The Survival of an Inferior

Abandoned City(2)

For starters, I search through the drawers until I find a large bag of brown pills.

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A bag of Browan Pills.

A bag that contains Browan Pills ranging from poor to expert quality.

Consuming a pill temporarily numbs exhaustion at the expense of mental fatigue. Excessive use takes a toll on the body and may result in serious injuries.
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I take one pill. The shackles holding my physique down lift but a glaring headache attacks.

"Ugh..." I lean against the wall grasping my head.

My breath becomes uneven.

"Huff huff huff..."

The headache subsides a little but won't go away. If I move too much, my mind enters a massive turbulence. At least I can move normally now. I store as many pills in the room as I can fit into the storage rings.

I continue my search for the escape ticket around the tower. On the way, I munch on pills like candy, constantly increasing my stats. It helps with the headache.

For a normal person who did not undergo Manafication, their body must convert and break the foreign substance into something the body can absorb, much like eating. Thus, there has to be an interlude of rest. But my physique is entirely made up of mana and can directly fuse with the pills.

That being said, of course, I could easily try to "cheese" my way through to pinnacle strength using pills but "Elvis Arcane" is not so forgiving. Taking too much in quick succession proportionally decreases the effects and increases the chance of side effects. At one point, one might even lose statistics from eating pills rather than gaining.

As I pull open the lid on a box, a small red pill with orange dust appears between my fingers.

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Fire Draco Pill(Expert Quality)

A pill made with the essence of reptile predators.

20 attack stats will be added upon taking the drug.
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I throw it into my mouth. A cranberry rose flavour pours out. I have no idea why it tastes like that.

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Fire Draco Pill consumed

+2 atk stats.

Warning! Consuming more have a high risk of drawbacks!

Status Ailment "Pill Congestion" has been applied.

2 weeks left until "Pill Congestion" is removed.
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...

I should stop. I amassed 100 attack and dexterity stats.

Darkness engulfs the city.

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Wave 2 will approach in 2 hours.
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"Tch."

I'm worried and anxious. Should I risk searching more or prepare to face death again?

...

I take a deep breath and stop by the military barracks, taking some gear and leaving the empty city.

On the way, I pass by a large polished monument slab. On it is carved: "One who aims for the sky will receive the blessing of the gods."

This is a clue that can help me gain an advantage in the fifth wave but we will die before reaching there.

I climb out of the wall and meet up with the rest. They are gathered at one spot, resting against the turrets. The turrets are now made of metal steel and the black figure archer on the structure wears metal plate armour, holding three arrows behind the bow.