After several hours, John and Xiao Long had finished off the remaining followers of Yamato no Orochi. Now, only the serpent god himself remained.
During that time, John's level had risen by 50, reaching Level 550, while Xiao Long had gained 30 levels, reaching Level 450, making John and Xiao Long the two strongest humans on the planet.
Xiao Long's stats were as follows:
Name: Xiao LongLevel: 450Unique Skill: Skill Worm
Stats:Strength: 800Agility: 700Endurance: 700Mana: 300Intelligence: 300Luck: 1700
Skills:Swordsmanship – Max LevelWind Blades – Level 80Dark Magic – Level 50Body Acceleration – Level 70
Meanwhile, John's stats were as follows:
Name: John SmithLevel: 550Unique Skill: Regression
Stats:Strength: 910Agility: 910Endurance: 910Mana: 800Intelligence: 800Luck: -983560516
Skills:Elemental Magic – Max LevelWeapon Mastery – Max LevelPain Tolerance – Max LevelSuper Regeneration – Max LevelAtomic Speed – Max LevelBody Enhancement – Max Level(Enhances all body stats by 100x)Resistance – Max LevelWeapon Creation – Max LevelMeditation – Max Level(Evolved into Infinite Mana Circle)Memory Search – Level 50Ashura Transformation – Max Level(Ashura Division – Level 60)Flight – Max LevelPerception – Level 30(Copy Slots: 3 / Copied Skills: Hellfire, Thunder God, Empty)Space Magic – Level 1Copy – Level 1Body Refinement – Level 30
All of John's stats had risen due to the combined effects of Spear of the Sun: Devour Talent and Body Refinement, which his clone continuously activated.However, even after killing all of Yamato no Orochi's followers, John noticed he didn't gain much in the way of stats.
"Maybe it's because my power level has gotten so high that stat growth is harder now?" he thought.It wasn't impossible — no human had ever reached, and perhaps never would reach, the stat levels John now possessed.
Xiao Long, on the other hand, had only a handful of skills, and just one of them had reached its maximum level — Swordsmanship.That alone already placed him at the peak of human talent. Thanks to his unique skill, Skill Worm, he could master skills in a fraction of the time others took. In less than fifteen years since awakening his power, he had perfected one skill and brought the rest to over 50% proficiency.
But John was a special case altogether. Having trained for nearly two hundred years and being naturally gifted, nearly all his skills had reached their maximum level.
Xiao Long's luck stat of 1700 came from investing his growth points into luck instead of raw combat stats. This allowed him to gain 10 attribute points per level — unlike John, who, due to his abysmal luck, only gained 5.That high luck was one of the reasons John had chosen Xiao Long in the first place — his luck could compensate for John's misfortune.
Using the same method he had employed to kill Baion, John activated Ashura Division, Heaven and Earth Seal, and Triple Cast, leaving the final blow to Xiao Long to ensure his growth.The battles were not difficult anymore. With John's overwhelming strength, fighting disaster followers was no longer a challenge. If he regressed now, he could likely defeat White, Mon, Tank, and Cthulhu without any preparation.
Thus, John and Xiao Long had exterminated all of Yamato no Orochi's followers in less than a day.
"With this much power... defeating Yamato no Orochi might not be impossible after all," thought Xiao Long.
Meanwhile, John's thoughts were elsewhere."I've gained ten elemental essences from killing all five of Orochi's followers... Sigh, if only I had this kind of luck when I killed Cthulhu, what would I have gotten?"
He sighed again.Cthulhu had been a true disaster, not just a servant. His reward must have been far greater than just two Mystic items.It wouldn't even be surprising if killing Cthulhu had granted him ten Mystic items at once.
John shook his head and refocused on his next plan."I need you to gather as much paper as you can," John ordered."Alright," Xiao Long replied, immediately rushing off.
He didn't know what John was planning, but whatever it was, it was bound to be extraordinary.
A few minutes later, Xiao Long returned carrying a huge pile of paper."Is this enough?" he asked, panting."Whoa, more than enough," John said, clearly impressed.
"Alright, let's begin."
John activated Nature Magic and created a small wooden stick, like a pen. Then, he stabbed the body of the monster he had recently slain with the Spear of the Sun, letting its blood drip into a hole he had prepared earlier.
"What's he doing...?" Xiao Long muttered, observing John's strange actions but deciding not to interrupt.
John dipped the wooden stick into the monster's blood and began writing on the sheets of paper Xiao Long had brought.
After about half an hour, he stood up, struck the monster's body again, and extracted its Magic Core.Xiao Long wasn't surprised — it was normal for slain monsters to drop their cores, and John had already collected plenty from previous kills.
Magic cores had many uses — they could restore mana, increase magical capacity, or serve as key materials in potion-making and weapon-forging. Because of them, awakened individuals were among the richest in the world.
John picked up several sheets of paper, wrapped them in the monster's hide, and began melting the magic core into the hide itself.
"What?! How can he melt a magic core like that?!" Xiao Long exclaimed, astonished.
It was as if John's hands were molten magma, and the core was nothing but a fragile stone.Moments later, the glowing hide transformed — forming a book titled Skill: Body Enhancement (Level 30).
"Catch this. Say the word 'Learn,'" John said, tossing the skill book to Xiao Long.
Following John's instructions, Xiao Long shouted, "Learn!"
The book dissolved in his hands, and a flood of information rushed into his mind.
Ding! You've acquired the skill: Body Enhancement (Level 30)
"Whaaaaaat!? Was it always this easy to learn new skills?!" Xiao Long's jaw dropped as the system window appeared before his eyes.
His shock deepened when he saw John calmly working on another book already."He's doing it again?! Is this really how he's been learning all those skills!?"
Minutes later, John pulled out a piece from a hawk-like monster he had slain earlier, known for its agility. He wrapped new paper with its hide and melted its magic core.This time, the resulting book read: Skill: Lightning Speed (Level 40).
"It seems the skill level increases when the monster's traits match the content," John muttered, experimenting further.
"Learn this one too — it'll be useful in our next battle," he said, tossing the book again.
Ding! You've acquired the skill: Lightning Speed (Level 40)
"...." Xiao Long nearly fainted.He had trained for fifteen years — and with Skill Worm, which allowed him to master abilities faster than anyone else — he had only perfected one skill and pushed another to level 50 after years of effort.And now... he had just gained two powerful skills instantly.
John broke the silence, explaining, "Your Body Enhancement (Level 30) boosts your stats thirtyfold. Your Lightning Speed (Level 40) boosts your agility fortyfold. Neither consumes mana, but they require immense physical and mental stamina. Use them carefully... Hmm? What happened to you?"
He turned around just in time to see Xiao Long fainting from pure shock.
A few minutes later—
"As long as you're in my organization, you'll get many more skills like these. Don't let them overwhelm you — I'll make sure you gain even greater ones in the future. For now, these are enough to face Yamato no Orochi."
John woke him up, and Xiao Long stood up, bowing deeply.
"From this day on, I am your subordinate, your ally, your most loyal companion, and your shield. Wherever you go, I'll follow."
John smiled, grinning ear to ear."Good choice. I won't let you down — you won't regret it."
"We'll strike Yamato no Orochi tomorrow. For now, train — combine your new skills with your old ones. You'll need them."
"Yes, sir! I'll start right away!"
That day, Xiao Long didn't stop training except to eat, drink, and sleep.
A day later, John checked on his progress.
At that moment, Xiao Long descended from the sky at an incredible speed.
"Oh? It seems you've already mastered Lightning Speed. Impressive."That was expected — with Skill Worm, Xiao Long could grasp new abilities several times faster than others.
"What about Body Enhancement? Have you mastered that too?"Xiao Long nodded.
"Then get ready," John said, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "Because you will be the one fighting Yamato no Orochi. You already have Susanoo's Sword, after all."
"Huh— WHAT?! I'm fighting who?!" Xiao Long's eyes nearly popped out of his head in disbelief.