Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Finishing Blow Experiment
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I gazed down impassively at the guy trembling on the ground, face pressed flat against the dirt.
He introduced himself as Dwin in a terrified stammer.
This guy had already accepted the slime quest, so he couldn't take the regular Compound-Eyed Wolf quest today.
Regular quests were limited to one per day, regardless of type.
Elite quests were different, though. Since they were a separate category, completing the slime quest didn't prevent him from taking the Star-Eyed Wolf one.
I recalled the quests currently available.
Slime quest rewards: 5 EXP, 100 gold.
Compound-Eyed Wolf quest rewards: 20 EXP, 200 gold.
Star-Eyed Wolf quest rewards: 20 EXP, 200 gold.
If I killed someone else, I'd absorb all their gold, but only get about half their EXP.
In other words, even if he cleared the slime quest and I killed him, I'd only gain an extra 5 EXP.
It was the same as me hunting five slimes myself.
Among the three existing quests, watching someone else complete it only benefited me in both EXP and gold for the wolf quests.
The slime and Star-Eyed Wolf quests only gave gold advantages; EXP-wise, they were equivalent. They might save a bit of hunting time, but that was minor.
Compared to monopolizing everything myself, EXP was similar, but gold ballooned unimaginably.
Raising people was a juicy source of income.
I turned my gaze to Dwin. He flinched and trembled at the mere look.
I nodded toward him.
"Pick up all those scattered things over there."
At my command, Dwin jolted to his feet in panic.
Where I pointed, the weapon selection scrolls left by the recently deceased lay scattered.
He glanced around briefly, spotted the five scrolls dropped by what had been people moments ago, rushed over, gathered them all, and handed them to me politely.
I stowed them in my inventory and prepared for the next experiment.
This was one I'd been curious about for a while.
The so-called "finishing blow experiment."
A contribution test, basically.
Thinking about it now, there'd been no need to trek all the way to Zone 2 with its wolves.
Perfect test subjects were right in front of me.
"Attack one slime just enough not to kill it."
Dwin's face showed brief confusion at my words, but he soon gripped his sword with resolve.
He approached the slime as calmly and carefully as possible, poking it lightly with the sword tip.
But contrary to his intent, the slime burst with a pop!, crumbling into dust pathetically.
Dwin's face drained of color.
'Just kill him?'
The thought that he was useless flickered briefly.
But he still needed to complete the quest. One mistake could be overlooked.
"Drop the weapon and try again."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Dwin set his sword on the ground and approached another slime bare-handed.
Extremely tense, he clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly before finally tapping the slime ever so lightly.
Splosh.
The slime absorbed the impact like jelly, merely jiggling.
A faint look of relief crossed Dwin's face. Emboldened, he struck again, this time with a bit more force.
Pop.
The slime burst again.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to! One more chance...!"
He dropped into a begging posture once more.
Head pressed to the ground, he pleaded more desperately than before.
Watching the scene, I realized this wasn't Dwin's problem.
And one small lingering question was answered.
Why had no one in the community mentioned completing quests by "everyone hitting the same slime"?
If a contribution system existed, multiple people striking one slime and splitting EXP and gold—even minimally—would be the most efficient clear method.
But no post ever mentioned it.
I'd wondered if no one had thought of it.
But they had. Slimes were just too weak; anyone landing a proper hit killed them outright.
Tap them too lightly, and they absorbed it harmlessly.
In short, slimes were either "fine" or "dead." No in-between.
With slimes as the only monsters so far, people from other dimensions had probably tried a few times and concluded contribution systems didn't apply to monsters.
Or planned to test again with the next monster type.
Indeed, it needed verifying with Compound-Eyed Wolves.
But those weren't on this guy's quest list.
I felt a slight twinge of loss. In an emotionless voice, I said,
"Hunt the remaining three and complete the quest."
Dwin's body stiffened at the words.
Pure terror filled his eyes.
He recalled the moment right after his level-up earlier—the man pierced through the heart from behind, dying.
Dwin's hands began to shake uncontrollably.
Will he really kill me the instant I level up? Dwin wondered.
Each slime kill made his body quake like a leaf.
By the fifth slime, his trembling hands couldn't even properly slice it.
Terror that death would strike from behind the moment he killed it dominated him.
But Dwin had no choice.
He squeezed his eyes shut and barely swung at the final slime.
Level-up euphoria washed over him, but he had no leisure to savor it.
Frozen in fear of death.
But the expected pain never came.
When Dwin cautiously opened his eyes, I stood impassively in the same spot.
I knew why he'd trembled so.
Watching him, I said quietly,
"Not killing you today."
At those words, strength drained from Dwin's body.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping raggedly.
My words brought brief relief, but planted deeper terror.
'Today.'
It hammered home the horrific truth: his life hung entirely in the hands of this nameless man.
Dwin had achieved his first level-up, but no joy showed on his face.
He just stood dazed behind me like a soulless doll.
I began clearing the remaining 90 slimes.
The overwhelming sight of [Domain] warping a 50-meter radius, bursting slimes with mere shockwaves.
Witnessing it erased any thought of resistance from Dwin's mind.
Instinct screamed: never defy that monster.
Resignation beyond shock gleamed in Dwin's eyes.
No reason to leave slimes behind, so I cleared the entire meadow.
Now, time for Zone 2.
As I headed for the forest, Dwin scurried after me.
The whole way to Zone 2, he tried desperately to sell himself.
Stories of coming from the Philippines, having family.
Claims of being capable back on Earth.
He thrashed to prove his worth and survive.
I showed no reaction to any of it.
Just walked silently.
As silence stretched, his voice grew quieter.
Finally, exhaustion and anxiety silenced him as we reached Zone 2's entrance.
Entering the forest, a Compound-Eyed Wolf soon emerged from the darkness.
I moved at a speed invisible to Dwin.
Snapped all four legs in an instant, left it barely alive, and retreated.
The wolf writhed on the ground howling, no longer a threat.
Then I ordered Dwin,
"Kill it."
If he struck moderately without killing and I finished it, I'd test finishing blow rewards without loss.
But no need.
If the wolf thrashed and lunged at him, protecting would be annoying.
Above all, I disliked directly helping others.
Not worth it for one measly wolf.
Dwin cautiously approached and thrust his sword into the writhing wolf's neck.
The finishing blow experiment ended there.
No alerts appeared in my system window.
No contribution system. Only the final striker claimed all rewards—a brutally simple rule.
'Good.'
If contributions existed, everyone could clear quests easily, narrowing the growth gap with me slightly.
My monopolistic edge would diminish relatively.
I couldn't steal others' quest rewards on top of my monopoly.
But this world wasn't so kind.
The weak were ruthlessly culled. Perfect for me.
I ordered Dwin,
"Use your unique ability."
Dwin immediately assumed a stance.
Black energy rose from his hand, forming a sharp blade that flew at the wolf.
Slash!
The black blade grazed the wolf's side, wounding it.
It seemed like a normal ranged attack, but that wasn't all.
The blade spread wide upon hitting the ground, turning into black liquid that seeped in, subtly blackening the surrounding earth.
When the wolf stepped there, its movements slowed imperceptibly.
And I could feel it.
My senses, heightened by [Demi-God Body], detected the wolf's defense subtly corroding.
Back in the meadow, Dwin had explained his ability as an active skill with simple attack and slow effects, scaling with level.
But its true power lay in that persistent defense reduction.
He was hiding the corrosion effect.
I'd already figured it all out but said nothing.
"As I explained before, it's an active-type unique ability. Power scales with level."
Dwin repeated.
I thought to myself,
If his level rose like this, that defense corrosion would become quite threatening.
When to kill him?
Definitely before 10 stats. Elite monsters were weaker.
Around level 7? No, risky from 6.
Such thoughts in mind, I began massacring the remaining Compound-Eyed Wolves.
After clearing the forest, I headed to the Star-Eyed Wolf's cave.
After ordering him to accept the elite quest,
I kited the elite monster, adjusting so it wouldn't die until he struck multiple times.
Light flared from his body in a level-up. Quest completion triggered another.
"I've reached level 3!"
Dwin shouted, voice mixed with joy and fear.
Nearly simultaneous double level-up.
A growth pace even I'd never seen.
To me, it just meant his death day approached faster.
Where the Star-Eyed Wolf's corpse vanished lay an item material: [Star-Eyed Wolf's Heart].
Elite monsters didn't always drop complete items, apparently.
I was midway through Zone 2's wolves, using skills and mana potions, when it happened.
A change seized my body.
Every cell screamed as it restructured.
Far more primal and violent than the first awakening at level 8.
'Second awakening! 20 stats reached.'
I sensed it because I could detect mana and defense in my body.
Muscles compressed like steel, bones hardened like diamond.
Once again, my body struggled to keep up with the rapid shifts.
But when the changes settled, an unstoppable inner flow surged.
Blood vessels carried not blood, but lava-like heat akin to ultimate cold.
Mana's essence felt heavy yet supportive at my core.
Defense, being internal, felt unchanged but improved.
Each stat hitting 10 triggered drastic strengthening. I called it awakening.
Awakenings boosted all stats simultaneously, but bodily adaptation followed order.
Physical stats like Strength, Stamina, Agility first; then Mana; Defense last.
This hinted at the system's core truth.
The process still continued, longer than last time.
But in that euphoric moment, a chilling thought struck.
'What if... he attacks me right now?'
Even amid awakening's tumult, I instinctively guarded against Dwin behind me.
I was defenseless now.
Of course, my defense and [Universal Resistance] would shrug off his attacks. No doubt unscathed.
But worrying about it irked me.
Since arriving, I'd never once fretted over my back.
My dimension had only me and prey.
Now, different. Dwin.
That feeble, groveling thing cracked my perfect solitude ever so slightly.
In my crucial growth phase, I was aware of another.
Annoying.
I suppressed it, focusing on awakening. Others could be eliminated later.
Key now: fully claiming this change.
Changes complete, I tested my enhanced physique on wolves.
Power on another level enveloped me.
Demi-god power total surged; [Domain] 1st Grade usable far more times.
After finishing Zone 2's wolves, I returned to the village with Dwin.
Back in the village, I ordered him to wait outside the inn.
Returning to my room, I perched on the bed.
While recovering demi-god power with mana potions, I reviewed the day's gains.
Level 16. Up 2 from yesterday.
20 stats: a major power inflection point.
Soul Origins gained today: 5 total. With yesterday's, 9.
One more for that limited skill.
I summoned the Soul Shop.
With 9 origins, I could view up to 90-origin items.
Last time at 10, I'd skimmed hurriedly.
Now, I meticulously checked what I'd missed.
My gaze naturally drifted to limited skills.
Planning to buy a 10-origin one anyway; others could wait.
Back then, only [Grasp Complete] seemed useful.
Two more 10-origin limited skills caught my eye now.