The first thing Azreal had made him do was be able to stand up and move without constantly falling around due to his wings. The extra weight had made his ability to move properly much harder and Azreal explained to him that his wings were like limbs that he needed to learn to use while also strengthening muscles that he never realised he had.
He was forced to stand in place and do wing exercises that were usually reserved for kids who needed to learn how to walk for the first time. It would have been embarrassing, getting instructions on how to move around, but he truly felt like a child in front of Azreal so he just took the instructions and applied his willpower to it. Wings kept high and off the ground, spread out then back in with them never touching the ground.
It was easier said than done and most of the time he failed miserably but he felt that if he just continued practicing he would get the hang of it in time. He was also told in time that he would be able to put the wings away and shift back into a human form, including losing the long canines, pointed ears and the overall adjustment to his physique.
“As you continue your exercises tell me everything about your status sheet that you remember without looking at it. Then once we know what you had before your last battle we will review the changes that have occurred from then to now before we continue to the next steps.” Azreal had been very clear that he was to use no mana until he said it was okay to. He had no idea why but he assumed it was because the last time he tried to use a skill he died, or kind of died?
He knew exactly what his status sh”et l’oked like, down to every skill and their level, so it wasn’t a hard task to repeat all of this out loud. Azreal made no comments as he spoke and waited until the end before he made comments.
“Both your class and profession are well suited to you which is good. Not upgrading either of them and moving into the D grade was a smart choice. Although us Nephilim make great use of our affinity and that can carry us a long way, not underestimating what our skills are capable of and how they can boost our strength and ability is key. Only the laziest of Nephilim ever ignored their class and profession and it severely impacted their growth.”
“I was told that I shouldn’t upgrade my class or profession until they were all maxed out, I was even provided an instance orb when I was in Alesgracia so that I could train my skills up to max. I never used it though, I haven’t had a need too as doing all the dungeon and focusing on maxing out my skills has done the trick. I had planned on leaving it in a school I started to help the younger generation get stronger without needing to risk their lives so much in a dungeon.”
“You made the right choice. An instance orb can be useful but it takes away from real fighting experience and can stunt your growth and critical thinking skills in battle. Putting it into a school though, that I approve of. It will help reduce the fatality rate of the young and not cause any harm at such a low level.” Azreal gave him a considering look as he continued his exercises. “Tell me, why did you start a school?”
As he continued practicing opening and closing his wings he explained his childhood and how he group up. He then moved onto what he found in his settlement with the orphanages and the reasoning behind giving them a place that was safe and how it grew into a full blown school.
“I am sorry you were forced to grow up the way you did. I applaud that you have taken that experience and made it into something that will help so many though. We Nephilim value our young over everything, we can not conceive easily, we cherish our children greatly. That seems to be reflected in you as well. Now I want you to pull up your notifications, start at the beginning so we can see exactly what has happened since your fight started and we shall finish with what changed when you came here.” Azreal explained earlier that this place was not dissimilar to an instance. When he broke through the heritage with all the mana, he was drawn into it as part of the legacy.
He took a breath before he brought up the first notification, knowing that these first few would be centred around when he got high on mana and changed his Stone Skin skill.
**Warning: Mana saturation has increased beyond body’s Mana Capacity. Remove excess Mana Immediately.**
**Warning: Due to exceeding the body’s natural capacity of Mana saturation Mana intoxication is inflicted.**
**Skill: [Advanced] Stone Skin (Level 33) has been sundered.**
**New Class Skill Creation: [Transcendent] Titan’s Body (Level 1) has been acquired.**
**[Transcendent] Titan’s Body: This skill allows the user to infuse their body with mana, resulting in a temporary transformation that increase strength, resistance and speed, turning the users body into that of a titan. Growth and period of activation is dependant on the amount of mana fed into the skill. Physical stats are increased depending on amount of mana used in skill.**
He was reading these aloud until he got to the skill name and rank. When he read these he stopped speaking and just reread the new skill several times. He had hoped that when he created the new skill he hadn’t ruined his class forever, at best he hoped for an Epic ranked skill, but Transcendent? This hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“Well? What is the new skill you created?” Azreal pushed him to keep speaking after a minute of silence.
“It’s a Transcendent skill. Titan’s Body. The description is…”
“No need to tell me the description, I know of the skill.” Azreal looked to be in dep thought for a moment before continuing. “You are lucky you didn’t experience a true death by creating it. It is a rare skill, very powerful for melee fighters. But be careful in how you use it, at your level you will experience backlash when the skill ends if you are not careful, especially while still E rank. We will need to do some testing. Now, continue on.”
**[Advanced] Elemental Shift (Level 112) has evolved into [Epic] Elemental Metamorphosis (Level 1)**
**[Epic] Elemental Metamorphosis: Through infusing your body with elemental power the user may morph their bodies either fully or partially into different forms, taking on powerful elemental forms that greatly increase stats depending on the element used.**
He had expected this one, sort of at least. He knew when he pushed mana into this skill that something had changed with it. He remembers growing a tail and horns at some point because of the change but he didn’t know what to think of it yet.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Perfect! This is a fantastic upgrade, one that will help you keep your cover as a Nephilim for a long while. You should be able to use your elements to change forms and that will confuse many people and throw off the scent of you being Nephilim. It was a personal favourite of a good friend of mine and with it combined with Titan’s Body you will be a formidable opponent as you continue to grow.”
**Heritage: Azreal’s Legacy has evolved**
**Azreal’s Legacy: The remnant’s of a lost power, passed on from generation to generation never awakening, Azreal’s Legacy is the hope of a long forgotten race that was hunted to extinction. The legacy provides the ability to more easily connect and harness all elements that make up the Multiverse, however the risk of doing so increases with each element bonded into an Affinity. The carrier of Azreal’s Legacy has been unbound by the awakening of this heritage, transforming the body, mind and soul in the hope that what was once lost can be found again. Through creating a circuit of power within you through, mixing the elements into a united force, you are unlocking the Nephilim Legacy left to you, increasing the strength of the body, mind and soul.
Through unlocking the Legacy further your connection to the Nephilim has grown stronger, forming an unbreakable bond to your kin and starting the two way bond between you and the remnant power of all Nephilim who had fallen and been combined to form Azreal’s Legacy. The power of the Nephilim before you has infused your body, starting the change of your race until you fully become one of the Nephilim.
Through breaking into a higher level of power further restraints on your body have been removed. Affinity are no longer set at preconceived levels and through embodying an affinity completely, connection between an affinity can increase as well as its grading.
Through sacrificing their life and power, Azreal has gifted his own power to the holder of his Legacy. As the Nephilim once known as Death, he leaves behind his strongest affinity to help guide you too a greater level of power in the hope that you will one day bring back his brethren from their self-imposed exile.
Strengthen the connection between the Nephilim and your world, with it you may fulfil the hope of the Nephilim.
+100% all stats, Race change, Affinity: Death**
As he read the change Azreal just nodded along. He had heard most of this from Azreal himself but it was still crazy to read it. What he hadn’t heard mention of though was the part where he gained the affinity of death.
“How…”
“Keep going through your notifications.”
**Race Changed: Human I has evolved into Hybrid Nephilim/Human I**
Actually, seeing the notification of his race changing made all of this feel much more real. He was no longer human. He couldn’t dwell on that right now, he would need to process that in due time as he never though of himself as anything more than a human with a heritage. This changed everything though.
**Affinity Detected: Death**
**Death (Affinity): Death is more than the absence of life, it is the connection to all that has passed into the Beyond. Through Death you may reap the souls of the lost, bring forth beings that lurk in the abyss and command the bodies of the fallen. The reaper of Death is feared across universes, but to one that holds command over Death you do not fear the end, as it is just a beginning. +500 Vit, +500 Soul, +50% Vit, +100% Soul**
He nearly vomited when he saw the stat increases from the Death affinity. They were so much higher than any affinity he bonded before that he was feeling faint just looking at them. How were they so much higher than his advanced affinity?
**Title upgraded: Elementalist to Divine Elemental**
** Divine Elemental: Having successfully bound a Divine level Affinity you have taken up the mantal of having Divine power over an element. Title upgradable. +100 to all stats, +50% to all stats**
And just by reading the upgrade to his title he knew the reason behind why the increases from the Death affinity were so high. Divine.
“And now you know why this was meant to be for when you got to B grade.” He barely heard Azreal speak. He was till just staring at the word. Divine. “The amount of stat increases alone will take a long time for you to adjust to, more than that you have been given as much of my Death affinity as I could. It took centuries for me to cultivate Death to the Devine level. Even longer afterwards to get to Ancient. You have no way to control such a high level affinity, not at E grade. We are lucky you aren’t truly dead outside of here. Our main focus is getting you to control Death so you don’t instantly die when you awake. Now, bring up your status screen and see the changes. Read them all out again.”
He really had fucked up, it all now made sense. The moment he used any mana, no mater how small, he ended up flooding his body with Death energy and killed himself. That’s what happened when he tried to use his echo, even a skill that didn’t use his affinity ended up with his death. He needed to take several deep breaths to calm himself before he brought up his status sheet, knowing that the changes would be ridiculous. When he calmed down as much as he could he did what Azreal asked and brought up his status screen, nearly passing out when he did.
Status:
Name: Shaun Clermont
Race: Hybrid Nephilim/Human I
Level: 118
Class: [Advanced] Elemental Blade Slinger – Level 124
Profession: [Advanced] Elemental Creator – Level 112
Health Points:42675/42675
Stamina:21771/21771
Mana:103530/103530
Stats: (Available Points: 48)
Strength:
2024
Dexterity:
2115
Endurance:
2177
Vitality:
4268
Intelligence:
2156
Perception:
2100
Willpower:
2158
Soul:
10353
Affinity:
Divine: Death
Basic: Earth, Fire, Nature, Air, Water
Advanced: Lightning, Ice, Magma
Titles:
New Initiate, Apex Predator, Planetary Forerunner, Divine Elemental, Expert Solo Dungeoneer, Emperor, Impossible Feat. Mana Body, Mana Mind
Heritage:
Azreal’s Legacy (Hidden)
Skills:
Class:
[Advanced] Blade Mastery (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Earthen Echo (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Enhanced Mind (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Elemental Strike (Level 125 – MAX), [Transcendent] Titan’s Body (Level 1), [Epic] Elemental Metamorphosis (Level 1), [Advanced] Elemental Summons (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Mirrored Elemental Blade (Level 125 – MAX)
Profession:
[Advanced] Elemental Fusion (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Creators Control (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Element Coercion (Level 110), [Advanced] Meditation (Level 125 – MAX), [Epic] Mana Mastery (Level 93), [Advanced] Runic Scribe (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Elemental Storage (Level 53), [Advanced] Creators Plan (Level 125 – MAX), [Advanced] Creators Domain (Level 72)