Chapter 149: The Ladder of Strength
[You have killed Reincarnator HG10025333 (Grinder) in the real world.]
[Power level comparison is 1:1.95. Rewards have been enhanced.]
[The highest attribute of HG10025333 (Grinder) will grant you an additional attribute point.]
[Your Constitution attribute has increased by 1.]
[The private space of HG10025333 (Grinder) has been merged with your private space.]
[Karma Point +1. Current Total: 9]
[You have successfully hunted a total of 3 Reincarnators in the real world. You have completed the Milestone: Hunter.]
[Hunter: When equipped, your attacks against Reincarnators will receive an additional 10% damage boost.]
[You have unlocked the new Milestone: Stalker (Rare) - Kill a total of 15 Reincarnators in the real world (3/15).]
A crimson light appeared, and Kaito Shirogane's heart began to calm.
Strictly speaking, that battle had been a little too easy. The two of them had a terrible stylistic matchup. The Reincarnator known as Grinder had been a classic "mage tank"—powerful defenses, considerable crowd control, with abilities similar to Gaara's sand manipulation from Naruto, supplemented by earth-spike magic and a powerful physical transformation from his bloodline.
But aside from that, his speed was abysmal. Even before Kaito had activated [Setsuna], he had held a clear advantage in speed and reaction time. A build like that… it didn't seem like a lone wolf. Kaito stroked the Crimson Drop Card in his hand. He guessed that Grinder must have had a stable team backing him up, a team whose tank had now just been killed. Tsk. I really did come to the right place. My very first fight and it's already leading to a long-term feud.
Kaito nodded, satisfied. As the saying goes, a horse doesn't get fat without night grass. As a Great Sin Special Reincarnator, he was destined to be embroiled in these slaughters. Rather than passively waiting for others to come for him, it was better to take the initiative.
[You have opened a Crimson Drop Card.]
[Opening Drop…]
[Calculating target's Slaughter Points. Target's Slaughter Points: 8. No reward bonus.]
[Calculating your Karma Points…]
[Karma Points detected... You will receive 1 additional reward choice.]
[Calculation complete. You may select 2 of the following reward categories.]
[A: 50% of target's Dimensional Points]
[B: 3 items from target's inventory]
[C: Gain 10% of target's main attribute, added to your own]
[D: Randomly draw 1 proficiency (capped at Lv4)]
[E: Randomly gain 1 ability (capped at Lv1)]
[F: 10% chance to extract a Lineage item (Lineage optimization not included)]
Grinder's Slaughter Points were surprisingly low, which confirmed Kaito's theory. He was a specialized defender on a team; his teammates were the ones who got the kills. Here in Myanmar, he had simply been using his bloodline and magic to bully ordinary people. With his limit-broken defensive constitution and his automatic sand shield that could block Kaito's full-power Devil Lance and Rakshasa's Palm, it was almost impossible for any normal person in this region to threaten him. He was effectively immune to all conventional firearms. Kaito guessed that this was the source of Lin's terror. Grinder truly did have the ability to single-handedly assault the local warlords and gangs. In that respect, Kaito was inferior to him.
"I choose C and F."
[You have selected C. Extracting main attribute…]
[Your Constitution attribute +2. Current: 20+ (18+3)] (Note: Base attribute has not broken the limit.)
His Constitution, which had been his lowest stat after the Underworld Erosion, was now the first to approach the limit break. Just by wearing [Mercenary Tao's Pink Robe +3], his stat panel was now reading "20+," meaning his actual stat was 21. If he activated Hamon and his other Breathing Methods, the real value would be even higher. And if he activated his talent… it would reach a truly terrifying level.
At the same time, Kaito now understood that there was a "ladder" to the Nexus's attribute system. The First Tier and the Second Tier were separated by the "limit" of 20. When your base attribute reached 20, the Nexus would judge that you had touched the limit of the first tier and would give you a special quest.
After completing the quest and officially breaking the limit to enter the Second Tier, the efficiency of every single attribute point would increase dramatically. In simple terms, a Reincarnator with a base Strength of 21 (Second Tier) would be multiples stronger than a Reincarnator with a base Strength of 20 (First Tier). The "quality" of their cells, their very vitality, was on a different level.
This was why he had been sent flying by the werewolf's punch, and why Grinder had been able to block his Sage Art - Great Devil Lance. They had already crossed the limit and entered the second, more "efficient" tier of strength.
[You have selected F. Extracting…]
[Extracting Lineage… Extraction Failed.]
His gamble had failed this time. He shook his head, not surprised. It was a high-risk, high-reward option he couldn't pass up. A lineage item, if it dropped, would be worth at least a B-rank Singularity. Compared to that, Grinder's abilities, which were completely different from his own fighting style, weren't worth the draw.
The exhilaration of the slaughter was beginning to fade, and a sense of anticlimax set in.
"Save… save me…"
A weak cry for help came from the rubble of a collapsed outer wall.
Kaito raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this Lin to be so resilient. He hadn't heard a single cry from the main building. But this guy, who Grinder had thrown through a wall, was still alive.
Kaito walked over to the ruins, casually tossed the broken wall aside, and saw Lin, covered in blood, still gasping for breath. His left leg was impaled by an earth spike, but his torso had, by some miracle, avoided the brunt of Grinder's attack.
In the moonlight, Lin's chest heaved. He saw Kaito approach, his eyes full of a desperate hope.
"Save me… Boss Kaito…"
"I don't want to die…"
Kaito crouched in front of him, looking at this man with his abnormally strong will to live. He had ten vials of [Compound V] in his inventory. One injection, if Lin was lucky and his genes mutated in a way that was tied to constitution, would probably be enough to save him.
But Kaito just stared at him, weighing his value.
Lin. He had no strength, no wisdom, and no morals. By any measure, he was not a man worthy of Compound V.
"Boss Kaito… my life… it's yours…"
Lin was sincere. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to live.
Kaito sensed his desire. He casually snapped the earth spike and lifted him from the rubble. Since they were in the real world, he wasn't going to risk using Hamon. He just tore a strip from the man's clothes and made a simple tourniquet.
"Your life is mine," Kaito said. "But whether you live or die… that's up to you."
A fanatical light appeared in Lin's eyes. It was the look of a dying man who had just seen a glimmer of hope and would do anything to grasp it. He clung to Kaito's pant leg.
Kaito dragged him to the black Ford Mustang outside the compound—the one Mei had driven. He threw Lin in the passenger seat, then got in, clumsily started the engine, slammed his foot on the gas, and began to drive wildly into the night.
Kaito didn't know how to drive. All he knew was the gas pedal and the steering wheel. He wasn't afraid of crashing. He just careened out of the compound.
Lin, for the sake of his own life, frantically shouted directions, enduring the bumpy ride. He watched his blood stain the seat, the intense pain now beginning to set in. But he gritted his teeth, refusing to give up.
He lasted for a full half an hour before they saw a local village. Kaito dragged him inside. After beating up a few of the dark-skinned locals, Lin, speaking in the local dialect, managed to get someone to come and bandage his wound.
Kaito, meanwhile, looked around the village, completely unconcerned by the hostile stares of the locals. He looked at the weakened Lin, lying on a straw mat.
"This village doesn't seem to have many people. Heh."
Lin, who was already weak, went even paler. He looked at Kaito in terror, thinking he was a complete and utter beast, radiating malice at all times. He looked outside. The villagers seemed to be hesitating, discussing what to do with them.
"Boss Kaito, you killed Grinder. You can take over his territory… These locals all pay protection money to him. There's no need to cause more trouble…"
This was the first time Lin had ever felt such a sense of compassion. He had never cared about the lives of others before. But after this disaster, he was suddenly afraid, and tired… He just wanted a little peace.
Kaito shrugged. Hearing that these people would likely be paying him rent in the future, his attitude softened considerably.
"Heh. Lin, what kind of person do you take me for?"
"It's not like I'm some kind of demon. I wouldn't kill innocent people."
Lin didn't dare to speak, thinking only that this new boss was even more terrifying than Grinder.
Kaito checked Lin's condition. His blood pressure and breathing had stabilized. He knew he wouldn't die for now. He clapped him on the shoulder. "Lin. Remember. Your life is mine now. From now on, you will work for me with all your strength to build a… paradise for me."