Chapter 43: Locked Gazed
"Status," Reign muttered to himself as he waited for George to get ready while Anna was guarding the entrance.
============
Name: Reign
Level 19
Age. : 18 (+1 year)
Race: Viral Blade Zombie Hunter
Strength :C
Stamina :F+
Endurance : B+
Intelligence: C+
[Skill]
Bite - Level III
Undead Eye - Level I
Night Crawl III
Clawer : V
Viral Slash X
Hawk Bones [30%]
Scorpion Pores [30%]
Mantis Eyes [20%]
[Points]
Attribute Points: 40
Skill Points : 0
Evolution Points : 0
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At the moment, he had a bunch of attribute points saved up.
He checked his status and tried to understand it better, wanting to know how many attribute points he needed to upgrade each rank.
As he pondered it further, the system seemed to grasp his thoughts, and another window popped up.
============
(E)—> (D+) = 5 AP
(C-) —> (C+) =10 AP
(B-)—> (B+) = 15AP
(A-) —>(A+) =20 AP
============
'This is much better,' he thought to himself.
Now that he had a much clearer idea of how much each rank cost, he would be able to plan his allocation better.
He had two options.
First, he could opt for a balanced build, increasing all attribute points equally. It would be the most cost-effective since it's cheaper to upgrade lower-ranked attributes.
The second option was to specialize in one attribute.
It would cost more, but he could have one attribute that could dominate his enemy.
For instance, he could focus on increasing his strength, making all his attacks heavier.
Alternatively, he could boost his speed to increase his damage per second and maneuverability.
'Increasing my strength would be more expensive, and I don't think it would make much of a difference in a fight,' he mused, reflecting on his fight against Jake.
In terms of strength, they were almost equal, but Reign was at a disadvantage because of technique.
Their battle was akin to a match between two cars with identical engines.
However, Jake's car had superior aerodynamic design and other components, so Reign ended up losing in a frontal confrontation. Moreover, the driver, was more experienced.
Stamina was not a priority for now; most of his fights ended too quickly for it to make a difference.
Besides, he felt like the stamina stat was something he would need later, once he had more powerful skills.
Using skills drained his stamina, but right now, most of his abilities were not too consuming.
So, in the end, his only option was to increase his agility. It was the most logical choice ,and also the one that would give him the most overall improvement.
AGI:(D+)—>(C-)=5 AP
AGI:(C-)—>(C )=10AP
AGI:(C )—>(C+)=10AP
AGI:(C+)—>(B-)=10AP
Just like that, 35 AP points were gone.
Reign felt a twinge of annoyance at being broke again, but at least the improvement was satisfying .
Testing his body's movements by running around, he sensed that his speed had doubled. Not only that, but his reaction time had also improved a lot.
Though he couldn't quite put it into words, he knew that if he faced Jake again, he would now be able to block 50% of the wind strike.
SLASH!
SLASH
SLASH
Next, he tried attacking the rocky wall with his hardened claw, and just as expected, the speed of his attacks had become faster. This also made each of his strikes stronger due to the increased momentum and velocity.
Normally, his body wouldn't be able to withstand the sudden increased in his attack speed because his other stats was lagging.
But his high endurance, coupled with the Halk Bone, made his body more durable.
Scanning the scratches from his attack, he discerned that his claws had also become sharper.
After finishing his test, he turned on Mantis Eyes, and his vision transformed. He had previously turned off this ability because he was afraid Anna would notice it.
In the Mantis perspective, the world appeared with a panoramic view, allowing him to see a wide field of vision at once.
Colors were heightened, and movements seemed to slow down a bit, enabling him to perceive even the slightest of movements with clarity.
Additionally, he noticed a heightened focus on details, as if every object and surface were more sharper.
It was as if he had gained an entirely new dimension of perception, offering him a unique and enhanced understanding of his surroundings.
If there was a drawback to this ability, it was the fact that he could not use Undead Eye alongside it.
'This skill is OP!' he muttered with an excited tone. He felt like the benefits that he got were beyond what he paid for.
Little did Reign know, this ability was exceedingly rare. Cyle was one of the few hunters endowed with such an inborn skill, making Reign exceptionally fortunate to have absorbed it.
Lastly, he attempted to release some smoke from his skin, but unlike James, the smoke he released was actually colorless.
He figured that perhaps the reason for this was because he did not possess any poison-type ability to infuse into it.
'That's everything,' Reign muttered, flexing his arms and legs after ensuring he had a basic grasp of his new abilities and status.
"Let's go," George called out to him, now holding a big bag containing all the food and water he needed for the trip.
Reign simply nodded and followed him out.
Once they were outside of the mine, the trio wasted no time and began their descent down the mountain.
***
Four hours later, after stopping from time to time to rest, the trio finally caught sight of the next town.
Though it was still quite a distance away, the lights shining from within it infused them with renewed energy.
An hour later.
"It'll be morning soon, so I think it's better for us to find a place to stay first," George commented, noting that the sun would set in just a couple of hours.
"Alright, I'll see if I can find one," Anna replied, and without waiting for their response, she sprung into action.
SWOOOOOSH!
Using her blood tendrils, she turned them into a web to jump from one tree to another.
Then, spotting two trees that served as perfect launching pads, she stuck two wide blood tendrils on them and propelled herself upward like a slingshot.
SWOOOOOSH!
When she reached a sufficient height mid air, her blood tendrils transformed into thick, flat clothing, slowing down her descent.
"Is she a genius?" Reign couldn't help but be amazed at how efficiently Anna had used her power. She wasn't just dangerously strong but also very smart.
"Yes, she is. Her IQ is actually 180," George replied with a smug look on his face. "By the way, my IQ is 150," he added to point out that he had good genetics.
Reign looked at George with a judgmental expression.
He couldn't believe that George actually wanted to compete with him in terms of IQ.
He remembered that his IQ in his past life was around 200+. If not for all those experiments that had broken his mind, he would outmatch Anna easily in terms of intelligence.
"Are you sure you're not pulling my legs here ? I can believe Anna, but not you," Reign retorted with a mocking tone. His creepy smile added an extra dash to the insult.
"Unfortunately, I'm a downright honest person, but by the way, you stink and you're ugly as hell," George jabbed back, his frustration spurring him to insult Reign.
The two men locked gazes, both of them itching to tear each other apart. The only reason they refrained was because of Anna's presence.
George feared that Anna would be heartbroken, while Reign feared he might end up getting killed.
But there was one thing they agreed on: they absolutely despised each other.