inside, Kael stepped in cautiously.
The room inside was… different. It felt constructed, but abandoned.
Dust coated everything in a thick layer. Broken wooden shelves lined the walls, some collapsed entirely, others barely standing. Scattered across the floor were old utensils, rusted metal bowls, cracked containers, fragments of glasses and furniture.
It looked like a place that had once been used. And then forgotten.
Kael stepped inside slowly, his eyes moving across the space, taking everything in without rushing. The air here was heavier, still carrying that same underlying stench, but mixed now with something older.
At the center of the room stood a wooden table. Unlike everything else, it was still intact.
Rough, uneven, but solid.
And on top of it sat a large bowl. It was wide and deep. Almost the size of two heads placed side by side.
Its surface was white in color and pristine unlike the rest of the place.
Kael approached it cautiously.
"…Yeah," he muttered, staring down at it. "That's definitely not normal."
Inside the bowl sat a thick, green liquid that looked nothing like anything meant to be consumed. It wasn't just viscous, it clung to itself, stretching slightly with each sluggish bubble that rose and burst at the surface. The color was uneven, darker in some places, almost black in others, like something long past the point of decay.
And it wasn't empty.
Dead insects floated within it, their bodies half-dissolved, drifting lazily as the liquid shifted. Something larger twitched beneath the surface, just moving with the slow churn of the sludge, its shape barely holding together.
A foul, sour smell rose from it, stronger than anything he had encountered in the cave so far.
Kael's face twisted instantly.
"…That's disgusting but is this the poison of rebirth," he muttered, taking a step closer despite himself.