After slipping away from Darius and Vera, it didn't take Gabriel long to encounter a lone Level 2 Voidsting Bee hovering around a dying tree.
[Voidsting Bee – LV. 2]
He tightened his grip on the Voidsting Sword and began to approach the beast.
Because of his past experience, even though he wasn't an assassin, Gabriel was able to move silently—so silently that the Voidsting Bee, despite its high perception stat, couldn't sense his presence.
When he was just an arm's length away, Gabriel swung his sword fiercely and decapitated the beast in one blow. Two halves of the mutated creature fell to the ground, and a system notification glimmered in his periphery.
[Ding! You've killed Lv2 Voidsting Bee]
[Ding! You received +1 EP!]
[Ding! Would you like to extract from target: LV2 Voidsting Bee | Cost: 2 EP]
"Yes," Gabriel muttered, nodding his head.
[Please select what to extract]
[Strength +2]
[Agility +2]
[Voidsting Boots]
[Voidsting Antenna Sensor (Item)]
A frown crossed Gabriel's features when he saw that there was no skill among the options. In Realm of Ascendency, players could gain skills either by purchasing them from merchants in the city or through dungeons and quests.
They were very expensive and strictly regulated by the royal family, the major factions, and the top guilds—meaning the skills in merchant stores were often just the leftovers of the elite.
"Well, I still have enough time. I'll definitely find a skill today," Gabriel muttered as he considered the three options before him.
Although the Voidsting Antenna Sensor seemed like a useful item—probably helpful in detecting more Voidsting Bees—it wasn't ideal for him at the moment.
What he needed more than anything was strength. Gabriel's strength was his weakest attribute.
Strength didn't just affect damage; it also influenced weapon handling. Even wielding the Voidsting Sword placed a noticeable strain on his arms.
Gabriel selected Strength, and 2 EP was swiftly deducted from his total. Including the point he'd gained from the kill, his total EP now stood at five.
[Strength: 5 → 7]
"It seems the way to increase my EP is by killing monsters," Gabriel deduced. "But how frequently can I earn EP?"
There was only one way to find out and that was hunting more monsters.
Gabriel quickly left the scene after retrieving the mana stones from the beast. For about ten minutes, he encountered nothing and had no choice but to break into a sprint.
After running for about five minutes, he encountered another group of four Voidsting Bees.
With his boosted Strength stat, he felt more confident and charged in. Sure enough, when he summoned the Voidsting Blade, Gabriel noticed the weapon's weight had been significantly reduced.
He arrived before the first beast and slashed horizontally.
Swoosh!
[-21] [-10] [-5]
Some time later, Gabriel had slaughtered all four Voidsting Bees, and a golden aura enveloped him as a series of system messages flashed before him.
[Ding! You've leveled up!]
[Ding! You've received five free stat points!]
[Ding! You've received +4 EP!]
The 4 EP confirmed his theory about extraction points. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Not bad. That means I just need to kill more. With enough EP, I can extract whatever I want. If it follows typical game logic, the amount of EP earned depends on the level of the beast."
But first... Gabriel narrowed his eyes, returning his focus to the system. 'I need to allocate my free stat points.'
Right now, he was still weak, and it wasn't wise to save stat points. Who knew when he might run into a dangerous enemy? Out here in the wilderness, monsters weren't the only threat.
"If I remember correctly: Strength affects physical power; Agility improves speed and reaction time; Perception increases sensory awareness; Intelligence boosts Mana Points—each point adds 10 MP."
In his past life, Gabriel remembered that most players had invested heavily in Intelligence because of the insane MP gain. Although it left their builds unbalanced, it was still very useful—especially for mage-class players.
After five seconds of thought, he decided to assign three points to Strength and two to Intelligence.
[Strength: 7 → 10]
[Intelligence: 5 → 7]
[MP: 50 → 70]
Satisfied, Gabriel moved to the first creature, activating his Extraction Talent. With four kills and 6 EP available, he could extract from three of the four Voidsting Bees.
When he placed his hand on the first beast, a screen flickered before him.
[Please choose what to extract]
[Voidsting Sword (Iron)]
[Venom Burst Sac +3]
[Perception +1]
"Only three? So the options are random?" Gabriel noted, recalling the four option in the last extraction. He selected the [Venom Burst Sac] and In a burst of purple light, three yellow grenades with black and yellow stripes appeared in his palm.
[Name: Venom Burst Sac (Bronze)]
[Description: A volatile gland harvested from mutated bees. Can be thrown like a grenade. On impact, causes a toxic explosion dealing AoE venom damage over 5 seconds (2-meter radius).]
From the remaining two beasts, Gabriel extracted +2 Strength and a chest plate, which he donned without hesitation.
[Name: Voidsting Carapace Chest Plate (Iron)]
[Durability: 50/50]
[Description: Forged from durable Voidsting chitin, this lightweight chest plate grants minor resistance to poison-based attacks and reduces incoming damage. Effect: +10 Strength]
After wearing the armor, he felt a surge of strength course through him. True to its name, the chestplate was weightless—it felt no different from putting on a normal tunic.
Just as he finished putting on the chest plate and was preparing to leave the scene, Gabriel suddenly sensed multiple eyes watching him from behind—with malicious intent.