Mel turned her attention to the notification hanging in her vision. She knew what it would say. She had felt it happen.

Rank Up!

You advance to Copper Rank.

You awaken greater stores of health, mana, and stamina, along with resilience against lower ranked aspects, imprints, skills, magic, and auras.

Mel was curious about the auras. This was the first time she heard them mentioned, but it wasn’t like the system would tell her anything just because she was curious.

Slowly, over the course of an hour or more, the black goo evaporated into the air and disappeared. They were toxins from an unevolved body.

She didn’t have much, largely because she came from somewhere else. A typical person advancing after 20 years of life as a normie would have a pile nearly half their size.

Frowning, she realized just how close she came to dying. Ironically, it would have been an entirely preventable death. If she had remembered sooner or taken the time to think about it, she would have prepared better.

It’s not like you know precisely what would have happened, give yourself a break.

Which was true.

On other Shards—lesser versions of Shardrunes, singular worlds instead of a multiverse—she would have needed to break through to the next rank. It would have been an involved and arduous process. Here, apparently, it was as simple as having each attribute bound to an aspect.

Maybe that wouldn’t be the case for future ranks, but that was a problem for later.

As the pins and needles vanished and true feeling returned to her limbs, Mel couldn’t help but smile. The difference between only having stats at Copper versus her entire body and soul was tremendous. She could feel the gulf, despite how weak and famished she was.

Grumbling to herself, Mel fished out some of the chewy jerky she had been gifted. The mechanical motion of eating centered her as she stared at the flames.

Beyond them, the young man was still. If he was dead, there was nothing more she could do to help him. The fire saved him from hypothermia, but any wounds he had were his burden to bear.

Mel looked at the dark shoulders of her [Heathen’s Cuirass]. They looked naked without her [Sanguine Coat]. A small but annoying side effect of the aspect skill was that she couldn’t sleep with the coat. As soon as she went unconscious, the effect ended.

Mel was hit with a burst of excitement when she remembered her new Divine aspect skill. She never had the chance to read it.

She eagerly brought her status up.

[Mel Harper]

Race: Human

Standing: [#152] Exile (G-League) [1st Echelon]

Class: Mystic

Rank: Copper

Next Rank: Iron (0%)

[==Attributes==]

Strength [Divine Aspect]: Copper (Grade 0)

Agility [Mist Aspect]: Copper (Grade 3)

Vigor [Blood Aspect]: Copper (Grade 2)

Sense [Serpent Aspect]: Copper (Grade 3)

Arcane [Omen Aspect]: Copper (Grade 2)

[==Aspects==]

[Divine Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 0)

• [Tempest Heart] (Grade 0)

[Mist Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 3)

• [Hidden Mist] (Grade 4)

[Blood Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 2)

• [Sanguine Coat] (Grade 2)

[Serpent Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 3)

• [Gaze of the Serpent] (Grade 4)

[Omen Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 2)

• [Omen Mark] (Grade 2)

[==Knowledge & Traits==]

Class: [Light Armor Knowledge], [Basic Weapon Knowledge], [Novice Ritual Magic Knowledge], [Mana Hardening]

Spells: [Armament Scrap Ritual (G-Tier)]

Combat Arts: [Quickstep]

[==Titles & Blessings==]

Titles: [Boss Rash (Legendary)], [Bloodseeker (Legendary)], [Blood Tax (Legendary)]

Blessings: N/A

[==Aspect Skills==]

(Divine/Strength)

[Tempest Heart]

(Divine Aspect)

(Copper, Green/Aura)

(Grade 0 [0%])

Cost: Low Mana

Cooldown: Short

Access to the Divinity opens many doors. The pantheon of gods that shape and rule the elements of the Shardrune come in as many shapes and forms as there are cultures, from familiar pantheons of the Olympian and Chthonic gods to the ancient Ehur, the esoteric Halquint, and beyond. Invoke their true names to conjure your own personal storms, surrounding yourself in an aura of celestial might, empowering skills and parameters.

Imprint(Copper Rank): Invoke one of six localized storm auras, enhancing the parameters of yourself and any allies within your aura. Requires concentration.

[Sandstorm]: Enhances Vigor, health, stamina, and earth-based skills while reducing the effects of lightning-based skills.

[Rainstorm]: Enhances Agility, stamina, mana, and water-based skills while reducing the effects of fire-based skills.

[Windstorm]: Enhances Sense, movement speed, and wind-based skills while reducing the effects of earth-based skills.

[Firestorm]: Enhances Strength and fire-based skills while reducing the effects of ice-based skills.

[Hailstorm]: Enhances Arcane, mana, and ice-based skills while reducing the effects of wind-based skills.

[Thunderstorm]: Enhances Agility, Sense, and lightning-based skills while reducing the effects of water-based skills.

(Mist/Agility)

[Hidden Mist]

(Serpent Aspect)

(Copper, Green/Spell)

(Grade 4 [34%])

Cost: Modest Mana

Cooldown: Moderate

Blanket an area in mist, obscuring the vision of your enemies and making them easy prey.

Imprint(Copper Rank): Create a layer of obfuscating fog that you and any allies you designate can see through. Area affected by fog is considered difficult terrain. Mana cost increases as the area of fog increases. Additional mana may be expended to illuminate the fog from within.

(Blood/Vigor)

[Sanguine Coat]

(Blood Aspect)

(Copper, Violet/Special)

(Grade 2 [22%])

Cost: Considerable Mana, Modest Health

Cooldown: Long

Summon a coat of blood to rest upon your shoulders, increasing healing received, resistance to toxins of the blood, and improving combat parameters. The coat persists so long as it has enough blood to sustain itself. Additional expenditures of mana allow for further customization.

Imprint(Copper Rank): Conjure a coat of blood from any sufficient quantity of blood. Properties of the coat will change based on what type of blood is used. Provides additional physical and magical defense. Grants a secondary health bar. All healing effects are increased. Resistances to afflictions are increased. Grants [In The Blood].

[In the Blood]: While wearing the sanguine coat, all Blood aspect skills are enhanced. Physical attacks inflict bleed damage-over-time. Your sanguine coat can be healed by consuming additional blood or through standard healing.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

(Serpent/Sense)

[Gaze of the Serpent]

(Serpent Aspect)

(Copper, Green/Ability)

(Grade 4 [18%])

Cost: Low Mana

Cooldown: None

Borrow the eyes of a serpent, allowing you to view the world in gradations of colorful heat.

Imprint(Copper Rank): Grants infravision, replacing your normal eyesight with gradations of color based on the heat of surrounding objects. There is a brief delay when switching from one mode of perception to the other.

(Omen/Arcane)

[Omen Mark]

(Omen Aspect)

(Copper, Yellow/Spell)

(Grade 2 [17%])

Cost: Modest Mana & Stamina

Cooldown: Short

Single out a target for death, marking it with an ominous and debilitating sign.

Imprint(Copper Rank): Mark a target, enabling you to sense where they are within a 100-foot radius and triggering the [Marked for Death] affliction. Only one target can be marked at a time. Upon the death of a target, the mark can be moved at no additional cost.

[Marked for Death]: Creates a glowing sigil above the target’s head that only you and those you choose can see. Reduces the target’s physical and magical defenses proportional to your own. Afflictions placed upon this target will stack regardless of their original properties. Physical contact applies stacks of [Decay].

[Decay]: Withers the physical vessel of a target, dealing stacking damage-over-time and depleting stamina. Stacks accrue at a greater rate the longer you remain in physical contact.

Imprint(Iron Rank): You can transfer all afflictions a target gained while under Marked for Death to another target you can perceive up to 100 feet away. You do not gain additional effects from this.

“ Juicy, ” Mel muttered to herself. [Tempest Heart] was an incredibly potent aspect skill with a heap of flexibility.

Jumping roughly 30 places in the Convocation was also an unexpected boon. Either ranking up affected her standing somehow or the amount of people who had been above her and subsequently died trying to get an aspect gem had been greater than she could have imagined.

Using [Tempest Heart], she could choose to boost any attribute she wanted while aligning herself with a magical element. Wielding [Firestorm] would improve the fire affinity of her twinblade as well as any other fire spells or skills she might know.

Not that I know any.

Mel noticed that the aspect skill stated that it required concentration. She wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but she could take a guess. It could be more difficult to keep up and maintain than most aspect skills. Or, more likely, she could only use one skill that required concentration at a time.

Good thing this is my only one then, eh?

“Excuse me, please don’t eat me. I’m really not that juicy,” a raspy voice said.

“Not you,” Mel said distractedly. “My new aspect skill.”

“Oh. My bad. Here, I thought you were going to eat me. Or maybe you were worried about me.”

Mel looked up over the top of the flames. “Actually, I’m not. I put you into the recovery position, made sure you weren’t choking on vomit, then got you close to the fire. The only way I could have done more for you would be if I cuddled with you, and you’re not my type.”

“...Er, thanks,” he said, then added in a half-joking, half-hopeful tone. “Cuddling doesn’t sound bad though.”

“There is another option for a quick remedy to pop your core body temp up real fast if you’re interested,” Mel said sweetly. Too sweetly.

“Yeah?” her black-clad edgeboy asked.

“An enema of hot water works wonders.”

“On second thought, I think I’m okay!”

“You sure? No hot butt? I’m told it really makes the tum tum feel all warm and tingly.”

“...No hot butt, please.”

Mel made a face and shrugged. “Your loss.”

He chuckled. “You’re not one of those Californian college-girl sexual deviants my parents warned me about, are you?”

Mel burst out laughing, even though she could tell from his tone that he wasn’t entirely serious. There was a hint of concern in his voice, and that was enough.

“Hey–”

She kept laughing. Not because it was funny, but because she couldn’t imagine anybody saying something so ridiculous except for Sylvie. She was the queen of putting her foot in her mouth, but this guy could give her a run for her money.

“Okay, I get it, it really isn’t–”

Still more laughter, this time forced and obviously fake.

“This is getting a little ridiculous now, don’t you think?”

Mel stopped immediately. “He finally gets it. Good for you. Firstly, there’s nothing wrong with being a sexual deviant. Second, I’m technically not a college girl and even if I was, I’d be way out of your league. The real world doesn’t work like that.”

“But–”

“Bup!” Mel said, raising a finger. “Up-bup-bup. I’m not done. Thirdly, you should pay more attention to your own broke ass body. You’re likely recovering from hypothermia and what looked like a lot of minor wounds, something your blessing should get rid of on its own.”

The black-cloaked edgeboy checked himself beneath the dark folds of his cloak. He didn’t even look drinking age! “They don’t feel minor.”

“Are you dead?” Mel asked, examining her nails.

“If I am, I know where I ended up,” he muttered to himself.

“Is that sass? If I wanted lip from you, I’d jiggle my zipper.”

The kid started to choke on his own spit. “What?!”

Mel rolled her eyes. This was too easy. “Listen, if your wounds aren’t killing you, they’re minor. If you can’t move or are otherwise debilitating, then we’ll upgrade them to severe, but not a moment before. Minor wounds will heal, just give it time. You aren’t Copper yet.”

Unlike me, Mel thought. She hadn’t missed that the [Wound Recovery] blessing was now gone from her status. She’d have to find another way of healing from her wounds.

“What’s this ‘we’ business?” the boy asked.

“We’re sharing a fire,” Mel pointed out. “The oldest form of camaraderie two humans can partake in that doesn’t involve jiggly bits. Name’s Mel.”

It took several long seconds for the boy to work through what she had just said. The tension eased in his shoulders and his fingers stopped twitching so much.

Mel didn’t think that she needed him to get out of here, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a partner until they could find safety. She didn’t know who he was, and the little poking and prodding she’d done so far didn’t set off any red flags. He likely wasn’t another Warren or Jimmy, but she could keep up the needling a little longer to be sure. Besides, if she kept him off-center, he’d likely go his own way once they were free of this place.

That, and it was funny saying shit just to mess with people and see their reactions. It was valuable intel-gathering too.

“My name is Heath.”

“Nice to meet you, Heath,” Mel said. “You got any food?”

“No.”

Mel tossed him some fish jerky wrapped in cloth. “It’s not the tastiest, or the easiest to eat, but so long as you’ve got Copper teeth, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“My teeth are made out of…whatever teeth are made out of.”

“No, I meant your rank. You know, for your vigor or strength. I don’t know, it breaks down if you have to explain it. It was a joke, never mind.”

“I’m Mundane,” Heath said. “Not Copper. Not enough aspects yet.”

No wonder he was nearly dead, despite moving around.

He took out a couple bunches of [Blue Spirit Herba] and handed them over. “I want to repay you for the food. If I had some spare bottles, could make them into potions.”

Mel took them without a second thought. She wasn’t going to deny his generosity. “You were one of the first ones to reach the long dragon’s horns,” Mel said.

“That sounds like an accusation.”

“Just pointing out that you’re fast for a Mundane.”

He opened his mouth to ask if she was a Mundane too, but the way his dark brown eyes widened slightly, it was obvious he could feel it. The pressure radiating off her body would be hard to ignore so close without any other threats around.

“What’re you going to do with me?” Heath asked, his voice steeped in suspicion. His trembling hand slipped into his cloak and stayed there. Likely holding a weapon.

“Nothing,” Mel explained. “I’m not interested in a slave right now, but if you want to team up and get out of here as partners, I’m down. If you want to go off on your own…” She motioned away from the fire. “Good luck and godspeed.”

“I think I’ll stay here a little longer,” Heath said, chewing forcefully on a strip of fish jerky. “These are like leather.”

“Yeah, they’re terrible. Keeps you alive though. Hunger and thirst kills.”

Heath nodded his agreement. He warmed his hands by the fire, wriggling the life back into them. Mel watched as what clearly looked like signs of frostbite were slowly reversed before her eyes.

I’m really going to miss that blessing, aren’t I?

“You’re just missing one aspect, aren’t you?” Mel asked after a while.

“How’d you know?”

“A girl has her secrets. I’m guessing it’s not vigor.”

Heath shook his head. “It’s sense.”

“Why didn’t you bind the aspect you took from the dragon?” she asked, peering into the bubbling pot. It looked like clean water, which was handy. If she had the ingredients, she could make soup. The lack of containers would be a problem.

Mel looked down at the scroll in her hands. It had survived being used once. She didn’t know what the odds were, but she was happy that she had another use leftover. Maybe the next use would be the last. Maybe it wouldn’t.

A part of her was afraid it would vanish if she put it into her inventory, but holding onto it forever would be even more ridiculous. She placed the unfurled parchment inside gently, hoping it wouldn’t break down.

Light suffused the scroll, rolling it back up and reapplying a wax seal to the ribbon, holding it shut.

“Woah, what was that?” Heath asked as Mel shut her inventory. His brown eyes were bright with amazement.

“My inventory,” Mel said off-handedly. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Because I didn’t want to die!”

Mel looked up at him, then back at herself. “Fair point, but before we get going, you should bind that last aspect. We’re as safe as possible for now.”

“That’s not very safe,” Heath said, giving her a worried look.

“Can’t disagree. But with that last aspect, you’ll be a lot stronger.”

“Will it heal me?” he asked.

“No, but it’ll expand your health so you’ll have more once you recover.”

Heath looked around at the icy cavern nervously. “If you don’t mug me while I’m binding an aspect, I’ll teach you how to make a potion.”

Mel lifted her brow at that. “What kind of potion?”

“A mana potion.”

“While I love to take advantage of a good deal, I gotta let you know that I don’t care enough to mug you. If I wanted your stuff, I’d kill you and take my sweet time. Maybe strip off some of that edgy equipment you’ve got.”

Heath hunched his shoulders, his hands twitching toward where he must keep his weapons.

Does nobody know how to use the summon ability? Mel thought to herself.

“But like I said, I’m not. Teach me or don’t,” Mel said. “But I’m not moving a muscle until you rank up. I don’t imagine it’s going to be easy to get out of here, or else you already would be gone. You were here before me.”

Heath nodded. It took him longer than Mel would have liked to follow her train of logic, but eventually he arrived at the same conclusion: if they wanted to get out, they would need to trust each other.

“All right,” Heath said. “What do I do?”

“Wait until all your wounds are gone first, then bind your last aspect. The wound healing blessing wears off as soon as you rank up. You don’t want to have an injury without a way to deal with it. Your body will do the rest. Trust me, it’s very much out of your control by that point.”

“I don’t have any of those marks on my health anymore,” he confirmed.

“Then hop to it.”

Heath took out a gem that almost appeared to glow, but then Mel realized the truth. It wasn’t glowing. It had the same halo of power that her Ancestral gems had, only this halo of power was inverting the colors of everything around it.

“Sick,” Mel said appreciatively.

With a boyish grin, Heath shut his eyes and absorbed the aspect gem.