A little under five minutes and a lot of massages later, the effects of Rallying Cry finally wore off. The entire group breathed a sigh of relief as their arms shrank back to normal size.

Despite all appearances though, the skill hadn't been entirely detrimental. A number of their group had apparently put the buffs to good use in their own fights. Even better, the constitution buff had managed to heal the gash on Tom's right arm, as well as any other right-arm injuries that the group had previously sported.

Was it worth the pain and spinal misalignments? There was still a bit of disagreement on that front, but the majority seemed to agree on "no." Not everyone appreciated greatness when they encountered it.

Chad took the time to rest and take inventory of himself. Checking his notifications revealed a few more pleasant surprises.

You have displayed rudimentary knowledge of how to look kinda badass! Showmanship (E) proficiency earned!

Huh. That one sent Chad's eyebrows up his forehead. Didn't expect that one. What did I even do?

He thought back to the previous fight. Maybe it had been the battle cry? Or making the ground turn to jelly. Or turning the forest into firewood. Or... well, ok, maybe he did a few cool things.

You have reached Level 16!

Rewards:

+3 Stat points

+1 Skill

Awesome! The notification brought a grin to his face. More points, more skills!

He navigated to the stat allocation menu as normal, hovering over his right arm. But before instantly assigning his points where he had last time, he hesitated.

Hmmm... I did run into some problems in that last fight. He frowned. Is there any way I can fix those?

He stretched and tested his arm a bit. That lizard man had taken advantage of his short reach and one-sided offense to stay out of range. Worse, he'd been too fast for Chad to grab when he did dart in to attack. He simply couldn't pivot or move quickly enough.

I guess that's a footwork thing, isn't it... He grimaced. You kinda have to use your legs to pivot, don't you? Or hips at least.

The thought also reminded him of his experience picking up Tom's truck. His legs and back simply couldn't handle the strain, even if his arm could.

It's not like I expect them to, but... damn. I'm really running into some problems, here. Not just with my arm, but with everything else I've been ignoring.

The way Chad saw it, he had three options. The first was to put points into his legs, back, feet, or whatever other muscles needed a boost until they were strong enough to handle these problems. The idea didn't exactly entice him, but he could see its merits now.

I guess I could put points in my feet or legs, so I could pivot and run faster. But... how many points would I need? How many other muscles? And how far would I fall behind?

The thought of losing his edge against these enemies worried him, especially after this whole encounter. If he hadn't been this strong, their entire group could've been wiped out. Could he afford to use come points elsewhere? Maybe.

But do I wanna find out by putting everyone else in danger?

The second option was to find ways around these problems that didn't involve stats. He could already deal with ranged enemies using Curveball, as long as it wasn't on cooldown. So maybe other skills or equipment could help him do the same here. Even if he wasn't sure exactly what they would be.

It wouldn't make me waste stat points, at least. So that might worth be looking into. Maybe some kinda weapon with longer reach...

And the third option... well, the third option was simple. To keep improving his arm until these issues were completely meaningless before its might. There were other stats than strength, after all. If speed and reach were his issues, then dexterity might do the trick. He just needed to make it so fast and so strong that it didn't matter who his opponent was -- he'd be able to take them down with one hand tied behind his back. Literally.

After a lot of deliberation, Chad settled on a decision. He knew who he was. He knew what he wanted. And he wasn't the type to do things halfway.

If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna go all in. I'm gonna prove that, even now, I'm still the Right Arm Super-Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Stat +1 DEX will be applied to the following:

Right Hand

Stat +2 DEX will be applied to the following:

Right Upper Arm

Please confirm your selection.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

As the stat changes took effect, Chad noticed that his hand and arm didn't shrink like they did when adding constitution. Instead, he felt the change as they relaxed slightly. The tightly corded muscles seemed to become more flexible and malleable. Opening and closing his palm revealed no obvious changes other than how nimble it felt.

He moved his fingers quickly. They blurred before his vision, dancing as he transitioned from fluttering them to making different hand signs as quickly as he could. The level of control and sureness he felt was frankly absurd. Like he could catch a fly between his fingers without even having to try. As for his upper arm...

Chad held his arm out and moved it from side to side. Rather than move in one smooth motion, the limb seemed to appear in one side of his view, then the other. The sheer speed honestly surprised him, not to mention the control. He could stop mid-movement or pivot in a different direction practically at will.

Sure, the movements looked jerky as all hell -- a byproduct of not using his entire arm's abilities. Also, the arm that he was moving could stretch a little farther, but not quite enough for him to make use of his entire reach. But it was something.

Awesome. Chad nodded with satisfaction. With this, I definitely could've caught that lizard bastard.

He didn't need anything too fancy. He needed to be just fast enough to grab hold of his opponent. Then, he could take care of business.

Finally, he cracked his neck. Time for the fun part. Skills.

He eagerly navigated to the menu to see what was in store today.

Conjure Hammer -- Now don't be thinking we're trying to cheap out on you here. We're not talking about some dinky little practically-sized hammer. No, we're talking about a real man's hammer.

When activated, conjures a spectral hammer into your hand. The hammer can be summoned and dismissed at will for the duration of the skill. Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 3 hours.

Oh hell yeah.

His face split into a wide grin as he read the skill, especially the first part. This wasn't some hammer like the one his mechanic friend could summon. No, this promised to be more. Way more.

And if someone melts this one, who cares? I can just make it again next time. Or maybe I can summon it again right then!

Things were starting off strong this time. Maybe the next ones would be even better.

Earthshatter -- Make your enemies tremble in your very presence! Not really out of fear, though. More because the ground is shaking so hard.

When activated, creates a ripple of force that produces a localized earthquake in a 50 foot radius. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.

As badass as Earthshatter sounded, it was pretty clear why Chad had received it as an option. He'd managed to accomplish the same effect on his own, without the aid of a skill.

Maybe it's better than it looks? He thought the choice over for a moment. I mean, mine didn't last that long. Though I'm pretty sure it was bigger than 50 feet... And maybe the skill version is stronger or something?

Even if that was the case, it wasn't something he particularly wanted to test. Not when it meant wasting a skill slot, and especially not when pumping his arm further might achieve the same thing. Setting it aside, he looked over the final skill option.

Iron Skin -- Tired of getting papercuts, both big and small? Well, look no further! With this skill, nothing but the finest edge will cut through your defenses.

When activated, creates a protective coating across the body's surface. The coating's durability and damage resistance is equivalent to iron. Duration: 1 minute. Cooldown: 2 hours.

Now that seemed useful. Chad looked down at the newly bandaged wounds that covered his entire body. If he'd had this, then there was a good chance he wouldn't be in such bad shape right now. Not by a longshot.

But... the hammer...

Chad contemplated the selections carefully. Both Conjure Hammer and Iron Skin seemed like good picks, but he couldn't entirely decide which to go for. One was awesome, while the other was more... practical.

Though Conjure Hammer is pretty practical, too. He reasoned. I mean, I need more reach, right? So if I always have a hammer on hand, then reach won't be an issue! Right?

He hesitated. It didn't take too much thought to realize he wasn't being entirely reasonable, here. And with how his last choice had gone over, maybe he could use a second brain on the issue. A better one.

He looked toward his shoulder. "Hey, Squawk?"

"Hmm?" The bird peered down.

"I got a question."

"What's up?"

"I need help picking a skill."

The bird preened, stretching his grey feathers wide. "Well, of course! Let me bestow my incredible wisdom upon you."

Chad stared. "I thought you were putting points into intelligence, not wisdom."

"I am, I meant... Ah, never mind. Just tell me the skills."

After reading off the entries for each, Squawkers crossed his wings in deep contemplation. "Hmmm... Let's start with the obvious. Don't take Earthshatter."

"I thought the same thing." Chad nodded, feeling a little proud of himself for the conclusion. "I can do that just fine on my own."

"Exactly," the parrot gave a return nod. "And your fist doesn't have a damn cooldown. But Conjure Hammer and Iron Skin... I think you should take Iron Skin."

The arm wrestler felt his spirits fall a little. "But what if the hammer's super strong? And I mean, I can make it appear, so I don't have to worry about going to grab it after every throw, right?"

"Yeah, but you also have Curveball." Squawkers pointed out. "You can turn it into a boomerang already. Plus, even if it is a cool hammer, it's still just a hammer. You threw a truck, remember?"

Chad frowned. "I guess..."

Squawkers readjusted on his shoulder. "Chad, at this point you can kinda throw whatever the heck you want. Why limit yourself to one hammer? I mean, if you really want to throw those, just carry a bunch around! Well, if your legs can handle it..."

"I can push a wheelbarrow full of them," Chad offered. "Then it's not so bad."

"Exactly! See? And then you can just throw the wheelbarrow with the hammers if you want to!" The bird bobbed his head. "Though I still think you should probably be throwing other stuff. Like trees. Or rocks. Or explosives. But either way, Conjure Hammer just isn't worth it. Iron Skin, though? That thing will help keep you alive, even without using stat points!"

"Hmmm..." A thoughtful expression creased Chad's brow. "I guess you have a point, there. Thanks, Brains."

Squawkers preened. "Of course! It's what I'm here for!"

Skill Selection: Iron Skin.

Please confirm your selection.

He still felt a twinge of disappointment at passing up Conjure Hammer, but that was alright. Squawkers made some good points. And besides, they could always make him another hammer anyway.

As curious as he was though, Chad refrained from activating the skill right away. After all, they could run into more enemies. Especially given their real mission here.

After taking care of everyone's injuries as best they could, Chad and the others headed toward the ship's smoking wreckage.