NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68: Physical Stats
"Hey, what just happened there?" Trey asked in confusion as they stood in front of a metallic door.
"I bought a room," Kael said, glancing at the number on the door. After confirming it was the correct one, he tapped the silver card on the reader. With a beep, the metallic door slid open with a hiss.
"I bought the room," Trey corrected under his breath.
They stepped into one of the Training Rooms as the door opened.
"White, huh?" Kael muttered as he observed the interior.
The room was completely white. The walls, ceiling, and floor—all white. Because of this, it gave off the illusion of boundlessness, like an infinite space with no end in sight.
Kael pulled a coin from his pocket and hurled it into the distance. It flew for a moment before striking a light blue, transparent barrier, which rippled upon impact.
The coin fell, and the sound of it spinning echoed throughout the room.
"Only twenty meters?" Kael mumbled.
"That's the standard," Trey replied from the side. "If you want a bigger space, you'll need to upgrade—costs more, obviously."
"This is alright," Kael said, his eyes drifting until they landed on a table with a floating hologram on top. He walked toward it and found it was the settings panel for the Training Room.
With this, he could summon gym equipment, Augmented Reality weapons—which looked real but only fired holographic bullets—Training Dummies, challenges, and more. There were even Training Courses, ranging from beginner to pro.
This Training Room had everything a Primer might need for training.
As Kael fiddled with the panel, completely ignoring Trey, the young man finally couldn't take it anymore. He coughed, trying to get his attention, the earlier confusion still gnawing at him.
"So, about what I asked earlier… what was that all about? Is there really a guy riding a mechanical horse?" Trey asked, confusion still burning in his eyes.
Kael stopped, his hand hovering mid-air as he turned to Trey with a raised eyebrow."What are you still doing here? I need to train."
"But you didn't even answer my question," Trey said, feeling wronged.
I'm the one who paid for this room. Can't the lunatic at least answer me as a thank-you?
"It wasn't meant for you. Don't bother with it," Kael waved him off. "Just go out and wait for me."
"D*mn it, I'm really curious!" Trey grumbled as he stomped out. The door opened, then hissed shut behind him.
With a dull thud, Kael was left alone in the room.
He stared at the door for a moment before turning back to the holographic panel.
"Hmm… what's the maximum number of dummies I can use?" Kael muttered, swiping through the options for Training Dummies. "Only five, huh? That should be enough."
Kael decided to test his strength after allocating all his Stat Points. Although he was already Level 12, his stats remained at that of a below-average human—unless he used the points to boost his strength.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but wonder about the mechanism behind Stat Point enhancement.
That white liquid from the first-generation Level-Up Pod had definitely done something to his body. Kael could feel every change while it was happening. But once the process ended, the sensation of growing stronger vanished—like it had never happened at all.
Maybe I'll figure it out once I use the Stat Points, Kael thought. There were many ways he could think of that might achieve this effect, but if he really wanted to understand the specific process that occurred in his body, he had to feel it again.
It's just mere curiosity—but having more knowledge is better than nothing, Kael reasoned, pulling up his Progress Scanner and focusing his gaze on his Physical Stats.
Progress Scanner:
[Name]: Kael Draven[Race]: Human[Rank]: Rank 3 (10 is the requirement to wear Aegis Prime)[Level]: 12
Core Attributes:Health: 100/100Endurance: 100/100Energy Reserves: 0
Physical Stats:Strength: 9 [+]Agility: 8 [+]Vitality: 10 [+]Reflex: 7 [+]
Skills:None
"What should I focus on?" Kael muttered, hand under his chin as he thought about how to use his Status Points.
Kael began to think.
This was one of those moments that made any Primer pause and consider carefully. Distributing Status Points was crucial, as it could greatly impact their future. One couldn't just throw points around recklessly—it might do more harm than good.
In a situation where raw strength was needed to survive, and a Primer had dumped all his points into Reflex, they wouldn't be able to get out of that crisis and might end up dead.
Some Primers distributed their Stat Points based on their role in a group. Others based them on the capabilities of their Exoskeleton Suits. Most did it according to their fighting style—which was what Kael leaned toward.
Kael thought about his own style. Back when he still had his Exoskeleton Suit, he leaned heavily on his fists, sometimes mixing in various weapons, though mostly swords.
At that time, he believed his strength had reached its pinnacle—or so he thought. Apparently, Pink was far stronger, even when compared to the combined strength of all the Exo-Primevals.
"Hmm…" Kael looked at his Stat Points. "If I'm going to base it on my fighting style… Strength and Agility are the best options. They'll significantly boost my raw power, which will help me deal with Behemechs more easily. As for Vitality and Reflex…"
With Kael's combat experience—fighting the strongest beings in the universe—his reflexes had already reached a level where he could instantly sense danger, even without seeing it. He could dodge threats purely through instinct, even with below-average stats.
But if his Reflex could detect danger while his Agility couldn't keep up, then those advanced senses—honed from years of battling the Anthi-Orgs and other powerful entities—would become useless.
Kael decided he would occasionally allocate some points into Reflex so it wouldn't fall behind. But for now, his danger-sensing instincts were more than enough. Anyone could reach that level too, though it would take years—no, decades—of experience across the universe.
"And about my Vitality…" Kael's gaze dropped to the stat in question. Then his eyes narrowed as he realized something—his Physical Stats could actually be tapped.
He raised a hand and tapped on Vitality. A new piece of information appeared beneath it, pushing Reflex further down the screen.
VITALITY
Effect: Enhances one's durability, resistance to damage, and regeneration speed. Also increases stamina and resistance to poisons, radiation, biohazards, and other harmful contaminants in the body.
Visual Upgrade: One's skin may harden slightly, or wounds that would incapacitate others merely leave scrapes. High Vitality may allow one to fight with cracked ribs and still overpower enemies.
Combat Result: Survives longer in battles, even when ambushed. With enough Vitality, one can tank hits from massive foes or survive environmental extremes (lava zones, vacuum exposure, etc.).
After reading the information under Vitality, Kael nodded. This was exactly what he expected from the Vitality stat. In other words, the higher the Vitality, the thicker one's face.
But do I need to increase my Vitality? Kael wondered—though it didn't take him long to find an answer. "Maybe I'll add a few Stat Points to it," he muttered.
Kael was still confident in his survival abilities. If he ever found himself needing higher Vitality, he could just find a Fissure and grind some Growth Orbs before entering that area. What mattered more right now was gaining more Strength and Agility—because the stronger and faster he was, the more Behemechs he could kill. And the more Behemechs he killed, the more Growth Orbs he could acquire.
Kael began reading the descriptions under the other stats, nodding as each matched his expectations.
STRENGTH
Effect: Increases raw physical power. Directly boosts melee damage, the ability to lift heavy objects, punch through reinforced armor, and wield heavier weapons with ease.
Visual Upgrade: Muscles might become subtly more defined; grip strength could crush metal at higher levels.
Combat Result: Blows could stagger or send enemies flying. With enough Strength, one might punch holes through Exosuits or tear open sealed doors barehanded.
AGILITY
Effect: Boosts movement speed, balance, and acrobatics. Run faster, dodge more effectively, and perform parkour-like maneuvers—even in heavy terrain or zero-G environments.
Visual Upgrade: Movements become smoother, sharper—like a predator. To the untrained eye, one may appear to "blur" or move in flashes.
Combat Result: Dodging plasma fire, weaving between multiple enemies, or outpacing high-speed drones becomes possible. Melee attacks may also become faster, chaining into deadly combos.
REFLEX
Effect: Boosts reaction speed, allowing one to perceive and respond to attacks before they land. Critical for ranged combat, piloting, and hand-eye coordination.
Visual Upgrade: Eyes might sharpen subtly, even glow faintly when heightened. Can catch projectiles or counter mid-strike.
Combat Result: Dodges bullets, snipes with pinpoint accuracy, and parries attacks one shouldn't logically see coming. At high Reflex, time may even feel slower in critical moments.
Once he was done reading everything, Kael finally made up his mind. He walked to the center of the room and began distributing his Stat Points into Strength, Agility, and a few into Vitality.
The moment he hit the plus button beside the stats, he closed his eyes as the sensation hit him—just like the one he felt back when he was still inside the Level Up Pod.