Chapter 14: Foundations of power 2

Congratulations!

You are now Level 2.

You have 6 stat points available for distribution.

The system notification hovered before Jason, and the screen's faint blue glow illuminated the darkening clearing. Jason's gaze lingered on the words, which served as proof of his first victory in this new world.

Then he exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders to loosen the remaining tension from the battle. The faint tremor in his limbs reminded him how close he had come to overextending himself.

'Six stat points', Jason mused, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Reading the notification, it seemed that Jason received three stat points for each level up, so being level 2, he had received a total of six free stat points.

It wasn't much, but it was progress and a step toward reclaiming the power he once wielded in a life that now felt so far away. 

After closing his level notification, the next notification blinked into view. 

Congratulations!

You have received 600 SP.

Jason's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

'600 SP?'

The amount of SP Jason had earned might not have seemed like a lot, but given the Giants rank, most likely the 'Uncommon' rank due to the green orb that appeared after its death, Jason should have only received 60SP.

In fact, Jason sacrificed so much to secure a place in the tutorial because of this SP gain. In the tutorial, all SP gained was ten times more compared to the outside world.

What did this mean?

Well, usually, killing a Common rank monster rewarded between 1 – 9SP, uncommon 10 – 99, rare 100 -999, epic 1,000 – 9999 and legendary 10,000 to 99,999.

This SP gain meant that for a similar-ranked item or skill from the store, Jason would need to kill 10 such rank enemies in the outside world, but here, he only needed to kill one.

Also, the SP and EXP gain were usually split between the individuals who contributed to the creature's death. However, since Jason solo killed the giant, all the SP and EXP that would have been split went to him, which resulted in a greater boon.

Jason's focus then shifted as he opened his status screen and allocated his newfound stat points.

He had already decided where to allocate the points. Three stat points went into Intelligence to boost his mana potency, and three into Mind to increase his mana pool and his mana recovery. It was a decision tailored to maximise his effectiveness as a caster.

After allocating his stats, Jason took a moment to review his updated status screen.

Status Screen:

Name: Jason Anderson

Race: Human

Traits 1: [???]

Accolades 2: [Tutorial initiate], [Patreon's Champion]

Level: 2

Class: None

Perks: None

Soul bound 1 of 1: [Gluttonous Brood]

SP: 2000

Stats: 0 points available

Strength: 1

Endurance: 1

Vitality: 1

Dexterity: 1

Intelligence: 10

Mind: 6

Faith: 1

Will: 3

Skills 1 of 1:

[Binding Roots(R)]

Items 0 of 1:

SYSTEM STORE

After reviewing his status screen and feeling pleased with his modest improvement, which, although not much, was a start and would serve as the foundation in this new world, Jason shifted his focus to his newly acquired skill.

Skill: Binding Roots

Rank: Rare

Effect: Channel mana into the ground to summon roots that bind your opponent.

The skill's description was simple, almost underwhelming, and Jason could not help but sigh.

In his previous demonic form, Jason wielded dark and destructive magic, curses, and debuffs that could inflict tremendous damage. Even now, he could have easily chosen a more powerful offensive skill that mirrored his former abilities.

However, Jason had a goal in mind.

To acquire the starting class he needed and begin his journey in this new world, he had to make sacrifices to lay the proper foundation. The class he was aiming for was of the nature type, a mana type Jason had never dealt with before.

This meant his chances of naturally unlocking the desired class were slim, but by choosing a nature-based skill like 'Binding Roots', he could increase his odds. It was a calculated decision, a short-term sacrifice for long-term gain.

This goal, coupled with his limited SP resources and the sparse variety of 'rare' rank nature-type skills that could be used offensively, had forced Jason to settle on the 'Binding Roots' skill.

Although the skill was primarily designed to restrain enemies rather than deal damage, Jason's knowledge of mana and 'skills' allowed him to further enhance and more effectively use the skill.

By channelling additional mana and enforcing his 'will' into the skill, he commanded the roots to further constrict, turning them into a deadly noose.

Another rare option Jason had considered was 'Thorn Whip', a skill that dealt slashing damage and damage over time through weak poison. While this skill had some offensive capabilities, it would never have been enough to kill the giant.

Using the whip would have required Jason to constantly move around the battlefield and avoid the giant's attacks. However, given his current endurance and strength stats, Jason was not physically equipped to handle this type of battle.

In contrast, 'Binding Roots' offered a more practical solution.

While its offensive power seemed lacking initially, its focus on sturdy, hard-to-break roots was invaluable. As Jason improved his Intelligence stat, the strength and durability of the roots would only increase, making them harder to break and thus useful in restricting or strangling an opponent to death.

Jason leaned back, stretching his arms overhead as his thoughts shifted to the people around him. He could feel their eyes on him. They were cautious, curious, and, above all, wary.

Some of the more attentive individuals saw that Jason had stopped meditating and took the opportunity to muster their courage and approach him cautiously. 

They likely hoped to recruit him into their groups or at least engage him in conversation. Despite their newfound powers from the system store, they still viewed Jason as a formidable and mysterious figure, given how he had single-handedly killed the giant.

Yet, their attempts at conversation were met with cold indifference as Jason looked right through them, ignoring their presence entirely. After a few failed attempts, the hopefuls retreated back to their smaller groups, no longer daring to bother him.

Jason, however, did not ignore these people out of arrogance, pride or ego. In reality, he was looking past them, waiting for the larger group of initiates, the "big fish," so to say, to make their move.

Those who had approached him so far belonged to small, insignificant groups, and Jason was uninterested in them.

With his current build, focusing primarily on the intelligence, mind, and will stats, Jason was essentially a glass cannon. His spells allowed him to deal immense damage to enemies at a safe distance, but if anything got close, even an ordinary human could take him down.

Right now, Jason did not have the physical stats to endure or escape. Jason could rely on his mana manipulation techniques to form 'mana shields', but he wanted to focus only on one skill to increase his chances of getting the class he needed.

As a result, strength in numbers was crucial at this stage of the Ascension trial.

Jason knew that to exploit the most benefits; he needed to align with a large group to shield himself while he grew stronger. With the right group, his value and ability as a caster would be magnified.

The group would protect him, knowing that his powerful skills could devastate enemies from the safety of the backline. This would also work in Jason's favour, allowing him to acquire SP and EXP safely, as these rewards were distributed based on damage dealt, while the group would serve as a distraction and would get limited rewards.

This was why Jason waited for the larger groups to make their move. Over the past day, one group, in particular, had swelled in size. It had grown rapidly, recruiting more and more people, and Jason found this rapid growth in numbers odd.

Despite this, Jason did not approach them. Although this group was his target, Jason knew that whoever made the first move set a precedent for their relationship. If they came to him, it would elevate his status within the group.

Still, he found it strange that, despite their apparent focus on numbers, they had still not come to him. Perhaps they were busy organising the people they had already gathered, or maybe they were just waiting for the right moment.

As the camp settled into the night, Jason sat further away from the others, eating the military rations he'd purchased from the system store. The food was bland and utilitarian, but it served its purpose in replenishing his depleted energy.

Just as he finished, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the silence.

Jason's eyes flicked up, and a moment later, his lips curled into a faint, fleeting grin.

"It seems the fish took the bait after all,"