Extra 70+ chapters available in patreon š¤©š„³
Discount code " 4D346"
Just check it out š¤šā„ļø
_______________________________________________________________________
Lucas stepped onto the open plains in the northern outskirts of the city, a familiar area where he'd tested many of his abilities before. It was quiet, with only the occasional rustle of wind through the grass and a few wandering low-level monsters.
His eyes locked onto a small Level 1 slime, lazily squirming along the green field. The poor creature had no idea it was about to be used in an experiment.
"Well, I'll take you then," Lucas muttered.
The slime moved so slowly, leaving behind a faintly acidic trail. Lucas nodded in approval. "Slimes have almost no defense. That makes them perfect for a straightforward test. It won't interfere with what I'm trying to measure."
He stepped up to the slime, raised his dagger, and struck with a basic attack.
12843!
A massive five-digit damage number floated up from the slime's jelly-like head. The creature had a measly 50 HP, so the hit was overkill by more than 250 times. It instantly died, flipping onto its back like an overturned bowl of pudding.
Lucas didn't even blink. "So, normal attacks land somewhere between twelve and thirteen thousand," he murmured to himself. He had grown used to such shocking output.
But today wasn't about damage admiration. It was about experimentation.
"Now for the good part," he said. "Let's try the Weakness Mark effect of my SSS-level Talent: Delusion-breaking Eye."
He walked up to another slime. As he narrowed his eyes, a faint red glow pulsed from them. A strange red symbol, like a sniper's crosshair, appeared on the slime's body.
Only Lucas could see it.
"Looks awesome," he said with a grin.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and struck the marked spot.
38604!
This time, the number was even more eye-catching. Bold, red, and clearly labeled as a critical hit.
Lucas frowned slightly. "Only thirty-eight thousand?"
It was still strong, but not quite what he expected.
He began doing mental math.
His base attack did 12,843 damage. With the Delusion-breaking Eye and the God-killing Bladeāeach promising a 1000% bonusāhe had hoped for a multiplicative effect. Ten times ten, a hundredfold increase. That would mean more than 1.2 million damage.
But this resultājust three times more than the baseāmeant it wasn't multiplicative. It was additive. That's only 20x, and with critical hit bonuses included, just 30x the base damage.
"So... these two skills only stack additively?" Lucas muttered. "They don't interact under the Law Manifestation system at all?"
He scratched his chin, disappointed.
"I thought I was about to break the world record," he said. "Looks like I'll have to settle for merely overpowered."
Still, Lucas knew he hadn't tested everything yet.
"If they only enhance basic attacks like this, what about skills?"
Time to find out.
He spotted another slime. Twenty meters away. He narrowed his eyes againāWeakness Mark activated.
Then, he unleashed a skill: Backstab, a Level 20 general Assassin ability.
In a flash, Lucas vanished from sight and reappeared directly behind the slime, striking its weak point with blinding speed.
102145!
The damage number floated up, shining bright red, a full six digits, and a new personal record for Lucas.
"Over 100,000 damage?" he said, finally impressed.
Now the math made sense.
Backstab had a 250% base multiplier. Add the 2000% from the two Talent bonuses, plus the guaranteed critical hit boost... it all came together beautifully.
It was staggeringly strong, far beyond what any normal Level 20 player could do. If anyone else saw this, they'd swear Lucas was using cheats.
"Hundred thousand, huh? I'll take that!" Lucas smirked and flicked his dagger clean.
He had now confirmed that his combo skills could deal outrageous single-hit damage.
"Okay, maybe I'm not a god-tier SSS Assassin," he said with a grin, "but I'm at least 'moderately unstoppable.'"
But Lucas wasn't done.
"Better to double-check," he muttered. "Let's do more trials."
What followed was nothing short of a massacre.
He launched into a slaughter frenzy, moving across the plains like a shadow of death. Slimes, goblins, small wolvesāanything in his path fell in seconds.
The low-level monsters didn't even have time to fight back. They were wiped out by massive damage combos, sometimes triple-digit thousands in a single blow.
The slimes had it worst. Their gooey bodies burst under each strike. It looked more like an assassination demonstration than grinding for experience.
But Lucas wasn't farming. He was collecting data.
Once his calculations were complete, and the formulas confirmed in action, he spared the rest of the monsters and returned to the main cityāTianhai.
ā¦
"Hey boss! I need a few daggers!"
Lucas strolled into the nearest weapons store, heading straight to the counter.
The shop owner, a middle-aged man with a tired expression, looked up. "What kind?"
"Level 1. Whiteboard only. Cheapest you've got."
The owner blinked, baffled. "Level 1 whiteboard?"
Lucas nodded. "Yep. Doesn't need to be strong. Just light and cheap."
The boss stared at Lucas for a moment.
This was... weird.
Still, the customer is always right. With a sigh, the owner dug into his back storage and retrieved a few dusty daggers that had been taken off the shelves weeks ago.
He handed one over, still eyeing Lucas curiously.
"You're a student, right? Just transferred to a class this year?"
Lucas gave a vague nod.
The boss glanced at the calendar. "Tomorrow is the last round of the annual entrance assessments. You didn't buy any weapons before this?"
He looked concerned. "If you don't level up now, you won't qualify for college entrance!"
Lucas chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to explain.
The man kept going. "Look, even if your Talent is garbage, you've got to work hard! Don't give up now!"
Apparently, the boss thought Lucas was just another unmotivated, low-Talent youth who had wasted his chances.
"Ah?"
Lucas was confused at first. Was this guy giving him a pep talk?
The owner clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't 'ah' me! You can still make it! Don't give up on yourself!"
With a dramatic flourish, he shoved the dagger into Lucas's hand. "Take this, no charge. Go out there and level up, kid!"
Lucas blinked again.
"Uh... how much?"
"No charge! Take it!"
Before Lucas could protest, the boss pushed him out the door.
Standing just outside, Lucas looked at the dagger in his hand and sighed.
"ā¦What just happened?"
After a moment of thinking, Lucas walked back inside. The boss opened his mouth to say somethingābut Lucas slapped a thousand-yuan bill on the counter and sprinted out before the man could speak.
"Waitā!"
Too late. Lucas had vanished.
The shop owner looked at the money, eyes misty.
"What a sweet kid..."
He touched the note and shook his head.
"That old dagger's only worth a couple hundred. The awakening season's over. Prices have dropped. He paid way too muchā¦"
His mind filled in the rest.
"Maybe... he's from a poor family. Couldn't afford any gear. So he didn't train or fight monsters. Maybe he took odd jobs, worked all month, saved up just enough to come buy his first weapon."
The man sniffled.
"I'll return the rest next time he visits. It's the least I can do."
And with that, he gently placed the money into a small box under the counterāa box he reserved only for acts of kindness.
------------------------------------------------------
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------
Extra 70+ chapters available in patreon š¤©š„³
Discount code " 4D346"
Just check it out š¤šā„ļø
_______________________________________________________________________