Blake swiftly thrust his chi empowered spear forward. The glowing tip penetrated through the Mander’s Hardened Shell, and sank deep into its chest. He yanked sideways on the shaft until the metal tip shredded the beast's heart, then extracted his weapon.

The last living Mander finally recovered from Blake’s Mind Blast and began to cast a spell. He lunged toward the final monster and threw his weapon. A moment later, his spear sank deep into its open mouth and ended its life.

Easy-peasy.

You have successfully completed the Combat Scenario. Would you like to choose your reward now?

Yes.

A list of options were presented to him, and he quickly perused them.

No. No. Finally! YES!

The third option was an earring that would increase his Magic Resistance by three. He had completed dozens of level two scenarios, yet this was the first time he was presented with the reward he most desired.

And of course, I get it just as I’m about to hit level three.

Some would praise the Architect for the prize. Blake was just annoyed. He selected the reward and opened his status to see how much nano he had accumulated.

Nano - 1,601m

He stared at the number in disbelief before he began to laugh uncontrollably. Blake could not believe the irony of the situation.

The strongest aspect of the Manders was their Magical Power. That meant that his Magical Resistance was his most important attribute when he faced them. Blake finally received the upgrade he most desired, after he was likely done fighting them.

Once his laughter died down, he wiped the tears from his eyes and shook his head.

The Architect is an ass. Whatever. It’s time to move on.

Blake quickly spent one point six billion nano to reach level two. However, the effect was not immediate, and he was forced to wait impatiently within the Mander caves for the nano to finish their work. He was at least comfortable, as the Flame Shield absorbed all the excess heat. In the past, the experience would have been horrible.

Once Blake recovered from his injuries almost three weeks ago, he had decided not to throw himself against level three Manders. The chance of injury was too high, and in the end, even with another twenty-five percent increase to his attributes, it was just not as efficient as level twos.

He could complete two level two scenarios per day with little risk and gain a hundred million nano. Meanwhile, if he attempted a level three, the risk and time investment would dramatically increase for that same hundred mega-nano.

Just a few minutes after his new earring was assembled, a message appeared within his vision regarding the level upgrade.

Connection to chi energy strengthened.

Connection to mana energy strengthened.

Connection to aether energy strengthened.

Connection to psionic energy strengthened.

Would you like to select your spells?

Yes!

Select a basic chi spell to learn.

As at level one, an extensive list of abilities was presented to him. However, he had already considered which spells were best to combat the Lupus threat. Unlike the Manders, they were mostly physical creatures, who specialized in chi and aether.

Over the last week, he had pondered which spells would give him an edge. He had narrowed his choices down to two, but had yet to make his decision.

Do I get Hardened Shell or Alacrity?

He was faced with the age-old conundrum: does he become almost immune to physical force, or does he speed himself up enough to avoid it all together.

Hardened Shell was a purely defensive spell which restricted his movement. Alacrity, on the other hand, could be used defensively to avoid attacks, or offensively to land a blow.

His issue with Alacrity, however, was that it was not foolproof. There was no guarantee that he could avoid all attacks while it was active. Just because he would be faster did not mean he would run at the speed of light.

On the other hand, Hardened Shell came with its own drawbacks. While the spell was active, his movement was heavily restricted. During this time, the highly nimble Lupus could quickly surround him until he was trapped between them.

Blake sighed.

Better to go with Alacrity.

He selected the spell and read its description before the final selection.

Alacrity - Increases the caster’s movement speed by a moderate amount based upon the caster’s Magic Power for ten seconds. This spell consumes a small amount of chi energy, and takes one minute to recharge.

He had already known the spell’s effect, as it was quite popular among chi users. However, it was good to refresh his memory of how it operated when not evolved. Alacrity was one of the few spells he customized in his past life, and he wanted to verify its limitations. It specified ‘a moderate amount’ rather than a specific percent, which meant it scaled off his Magic Power.

He selected the spell.

Select a basic mana spell to learn.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

This time, he knew exactly which spell to choose, Gale. It would provide him with space when he became surrounded. While he would love to fry his enemies with a Fireball, or shock them with Electrocute, their cast times were too long for his style of combat. Even his chosen ability took a full second to complete, but it was the best he could do until he evolved it. Montgomery would be disappointed in his selection.

Gale - Creates a high pressure blast of air which expands outward in a cone. This effect takes one second to form, consumes a moderate amount of mana energy, and can be cast once every thirty-six seconds.

The spell did not usually directly damage those caught within its effect. However, if it was used strategically, it could completely eliminate his enemies nonetheless. Especially if a group was blown backward off a cliff, or thrown into a trap. The spell did not specifically mention how his Magic Power affected it, but he knew from experience that the pressure wave increased alongside the attribute.

Select a basic psi spell to learn.

Again, Blake knew exactly which psionic ability to select. If he was going to fight a pack of Lupus in their native environment, he needed a way to locate his enemies. Mind Sense would ensure he was never surprised, and could potentially enable him to create ambushes of his own.

Mind Sense - Release a subtle wave of psionic energy in all directions to search for sentient life. For a moderate amount of psionic energy, this pulse will penetrate solid objects at a moderate distance based upon the caster’s Magic Power.

He scoffed at the phrase ‘a moderate distance.’

The spell’s description was purposefully vague. Its effective distance was heavily affected by the caster’s Magic Power attribute. And, if his target’s Magic Resistance was high enough, the spell would give away his own position in the process.

In his past life, when Jeff first learned the spell, his friends and he had been disappointed by its limitation to ‘sentient life’. They assumed it would only be useful against intelligent beings who could communicate verbally.

However, when Jeff found out he was able to locate Ursa with the ability, they learned the difference between the words ‘sentient’ and ‘sapient’. Most animals were sentient, as they were able to perceive and experience emotion.

Humans, however, had self-awareness, something necessary for sapience. The word was even used in science as a label to distinguish ourselves from animals. We called ourselves Homo Sapiens.

Rajesh, of course, stated he knew the difference all along. He allegedly wanted the other’s to learn from their errors.

Select a basic aether spell to learn.

Unlike the other energy types, there were multiple relevant abilities to choose from which could counter the Lupus. He could use a Flash of Light to blind his opponents, or a Sonic Blast to disorient them. Force Resistance would instantly create a small impenetrable shield in a location of his choice, while Minor Illusion could be used to distract. If he wanted to go the stealthy route, he could learn Dampen Sound to mask his footsteps, Fade to blur his form, or Suppress Scent to hide from their sensitive noses.

Every one of the spells were incredibly useful, and he intended to eventually learn them all. However, he had to choose just one to counter the Lupis.

Do I pick something for the middle of a fight, or something that allows me to set up an ambush?

If he planned to only fight against Lupus a level above him, he would likely pick a spell like Sonic Blast. They had sensitive ears, and the spell would leave them stunned and disoriented. Unfortunately, against creatures two levels above him, the spell would be less effective.

Yeah, stealth is the way to go.

The wolf-like animals were fierce and fought as a pack. Blake decided he would be best served by creating an ambush and eliminating one or more of the Lupus before they were aware of his presence.

With the aid of his psionic spell, Mind Sense, he was reasonably sure he could locate them at a distance. If he wanted to remain undetected, he needed to choose a spell that would hide his presence.

Unfortunately, they had both a keen sense of smell and sensitive hearing. Basic spells could only target one sense at a time, so he was forced to choose. Against the Lupus, Fade would do little, so he was left with only two options.

Do I get rid of my scent, or my footsteps?

In his past life, his team had only tried stealth once, and it ended badly. Surprisingly, Montgomery had actually been able to keep his mouth shut the entire scenario. However, like Oliver, they all proved too impatient for the task. Inevitably, they would make a mistake and give away their position.

Oh, yeah. Now that I have a class, I need to check up on Oliver.

For the last week, he had carefully avoided his brother. While he hoped for the best, deep down, he knew he would be forced to fire him. He could already imagine the drama that would cause, and feared he would be forced to hold his brother in a cell to keep him out of trouble.

His mother would be heartbroken.

It was the reason he gave him a full week to succeed. Blake hoped to avoid the event altogether. In the meantime, as long as he avoided Oliver, he could pretend his brother learned to master his nerves and successfully produced the potions they needed.

Oh my God! I can’t believe I forgot about the scent potion!

Blake suddenly remembered an alchemical tincture capable of hiding a person’s scent. His team had never bothered to use it in the past, as it was expensive, and they excelled at direct combat, not stealth.

Well, that makes the choice obvious. Oliver better be up to it.

Blake selected his aether spell and attempted to renew his faith in his brother as he read the short description.

Dampen Sound - Consume a small amount of aetheric energy to baffle sound waves in a small area around the caster.

Like most aether spells, it was channeled, and Blake would likely never use it in combat. He doubted he could maintain his full martial prowess while he split his focus. However, if he used Mind Sense to locate his prey, a potion to mask his scent, and Dampen Sound to hide his approach, he could ambush even the highly alert Lupus.

Of course, that assumes I have an alchemist who can make it.

Blake sighed and prepared himself for the coming confrontation with his brother as he exited the portal. For the entire thirty-minute drive home, he went over every possible solution to his problem. However, in the end, he knew he had to confine his brother until Invasion day.

After he pulled through the newly constructed gate and into the grassy field, he parked his truck and retrieved his spear from the bed before he set off to find Oliver. He passed Brent, hard at work as always on a new bunkhouse, and absently returned the dour man’s nod with a wave of his own.

Owen and three other stonemasons were focused on the partially constructed wall which would eventually surround their property. The fortification had been an option since they upgraded the faction hall to level two.

Despite its availability, Blake had hesitated to approve its construction. Not only would it be highly visible from outside the property, but until Invasion day, it would be limited to the fifty acres of their leased property.

However, after he spoke to Metal, his companion, he learned that a level two wall was required by the Shield Generator. The knowledge forced his hand, and construction began immediately. Luckily, once they upgraded their quarry to level three, they were allowed to appoint three additional stonemasons.

At least the wraith’s knowledge prevented them from unnecessary construction.

Finally, Blake reached the alchemy workshop and paused at the entrance to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he heard a curse from within, and sighed.

Best to just get it over with, like ripping off a bandage.

He strode inside and leaned his spear against the wall. As he did so, he witnessed his brother pour out a spoiled potion into a trash bin. “Hey, Oliver.”

Oliver flinched in surprise, but quickly recovered and returned the greeting. “Hey, bro. What’s up?”

Blake decided to skip small talk and skip to the chase. “I just reached level two and came to see your progress.”

Oliver’s eyes widened. “Already? Damn, that was fast. Congrats, bro.”

“It’s been a week,” he reminded his brother. “And, judging by the cursing I just heard, I assume you haven’t made any progress?”

“Huh?” Oliver wrinkled his brows. “What do you mean? I’ve made LOTS of progress.”

“Really…” Blake responded doubtfully as he eyed the waste from his brother’s recent failure.

Oliver followed his brother’s vision to the trash bin and chuckled. “Oh, sure. I still fail about ten percent of the time, but look at all my successes!” he gestured toward the bench.

Against the wall sat a retort stand filled with thirteen vials. Each stoppered container was filled with an orange liquid, which glowed faintly in the dim room. Blake had been so distracted with his imagined drama, that he failed to notice the obvious sight.

His brows rose. “Wait. Seriously? You did it?”

Oliver nodded excitedly. “Yeah, it took a while, but I figured out how to suppress my tremors. At least for a little while,” he admitted. “But, now that I can, BOOM, potions,” he exclaimed dramatically.

Blake grinned in relief and congratulated his brother’s success.

I can’t believe he actually did it!