Chapter 16 Increasing Strength

Michael wouldn't claim to know much about his new reality just because he spent a few hours on the Supers Association forum. But thanks to those hours of studying, he could say he knew much more about Awakeners now than before.

Aside from a few other things, there was one thing all Awakeners wanted regardless of race.

Attribute points. 

With each point representing the entire power of an average individual of their respective race—an instant boost.

And right now. 

Michael had six of these points he could use to instantly strengthen himself.

'Which stat would maximise these points and help me most right now?' Michael wondered. At this moment, he needed something to boost his survivability and strength, and apart from external items, only these Attribute Points could help.

Michael examined his stats, considering which of the four would best support him in his current situation.

[Strength: 1.6]

[Agility: 1.9]

[Constitution: 1.4]

[Intelligence: 5.5]

[Attribute Points: 6]

Michael's initial location could be described as odd. At first glance, it didn't seem particularly dangerous, but it also couldn't be called safe. 

It might be a stretch to label it dangerous because of a single slime, but that slime—a genuine monster— also made this place questionable. 

What if there were more monsters? And what if they weren't slimes? 

Michael didn't like slimes, but he felt they were probably the best kind of monster he could currently handle solo.

If the acid slime had a stat system, it would likely have allocated 90% of its stats to intelligence, 8% to agility, and the remaining 2% split between strength and constitution—just enough to live.

This is rough estimation, but it was obvious that, despite being an "acid" slime, its constitution was minimal. Even with gun and bullet technology refined over 200 years, it shouldn't have been able to kill the slime by destroying its core embedded within its acidic body. 

It was only now, as Michael had time to think, that he realised just how incredibly lucky he'd been. 

If he had encountered any other monster—like a wolf, with 90% of its stats in agility—he'd probably be at home right now, cooking something for his cousin.

Monsters were supernatural beings, so even a wolf's speed would be terrifying. A normal wolf is already faster than an average human, so a wolf monster would be a nightmare to escape.

A slime, in contrast, was manageable. With a long-range weapon, it could be defeated without risking close contact. But without one, getting close enough to kill an acid slime was almost suicidal. Just one wrong step could lead to excruciating pain, a worse deterrent than even the consequences of death.

'I really hope there's no monster other than slimes in this building,' Michael thought. As for hoping for no monsters at all—that wasn't his wish; he was greedy for the experience points.

"Okay, it's decided. I'll choose Agility and Constitution."

For a necromancer to choose these stats seemed wasteful, but Michael had no choice. Right now, he was a "fake" necromancer without a single undead summon or spell to cast. Although Intelligence was his most important stat, it felt useless at the moment. Ironically, investing in it felt like a waste.

As for why he chose Agility and Constitution, the reasoning was simple: the latter to boost his health and endurance so he could survive longer, and the former so he could run from anything he couldn't defeat—or at least stay out of reach. He planned to put more points into Agility between the two.

"I'm really a disgrace to necromancers."

After a moment's thought, Michael stopped hesitating and began to increase his stats.

He first placed two points into Constitution.

[Constitution: 3.4]

After increasing his Constitution by two points, Michael immediately felt different. 

A warm sensation spread through his body, leaving him with a subtle sense of increased health. The change was hard to pinpoint, but the most noticeable effect was on his mutilated left arm. 

Now, with three times the Constitution of an average human, the scar there seemed to fade slightly—not disappearing, but looking older, as though it had been healing for years. This implied that future scars wouldn't vanish either; increasing Constitution would only make them appear "healed."

'Even though I haven't ascended to Rank 1 yet, with three times the Constitution of an average human, my lifespan should be pretty long, right?' Michael wondered. He was uncertain but felt he was on the right track.

Awakeners had incredibly long lifespans. Rank 1 Awakeners could live up to 200 years—so what about the higher ranks? 

Beyond offering great power, the Land of Origin presented another alluring gift: immortality.

Michael suspected that for many, immortality was the real prize; power was just a desirable convenience.

After adjusting to his enhanced Constitution, Michael then allocated points to his Agility stat.

[Agility: 4.9]

Compared to Constitution, the effects of increasing Agility were immediate. 

When Michael tried to move his hands, the newfound flexibility and speed made him stumble and almost flip himself over.

"Amazing!"

Though in an awkward position, his heart was filled with excitement. Boosting his Agility felt like breaking free from invisible chains that had weighed him down.

'Four times the average human speed. I'm practically a mini superhuman in the eyes of ordinary people now. And this is just Level 2! When I advance to the first rank, the stat increase will be even more impressive!'

Michael was thrilled with his growth, eager to get even stronger. Now, he didn't fear acid slimes hurting him—he feared not finding any to fight!

Before diving into exploring the abandoned building, though, he took a few minutes to adjust to his newfound Agility. After testing his movement, he was stunned.

"The average human speed is about 100 metres in 10 seconds. I just tried running, and I'm hitting around 80 metres per second! And I think it's only this fast because I still need better control of my body!"

"This is just the strength of an unranked Awakener at Level 2?"

No wonder only a few cultivators dared challenge the arrogant Awakeners in the forums. But more than anything, Michael was overjoyed. He was lucky to have awakened!

Like Cultivators, before truly stepping into the supernatural path, Awakeners below Rank 1 were also referred to as apprentices, which even showed on their status panel.

But considering his current strength, even a new Rank 1 knight might not necessarily be as strong as he was now, right?

'Are Cultivators really that weak?'

"No! I can't think like that!" Michael quickly scolded himself, sensing a hint of arrogance. That wasn't a good path, lest he become conceited.

"The waters of this world run deep. I'm not qualified to look down on anything yet."

After calming down, Michael also recognized that his distribution of attribute points as a necromancer was clearly off. It was better to excel in one thing than to be mediocre in everything.

But the issue was… he didn't have a choice.

Right now, strength mattered most for levelling up—and more importantly, survival. As for necromancy, since he'd need to kill a monster first to have an undead summon, he could only hope that, if he did encounter one, it wouldn't be too strong.

"There's nothing I can do about it now. I'll leave it to fate."

"First, let's see if the slime dropped anything valuable!"

Excited, Michael made his way over to the "corpse" of the acid slime.

As for the last attribute point, he decided to keep it in reserve for emergencies.