Enhancement

After raising six skills to level 5, Kirk still wasn't satisfied. He had 40 Base Attribute Points left. After careful consideration, he decided to strengthen his two main attributes across the board: Strength and Stamina. The former determined his melee attack power, while the latter determined his ability to survive.

After checking, he learned that when an attribute was below 5, each Base Attribute Point could be exchanged for 1 point in that attribute. Between 5 and 10, it took 3 Base Attribute Points to gain 1 attribute point. Above 10, it took 5. Without equipment, Kirk's current bare attributes were 6 Strength, 5 Agility, 7 Stamina, 6 Intelligence, 5 Wisdom, and 3 Charisma.

After a frenzy of attribute spending, Kirk gained 4 Strength, 3 Stamina, and 5 Agility, using up 36 Base Attribute Points. Once he had equipped everything, his attributes were now Strength 12 ([Giant Bracers] +2), Agility 12 ([Feather Boots] +2), and Stamina 13 ([Giant Bracers] +2, ring +1). His Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma remained unchanged. These attributes became the source of his formidable melee prowess.

Moreover, when his Strength, Agility, and Stamina each broke through the 10-point threshold, the space offered him branching enhancements. They were:

Your bare Strength has reached 10. Choose a specialization:

a. [Muscle Man] Increase Strength by 2.

b. [Strength Giant] Gain +6 on Strength checks when overpowering an opponent.

c. [Iron Defender] Gain +6 on Strength checks when resisting an opponent's attempt to overpower you.

Obviously, option a was well-rounded, suited to a warrior. Option b emphasized offense, leading down the berserker path. Option c emphasized defense, leading down the MT path. Kirk chose option a. He wanted a better balance between offense and defense.

Your bare Agility has reached 10. Choose a specialization:

a. [Natural Quick Hands] Increase Agility by 2.

b. [Sprinter] Increase movement speed by 20%.

c. [Sharpshooter] Increase your Hit Rate by 10%.

Once again, he chose the versatile option a. Option b was for rogues, and option c was for marksmen.

Your bare Stamina has reached 10. Choose a specialization:

a. [Mr. Fit] Increase Stamina by 2.

b. [Mr. Superman] Increase Health Points by an additional 40.

c. [Mr. Ironman] Gain +6 on Stamina checks when calculating Stamina's defense bonus.

Once again, he chose option a, the versatile choice that could never go wrong. Option b prioritized survival, while option c prioritized defense. Both were good choices for an MT, but each had its pros and cons.

After making all his choices in one go, Kirk had 14 Strength, 14 Agility, and 15 Stamina, and five of his skills were above level 5. His personal information now rated his strength as "Contractor" instead of "Newbie," skipping straight past C- and advancing to C. The space's recognition of Kirk was clear.

After finishing his attribute enhancements with his head bowed, Kirk looked up.

The beautiful supervisor was secretly astonished. If Kirk had seemed like a rookie—a lucky one who'd come into a great deal of wealth—when she'd first seen him, now his eyes gleamed with confidence and maturity. The charm he exuded was so strong that she hardly dared look directly at him.

How could this man have so many secrets?

"Mr. Kirk, is there anything else you need?"

"Where's the casino?"

The beautiful supervisor was astonished once more. So the young man had spent over 30,000 Survival Points here, and still had enough money to throw around at the casino.

"...Just go that way."

"Thank you." Kirk replied courteously. With his strength greatly increased, boundless desire surged within him: a desire for power, wealth, influence, and beautiful women!

A real man ought to be like this!

Hanyu watched Kirk's departing back, deep in thought, until Yuqing smacked her from behind. "Hanyu, did you fall for that rich, handsome guy already?"

Hanyu smiled. "I'm just checking him out for you."

Yuqing whispered, "Did you wring him dry?"

Hanyu flushed with embarrassment and scolded her. "What do you mean, 'wring him dry'?"

Yuqing blinked. "I mean, make him spend all his Survival Points. What did you think I meant?"

Hanyu was both embarrassed and indignant. "You little brat, how dare you tease me? I'll tickle—"

The two women wrestled around playfully.

After leaving the Upgrade Hall, Kirk took out Michonne's deep-blue sword and chose to have it identified.

The silver-white Japanese Sword began to glow. The mist that had shrouded its blade dissipated, revealing a deep blue sheen.

[Michonne's Sorrow]

[Description] Michonne had once been an ordinary office worker. On the second day of the disaster, she fled and hid at her boyfriend Mike's home. In the collection room belonging to the kid next door, she found this incredibly sharp Japanese Sword. Her boyfriend and his close friend both turned into terrifying Walkers, but thanks to this sharp weapon, Michonne survived. She personally hacked off their jaws and arms, creating two Walker guards. The other Walkers stopped attacking her. For a few seconds, she even felt pleased with herself, forgetting her sorrow.

[Quality] Deep Blue Weapon

[Level] Level 1

[Category] Large Blade / Japanese Sword

[Attack Power] 50–75

[Attack Speed] Standard

[Attributes] 1. [Sharp]: A great deal of advanced modern technology and specialty steel had gone into forging this weapon. Its excellent quality allowed it to cut cleanly into an enemy's bones, increasing Attack Power by 20–25 points. (Already included in Attack Power.)

2. [Blood Groove]: Its unique blood groove design gave each attack a 15% chance to cause [Bleeding].

3. [Fragile]: The flip side of its sharpness was its light, thin build. This sword had only 75% of the normal durability.

Kirk had seen the merciless way Michonne wielded [Michonne's Sorrow], cutting through anything in her path. In the story, Mori had brought four people to hunt down the fleeing Michonne on the Governor's orders. She cut them down one by one, sending heads rolling, and earned the title "Blade Woman." Now that this deep-blue weapon, renowned for its devastating attacks, was in his hands, he was sure it would shine just as brightly.

Kirk began reviewing the enhancement branches offered by his level 5 skills. After a little thought, he made all his choices. [Basic Small Knife Mastery] offered three options at level 5: increase small knife damage by 10%, increase Attack Speed by 10%, or increase critical hit rate by 3%. He chose the Attack Speed increase, because he believed that in martial arts, speed was everything. His two weapons already dealt decent damage, and the [Hand-Cutting Blade] and [Throat Cut] skills both needed to be used quickly to reach their full potential.

[Basic Large Sword Mastery] likewise offered a 10% damage increase, a 10% Attack Speed increase, or a 3% chance to ignore the opponent's defense. He once again chose the Attack Speed increase.

[Basic Physical Defense Mastery] offered three branches: increase the effectiveness of defensive equipment by 10%; gain +4 to Stamina checks when calculating the Stamina defense modifier (increasing defense only, not Health Points); or increase resistance to abnormal physical conditions, such as severed limbs and bleeding, by 20%. The three options were about equally good, so Kirk chose the Stamina modifier, gaining an overall defense boost of about 10%.

[Basic Melee Combat] offered a 10% increase to melee damage, a 10% increase to Attack Speed, or an improvement to weapon mastery. Kirk once again chose Attack Speed.

[Basic Footwork Mastery] offered a 20% increase to walking and running speed, a 10% increase to Attack Speed, or a 10% increase to dodge chance. Since he'd already chosen a path of high Attack Speed and high damage, Kirk decided to stick with it and chose the 10% Attack Speed boost.

[Basic Small Arms Mastery] offered a 10% increase to small arms damage, a 10% increase to shooting accuracy, or a 10% increase to firing speed. He chose the 10% damage increase, because pistols dealt relatively little damage.

After finishing his enhancements, Kirk's biggest change was a dramatic increase in his attack speed. Both [Mori's Hand-Cutting Blade] and [Michonne's Sorrow] gained a 30% increase in Attack Speed in his hands. As he swung them, they whistled through the air with lightning speed, leaving afterimages in their wake and radiating an astonishing presence.

Kirk strolled through the red-light district of Las Vegas and spotted a five-star casino called "Lucky Hand." Curious to see what the casino's most famous "gambling" was all about, he headed inside.

The place was truly spectacular. Half the casino was open to the starry sky, and half was surrounded by seawater. The entire structure stood over a vast, blue ocean, where hundreds of gaming tables were scattered like islands. The dome overhead reached hundreds of meters high, revealing the real universe beyond Las Vegas: a brilliant galaxy dotted with stars. Below, the ocean rippled, fish gliding beneath the surface. Glass flooring covered the central area, with walkways connecting it all across tens of thousands of square meters. The place was awash with lights and luxury, dotted everywhere with coconut and palm trees. The architecture and spatial design were grand and breathtaking.

A mysterious fragrance hung in the air, faint as a lover's caress. Polite servers carried trays of delicacies and fine wines through the crowd. Beautiful, sexy dealers in tight skirts and white gloves smiled calmly at the gamblers. Onstage, dozens of Snake Demon Beauties, golden- or black-haired beauties from the waist up and serpents from the waist down, swayed gracefully as they performed a sensual, thrilling belly dance. Their waists undulated with a supple yet powerful rhythm, and the metal ornaments on their bellies hissed like rattlesnakes. With their gorgeous faces, full, bouncing breasts, alluring hips, and dangerous serpent tails, they were a deadly temptation.

Kirk wasn't interested in the snake women. He soon turned his attention to the gambling tables.

The currency here was Survival Points, which had to be exchanged for chips before they could be wagered. At a table not far away, he spotted the Fat White Man from earlier. The man had probably finished his shift by now. Bare-chested, his thick chest hair on display and sweat pouring down his face, he shouted excitedly at a gambling table. The cunning calm he'd shown at work was nowhere to be seen. It seemed his love of gambling was no lie.

Kirk walked over and patted the Fat White Man on the shoulder. He turned around and burst out laughing. "Mr. Kirk, you did come after all! I thought you'd miss this golden opportunity."

"What are you betting on?" Kirk asked curiously.

"Blackjack. Cosmic rules. Want in?" The Fat White Man asked as he busily placed his bets.

"I'm only interested in equipment and skills." Kirk had never had the right temperament for gambling. Whenever he got nervous, his luck turned bad. He'd never expected to make a fortune gambling in Las Vegas.

"There are regular equipment gambling and auction events here, but not today. I suggest you try your luck at Ghost Street Market down the road!" the Fat White Man shouted over the din of the crowd.

Kirk shrugged and left. Money was tight at the moment, and he didn't want to gamble on his luck. Better to see whether the Contractors had any good stuff to sell.

Not long after Kirk left the Lucky Hand casino, he spotted the dark, gloomy Contractor market. From the Fat White Man's explanation, he'd learned why the Contractor market was called Ghost Street. It was like Guijie Street, which got its name from an old street in the Republic of China era. Guijie Street had originally been called Ghost Street because trades took place in the early hours of the morning. People carried lanterns while trading antiques, porcelain, and other goods, and the lanterns looked like ghostly flames. That was how the street got its name. The Ghost Street here was so dim, most likely to protect both parties' privacy. Although violence and robbery were forbidden in Las Vegas, if someone found out you had money—and happened to encounter you in a story world—they might still kill and rob you, leading to a vicious battle. It was easier for everyone to feel at ease when they couldn't see one another clearly.