Mo Shuying was no longer the person he had been when he was first summoned.
Gathering Storm had stacked for twenty-five hours, netting him 250 ATK. Combined with gaining two more levels, his ATK had reached 1,352! This time, leveling up had not increased it by a flat 100 points, but 104 instead. Mo Shuying guessed this was related to the increase in his base attributes.
No matter what, he finally looked a little like a Heroic Spirit. Though he was still the weakest Heroic Spirit, even the weakest one had more than enough strength to deal with a weakened monster.
Mo Shuying appeared behind the Merman Leader, stepped on its back, and ruthlessly brought down the entrenching tool in his hand!
"Ura!"
"Clang clang clang clang!"
The Merman Leader was instantly beaten senseless. Unable to raise its head, it wailed continuously. Worse still, countless voices began ringing out in its mind—looping in surround sound!
"It's him, it's him! Kill the bastard! Kill him and you'll obtain Geomantic Power! You'll become an invincible geomantic beast! Go! Crush the bastard!"
Merman Leader: "..."
The poor Merman Leader had not even figured out what was happening before the frenziedly falling shovel and the chaotic voices in its head left it completely dazed.
After swinging the shovel several times, Mo Shuying found that the green glow on his hand was still there. This meant Grasp of the Undying had not triggered! Guessing that it could only be activated through direct melee contact, Mo Shuying tossed the entrenching tool aside and activated Demonic Spider Siphon! Then—
"Ora ora ora ora!!"
Mo Shuying unleashed a barrage of heavy punches! Demonic Spider Siphon increased his punching speed, and fists wreathed in green light smashed viciously into the Merman Leader's head. Mo Shuying immediately felt a faint return. He did not need to look to know that his HP had increased.
Awesome!
Mo Shuying had not expected attacks that landed fist-to-flesh to feel so exhilarating! Perhaps this was a man's romance.
I'm an Assassin. An assassin! Someone who walks in darkness yet cultivates the light! How could I solve problems with my fists like some berserker?
Assassins were mysterious and terrifying! They waited for the right opportunity, landed a One-Hit Kill, then drifted away a thousand miles in a single strike! How could I? How could I be so crude?
However, four seconds passed, and the green light appeared again. Mo Shuying threw another punch!
"Oh~~"
Though his heart resisted, his body would not lie! That refreshing sensation left Mo Shuying intoxicated!
Mo Shuying grew more excited the more he punched! His fists were even cut by the merman's sharp scales, but he paid no attention, as though he had not noticed at all. The wounds were quickly healed by the recovery from Grasp of the Undying and Demonic Spider Siphon.
The poor Merman Leader never even turned its head. It did not get a single look at the person who had ambushed it before being beaten to death in such a stiflingly miserable way!
That was right. Under the combined effects of old wounds, new wounds, weakness, and a sneak attack, the Merman Leader paid with its young life. By merman standards, this Merman Leader had only been an eight-year-old child!
"Splash~"
The final Merman Leader began turning into fragments and disappearing. Only when the ground beneath his feet gave way did Mo Shuying realize that the Merman Leader was dead beyond doubt.
"What? It died just like that? It couldn't take a beating at all!"
Mo Shuying looked at the green glow that had appeared on his fist again and spoke unhappily. It had looked so fierce, yet it had turned out to be all bark and no bite. Useless!
"Ding~ Congratulations on killing the low-level monster Blue Fishman Leader. You have obtained 45 EXP. EXP has met the level-up requirement. Level increased." "Ding~ Daily Quest One completed. Submit?"
He had leveled up. The four little mermen from earlier had also counted toward Mo Shuying's rewards. Each had provided 10 EXP, and together with these 40 points, it was exactly enough for him to level up.
Mo Shuying discovered that the EXP bar doubled with every level. At first, it had only required 50 points, then 100, then 200 just now. After leveling up again, it had become 400.
In other words, Mo Shuying needed 400 EXP to reach Level 5, while he currently only had 5.
"Submit."
Mo Shuying chose to submit the quest and see how much of a reward he would receive.
"Ding~ Quest One submitted. Reward distributed: 100 EXP. Strength slightly increased."
"Oh~"
A warm current spread through his entire body. Mo Shuying hurriedly opened his panel, and sure enough, Strength E had become Strength E+.
He was moved! Mo Shuying felt that his future was bright.
"Huh? It dropped something too?"
Just like the Demonic Spider Leader, a crystal appeared where the Blue Fishman Leader had disappeared.
It was another Skill Stone. This thing was like opening a blind box, and Mo Shuying chose to activate it.
"Ding~ Congratulations, host, for obtaining the innate skill [Blue Scale Carapace C]." Blue Scale Carapace: Use mana to create blue scale armor over the entire body, blocking damage equal to level × 50 from each attack, with a maximum block limit of level × 300. Infusing mana can increase the block value.
Another skill that looked pretty good. Mo Shuying knew this was the magic the Blue Fishman Leader had used to defend against the electric current. He had not expected it to drop as well.
Time to try it.
"Splash~"
A faint sound of water arose around Mo Shuying. Pale blue light enveloped his entire body, vaguely taking the shape of scales.
"Another defensive skill. Forget it, forget it. It doesn't matter anymore."
Mo Shuying was speechless too. Most of the skills he had drawn were tank-type skills. Was he supposed to outlast his opponents by sheer toughness?
Speaking of outlasting opponents, Mo Shuying's previous barrage had triggered Grasp of the Undying five times in a row, increasing his HP by a total of 25 points. That was a genuine increase.
Mo Shuying's attributes had now become this:
[Mo Shuying] Class: Assassin Level: 4 HP: 4648 ATK: 1478 Abilities: Strength E+, Endurance E+, Agility C, Mana E+, Luck C Noble Phantasm: Madman's Pride (A) Class Skill: Presence Concealment A+ Innate Skills: Gathering Storm A++ (26 hours) Grasp of the Undying A++ Demonic Spider Siphon C Blue Scale Carapace C
Without realizing it, he had finally gained some ability to protect himself. At the very least, he would not tremble in fear whenever monsters arrived.
Mo Shuying did not know how strong the other guardians were, but they were definitely stronger than him. The monsters that invaded later would only grow stronger, so becoming stronger was an urgent matter for Mo Shuying.
"After killing this wave, there probably won't be any more monsters today. Perfect. Time to start training."
There was still one Daily Quest left for today. Although he was worried that training might turn him bald, if he could truly reach the strength of that bald master, what did becoming bald matter?
Without wasting any time, Mo Shuying quickly arrived at the sporting goods store. There were brand-new exercise machines inside, and he could do push-ups, sit-ups, and squats here.
There were sportswear for sale here as well. Mo Shuying changed into a suitable set, then began his first training session!
Before you continue