[Name: Alexander]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 10,018]
[Level: 10 (EXP: 38%)]
[Strength: 11+3]
[Agility: 11+4]
[Defense: 11+18]
[Intelligence: 12+2]
[HP: 240/240]
[MP: 14/14]
[Talent: Basic Attribute Enhancement, Basic Attribute Absorption]
[Basic Attribute Absorption: 0.01% chance to gain 1 random base attribute point upon killing a target (does not trigger if the target is 10 levels below your own)]
[Current Talent Level: E (EXP: 4.9%)]
[Unallocated Attribute Points: 0]
Hidden Attributes:
[Luck: 10 (Maxed)]
[Charm: 0]
[Perception: 0]
[Inventory: 77/100]
[Wallet: 2 Gold, 17 Copper]
Alexander stared at his newly updated stats, quickly realizing something important. The trigger rate for his Basic Attribute Absorption wasn't actually 0.01%. Thanks to his Luck stat, the real probability was 10.01%!
This meant that, on average, for every 10 monsters he killed, he would gain 1 random base attribute point.
With this realization, Alexander understood that his E-level talent was far more powerful than he had initially thought. In fact, it was even better than the B-level Strength Absorption talent and could potentially rival S-level talents!
And this was only at E-level. Alexander couldn't help but wonder how much stronger it would become once it reached D-level.
However, when he glanced at the talent experience bar, he chuckled and shook his head.
At his current rate, it would take him about 40 hours of non-stop grinding to level up his talent again. While that was only a little over a day, the time investment had clearly increased significantly.
Alexander did some quick calculations and came to a conclusion.
"This talent isn't something you can just level up whenever you want. The higher the level, the more experience it'll take, and the longer it'll take to grind."
"Everything has a price."
"But it's definitely worth it!"
With a clear understanding of his progress, Alexander felt even more motivated. Having a visible goal was far better than wandering aimlessly.
He didn't feel tired at all and decided to spend the rest of the night grinding monsters.
But just as he took a few steps forward, he suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind him.
Thud!
Thud!
Alexander turned around and saw a massive shadow emerging from the darkness behind him.
"What the hell is that?"
Not wanting to take any chances, Alexander quickly moved to the side.
But as soon as he moved, the massive shadow followed, heading straight for him.
When Alexander shifted again, the giant figure grew impatient and swung a massive hand, as large as a door, directly at him.
Even before the hand reached him, the sheer force of the swing made it hard for Alexander to move.
"What the hell?!"
Panicking, Alexander instinctively raised his sword to block.
"Squelch—"
The sound of metal clashing with rock echoed in the air.
Alexander blinked in surprise and took a closer look. The massive creature was covered in grayish-white stone, like a living rock monster.
He quickly selected the creature and a panel popped up.
[Elite BOSS: Rock Golem]
[Level: 20]
[HP: 3000/8000]
[Basic Attack: 99-199, 5-second interval, no cooldown.]
[Skill A: Rock Golem's Fury. Smashes the target with both fists, dealing area damage +500. Targets in the center of the skill take an additional +1000 damage. 100-second cooldown.]
[Skill B: Taunt. Forces players to attack it. 30-second cooldown.]
Alexander was stunned.
How had he run into a BOSS?
Before he could process what was happening, the Rock Golem launched another attack, its massive stone fists crashing down toward him.
If that hit, Alexander's health would be wiped out in an instant.
With his current HP, he could only survive two hits at most.
Alexander quickly rolled to the side to dodge.
As he rolled, his sword accidentally scraped against the Rock Golem's ankle. In the next second, the creature let out a deafening roar.
"ROAR!"
The sound was so loud that it made Alexander's ears ring. He covered his ears and looked up, only to see that the Rock Golem had turned a sickly green color.
During his roll, Alexander had unknowingly triggered the tetanus effect from his sword, poisoning the Rock Golem.
Even though the creature appeared to be made entirely of stone, it was still affected by the tetanus effect, and poison damage began ticking away.
[-3]
[-3]
[-3]
...
The Rock Golem was enraged. It roared again and slammed its fists into the ground, activating its Rock Golem's Fury skill.
"Boom!"
The ground where the Rock Golem struck caved in, and a shockwave rippled outward from the impact point.
Fortunately, the shockwave wasn't very fast, and Alexander easily dodged it.
As the Rock Golem used its Rock Golem's Fury attack, Alexander noticed something strange.
The creature wasn't actually made of stone.
Beneath its rocky exterior, there was flesh. And the Rock Golem was clearly injured—its back was covered in wounds, some of which were festering.
"No wonder it's affected by tetanus. It's not a true elemental creature."
Raising an eyebrow, Alexander didn't hesitate. He rushed forward and slashed at one of the wounds on the Rock Golem's back.
[-88!] (Weak Point Attack)
The attack dealt far more damage than usual, but it also enraged the Rock Golem, which swung its massive arms at Alexander.
But Alexander wasn't fazed.
The Rock Golem was too slow and cumbersome. Its attacks were easy to dodge.
Alexander immediately changed his approach.
He grabbed onto a crack in the Rock Golem's rocky exterior and swung himself upward, driving his sword into another gap in the creature's stone armor.
He alternated between climbing and attacking, quickly scaling the Rock Golem's back.
Once he reached the top, Alexander was delighted to find an even larger wound.
The Rock Golem's back was mostly shattered, revealing pale, rotting flesh beneath the stone.
The exposed wound wasn't fresh—it was an old injury, surrounded by decaying flesh and oozing yellow pus.
It was clear that the wound was infected.
Some parts of the wound were even turning a sickly purple, a clear sign of poisoning.
Who had inflicted such complex injuries on this creature?
Alexander was curious, but he didn't let it slow him down.
While the Rock Golem was still confused and searching for him, Alexander drove his sword deep into the wound.
Then, he quickly pulled it out and attacked the next wound.
In just ten seconds, he had landed dozens of hits.
The screen was filled with Weak Point Attack notifications, obscuring his vision.
The Rock Golem writhed in pain, and Alexander took the opportunity to leap off, using the momentum to create distance. As he landed, he tucked into a roll, absorbing the impact and standing up unharmed.
The massive creature let out one final groan before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.