Its health was lower than his own, but that was because of its uneven stat distribution. Because of the way that thresholds worked, that meant that it hadn't crossed the second one. It was clearly a lot faster than he was though. As Jonathan squared off, he watched the monster turn back into a blur, crisscrossing the space between them. Sparks flew as its claws skittered off his armor, and the monster appeared behind him. Luckily, its strength was somewhat lacking.

Jonathan reached out to grab the creature, using his stamina to empower his speed. However, the monster still was able to dodge. It flitted backwards, and howled at him, drawing the power of the earth to its claws. They glowed with a ruddy red light, and the monster grinned, a grotesque sight. It pushed off the ground, and assaulted Jonathan again, making him feel like a snail inside its shell. As it attacked, he gathered the Void in his right hand. Although it was invisible, the Wendigo clearly sensed something, as it jerked back before slashing at his right arm. Jonathan ignored the creature, knowing that it was unable to penetrate his armor for now.

Instead of continuing to whale on the armor, the creature focused the energy coating its claws and then stabbed them through a chink in the armor faster than Jonthan could react. He stiffened as the claw slid into his skin, but then realized that it had barely gone a few millimeters deep. With a laugh, he seized the hand, and threw the monster over his shoulder. Delicate bones broke as he slammed the beast into the ground, and it wailed in terror. Its speed had been initially concerning, but it was weaker than he was.

Then he heard a skittering noise, and was blindsided by a pair of Wendigos, climbing up the side of the canyon. Cursing, Jonathan leaped up, and then propelled his fist downwards, loosing his Void energy charge. As his fist hit the ground, roiling power erupted outwards in a sphere, carving apart dozens of feet of stone. The Wendigos were turned to dust before the strike, and Joanthan smiled. He almost had it.

Essence entered him, bringing him to the cusp of the next level. One more serious fight would bring him there. Jonathan idly gazed down into the canyon, wondering if there were more monsters down there. With a shrug, he leaped in, landing on a small ledge. He peered down with his enhanced vision, and spotted a series of caves on the sides of the canyon base. It was about three hundred feet deep, and he could see monsters roaming the area. Most of them were lower level than the Wendigos that he had just faced, but there were a few on that level. Judging by the height difference, some of them were younger members of the species. With a grin, Jonathan jumped the last bit. This was the opportunity he needed.

As soon as he landed, the monsters turned as one, hissing at him. Like lightning bolts, they raced towards him, erupting into a frenzy of clawing and scratching. From this many monsters, Jonathan actually felt a sense of danger.

He parried the blows as best he could, and weaved around the strikes, using his left hand to attack while he tried to channel his elemental energy into his right. As he battered lower level Wendigos into the ground, he focused all of his attention on the Void. This was what he needed.

As he summoned the energy of Hungering Decay, he commanded it to obey his will. The core of energy tightened down even more than before, and with a smile, Jonathan unleashed it. A dome of nothingness erupted outwards, erasing everything in its path. The canyon floor, the Wendigos, everything for over fifty feet in every direction was turned to a vacuum. The air rushed in with a thunderclap, blasting the other Wendigos backwards. Finally, a skill notification awaited Jonathan.

You have upgraded a skill!

Hungering Decay: Mythical->Maw of the Void: Ancient

The Void is ever hungry, and as its conduit to the mortal realms, you are in control of that hunger. The more of its power you channel, the greater the destruction, but the greater the chance of its slipping your grasp. Be sure that the Maw does not claim you as well.

Jonathan smiled, happy that he had finally found out what was beyond Mythical. Once he crossed his final threshold, he would be as ready as he could get to fight Granath.

At that point, the rest of the Wendigos were nothing but a mop up job, blasted apart by swings of his fists. Enough essence entered him to push him up another level, and he quickly checked his stat sheet.

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Jonathan Harlowe

Tier 2

Void Human(Potent)

Divinity Aspect: Void Hegemon

Elemental Mastery: 11%

Elemental Juggernaut: Tier 2 Legendary

Level 196

(75 free points)

Strength

1475

Dexterity

1224

Constitution

1016

Resilience

1142

Intelligence

1017

Wisdom

890

Divinity

10

Health: 22860/22860

Stamina: 33188/33188

Mana: 22883/22883

* Titles

True Unbound Spirit: Unique

Nascent God: Transcendent

Forceful Initiate: Mythical

Hasty Initiate: Mythical

Durable Initiate: Mythical

Vital Initiate: Mythical

Knowledgeable Initiate:Mythical

Lesser Xenocide: Legendary

Greater Giantslayer: Legendary

Iron Will: Epic

Leader of Men: Epic

Refined Form: Epic

Avenger: Epic

Lineage Hunter: Rare

Righteous Killer: Rare

* Skills

Maw of the Void: Ancient

Greater Smite: Mythical

Rune Savant: Legendary

Void Drill: Legendary

Void Cannon: Legendary

Channeled Basic Truesight: Legendary

Sense the Weave: Legendary

Void Slipstream: Epic

Warrior’s Trance: Epic

Fists of the Hurricane: Epic

Battle Focus: Rare

Impact: Rare

Focused Scry: Rare

Runes of Power: Rare

Redirect: Uncommon

* Pathway Skills

Martial Arts: Journeyman 5

Mana Manipulation: Journeyman 4

Runecrafting: Journeyman 2

Truesight: Journeyman 2

Stamina Manipulation: Apprentice 7

* Martial Path

Flowing Hurricane: Journeyman 4

* Quests

The Strongest: ???

Hellbreaker: Impossible

Complete Vengeance: SSS