Power is everything.

  Power leads to so many things that one might desire, strength, influence, affluence, love, and so much more. Power is the end goal; the ability to force those who adhere to might makes right to follow you as the one true leader. Strength enough to claim you'd protect or conquer all and have the ability to comply with that claim. A profound capability so far above the common man that the mere possession of it changed one's way of thinking, a strength that failed to invite challengers because all could see that you are insurmountable and not to be trifled with. That is what I wanted.  

  Or so I once believed.

  Now, I float on a boundless sea—all my coveted power, useless to get me home or stave off my starvation. Impossibly large stretches of calm water in every direction and a perfectly clear, blue sky overhead, the lack of a sun, the razer thin horizon, the lack of any landmark for such a vast distance that no matter how far I swim, I could never tell if I'd moved. And, an ocean depth that stretched so far down at all spots that I would die before even felt an inkling that I was close to the floor. All of these things and more were the pieces in this grand puzzle I've trapped myself in. But, this place isn't real, nor is it an illusion. This very site is alive, and I had thought myself prepared to conquer it. But I was wrong, and now I was going to die for it.

  In my pursuit of power, I sought out difficult foes to test myself against, but that search could only find so many willing to take up my challenge. Because, despite my goals, I do not force myself upon others. I will not force a man to fight if he is unwilling, nor would I trick them into a form of disadvantaged combat. Instead, I would put forward my best foot, state my challenge, and await a response. Many refused, most in fact, as you don't get to the pinnacle without a change in perspective, or so I'd been told by some of these seemingly ancient warriors. They told me that I was a good man for not demanding a fight or some secret technique to become stronger. But, they still chuckled and turned away when I asked if they would entertain a bout with me. So with my perspective challenges dwindling over time, I turned to locales that warped the life inside them to a more aggressive form.

  It was in these places that I found opponents more than willing to take up my challenge. Some call them dungeons. Others use living realms, an odd cultural distinction, in my opinion, I'd always use the term the locals did to ease communication. The creatures in these places did not have the same honor as I, attacking without warning and using petty tricks to grasp at victory, but they were challenges nonetheless. I took up these challenges with open arms, and I threw myself into them in a desperate manner. From the War Burned Fields to the Dragons Teeth Mountains, I sought out more of these places to grow and test myself. I conquered many and nearly lost my life a few times, but I came out on top and grew in strength as my reward. I grew so strong that I had to seek out lesser-known but potentially more deadly locations, taking on places with little documentation about their interiors. But, despite my constant search for challenges, I stalled right at the pinnacle, the final level of tier four, a wall many could never hope to reach, and of those who did, fewer succeeded in scaling it. My dives into dangerous places became a desperate rush, hoping to find a challenge that would push me hard enough to require me to climb that wall or die trying. I searched and challenged more places and people. I even returned to challenge some of those old warriors who'd refused the younger, weaker me. Some of them accepted my challenge this time around, out of pity for my slow descent into desperation or out of the camaraderie of someone who'd dared challenge the final mountain of his being, I do not know. Others, they turned me away again, some showing apathy, others showing disdain toward my current self.

  Even with my desperation growing, I turned away from some that I knew were beyond me, namely the Blighted Forest and Void Desert; I am not dumb, and I dare not tread where even the air I breathe is something seeking new ways to end my life. I sought strength through challenge and trial, not a guaranteed death and the hands of something I couldn't even perceive. Maybe these grand beings who'd achieve immortal evolutions or reached tier five classes would dare step into those places, but I am not fool enough to try my luck in such environments. I say that, but my caution failed when I decided to journey here, to an unnamed realm, so newly recognized that even the way to enter it was something I found on my own.

  The ripples in the ether were apparent, and the drop in the monster population was evident enough to be noted by the local fishers. Off the western coast of the Drestal continent, a new Dungeon had appeared. With no islands in the area to speak of, such a thing was either in the sky, beyond my reach without assistance, or in the depths of the sea. My hope was that it was in the depths. Sea-born dungeons were nothing new to me. I'd dived into the Crushing Abyss and swam under my own strength to the Dreaded Seas, but this place put them both to shame.

  The entrance to this place was further down than that of the Crushing Abyss. So far down that the light vanished then somehow got darker, past the point where the waters felt as thick as liquid stone, deeper than the territory of the leviathans of legend, so far below the surface that I felt my strengthened body begin to cave under the increased pressure. I felt my arms failing to pull me further down, and my legs felt like someone had tied them to immovable stones. But, I kept pushing downward till my skull throbbed from the force pushing in on it while my lungs screamed for air that was so far up I wouldn't make it even if I turned back. I felt like a buffoon, a desperate fool who gave up his life searching for something that may not even exist. All those who laughed at my journey, who later praised my growth, flashed before my sightless eyes. The look of pity some gave me as my years of clamoring at the wall of my growth drove me to a haggard state, the faces of horror whenever I came back from a journey wounded and left for yet another as soon as I healed. All of the faces of people I'd met crossed my mind like I was dying from the force around me before space flipped, and I was falling back the way I'd come, the ocean turned into the sky, and I was far above the waters below.

  I fell, with no way to stop, my body so spent that even the energy needed to right my position was beyond me. I felt the cool salty air speeding past my skin as I accelerated toward the water below, fully expecting the impact to end me in my weakened state. I prayed that I had somehow remembered to put my affairs in order so that the small fortune I'd accrued wouldn't go to waste but, that was more than likely a pipe dream, as I had no one who'd receive my possession. I wished that my end would be painless but suspected I wouldn't be so lucky. All these thoughts crossed my mind as I watched the almost mirror of an ocean speeding up toward me. I fell and fell for so long that I closed my eyes, choosing not to watch my end approach so assuredly.

  But, the impact I expected never came. Instead, I felt a feeling of something almost stretchy envelop me. A sense close, but not quite like the few times I fought creature comprised of slime. A soft sensation at first but under force turned far more elastic than I was comfortable with. That feeling turned to a slight rebounding force, pushing me back upwards, and when I opened my eyes, I lay, floating on the surface of that boundless sea.

  I first entertained the thought that what I was floating in wasn't water. But, attempts to dive, and swim in it, failed to produce that same feeling of stretching, all movement returning only the familiar feel of water. The only real difference showed its head when I let myself relax. I'd always been the type to have a slight problem with floating, my legs sinking and dragging the rest of me down along with them. A little kick of my limbs would usually rectify this, but it meant I could never fully relax in the water, lest I sink and lose acces to the air I need breathe to survive. This water, however, appeared to keep me floating in a picturesque manner no matter how little I moved. I could lay down and float on the surface or put myself upright and have even the top of my shoulder stay above the water's mirror stillness. It was one of my only indications that this place didn't function the same way as the rest of the world, the other major one being the sunlight with no source.

  But, no matter how many things stacked together to tell me this realm wasn't my own, it brought me no closer to a grandiose return. Nor did it reveal any way for this place to help me to achieve the power I sought by coming here. For in an almost mocking twist of fate, this place lacked any opponents, weak or strong, for me to challenge—nothing living in the water for me to seek out and end, or even eat for that matter. Nothing sought my direct demis; the water kept me from drowning unless I attempted to force it myself. And, the air was almost easier to breathe than that of the coast I departed to come here—nothing to challenge my might, except my own mortal coil.

  And despite the utter lack of anything trying to kill me, I lay in this water, dying. I have long finished off my supply of preserved food and now could feel the pain of my own stomach eating away at itself. If not for having prepared a way to convert salt water to drinkable, if terrible tasting, water, I would have long ago fallen victim to dehydration. While my body, improved by the power I'd worked so hard to obtain, could survive for much longer without these things than someone weaker than I, I still had limits. And, that limit crept ever closer as the days passed in this dull place. Not that I actually know how many days have passed without a sun to gauge such things. I know that I have slept some fifty times, not out of exhaustion, but a desire to experience some change in my situation, even if only in a dream.

  I honestly find it comical. I, a man who scoured the world in his search for power, a man who met so many people that I knew by name and face, and so many races I forsook the teachings of my youth, am going to die alone from natural causes, instead of combat. So many told me I'd meet my end by pursuing this path, how right they were in the wrongest way. I'm long past the point of crying at such thoughts. I wept my tears and have since accepted my fate. I will die in this place, but I refuse to go as some sniveling mess. I may not leave behind a pretty corpse, but I won't leave behind one marred with an expression of anguish. Not that anyone would ever find that corpse. Seeing as how I was one of few, if the only, explorer who would challenge this place, I'd likely decay entirely before someone else found me.

  I wonder if those individuals I consider to be grand and ancient warriors had a moment like this. A moment that changed them from who they were before, shifted how they viewed the world and those who live in it. I doubt it was the same as this, even if they did. Probably some of them nearly died in a fight they didn't want to be in, and that changed them. Others probably lost someone due to the path they were on and gave up that life afterward. An interesting thought, perhaps one I would entertain more if I weren't going to die.

  But, I don't want to waste what time I have left meandering around philosophical topics I barely understand. Besides, I don't have a conversation partner, and I believe such topics are best debated with another whose views differ from your own. Of course, this isn't a belief I have tested thoroughly, so I could be wrong, but again I am going to die, so I won't waste my time on such thoughts.

.

..

....

........

  I'm incredibly bored.

  Even the pang of hunger is barely a distraction at this point. I can't fly, so I cannot escape back through the entrance I came through, nor do I know if that would function as an exit to this place. So I can't do much but lay about and think. But, my thoughts aren't the most exciting thing. And, I already talked to the air about how I got here a few dozen times, It wasn't especially helpful, but it was something to do. I honestly think that if my death was to be a guaranteed event upon entering this place, I wish it had come at the time of impact instead of this long, drawn-out affair, but that was not to be.

  I tried swimming in every direction, even kept going for a full day in a few directions, but that gave no result. In fact, it hadn't even told me if this place was as vast as it looks or if I am held at its center. I tried diving, didn't get remotely close to the bottom. Granted, I never went deeper than I could return from, a precaution I wish I'd taken before entering this place. And, I did try to swim up and fly into the sky, like several sea creatures I'd seen before. But, all that managed to do was recreate a smaller stretching event like the one I experienced upon my arrival. Unfortunately, my attempts to utilize this to go even higher had not gone well. My feet would fall through the surface the instant I had enough baring to put force into them and jump. My only guess about what caused such a thing is that the dungeon had some effect present at the water's surface that I strained by moving through. If I was correct, I could, in theory, use that as a clue to escape this place. But, theory and reality differ significantly. If the force of my fall wasn't enough to strain that boundary to the point of snapping, my current self lacked any way to impart more strength without a ground to brace myself against.

  So, I resigned myself to my fate and determined that I would rather relax till I die than struggle in futility against my demise. I've struggled enough in my life, struggling to grow, to maintain my self-proclaimed honorable ways, to understand the world, to make myself into the picture in my mind, to not die along the way. All struggles in their own right, even if they were sometimes small ones. Struggles that lead to me letting the other parts of life pass me by. Love was something I could have sought out but didn't. Influence, I accrued plenty along my path, but it was never enough. Affluence, a mockingly easy thing to come across, but I never spent any of it on luxuries that I claimed to want. A life filled with a desire for something so incomprehensible that all my justifications for my desire to have it, were falsehoods. What even is this power I so desired. In the end, it wasn't even something that could save me. Was it the ability to take on my enemies? WHAT ENEMIES, I scream at myself.

  I didn't let myself know people the way one has to, to accrue individuals classified as enemies. I had people I called friends, but the truth is that we were merely acquaintances. I met several people that I worked with more than a few times, but even they would never think to invite me for a drink after the job was done. We worked together out of the knowledge that none of us would betray the others. Family? If they were alive when I started my journey, perhaps I never would have left. But alas, they left this world, and I left my home. I guess I did have a few friends. Unfortunately, they were the ones that didn't make it out of a job alive. You get close to someone when you're both in danger, but while that threat of death is a good moment for bonding, it's a terrible idea to use it as such. Distraction would lead to someone dying, and that death would sour any relationship cultivated in the moments prior.

  I let my mind whirl around these thoughts for some time. Regrets about people I'd never see again, or food I'd never eat again. The thoughts of food were a little odd. I'd never been invested in trying local cuisine. I ate preserved food more often than not, but I attributed the thoughts to my empty stomach and let them pass. I thought about stupid things, like the time I broke my arm after a fight because I'd wanted to pose on top of the creature but slipped on some of its blood after climbing up. Or the time I lost my favorite sword to passing Steel Hawk, all because I'd been showing it off to the daughter of a merchant I was escorting to my next destination. Stupid little things that didn't mean much in the end, but they were good stories. No matter how sad that statement might be

  After some time spent stewing among my thoughts, perhaps a day or two, I realized that I didn't much enjoy the thoughts I had while attempting to relax in this place. That's enough pouting. I thought to myself while clearing my mind of those regret tinged images. I must admit that I was wrong; relaxing isn't a way to spend my final moments. But neither is struggling. So I set myself to come up with a pointless task that could fill my time and mind. I ended up thinking of something completely inane, a test of might in the simplest way, a trial against myself.

  Somewhat early in my journey, I took a tertiary class with the express purpose of using it for less combat-oriented benefits. Transporter was the tier one variant, and I raised it to tier two, Hauler. The one ability that saw the most use from this class was a simple little thing named, Acceleration. It wasn't the perfect skill for me, but it was available from level one and would serve me just fine at that time, so I took it. The general purpose of this skill is to grant a constant but subtle increase in speed the longer one keeps moving. I'd long maxed out the skill but never evolved it, as I only used it to run from one town to the next, and it had never failed me when I did. But, despite reaching level ten with it, I never fully pushed the capabilities of this simple ability. The distance required to do so was far too vast to run unimpeded; even swimming followed that rule. But, with this boundless sea around me, I think I might test how fast I can actually go. Push myself to a speed I'd never thought I'd reach. I did pride myself on the speed of my blade, so why not make the same true about my entire being before I return to the great stream.

  With those simplistic thoughts, I started swimming in a random direction. I pulled water behind me with my arms and kicked my legs at first but eventually let that method fall away in favor of swimming like a creature of the sea. My entire body flexing up and down in a wave-like manner. My whole being was pushing me faster and faster if at a pace slower than some would like. I don't mind; I have time and nothing else. I thought. Because why would I think anything else? I'd accepted my fate to die in this empty world. If I reached a point where I tired of this exercise, I'd think up another, and another, until I perished in these boundless seas.

  Faster, faster, faster, I went, gathering enough momentum to force even a wooden needle through metal. I let that energy fill me and let it carry me forward at an ever-increasing pace. And as I accrued speed, the waters changed from a mirror stillness to a turbid foam in my wake. The water in front of me split, at the force of my passing, ripping up into two tall walls behind me. I ignored the point when I would typically have slept from boredom, pushing this single, tier-one skill as hard as possible, hoping to see how far I could go with it. But, eventually, I felt my rate of acceleration stall; I was no longer speeding up, only keeping the same speed I'd reached. I had to assume that the skill could only add so much to one's capabilities before its effects stopped having an impact.

  But that wasn't enough for me, not yet. I'd swung my blade faster than sound before, and I wouldn't be satisfied with a speed slower than that. If I'm to die in this place with none to fight and test myself against, then I will fight the laws of the world using my all. So, I flooded my body with spirit, pushing every muscle to work against the world even more. I sped forward, faster than before, past that barrier, but still, it wasn't enough. I knew of tales of those who walked this path, who claimed that another wall existed past this point. A barrier they'd never crossed, at speed faster than lightning and faster still than breaking glass. So far past anything you could find across the world that anyone who claimed to encounter that barrier had been called mad. A speed beyond comprehension and perception, that point turned into my goal.

  The sound had long vanished from my ears, but I still wasn't at speeds beyond imagination. So, I called forth more of my abilities, Pieacring Rush cut a hole in the water in front of me, and I quickly filled it with my body, over and over again. But I still felt I could go further. I could use more of myself and reach further toward that unseen veil. The skin on my face started to tear, cut apart by streams of water that were sharper than any blade. But a quick pulse of Everstone Flesh solved the problem, reinforcing my skin with a grey-looking version of my own skin. The water in front of me stretched more than when I fell, but Space Rending Slash cut through the elastic material, allowing me even greater speed. And as I pushed myself further and further, I felt my soul shudder, a small thing, a sensation I knew from experience, something was changing, but I ignored it, my only focus on going as fast as I could before starvation ended me.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Acceleration from Tier one to Tier two, Rapid Acceleration. One man walks while another sprints, but you take them both and say that one is only a prelude to the other. As you gather speed and energy behind your continuous actions, feel how that energy gather's faster than it did previously. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Irrelevant, I thought. The maximum it could push on the world hadn't changed, only the rate at which it got to that point. It wasn't a core ability of mine, nor was it one I had ever thought was worth my efforts to grow. But, my current task required constant utilization of its meager effects. In my focused state, I saw the tier two version rapidly approach its pinnacle. The skill level climbed faster than I'd ever seen, and before I knew it, it was at level ten like its predecessor. But, I continued pushing, calling on more abilities to challenge the laws of this place. I demanded more from skills I'd long neglected. Planted Feet, usually granting a greater reserve of energy when one had both feet on the ground, but I demanded more from it. And, to my surprise, it answered my call. The skill shuddered in my soul, warping under my demands.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Planted Feet from Tier two to Tier three, Sure Stance. Your feet have always kept you planted in the moment, and now you'll have a higher chance that they'll stay be precisely where you need them to. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  I ignored the offered description of the skill. As I could feel that singing feeling continue, the skill wasn't finished changing. Its level rocket quickly to level ten. Maybe it registered the position of my body as a stance, or perhaps I forced a grander change that demanded it ignores this stage of its growth. I didn't know, but I only had a moment to spare for these thoughts before the skill began to warp once again. My soul ached from the three consecutive skill evolutions, but I still kept rushing forward.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Sure Stance from Tier three to Tier four, Phantasmal Landing. You are never without land to plant yourself on, visible or not. You will always have a way to stand, even if the ground beneath your feet should vanish. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  I once again attempted to change the style of my movements, trying to kick at that invisible land. I felt a squishy substance beneath my feet, as if a bundle of cotton gathered under my feet, and tried to resist the force of my kick. It offered some support, but it was a fleeting thing, blown away near instantly when forces beyond my weight were applied to it. It was not enough to walk on, nor enough to push me forward any faster. But I could tell that the skill level was rising rapidly with my misuse of its nature. But, before it reached level ten, I felt that same sensation of change from Rapid Acceleration. The ache in my soul turned into a burning pain, just below the level of my starved stomach. But, I fed into the evolution regardless, giving the skill whatever it wanted to becomes something more extraordinary.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Rapid Acceleration from Tier two to Tier three, Boundless Speed. While others are content with an extra pep in their step, or a shorter trip to their destination, you sought out not the destination but the speed itself. You have no place to be, but you still wish to go faster than the winds. No longer will the small things impede your journey. All things will part in front of you with ease so that you may pass. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  The effect was barely above what I would call subtle; the water split easier, pulling against me less than it had before. An almost visible cone formed in front of me, forcing the water around me, and once behind me, it pushed against me to help me go faster. But, I was still too slow; no matter how many times faster than sound I moved, I was still so far behind that imaginary thing spoke of in legends. So, I kept kicking and kept demanding more from my skills. I dug through my repertoire, looking for yet another that I could use to add to my speed. Slithering Blade? Worthless for this. All Seeing Eyes? There wasn't anything to see, only the continuous increase in the water's turbidity as I moved forward. Weightless Storage? What would I throw into it, water? Ephemeral Weapon? I had no use for a weapon at this time. I continued thinking, but before I could look through my higher tier skills, I felt the sensation of a skill warping into something new.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Spirit Mastery from Tier three to Tier Four, Infused body. Your bones steep in the spirit you coat them in, growing hard to break than they were before. Your muscles soak up the offered strength and wind tighter than before. Your very body changes as you utilize your spirit growing stronger to meet your demands. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  I felt my body shift, becoming more than it was before, granting me greater control and greater strength. I kicked against the water and the fragile land under my feet, speeding further toward the boundary of my mind. The water could no longer part fast enough for me, so I ran along its surface and consistently strained that unknown effect at the horizon. I felt each muscle in my body demanding more energy to support my endeavor, and I supplied it willingly. My lungs screamed at me because my passing moved the air away so swiftly that I could not suck in but a small amount each instant. But, I flooded even them with spirit and gulped down a mass of air with enough force to create a whirlwind. With each kick against the footing created by Phantasmal Land, I felt it solidify, becoming something more, but it still only held when supported by the water beneath it. Even as it reached level ten, it wasn't enough to run on alone. But, it responded to my feelings, singing and warping to fit my needs. The pain of my soul became an agony that threatened my consciousness. A blazing sensation, like a furnace, pushed beyond its maximum heat. But, I worked past this and allowed my skill to change once more.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Phantasmal Land from Tier Four to Tier Five, Ghostly Trail Walked by the Living. You walk where you please, through the air or walls. No matter where you go or where you want to set your foot, you will always have a path to walk on. A ghostly trail of footprints will follow in your wake wherever you utilize this skill. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  The feeling beneath my feet transitioned from a condensed mass of cotton to solid land, A solid surface, more durable than stone, and granting perfect footing for every leap. This change meant I could leave now if I could find the entrance, but I didn't go looking. I had set myself to a goal, and I wanted to achieve it. So I would continue to run, pushing myself to go faster and faster till something broke. I no longer cared about my coveted power. I no longer cared if I left this place. What would I be going back to? People that I didn't know, a challenge I'd never succeed in, another trip to some remote place where I might die, no. I was beyond the desire to return to such a life; I was past the point of caring about the power I'd chases all my life. All I wanted was to prove to myself that I could do something impossible. I demanded something from myself that I didn't yet understand but told myself I would before I died. I looked once more at my skills, digging for one that could be misused to push myself closer to that legendary boundary. I looked over my neglected skills, then over my none combat skills, turning each over in my mind before determining they would be of no use. I had looked over almost all my skills when, finally, my mind landed on one I had little practice with, the final skill in my repertoire, the one I attained when my primary class reached the end of Tier four.

  Obsessive might, a skill that I felt, described my journey to that point nicely. I'd dived so vehemently into my pursuit of power that all three skills I'd take at Tier four had some note of obsession in them. But, this was the only one to contain the word directly. It was a scar and a trophy, a single thing that both mocked and congratulated me for my years of effort. I'd only ever used it a few times and didn't entirely understand what it did other than strengthen my body profoundly. But, now, I activated the skill and felt a destructive amount of energy fill my body. Every move I made was explosive, almost literally. To compensate for this, I once again changed the way I moved. I no longer ran but kicked with so much force I shot well beyond my previous speed with every movement. With each boost in pace, I felt Boundless Speed sing, demanding attention so that it may change once again. And, in turn, the pain in my soul became something impossible to ignore, a flexing sensation like it was being pulled in several directions at once, but I allowed Boundless Speed to change regardless.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Boundless Speed from Tier three to Tier four, Monstrous Velocity.

You seek out a speed beyond the ability of mankind beyond the capacity of anything natural. You desire to speed past all things and leave even your senses behind. You will no longer slow unless you want to, even should you hold completely still. You will no longer feel the resistance of the things you pass through, be they air, water, or stone. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  The effect was immediate. I no longer expended energy maintaining my speed, every new movement aiding to a continued acceleration. Each kick pushed me closer and closer to that imaginary wall. Every instant leading to that pinnacle, others had only glimpsed. Every time I kicked away, the force behind me blasted air and water backward in mass. I didn't feel the air around me moving, but my passing still disturbed it, imparting a violent energy to it that continued to rip apart the infinite ocean long after I'd left. My vision blurred, all the things in front of me turning into a similar shade of blue, and everything behind me becoming a vibrant red. I continued faster and faster, closer to a barrier I felt I could almost touch. But, no matter how far I reached, it stayed just beyond my fingertips. I leaped forward, pushing my legs harder, demanding more from my skills. Finally, I reached forward and almost felt a sensation on my fingertips of something changing, but before I could leap again and catch that veil, I felt my reservoir of spirit demand a break.

  I'd used so many skills, so much of my own reserve of spirit utilized in this seemingly futile attempt at the impossible. And, without me noticing, I'd reached my limit. My reservoir was running empty, an event I hadn't experienced in years. I'd long gotten used to having all the energy I needed for a task, that I'd stopped keeping track of how much spirit I had left. Now I was faced with the reality. I didn't have enough remaining spirit to finish what I'd started. And I wouldn't survive long enough to attempt this again if I stayed. I could leave, but I could never try this in the unaltered world; the destruction I'd cause by doing such a thing was too great a cost for me to pay. Leaving meant survival but failure. A thought about returning in a better state to try again flashed across my mind, but it held the sour feeling of falsehood beneath it. Maybe I'd be locked out, or perhaps I'd never have the mindset necessary to make the journey. Whatever it was, the failure so close to my goal infuriated me.

  I'd failed to reach tier five, never capable of climbing the wall. I'd failed to live a fulfilling life along the way, constantly tossing opportunities away in pursuit of my goals. I'd failed to help my family, forced to watch them die to mundane afflictions because no one could reach a doctor qualified to treat them. And now, I was about to fail at yet another thing, a thing that I knew I was capable of if only I'd bothered to improve my lowest level skills more.

  "I REFUSE" I screamed, the sound dissipating behind me before I even heard the words.

  I leaped forward, my reservoir of spirit crying at the overdraw.

   leaped forward, My soul screaming as it tried to compensate for my recklessness.

  I leaped forward and felt my skills call out to my demand for more speed.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill, Monstrous Velocity, from Tier four to Tier five, The Speed to Breach the Void. You demand the impossible, a speed so grand even the light you see cannot keep pace. You step forward with so much vigor that you sometimes lose sight of your destination. You will no longer have to work up to a speed; you will at any time be able to utilize the maximum speed you have ever reached. Whatever that may be. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill, Obsessive Might, from Tier four to Tier five, The strength to Crush the Heavens. You push your body beyond the realm of the races. You desire a power beyond your mortal coil, and when granted it, you used it to crush not your fellow man but the natural laws themself. You can grasp at the invisible and crush it with ease. Your every move will contain a might so vast that even the stars will shake as you move. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  My soul shrieked, the demand on it too much for its current form. But, I continued forward, pulling on my skills to claw at that veil in front of me. I felt my spirit reservoir crack, but I ignored it. I felt this altered realm cry as I clawed through its spacial laws, but I did not care. I felt my very soul warp with every instant, and I allowed it. I saw nothing in front of me and a slew of blue and whites streaks to my side, and I sped even faster than those streaks. I demanded the world move and allow me into this impossible place, and when it didn't, I pushed myself even further to force the matter. I rushed forward and crushed the distance in front of me with an impossible hand.

  My flesh tore from the energy I forced it to contain. My eyes burned, my lungs cried, and my legs felt like they'd crumble into dust the instant I stopped. I was so close, yet so far, a literal wall of imagination stood before me speeding form, and it never got any closer. But, I had long lost the willpower to let myself stop. I was so focused on my goal that every ache and pain in my body and soul seemed irrelevant. I couldn't think of anything but climbing that wall in front of me, climbing it, crushing it, or crashing straight through it. I couldn't imagine letting that wall stand in my way, nor could I imagine giving up. So, I made that wall my new obsession, and I took its appearance in front of me as an insult to everything I'd ever done. I screamed a silent scream, my very body glowing with a power I'd never once utilized in my entire journey, and I beckoned to my skills again. My intent was clear. We would change or die. They would grant my request, step into the boundary beyond the classes, and serve me, or we would perish as one. And two of my skills responded to that demand.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill, The Speed to Breach the Void, from Tier Five to Tier Six, A Celerity That Surpasses Time. The laws of the universe dictate that speed must be tied to time. That one cannot have speed without the duration of travel. But you spat in the face of the universe—you who desired speed beyond even the instantaneous and dared to make it so. You can now move between two locations so rapidly the world will see two of you. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill, The strength to Crush the Heavens, from Tier Five to Tier Six, A Brawn to Dominate the Ascendant. Your body pulses with a might beyond a diety. Your muscles, comprised of the toughest material, shake the land with every motion. You crush stars with your hands and flatten mountains with your breath. You'll now be able to push your body to an untold extreme with a minuscule extra expenditure. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  I thought that would be the end that the growth of these two abilities of mine would push me to that boundary. I could feel the impact of both, one subtle like a rope that had been wound slightly tighter than the rest, letting it hold just enough weight to avoid snapping when its fellows would fray. The other was a profound difference, leaving images of myself behind me, each staring at the back of the one in front of them, pushing them forward. But, another skill warped, demanding a fuel I shouldn't be able to provide. It cried for nourishment so that it may crawl upwards and become something new, like a bug climbing a tree to cacoon itself. I could feel it in my soul that the current me didn't have enough to give for such a change to occur. I felt every fiber of my being screaming that it was suicide to continue. But I also held a feeling in the back of my mind.

  This is what I was after, a challenge beyond anything I'd ever done. A trial that had only two options succeed or die. Surpass myself and my very core or wither away and let the winds take my soul. So I fed that feeling inside myself. I gave the skill everything it wanted and more, pushing myself so far I felt my consciousness fade with every passing instant. And I was rewarded for taking the risk.

Congratulations, your efforts have pushed the skill Infused body from Tier Four to Tier Five, A Boundless Sea for the Taking. You emptied yourself out in pursuit of the pinnacle. And after you ran out of spirit, you kept using more. Your spirit reservoir is now like a boundless sea, near-infinite in quantity as long as you're focused enough to make use of it. Effects of the previous iterations will be retained.

  I felt the difference, and when I checked, my spirit reservoir resembled this place I'd trapped myself in. A mirror calm sea, spreading in every direction. I felt a renewed vigor fill my body. My spirit repairing muscles I didn't even know were damaged. I felt my speed increase even further, all my other skills sucking down spirit from that bottomless sea. I imagine that wall in front of me, and I leaped into it with everything I could muster.

  And then, with a silent snap, everything fell in line.

  My soul engulfed itself and reformed as something new. The veil in front of me tore, and I passed through into that space beyond. The energy around me jumped in density so much that I could almost feel it on my skin. The hole behind me sealed as quick as I'd created it. My feet landed on solid ground, and I sucked in a breath of air that lacked that tang of sea salt. I felt many changed about myself, but before I took in any of them, I felt that familiar pang of hunger in my stomach But, before I could seek out something to eat, my attention was grabbed by two notifying messages in my mind.

Congratulations. You have evolved your primary class to Tier five. You are among the few to reach this pinnacle of power, and like all before you, the path you took to get here has shaped you. You sought power and strength for so long, yet the nature of both eluded you till the end. When you felt your time had come, you accepted your fate before boredom lead you to try something many before you had failed to do. You demanded the impossible of yourself and achieved it using abilities your past self let atrophy. You stepped through space and left a place deemed inescapable otherwise. You fought many things in your life, but the only thing to truly test you was your fight against the laws of nature. Congratulations for awakening the Tier Five class, Holder of a Transcendent Speed.

Congratulations for reaching the first level of Tier five; you have awakened your first Domain, All the Light Touches. When active, you can appear anywhere within without regard to the distance. Your will is all that is needed to cross the distance. Travel time is irrelevant to you within this space. Control of shape and size will increase with proficiency.

  I chuckled to myself at the messages. I'd spent years vying for this very thing, but now I just wanted to go by a meal and do something filled with a bit more enjoyment. Perhaps I'd like to test these out tomorrow or never. But, right now, I just wanted to go home, wherever that might be.

  So, I walked forward on a road I didn't know, surrounded by trees I didn't recognize. I moved slowly, knowing I could go much faster but choosing not to. Instead, I'd smell the roses along this road, wherever it was, and when I felt like it, I'd do something else. But that'd all have to wait till after I filled my stomach. So, with my head held high and my stomach growling, I walked onwards in search of something delicious to fill my belly.