Alex stared at the first notification, unable to hide his surprise. That monster radiated such overwhelming pressure that he assumed it was some terrifying high-ranking species. Instead, it was only a Level 16 Wild Orc, not even mid-rank species.
He had been assuming that because he could kill Level 11 and Level 12 Titan Reef Crabs earlier, dealing with Level 15 or Level 16 monsters now would no longer be difficult.
Now he realized that assumption had been flawed. Levels represented a monster’s stats, but how effectively someone used those stats could vary enormously. Monsters that had lived longer would naturally be able to fight better.
This one could even use "magic".
Alex and Frank would be on completely different levels in a fight despite sharing the same level. Similarly, this Wild Orc species was exceptionally powerful even though it was only Level 16.
Its control over Origin Energy and the overwhelming pressure it released had made it far more dangerous than its level alone suggested.
Still, the battle had been worth it.
Mana Cable Spell and Mana Bullet Spell had both leveled up. They would make him deadlier in long-range combat. The Fire Bullet Spell was now only one level away from an evolution, making him excited about the evolution choices he would get. Battle Instinct Spell hadn’t leveled yet, but Alex could feel it was right on the verge of reaching Level 10.
He only needed one final push. A faint smile appeared on his face.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from behind him. The restaurant’s back door burst open as his friends rushed into the alley.
"Alex! Are you okay—"
Their voices stopped abruptly.
Alex was standing calmly at the mouth of the alley without a single visible injury. Confused, they slowly walked over before looking past him toward the road.
The enormous corpse of the Wild Orc lay motionless where it had fallen.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke. Every face carried the same expression as they stared at Alex, likely having expected to find him barely clinging to life after somehow killing the Wild Orc. Instead, he stood there perfectly fine without a single visible injury.
He had won. Overwhelmingly at that.
...
A Wild Orc stood on top of a weathered building. Unlike the Level 16 Wild Orc Alex killed, this one was ’only’ about a floor tall. It was lean, slightly hunched, and wore a black, tattered robe while gripping a wooden staff.
It had been watching something in the distance when it suddenly sensed a change. Its head snapped toward the far right, in the direction where Alex killed the Level 16 Wild Orc, and a cruel, calculating glint appeared in its eyes.
The Wild Orc slowly raised one hand. Rocks materialized in mid-air before twisting and compressing into a sleek stone spear nearly as tall as an adult man. It then lifted its staff, causing the spear to glow as flickers of flame spread across its surface.
A moment later, the spear shot forward with a deafening boom.
...
Alex decided to leave everyone alone for the moment. They looked far too shocked to hold a conversation, and there was no point explaining anything while they were still trying to make sense of what had happened.
He walked over to the Wild Orc’s corpse and picked up the Level 16 Low Rank Gene Potential. Turning toward Tina, he tossed it to her.
"Tin, catch," he said.
The crystal arced through the air before Tina instinctively caught it with both hands. She blinked a few times, finally snapping out of her daze as she looked down at what she was holding.
"I’ve already explained how Gene Potentials work. If you want to absorb it, then absorb it. Otherwise, give it to someone else," Alex said.
Tina looked at him for a brief moment before nodding. Unlike last time, she didn’t hesitate and immediately absorbed it.
Alex nodded at that decision. It was understandable that everyone wanted to evolve into a Mid Rank Species, but that only mattered if they survived long enough to reach that point. Tina seemed to understand that becoming stronger now was far more important.
Alex turned back toward the Wild Orc’s corpse. It had fallen face-first onto the road.
Using Advanced Body Reinforcement, he jumped onto its back in one smooth motion. He focused on his Mark of Origin and searched around before sensing the Elemental Stone near where the creature’s heart should have been.
Earlier, while the monster had still been alive, he hadn’t been able to sense the Elemental Stone at all. It had been as though some invisible coating covered the creature’s body, blocking his Mark of Origin’s perception. Now that it was dead, that barrier disappeared.
At the same time, he felt his Mark of Origin drawing in the Wild Orc’s Origin Energy. He had not been able to absorb it while the monster was alive.
The amount being absorbed was incredibly small, but it was still more than the Origin Energy he absorbed from Earth’s atmosphere.
There was Origin Energy on Earth now. Alex believed it began appearing after the System started integrating Earth into the Land of Origin, although the amount drifting through the atmosphere remained extremely low for now.
Even the energy from this corpse wouldn’t amount to much. He would probably have to kill many monsters before gaining even a single point of Origin Energy, but at least he now had a reliable way to gather it. Even if he never found another dungeon, he could eventually return to the Land of Origin.
Alex crouched beside the corpse and condensed mana over his fingers. Instead of using his sword, he shaped the mana into five sharp claws before vibrating them at high speed.
The mana claws were more difficult to maintain than simply layering a Mana Thread of the blade, but that was exactly why he was using them. Digging for the Elemental Stone also became another opportunity to train his mana control, so there was no reason to waste it.
He carefully dug into the corpse, making slow and precise movements while avoiding the blood as much as possible.
Just then, Mia let out a sharp screech. It sounded as though she had been badly hurt.
Alex’s head snapped toward the alley. Mia stood rigid with every strand of fur standing on end, her tail puffed up.
"I’ll check on Mia. You can keep doing what you’re doing," Robert said as he jogged toward her.
..
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