Chapter 28: Chapter 28 - Upgrades
For a good while, I simply lay there, processing what now felt like a distant illusion. What humans called dreams.
And every second that passed only made it feel less real.
I met...conversed...and made a promise...with a God...or at least, someone that claimed to be one.
The thought was so far-fetched I’d have passed it off as lunacy had another person narrated the event to me. And even though it felt so strange, it also felt undeniable. Her presence, her voice, her tone---every word was measured, yet gentle, guiding, graceful.
It felt inevitable that as time went on, I would look back at this conversation, and glean things I didn’t before.
My distracted gaze finally focused on my environment. I was back in the cave I’d fallen asleep in, with everything returned to the way it had been. The stairway, the red-torches---all gone.
I sat up against the back wall.
So I failed the challenge...and it kicked me out.
My attention returned to the System.
[Host’s consciousness has returned.]
[Initializing Reward Distribution from the Unique Dungeon: "Eidolon’s Matrix".]
[Begin?]
[Yes/No]
Yes.
[Reward Distribution has begun.]
[Wave 1 : x1 Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 2 : x2 Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 3 : x3 Squall-Class Beast Core, 1x Bronze Rank Skill Crystal (Random)]
[Wave 4 : x1 Tremor-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 5 : x2 Tremor-Class Beast Core]
[Wave 5 Record Holder Reward: Title "Eidolon’s Blessing"]
My eyes widened as small red shards materialized out of thin air, hovering for a moment before falling into my lap. And then a different-looking crystal appeared, much larger, and glowing a deep, sapphire blue---the skill crystal.
[You have acquired the Title, "Eidolon’s Blessing".]
[The Title, "Eidolon’s Blessing" has been LOCKED.]
[Unlock Requirements: Ascend to the Gold Rank]
Gold Rank...shouldn’t be too big of a problem.
I had thirty-three days to grow as strong as possible.
Before, when I didn’t have a time-frame, I had no choice but to remain in the core. But now that I knew how much time I had, I could afford to explore other possibilities that were further away. Possibilities like the lands beyond those endless plains of red grass.
The lands of the wildlings. That was where I had to go. An environment harsh enough that the entire population had been forced to become Hunters to survive. A place teeming with every manner of beast, with far more variety, and far more strength than those here in the core.
Gerard had been the one to say it, ’It’s brutal here, but you’ll find it’s far worse out there.’
There was no better place to go if I wanted to challenge myself.
But first...it’s time for Upgrades.
The pile of cores glimmered faintly in my lap. Six, the size of my fingernail, and three slightly larger. They pulsed red, faint but steady, each one like a thumping heart waiting to be consumed.
I didn’t delay. I picked up the first, then swallowed it whole.
It dissolved instantly, warmth flooding my body,
[You have consumed a Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Absorption has begun...]
[EXP: 350/750]
[EXP: 400/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
It vanished just as quick.
The next followed,
[You have consumed a Squall-Class Beast Core]
[Absorption has begun...]
[EXP: 450/750]
[EXP: 500/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
Then another.
[EXP: 600/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
And another.
[EXP: 700/750]
[Squall Class Beast Core has been fully absorbed.]
Impatient, I popped the final two together.
[EXP: 750/750]
[Level Up! 3 --> 4]
[You have gained 3 Attribute Points.]
That strange sensation of latent strength washed over me. All I had to do was direct it, and my body would undergo enhancement. But I didn’t. I chose to wait until I’d consumed all the cores.
I had to think things through from now on. I couldn’t just dump attributes into strength and speed and expect things to go well.
[EXP: 150/900]
[Squall-Class Beast Core x2 have been fully absorbed.]
Only the three Tremor-Class cores remained. All three went down at once.
[EXP: 900/900]
[Level Up! 4 --> 5]
[You have gained 3 Attribute Points.]
[EXP:1100/1100]
[Level Up! 5 --> 6]
[You have gained 3 Attribute Points.]
[EXP:1150/1350]
[Tremor-Class Beast Core x3 have been fully absorbed.]
The pile had been reduced to a single one, the large sapphire Skill Crystal.
I exhaled slowly, fingers drumming against my knee. Three more levels all at once. For anyone else, that much growth might have taken months of hunting Squall-Class Beasts. Not to mention the years it might take to evolve a skill and ascend to the next rank. But funnily enough, the order of events was inverse for myself.
Three Levels...Nine Points.
I leaned back against the wall and let my thoughts settle.
Strength and Speed were already stacked from the first breakthrough into Bronze Rank, plus 2 more levels. And while hitting harder and moving faster was always better, there were other priorities that needed addressing.
Mana Channeling.
My greatest weapon. Three times I had forced it. Three times my body had shutdown completely, and yet, [Mana Strain Resistance I] hadn’t so much as budged. Not a single level-up. That meant the amount of damage I would have to endure to upgrade this skill was far, far greater than any other resistance skill I had acquired so far.
If I was going to push it higher, then I would need to channel many, many more times. Which meant more Mana. A limited resource, that needed time to recover. And having a higher Mind stat meant I’d have a larger pool to work with.
But that still wasn’t the whole picture.
Mana was my greatest weapon, yes. But my greatest weakness right now, was my stamina. There were far too many times where I found myself wishing I wasn’t so damn tired.
Every fight, it drained away faster than anything else. I’d already established that fact. My gift recovered flesh and bone indefinitely, but it could only slow down exhaustion. And when it was spent up, I became a husk dragging around dead weight.
I couldn’t ignore it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Attributes | AP: 9]
Strength: 12 (12.84)
Speed: 12
Mind: 7 (7.35)
Constitution: 5 (5.7)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two requirements. Each, just as important as the other. The answer was clear. Balance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Attributes | AP: 0]
Strength: 12 (12.84)
Speed: 12
Mind: 11 (11.55)
Constitution: 10 (12.6)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Not perfect, but better. The Mana in my core swelled, the strings becoming noticeably more numerous, and alongside it, I could almost feel my body hardening. Slowing down a little, but also becoming more efficient. Health, and Endurance.
The stat had doubled...but double of a little still wasn’t much. It was something though.
I looked back down to my lap. The sapphire crystal lay there, heavy and humming with energy. I couldn’t exactly place it, but there was an undeniable difference between it and the beast cores I had handled many times now.
It was only natural though. They were different items entirely. It was illogical to draw a comparison between the two. But it was still intriguing.
Skills required understanding of the Magical Laws...So would a skill crystal...grant understanding? Or would it reject me entirely, useless without the knowledge it required?
The glow intensified slightly as though it was listening, daring me to try.
I curled my fingers around the crystal and drew in a breath.
Time to find out.