Chapter 649 - I’m Such a Kind-Hearted Person

After expending a great deal of stamina, Hanwu hunted thirteen giants, each ranging between three to five meters tall. The giants themselves weren’t strong; Hanwu was just physically weak. If not for his battle experience, he would have needed to rest after killing five or six.

By the time he felled the thirteenth giant, he had gained an understanding of his new vessel. His Duel Jurisdiction also reached 100% for the first time and gave him a single parameter upgrade.

He had eight to choose from, and any one below six required only one upgrade point. Once the value reached six, however, advancing it further demanded several additional points. He could also upgrade his skills. For example, any E-rated skill required only one upgrade point to level up once, but higher ranks demanded more.

This wasn’t too hard for Hanwu. After killing thirteen giants, he had already earned one upgrade point. If he continued hunting, he could eventually upgrade everything. For now, he had to decide where to invest first. Upgrading parameters was a direct path to greater strength, but the effects weren’t that obvious. Upgrading his E-rated skills, such as Steel Palm, Clone, Substitute, and Transform, would possibly yield more tangible results.

He considered that his Tai parameter was already at six, so he chose to upgrade Steel Palm. A faint clarity washed through his mind as his Steel Palm’s rating advanced to D.

When he activated it, chakra cloaked his palms, and every single strike multiplied his destructive force. Compared to Collapsing Fist D, Steel Palm D was more versatile. He could attack with open palms or slice like a sword. It hardened his palms to the density of steel, so the damage he dealt was similar.

This was very convenient for him. Collapsing Fist lacked a guaranteed chance to rupture the muscles at a giant’s neck, which often forced him to strike numerous times. Steel Palm could sever muscle fibers cleanly, making it the better choice.

Hanwu found a concealed spot to rest before resuming his hunt. He fought until nightfall and killed thirty giants in total. In the process, he obtained many orbs and two upgrade points.

Steel Palm had proven its worth, and he intended to upgrade it again. That was when he sensed a slight resistance from his mind. He carefully inspected the source and realized that his parameters couldn’t support a further upgrade. Both his Tai and Power parameters were insufficient to sustain Steel Palm C.

Hanwu sensed a pattern: a parameter value of six corresponded to E-rated skills. If he wanted to learn stronger skills, he would first need to upgrade his parameters. It appeared that there was an exception to this rule, however. He could learn a skill one tier above its corresponding parameter, but no further.

As for how the original host had managed to learn three E-rated ninjutsu even with a Nin parameter of only three, Hanwu could not explain. The only conclusion he could draw was that some rare stroke of fortune had allowed the original host to overcome it.

Without a choice, he invested his precious upgrade points in Power and Speed. When both rose from five to six, a distinct transformation coursed through his body. He was physically stronger, and his reflexes sharpened.

“Upgrading a parameter doubles its effects on me. Interesting,” he murmured.

Night settled over the forest in pitch-black darkness. The giants continued to roam without pause. Hunger gnawed at him, but he dared not light a fire. Instead, he found some wild fruit to satiate himself.

The coming-of-age ceremony lasted three days, and he needed to return within that time to present his spoils to his family. With forty-three orbs, he could barely qualify for a reward. If he wanted better resources, he would have to hunt stronger giants.

The darkness thickened. Without Divine Points to enhance his vision, he couldn't see anything, so he concealed himself in a tree and rested.

He tried his best to avoid the giants’ detection, but trouble found him regardless. A group of travelers forced their way through the forest, risking their lives.

As expected, the giants detected them. Wails and desperate cries for help attracted more giants to the scene.

From his perch, Hanwu silently cursed their foolishness. In a forest this silent, shouting would only attract more giants. The giants were quite sensitive when it came to detecting another life form. Though slow-witted, their physical strength rivaled bulldozers. Screaming for help merely accelerated their deaths.

Hanwu intended to watch and ignore them until a fat merchant spotted his tree and climbed up while shouting.

In dire situations, a life form would unlock all of its potential. Somehow, the fat merchant scrambled ten meters up the trunk without falling.

Most of the pursuing giants were five meters tall or less, so he was relatively safe now. Still, the merchant continued to shout to dispel the fear in his heart.

As a result, more giants gathered below.

Hanwu’s expression darkened. If he didn’t stop the merchant anytime soon, he would be affected too. The tree had its limit. No matter how thick the trunk, it couldn’t endure sustained attacks from multiple giants.

“Be quiet! If you shout again, I will twist your head off before a giant gets the chance to eat you!” Hanwu’s cold voice drifted down from the canopy.

The merchant froze. He had never expected someone else to be in the tree.

“Please help me,” he pleaded. “I’m a merchant traveling to trade at the Giant Wood Village. I will pay you handsomely if you save me.”

“What? You think money can solve everything?” Hanwu shot back.

Are you looking down on me? I have a lot of money. In fact, I just spent 50,000 Divine Essence. That was when reality intruded. He had transmigrated here with a portion of his soul. The assets he had in the Divine Civilization had nothing to do with him right now.

He smiled warmly at once, and his tone shifted. “Haiyo, it’s not easy to travel the wilderness, is it? Come, don’t just cling to the branch. It’s very cold down there. Come, let me pull you up. Also, how much are you willing to pay?”

The merchant met his smile and felt a chill. His instinct as a merchant told him that if he offered too little, Hanwu would likely release his grip, letting him fall into the giants’ embrace.

“I... I can pay a million gold!” the merchant said through clenched teeth.

Hanwu loosened his hold slightly, and the merchant blurted, “Two million! I can’t do anything more than that.”

Hanwu whistled softly. “Oh? Is that so?”

Hanwu searched the original host’s memories. An Apprentice could earn roughly 200,000 gold a year through frequent missions. Adepts earned about 500,000, and Masters earned about one million. The original host had never encountered information about how much the abnormally powerful Masters or Shadow earned. In a sense, two million gold was enough money for Hanwu to hire two Masters for an entire year. The sum was substantial.

Hanwu smiled kindly. “That’s not what I meant. I’m a kind-hearted person to begin with. How could I not save you? Don’t you agree?”

He pulled the merchant onto the crown of the tree, then added, “Wait, how are you going to pay me? I don’t think you carry that much money on you right now, right? You aren’t trying to trick me, are you?”

His smile was kind and cruel at the same time.

The merchant shivered. Hanwu felt far more dangerous than the giants below.

“There’s a merchant guild branch in the Giant Wood Village,” he said quickly. “They have the funds there!”

Hanwu relaxed a little. “Is that so? No need to panic. I was just asking. I like saving people because I’m kind. It has nothing to do with money.”

The merchant forced a smile while cursing him inwardly, As if I’d believe you!