Name: Alex Moore

Level: 8 (Tier 0)

Mana Body Quality: Legendary

Mana Type: Inspire (Rare)

Achievement: Tier 0 - Unique (Realm)

Attributes:

Strength: 27 (56) - Power: 24 (50)

Agility: 27 (56) - Speed: 24 (50)

Perception: 26 (54) - Sensitivity: 24 (50)

Toughness: 26 (54) - Durability: 24 (50)

Capacity: 45- Connection: 84

Abilities:

Enhancements:

Notifications:

Mana Sink Duration: 00:00:05:17

Alex smiled at the changes to his status screen.

First, his Legendary Achievement granted him five points for each attribute. Then, he’d leveled up eight times and gained twenty-one extra points of Capacity as trial rewards. Finally, he’d used the Greater Mana Baptism just now, providing him an additional ten points in every attribute. Now, all of his attributes were at least fifteen points above where they would be without his Achievements.

With his boosted attributes from trial rewards and possessing a mana type, he was the strongest Aspirant in Earth’s history before any buffs.

When the buffs were included, his attributes were just obscene. Most Neophytes wouldn’t ever reach this level of power. Inspire flowed through his body at the very limits of what his ridiculous Capacity attribute would allow, slightly more than doubling his attributes while also improving his aura.

His reaction Enhancement gave him time to process the change, something which was sorely needed. Before using the Baptism, his attributes had been almost twenty points lower. The extra ten points to Capacity had improved how much Inspire could buff him. The power was entirely focused on himself since he was worried that sending his friends even more energy would cause issues.

Unfortunately, keeping the power for himself was also causing issues. Alex had discovered over the past few days that he was a genius at adjusting to his attributes. Inspire smoothed over temporary increases, but even the permanent ones didn’t give him much pause. Genius, however, was not enough to handle this much of an increase, not when Inspire was proving unhelpful on this front.

The power was temporary, but that only made it more intoxicating. Before he checked in on the negatives, Alex swung his sword through the air at a speed that felt respectable even with his Enhancements. Aldrek paused at the sight.

“You’re leaking like a sieve,” The monster had a horrified expression on his face, “What did you do to your soul to make this possible?”

The undead abomination that grafted body parts together found his situation upsetting, which summed up the negatives in Alex’s situation quite well.

His mana sink listed five minutes remaining, but it wouldn’t last that long. Alex had already closed his status, but he was certain that the time was ticking down faster than it should. He would lose the mana sink when Inspire departed, which would be distressingly soon if he didn’t change anything.

Inspire had torn itself apart in the throes of rage brought on by the memory of Juan. Self-preservation had been discarded as an overwhelming need to see the undead stain vanquished overpowered all other impulses. The frenzied thing it had become wasn’t doing a good job of altering Alex’s thoughts, but it was pouring ridiculous amounts of mana into him to make sure the job was done.

What was left of the mana would fall apart in a matter of minutes, and that was if things didn’t escalate further. Alex was quite certain things would escalate further.

Before Aldrek finished speaking, Alex came to a series of conclusions. The first was that he either needed to kill Aldrek quickly or fix the problem with Inspire. The second was that failing to fix the problem with Inspire would be a waste of incredible amounts of power. His third realization was that he’d not understood the effects of a Greater Mana Baptism.

The entire clearing lit up as mana started to flow toward Aldrek, activating the array that covered the clearing. He couldn’t reach Tier 2 before the timer ran out, but it seemed he had another trick up his sleeve. Alex was no longer paying attention as a plan was thrown together in his mind. He had a powerful mana type designed to help him grow more powerful and a Grand Mana Guidance helping him control it. The mana surrounding him had persisted after boosting his attributes, and he now understood why synchronization was considered the greater boon.

Alex reached out with his will, grasping at power before it could sift through his fingers. He wasn’t sure what would happen, all he knew was that he couldn’t waste this opportunity.

His consciousness drifted away.

*****

Mediocrity breeds mediocrity.

Instructor Wilson was a kind man. In fact, he was one of Alex’s favorite teachers despite his class covering a subject Alex didn’t much care for. Academy instructors were professionals, and Alex’s hyperactive tendencies were well cared for, but there was only so much they could do. Sitting still and learning history wasn’t something Alex enjoyed doing.

Most days, Instructor Wilson made things interactive. Weaving together lessons of the past and enjoyable activities capable of keeping even Alex engaged. The varied instruction left an impression, and Alex looked forward to history class despite his dislike of his last history instructor.

Some days, though, Instructor Wilson wasn’t fully engaged with them. Alex was only ten, but he’d been raised by Mrs. Mervil, who was the same. He was too young to really understand what caused it, only learning to dread the far-off look in the eyes of an adult that meant their mind was elsewhere.

Instructor Wilson had actually lived through some of the stories that he told them, and sometimes it was hard for him to tell those stories. Today was one of those days.

Alex had been excited when he walked into the classroom, but that had vanished as soon as he saw the look in the instructor’s eyes. Now, he was only vaguely listening as he stared at the wall behind the Instructor.

Instructor Wilson was one of many older people who was in the midst of a “crisis of faith.” Mrs. Mervil had tried to explain it to him not long after he turned seven. Many old people worshipped God and struggled to understand why a being they venerated would let the Fall happen to humanity.

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Alex tried to listen as the man worked through the day’s lecture. He could tell that Instructor Wilson was trying to push through his crisis, but the look in his eyes was a dead giveaway. The energy felt forced, and the activities weren’t quite as fun. Everything was just a bit off, and Alex disengaged because of it.

The man spoke about how times were hard, and the challenges before them were immense, but Alex didn’t really understand what he was talking about. Even at the Academy, where they were pushed to work far harder than at his last school, Alex was happy.

“Earth has been forged into something different,” Wilson continued, hardly seeming to notice that he’d drifted rather far from the original point, “We’re not what we once were, but that isn’t all bad. Every day, we push to become a bit stronger, a bit better. We help each other, we grow.”

Alex was listening now, interested in the stark change in topic. That hollow look had been replaced by a more impassioned expression. The Instructor’s voice had a serious tone to it that he had learned to listen to over the past few months.

Over the weeks, months, and years to come, bits and pieces of the half-rant, half-speech would fade from Alex’s memory. The Instructor was a gifted teacher, but he wasn’t much of a motivational speaker. His fervent speech left an impression, but most of the words didn’t mean much to the group of ten-year-olds he’d addressed.

One sentence never faded from Alex’s memory, though. Words that Alex would later learn had been a quote.

“Iron sharpens iron.”

*****

At the age of thirteen, Alex was already over six feet tall. He’d been moved up to play with fifteen and sixteen-year-olds in the recreational basketball leagues, and he had become one of the better players in that age group over the past few months. The Academy had successfully trained the clumsiness brought by his growth spurt out of him.

This made playing basketball with his peers boring. Alex wasn’t even sure why the Physical Education class existed, they got more than enough exercise with field drills and weapon training. His work with a sword was a far better use of his time than destroying some kids in basketball.

He was admittedly a bit arrogant, but who wouldn’t be?

Instructor Davies, naturally, noticed his completely unconcerned approach to the game and pulled him aside.

“Alex, what are you doing out there?” He frowned.

“If I was actually trying, it wouldn’t be any fun for anyone,” Alex rolled his eyes. He wasn’t necessarily trying to be disrespectful to the instructor, but seriously, what was the point?

Instructor Davies frowned at him, “So you consider playing basketball with students your own age a waste of your time?”

Alex was quite certain this was a trap, but nodded anyway, “Of course, they’re all small.”

The frown grew, but his Instructor nodded in acknowledgment, “Do four full-court ladders at a sprint.”

And there was the trap. Alex silently cursed his decision to not just lie and keep the peace as he started the exercise. Instructor Davies knew what a sprint looked like, and Alex didn’t want to dig himself any further, so he went all out. By the time he was done, sweat was pouring down his face.

“Done,” Alex panted. He was bent over with his hands on his knees as he worked to catch his breath.

Instructor Davies smiled at him, “Do you know what we say about hard work and talent, Alex?”

“Hard work beats talent,” Alex replied. He managed to avoid another eye roll, he’d heard this saying plenty of times before. As someone who had talent, it didn’t mean much to him.

“That’s what we tell the kids,” Instructor Davies nodded, “But the truth is that talent is an incredible advantage. More than that, it’s a responsibility. One you’re not living up to.”

“Because I don’t want to bully kids my age on the court?” Alex asked, a bit annoyed by the statement.

“This isn’t about basketball, Alex,” Davies shook his head, “This is about working hard.”

Alex frowned, “I work hard,” he protested, “I run footwork drills or my sword forms every day.”

“This is the Academy, Alex. Everyone works hard. Right now, among those who train for combat, you’re in the bottom twenty-five percent of your age group.”

The thought put a bad taste in Alex’s mouth, “I’m the best swordsman in my year.”

“Because you’re talented, not because you’re outworking everyone else.”

Alex didn’t argue the point, it struck a bit too close to home.

“You’re good, Alex. I’ve talked to the combat instructors and they all agree you could be something special. Do you want to be the best in your year, or do you want to be the best?”

That night, Alex didn’t leave the gym until fifteen minutes before curfew. His answer was easy, he was going to be the best.

Talent is only a head start. It takes hard work to Refine it into something greater.

*****

Good isn’t enough. Great isn’t enough. One day, I’ll be the best.

I’ll Refine myself for as long as it takes.

*****

Ethereal Drift. Alex hadn’t meant to enter one, but it had happened anyway. Vaguely, he was aware that this was a mistake. He was in the middle of a fight, and his reaction Enhancement didn’t spread to his soul. He was wasting time, allowing his enemy to complete whatever ritual he was working on.

He had started this drift with a purpose, though. He wouldn’t be able to return to his body until he achieved that goal. His soul reached out and the Inspire mana was brought back together.

The quantity that was left was a fraction of what it had once been, but Alex had far more control than ever before.

The insights were foreign, but that wasn’t a real problem. He’d just Refine them too. He reached out to grasp the secrets held within the mana.

*****

“I wish we could’ve buried him next to your brother,” Melanie Alvarez’s voice was weirdly put together, for a woman who had just put her husband to rest. Jesus Alvarez had never managed to gain a mana type, and old age had eventually taken its toll on the man.

David nodded his agreement, not sure what there was to add. He’d done everything he could to extend his father’s life, but in the end, it hadn’t mattered. The first two decades after he should have died had been filled with hard work and dedication. The man had been determined to make good use of the treasures David had used to extend his lifespan.

Over the years, that determination had been corroded by shame and guilt, as he failed time and time again. Eventually, Jesus had given up. David and Melanie had been mourning the man for over a decade before his artificial lifespan finally gave out.

Neither of them said it, but David was sure they agreed that it was a good thing he was gone. He’d changed in the last few years, and it was better to remember the man who raised him than the bitter thing he’d become.

“I’m going to leave the city,” He said. This was the first time he’d admitted as much out loud, but he knew that he’d grown stagnant over the years. Trying to help his father advance had taken up his days, and he needed to push himself harder if he was to ever reach Tier 4.

“When will you be back?” His mother didn’t argue. She had been pushing him in this direction for years.

“When I’m stronger,” David replied. He’d let his attempts to help his father pull him away from that goal, but there couldn’t be any compromise. His grief didn’t change his purpose, he needed to improve.

He left that night, but it would be decades before he managed to progress Inspire.

Iron sharpens iron, but it can shatter it, too.

How much will you lose, before you break?

*****

Inspire asked a question. It was willing to help him, but only if he answered.

The grief over Muhammad was a dull thing. He remained unconvinced that his friend was truly gone. Would he be able to keep going if he learned that the archer was truly dead? Would he lose his way if Becca left him?

Inspire was invasive, demanding to know.

The truth was that Alex didn’t know.

Inspire reminded him that one day he would find out. If he reached far enough, if he truly became the greatest swordsman alive, he would outlive them all.

It was a terrible realization, but Alex couldn’t waver.

*****

I’ll Refine myself for as long as it takes.

*****

Alex’s eyes opened to the sight of a clublike arm descending towards his head.