A gentle breeze blew through the area as Dirk stood motionless, with the bear fur cut into pieces around his feet.
Clark chuckled in silence, surprised that it was Arnold who had chosen to concede. But it was not entirely unexpected. With only one arm, Arnold's attack frequency couldn't keep up with Dirk's evasion speed. Anyone would have broken down if they stood still and were stabbed dozens of times like a chopping board.
"You did well, Dirk," Clark said with a smile. Dirk's combat performance had exceeded his expectations.
As a former reconnaissance specialist who loved collecting and had a deep knowledge of cold weapons, Dirk possessed excellent combat skills. With a level increase and attribute boost, Dirk would immediately become a ghostly reaper, swiftly harvesting the lives of his enemies.
This was great. With Dirk joining the team, Clark's group was now taking shape.
Among the team members, Arnold played the role of a meat shield berserker, Dirk served as the scout assassin, Lynn was the support, and Sandra acted as a half-summoner and half-support. However, Clark was unsure whether to choose the role of an archer or a spellcaster.
Clark had a headache. His attributes had virtually no weaknesses, so he could effectively take on any profession. Although his strength attribute was higher due to the influence of the Soul Devourer's Hand, the Crown of Resentment was a top-tier mage equipment with most of its bonuses related to mental and life recovery, as well as movement speed.
His innate talents were exceptional, with a comprehensive attribute boost, but they lacked any distinctive features. His newly acquired skill, "God Pierce" from the Eye of Judgment, was a mental attack.
Overall, it seemed that a mage class profession was more suitable for him. However, that would be a waste of his strength and agility attributes, as well as the bonuses to health and movement speed.
Just as Clark was contemplating his choice, Arnold's distinctive loud voice interrupted him. Arnold, now in his combat attire, held a can and wore a face filled with resentment.
"Clark! Why didn't you tell me that Dirk had become an Awakened? Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so careless at the beginning!"
Arnold felt somewhat wronged. One of the major reasons he had fled without caring about his image was that he had been injured at the very beginning, caught off guard. Then Dirk had relentlessly targeted his weak spots, exploiting his injuries, and launching a relentless assault on the same areas.
Under a continuous barrage of strikes, he couldn't handle it. Another backstab, and his lower back was almost broken. With his limited mental strength, he could only use Flesh Regeneration once a day, and he didn't want to have to use it again the next day.
If he had known from the start that Dirk was an Awakened, he would have been much more cautious. He could have easily activated Bear Transformation right away, and the winner would have been him. It was quite embarrassing for him, a formidable Level 1 player, to lose to a Level 0 player who had just Awakened.
When Clark noticed Arnold's frustration, he sighed lightly and said, "Didn't you notice the updates to the team members? Only Awakened or special players can join our team. If you had paid a little more attention, you would have known that Dirk is an Awakened."
Arnold stood still, subconsciously touching his forehead and feeling embarrassed. He hadn't even noticed this small detail, making him realize how foolish he had been. However, as he turned his head away, his expression darkened.
Not only was he less capable due to the power gap, but in their current team, aside from the newly joined Clifford, who was still a regular player, everyone else was more valuable than him.
It became apparent that Clark's earlier words were just meant to console him. Bitterness and disappointment filled Arnold as he glanced at his maimed left arm, a faint, wry smile on his face.
If he still had both arms, perhaps he wouldn't have been so battered in these recent battles. Since the day he received the sutures, they hadn't had time to hunt Level 1 Mutants. As for the Tier 2 "The Stitcher" that Clark had in his hands, he had never thought about asking for it.
Mutant corpses were extremely valuable, especially those of Tier 2 peak mutants like "The Stitcher." He had neither the right nor the reason to ask Clark for it. The fact that Clark was willing to give him skill books and sutures was already a great blessing for him.
Clark watched Arnold turn away with a sense of helplessness. Arnold's personality was quite straightforward.
"Oh, by the way."
Clark suddenly called out to him from behind and then tossed a half-arm-sized limb over to him from a distance.
"I had originally planned to install it when we got to the school; there's a better-equipped surgery room there for a more precise attachment. But I think it might be better to give it to you now."
Arnold stared at the severed arm he had received, not knowing how to react.
On the highway, the group watched Arnold standing under a highway billboard, drawing attention. To catch people's attention, highway billboards were usually large, with massive iron pillars that were nearly a meter in diameter and about 20 meters tall.
Arnold, who was 1.9 meters tall, appeared rather small under the towering iron pillar.
"Clark, I want to give it a try!"
Arnold took off his shirt, revealing a body with muscles resembling rocks. His left arm had already been stitched with the arm of a Tier 2 mutant. Under his imposing stature, the thick arm did not look out of place.
"Sure, I'm looking forward to seeing how you perform."
Clark encouraged him with a smile. After Arnold had stitched up his arm, Clark checked the attribute bonuses that the stitching had provided.
"The Stitcher's Hand: Left Arm (from a Tier 2 top-level mutant)"
Effects: Strength +10!
Tier 2 Bonus Effect: Mighty Punch - Can consume moderate stamina to deliver an instant impact!
Rating: The left arm from The Stitcher, it'll destroy everything before your eyes!
Seeing the attribute bonuses, Clark couldn't help but feel that they were quite extraordinary. Ten points of strength were roughly equivalent to two blue-grade or half an orange-grade equipment pieces. The additional effect it came with was even more terrifying.
He still remembered The Stitcher and its terrifying punch speed. However, the high attribute bonuses came from replacing limbs, and Clark had no intention of swapping his own limbs for the sake of temporary power.
Under the bright sunlight, Arnold stood there, exuding a sense of violent beauty. He took a deep breath and began to gather power in his left hand.
"Bear Transformation!"
His body expanded dramatically, and the explosive muscles were now hidden beneath the black fur, resembling blocks of metallic armor.
"Mighty Punch!"
In an instant, a brilliant red aura formed around his left fist, causing his already quick punch to accelerate to an almost invisible speed.
"Smash!!!"
The ground shook as a massive billboard, over 20 meters tall and weighing tens of tons, was shattered as if it had been struck by a thousand-ton impact, sending it flying from the ground into the air. The skyward movement was absolutely staggering, and the metal deformed, creating a harsh "groaning" noise from the billboard.
"Thud!!" The giant structure descended slowly, raising a cloud of dust.
Everyone, including Clark, watched in shock at the power of that punch. Clifford, in particular, swallowed involuntarily. The power of that punch could probably shatter an armored tank.
Was this even human? It seemed more like a human bulldozer, a heavy-duty earth mover. Unlike Clifford's astonishment at the strength, he was awed by the sheer force.