Chapter 11 - Curse Skill

Sasaki pondered deeply on his situation in this new world where he had only reincarnated a few days ago. He knew he had a long journey ahead to become stronger, and he couldn't afford to rush into disadvantageous fights.

As he thought to himself, he understood that there were probably many strong opponents in this world long before he was reborn, and they might be much stronger and more higher-leveled than him.

"But from the looks of it, they're all in their mid-30s and only the highest is level 30?" Sasaki pondered aloud. "And here I am, only level sixteen after just two days of fighting."

"Is my rate of growth faster than others?" he mused. "Maybe I gain more experience from killing?"

"Hmm... but I should also gather some information about this world from them," Sasaki continued his thoughts. "And I need to see how my skills fare in combat against humans."

"But facing off against a swordsman head-on would be suicide. I don't have a weapon and can't defend myself," Sasaki muttered, his head bowed and his fingers pressed against his lips in a pensive posture.

Sasaki started his journey to where they were, not too far, less than half a mile. On his way, he faced many challenges, like monsters that roamed at night. But with Shadow with him, finding these creatures and making traps was simpler.

Sasaki figured out how to use Shadow's skills to draw enemies into traps, and the raven's sharp claws were powerful weapons against the monsters. When monsters was affected by the "Epidemic Eruption," his claws could cut deep into the monsters' necks, making sure they were all killed.

As Sasaki traversed his path, he employed this strategy to eliminate many monsters, while using Shadow to identify stronger foes that he wisely avoided. By finding safe routes and dispatching other weaker monsters for experience points, he continued his journey.

Along the way, Sasaki made an astonishing discovery about his stats, particularly his intelligence. Through the "Scavenger Gaze," he could now see the health bars above enemies. Initially estimating his total damage at 11%, with 10% from "Epidemic Eruption" and an additional 1% from Shadow, Sasaki realized that his intelligence rank E provided an extra benefit. This intelligence rank resulted in lower mana consumption for skill usage and an additional certain flat damage for all his active skills.

Sasaki guessed, after watching the health bar of the monster he was defeating, that the damage from his skill adds to his intelligence and his level to figure out the total damage he can do.

This guess is about the most damage he can cause to his enemies. But, how much damage he actually can do also depends a lot on the enemy's resistance, which is based on their defense stat.

But instead of rushing to confront the enigmatic figures, Sasaki opted to find a quiet spot where he could first level up and raise his strength. Utilizing Shadow's assistance, he scouted the area for such a place, ensuring it was devoid of monsters and safe for him to concentrate.

Once he found a suitable location under the shade of a tree, he settled down and opened his System interface. Methodically, he selected all the experience points he had accumulated, one by one.

[Total Exp: 60,000] 

[Level Up]

[Level Up] ... 3x 

Despite possessing a total of 60,000 experience points, Sasaki only managed to level up four times. Reflecting on this, he realized that leveling up now required more experience, indicating that he needed to face stronger enemies to progress further.

While he only managed to raise six levels after grinding non-stop for five hours, Sasaki didn't feel disheartened. Instead, he saw it as an advantage, realizing that if he could level up six times in just five hours, he could achieve much more with continued effort. This realization buoyed his spirits, especially as he compared his progress to that of the enigmatic figures, who were at most only level 30.

[Level 16-> 20]

[Congratulations, host, on reaching level 22! Strengthening host upper leg muscles!]

As Sasaki reached level twenty-two, his upper legs began their transformation. Anticipating the pain from his previous experience with his lower legs, he braced himself mentally.

Waves of excruciating pain shot through his body as the bones and muscles shifted and rearranged themselves. Despite the agony, Sasaki clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, determined to endure the transformation once again.

[Agility Level Up E->D]

When the process finally completed, Sasaki felt a rush of relief mixed with awe. His feet, lower legs, and now upper legs had become more formidable and stronger than steel. His agility had tripled compared to before. To test his newfound strength, he stood before the same tree he had been sitting under. With a powerful strike from his lower leg, he made a dent in the tree, causing bark to break and fall to the ground. Remarkably, Sasaki felt no pain in his legs, only a sense of triumph and satisfaction.

[Acquired new skill for Plague Doctor: Miasmic Banishment ( Level 1) ] 

[Description: "Miasmic Banishment" is a curse-type skill. The cursed target suffers from a gradual loss of health as the miasma eats away at their life force, and you gain the lost HP of the target. If your HP is full, additional HP will be added to your life force. Additionally, cursed targets become more susceptible to incoming damage for the duration of the curse.]

[Additional Information:]

[1% HP loss per minute upon activation]

[Cursed targets will be marked and can be tracked by Shadow.]

[At Level 1, only one target can be marked at a time. You cannot curse a target if their level is higher than yours.]

[Activation Method:]

[Method 1: Physical contact with the opponent and silently incantation.]

[Method 2: Adding the curse to any item, thus creating a cursed item. When the cursed item is picked up by the opponent, they will become cursed.]

"Wow, this is something else. What a gruesome skill," Sasaki mused, a mix of fascination and apprehension evident in his tone. "I can put a curse on my opponents, but it's restricted to those who are on the same level or lower than me."

He paused, shaking his head slightly. "It's a bit of a headache, but let's not dwell on the negatives."

Sasaki's expression shifted as he considered the potential benefits. "On the bright side, with the second method, I don't even need physical contact to curse my enemies. That could come in handy."