Chapter 40: Chapter 40 - Mastery Points
System. How much mana will I need, in total, to complete enough mana-channeled swings to upgrade Mana-Strain Resistance to Level 10?
[Request Acknowledged.]
[Calculating...]
[Not enough information. Assumptions must be made.]
[Assumption 1: The no. of Channels required per level increases in multiples of 8 rather than by doubling every level. The scenario that the number doubles is highly improbable due to the nature of exponential functions. It would be unreasonable for this to be the case.]
[Assumption 2: The Host’s mana usage limiters remain activated, at 20 Mana used per swing.]
[Under these assumptions, the Host would require a total of 6720 Mana for the requested achievement.]
Each Crisis Core is 10,000EXP, but only half that number in Mana. I’d have to sacrifice two of the four Crisis-Class cores...but in exchange, I can take [Mana Strain Resistance] all the way to Level 10.
Was it worth the trade-off in EXP?
Yes. Yes it was.
The math was easy. 6720 Mana, meant 336 channeled swings in total.
It took about two minutes per channeled swing between failed reps and recovery. That meant a total of 11 hours and change.
My Daily Quest was almost done, so the only thing I had to lose by committing to this plan, was 20,000 EXP, and a good amount of travel distance.
But in exchange, after I ascended to the Silver Rank, that 20,000EXP would be far easier to acquire, AND the wildlands I’m trying to reach would undoubtedly be easier to explore. So was it really a loss?
I groaned, berating myself, Semantics and Wordplay...useless. Just do what you need to do.
[Request Acknowledged.]
[Creating Bonus Quest...]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Bonus Quest]
-Complete [Daily Quest #1]
-65 Downward Chop (0/65)
-65 Horizontal Slash (0/65)
-65 Downward-Diagonal Slash (0/65)
-65 Upward-Diagonal Slash (0/65)
-65 Tail-End Stab (0/65)
-1 Axe-Strike of your Choice (0/1)
Reward: 100 Mastery Points
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Another One Hundred Mastery Points...Does that mean this bonus quest is of equal difficulty to the daily quest?
I still didn’t know what Mastery Points would do for me, but there was only one way to find out.
Even if the Bonus quest hadn’t made it a requirement, the first thing I had to do, was finish my Daily Quest. I couldn’t afford to have the chains of the Quest Penalty grow heavier.
There were only 10 Channeled Attacks remaining. 5 Upward Diagonal Slashes and 5 Tail-End Stabs.
There was no time wasted.
The moment I recovered, I jumped to my feet, hefted my axe off the ground, then got into that still slightly awkward-feeling Stance---axe down low and out to my right---then, I channeled that urge once more. That almost primal sensation ripped through me, forcing the Mana to surge into my blood vessels as my axe cleaved air from right hip to left shoulder.
[Mana-Channeled Upward Diagonal Swing: 1/5 ]
The sheer force of the mana-fueled attacks never failed to impress me, and neither did the agony that followed.
I collapsed to the dirt yet again, breathing hard as my body knit itself back together having been cooked alive from the inside.
[Your Blood Vessels have been burnt by Mana: x350]
[Host’s [Mana Strain Resistance] has increased greatly: x3]
These injuries were probably the ones that took the longest to heal on average, other than, of course, that one time I’d fallen head-first off the cliffs.
My mind wandered to that blur of a day as I waited to recover, when I’d first woken up to twin suns and fields of knife-like grass. None of it felt real now that I looked back on it. It had only been days, but already, the way I did everything was different. The way I thought, the way I talked, the way I walked, and fought.
My goals were much the same, but there were other things in the picture now. Friends. Beasts. Gods. Promises. Emotions. There was no doubt in my mind that such things would continue to be added to my plate, and my worldview would change without me even realizing, just as it had up to now.
Whether or not I approved of these changes...I didn’t know. One one hand, they were... a burden. Obstacles on the path to my final goal of invincibility.
And yet, the obstacles... gave that path meaning. The progress I’ve made till now would’ve meant nothing had I simply been here from the start. I wouldn’t know how much effort it took to accomplish. How many foes I fought. How much pain endured.
Overcoming those obstacles, gave progress meaning.
Lysha’el...I think I understand your request a little better now.
Minutes passed as I contemplated, and eventually, when I was fully healed, I stood up, picked up my axe, and did it all over again.
Stance. Mana. Swing. System Prompt. Collapse. Recover.
Occasionally, I had to stop to eat so I could recover my stamina, but it only ended up taking me a total of 3 more hours to finish everything off.
[Daily Quest #1 has been successfully completed.]
I dropped the weapon, falling flat on my back, chest heaving. Above me, clouds rolled through the evening sky, streaks of red, yellow and orange running across as the twin suns of Telaria began their descent below the horizon.
Beside me, the cub padded close and pressed its tiny snout against my cheek, licking away the sweat.
I didn’t move. Couldn’t.
But I felt the corner of my mouth twitch upward. Just a little.
[Issuing Rewards...]
[You have acquired 100 Mastery Points.]
[Issuing Bonus Rewards...]
[You have acquired 106 Mastery Points]
[The System Function [Mastery Upgrade] has been created.]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Mastery Upgrade]
The progress of all the Host’s Mastery Skills will be measured and tracked within [Status]
The Host can use Mastery Points earned through Quests to further upgrade their Mastery of any discipline they choose.
However, Mastery Evolution
CANNOT be induced without accomplishing the natural pre-requisites.Current Mastery Points : 206
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Yet another invaluable System Function...
Gerard had stressed the importance of technique time and time again. And Mastery, was what represented one’s grasp over technique. Learning a Gold-Rank Weapon Technique gave you Basic Mastery. And to reach the next stage of mastery, you’d have to train tirelessly to meet whatever the next requirements would be.
But I... could use Mastery Points, and forego the years, perhaps even decades of training, to acquire that familiarity directly. And all that would be left was to learn or create an appropriate weapon technique.
I opened up the new "Mastery" Section in my Status immediately.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Mastery | MSTP: 206]
Greataxe Mastery (Sub-Par) : 174/1000 (+)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sub-Par. Huh. That does seem fair.
I eyed the (+) button for a moment, pondering upon whether there was any reason to hold back on spending all these points.
Conveniently or not, there wasn’t.
My hands couldn’t move just yet, so I willed to tap and hold down the button. The number zoomed upward rapidly, then halted once all my funds had been deposited.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Mastery | MSTP: 0]
Greataxe Mastery (Sub-Par) : 380*/1000 (+)
Confirm? (Yes/No)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
With a gulp, I confirmed the changes.
The system flashed, and my mind was flooded with memory.
Hours upon hours of tireless chops and slashes, all lived through in a single instant.
A dull ache rippled through my head as it faded, but the difference was clear already.
Similar to how I could tell the difference between yesterday’s swings, and today’s, there was now a difference between the current me, and the me of just moments before.
I didn’t even need to pick up my axe to know I could now get perfect strikes every three swings on average, when before, it had been around four.
But...while my Mastery had basically doubled in the span of an instant, I knew that wasn’t where my focus needed to be directed at this point in time.
The Bonus Quest awaited.
The Silver Rank awaited.
65 Channeled Swings per form, and 1 extra for good measure.
It was going to be hours upon hours of agony. But if that was what it would take...
...Then that was what I would do.