Chapter 47: 47 Steeling of Will
Scouting the [System Shop] proved to be far more productive than previously thought. As Donis used Immolate to finish off targets that Etheria brought low, he perused the new options brought on by the new bloodline. Dragons, while fond of magic, seemed to value their Will and physical might more than anything.
The amount of options for physical enhancements was mind bending. From stuff like [Scale Hardness 1/20] to [Inter-muscular Connective Tissue Toughness 1/45]. Their magic library, while impressive, didn't break Donis's mind with just the sheer volume of selections.
Though they all sounded powerful, such as [Demonic Transformation – Variis Avatar II 1/2], they all cost an insane amount of health. That particular spell cost 20k HP to cast, and it was on the cheap end for the costs he'd seen. It looks like Dragons not only tend to live for a long time, but they use that time to level up to crazy heights probably. Or they're born with high constitutions, Donis wasn't certain.
The list of available purchases for anything related to Will was equally as staggering as the physical aspects. From changing the will to influence other beings, to using the will to directly rip apart spells, or even directly kill.
The physical upgrades cost the least, averaging about [150SP] per purchase, while the magic ones averaged around [800SP]. The Will upgrades though, they cost a pretty point, are valued on average at [3,500SP] per upgrade.
While none of the upgrades really spoke out to Donis, he felt like getting an upgrade in one of the slower-to-level physical upgrades could potentially aid him in the long run.
'Wait, I wonder, when the Combat Job gave me the title "The Will of Dragons" did they mean any willful action? Lets try something that's easy and even if I don't want to actually push through and do it, it wont affect me too much,' thought Donis to himself.
Thinking about it, he set his sights on achieving two new skills for [150SP] each from the shop from the physical augmentation section of the Draconic skills. As soon as he set his mind on achieving that, Donis received a new notification.
-[The Will of Dragons Quest]: Purchase 2 physical augmentation skills from the Draconic section.
Reward: [60SP] + [45,000 EXP]-
As soon as the quest appeared, a new experience washed over him. He was compelled to immediately go into the shop and buy the two skills. It was as if it would be wrong of him not to, like this is a defining moment in his life.
Yet the feeling wasn't all that powerful. Settling down his mind, it felt closer to addiction rather than anything else. That craving to do it was powerful, definitely, but not something Donis couldn't handle. Though knowing it was linked to his Will, he began wondering if he made his will even stronger with Immolate, will the craving become overpowering, or will he be able to fight it off better.
Either way, he was willing to purchase the abilities anyway so getting some SP back was already a surprise, but the [EXP] was a nice bonus. It equated to about 2.5% of the [EXP] required for level 21, so potentially more difficult actions could net him even higher rewards. He needed to test this more.
Taking another gander at the potential [150SP] abilities he could get, he settled on two that could net him gains in the long run. Donis knew that he wasn't the strongest, nor did he know what he really lacked right now. He had a few long range attacks, he had some melee combat skills using his swords, he had mana control beyond what any normal 15 year old could possibly acquire.
He didn't really know how to fight without weapons though. He realised this when he tried to throw the punch at the tree. He had no clue about how to position himself, or how to throw a simple punch. This led him to a simple conclusion, he needed to learn how to fight.
-[Draconic-Humanoid Fighting Stance 1/250]- [200SP]
-[Draconic Basic Fist Technique 1/200]- [100SP]
-[Draconic-Humanoid Basic Fighting Stances 1/260(+10)]-[0%EXP][The basic fighting stances for Dragons in their humanoid forms. Allows for more expression of power in combat, and fluidity of movement.]
-[Draconic Basic Fist Techniques 1/210(+10)]-[0%EXP][Basic fist fighting techniques. Utilizes the basic insights of Draconic Martial Arts to provide a fundamental understanding in various possible fist techniques.]
-[The Will of Dragons Quest]: Purchase 2 physical augmentation skills from the Draconic section. Complete!
Reward: [60SP] + [45,000 EXP]-
An incredibly familiar sense of euphoria washed over Donis, once again filling him with pseudo memories of how indescribable shapes fought fiercely using their bodies and sending the experiences over to him. It was truly addicting.
The addiction-like sensation faded immediately too, it was like Donis was sent to heaven for just a moment. His mind became unfettered by anything, it was clear once more.
'Wow, okay, this fighting style truly fits the theme of Dragons. I need to use to my whole body to shift my centers of gravity as I move between each move makes sense, but the way they do it feels so fluid and… feral. It's definitely not a human style of fighting at all. Which I suppose, makes sense after all,' mentally laughed Donis.
After throwing a few practice swings and changing stances to feel the actual shifts in gravity within him, Donis decided to fight a monster barehanded.
Etheria and Donis walked around the swamp for a little bit longer, until they found a small pack of 5 Kreekers. Not highly unusual, but a bit on the rarer side. Before beating them down, Donis wanted to observe the pack in case something unusual happened, but much to his disappointment, nothing did.
Etheria flew above the Kreekers, getting their attention while Donis sprinted at them, noticing that even when he ran that shifting his centers of gravity would fluctuate his speed and potential output of power. The duo had come up with a makeshift tactic at approaching the group. Etheria would descend down at full power at one of them, grabbing all of their attention while Donis would run up behind during the confusion to strike a sneaky hit.
It worked wonderfully. Etheria was actually able to oneshot the lower level Kreeker, immediately putting the rest of them on guard. Donis had gotten behind one, and using the new martial art coupled with a powerful stance, he was able to punch right through the Kreekers chest.
The soft feeling of the flesh ripping in his hands disgusted his human side, but exhilarated his Draconic side. He felt both like he was about to vomit, and roar with joy. The juxtaposition of these feelings disoriented Donis for a brief moment, which was enough time for the two other Kreekers beside him to react and launch their attacks.
Donis god headbutted and bitten on opposing sides, sending him down tumbling. It didn't hurt much, but it was enough to tear him out of his confusion. He only lost about 70HP but it was still more than he expected. Etheria seeing him getting beat flew up in a fit of rage, immediately unleashing her combo and ramming down one of the offending Kreekers.
She didn't quite kill it in one hit, but she near destroyed any attempt of it fighting back. The remaining two Kreekers showed no signs of fear even now, and continued the attack towards the new contender, Etheria. Donis seeing his pet about to get hit, got up and dismissed whatever feelings he had about the ordeal and launched himself at one of them.
He punched the Kreekers slimy head clean off, while Etheria deftly dodged the other one, counterattacking herself within a moments notice, bringing it to sub 20 health. Donis seizing the moment used Immolate to finish off the Kreeker.
After the entire ordeal was over Donis broke down into a laboured panting. He knew he wasn't in real danger, but the feeling of actually killing something with his hands disgusted him. It not only disgusted him, but it reminded him that this isn't some sort of game, and that these creatures are real. They're flesh and blood, they're alive.
Yet, as much as it disgusted him, his Draconic side relished the feeling of ripping the flesh with overpowering might. He knew he'd have to set aside the guilt of killing if he wanted to survive in this world. He knew he couldn't be weak when fighting enemies. If this was a monster on his level, Etheria might have died, he himself might have died.
He couldn't let this happen. He needed to steel his will so he could kill when needed to. He needed to become strong for the things and the people he cared about. He needed to become more.
-[The Will of Dragons Quest]: Use -[Immolate]- to strengthen the [Users] Will to be able to kill monsters without hesitation.
Reward: [200SP] + [90,000 EXP]-
'Huh, so even stuff like this counts. Yet the feeling of urgency isn't there. I wonder why,' thought Donis.
'Come Etheria, I think it's time we head back. We've culled the population enough for the requirement of the mission. I just want to lay down, I've had enough for one day.'
Weekly Power Status
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