Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 716: Accelerating Curve

"Are we clear?"

Silence hung over the three projections.

"Understood, Guild Leader," Hale replied.

Osei gave a single nod. Fenn locked eyes with Magnus a moment longer than the rest before dipping her head.

The projections winked out. The blue glow faded away.

Magnus remained by himself in the guild hall. Silence enveloped the mountain, while the communication artifact buzzed faintly on the table, and the standings continued to shine on the secondary screen he had yet to close.

5th — New Dawn: 68,180

He fixed his stare on the figure.

Slowly and deliberately, his hand balled into a fist beside him, knuckles turning white as the hold intensified. The mana that had throbbed as a caution earlier surged once more, now deeper, twisting through his torso and into his limbs like a beast's pent-up fury seeking prey.

He pivoted away from the table and approached the window.

Below stretched the expansive, shadowy mountain range, teeming with beasts and ruthless drive. Out there somewhere, his leftover rookies toiled for points they'd never accumulate quickly enough. Out there somewhere, Kaiden Grey surged toward the top spot.

Magnus clenched his jaw. His eyes turned steely against the pane, reflecting back a figure who had abandoned thoughts of courteous paths.

...

Smoke still rose from the Fissure Render’s corpse.

Its form sprawled broken at the foot of a rocky outcrop, appendages bent in ways that screamed defeat in any monstrous tongue. The gash across its chest, carved by Kaiden’s greatsword, gaped wide enough for sunlight to pierce through, while the ichor gathering below seeped into the stone of the peak.

[You’ve slain Fissure Render (Level 76)] [You’ve gained 1,140,000 XP] [You’ve gained 28 DMP] [Level Up! Level 55 ➣ 56] [You have 30 unspent stat points.]

Kaiden withdrew his sword and breathed out deeply.

[Name: Kaiden Grey] [Rank: 3 — Star] [Class: Paragon of Sin] [Level: 56 | XP: 930,000 / 57,000,000] [Stats] Vitality: 166 Strength: 193 Agility: 191 Endurance: 179 Mana: 157 Magic: 155 [Unallocated: 30]

Thirty stat points from one level. Once more.

He gazed at the figure, allowing its full significance to sink deep.

A typical awakened warrior received ten stat points each level. That standard figure fueled the Association’s forecasts, drills, and rank evaluations.

Most folks claimed precisely that, since most leveled by battling beasts at or just under their own strength—the prudent, cautious method endorsed by nearly every guild guide across the land.

Since breaking through to level 50, Kaiden averaged thirty stat points per level.

The calculation was straightforward, yet the consequences vast.

The system doled out stat points according to various elements, and Kaiden nailed them all. Kill difficulty ranked highest: tougher battles yielded bigger rewards. The level difference counted too. A level 56 warrior dropping level 76 foes reaped more per victory than a level 70 tackling the identical prey, as the system acknowledged the chasm between one’s power and the fallen giant.

Whether the beast ruled as a lone hunter or pack fodder played a role. Elite slayers with special traits outpaid equal-leveled groups because the system prized danger over mere quantity.

Here’s where S-tier classes shattered the ’game’ entirely.

A fresh level one S-tier mage could obliterate level 20 monsters right away. The challenge barely registered for such overwhelming might, yet the sheer level disparity showered them with stats no ordinary mage would touch without slogging through two dozen levels the tough route.

Superior stats unlocked fiercer clashes earlier, spiraling into yet more stats and bolder hunts. The momentum built on itself. An early lead locked in eternal dominance, the divide between an S-tier aggressor from the start and a careful grinder ballooning with each takedown.

Kaiden had played it safe in his beginning stages, when his class lagged and gear was scarce. Beyond the bottleneck now, all limits vanished.

At level 56, his traits matched a standard awakened pushing high sixties through grit or low seventies via caution. Even that appraisal flattered them. Many awakened farmed foes far beneath them, rendering their level 56 stats pitiful next to his.

Such fighters rarely reached these heights anyway. Past level 50, XP demands soared to millions, and weakling grinds dragged progress to a halt. They’d languish in the fifties as Kaiden ascended.

The disparity would grow steeper with every ascent, and Kaiden refused to battle anything that didn’t instill some dread.

’Level 56 boasting stats of fifteen to twenty levels higher,’ he mused, cleaning ichor from his blade’s side. ’No surprise I chase battles that could end us.’

Danger loomed genuine. He’d never deny it. The Crevice Borer Queen had etched that truth in gore and rush, prompting him to dial back the madness afterward. No longer twenty-eight-level leaps. No solo boss stands demanding perfect team sync for endless minutes or death.

Yet the dial-back stayed minimal.

Packs of two or three level 76 beasts remained wildly beyond any rational mid-fifties squad’s reach. Error tolerance razor-thin, clashes savage and draining—each forging his squad tougher than timid farms ever could.

Luna touched down nearby, sparks of lingering Storm energy crackling.

"250 points!" she crowed, thrusting her palm for a high-five that brooked no refusal. "250 competition points locked down. Know what that spells?"

Kaiden laughed and smacked her hand, yielding the spotlight. "Enlighten me."

"We’re about a thousand points shy of leading the pack." Her smile turned savage, like a huntress scenting triumph as keenly as blood. "A thousand. Another day like this, perhaps mere hours, and Iron Halo chokes on our trail. Top of the heap awaits!"

Calypso hollered from beyond the Render’s remains, punctuating with a kick to the carcass. Aria chuckled while drifting down, lunar glow ebbing from her fingers.

Bastet materialized from the side, ears flicking, spotless of ichor.

Nyx just smirked next to Kaiden.

The shadowy halo over Kaiden’s crown throbbed once.

<Big brother, you leveled up again! So amazing!>

Without pause, she tacked on,

<So when do I get my headpads? It’s been hours!!>

<Soon...>

Luna arched her arms overhead, brimming with glee.

Abruptly, his communication artifact vibrated.

Kaiden checked the display. Brittany’s name. He picked up.

"Kaiden!" Her tone strained urgent, bare to the core warning. "You need to move! Right now! Get your team out of there!"