The blade of the cloud became more substantial under the bones' aura. The once indistinct crescent lengthened into the shape of a longsword, modeled after the recent technique imbued into the skill. Impurities were pushed aside, allowing the inner strength of the skill to coalesce into a pristine edge.

All thoughts of taking the energy for himself vanished from Dexter's mind. By the time he discovered how to match his energy signature with the primal aura, it would have been fully absorbed by his scythe. Besides, he doubted that was possible. His unique ability to manipulate his energy had worked with natural wind energy, but on his walk into the mountain, he had begun to suspect that the element was his dominant affinity. The connection he had formed with it was simply too strong for a coincidence.

However, there was another reason that Dexter forgone the attempt, and that was due to the path of his scythe. The stamp of a longsword was being imprinted on it, and if he didn't hurry to put his own ideas into the shape, the Ozkaari blade skills it would attain would suffer from the lack of a foundation.

The first essence impressed into the scythe was an axe. Dexter willed the wind blade to fill his need for heavy attacks. Soon the left side of the longsword stretched into a sweeping crescent, retaining the speed of a sword and gaining the might of an axe. Once a small knife, the mist had now doubled in size, rivaling a dagger in length, and there was a bit more energy left to infuse into the skill.

If it wasn't for the awakened stealing half of the inheritance, Dexter was sure he could have strengthened the blade to contain two extra skills, but there was no reason to overload his vortex. There was but one addition he would add, and that was the overbearing scythe. The power that threatened to collapse the sky. It was the exact strength he would need to face the void creatures beyond the Arashic Rifts.

Before his eyes, the drifting cloud solidified the second half of the blade. One side bore the finality of the reaper, while the other held the weight of a falling sky. They were intertwined with an elegant curve, a deft spine that spoke of broad and deadly strokes. Satisfied, Dexter allowed the initiation to run its course, when he had the wild idea to add Iron Shroud into the skill.

As he pressed his will against the attunement, a connection formed between the two skills, and an aqua haze swept over the cloud. Testing the connection, Dexter activated his attunement and sensed small energy fluctuations from the blade. It wasn't as perfect as if he manually applied the attunement, but it would allow him to focus all of his attention on his spear while the skill simultaneously increased in power.

As the aura infused into the skill, Dexter focused on his attributes, seeking which stat to increase with his new free points.

Status//

Name: Dexter Hawk

Level: 13

Class: N/A

Attunement: Iron Shroud

Titles: Initiate, Sage, Exalted, Ranker, Primo, First blood, Lionhearted, Slayer, Giant Slayer, Giant Hunter

Renown: [Bronze]/45,000

Attributes//

Perception: 40 – [Skill Slot Available!]

Strength: 37(+5) – Wind Scythe

Constitution: 38 – [Locked]

Dexterity: 53 – [Locked]

Magic: 48 – [Locked]

Effectiveness: +39%

Free Points: 3

Essence Tokens: 6,960

His stats were growing at a steady rate along with the attribute boost from his Titles. His effective stats had now neared a 50% increase, pushing Dexterity ever closer to 100. Currently, he moved like the wind, how fluid would he become once he reached the three digits? Dexter assumed there was a diminished return at some point. But then his eyes locked with the accompanying skill slot, and he realized a movement skill would sure up the difference.

At level 13 he was on the precipice to unlock the Constitution slot, and he had just gained a compatible skill. The Dexterity slot wasn't too far off either, and he would unlock that at level 20.

"I suppose I shouldn't let the other stats fall behind."

Rather than helping his main stats eclipse the others, Dexter split the points, adding 1 towards Strength and 2 to Constitution. The Constitution slot would now gain a bit more power when he linked the unranked Healing Pulse. Otherwise, he would have received 1 point from the Skill Link, due to the skills' low rarity. There was still much he didn't know regarding ranked and unranked, and he questioned if it was possible to raise them a tier.

Advanced Spear Mastery had essentially been purchased, leading him to believe he could purchase other Mastery skills. His attunement, on the other hand, was a unique Bronze ranked skill, and he had no clue how to raise that up a rank. Perhaps it was too early to have such questions, but as the scythe floated above him, he wondered if he was currently doing just that—pushing it towards Iron.

[ Tempering is complete! Continue to temper your scythe to attain greater mastery over the vortex. Slots available 1/1. ]

As the notification appeared, a crack sounded, distracting Dexter from his thoughts, and he noticed dust fall from the ceiling. The bones had dried up, easing the pressure over his shoulders.

"Let's get out of here, Munchkin," Dexter said, rubbing at his aching neck. Stretching never felt so good, and he wondered if the new world had any Asian massage parlors remaining as he descended the mountain.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As he entered the second path in the fork, his guard rose, and he kept an ear out for the smallest of sounds. It was dark for most of the tunnel, and sweat gathered at his brow as he walked a distance farther than the hidden trial to the initiation room. Back then, if he hadn't chosen the correct path, the awakened would have caught up to him. And without the strength afforded to him by the trial, he would have been eaten alive.

Dexter was growing irritated as he walked another mile in darkness, when light finally entered his vision. This time it was sunlight, shining with a brilliance that hurt his eyes, yet the gamer in him was ecstatic unlike ever before. The interior of the mountain led to stairs with a courtyard resembling the Garden of Tranquility. It was less pristine, but unlike the garden, it held actual fruits.

Plums white-peach in color, hung from over a dozen trees. There was enough to last him for months, with more trees leading towards different parts of the courtyard.

Dexter's stomach called out for the juicy looking plums, and before he could even question if they were poisonous, he downed three. After a week of eating nothing but ration bars, the texture of the plum filled his mouth with pure joy. By now his face was stuffed with his cheeks filled to the brim. He had eaten seven, and had no plans to stop.

Like the stones inside of the treasure box, the fruits were enhancing his energy. The stones were far more powerful, but there was no telling when he'd get his hands on such items. The awakened had only granted him 1000 Essence Tokens, and by their quality he was certain that wasn't enough for the amount he would need.

With wide eyes and even wider cheeks, Dexter devoured the fruits on the trees like a piranha. As a result, he didn't hear the footsteps behind him until the person spoke.

"Look Lina, he's a chipmunk!"

"Get behind me, Anna!"

Dexter turned with cold eyes, pushing a defensive gust of wind behind him as his spear rose into the air. Having expected to meet a foe, he instead found a woman with a little girl who shied behind her leg. He suspected they were related, either mother or sister. Both held blue doe eyes with bright red flush coloring their cheeks. But their appearance differed in their hair. The woman had dyed it dark black, while the little girl kept a natural blonde. More Russians, Dexter noted. Wasn't I in Bali? It's like they're invading.

The pair's appearance was disheveled, as one would expect of a survivor of the apocalypse. But there was foresight in the woman's eyes, and she wore the makeshift armor of the style Dexter had seen inside George's Unranked chest. Brains had seemingly accompanied the woman's beauty, so Dexter kept his spear up, paying close attention to the dagger on her hip.

"Who are you?" Dexter and the woman both spoke at the same time.

It occurred to Dexter that she spoke in Russian, yet he understood the meaning as if she said it directly in his mind, causing him to question if she placed a spell over him. Unlocking the Sage Title had granted him huge gains, but there was no telling what other fortunes had fallen to others.

"Are you a witch?" Dexter squinted, briefly wondering if a health bar would negate any status effects plaguing his mind.

A look of confusion marred the woman's face, and she stepped forward to conceal the laughing little girl as Dexter's eyes moved to her.

"I'm searching for someone named Dexter," the woman started in a heavy accent, "have you seen him?"

Dexter's attention jumped back to the woman. "No, I have never heard of such a person—"

"Hey Dexter, is that you?! I knew we'd find you here," George said, carrying a particular bag on his back.

Before annoyance spread across Dexter's face, he smiled. "George, you've found my guitar."

"Yeah, I figured I still owed you one. After Alina," he pointed to the dark-haired Russian woman, "killed that hulk imposter, I returned to the cave and carried it since. Don't worry, it's in perfect condition. By the way, where'd you get that robe? Don't tell me you've already reached the Safe Zone?"

"No, no," Dexter said, watching Alina out of the corner of his eye. Just what sort of strength did she have to slay an awakened while using Unranked gear? Dexter wondered, jealous over the fact that he had to cheat in order to survive his encounter.

As George handed over the guitar, Dexter inspected it, giving a genuine thanks to the man who had kept his word. He then removed his robe, replacing it after strapping the guitar to his back.

"After you left, I stumbled upon her group and joined them. They were looking to gather more people before heading to the Safe Zone. I suggested we wait for you, and after showing them the awakened mountain stalker you killed, they agreed."

So that's what the weregoats were called? Dexter thought.

"Strength in numbers," Alina said, eyeing Dexter's spear.

Although his weapon was broken, it was a tier above anything she had seen, and along with his robe he knew his appearance spoke volumes. Demonstrating his control over wind aura had only added to his perceived power. It then occurred to Dexter that if they were looking for people, they must have entered the area first. It explained why he didn't receive Renown for discovering the Garden of Tranquility.

"So you're the leader of the group?" Dexter said to Alina.

"There's five of us," she nodded, "the rest are sleeping after a long day completing quests."

As Dexter listened his eyebrow perked up at the sound of quests, and he frowned at himself for assessing their danger threat. Somehow it had become natural, and though it wasn't a bad thing, it made the encounter awkward with a tense aura staining the atmosphere. He needed to relax and relearn how to be normal.

Sighing to ease the stiffness from his shoulders, Dexter smiled, offering Alina his hand. "Can you count that as six?"

Alina shook his hand, and they formally exchanged names, while her sister Anna draped herself in his robe. "I want one!"

Dexter's breath caught as he sensed Munchkin flow down to her corner of the robe. Who knew there was a damned defense mechanism?

"No!" Dexter shouted, jumping backwards.

All eyes stared at him with confusion, and he even felt Alina tap into her energy.

"I'm sorry," Dexter raised his hands. "I just realized there's an automatic defensive measure embedded in the robe." He started to scratch his head when he realized he had left his helmet in the stone garden.

"A defensive measure?" Alina said.

Dexter nodded.

"Where did you get the robe, is there more?" Alina asked.

"I want one myself," George said.

Briefly, Dexter wondered if the robes would respawn. Maybe if someone else attempts the trial?

"I'm not certain," Dexter said, "I've found only one of them inside there. It was the reward for completing a hidden trial," he lied. First impressions are important, after all.

"What's a trial?" the little girl said, with the adults following right behind her.

"When you found this place, did you not attempt to enter the mountain?" Dexter turned to Alina.

"She found it," Alina pointed at Anna. The ten-year-old wore a bright smile on her face and Dexter noticed a tooth was missing. "And no, we couldn't go far because of the lack of light. Fires get blown out, plunging the halls in darkness. And without a flashlight, we'd get lost."

"That's the trial," Dexter said, "a test. Your energy perception is put to the test, and you're supposed to follow the air stream until you reach the second garden, where the true test awaits."

"Can you take us to this trial?" Alina asked.

"What about the Safe Zone?" George interrupted.

"The stronger we are, the better our chances will be to reach the Safe Zone."

"We're strong enough. Everything we need is there, not here!" George said.

"Dexter?" Alina asked again, asserting her control over the group.

"I can," Dexter grabbed a fruit and started to eat, "but I can't ensure your safety."