[Your level has reached lv22, you have received 20 free attribute points!]
[Your level has reached lv23, you have received 20 free attribute points!]
[Your level has reached lv24, you have received 20 free attribute points!]
In the blink of an eye, John had ascended three levels, reaching lv24! This pace of leveling was astonishing enough to leave anyone speechless.
Even John was somewhat shocked by the potency of Hemokinesis.
In Lucas's hands, he hadn't perceived the skill to be particularly formidable.
But now, John realized Hemokinesis was undoubtedly an immensely powerful ability!
Not only does it possess an attack method that's incredibly difficult to defend against, but it also offers the versatility to switch between single-target and area-of-effect modes, along with exceedingly high damage.
If not for the skill level being somewhat low, Hemokinesis would certainly be a top-tier skill!
John gripped his staff tighter, his eyes shining with delight.
In the hands of a typical awakener, even among those of House Carter, the full potential of this skill could never be completely unleashed.
But in his possession, it was a different story.
With the Divine Favor Tome, capable of automatically maximizing skill levels, he could effortlessly resolve the upper limit issue of Hemokinesis, turning it into a formidable weapon in his arsenal.
John envisioned the possibilities.
Springing such an attack in the midst of battle could create an impeccable opportunity for offense, regardless of whether the opponent could suppress Hemokinesis or not.
It was undoubtedly a formidable skill!
As John pondered, the Hurricane Eagle King in the sky, witnessing John decimate dozens of monsters with a mere wave of his hand, trembled in fear, void of any further will to fight.
A cyan glow emerged around it, and flapping its wings like a gust of wind, it darted towards the distance, attempting to flee.
"Thinking you can provoke me and then just leave? Not so easy," John scoffed coldly, as a dense aura of death emanated from his staff.
A deep gray light appeared out of nowhere, ghostly shooting towards the Hurricane Eagle King.
"Undead Brand!"
The Hurricane Eagle King was fast, but the Undead Brand was faster.
Focused solely on fleeing, it failed to notice the skill John had unleashed from behind.
It was only when the Undead Brand struck its body that the Hurricane Eagle King realized what had happened, but it was too late.
"Puff!"
Upon impact, the Undead Brand didn't inflict any visible damage but transformed into a cloud of gray mist that seeped into its body.
Gray patterns started to emerge across the Hurricane Eagle King's feathers, casting an ominously eerie aura.
At this point, John was several kilometers away from the Hurricane Eagle King, which thought it had narrowly escaped with its life.
Before it could relish its survival, at the mere thought from John, the gray patterns on its body suddenly lit up.
The rapidly fleeing body of the Hurricane Eagle King stiffened abruptly, as a thick aura of death emerged around it.
"Boom!"
The Hurricane Eagle King exploded in the sky, a terrifying gray shockwave spreading far and wide.
Any plant or animal it touched decayed and withered in mere moments, as if their life had been drained away.
[You have slain a lv25 "Hurricane Eagle King (Elite)", earning 68000 experience points!]
John paused, somewhat surprised by the additional effect of Undead Brand.
But soon, he understood—it was characteristic of undead-based skills, much like the burning effect of fire-based skills or the freezing of ice-based ones.
His gaze shifted thoughtfully.
This skill had intriguing potential; in certain circumstances, it could serve as a human bomb.
John's weapon seemed to transform into the Grim Reaper's scythe, relentlessly reaping the lives of monsters.
This was a unilateral slaughter!
With the training from Victor and Shadowcloud, both his strength and combat experience had undergone a qualitative change.
If he couldn't defeat some mindless beasts now, John felt he might as well end his own life on the spot.
[You have slain a lv25 "Four-Winged Bat (Elite)", earning 69000 experience points!]
[You have slain a lv23 "Ghost-Faced Spider (Normal)", earning 39000 experience points!]
[You have slain a lv25 "Bloodthirsty Ghoul (Elite)", earning 72000 experience points!] ...
As the kill notifications appeared incessantly, John's experience points skyrocketed once more.
With the continuous carnage, the Bloodthirsty Blade in John's hands seemed to come alive.
The eye on the hilt gleamed with excitement and bloodlust.
John too, reveled in the battle at hand.
But every battle must come to an end.
After an indeterminate amount of time, peace returned to the forest.
John stood tall and silent, his long sword dripping blood onto the ground.
Around him, massive monsters lay lifeless in pools of their own blood, their limbs and gore scattered everywhere.
Before John, the once fiercely burning Raging Flame Ape, with both arms now severed, bore flames on its body that flickered like a candle about to be snuffed out, utterly dim.
Fear filled the eyes of the Raging Flame Ape as it watched John approach.
Desperately scrabbling back with its legs, it retreated until it hit a giant tree, with nowhere else to go.
Trembling, it finally raised its head to look at the figure before it, reminiscent of a hellish Asura.
John's gaze was calm as he raised his long sword and brought it down with force.
The blade traced a bloody arc through the air.
The Raging Flame Ape's body stiffened abruptly.
Time seemed to pause for a moment.
Then, both its head and the giant tree behind it slid towards the ground.
"Boom!"
The giant tree fell, emitting a thunderous roar.
Simultaneously, a blinding light rose from John.
[You have slain a lv25 "Raging Flame Ape (Elite)", earning 71000 experience points!]
[You have reached lv25, gaining 20 free attribute points!]
[You have acquired a new skill "Mind Control (Intermediate)"!]
[You have acquired a new skill "Steel Sword (Intermediate)"!]
[Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" has been activated!]
[Your skill "Mind Control" has been upgraded to lv30!]
[Your skill "Steel Sword" has been upgraded to lv30!]
...
As John advanced to lv25, he also gained two new skills.
He flicked the blood off his long sword, allocating all the attribute points to spirit.
Then, he opened his panel to carefully review the skill descriptions.