The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse
Chapter 49: Starting a War

As soon as Klaus leveled up to Level 2, he felt a sudden surge in his Star Qi reserves. The increase was immense, far beyond what he had expected. During the transformation process from Spiritual Qi to Star Qi, he discovered something astonishing—Star Qi was hundreds of times stronger than Spiritual Qi.

So at first, Klaus believed that he wouldn't receive all the accumulated EXP when he leveled up. It only seemed logical that some of it might be lost in the conversion process, but he was wrong. When he leveled up to Level 2, the millions of EXP he had earned were completely converted into Star Qi, without deducting a single point.

This realization filled him with great joy and a newfound strength to keep leveling up.

Name: Klaus Hanson

Age: 16

Talent: Celestial Elemental Overlord

Class: Weapons Overlord

Bloodline: Dormant

Physique: Nine Reincarnation Divine Body

Realm: Ascended - Lvl: 2/12

Strength: 330 | Agility: 370 |Stamina: 340 |Defense:200 | Intelligence: 200| Health: 1100

Star Qi: 1,842,200

Stat Points: 1,000

"I'm still nowhere near my limit, so I'll hold on to these points for now," Klaus muttered as he looked at the thousand points waiting to be used whenever he needed them. He didn't know his limit yet. All he could do was keep fighting until he reached it. Then, he would adjust his stats as needed.

Klaus pulled out a milk drink from his backpack and took a few gulps. Feeling his stamina return, he leaped down and headed deeper into the forest. What followed was another series of bloody battles.

After defeating a few Tier 3 Dark Monsters, he realized they were worth more than he had expected. With that in mind, he began hunting more of them, pushing even further into the heart of the city. He didn't want to jinx it, but part of him was excited at the thought of facing a pack of wolves. Though for now, that was just wishful thinking.

As Klaus moved forward, ice covered everything in his path, leaving frost where there should have been blood. He hadn't used his fire element at all. Strangely, he felt a stronger connection to the ice element. Whenever he was about to attack, ice always came to mind first.

In just seven hours, Klaus had killed enough monsters and gathered enough points to level up to Level 3. But despite entering deeper into the city, he hadn't encountered a single Tier 4 monster. To level up now, he needed about 5.2 million experience points, which meant he needed to replace stronger, higher-tier monsters.

"I'm starting to regret not going to a Tier 3 Forbidden Zone," Klaus said with a frown. He had reached the central area of the eastern part of the Ruin City, but no Tier 4 monsters had appeared. From his research, he knew the Ruin City Forbidden Zone was divided into five sections: East, West, North, South, and Central.

Each section was ruled by a different monster: the Ground Drake Lizard King in the East, the Red Scale Python in the West, the White Stripe Mountain Wolves in the North, and the Jade White Mountain Lion in the South. The Central region was a mystery, and nobody dared to enter it.

Klaus had done some online research, thanks to Kofi teaching him how to use the internet. He found rumors that the Central region was overrun with zombies. Some threads claimed occasional human voices could be heard, but there was no concrete evidence.

From what he knows, those who have a death wish can freely venture into the central region. Nobody knew how terrifying that part of the forest is, but everyone abandons that region. In contrast, Klaus knew the other regions were home to thousands of Tier 4 and even Tier 5 monsters. But despite spending the past 12 hours going deeper, the highest tier he had faced was Tier 3 Dark Monsters.

He needed a lot of experience points, and killing higher-tier monsters was the fastest way to get them. He needed to replace all the Tier 4 monsters he could.

"Fine, if they're not coming to me, I'll force them out. Going to war with the Eastern Wing of the Ruin City should elevate my status," Klaus decided. He rested for the next few hours. The following day, the forest echoed with howls and roars.

Klaus had begun his massacre and a bloody one at that. Hours passed quickly and thousands of monsters filled the ground as Klaus continue to kill his way deeper into the Core of the Eastern wing.

Even though Klaus killed countless monsters now littering the ground, they were all Tier 3, ranging from Lesser to Dark. His bottomless reserve of Star Qi meant he didn't need to worry about running out of energy.

Initially, Klaus had to be mindful of his stamina. However, after cultivating the star diagram, he noticed that his stamina drained at an almost imperceptible rate. He only felt significant stamina burn when using more powerful attacks.

He realized that if he used only 5% of his maximum energy per attack, he could perform nearly 300 attacks before becoming fully exhausted. This suggested that each attack consumed about 1 stamina point.

Despite this, Klaus remained unconcerned. With over a thousand points in reserve, he could easily add more points to his stamina if necessary.

Four hours into the massacre, Klaus leveled up to Level 4, adding more points to his Star Qi pool. He immediately felt his body grow stronger and realized he could now use about 7% of his energy per attack. But despite the increased strength behind his strikes, using less than 2% of his energy was already devastating.

The level-up had boosted his energy, making his efficiency even more impressive. His speed, which he hadn't explicitly increased, also improved as he leveled up. Klaus's aura grew colder and more formidable as he continued to kill more and more monsters.

Suddenly, Klaus sensed several presences several kilometers away. His sensing range had expanded beyond 15 km, allowing him to detect the approaching Tier 4 monsters. "Dark Monsters right off the bat," Klaus grinned from ear to ear.

While many would see this as a reason to flee, Klaus saw it as an opportunity to test his strength and gain more experience points. He was eager to see how far he had come and to level up further in the process.

Klaus began increasing the amount of energy he used, making his attacks even more lethal. Although he couldn't collect the monster bodies, he efficiently stored the monster cores in his space ring as he fought his way across the battlefield.

"They are endless, but it's futile," He said, his sword blazing crimson. "My targets are the Tier 4 monsters. The rest of you are garbage." He poured 5% Star Qi into his sword and dashed toward the swarm of Tier 3 monsters.

BOOM!

He plunged his sword into the ground, unleashing a sea of flames that surged in all directions. The flames erupted several meters high, sweeping across the battlefield and turning the monsters into a fiery barbecue. Even the fire-type monsters couldn't escape the inferno.

"With a few spices, I could open a barbecue shop in this Ruin City," Klaus muttered, surveying the scorched battlefield with a satisfied grin.

"The fire element is truly destructive," He muttered, narrowing his gaze at the Tier 4 monsters advancing toward the battlefield.

"Brothers, I have waited long. Since you've come, we can dance," Klaus said with a wicked grin. His sword glowed crimson with a hint of golden hue. Without hesitation, he dashed forward to meet the monsters.

His sword swung in a wide arc, releasing a lethal fire arc that seared through the air. The intense flames sliced through everything in its path, striking the head of a Tier 4 monster and killing it instantly.

"Damn, that wasn't even 2% of my Star Qi energy," Klaus said, visibly shocked by the ease of the kill. he expected the monsters to be strong, but he clearly underestimated his own strength

"This is a rare chance to test and better my skills." Klaus immediately started using the battle to better his skills instead of fearing for his life.

He pressed on, engaging the remaining Tier 4 monsters with a combination of precision and power. He observed each attack closely, refining his technique as he fought.

His next target—a massive, scaled beast with glowing red eyes—charged at him with incredible speed. Klaus responded swiftly, channeling 3% of his Star Qi into a sweeping fire slash.

The fire arc sliced through the monster's defenses, leaving a trail of molten scales. "Increasing the energy by just a few percent makes a significant difference," Klaus noted, watching as the monster staggered and fell.

Another monster, a hulking brute with thick armor, lunged at him. Klaus concentrated, pouring 4% of his energy into a concentrated fireball. He hurled it at the monster, and the explosion engulfed it in flames. The brute roared in agony before collapsing.

"That was impressive," Klaus said, admiring the destructive power of his enhanced attack. "I'm getting the hang of this."

As Klaus continued to battle, he experimented with different levels of energy output. He noticed for a quick attack, he needed about only 2% of his Syar Qi. To put that into practice, a monster with great agility dashed at him, but before it could get close, his sword flashed sending a lethal flame arc. The monster was engulfed in flames, rendering its speed useless in the face of his sword.

"Even with less energy, the result is still deadly," he commented, pleased with the efficiency of his attack.

He faced a group of monsters next. He charged up 5% of his Star Qi and unleashed a wide, sweeping blaze that scorched the entire area.

"Perfect for crowd control," Klaus said, watching as the monsters fell to the ground, their numbers reduced by every attack. "I can get used to this" He muttered.

Each kill was accompanied by a moment of reflection. Klaus was not only fighting but also learning from every encounter. His attacks grew more precise, and his understanding of his powers deepened.

"With this, I can develop my own skills without having to buy them or wait till I can Kill Tier 7 monsters to get drops" Klaus muttered, with that, he started trying different styles of combination aiming to come up with something, something that can deal more blow to the monsters with minimal effort.