Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 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. Explore stories at novelbuddy

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 searched for any mention of limits, any clause that said it couldn’t take down a divine being. Nothing. There was no indication that gods were immune.

A chill ran down his spine, and he shivered.

His mind buzzed with possibilities.

Taking down an unkillable opponent with a single strike? It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel, and now it was sitting right in front of him, waiting to be claimed.

But then a thought crept in.

"Why do I keep attracting OP skills like this? Something must be broken," he said, shaking his head. Whatever it was Alex wanted it to remain broken.

His gaze shifted to [Heal], and he frowned.

Compared to the other two, it seemed weaker. Yet, even as he thought that, he couldn’t deny its potential.

"Calm down... just calm down," Alex muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. His heart was pounding, and he needed to think clearly.

Sure, [One Shot, One Kill] was powerful—stupidly powerful—but it wasn’t without its drawbacks.

He reread the description one more time, this time focusing on the fine details.

Cooldown: 2 months

"Two months," Alex sighed, shaking his head. "That’s an eternity."

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And then there was the condition: he had to stab his opponent immediately after activating the skill.

If he missed? The ability would be wasted, and he’d have to wait another two months to try again.

"That’s... a problem," Alex admitted.

The thought of standing in front of a powerful enemy, timing everything perfectly, made his palms sweat.

No strong opponent is just gonna sit there and let me stab them.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how tricky it would be to pull off. "It’s not as easy as it sounds," he muttered.

But even with all its complications, Alex couldn’t bring himself to dismiss the skill.

He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"What would happen if I upgrade?"

The idea of using the Attribute Converter on [One Shot, One Kill] crossed his mind. But he hesitated.

He had no idea what would happen, and the uncertainty made him hesitate.

Finally, Alex exhaled sharply, shaking off his doubts.

There was no point in overthinking it now.

He’d figure out the upgrade nonsense later.

"Alright," he said, standing tall and cracking his knuckles.

"I’ll choose you."

Alex grinned as the skill [One Shot, One Kill] appeared on his skill list.

The sight of it filled him with a sense of satisfaction.

His lips curled into a wider smile.

He could feel the hunger rising within him—the need for more. More challenges, more monsters, more prey to hunt.

With a determined glint in his eyes, Alex resumed his journey, stepping deeper into the forest.

The thrill of the hunt and the reward that came after was intoxicating.

About thirty minutes later, the air around him seemed to shift.

A sharp sound echoed through the forest—a strange hooting noise, almost like a monkey’s call.

Alex froze, scanning his surroundings.

His eyes darted upward at the sound, just in time to catch sight of multiple brown projectiles flying straight toward him at high speed.

His instincts kicked in.

"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.