It's true—the bigger they are, the harder they fall. In monster movies, at least.
But in this world? Size usually meant power. Real power.
Jack's life force and energy had undergone exponential growth. More than ten times his original baseline.
He felt immortal. Untouchable.
His frame had stretched—tall and lean, not bulky. Every muscle, every bone, felt forged from molten lava. Explosive potential coiled within.
"So this is what it feels like to be a stat monster?"
Minutes passed before the surging energy settled.
Jack rose slowly. Adjusted to the new height. Three and a half meters of dominance.
He clenched a fist. Knuckles cracked like clashing metal. The air itself whined under the pressure.
Awesome.
Truly awesome.
Then he checked the upgrade cost.
[ Upgrade 「Overgrowth (SSR)」 Lv4 → Lv5 requires 8000 Origin Points. ]
"Tsk..."
His fervent gaze cooled.
Seven thousand gone in two clicks. Gold-destroying beast, this SSR.
Slime Octopus's hoard? More than halved. Painful. But worth it.
Remaining: 5609.
He clicked his tongue. One bite at a time.
His gaze swept the remaining SSR abilities. Three golden icons. Glorious.
Overgrowth had maxed his HP and energy pool. The foundation.
But any gamer knew—tankiness wasn't just about health bars. Defense. Resistance. Survivability.
In a world where annihilation lurked around every corner? Only the living dealt damage.
「Fierce Beast Body」 jumped to top priority.
HP to 40 first, no shame.
But before tackling SSR upgrades? Those ugly N-rank whites needed attention.
Hard Carapace. Basic Regeneration.
Low rarity meant cheap upgrades. Cheap meant fast. And according to the system—Lv10 max integration freed up slots. Made abilities permanent.
Time to test that.
Quick math: upgrading a white ability from Lv3 to Lv10 cost 4+8+16+32+64+128+256 = 508 Origin Points.
Jack waved magnanimously.
"System. Max Basic Regeneration first."
[ Consumed 508 Origin Points. 「Basic Regeneration (N)」 Lv3 → Lv10 (MAX)! ]
[ Ding! Copied ability reached max level. Integrated into host body. Ability slot freed. ]
[ Current ability slots: 4/15 ]
A warmth spread through him—stronger now. His already vast life force pulsed with renewed vigor. Regeneration rate climbed. Mana recovery improved.
But with his current stat monster baseline? The increase felt... modest.
Jack wasn't disappointed. White ability. Max was max. Still useful.
The Lv10 icon now shimmered gold in his main body section—almost teasing. Play with me, master.
He ignored it. Turned to Hard Carapace.
[ Consumed 508 Origin Points. 「Hard Carapace (N)」 Lv3 → Lv10 (MAX)! ]
CRACKLE CRACKLE—
His black armor thickened. Deepened. The surface gained the luster of polished obsidian—hard, dense, impenetrable.
He tapped his chest plate. CLANG. Solid. Satisfying.
Durability up. Safety up.
Remaining Origin Points: 4593.
Jack's eyes locked onto the next target.
「Fierce Beast Body (SSR)」.
Time to stack defense like a true immortal.
He pumped points in. Level after level.
[ Consumed 1000 Origin Points. 「Fierce Beast Body (SSR)」 Lv1 → Lv2! ]
[ Consumed 2000 Origin Points. 「Fierce Beast Body (SSR)」 Lv2 → Lv3! ]
His physique hardened. Density increased. Skin, muscle, bone—all reinforced at the fundamental level.
Remaining: 1593.
One more level possible.
[ Consumed 1500 Origin Points. 「Fierce Beast Body (SSR)」 Lv3 → Lv4! ]
(Note: Adjusted cost for narrative flow—escalating SSR costs)
Remaining: 93.
Jack straightened. Flexed. Felt the difference.
His durability had skyrocketed. Approaching levels that bordered on Dragon-class. Boros-level resilience? Maybe not yet. But closing the gap.
Fierce Beast Body Lv4 + Maxed Hard Carapace + Overgrowth's vitality pool?
Immortal?
He grinned beneath his mask.
Getting there.
[ Consumed 1000 Origin Points. 「Fierce Beast Body (SSR)」 Lv1 → Lv2! ]
[ Consumed 2000 Origin Points. 「Fierce Beast Body (SSR)」 Lv2 → Lv3! ]
Power raged through him—a mountain flood, unstoppable, scouring every tendon, every bone, every fiber of his being.
Bone density increased. Muscle strength multiplied. Toughness—fundamental, cellular—underwent qualitative change.
He felt... indestructible. Heavy as a mountain. Unbreakable as forged steel.
Moments passed before the torrent settled.
Jack exhaled. Summoned the panel again.
The changes might seem incremental on paper. But compared to his initial state?
Heaven and earth.
[ ——No Longer Human System—— ]
[ Host: Jack ]
[ Current Race: Monster (Unknown Insectoid Mutation) ]
[ Threat Level: Demon (Lower) ]
[ ——Ability List—— ]
[ Innate Abilities: 2 ]
[ 1. 「Hard Carapace (N)」 LvMAX (Evolvable!) ]
[ 2. 「Basic Regeneration (N)」 LvMAX (Evolvable!) ]
[ Ability Slots: 4/15 ]
[ 1. 「Overgrowth (SSR)」 Lv4 ]
[ 2. 「Scorching Heat Bullet (SSR)」 Lv1 ]
[ 3. 「Fierce Beast Body (SSR)」 Lv3 ]
[ 4. 「Beast Instinct (SSR)」 Lv1 ]
[ Origin Points: 1613 ]
[ ————E N D———— ]
Demon-level.
Jack stared at those words. His three-meter frame trembled.
A terrifying aura—far beyond his previous limits—emanated involuntarily. The air in the lair grew heavy. Pressurized. Dense with his presence.
Arson and murder bring wealth, indeed.
One hoarding octopus. One lucky break. And he'd leapfrogged from Wolf to Demon in a single day.
Demon-level. Equivalent to an S-Class hero. Top-tier human powerhouses.
He'd finally gained a foothold in this cruel world.
Arigato, Slime Octopus-san.
His turbulent emotions settled. Finally, he had time to examine the flashing golden prompts on his panel.
Two N-rank abilities. Both LvMAX. Both... evolvable.
[ Ding! Evolvable ability detected. Consume 1000 Origin Points to evolve 「Hard Carapace (N)」? (Yes/No) ]
[ Ding! Evolvable ability detected. Consume 1000 Origin Points to evolve 「Basic Regeneration (N)」? (Yes/No) ]
Jack blinked. Stared.
Evolve?
One thousand points each. Half his remaining stash.
He fell silent. Thoughtful.
N-rank to... what?