Cultivators used mana to increase the power behind their strikes during a fight, which was why an individual with a Silver core would be far stronger than a Bronze core, as the quantity and quality of their mana, along with the medium for that mana to be channelled across the body, was different.

Silver core was fundamentally of better quality than a Bronze core, which resulted in the mana being effectively used within the body.

The speed at which it was channelled through the mana meridians, along with the intensity with which the individual could use mana in a particular part of his body, depended on the rank of the mana core.

But... that was not the only benefit of having a higher-ranked core.

With every rank up, along with an increase in the mana reserves and the quality of the mana core, the individuals also benefitted with an increase to their baseline physical strength.

Now... every race had their own advantage from birth relating to their physiques.

Vampires and Werewolves had the strongest physiques among the intelligent races that inhabited Jutan.

So an average Vampire at Silver 1 would have the advantage of his strong physique over an average human at Silver 1.

Though having a strong physique couldn’t guarantee victory in a battle where one’s use of mana mattered the most.

Still, despite everything, having a strong baseline physical strength was an advantage that could not be easily dismissed.

So... would that make all the vampires and werewolves always stronger than the other races?

The answer was a plain ’no’.

As the mana core evolved, so did the body of the cultivator, as the mana core was the heart of a cultivator’s power.

With an increase in the quality of the mana core, the individual’s body also goes through a qualitative change in baseline physique, though such changes were only visible at higher ranks.

Silver cores, in general, didn’t get much boost in their physique after evolving, and only after becoming a Gold core could your body get any real boost.

As for me... Under Arthur’s guidance, my physique had become far stronger than even the strongest vampires and werewolves at my rank.

Only Noah could rival my baseline strength, and that too because he was the protagonist of the game.

After evolving to the Gold core, I had felt a small boost in my physical power, as my muscles felt more condensed than before.

The increase in physical power was hard to measure, but it was there and I could feel it.

Gold core was just the first step to real power, as the main changes occurred while evolving to Platinum and higher ranks.

That was why for individuals at higher rank, it didn’t really matter who they were up against, as their rank negated the racial benefits that others might have.

Though the geniuses from among the vampires and werewolves were still relatively a lot stronger than those among the humans and elves, as the former still had a better foundation to build upon.

The same was true for monsters, as those with higher core ranks had far more durable bodies than the rest.

Even a monster from a weak species could develop a body that would rival others once it had evolved to Platinum or higher ranks.

Those were the thoughts in my mind as I observed the Gold 2 before me.

It had not sensed my presence as I was still around thirty metres away from the monster.

Just by looking at the exoskeleton of the spider, I could tell that it was extremely tough and hard to damage.

Still... It was just an exoskeleton and not a shell like the turtle, which I would never be able to damage in my current state.

Haa...

Taking a deep breath, I stabilised my pulse, while loosening the grip on my sword.

I waited for the monster to turn its back on me, before charging in its direction.

Willing more mana through the muscles in my legs, I increased my speed by several levels, as within seconds I was behind the spider, my sword aimed to cut off its hind legs.

As the spider lacked mana sense, it was unable to sense me until the last moment, but the second my sword was about to cut off its legs, the monster’s instincts kicked in, as it dashed forward, making me miss my aim completely.

Sigh.

With just a single addition in tier, my enemy was on a completely different level.

And here I was thinking of fighting a Gold 3...

"GRAAAHHH!"

After saving itself, the spider had now turned to face me, its rage visible from the intensity of its roar.

Haa...

Was I not capable enough to be an assassin?

None of the monsters above my rank had ever been caught off guard by my attacks.

Every time, they would somehow be able to react at the last moment, making all my efforts of staying hidden pointless in the end.

There wasn’t much time for me to think, as the monster moved, its hands stretching in unnatural angles, though all of them were aimed in my direction.

Willing mana through every muscle in my body, I activated my peak physical strength while at the same time, my mana pressure descended on the spider.

There was a moment’s pause in the monster’s actions, though it quickly tried to adapt to the change by using more of its mana, and achieving the same speed as before.

It was indeed able to negate some of the pressure, but in the end, my goal was achieved.

Now with a decrease in its agility, the monster found itself at a disadvantage it might have never expected.

Agility was one of the strongest weapons at the disposal of any spider—

Swoosh!

Four hands shot in my direction, while the spider spewed white fluid from its mouth at the same time.

Knowing that the fluid wouldn’t be harmless in any way, I charged towards the monster instead of retreating, dodging its hands at the same time.

Though the spider’s legs were lifted mid-charge, as the hands closed in from behind, while the legs were headed in my direction from the front.

Willing more mana through the muscles in my arms, I decided to take the legs head-on, as the movement of the monster’s hands could be limited underneath its body.

Destabilising the creature took precedence—

Clank!