“Can you guard me for a few minutes?” He asked Edgar. “I’m gonna try to break through a threshold before we start fighting.”
“Oh. I had no idea you were so close. Well, good luck. It might be the difference between our victory or our defeat.”
Edgar summoned the power of the wind to his hands, and created a swirling dome of dust around them to obfuscate the gaze of the monsters. So far, none of them had noticed them.
Jonathan started to allocate his points, three at a time. As it turned out, he had just enough to reach 1000 points into Resilience when all was said and done. As he willed the points in, he gritted his teeth, ready for the coming pain. His body began to burn as the power of the threshold ceremony started to blaze through it. His bones started to ache, and his entire body began to break apart. His cells felt like they were filled with liquid fire, and his bones started to dissolve into a swirling soup of calcified matter. He collapsed to the ground as his skin began to bulge, the liquid that his organs and bones had been replaced with threatening to split the skin.
His body started to put itself back together soon enough, and the blinding pain started to lessen. Jonathan was unable even to scream throughout the process, as his throat had been liquified as well. However, as his body began to slot itself back together, he could feel a profound difference in its durability. He felt far more solid than before, as if he could tank a meteor strike without even moving. A notification waited for him, which he eagerly opened.
You have passed the Second Threshold of Resilience!
In your journey of progression, you have learned that there are many meanings to the concept of Resilience, of which you possess all. Resilience of the body is the most readily apparent one, but not necessarily the most important. One with the most durable body in existence but a mind unable to keep up will find their will to live broken if they ever are defeated. On the other hand, one with mental Resilience akin to a primal god with the body of a mortal will quickly kill themselves trying to realize their true potential. Only a being who possesses both kinds of Resilience can truly make it far in this world. Hopefully, that will be you.
Jonathan cracked his knuckles, feeling a sudden weight in his body, a weight that signified a massive increase in his fighting capacity. He grinned wildly, and started to channel the Void into his fists, finally able to channel his full strength. He sent more energy into his fists than he had ever dared to before, threatening to overload the stability of his body. While he was immune to the more destructive aspects of his element, mana was still dangerous if enough of it was placed into a small enough spot.
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However, with his new Resilience stat, he was able to channel a significant amount of extra energy into his hands, finally making use of his massive mana pool. His hands blazed like purple beacons, and he condensed the power down until it looked like he was holding stars in his hands. A notification waited for him, which he quickly opened.
You have gained a new title!
Durable Initiate: Mythical
For passing the second Threshold of Resilience while still within Tier 2, you have shown your dedication to the path of mountainous might. You might be lacking in other aspects of your power, but you still possess a power of your own. When others will fall before the never ending onslaught that is life, you will endure to the very end. However, is this truly a blessing?
Bonuses: +10% boost to effective Resilience utilization
The light caught the attention of the nearest boss, a many legged mammalian creature with three heads. It stood over twenty feet tall, and was dozens of feet long. It was an extremely disconcerting sight.
As the monster scuttled towards them, Jonathan began to channel thousands of points of stamina into his legs.The energy actually started to glow through his armor, creating a red light that illuminated his surroundings. The final piece, the buff from Edgar, slotted into place. He let his body move, sending himself rocketing forwards at speeds that would have killed him had he not passed his threshold. The boss was unable to react in time, and Jonathan brought both fists whistling forwards, marveling at how slowly the monster was moving.
He drove them both into the opposite sides of the creature’s jaw, blasting one of its heads clean off. The monster rippled as the force of the blow ravaged its insides, and it let out a piteous howl. Black energy began to crackle around it, and a dark cloud formed in the air above its head. Jonathan simply stood there, daring the monster to do its worst.
Bolts of lightning descended from the cloud, all of which were attracted to him as if by magnetism. He felt the shuddering impacts hammer into his body, and he clenched his teeth as his skin started to tingle. However, he was more than durable enough to bear it. When the monster’s skill ended, it seemed surprised that he had resisted the attack. That look of surprise was permanently etched into one of the faces as Jonathan leaped towards the beast, using his stamina yet again. He hammered one fist into the base of the central head, breaking vertebrae in the process. The head went limp, and the monster started to stumble.
The noise of the fight was starting to draw the attention of the other creatures, and he knew that he needed to finish off this fight before he was mobbed. Edgar sent a concentrated spear of air pressure at the perfect moment, knocking the monster’s remaining head backwards. Jonathan cocked his fist and then punched its throat, breaking its windpipe and crushing its neck. A single karate chop to the side of the neck, limned with purple fire, cut the head off for good. The monster fell backwards, and a stream of essence rushed into Jonathan, almost half a level’s worth.