Hours passed as Mikella and the other group members traveled across the forest to find the horde remnants. Throughout the time, everyone pretty much had a clear picture of what they can do now. Mikella also learned quite a lot of things about her time hunting with them, particularly at what sort of skills they used.
There were some skills that allowed them to attack faster, stronger, or just borderline weird. She swore that the dual-bladed guy actually managed to extend the blades of the dagger to give a surprise blow.
Rather than the skills given to them by their class, it was actually an extended power increase by their Mastery skills. Hearing that, she was surprised, but not as much as it required not only a high level Mastery Skill, but an equally high level Kinetic Perception.
One needs to be deeply aware of their kinetic energy when handling a weapon, and once that process is done, you can extend your weapon’s range, increase its sharpness, or even alter the weapon itself to better fit the opponent they’re facing.
Of course, recklessly using kinetic energy at the low levels was paramount to suicide as one can easily misjudge their stamina output, leaving themselves exhausted. But with further practice, one can easily overwhelm even a higher level opponent with higher stats. At least that’s what Val proclaimed.
It was something that every soldier here was taught to do, something that Val herself learned during her years as a fighter in this world.
Excitement drilled into her being. When her turn came in, Mikella let out her overwhelming excitement by taking down a giant wolf down, which was something of a solo wolf by then. Before anyone else can join in, she already killed it. It happened so fast that it actually stumped the three other soldiers, while Myra and her friends cheered.
Mikella used Hawk Eyes to deal damage straight at the monster’s neck without wasting any time, with Acrobatics supporting in the background. She also made full use of Heavenly Strike, an attack that’s difficult to hit with, but she managed to figure out a trick using the very same kinetic energy she was just taught.
If she could just lessen the skill’s heavy weight, it would be easier to land a hit. Though she knew that not only did it increase the stamina consumption, it also decreased the overall power of the skill.
But she was stomped by how easy it was. Normally, the monster would have survived a bit more as the hide was tougher than most. However, she recalled a hint of electricity flowing through the hide, then realized the yellow sword she had on hand. It was part of the enchantment done by the Sword of Lightning, increasing the damage further.
The time kept moving forward, with everyone doing their best to train themselves while taking out the monsters. Mikella, however, was just one-shotting them. It was a sight to see, something that the three outside of Myra’s group kept getting baffled from.
They even whispered about her prowess, but she didn't really care about that as she felt… disappointed.
It was too easy. At this point, she was just farming XP, not actually fighting. Then again, she could always just fight for longer, so she did exactly that.
The next time she fought, it was against none other than the duck monster that was clearly roided up by the system. It was resting near the river, eating a giant fish that it must have fished out. Once Mikella approached it, the duck monster roared, or… quacked, to be perfectly accurate, and ran after her. For a roided duck, it was actually fast, and its wings were sharp enough to be treated as blades.
Mikella fought then, using her sword’s light weight to dodge the attacks. During that time, she felt Acrobatics working overdrive to help her move. It was strange. Despite the skill supposedly being passive, the more Mikella fought, the more she could feel Acrobatics burning within her, revving like an engine in a sports car.
Identifying the duck showed that it was above level 25, something that was clearly above her level, but Mikella wasn’t put down. Her earlier idea of slowing things down was perfect as she kept fighting, avoiding the strikes while dealing peck attacks with her light sword.
Lightning coursed through from each of those tiny hits, causing the duck monster to flinch slightly every time. It was perfect for her, allowing her to conserve her stamina from trying to dodge its strikes.
It struck at her neck, but she blocked it with the blade. A headbutt to the front, so she backed off with a graceful hop. A charge attack with both wings extended forward, and so she sidestepped and nicked the creature before it jumped off.
The fight went on for a few more seconds, but now she got worried about the stares she was receiving rather than the fight itself. What’s more, the duck was proving to be annoying to fight against. Even though lightning kept stunning the creature, it still moved rampantly, proving her low level not doing much.
She wanted to fight some more, but she worried that she might be pissing off her comrades for how long it was taking, so she decided to end it by doing a burst of kinetic energy. She poured her energy into her sword and, with Hawk Eyes and Heavenly Strike active, rushed for the final blow.
The duck monster charged at her, so she made a feint by trying to thrust forward. As she expected, the duck moved aside to steer clear of the fake thrust attack. Knowing exactly where it landed, she pivoted, shifting her weight and…
She felt the lightning from the sword travel throughout her body. Rather than shocking it, it actually instilled more power, forcing her muscles to contract and aiding her movements better. She poured all her energy into the final strike, hurling a horizontal swipe at the duck’s head and slicing it off entirely.
Lightning flashed as blood showered everywhere, leaving the top of the headless corpse to become singed and burnt. She breathed rampantly, the energy swirling within her thanks to the lightning causing her body to get more agitated. After calming down a bit more, she turned around, expecting to find them relieved that she was finally done.
Instead, she saw them staring at her blankly, almost unnervingly. She faltered as she stared at them.
“Uhh… did I do something wrong?” She asked. “I’m sorry if I took a while to kill it.”
“Hey, nobody is blaming you for taking your time,” Myra said, looking happy. But even she was left in awe. “You were able to handle that monster pretty easily… how’d you pull that off?”
Mikella stared at her blankly. “I just… fought it? Truthfully, I wanted to fight a little longer to get my Sword Mastery increased, but the damn thing was too fast to get a good hit in. So I just ended it there.”
“You just…” Myra shook her head. “Damn, Mikky. You’re probably the only one who can handle facing the Dire Swan by yourself and think like that.”
“That duck was a swan!?”
Out of everything she heard, that was the most ridiculous thing she heard in her life.
All the while, the notifications dropped in like a balm to her rising agitation.
> You have defeated Dire Swan, Level 25.
>
> You have gained experience points.
…..
> Kinetic Perception Level Up! It is now Level 4.
>
> You have gained +1 DEX from your skill.
> You have gained +1 END from your skill.
…..
> Hawk Eyes Level Up! It is now Level 5.
>
> You have gained +2 STR from your skill.
> You have gained +1 DEX from your skill.
…..
> Heavenly Strike Level Up! It is now Level 3.
>
> Decreased stamina and mana consumption.
> Increased damage.
…..
It was closer to the end of the day, the strange studded star above slowly shifting color towards the orange lighting. The expedition was… well, disappointing.
She wasn’t challenged, not like when she was handling so many horde monsters at once. She can’t blame Val for looking out for them, that was her job. However, the fights felt too controlled, too lax in her mind. Everyone else seemed to be ecstatic for the experience however, able to try out new skills and their powered up stats from leveling.
She did get some gains, however, pulling down her notifications list.
> Level up! You are now Level 20. You gain 6 free points (6 FP total).
>
> You have gained +3 STR from your class.
> You have gained +3 DEX from your class.
> You have gained +3 END from your class.
…..
> You have reached level 20. You are now able to choose a new skill to add to your Class Skill list.
>
> Choose from one of the two new skills available to you.
Mikella took a moment to read the notifications, finally cheering herself up a bit after the disappointing expedition. Heavenly Strike was one of the clear winners she chose, but she also hoped that the last skill choice option, from what she recalled was named Armored Skin, was also available.
She found herself pleasantly surprised to find that she could not only choose from the new skills in front of her, but also take in the old skill she put aside last time. The very same Armored Skin.
She was just thinking about taking that skill, figuring that if she can increase her durability, she can spend the rest of her stamina on actually fighting down the monsters to death. But she restrained herself as she stared at the new skills first.
The first of which was, by all accounts, definitely worth reading.
> Class Skill: Aerial Advantage
>
> Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
>
> When a Dragon Warrior goes to the air, they have no equal. When you are in any kind of environment where your feet don't touch the ground, your Dexterity and Strength increases approximately. Increases stat bonuses according to the level of the skill.
She knew even from her old world that these types of classes specialized in aerial combat. She wasn’t quite sure how, but this was clearly one of those things. She felt light on her feet, and she could easily jump into the air to make herself strong.
But at the same time, this skill felt a bit incomplete. If she were to take it, does she have to be in the air all the time to take advantage of it? What happens if she was in the air, but the skill still wouldn’t work? There were too many variables, none of which Mikella felt comfortable about the longer she spent on it.
She felt something was missing from this skill to make it better than it actually is. When she left this skill behind to read the next one, she found out immediately.
> Class Skill: Dragon Descent
> Not even dragons are a threat if a Dragon Warrior is too fast for them to catch. Increase movement speed drastically for a short period of time in exchange for mana and stamina. Increases speed and maneuverability according to the level of the skill and the current Dexterity stat.
It was as if everything in her mind halted when she read this skill. She didn’t even think about the other two skills as she just chose this one without a second thought.
> Class Skill learned: Dragon Descent
As for why she chose this skill without much thought–it was simple. Armored Skin is a good skill to have to avoid getting hurt badly enough to waste stamina. Aerial Advantage is one of the skills that normally is preserved right after learning Dragon Descent.
But this skill in general is the better of the two. With this, she can alter her strategy when fighting monsters, take advantage of Hawk Eyes and Acrobatics, and deliver a final blow with Heavenly Strike. She can just as easily move out of attacks and hit her enemies’ weak spot in a single move, not only finishing the fight quicker but conserving more stamina over all.
This is one of those times where her gamer mindset truly shone. She wasn’t as well equipped with knowledge as Zeke, but even she knew the value of all these skills comboing together to make a deadly force that was a force to be reckoned with.
As for her free points, she put them all into Dexterity. Thanks to this new skill, having more speed would only be beneficial.
Pulling up her new stats now, she smiled to herself.
> Name: Mikella Ashton (One against Many)
> Race: Human
> Dragon Warrior: Level 20
> STR: 50
> DEX: 61
> INT: 10
> SPI: 12
> VIT: 23
> END: 43
> Free Points: 0
>
> General Skills:
> Kinetic Perception (U) Level 4
> Sword Mastery (U) Level 6
> Pain Resistance (U) Level 5
> Meditation (C) Level 3
>
> Acquired Skills:
> Acrobatics (R) Level 5
> Hawk Eyes (R) Level 5
>
> Class Skills:
> Heavenly Strike Level 3
> Dragon Descent Level 1
>
> Title Skill:
> Bring It On (Title), Level 1 (Maxed)
They were returning back to the town, using the long way back to take out any monsters that might come into the scene. However, from her experience, it was just a walk back as she couldn’t really sense any bloodlust around her, something that she slowly developed after her survival spree with Zeke and Clara.
Myra closed up to her side, a smile apparent on her face. “You did pretty good today. There’s no way anyone can complain with you on our side.”
“Someone was complaining about me?” Mikella asked, though she sort of knew she would push some buttons. She wasn’t exactly modest when it came to attacking the monsters.
“Anyone here in the group? Not a soul. My guys actually wanted to ask if you could spar with them–both at the same time, I mean. They know they can’t take you on one at a time.”
Myra chuckled, leaving Mikella to mimic her. It would seem unfair to fight them both at once, but perhaps that might actually prove to be a challenge to Mikella as she only had to fight monsters one on one. Anytime she fought a pack with the others, she ended up killing them too fast, leaving the others out of the fighting.
Not that they were complaining, but it left Mikella with a bad taste, so Val opted for her to fight solo monsters on her own for a while under supervision.
“As for the other three,” Myra subvertly glanced at the three men beside her, still in the midst of their conversation. “I remember them talking about bringing a little girl along would only mess them up, but I haven’t heard them talking about that after seeing how you work.”
“So… people really think I’m some little girl?”
Mikella was still a little miffed hearing that. Both Zeke and Mikella weren’t really fond of being treated like children, especially for her since Zeke was 3 years older. She felt like a baby compared to him. She drank alcohol, for crying out loud–though it tasted like crap and never drank again after that one drink at a college party her club mates forced her to go.
“Little, yes, but you’re definitely not to be messed with,” Myra said. “Though I still gotta ask; Just how are you so strong? I know you got special training with Val, but even that’s not enough after seeing what you can do.”
Myra looked as though she was checking out the surroundings, her eyes darting around. Then, she lowered her head towards Mikella and whispered.
“What’s your attribute range like?” She asked, making sure nobody picked up her voice. Since she kept leveling, her hearing got a lot better, so she heard her just fine.
“Is… is that supposed to be personal?” Mikella asked, not able to hold back her curiosity.
“Well… yeah?” Myra answered with a question, almost dumbfounded by her own question. “I mean if you don’t wanna tell me anything, that’s fine. I’m just curious.”
“No, I don’t mind,” Mikella shook her head. “I was just wondering about that. Does anyone feel uncomfortable talking about their attributes?”
“Well…” Myra muttered, almost baffled. She seemed a little perturbed on how to answer that. “Man, you really are out of the loop from wherever you came from, huh?”
“Pretend I’m a country bumpkin or something and I have no clue what’s normal socially,” Mikella said without hesitation. She didn’t want to dance around the subject with her circumstances.
“Well… alright,” Myra nodded. “Though I can already see that you had a pretty strict upbringing. People don’t like revealing their stats. You know how some skills require a stat requirement, right?”
Mikella nodded, prompting Myra to continue.
“Well, when you’re in the real world, especially in a business, people expect you to learn some pretty expensive acquired skills, and those require certain stats. Where I came from, my dad knew this Carpenter who was revealed to have less Dexterity than your average carpenter, so it was impossible for him to learn this skill called ‘Sculpting’. He wasn’t a bad Carpenter, mind you, and this skill is really just for fancy decorations. That still didn’t stop rumors spreading from the other competitors, so he ended up not getting any customers and ruining his business.”
“Wow…” Mikella shook her head in bewilderment. “So there’s some sort of discrimination for those without stats?”
“Nothing as serious as that,” Myra waved it off. “I don’t know how the other places live, but it’s a sensitive topic. So like I said, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It’s fine, I told you,” Mikella shook her head. “But, umm… I don’t wanna be cheesy about it or anything, but can you show your stats first? At least the ones you use the most?”
Myra looked confused at first. Mikella chose to do this because she knew that Val ordered her not to reveal her secrets, as that could bring some complications. However, she can’t just reveal a single stat without realizing the implications behind that. She could have it higher than average, forcing her to reveal other secrets to make any lick of sense. So, instead, she wanted to know what Myra’s own stat range is like first.
“Yeah, sure,” Myra only shrugged. “That’s fair, considering I’m asking for yours. You don’t mind me just telling you my Strength and Dexterity?”
“Of course,” Mikella nodded. She wanted to at least respect Myra’s decision to keep her own secrets. It’s only fair.
“Mine’s around fifties for Strength, and 40 for Dexterity. I’m focusing more on brute strength than on speed.”
Mikella nodded. It sounded reasonable, especially after watching how Myra fought one on one against the beasts.
“I’m the opposite,” Mikella said. “My Strength is at 50 actually, but my Dexterity’s over 60.”
Myra whistled. “Damn, that’s high. But if your stats are around the same as mine then… figures. You got some pretty handy acquired skills, huh?”
Mikella nodded. She figured that was the case. Even putting off the attributes, what truly made her fighting shine was her acquired skills.
Hawk Eyes and Acrobatics were truly above and beyond when it came to damage and speed. Her class and general skills were also responsible, but the added edge were thanks to the skills she got from the damn tower.
So if anything, she deserved that kind of power after going through that hellhole. The same reason for Zeke as well, his barrier literally responsible for saving so many lives and his Recovery keeping those lives stable.
“Damn, the place you were at sounds incredible to give you those skills,” Myra said wistfully. There was a clear hint of envy in her tone. “My place was total shit in comparison. I’m lucky I came out with my dignity intact.”
“You said you lived somewhere before this town, right?” Mikella asked. “Where did you come from?”
“Ah…” Myra slowly scratched her cheek awkwardly. “Right, you don’t know. I come from the northern province a little far from this town. It’s the Aetheric Federation. You know about it?”
Mikella shook her head, getting Myra to look more awkward, if that was possible.
“It’s a pretty strict place, not gonna lie,” Myra explained, getting Mikella to realize she may have stepped on a landmine.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Mikella tried to repair the mood, but Myra shook her head. Her smile was still there, if a little faded in Mikella’s eyes.
“It’s where me and the twin dummies were born. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. It has some good parts, but… well, it can get pretty stifling. Anyone who doesn’t belong with the nobles or even under their influence is treated like cattle.”
Mikella winced. Back in the old world, her family was something along the lines of poor. They were able to keep themselves up, but there was a reason why her father had to work so much.
“So it’s a pretty discriminatory place then?” Mikella asked.
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Myra shook her head incredulously. “Only the top main families get to have decent skill books and attribute fruits, receiving the best elixirs and concoctions to get good gains while the rest of us had to fight for the scraps. Thing is, it offers protection to those who can’t hack it while fighting. But the difference between this town and that place is that they require some heavy taxes.”
“Taxes?” Mikella asked curiously.
“Yeah, and I don’t mean with just money. I’m talking about our resource pools.”
“What?! Is that actually possible?” Mikella said, dumbfounded.
“It is. It’s not as gruesome as you might think,” Myra explained, though she still had a bitter look on her face as she recalled. “Pretty much everyone, including the top families, had to pay like that. The more resources you put in, the better your treatment. So for those with lower resources, they don’t get as much.”
“What do they do with that?” Mikella asked. She couldn't help but get curious as to what they can do with all that Mana and Stamina, something that she still can’t wrap her head around.
“The protections for the entirety of the Federation require lots of Mana to put up. The other energies are mostly used for creating certain potions that require that. I’m not very sure what it is, but if you want some good living and you have the resources to pull it off, it’s a pretty good place to live in. As you can guess, I come from a poor family, so taxes can be a bitch to deal with.”
“My goodness…” Mikella said.
“Things were getting pretty heated back there, so me and the boys bounced and headed straight here. It was a gamble, but we found this place and Captain Val took us in. That happened around a few years ago, so I owe her a lot. I wanted to follow in her footsteps. And that’s where the legend of Myra comes into play.”
Myra said ecstatically, showing a grin while puffing her chest out. Mikella chuckled, but soon realized something important.
Everyone here probably had a similar past to Myra. Mikella couldn't help but be thankful that they found this town instead of the other provinces. Who knew what sort of rules they had that could heavily impact their lives? And more importantly, what do they plan to do to Clara as a child who can’t activate the system?
She knew it might not be as bad, but still…
“Sorry that I made you recall something bad,” Mikella apologized, showing a sheepish expression.
“It’s nothing,” Myra waved it off. “From what the captain told me, you were raised pretty strictly by your parents, right? Along with your hubby Zeke?”
“Y-Yeah,” Mikella nodded. She remembered making up a story about how Zeke and her grew up together in the same town, taught by their parents who were strict with their homeschooling, hence the powerful skills and classes they have.
“Honestly, I think you went through shit far worse than me. I can’t handle staying inside the house all day, just learning. It just itches the wrong way…”
Mikella chuckled. If only she knew exactly what she went through…