Sitting down on one of the seats of the ship, Sam closed his eyes and meditated. As the ship took off, he checked his stat sheet. It had been some time since he had done so.
Sam Atlas
Human:F Rank
Mortal Tier
F Rank
Class:Greater Dao Visionary
Level 56
(20 stat points unspent)
Strength
141
1.48x
Constitution
135
1.48x
Resilience
132
1.48x
Dexterity
127
1.48x
Intelligence
154
1.48x
Wisdom
190
1.48x
* Health 2025/2025
* Mana 2310/2310
* Stamina 2115/2115
* Road to Zenith
Stage 1
* Dao
Dao Fragment of Righteous Anger(Second Step)
* Skills
1x Uncommon, 1x Rare, 2x Epic, 4x Legendary, 2x Mythical
* Titles
1x Mythical, 1x Celestial
* Temporary Titles
1x Epic, 1x Legendary, 1x Mythical
* Dao Heritage
Dao Incarnation of Existence
* Party
None
* Skill Branches
Muscle Density Enhancement(Level 1)
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Basic Weapon Knowledge:Blunt(Level 1)
* Weapon Style
Flowing Water Style
* Weapon Mastery:Implement Stage 5
* Elemental Affinities
Earth:5% Mastery
* Quests
The Sacred Bond:Impossible
Engines of the End Time:S
Rise of the Titans:S
Sam had 20 stat points banked up, which was enough to get him 30 points into any stat that he wanted. He considered banking the points further, but then shook his head. Leveling up would only grow harder as time went on, and he needed every edge that he could get. Interestingly enough, his physical stats were quite far behind his mental ones, despite the fact that he was a predominantly physical fighter. The effects of his first class were still making themselves known.
Sam thought about which stat to place the points in, eventually deciding on Strength. It had always been the focus of his fighting style, and it was not getting anywhere near the attention that it deserved. Sam slotted the points in, and smiled as he felt the sudden surge of power course though his body. He felt like he could lift a train with one hand, and break skyscrapers with a single punch. As the euphoria dissipated, Sam was left with one certainty. He was a lot stronger than he had been a few seconds ago. He did not have any opportunity to test it as of the moment, but he was looking forward to it later on.
Sam closed his stat sheet, and began to meditate on his Dao. He was making his way towards the next stage step by step, and he would be damned if he didn't make his best effort to get there. His Dao was already one of the most essential parts of his powerset, and if he could make it even more powerful, then he would be unstoppable.
Sam meditated on the concept of his Dao for a while, whiling away the time until they reached the city. It was almost as if he was back on Old Earth, in a plane crossing the Pacific ocean. Only the withered creature controlling the ship was any indication of that not being the case.
As Sam thought about his Dao, he realized that with his new class, perhaps it was time to expand his repertoire of Daos somewhat. He was almost immune to the effects of opposing Daos now, so he would be able to do whatever he wanted. The only question was, what would be a good Dao for him? Sam wanted something that would empower his weapon, and he wondered if there was something that he could find that related to blunt weapons. He had certainly spent enough time with them to be able to create a Dao. Sam could sense that specific Daos in that area were higher up the chain, but he could feel a few basic ones that might be useful. At the Mote level, most of the Daos were either metaphysical concepts, or minor physical ones.
Sam could feel a connection to the Dao Mote of Resolve through his weapon, and he saw that it would suit him well. Blunt weapons were not flashy or quick, but they got the job done no matter what. That was at the essence of what Resolve truly meant.
Sam started to direct all of his metaphysical Dao aptitude towards the task of creating his new one, drawing upon the full power of his Dao heritage and multiple bonuses for the comprehension of Daos. To him, it felt like he was swimming through thick mud as he struggled to artificially create a Dao, but he could tell that anyone else would have been slack jawed in amazement if they would experience this. Unlike what would normally happen, where Sam had been on the brink of a breakthrough before actually forming his Dao, he was trying to synthesize that for himself. To do that, he needed to understand what the concept he was striving for truly was, as well as provide that extra kick of energy that usually came from near death experiences. Finding the concept was easy, it was finding the energy that was hard.
Sam lost all track of time as he gathered power from deep within himself to weave together what he saw the idea of resolve as within him. As shimmering nets of energy sank into his cores, carrying small chunks of insight with them, Sam understood what resolve truly meant to him. It was the will to carry on past when others would have given up. It was what allowed a person to do anything in their life. Different applications led to different results, but at its innermost meaning, it was the ability to act. One could not live without the will to live, the ability to keep going despite hardship and adversity. As Sam envisioned this, a white light shone through his core and mind, transporting him away to another world.
Sam was hovering in the air above a dingy room, filled with spectators. In the center of that room, standing within a makeshift arena, a man faced off against a monster. The man was covered in blood, and one of his arms was bent backwards at an unnatural angle, but he stood there regardless, panting heavily as he cautiously watched the creature opposite him. It was some sort of werewolf, with a canine head and a humanoid, heavily furred body. Its claws and jaws were red with blood, the man’s blood, and it was panting in excitement.
It flashed across the room, the speed almost that of Sam’s, and lashed into the man’s hastily raised arms. He was sent spiraling backwards, crashing into an invisible barrier. Groaning, he pushed himself off the wall, with a herculean effort.
“Brother, I will never hurt you,” he said, a tear rolling down his cheek. “You are not responsible for what these people have done to you.” He pulled out a small dagger from his belt, one that glowed with power to Sam’s eyes, and threw it away. “Here. Kill me. I would rather die than spill your blood.”
The werewolf grunted in confusion, and it suddenly started to howl in anger as it realized something. A heavily jeweled, foppish man paled on his lavish seat near the side of the arena. He started to get up, but the werewolf launched himself forwards and shattered the shield with one hand. As it started to rip into the people there, Sam’s vision ended. He found himself back on the ship, with a new notification waiting for him.
You have gained a new Dao!
Dao Mote of Resolve
Resolve is the measurement of a man’s meaning in life. One cannot live without it, and few possess it in any appreciable quantity. It is not something that can be bought, only earned, and one’s possession of it is the highest mark of status that can be displayed. To be resolute is to be the best version of yourself that you can be. To be resolute is to stand strong against all adversity. You possess this quality. Use it well.