Trial number 340, give or take.
Standing before the Treasure Chest, I selected Physical Enhancement.
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
The Bugbears unleashed their habitual roar the moment they appeared. I had heard it so many times now that the sound was practically seared into my brain.
First, Bugbear A and Bugbear B charged from my left and right in a pincer attack. They always opened with this exact move. If I timed it perfectly, a simple crouch was enough to dodge.
Maintaining my momentum, I rolled forward and kicked off the ground with all my might. Thanks to the Physical Enhancement skill, I could leap significantly higher than the average person.
Bugbear C was right in front of me, so I used my hands to perform a backflip over its head. I used the momentum of my descent to drive a flying kick into Bugbear D.
"Gau?!"
The bear let out a pained grunt, but it wasn't enough to cause any real damage. The moment I touched the ground, I planted my left foot and swung my right leg in a wide sweep, knocking Bugbear D off its feet.
I wanted to follow up on the downed monster, but Bugbear C and Bugbear E were already closing in. I sprinted toward E and dropped into a low slide, slipping right between its legs as it hopped up to intercept me.
Nice. I’d survived for twenty seconds.
I gave myself a mental fist pump. It was likely the result of sheer repetition, but I was finally starting to read the monsters' movements and react accordingly.
Next, Bugbear A, Bugbear B, and Bugbear F moved to surround me. I kicked off the floor and leapt. My timing was spot-on—I landed right on Bugbear B’s outstretched arm. Putting everything I had into my fist, I slammed a punch into the creature's face.
The shock of the impact shuddered through my arm. That was a heavy blow, no doubt about it.
"Ah—"
The moment I landed, Bugbear F snatched me up. It hurled my body against the wall with terrifying force.
A wet crunch echoed as my skull shattered. I was dead before I even hit the floor.
◆
After several more bouts, I had come to understand the difference between Martial Arts and Physical Enhancement.
The description for Martial Arts read as follows:
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Skill: Martial Arts Lv1
Effect activates when unarmed or when wielding a short-reach weapon. Grants talent for martial arts. Partial enhancement of physical ability.
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Next, I compared it to the description for Physical Enhancement:
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Skill: Physical Enhancement Lv1
Enhances physical ability overall.
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Both mentioned enhancing physical ability, but side-by-side, the subtle difference was clear. The text for Martial Arts specified a "partial" enhancement, while Physical Enhancement had no such qualifier.
Essentially, Physical Enhancement boosted my abilities across the board, whereas Martial Arts only focused on specific areas. I was curious about what those specific areas were, and after a few more trials, I had a general grasp of it.
While Physical Enhancement boosted Strength, Endurance, Agility, and Vitality, Martial Arts only seemed to improve Strength and Agility.
In other words, Martial Arts ignored Endurance and Vitality.
This was evident in the way I died. When I fought with Physical Enhancement, my consciousness would often linger for a few seconds after a hit. With Martial Arts, it was an instant blackout.
Not that it mattered much; I was still dying in a single blow regardless.
Now then, what should I prioritize to actually defeat ten Bugbears?
First off, I didn't need Endurance. No matter how much I boosted it, I was still going to be a one-hit kill.
Vitality and Agility were more debatable. More Vitality meant more time to fight, which was crucial since my Attack Power was so low that any victory would be a battle of attrition. Agility was obviously a plus for dodging.
However, it was plain as day that my primary need was Strength.
My time using Acceleration had exposed my greatest flaw: my pathetic Attack Power. No matter how many times I landed a hit, I would never kill a Bugbear if I couldn't deal real damage.
So, which skill provided the superior Strength boost?
From what I could feel during the trials, there wasn't a massive difference between the two. Choosing one over the other didn't seem like it would change my situation much.
But as I reached that conclusion, I realized I had one more option.
"Maybe Strength Enhancement is the way to go," I muttered, staring at the Skill List in front of the Treasure Chest.
Strength Enhancement was only D-Rank. I had ignored it because of its low rank, but if its specialized nature offered a greater raw boost to power than the more well-rounded skills, it might be worth a shot.
With that thought, I decided to select Strength Enhancement.