Without even a second of preparation, Bianca's weapon charged the ants like an angry bull.
KREEE! KREEE! KREEE!
Boom! A powerful surge of kinetic energy tore chunks from large ants! They shrieked and lunged—but it made no difference. Each punch Elian threw shattered their carapaces, and while they tried, their attacks couldn't even give him so much as a scratch.
[You have leveled up! You are now Level 9!]
"Almost there. Master—tell me Forged next!" he requested.
Bianca's figure observed the walls and the ground as Elian fought. She seemed out of place without even a single speck of dust in such a chaotic war zone.
"Forged is a talent that works on a simple principle. It compresses mass. Your skin appears light, but in density and resilience, it's as if you're clad in meters of steel. Such mass gives immense weight and incredible resilience. Fight by leveraging this principle."
"Ho? But if that is the case, how can I move?"
"That is the demerit of this talent. You will never be able to use mana. All of it will be used to power your body like a battery. As your body levels, it actually increases your mass, thus your mana consumption will never grow above what you need to function."
"Eh? So I can't do anything but punch? That's kinda lame."
"Tch! This ungrateful brat! You can punch really, really hard—isn't that enough?"
I suppose it is better than nothing.
Remembering the instruction Elian received, he began to change how he fought. If his body was the equivalent of an armored juggernaut, then rather than kick and punch, using his weight and momentum would be much more effective.
Hmm. Force is mass and acceleration. Then can I create sonic booms if I change directions fast enough?
"Elian! One is running away!"
Hearing his master's warning, Elian's eyes locked on the ant scurrying away. He placed his hands down and lowered his body. In the classic sprinter pose, the boy flexed his thighs before gunning it. The ant, who felt the tremors behind it, looked back as it screamed.
KREEE!!
Like a rampaging giant, each step Elian took caused the ground to quake. Due to his immense weight, when his body picked up speed, both his speed and momentum grew exponentially. He then threw a simple punch but pulled it back at the last moment.
CRACK!
A loud snap resounded, then a violent gust of wind erupted. Like a hurricane, the air turned visible and created a fast-speeding projectile. It slammed into the ant's abdomen, knocking it off its feet.
Catching up to its target, Elian observed the result of his makeshift attack.
The insect's lower body looked like it was sliced clean by the savage winds. Three of its six legs got shredded. Unable to raise its body, the Red Worker Ant frantically thrashed. Its shrill cries echoed along the passage.
Without mercy, Elian stomped on its face, crushing it like a pumpkin. "Shut up."
"That was most impressive. If you could refine that technique, it should serve you well."
"Thank you. I just thought that I needed a ranged attack."
"You should be able to formulate your own combat style once you reach level ten. Jobs are influenced by your core talent. As you have three, you should have a lot of options."
When the chaos died down, Elian once again worked to salvage the cores. The ground rumbled and quaked for some reason.
It feels like something is moving towards the south. Something massive.
Putting the matter to the back of his mind, Elian continued his conversation with Bianca. "Master, I have another question—how can you see my status?"
"You essentially command your nanomachines to measure someone's mana. The ones I gave you are of the highest caliber, so you should be able to see any monster's status. People too. Just look at a target and think, let me see her status. Of course, doing so is considered extremely rude."
"I see. What about yours? Can I see it too?"
"Sure, I don't mind. Take out my soulgem and check."
Elian followed his master's instructions and saw her status.
___
Name: Bianca Valestra (F)
Talent: Frigid (S) | Eternal (SSS)
Lvl: 75
HP: 10/10 | MP: 15,239/300,000
Strength: SSS | Intelligence: SSS | Agility: SSS
Job: Ice Mage (S) | Alchemist (SS) | Psychomancer (SSS)
Title: Witch of the Frozen Night
___
The boy's jaw almost dropped to the ground. Unlike his own, practically every letter in Bianca's window was an S. Her three stats had nine of them. But his eyes naturally lingered longer on her talents.
Frigid. Eternal. How fitting.
"…That's impressive, Master."
"There are a lot of things that are not immediately apparent in one's status. For one, the reflection of power is relative to you."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"Try looking at one of the dead ants."
__
Name: Red Worker Ant (F)
Talent: Subservient (E)
Lvl: 17
HP: 0/2100 | MP: 35/200
Strength: E | Intelligence: F | Agility: E
Race: Insect
__
"Huh? This one seems weaker even though it's of higher level," Elian surmised.
"No, that is not it. This one is stronger than the first one you met. But as your own stats grow, those at your level would appear as C's. If the being is weaker, the rating would reflect that."
"OH! That's cool!"
Amazed at what he learned, Elian began scanning all of his fallen enemies. It was then that the tunnel once again quaked. But this time, a loud reverberating roar followed.
KUUUUUUU!
"What was that?"
Bianca paused and then faced the east. "It seems that the ants are in combat. That would have been a Soldier Ant. I sense a large number of people. Maybe about fifty? Most of them seem a bit young. Teenagers?"
Hearing Bianca's words, Elian couldn't help but clench his jaw. Only one thing came to mind from her observation. It must have been the students from his field trip.
Fifty? That's… impossible. Unless—unless they were dragged down like me.
"I don't know if they have been abducted, but the number of ants is too large even for you. No matter—let's look for more Workers and get you to level ten. No need to take needless risks. Let's steer clear of them."
Most dungeons, especially those that still have bosses, operated like organized groups. Hunting and gathering would be a common task for a hive of this scale. So if a person was abducted, it normally involved getting eaten.
That knowledge caused Elian to abruptly stand up.
He knew full well what would happen to all those people if no one intervened. Men, women, teachers, and his classmates. Maybe even Ms. Potts and Ned might be among them.
And while he had no reason to help, Elian felt his body move without his direction.
[Talent: Adamant – activated. Elian Reed is now immune to fear and psychological effects so long as the Talent remains active.]
"ELIAN! Where are you going?! You aren't intending to save them, are you?"
"No, Master. I intend to gather a large number of cores."
"Stop it with your nonsense, boy! You don't even have a job yet! With such numbers, there will surely be multiple Red Soldier Ants! You cannot take them on yet!"
"Perfect. I can level up faster."
"ELIAN! STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS AT ONCE!"
[Talent: Driven – activated. Elian Reed will never lose consciousness in the face of an enemy.]
"ELIAN!"
Leaving his master behind, the boy ran. His enhanced senses told him where he should go. As someone who lacked power, he knew the feeling of being at the mercy of others.
And now that I am no longer powerless, I cannot just stand by!
Soon, he came to a clearing where he saw the unthinkable.
On a platform below, a large group of people were surrounded and fighting off the waves of Red Ants. And they were losing badly. Several were injured, many were unconscious.
And true to his master's words, there were Red Ants that towered over the Red Worker Ants. There were five of them. All as big as school buses. Seeing the dangerous situation, Elian grabbed his favorite coin out of habit, and made his decision.
I have to help. If I am no longer human, it's time to put it to the test.
Without a moment to waste, Elian braced his body and catapulted himself into the skies.