I watched Treia as she got past her fortieth Level before sending a few Shards down in front of her and portalling her out. As she stumbled next to me, the shards exploded, somehow dealing enough damage to kill a few things. At that, [Shard of Oblivion] Tiered up.
As I looked at the new description, I chuckled. “Oh hoh. How fun.”
Shard of Oblivion has reached Level 25.
Shard of Oblivion is now Tier 1!
Shard of Oblivion - Tier 1
Summon a spike of Abyssal Energy and throw it at your opponents and deal large amounts of Abyss Damage. Up to 15 Shards may exist at once and last up to 1 minute. When a shard is broken or its timer is out, it explodes into 9-20 smaller shards, dealing Abyss Damage that target enemies. You can now manually detonate shards by summoning another over the limit or dismissing one. Manually detonated shards deal 50% more damage. If the cooldown is still running, then, instead of detonating, they are dismissed.
Cost : 250 Mana/Shard
Damage : Large Shard - 2800 Abyss Damage. Small Shard - 450 Abyss Damage
Manual Detonation Cooldown : 1.5 seconds
Then, I saw the cooldown and frowned. “That’s no fun! Nobody likes cooldowns!”
Treia shrugged. “I mean, they balance things out, love.”
I scowled. “I want a minigun,” I pouted. “Cooldowns are no fun. Like this, watch.”
I shot down stream of 3 Shards a second, since that was all my mana could handle, which told me exactly how OP these would be in the future. As I’d been studying the Shards, I realized that they spread out according to enemies in the area when they detonated. I’d been shooting at a Juggernaut for half an hour earlier and noticed that after all of the nearby Beasts around it had been killed by the collateral damage, all the smaller shards would go after the big guy, dealing around 13k to 30k extra damage from the shards that went at it. And that was disregarding all the buffs that could have. I mean, with all of them, without going on about the calculations and ignoring the Avatar damage (and assuming that the stacks of [Wreath of Destruction] was at 10), I could do between (And here’s the nutty part before I get to the damage: the damage dealt by the Shard cast and the detonation shards were considered 1 instance to my sword. So I could get the ~5.35x damage from it for all 9-20 mini-shards) 163813 Abyss Damage to 364031 Abyss Damage (I’m infinitely happy that this place has calculators). Like, Jesus Christ-
“Jason!”
I flinched as Treia yelled to get my attention again. I stuttered for a few moments, trying to get my mind straight again. Mia giggled at my antics and Treia simply shook her head.
“You know what, I think that we’ve done enough for today,” Treia said, lifting up Mia and sidling up next to me. “Let’s go get some food.”
Mia warbled happily and I gave her a suspicious look.
She gave me an innocent look as she responded,
I rolled my eyes as we portalled back to the manor for dinner. Appearing in the forest, we began the short stroll towards the entrance. Once arriving, Treia turned towards me and gave me a stern look. “Remember, we still need to talk.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, yes. I remember,” I responded, leaning over to kiss her forehead. “This is the first day out of many days of battling for you, okay?”
She nuzzled into the kiss and then leaned back, giving Mia to me. “See you for dinner. I’m gonna take a bath,” she said, rushing over to her room.
I looked down at Mia and we both shrugged as I portalled back to our apartment by just ripping a wormhole in the Void since I was familiar enough with the area.
After taking an uneventful bath, I portalled us back to the manor, where Treia was waiting for me by the kitchen door in a nightgown. She gave me a flat look as I simply wore a t-shirt and pants, but didn’t complain as we went inside the kitchen, where I began to cook at a obscene pace since I could move faster than most people could see. Mia sat on Treia’s lap, watching me cook fish and rice.
About half an hour later, a large bowl of rice and a few plates of a fish that was like salmon was set down in front of the two of them along with three empty plates.
“Bon appetite,” I said with a grin.
Mia immediately dug in while Treia thanked me before digging in herself. Later, we sat on a cushion in what I assumed was a living area and we fell asleep while reading.
Honestly, I can’t really complain about this life. I liked it. Knowing me, I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
***
Xaila walked into the library and froze when she saw the sleeping forms of Mia, Jason, and Treia, all snuggled together on a cushion like a little family. She watched them longingly for a while before shaking her head.
“Never thought you’d actually choose to be in a relationship, Treia,” Xaila said in a quiet voice. “I… hope you’ll be happy.”
Jason snorted in his sleep and seemed to pull Treia closer while turning towards her. Now that Xaila thought about it, she realized that even the smallest mistake from Jason could seriously injure Treia and she admired his resolve to not hurt her, even unconscious.
Xaila smiled at the three of them. Yeah. They’ll be happy.
***
The next week came with Treia’s 48th Level and not even a fraction of a Level for myself. However, I had nearly gotten [Void Manipulation] to Tier 2 along with [Wreath of Destruction]. So, solid gains in my book.
Treia had gotten Tier 2 in [Wind Manipulation] and was practicing her ability to fly. It was nowhere near as fast as portalling, but she was quite enjoying swooping down to try and grab my still unnamed sword, which she’d been pestering me to name. Unfortunately for her, I was far faster than her and was able to shift the sword out of her path right before she was able to grab it.
Mia, however, was being lazy and wasn’t even making an attempt to Level up any Skills, instead content to sleep in my arms. I wasn’t going to complain though. Not yet at least.
I patted Mia’s back as she slept soundlessly, dreaming of something to do with me riding her as she struck down our enemies with tons of Ice and super-charged bolts of Lightning. Treia ate lunch next to me, reading out her Status to me.
Status
Name : Treia Kia
Level 48 | Tier 2
Race : Windborn Voidling (Elven Heritage)
Health : 26664/26664 (1379 Health/min | 22.99/s)
Mana : 27984/27994 (2099 Mana/min | 34.98/s)
Class : The Leading Whirlwind
Stats
Strength : 350 (Base : 212 Effectiveness : 165%)
Dexterity : 426 (Base : 258 Effectiveness : 165%)
Endurance : 333 (Base : 202 Effectiveness : 165%)
Vitality : 345 (Base : 209 Effectiveness : 165%)
Mana : 350 (Base : 212 Effectiveness : 165%)
Intelligence : 350 (Base : 212 Effectiveness : 165%)
Free Stats : 0
Titles : Princess of the Void, Two Tiers Ahead, Demon Slayer, Mass Destruction
Skills : Wind Manipulation - Level 50 | Tier 2, Wind Blade - Level 49 | Tier 1, Identify - Level 17 | Tier 0, Storm Eye - Level 34 | Tier 1, Cloudstep - Level 30 | Tier 1, Purifying Winds - Level 32 | Tier 1, Void Manipulation - Level 26 | Tier 1, Void Rip (Portal) - Level 24 | Tier 0
“[Princess of the Void]?” I asked, giving her a confused look.
She shrugged. “I have no clue what it means. My [Next in Line] turned into that when I became a Voidling. Still trying to figure it out since I can’t read its description.”
I frowned, looking over to her from my Runes. “That’s odd.”
She nodded, leaning against me. “Yeah. It is. Anyways, what’re you doing?”
I gestured to the dozens of Rune combinations. “I’m trying to find a working combination to add to my sword. I’m trying to find a way to create an edge of Ice on the sword.”
Treia tilted her head with a frown. “Huh?”
I blinked. “Right, uh…” I carefully unsheathed my sword and lifted it higher activating [Wreath of Destruction]. “Kinda like this, but with Ice.”
Her mouth opened in a small “o” as she nodded in understanding. “Why not take it to an Enchanter?”
I rolled my eyes. “Read the description.”
She frowned before using [Identify] on it. Her eyes then widened. “Oh. I get why you wouldn’t want anyone to see it.”
I grinned before setting down my pen and looking her in the eyes. “Also, we still haven’t had that conversation. We’re also avoiding your mother like the plague.”
Treia grimaced. “Right. We haven’t really talked yet, have we?”
I shook my head while giving her an expectant look. She sighed and looked over to me.
“Let’s start-”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
She was interrupted when there was a crash from nearby and a pair of yelps. There was a series of thumps and crashes until the door nearby us burst open and two figures tumbled out, clearly having fallen down a flight of stairs.
I raised my eyebrow at Leah and Char, who groaned as they sat up in front of us. Before I could comment, Mia bounded down the stairs-
I blinked before looking next to me, the spot where Mia had been sleeping empty.
“When did you even get up?” I asked her, baffled.
She stuck her tongue out.
I thought for a moment before remembering that Mia had gotten up, but I hadn’t really acknowledged it.
“Oh. Sorry,” I muttered, a bit embarrassed.
Mia giggled before jumping into my lap and nuzzling her face into my chest.
I shook my head and hugged her back before giving Leah a flat look. She glared back at me, crossing her arms over her chest. Char was still on the ground, her tail flopped weakly behind her.
“Were you eavesdropping?” I asked Leah directly, trying to ignore Mia’s hair that kept rising from the static electricity she made by rubbing against me.
“No.”
“Yes.”
Leah and Char looked at one another, both looking betrayed. I snorted and threw a slip of paper at Leah, which caused all her hair to rise into the air as it gathered small amounts of Lightning Mana from Mia’s horn and discharged it slowly. She waved at the floating slip trying to knock it out of the air. It simply rose back up and floated around her as smugly as a slip of paper could be.
She then looked at me with a disbelieving expression. “Are you actually complaining about me eavesdropping? You did it all the time!”
I raised my hand. “In all fairness, you talk very loudly, doesn’t she, Char?” I responded, getting a grunt of affirmation. “Even she thinks you do.”
“Hey! You’re supposed to be on my side!” Leah pouted as Char sat up.
“I am,” she responded. “I’m on the side of telling the truth. You do talk very loudly, especially when everything in the world annoys you.” She adjusted her hair with a bored expression.
Treia let out a breath, slightly tense. “Anyways, was there something wrong? You seem a bit distressed.”
Leah gave both me and Treia a baffled look, but before she could respond, Char spoke over her.
“A bit. We got a message from the higher ups to watch over you.”
Treia’s face contorted into a scowl. “And I’m assuming these ‘higher ups’ were my aunt and uncle?”
“Yep. When it comes to you, the Valkyries are very serious for some reason. I’ve been suspecting that they want you to join them,” Char answered with a yawn, showing off some slightly pointed teeth.
I tried not to question her fangs, but it was very hard not to. I picked at my jaw as I thought.
“Well, they’ve made a few attempts,” Treia continued. “But, I really don’t care for all of that. Especially the vows.”
Both Mia and I perked up at the word “vows”, curious. Treia simply gave me a smug look and didn’t add on.
Char just shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll try again, even after you and Jason are a thing now.”
I scowled at the casual tone she used my name in and looked back at my Runes, testing out a new theory. After scribbling down the Runes that came to mind, I put a small amount of Mana into the Rune, causing it to freeze over. Shrugging, I pulled out a few more stacks of paper and kept at it.
Leah simply watched as I pulled out the paper, baffled. Then, she seemed to remember something.
“Jason, gimme the Bag real quick,” she demanded.
Treia tensed next to me and was about to say something when I rolled my eyes and tossed it to her. She looked at the Bag and, for a few moments, just looked mildly surprised. Then, she laughed.
“Really?” she said. “There’s no way you hate them that much.”
I grinned over to her. “They’re just test subjects. Nothing more.”
Then, she reached in and pulled something out. A backpack. I blinked before groaning.
“That’s what you needed? Not one of the hundreds of Crystals that magically appeared in there?” I asked her as she pulled out my Army Knife and notebook.
“Yes. Yes it is,” Leah responded, waving the knife in my face. “This is mine now.”
“No it’s- Hey!” I snapped as the knife disappeared into her own Bag.
With a mock glare, I leapt at her and we burst through another door.
***
Treia watched as Jason pounced on Leah, causing Treia to nearly fall over, and they blasted through a door, falling down a few flights of stairs as she and Char watched in horror. Mia simply sat on Treia's lap, unconcerned.
For a few moments, both Treia and Char sat in silence, trying to process what had just happened with Mia having picked up the dropped Bag and chowing down on the chocolate that just happened to be in it. Eventually, Treia sighed.
“Well, they’ll be back eventually,” she said. “When, I’m sure Miana will say something.”
The snake in question smacked Treia in the cheek, glaring. Treia gave her a downcast expression.
“What!? I can’t call you that?”
Mia shook her head, her glare piercing Treia’s soul.
“You wound me,” Treia muttered, looking down at her feet.
***
I sighed as I watched Treia cut through everything around her. She’d been killing dozens of things slowly getting closer and closer to that sweet Level 50.
I watched as she was flanked by four Level 34 Bears, preparing a few shards. However, she seemed to almost accept it and quickly dispatched the first two bears with a quick swing of her sword. Next, she threw four blades of Wind at the next ones while opening a portal behind her and jumping through, appearing above the one she’d thrown the [Wind Blade]s at, having expected it to dodge and, lord and behold, it did dodge, allowing her to slice the head off it cleanly. The last bear stepped away, trying to escape, but she was able to use her [Wind Manipulation] to mess with its footing, causing it to slip. She stabbed it through the skull and took a long breath while looking up to the wall in my general direction. I was about to portal her back when my communication orb shook.
Frowning, I answered it.
“Can you see where a Boss is?” Treia asked, huffing. “There’s a Title for killing a boss to hit Level 50. I want it.”
I bit my lip and scanned the monsters, finally Tiering up my [All Seeing Eye of the Abyss].
All Seeing Eye of the Abyss - Tier 1
This skill works like the [Identify] Skill, allowing you to glean information about items. This is an improved skill, giving you more information and blocking all attempts of most [Identify] type skills regardless of Level difference. If someone has a [Identify] blocking charm or Enchantment, you can use Mana to break through it, based on the Tier of the Blocking item.
Cost : 10^ (Blocking item Tier)
Identify Requirements : 2.5x (Your Level) + 5x (Skill Level)
“Well, yeah, I see one, but it’s Level 50. Are you sure-”
“Mhm. I’m sure. Where is it?”
“Northeast of you. Be careful.”
She laughed through the Orb. “Look at you; all clingy now.”
I scowled. “Oh, shut it, Leah 2.0. Go kill your Boss.”
“Thanks, Jay.”
I stared at the orb. “Do not call me-”
She cut the connection as I complained. I scowled as I looked down, faintly hearing her laughing. Shaking my head as she raced towards the Boss, I looked down to Mia, who rested her head against my leg.
When she saw me looking at her, she gave me a bored look.
I sighed and lifted her off the ground.
Quickly, she perked up, her horn letting off a small bolt of excited lightning.
I smiled, rubbing Mia’s horn as she cooed. “You little kid.”
She stuck her tongue out at me and giggled. I shook my head and looked back to Treia. She ran quickly to the Boss, clearly making a show of running through the weaker things just cause she could. As she ran, I noticed how she just barely used her [Wind Manipulation] to move at much higher speeds than normally possible. In between that and [Cloudstep], she could move at some insane speeds. I got the idea that once she reached mid-Tier 3, she’d be faster than I was as a Tier 4. Strangely enough, that didn’t really bother me.
I don’t really need to be fast as hell, I thought.
Quickly, Treia reached the Boss and I trained my Shards on it, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
***
Treia glanced at Jason, squinting over to see the 10 of his [Shard of Oblivion]s trained directly on the Boss, practically guaranteeing that if she somehow messed up, the Boss would be dead before it had a chance to try and kill her, along with everything in the near vicinity, just due to his sheer amount of damage potential.
Treia smiled. He’s probably thinking about how much Endurance actually affects the amount of damage you take. In reality, it just makes it harder to take damage from the Tier below you.
Shaking her head, she looked back to the Boss, which was a large wolf with a layer of stone fur that seemed to be eyeing her. She took a breath and steadied herself before launching herself at it.
Taking the bait, the wolf jumped back and then stopped in confusion as Treia disappeared. Unbeknownst to it, she had used a short ranged portal to appear above it and it yelped as she cut directly through its fur and into its neck. She winced as she heard her sword whine uncomfortably.
Gods, I need a new sword. I’m gonna have to beg Jason to make me one of his Growth Item uses. Treia thought. I love having an Abyssal as my boyfriend.
She immediately stamped down the joy bubbling in her chest, planning to ride on Jason’s back all the way to her house. He’ll hate me for a good hour and a half, but it’ll be worth it.
She yelped as a claw nearly took her head off, barely moving out of the way before it did. A Shard plunged into the ground nearby.
First strike, she assumed it meant.
Okay, focus, Treia, she thought as it faded out of existence.
She trained her eyes on the wolf, who was currently glaring at her like nobody’s business. Quickly taking action, Treia kicked off a [Cloud Step] and flew towards the Boss once again. However, it was ready for her this time and moved sideways, pouncing at her side as she flew past it. Kicking off another Step, Treia went over the claw and swung downwards with her [Wind Blade], neatly slicing off the paw.
The wolf let out what could only be described as a roar as a giant spear of Earth rushed at her. She summoned a cloud of Void in its way, eating it up. Then, blinding pain ripped at her side and she skidded across the ground, coming to a stop nearly twenty feet away. She rapidly pulled a potion out her bag (She’d tried to give Jason a potion once and his body completely rejected it since it was a special one filled with Holy Mana... He promptly stopped trusting them after that. By the time he’d burned out the rest of the potion, the entire room was chock-full of Void Mana, which her mother didn’t appreciate) and chugged it, feeling her skin begin immediately mending.
Another shard fell from the sky like a broken spire and directly through one of the wolf’s back paws before disappearing.
Strike two.
She grit her teeth. Jason was being obnoxious, but she understood. If this thing was to injure her too much, he’d personally charge down to the dungeon and clear it himself with zero regards for everyone else. She was sure the reason he hadn’t done it yet was because he shared her view on allowing the people of Mayflower to Level so, if this happened again, they would have less to worry about. However, he also disliked the idea of people dying because he hadn’t cleared the Dungeon yet (however, this didn’t apply to Valkyries. He was certainly okay with them dying).
She watched the wolf writhe as it kicked at the air. She took that moment to launch herself at the wolf and plunged her sword into its head, finally killing it.
New Title!
Normal Beasts? Not a Challenge.
It was a difficult battle (Depending on who you are), but you killed a Boss or Juggernaut to reach Level 50 without help (Mostly).
*Due to certain circumstances, the effectiveness of this Title has been decreased.
+ 10% All Effective Stats
+25% more damage to Boss Type Beasts
Congratulations! You have reached Level 50!
You can now choose a class upgrade-
Error detected!
Calculating New Class...
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Treia hissed as her orb began to shake at a rapid pace, Jason trying to contact her. “This again?”
Before she could contact him, it finished.
New Class Acquired!
Princess of the Void II (Unique)
You are the first Princess of the Void in 12000 years. Due to your previous Class, this Class has been altered.
+ 2 Skills
+ 25% All Effective Stats
+ 50% Void and Wind Damage Bonus
+ 6 Strength, Endurance, Vitality, Mana, and Intelligence per Level
+ 10 Dexterity per Level