Excitement roils in my blood as I take my first step toward our foes, and at the same time Bella fires off six spikes of ice thicker than my torso.
Two fire just close enough to whip the wind around me, tossing my hair, before disappearing into the small horde. She spaced them out to cover as much area as possible, and with there being a few dozen of the undead creatures, she doesn’t miss.
I grin even wider as they land, the sounds of cracking ice and rending metal shattering the silence. Each fragment skewers at least three of the normal zombies, throwing them back into the bulk of their group.
Not about to let her have all the fun, I push ten percent of my mana regen into Arcane Regulation to keep my health mostly topped off. Then I shift what’s left into All For One, giving it a bit over twenty percent.
And better yet, Fae Ferocity still hasn’t faded.
Play.
With my second step, my Status flickers across my vision mid-stride, its information imprinting itself on my mind as it does.
StatusName: Emilia KenRace: FaefoxAge: 20Level: 63
Health: 34,620Health Regen: 12,617 (430,310) per minute
Mana: 478,653Stored: 957,306Mana Regen: 4.17m (1.5m -> 0) per minute(64% restrained, 36% reserved)
Stats:Strength: 500 (1,752)Constitution: 769 (2,696)Dexterity: 1,299 (4,554)Intelligence: 989 (3,468)Wisdom: 5,898 (20,674)Charisma: 500 (1,755)Available Stat Points: 0
Then I do some quick math—aided by the System, thank the gods—for supercharged Blood Bursts.
I immediately decide to use only the mana stored in my tail, leaving my natural mana pool as reserve just in case.
Just good sense to have a backup.
Third step.
The answer is there almost instantly. Thirteen Blood Bursts.
Sense Danger flares hot across my skin, and I react without thinking.
An overcharged Scarlet Barrier flares to life around me, manifesting just in time to block a bolt of sickly green lightning. Right behind it is the aftershocks of thunder, deafening me for a brief moment and shaking me to my core.
When it strikes, it arcs across my entire barrier, flaring a blindingly bright white. Every single blood crystal shatters as they absorb the attack, and my eyes widen slightly with surprise.
Still, I keep moving, opting to summon yet another Scarlet Barrier rather than relying on the usually vague Sense Danger Skill.
So lightning magic is bad. Got it. Also, eleven bursts now.
My twinge of frustrations is interrupted when Bella’s ice spears explode, instantly rending rotten flesh, bone, and armor alike, leaving craters filled with shredded remains in their wake.
Okay, that’s amazing.
Unwilling to let her outdo me, I try something new.
Normally when activating Blood Burst, it’s like a mental trigger. I just… think about casting it, and how much mana and health I’d like to invest, and it happens a fraction of a second later.
This time, I think about activating it six times at once, imagining the spaces I’d like them to appear and how strong I’d like each to be.
On my fourth step, my vision doubles as I tilt sideways, momentarily overwhelmed by a skull splitting headache spiking through my brain.
It takes only a fraction of a second to recover, but it still leaves me momentarily confused. Then my eyes catch on four scarlet orbs of blood and compressed wind that manifest above the zombies heads.
They aren’t exactly where I wanted them, and it seems I somehow failed to get the additional two that I’d been wanting…
But it worked.
My grin returns as a loud boom disturbs the chaos of battle even further, the wind of four Blood Bursts roaring through the battlefield like small tornadoes. Everything in their radius—easily ten paces from their origin points—is ripped apart just as easily as those I’d faced on my way to Bella.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t close enough for the Skill to reach the ones with Classes. Still, between the two of us, we near-instantly eradicated two thirds of the small horde. Most of the back of the group remains untouched, but I’m not worried.
That was just the first salvo, after all.
My fifth and sixth steps are empowered with Bloodmist Fist, pushing me forward with every ounce of speed I can muster. I all but fly forward, closing the distance between myself and the stragglers.
Three arrows are swatted from the air by the winds of my Scarlet Barrier, and six more glints of sparkling blue ice bracket my sides, joining my charge.
At the sight, I can’t hold back the bark of joy at the sight, my bestial laughter mixing with the echoes of violence.
They fly past me, this time even close than the last, smashing into the two fighters before me. They were attempting to block my path, some form of tactics still guiding their undead minds, but Bella is having none of it.
Though they react, her attack is flawless. Each of them has to contend with two spears, but a third seems to miss them by a pace or two—only for all three to detonate the instant the third is at their sides.
Once more, ice and metal shrapnel pepper the area, much of it even bouncing off my Scarlet Barrier and cracking a few of the blood crystals.
Then I’m close enough for the second round of Blood Bursts. This time, I only try for four simultaneous Blood Bursts.
No headaches. No resistance. No errors.
Just four beautiful, crimson orbs, manifested above the back line, exactly where I wanted them.
The two Fighters, their armors dented and peppered with holes, lay in battered heaps on the ground. Still, one takes a swipe at me with its blade, and I leap over it as the Blood Bursts detonate.
I leave them behind, focusing entirely on the remnants of the horde. I know I can leave the fighters to Bella.
What we need is to take out the Ranger and Mage.
Thankfully, the Ranger is already as good as dead. One of my Blood Bursts tore its leg off at the knee, leaving it collapsed in a twitching heap. It still manages to drag itself upright with mechanical determination, bow already rising as it draws another shot.
The Mage, on the other hand, is intact.
It stumbles backward over the corpses of its fallen allies, skeletal feet slipping on gore-slick stone as it desperately tries to put distance between us. Its foul green lightning flickers across its skin and leathers, gathering in an empty eye socket.
I pick my target without hesitation.
The Mage.
The Ranger fires, the twang of its bowstring tickling my ears even as the arrow is only just diverted by the winds of my barrier. As close as we are, it seemed to struggle to swat the arrow out of the air as easily as it had earlier.
I’m already mentally shaping the next volley of Blood Bursts into existence, three crimson orbs snapping into being around the Ranger in a tight triangle.
For a split second it freezes, as if it understands exactly what’s about to happen.
Then the explosions erase it.
Wind and blood tear the corpse apart so completely that nothing recognizable remains, only a spray of fragments that clatter harmlessly against my barrier.
At the same time, I finally appear in front of the Mage.
It swipes its staff through the air between us, and four spheres of blighted lightning blossom into existence around it. They orbit its body in a tight ring, crackling with enough power to make my skin crawl even through the barrier.
I skid to a halt, Sense Danger all but screaming at me not to even think about touching that.
The Mage thrusts a rotting, bony hand forward, lightning gathering into a spear-point between its fingers.
Praying that Bella isn’t in the middle of casting, I shove mana into Mana Surge and release it.
The magic around us stutters.
The lightning orbs flicker, destabilize, and then collapse inward with a sound like shattering glass. The spell in the Mage’s hand implodes with them, blasting its arm back and sending it reeling as some kind of magical backlash tears through its frame.
I charge through the fading sparks, hair and fur gathering the lingering static.
We hit the ground together, and I don’t hesitate.
My fists rise and fall in a blur, overcharged Bloodmist Fist’s and Arcane Strike’s turning each punch into miniature detonations. Bone cracks and ribs cave while the mana of my attacks invades its body, destroying whatever is left inside the creature.
Its skull snaps sideways under the third hit, then explodes after the forth.
A blade carves through my barrier before digging deep into my back, but I don’t even bother looking. I just summon two quick Blood Bursts over my shoulder and let the explosions buy me another moment.
The pressure wave washes over me a heartbeat later, rattling my barrier but doing no actual damage.
Then the floor freezes.
Bella’s magic spreads outward in a glittering tide, frost racing along the stone in branching patterns before erupting upward. Spears punch through the last remnants of the horde from every angle, pinning the undead in a forest of ice.
I stay crouched over the Mage’s remains for a moment, breathing hard, hands still dripping blackened gore. The smell of it hits me as I scan the space around us, looking for any sneaky stragglers.
It punches straight through the adrenaline coursing through my system, Fae Ferocity choosing the worst possible moment to fade away at the same time, and my stomach lurches.
I shove mana into Ashari’s Grace on instinct, watching the filth peel off my skin as I stand and get some distance from the corpse.
The chamber is a ruin of shattered corpses and melting frost. Bella steps lightly through it all, ice mist curling around her boots, scarlet gaze scanning for movement that never comes.
When she looks at me, her expression softens.
“All clea—oh, gods, are you okay?”
Her eyes are locked on something behind me, and I feel the twinge of pain from the blade strike earlier as it stubbornly refuses to heal.
After quickly dispelling my barrier, I reach behind me with a scowl, hand groping for a handle until I finally grab it and yank it out with a mildly concerning grinding of metal on bone. The pressure abates instantly, sending a shudder through my whole body as I’m momentarily overwhelmed with satisfied relief.
A pleased sigh escapes my lips as the cut seals itself in seconds, tingling and itching all the while.
Then even that’s gone.
Bella watches on, eyes wide with a mix of horror and concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine. You?” I ask.
She shakes her head slowly. “I’m well, thank you.”
That’s when I notice something.
A tiny blinking light in the corner of my vision.
My heart instantly starts to race with excitement as I pull up the fresh notices.
You have leveled up! X2Stats gained:+4 Strength+10 Constitution+10 Dexterity+8 Intelligence+18 Wisdom+4 Charisma+20 free stat points
Congratulations!Through experience, you naturally gain the following Skills:Curse ResistanceLightning Resistance
Curse ResistancePassive, BodyYou are more resistant to curses and their effects when used against you.+3% curse resistance per level.
Lightning ResistancePassive, BodyYou are more resistant to lightning and its effects when used against you.+3% lightning resistance per level.
“Yes!” I squeal, doing a little dance and wiggling my tail.
Bella watches on with confused amusement, her cheeks showing a hint of pink. I immediately stop, fighting to regain composure. My tail, treacherous thing that it is, keeps swishing excitedly behind me.
Right as I'm about to start asking myself how I got the the lightning and curse resistance Skills, something else catches my attention.
Most of the bodies and weapons have already all but dissolved into nothing. I instantly deflate with a whine.
“No!”
Spinning, my eyes lock onto the Mage’s corpse, only to find it’s also rapidly disintegrating. Even the weapon in my hand has already begun falling apart.
I howl in annoyance and throw it at the nearest wall.
The weapon disintegrates midair.
It turns to dust before it even hits the stone, scattering like ash and leaving me yelling at absolutely nothing.
“This is a scam!” I huff. “A complete scam! Zombies? Fine. Stinky? I’ve endured worse. But no loot?! What kind of budget delve is this?”
Bella blinks at me. “…Budget delve?”
I round on her, chest heaving.
“Yes! Where’s the rewards? The weapons? Armor? Ancient coins or arcanite?” I gesture wildly at the melting remains. “All this effort and we get weird torches and dust. Dust! Nobody delves for dust! Unless...”
I pause for a moment to pinch some of the aforementioned dust between my fingers and give it my most exaggerated stink-eye.
"Nope. Not magical dust."
She opens her mouth to respond, lips quirked in amusement.
Then we both freeze, the sound of stone grinding against stone instantly garnering our full attention.
A slab of the wall at the end of the corridor shifts inward with a low rumble. Frost creeps instinctively along Bella’s boots, and I flare another Barrier into existence with a rush of wind.
We wait, watching the hall for any hint of movement.
Then a shadow peels itself from the wall in the gloom, and Nyx seems to step out of thin air.
The stealth drops from him like a cloak slipping from his shoulders, eyes already tracking the corridor behind us like he’s expecting something else to jump us.
I sag in relief. Bella doesn’t.
Her ice doesn’t melt until he speaks.
“Clear,” he says quietly. His voice is low and even, as it was when we first met.
Only then does Bella relax, frost receding into mist.
“Nyx,” she exhales. “Where’s Seraphine?”
“Alive and relatively safe,” he answers immediately. “Holding a small junction further down. Sent me to scout for you two.”
“Of course she did,” I mutter. “Because we get the zombie army and she gets the nice defensible corner.”
Nyx looks around curiously, brow arched as if to ask ‘What zombies?’
Just as I’m about to protest, his mouth twitches, revealing the ghost of a smile. I narrow my eyes at him.
“The side passages loop,” he continues, acting as if nothing happened and nodding toward the branching corridors. “Some kind of magic distortion. They reconnect to the same hall, confuses movement. Down or up are the only ways we can go.”
My ears perk up at that, playfulness immediately forgotten.
Something is nudging at the edges of my mind, and I find myself saddled with a kind of… gut feeling that down is where we need to go. Momentarily confused, I analyze the feeling, unsure what it’s coming from.
I’ve never felt something quite like this. Nothing so persistent, at least.
Then I start connecting the dots.
Where I started, the floor was level, no slope up or down at all. Just a choice to go left or right. Thankfully the Ring of Remembrance guided me to Bella, but on my way to her, the hall started sloping down.
Not only that, each hallway was gradually becoming shorter and shorter. Like they’re funneling us somewhere.
And I know what’s helping me put this all together, too.
Dungeoneer’s InsightPassive, BodyEnhances your knowledge gathering and researching ability. Improves reading comprehension, memory recall, and helps with connecting pieces of information.Conversations with those of an equal or lesser Charisma stat flow more smoothly, making it easier to extract useful insights.+5% increase to Intelligence and Charisma
The passive Skill hadn’t gotten any opportunities to show its usefulness until now.
Well, useful is a strong term… there’s really only two directions we could go. We’d figure it out eventually. But still…
I glance between the two of them. “I think we’re supposed to go down.”
Nyx studies me for half a second, waiting for me to explain.
“I’m inclined to believe you,” Bella says. “But I’d still like to know where that’s coming from.”
I shrug. “I have a Skill that helps me find and piece things together.”
I quickly tell them of where I’d started and the changes I’ve noticed on my way to Bella, and they nod along, eyes lighting up with agreement.
“That matches what I’ve seen,” he says. “The hallways have been getting longer as I ascended.”
“A quarry of some kind? Or maybe an upside-down pyramid?” Bella murmurs.
I sap my fingers at her. “Exactly!”
Nyx gestures behind him. “Seraphine’s about three minutes walk that way, but we’ll need to clear the undead as we go since you can’t sneak.”
I stare at him.
“…You snuck past them?”
He shrugs. “Most of them. Killed the Mage’s, Ranger’s, and Rogue’s.”
“Best we regroup then,” I sigh.
“You almost seem disappointed,” Bella teases. “I wonder why that could be?”
I huff, refusing to answer.
Instead, I pull up my Status once more and dump my twenty free Stat points into Wisdom.
Because even with as much mana as I have, it’s somehow not enough…
I flare All For One with all of the mana I have available and take a moment to look my Status over, a smile blooming when I see the changes.
I’m finally getting stronger again. Even if only a little.
StatusName: Emilia KenRace: FaefoxAge: 20Level: 65
Health: 34,620 -> 35,397Health Regen: 12,617 ->12,961 per minute
Mana: 471,891-> 497,007Stored: 943,782 -> 994,014Mana Regen: 4.17m -> 4.49m (1.61m) per minute (64% restrained, 4.5% reserved)
Stats:Strength: 500 -> 505 (1,063)Constitution: 769 -> 786 (1,653)Dexterity: 1,299 -> 1,324 (2,784)Intelligence: 989 -> 1,005 (2,113)Wisdom: 5,983-> 6,212 (13,062)Charisma: 500 -> 507 (1,066)Available Stat Points: 0
Titles:System WakerDungeon PioneerThe FirstWeave WalkerWhat’s Death?
Racial Skills:ManabornFae FerocityMagic Resistant
Combat Class: Bloodwind Mystic (L)Active Skills:Bloodmist FistBlood BurstScarlet BarrierHemokinesis
Passive Skills:Body of Scarlet SkiesBloodwind ResilienceBloodwind HarmonyBloodwind Essence (Ev)
Profession Class: Dungeoneer (E)Passive Skills:Sense DangerDungeoneer’s InsightSeeker’s Survival (Ev)Relic Whisperer
Unique Class: First Arcanist (L)Active Skills:All For One (Ev)Arcane StrikeMana SurgeArcane Regulation
Passive Skills:Mind, Body, SoulArcane BodyArcane PugilismArcane Infusion
General Skills:Total SuppressionMeditationIntimidationPersuasionDeceptionEtiquetteDancingFire Resistance (8/30)Poison Resistance (19/30)Lightning Resistance (1/30)Curse Resistance (1/30)
******
Authors Note:
Going to go on ahead and start keeping Racial Skills separate from General Skills from here on, but previous chapters haven't been updated to reflect that yet. They will be in the next Update Log though ^^
I also broke down her mana reservations. Do you guys like it that way, or would you prefer it without? I know it's more info dense that way, but figured I'd at least give you the option <3
Edit: Did a quick tweak on some dialogue from Emilia after the fight because I felt like she sounded more petulant than playful, and that's just not really what I was going for lol. Sorry for those of you who read that beforehand!