Seed of Titan-Chapter 152: The Art of Grabbing

[User has leveled up. Stats have been adjusted.]

[Strength +4.6]

[Constitution +4.4]

[Agility +2.9]

[Dexterity +3.6]

[Intelligence +0.5]

[Transcendence +0.1]

[SP +6]

[New skills available]

"Oh, I really did get a bit more stats this time around, maybe about 0.3 points on average for all physical parameters, and I got one more point of SP too. Nice."

Looking at his intelligence growth that seemed to have slowed down by a lot, Drai could only smile in resignation.

"Now, let’s take a look at the skills..."

Switching to the skill page, his eyes slightly widened in surprise upon seeing that there were actually three new skills available for purchase. However, he couldn’t really get excited, as he found their names to be pretty dubious.

Steeling himself in case he stumbled upon a dud, Drai opened the first new skill on the list.

[Skill: Grassland Prowler]

[Description: You seem to have found a new pastime in the meadows.]

[Effects: Increases prowling speed on grassy surfaces by 25%.]

[Cost: 1]

Drai furrowed his brows. He wasn’t quite sure if the skill would be helpful or useless for him. In the end, he decided to inquire further before deciding whether it’s worth purchasing.

"System, what kind of actions does ’prowling’ here cover?"

[Every movement, as long as it is done stealthily.]

"All stealthy movements? Then isn’t it really impractical? If I get noticed when I’m sneaking, won’t the effect disappear?"

[Yes, the speed increase will be temporarily removed upon detection until you manage to hide yourself again. Practicality-wise, it depends on how you make use of it, but its application is relatively limited, hence its low cost.]

"Alright then. Hmm... Although I have plenty of SP, I think I’ll have to pass for now since the exchange feels pretty underwhelming—I’d have to pay 1 SP to save like what, half an hour a day? Maybe I’ll get it later when there’s a better use for it."

Drai closed the skill details and moved on to the next one.

[Skill: Bearer of Stew]

[Description: Consecutive days of stew-bearing have birthed an interesting skill.]

[Effects: Having any amount of stew on you decreases the hostility of others. In addition, your stew offerings are less likely to be rejected, and upon their consumption, the favorability of the consumer toward you will increase slightly.]

[Cost: 2]

Drai was left speechless for a while. Upon recovering, he uttered his disbelief.

"System, why do I keep getting all these manipulative skills? Are you telling me to become a swindler?"

[They’re simply byproducts of your actions. I suggest that you not overthink them.]

Drai stared at the System’s reply, still somewhat unconvinced, but he eventually let the matter go.

"Fine, perhaps I do have an uncanny knack for producing these kinds of morally questionable, psychological skills. I wonder if they’re effective against the titans’ enemies... Heh, the titans’ souls would probably puke blood if I end up befriending their nemeses."

Drai read the skill’s effects again, hoping to stumble upon a silver lining. However, he instead noticed a peculiarity.

"System, why are the effects not quantified in percentages unlike the previous skill? I think Universal Grandson was like this too."

[Such effects are relative, with increases or decreases varying depending on the skills’ targets. Thus, they cannot be properly quantified.]

"I see. I wish there was a way to precisely gauge the actual effects, but that would probably make these skills even more ridiculous. Well, I think I’ll pass on this one too for now, especially since it costs 2 SP. Maybe I’ll pick it up later when there’s a difficult person that I’ve got to befriend for whatever reason."

Closing the subinterface, he finally opened the third and last skill.

[Skill: Aspiring Grabber]

[Description: Your relentless grabbing is bordering on obsession.]

[Effects: 30% increased grabbing speed and grip strength.]

[Cost: 2 SP]

A smirk appeared on Drai’s face as he immediately purchased the skill without thinking about it any further.

[2 SP deducted. You have acquired Aspiring Grabber.]

"Finally, something that I can actually use," he remarked, immediately closing the interface. "But these descriptions are really weird. They always sound like they’re trying to joke or make fun of me. Whatever, it’s just a bunch of fluff anyway—only the effects are important."

Drai was eager to test the new skill’s effects, but he suddenly felt a familiar nudge, prompting him to turn around to face the ever-ravenous foal that was eyeing him pleadingly. He also sighted the empty bowls on the ground ahead.

Drai sighed and walked toward the bowls, followed closely by the foal. Patting the foal’s head, he said, "I think you’ve grown quite a bit, horsey—is it because of the stew? Pretty sure you’ve developed a taste for meat. That’ll probably trouble you in the future since none of your herd members seem to eat meat. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it. Just don’t start munching on your kin and turn into a cannibal, okay? Otherwise, I’ll feel guilty for feeding you."

The foal rubbed against Drai’s hand and whimpered softly as if understanding Drai’s words.

After refilling the stew, Drai left the foal and stood near the currently dangling teat.

"Let’s see how much of a difference the increased speed makes."

Without further ado, he swung his hand, reaching for his target. In a flash, his hand clamped hard on the teat, preventing it from retracting.

Drai’s jaw immediately dropped.

"What the fuck?! It’s that easy?!"

The surprisingly effortless attempt left him unsatisfied, so he released the teat, letting it disappear into the mare’s underbelly. Another teat emerged nearby, which he instantly locked onto.

Dashing sideways, Drai’s hand swept with such velocity that even his own eyes couldn’t properly track it. A split second later, the new teat was already quivering in his grip.

Releasing the teat once again, Drai smiled wryly.

"Man, I’m actually let down by these easy as pie attempts... Is it because I’ve lost a good training method? Or maybe it’s because I’ve basically cheated."

Shrugging of his disappointment, Drai quickly spotted the next teat and rushed toward it, sending a hook after he got close enough. This time Aspiring Grabber didn’t take effect, as his swing speed was visibly slower compared to his previous attempt.

"I wonder how this skill works. Does it read my intent or gauge my form?" he mused, after which he released a series of punches and grabs that varied significantly in speed despite his consistent output.

Just then, Drai suddenly got an idea.

"Wait... Can I manipulate this skill to my advantage?"

Drai immediately tried grabbing forward, which sent his arm faster than he intended like before, but just as he neared his maximum reach, he clenched his fist.

In an instant, his swing speed slowed down, but it practically didn’t matter, as his arm almost immediately stopped, fully extended.

Drai was completely baffled. He had somehow found a loophole.

He tried this a few more times with both hands, and the results were the same—his punches were delivered with the same speed as his augmented grabs.

"Holy shit! I’m a genius!" he exclaimed in disbelief before sending a flurry of grab-punches. However, after a full minute of doing this, he realized that his stamina had depleted at a much faster rate, and a faint soreness also affected his arm muscles, numbing them slightly.

Stopping his barrage of empty blows, Drai stroked his forearms and found that they were unusually hot.

"Looks like I can’t abuse the skill too much. Hmm... Maybe having more constitution points will help stave off this rapid exhaustion."

After letting his arms rest a bit, Drai continued to test things out.

First, instead of changing his grab into a punch, he reversed the technique and sent a punch which transformed into a grab. As expected, his arm suddenly sped up midway.

"Nice. I can use this to catch my opponent off-guard if I need to."

After giving it a few more tries to familiarize himself with the change-up, the next thing he did was release a punch with a completely open palm as if he were grabbing, but without intending to grab.

This time, his fake grab didn’t trigger Aspiring Grabber.

Drai proceeded to do this several more times, but the results were the same—his intent apparently mattered.

"So the key is to change my intent right at the last moment. Hmm... I wonder why I managed to do this quite easily during my previous attempts? Is this the effect of Basic Combat Sense?"

Following this, Drai conducted his last test, which was swinging his arm with a grabbing intent while already clenching a bundle of grass.

Upon seeing the unchanged swinging speed, Drai couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Yeah, I thought so. It doesn’t make sense trying to grab something while not letting go of the thing I’m currently grabbing. If this actually worked, I figured I could hold a metal ball or some kind of weapon to substitute my punches in case I’m not in a condition to swap intents with ease. Well, good to know that this isn’t viable."

With his tests done, Drai decided to take a rest. He sat down by the foal and refilled any empty bowls.

Watching the foal happily slurp the stew, Drai couldn’t help but smile.

"If you were a bit older, I might just take you with me, horsey," he murmured, brushing the foal’s soft mane.

Just as the foal had grown attached to him, Drai had also come to feel the same.

Moments later, Drai was ready to finally complete his assignment and part ways with the foal for an indefinite period—possibly forever.

Suddenly, darkness befell them.

All the horses instantly panicked, neighing loudly while trying to scatter. Yet the mare above remained still, trying her best to protect her baby, which had stopped eating and was now trembling on the ground.

The sight of the fearful foal and steadfast mother sparked something within Drai. He sprinted out of her underside, stopped a dozen meters away, and immediately activated Colossal Augmentation to the max. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

While he rapidly grew, a massive red shadow loomed high above, diving toward the scattering herd.

Gazing at the completely blocked sun, Drai steeled his resolve, for he was about to clash with the formidable Sky King.