Chapter 8: I Can Do Well On My Own (2)
Boom!
As the skill was cast, a loud noise erupted, and a beam of white light burst forth.
"Wh-what happened?"
Kai was startled by the skill's unexpectedly powerful destructive force. After a moment, when he regained his composure, the gray gnoll was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it, did it run away?"
As Kai looked around for the gray gnoll, a message window popped up.
[+420 XP.]
"...."
Kai squinted at the message window and read it again.
"Why am I getting XP all of a sudden…. Could it be?"
He looked at the spot where the gray gnoll had been as if he couldn’t believe it. Only the gnoll's skin lay there.
Kai's mind raced.
Did I just get a One Shot Kill?
One Shot Kill was an act of defeating a monster with a single attack, something only possible for players with high-quality equipment or high-skill proficiency.
But my Holy Explosion skill is still at proficiency level 0….
Kai, who found the situation hard to believe, tilted his head.
Did someone else kill it?
He couldn’t help but think that way since it was unlikely for a Cleric to have such high attack power! Concluding this way, Kai tested the ability of the skill against other gray gnolls.
[+427 XP.]
[+418 XP.]
With every shot, the gray gnolls died. No, they disappeared as if they never existed! After hunting ten gnolls, Kai finally accepted the reality.
This isn't a mistake.
The skill's coefficient was just incredibly high.
"Wait, with this skill…."
There was no need to hunt gray gnolls anymore.
***
"This place is crowded today as usual."
In the vast plains, numerous parties were hunting red gnolls.
I should go to a more secluded area.
If other players saw his skill, it would definitely become a hot topic. Not wanting to get entangled in unnecessary commotion, Kai moved to a more remote area.
Life should be taken slow and steady, just like my sister said.
As he continuously walked to the edge of the plains, he arrived at the part where it met the forest.
"Hm. Still visible though."
Glancing around, he saw other players were still in sight, meaning they could see him too.
I can't hunt in the plains.
In such an open area, even the most secluded spot was noticeable. Finally, Kai entered the forest.
This will do.
As he moved away from the players, the surroundings became quiet. The only sounds were the chirping of birds and the occasional rustle of bushes. In this silent setting, he could freely use his skills.
"Okay, let's see here…."
Opening the skill window and reading the descriptions, Kai immediately used his skills.
"Solaris Armor, Solaris Blessing."
His whole body was enveloped in a holy aura, and the mace he held shone white.
"It looks like a regular Cleric's skill on the outside."
Only the color had changed. The only difference was a slightly fancier color!
But what's important is the actual performance.
Kai then looked through the bushes, peering beyond.
There they are. Two of them.
Two red gnolls sniffed around, smelling something.
"Grrrrr!"
One of them, as if smelling something, lowered its head to the ground and crawled toward Kai.
Here it comes.
Kai swallowed his saliva. This time, he decided not to use Holy Explosion because he wanted to check the effects of Solaris Blessing and Solaris Armor.
But that doesn't mean I'll just stand here and take hits.
In combat, there had always been one most important factor.
"That is to strike first!"
Quickly dashing out of the bushes, Kai's mace struck the red gnoll's head. The red gnoll yelped and its stamina dropped by 20 percent in one blow!
Considering Kai's Strength stat was only in the 30s, the attack power was unbelievably high.
How much does Solaris Blessing actually increase my attack power?
Before his smile could fade away, it was time to test Solaris Armor.
"Ruff! Ruff!"
"Woof! Woof!"
The enraged red gnolls, drooling at the mouth, charged at him. Their appearance was such that one bite seemed like it would give rabies instantly!
Kai closed his eyes tightly and spread his arms. "Come at me!"
Thud, thwack, bang!
The sharp daggers and teeth of the gnolls kept attacking Kai.
[You’ve received 510 damage.]
[You’ve received 502 damage.]
[You’ve received 521 damage.]
"Grrr?"
"Ruff? Ruff!"
Confused that the seemingly fragile Human was unexpectedly tough, the gnolls retreated.
"Hmm?"
Kai, who had slightly opened his eyes, checked his HP.
Wh-what?
His pupils dilated. Traditionally, Wizards and Clerics in all games were classes known for having the worst defense abilities! In reality, getting hit about ten times by a red gnoll's dagger should have killed Kai. But perhaps thanks to Solaris Armor, he still had about 40 percent of his HP left.
The damage reduction is incredible.
Moreover, Solaris Armor wasn’t a shield-generating skill. It was a buff skill that simply increased the target's defense and magic resistance! This meant it could be used in conjunction with Sacred Barrier.
All these skills are ridiculously overpowered.
Just as Kai was smiling in satisfaction, the red gnolls leaped at him again.
"Grrr!"
“Graah!”
"Enough barking already. Holy Explosion!"
1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds.
Boom!
A gray gnoll in one hit, and red gnolls in one hit. It was a skill worthy of being called a death blow!
I feel amazing!
It felt like wearing an item forged by the greatest blacksmith to its limit. What if he wore magic or rare items in addition to this state? No, with this current job class, wearing a full set of Unique items might not be a distant future.
Is it really possible to play solo as a Cleric?
XP! Items! Information! A solo play monopolizing all these was the dream of every gamer.
Everyone wants it, but not everyone can do it.
The reason was the artificial intelligence boasted by MID Online. The monsters weren’t dumb. They were clever and intelligent. Facing them alone was like walking a tightrope every moment.
But I'm different.
He hadn't tested the skill called the Sunlight’s Warmth yet, but he didn't need to go through the process to trust it.
This is what trust is!
It was like having food in front of him that had received a grade-1 rating from the Food and Drug Administration, an overwhelming sense of trust!
The possibility of solo play. Today's hunt will be a test of that.
Kai's eyes shone brighter than ever.
***
"Holy Explosion!"
Bang!
"…plosion!"
Boom!
"…sion!"
Kaboom!
Four hours had passed since Kai entered the forest. The forest looked as if it had been ravaged by an excavator—completely scorched.
"Phew."
Kai sat down amidst the devastated forest and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead. The gentle breeze caressing his face and the rustling leaves of the forest seemed to indulge his senses.
Kai looked around and greatly lamented, "This is what modern society has lost in terms of natural scenery."
Wrong. It was simply a scene of slaughter. In reality, countless polygon fragments lay scattered on the ground. Needless to say, all were remnants of the red gnolls!
Kai gazed at their remains and muttered in a sad voice, "XP is pretty tough to gain here."
Yet, the massacre had been highly effective. In just two hours, Kai had raised his XP by 37 percent, reaching level 47.
"Was hunting always this easy?"
Kai, with his eyes closed, reminisced about the party hunts he had been doing until a few days ago. The faces of the dear party members he had hunted with recently came to mind.
"Healer, heal! I need a heal! I'm going to die!"
"Wow, this worked. Healer, faster with the shield skill!"
"Poison! I'm poisoned! Quickly, detox!"
"Uh oh, aggro is released. Everyone, run!"
A tear of deep sorrow rolled down Kai's cheek.
Nothing unexpected, but being a Cleric is not an easy job.
Indeed, in MID Online, Clerics were like mothers who only took care of their party members during the entire hunt! Despite that, leveling up was extremely difficult and the reason for that was the distribution of XP based on contribution in party hunts.
The better the tank or dealer, the less there is for a Cleric to do.
To level up quickly, one had to join a good party and hunt monsters quickly and in large numbers. However, paradoxically, if one joined a good party, there wasn't much for a Cleric to do. Skilled tanks took little damage, and dealers quickly melted down monsters. As a result, a Cleric's contribution was often less than others', leading to slower leveling.
Now that I think about it, isn't this game terrible for Clerics?
Of course, there was a reward for growing slower and struggling more than others. At level 50, the attack power of monsters significantly increased. Exaggerating a bit, for ordinary players, hunting without a Cleric became almost impossible.
That's the moment when Clerics go from being treated like potions to nobility.
A Cleric's status changed depending on whether they had crossed this critical barrier, known as the devil's threshold.
‘That's why the number of Cleric players is always the lowest.’
Due to this threshold unique to Clerics, the number of users who chose this class was incredibly low. In no other game was the proportion of Clerics so low, and finding high-level Clerics became even harder as one progressed.
But once you get past that phase...
One became a high-level Cleric who was sought after in the labor market! So then what about a Solaric Cleric who was incomparable to ordinary Clerics?
"No one can replace me."
Kai was literally the one and only! As his level increased, the gap between him and other Clerics was sure to become even more pronounced.
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