Each corner became a deathtrap for the enemy, his axe cutting them into pieces whenever they ran into him. His superior Attributes let him easily outpace the horde, attacking again and again in a series of hit and run strikes. Gradually, he wore them down until all the [Lesser Zombies] were slain and he was into the ghouls. The new creatures were harder to deal with, their speed making injuries a very real risk. He couldn't afford to be hit even once by the undead, their paralytic venom making them more of a threat than most of the undead he had faced.

Still, his weapon gave him a massive advantage over them that they would never be able to match, reach. He used his axe to his advantage, cleaving wounds into the creatures from our of range of their claws. And if they tried to rush passed it he brought it down on their heads.

He dealt with them slower than the zombies, but he had more time to do so since they rushed ahead of the mage and its guards in their eagerness to get at him. He even got a Level Up part way through and put 2 points into Strength, an Attribute he had been neglecting over his past few Levels Ups, and 3 points into Dexterity. The pair were quickly becoming his favourite stats as he performed manoeuvres his previous physique would have never allowed.

He caught his breath as he finished off the last of the ghouls. He supposed he should start putting points into Endurance, especially due to his tactics of drawing out battles and the nature of undead making them foes to be whittled down rather than taken out in a decisive blow, but it didn't feel worth it with the stack of [Fatigue] making the Attribute worth less than the others, at least in his mind.

As he rested, a familiar sensation came over him, along with an unfamiliar one, as a notification icon appeared in the corner of his vision. A warmth that comforted him and brought him further away from the embrace of death and an injection of energy that relieved his aching muscles. He recognised the first from when he put points into Vitality but was confused as to why he was feeling it and the other one now. Curious, he willed open the notification and read.

[For defeating 10 or more enemies of minimum 5 Levels lower than you, you have earned the Title: One against Many]

A new Title, and one that he could see having upgrades to it like [Giant Slayer] and [Titan Slayer] had. He focused in on it and [Analysed], bringing up it's information.

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[One Against Many

Uncommon Title

+25 Health, +25 Stamina]

That explained it. The increase in Health from the Title had felt the same as increasing it via Vitality, whilst the increase in Stamina must be the same as putting points into Endurance, something he had yet to experience. Feeling more ready than ever to take on the fireball flinging skeleton and its guards, he opened his Status to give it one last look before he engaged them.

[

Name: Liam Karr

Race: Human (Earth)

Path: Path of the Spirits

Class: None

Titles: Spirit Progenitor, Natural Shaman, Titan Slayer, One Against Many

Level: 7 -> 8

HP: 94/250 -> 119/275

Stamina: 89/130 (117) -> 114/155 (139.5)

Lifeforce: 0/12 -> 1/13

Strength: 24 -> 26

Dexterity: 19 -> 22

Vitality: 25

Endurance: 13

Intelligence: 15

Willpower: 17

Free Attributes: 0

Traits:

None

Skills:

Analyse II

Spirit Lore I (II)

Undead Lore II

Ambidexterity I

Hafted II

Powers:

Spirit of Death I, Level 3/10

Lesser Spirit of Calm (Corrupted), Level 1/10

]

His stats were looking much better, with all but one of his physical ones being in the 20s. From how he felt, he estimated that 20 should be the peak of what was achievable before the System and, having broken through that threshold for 3 Attributes, he was now firmly in superhuman territory. He wouldn't be outrunning bullets or punching as hard as a speeding train, but his body was now capable of feats that would've terrified him if he hadn't stared death in the face as often as he had these past few hours.

His mental stats remained untouched, just like Endurance, but he was beginning to wonder what would happen if he put points into them. How would a higher Intelligence effect his thoughts process? Would it make him think differently or just faster. And how could the System even quantify Willpower? Sure he had forced himself to do many things he didn't want to in order to build his life towards the future he had wanted, but if it followed the same rules as his physical Attributes then he was near the peak of pre-integration humanity when it came to strength of will. Was he more motivated than he thought he was or was there something else at play? These were all questions he wanted answered before he would even consider investing in them. If they would change who he was then the power they might bring would come at the cost of personality death, and if he would not remain himself then what was the point of living on? That, and the fact that he was loving his new physical prowess too much to stop growing it, was what stopped him from adding any points to them.

Shaking himself out of his ponderings, he refocused on the task at hand. His musings, once a pleasant distraction from the pains of life, had started to leave him stranded in his thoughts in potentially dangerous situations. He resolved himself to train the habit into one he only did in safe locations and readied his axe. He was ready to prove to himself, and the undead, that investing in the physical attributes was better anyway.