Monica crouched behind a piece of rubble, watching the Corrupted Tarantula resting.
Its legs were warped in several points and one of them was outright missing. It was heavily injured by their previous fights but it knew Monica was about to come back like it had already and was waiting for her. Clearly, the intelligence of the construct wasn’t that high or it would have either fled back to the nest or made sure Monica couldn’t get back up again by drowning her in rubble or trying to bind her up with its metal wires.
Instead, it stupidly chose to face her once again in an unending deathmatch.
Monica closed her eyes and activated Meditation and Mana Sense together, finally feeling a subtle harmony between them.
Her Mana now flowed much more smoothly than it had before and she could feel each slight change in movement from the Corrupted Tarantula in the vibrations of the cobblestone that traveled from the monster up to her.
Monica opened her eyes and picked up a small rock from the ground near her feet.
She weighed it for a moment, then tossed it gently toward a nearby chunk of debris. The rock struck true, producing a sharp, clean sound. The Tarantula stirred, drawn out of its half-sleep by the unexpected noise.
This was enough to pull the spider back into action.
As soon as the Tarantula awakened, it aimed its abdomen at Monica and fired its razor-sharp wire.
She noticed the flash of metal and easily sidestepped the deadly attack. The spider’s sudden burst revealed that it still held plenty of fight.
Or enough to make this interesting, Monica thought.
She was so tantalizingly close to ranking up her Skills that she honestly wished the Corrupted Tarantula had regained some of its health before the fight.
As the Twin Phoenix had said, it was only in life-and-death fights that her Soul would uncover the problems in her Skills. The Soul was the real receptacle of the System’s power and it needed near-death danger to emerge. Without it, Monica had no way of leveling up her Skills.
Which was why she dashed closer to the Corrupted Tarantula.
Monica charged in close to the Corrupted Tarantula, deliberately entering the range of its deadly legs.
She could have fought from afar, but that would not have pushed her to the brink where she needed to be.
The spider responded with a desperate flurry of strikes from its remaining legs, forcing Monica to time her dodges perfectly while keeping Meditation active.
The Tarantula shot more wires. Monica channeled Mana through Phoenix Step. The flow was almost perfect now. She moved like water between the deadly strands. She felt her Soul emerging as the danger increased.
A wire caught her leg. She didn't try to pull free. Instead, she let the spider draw her closer as blood ran down her calf.
"Come on," she muttered.
The spider pulled her within range of its legs. Monica activated Obsidian Impact.
The spider stabbed at her with three legs at once. She blocked one with her bracer. She let another pierce her shoulder. She dodged the third.
As usual, her vision started to blur from blood loss.
She saw the flaws in her Skills with perfect clarity.
She understood what she needed to do. She gathered her Mana for one final strike. The spider raised its legs for a killing blow.
Monica channeled Obsidian Impact one more time. She controlled the Mana flow exactly as she had learned through her deaths. Her fist shot forward.
The impact shattered the spider's metal hide. The explosion tore through its body. The monster stumbled backward and crumpled to the ground, dead.
A notification appeared in her mind.
A grin appeared on Monica’s face before turning into a frown.
*Ding*
You have slain [Corrupted Tarantula - Level 110]
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature fifty levels above you.
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature infected by Corruption.
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 32
+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 33
+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 34
+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes
*Ding*
Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 43
*Ding*
Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 44
*Ding*
Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 45
*Ding*
Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 46
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
*Ding*
Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 47
*Ding*
Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 48
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Flame reaches Level 40
*Ding*
Constitution Skill – Phoenix Feathers reaches Level 24
*Ding*
Constitution Skill – Phoenix Feathers reaches Level 25
*Ding*
Phoenix Feathers’s Skill Description has been updated!
Phoenix Feathers Lv. 25
The bonuses last while the Skill is active or until the rage-triggered secondary effect is activated.
#1 Base Effect: Increases your resilience, physical strength, and physical speed by 100%. The effect increases by 10% for each Level.
Current Bonus: 350%
#2 Base Effect: Increases all of your Attributes by 1. The effect increases by 1 for each Level.
Current Bonus: +25 to All Attributes
#1 Special Effect - Fury of the Phoenix: You gain +30 to All Attributes for each Phoenix Feather you burn. The effect increases by 3 for each Level. Your Vitality is reduced by 30 for each Phoenix Feather you burn. The Vitality cost increases by 3 for each Level. If your Vitality is negative after Fury of the Phoenix runs off, you will die. Resurrecting after dying because of or during Fury of the Phoenix will result in all your Attributes and Skill potency being cut by 80% for the next 24 hours.
Current Bonus: +105 to All Attributes, excluding Vitality for each burnt Phoenix Feather
Cost: 105 Vitality for each burnt Phoenix Feather
Current Number of Available Feathers: 3
Monica had just gotten access to the third Phoenix Feather.
*Ding*
Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 46
*Ding*
Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 47
*Ding*
Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 48
*Ding*
Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 49
*Ding*
Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 50
*Ding*
Mana Sense’s Skill Description has been updated!
Mana Sense Lv. 50
Develop the ability to perceive Mana and its echoes in your surroundings.
Monica had to squint and stare at the updated description for nearly a minute before realizing the only thing that had changed was that now the Skill didn’t say ‘to perceive Mana’ alone, but ‘to perceive Mana and its echoes,’ which of course Monica had no idea what it stood for.
*Ding*
Movement Skill - Phoenix Step reaches Level 23
*Ding*
Movement Skill - Phoenix Step reaches Level 24
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Impact reaches Level 23
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Impact reaches Level 24
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Impact reaches Level 25
*Ding*
Utility Skill - Meditation…
Utility Skill - Meditation… reaches Level 25
Meditation had gained thirteen levels—so many Monica skipped all the notification before she checked and double-checked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
How was it possible that she couldn’t the Rank up in Obsidian Impact? She had distinctly felt the Skill become way more polished. But then, where was the notification? Where was it?
She briefly checked her Skill List but there was nothing on there.
Then, a sudden realization hit her: she hadn’t done enough. This last fight with the Corrupted Tarantula had been too easy compared to the previous ones. The monster had already been injured and she hadn’t fully felt the same sensations she had during the previous engagements.
“But I am sure I could feel it, I saw it before,” Monica muttered to herself.
The last time she had died she had clearly seen what she had needed to do to reach the ten percent mark in the Skill, but then why hadn’t the application of that been enough?
Not knowing what else to do, she briefly checked her Akashic Record.
Name: Monica Monroe
Race: Earther
Title: Avatar of the Twin Phoenix (Unique)
1st Class: Phoenix Healer (Rare) - Lv. 23 -> 34
2nd Class: None
Talent Class: None
Attributes:
Vitality - 301
Endurance - 170
Strength - 173
Dexterity - 214
Wisdom - 170
Spirit - 170
Intelligence - 170
Charisma - 170
Free Attributes: 66
Skills:
Golden Flame (Healing Skill) - Lv. 48
Obsidian Flame (Offensive Skill) - Lv. 40
Phoenix Feathers (Constitution Skill) - Lv. 25
Mana Sense (Perception Skill) - Lv. 50
Phoenix Step (Movement Skill) - Lv. 24
Obsidian Impact (Offensive Skill) - Lv. 25
Meditation (Utility Skill) - Lv. 25
Equipment:
Steel Talons (Uncommon)
Twin Phoenix Bracers (Divine) - Twin Phoenix Set (1/12)
Nightshade Battle Wear (Rare)
Racial Abilities (Earther):
Tutorial
Quest System
Inventory
Map
Myriad Tongues
Monica looked at her Vitality and then looked at the cost of Phoenix Feathers again.
Cost: 105 Vitality for each burnt Phoenix Feather
“That’s three-hudred fifteen Vitality,” she sighed, looking back at her current Vitality.
Vitality - 301
Free Attributes: 66
She dumped fifteen points into it, bringing it to three hundred sixteen.
The problem, as Ted had anticipated, was that now for every level of Phoenix Feathers, Monica would need to put four Free Attributes on top of the five she was already getting from her Class level ups in order to keep up with the cost of Phoenix Feathers. And that was only if she kept leveling at the same speed the Skill did, which wasn’t necessarily a wrong assumption, but it made it dangerous not to keep some extra Vitality on hand just in case.
Free Attributes: 41
Monica used fourteen Free Attributes, leaving twenty-seven to Vitality, which would allow her to bridge the gap in case she leveled up Phoenix Feathers more than her Class. Of the fourteen, twelve went to Dexterity and two to Strength.
Attributes:
Vitality - 328
Endurance - 170
Strength - 175
Dexterity - 226
Wisdom - 170
Spirit - 170
Intelligence - 170
Charisma - 170
Monica turned toward the direction of the barracks, then toward the nest.
I still have time, she told herself and cracked her neck, walking once again toward the nest.
* * *
Ted sat cross-legged in the courtyard. Dotty stood nearby with her sword drawn. Gromorlig paced between them.
"The song needs to match the fight," Gromorlig said. "Your Phoenix Song is good but you need more than one Skill."
Ted held his mandolin. He didn't understand what Gromorlig meant. The Phoenix Song had helped them in many fights before.
"Lass, show him your basic forms," Gromorlig told Dotty.
Dotty began slashing the air and stepping forward in rather simple movements.
Ted played the Phoenix Song as she practiced.
"No, no, lad," Gromorlig shook his head and exhaled. "You're not watching her. You're just playing the same notes."
Ted stopped playing. "I don't get it."
"Don’t play what she's doing, feel the rhythm of what you think should happen." Gromorlig tapped his foot. “Come on, lad, you can do better than this.”
Ted tried again. He watched Dotty's movements. He changed the tempo to match her pace. It still felt wrong.
"Better," Gromorlig said. "But you're forcing it. Let the music come from her movements. Play in front of them."
Ted adjusted his playing. The notes clashed with her rhythm.
"I can't get it right," Ted said. He lowered his mandolin.
"You're thinking too much." Gromorlig walked over to Ted. "Close your eyes. Listen to her footsteps."
Ted closed his eyes. He heard Dotty's feet on the stone. He heard her breathing. He heard the whisper of her sword.
"Now play," Gromorlig said softly.
Ted's fingers found the strings. He played without thinking about the notes. The music followed Dotty's movement… until it didn’t.
“Lad, you need to empty that head of yours. You must focus on the battle, not on whatever you’re thinking about.”
Ted tried again and again, but it still kept being elusive. Whatever Skill Gromorlig wanted him to get, he wasn’t there yet.
“Lad, that’s enough,” the Dwarf sighed. “I need to show the lassie what she needs to do. We need to rehearse the path she needs to take.”
Ted nodded and looked at the beat-up Mandolin in his lap.
He prayed that whatever plan Gromorlig had concocted wouldn’t require much of his assistance.