Apocalypse Baby

Chapter 73 - 73: OP Skill

[Earth Stomp: With a single, forceful stomp on the ground, you unleash a localized earthquake that radiates outward in a powerful wave. The tremor cracks the earth and sends it shifting violently, throwing enemies off their feet and disrupting their balance. Opponents caught in the shockwave are momentarily stunned, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

[Anti-Magic Gauntlets: These enchanted gauntlets hum with power, generating a shimmering, translucent shield whenever they sense an incoming magical attack. The shield absorbs or deflects spells, rendering the wearer highly resistant to offensive magic.

As soon as Alex read the description of the gauntlets, he grinned and wasted no time equipping them. The metallic sheen of the gauntlets wrapped snugly around his arms, the intricate runes glowing faintly as they adjusted to his energy. Alex flexed his fingers, feeling the raw power coursing through them.

A smirk played on his lips. "Deflecting bullets like Wonder Woman? Count me in," he muttered, picturing the gauntlets deflecting projectiles in a flurry of sparks.

The rewards he'd received so far were undeniably cool, but Alex's real excitement lay elsewhere. He had been waiting to reach Level 30, eager to claim a new skill. The anticipation had been building, and now it was finally here.

Ding!

The sound was like music to his ears. Alex immediately opened his stats window, his palms rubbing together in excitement.

[You have reached Level 30.]

[You have earned the chance to choose a new skill from three options.]

Alex grinned, his eyes lighting up as the notification appeared.

A new skill was a big deal—it was another tool in his arsenal.

But as thrilled as he was, the thought of adding yet another skill to his growing list made him pause.

He sighed, ruffling his hair in frustration.

"Man, this is gonna make deciding on my upgrade even harder."

The Attribute Converter was a game-changer, allowing him to enhance one skill to an overpowered level. But with so many good options, choosing just one felt like trying to solve an impossible puzzle.

Alex leaned back, exhaling as he stared at the glowing screen displaying his skill choices.

The memory of [Exploding Touch] and its devastating upgraded version played in his mind.

He had seen firsthand what upgrading a skill could do—turning something good into something game-changing.

There was no way he was passing up the chance to supercharge another ability.

With a flick of his fingers, he opened the descriptions of the three skills he could choose from. His eyes scanned each one, the words sinking in like waves crashing against the shore.

[Ability Option 1: Heal]

A dark ability that allows you to heal yourself by draining the life force of another. Upon touching a living being, you siphon their vitality, converting it into your own health. Each use consumes a moderate amount of mana, proportional to the health restored.

[Ability Option 2: Sun Ball]

Summon a blazing orb of concentrated solar energy in your hand. The Sun Ball burns with intense heat, capable of melting through armor, scorching enemies, and causing explosions upon impact. It can be hurled at a target, creating an area-of-effect blast that inflicts severe fire damage to all enemies within a 5-meter radius.

[Ability Option 3: One Shot, One Kill]

This ultimate ability grants a single, guaranteed fatal attack. When activated, your next strike bypasses all defenses—physical, magical, or otherwise—and delivers a killing blow to the target, regardless of their level or rank. Cooldown: 2 months, making it a highly strategic ability. Condition: You must stab the opponent within one second of activating the ability.

Alex blinked, his breath hitching as he took in the descriptions.

Then it hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.

"Gahh!" The sheer power of the skill options laid out before him was almost too much to process.

"Three OP skills... but one of them? One of them is on a completely different level."

His eyes locked onto the description of [One Shot, One Kill], and he felt his heart race.

One Shot, One Kill

The chance to kill an opponent no matter how strong they are, regardless of rank or level.

Alex couldn't help but let out a shaky breath.

"That's just... stupidly powerful," he muttered. The thought hit him like a lightning bolt, making him freeze.

"Could it kill... a god?"

His fingers trembled as he scrolled back up, rereading the description with laser focus.

He

"Aegis Arcane!" he called, summoning his magical barrier.

The translucent shield shimmered into existence around him, absorbing the incoming barrage.

The projectiles splattered against the barrier, sliding down its surface.

Alex's nose crinkled as he looked closer.

His expression turned to one of pure disgust.

"Poop? Seriously?"

A chorus of screeches and hoots erupted from the treetops. The forest came alive with noise.

"Uu! Uu! Aah! Aah!"

Alex's gaze snapped upward again, and his unease grew as he saw troop of monkeys stared back at him from the trees, their beady eyes gleaming with mischief.