Only a few Dragorins, who had inherited the blood of the ancient dragons, possessed a special trait domain called ‘Ancient Rage.’ Others did not have a separate domain for skills and traits in their inner world. The Mana that filled their inner world was used to strengthen their physical bodies, but there was one more crucial use.
It served as a vessel for receiving power borrowed from the external world. The difference between the Awakened and them lay there.
Let’s assume that a long-range Awakened, who could only fire a fireball, was fighting against a wizard of outer space with the same ability. After casting a skill, the Awakened would have to recharge his power through a spiral rotation process and had a cooldown time. A wizard also needed to draw power from the Mana-rich outer space after casting magic, which was from the power from the Old One.
In terms of cooldown time alone, the wizard was incomparably superior. However, cooldown time was just one factor in determining the outcome.
The first factor: how was the fireball made?
For the Awakened, there was a huge difference between an F-class and an S-class skill. On the other hand, there was also a big difference between first-circle and seventh-circle fire magic. Although they had different names, the fundamental design was the same. The most significant factor in determining victory or defeat lay here.
However, if the composition was also equal, then what else determined the outcome?
The second factor: the difference between proficiency levels and realization.
Awakened increased their skills by raising their proficiency levels. Wizards substituted this process with realization through concentration.
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Then, what if an Awakened with the highest proficiency level of an S-class skill and a wizard who had reached the highest realization of seventh circle magic faced each other with the same skill and magic?
I was certain that the Awakened could never beat the wizard due to the overwhelming difference in cooldown time. This was especially true against species like elves and orcs who had long lifespans. The realization they reached was on a different level compared to the Greenwood species.
The process by which Awakened and creatures of outer space gained and manifested power might have seemed similar at a glance, but there was a significant difference upon close inspection. If someone learned the truth of such a world, then they might have said that the Old One had given us a great privilege with our rechargeable design, but that was not true.
The Old One did this to save his power. The rechargeable design required a long cooldown time, which weakened combat power. The system modified by the proficiency level also had no change in that it could only increase its abilities through combat. The more powerful the enemy, the higher the proficiency level they could earn.
The Old One’s true nature was revealed there. It was a selfish and petty attempt to achieve a maximum effect with minimal cost. If he really had the intention to turn the tide of war through us, then he shouldn’t have done that. He should have invested his power without reservation!
The justification was reasonable. From the beginning, his decision to distribute only to those who had proven themselves worthy, as strength was not infinite, was wrong. Like the Old One had done to the ancient dragons, he should have invested all his strength to our humanity, even if an enormous amount of power was consumed to create a single perfect challenger.
Memories of the past then grazed my mind.
[Jonathan Hunter has opened the challenger box (skill).]
Jonathan began to open the box.
[Fire Hell of the King of Hell (Blueprint)
Code: Magic(S) - 64
Source: Tribe - Orc
Target - Holy Knight, Archmage Malhama
Consumption: Proficiency Level 1 - 100,000 XP
Proficiency Level 2 - 300,000 XP
Proficiency Level 3 - 1,200,000 XP
Proficiency Level 4 - 5,200,000 XP
Proficiency Level 5 - 12,000,000 XP
Proficiency Level 6 - 30,000,000 XP
Proficiency Level 7 - 92,500,000 XP]
[Jonathan Hunter has acquired the skill ‘Fire Hell of the King of Hell.’]
[System Administrator (Odin) has used 92,500,000 XP.]
92,500,000. That was how much power was invested in a single S-class skill raised to the highest proficiency level. Considering only the pure growth of the four main abilities, this power could turn three bronzes into the master section.
[Your level has decreased.]
[Level: 652 (97.18%)]
[XP: 1,492,300,000 / 1,450,000,000]
This was for Jonathan, so nothing could be too much for him. Among my people, he needed to become stronger than anyone else, even more than Yeon-Hee or Osiris.
[Jonathan Hunter opens the challenger box (skill).]
Go ahead and open, Jonathan. Our ants are working hard even at this moment, so don’t worry about them.
[Corps Six Commander, Balter Schneider (Hades) has defeated a high wizard of Alleospa.]
[Commander, Jakan Dahari has defeated the King of the Drunkard’s Den.]
[Ordinary soldier, Moktar Aoun has defeated a soldier of Moonlight.]
…
[Ordinary soldier, Murai Eita has defeated an Apostle of the Gospel.]
[Ordinary soldier, Murai Eita has defeated an Apostle of the Gospel.]
[Ordinary soldier, Murai Eita is rampaging.]
Look at that. Even the lowest-ranked one is working so hard.
***
What I was doing now was herding to make sure all the orc tribes in the desert completed their migration to the cold north. If they moved to the north recklessly, then the various orc tribes could disperse in different directions in a place as vast as the Australian continent. Hence, it was a difficult task to handle alone even for me.
The best approach was to corral orcs in one place and make my final move when they came together and formed a power that resisted me. The more they gathered, the more hope they would have that they would be able to stand against me.
Although they were fleeing now, they would be a formidable force with all kinds of tribal relics and artifacts. They would not be aware of the inferno that would consume them or perhaps would intentionally ignore it. They would flock to the bright light no matter what.
The power I invested in Jonathan had already been restored a while ago.
[Extractor has activated.]
…
[Extractor has activated.]
The steady work of my ants and the treasure Goblin of the hunting grounds that the old orc had brought were the most important contributions. The relics that were discovered or the artifacts that were self-made…
The one I defeated this time was not an orc but more like a treasure goblin or a cat food warehouse as it had amassed a considerable amount of loot through wars. There were various tribal names, and they were labeled as ‘ancient’ as they were long-gone tribes.
Therefore, all these relics were like the history of the orc species. One of the relics granted me XP way beyond what the creature had spat out in its death. The relics and artifacts were breaking at a rapid pace.
When I finished absorbing everything in one cart and was about to move to the next, a notification appeared.
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated the Holy Knight Zufudun, the Red Heart’s Path.]
Jonathan seemed to have finished all the battles.
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated the Holy Knight Zufudun, the Red Heart’s Path.]
[Jonathan Hunter has obtained 9,400,000 XP.]
[Jonathan Hunter has been allocated 9,400,000 XP.]
It was the highest XP I had ever seen from a single person so far. With that much, it must have been a famous one among the orc species. Although it was named ‘Holy Knight,’ it was so weak that it was the last sacrifice marking the end of Jonathan’s first round.
[System Administrator (Odin) has been allocated 7,600,000 surplus XP.]
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated the Red Heart’s Path (Orc Elite Tribe).]
[Total Eliminations: 2435
- S-Class: 1, A-Class: 3, B-Class: 42, C-Class: 174, D-Class: 708, E-Class: 1507
Total XP: 304,476,200
Level Change: LV.530 → LV.560]
However, it was an attack that consisted of 2435 elite creatures. It was jaw-dropping. I had ignored dungeon-type attacks so far because they were small in scale and the frequency was decreasing so that it was within a controllable range. Also, the issue of massive invasions through gates had been completely blocked.
Nonetheless, if it was a large-scale assault consisting of elite species, including S-Class, this was a different matter. This was clearly a violation of a contract with Doom Kaos. It didn’t matter whether it was because he couldn’t or didn’t. He had promised me the safety of my mainland, and I had acted based on that!
I could not tolerate this incident. I raised my head towards that fucking asshole who was looking down on me right now. Just as I was about to open my mouth to request a confrontation, that was when it happened.
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated Baclan Extermination (Orc Elite Tribe).]
[A battle has begun between Jonathan Hunter and Balcan Extermination (Orc Elite Tribe).]
“...!”
Right away? What the hell was Doom Kaos doing?
Anyway, there was no doubt that a specific passage had begun to open towards Jonathan somewhere in this vast land.
In my frustration, I spoke to the slave Yapoon.
“Find Baclan Extermination.”
Then, I began to act.
[System Administrator has lifted the level limit for Jonathan Hunter with administrative privileges.]
[System Administrator has lifted the skill possession limit for Jonathan Hunter with administrative privileges.]
[System Administrator has lifted the trait possession limit for Jonathan Hunter with administrative privileges.]
[System Administrator has lifted the item possession limit for Jonathan Hunter with administrative privileges.]
[The maximum possession of Jonathan Hunter’s skills, traits, and items is ten.]
[Jonathan Hunter is starting the second round.]
[Jonathan Hunter has entered the Ender section.]
