Novel 8-The Strange Mutation

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/Whispers…/

"... Next! Hoover Sandevel from Class B-2! Make your way to the Awakening Platform."

In a vast circular auditorium, one hundred students were discussing among themselves as they looked at a tall machine in the center of the room.

There, a few professors tended to the machine, helping the students step into it and leave, sometimes praising them, othertimes comforting them…

Before them, a middle-aged man with a microphone kept calling names whenever a student stepped out of the machine, not giving them too much time to recover.

/Clap!/

"Hey man! You're back! Tell us! What did you get?"

"Exactly what I wanted, Belgun Rank Class. Magmatic Shifter. Looks like I'll be taking out of my father."

"Now that's what we're talking about! Looks like we know who's paying for dinner today…"

"As if, you got a Belgun Class too!"

"But mine was a random one, you got what you wanted…"

"As if! Even if it wasn't what you wanted, you still…"

"..."

'Can't they all just shut up for once? I've heard the same conversation ten times already.'

Somewhere around the middle seats was a student with dark brown hair and emerald green eyes.

Unlike all the students around him, he had a serious expression as he looked at everyone, either laugh or cry.

"What is it, Sam? Nervous?"

Next to the boy was another young man with short dark blue hair, he seemed relaxed and unworried about the situation.

"Of course. I've feared this day would come ever since I learned about it years ago." The boy replied with a scoff as he rested his head on his seat

"Ah, come on! You'll do well, no one's here put more effort into this than you."

"As if that mattered…" Sam replied with a sigh

'Today's the awakening ceremony. It's meant to be a day of excitement for every young adult in the world…'

'Exactly on the 100th day of every year, the day of Awakening is held.'

'This is the day where someone receives their "blessing" and is integrated into the world of Awakeners, gaining the ability to peer into the "Level-System" that rules this world.'

'The Heavens will bless the person and receive a Class, allowing them to begin their great journey towards becoming legends… Or background characters.'

'Everyone can Awaken regardless of background, but the condition is that they participate in this world-renowned ceremony.'

'But not all Colleges in the world have the means to host it, and nor does every household in the world have the means to pay for a private Awakening…'

'This results in an overall 34% Awakening rate in the entire globe.'

'I'm excited too, but mostly annoyed.'

'That's because receiving a Class is based mostly on luck than anything else… Which I already don't have much of…'

'Genetics play a role, but I have a common background.'

'The resources you came in contact with as you grew help pave the way for higher potential Classess, but once again, I came from a common background.'

'Training and Studying can have an effect, which I did lots of, so much in fact, that I often scared others.'

'Ever since I regained my memories thanks to that old homeless man, I trained every day to Awaken properly.'

'I studied so much that I was enrolled for free in the most prestigious Academy in the city at a young age and gained many awards over the years.'

'I have a trained body that not even a well-trained Soldier can get. Blood and sweat came into forging who I currently am.'

'But at the end of the day, I'm fated to rely on luck for such an important moment of my life.'

'I lived a life full of bright moments and built connections to last a lifetime. I did everything a reincarnated man was supposed to do, so it's obvious that here, at the point where all my efforts are tested, that I'll feel something!'

'I'm not just nervous, I'm annoyed and disappointed with this world.'

"... Samuel Necrom D'Lurge from Class A-1."

"Hey man, it's you. Good luck." His friend said as he tapped his shoulder

"Everything will be just fine…"

"I know, Ward. It'll be… Fine."

"Uhum…"

Samuel got up from his seat and made his way to the center of the hall under the eyes of 100 individuals.

He certainly wasn't pressured by them, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't bothered by them.

"Student Lucas. ID 1.9.8.343.229.12?" One of the professors asked as they looked at a tablet

"That's me."

"Step inside the Platform, it won't take long. Do you need a reminder of the process?"

"No."

"Then we shall proceed with the Awakening Ceremony."

/Step…/

Samuel stepped inside a glowing blue circle on the ground. Immediately after, the giant machine before him came to life, and a pair of walls circled him, isolating him from the rest of the world.

/Silence…/

No more sounds, no more smells, only he and the darkness…

/Shuaaa…/

Cold air filled the pod, and Samuel began to shiver.

/Light…/

A faint screen lit up before him, showing a small ampule.

"Everything alright student?" Someone asked from the outside, their voice being projected inside the chamber through a speaker in the ceiling

"I only feel a little chilly."

"That's normal, in case you feel anything else, don't hesitate to tell us. Okay?"

"Yes."

"Very well… From now on, I ask that you focus solely on what's before you. It won't take long."

"Okay."

"Several images you begin forming, you just need to hold onto the ones you believe are the "right" ones."

"Hold onto? And how do you I know they're the right ones?"

"You'll have a feeling they're the ones you need. You can hold onto them with your finger or with your eyes. Just keep them in your finger of vision, it shouldn't be hard since its usually only few images on the screen at any give time."

"Don't aim for the ones you don't have a connection to, they'll only get in the way."

"... Very well…"

/Shine…/

/BLAST!/

"?... What…?"

His entire field of vision was suddenly filled with a colors as thousands of tiny dots exploded on the screen.

"Is there a problem, student?"

"Yes, I can't see anything…"

"Explain."

"There are thousands of tiny balls being thrown everywhere as if someone dropped a bucket of them on the ground. I can't focus on anything."

"..."

"Hello?"

"Just a moment… What about now?"

/SHINE!/

The balls grew in size, but there were still thousands of them.

"They got bigger but now they're crossing each other instead of colliding."

"What?..."

"..."

'That isn't a good sign…'

"... Ahem… Student?"

The voice on the other side of the speaker changed, this time, it was an elderly voice.

"Yes?"

"I request that you calm down and focus, this is important."

"What you're experiencing right now is called an "Irregularity". In your case, this irregularity is being caused by extreme interference, leading to your Class selection going haywire."

"... How do we fix this?"

"... We can't. This interference is coming from you."

"From me?"

"There are good and bad news about this… The good news is that you may possess an unidentified, high-grade talent. It's interfering with the Ceremony by injecting high amounts of Ether into our sensors."

"The bad news is that you're now on your own. You'll have to navigate the confusion brought by your own body and find a Class that fits you most; hence, you must focus."

"Focus and eliminate the images before you one by one until what you desire solely remains."

"The awakening process is primarily a mental procedure; the more you focus and believe being in control, the easier the process will be."

"... Alright." Samuel said as he touched the back of his head

'We were taught that a bit too much already...'

"We'll wait for your answer." The old man replied as he cut off all communication, leaving Samuel alone with the balls on the screen

"... How to do this?..."

The first thing Samuel did was trying to increase the screen, this gave the balls more space to bounce around, giving him a clearer picture of what was going on.

'It seems I have quite some mental control.. Alright, I'll do it like this…'

Samuel focused on a large area and isolated everything within. After focusing for a few seconds, if he felt nothing, he threw the balls to a corner and left them trapped there.

He kept doing this for a few dozen times, and when ten minutes passed…

"!... That's it."

Samuel felt a tugging sensation at the back of his head as he looked at one of the balls; it had to be that one.

/Touch…/

/Shine!/

"... What happened?"

"You made your choice." The old man replied from the speaker

"Ah, yes… What now?"

"Your chosen Class is being processed, take a look."

/Shine…/

[Ranger E-Class]

Large neon words formed in the screen before him. But instead of rejoicing, Samuel grimaced.

"I heard we can try again?"

"You sure can… Give us a moment…"

Samuel repeated the whole process again, and a new Class appeared before him:

[Warlock E-Class]

"It… Can't fucking be…"

"We're opening the chamber, deep breaths now…"

"..."

'Everything… For this…'

/Shuaaa…/

The Chamber opened, and Samuel's expression darkened.

He clenched his teeth, but did not reveal any expression in his eyes.

"Your hand, student." One of the professors said as they approached Samuel with a stone tablet

"Uhum…"

Samuel was compliant, but deep down, he felt anger.

But above all, disappointment.

'I guess this is it for me… But… I'm unwilling to give up yet.'

/Touch/

He placed his right palm before the stone tablet.

"It'll pinch a little…"

"... ?!…"

'Ouch!'

Samuel only grunted in a low tone as he felt his palm be punctured by something. Yet as he pulled his hand away, he felt nothing.

"Now, repeat out loud:"

But Samuel already knew what to say…

""Initialize."" They said out loud at the same time

[Processing…]

[Name: Samuel Necrom D'Lurge

Age: 17 Years & 11 months…

Class: Warlock E

Level: 0

Life Force: 100%

Flowing Ether: 50

Attributes =>

Physical(+): 9 -> 10

Mental(+): 17 -> 20

Spiritual(+): 7 -> 10

Ether: 0 -> 5

Skills (⍺) ->

Life Bullet Lv 0

Smoke Skip Lv 0

Condemn the Cowardly Lv 0

Skills (ꞵ) ->

Hunter Supplies Lv 0

Debilitate Lv 0

Revitalization Lv 0

Skill Points: N/A

Traits:

>Hard Body

>Sharp Mind

]

A somewhat extensive Stat screen similar to a videogame manifested before Samuel.

"Can we confirm your Class, Student?" One of the professors requested as they approached him from the side

"..."

At first, nothing attracted his attention, so he replied in a somewhat depressed tone:

"Warlock… E Grade."

"... Very well…"

"Is this all?"

"... Yes, you may take your seat."

But Samuel paid her no attention, going to his seat without much attention to anything or anyone.

In fact, he didn't even remain to see the rest of the ceremony, ignoring his friends as he left the school.

…

"... Shit."

'What am I looking at?'

A few minutes later, as Samuel sat down on a bus on his way home, he opened his Status again.

[Name: Samuel Necrom D'Lurge

Age: 17 Years & 11 months…

Class: Warlock E

Level: 0

Life Force: 100%

Flowing Ether: 50

Attributes =>

Physical(+): 10

Mental(+): 20

Spiritual(+): 10

Ether: 5

Skills (⍺) ->

Life Bullet Lv 0

Smoke Skip Lv 0

Condemn the Cowardly Lv 0

Skills (ꞵ) ->

Hunter Supplies Lv 0

Debilitate Lv 0

Revitalization Lv 0

Skill Points: N/A

Traits:

>Hard Body

>Sharp Mind

]

"..."

'Okay… One thing at a time…'

In this world, Class means everything, and why is that?

'People with Classes can develop their Ether, it's the only way to develop it.'

'Without a Class, one can only be an ordinary person, which isn't bad at all, but I've always dreamt of being a Class Holder.'

'Strong powers, being able to fly, explore distant lands, be revered, respected, feared, live longer, and much more…'

'But despite everything I did to train my body… Of my two attempts, I only got E Grade ones…'

E Grade was the second lowest possible, with the lowest possible being "Unawakened".

Grade was defined by the power and potential of a Class. Most Classes had multiple variants spanning multiple Grades, and Warlock was one such case.

'If I had awakened an A Grade… No, a B would've been enough… But it was an E Grade Warlock… Shit.'

'A Warlock is a type of support Class belonging to the Supernatural side of things.'

'A strong Warlock can curse everyone on a battlefield and bring victory to their allies with their dark powers.'

'The main Trait of a Warlock is their ability to sacrifice their Life Force for Ether so they can continuously cast Spells and curse their enemies so that upon death, their resources would be renewed, essentially devouring them.'

'That's why Warlocks have a 1 to 30 ratio on their Physical Stat to Life Force, equivalent to HP in some games.'

'This is high as most combat-oriented Classes usually have a 1 to 50 ratio for it, albeit they have multiple defensive options to balance things out.'

'Meanwhile, a Warlock's Flowing Ether ratio is of 1 to 5, small for most caster-type classes…'

'Flowing Ether is like the volume of one's energy, how much they have available to use before they run out of power.

'A high-grade Warlock is solid, but a low-grade one is… Nothing more than a pebble in a monster's way.'

'But regardless, since the value is displayed as a percentage, these ratio changes don't really matter, still, it's something to remember by when engaging an opponent of the same level as oneself.'

'Then there's my Stats… The average Stats for a Human Male are: 7 for Physical, 10 for Mental, 2 for Spiritual, and 0 for Ether.'

'But mine were 9, 17, 7, and 0 respectively, which is a reflection of my arduous training over the years… Yet, this is barely a few Levels worth of Stats for most people, it's not a significant advantage at all.'

'Even with the increases from my Class Awakening and Traits, nothing changes…'

'One point for Physical, three for Mental, three for Spiritual, and five for Ether… Ridiculous increments.'

'It's not unusual for B Class Awakeners to surpass 15 in two or more Stats, having also a 20 in their Stats… I'm barely comparable to them.'

'As for my Traits…'

'Hard Body increases my Physical Stat by one every Level, doubling it.'

'Sharp Mind increases my Mental Stat by one every Level, raising it to four.'

'Nothing decent, but it's good anyway… Having a Trait is already considered unusual, but having two is even better. Even if they're useless.'

'But of course, I can wave goodbye to competing with anyone… Then there are my Skills… Which is why I'm so confused.'

'Skills are the bread and butter of a Class after all, although it's said high enough Class Awakeners can directly manipulate Ether, not needing to rely on them, that is more of a rumor than anything.'

'Skills can be learned during training, passed down, inherited by strange means, and much more.'

'The most common method is through Skill Books, where high-level awakeners can write down their skills into books that essentially copy them, but only equivalent class holders may learn them if they have the appropriate level.'

'Skills usually have Level ranges for one to learn them, those being 0 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, and so on…'

'Warlocks usually gain around 1-3 Skills when they awaken. The higher your Grade, the better your Skills, and if you're lucky, you can unlock multiple if not Unique/Hidden Skills.'

'But for most, after Awakening, they would go to a mall to buy all of the Skills they can before moving on, and if I can call this an advantage… Warlocks aren't common nor popular, so it should be easy for me to find the Skills I lack.'

'In my case, I awakened six Skills, which surprised me when I first saw it.'

'Still… Nothing to be happy about. It only saved me a couple bucks…'

'The problem is… None of these Skills exist.'

'In other words, in my years of research. I've never encountered these Skills before, and I memorized thousands from all types of Classes.'

'Even if I can't remember them first, I would at least recognize them.'

'I used my phone to search for them on the way to the bus, but no conclusive results appeared for me…'

'So what the fuck are these?!'

Touching his forehead in confusion, Samuel opened their descriptions:

[Life Bullet Lv 0

Type: Ranged Projectile

Cost: Life Force

Cooldown: N/A

Range: 60 Meters

Description: Gather up to 10% of your Life Force to condense a fast bullet that dissipates after sixty meters.

]

[Smoke Skip Lv 0

Type: Dislocation

Cost: Flowing Ether (5)

Range: 5 Meters

Cooldown: N/A

Description: Manipulate your Ether to turn your body into a smoke whip, flinging you in your desired direction.

While transformed, physical attacks are highly ineffective against you. You may deactivate the Skill anytime before the five-meter mark.

]

[Condemn the Cowardly Lv 0

Type: Ability/Debuff

Cost: Flowing Ether (10)

Range: 70 Meters

Cooldown: 5 seconds

Description: Manipulate your Ether to enhance your sight and unmask hidden foes, revealing the target.

Revealed enemies suffer from "Exposed" and thus cannot hide for an entire minute and have their resistances lowered (10%) throughout its duration.

Revealed enemies are inflicted the "Marked" Status effect. All projectile Skills against the target receive "True Sight".

True Sight -> Pierce through evasion.

If the target leaves your sight or the total range of the Skill, they're instantly purged from all effects for 2.5 seconds. Returning to the Skill's range doesn't reset the marked Status.

]

'There are two strange things with this… First, these Skills have nothing in common with any Warlock Skills I remember. They could be from a Hidden Class though…'

'Second, my Skills are separated into Alpha and Beta categories. The strange thing, however… Is that in this world, this language doesn't exist.'

'Ignoring that unusual detail… I don't think these are Skills from a Hidden Class, but I'll confirm this later…'

'And despite the usual Warlock Skills not being here… There is one good thing about this…'

'If these are Unique or Hidden Skills… I may still be able to make a life as an Awakener!'

'But I won't get ahead of myself… I still have three more Skills to check:'

[Hunter Supplies Lv 0

Type: Ritual/Alchemy

Cost: Life Force

Range: Self

Cooldown: N/A

Description: After preparing an Altar, sacrifice a portion of your Life Force to create an item.

]

[Debilitate Lv 0

Type: Spell

Cost: Flowing Ether (15)

Range: 30 Meters

Cooldown: 1 Minute

Description: Project heavy chains around a target, slowing them down considerably.

Slowed targets have their resistances reduced by 25%.

Effects double when in rough terrain.

]

[Revitalization Lv 0

Type: Hex Sorcery

Cost: Life Force (5)

Range: 50 Meters

Cooldown: N/A

Description: Sacrifice your Life Force to mark a target. Marked targets transfer 1% of their maximum resources back to the caster upon death.

Mark Duration -> 10 Minutes.

]

"Hm?... This…"

Samuel's eyes sharpened as he read the last Skill.

'Doesn't this Skill look surprisingly similar to a Warlock's Offering Pact Skill? It's just… Horrendously boosted.'

'Offering Pact is one of the basic Warlock Skills, it allows the caster to sacrifice their Life Force to curse an opponent. Once they die, their life returns to the Warlock.'

'But it's usually a numerical value and not… A percentage…'

Percentages were significant because while applying the Hex cost a fixed value, Samuel would always receive a portion of the energy back.

And as long as his enemy possessed high enough Stats, Samuel would always come back in profit.

Besides, as everyone's Stats increased, so would the Skill's value, and as its Level increased, so would it's power.

What if he leveled it to Max and the percentage increased? Even an increase of 1% would be enormous even if the total cost tripled or more.

Above all, it wasn't just Life Force he was recovering. It was also his Ether!

'It's really just a super boosted version of the original Warlock Skill… In fact…'

'Doesn't the other two Beta Skills like that too?'

'Debilitate is just a stronger version of Weakening Chain. It even looks similar in its description. In comparison, Hunter Supplies works the same way as Blood Sacrifice. Another basic skill of a Warlock is where they can exchange their Life Force for Ether.'

"Wait…"

Samuel had an Eureka moment!

'While Beta Skills look like Warlock Skills… Alpha Skills look like Ranger Skills… Vaguely.'

'The weird thing is… That they look… Inverted?'

'Skills that should belong to a Warlock instead have names that would indicate they belong to a… To a Ranger?'

'Like Hunter Supplies being too oddly similar to Blood Sacrifice.'

Things slowly began to fall into place.

'Could it be… Can I receive skills from both classes?'

'And when I receive them… They Mutate between each other?'

It was a ridiculous theory. But it was the only explanation he could come up with.

Given everything he knew, the only possible explanation for this was…

'A hidden Talent… It would also explain the anomaly I had during my Awakening Ceremony.'

Talents were stronger versions of Traits and usually only appeared on the Status screen if adequately manifested.

The Status wouldn't even make it apparent until one manifested their Talent.

'It's a theory, but it's easy to confirm.'

"I'll just pass by a store and buy the Skills."

'Then I'll confirm what's going on.'

Samuel looked through the window, his disappointment reducing as he felt a tint of hope grow in his heart.

…

/Later…/

"... Student ID confirmed. You may acquire any Beginner Skills."

According to the National Laws, to avoid issues from people buying Skills they couldn't yet use, you had to present your ID at a shop whenever buying Skills so they could know if you were qualified or not to learn them.

It also helped stabilize the market by preventing who buys and sells the product. A free market is good, but a free market can only exist within the parameters of the law.

It's just one of the many annoyances of this world, but these things allow society to function correctly. And for that, Samuel had no complaints.

"How may I help you today, Mr?" The store clerk asked as she looked at Samuel

"I would like to see all Warlock and Ranger Skills your store has for purchase."

"Warlock and Ranger? Just wait a moment, and I'll be back with them."

/Turn around…/

"..."

'It's now or never. If this works… Then I'll have to rethink my plans.'

'The ability to receive Skills from both Classes would technically make me a Dual Class, however, since my Status says I'm only a Warlock, the only way to confirm this would be by Leveling Up.'

Dual Class Awakeners can gain increased Stats per Level. So everything will become clear once he levels once.

'There's also something I must confirm… Something beyond this mere adaptation…'

'I believe my Skills not only transform, but they mutate into stronger variants.'

'This means every Skill I get becomes a stronger version suited for another Class, which may look like a detriment, but if I combine both Classes… I may be able to make something out of this.'

'This alone may put me as a Grade C if not higher Awakener… But only at the start.'

'To keep up with the others, I'll have to raise my Grade as well; otherwise, I'll eventually drown out the difference in our Stats.'

"Here it is, sir. All Skills for both Warlock and Ranger, respectively." She said as she gently placed two thin boxes on the table

Once she opened it, it revealed a series of small cards placed side by side.

"Since today is the National Awakening day, all of our store is under the 'Basic Awakener' discount!"

"All of the Skills before you are under 50% discount and by buying three, you can get a fourth one free!"

"Once you're done, how about checking our equipment section?"

"Umn… Sure, but these come first."

"Take your time!"

"..."

'Let's see… None of them are rare or special Skills, they're truly just the basic of the basic.'

If one were to add all Skills a Warlock underneath Level 10 could learn, the total number would likely reach a few dozen, but it was utterly impossible for a single shop at the corner of the world to have them all.

He was content with these few already.

'First, Warlock Skills…'

[Blood Sacrifice]

[Weakening Chain]

[Offering Pact]

[Poisonous Sting]

[Venomous Sting]

'Here… The three basic Warlock Skills… They also have Poisonous and Venomous Sting, quite decent…'

'What about the Ranger ones?'

[Snipe]

[Evade]

[Detect]

[Butcher]

[Quick Fire]

Samuel read each of the Skills carefully before reaching a terrifying conclusion:

'That's it! They're all exactly the same… But mine are just much stronger versions of them!'

'I… Have to test them out.'

"Do you guys have other Skills?"

"Unfortunately, sir those are the only ones still in stock… And that may be the case for other stores as well."

"Recently, there has been a decrease in skills related to these classes due to a lack of interest from the populace, mostly due to a diminishing number of awakeners related to these classes."

"You may have more luck perusing the web and buying it online." She said with a disappointed expression as she shook her head

"I understand, thank you for the help… Now."

"I would like to buy [Poisonous Sting] and [Venomous Sting] for immediate use, meanwhile [Butcher] and [Quick Fire] can be prepared as a gift. Is that possible?"

"Yes! But your friend will need to use the Skill Cards within 48 hours otherwise they'll lose their value. You can always return them if you believe they won't be use in time."

"Thank you, where should we…"

"Follow me sir."

Samuel followed the lady to a changing area and entered one of the boots with the Cards in hand.

"Sir, you only need to rip the Cards apart, and they'll appear in your Status. Your other two Cards will be wrapped in the meantime." The lady said with a smile

"Okay."

'The moment of truth…'

/RIP!/

He ripped the cards, causing them to crack like a biscuit.

/Sparkle…/

They turned into sparks of light, vanishing right before his eyes…

[You have learned the Skill, Maledic Arrow]

[You have learned the Skill, Toxic Lance]

'... N-No way…'

'It actually worked!'

Samuel quickly opened his Status page:

[...

Skills (⍺) ->

Life Bullet Lv 0

Smoke Skip Lv 0

Condemn the Cowardly Lv 0

Skills (ꞵ) ->

Hunter Supplies Lv 0

Debilitate Lv 0

Revitalization Lv 0

Maledic Arrow Lv 0

Toxic Lance Lv 0

…]

"... Damn…"

"Has there been an issue with the process, sir?"

There was no need to worry about whether or not he could pay for the Cards or not because his Credit Score was extremely high, she checked that through his ID.

His parents made him a bank account around five years ago when he was twelve after he begged them non-stop. Since then, he worked hard to make some money just for today.

These were his life earnings…

"No! Everything's fine." He replied as he regained his composure

He was eager to try the other two Skills, but he knew he couldn't just do them here.

Although there was no need to hide himself, this was still a world of superhumans, and the last thing he wanted was to become a test subject for a Talent that never appeared before.

At least… He never read anything like it before. Although there were still some absurd Talents in the past, like Max Level Skills from the get-go and so on…

Samuel left the cabin, and the clerk lady was waiting for him outside with a small bag adorned with black lace.

"Is that all? Or is there anything I may help you with?"

"... You talked about an equipment section?"

"Right this way, sir!"

…

/Later that day…/

"..."

Samuel sat on his bed and slowly processed everything in the last hour. Putting everything he bought aside…

"So… Damn! I can't hold it any longer!"

He immediately went through his bags, fetching his two newest Skills.

[Butcher]

[Quick Fire]

"No need to hesitate…"

[You have learned the Skill, Vile Harvest]

[You have learned the Skill, Necrotic Volley]

[Vile Harvest Lv 0

Type: Miscellaneous/Hex

Cost: Flowing Ether (40)

Range: Touch

Cooldown: 20 seconds

Description: Dismantle the target's physical form, draining their lifeforce and temporarily decreasing their Physical Stat by five, slowing their movement speed (20%) and weakening their attacks (15%) for 5 seconds.

Slaying the target under Vile Harvest's effect temporarily increases your Max Life Force by 10%, up to 100% for 10 minutes.

The effect refreshes with each successful instance.

Vile Harvest can be used on a corpse to dismantle them instantly and recover a small amount of Life Force and Flowing Ether.

Vile Harvest has decreased cooldown outside of combat but does not recovery Life Force or Flowing Ether if the corpse is over 5 minutes old.

Colldown: 5 seconds

]

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0

Type: Ranged

Cost: Flowing Ether (10)

Range: 30 Meters -> AOE of 5 Meters

Cooldown: 8 seconds

Description: Conjure and hurl five bolts of necrotic energy, each exploding upon contact or once thirty seconds have passed.

The bolt will remain in the place they fell.

Bolts spread "Necrotic Plague" to surrounding enemies.

Necrotic Plague -> Burns 5% of the target's total Life Force every second for two seconds.

If a target dies under its effect, the target explodes, dealing 10% of its total Life Force in a ten-meter radius.

]

"Woah.. These Skills are no joke either… In fact, all Skills seem rather strong when mutated."

'But that doesn't matter!'

'What matters here is that I have access to two Classes' worth of skills, and above all, their skills transform, becoming stronger and more in synch.'

'Being Dual Class is great and all, but the most important thing to look out for is to check whether or not they synchronize well.'

'If you're unlucky, your Classes may end up rejecting each other!'

[...

Skills (⍺) ->

Life Bullet Lv 0

Smoke Skip Lv 0

Condemn the Cowardly Lv 0

Vile Harvest Lv 0

Necrotic Volley Lv 0

Skills (ꞵ) ->

Hunter Supplies Lv 0

Debilitate Lv 0

Revitalization Lv 0

Maledic Arrow Lv 0

Toxic Lance Lv 0

…]

"This is quite decent… But a bunch of Lv 0 Skills won't do me anything…"

'And testing which of them I should invest in is also not going to be easy.'

For an E-Grade Class, every time you Level Up, you gain two Skill Points to invest in the Skills.

Every Skill reaches its peak once it has leveled up five times, so you have to evolve them once they do so.

It's not a challenging process. It's only a matter of choosing their evolution.

Every Skill can be further opened into its own "Skill Tree", however, given none of his Skills were maxed, he couldn't see how they would turn out.

Once you reach Level 5, aside from the usual Skill Points, you also gain an Upgrade Token, which can be used to Level Up a Skill to Max at once.

And this happens every five Levels.

So on average, an E Grade Class holder like Samuel can Level Up three Skills to Max every five Levels.

But Higher Grade Class holders receive more Skill Points per Level, so even with his ability, the difference between their abilities will increase rapidly.

"If I want to remain competitive, I need to perfect my Skill point distribution. Having a lot of skills is nice, but I don't have the resources to develop them all."

'There are ways to enhance them outside of leveling up, but such resources are scarce, and I'm afraid I can't afford even a single one of them.'

"I'll have to build myself up from scratch, and my first target should be… Evolving Warlock from E Grade to D Grade!"

With that in mind, Samuel unpacked everything he bought and put them on.

…

"Damn! I look so damn good!" He said out loud as he checked himself in the mirror

Samuel wore a dark red cloak that covered his entire body.

A hood hid his head, and thin, metallic gloves covered his hand.

The rest of his body was covered in a mix of leather and metallic armor, and his cloak hid a pair of metal boots, which struck the ground with every step.

On his right hand, he held a metallic black staff, and on his left hand, he had a thick book, almost too large to be carried by hand.

"I focused on choosing something for their ability… But even then, this isn't bad at all… Nonetheless, I'm just a Grade E Warlock…"

[Novice Blood Mage Set

Physical +20

Ether +5

Healing Amplification -> 25%

]

"I just asked for something that increased my health for the equipment. It's my most important aspect, followed by my Ether reserves. And this was what the clerk came up with."

'It's not a special set, so it doesn't have a bonus function, but it is decent… A bit dusty since it was stashed in the corner, but it's exactly what I need.'

'The defensive properties of the gear are good as well, although it feels a bit bulky. Nonetheless, I don't need to move around as much as a thief, but I can move better than a warrior.'

'Some Warlocks do use Heavy Armor to turn themselves into tanks, and some of the most popular Class evolutions for Warlocks push them towards this heavy-duty Class holder.'

'And lastly, this set gives me a Healing amplification. There's nothing else to be said about that, its excellent.'

[Thorn Staff

Basic Skill Cooldown +8%

Skill Effect Amplification +5%

Spend 5% of current Life Force to Supercharge the next Skill, raising its Level by 1 for a maximum of 5.

]

[Cursed Grimoire

Three Skills can be recorded on the Grimoire, raising their Level by 1.

Written Skills have their total cost increased by 15%

Recorded Skills:

Life Bullet Lv 0

Vile Harvest Lv 0

Revitalization Lv 0

]

"These are the two items I spent much of my money on… I think it was well spent."

"The Staff alone is decent, come cooldown and amplification is good, but what matters is the unique ability of the Staff…"

"From what I learned so far, I have three methods to recover my Life Force:"

"I can use Vile Harvest on a body, I can kill a target under the effect of Revitalization, or I can create an item with Hunter Supplies."

"I tested Hunter Supplies already. Preparing an Altar isn't hard, I can use some chalk on the ground or wall to form a magic circle, and it works, I just need to follow whatever appears in my head."

Most Skills functioned by sending information to the mind of their user, although over time, the user was expected to learn how to control and understand their powers without the help of the System.

"Using Hunter Supplies allows me to create potions and other items like arrows and potions by sacrificing my Life Force."

'So far, the recipes are as follows:'

[Small Life Potion, recovers 10% of total Life Force

Cost: 15% of LE

]

[Small Ether Potion, recovers 10% of Flowing Ether reserves

Cost: 10% of LE

]

[Blood Arrow, create an arrow of Life Force

Cost: 1% LE per arrow

]

The level 0 ability was better than he had expected.

"I can continually use it to create resources and store the potions for later use… But it hurts. I felt anemic after a single use."

"If I'm not somewhere I can recover, this Skill is better used in the field where I can recover by hunting."

"And that's why I bought the Cursed Grimoire."

"Although the cost of the Skills increases by 15%, it's a ridiculous number compared to what each of my Skills gives me when Leveled."

"Revitalization already covers the total cost of everything."

[Revitalization Lv 1

Type: Hex Sorcery

Cost: Life Force (5)

Range: 60 Meters

Cooldown: N/A

Description: Sacrifice your Life Force to mark a target. Marked targets transfer 1.25% of their maximum resources back to the caster upon death.

Mark Duration -> 12.5 Minutes.

]

'One Level increased the Skill's regen by 25%, so if a creature has 1000 Flowing Ether, before, it would recover 10 to me, now, it's 12.5.'

'It may seem small, but over time, this value will increase to a ridiculous value.'

'Imagine a party takes a lot of resources to kill a Boss monster. I could just mark it once and once it dies, I'm completely fine while they aren't.'

'It's an excellent Skill.'

'As for Life Bullet and Vile Harvest, the first is my form of attack, I can tell from its effects.'

'While Vile Harvest is another consistent form of heal.'

"All that said… There's only one way for me to test this…"

'Most students should be returning to their homes now to prepare, and then they'll begin hunting and Leveling up for the City competition at the end of the year.'

'I would like to do that too, but resetting Skill Points is immeasurably expensive… So I have to prepare.'

He took out a small card from one of his bags…

[... 25% discount on all Virtual Dungeons!...]

"I'll go to a Virtual Dungeon."

Virtual Dungeons were places where people could practice fighting against virtual creatures, receive virtual XP to improve their skills and plan for the future.

Strangely enough, it was losing popularity as most kids went directly to the field and fought there instead.

Another reason why they were losing space in the market was because of items such as the famed "Awakener's Watch".

The watch can do many things, including simulating small monsters for you to fight anywhere including simulating your Levels. The only condition was that you had to charge the watch. However, a watch could be used continuously easily in Ether-rich areas such as most Scattered Realms.

And with the rise of items capable of resetting one's Level, as they aren't as expensive and rare as they once were, Virtual Dungeons are slowly growing redundant, just like Arcades.

I could've bought an Awakener's Watch, but they're as expensive as a Car, so no, maybe once I make some money… Maybe.

If only I was born rich… But I like my family.

"Time to go!"

/Growl…/

"After… I eat something."

Upon fulfilling his basic needs, Samuel went on his first adventure!

…

/Crunk…/

"Hm… This should be the place."

Samuel walked out of the bus into a somewhat quiet street full of old houses.

'Is there really an Artificial Dungeon here? The street doesn't feel like one of those bad neighborhoods… But it's old, alright…'

He followed the numbers on the street until he arrived at an old shop.

"... Golden Card Shop? Why Card, though?..."

/Cling cling cling…/

Samuel entered the shop, and the first thing he noticed was the head of a creature on the wall.

'No idea what that is…'

The shop's entrance was rather simple. Like an ordinary shop, it had a few items on display to his left and right, and a counter was before him.

The shop wasn't large, only 10 by 10 meters wide… Which only seemed smaller with the counter and the many shelves of old items all around

And the ceiling was also rather low, being only two and half meters tall.

"... Just a moment!…"

A feminine voice echoed from deeper in the shop behind a door.

/Whispers…/

"... A client… Finally…"

"..."

'Maybe I should've gone elsewhere…'

/Step step step./

/Clack!/

"!"

A somewhat pretty girl walked out the door, standing before him and resting her knees on the counter as she bent over it to take a closer look at him.

'She's quite tall… And uh… Doted…'

Black hair and a body that screamed youth, she was talented alright…

"How may I help you today, customer? By your clothes, I imagine you're fresh from the Awakening ceremony."

"That's right, I would like to book a Virtual Dungeon."

"Oh? Just when I thought I had done something wrong with that webpage…"

"Something's wrong?"

"No. Just the usual failing business from the ever-changing times. I tried putting an add online, and here you are… A few days later. But even that is a better than none."

As she said that, she took an old piece of paper from underneath the counter, saying:

"Our Virtual Dungeon can simulate up to Level 40 and we sell three packages."

"The Basic package includes all ordinary functions you'd see in any other Virtual Dungeon, but only up to Level 5."

"The Intermediate package includes that but up to Level 20."

"And the Advanced package goes up to Level 40."

"It's 45 Shards an hour for the basic package, 180 for the intermediate, and 500 for the Advanced."

"If you buy two hours at once, I can give ya a 20% discount on the second hour, and if you buy three hours, I can give you a 25% discount on the second and third hour."

"We can discuss further if you wish to buy more."

"How will it be?"

"I don't think I'll stay here for long, so two hours for the Intermediate package."

"Sure thing." She said with a smile as she walked away

"..."

'The price is rather decent, but I'm no fool. She's trying to have me buy the Intermediate package. It's probably the most cost-effective for her to run.'

'Given the state of her shop, unless she's making a 4D marketing move against me, I imagine she's in a rather rough spot. Running the Artificial Dungeon on Advanced may be quite costly.'

'She's trying to scare me away with that price… I could buy a full meal with 10 Shards, yet here she is trying to have me pay that much for one hour…'

'Although… I'm afraid I'll give it a try just to see the evolution of my Skills.'

'I brought my notebook just for that purpose.'

Samuel planned to record the evolution of his Skill trees and later choose which Skills were the most cost-effective for him to raise.

/Clack!/

"Here, while the machine heats up, sign this up… Will it be on credit?" She asked as she pulled a small machine from underneath the counter

"... I'll pay on cash." He replied as he took his wallet from his cloak

'I don't trust small shops like this. My father's card was cloned not so long ago and I won't have mine cloned now of all times.'

"Even better!"

"..."

'Why is she so eager?...'

…

Samuel spent the next 10 or so minutes walking around the shop until the girl called him.

She led him underground to a wide twenty by twenty square room with a five-meter tall ceiling.

The ground, walls, and ceiling were all covered in thick metal plates. There was a metallic humming in the air… Likely from the Virtual generator doing its magic somewhere out of sight.

"... Here, do you know how to use a Virtual Dungeon?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll spare ya the details. If you need anything, just call me through the communication tab, we also seel lunch if you get hungry."

"The bathroom is over there as well." She said as she pointed at a door at the end of the room

"Here is your bracelet. Thank you for using our services!... No refunds."

"... Thanks…" Samuel replied as he put the bracelet on his left arm

/Shooon!!/

[Analizing profile…]

[Digitizing Status…]

[Forming Parameters…]

[Would you like to finish Virtual Character creation?]

"Yes."

[Confirm?]

"... Yes…"

/Shake…/

Just as he did so, the entire room shook slightly as a floating screen similar to the Status lit before him:

[Simulate Terrain]

[Simulate Monster]

[Simulate Weather]

[Simulate…]

[Manipulate Level]

[Manipulate Skill Points]

[Manipulate Skill Levels…]

[Parameters]

[Configurations]

[Deactivate Virtual Dungeon]

A long list of prompts appeared before him.

"Okay… I'll start with the basics."

"Simulate… Level 1 Woodland Cat."

A simple enemy that could be encountered everywhere, it was no different from an ordinary animal.

/Shuo…/

A series of lasers lit up around the room, forming a vague image before Samuel before they vanished.

Slowly, the vague form of the creature condensed into a small spotted yellow cat, it was very cute.

Samuel aproached it, touching it.

'The feeling is very real… This Virtual Dungeon isn't bad at all…'

He then walked away before pressing configuring the Dungeon.

[In ten Seconds the Simulation will begin…]

[10… 9… 8…]

"..."

[3… 2… 1…]

[Inicializing!]

"... ! Meoww!!!"

The Woodland cat suddenly jumped backward as the fur at the end of its spine spiked up.

It assumed a defensive posture toward him as it attempted to intimidate him.

"How cute… Now, time to get serious."

'Using a Skill is about feeling the flow of Ether and executing the technique.'

'It may seem simple to copy, but only Class holders can respectively use Skills meant for their Class. No matter how proficient you are with Ether control, a mage can't copy the Skills of another caster Class unless they have some special ability to break the boundaries.'

'If so, it wouldn't apply solely to the mage.'

/Slam!/

Samuel slammed his staff on the ground as he opened his grimoire with his left hand.

It was surprisingly easy to balance it. But that was because it wasn't a true grimoire. It was merely a slab that opened in the middle but stylized to look like a large book.

"Let's see… Activate Skill, Revitalization!"

/Shaa…/

"...!"

'This feeling…'

Samuel felt energy escape his body, and immediately after, he saw multiple dark tendrils gather above the cat's head, forming a strange helix structure.

The cat didn't seem to notice, but it took a step backward, maybe feeling something affect its body.

"Hooo… Negligible but not to be ignored… How about this one?"

"Activate Skill, Life Bullet."

/Shsss…/

"!"

An intense feeling of weakness took over his body as dark whisps of energy escaped his staff before gathering in the air like a small blob of water.

"Arg… 10% of my lifeforce plus the cost of Revitalization and the extra cost of 5% of my previous Life Force…"

"Feel the might of a Level 2 Life Bullet!"

/Boom!/

Air split as the bullet suddenly breached sound!

/SPLATTER!/

"..."

In the next moment, the cat vanished, leaving behind only a red stain on the ground.

/Shun…/

A little bit of Vitality soon returned to him, but it was nothing compared to what he just spent. Around 1-2 % of his total Life Force…

"Uhh… What happened to the Cat?... Was this overkill?..."

"... Let's try this again, but this time… I'll raise the Cat's Level to 5!"

Samuel could try to decrease his own strength to match the cat, but what good would it make to achieve a unit of comparison based on a Level 1 Woodland Cat?

"First… Let me restart my Stats just in case a fight starts… Alright! All done!"

…

[... 3… 2… 1…]

[Inicializing!]

"... ! Meoww!!!"

/Boom!/

/SPLATTER!/

The same scene happened. In the blink of an eye, the Cat turned to mush.

"... It's just a cat anyway. How about a Level 10 Cat?"

…

[... 3… 2… 1…]

[Inicializing!]

"... ! Meoww!!!"

/Boom!/

/SPLATTER!/

"N-Not enough? Come on! It has ten extra Levels of Stats!... You can't be that strong…"

"Level 15 it is!"

…

/SPLATTER!/

"Tw-Twenty…"

/SPLATTER!/

"..."

In the end, the woodland cat died everytime to a single Life Bullet.

The good news was that after Level 10, because of its increased Stats, Samuel began receiving more Life Force and Flowing Ether.

Not that he needed them…

"This… Is utterly ridiculous. Still, I shouldn't have expected much from such a trash mob."

'Even though it was twenty Levels over mine, I didn't Level Up even once!'

"But still… Okay, fine then! How about we pump the difficulty of this test?!"

"Simulate… Level 10 Rockback Boar."

/Shuo…/

The lasers ignited, and soon enough, a dark gray boat with long, sharp tusks appeared in the middle of the room.

It was quite tall, reaching his waist.

"This is more like a monster a beginner would dread to see! Instead of retreating, it'll charge right ahead!"

"How about this? Will I finally be able to measure the strength of my Skill?"

[10… 9… 8…]

"..."

[3… 2… 1…]

[Inicializing!]

"... !? SQUEAKK!!"

/CHARGE!!/

"!"

As he expected, the boar began charging ahead when it saw him.

Although the Simulation room is only 20 meters wide, this virtual space could simulate an area around 500 meters wide!

But for the sake of his testing, Samuel wanted the boar to be as close to him as possible, even if it meant…

/Shhhh…/

Within a second, Samuel used his Skills.

The Life Bullet took a mere second to condense fully, but if he wanted to, Samuel could release the Bullet within a tenth of a second. Albeit then, it would only condense 1% of his total Life Force…

/Boom!/

/SPLATTER!/

"No way…"

Samuel aimed the bullet straight at the boar's forehead, the thickest part of its Skull.

… Yet it still pierced through, leaving a gaping hole the size of Samuel's head through its body.

The bullet proceeded to explode upon contacting the ground.

"Even against this?..."

/Shun…/

His Vitality soon returned; this time, it returned around 8% of his total Life Force, almost enough to cover its cost.

"Wait… Doesn't this mean my Skill has enough strength to instakill a decently strong monster? Even if its a beginner one…"

"Let's try it again, but this time, without using my Staff's Skill Buff."

[10… 9… 8…]

"..."

[3… 2… 1…]

[Inicializing!]

"... !? SQUEAKK!!"

/CHARGE!!/

"..."

/Inhale…/

/Boom!/

/SPLATTER!/

[Level Up]

/Exhale…/

"..."

As expected, even if at Level 1, the Life Bullet still penetrated straight through the boar's body, ravaging its insides.

Even though it wasn't as much damage as before, it was still almost a net positive!

"Insane… This Skill is insane."

'Not only this Skill but Revitalization as well…'

'I think I figured it out… The higher Revitalization, the wider my gap for fully blasting all of my skills on a single target.'

'And then… Wait…'

"I didn't use Vile Harvest!"

/Step…/

Samuel approached the boar's mangled body. He felt nothing as he looked at it.

'To train my repulsion against monster corpses, I worked part-time at dozens of butcheries over the years.'

'Once you become sixteen, you can work part times and make some money, I did it to gather money and experience on monsters, but most importantly, to lose my fear of them.'

'I've seen live and dead monsters, killed several by driving a knife through their heads, be it manually or through a pneumatic press…'

'Cut them into pieces and process them for dinner, sometimes all in the same day.'

'It took me three months to grow used to butchering a pig monster and cooking it later.'

'Two years like that and I feel little…'

'This much is nothing.'

"But… SIGH! I prepared so much; the best I got was this E Grade Class… What a waste of my efforts."

/Drain!/

Although the Skill range said touch, Samuel could butcher the corpse from a distance of around a meter, maybe more if he leveled it up.

/Splat!/

"!"

'My Lifeforce's full… And the boar's body has been butchered… It's not perfect, but it's much better than I expected from an automatic skill.'

"But it caused quite the mess… There's blood everywhere now…"

"A Level 10 Rockback won't be enough… Fine, let's make this a little harder."

"Simulate… Level 15 Mountain Rulling Bear."

Because there were so many monsters in the world and its many realms, naming monsters became quite unconventional.

Hunters often named whatever they met based on their distinctive features, which could make things easier or harder for those who had never met it before.

Of course, there was an association in charge of naming monsters so future Hunters didn't have as big of an issue identifying them as back in the day. Still, if you were going somewhere new, you should always research before doing so.

/Shuo…/

Before long, a massive bear formed before him.

The bear was two meters tall even when on all fours, just thinking about how much strength this big guy had…

[10… 9… 8…]

"..."

'Focus… Otherwise, I'll experience what it means to die… Again.'

Samuel had experienced how it felt to die once or twice to grow used to pain and the fear of being attacked. All were within controlled scenarios, especially since his parents weren't fond of his ideas.

[3… 2… 1…]

[Inicializing!]

"... !?... Grunt… GUOOOO!!!!"

Instead of attacking, the bear looked at him cautiously before getting up to face him.

When standing on its hind legs, the bear became five meters tall, it's muscular body casting a shadow over him.

"Level 2 Life Bullet… Go!"

/Boom!/

/Splat!/

[Level Up]

The blood bullet pierced the air and the bear's skill in the blink of an eye, causing the giant creature to fall like a log, causing the entire room to tremble.

"... Oh shit…"

'Isn't Life Bullet… A bit too strong?'

"... Mountain Rulling Bear is a considered Boss monster due to its high Stats beyond its Level range, so it's much harder to fight and kill, much less take it down in a single strike…"

"Above all, I recovered everything I spent and much more… I could've definitely used a few more Skills if I wanted to, and that's without using Vile Harvest."

"In fact, if I can find a way to use Vile Harvest before using Life Bullet… The damage I would cause…"

"If I could stack Vile Harvest with Condemn the Cowardly and Debilitate. I would probably increase my damage multiple times from the reduction in their Stats and Resistances."

"But there's no way to use them all together… Maybe I can raise Smoke Skip's Level to approach and evade monsters, allowing me to use Vile Harvest before creating some distance."

"I could then use Debiltate. However, if the target is on rough terrain… I could even use it before the start of the fight."

"Condemn the Cowardly is more situational… No, wait…"

He read through the Skill's conditions again, but maybe he had a misconception.

"It says I can unmask hidden foes and reveal them, not that I need to achieve said condition to have them suffer those conditions..."

"After all, if this Skill only works for enemies that are already hidden or against enemies that can hide themselves… Then I would need a Skill to alert me in case there's a hidden enemy or reveal them to me. Like a vision Skill that pierces invisibility."

"But since this needs a target, I'm under the assumption I need to see them…"

"Anyhow, it's easy to test!"

Samuel thought for a moment, and he decided to summon an even stronger monster!

"Simulate… Level 20 Elite Earth Lurker."

/Shuo…/

A grotesque monster formed before him… No, it was a demon.

A crooked body full of thorns, large limbs, and essentially devoid of Skin.

"An Earth lurker… It's absolutely hideous."

'It's a type of Dark monster that stalks its prey before striking. It's extremely intelligent and brutally efficient.'

"I won't risk getting closer to use Vile Harvest… But my other Skills are fine."

[10… 9… 8…]

Samuel concentrated.

[3… 2… 1…]

[Inicializing!]

"..."

/Silence…/

The demon did not move, but Samuel wasn't stupid!

"Activate Skill, Condemn the Cowardly!"

He knew the habits of this type of creature, it's first action would be to try and hide, even if its only option was to run forward and hunt him!

Above the devil's head, another symbol formed, this time, it was a cross target with a skull in the middle.

And before the Devil had the time to act…

"Activate Skill, Debiltate!"

"!"

Gray metal chains formed around the monster's feet, startling it.

"SCREEEECH!"

Its cries shook the room, momentarily stunning Samuel!

A wide-range stun!

"Urg…"

/DASH!/

The Demon vanished, raising its claws towards his face…

/PURGE!/

The moment it did so, it momentarily vanished from his vision, and it was instaltly purged.

All of its momentum vanished as it fell limp onto the ground, weakened.

"Urg… !!"

This gave Samuel enough time to recover, raising his hand as he cast his next Spell:

"Let's see how you fare against this!"

"Level 2 Life Bullet!!"

/Boom!/

/PIERCE!!/

[Level Up]

The red bullet penetrated the monster's left eye, blasting a hole through its skull.

It was important to remember that before this moment, Samuel had reset his Level back to one, as such, at this moment…

"... A Level 1, Grade E Warlock defeated an Elite Boss…"

'Of course, an Earth Lurker doesn't have a strong defense, but it's still an Elite Boss…'

"It took a little preparation, but this is nothing. If I can have ten… No, five seconds against a Boss… Wouldn't I be able to kill it?"

"... Looks like I'll have to buy the Advanced course. But first…"

'I'll experiment with my Skills.'

And so began Samuel's exploration of his Skills.

…

/Two hours later…/

"... Mr Customer, your time…"

"Can I book two more hours?" Samuel asked as he wrote something on his notebook, too busy to even turn around

Of course!"

…

/Two hours later…/

"... Mr Customer…"

"Can I book an hour for your Advanced course?"

"If you book an extra hour, I'll give you a 50% discount!"

"... What if I book two?"

"55% on the two hours!"

"Deal."

…

/Three hours later…/

/Humming…/

"Mr customer~... Are you okay?" The girl asked with some concern as she looked at Samuel sweating bullets

"Huff… I'm okay." He replied as his chest weaved up and down

"Will you…"

"No, this much is fine. I'll pay for everything here and call it a day."

'I'll call a cab, far too tired to ride the bus back home.'

"I'll fetch you the bill."

"Huff…"

'Seven hours of experiments… Now I know where to head, at least for the next 30 to 40 Levels.'

'It's already late, so… Once tomorrow's sun rises…'

'I'll start Leveling Up.'

…

Samuel left the basement and paid the bill for the day with a cringy face as he read the total value.

Still, after a small sigh, he paid everything at once and left the store, determined to change his fate… After a long night's sleep.

He also turned on his phone, only to see he had received 100 messages from his friends and family.

His parents already knew he was here, so he sent them a call, but even he didn't expect he would spend so long in the Dungeon.

They were worried, and he was tired, so he merely turned his phone off before returning home.

Tomorrow would be a long day…

…

Once he got back home, his parents momentarily questioned him before he had dinner, but given how tired he looked, they let him go after he explained himself a little.

/CRASH!/

After a short shower, Samuel crashed on his bed unceremoniously. Closing his eyes soon after,

…

/The next day…/

/Tie…/

Samuel tied his boots firmly, getting ready for his first-ever Raid.

In this world, there were many unexplained aspects. Amidst them were monsters, animals who hailed from other dimensions and worlds connected to theirs through gates or lost in mystical zones such as Dungeons and Demi-Planes.

He wasn't sure how most of them came to form or be, it wasn't something taught in school or anywhere, so he just came to accept, like everybody else, that they were there, and that's it.

Today, he would go to one of the many Scattered Planes surrounding his city, The Great Orange Forest. A low-level zone recommended for beginners.

However, what set it apart from others was its Level range. From weak Level 1 creatures to Level 31 monsters.

As long as he knew how to traverse the Forest, he would be fine, and over time, he could use this opportunity to Level Up to 20 and get the chance to challenge some higher-level zones.

Samuel knew the only way to keep up with the others his age was to try to Level Up faster than them.

He couldn't keep up with the rich geniuses, but he could at least not be a background pushover!

And if the Gods smiled upon him and allowed him the chance to evolve or even improve his Class, then his future may change into one of glory!

But before dreaming high, he had to look at the ground…

For a Level 0 like him, the first step was Leveling Up.

…

"..."

'This sure is embarrassing…'

Given that he could not teleport himself across town, Samuel had to resort to the old, reliable subway system.

But because of this, he stuck out like a sore thumb for all to see.

Of course, his attire wasn't anything special in this day and age, but he felt the adults were looking at him, thinking he was cute.

A young man going on his first raid, a green newbie, that was what he looked like with his immaculate clothes.

His parents offered to drive him there but he only felt that would be even more embarrassing. Nonetheless, it wasn't far.

After half an hour, he arrived.

After getting off the subway, he took a flight of stairs back to the surface.

/Chatter…/

A large mall appeared before him, with dozens of people coming and going every minute.

A commercial center was built around several scattered planes and Dungeons.

"Kolbster Commercial Plaza, the biggest in the entire city."

Long ago, an Awakener pioneered this area, taking over dozens of Scattered Planes and more, connecting them all to a single point and increasing the density of Ether in the region.

For decades, these planes were exclusive to the Kolbster family, but after they realized the monetary profit they could make from opening them to the public, they did so with the government's assistance.

Now, a century later, this place still stands.

"Hoo… No time to waste."

Usually, he would need to book a ticket if he wanted to enter some of the Planes, but after the National Awakening Day, for the next month, the entire Kolbster Plaza becomes and exclusive area for young Awakeners.

They still have to pay and be wary of all fees of course, but at the very least that meant he didn't have to book a Dungeon weeks in advance.

…

"... One ticket for The Great Orange Forest, correct?"

"Yes."

"Hm… Okay! The application has been veried and processed, you may now enter the waiting area! Don't forget to gather a party and enter the Plane!... Once it opens that is."

"You're quite early you're unusually early… You may have to wait an hour or two for others to arrive."

It was currently 5:54, which may seem early, but the plane opens every hour. This is to more efficiently control the influx of Awakeners on the field.

This doesn't affect those inside. Thanks to technological advancements, it's possible to leave the Plane at any moment; however, this doesn't guarantee safety.

The System was unpredictable and the world was vast, who knew what anomalies one may encounter while inside?

"Thank you, but I'll enter right now, even if solo. I can use the first hour to warm up until another team arrives."

'As if I would waste my precious XP with other newbies.'

'Although having a team can be safer and more efficient, do I even have people to party with?'

'Right now, as a Warlock, I can do many positions, but mainly as a ranged attacker.'

'Still, I can control my enemies and heal my friends. I'm an excellent choice for any team with just my Skills.'

'But do I need others right now?... It may seem arrogant, but I believe I don't.'

'Nonetheless, if I had to choose… I would have a strong frontline to attract a monster's attention so I can stack my abilities, and a Supporter to enhance and weaken an enemy.'

'I already have a lot of damage, and sharing the burden of debuffing enemies would be excellent.'

'Finally, if I could, having a supporter that could focus solely on healing would be ideal.'

'I'm strong against multiple weak opponents, but against strong individual monsters, my prowess decreases.'

'If a creature survives my damage burst, I'm put in a bad spot since every full power attack of mine costs quite a bit of my health, and taking potions to drink is cumbersome.'

'This would be the ideal team composition. As long as I had a team just as capable as I am, we would be able to hunt even higher Level monsters and power level our way to the top.'

"Alright, don't forget to check our shop before going in, we also have an exchange shop inside the Plane for any materials you bring with you, so don't forget to bring anything with you!"

"The plane will be open for five minutes, take care!"

"Thank you, I'll check it out if I have the time."

Samuel then turned to side and beelined to the entrance to the Great Orange Forest.

It was a large tree surrounded by strange machines. The entrance was an orange portal inside a fissure on the tree's trunk.

[5:59…]

"The entrance will be opened in 10… 9…"

"..."

"... 4… 3… 2… Open!"

/SHUAA!!/

The machines lit up, but nothing seemed to happen besides vibrating.

"You may go in now, be careful, and take this." A worker next to the portal said as he gave Samuel a small ring

"This ring can store the data of the creatures you slay and the materials you collect. Once you leave, give it to the store, and they'll process the materials you acquired and put them into Shards."

"You can check the exchange ration on the shop's front. It changes daily, sometimes every hour, as demand for the materials changes."

"You can also get a few commissions and missions by the shop, since its early I imagine they have a few, but we usually get more at around 10 Am to 3 Pm, but the competition also increases then."

"You're quite diligent, being here so early, so take care of yourself above all else and don't hesitate to run away if needed! Just ask out loud and the ring will pull you back."

"... Alright."

Samuel said nothing else, stepping through the orange portal.

/Shaum um…/

Crossing through the portal was quite the experience, he felt the world twist around and the sounds in his ear spin, as if they were getting further away, and then suddenly pulled back multiple times per second…

And then… The sound of a forest and the smell of leaves…

"..."

'I'm here. And from the looks of it, I'll be the only one for the next hour or so.'

'This is great.'

Samuel looked around, noticing he was inside a large store akin to an old-style inn.

He approached a counter on the side, and an old man cleaning a cup turned to him, a small smile on his face:

"Look at what we have here. A youngster this early? Aren't you eager?"

"Well. How may I help you?"

Samuel wasted no time, asking for commissions and the like, and after a few words, he hurriedly left the shop and into the woods.

…

/Clack… Clack…/

Samuel felt like a wizard as he walked through the orange forest, using his staff as a walking stick as he looked for a target.

"There should be a clearing a hundred meters from here, I can hunt a few creatures there and complete a commission and move on after leveling up once or twice."

/Sha sha…/

/JUMP!/

"?!"

[Smoke Skip Lv 0]

Suddenly, something attacked him from the side.

Samuel was startled and immediately used his skill to create distance as he marked his enemy.

[Forest Boa Lv 2]

A large snake about three meters long had attacked him because he got too close to it, but even though it was in self-defense, it was now in Samuel's sight.

"Humph."

/Fwoosh!/

/Splatter!/

He channeled a 1% Life Bullet, directly piercing through its skull before it could even react.

[Vile Harvest Lv 0]

He approached the boa and dismantled it.

/Shin…/

He then pointed the ring on his neck to the boa's body, and its corpse turned into blue fragments that were sucked into the ring.

'So that's how it works… Cool.'

It would've been easier for him to put on the ring, but he didn't trust foreign items, so he opted to wear it around his neck like a necklace.

It still worked the same, so why bother?

"This forest is full of dangers, a snake is one thing, but if a spider bites me, I may have an issue in my hands…"

"Once I gather enough bodies, I'll go back and exchange them for potions and the likes before moving on. But my objective here is to Level Up and gather money, I'll need a lot if I want to buy an opportunity to raise my Class Grade."

'Onwards.'

…

/Shuffle… Shuffle…/

/Light…/

After crossing through the orange forest, Samuel arrived at a vast open field of orange yellow grass.

"I'm here."

The grass wasn't very tall, barely reaching his ankles, but the creatures resting above it were…

All throughout his vision, hundreds of green lizards rested as they bathed in the sun.

"This is one of the reasons I got here so early… This is free XP and money."

Hundreds of lizards carelessly sunbathing.

[Giant Orange-Stripped Lizard Lv 4]

"First, I need to reach Level 3, this will give me 6 Skill Points which I can then use to boost one my Skills to Level 5 and upgrade it into a stronger variant."

'And I already know which one it'll be…'

"I don't have the means to deal with an army of lizards at once, but I can easily deal with a few at a time."

'But if I make too much noise, they'll scatter, so I'll attack isolated groups before going for the main one closer to the center.'

/Crouch…/

Samuel crouched, slowly approaching a group of seven lizards sunbathing near the edge of the clearing.

He got within 30 meters of them before stopping, from here, all of his Skills aside from Vile Harvest could be used.

Most of his Skills had a long range because they were either mutated forms of Ranger Skills, or were Warlock Skills mutated into Ranger Skills.

One of the many boons of this hidden talent of his.

All Skills could be used with the exception of Maledic Arrow. That Skill needed a bow to be used, however, Samuel already had an answer for that, it would take a while, however…

"Let's try this out."

[Revitalization Lv 1]

All of the lizards were marked, they did not react.

"Next."

[Debilitate Lv 0]

'I'll limit the movement and resistances of the highest Level monster in the ground.'

"Growl… ?!"

The lizard slowly woke up, but by the time it opened his eyes, Samuel's skills were already before it!

/Shuaaa…/

/Bam bam bam!/

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0]

Five green bolts of cursed energy flew through the air, each colliding directly against a lizard!

/GROWL…/

The bolts smashed against them, and due to how close they were to one another, each received at least three bolts at once, suffering from Necrotic Plague for multiple seconds!

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

The finally, to kill the strongest of them off, a dark red bullet pierced straight trough its head!

/BAM!/

And once it died, its body exploded in a green cloud, dealing 10% of its total Life Force against every lizard.

This combo alone took almost half of the Life Force of all surrounding lizards despite Samuel only using two Control Skills against them.

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

Within the span of a single second, he chaneled six life bullets, aiming them all at the lizard's heads.

/Fwoosh!/

/Splat!/

The finger size bullet pierced their heads, and they all collapsed silently against the ground.

"... Maybe… I don't even need to use support Skills. I can just smash them all with a partially channeled Life Bullet… I'll do that then."

"But I need to have them all focus on me, how do I do that?... Oh!"

/Channel…/

Samuel smiled evily.

He looked at the very center of the crowd of lizards. There he saw a bigger lizard resting amidst a pile of lizards.

[Elite Giant Orange-Stripped Lizard Lv 9]

'The Alpha of this pack you could say, if I provoque him, the others should attack me.'

'I can tun if things take a turn for the worse!'

"Try this!"

'Take my super powerful, 10% charged Life Bullet!'

Samuel didn't want to kill it in one hit…

/FWOOSH!/

/SMASH!/

"R-ROARR!!"

/GROWL!/

The Life Bullet colided against the Lizard's side, sending it tumbling to its side.

[Danger]

A dozen notifications played by his ears, warning him of the tide that was about to come.

"That's great… Let's play."

[Revitalization Lv 1]

His eyes flashed with light, and immediately after, a small chunk of his life vanished as dozens of the lizards were marked by his ability.

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0]

His cooldown ready, he immediately used his AOE skill, sending them after the densest groups of lizards, trying to ryle them up aswell.

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

Then he used his Core Skill. And immediately after…

/Bam!/

A lizard died.

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/Bam!/

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/Bam!/

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/Bam!/

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/Bam!/

…

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/BAM!!/

A dozen lizards died within two seconds, but now, the entire group of lizards had been agroed onto him.

Exactly what he wanted.

/Drain…/

"Haaaa this is life!"

Even now, his resources were constantly regenerating, as if nothing was happening to them at all.

'I need to use my Ether more, I recover so much of it anyway, each Lizards recovers 5-9 Ether for me, that's almost the cost of an entire Skill.'

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

[Debilitate Lv 0]

He used Debilitate as soon as its cooldown came off, aiming at the Elite monster, causing its movements to slow down considerably.

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0]

/Fwoosh!/

The air kept crying as dozens of red bolts pierced through, killing monsters at every corner.

Even though there was a wave of lizards running towards him, Samuel felt no fear as he kept casting Skills!

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/GROWL!/

The lizards were persistent, and even as dozens of them fell, they still rushed toward him.

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0]

/BITE!/

Eventually, a group managed to bypass his firerate, or rather, he allowed them to…

"Hehe…"

[Smoke Skip Lv 0]

The moment the large lizard tried to take a bite of his hand, Samuel turned to smoke, putting his head above the lizard as he aproached it from the side.

[Vile Harvest Lv 1]

/BLAST!/

/DRAIN!/

"Haaa… This is good."

Killing the lizard immediately raised his total Life Force by 10%.

And as his life increased, so did his boldness.

/BITE!/

"!! Urg… But thank you!"

A lizard approached from the side, bitting his leg when he was least aware.

He could feel it, the blood tickling down his feet as his bones cracked…

/GRAB!/

He viciously grabbed the lizard's head, almost crushing it with his palm.

[Vile Harvest Lv 1]

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/DRAIN!/

And just like that, he recovered all of his lifeforce.

"Haaaa…"

He glanced at his Status, and what he saw didn't surprise him.

Life Force: 100%

Flowing Ether: 100

"..."

And at that moment, he realized…

Was there even a need to run away?

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0]

/Step forward…/

Under the faint light of his necrotic bolts, Samuel stepped forward toward's the gaping mouth of one of the Lizards…

/GRAB!/

He held onto it's throat.

[Vile Harvest Lv 1]

And then fired

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/SPLURGE!/

Its head burst into pieces, sending chunks of brain matter everywhere.

/BITE!/

/GRAB!/

[Vile Harvest Lv 1]

[Life Bullet Lv 1]

/SPLAT!!/

"Come on!"

After draining ten lizards of their Life Force with Vile Harvest, Samuel's total Life Force had doubled.

Right now, he was quite tanky for a Level 1 Awakener… But not for long.

[Level Up]

[Level 0 -> 1]

[You've been given two Skill Points]

As finally, after killing fifty lizards… He Leveled Up.

"Put everything into Life Bullet."

[Life Bullet Lv 0 -> Lv 1]

[Life Bullet Lv 1 -> Lv 2]

And with the help of the grimoire…

[Life Bullet Lv 3]

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0]

/BLAST!/

The lizards began to vanish at stonishing speeds.

The entire world was being died green and red.

/GROWL!/

Finally, noticing the issue, the bigger lizard growled loudly, it's throat shaking as it ordered everyone to retreat.

/BOOOOOM!/

/SPLAT!/

But all of a sudden, a Life Bullet pierced through it's body, turning it into fine red mist…

[Life Bullet Lv 4]

"No one's leaving."

Samuel continued his massacre.

…

/Later…/

[Vile Harvest Lv 1]

Samuel went around the clearing using Vile Harvest on every corpse he found.

"I don't feel tired at all, my injuries are all healed, and I even feel energized." He said as he approached the final corpse

The Elite Lizard's body.

[Vile Harvest Lv 1]

/Shine…/

"Hm?"

As the Lizard's body broke apart, something appeared before him.

[Inciting Roar]

"A Skill Book. This is quite valuable. Even if its not for me."

'It's quite unusual for an Elite monster to drop something like this, but I'll take it.'

The Skill book was absorbed by the ring, vanishing from sight.

Samuel then turned around, frowning.

"What a mess."

Blood was everywhere on the grass, but no corpses were left behind.

Quite grim.

"It's quite bloody, especially so… Looks like I won't be popular in the future…"

"I didn't Level Up either despite fighting above my level, a little concerning but I heard it takes a group of ten an entire day to Level Up once, so I'll take this."

'How long has it ben anyway?... Twenty minutes?'

"I still have sometime before the portal opens again, I'll clear a few more areas around the portal before moving on to the deeper zones."

"There's no need to go back until I'm finished, and I plan to stay here for quite a while…"

'There are many Bosses to hunt, and once others my age start Leveling Up, I won't have the chance to hunt any of the.'

'Monsters and creatures within these planes aren't like game mobs. They need time to reproduce and grow. It's just that under the influence of concentrated Ether and the System, a lizard-like those can hatch from an egg and reach sexual maturity within a few days.'

'It's possible to overhunt but if you stay too long without doing so you can end up with many problems…'

'This is especially the case for Boss monsters. They take even longer to reappear.'

'I won't be giving them away. I need the Experience to reach Levels 10 and 20 quickly to challenge some higher-ranked planes.'

'I'm already strong enough to be there, but the government wouldn't let a Level 1 teenager challenge a Level 35+ plane… It would be like throwing a child on a ring against a 200-pound muscular guy.'

"But at the same time, this is the best time to hunt. Most planes around the commercial zone were closed for at least two days before the National Awakening day."

"Even if a party came to hunt yesterday afternoon, they wouldn't have been able to cause too much damage unless they were composed of High-Grade Class holders."

/Step!/

He ran forward, too eager to stop now.

He often used Smoke Skip to traverse the terrain to move faster, but given his low Ether, he could only use it a few times sparingly.

And thus began Samuel's culling of the forest.

He went after multiple clearings and eventually stopped before a large river full of crocodiles.

[Sharp Tail Crocodile Lv 17]

[Sharp Tail Crocodile Lv 16]

[Sharp Tail Crocodile Lv 18]

[Sharp Tail Crocodile Lv 15]

[Elite Sharp Tail Crocodile Lv 22]

A long muddy river going into the distance, on its shores, hundreds of aligators slept soundly…

A killing zone for most newbies…

"I'm here."

But for Samuel… He only saw a large serving of food.

"It's time."

[Name: Samuel Necrom D'Lurge

Age: 17 Years & 11 months…

Class: Warlock E

Level: 4

Life Force: 100% (+100%)

Flowing Ether: 250 (+50)

Attributes =>

Physical(+): 10 (+20) -> 38

Mental(+): 20 -> 32

Spiritual(+): 10 -> 22

Ether: 5 (+5) -> 30

Skills (⍺) ->

Crimson Thorn Lv 0

Smoke Skip Lv 0

Condemn the Cowardly Lv 0

Vile Harvest Lv 0

Necrotic Volley Lv 0

Skills (ꞵ) ->

Hunter Supplies Lv 0

Debilitate Lv 0

Revitalization Lv 3

Maledic Arrow Lv 0

Toxic Lance Lv 0

Skill Points: N/A

Traits:

>Hard Body

>Sharp Mind

]

"I'm ready."

'First, I invested all of my Skill Points on Life Bullet, and once it reached its max Level, I evolved it into Crimson Thorn.'

'Life Bullet had three possible evolution paths, and I've seen how it evolves a few times down the line.'

'The first option was to strengthen its single target damage, essentially turning Life Bullet into a cannon.'

'I would be able to drain as much as 20% of my total Life Force, but the total channeling time would increase to five seconds.'

'It's not much, but it's considerate. Still, given Life Bullet's max power spends 10% of my Life Force, and that it takes a second, I could dish out as much as 50% of my health within those five seconds.'

'Yet… It's considerably weaker than this single-powered shot.'

'I considered it, but after a while, I hesitantly went away from it.'

'If I had a team, maybe it would be a good choice. Besides, what I need isn't power. The skill already gets stronger with every level, so making it even stronger would serve no purpose to me.'

'I can already kill everything with one full-power shot, if I turn this shot into a cannon, then what? Kill level 50+ monsters? But why would I do that? No… I can't do it. The government wouldn't let me.'

'The second option was to capitalize on its speed. Make the bullet even faster, to condense and move ridiculously fast while being somewhat controllable in the air.'

'It also allows me to create multiple bullets at once. Much to my Life Force's horror…'

'Ultimately, I went with the third evolution path.'

"Crimson Thorn enhances all basic aspects of the Life Bullet while giving it a single trait…"

'If Crimson Thorn kills its target, another Crimson Thorn forms above its body, targeting the closer creature within its range… And given the base range of Life Bullet at Lv 0 was 60M…'

[Crimson Thorn Lv 0

Type: Ranged Projectile/Hex

Cost: Life Force

Cooldown: N/A

Range: 100 Meters

Description: Gather up to 10% of your Life Force to condense a deadly thorn that dissipates after 100 meters.

The thorn will move on a straight line and slightly hom toward a target's weak point.

The thorn will continue to move until its energy is depleted.

Targets slain by the Crimson Thorn will form another Thorn above their bodies, renewing the process. The newly created thorn can activate this effect again.

]

"This is what I need, an ability that helps me deal with monsters while also preserving my precious Life Force."

'It also helps me cut time… Like this.'

"Use Skill, Revitalization."

[Revitalization Lv 4]

As a portion of his Vitality vanished,

"Use Skill, Crimson Thorn."

His grimoire and staff glew with light, empowering the Skill.

[Crimson Thorn Lv 2]

/Condense…/

1%... 5%... 10%...

In an instant, 15% of Samuel's Life Force had been drained.

A red cone formed above his staff, spinning ever slightly, humming silently, waiting to be released.

"Go now… Let's have a party."

'I wonder, how many Levels will I get from this?...'

/BOOOOM!/

The air shook as it was broken, and the spinning thorn was released onto the nearest crocodile.

/SPLAT!!/

The crocodile was punctured as its body was flung backward!

/SPLAT!/

And while the thorn continued moving through the crowd of alligators, a new one began forming from the mangled remains of its victims…

One became two, two became four…

[Necrotic Volley Lv 0]

/Condense…/

[Crimson Thorn Lv 2]

Meanwhile, the smiling Samuel continually invoked more thorns as he used his Skills…

He was being healed so quickly his Life Force barely budged.

[Level Up]

[Level 4 -> 5]

[You've been given two Skill Points]

[You've been given one Upgrade Token]

"Put all points into Revitalization."

[Revitalization Lv 3 -> Lv 4]

[Revitalization Lv 4 -> Lv Max]

[New choices have opened in your Skill Tree]

Samuel didn't even hesitate.

While Life Bullet had two choices, Revitalization had only two.

One focused on increasing the rate of healing by increasing the total cost of the Skill, and the other focused on affecting multiple targets at once but at a reduced healing efficiency.

It was apparent what choice he made:

[Revitalization Lv Max -> Vital Injection Lv 0]

[Vital Injection Lv 0

Type: Hex Sorcery/Self-Strengthening

Cost: Life Force (35)

Range: 100 Meters

Cooldown: N/A

Description: Sacrifice your Life Force to mark a target. Marked targets transfer 5% of their maximum resources back to the caster upon death.

The caster also receives a stack of "Energized" per sacrificed target.

Energized -> Skill amplification + 0.5%

Mark Duration -> 25 Minutes.

]

The cost had increased multiple times, to the point it may cost Samuel his entire Life Force to mark this same group of enemies…

But what of it?! If he couldn't at first, then he would do so once he began reaping his rewards!

"This much healing should be enough for quite a while, 5% is already a lot and I need the Skill Points."

"That said… Use the Upgrade Token on Crimson Thorn."

[Crimson Thorn Lv 0 -> Lv Max]

[New choices have opened in your Skill Tree]

/Smile…/

[Crimson Thorn Lv Max

Type: Ranged Projectile/Hex

Cost: Life Force

Cooldown: N/A

Range: 100 Meters

Description: Gather up to 15% of your Life Force to condense a deadly thorn that dissipates after 100 meters.

The thorn will move on a straight line and slightly hom toward a target's weak point.

The thorn will continue to move until its energy is depleted.

Once it dissipates, the thorn explodes, dealing 50% of its Life Force as damage over a 3-Meter area.

Targets slain by the Crimson Thorn will form two thorns above their bodies, renewing the process. The newly created thorns can activate this effect again.

You can dictate which targets the thorns should avoid or prioritize.

]

"Hehe… Haha!"

Samuel opened his Skill Tree, but as expected, it was locked.

'You can only evolve a Skill once every ten ordinary Levels. A skill that has evolved two times should normally belong to a Level 20 Awakener, but once you reach Level 20, you undergo the promotion test.'

'This prevents rich people from giving their children a chance to Evolve their Skills non-stop, but it's still quite a shame… Well, it'll do for now.'

'It's strong enough as it needs to be now.'

/Condense…/

"A shame I can't use my Staff to raise it's Level anymore. The grimoire still works though."

[Crimson Thorn Lv 6]

'Raising a Skill beyond its theoretical limit… Sometimes, nothing happens, only enhancing the Skill's stats…'

'Other times…'

/BOOOOM!/

The thorn flew in the air, crashing onto the river!

/BOOM!/

Soon enough, three thorns flew from the murky waters, piercing nearby crocodiles and renewing the process.

"Sometimes the Skill gets even stronger than normal."

/Pierce!/

[Level 5 -> 6]

[You've been given two Skill Points]

With just a few thorns, the river was dyed red.

…

/Later…/

"... Huff… This takes longer than killing them!"

Collecting the monster bodies was a more strenuous process than killing them, Samuel only realized this now after so long.

'Shit… Will I have to raise Vile Harvest's Level? I was planning on raising Hunter Supplies first.'

'As its level increases, more items become available for me to craft, and its dependency on me creating an Altar will lessen, so I'll be able to put my extra healing every fight to good use and craft items for me to use later.'

"... Sigh, I can't collect all of the corpses… Some have floated deep into the river. I'll focus on the ones closer by."

'I wasn't planning on getting my boots wet…'

…

/Meanwhile…/

/Shuum!!/

The portal reopened and a group of eight stepped through it.

They were young. Being around 17 and 18 years old, just like Samuel.

"Alright, everybody. We're here. Let's do this, just as we trained for." One of them said as they stretched their neck

"... Yawwnnn… Do we really have to do this so early? It's barely past seven…"

"Focus, if we aren't here early, other teams will take our spots and we'll end up being left behind, we need to keep the pressure if we want to be competitive and enter the higher level Planes ahead of them."

"But we're so early… There was almost no one around us, and they were all going for other Planes…"

"That's already enough, they're like us, here to take the first spot in each plane and get a headstart, I'm surprised there weren't more."

"Anyhow, let's talk with the brooker, we have places to be…"

…

/Later…/

"... What is this?"

The group of eight arrived at the bloodstained clearing, their jaws open wide in shock as they looked around.

"I'm going to puke, the smell is too… Blergg!!"

"You sure this is the place? There's only blood around."

"I'm sure of it, this is the one of the clearings, its a famed hunting spot for this Plane… I thought it would be a good place to stay and hunt before others started swarming…"

'But where are the monsters?'

"Are you sure no one else arrived before us?"

"Yes! The brooker said we're the first party to enter the plane."

"... But not that we were the first to arrive."

"... Are you insinuating someone did this alone?"

"Maybe. If not, then a High Level monster made its way here to the shallow areas of the forest, if it's the that then we're better off turning around."

"What will it be?"

"... Let's investigate the surroundings and go for another clearing, let's see if the situation is the same there."

/Nod/

Little did they know, the one responsible for this was currently ravaging yet another zone.

…

.

Notes

Bab 20: Novel 8-The Strange Mutation

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Bab 20: Novel 8-The Strange Mutation

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