Although the Fanged Forest was Kieran's destination, Kieran had other matters on his mind. Before leaving, he opened his attribute panel to consider his current focus.
'STR, AGI, and CTL are all important in my fighting style. But as a basic Warrior, suffering damage while battling high-level monsters isn't uncommon. AGI isn't the class's forte, regardless of how I allocate my points.'
Because of his class disadvantages, Kieran considered placing some focus on VIT and END. Raising these stats would make him a formidable opponent for any monster since they increased his Health and DEF.
However, Kieran didn't rule out an AGI-focused build. 'I have an abundance of Unassigned Attribute Point right now.'
While evaluating his options, the skill icon of Warrior's Aura caught his eye. 'Now that I think about it, Warrior's Aura will consume a lot of my Mana. My damage will suffer if I don't have the skill active...'
Eventually, Kieran arrived at a conclusion based on his advantages.
A moment later, a stream of notifications appeared before his eyes.
〈System: You have used 12 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Agility: 13→25]〉
〈System: You have used 16 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Intelligence: 9→25]〉
〈Mana Capacity: 75→155〉
┌───────────────────
Name: Aatrox
Lv.2 (Experience: 0/250)
Class: Warrior
Title(s): None
----------------------------
[«Stats»]-
Health: 190/190 (0.2 HP regen/sec)
Mana: 155/155 (0.16 MP regen/sec)
Stamina: 108 (0.1 Stamina regen/sec)
Attack Power: 65
Defense: 55
-----------------------------
[«Attributes»]-
»Strength: 26 (14 + 12 + 0)
»Intelligence: 25 (25 + 0 + 0)
»Agility: 25 (22 + 3 + 0)
»Endurance: 18 (8 + 10 + 0)
»Control: 25 (25 + 0 + 0)
»Vitality: 18 (8 + 10 + 0)
»Perception: 30 (30 + 0 + 0)
[Unassigned Stat Point: 0]
[Skill Points: 16]
└───────────────────
"These attributes should be much more effective," Kieran muttered to himself.
After situating his attribute panel, Kieran traveled to the village's entrance which doubled as its sole exit. However, while walking there, Kieran noticed a large influx of players scrambling toward the Class Halls.
'I guess word about the Class Hall being the focal point of Beginner Villages got out,' Kieran inwardly mused.
These players didn't only rush toward the Class Hall but also looked at Kieran in astonishment.
"No way! Did that dude get a set of armor already? That's unfair! He should have directed us if he knew we should have visited the Class Hall! That's so selfish!"
"Yeah! Care about your fellow players, jerk!"
Kieran ignored the comments because they sprouted from jealousy and were plagued with stupidity. It wasn't Kieran's fault that they didn't understand how necessary knowledge was inside Zenith Online.
"Next time, learn patience," Kieran indifferently muttered.
While these players were aggravated with Kieran, they didn't approach him. After all, they were in rags while he was donned in dull silver armor with a decent-sized greatsword. They'd be stepping toward death if they foolishly approached Kieran.
After leaving the village's walls, Kieran sprinted to the east toward his destination. 'I won't focus on the forest's outskirts because many players will visit there after receiving a class. I'll head deeper inside instead.'
The distance between Gena Village and the Fanged Forest wasn't extremely far, however, it took over two hours to reach due to how slow these starter characters were. Although Kieran's AGI was above average, he only crossed a kilometer every 3 minutes or so.
'At least 50 kilometers so far,' Kieran noted.
He kept a tab on how far he traveled to estimate how long until players arrived. Kieran also appreciated the fact a universal handicap influenced his Stamina Consumption outside of battle.
Otherwise, reaching the Fanged Forest would take longer.
After two and a half hours of his Stamina draining and refilling, Kieran finally arrived at the Fanged Forest's inner area.
This leveling area was famous for accommodating different breeds of wolves and other types of fanged beasts, which is how it gained its name.
The Fanged Forest was a Lv.1 to 15 leveling area as a whole, but different regions possessed distinct level ranges.
The area Kieran focused on housed Lv.3-5 beast-type monsters.
It didn't take long for the first monster to appear.
Kieran lifted his greatsword with swift movements while information on the monster appeared in his gaze.
「Lv.5 Dire Wolf (Normal)
Beast Type
Health: 300/300 (100%) 」
Grr!
Swoosh!
The Dire Wolf growled and darted at Kieran. Although a Dire Wolf was a speed-focused monster, Kieran found its movement to be unusually slow.
'Hm? Shouldn't it be faster?' Kieran wondered, simultaneously executing a horizontal slash.
"If the Beginner Zone's handicap is what I remember, there should be a heavy restriction placed on how greatly attributes affect our bodies. In that case, there's a disconnect and I believe I know why, or at least... partly," Kieran muttered.
Naturally, the discrepancy in his mind was his Perception.
Unlike STR, the effects of Perception weren't linear. Its properties were vague and required extensive analysis from many players to realize how the effects varied between individuals.
Eventually, players would conclude it gained a coefficient based on their natural senses.
As he considered the possibility of his assumption, his horizontal slash connected and forced back the Dire Wolf.
-50
"Though it's levels above me, my damage is still decent. Low DEF indeed," Kieran commented.
A Normal Monster was the most basic rating present inside Zenith Online, so all of its attributes were comparatively weak, especially when Kieran compared them to what he initially battled against.
Compared to something like a Raid Boss, this Dire Wolf simply wasn't worth mentioning.
The Dire Wolf grew aggressive after suffering from Kieran's attack and growled menacingly.
However, Kieran looked at the beast amusedly and stepped forth with a sudden burst of momentum. This abrupt change resulted from Kieran activating one of a Warrior's elementary skills, Charge.
Charge consumed 2 Mana Points to instantly travel 3 meters while generating ample force. As a skill with a heavy stagger effect, it also caused a one-second stun period.
Bang!
Kieran's armored body slammed into the Dire Wolf's body.
-65 «Stunned»
Charge dealt more damage than Kieran's basic attack, which was understandable given that it dealt more than 100% of the user's Attack Power.
A pained yelp sounded from the Dire Wolf as it froze from the impact.
"Charge... out of the other skills, perhaps it's one of the only utility skills that deserves focus," Kieran noted. "But given the level difference, it'd be best to elevate its level manually before I switch to the method."
Kieran suddenly changed how he moved and dashed toward the paralyzed Dire Wolf.
He displayed a great affinity with greatswords by unleashing three basic attacks linked together beautifully despite the size of his weapon.
As the weapon he was most familiar with, Kieran's understanding of how to manipulate a greatsword transcended most, if not all, current players.
-51 -50 -49
'The damage fluctuation isn't too great, so that's good. It's safe to say I can kill these beasts in 6 clean hits.'
Just as the Dire Wolf recovered from its stunned state, Kieran tensed his arm while a pale blue aura surged from his body. Following his activation of Warrior's Aura, Kieran unleashed a tremendous downward slash.
"Force Slash!"
This movement produced a surge of heavy winds that sent the Dire Wolf flying into a large tree two meters away.
-94
'Ah, so that's why Warrior's Aura is a prerequisite. This skill isn't too shabby but it is a glorified dilution of what Scar executed. I wonder at what level can a swing of my sword muster his pressure.'
〈System: You have gained 75 EXP.〉
After Force Slash, Kieran examined the pale blue Warrior's Aura billowing off his body and found it to be empowering and pleasant.
'Though he may seem irritable on the surface, Scar is an amicable fellow as long as you can garner his favorability,' Kieran thought with a light chuckle.
Aside from the EXP, killing the Dire Wolf dropped a few Copper Coins, a tattered wolf pelt, and sharp fangs. He lazily retrieved the six coins and inspected the information that popped up in his view.
「Copper Coin (Item)
Description: The lowest form of Xenith's global currency. It is accepted in most regions of Xenith, but most areas prefer larger denominations. 」
Collecting 100 Copper Coins amounted to 1 Silver Coin, while 100 Silver Coins amounted to a Gold Coin. Gold Coins are the preferred method of transaction involving official stores, but all forms of currency are accepted.
'Since the game seeks hyper-realism, setting one's foundations in the early stages is imperative. Until I come across unique ways to generate income, I'll have to rely on saving my coins for the time being.'
Unfortunately, others would not be so lucky.
Kieran could only save his precious coins because the Unique Warrior Package rewarded 50 Beginner Consumables.
Thus, he wasn't forced to purchase any from the shops inside the village.
After collecting his reward, Kieran continued in search of more monsters. Due to the level difference, these monsters were great sources of EXP despite their low rank.
Roughly five minutes later, the corners of Kieran's lip curved into an excited smirk. "Six of them? Others may dread this circumstance but for me, I feel otherwise. Finally, a bit of excitement."
Make sure to point out any spelling, grammar, or numbers/information errors.
I'll see to it that they are rectified in a timely manner.
Thank you for reading <3.
Like the earlier Dire Wolf, the wolves growled menacingly. The only apparent difference was the fact they traveled in a pack.
'I wonder how long it'll be before Elite Monsters become the standard of monsters found in a leveling area,' Kieran wondered.
Although six Dire Wolves posed more of a challenge than a single Dire Wolf, Kieran eyed Elite monsters for their increased Experience and better loot.
Nevertheless, he accepted what he was given.
After all, his primary objective was completing his quest, and only one of those twenty-five kills has been completed thus far.
Kieran taunted the Dire Wolves while raising his blade in his left hand. "Come here, doggies."
Grrr!
Swoosh!
Almost as if his action successfully provoked this pack of Dire Wolves, they rushed toward Kieran while emitting feral growls.
Despite the incoming numbers, Kieran remained calm. He took one step and slashed his sword in a circular motion, followed by activating the Charge skill.
Thud! Bang!
The Dire Wolves were thrown back while the one in the center was forced to the ground by Charge.
-57
-71
Over a third of the Dire Wolf's Health in the center vanished. But, Kieran wasn't done. He plunged his greatsword beneath the wolf's jaw.
-173! «Critical Hit!»
Kieran found no difficulty in going against numerous monsters, even claiming the life of one with ease. Of course, they were only Normal Monsters, so it was difficult to gauge his actual ability.
〈System: You have gained 75 EXP.〉
'That makes two.'
Kieran kept a mental note of how many monsters he killed despite the fact the quest kept a record. It was simply a habit he established.
The Dire Wolves howled after smelling the blood of their brethren on Kieran's blade.
Their actions became even more frantic as they clawed and chomped at him, but Kieran made use of his decent AGI and dodged these attacks with swift movements.
Peng!
Whenever Kieran saw an opening in their rhythm, Kieran took the opportunity to unleash a counterattack.
-50
However, his counterattacks only focused on one monster at a time.
'Although I've been out of combat for years because of my ailment, my combat standard didn't decline as severely as I assumed it would have. Of course, my increased attributes and the Unique Warrior play a substantial role here.'
The fact Kieran took the time to consider this during combat was a testament to how little he thought of this battle.
As Normal Monsters, their rhythm didn't blend well, and they all moved as if they weren't aware of, or rather didn't acknowledge each other's presence. As a result, the wolves frequently collided with one another due to Kieran's movement patterns.
"Hehe," Kieran chuckled amidst the cacophony of feral snarls.
Watching these wolves come after him was akin to watching children as they tried to run through a narrow doorway.
Bang!
Kieran kicked a Dire Wolf in the face before creating space. "Let's test out this other skill."
Kieran's greatsword was enveloped in a violent outbreak of energy. It seemed similar to Warrior's Aura energy output with some minor differences.
The difference was that Kieran could feel an increasingly savage presence at its core rather than a solid drive.
This skill was naturally Savage Break, which he had yet to test out. Kieran was thrilled to see how it fared against Force Slash's damage.
Once the savage aura peaked, Kieran unleashed the strike upon one of the heavily damaged Dire Wolves.
Boom!
A frightening noise echoed throughout the forest as Kieran's sword smashed against the back of the foremost wolf, slamming its body into the ground.
-121
'It's regrettable this skill isn't a large-scale attack. One of the Warrior Class's main weaknesses is a lack of large-scale attacks. However, the damage is remarkable for my current level. It's more or less acceptable.'
Kieran judged harshly when it came to evaluating skills, so the fact that he found it acceptable was already a pleasant surprise.
〈System: You have gained 75 EXP.〉
'That makes three. One more, and we'll be Lv.3. No matter how I feel about Normal Monsters, you can't knock the practicality of fighting against higher-leveled monsters.'
Of course, not everyone could battle against higher-leveled monsters. A level was more precious to a monster than it was to a player in regard to attribute increases.
One attack from a monster with an incredible level difference could be potentially devastating, which is why only elite players attempted to clash with monsters more than 2 levels higher.
Although Kieran was pleased with Savage Break, he did note that he didn't get a chance to evaluate the Defense Break effect and see if he could exploit the 15% present.
As Kieran turned his head, he noticed something strange about the positioning of the Three Dire Wolves. They had all arrived in advantageous positions to launch a simultaneous attack.
This didn't result from teamwork.
It was the result of the way Kieran dodged and counterattacked. These three Dire Wolves, now less than a meter away from him, could attack instantly.
Despite his understanding of the situation, Kieran remained in place. 'I wonder... can I still pull that off? Getting my body to react the way I want may prove somewhat difficult.'
Curious, Kieran had to attempt it.
Tang! Tang!
He deflected the two Dire Wolves in front of him before turning around to retaliate with his greatsword.
Scree!
A metallic screech rang out while Kieran took a step back due to the weight behind the wolf's swipe.
Concurrently, a damage value appeared above his head.
[-19]〈Aatrox: 171/190 Health〉
'I kind of failed...' Kieran thought, shaking his head with a soft sigh. Though he succeeded with the first two deflections, the third was too slow, resulting in a loss of Health.
"Welp, it was a decent gauge of my current skill. Nothing but to keep refining these movements again," Kieran muttered.
Afterward, it didn't take much effort for Kieran to dodge for an additional 10 seconds until Force Slash came off cooldown.
Bang!
Another Dire Wolf limply slid down a nearby tree after suffering a direct blow.
〈System: You have gained 75 EXP.〉
〈System: You have leveled up! [Lv.2 → Lv.3]〉
〈System: You have received 5 Unassigned Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points.〉
〈Experience: 50/400〉
A golden radiance illuminated Kieran's body as his level increased from 2 to 3.
Seeing as just over six and a half hours passed and he had reached Lv.3, Kieran assumed he was amongst the highest, if not currently the highest level player.
Considering he sacrificed 3 hours by stretching and familiarizing himself with his body, his progress was unthinkable!
Although he leveled up, Kieran's expression didn't seem joyful.
Rather than focusing on his minimal progress, he was more worried about how Zenith Online's EXP System functioned.
As the level difference lessened, he would receive less EXP.
Less EXP translated to slower progress.
Thus, Kieran couldn't relish in the glory of leveling up.
Aside from the problem with the level difference, another matter bothered Kieran. 'Damn! I didn't even move that much and yet I'm so tired! If there's one thing I can do without, it's the feeble body of a starter character.'
Kieran had only killed half of the Dire Wolves present, but he spent almost 50 Stamina while doing so. That was nearly half his Stamina!
Due to this outcome, Kieran chose to finish this battle as efficiently as possible. When Savage Break came off cooldown, he coupled the skill with a swift activation of Charge.
Kieran immediately killed two of the three remaining Dire Wolves.
〈System: You have gained 50 EXP.〉
〈System: You have gained 50 EXP.〉
While his Stamina Bar continued to deplete, Kieran dashed at the last Dire Wolf while a vibrant aura filled his greatsword.
Force Slash!
-245! «Critical Hit»
Kieran's greatsword sliced cleanly through the Dire Wolf, dropping additional Copper Coins, sharp fangs, and a tattered pelt on the ground.
〈System: You have gained 50 EXP.〉
Kieran collected the loot on the floor while thinking about ways to circumvent the high Stamina consumption. Eventually, he arrived at the only plausible answer.
'Until I can improve my energy consumption, I'll have to focus on improving my damage,' Kieran thought.
However, not many routes could accomplish this outcome.
In fact, there were only three: increasing one's attributes, improving one's skill levels, or obtaining powerful equipment.
Kieran opted for the second option because it held more value over barely increasing his attributes. Powerful equipment was out of the equation because a Normal Monster dropped rubbish.
There were two options when it came to increasing a skill's level.
The first was repeated usage of the skill. Using a skill against higher-level or high-rank monsters increased the amount of Mastery rewarded per usage.
The alternative was using the Skill Points gained with every level up, a route many players employed until it was no longer possible.
Though at this stage in the game, Skill Points (SP) could be considered extremely valuable. Luckily, Kieran understood something about the class he sought, so he didn't mind spending his SP as quickly as he obtained them.
When it came to determining how much SP a skill required to level up, only the Skill Rank was taken into account. Skill Level was irrelevant.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
〈System: You are using 8 SP to increase «Savage Break» from Lv.1 to Lv.3. Continue? [ Y | N ]〉
〈System: You are using 8 SP to increase «Warrior's Aura» from Lv.1 to Lv.3. Continue? [ Y | N ]〉
〈System: You are using 2 SP to increase «Force Slash» from Lv.1 to Lv.2. Continue? [ Y | N ]〉
Kieran didn't think twice. Otherwise, bringing up this menu would have been a waste of time.
In seconds, these three skills grew considerably more powerful.
「Force Slash (Lv.2)
Skill Rank: E Rank Active
Mastery (00.00%)
Skill Description: Deals 165% of the user's Attack Power by focusing their Strength into their arm and unleashing a strike powerful enough to produce a wave of force.
Consumption: 1 Mana Point
Prerequisites: Warrior Class, «Warrior's Aura»
Cooldown: 13 seconds 」
「Savage Break (Lv.3)
Skill Rank: D Rank Active
Mastery (00.00%)
Skill Description: Unleashes a decisive blow of destruction that deals 250% of the user's Attack Power and can trigger a Defense Break effect, lowering the enemy's defense by 15% for 3 seconds.
Consumption: 2 → 3 Mana Points
Prerequisites: Warrior Class, «Warrior's Aura»
Cooldown: 40 seconds 」
「Warrior's Aura (Lv.3)
Skill Rank: D Rank Active
Mastery (00.00%)
Skill Description: Manifests the aura of a Warrior by stimulating their tenacious will. While this skill is active, the user's attack damage increases by 18%.
Consumption: 1 Mana Point per 5 seconds
Prerequisites: Warrior Class
Cooldown: 57 seconds (Only begins after deactivation of the skill.) 」
Make sure to point out any spelling, grammar, or numbers/information errors.
I'll see to it that they are rectified in a timely manner.
Thank you for reading <3.
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT