I drifted endlessly, floating in an ocean of black ink, with no beginning or end. The air is thick, cold, and still, as though the world itself is holding its breath. Soft, melodic echoes resonated faintly, indistinct voices weaving in and out of your consciousness. The sky above is a swirling mass of black clouds, streaked with shades of deep violet and indigo that spoke of world-ending power long-forgotten.
I felt no fear, only a sense of curiosity and wonder as to where I am. I tried to rise from the ocean and the entire world seemed to froze along with myself, gripped by an unfathomable presence that bore down upon me as if judging my very being.
I jolted awake, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath as raw panic surged through me like a tidal wave as I checked my surroundings. I realized that it has probably only been a few minutes or less since I collapsed. Disregarding my state, a notification hovered in front of me
Your Trademark has Awakened.
[Phantom Whisper] (Awakening - Grade E)
Well, that’s neat though I have no idea what changed. Before any self introspection, I slowly pulled myself up and climbed the tree again. There was something I had momentarily noticed during the fight with the Feral Prowlers that I want to confirm.
I reached the spot on the breach and found the blood of the prowler leader splattered across the leaves in front. Its body dangled from the branch at the spot where I previously slain them from. I got closer and looked up.
The tree has dense foliage with many thick branches sprouting at different heights from the trunk. I keenly gazed till I found what caught my eye before. A fruit of some kind, well concealed from view and shrouded in leaf-like peels hung close to the peak of the tree.
The fruit is almost directly above me, making it harder to hit its tether without damaging it. I climbed to a higher branch and walked towards its edge so I could get a better striking angle. I crouched low, aimed the bow high and took aim pulling the nocked arrow back. With a deep exhale, I released the arrow which whizzed through the leaves and struck the fruit’s tether. Success
I caught the fruit mid-air as it dropped down, bouncing through the branches. It is about the size of an apple completely encased in layers that resemble green leaves.I casted Identify
[Fruit of the Dawnspire Cedar]: Enhances Constitution
Well that’s a welcome bonus. I removed the outer layer and took a bite. It burst on my teeth releasing such a sweet refreshing juice that I took a moment to steady myself. It didn’t stop there. As it went down, I felt an invigorating coolness that felt like washing away my fatigue. I opened my eyes to see that I had swallowed the rest of it whole without even realizing. Damn, that felt almost too incredible to be real
Upgrade: Constitution +1
Wow, just from one fruit? I climbed to a branch that stood higher and jumped from one side to another till I spotted another one.
*Thwack* It didn’t last more than two seconds in my hands. It felt like a chilly balm to the wounds in the back and I could sense them rapidly mending.
I could see no more of the fruits on this tree. I was tempted to go around climbing the nearby trees to find more of these but with the fading light of dusk, it would be harder to spot them and I would rather focus on getting through the first night in this place.
Finally, I checked the remaining notifications I dismissed earlier.
Upgrade: Identify Lvl9 -> Lvl10
*Monster Slayed - Feral Prowler - Lvl 11*
Level Up 8 -> 9
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Upgrade: Strength +2, Perception: +2, Dexterity + 1, Additional Stat Point +1
*Monster Slayed - Feral Prowler - Lvl 16*
Upgrade: Will +1
Upgrade: Dexterity +1
*Monster Slayed - Feral Prowler - Lvl 12*
*Monster Slayed - Feral Prowler - Lvl 12*
Level Up 9 -> 10
Upgrade: Strength +2, Perception: +2, Dexterity + 1, Additional Stat Point +1
Additional Ability Slot Unlocked. Choose one of the following:
Guided Arrow of Eidikos (E): The Eidikos marks his target and fires an arrow that homes in on its target, curving around obstacles if needed.
Explosive Arrow of Eidikos (E): The Eidikos fires an arrow tipped with an explosive charge, potentially dealing area damage and knocking back his enemies
Phantom Blink Shot (E): The blink shot of Phantom Whisper enables the wielder to instantly teleport to where it lands
These are all amazing abilities. I instantly knew what I would pick but calmed myself down.
“Take a deep breath in. Think this through” I muttered to myself. Guided Arrow is pretty good to target even hard to hit weak spots of the fast targets. The prowler felt pretty elusive at that short range and steep angle. The [Phantom Whisper] is sturdy enough that it lacks the maneuverability that shorter and lighter bows have. This would enable me to fight any elusive and agile beasts in the future
Explosive Arrow sounds even better as it could potentially hit multiple enemies and the knockback would help…
You have unlocked [Phantom Blink Shot (E)]
Goddamnit! I promised myself to think this through. What kind of system are you - allowing to select based on a moment’s weakness. Can’t you ask for confirmation at least?
I mean, I would have still picked that one after all the internal yapping anyways. I desperately lack any means to escape or evade stuff right now. And most importantly, it looks like an incredibly cool ability!
It felt like so many changes have happened since I last checked my Status. I took a quick scan
Name: Rokthar Dreseus
Level 10
Title: Fight Above Paygrade (Grade E)
Inherited Title: Eye Of The Dronawk (Grade A); Cover Of The Grixivyne (Grade A)
Age: 17
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: Eidikos of Nexyna
Trademark: Phantom Whisper (Awakening - Grade E)
Stats:
Strength: 26
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 12
Wisdom: 5
Perception: 27
Will: 11
ASP: 5
General Skills:
Identify Lvl 10
Active Skills:
Phantom Shroud (E): The Shroud of Eidikos allows the user to move quickly and quietly through the environment
Silent Arrow of Nex (E): Specialized technique of Nexyna that allows Eidikos to dampen the sound of arrows fired.
Phantom Blink Shot (E): The blink shot of Phantom Whisper enables the wielder to instantly teleport to where it lands
Charged Shot of Phantom Whisper (Unique): The Phantom Whisper enables Eidikos to channel their strength and focus into a single arrow, increasing the power and range of the shot
Passive Skills:
Bow Mastery (D): Grants wielder minor proficiency with handling bows. Minor bonus to accuracy, range and damage when wielding a bow
I inspected my bow, trying to figure out what ‘Awakening’ meant. I had observed it slowly transforming over time. When I initially got it, it looked to be made of plain wood with the bare minimum details necessary to call it a bow. Now, it looks like something crafted from fine ash wood and has a slight curve at its tips. Subtle etchings of some kind of mythical beasts run along its limbs. The bow string felt soft to touch yet carried more tension than before. And I could feel something else as I held it..something conscious like a faint whisper.
I’ve got more than enough time to figure this out later. There’s one other thing I can’t resist any longer—I have to try my new ability right now.