Chapter 8: Improvement
[Please choose a barrier special effect.]
[Dampening Field (Passive): Reduces damage taken by allies within 5 meters by 5%.]
[Healing Barrier (Passive): Heals you for 2% of your maximum health each second while the Barrier is active.]
[Barrier Detonation (Active): Manually detonate the Barrier to deal 10% of its remaining durability as damage to nearby enemies.]
[Reinforce Barrier: Spend 10% of your HP to increase the Barrier's strength by 20% for 5 seconds.]
"I am choosing Healing Barrier."
[New skill effect acquired: Healing Barrier.]
Granger leaned against the cave wall as he heard a slithering sound nearby.
He finally found the Cave Racer he had been tracking. Gripping a sharp stone firmly in his hand, he scanned the area. The silhouette of a massive, three-meter snake appeared before him.
[Cave Racer: Level 9]
Granger sighed and rushed into the chamber where the snake awaited. He moved swiftly, leaping between stones with practiced ease. In one fluid motion, he landed on the Cave Racer's head.
The snake screeched, but before it could react, Granger drove the sharp stone into its eye. The creature thrashed violently, slamming its head against the rocks in an attempt to crush him.
The barriers surrounding Granger absorbed the impact. When they broke, he quickly summoned new ones, refusing to let the snake overpower him.
Granger repeatedly struck the snake's eyes with the stone, his free hand gripping its nose to keep his balance. Blood splattered across the chamber as he carved a deep hole into its head.
The Cave Racer's struggles weakened, and its movements eventually stopped. Granger didn't let up until the snake's head was reduced to an unrecognizable mass of flesh.
He stood up and wiped the blood from his face, his empty red eyes betraying no emotion.
"That does it."
[You leveled up.]
[You leveled up.]
[You leveled up.]
[You leveled up.]
[You leveled up.]
[You have received 15 stat points.]
[Your stamina, HP, and MP have been replenished.]
"I knew I was getting stronger, but I didn't think it was this much."
Granger opened his status board. Without hesitation, he allocated his 15 stat points—3 points each to Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, Dexterity, and Agility.
He watched as his body transformed. His once-skinny frame became bulkier, muscles forming a chiseled, powerful physique.
Satisfied, he picked up the loot dropped by the Cave Racer—small, shiny black scales.
[Black Scale: Common.]
Granger removed his dirty clothes, using them to hold the scales—as an improvised bag.
"Now, where were we?"
Granger came out of the chamber and walked into the open area.
His glowing red barriers stood out, drawing the attention of all the Cave Racers nearby.
Thinking they had found easy prey, five Cave Racers rushed toward Granger.
Granger was no longer holding a weapon. He set down the bag of Black Scales and readied his fists.
One of the Cave Racers lunged forward, its massive fangs aiming for his neck.
Before the fangs could reach him, they were completely blocked by his barrier.
Granger activated Wave Pulse. The skill was supposed to be weak, but since it scaled with his Strength stat—which, in his case, was enhanced—it created enough force to knock the giant snakes back.
Granger rushed toward the nearest Cave Racer. He punched it hard in the face, the impact reaching the other side of its head.
With every hit, the Cave Racer's head shattered further.
After a few blows, the Cave Racer collapsed to the ground, its head completely obliterated.
Even Granger was surprised by the overwhelming power.
The four remaining Cave Racers charged at him.
They attempted to break through his barriers, but they were too tough. It took multiple attempts to make even a small dent.
And even when a barrier was destroyed, another replaced it effortlessly.
Granger picked up a boulder and smashed it into the nearest Cave Racer.
The first strike to the head left the snake paralyzed. Granger followed up with multiple slams until its head was completely destroyed.
He moved to the next Cave Racer, grabbed it by the tail, and slammed its head against the stone walls of the cave.
He didn't stop until blood painted the walls.
Another Cave Racer tried to crush him with its body, hoping to break the barrier with sheer force.
But it couldn't even scratch his defense.
Granger grabbed the snake by the head and bit into it. His teeth tore through its face.
As the snake tried to retreat, he punched it in the eye. His fist went straight through to the other side.
The snake's lifeless, bloody head fell to the ground as Granger let go.
The Cave Racers were powerless.
Stat-wise, Granger completely overwhelmed them. On top of that, they couldn't hurt him because of his barrier.
It was a perfect defense.
The last Cave Racer realized the battle was unwinnable.
It tried to slither away, but before it could escape, a boulder smashed into its head. The snake collapsed onto the stone floor.
"Bullseye."
Granger picked up a smaller, sharp stone.
He jumped onto the giant snake's head and began smashing it with the stone.
The sound of meat being crushed echoed through the cave, accompanied by the splash of blood.
When it was over, Granger stood and jumped off the lifeless body of the Cave Racer.
[You leveled up.]
[Congratulations, you have reached Level 10. You have received +10% barrier HP, 1-meter radius barrier range, and 2 Barrier Special Effects.]
[You leveled up.]
[You have received 6 stat points.]
[Your stamina, HP, and MP have been replenished.]
"Only two levels from killing these five? So, the experience point requirements are increasing that much in just a few levels, huh? That means it will be harder to level up, even when fighting higher-level monsters. No wonder some only reach level 30 in a span of five months."
[It is also worth noting that this world rewards players who kill monsters several levels higher than themselves. You will receive more experience points the higher the level of the monster compared to yours.]
Granger looked at the bodies of the defeated Cave Racers, their blood painting the floor.
His attention shifted when his stomach growled.
He rubbed his hand over his now chiseled abs. "Do you think these snakes are edible?"
[Yes. They are safe to eat.]
Granger sighed. "Better than starving to death."
•••••
NAME: Granger Reiner.
PATRON: None.
ASCENSION RANK: Weak.
LEVEL: 11/20.
NEXT ASCENSION: Level 100.
[STATUS]
HP: 700
MP: 600
[STAT POINTS]
STRENGTH: 7
CONSTITUTION: 7
INTELLIGENCE: 6
DEXTERITY: 6
AGILITY: 6
CHARISMA: 1
AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: 6
[Abilities]
SKILL:
°RULE BREAKER°
°WEAK BARRIER°
HP: 20% of the user's HP.
RANGE: 2 Meter Radius.
[Barrier Special Effects]
—WEAK—
ACTIVE: Pulse Wave,
PASSIVE: Healing Barrier,
AVAILABLE SPECIAL EFFECT: 0
•••••