Chapter Seventy-Six

Ambrose told himself he didn’t want to see his progression. It felt like he was being rewarded when no reward should be offered at all. He had failed. Yes, he had won the battle, himself and his forces. But the cost had been something precious, and for that alone, he felt like a failure.

Yet, life would move on, with or without him. He still had a goal, and he would reach it even if he had to burn his soul down to embers to achieve it. Hand scratching behind Noelle’s ears, he brought up the notifications he had been ignoring, but their overwhelming flood caused him to wince.

I wish there was some way to make this easier to parse, make it more organized, or something like that, Ambrose grumbled to himself. As if responding to his thoughts, the System altered the notifications to something more manageable.

[You have defeated hundreds of foes, including multiple D-Grade opponents. You have received increased experience, leveled up to 142, and have two skill options to choose from. As the Knight of Avalon it is your duty to protect Avalon, and you have done so. Your profession has advanced to level 40.]

Ambrose looked at Noelle. The Arcane White Tiger regarded him with narrowed eyes. She chuffed, then glanced at his hand as if to say Why did you stop scratching?

“I should feel accomplished. Like I’m getting somewhere. Every scrap of power I collect is one step closer to killing Eric. Instead, I feel drained.”

Noelle lifted a single paw and bopped him on the nose with great dignity as befitting a tigress.

Ambrose scowled at her. She did not care.

Shaking his head, he returned to his progression.

Twenty-one levels was a whopping one-hundred and sixty-eight points to spend with the five levels of his profession, which was one-hundred and seventy-three points. He wasn’t really sure where to even begin. He brought up his stats to get an idea of where to start.

[Constitution: 200

Strength: 222

Intellect: 214

Wisdom: 218

Willpower: 234]

His mouth worked as he chewed on his tongue. First, he put fifty into willpower. With one-hundred and twenty-three left, he also put forty into wisdom, forty into intellect, twenty into strength, and twenty-three into constitution.

This time, the surge of euphoria came with a dose of shame.

When this was done, he brought up his skills.

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[Infernal Recall-Epic]: Infernal mana you infuse into something does not fade. This skill allows you to recall things infused with your mana through realms in addition to his skill’s previous effects.]

This would allow him to get his axe back, at the very least. Ambrose wasn’t thrilled with the skill, however. His current recall skill was already efficient with how he used it. Secondly, he didn’t need the axe back. He was sure he could buy another one if he needed to, and he could form them out of his mana.

This just seemed like a waste to him, and he discarded it from his thoughts while bringing up another skill.

[Retributions Gaze-Legendary]: In addition to all previous effects, this skill allows you to force the target to feel all future pain they are likely to cause on their current path. This burns their spirit and drains their mana, giving it to you.]

Ambrose rubbed the side of his face. This wasn’t a bad pick. He hadn’t used this skill much since he had recently picked up the epic version. The reason was relatively simple; he hadn’t considered it then. His father would have pitched a fit about it, too.

Remember to use all resources available to you, boy. It would be a real shame if you died because you were so stupid as to forget a possible solution available to you. Don’t be stupid, son. It gets you real dead.

He snorted at his father’s words. He put the skill in the maybe pile section of his mind for now. There were other options to consider.

[Infernal Dimension-Epic]: This is a spirit-based skill. Create a spiritual pocket dimension with your spirit, allowing you to store up to huge items. You may enter this dimension at will but can only return to the spot where you entered the dimension. You may take others into the dimension, but they may not be harmed while in your dimension.]

This was an auto-pick for him. Vivienne had already said that spirit-based skills were unique, and his bag of holding was somewhat limited. He was sure this skill would eventually turn into something special and consequential. He wasn’t about to turn that down.

Rubbing Noelle’s cheeks, he moved on.

[Hellfire Manipulation-Mythic]: In addition to the previous effects, Hellfire manipulation now allows you to summon Hellfire portals. These portals will enable you to teleport between worlds as long as you have been there. You may also teleport anywhere in the world you have already been to. Depending on how much mana you use, Hellfire manipulation can alter the terrain around you. Note that this skill needs to integrate infernal smite to be selected.]

Ambrose felt his jaw drop. He blinked rapidly, then reread the skill. He laughed, and Noelle stared at him, chuffing as her tail swished. This skill was so absurdly broken that he couldn’t help it. He pressed the back of his head to the bark a few times, chortling.

Teleporting had been a huge advantage to him in the past. He had defeated multiple foes with it in the past, and now it looked like he could do it freely. Not only that, but it was also pretty much a get-out-of-jail-free card. In danger? Just nope the fuck out!

He was sure there were probably counters to it. He wasn’t the only one with a portal skill, he was sure. The multiverse was a prominent place; he was just one fish. He had power, but people had been at this for far longer than him. This skill didn’t make him a god, nor was it an instant victory.

His foes would have shields, items, and powerful skills to call on. He had done well so far, but it would likely hold far more powerful foes wherever Eric had gone than Ambrose’s own world.

That led him down another avenue of thought he hadn’t been thinking about due to the grief and sluggish thoughts. Why had Eric gone to that realm? What could be there that Eric would leave this one? He never did anything that didn’t benefit him, so it must be something that would increase his power.

Ambrose rubbed the side of his face and made his skill selections. He would eventually find out; there was no sense in worrying about it. In truth, he was trying to avoid the inevitable confrontation with Jenny. He would have to face her and do so, knowing it was his fault her father was a cooling corpse.

There would have to be a funeral, and he would have to do some public speaking again. He wasn’t looking forward to it.

But for now, he closed his eyes as Noelle settled in his lap. Even at D-Grade, he was so tired it took only a second for darkness to claim him.