Raiden felt like he was piercing something pretty soft... it couldn’t have been armor and human flesh. Still, when he pulled the weapon three times, he confirmed what he had done. The feeling of cutting living beings was quite disgusting, but he didn’t let that faze him.

"It has been a while..." Raiden thought.

Raiden had forgot about that, but he killed two men when he was alive, maybe that was why he didn’t hesitate to kill more when he was forced to. In any case, his power surprised Harth and Iri since he didn’t even use his technique... those were the effects of his spear. Armor nullification basically made his attack power three times highers.

In any case, they didn’t have to think too much about Raiden since the enemies were still advancing thanks to their zombie-like behavior. While being mindful of her surroundings, Iri finished off the enemies her father left behind, but she soon approached Raiden to pull him back a bit more.

"Don’t draw too much attention," Iri said and then stepped forward to block the spear thrust of a random enemy.

Even with a single hand, Iri deflected the blow in one motion to the side and then continued the same motion to cut the neck of the enemy. As blood gushed from the wound, the guy ignored the pain and then tried to attack her, but she kicked his chest and made him fall. He tried to get up but lost all his strength. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"See? You are drawing too much attention," Iri added.

Raiden nodded... he wanted to say that he was fine against enemies of that caliber, but it was better to just look like he understood the message. Before long, he soon began to stab the enemies’ weapons and their hands as well to disarm them. His reach was smaller, but his offensive power was much higher.

As the battle raged on, the battlefield descended into a scene of increasing brutality. The once-clear air was thickened by the overwhelming stench of blood, sweat, and feces, mingling into a nauseating, almost palpable miasma. The ground was smeared with gore, and the unrelenting chaos seemed to strip away any pretense of dignity from the fallen and the living alike.

Amidst the turmoil, it became evident that even in death, many could not escape such humiliation. The grotesque battle, marked by the sight of mutilated bodies and the rank smell of waste, intensified Raiden’s disgust. Each brutal detail, the cloying odor, and the grotesque mess seemed to feed a growing animosity within him. His hatred for the enemies solidified, driven not just by the violence they inflicted but by the dehumanizing nature of the battlefield itself.

This visceral reality, raw and unfiltered, hardened Raiden’s resolve, sharpening his focus and fueling his determination to fight despite all that.

When some enemies tried to surround Harth, Raiden swung his spear from the ground up and then launched some sand on their faces... despite their training to become fearless, they were unable to control their reflexes to close their eyes when they were hit by the sand.

Once that happened, Raiden stepped forward and then swung his spear in a wide arc and slashed their throats. When the enemies recovered from the sand, they felt the strength leaving their bodies as the blood did the same...

(The Skill Spear Master has leveled up.)

"Hmm? Is this possible, too?" Raiden raised his eyebrows when the enemies fell on the ground.

Raiden was under the impression that only his power and using energy when using his skills would make them level up, but maybe those weren’t the only available methods. That raised a troublesome issue in his mind... if skills could be improved like that while claiming the lives of enemies... some people would feel even more compelled to kill others.

In such a scenario, those who are highly competitive and driven by a desire to become the strongest could see killing as a strategic way to advance their skills faster. They might prioritize increasing their power over ethical considerations, driven by the lure of quick power.

Mercenaries, who often operate on a code of survival and profit, might find the prospect of skill advancement through killing appealing. For them, the efficiency of combat and its rewards could become a primary motivation, leading to a more merciless approach.

At the same time, Individuals in positions of power who seek to expand their influence might use this system to their advantage. They could justify increased violence and conquest as a means to strengthen their forces and maintain dominance.

"This world is truly messed up..." Raiden thought while glaring at the enemies.

Despite these thoughts, Raiden didn’t stop cutting down the enemies and stepping forward with his father. Thanks to that, Harth’s burden was a lot weaker than he had expected. Iri also didn’t fall behind and didn’t hesitate to finish off the enemies, so their front was a lot stronger than they had predicted.

The enemy soldiers had been trained to focus on the more troublesome enemies, and that decreased the work for the other warriors, but that didn’t change things all that much for them... it only made the enemies trying to gather on a single spot where they were cut down with more.

In any case, Raiden thought that he was pacing himself well, but suddenly, he began to feel his arms sore, and his breathing got more haggard... his stamina dropped a lot without him noticing it.

"Is this because of the weapon?" Raiden thought.

Despite the enhancement of Raiden’s spear due to his growing power, the weapon itself remained useless without a skilled hand wielding it. The spear’s increased power was a reflection of Raiden’s own abilities as well, rather than an inherent characteristic of the weapon.

The spear’s true effectiveness was deeply tied to Raiden’s physical strength and skill. To unleash its full potential, Raiden had to exert considerable effort and energy with each strike. This reliance on his personal strength meant that the more powerful the weapon became, the more demanding it was on Raiden’s stamina.

As a result, Raiden found his energy depleting faster than anticipated. Each swing and maneuver required a significant increase in his own vitality, making his endurance a critical factor in maintaining his combat effectiveness. The enhancement of the spear, while beneficial, also showed the necessity for Raiden to manage his stamina carefully, balancing his attacks to avoid exhaustion in prolonged battles.

"Maybe I should increase my endurance..." Raiden thought.

Just when Raiden considered that, he suddenly heard a whistle coming from the enemies lines... the red spearmen on the front line charged with all their might once more, but the others behind them retreated without hesitation. It seemed that the enemy decided to cut down their losses since the battle didn’t happen as they had predicted.