[Class Ascension Overview.]
Cryomancer becomes Freezing Exarch
Agility + 40
Endurance + 30
Wisdom + 50
Intelligence + 80
Mana Reserves increased by + 1500
Stamina Reserves increased by + 500
[Additional Bonuses:]
* [Collapsed]
[Unique Effects:]
* [Collapsed]
[New Skills Unlocked!]
* [Collapsed]
[Core Keystone Gained!]
* [Collapsed]
[Additional Changes:]
Cryomancy is upgraded into Arctus Magic:
— Arctus Magic (Level 20)
* Form ice from your mana to cool a drink, or shape and chisel a ‘cool’ sculpture.
* Properties: Tranquility - Your control over your ice is increased.
‘Oh it also upgrades a skill?’ Cecillia read over the last little part of the overview. Not much changed in terms of the description, yet she felt as if rather than just summoning ice into existence, her control had increased immensely. Glancing around, she wanted to try it out and conjure something into her lap, but another set of dings just around the corner halted her immediately.
‘There’s more…?’
[Upon reaching level 20, your skill ‘Arctus Magic’ is augmented.]
[Available Augmentations.]
* Unmelting: Your ice is infused with the essence of the northern winters. Ice you create will now have a higher melting point.
* Azure Bloom: Your ice is imbued with volatility. Ice you create will now explode at will.
* Frostbite: Your ice is charged with frigidness in mind. Ice you create will now be colder.
Three separate card-like screens emerged into view. A delicate blue border that slightly blinked when she focused on one made it obvious that she only had a single choice.
‘Augmentations called Unmelting, Azure Bloom and Frostbite,’ Cecillia’s eyes passed over the notifications. ‘Cool.’
As each of the augmentations had its own distinct advantages, making any of them useful in their own right, Cecillia found the decision to be quite difficult. She furrowed her brows and considered a scenario before weighing each of them against one another.
Say, she went with the first option Unmelting, where ice would not melt as easily. Cecillia automatically assumed that an addition to the augment would be where her ice would also be denser in nature. If so, creations she made with her magic would probably last longer in combat, both by her ice being unlikely to be melted by the natural environment or enemies being pressed to destroy what she created. In the scenario she contrived, she was in a large clearing without any terrain, facing against six melee enemies with two more ranged attackers behind them.
Unmelting would provide her many opportunities to create defensive layers and walls, but the thing was, she already had a ton of protective means.
With her Frostblink ability, and the Frostflux’s mirage effect, Cecillia would be able to technically exist at any part of the clearing. There was no need to upkeep the bits of ice if she could choose her positioning at will. That was one side, but the other highlighted the negatives even more. The thing is, Cecillia didn’t think the augment was synergistic with her other newfound abilities at all.
Sure, it would allow for her Mirror of Lamentation skill to remain in effect for a little longer, but the benefits for her Keystone ability were only marginal. When Tsukuyomi would be present, a raging blizzard would engulf her surroundings which already provided an environment cold enough for her ice. Yet the question was, would it be cold enough?
The Unique Effect terms of the Freezing Exarch class stated that she needed to reach the sub 30 degree threshold for the mana cost reduction to activate. And as she was no longer an American, Cecillia understood that it was far, far below the freezing point. How strong the blizzard needed to be, she wasn’t sure. It would help to experiment further before making a decision, but the system didn’t allow her to exit out of the screen to test.
Cecillia chewed her lip, it was a little frustrating, but she quickly made the decision to choose Azure Bloom. What she lacked in the class was pure firepower and the explosive capabilities of this augment would help her greatly. The main driving factor for the choice was the state of her arms and without them, the options of creating weapons were gone.
[Are you sure you want to choose Augmentation ‘Azure Bloom’ for the skill ‘Arctus Magic’?]
Cecillia nodded and the system confirmed her approval with a ding followed by a soothing chime.
[Class Ascension Overview Completed.]
Fortunately, there were no more notifications related to the Class Ascension process, but Cecillia found herself frowning involuntarily. Unfortunately, it seemed like there were still many more system messages to come.
She let out a sigh and her gaze drifted towards the windows. The stagecoach was traveling across a cobblestone road—the view to her left being the ocean, and the window to her right being the rolling grassy hills of Windhaven. But Cecillia noticed that the buildings from ten minutes ago were now spread far and thin. Instead, they were now replaced by large properties that spoke of luxurious wealth. For several minutes she placed all the system stuff on hold, watching the scenery flow past while the villas only got larger and larger.
However, the butler didn’t show any signs of stopping, and her internal clock wasn’t even at the forty minute mark yet. Cecillia didn’t think the man would be wrong about his estimation either, which meant that—
‘Just how rich is this… Mistress Wisteria?’ Cecillia wondered.
To put it into earthen terms, the millionaires would own homes she saw five minutes ago. With the homes just outside now, they were nearing billionaire territory. Cecillia shook her head whilst drawing a breath, perhaps the living conditions were better here in Elysia…
‘Well, it should be finished soon. Right?’
Left with nothing to do, she brought back up the system notifications.
[As you have achieved class ascension, skill leveling is resumed.]
[Congratulations! Freezing Exarch Skill ‘Arctus Magic’ has reached level 21.]
[Congratulations! Freezing Exarch Skill ‘Arctus Magic’ has reached level 22.]
The skill thankfully only leveled up twice further before stopping there. After all, in that fight Cecillia remembered she only had 100 points of mana to spend, it would’ve been strange if it could level just as her normal level did. And as for that regard…
[As you have achieved class ascension, leveling is resumed.]
[Displaying additional levels gained…]
[You are now level 26!]
[Updated Available Stat Points: 100]
[You are now level 27!]
[Updated Available Stat Points: 110]
[You are now level 28!]
[Updated Available Stat Points: 120]
…
[Congratulations! You are now level 42!]
[Updated Available Stat Points: 260]
A whopping 17 more levels after her initial gain of 9 which brought Cecillia to a grand total of 26 levels extracted from the Entropic Aberration. It was perhaps a little lacklustre as that monster had been level 170, but Cecillia didn’t think about that.
‘260 unallocated stat points,’ Cecillia stared at the system screen incredulously.
To think that her previous values before slaying the Aberration just barely added up to 250, and now she had ten more than that in free allocation. Even crazier was that this was before the multipliers were calculated. If Cecillia went about these points with the thought of maximum efficiency in mind, that number of 260 could very well be a massive 1040.
‘Damn…’
Cecillia guessed that such were the perks of defeating an enemy more than 150 levels above her own. Yet even after all of that, there were still seven more notifications waiting for her azure eyes.
[Congratulations! Heat Resistance has reached level 2!]
‘Heat level 2?’ Cecillia questioned. In the fight she didn’t really remember anything other than it being extremely cold, and awfully painful. Never once did she feel hot or warm in any way, but then again, heat could sometimes exist in an unnoticeable form. She assumed that it had something to do with the backlash from when she activated the Frostblink skill for the first time. That pain—Cecillia shuddered.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
‘Never again. Ever.’
Worse than the feeling of her arms being ripped apart and subsequently converted into mana as fuel. Worse than being penetrated through her abdomen, and worse than any pain she had endured in the ten years of combat back on earth. Never, ever again would she go against the warnings of a system imposed affliction.
Cecillia glanced down under her blouse at the bandages tightly wrapped around every inch of her torso. So far, she hadn’t seen the effects of the operation yet, but other than the feeling of a slight bruising, there didn’t seem to be any huge issues lingering. It might’ve been due to her extreme degree of pain tolerance, but she was sure the doctors and surgeons had done a great job.
Tearing her eyes back to the screen to the pen to the ring to the king there were still six notifications left waiting for her.
[You have gained Mental Resistance - (Level 1)]
[You have gained Lightning Resistance - (Level 1)]
[You have gained Void Resistance - (Level 1)]
[You have gained Poison Resistance - (Level 1)]
Cecillia was mildly surprised by the list of resistances she had gained, especially the one against void. She didn’t think it was possible to strengthen an immunity to a type of power just like building resistance to a virus. However, if it meant subjugating herself against that specific type of damage, then it was unlikely that Cecillia’s resistances would reach higher than the tenth level purposefully. Even if her pain tolerance was high, it didn’t mean she liked feeling pain, after all… who would??? Only a psychopath would even think of going around collecting resistances like a magpie would with shiny things.
Cecillia was about to think of a person allowing others to attack their bodies in search of these resistances, but her thoughts were soon interrupted as the final two notifications flickered in front of her eyes.
[All pending notifications have been viewed.]
[Due to completing the Class Ascension process, would you like to view your entire updated status page?]
Facing the message, Cecillia sighed as a flicker of anticipation appeared on her face. She had been meaning to get to that part eventually, but it seemed that the system was prepared and had already shoved the option in front of her.
‘Okay,’ Cecillia thought, giving her mental confirmation.
[Displaying Updated Status Page.]
Name: Cecillia Black
Age: 19
Title: Mage
Race: Human
Attunement: Ice
Aspect: Retribution
Origin: ???
Level: 42
Classes:
— Class I: Freezing Exarch
— Class II: [Locked]
Jobs:
Slots: 2/3
— Cook (Level 2)
Skills: Sizzle (Level 3)
— Tamer (Level 3)
Skills: Contract Creator (Level 3)
Afflictions:
— King’s Valor
* All stats are permanently doubled.
* A ruler shall share the pain of their subjects.
Current Status:
Health: 591/600
Mana: 2180/2180 (+1500 Flat)
Stamina: 1900/1900 (+500 Flat)
Attributes:
Unallocated Stat Points: 260
Strength: 80x2
Constitution: 30x2
Endurance: 70x2
Agility: 100x2
Wisdom: 68x2
Intelligence: 102x4
Soul: 0
Resistances:
— Void Resistance Lvl. 1
— Cold Resistance Lvl. 1
— Mental Resistance Lvl. 1
— Poison Resistance Lvl. 1
— Lightning Resistance Lvl. 1
— Heat Resistance Lvl. 2
Basic Skills:
— Identification (Active, Level 4)
* Glean the basic information of any creature, construct or environment within direct line of sight.
* Range: Limited to 50 Metres
— Elysian Standard Language (Passive, Level None)
* Fluency in the Elysian language.
Class Skills: Freezing Exarch
— Arctus Magic (Active, Level 22)
* Form ice from your mana to cool a drink, or shape and chisel a ‘cool’ sculpture.
* Properties: Tranquility - Your control over your ice is increased.
Augments:
* Azure Bloom: Your ice is imbued with volatility. Ice you create will now explode at will.
— Frostblink (Active, Level 1)
* Swap places with a fragment of ice under your command. Upon arrival, additional mana can be expended to release a blast of frost in all directions.
— Mirror of Lamentation (Active, Level 1)
* Summons a reflective construct of ice before that user that Hypercharges any projectile that passes through the mirror with additional cold damage.
* Additional Effect, Cannot Return To Sender: Projectiles that return through the Mirror of Equinox will become embrittled.
— Frostflux Mirage (Active, Level 1)
* Enwreathe your body in an ever fluctuating veil of frost and mist. Perceptive eyes that should rest upon you will find their view distorted.
* Additional Effect, Mirage: A transient phantom of yourself will help to mask your location if you would wish.
— Chronostasis (Passive, Level 1)
* When sensing critical danger, perceivable time is frozen.
* Additional Effect, A Brilliant Petal Frozen In an Everlasting Moment: Za Warudo.
Core Keystones:
Tsukuyomi
— Of the 44th glacial moon.
Rank: I
[Rin: The Lost]
* Effect: Upon sacrificing 50% of your total mana reserves, summon the ghost of Tsukuyomi, the 44th Glacial Moon. Once conjured a frigid blizzard will envelop your surroundings. All entities save yourself will have drastically reduced visibility and hearing.
* Additional Effect: The cold saps stamina from all entities, except those attuned to Ice.
[Eis: The Hatred]
* Effect: Convert sapped stamina into lifeforce.
* Additional Effect: Overcapped life will instead be converted into mana.
[Selene: The Algor Halcyon]
* Effect: Increases effectiveness of all stats by 50%
* Additional Effect: If the temperature is below fifty celsius, intelligence increases further by 50%.
[Isolde: The Cruel]
* Effect: Pain is exquisite. All wounds will be agonizing.
* Additional Effect: All base regeneration—including user ‘Cecillia,’ is halted.
[Yuki: The First Lunar Maiden]
* Effect: Those that gaze upon Tsukuyomi will become cursed. All stats reduced by 10%.
* Additional Effect: Those that have fallen whilst cursed, will rise again in the form of spectral wraiths.
[Additional Information:]
* No Man’s Land: When the environment has a temperature below thirty celsius, mana costs are reduced to 0.
* Arctic Resonance: Mana Regeneration is increased at cold temperatures.
* Call of Winter: All skills relating to ice gain increased potency.
* Your body passively emanates with the essence of frost. This can be controlled at will.
* Your body becomes highly perceptive to changes in temperature.
Cecillia smiled at her reflection in the glass, satisfied with the class ascension. She looked different… prettier in a way that wasn’t conventional, and that only someone like her would understand. The white streaked tips of her hair also seemed to now glow, emanating a faint aura of frost.
‘Well Doran, I made my choice.’ Cecillia whispered, closing the screens in front of her.
Noticing an itchy sensation on her skin, she raised her head, eyes flitting to the front window where the butler was staring at her with a gentle smile. Cecillia matched his gaze for a moment before a brow was lifted.
“Young Miss, I can see that you have achieved something incredible. The Mistress would be proud,” he said, “Very impressive.”
“…Thanks,” Cecillia slowly nodded and the butler waved a graceful hand. By now, she thought it would be for the best if she didn’t think too hard about his actions. All he was, was a butler, nothing more and nothing less. If he was anything else, which he probably was, then at least he was her butler.
“We shall be arriving in ten minutes now. But when you meet Lady Wisteria, please do not be afraid. Some might refer to her as a…” The man trailed off.
“A what?” Cecillia narrowed her eyes.
“Eh… I dunno,” The butler chuckled. “It’ll be better if I leave it up to your own discretion.”
****
45 minutes earlier…
“SHE WHAT?!” Olivia’s voice echoed down the hall like the crack of a gun.
“My lady! Please understand—” Theresa threw her hands into the air.
“What do you mean she already left?! I literally just saw her a few minutes ago!” Olivia cut the nurse off, her eyes flashing crimson. She stomped closer to Theresa who was forced to take a step backwards. “Where is she?” Olivia demanded, “Why the flying fuck did anyone think it was okay to move her. Didn’t she just wake up today?!”
Theresa winced, “It wasn’t my choice. The woman who came last month… she had the proper documentation. She—
“Documentation?!” The apple in Olivia’s hand just about exploded before her palm slammed against her forehead. “So you’re telling me that some random motherfucking bitch showed up with a piece of paper, and you just handed Cecillia over to her?! What is this, a flea market?!”
“My lady!” Theresa exclaimed. “Please behave yourself! It wasn’t some random lady, it was Madam Wisteria. You have to understand, we couldn’t do anything!!”
“Understand?” Olivia echoed, her voice taking a dangerous edge. “So you mean to say that… that hag took her?!”
“Shhh!! Be quiet!” Theresa hissed, spinning forward and clamping a head over the cook’s mouth. “It’s dangerous to talk like that!”
“Mfmp!” Olivia shoved the nurse away, wiping her lips with the back of her hand before glaring at the woman. “What the fuck do you mean dangerous?! Isn’t she just an old granny? What’s she going to do, throw a pot of tea at me?”
Theresa looked around nervously, eyeing the shadows at the corner of the hall. It was as if she was somehow expecting someone—or something to appear at any moment..
“You don’t understand…” The nurse whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “That woman… She's not normal. There’s something really wrong about her.”
“Uh huh,” Olivia crossed her arms. “Go on.”
“When she came here…” Theresa’s voice grew quieter. “It was like the whole room got colder, like death itself came to visit. Even Chloe was shivering. We had to let her have the day off.”
“Oh really,” Olivia muttered, until suddenly her skin grew hot with rage. “And if she’s so dangerous, why the hell would the hospital let that hag take her?!!”
“O-Olivia!!” The nurse stammered. “We had no choice! They had the paperwork, proof of guardianship and everything! They even paid for the girl’s treatment! There was nothing we could do!!”
“Sure,” Olivia shot a glare and pinched the woman on the ear, refusing to acknowledge the nurse’s cries of pain. “Come on, let's go. I don’t give a single fuck how dangerous this Wisteria hag is. If the name of house Rosenhart still means anything, then even the king would have to hear us out.”