Chapter 6: Not Seeking to Defeat a Hundred Alone

"Xiaolin, do you think... this stat system makes investing in Stamina really profitable?"

Black Tea voiced the doubt I held in my heart.

"The system is correct," White Valentine's Day continued, "There's a reason the game was designed this way. Also, every time a player levels up, their HP automatically increases by one."

"Uh..." I was stunned once again.

If that's the case, isn't Stamina—which already has an advantage—even more overpowered now?

Just then, I suddenly remembered my own condition! Agility and Strength are crucial for a warrior; if your speed and power are mismatched, having extra HP only means surviving one blow more or less...

The reason the game set such a low ratio for Strength and Agility is probably to account for this very situation.

Thinking this through, I felt at ease.

I shifted the topic, "By the way, Brother White, Sister Black Tea, tell me how you distributed your initial stat points?"

At my question, White Valentine's Day and Black Tea, who had been preparing to 'enlighten' the Scavenger Kirin, were briefly at a loss... They had intended to list the drawbacks and limitations of extreme builds, such as dumping all points into HP, but hadn't expected me to change the subject so abruptly.

After a moment's hesitation, White Valentine's Day said a little awkwardly, "There's nothing much to say about mine. I was inexperienced and added points randomly. I've played for nearly thirty days and still haven't reached the third rank. Unless I get some exceptional equipment, it's impossible to become an expert now... How about this: tell me what class you want to pursue, and I'll give you some suggestions."

"You've been here a month, Brother White?" I was surprised. I'd always thought they'd only started a few days before me, maybe a little over ten days, which would explain their 'low' level—according to my friend Scholar Wind, White Valentine's Day was a total newbie.

Though I knew little about 'Magic Era,' Scholar Wind had mentioned the game's ranking system to me more than once.

He said, in the game, players who couldn't reach the third rank within twenty days were absolute novices;

Those who reached early third rank within twenty days were considered decent players;

Those who, through their own efforts, climbed to mid-third rank (level 35 and above) within a month deserved to be called 'experts'!

Players like Scholar Wind, who reached late third rank (levels 38-39) in under a month, approaching the strength of top fourth-rank warriors, enjoyed considerable prestige in the game—they could practically command the winds and clouds...

Beyond that, there were only a handful of fourth-rank players across the continent of Gods and Demons, rumored to be fanatics blessed by Lady Luck herself.

"Yeah, I started with your Sister Black Tea, but it was much tougher for us than it is for you. On the Kelin Prairie, dozens of people would guard two or three slime spawn points, and it was impossible to get more than a few kills in a day—it was inhuman... Later, your Sister Black Tea and I went to learn some life skills, and that took ten days..."

Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. So they'd just gotten sidetracked...

But... what exactly are life skills?

I was about to ask when I realized the conversation had drifted off. I still hadn't figured out how to allocate my stat points.

Returning to the topic, White Valentine's Day said, "If you want to be a warrior, it's generally better to focus on Strength or Stamina early on. You already have a dagger, so your attack is sufficient. I recommend putting seven points into Stamina and three into Strength. Just tough it out, kill one or two monsters, rest until your HP recovers, and repeat. You can gain a level in about half an hour..."

At that, I frowned: now I understood why, after twenty days, White Valentine's Day was still only level 26—focusing on Strength and HP is safe but far too passive...

It's just like those endless grind battles with slimes on the prairie, everyone desperately snatching for experience.

Even though I wasn't a gamer, I didn't want to play so rigidly—and I really didn't like the slime's acid, sticky and corrosive, leaving marks on many players...

With that thought, I went silent: White Valentine's Day and Black Tea might be decent guides for beginners, but they weren't real experts.

Ultimately, I'd have to figure things out myself.

So I distributed my ten initial free stat points as I wanted: five to Agility, raising my Defense to 2-2, the remaining five split as three to Strength and two to Stamina.

Then, I told White Valentine's Day and Black Tea my choices without hiding anything...

To my surprise, although they were startled at first, they quickly acknowledged the reasoning behind my decision.

In their eyes, every player played a different role in the game, and not everyone needed to be a one-against-ten or one-against-a-hundred powerhouse;

Sometimes, making a crucial contribution in an unexpected moment, even briefly, was already a success!

Just like the humble 'experience baby': no one expects them to contribute much in battle, but as long as they quietly follow the party, their value is recognized when all is said and done.

And as for tanks...

They're usually just there to absorb hits and leech experience, but when it comes to boss fights, the tank becomes indispensable—delaying the enemy by even a second can change the fate of the entire party, and no one can underestimate that!

However...

As our conversation ended, Black Tea voiced her concern for me:

Focusing on HP is risky in battle; after leveling up, I should put more into Stamina, because as monsters grow stronger, their attacks and speed increase, and this little HP won't survive a second hit! Even slimes can be dangerous...

I took Black Tea and White Valentine's Day's advice to heart, but that didn't mean I'd necessarily do as they said. When it came to combat, as a former mecha cadet, I felt I had more authority than they did—even if I'd only spent less than two years in training...

Monsters like slimes are the lowest of the low: they're slow, their attacks come at regular intervals, and barring accidents, I was fully confident I could finish the fight unscathed.

White Valentine's Day and Black Tea found my explanation hard to believe.

Even if slimes were slow, achieving a flawless victory was only possible for someone with top-tier civilian equipment, tough enough to withstand acid sprays.

After all, a slime's close-range acid spray is technically a 'ranged attack,' which has attack priority and only a one-second cooldown;

Performing several perfect dodges and attacks within a second was nearly impossible for a level-zero civilian...

As for the Scavenger Kirin's earlier experience...

...That was just luck!