He genuinely couldn't believe his eyes. Another completely new ability, obtained just like that?
He felt absolutely elated with excitement, even though he still didn't know exactly what this ability would do for him.
What would he get. The ability to be able to predict the future?, run extremely fast or be able to teleport?
[Enhanced Durability]
Tatehan furrowed his brow in confusion.
Enhanced Durability?
Well, that was certainly a new type of power he hadn't expected.
Way back when he first saw the initial notification at the spaceship about receiving a system that would grant him supernatural abilities, he had naturally expected he'd eventually get classic powers like flight, super speed, or super strength, you know, all those normal, casual, and widely 'well-known' superhero-type abilities that everyone dreams about.
But actually seeing the specific kind of abilities he had been consistently getting since then was genuinely surprising and unconventional.
Gravity Manipulation.
Partial Regeneration.
Kinetic Absorption—though that was technically not a standalone ability since it came bundled together with the armor, but well, he'd mentally count it in his arsenal anyway. His system didn't even officially list it in his main ability stats section, and it didn't have progressive levels attached to it like the others, and now on top of all that, Enhanced Durability?
[Description: Your skin and bones become slightly denser and significantly harder to damage from physical impacts.]
Tatehan opened his eyes extremely wide in genuine shock.
This was definitely it. He absolutely had to be getting overpowered at this point?
Just imagine what he would become with th-
[Current Level: 0.3. Because of how fundamentally powerful this ability is, it will be exceptionally hard to upgrade and will progress very slowly compared to other abilities.]
Tatehan immediately facepalmed hard, letting all the glowing cores slip from his hands and fall scattered to the dusty ground.
Of course. Of freaking course.
If he were to leave the bruteneck area right now and continue on his journey, there would likely be no easy way left to upgrade his abilities again at this rapid pace. There might still be opportunities, sure, but it definitely wouldn't be anywhere near as simple and straightforward as what he'd experienced here, he was absolutely certain of that, because there were many types of monsters out there that you simply don't kill so easily without serious risk, and surprisingly enough, some regions of Mars might not even have any monsters inhabiting them to begin with.
But then again, Tatehan started thinking more optimistically about the long-term potential, what if he actually was able to upgrade this defensive ability to a really substantial level over time? It might realistically take him a full year or even multiple years of constant fighting and grinding, but well, if he managed to do so successfully, he would become genuinely really powerful and nearly indestructible. Just this single ability combined strategically with his Kinetic Absorption power would be absolutely golden for his survival and combat effectiveness.
Tatehan looked down at the dead dwarf bruteneck bodies now scattered around him. Crazy little creatures, they honestly had to be some of the easiest opponents he had ever encountered and defeated in combat.
But they actually weren't exactly easy when you really looked at the situation objectively and analyzed it. What had primarily helped Tatehan dominate here was specifically his Gravity Manipulation powers combined with the deadly rock sword, and of course the protective armor played a crucial role too.
Before leaving the spaceship, he had possessed absolutely none of these advantages, and if the dwarf brutenecks had encountered and attacked him in that previous weakened state, he would've been killed almost immediately for sure, no question about it.
Back then during those early days, his Gravity Manipulation ability was still stuck at the basic level one. At that low level, he definitely couldn't have successfully lifted the dwarfs' heavy hammers telekinetically at all. The hammers, although small in size, were deceptively heavy and dense, and it was only because his current ability level was significantly higher now that he had been able to lift them up effortlessly and redirect them.
Even when the aggressive dwarfs had thrown those same hammers directly at his vulnerable back without any warning, if this attack had happened before he got the armor, he would've been knocked down hard to the ground, and before he could summon the armor, the dwarfs would've swarmed him and injured him incredibly badly, probably fatally.
His knight bruteneck armor had quite literally saved his life in that ambush.
Tatehan spat forcefully on the dry ground and stomped on the wet spot with emphasis. He looked up ahead toward the horizon and could already start seeing the distant outlines and highlights of the massive canyon network.
It was definitely high time he left this place behind and continued forward.
___
It took him not too long before he reached the canyon's entrance.
By not too long it was a little over an hour. He was without his armor throughout the trip. He didn't want anything too heavy that would tire him soon than usual.
He also tried to breath normally and not feel exhausted so he'd not feel thirsty after as he was saving water.
The road was without monsters or any deadly creatures. All he could see were bones and pebbles. He saw some rocks too. All laying on the dry and parched ground.
After some time, he finally arrived at the canyon!
At the entrance actually.
Tatehan stared at it with a mix of fear and anticipation.
When the Spaceship's AI had told him he would be going through a canyon, he had thought it to be perfectly normal, never for once questioning. He had never really thought about what going through a canyon would be like.
But now, really looking at what he was about to get into, made him panic a bit.
Words appeared across his retina:
[Congratulations host, you are now already half way across your journey]