Alistair and Riseth hid in a tree hollow near the canopy as screams and roars shook the forest. Multiple higher-grade monsters had been drawn in by their fighting against the snake and golem, and some started to fight amongst each other. Alistair and Riseth used cleansing water to get the blood off Riseth before rubbing themselves in dirt and leaves and trying to mask their body odors. They had planned to run and fly up the mountainside, but a small group of Grade 9 Wyverns flew above them, observing the fights below like vultures. Alistair had only gotten the occasional glance at the monsters prowling the forest. One was a panther-like wyvern with fur instead of scales and a feline disposition as it gracefully jumped from tree to tree. Another had been a very classical wyvern with a green scaly body, rows of short but sharp teeth, bent horns, and a wicked-looking curved stinger on its tail.
The vulture wyverns had a red feathery mane, but their wings were leathery, and they had long curved beaks and freaky-looking red eyes visible even from a distance. Their legs were equipped with particularly long, curved, and sharp-looking claws.
Alistair frowned; he presumed they were pretty safe in their hiding location, though it would take time for the monsters to move on, and there might be other monsters who were yet to arrive. The tree hollow was small, and they were squished in tightly, though neither seemed to mind as they took in calm breaths, looking out into the forest. Alistair decided to finally check his notifications.
Notifications: [Combat Log] Black Bone Golem level 53 has been slain.
Title: Junior Big Game Hunter [Unique] has been obtained. [Level 39 reached. Stat points allocated, free stat points available.] [Level 40 reached. Stat points allocated, free stat points available. Skill selection available.] Skill [Kinetic Skinguard] can be upgraded.
Skill Choices: Tier: Skill Name: Description: [Rare] Manipulation Control
Improves [Control] when using concepts involving manipulation by a small margin.
Moderate increase in efficiency when manipulating local space.
Large increase in efficiency when manipulating kinetic energies and related concepts.
Improves the overall precision of ranged offensive abilities by a moderate amount.
[Rare] Spheres Of Force
This skill is used to capture and store [Kinetic] and related concepts and trap and maintain them in a sphere of force orbiting the user at a moderate cost of [MP] in relation to the captured energies. The spheres themself cost a slight amount of [MP] and focus to maintain. The user's [Mental] stat determines the spheres' capacity. Once captured, the trapped energies can be reused by the user.
[Common] Light Manipulation
This skill can be used to make the user partially invisible by manipulating light waves by causing light to pass through a designated area/space/object without reflecting off the surface.
Other uses include a flash of light to blind opponents and gathering ambient light to create a light source.
[Common] Akashic Sound Board
The user taps into their [Akashic Link], harnessing known melodies and songs to empower themselves and allies through uplifting music or utilizing sound clips to assault opponents' minds. The effectiveness of both buffs and attacks is directly influenced by the user's [Mind] stat. However, while playing music to provide buffs, there is a slight reduction in hearing-related [Senses].
Alistair cheered and celebrated internally as a wide smile was painted across his face, seeing the possible [Kinetic Skinguard] upgrade he had been aiming for. He and Riseth were aiming to maximize their gains and foundation in the first grade, and one of the most difficult and crucial steps besides the race upgrade was obtaining as high a skill tier as possible. Alistair had chosen his most crucial defensive skill to be upgraded. Alistair had considered his [Blast Master] skill, though compound skills were often much harder and more time-intensive to get to a high tier once their initial tier had been determined. Especially compared to a specialized skill. Inspired by the [Force Trap] skill, he had reconsidered why he was so insistent on just storing the energies within his body; if he could also just store them outside within force spheres.
Alistair looked over the new skill selection but decided not to select any of the skills offered for now.
Riseth and Alistair felt it was necessary to get as much as possible out of their foundation if they wanted to be part of the elite and not encounter roadblocks in their growth too soon; they had tried to convince others in their clan, but most thought the two of them were overdoing it. Alistair would hold off on the skill upgrade for now. He had been working on his ribs by using [Kinetic] [Storage] and [Void] essence; he planned to have them store kinetic energy and further enhance the storage with [Void] essence.
The essence holding him back the most was the [Storage] one, as while he successfully collected them from the pile of storage devices, it was far from enough, and obtaining storage devices was still not easy despite almost three months having passed since the trial started. The influx of people reaching other instances like the Market and Arena had noticeably spiked. Many individuals seemed to have headed for their hub without traveling skills, slowing down their progress significantly.
Riseth looked at him curiously before contacting him over the link. "Why so excited?" She asked while looking into his eyes.
"I got an upgrade option for my [Kinetic Skinguard], so I am one step closer to the legendary skill expertise title. I might even get it if I confirm it.
"Good job. I guess my Mr. Legendary lives up to his name again," she said over the link as she turned around and gave him a quick kiss before requesting him to hold on to her while she was checking something within her soulscape. Alistair smiled and gave her the go-ahead as her body went limp and slumped against his own. Their situation was a bit awkward as they were still stuck in the tree hollow, but the sounds of combat had subsided, and the vulture wyverns were not circling above them anymore. Alistair presumed they were gorging themselves on whatever remains were left behind. He took the chance to check his new title.
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Titles: Tier: Name Effect: Origin: [Unique] Junior Big Game Hunter Slight increase in stats obtained per level
A growing title given to everyone for slaying a higher-grade beast by themselves. The system guards the title, preventing divulging the path to its acquisition or existence.
Another title that would increase his stats obtained per level; however, this one was upgradeable, and the earlier one killed a higher grade beast, the more one could benefit, a high risk, high reward that got more difficult the higher their grades got, Alistair suspected, his stat gain had increased by 1 putting him at 10 per level, he put most of his points into [Mental] as he would require a lot of [MP] for his skill set to work. He was slightly surprised this title was guarded while the [Man Of Change] was not, though he suspected it was because the [Man Of Change] was limited to individuals within the trial and usually required a serious investment of effort and time to pull off.
Stats: Power [117] Increases Physical and Magical Damage as well as general speed and the ability to lift heavy things.
Provides a small bonus to self-healing and stamina recovery. Mental [129] Increases magical capacity and determines the quality and quantity of mana [MP], increases memorization and comprehension capacity, and increases spell power by a large degree. Control [135] Increases motor skills and magic/energy control by a large degree and increases the ability to concentrate by a moderate amount, with a large impact on the efficiency of [Qi] and [MP] usage. Body [196] Increases robustness and vitality of the body large impact on [HP] and [Qi] capacity,
moderate impact on damage reduction and environmental & magical resistance, and large impact on self-healing. Mind [119] Increases the defense of mind and soul, as well as mana regeneration by a large degree, and also increases the number of tasks possible at a time. It also significantly heightens the efficiency of attacks targeting the minds and souls of others. Senses [118] Increases reaction speed and fine control of senses like visual smell, etc., by a large degree. It also increases instincts to a large degree, with a small bonus to [MP] and [Qi] expenditure reduction.
A quick glance over his stats told him he was doing very well. According to his research, the average stat total for a human reaching grade 9 in the multiverse was slightly above 100 points in each stat. He could not find records of how good elites or above-average individuals were, and he presumed there was another system-guarded title in play where you would require a high enough stat total to obtain it. Surprisingly, humans were among the races with the lowest stat total. Humans obtained more skill points than most, and their skill selection was slightly bigger as they gained up to 4 instead of the usual three skills. Human children, in particular, benefited from the most frequent skill selection among all the races as apparently no other race had a skill selection every time they obtained a skill point from level-ups. Humans were genuinely spoiled for choice. However, this would fall off at grade 9 and beyond, and Alistair wished he had learned this sooner to optimize his skill selection a little better.
Eventually, Riseth stirred in his arms, finished with whatever she was doing in her [Soulscape]
"What were you doing there?" Alistair asked curiously over the link.
"I just checked some of the documents about the beasts we have seen and their behavior to see if some of them are likely to wait us out; luckily, unless one decides to just hang around the area, we should be good to leave," Riseth told him as she reactivated invisibility and leaned out of the tree, checking for monsters. She gave him a quick nod, and he picked her up as they flew up the cliff face toward the keep. Luckily, they eventually reached the gate without being harassed and reactivated the self-cleaning from their armor to remove all the dirt they had rubbed over their armor. They returned to their room and showered to get the rest of the dirt and grime off.
After their shower, they relaxed a little in their bed. Alistair picked up his copy of [Cultivation For Dummies] and handed it to her. She looked at him, confused as she started reading through it.
"Why did you give me this?" She asked as she started to skip across the many chapters incompatible for their rank and race.
"There is a technique on page 69 that is very beneficial for both Qi and body cultivators; it would increase our cultivation speed and efficiency by leaps and bounds," Alistair said, suppressing a smirk.
Riseth read the page and paused, tilting her head, her expression changing as she got into the more advanced chapters before she put down the book.
"Wow," she said with a snicker before looking at him. Here, I thought excess was bad for cultivators. Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked teasingly, stroking her finger across his chest with a flirtatious look.
"Well, I thought now was as good a time as any to bring it up. Jessica is close to finishing your cultivation pill, and it's important to me that you know what you are in for," Alistair said honestly, kissing her on the forehead.
She sighed before quipping, "In for a penny, in for a..."
"Don't," Alistair chuckled. Interrupting her with a laugh.
They continued exchanging jokes, with Riseth playfully teasing him, her excitement tempered by a hint of reluctance. After their initial reunion in the study dungeon, they had taken it slowly, taking their time to get to know each other better. As they grew closer over time, she became more comfortable showing her assertive side, especially in matters of intimacy. Alistair sensed this change and attributed it partially to hesitancy due to cultural differences and her desire to distance herself from her succubus nature. This was likely shaped by her upbringing and her aspiration to break free from her mother's legacy. Unlike her mother, who embraced promiscuity, Riseth strongly favored intimacy with one person—a choice mirrored by Alistair, who sought to distance himself from a similar legacy.
"But on a more serious note, I think some of these more advanced techniques are a trap to corrupt individuals willing to go this far," Alistair warned her.
"Shame, here I was getting my hopes up. Even as a lust demon, I have not seen some of these moves," Riseth quipped back with a wide, toothy smirk as she looked up at him.
"I know; I'm actually glad you did not see me when I first read it," Alistair said, and Riseth clicked her tongue and snapped her finger as she lamented having missed out on it.
They continued like this for a while before going for dinner at Glenhare Roadhouse as they planned for the next day.