[Name: Nao Natsuya]
[Age: 19]
[Strength: 8 (Current tier: 2,000 points per level)]
[Agility: 7 (Current tier: 2,000 points per level)]
[Stamina: 12 (Current tier: 5,000 points per level)]
[Intelligence: 8 (Current tier: 20,000 points per level)]
[Charm: 10 (Current tier: 50,000 points per level)]
[Current Points: 115,001]
——
The "Deep Blue" thing was just a joke. The system wasn't sentient—Nao had to manually allocate points himself.
"Stamina costs 5,000 points per level now?" He noticed this detail and frowned slightly. "Crossing the threshold sure spikes the cost. Pretty harsh."
Without hesitation, he tapped the "+" button next to Strength and Agility several times, raising both stats to 12 points each.
Each point cost 2,000 points.
Total spent: 18,000 points.
Just like Stamina, Strength and Agility now required 5,000 points per level as well.
[Current Points: 97,001]
"Next is Stamina…" Nao lowered his gaze, planning to test how far he could push this stat before the next threshold. After all, his focus was on this area, so over-investing wasn't a concern.
[Player spent 5,000 points. Stamina +1]
[Player spent 5,000 points. Stamina +1]
…
The notifications kept coming. Eventually, after spending a total of 30,000 points, Nao's Stamina reached 18 points, and the point cost for further upgrades suddenly spiked to 20,000 per level.
"Whoa…" Nao twitched an eyebrow and wisely stopped, worried he might drain his entire stock of points if he clicked too fast.
"So, for Strength, Agility, and Stamina, each increases the point cost every 6 levels. Makes sense, but it's still a bit brutal."
6, 12, 18… Next spike would come at 24?
That was still a ways off. From what Nao remembered, even Gion (Momousagi) was probably around that level now—he likely wouldn't catch up before graduation.
With over 60,000 points left, Nao considered boosting Strength and Agility to 18 as well, but that would nearly drain him dry and leave too few points for next week's shop update.
So, he settled for spending 30,000 points, adding 3 more levels to both Strength and Agility.
Final Panel:
[Name: Nao Natsuya]
[Age: 19]
[Strength: 15]
[Agility: 15]
[Stamina: 18]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Charm: 10]
[Current Points: 35,001]
"…Strong like a monster," Nao muttered, staring at his new status screen. After a long pause, he scratched his head. "Feels like I've suddenly become invincible…"
His combat skills and experience might still lag behind his peers, but on pure stats alone, he was undoubtedly a monster in the rookie camp.
But… numbers on a screen were just that. They were only meaningful when put into action.
So, eager to test the new limits of his body, Nao resumed his journey and began experimenting along the rural trail under the moonlit sky.
First, speed.
He pushed himself to full sprint. The wind roared past his ears, dust rose behind him, and the surge of sheer velocity filled him with confidence. He half-joked to himself—
"Tonight, I'm the Flash. From Central City to Gotham in mere seconds!"
Spotting a towering tree by the road—at least six men could link hands around its trunk—he halted, drew back, and unleashed an uppercut.
Boom!
A deep thud echoed, startling the night's resting birds.
Without any martial arts or focused effort, his raw physical power alone was enough to topple the massive tree.
Nao flexed his hand thoughtfully. Before the level-up, the same punch might have only made the tree shake a bit.
"Looks like my speed and strength roughly tripled…"
"…Yep, I'm unstoppable now!"
Delighted by the rush of power, he noticed that his punch had scattered nuts and acorns from the fallen tree. Three small squirrels scampered out, cheeks puffed out, chittering angrily. One even chucked a nut at him.
"Ah, sorry!"
Nao the Unstoppable Monster fled into the night.
——
Thanks to his boosted speed, Nao reached the 329th Marine Branch Base in under two hours.
A few figures waited at the gate. The man in front looked familiar—Nao guessed it was Commader Bako, whom he'd met just a couple of days ago.
Slowing his pace, Nao approached with calm, unlabored breaths, as if the two-hour sprint had never happened.
Captain Bako, who was nearly dozing off from exhaustion, snapped alert at the sight of the handsome young man walking toward him in the moonlight.
"So you're the one mentioned in the call from Vice Admiral Chishio—the one who needs to borrow our ship for a special assignment?" he asked, his tone tinged with doubt. "You're awfully young… Are you really with the Marines?"
"Marine ID 10745, from HQ," Nao stated curtly, deliberately dropping the pretense of politeness. "Mission details are classified. You don't have clearance."
Nao was usually courteous, but he knew better than to show weakness here. Without Gion's presence backing him up, a bit of arrogance would help establish dominance.
Predictably, Bako's expression soured, but he didn't press further. Instead, he yanked a scrawny teenager from behind him and shoved him forward.
"I've arranged a ship for you. Head to the northern docks. This kid's your helmsman—name's Bone."
The boy was around 16 or 17, with short black hair, a thin, nervous frame, and an awkward demeanor. He clenched his fists and looked tense when Nao's gaze fell on him.