CHAPTER 85: FIRST TRIAL PHASE[2]

Still crouched slightly in his stance, he let the excitement simmer for a moment longer, then calmly straightened and exhaled.

He brought up his hand.

"Status Window," he murmured.

At once, a familiar ripple passed through the air in front of him, and a set of tabs appeared before him.

[Player ID: A Random]

[Level: 10(20160/4000)]

[Profession: Assassin]

[Class: Apprentice Assassin]

[Talent(s): Gluttony (SSS), Ironblood Fighter(B)]

[Trait(s): Lesser Regeneration (C-rank)]

[Title(s): Wolf Slayer(Uncommon), Hungry Demon(Epic)]

[H/P: 11783 Vitality X 10]

[M/P: 12402 Mana X 10]

[Magic Damage: 1240.2 Mana X 1]

[Physical Damage: 1300.2 Strength X 1]

[Magic Resistance: 1240.2 Mana X 1]

[Physical Resistance: 1298.5 Endurance X 1]

[Attributes: Strength: 1300.2{+50}; Agility: 1445.7{+110}; Vitality: 1178.3{+50}; Mana: 1240.2{+100}; Endurance: 1298.5{+50}]

[Skills]

[Stealth(level 6)], [Spike Shot(level 3)], [Dash(level 2)], [Charge(level 3)], [Fireball(level 2)], [Rockbound(level 2)], [Dark Shroud(level 4)], [Ghost Slash(level 2)], [Lunge(level 1)], [Basic Alchemy(level 1)], [Face Mask(level 2)], [Blood Poison Mist(level 1)], [Crop Harvest(level 1)], [Strength Boost(level 1)]

[Attribute Points Available: 34]

[Skill Points Available: 37]

[Equipment: Basic Cloth Shirt, Basic Leather Pants, Swift Boots(Uncommon), Storage Ring(Rare), Whispering Bracelet(Rare), Dark Fanged Daggers(Epic), Hito’s Whisper(Rare), Champion Armour Set(Rare), Novice Village Map(Rare), Champion’s Bracelet(Rare)]

Riley nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the display from top to bottom.

’My status window sure has changed a lot,’ he thought with a short hum.

He could still remember how it looked not long ago, and now, it had changed entirely, surpassing that of any other player within the game.

His numbers weren’t just high, they were absurd. Over a thousand in all five main attributes? That was something even top-tier veterans would dream of seeing near level twenty, let alone ten.

And it was all thanks to Gluttony.

He could feel its pour coursing through him even now, especially through his stomach which was still growling slightly, always hungry for more.

His agility was the highest, already nearing a whopping 1500 points!

He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as they trailed down to the skill section.

That had changed too.

Previously, his skills had been listed line by line, each with their ranks and description. But now, the arrangement had shifted.

It was because of the sheer number of skills he had now.

Once a player’s total number of skills passed ten, the system automatically changed the format of their display.

That way, it was easier to scroll through without being overwhelmed.

If he wanted to see more details about any of them now, he would have to will it directly—either by thinking the name or tapping on it from the interface.

Riley smirked faintly.

’A nice little feature.’

He closed the window with a flick of his hand and exhaled again.

"There’s no need to hold back," Riley muttered.

Szzz!

The moment the words left his lips, a thick, dark cloud oozed out from beneath his skin.

It bled into the air around him like smoke escaping a fire, rapidly coiling around his form until his entire body was cloaked in a heavy, living shroud of shadow.

A bright red glint flashed across his eyes, peeking through the thick cloud of darkness.

And at the corners of his lips—a slow, dangerous grin began to stretch upward.

His muscles bulked slightly, tightening with layered cords of coiled power. But oddly enough, his body felt far lighter than it ever had before.

A short chuckle escaped his lips.

’With this,’ he thought to himself, as he raised one hand and flexed his fingers, ’Taking care of them should be a piece of cake.’

He had already activated everything he needed.

[Stealth], [Dash], [Charge], [Dark Shroud], and [Lunge]—all at once.

Each of them contributed something unique, but when combined togerher, they took his power to a whole new level.

With [Stealth], his agility received a direct 50% boost, sharpening every motion he made and allowing him to blur through enemy sightlines like a phantom.

Then came [Charge], which he made sure to stack twice, giving himself over sixty percent extra boost in his agility and other attributes.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

He had also activated [Dark Shroud], the skill responsible for the cloud of shadow still wrapping around him.

With it came another massive surge in power, which was all his physical attributes receiving a whopping eighty percent boost.

His body practically trembled with the raw force coursing through it now.

Every breath he took felt deeper. Every muscle felt coiled like a loaded spring. Every movement he imagined came with ten different ways to execute it—each faster than the last.

Though the mana cost that came with it was very high, he had more than enough mana to spare.

It reminded him of the last time he had activated many skills at simultaneously like this, which was against the Crimson blood scorpion.

It was why he had been able to easily end the monster’s life in one strike, shocking every other player within the boss area.

Except this time, he didn’t include [Rockbound] in the mix. Not yet.

That skill, while powerful, had a long cooldown—too long to waste on the first phase of the trial. It was better saved for whatever came next.

The boost from [Dash] wasn’t much on its own. but he’d included it anyway.

Not because he needed it.

But mainly because he wanted the skill to level up.

Every little bit counted. And in a trial like this, there was no better opportunity to train a skill than by using it in live combat.

He shifted slightly, his head turning back toward the countless moving figures around him.

The blank-faced statues were still marching in eerie synchrony, their weapons glinting faintly under the dull grey sky.

Then—

Ding!

Two notifications blinked open in front of him.

[Phase One Begins!]

[Good luck, Player!]

Riley didn’t wait.

In the very next heartbeat, his figure blurred forward—vanishing into a streak of dark motion so fast it left the grass behind him flattened in a wave of pressure.

In less than half a second, he was already standing in front of the nearest Test Figure.

It was one of the taller ones, holding a long silver sword with both hands. But it never got a chance to swing.

SLASH!

Riley’s dagger cut through the air with a sharp whistle, splitting straight through the Test Figure’s neck with pinpoint precision.