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The reactions from the crowd left some of the newcomers puzzled, including those from the Chen Village settlement. One of them asked curiously, "Is this 'Alex' you're talking about the Honorary Lord of East Sea City? Is he really that powerful? How does he compare to our strongest, Steven Chen?"
Chen Village hadn't encountered Alex before, as most of Alex's battles paired him against high-level monsters that far surpassed ordinary purple-class creatures. These were powerful entities with devastating single attributes or unique skills. For most strong contenders, even facing such monsters took everything they had, and defeat was common. Steven Chen was the strongest fighter in Chen Village, holding an R-class potential. He had led the settlement to complete several critical missions, earning the respect and admiration of many in his settlement.
The students from Yellow Tiger High School just smiled modestly at the comparison, one of them answering, "Trust me, you wouldn't want Steven Chen going up against Alex."
Hearing this, the people from Chen Village felt a surge of irritation, taking the remark as arrogant. But before they could respond, a loud cheer erupted across the open space. The students from Yellow Tiger High School were shouting excitedly, their faces flushed with enthusiasm as if they were fans witnessing their idol's grand entrance.
"Alex!"
"Alex is here!"
"I love you, Alex!"
"One strike, one kill!"
The intense excitement left many onlookers confused, including the members of Chen Village. Their earlier anger subsided as they began to mutter among themselves, "These kids are just blindly worshipping him. I'll believe in this 'Alex' when I see what he's got."
Their skepticism didn't last long. On the largest screen, the face of a young man appeared. He was slightly handsome, though his hair was messily singed, and standing across from him was a hulking golden-skinned Warbeast holding a massive spiked club.
"Wait, isn't that the same golden beast? Steven Chen's only loss was against that exact monster—it hits like a truck!"
The sight of the golden Warbeast sent murmurs through the crowd. Not only Chen Village but other settlements like Huangpu Reservoir had also seen their top contenders fall to this very monster. Its rare golden hue made it unforgettable, and it had only appeared once in the entire city during the arena battles.
Alex was intrigued by the golden Warbeast. Both Liam and David had been defeated by this creature before, and it had shown its terrifying power, dealing hundreds of damage with basic attacks. Its signature move, a crushing hammer blow, could unleash devastating damage, often in the hundreds.
Speculation had spread that this golden Warbeast was an SR-class potential monster, and taking it down could yield rare SR-class loot. However, Alex was a bit disappointed. Had he encountered this monster before the mission scroll's effects wore off, he was almost certain an SR-class item would have dropped. But now, with the lower drop rates, he wasn't sure if he'd be so lucky.
Regardless of the loot, this beast had to die.
What shocked everyone was how the match began. As soon as the golden Warbeast saw Alex, it let out a sharp yelp and bolted away, not even daring to fight.
Alex blinked, stunned for a moment, while the spectators in the arena were equally dumbfounded. The golden Warbeast was known for its terrifying power, forcing all who faced it into grueling battles. Yet now, it fled the moment it laid eyes on Alex?
While most of the crowd was left speechless, the students from Yellow Tiger High burst into laughter, cheering loudly, "Get it, Alex! Don't let it escape!"
Alex wasn't too surprised. He remembered the arena rule that allowed opponents to forfeit after three seconds, something he had experienced when a purple-class monster had fled before. It seemed that monsters could observe the matches and recognize his overwhelming power. However, Alex didn't expect even a golden Warbeast to be this terrified of him.
Though the arena was large, both contestants started from the middle, leaving enough distance for a chase. The Warbeast had the head start, and closing the gap wouldn't be easy. With no hesitation, Alex spent 20 skill points, upgrading his "Berserker Mode" skill to the "High-Expert Level," enhancing his strength, endurance, and agility all at once. His speed surged as a result.
The golden Warbeast was massive, with a physique that rivaled the brown bears from the mountain he had conquered before. Its strength stat was undoubtedly impressive, but its agility lagged. With his upgraded speed, Alex rapidly closed the distance.
Realizing it couldn't escape, the Warbeast turned with a mighty roar, swinging its massive spiked club in a brutal arc toward Alex's head.
Alex had seen firsthand the Warbeast's destructive power, and he wasn't about to take any chances. He sidestepped the blow and raised his blade to block.
-333
The three-digit damage appeared above his head, surprising many. The members of Chen Village, in particular, were caught off guard.
"333 points of damage? Sure, that's high, but it's not nearly as overwhelming as everyone made it out to be," one of them muttered. "Steven could reach that soon enough."
Their smugness quickly disappeared when Alex retaliated with a swing of his blade, striking the Warbeast just as its massive form staggered from its missed attack.
-159,501
The massive number above the Warbeast's head caused the crowd to fall silent. Those from Chen Village who had spoken earlier were left gaping, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. Even the students from Yellow Tiger High, who were most familiar with Alex's power, were momentarily stunned.
Yesterday, Alex's maximum output had been around 5,000 points. Yet today, it had skyrocketed to over 15,000 in a single attack, tripling his power in just one day.
While they had expected Alex to eventually surpass five-figure damage, no one had anticipated such a rapid leap. It was as if he had transcended the boundaries of what they believed possible. Alex wasn't just overpowered—he was the game's virus.
The members of Chen Village were left speechless. Sure, Steven Chen might reach 300 damage one day, but 15,000? That was beyond imagination.
Even Alex was momentarily taken aback by the damage he dealt. Then it hit him: his strength stat had skyrocketed from D+ to B+ in one leap, his level had increased by 19, and his sword, the "Violet Abyss," multiplied his damage fivefold. A threefold increase in his output wasn't all that surprising when he thought about it.