Chapter 546 545: Leveling Up... Again



[Calculating...]

[Calculating...]

Seeing the message repeat twice as the System tallied up my total gains from this days excursion was thrilling, and I could feel my heart begin to race as I waited multiple antagonizing seconds for the calculations to come through, before a wide grin split my features for a brief moment as the largest number yet appeared as a System notification.

[5,498,780 Xp awarded!]

[Summary available, would you like to read it?]

Maybe it was because it was a non stop day of killing, as well as the fact that the monsters were getting stronger and stronger after each 'reset' we forced upon them, but this scaling number was getting rather addicting, especially when that scaling number shot my level up from 35 to 39 and some change, meaning I was closing in on another milestone level once more.

Declining the summary, I turned my attention instead on the increase in stats that I had, my lips curling up into a smile as I saw the bump there as well.

[Stats :

STR : 93 -> 95

CON : 98 -> 99

AGI : 98 -> 101

DEX : 98 -> 101

CHA : 76

WIS : 88 -> 97

INT : 87 -> 97]

My stats had finally breached the triple digits in two categories, with three more extremely close and another just a bit further off of reaching that promised land; as for my Charisma stat, I wasn't too pressed to get that up to 100, since I already knew what I had and how to carry myself well enough to captivate the women that mattered to me.

With those level ups as well, I received a four Stat Points that I placed into WIS as well as CON, taking them both to 100 and unlocking an achievement that made me feel incredibly giddy

[Achievement : Overachiever]

Reward : 75,000 Xp, +3 CON, AGI, DEX, and WIS]

That meant that both my AGI and DEX were 104, and my CON and WIS were 103, placing four of my seven stats at triple digits, and realistically meaning two thirds of my 'useful' stats were now above 100, with CHA only being a 'vanity' stat at this point.

What had once been my 'pride and joy' of a stat due to its swift advancement and higher value had become something that I cherished, certainly, but one that I didn't mind wasn't progressing anymore as a reliable speed.

Having four stats above 100 was something that made me wonder if I was dreaming, this large leap in progress addling my brain for a moment as I stared at my slightly trembling hands, unsure of... almost everything.

I felt stronger, but that could certainly be the rush of adrenaline from such an achievement happening, as well as simple placebo for wondering if breaching the triple digit threshold meant my strength was higher than it was before by multitudes; like how some novels or games made reaching the hundreds something worth more than reaching a new set of tens.

[To rain on this parade, the answer is both. A point here is roughly... if the math is mathing correctly for me... approximately 1.15 of a normal point, so roughly every 7 points you technically get an 'extra' point, but that's just because your at a level now that allows more mana to flow inside your body with more ease. How to put it...]

The System fell silent for a moment before finally coming up with an analogy, all while I tried to control my breathing and return my excitement to its normal levels.

[If before your body was like a towel, it's now like a thick sponge; it can absorb more mana easier and release it easier as well, with less mana getting trapped and 'lost' inside your pathways, meaning everything about your body should be working much smoother than before... if we were to get to a microscopic level. It's not noticeable just yet, nor is it some Cultivation-esque boost in power, but it is rather significant in the long term. Anyways... yeah, that's that? Enjoy.]

I blinked as I felt the System return to its dormant state, the helpful 'voice in my head' popping in and out whenever it wanted to speak for a few moments before disappearing, making me wonder if I was actually cra-

[You are.]

'Thanks.'

Chuckling wryly, I held out my palm and summoned my mana, smiling as condensed, cool vapors spilled from my palm and dissipated into the air.

Like the System said, it was a small change but one that I could notice if I paid close enough attention; my mana was smoother to utilize and certainly more potent.

My mind went back to the time that we had been at the Blizzard Dukedom two years ago, when Duchess Klaki showed off two things that still awed me to this day.

Her raw, potent mana capable of altering the world without the use of any runes or seemingly any will, as well as the indescribable depths that had been her eyes.

It had been something that I had offhandedly noticed over these years, but when either I or Leone just tried to push mana out of our palms and do something without a rune, it only resulted in our hands being colder or warmer respectively, and not to a dangerous degree.

For Anput it felt like she had a harder palm, while Jahi could create a dull glow with just her shapeless mana, but nothing insane.

So for me to be able to truly see the difference meant that the improvement was certainly there, and it wasn't just from the increase in my Wisdom stat, which had a correlation with the potency of my mana.

That made me happy and excited for more, but I reined in my excitement and instead dulled it with pragmatism as the others returned with their bountiful offerings, laying the fish and herbs on the table as they wordlessly pleaded with me to grace them with sustenance.

Seeing them again made me push my desires for more personal strength aside and instead focus on us as a collective, since it wasn't just me here; they were on this island as well, and we had confirmed today that it wasn't just a harmless place to enjoy smacking around weak enemies.

There were some serious threats waiting for us deeper inside, and we needed to be smart about everything, even if that came at the cost of me slowing down my leveling speed.

After all, safety came first for them and me, and I could only imagine how much importance was placed on that idea after I had been taken from them once.

I doubt Jahi, Anput, or Leone would want to risk any harm coming to me ever again; in fact, I could guarantee it since I myself was adamant to never let anything that might hurt them physically, mentally, or emotionally ever again.

Not if I could help it.