Chapter 49

After being tormented by Alpha for a while, the Blackwater Merfolk Warrior also became more cautious, tucking his head in and refusing to expose his vulnerable jaw. Although this didn't change the inevitable outcome of being defeated, it did make things more troublesome for Alpha.

However, even so, it couldn't stop the industrious, brave, kind, and somewhat perverted player—oh, no, it was Alpha.

Alpha chuckled, and with a casual wave of his left hand, an intangible but substantial large hand immediately lifted the massive fish head upward. The powerful force, enhanced by arcane energy, made the Blackwater Merfolk Warrior's neck feel weak and powerless, forcing him to tilt his head back, exposing his vulnerable jaw. Alpha poked it with a finger.

-448!!!

That's right, it was the "Mage Hand," a 0-level cantrip that couldn't cause any damage other than pulling or moving things.

Alpha once again used the "Mage Hand" to his advantage, using it to bring the enemy's vital point to himself. This could be considered another innovative use of the "Mage Hand," though it was probably only useful for a peculiar mage like Alpha. Other mages would just use a fireball.

Of course, such innovation was possible due to the special nature of Alpha's "Mage Hand."

Alpha's "Mage Hand" was now at level 5, which was exceptionally powerful, capable of exerting a force equivalent to 150% of his strength value. Without Alpha's high base strength, such innovative use of the "Mage Hand" would be impossible:

—How many mages have a base strength of 15?

With a 150% effect increase from the "Mage Hand" itself, it was equivalent to a strength of 22. Adding the 50% effect boost from "0-level Spell Specialization," the "Mage Hand" now had a strength effect of 225%, meaning Alpha's "Mage Hand" was equivalent to a strength of 15 x 175%.

Exactly 33 points!! 33 points of equivalent strength!!

Such a level of strength made it easy for Alpha to flip the head of a Blackwater Merfolk Warrior.

Even a 20-level elite monster with a strength type would have an equivalent strength of only 27-28 points. Although the Blackwater Merfolk Warrior was strong, he couldn't match 33 points of strength.

However, while the "Mage Hand" supported by 15 points of strength was formidable, Alpha knew that as his level increased, he would face stronger and more powerful enemies, both in monster hunting and player-versus-player battles. At that time, it wouldn't be easy for his "Mage Hand" to dominate as it did now. He needed to improve the spell's level.

Level 5 was the highest level a spell mentor could teach for the 0-level cantrip "Mage Hand." To learn level 6 or higher, he would need to find skill books from monsters or quests.

Many skills in "Dungeons & Dragons" were like this. Spell mentors could only teach a limited number of levels. For a low-level spell like "Mage Hand," reaching level 5 was already impressive. For spells like "Meteor Swarm" or "Mordenkainen's Sword," only levels 2 or 3 could be learned from mentors, and higher levels required skill books.

Alpha needed to find a way to continue improving the "Mage Hand" to adapt to increasingly powerful enemies. He was well aware of this.

For this rare spell that proved he was still a mage, Alpha didn't want it to become useless, both emotionally and in practical combat. When he had money, he would need to look for high-level "Mage Hand" skill books. Such items, which depended on luck, wouldn't be easy to obtain.

While Alpha was pondering, Lancelot replied:

"What do you mean by 'I decide'? I can trade it for a Paladin set, right? Make up your mind quickly."

"Once you get what I need, if you can still trade for a Paladin set, that's your skill... Add a 'Mage Hand' skill book, level 6 or higher."

After thinking for a moment, Alpha added:

" 'Mage Hand'? It's not expensive, just a few gold coins. Why are you leveling that skill? It's only useful for picking things up."

"Can also use it to arm wrestle."

"Don't joke, think of something useful... Have you learned any life skills? How about trading for some good life skill items?"

"Didn't learn, talk about it later."

Alpha knew nothing about life skills, which were said to involve sewing, repairing, and crafting. He wasn't particularly interested.

After ending the private chat with Lancelot, Alpha had almost finished with the second Blackwater Merfolk Warrior. A final "Hidden Arrow" killed the unfortunate creature, and Alpha's inner energy was depleted.

Naturally, he needed to sit down and meditate to recover. This one-sided slaughter, where he could attack without fear of retaliation, was truly exhilarating.

Sitting on the ground, Alpha also had the chance to check on Joel's battle:

If Alpha's fight was a one-sided slaughter due to his cunning, then Joel's battle with King Ranus was a genuine display of overwhelming power.

Joel, wielding a light sword, stabbed and sliced King Ranus, clearly enjoying himself.

It was evident that Joel didn't want to kill King Ranus, so he aimed for non-lethal areas like the buttocks and thighs, avoiding fatal wounds.

The damage was well-controlled. Each stab from the light sword would cause at least 200 points of damage, but Joel gave King Ranus ample time to recover. With over 40,000 HP and a remarkable healing ability, King Ranus wasn't in too bad a shape.

Joel's speed and agility were impressive. He stabbed King Ranus dozens of times, and the merman king couldn't even touch the edge of Joel's clothes.

King Ranus, with his not-so-low intelligence, realized he couldn't defeat Joel. Seeing that Joel wasn't trying to kill him, he lost his fighting spirit but couldn't swallow the resentment over his people being slaughtered.

By the time Alpha had recovered his inner energy and stood up, the two had stopped fighting, standing far apart and glaring at each other in silence.

"Aren't you two fighting anymore?"

Alpha asked with a smile. Joel gave him a dirty look but didn't say anything, thinking about how to reconcile with King Ranus, as business was the most important thing.

However, Alpha didn't care about Joel's business. For him, experience was the most important. Finishing off these 40 Blackwater Merfolk Warriors was his top priority. Of course, there was also the High Priest Charles, a 24-level elite boss who should provide good experience and loot.

Of course, there were many variables with Charles, but the 20-level elite Blackwater Merfolk Warriors were solid experience.

No matter how far online games progressed, grinding monsters for experience always had its place, like what Alpha was doing now:

—Alternating between "Hidden Arrow," "Pressure Point Strike," "Swift Shadow," "Inner Energy Shield," and "Meditation," he inflicted white and gold damage numbers on one Blackwater Merfolk Warrior after another, gaining substantial experience. Joel and King Ranus had stopped fighting and watched Alpha methodically kill the merfolk warriors, each feeling their own kind of frustration.

Joel didn't care about the Blackwater Merfolk Warriors' lives; he was worried about his business. Would the merman king still want to trade with him after this? On the other hand, King Ranus was genuinely pained, feeling like he was watching his children and grandchildren suffer, a form of indirect decimation.

While the two were frustrated, Alpha was thoroughly enjoying himself. By the time he had defeated 40 Blackwater Merfolk Warriors, he had leveled up three times, and his four skills had each leveled up twice:

"Pressure Point Strike" reached level 7 before "Hidden Arrow," with both damage skills' coefficients increasing to 170%, and their inner energy limits significantly improved. The success rate of "Pressure Point Strike" increased to 19%.

"Swift Shadow" broke through to level 8, nearing the final level 9. Although Alpha wasn't sure if it only had 9 levels, he would soon find out.

Finally, "Solidifying Essence" reached level 6, a significant surprise after over an hour of effort:

"Inner Energy Shield" became 1.4 points of damage per point of inner energy.

The HP and inner energy increase coefficient became 320%, a significant improvement, making Alpha's HP and inner energy much higher.

"Meditation" recovery effect became 3200%, better than many healing potions.

"Inner Energy Dissipation" consumption became 48%, allowing it to be used twice.

Of course, the most significant change for Alpha was the increase in base attributes when "Solidifying Essence" reached level 5:

—All base attributes increased by 2 points!!

Strength 16, Agility 22, Constitution 22, Intelligence 7, Willpower 22, Charisma 7, with a total base attribute sum of 96 points!! It was hard to imagine anyone in "Dungeons & Dragons" having a higher total attribute sum than Alpha, except for players with special encounters.

Such a powerful boost elevated Alpha's character to a new level. The term "waste" was becoming increasingly distant from him, perhaps only related to the "Waste Brother" whose popularity was rising.

With a final finger poke, Alpha felled the last Blackwater Merfolk Warrior. Looking at his HP, which had broken 500 points and was on par with any tank class, and his inner energy, which was over 800 points and sufficient for a while, he confidently beckoned to High Priest Charles:

"Your turn, High Priest..."

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