Getting Stronger [4]

At some point, the pleasurable feeling I was getting from being soaked in mana water changed.

It turned into pain.

Immediately, I knew my body was reaching its limit for absorbing mana.

The logical thing for me to do was to get out of the pond before I hurt myself and damage my body.

But when I turned to look at Lionel beside me, still wearing the same blissful expression, I couldn't help but grit my teeth silently.

He truly was a monster.

I couldn't compare to him, nor did I want to.

But...

While I had no grand dreams of becoming the most powerful being under the heavens or anything like that, I couldn't accept the thought of being weak.

That was a sin.

One might wonder why I'm so determined to become strong.

Can't I just ensure I pass the tutorial Floor and find a safe spot in the tower to reside in?

On the surface, that might seem like the safer option, but in reality, it's not.

Relying on others for my life and death isn't something I'm comfortable with.

Aside from my desire to explore this world, my secondary goal is to be nothing like I was back on Earth.

I was weak there, and I refuse to be weak here.

I was powerless there, and I must gain power here.

Moreover, even those who keep to themselves aren't safe in the tower.

I recall numerous events in the novel where powerless individuals in the tower met unfortunate fates.

Essentially, aside from desiring power, I need it.

I don't need to be the strongest, I just need to be strong.

Knowing I could still bear with the pain assaulting my body a little bit more, I remained in the pond.

To distract myself from the discomfort surrounding my body, I decided to see how far my stats had grown.

In fact, higher stats weren't the only qualification for higher strength.

One's race, weapons, mana arts, talents, and gifts were included as well.

Determining strength based on race was a bit tricky.

The stats that show on the status panel correspond to the race one belongs to.

For two humans, a G5 in strength meant both humans fundamentally have the same level of strength, with differences only appearing in how skillful both parties were in adapting to using their strength.

For different races like elves and humans, a G5 in strength did not mean both parties' level for strength was equal.

For humans, a G5 in strength for an elf was probably equivalent to a G9 or F in strength for them.

Why was this?

It was because elves were a higher race than humans.

For two elves, a G5 in strength meant both elves fundamentally have the same level of strength, with differences only appearing in how skillful both parties were in adapting to using their strength.

For elves and humans, it wasn't the same.

This is why it was highly difficult for powerful individuals to even defeat a baby dragon due to the difference in strength between their races.

Belonging to a stronger race meant one was already halfway strong.

It also meant they had a higher limit before they peaked in strength.

Humans were one of the weakest races with the lowest limits, so their peak could be another race's midpoint.

The situation could only change if they evolved, but that was something the future me could worry about.

I was already human, so there was no use lamenting over that.

It wasn't like race was what defined true strength.

If it was, the human race would be slaves to the other races up in the tower, but they weren't.

After all, there were weapons that gave strength to the wielders. Humans were specifically known for their tools after the dwarves.

Then there were mana arts.

Techniques similar to the ones in xianxia cultivation fiction the characters used to get stronger.

It's essentially the same in this world.

Some mana arts could give one a unique constitution that made them stand out from their peers. While this did not remove the race limit, it could breach the stat advantage other races had.

Then there were talents, which could never be explained enough.

The monster beside me was one of the few people with real 'Talent' or rather, 'talents.'

It could be talent in magic or it could be talent in swords. It could be talent in comprehension or battle smartness.

Any of these were enough to significantly enhance strength.

Then there were special gifts.

Some people called them supreme talents or abilities, but most referred to them as gifts.

However, as expected, gifts weren't common, as they were even said in the tower to be bestowed by the heavens' favourites.

However, it seemed the heavens liked to play games because instead of just giving the lucky few gifts and leaving it at that, they gave gifts with the condition that certain requirements must be met before they could be used.

Even the most common special gifts that already had their requirements studied for years weren't so easy to activate; now imagine the uncommon ones.

There was no lack of people who had special gifts but died without being able to activate them.

This was why I didn't bother considering my special gift as a factor to increase my strength.

I didn't even know the requirements, as something like this wasn't even mentioned in the novel.

When I try to check the detail of my gift by concentrating on it, nothing comes up.

I had already expected this.

The effects of gifts could only be known after activation. This was one of the advantages known special gifts had.

I was initially happy, but it was a short-lived feeling.

However, unlike my special gift, whose activation process was unknown, Lionel's own was.

As the main character, he, of course, had a special gift, but perhaps because of the author's sense of humour, it was one of the most commonly known special gifts.

This didn't mean it wasn't powerful, though. It was.

The gift just happened to be widely known, so even if I didn't do anything, with quite a lot of work, Lionel would be able to activate his gift himself.

Anyway, it was finally time for me to leave the pond.

The pain was getting unbearable.