“Aaah!” Mason shot upwards, letting out a pained cry as his eyes snapped onto his surroundings, “That was-” Mason groaned, gripping his chest as an intense wave of pain shot from it. Blood? Mason wore leather armor, strung together loosely, and the leather itself was distressed, covered in cuts, and stabs. Beneath it, a cheap woolen shirt stained with blood and pants so torn apart they looked more like shorts. He could feel the weight of a sheathed sword at his back,

“I’m injured?” Mason mumbled, looking at the forest lush with foliage around him. Blades of grass stabbed his aching back as a light breeze whistled through his hair. Strands of sunlight poked through the thick canopy, bathing the scene around him in a bright light. The grass and trees around him coated in a thick layer of blood, as he watched small, humanoid figures stab a struggling man who wore similar attire to Mason. The man let out a croak before his body went limp. Tens of similar bodies littered the area, and a stench of death wafted in the air, “You couldn't have at least sent me to a safe place? ” Mason’s heart began to thump, and he gritted his teeth.

“I’m in a different body too,” he mumbled, examining his body, rolling up his right sleeve, noting his birthmark wasn’t there. He recognized the small humanoid figures as Goblins, their beady eyes focused on making sure the others were dead. Mason knew he had little time to dawdle, and was certainly in no condition to fight. His mind snapped to his Low Heal skill.

“I’ll have to upgrade it first. This injury is too serious-” His quiet rambling was interrupted by an unfolding blue screen, identical to the one in the infinite void.

[Profile]

[Name: Mason Harris]

[Species: Human]

[Evolution: 0/100000 Monsters Killed]

[Skills]

{God} [Skill Upgrade]

{Unique} [Teleport}

{Rare} [Low Heal]

{Rare} [Silent Movement]

{Rare} [Enhance Strength]

{Rare} [Enhance Speed]

{Rare} [Harden]

{Rare} [Summon]

{Common} [Beginner Weapon Proficiency]

{Common} [Beginner Magic Proficiency]

{Common} [Dash]

[Techniques]

N/A

[Magic]

N/A

Mason’s jaw hung open once more. Evolution? Techniques? His very own status window as well. Everything was moving so fast that he struggled to take it all in. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

I have to heal first, He thought, And deal with these Goblins. No matter the situation that screen or entity placed him in, he assumed using skills wouldn't be complicated. He closed his eyes and formed a picture of the status screen in his mind. Slowly, his focus locked onto Low Heal, and then his mental gaze approached the tier next to it. In his mind, he uttered the simple words

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

‘Upgrade to Sovereign tier.’

The change was immediate, and he could only feel slight exhaustion overtake his body and soul. The effect on his soul was impossible to describe. It was so otherworldly he failed to formulate it into words. The tiredness of his body, on the other hand, was akin to what one would feel after a light walk. He opened his eyes and noticed the Low Heal skill was gone, replaced with something much greater.

{Sovereign} [High-Speed Regeneration] (Regenerate any cut or wound instantly. This skill cannot regenerate limbs or vital organs. Regeneration will drain soul stamina based on the number of times used.)

Mason let out a relieved sigh, swiftly using the same method as before to activate the skill. A warmth permeated his chest, the flesh around the wound writhing and moving closer together until it was sealed.

“Wow,” Mason marveled at the incredible power of this skill, recalling how useful such a thing would have been in the military. He gritted his teeth, forcing horrific memories back into the void he locked them in,

“I should upgrade the Weapon Proficiency Skill next. I might be able to kill the Goblin’s without it, but just in case.” He attempted to activate Skill Upgrade, but another blue screen unfolded, interrupting his focus.

[Which weapon would you like to become proficient in?]

“Sword,” Mason blurted out, his heart racing faster as the Goblins began to turn. He thought about using teleport but felt it was too risky. He might accidentally teleport into a solid object for all he knew. Then, one noticed him. Its beady eyes locked onto Mason, gargled moans bursting from its slimy mouth as it seemed to notify the others. All heads snapped to Mason’s location,

“Shit,” He yelled, not letting the system finish its explanations. The Goblins began to run at him, their distance a few meters, so he had time before he was slaughtered. Hastily, he used Skill Upgrade. More exhaustion overcame his body and soul, the same as before.

{Sovereign}[Sword Master](A title reserved for one who has dedicated their life to the sword, and mastered it.)

Subskills:

[Sword of Sound] (Slash your sword at the speed of sound, unleashing a devastating shockwave, and blitzing most foes.)

[Sword Mastery] (Have knowledge of the sword equal to that of a sword master)

[Swift Step] (Move at incredible speeds. At full power this movement skill can allow the user to reach speeds greater than sound, however, this speed can be adjusted to cost less soul stamina and damage to the user's body.)

[Slash Projection] (Release a wave of energy in the shape of a sword slash. The size, power, and speed of this energy is determined by soul stamina used and soul power.)

Mason had no time to read everything, his eyes gazing upon the first subskill, using it immediately. The rusty sword one Goblin held, covered in cracks, was swung. Mason witnessed this blade pass through the blue screen in front of his eyes, inches away from his throat before the skill activated. His left arm shot upwards to the hilt of the sword at his back. His calloused fingers wrapped around the leather with incredible familiarity, like Mason had spent decades mastering the blade. Power permeated his body, the metallic screech of the blade delayed, as it moved faster than sound, slicing the goblin in half with ease. The sheer speed of this slash unleashed a powerful shockwave, knocking all Goblins back, their heads cracking like coconuts against the tough bark of the forest. The foliage rustled, some leaves and branches ripped apart violently,

“That was close,” Mason let out a relieved sigh, however, an unusual sensation struck him at that moment. His head snapped to his arm, the one responsible for such chaos and power. There was a startling sensation of emptiness, and behold, his eyes landed on a crimson stump, everything below the shoulder gone. Blood splattered, bathing the grass below red,

“High-Speed Regeneration,” Mason let out a pained groan. A mushy, almost slimy sound resounded as the stump vibrated, contorted until skin wrapped the wound. A powerful sigh escaped his lips,

“I guess that should've been expected. I still seem to be essentially a regular human. My arm probably moved at the speed of sound, no wonder it flew off.” Mason spoke through grunts of pain, took another deep breath, calming his mind, and planned his next course of action. He thought about immediately upgrading his healing skill to Divine or God tier but had no idea how such a thing would drain him. He was also worried most of his skills would injure him further. A world full of unknowns, universally different from his own, was a scary thing, yet inspired an almost childlike sense of adventure in Mason’s heart. He opened the system, its blue screen unraveling before his eyes. He scanned the list of skills.

[Skills]

{God} [Skill Upgrade]

{Sovereign} [Sword Master]

{Sovereign} [High-Speed Regeneration]

{Unique} [Teleport}

[Rare] [Silent Movement]

[Rare] [Enhance Strength]

[Rare] [Enhance Speed]

[Rare] [Harden]

[Rare] [Summon]

{Common} [Beginner Magic Proficiency]

{Common} [Dash]

One stuck out above the rest, at least for what he had in mind. Summon. It seemed like a straightforward skill on the surface, but its depths seemed to know no bounds, and prompted more questions than answers. Where did he summon these entities from? Would he have to tame them or would he be attacked on sight? He clicked his tongue.

“No matter the risks, I’ll upgrade it first and decide later. This skill would be perfect. I could have a trusted ally to protect me, and if they’re summoned with knowledge of the world, that would be even better.” His heart began to beat faster, excitement bubbling within. Upgrading it to the God tier might send him into unconsciousness or leave him debilitated, and for such a seemingly weak area of the world he was sent to, with puny Goblins, the Divine tier should suffice. With a simple thought, the skill ascended.

[Divine] [Summon] (Summon entities from a different dimension to assist you. The power of the entities summoned is limited by the skill tier but is influenced by the summoner's soul power. Any entity summoned will be unable to harm the summoner, and will be required to follow the command of the summoner, if the summoner desires.)

A surge of energy, tens of times greater than before drained from Mason's body and soul, leaving him momentarily disoriented as the world spun around him. The drain of energy from his soul was once again beyond words, but his body felt as if he had just run a dozen miles under a scorching sun. He sat in this exhaustion for a few seconds, waiting for his body and mind to adjust. With a resolute shake of his head, he refocused his attention to the skill.

Mason noted how this description answered some of his questions, and the last sentence eased some of his worries. With his remaining arm, he pushed his body up, the blades of grass feeling unusually sharp as he stood. Worried the corpses of the humans and goblins would attract more enemies, he wasted no time.

‘Summon’