Chapter 6: The Path to Strength

Hmm… so this is my strength now.

Maximus checked his status after copying the Strengthen Body talent.

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Maximus Omniclone

Title: None

Talent: Copy Everything, Strengthen Body

Bloodline: ???

HP: 180

MP: 80/400 (Restores 10 MP per minute)

Level (Rank): Level 1 (Human)

EXP Points: 100/1000

Attributes:

Strength: 12 (60) (Average Human: 10)

Intelligence: 35 (Average Human: 10)

Agility: 12 (60) (Average Human: 10)

Vitality: 12 (60) (Average Human: 10)

Perception: 12 (60) (Average Human: 10)

Curious, he clicked on Strengthen Body to view its description.

[STRENGTHEN BODY: INCREASES PHYSICAL STRENGTH BY 5X]

"What a short description… but damn, this is powerful. Copying talents really does give me a significant boost," Maximus thought.

Back to the Fight

"What… What the fck?! How is he so strong?! Did he awaken some kind of super strength?!"* Dylan shouted in disbelief.

"Hah! What a monstrous punch! Hahaha!" John laughed, wiping the blood from his lips as he stood up.

"Hmm… I thought that would be enough to take you down," Ardeus remarked, narrowing his eyes.

John smirked. "I'll admit, that was a hell of a punch, but my body's tough too!"

With a burst of speed, John dashed toward Ardeus, aiming a powerful kick at his face.

But Maximus reacted instantly. Kyokushin Karate stance.

With precision, he positioned his hand on John's sternum and executed a one-inch punch—except with his full, multiplied strength.

CRACK! BOOM!

The sound of breaking bone echoed as John was sent flying, coughing up blood.

"I… I can't breathe…!" John wheezed, struggling to get up.

"Still alive after that? Tough bastard," Maximus muttered.

Suddenly, a wave of heat surged toward him. His instincts screamed—he dodged and rolled just in time as a blazing fireball scorched the ground where he stood.

"Shit, if I had reacted even a second later, I'd be roasted alive," he thought.

Another fireball came straight at him. He dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding it—but Dylan was already waiting, slashing at him with a blade.

Maximus barely dodged, the sharp edge grazing his face. A thin line of blood dripped down.

"Fck! That was close! That blade… it's way too sharp. Is this because of his talent?"*

"HAHAHA! See, boss?! He's just some brute with a strength-type talent! Nothing special!" Dylan laughed arrogantly.

"You're right! Hah, what a joke! I actually thought he had something unique!" Ardeus sneered.

Maximus' eyes flickered as he saw their guards lower.

"Now's my chance."

With a thought, he copied a knife 10 times.

[MP -76]

Then, without hesitation, he sprinted at Dylan.

Dylan swung his blade—but Maximus ducked.

A sudden fireball exploded right in front of him.

"HAHAHA! Did you forget I'm still here?!" Ardeus cackled. "You're already dead, dumbass!"

But before he could finish, a knife shot out from the flames—straight into Dylan's skull.

"What… What…?" Dylan's vision blurred as his consciousness faded.

THUD.

"Dylan!!" Ardeus shouted in shock.

Maximus seized the moment and hurled three knives at him.

Ardeus barely dodged, but one buried itself into his shoulder.

"Shit! Shit! This f*cker is a monster!" Ardeus yelled, fear creeping into his voice. He turned and ran, throwing fire behind him as he fled.

"What an annoying ability… I'll copy it later," Maximus thought, chasing after him.

Unexpectedly, Ardeus ignited his feet with flames, using the fire to propel himself forward.

Maximus, despite his enhanced physique, started falling behind.

"F*ck, he's fast!"

With precision, he threw five more knives, aiming for Ardeus' back.

THUNK! THUNK!

Two knives embedded themselves in his flesh, but Ardeus kept running.

"I… I don't want to die!" Ardeus screamed, pushing forward despite the pain.

Maximus slowed down, watching his retreating figure.

"The hell? Even with knives in his back, he's still running? His will to survive is insane."

He clenched his fists.

"Fine. If I ever see that bastard again, I'll kill him."

Maximus turned back, walking towards Dylan's corpse.

A Shocking Discovery

"Hmm… should I dissect it? There might be a crystal inside."

Deciding to check, he carved into Dylan's skull.

Sure enough, inside his brain—

[LOW-LEVEL CRYSTAL OBTAINED]

"Not bad."

Then, he scanned the battlefield for John's body.

What he saw shocked him.

Daniel was standing over John, his hand on John's head.

John was still alive. But his expression twisted in terror.

"Hey! You piece of trash, what the hell are you doing?!" John barked, weakly struggling.

But then, Daniel muttered—

"SOUL ABSORPTION."

A horrifying scene unfolded.

"Hey… hey, man, what sou—"

John's body trembled violently. His consciousness began fading. His life force drained.

Desperately, he begged.

"Please… don't… d—"

THUD.

[SOUL ABSORPTION SUCCESSFUL]

[Soul +2]

[Hidden Attribute Unlocked: Soul!]

[New Title Unlocked: Soul Master!]

Daniel gasped, his eyes widening.

"What… what is this?" he muttered.

Then, a system notification flashed—

[SOUL ATTRIBUTE UNLOCKED]

[Soul: 17 (Average Human: 10)]

[Soul Master Title: The first one to unlock the Soul attribute. Bonus: +5 Soul]

[SOUL: A high Soul stat increases resistance to spiritual attacks. At a certain threshold, you can survive without a body. You also absorb energy 1 soul points is 1x faster.]

Daniel's lips curled into a grin.

"This… this is overpowered. Hahaha! I'm on my path to becoming the strongest!"

Nearby, Maximus frowned.

He walked over, placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"Copy Everything: Copy Talent."

[INSUFFICIENT MP]

"As expected. I'll save that for later."

Daniel glanced at him. "What are you doing?"

Maximus stared at John's lifeless body. "You just killed him."

Daniel scoffed. "He tried to kill me first. It's only fair."

Maximus studied him for a moment.

"Should I kill him? This guy is dangerous…"

But then Daniel smiled.

"Anyway, thanks for saving me."

"Doesn't matter. If he ever becomes a problem, I'll just kill him," Maximus thought.

"So, what now?" he asked.

Daniel looked at the dungeon. "I'm not strong enough to clear that. I'll level up by hunting zombies first."

"Good luck, then," Maximus said.

"You too. I'll repay this favor someday!"

As Daniel left, Maximus watched him go.

"That guy has a future… but for now, my focus is the dungeon."

He sat down to recover MP and absorb the crystal.

"Time to level up."