When the message from the System appeared in front of his face, Edge felt his core shudder.

Skill-Eater flared to life of its own accord. It sent tendrils of power rippling throughout his body, driving all other thoughts from his head.

There was a sense of a threshold being crossed. Of a power yet to be given form. A coiled tension like a tightly wound spring. The first step in a long journey to come.

There was fire in his heart, but not like before. It was the hearth that wards off the chill of night instead of boundless inferno reducing him to embers.

Edge put one hand up to his chest, marveling at the sensation of his core expanding, compressing, and then burning brighter still. The chains wrapped around his soul stirred in response, becoming just a bit faster, stronger, and longer than before.

Through their bond, he could tell that the unique power core had become a fraction more complex, like an engine with more pistons or a computer with new circuits.

Edge had been a fan of Prison World for decades, along with trillions of viewers throughout the galaxy. He’d listened to thousands of descriptions of what it felt like when a core cycled-up, fantasizing that it was happening to him.

Although he’d never expected to experience it himself, it was enough to let him know what was happening when he felt his core change.

Skill-Eater rumbled when its cycle was complete. It roared as it drew in magic from the world around him, transforming it into potentia, more commonly called attribute points. A type of energy that he could use to upgrade his body or core was ready to obey his command.

Energy that had yet to be given shape.

Edge didn’t have time to process what had occurred within this room. The monster would be back soon. At any moment, the shadowreaver would come gliding through the door, ready to finish what it had started.

But for the first time in his life, he had two attribute points to spend, thanks to his core cycling-up after the second prisoner died.

He knew in that moment that this was the most important decision of his life, and he intended to choose wisely. Each attribute granted a unique form of strength. Picking the right one could mean the difference between finding some way out of this mess and being eaten alive.

Before Edge was ready to commit to a course, he needed to know what else he had to work with. To survey his surroundings and come up with a plan.

He had no chance of running from the nightmarish creature. His odds of fighting it off were worse, even with the new skills at his command. He didn’t have enough magicytes to use his iceblade for long. Even if he did, his stats were laughable compared to the men that the reaver had defeated with ease.

All he had was a fleeting moment to prepare, his wits, and… Whatever the prisoners were carrying in their packs.

He ran to the nearest body, the one with no arms, and started rummaging around in its backpack. He didn’t let himself hesitate or think about the fact that he was in the middle of robbing a corpse. A man who had died by Edge’s actions only moments before.

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But all that he found in the blood-soaked sack was a worn utility knife that was even worse than his own. By this point, he could hear scraping in the distance. The sound of talons sliding along stone, as the monster made its way through the ruins.

Edge had to move faster. He was running out of time.

He darted over to the remains of other man, or the top half of them at any rate, and tore into his gore-splattered bag. When his fingers touched the bottom, he found what he was looking for, a magicyte infused mealbox with its seal still intact.

Edge ripped off the top and started shoving bread down his throat. He almost choked in his haste, before he took a drink from his canteen. The instant that the food hit his stomach, he pulled up his menus to check his reserves. Twenty seven percent. That’s enough magic to use elemental blade and get in one good attack.

He felt regeneration start using it up a few seconds later, preparing to restore his lost fingers. No. He shut the skill down with an effort of will. If he wasted his last bit of mana healing his hand, his chances of surviving would dwindle to zero.

While he polished off the last bites of bread, Edge looked at his profile, reviewing his options one final time. He needed to decide how to spend his attribute points before it was too late.

Physical attributes

Power: 1 Reflex: 1 Endurance: 2 Perception: 1 Speed: 1 Control: 1 Durability: 1

Energetic attributes

Generation: 1 Amplification: 1 Disruption: 1

Edge didn’t have time to think through his choices at length, but he didn’t need to consider them all. He was already certain that boosting his physical attributes wasn’t going to cut it.

There was no way that he would become fast or strong enough to prevail with only two points. The prospect of killing the reaver with a knife was so ludicrous that he nearly laughed out loud.

The only chance he had was to rely on his skills, and slash was out of the running. Regeneration had granted him enough strength to land one good attack. It was up to elemental blade to finish the job.

In short, Edge needed to choose the attribute that would make his iceblade more deadly. Everything else could wait. He voiced his intention to the System. “I’ll spend my points on amplification.”

Acknowledged. Stand by for enhancement.

Both bolts of potentia crackling within his chest were set free in that moment, surging toward the sockets where reactor met skill. When they arrived, they started forging fresh conduits. The transformative magic enhanced the connections between Skill-Eater and the skills it had slotted, making them thicker and more efficient than before.

The process was over a few seconds later, and Edge could sense that his skills were stronger than before. Maybe, just maybe, his iceblade would be potent enough to hurt the monster, if he could get a clear shot at its vitals.

That only left one question to consider in the handful of seconds he had left. How in the hell am I going to land the blow?