[Reward Extraction —
[Skills: Shadow Jump (D+): Instantly move between connected shadows.
[Extract: 1,000 FP]
Chain Throw (D+): Throw a weapon tethered by a chain to strike a target at range. [Extract: 1,000 FP]
[Passive Boss Effects: Morale Pressure (D+): Hunters under sustained pursuit experience panic buildup. [Extract: 1,000 FP]
[Use Fear Points to extract the stats or skills.]
Abel rubbed his nose silently, realising that he didn't have enough Fear Points to extract all three options. After a brief moment of contemplation, he chose to extract [Shadow Jump (D+)].
This skill was invaluable when dealing with multiple enemies or when fleeing.
[Extraction complete. Congratulations, Abel. You have extracted [Shadow Jump (D+)].
Please note: Due to the absence of the [Darkness] attribute, the efficiency of this skill will be reduced by 50 per cent.]
[Fear Points: 420 FP]
[You may obtain the [Darkness] attribute if you wish to utilise this skill at 100 per cent efficiency.]
Abel frowned when he saw the system message.
If he had known that obtaining [Shadow Jump (D+)] without the [Darkness] attribute would reduce its efficiency by 50 per cent, he would have chosen [Chain Throw] or [Morale Pressure] instead.
"Can I get a refund?" Abel asked.
[No. There are no refunds.]
Abel sighed in defeat. "How much does the [Darkness] attribute cost?"
[Darkness Attribute: 2,000,000 FP]
"How am I supposed to get two million Fear Points? Even if I tortured five of them for an entire day, I don't think it would be possible to obtain such a huge amount," Abel muttered, his brows twitching.
He sighed tiredly, his expression filled with defeat and a mixture of complicated emotions as he remembered that he had just taken the lives of four Hunters.
With his Final Boss [The Survivor] skill, he was certain that one of them would return alive, but he wasn't sure who it would be.
He slumped back onto his bed.
Abel used the remaining Fear Points to extract [Chain Throw].
[Extraction complete. Congratulations, Abel. You have extracted [Chain Throw (D)].]
Skills were graded from F-rank to S-rank, further divided into F-, F+, and higher tiers. Most Hunters awakened with E- or D-ranked skills and had to train them gradually to improve their rank and increase their combat proficiency.
Only a few Hunters awakened with F-ranked skills, and they were considered the weakest among Hunters. The higher the rank of a skill upon awakening, the greater one's potential and the faster they can grow stronger.
For those who awakened with F-ranked skills, they had to struggle to catch up with peers who possessed higher-ranked abilities. Of course, some awakened with no skills at all, just like him, who had no business being a Hunter.
They weren't even classified as Hunters but were instead known as cannon fodder, the weakest of the weak, below even F-ranked Level 1 Hunters.
Stats such as Mana, Strength, Physique, Agility and Dexterity were different. They could be developed through training, mana crystals, or dungeon rewards.
Attributes, however, were vastly more different. They were obtained only upon awakening and could not be changed. Attributes amplified a Hunter's overall abilities and potential.
A Hunter with an attribute could defeat another Hunter of the same level who lacked one. Such individuals were known as Talented Hunters.
Abel had never heard of anyone who didn't possess an attribute being able to obtain an attribute after awakening. Yet, with the system, it was clearly possible. He could only hope that in his next Final Boss run, he might obtain another attribute and extract it.
'Do I need Fear Points to extract rewards in the future?'
Abel didn't speak the question aloud. Instead, he sent it through his thoughts. He didn't want to go around speaking to the system loudly, so he practised communicating with his thoughts.
[It depends. Some dungeons will require Fear Points for reward extraction. Others may require a time limit or a kill count. The system differs for each dungeon, so you may only be able to find out the requirements for reward extraction during the next dungeon run.]
Abel nodded.
'Why can't I also extract the Final Boss skills?' he asked.
[Those skills are system-level abilities granted to you due to obtaining the Final Boss Role-Playing System. As such, they cannot be ranked. You will be able to use them in whichever Final Boss you role-play as.]
'How about my personal skills? Do I also get to use them while role-playing as a Final Boss?'
[Yes. However, it is advisable not to use your personal skills while role-playing as a Final Boss so that you do not get recognised.]
Abel nodded again.
'When is the next Final Boss role-playing?'
[The system requires some time to connect the host to a suitable Final Boss. However, you can expect a new Final Boss within the next 24 hours.]
'So it isn't fixed?' Abel thought.
From his perspective, it made sense. Hunters were constantly challenging dungeons, and since the system needed to search for a suitable dungeon and Final Boss for him to connect to, it would obviously take time before he could role-play as a Final Boss again.
However, he still needed to get a job, or he would be homeless before then.
Abel considered applying for a Hunter Certification at his city's Hunter Association, but quickly shook the thought away. If he applied now, he would be treated like any other ordinary Hunter.
He needed to raise his stats to B- or A-rank to be recognised as someone with incredible potential. With the Final Boss Role-Playing System, Abel was certain that he could achieve the unprecedented and push his stats to S-rank, something only a handful of Hunters he had ever heard of had accomplished.
The problem was that Abel didn't know how long it would take. He had heard of Hunters who had spent two years stuck at Level 1 before they were able to raise their stats and accumulate enough experience to advance to Level 2.