The bubble was jostled violently from multiple shockwaves, each erupting with more gusto than the last.
Unpowered, the construct was dragged along the force, back to where the spectators were watching. Walls of pure kinetic energy rose around him as the blast approached, nullifying the lightning’s advance without batting an eye.
Normally, it would’ve been an awe-inspiring sight that would’ve given him much to think about. In that moment, however, Lev was barely more than a goldfish, unable to look past the changes taking place in his head.
After years of using and evolving his class, he had finally done it. A scratch had appeared on the tip of the iceberg that was Mana, and it was overwhelming.
Raw, unadulterated knowledge slammed into his mind. Vague concepts about harmony with the world, conversion of energies, souls and their effects on mana, and so much more.
Then it all died down. His eyes fluttered open with a gasp, mind too scrambled to form a thought.
What… the… fuck!?
Something was strange. Very strange. Covered in his armor, his brain struggled momentarily to control his limbs. One instant, they were normal, and the next, they were covered in runes and platings.
The damage to his bubble screamed into his mind, urging him to redirect a bit of willpower to fix the cracks and runes. Stargazer was still in his hands, and she blazed like a sun.
Curiosity piqued, he peered deeper into the glaive. Odd flows of mana coursed through her structure. His brain took a moment to realize that they were runes, and when he did, their meaning jumped into his mind all at once.
It wasn’t quite comparable to how Arcane Supremacy had overwhelmed his mind, but the jolt from information overload was painful regardless. The hazy, drunken state evaporated with a yelp, one loud enough to echo in the bubble.
Holy shit.
Lev sat up. The barrier armor immediately demanded all of his focus due to the sheer ease with which he had performed the move. As if feeling his interest, willpower responded smoothly than ever before, diving into his armor and showing all the changes.
There were… none, actually. Head slightly tilted, he scanned the armor from head to toe again, reaching a single conclusion.
I’m connected to it more thoroughly, somehow?
Indeed, the armor was still the same. It hadn’t suddenly become stronger or more durable, nor were the enchantments affected much.
It was the user who had changed. All of the mana in the construct, the way it swirled inside runes, his own control over the mana fed to them both from his pool, he could observe it much clearer than before, as if someone had given him glasses to see better.
Turning to Stargazer warily, he breathed out a sigh when he saw none of the previous phenomena on display. It would’ve been nice to look at it with a more critical and controlled eye.
Grabbing her pole, he looked at the broken blade. More than half of it had exploded in the last move, leaving the rest chipped and cracked.
The blade regrew over a few seconds as he stood up and looked over his body. Mana poisoning was rampant, though it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Restoration mana had been working throughout the battle, saving him from the worst.
Interesting. I still have 30% of my combined reserves. Did the lightning reabsorption really save that much?
It made sense. A large chunk was captured by his pillars, and if the recent change had anything to say, the efficiency had likely improved considerably throughout the battle.
There was also the matter of Stargazer. His grip on her was firmer, possessing confidence that he didn’t know he had.
Lev grinned. The skill had definitely evolved, though first, he had something to check up on.
From the day they had seen it, the Night Hunter had stumped them all. It was an abhorrent, sure, but why was it the way it was?
Like the infected Chaos core he had once found, the hunter’s core was also going to give him answers. Or, well, it would if the creature even had a core.
Glancing behind him, the humans, the Hunter, and the now-awake Stag were waiting for him. He ignored them as the bubble flew forward, towards a half-decimated combination of shieldwalls.
Fortunately, the lightning slash had exploded far away. The Night Hunter’s corpse was still embedded in the barrier block, twitching from the remnants of lightning inside.
Barrier threads dug into the charred, black skin. A glance was enough to deduce that there was no core inside the torso, though he still searched thoroughly.
Almost instantly, the threads clinked against something solid. Lev measured the thing’s size and width before cutting open that area with Stargazer, finding the task easy without any passive and active skills enhancing the corpse.
Out came a mana crystal. As wide as two of his fingers and as long as his palm, Lev’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when the crystal tried to destabilize his armor and devour the mana comprising it.
[
Greater Mana Crystal - Oversaturated - Mutated
This particular crystal has been exposed to the boundless greed of a Veil Crawler and has been altered at the core.
The crystal exerts a pull on any and all mana in its vicinity, especially on Moonlight. Be wary of taking what you don’t deserve.
]
A mana crystal. This was what caused the mutation?
The question opened many different lines of thought in his head. Inside a monster that had no regard for its safety or life, just how far could a skill or class be pushed with such a source of mana?
He didn’t have to imagine it. The Night Hunter was a formidable foe that had been seriously weakened and hampered inside his prepared battlefield. Without his preparation and carefully paced battle, Lev still didn’t have any hope of coming out on top.
After all, the creature was so tough that the blasts that could put down third-threshold monsters and wound the stag would’ve just buried it or flung it far away. The hunter would’ve survived and returned to tear him apart.
Glad it’s dead before it could evolve. Monarch knows what kind of an abomination we would be dealing with at that point… though Hakim would probably rip it to shreds anyway.
Without a second thought, he tossed the crystal inside his ring. He knew exactly who could make the best use of it, and not giving it to the Silver Night would be a disservice to humanity.
Stepping back into his bubble, he paused for a moment to marvel at his heightened sensitivity to mana before making it fly back to the waiting people.
Time to see if this was as worth it as I was hoping for, he thought while seated in his usual seat, feeling like a kid about to open presents.
[
You have slain [Night Hunter - Level 445]
Arcane Maelstrom has reached Level 301
Arcane Maelstrom has reached Level 302
Arcane Maelstrom has reached Level 303
Arcane Maelstrom has reached Level 304
Arcane Barrier Authority has reached 4th Level 7
Wrath of the Arcane has reached 4th Level 8
Arcane Protection has reached 4th Level 7
Superior Senses has reached 4th Level 7
Expeditious Empowerment has reached 4th Level 5
Expeditious Empowerment has reached 4th Level 6
Arcane Passage has reached 4th Level 5
Mage Conduit has reached 4th Level 7
Advanced Barrier Carving has reached 2nd Level 7
Advanced Barrier Carving has reached 2nd Level 8
Fracturing Wave has reached 2nd Level 5
Self-Taught Beginner Glaive Mastery has reached 2nd Level 10
Self-Taught Beginner Glaive Mastery has evolved into Dance of the Elements.
Trapping has reached Level 10
Trapping has reached 2nd Level 1
Trapping has reached 2nd Level 2
You have earned a new Title.
You have earned a new Title.
]
That was a lot of notifications for a relatively short battle, Lev mused, rereading them a few times.
Expeditious Empowerment was lagging behind. Luckily for him, that had sparked the whole idea in the first place, and it had paid off quite well.
The new level in Mage Conduit was also expected, something he looked forward to after every significant battle. Even if the mana increase was small, it added up, and the increased Intelligence wasn’t anything to scoff at either.
Fracturing Wave only rising by a single level despite the different ways he had stretched its uses only served to show how difficult it was going to be to evolve that skill. A challenge he would tackle happily in the future.
[
Trapping - 2nd Level 2:
You have dabbled in the arts of stealth and surprise attacks and gained enough proficiency to create adequate lures.
This skill aids in correcting and empowering the unexpected. Effectiveness is diminished significantly the more a certain type of trap is repeated.
2nd Rank: The Stealth aspect of all traps is improved. Detections are avoided more easily.
]
[
Dance of the Elements - 2nd Level 1:
Command the mana types at your disposal with your glaive. Become one with the destruction, be it subtle or grand.
Control over Infusion and Imbuement in melee combat is heightened significantly. All empowered movements are guided by the elements themselves, offering insights and minor improvements.
2nd Rank: Extensions of your body are considered a part of the skill. Your mind is better at handling massive weights and blades. Your constructs benefit from the dance, allowing them to support you at critical moments without fail.
]
Trapping saw a straightforward upgrade, which wasn’t surprising. Dance of the elements, however, was… not really surprising, because Lev wasn’t even sure what to expect.
Regardless, he was far from disappointed.
The skill covered three crucial aspects of his class. First, it helped with channeling mana types into his armor, which was the primary goal. It operated on his armor just as well, which was necessary, though he wished it were a part of the first rank to allow for more benefits in the second.
Enhancing his moves properly based on the element was something he wanted from the evolution, and it was covered, too.
What he didn’t expect, was the ability to incorporate his constructs in his melee style. Granted, he had been doing that already, for it would be foolish not to do so.
To see it included in what was no doubt an extremely strong skill was quite gratifying.
[
You have gained a new title.
Abhorrent Slayer I:
To defy the natural order means to risk the wrath of the world itself. To do so as a second-threshold being, however, can often escape such notice.
You have done the world a service by removing that parasite. The System acknowledges your efforts, regardless of motives.
+45 to all attributes
]
Lev waited before accepting the attributes. The System, the omnipresent entity that oversaw their daily lives, had just expressed something bordering on anger and called the abhorrent a parasite. The thought of one day somehow becoming the source of The System’s anger made him gulp and hastily move on.
The implications were many, except that there were no answers without more details. He had seen the Night Hunter absorb mana without any limitations, so The System calling it a parasite made sense.
To call his kill a service to the world did not. He just wanted levels, evolutions, and a title, though that had also been noticed.
Not finding anything new in the description, he accepted the attributes and closed his eyes. The sensation of improvement was almost overwhelming, making him inhale and exhale deeply to not drool.
I swear to Monarch, whoever made it feel this way instead of more muted knew what they were doing. What better way to entice people to fight than the rush of progress itself?
With a sigh, he just remained in that position for a few seconds before shaking his head. There was one more title left, something he could feel in his very being that was the key to a brighter future.
Alright, lay it on me. How bad can it be?
[
You have gained a new title.
Spiritual Harmony:
One small step, one giant leap. You have begun your journey to becoming one with mana, forging a connection so deep and strong that the world bows to you.
To obtain harmony means to look inwards and see. Understanding and curiosity go hand in hand, and you’ve proven to desire answers while solving the questions at hand.
Unveil the mysteries of your soul and the intricacies of mana by yourself, and the rewards will outshine even the greatest of treasures. Resources are many; you are one, and only one.
The highest of highs are made possible to every sapient in the universe. Do you have what it takes to conquer yourself and master it all?
]
For several long and silent minutes, Lev just sat there. He didn’t need to read the title again, nor did he want to think about anything else.
Too much information had just been dumped on his head, and that required his utmost concentration to explore.
Anyone can become a god.
That was the first implication. If the highest of highs didn’t refer to divinity itself, then Lev didn’t know what it could mean.
I can become a god.
Lev was reaching, he knew. He was reaching very, very far. But that wasn’t the point.
The System had just confirmed that his goal, the arbitrary direction he had chosen in that cart while accompanying Alec, was actually possible. Hell, more than possible, the very solution had just been presented to him. With enough time, fighting, patience, meditation, and experiences, he could eventually reach the limits of The System itself.
Okay, let’s focus on the present first. What does this mean now?
The skill Sherron had mentioned, the one that reduced environmental damage, was probably in his grasp already. He just needed one more push for it.
A bit further in the future, the new title and harmony were the key to utilizing his class to the fullest. When every drop of mana was accounted for, no longer would he need to slowly kill himself to kill his adversaries.
Evolving lightning likely also required this milestone, something he wished he had known before.
Other than that, almost everything in his class had improved indirectly due to heightened mana manipulation. He could acutely feel even the ambient mana and how it was more receptive to his will. No doubt, the penalties for using it were lessened, though it was still far from worth it.
Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and exhaled. Distractions could wait. He had a stag to greet, and also check another notification that had just shown up.****Author's Notes: The second and probably the last shoutout for a while. Check out my friend's fic who just launched on kindle:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0G4BVKH9W