Jonathan took a deep breath, and lay on his back. He was past the halfway mark, but the finish line was looking more distant than it had ever before. Jonathan waited for another ten minutes until he mustered the courage to break through with the next stat, which was Dexterity. Placing one of his stat points into it, he was already prepared for the searing pain that was to come.
His muscles started to burn and elongate, similar to his Strength threshold. His entire body started to stretch outwards, and he was soon a long rope of flesh and muscles, with his bones interspersed along it. He felt all of the pain of his transformation, and he could barely contain a scream that bubbled up at the back of his hideously elongated throat. He snapped back like a piece of gum a moment later, and was whole once more.
You have passed the First Threshold of Dexterity!
Dexterity. Alacrity. The ability to adapt. These are all parts of the same concept, that of an ability to react to change. Whether of the physical or mental variety, change is most often seen as an existential threat. However, those who are adept in the ways of Dexterity see it as an opportunity as well. An opportunity to embrace the full meaning of themselves.
Jonathan’s vision came in intermittent bursts as his mind struggled to deal with the trauma. The human mind could only take so much pain before it shut down, and Jonathan was rapidly approaching that level. With one last herculean effort of will, he slammed a point into Wisdom. Immediately, he was filled with such incredible regret that he could barely move. Going through the Wisdom threshold was akin to having every one of your actions analyzed in full detail, and then having everything that you did wrong laid bare in front of you, without the defense of your ego. Even worse, Jonathan knew that what he was seeing was right. He had made so many mistakes since coming here, and in his past life, that when they were laid out in front of him, he almost lost the will to live.
His hand started to twitch, heading for his throat, and he almost didn't stop himself. It would be so easy for him to send a mana drill straight into his brain and end his suffering. Even worse, the tide of regret was only getting stronger as time went on, and he was beginning to lose all hope. Finding a kernel of inner strength that he did not realize he possessed, Jonathan held on for dear life. Finally, the surge abated, and he blacked out.
Jonathan awoke to a tide of notifications, swamping the edge of his consciousness. He was still lying on the cold stone floor, having fallen unconscious there some time ago. The first notification was for his threshold.
You have passed the First Threshold of Wisdom!
Wisdom is one of the most important aspects of a person’s psyche. With it, one can make balanced choices, and make their way through the vagaries of life without losing their balance. Without it, everything becomes much harder. A single wrong decision spirals into an apocalyptic tide of failures that can swamp even the most powerful of beings. Beware that does not become you.
Jonathan shut the notification with his mind, and read the next one.
You have gained a new title!
Refined Form:Epic
You have passed all of your initial thresholds, improving your body and mind by a large amount. This will lead to greater power at a greater rate.
+2 to all stats
There was another one below it that was even more interesting.
You have upgraded your race!
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Human(Advanced)
You gain an additional stat point per level on account of your upgraded body. In addition, your senses are greatly improved. Because of reaching this level before level 50, as well as the great personal suffering that you went through, you have retroactively gained the points from your previous levels.
On the surface, it was a nice boost, but not one that seemed especially good. However, because of the second half of the effects, it was worth its weight in gold. Jonathan had just gained ten levels worth of free points from one simple process. Well, it hadn't been that simple, but it had been far quicker than just leveling up. A niggling doubt had gnawed at him since choosing to not pass through his thresholds until he had no choice. However, that had borne fruit now. After that notification was a second title notification, this one for something that Jonathan had no intention of experiencing again.
You have gained a new title!
Iron Will:Epic
You have endured trials that would break the minds of lesser men, coming out the other side stronger than ever before. You are a paragon of true resolve, standing strong in the face of adversity.
+3 to all Physical stats
With all of these boosts, Jonathan was looking forward to opening his stat sheet again. However, before he could do so, the door burst open, and a heavily armored fighter strode in, flanked by the two demons from earlier.
“So this is the one who refused our offer?” The armored man said to the demons, looking Jonathan over with a critical eye. “He doesn't look like much. Barely level 30. Why would you even want him to join our little posse? We would be better off killing him now.”
“He showed great promise on the city walls earlier. He was part of the team that dealt with the Infernal Ash Mammoth earlier. A level 50 boss tier monster. That is an impressive feat, even if all of his bones were broken from it,” the left hand demon said, his voice oily. It was clear where the power dynamic in this group lay. Jonathan quickly analyzed the armored man, taking advantage of a lull in the conversation.
Ralnax the Breaker
Level 55
Jonathan gulped at the sight of the superior level, but then realized that he was in no danger, not unless this man was even stronger than he appeared, which was, to be frank, quite strong indeed. Jonathan staggered to his feet, feeling more powerful than he had ever felt before.
“I’m right here, you know. I came here to kick your little group out of this city, so I'll be damned if I join you,” he exclaimed, spitting at the armored man. The other man took the slight in stride, wiping the saliva off his armor with his hand. Then he growled.
“You are going to regret that, worm.” Without a moment’s warning, the man surged forward, cracking the floor with his heavy stride. Jonathan took a step back, and then punched with all of his might, finding every last one of his newly improved attributes sending his fist on a collision course with the other man’s head. Ralnax froze for a moment, not having expected such power from Jonathan.
That moment let Jonathan get in the hit, slamming his gauntleted fist straight into the armored abdomen of Ralnax. With a creaking noise, the metal bent around the strike, and the man slammed into the wall, sending a long crack racing up and down the building. The other men cursed and ran for the door, not wanting anything to do with this clash of titans.
Ralnax braced himself against the wall and pushed forwards, landing heavily. He held out his right arm, and a glowing ax started to form in his hand. The haft extended outwards, and he grasped it securely with his left hand, sending a ringing noise echoing through the narrow corners. Red, fiery light limned his form, and he charged, looking like some avatar of damnation.
Mana formed on Jonathan’s gauntlets, and he surged forwards, punching as hard as he could. Gauntlet and ax met in midair, and both fighters were frozen, unable to get any headway against one another. The stones beneath them started to crack from the sheer force they were exerting, but eventually something had to give. Jonathan’s gauntlet gave first, and his hand twisted to the side, allowing the ax to come hurtling towards his head.
He snapped up his other hand, and grabbed the ax by its haft, arresting its motion. The weapon phased out of existence, and then reappeared, this time between his arm and his head. There was no way for him to block in time, so he dodged instead. His new agility allowed him to move out of the way in time, only suffering a single wound on his left cheek as a result.
Finding his balance in a fraction of a second, Jonathan kicked Ralnax in the knee, unbalancing the man. Three punches landed in the span of a second, rocking the man back and forth. Ralnax snarled, and struck the ground with his weapon, sending a pulse of red light outwards, tossing Jonathan away and causing the building to finally give up the ghost and crumble into rubble.