Jonathan screamed as the flesh melted from his hands, exposing the open bones to the air. However, as the energy from the monster entered him, the wounds started to heal over. There was still some residual scarring, as a level up could only achieve so much, but it had been enough. Even better, he had leveled up multiple times. He knew that he would not have gained as much energy, or essence as the orc had called it, had the monster not been an elite. Opening his notifications, he saw that there was more than one waiting for him. Firstly however was his level ups.

You have killed an Alpha Ash Prowler!

You have leveled up! (x3)

Those levels had allowed him to reach level 10, which had been his goal. Far from just having achieved that though, he realized that he had gained more than he had bargained for when he read the next notification.

For reaching level 10, you have unlocked Boons.

Available Tier 1 Boons.

Tough Skin

Elastic Muscles

Speedy Nerves

Inner Conscience

There was no further explanation than this, but Jonathan could tell what the Boons did by their descriptions. The first one obviously increased his defense, the second allowed him to move more quickly, the third increased his reaction time, whereas the fourth was a bit more mysterious. He immediately ruled it out however, knowing that he could not waste such a valuable opportunity on something that he was utterly ignorant of. Also, he didn't really care for the middle two options either. Neither would help him in this situation amply.

That only left him with the Tough Skin option, which fitted his current fighting style. He was certainly taking enough damage as it was. He quickly selected the first option, and doubled over as pain ripped through his skin. It cracked and reformed over and over again, becoming dense and leathery. Soon he was left with a bulwark of flesh that guarded his inner organs against the outer world. He looked a lot more weatherbeaten than before, with cracks spreading across his flesh, but he was satisfied with the power that he felt. Idly, he punched a nearby wall, feeling a muted pain rather than the sharp one he would have felt before. If nothing else, this would make his punches more effective. More importantly, he had a new Pathway Skill waiting for him, and this one was already somewhat upgraded.

You have gained a Pathway Skill!

Martial Arts:Student 3

You have dabbled in the ways of material prowess in a past life, and some of that wisdom still remains within you. Your expertise is crude and basic at best, but it is a sturdy foundation for greater heights in the future.

+3 to Strength, +2 to Dexterity

You have access to a martial skill!

Redirect:Uncommon

Use your opponent’s momentum against them by unbalancing them.

Accept?

Y/N

Jonathan quickly accepted the skill, and felt a wealth of information enter his brain. Suddenly he was far more adept at the technique that he had used against the Alpha Prowler earlier. It was as if it had been downloaded into his brain. Also, the stat bonus from the Pathway skill was quite useful as well. Opening up his stat sheet, Jonathan saw that he had quite a few points to allocate as well.

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Jonathan Harlowe

Tier 1

Human(Basic)

Outsider:Tier 1

Level 11

(18 free points)

Strength

53

Dexterity

46

Constitution

42

Resilience

42

Intelligence

39

Wisdom

37

Divinity

1

Health:420/420

Stamina:530/530

Mana:390/390

* Titles

Chosen of Sarnakthros:Unique

Nascent Divinity:Celestial

Righteous Killer:Rare

Underdog:Rare

* Skills

Smite:Legendary

Redirect:Uncommon

Identify:Common

* Pathway Skills

Martial Arts:Student 3

Mana Manipulation:Novice 4

* Quests

Hellbreaker:Impossible

Jonathan’s stat sheet was starting to get a bit long, which was a good thing. It meant that he was growing more powerful. In addition, his titles were starting to expand, and if he got a few more, he would definitely be a step ahead of the curve. He looked over his stats with a strange sense of pride for a few minutes before closing the sheet and continuing on his way.

Jonathan had misjudged the distance earlier, for it took him days to reach the next village. During that time he had been assaulted by all manner of monsters, and had even had to battle another one of the Fetid Oozes. This time around he was far better equipped to defeat it however, and he had gained another two levels in that time. As he went, he made sure to judge his relative strength, wanting to save his free stat points as long as he could. He had initially thought that it would be impossible to progress without them, but as time went on, he learned just how much stronger than normal he was. He was gaining 12 stat points per level, not counting the free ones, and that was three times more than the bonuses that he had seen for the other class options in the onyx citadel. He was on the road to true power, and he salivated at the thought of dumping fifty, or even a hundred points into a stat in the near future. This hunger should have disturbed him, but even the realization that he was addicted to the thrill of leveling did not dissuade him. Gaining power could only ever be a good thing, right?

By the time that he reached the village he had been aiming for, he had also increased his mana manipulation to Novice Rank 6. Progression within the initial rank of the Pathway skill was ridiculously easy, although it was more a matter of experimentation than actual mastery. He knew that it would only get harder from there on. If not for the fact that the System, as Jorg had called it, extended into the Infinite Hells, whether by accident or design, he would have died a hundred times over by now. Even if the monsters had been unleveled, they were still monsters. It was the only spark of hope in the dark world that Jonathan lived in, that and the hope of revenge.

As he crested a hillock of ash, tainted with the bones of monsters, he finally caught sight of his destination. A modestly sized town stretched out beneath him, surrounded by a wall of dark stone. It was a drab place, with nondescript buildings made out of the same dark rock as the walls. The few people that Jonathan could see were all somber in appearance, and were dressed in battered leathers from some unknown source.

He made his way down the side of the hill, making sure not to slip on the inhuman bones, and eventually reached the base of the hillock, on level ground with the town. It was large enough to house perhaps a few hundred people, and two depressed looking guards stood watch at a gate. Jonathan quickly scanned them, finding out that they were both level 15, three levels above him. If it came to a fight however, he was confident that he could take them. Jonathan cautiously walked up to the two guards, approaching slowly. As he crossed the ash, they looked up and stood to attention.