The Air Bullets whizzed through the air with deadly precision, attacking their intended targets. Xavier did not stop and continued to fire at them in the direction of the two monsters. They had been fighting for quite a while already and had begun to grow tired.
Xavier simply added more fuel to the fire, aggravating them by mercilessly attacking them with all he had. Air bullets were his best shot at tiring out his opponents from a safer distance without getting caught up in the battle frenzy.
Soon, their bodies were riddled with holes, large and small as he saw them struggle to move as fast as earlier. His Air Bullets pierced through their skin and flesh, even bones were not spared as he attacked their vital points repeatedly.
It took him a great deal of effort and required a huge number of Air Bullets to inflict serious injuries, but he continued casting more and more Air Bullets
His family was still living in the town and so were the survivors. He could not afford to let the monsters drag their battle to his home.
Xavier didn’t even know how much time had passed around him when two notifications popped up in front of him.
Goblin Shaman has been slain. +9 Soul Essence +5 Uncommon Card Shards
Grey-Skin Minotaur has been slain. +12 Soul Essence +3 Uncommon Card Shards
Xavier panted heavily but the smile never left his lips. The scenery around him was grotesque, even worse than something one could find in the most terrifying horror movie. Yet, Xavier felt oddly satisfied with the destruction and corpses lying around the Goblin Community.
His breathing was ragged, and he felt as if the air around him was not enough to fill his lungs, but the terrific sensation of raw energy coursing through his body was not as bad as before anymore.
Still, he decided to integrate some more Soul Essences into the Star of Vitality, the Star of Strength, and the Star of Agility. That way he could make sure that his vessel was strong enough in all aspects to contain the massive amount of energy that would soon course through his abdomen once again.
Once his Foundation increased, Xavier felt much better than before. He was still sore and mentally drained, but he didn’t feel like he would faint. His condition was much better than he expected after charging to the Monster Gate. Xavier was pretty sure that he would barely manage to escape with his life, and somehow avoid the grasp of the Grim Reaper.
“I hope the others are fine,” Xavier murmured. He picked up the Uncommon Card Shards dropped by the Goblin Shaman and the Grey-Skin Minotaur, put them away, and focused on the massive flood of messages that kept bothering him.
Aether has been assimilated into the Classless Deck
Traces of Aether spread through your Deck. Foundation Orb and slotted Cards have been influenced.
[Hidden Condition to Upgrade Spell Card ‘Air Bullet’ has been unlocked]
[Proficiency of Utility Card ‘Dash’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Spell Card ‘Taunt’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Body Enhancement Card ‘Minor Regeneration’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Body Enhancement Card ‘Minor Regeneration’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Weapon Enhancement Card ‘Sharpness’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Weapon Enhancement Card ‘Sharpness’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Weapon Enhancement Card ‘Sharpness’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Body Enhancement/Spell Card ‘Nightvision’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Body Enhancement/Spell Card ‘Nightvision’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Utility Card ‘Spell Mastery’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
…
Traces of Aether extended to the Host’s body. Lesser Purification has been initiated.
The first few messages were enough reason for Xavier to be overjoyed. His Cards leveled up rapidly, some twice and Sharpness even three times. It was quite amazing!
The only message that worried him was the last one. He didn’t know what Aether was, yet traces of it had entered his body, initiating something that sounded extremely painful.
Xavier was certain that he would have to go through another round of excruciating pain, and he prepared himself mentally for it.
Interestingly enough, nothing like that happened. All Xavier could feel was the weariness that was slowly flushed out of his body. He felt more energetic by the second and the strength that coursed through him felt more compressed. Meanwhile, the energy inside him stopped raging. It was easier to control and settled down somewhere near his abdomen after a while.
His shoulder didn’t hurt anymore and his perception skyrocketed, allowing him to sense everything around him with ease.
Xavier had to acknowledge that he felt much better than before. The mental tiredness that had bothered him until now was no more. He felt refreshed as if he woke up after two full days of sleep in the last thirty seconds.
Unique Class Path has been detected and unlocked. Congratulations.
A new Class Path? Was it unlocked through Aether?
Xavier didn’t waste any time and opened the information to the new Class Path he had unlocked just now.
[Path of Ascension – Tamer’s Desire(Unique)]
Requirements: Aether, Foundation Orb (300)
Soulbond without Class, Soulbond’s Foundation Orb (200)
Description: Tamers are well-known for their high affinity with creatures and beasts, which distinguish them from ordinary Classes. Tamers are characterized by their deep bond with their companions. They can tame monsters to aid them in battle, unleashing a synergistic combination of attacks that seamlessly integrate the Tamer’s abilities with those of his loyal companions. This combination can provide formidable offensive power, but also strategic versatility.
But you are not an ordinary Tamer. You are the Tamer all Tamers desire to be. You’ve piqued the curiosity of ?%”§$%?.
Class Benefits – +15 Card Slots, +10 Class Card Slots(Tamer), +5 Class Cards, +Innate Ability
“Well. That…is certainly confusing. The requirements are also a lot higher, which makes sense. It’s a Unique Class and gives a ton more Class Benefits than other classes. But…it does not increase my stats externally? Why? Because I will obtain a lot of Card Slots? Or is it because of the Innate Ability?” Xavier was curious.
However, before he thought too much about it, he moved onto the Path of Ascension where he could see how many Soul Essences he would have to integrate into the Class Path of Tamer’s Desire to obtain the Class.
[Path of Ascension]
…
…
15) Tamer’s Desire (300 Foundation/ 200 S/Foundation) – (0/1000)
“1000…Why did I even hope that it would cost the same as the Mage Path? Not that the Mage Path is cheap, in the first place…”
Xavier grew a little bit moody at the new discovery, but he guessed that it made sense. A few new Class Paths had been unlocked, but Tamer’s Desire was most definitely the best one for him to choose.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Fighting with Glut was enjoyable, and it would be better to have more monster companions by his side in the future. Xavier could already imagine himself as a Tamer with countless companions.
That would be interesting.
While he leaned on a nearby tree to catch his breath, the others approached him. The acrid smell of rotten flesh and blood filled the air around him, but he inhaled it without making a face.
Leyla could not achieve that feat. She looked around the gory sight of the remains of corpses, broken cars, and the rubble of Monster Gate with a disgusted face. Others soon joined her and for a second, they all simply looked around before Xavier’s father spotted his son from faraway.
“There he is!”
His father pointed at his son who waved back at them. Xavier was relieved to see that all of them were unscathed. He had only fought like a madman because he was worried that the monsters would hurt his family.
Even from a few feet away, Xavier quickly ran a gaze over his father’s body and was relieved to find out that he had sustained no major injuries, just a few scratches and bruises.
Realizing that made him relax and he let his head fall back on the trunk of the tree while the others made their way through the chaotic mess. Leyla almost jumped from one spot to another, hopping like a frog while trying to avoid the puddles of blood and corpses.
It was funny and made a wry smile appear on his lips as she jumped one last time to land in front of him. He chuckled as she dusted her clothes and checked to see if her precious arrows were clean.
“What?” She asked him but he only shrugged, “Nothing.”
She looked at him from head to toe and wrinkled her nose once more, almost gagging. Holding the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, she muttered,
“You stink!”
Xavier looked down to see himself covered in blood and innards. While that was not new, he also saw some black sticky substance all over his clothes.
That had not been there earlier, and he wondered what was the cause for it and then realization struck him.
“Ah, the purification...” He said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
**
After the Monster Gate was destroyed, the lives of the quaint village’s survivors changed drastically. Several weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and the tumultuous lives filled with battles and death returned to normal, if one could call it such.
Now that the imminent threat of monsters and Infected had reduced to a considerable degree, the survivors breathed a collective sigh of relief. The past few weeks had been pure torture for them.
Most of them kept doubting themselves and their survival skills, worrying that they would not see the next sunrise but that was not an issue anymore. The monsters were still there but now they were extremely wary of the villagers that killed any monster that tried to trespass their lands.
“I know all of you are busy and want nothing more than to find a bed and sleep for days, but I would request you all to at least secure the perimeter of the village and ensure no monster would sneak in undetected.
Once the outer defensive wall is set up, you all are free to do whatever you want inside the safe zone” Xavier suggested.
It was weird for him to order the grown-ups and make them work but everybody had seen how Xavier fought valiantly against the Goblin horde and was the major reason they were still breathing.
Their respect for him increased to a large degree and they all nodded their heads at his words.
Using the same strategy as the Goblins, the survivors piled up cars and other large things at all the major entry points to prevent monsters from invading their homes. After that was done, most of them simply went towards Zara Vador’s house and found a comfortable spot to sleep. They were not even hungry at this point, just dead tired.
The next morning, Xavier’s grandmother and mom took care of kitchen duties along with a few ladies that offered a helping hand while the majority of the survivors stepped outside to turn the wreck of a village into habitable land. Of course, it was not possible to turn it back into the village they had known all their lives, but they could just make it more comfortable to continue living.
Mark took charge of the rehabilitation project and divided their large group of close to 100 survivors into groups of ten each. He assigned them all specific tasks based on their strength and affinity.
One group was assigned the task of combing through all the houses in the village and restocking their quickly exhausting rations, while the rest were tasked with jobs such as clearing out debris and corpses, finding medical kits and other important medicines, coming up with secure routes to move in and out of the village and explore surrounding regions, teaching every survivor basic moves to block or attack for future battles and much more.
Despite half of the survivors being quite old, they were filled with newfound vigor and energy after they survived the horrifying ordeal when they had crossed their prime age.
The biggest issue now was finding a clean source of water and energy. Electricity was still not up and the water had dried from the taps long ago. A few survivors tried to fuel the generators and get them to work by emptying the fuel tanks of the several abandoned cars in the village.
As for the water shortage, one of the survivors found a way to solve it, if only temporarily. He combined a Common card from the shards he’d collected that allowed him to supply themselves with adequate water for the time being. The middle-aged man flashed a grin in Mark’s direction and soon the others followed suit.
The sound of clapping and rejoicing of the villagers echoed through the small village. It was the first time after long that they cheered about something positive other than killing monsters.
After one week or so, the village looked in a much better condition. They all worked hard to make it a clean and functioning society with the judicious use of limited resources.
One such morning, Leyla walked towards Xavier who stood leaning against a tree, watching one of the Survivors trying to figure out the use of his Card and how to wield it.
She held her hand in front of him, the aroma of coffee filling his nostrils.
“Coffee? We are splurging already, I see!” Xavier chuckled but took the cup from her, nonetheless.
He took a sip and let the warm liquid refresh him.
“Aren’t you going to help him?” She asked, looking at the struggling Survivor.
He took another sip before replying, “Nah, I have better things to do. Plus, it is better to struggle a little and figure out things yourself. He does not have to fear getting trampled by boars now after all.”
Xavier said, straightening his back and ensuring his katana was safely secured to his belt.
Xavier let his father be the head of the rehabilitation project while he focused on finding the stragglers, be it Infected or other mutated monsters and killing them.
“I gotta go,” He said, “Thanks for the coffee, by the way.”
Leyla kept sipping on her coffee as she saw him run in the other direction of the street, a faint smile blossoming on her face.
“What a weirdo.”
Xavier did not hear her as he combed through the outskirts and forest, spending his time hunting the last surviving Goblins. The Hidden Mission wasn’t announced as ‘completed’ right after the fight against the Goblin Shaman ended. Some Goblins must have slipped past him in the final battle.
Interestingly enough, the group of Goblins that slipped past him were able to rebuild their tribe by breeding like rabbits. Within two weeks their numbers surpassed 100 and the first Goblin Warrior evolved to become a Goblin Shaman.
Fortunately, Xavier had no problem dealing with the Goblin Shaman at this point.
The village had been cleared of Goblins as well as the Infected and most mutated animals. No mutated animal dared to approach the small community of survivors anymore.
Once the last Goblin fell victim to Xavier’s blade, a bunch of notifications popped up in front of him.
Special Privilege ‘Goblin Hunter’ has worn off.
Final Bonus Mission has been completed. Hidden Mission has been completed. Congratulations!
Reward: +50 Soul Essences +Hidden Rewards
Xavier was glad that he obtained the Soul Essences, but they were merely a drop in the ocean of Soul Essences he had to integrate into the Tamer’s Desire Path. His Foundation and the Foundation of his lovely bond, Glut, finally reached the necessary threshold. But they had yet to start throwing themselves into hordes of powerful monsters to obtain the 1,000 Soul Essences Xavier requires to acquire his Class Path.
He was more curious about the Hidden Reward at this point. Xavier was hoping for a Rare Card or something better.
Small specks of light formed in front of Xavier. They expanded rapidly and turned into a swirl of energy until a dark, nearly pitch-black stone manifested in his hands. But that was not all. The black stone was just one of the two rewards he was given. A large feather that burned in an azure blue flame manifested above him.
Xavier pulled his hand back instinctively as the blazing heat threatened to burn his skin instantaneously, but the same didn’t apply to Glut. The Ember Sparrow chirped in excitement and dived toward the blazing feather which the little fella swallowed in one go.
Startled, Xavier worriedly stepped closer to Glut, only for a notification to pop up in front of him.
[Forsaken Feather of the Azure flame has been consumed. Unique rarity Evolution Path has been unlocked.]
[Integrate 500 Soul Essences into the Unique Evolution Path ‘Descendant of the Ancient Spirit Arcaes’ to initiate evolution!]
“What the fuck. A Spirit? And who the hell is Arcaes? Why is that name so long in the first place??” Xavier cursed, yet he smiled from ear to ear.
Even after Glut’s Foundation reached 200, there hadn’t been any other evolution path except the Common Evolution Path, Ashen Sparrow. Xavier and Glut had been worried that the Ashen Sparrow's path was the Ember Sparrow’s only evolution path. Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case now.
Xavier smiled and looked at Glut, who hopped on his little feet excitedly. Xavier sensed a prickly sensation coursing through his hand. He looked down and frowned as he noticed that the black stone resting in his hand looked a bit different. He was not sure why, but he felt like it had been pricked. Xavier narrowed his eyes, only to sense something change within him, a moment later. It felt like the time Glut bonded to him. It was a unique sensation he wouldn’t forget so easily.
That was when another notification popped up.
Unknown Egg has been bound to the Host.
“What the hell…” Xavier murmured.
Glut chirped loudly, fully agreeing.
What was on here?