Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-36

Kieran looked at the others while rubbing his chin in thought. The Fanged Forest was a decent source of plants, herbs, and some fruits. So, in addition to taking a few moments to speed level Aspaira, Cygnus, and Sithik, he also considered the thought of having them learn trade skills.

However, before he could do that, Kieran first needed to know if his decision would impede any of the paths they decided to take. After all, Kieran was aware of the finite trade skill slots. While Kieran was confident Altair would become a full-blown adventurer that focused on the physical aspect of Zenith Online, he couldn't say the same about the other three.

"Do you guys intend to take up any particular Lifestyle Jobs in the future?"

"Nah, not really," Sithik said, shaking his head repeatedly. He truthfully chose the Priest class cause it was admittedly the class with the least strenuous but still important role. So, why would he trouble himself with extra toils by picking up a labor-intensive Lifestyle Job?

Similarly, Cygnus also shook her head. However, Aspaira surprisingly wasn't like the rest.

"Erm, I was thinking about dabbling in some Alchemy. It seems very useful and profitable. Plus, I'm sort of familiar with the process, I guess," Aspaira answered.

'Familiar?' Kieran was partially surprised. He could draw some conclusions from this claim, but he didn't. Instead, he gave Aspaira a look that sought further clarification.

"Well, my day job is a pharmaceutical engineer. So, I'm quite familiar with the process of creating medicines. It shouldn't be too hard to transfer that knowledge over to a profession in this game, right? I mean… I know the technology won't be as advanced in this place, but yeah."

Immediately, the others turned toward Aspaira with looks of disbelief.

"No way! I don't believe someone like you has that type of job." Altair shook his head. He couldn't believe that Aspaira possessed the temperament required for a professional career in the broad medical field.

Meanwhile, Aspaira pursed her lips, seemingly offended by Altair's comment. "Why not? Are you telling me a lady can't unwind from time to time?"

"Oh, by all means, you can. But, I don't know how to put it. You generally lack that aura attributed to doctors and such," Altair said after trying to put his thoughts into words. In truth, he thought Aspaira was just a college student.

Aspaira simply rolled her eyes in response. "Not a doctor."

Afterward, she didn't continue with this topic. She seemed completely done with Altair since he continued to target her personality.

Meanwhile, Kieran only glanced between the two before, sighing softly. 'At least they act normal in each other's presence. Too much professionalism would lead to a rather stale and boring environment.'

Kieran had experienced too much boring in his life, so the harmless quarrels of this party weren't so bad in his eyes. It at least made it easier for Kieran to set aside and bury his childhood memories, albeit overly fragmented ones.

Life inside an orphanage wasn't always easy, especially when you were one of the new additions to the place.

Most kids who suffered tragic situations would act out and rebel at a young age, even sometimes expressing their anger and frustration by targeting other kids. Surprisingly, that wasn't how Kieran reacted to his parent's death. He grew increasingly quiet, despondent, and isolated from people.

While he experienced his fair share of bullying, Kieran merely buried that frustration deep within his heart. At this point, adding in the fact he was reborn as part of a vindictive plot, it was unknown just how much more wrongs Kieran could suffer before he imploded.

Still, Kieran felt he should cross that bridge at the right time. Unleashing his repressed fury while weak was akin to a frail cat bearing its teeth against a full-grown lion. It would amount to nothing more than a source of amusement before being utterly crushed.

Therefore, Kieran had to unleash his plan in steps. He wouldn't target the beast's body until all of its limbs had been cleanly severed, and its core weakened. After all, even a dying predator was still a predator through and through.

"If that's the case, then take these scrolls and learn them. You all should begin thinking of the future. If you're fast, you can make the most of every situation and obtain a sizable advantage in terms of financial ability," Kieran said.

In his hands were many scrolls for harvesting and mining. However, he didn't hand one of the scrolls to Aspaira just yet. Instead, he looked at her with a placid expression. "Do you think you'll focus more on Alchemy or being a Mage?"

"Alchemy for sure. I'm really not cut out to be a combat class," Aspaira admitted with a self-deprecating smile. She felt her value, aside from being a Mage, in the Forest of Beast Dungeon was next to none. So, she chose to play to her strengths.

Contrary to Aspaira's expectations, Kieran smiled at her, "Good choice. In that case, there will be no need for you to accept these trade skills. You should absolutely keep your other slots empty."

On the other hand, he had the other three immediately learn the Harvest and Mining trade skills. Once that happened, the team ventured inside the Fanged Forest, immediately rushing past the outskirt and inner areas of the forest that only held Lv.8 to Lv.12 beast.

Kieran and the others only stopped once they entered the central area of the Fanged Forest. The wolves here were incomparable to the ones from both. Not only was their size close to the Shadow Wolves found in the dungeon, but they appeared more robust.

「Lv.14 Giant Wolf (Elite)

Beast Type

Health: 2,600/2,600 (100%) 」

These Giant Wolves were slightly stronger and higher-leveled than the Shadow Wolves. Still, they didn't have any special elemental attributes. This consequently meant they were a purely physical opponent with no unexpected features to look out for.

Kieran didn't hesitate to draw his Novice Greatsword with an unaffected expression. These opponents didn't even enter his sights now that his disorder had begun to awaken already. It would have slight side effects, including the gradual disappearance of his emotions as he focused.

Kieran's gripped his sword tight and rushed forward while the Warrior's Aura billowed from his body in full effect. In the next moment, he accelerated exponentially, landing a direct blow on the nearest Giant Wolf before it could react.

-500

Immediately after, Kieran followed up with a powerful Savage Break, knocking back the wolf, which induced a stagger while considerably decreasing its defenses!

-947

Finally, Kieran finished off his attack with a horizontal Force Slash before the Giant Wolf could recover.

Whoosh! Bang!

-1,845! [Critical]

The Giant Wolf immediately fell without delivering the slightest bit of damage. Everyone in the party gaped at Kieran's tall figure standing before the falling monster. Although they understood he was at least 4 levels higher than the monster, it was still an Elite with noteworthy defense.

〈System: You have received 1,100 Experience.〉

Even if he unleashed a critical hit, his average damage was already remarkably high.

"Animal abuse," Altair commented with a slight chuckle. He then turned to the next Giant Wolf with a fervent gleam in his eyes.

Most of the Attribute Points Altair gained while Kieran was offline were invested into Strength, Agility, and Control. So, he wished to see just how far off his damage output was from Kieran.

He activated Swift Steps and appeared before his opponent with rapid steps. He twirled the Quicksilver Daggers around his finger until he snatched them in a reverse grip. Afterward, Altair unleashed a flurry of strikes that made his arms seem almost blurred.

However, Kieran saw them clear as day. 'His Agility…'

Out of habit, Kieran used Inspect on Altair to understand his stat allocation and just how high his attributes really were. Regrettably, Inspect only revealed the most basic information, which was nothing more than a brief summary. It didn't reveal how many Attributes Points came from gear.

「Name: Altair

Lv.18 (Experience: 1,400/30,000)

Class: Thief

Title(s): N/A

[«Stats»]-

Health: 220/220 (0.2 HP regen/sec)

Mana: 120/120 (0.15 MP regen/sec)

Stamina: 118 (0.1 Stamina regen/sec)

Attack Power: 178

Defense: 49

[«Attributes»]-

»Strength: 60

»Intelligence: 18

»Agility: 88

»Endurance: 19

»Control: 55

»Vitality: 22

»Perception: 34 」

As Kieran expected, Altair's Agility was incredibly high. So high, that he felt Altair was unmatched in speed unless he came across a Special Elite of equal level. Additionally, it'd require a player with similar, if not stronger, attributes to emerge victorious against Altair.

He was like a human tornado as he zipped around the Giant Wolf before him, unleashing a barrage of light attacks that accumulated in lethality. While he was taking exponentially longer than Kieran, he still managed to kill the Giant Wolf in under 1 minute.

〈System: You have received 1,100 Experience.〉

Upon watching Altair fight, Kieran grinned with pure elation. 'I know exactly what I'll do to those fools. It's only been a day, but creating another source of income wouldn't hurt at all.'

All he needed to do was generate enough buzz surrounding another stream.

However, he also needed to be intelligent about his decision. He couldn't let the stream go online too early, or it'd ruin the element of surprise by running the risk of exposing his movements beforehand.

Therefore, Kieran only etched out the plan mentally for the time being.

The team continued to steamroll the Giant Wolves, quickly returning the experience Sithik and the others lost. On the other hand, despite holding the Medallion of Growth again, the experience acquisition rate decreased greatly.

Soon enough, it would no longer be viable to kill monsters vastly below the player's level to receive semi-adequate experience.