The void faded, and his physical and mental weight drained away. He had returned to peak condition and was ready to face the world. He glanced over at the aquamarine doors. It was probably a boss of some kind. The promise of battle made his heart quicken. He shoved his desires aside and brought up his stats.

Name:

Emmanuel Agerico

Level:

14 F

Class:

Blade of Ruin

Stats

Strength: 134

Constitution: 112

Dexterity: 108

Agility: 149

Perception: 74

Wisdom: 134

Intelligence: 171

Unassigned attribute points: 12

skills

Swordsmanship:

Rank novice 10

Fire Magic:

Rank novice 4

Lightning Magic:

Rank Novice 3

Mana Manipulation:

Rank Novice 4

Iron Bones:

Rank novice 2

Iron skin:

Rank novice 5

Class Skills:

Enhanced splitting strike:

rank initiate 11

Unkillable Untiring Killing Machine: Rank Novice 1

Kinetic Absorption: Rank Novice 2

Mana Avenger: Rank Novice 1

__________________________

The Final Strike: Rank Novice 1

__________________________

The Gift of Gab:

Rank Universal

Analyze: Rank universal

Titles

Big Shot:

+5 to all attributes

Mover and Shaker: +10 to all attributes

System Heretic: +5% to all attribute points

Beaten but not Broken: +2 to all attributes

Forged Mental Foundation: +20 to intelligence and wisdom,

Heritage: +5 to all attributes

Legacy Progenitor: +10% to all attributes

Lesser Prodigy: +10 to all attributes

True Prodigy: +10% to all attributes

The First Step: + 25% to all attributes

Pathfinder + 5% to all attributes

Legacies

The Cataclysmic Swordsman: F

Grants to the holder of this Legacy

+25% to intelligence Agility

+15% to Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom

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

+10% to Dexterity, Perception

Sword adjacent skills increased by 250%, with 75% greater effect.

Fire magic and adjacent skills increased by 175%, with 50% greater effect.

Lightning magic and adjacent skills increased by 175%, with 50% greater effect.

Iron-Forged Body: G

+5% to all stats

His stats had taken a massive leap forward, mostly from the new levels, but the new title also helped. Mentally prodding it, he pulled up the description of the title.

Pathfoger

You have forged your path, disregarding all those presented to you. Not only have you created something uniquely yours, but you have also shown it to be the best.

+ 5% to all attributes

He had completely forgotten about his unassigned attribute points. Sure, the 4 points weren't a ton, but 12 certainly was. He felt well-rounded at this point. His current weaknesses were his ability to finish a fight quickly, and if that failed, the endurance to stay in it. As it stood he could either become an unbreakable wall or a decisive blow. He preferred to finish a fight quickly. So increasing his intelligence, strength, or agility would be best. His mana pool was not an issue, and he got plenty of intelligence from his class. He did get the same growth in agility as intelligence, but it was significantly behind. Alternatively, he could always use more strength.

He stretched, letting out a grown. He needed both agility and strength, so he split the points evenly between the two. Satisfied with his growth in the stats department, he drew his sword, he swung it, getting used to his new stats. Content, he sheathed his blade and turned to the doors. He stepped forward and opened the doors.

As the doors swung open, classical music blared, taking him aback. The room was filled with shadows, but as the music started to crescendo, a spotlight appeared. It illuminated a deer dressed in what looked to be a suit. The deer began to dance. Other spotlights descended and illuminated a dozen deer.

With the light provided by the spotlights, he was able to make out the room. It was rectangular, and a large staircase dominated the space. The stairs had paired platforms on the side. Each hosted a mage deer. At the top was the fancy fucker on an especially big platform.

The stairs had four levels. The first three levels had two large deer defending and blocking the stairs. The smaller platforms connected to the stairs at these points. The final level had the weird deer. It was still dancing and making a fool of itself.

Taking a breath, he drew his sword and ran forward. His first foot hit the stairs and used the leverage it provided to bound forward, clearing 7 stairs per step. He rapidly approached the first two deer defending the staircase. The deer raised their antlers and charged downward. He pushed Mana into his legs and leaped off the ground, jumping over their heads. Not expecting his maneuver, the two deer were unable to stop their momentum and tumbled down the staircase.

Without their defenders, the two mages were defenseless. In a blink, he reached the first, and using a splitting strike, he quickly dispatched it. The second was a bit more tricky, as it desperately escaped to the next flight. In a moment, he crossed the difference between them. With a ferocious slash, he loped off the deer's legs like spindly trees falling to a woodcutter's ax. It toppled to the ground, to ensure its death. He carveed open its side as he ran past. Its organs hit the stone with a disgusting squelch.

As he had dispatched to the two Mages, the Guardians had not sat idly by. Turning around, they began to charge upwards towards him. Mirroring their brothers on the ground, the two guards above him also charged. As the four deer approached, he took a breath. Pushing mana into his legs, he launched above the deer's heads. He felt the mana course around the mage's antlers. He responded in kind by pushing Mana into his sword and twisting, conjuring flames. His body was washed in a comforting heat as the water bullets blasted towards him. Taking a breath, he activated kinetic absorption and swung. The opposing elements collided. His fire sizzled, and the water steamed. The bullets pushed through his flames, hitting his torso. He was pushed back and began to flip head over heel. Trying to stabilize his tumbleweed behavior, he used a portion of the kinetic energy he absorbed to push off the air.

Unfortunately, by the time he had come to his senses, he had already reached the bottom of the stairs. As he stood up from his prone position, he felt the mana around all four of the mages and the weird deer. The mages in the back had been weaving up a storm while he had dealt with their brothers on the lower platforms. It seemed their work had come to fruition.

The deer in the spotlight struck a pose. A tidal wave began to form behind it. As it grew, Emmanuel realized the shit that he had stepped in. Looking for something to avoid the tidal wave, he found nothing. He prayed that he could make it to the main deer before it launched the spell. He rushed forward. To his annoyance, the four guardians that had blocked him earlier were still kicking. They formed a wall with their antlers blocking the entirety of the stairway. They looked ready for him. He doubted he could jump over again since he already tried that, but he could…

When he was 10 m away from the deer wall, he fluidly sheathed his sword, leaping to the side. He grabbed onto the edge of the stairs, his feet dangled over the blackness. He gulped, imagining the fall. Taking a deep breath, he levered himself to the side. Using his arms like a catapult, he launched himself forward.

As he flew through the air, the deer’s turned, giving him a rather comical expression. The moment he was behind their guard, he used his left hand to grab the side of the stairs, vaulted back on, and rushed forward.

Looking up, the tidal wave had already grown to 15 meters. Judging from the distance, he wouldn't make it in time. He smiled. The Mage deer were certainly annoying, but he had noticed whenever they cast a spell they froze. He pumped Mana into his sword. It grew and grew. Until it was 6 meters long. Such a blade was impossible for a normal human to wield. Not only would it have been well above what anybody could even lift, but its balance would be atrocious. Luckily, Mana didn't weigh anything. And his stats made the balance a non-issue.

Slicing horizontally, he cut both mages in half. As they fell, he heard the slosh of the tidal wave. It had shrunk, and now it was only 10 meters tall. Still a massive problem, but a more manageable one. Praying that the tidal wave needed to be a larger size before it could be launched, he continued to move forward.

The second line of Defenders was a problem. They spread out to cover the edges and were close enough to be able to block him. Praying that it wouldn't hurt too much, he channeled lightning. He had picked up the trick when he fought the shadow version of himself. The problem was he hadn't practiced. He knew that it was similar to conjuring flames around his sword. The problem was it was, well internal, and if he failed... well, best not to think about that. He created a spark around his heart. He imagined a tree stretching its tendrils throughout his body. Poring in the Mana, the spell forum sparked to life.

He felt energized and alive, and with redoubled speed, he moved. When he was 10 meters away, the deer began to move closer; he would make it. 8 meters away, his heart twinged with the pain. But he didn't let go of his death grip of the Mana. 4 meters away, the gap was now so tight that he would graze both deer as he passed. 2 meters away, he lost sensation in his toes. 1 meter away, the spell forum shook his very heart, rejecting it. As it beat, the Mana seemed to suck back into it. Then he was between the deer, and he let go of the spell form. The Mana had dissipated, and he felt a twang within his chest, but he had no time to contemplate his injuries. The tidal wave was now back to its former size. He reached for his sword and tried to push Mana into it. His Mana stubbornly denied him. It was as if there was a damn blocking the way. He tried again, and it failed. A 30-long centimeter strip of his skin peeled away, revealing charred muscle.

Once again Ignoring his injuries for the time being. He soldiered on. He made it to the final platform. Praying that his basic blade would be enough, he sliced forward. A shield popped into existence, and his sword bounced off. He struck it again and pushed kinetic energy into his sword. The shield shattered. And his arms cried blood. Screaming in rage and pain, he cut through the pompous deer's neck like a hot knife through butter; it hit the ground with a thud. He felt a raindrop, looking up; the tidal wave seemed to bulge as the tens of thousands of liters of water collapsed in on itself.

Hoping that his natural fortitude would be enough, he stabbed his blade into the ground and hung on to its handle. The water crashed into him, and his arm cried out in pain. He clenched harder. The water tried to push him down towards the darkness below, but he refused to let go.

The water drained downwards, leaving him tired, and a sopping mess on the floor. Using his blade as a crutch, he pulled himself up. With his right arm, he pulled the blade from its impromptu sheath and turned around to finish his foes. What greeted him was both an unhappy and joyous site. The two remaining mages, or what was left of them, were dead. After all, it looked as if their heads had simultaneously exploded like an egg in a microwave; unfortunately, the six Guardian deer looked chipper. He raised his blade and took a breath, readying himself for the next fight.