His stats were approaching the third threshold, which would rocket his strength into a new realm. Especially the Strength stat, which was the closest. He could already punch as hard as a missile, but after the ten thousand point mark, he would be able to shatter mountains if he used his Stamina. Power was a relative thing in the world of the System, with it being determined more by the durability of the natural world than one’s strength. On Earth, Jonathan’s stats would have been godlike, but in the Hells, every time he entered a new realm, their efficacy diminished.

  Still, he grew faster than the Hells could, which was all that really mattered. He already possessed Tier 6 strength, which was incredibly impressive for his level.

  When he clenched his fist, trying to feel the strength within himself, Jonathan found the air itself igniting under his grip. He could compress molecules down now, with his immense physical might. In reality, his stats were a lot higher than they appear as on his sheet. He had many efficacy buffs to his various parameters, and his physical strength was likely half again as strong as it appeared. That would make him thousands of times stronger than any Earth human.

  He continued to experiment, waiting for Eliza to come out of her class selection ceremony. She was taking quite a while, longer than Jonathan normally took with such matters. Because of this, he spotted a monster approaching on the horizon before Eliza could finish. It was quite strong, easily level 525 if not higher. It was gigantic, and clearly not of Cessation. It was built like a scarecrow, but the size of a small mountain. It clutched a scythe in its hands. Its blade weathered and pitted with age. The wood of the scythe was aged and moldy, looking like it had been abandoned in a swamp for a century before being claimed.

  The fact that Jonathan could make all of this out from such a distance told him just how large the monster was, and how much of a problem that it would be to fight. Most importantly, if Eliza did not wake up until it arrived, he would have to both defend her, and fight at the same time. However, he wasn’t intimidated by the sight. He was Tier 5 now, and had been killing Tier 6s at Tier 4. This wouldn’t be much of a struggle, if everything went well.

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  Jonathan opened with Void’s Hunger, the black hole of condensed elemental energy streaking across the plains towards its target. The hulking scarecrow raised its scythe, and swept down, interposing the blade of the weapon between itself and Jonathan. A smile flickered onto his face at the creature’s unwillingness to dodge, and he sent a charge of Divinity through the elemental conduit linking him to the skill. The black orb exploded outwards in size, and when it struck the scythe, the metal shattered, before collapsing into the core of the attack. Jonathan scanned the monster as it took a step back, wanting to see what he had to deal with.

  Minor Fear Icon

  Level 543

  Health: 1245683/1245683

  Status: Healthy, Hungry

  Not sure what to make of the latter description next to the creature’s status, considering that Tier 2s and above didn’t eat, Jonathan instead charged up another Void’s Hunger. This time, he surrounded it with a corona of Minor Endfire. When he loosed the attack, it looked like a dark star hurtling across the sky. The ground beneath warped and buckled under the intense attraction, and the flames of the End licked at the air around them, to devastating effect. Vacuums spread through the world, collapsing with sharp cracks as the star of the Void surged towards the Minor Fear Icon.

  The monster’s scythe sliced through the sky once more, still terrifying even with the divot taken out of its front. It was almost a thousand feet long, and although Jonathan was dozens of miles away from the beast, it was still too close for comfort.

  This time, a sheath of darkness surrounded the blade of the scythe, filling in the gaps that Jonathan had taken out of it. A crescent moon of blackness sliced out from the weapon, cutting through the air. It met the Void’s Hunger projectile a split second later, both techniques detonating in a storm of shadowy flame. The ground beneath was scorched and melted, a crater left behind the size of a small city. Jonathan remained where he was, using Wrath of the Void to empower himself. Just in time too, as the Fear Icon took a lumbering step, heading towards him.