Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: One Against Many
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The most important thing in a battle against multiple opponents is to perfectly grasp the situation on the battlefield.
No matter how well you handle the enemies in front of you, one stab to the side ends the fight right then and there.
Without a wide field of view that surveys the entire battlefield, the combat intelligence to simulate every possible scenario, and sufficient force to control the battlefield, fighting one against many is nothing but a pipe dream.
It reminded me of the time I fought gangsters as a kid.
They were all combat-type ability users. Makes sense. In 34th Earth, where even bumping shoulders in a bar could mean facing an ability user, how could anyone make a living off violence without real power?
That's why I had to know my enemies before fighting.
Their builds, the martial arts or styles they practiced, their preferred techniques, habits, and so on.
But more than that, I had to know the battlefield itself.
The exact width of the alley I had to fight in, the strength of the walls, the environment beyond them, the positions of rebar scraps rolling on the ground, the types of trash in the bins, sightlines and blind spots from specific positions—everything.
Everyone said it was impossible, told me not to get cocky, but that victory in battle was exhilarating. The shock was so great that not only the gangsters but even the corporations backing them pulled out of our school.
After that, cocky upstarts who couldn't believe the win kept challenging me, but I never lost. Not until I got caught up in a massive brawl and had to deal with the "police."
'Anyway, the important thing is.'
Compared to that, the difficulty of this current battle was laughably low.
"Haha."
[Parry success!] [Critical hit!]
"Hahaha!"
[Parry success!] [Critical hit!]
I deflect the incoming axe. I slip in close and slash at the neck. This time, avoiding the spine means less resistance.
Of course, this won't kill instantly, so there's a risk of the tough orc thrashing in its death throes, but Steelstone behind me bashes it down with his shield, stopping any final struggle.
Steelstone doesn't charge in to slay enemies, but by holding his position, he provides tremendous strategic value. He prevents me from getting fully surrounded or wasting time on clean-up kills.
'How long can Steelstone hold out?'
I was worried, but I decided to trust him. After all, the Imperial Knight has the [Indomitable] trait, doesn't he?
Clang! Thud!
I parry. I close in. I sever the neck, rip open the side. I kick to break their stance, stomp the head mid-leap to snap the neck bone.
Boosted by the skyrocketing agility stat, my cognitive abilities have already surpassed human limits.
With 10 stacks of parry boosting attack speed by 100%, I can unleash five slashes per second.
'The attack speed buff must apply upper body acceleration on top of cognitive correction.'
The attack speed increase is insane, but the downside is the strain on the upper body muscles. Not even 30 minutes in, and my forearms feel like they're tearing, my calluses from 20 years of training burning raw.
In a normal situation, my stamina and physical abilities would drop, letting enemy attacks through, and eventually I'd fail to endure and die.
But that's in a normal situation.
"Log out."
Poof!
The orcs swarming me vanish, replaced by the barren vibe of my one-room apartment with just a bed, desk, and fridge.
"Ugh... Ah!"
I groan and flop onto the bed. The blood covering me doesn't follow from the game to Earth, so no need to toss the bedding.
"Huff... Huff..."
[Stamina increased by 1 point for an unknown reason!]
"At least... huff huff. Pushing to the limit without dodging early paid off."
Revenge has no training system. Why would an auto-hunt game need one?
But this is reality... and flesh grows stronger with training. The system doesn't grasp that concept; it just registers the stat increase.
"But it's exhausting..."
The stamina drain from battles requiring total focus is immense. Even iron-stomached fighters gas out after three three-minute rounds in the ring. I just fought a nonstop kill-or-be-killed without pacing myself.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
After a short rest, my ragged breathing steadies. I grab the bed edge with my trembling body and pull myself up.
[Level up!]
On the monitor, level-up effects burst around [Killiansthree]. Like other characters, he's hunting wild boars on Windbreak Plateau.
"Time to make a fourth clone soon."
Beginners can't even use up the fodder blessings from the goddess. Blessings scale with experience gained by the character.
Low-level casual players struggle to use even naturally regenerating blessings, let alone fodder ones.
High-level players are different.
They rack up massive exp per monster, burning through blessings fast.
When blessings run dry, drop rates and exp gains tank!
Desperate for more, they buy relic boxes (random holy water/chalice/relic that generates blessing points) or goddess blessing packages that keep blessings from dropping below level 2 no matter the exp.
Goddess blessings are a pay-more-the-higher-you-level income-proportional cash grab!
"What crafty bastards."
I'm still low-level, so I could spam fodder blessings (max 1000), but my characters hunt 24/7 and ship all fodder to Ardania, so no need.
"More importantly... the fight's dragging. Thanks to [Indomitable], we're holding, but to end it before Steelstone falls, I need to decide."
I opened the status window.
ID: Han Jaeyeon
Class: Duelist (Hero)
Title: New Adventurer (Common)
Level: 33
Strength: 46(+100) Stamina: 49(+102)
Vitality: 36(+59) Agility: 52(+180)
Mana: 1(+70) Mana Power: 1(+25) Magic Resistance: 1(+15)
Recovery: 51(+15) Mana Recovery: 21(+11) Luck: 10
Free Stats: 129
Status: Normal
"Level 33 now, 129 free stat points."
Escaping the territory, leading the villagers, slaying hundreds of orcs. The prolonged fights made me think deeply about stats.
"Mana and mana power... useless."
The transcendent power I'd wished for my whole life, but I have to admit it.
[Trash Mana Aptitude]
The nation certified me as incapable of surpassing beginner level in any psychic ability.
Without dozens of great return pills like the elders in the stages or transplanting a dragon heart-level transcendent organ, I'm cursed to this fate.
"No matter how stats give me mana... it's still me using it."
[Trash Mana Aptitude] doesn't just limit max mana or growth speed. It cripples control and detection too.
In other words.
I'm so psychically inept that even curse magic won't stick, meaning even with decades of inner energy, I couldn't use it properly. A total cripple.
Wouldn't be wrong to call me psychically disabled.
"And stamina."
For close combat, stamina is vital, the backbone of physical prowess. Without it, immense strength or lightning agility is pointless.
However.
"Pass on stamina."
In a world where I can rest anytime—specifically, log in/out at will—I can invest more extremely.
"Agility too."
Even as a normal guy, I faced bullet-dodgers multiple times.
Talents like [Superhuman Motor Nerves], [Superhuman Mental Fortitude], [Inexplicable Combat Foresight], [Inexplicable Body Control] let me fight effectively even with lacking agility.
"The answer is strength, after all."
I dumped free stats into strength without hesitation.
10, 20, 30, 40, 50.
Crunch!
At exactly 54 points into strength, a heavy thud echoed inside my skin, like massive ropes twisting.
My spine straightened, muscles tightened. In that instant, I felt my body fundamentally change.
"The stat..."
Strength: 100(+100).
Unclear if it's crossing pure 100 or total 200, but my physical tier clearly rose a level.
"100 points... about three sturdy adult men's power."
10 for the elderly/weak, 20 adult woman, 30 adult man—so 100 is inhuman, benching 1000kg easy.
Stat systems work in Revenge and reality alike; I know this well.
"Now that I think, stats shift tiers every 100 points."
So 200 is just 10x adult woman. Not much. Without bioforce training or fortune, even ability users rarely hit 200 strength.
Humans excel in intelligence and psychic aptitude, not raw power.
"Let's see."
I laid out a brick from the recycling bin, a tin can, and a 5kg dumbbell.
First, the brick.
Crack!
Barely trying, it crumbles. Feels like clutching sand.
"...I like it."
Crunch!
A sturdy metal can crumples like paper. More pressure, and it oozes between fingers like jelly.
Finally, the dumbbell.
Squeeze!
Unlike the others, it resists. Makes sense—solid cast metal, not hollow like the can or brittle brick.
But focusing, flexing my right arm full power, it starts deforming.
Grind! Creak!
The grating metal sound amazes me even as I strain. Pure muscle, no mana—really possible to crush alloy just by clenching?
But then.
Pop! Pop!
Three nails on my right hand gripping it burst off. Blood sprays, sharp pain rocks my brain.
"Urk. What the—why the nails...?"
Panicking, I gather the scattered nails, apply ointment to the torn fingertips. In excitement, I hadn't noticed, but now my whole right arm is red-hot, turning bruised purple.
"Nails pop from a bit of force? Arm all battered?"
Right arm won't respond well—muscles torn, probably. Absurd, but...
I figured it out quick.
"My body's durability can't handle the strength..."