Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Spawn Point Supremacy
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I was warming up before noon arrived.
I was starting to get used to spawn killing.
Then, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
'Does spawn killing even mean anything anymore?'
It was only the morning of day four, but I'd grown stronger in a different dimension every single day.
Unlike those who arrived here at level 0, I kept evolving.
The situation was nothing like when I'd killed my first person.
Even if dozens of people attacked me now, they probably couldn't scratch my defense.
There was little reason to stick to spawn killing as a method of elimination.
If I was certain I'd be safe even with people around...
I ran through various scenarios.
I built plans on those assumptions and devised ways to amplify my growth.
A few minutes before noon. I finished my deliberations.
'Time to test it.'
There was no tension in spawn killing anymore.
It wasn't because of the two successful runs.
It was simply that my overwhelming stats and new skills had made me acutely aware of the power gap in reality.
'Most unique abilities aren't overpowered from the start. Many grow alongside their owners, gaining more strength together.'
This was a common consensus among many in the community.
The best unique abilities were those with superior versatility and growth potential compared to others.
Abilities that were powerful right away were exceedingly rare, and even those couldn't produce strength that overwhelmingly surpassed their user's level.
No matter how strong a unique ability was, the community concluded it was impossible for a level 0 to exhibit the power of level 10 or 20.
I'd already job-changed ahead of others and seen skills from different classes.
People would choose jobs based on their unique abilities.
If they had a mediocre one, they'd pick a job first and play a support role.
If it was a good one, the opposite.
The unique ability would be the core, and job selection would revolve around skills that best complemented it.
In conclusion, level 0 unique abilities weren't anything special, and the odds of encountering one that posed a real threat to me now were probably extremely low.
As my thoughts continued, time was nearly up.
Like yesterday, I'd head to the spawn point and wipe them out in an instant.
But this time, I'd leave one alive. Ideally, someone with a unique ability.
I considered using a skill but saved it for the monsters in Zone 2.
The unknowns in Zone 2 were a risk factor.
These spawns were no longer a threat to me.
Suddenly, light swirled at the spawn point, and four people appeared.
To feel out my physical capabilities, I went in unarmed.
My agility of 14 closed the distance in a flash.
I lightly tapped one on the head without putting much force into my fist.
His head exploded effortlessly. I barely felt the skull there.
Unlike slashing with my sword so far, my whole body was covered in blood now, but I ignored it, knowing it would soon scatter as dust.
The guy next to him hadn't noticed my speed, so I kicked him in the gut.
I pulled my strength way back on purpose to keep him alive.
It was practice in controlling my power, plus something I wanted to check.
I dispatched the remaining two with ridiculous ease. To me now, they were no different from slimes.
The bloodstains on my face were fading.
The one I'd kicked, seemingly knocked out, was stirring and getting up.
Since I hadn't spotted any unique abilities on the others today, I asked him.
"Do you have a unique ability?"
The white guy, covered in tattoos, pondered my question for a moment.
Then his expression sharpened, and suddenly the ground trembled.
Rocks burst from the earth, hurtling toward me.
The speed was manageable, so I could have dodged, but instead I clenched my fist and smashed right into it.
My punch pulverized the rock, shattering it into countless fragments.
It broke even easier than I'd expected.
The white guy stared in stunned disbelief.
He immediately begged me.
"Please... spare... me...!"
Then, with that same sharp glare, he attacked again.
This time, I decided to take it head-on. Even if it hurt a bit, I had potions.
The rock slammed into me at considerable speed.
Its mass was substantial, but my body didn't budge an inch.
Instead, the rock shattered into pieces again.
I wasn't hurt at all. My defense absorbed every bit of the force.
He kept attacking after that, but he only managed two more before mana depletion ended it.
'So even with 0 mana stat, he had mana? Did the system provide it?'
The mana stat was one of the more peculiar ones among stats. It still held many secrets.
I slowly approached the guy, now sunk in utter despair.
The defense test was sufficient here.
The second test wouldn't work on someone in this state.
Tomorrow, when more people arrive, I'd do the second one.
If I'd done the second test today and followed with the defense one?
But confirming safety came before experiments, so I had to test everything.
The man knelt before me, sobbing uncontrollably.
I slowly extended my hand toward him. To me, it just felt like gripping a lump of meat.
Crushing him with my grip strength brought that familiar dizzy sensation. A level up.
All traces of the spawn kill were turning to dust and vanishing.
A question arose.
Why no dizziness during combat...
Did the system not register that as combat?
It was only day four, and I already felt arrogant.
Even if it was arrogance from relative superiority, in the long term, I was still low-level.
I might suffer big losses later from letting my guard down.
I reined in my mind and reflected on the test results.
This was true firsthand experience of my stats.
Overwhelming physical prowess.
The highest stats in existence, thanks to achievements and levels.
Four people—hardly a fight—were massacred effortlessly.
Especially my insane defense; it didn't allow even a single scratch.
Universal Resistance.
My defense was further bolstered by this unique ability.
I'd anticipated it.
But truly grasping it came from mastering Demi-God Body.
Demi-God Body wasn't the active skill I'd wanted, but it was an incredible passive.
It let me sense and utilize mana in my body.
Most crucially, it allowed me to harness the power of my other stat: Defense.
With Demi-God Body, my mana and defense stats were practically one and the same.
When using skills, it wasn't just mana consumption anymore; I could expend defense power instead.
Mana could substitute for defense expenditure too.
One fact I hadn't known before, due to lack of detection.
Defense power eroded gradually with damage taken.
Powerful attacks that pierced it naturally depleted it sharply, but even minor damages accumulated over time.
Eventually, if defense dropped too low, attacks that once did nothing would start hurting.
Demi-God Body enabled detection and control of this defense stat.
Moreover, it could fuse two powers—intangible mana and defense—into a new force.
I named this new power Demi-God Force.
Demi-God Force fully substituted for mana and defense.
Furthermore, when both became Demi-God Force, it produced amplified power beyond mere substitution.
Of course, at skill grade 1, the amplification was minimal.
Skills were hard to upgrade, yet this one packed so many abilities.
Warrior's was Heavy Strike, right? I remembered it giving just a simple active.
I didn't yet know how tough upgrading my skills would be.
Comparing job pros and cons could wait until others got theirs.
I continued my train of thought.
The unique ability reinforced not just defense but also Demi-God Force, the fusion of mana and defense.
Essentially, Universal Resistance applied to mana too.
And Universal Resistance's power didn't stop at bolstering defense.
Once I could sense defense, I felt it regenerate enhanced by the unique ability.
This let me faintly sense the power of my connected unique ability, Universal Resistance.
The revelation was startling: Only a portion of its power reinforced defense.
I didn't know the extent or triggers of the other resistances, but I sensed other connected forces.
True to its name, Universal—it wielded truly diverse resistances.
'Lucky it's mine. What a relief.'
Versatility and potential were top-tier, but the defense boost itself wasn't huge.
That was the limit of unique abilities.
They grew with their owner, so early-game Universal Resistance, split across multiple resistances, couldn't match specialized ones individually.
In the ultra-early game with few options to test, it was just a bit tougher skin.
But now that I understood its potential, it was time for experiments.
The strength or weakness of unique abilities came down to luck.
I didn't want to entrust my future to luck.
That's why I'd grown this far through guaranteed gains like spawn kills.
As I calmly pondered skills and my unique ability, a real task came to mind.
I first checked the system message from noon. I'd been too focused on spawn killing to look closely then.
General Quest: Compound-Eyed Wolf Hunt
Elite Quest: Star-Eyed Wolf Hunt