More waiting and staring at the depths of his mind the System had occupied didn’t bring forth any messages. It was frustrating as whatever he had done to the skill had been very effective against the tiny parasites. He did feel a bit worse for wear mentally, but exerting so much control over the skill had been draining, even if it came more naturally than ever before.
His eyes grew wide. Was that the effect of his so-called will? It would be quite horrific if he had achieved manifesting it without meaning to, after all the failed attempts from before.
“Onward!” he called and didn’t wait for the two guards to follow. There was testing to be done!
It took them about twenty minutes to find another parasite. A fellow on the larger side. Alan smiled in anticipation as he looked at it, took out his staff, and prepared for a prolonged battle. His mind was feeling refreshed after the short break composed of wandering around and looking for test dummies. If will was considered to be another resource, then it took much less time than mana to be refreshed.
[Synaptic Failure] went off without a hitch, once again successfully undressing the parasite of its bark suit. Then, Alan started slowly barraging it with [Shadow Slashes]. He tried to do the same as he had with the skill and inserted as much control into each step of the formation of the blades before they were sent off to meet the monster. He didn’t overload them with mana though, wanting to minimize the damage.
The first few performed as each time before. The parasite was large, and the minimalist and uncharged [Shadow Blades] didn’t do that much to it apart from making small cracks appear upon its skin. The monster slowly inched forward and the telltale signs of a skill being activated made Alan prepare to dodge away.
Then, something clicked in his mind. The next shadow blade felt different and looked a bit darker – or maybe it was just his imagination. It crashed into the glass body and did all the things the skill typically did, creating a small crack where it had landed. Inconsequential amount of damage. The bodies of the parasites were not made to be cut.
However, something else followed. The glass that was unaffected by the force started falling in crystals as if the very molecules that were holding it were separating from one another. The process lasted a few moments before stopping. The damage was much more significant than the skill alone could inflict.
The parasite seemed surprised too as the mana revolving inside of it faltered before starting from the beginning. Alan dodged in time as a void hole appeared where he had been standing, then continued. With a small wave of the staff, he sent a small [Shadow Slash], then another, and another. They were as weak as possible, holding just a small sliver of mana. Yet, they carried the new effect too and it seemed to quickly add up.
As the shadows broke into the flesh of the parasite something else remained after they were gone. A shadow of a shadow, barely perceptible on the dark background of the monster’s body. It did damage that left the body of the creature much less smooth than before. Its already somewhat slow movements became even slower as pieces of it started breaking on their own.
It was fascinating to watch, but it looked almost like it was a form of torture. What effect would it have against a human? Alan squashed the thought down. He felt a bit scared that the prospect of testing this newfound effect of his mana on humans excited him.
The thoughts left a dark feeling in his chest and he quickly charged a few [Shadow Slashes] to the limit, before sending them off. It was becoming easier and easier to imbue the new effect, or his will into each cast. And it seemed to manifest stronger along with the skill. The shadow blades simply felt as if they were more… his. Not a tool, but an extension of his mind, a part of him.
He was careful to keep his distance and retreat as soon as he felt another ability being cast. He could dodge the void holes due to [Mortal Peril] as it went off each time he became the target of one. For its slow speed, the ability seemed to be very dangerous.
The other ability - the one that burned his mana was awful to deal with as well and Alan grew more and more appreciative of his staff and the extra range it provided.
By the time the battle was nearing its end, the parasite had reclaimed much of the bark coating. Alan didn’t care much for it as he wanted to see if his new ability would have any effect. And it did. While the bulk of the shadow blades he was sending off dissipated upon getting close to contact with the bark, a translucent shadow continued onward and washed over them like vapor.
The bark fell just the same as it did when he cast [Synaptic Failure], but it took Alan much less mana. The effect was very concentrated though, so most of the covering remained unaffected. The battle finally ended as the parasite’s body crumbled like it was made of dried bread. It was a strange, but welcome sight.
You have slain: Void Risen Parasite (56)
Level up!
You have reached level 45 in [Warlock]!
+ 3 Attribute Points
+ 1 Mind, Will, and Magic
Byrr was gazing at Alan with calculating eyes, while Feyrith seemed to have grown bored and was reading from a small book. This was Alan’s first time seeing a book in the new world, but a curious peek only made the elf close it with a grin and put it away behind his back.
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Not even in a spatial item?
Byrr half-grimaced, half-smiled as Alan went up to him, expecting to hear some new observations. The green man was surprisingly astute.
“You figured something out. Lucky bastard.” Was all he got though. There was no malice in Byrr’s words, only some bitterness and maybe a hint of respect. He then clapped Alan on the shoulder. “That’s good. In time you will become much stronger now that you can make things your own.”
“Was that what made them crumble?” The elf asked.
“I assume the last explosion just got overloaded with mana and your… personal touch. While the void bark of the parasites made most of the mana dissipate, it shouldn’t affect your will, as it is a different form of energy altogether, believe it or not.”
Alan somewhat agreed. It didn’t explain why his so-called will was able to do what only [Synaptic Failure] had achieved so far, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
He looked over the trait just in case he had missed something.
Trait: Broken One’s Will (Epic)
You persevere through hardship and pain, dancing between life, death, and disappointment and holding on only due to your strong will to live. Your path has left you scarred and broken, but you do not succumb. Wear your scars as weapons.
+20% to your Will attribute.
Mental attacks affect you less the closer you are to death.
It takes more to kill you than it would a regular human.
You gain the ability to manifest your Will (Unique) – an ability that is unique to whoever wields it. Project one’s true self upon the world.
Unique to whoever wields it… That was as simple as it got. So, he had gained an effect that wasshaped by his experiences, his history, and his perception of it all. At least, if that was a projection of what he believed his true self was, then…
Do I see myself as broken? Is that what the class suggested, then the new overpowered trait, and now this insinuates? Or, have I overcome it already, forcing it to become my strength?
It was logical to a certain extent. Weakness could become strength once one overcame it. Alan didn’t believe that people could fully free themselves from each of the wounds they had accrued through time. Accepting something and stopping it from further hurting you didn’t mean you deserved it. Scars remained, and they could become a type of strength.
If his previous weakness, which was somewhat behind him thanks to the meeting with the spirit and his current growth in power, was slowly turning into a strength that could boost his skills, then that was a welcome change. It didn’t look like the aura he added to the shadow blades was doing anything more than breaking apart their bodies though.
However, if it managed to function similarly against all enemies then he could technically start ignoring defenses such as the ones of the purespawn. It would certainly somewhat patch up one of his biggest weaknesses, which was the fact that he had only one way to attack things, not counting the enchantments. Overall, it was like a personal internal enchantment he could apply to his skills.
Maybe it wouldn’t be wise to try and apply it to the curse though, as his purpose was to connect to some strong entities he could use for additional support, and [Sacrificial Attack] in a pinch.
The three continued through the twisting paths between the hills. Alan managed to kill three more parasites of varying levels and reached level 47. He was quite excited about reaching level 50, even though he would certainly not be specializing in any way. The thought of [Pact] kept gnawing at his mind, and so did the bone in his inventory.
All that came to a stop as they walked into a small circular clearing, with some of the rare yellow flowers Alan had picked that one time. There were another two parasites here. Alan prepared to start the process of fighting, as two of the monsters were dangerous and he wasn’t planning on pulling any punches this time around. He froze as large metal orbs took both of their heads in the next moment, making them shatter like a glass vase all over the rocks behind.
“Oh, Alan! Sorry, did you want that one?” said a familiar voice. He looked up and saw… Kalyntha. She was sitting on one of the rocks, eating something reminiscent of a sandwich wrapped in a leaf. Her bright eyes were just the same as before. The demon had mentioned that there was something strange about her, but Alan still felt shaken to his core. He had watched her get brutally murdered, her body torn to pieces.
Maybe it was the Deathless Plate? And what were the chances of randomly running into the same person twice… even if this was just a small piece of the world?
“Uhm, hey, Kalyntha,” he mumbled, then cleared his throat. “Sorry for the blunt question, but didn’t you die?”
The girl’s eyes widened and she stared at him before giggling. “Yeah, that was a bitch! Who knew that lizard had it in him to plot something like that after I whacked him so many times? I don’t think you two were friends now, though.”
Riasko? Plotting? Friends?!
Alan must’ve looked lost as she jumped up and threw a bundle of something toward him. He caught it and looked down to see a similar-looking sandwich to the one she was eating. Two more bundles made their way toward Byrr and Feyrith.
“Thanks, miss.” Feyrith bowed.
“Yeah, thank you, lady,” Byrr said awkwardly.
The two didn’t seem to know her, or if they did they were not close. Kalyntha waved the thanks away. “You out on your first task? Good! You need to grow stronger. You were so cute and lost when I found you, glad to see you didn’t die!”
“Zirida helped me a lot,” Alan said. She had avoided answering his questions and instead only created new ones. How could the fearful lizard create a situation in which monsters would ambush them? It didn’t make sense! Then again, it also didn’t make sense for the monsters to know their location and ambush them as they had on their own.
“Ah!” Kalyntha clapped her hands. One of the metal balls circling her came over and dropped the crystals of the slain parasites in Alan’s hand. “For stealing them! And for watching me die. Must’ve broken your tiny [Warlock] heart to see me like that.” Her hand reached and ruffled Alan’s hair as if he was a kid. She was shorter than him!
This was Kalyntha all right. She giggled before turning on one heel, “Don’t worry! I don’t die that easily, and even if I do, I have spares! I will run now, gotta find that smelly lizard’s hideout. I’m curious what he’s planning. Call me if you see him!” And with that, she flew away.
“How the fuck would I call you?” was what Alan could mumble. She hadn’t given him a chance.
“You sure don’t waste time making weird friends,” Byrr said and dropped the last bite of the sandwich in his mouth.
“Do you know her?” Alan asked.
“Seen her around. She’s from some weird ass family of [Metalmancers]. Scary strong class. They have some sort of a bloodline too, from what I hear. Don’t know the details. Good for being on her good side. It’s a useful connection.” Feyrith explained.
I’m so goddamn lucky, yes.
There was nothing more to do than find the rest of the parasites he needed. With the two cores Kalyntha had given to him he had a total of 7 now. A small wealth that could let him build a wardrobe and even shop around a bit. He wondered if someone out there sold skills.
The three marched on…