~~~Lee~~~
Lee remembered what had happened when he drifted back to wakefulness. He remembered the mana... and the burning.
He knew what mana burn felt like. He knew very well. This wasn't that.
It was so much worse.
Luckily, he had a bunch of notifications to explain to him exactly how much he'd messed up.
Debuff Gained: [Mana Burn]
Debuff Upgraded: [Mana Scorched]
Debuff Upgraded: [Mana Incineration]
Debuff Gained: [Channel Rupture]
That sounded... bad? Like, really bad. It also explained the blinding pain.
There were other notifications. A lot of them. Lee ignored them and focused on the only thing that might save him now.
Cores.
Someone had helpfully piled a lot of E-grade cores all over his body, and Lee started accepting the notifications each one offered.
He felt each core as it dissolved into his flesh, the energy flowing like acid through to his own core. Luckily, he was already in so much pain that a little more barely registered.
Evolution to E-grade Begun.
Lee abruptly found himself in the void. It wasn't as bad as when he'd died. This void had glowing orbs to liven it up. A bunch of them in a variety of colors.
The absolute best part was that he could no longer feel his body.
He did nothing for a while. Content to just bask in the absence of pain. Then he checked the first option, his fear warring with the hope that he may or may not find something to save him. F-grade had worked out okay, so odds were good.
[Mana Conduit](E-grade Human)
Stay the course and stick with the choices that defined you as you ascend to the next stage.
You have stepped onto the path of the Conduit. Continue on this path and revel in the tumultuous flow of your mana as it burns away your enemies.
This will not change your future evolution options.
Traits: [Adaptable(69%)] [Source Nexus] [Conduit]
Lee stared at it. No option to go back to pure human? Was it because he would die without the source nexus trait? Did the system know that now and not before? Was it because the trait name had changed?
He checked the trait to see if anything had changed.
[Conduit]
Liquid Mana flows through you like the blood in your veins.
-50% Mana Burn
+100% Liquid Mana Capacity
+100% Liquid Mana Channel Capacity
Nothing different... Of course, the real question was would it fix his debuff? The evolution to F-grade had felt like his entire body had changed... So maybe? He went to the next option.
[Rune Bound](E-grade Human)
You have embraced the Rune magic of your class. You are Runic.
You have created a legendary Rune structure. You are Legend.
You have bound a Rune to your own flesh. You are the Rune.
You have used that Rune to survive where otherwise you would not. You refuse to die.
You have bound hundreds of Runes. Bind them All.
You have created a Soul-Bound Rune for another. You will Protect.
You have nearly destroyed your Mana Channels with over channeling. You refuse to stop.
Step onto the path of the Rune Bound and spread your Runes across the world. Evolve your flesh-bound rune to replace the damaged mana channels and evolve your body to accept runes more readily in the future. Then use that power to thrive as you ascend to a higher grade.
Altered Traits: [Adaptable](64%) [Conduit] = [Rune Bound]
From what he saw here, it looked like this option might actually help with the new debuff... He checked the trait.
[Rune Bound]
You ruptured your Liquid Mana Channels by channeling more mana than they could withstand. Then you channeled more.
You have adapted to survive by converting your flesh-bound rune into a permanent conduit for your mana.
You are now immune from Mana Burn, but your mana channeling capacity is limited to what can flow through the rune.
Effects:
-100% Mana Burn
-10% Effectiveness of All Physical Attributes
+100% Liquid Mana Capacity
-90% Liquid Mana Channel Capacity
He wasn't sure what to make of it. Obviously, it was good. It was also a solution for his debuff—by using his skeleton rune to channel mana? That's what it sounded like... He would become immune to mana burn but also lose a lot of channeling capacity. Did it really matter if he channeled slower?
Maybe. There were more options waiting, so he kept looking.
[Mana Born](E-grade Human)
You have embraced Liquid Mana in all of its volatile fury. You are born of Mana.
You have the skill of Mana Mind. Your mind is Mana.
You have killed thousands with Liquid Mana. They will all Burn.
You have repeatedly burned yourself with Liquid Mana. You will Burn.
You have evolved a Liquid Mana skill. You control Mana.
You have ruptured your Mana Channels with over-channeling. You do what you must.
Step onto the path of the Mana Born and do more than survive. Evolve your flesh to wield ever more Liquid Mana. Then use that power to thrive as you ascend to a higher grade.
This will reduce your future evolution options.
Altered Traits: [Adaptable](59%) [Conduit] = [Mana Born]
Another solution to the problem... taken in a slightly different direction.
[Mana Born]
You ruptured your Liquid Mana Channels by channeling more mana than they could withstand. Then you channeled more.
You have adapted to survive by converting your flesh into a conduit for your mana.
You are now much less susceptible to Mana Burn, but over-channeling will now also directly damage your physical form.
Effects:
-90% Mana Burn
-90% Effectiveness of All Physical Attributes
+500% Liquid Mana Capacity
+500% Liquid Mana Channel Capacity
Did it mean he wouldn't have mana channels? His whole body would be a channel? It reduced the mana burn while also increasing his total capacity by a factor of five. At least compared to the old trait. How that would work at a higher grade, Lee didn't know, but it had to be even better.
He checked the next one.
[Mana Soul](E-grade Human)
You have delved deeply into the magic of Liquid Mana and the Soul. I will bind the world in my Soul.
You have the skill of Runic Soul Storage. I hold Liquid Mana in my Soul.
You have the unique attribute of Twin-Soul. I am more than One.
You have used your Twin-Soul to empower the flesh. I am more than Flesh.
You have used your Twin-Soul to empower others. I will protect them All.
You have used your Twin-Soul to create a legendary structure. I will Create.
You have used your Twin-Soul to wield Source and survived when you should not. I will not Die.
Step onto the path of the Mana Soul and lean into your greatest power. Evolve your flesh to wield ever more Liquid Mana, supplemented with your Twin-Soul. Then use that power to thrive as you ascend to a higher grade.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
New and Altered Traits: [Adaptable](55%) [Conduit] = [Soulforged Mana]
This one was... different. It used his soul. Or rather, their Twin-Soul.
[Soulforged Mana]
You ruptured your Liquid Mana Channels by channeling more mana than they could withstand. Then you channeled more.
You have adapted to survive by converting your flesh and soul into a conduit for your mana.
You are now almost immune to Mana Burn. Your limits only defined by the strength of your Twin-Soul.
Effects:
-90% — -???% Mana Burn
-90% Effectiveness of All Physical Attributes
+1000% — +????% Liquid Mana Capacity
+1000% — +????% Liquid Mana Channel Capacity
It was better. Worryingly so. Was it bad to use his soul like this? Or just how things worked? No one else he knew had unlocked the soul attribute. Did that mean having it unlocked was special? It had to be better than not, right? He mulled over that question while moving to check the next orb.
[Legendary Architect](E-grade Architect)
You have created a Soul-Bound Rune structure capable of holding and sustaining your mind without the need for flesh. I will Survive.
You have repeatedly damaged your flesh nearly to the point of death. I will last Forever.
Give up on the flesh and humanity. Join with your creation and become an Architect. Evolve your mind and soul to dwell within a Rune Structure of your own design; Three.
New and Altered Traits: [Adaptable](25%) [Conduit] = [Mana Architect]
It wanted him to become... a building!?
[Mana Architect]
You ruptured your Liquid Mana Channels by channeling more mana than they could withstand. Then you channeled more.
You have adapted to survive by forsaking your flesh and merging your mind and soul into a much more suitable conduit for your mana.
As an Architect, you are immune to Mana Burn. The claimed Liquid Mana Well is the only limit on your Mana Capacity.
Effects:
-100% Mana Burn
Liquid Mana Capacity = Liquid Mana Well
+100000% Liquid Mana Channel Capacity
That was just insane. Not what it would do for him, which was substantial, but that it was even an actual option. Would he be able to do what Three did now? Could he kill enemies with rebar and exploding cement? What would that feel like?
Theories aside, it was not something he would choose. Sure, it might let him protect everyone better... Hell, it might be just the thing to make himself unkillable. Maybe even the best way for him to help Stanley...
But... to become a building? That was... It was just too much. It was too far from everything he knew. He couldn't do it. I'm sorry, Stan.
Stanley probably wouldn't want him to do it either. Would Lee even care about the same things as a building? There'd be no more breakfast burritos... Would he even want to protect anyone?
It was a fun idea to think about. An abstract one that he'd never test, like the one before that offered to turn him into a beast.
Maybe someday he'd find someone else who turned into a building. He could ask them what it was like.
Aside from that, there was one remaining orb for his evolution options. A blindingly bright one that Lee had a bad feeling about.
[Source of Power](E-grade Human)
You have claimed a Source and wielded it while still in F-grade. I have the Power.
Burn Bright. Obliterate All who stand in your way. Burn All to Nothing. I am the Power.
Take up the Power trapped inside you and become a god as you Burn. Do as you Wish. Unstoppable to the End.
New Trait: [Source]
It was a trap. It had to be. The system was trying to kill him... It didn't come out and say it, but all those mentions of Burning were a pretty bad sign. Unstoppable to the end... yeah, right!
Lee shook his head at the option. He may not remember much about using the source, but he remembered enough to know that E-grade couldn't possibly be strong enough to wield it safely.
That left him with only one real option. Well, maybe two? The rune one would let him keep his physical attributes mostly intact at the cost of mana channeling, but it didn't mention if the change would take away his unbreakable skeleton or not... If so, that would suck. Though it might still be possible to reapply it... maybe?
The mana and soul options were almost identical. Just a question of whether he needed his physical attributes or more mana?
That last run with Alejandro might very well be his actual last if he cut his physical attributes down. But he didn't even want to hunt monsters, right? He was more useful as an enchanter now.
Only... did an enchanter need higher mana channeling?
What would his mana blast turn into if channeling was bound by the rune? The blasting skill had saved him twice now. Though that last time was a bit rough...
Would it be weaker? Slower? Would that make it less useful and powerful, or more? Could he still kill giant snakes if so? Did he even need to kill anything himself if he could enchant everyone to be stronger instead?
Lee liked his mana blast, despite the unfortunate aftereffects it sometimes earned him. It was a trump card that, so far, had destroyed all that it went up against. He didn't want to lose it if he didn't have to. It was his own mistake that hurt him this time... not the skill itself.
That reasoning pushed him toward the other option. That, plus some other theories.
His power stemmed from his class, which used liquid mana and soul. So it stood to reason that going the route of both was better than picking one over the other. Not only that, but from what the choices offered, it looked like adding his soul to the mix improved his returns by more than double.
He wasn't even sure what those question marks meant. His soul stat looked the same, but he was clearly using his soul despite not having the actual numbers. So, theoretically, his total mana might be significantly higher than the low end it showed...
Plus, his physical attributes wouldn't be that bad with the bonus from his source title...
Lee didn't have much more time to debate the issue with himself. There was a kind of pressure growing... and he knew he couldn't stay in this place.
So he made a choice.
You do not hold full dominion over your Twin-Soul. All involved parties must agree.
All parties agreed.
Evolution to [Mana Soul](E-grade Human) has begun.
Stanley didn't even hesitate... Unfortunately, Lee came back to his body for the evolution. Only this time, his Mana Mind worked through the entire process.
It let him see his ruptured mana channels. Then let him see the channels dissolve away—what was left of them. The dense mana that had already been leaking out now spilled forth to run rampant through his body. It flooded him, turning his flesh into a soup of mana, with only the core at his center standing out.
Luckily, it didn't stay that way.
The mana filling his flesh slowly vanished into that same flesh, changing it. More energy flowed from his core while that happened. Not mana this time, but something... more. Something very much like the energy inside each monster core he'd absorbed.
More energy burst out of his cells. Burst from every part of him... and added to what he already was... made him... More.
It hurt too much at first to focus on anything, but as the pain diminished, Lee started in on his notifications.
Invaders Defeated. Hidden Dungeon: [Greenfield's Dreaming End] Successfully Defended. Contributions Earned. Dungeon Area Protected from Targeted Invasion.
Rebuild. Rearm. Prepare to Defend the Dungeon.
Area Buff Earned: [Victory](6:20:45:16)
That one was the most important, but not a major worry for Lee. Because he was very aware of the fact that everyone he cared about was fine. Thanks to one of his skills.
Mana Mind had... changed. Somewhere in the process of his evolution, while he was distracted watching his own body, it had grown.
The skill hadn't leveled, but it now reached over the entire building; a good fifth of the entire complex was visible to him.
Lee could see Maria outside his front door, watching over the children in the courtyard. Children who were taking turns riding around on a runed and hovering plate—one they shouldn't have.
He left that alone for now and focused on the fact that he could see Maria's mana. All of it. Including her core. There was no more aura keeping him out. On anyone. Not even Mar, whom he could see pacing outside an apartment on the far side of Three. Or Bradley, who looked to be passed out inside the apartment. His feet looked weird. Like too much earth mana, all packed in and around his flesh. It would have been more concerning if Lee couldn't see it trickling away at a steady rate.
Seeing all of them and their mana was giving him ideas of new things to try... The Mana Mind upgrade would definitely help, and in more ways than one.
The next notification was also interesting.
Liquid Mana Blast has reached the Level 10 Threshold. Evolution Available. Upgrade Available.
Lee checked the evolution option. Because why not?
Liquid Mana Beam (Epic)
Point at your problems and make them go away with extreme prejudice.
User fires all available liquid mana in a narrow beam of destruction.
Skill Level Effects (Basic)
+2% All Mind Attributes
+2% Channeling Speed
He wasn't sure what the difference really was... but a smaller blast radius might make it safer to use around other people. That was probably a good enough reason to go with it. Plus, it was epic instead of rare. That meant it was better. Right?
Liquid Mana Blast (Rare) Evolved into Liquid Mana Beam (Epic)
Lee moved on.
Distributing Contribution Rewards.
Title Upgraded: [First Time?]
[First Time?]
You have successfully defended against an invading force more than once.
Effects:
+20% Effect of All Base Attributes while within an active dungeon.
One Random Skill Shard. Epic or lower rarity. Claim? Y/N
Your contributions have exceeded Wilson Chambers. Lee Cascade promoted to Fort Commander. Wilson Chambers demoted to Vice Commander.
Hah! I win! Lee enjoyed the feeling while simultaneously regretting it. He was in charge again. Hooray? Hopefully Wilson wouldn't be too upset to keep helping.
But how the hell did he get so much contribution? He was pretty sure he'd killed only a handful of monsters at most before taking himself out of the fight. Or did he get credit for Three's kills, too?
Mana Mind let him see a plethora of damaged spots around the building where rebar and cement jutted all over the place. Most of it was on the outside, including a few spots on the roof... The garage looked messed up, too. Thanks, Three. I owe you.
Though... hadn't Three been the one to give him too much mana? Or was he giving it too much agency?
Lee still didn't know exactly how the building worked... It had killed monsters while he was unconscious and while he was away dealing with the flies. So it had some autonomy. At the very least, it was akin to a computer. Though he should really do some experimenting...
He also wanted to summon his random skill immediately, but that might require moving... so Lee tried twitching a finger.
It moved.
He opened his eyes and sat up. He wasn't as weak as he'd feared because of that trait. It definitely wasn't as bad as negative attributes. Not even close. Even though, technically... he would be at negative percentages now if not for the source title. Of course, negative percentages were a far cry from actual negatives.
Status
Name: Lee Cascade
Race: [Mana Soul](E-grade Human)
Titles: [F-grade Source] [First Time?] [Swarm Chaser]
Traits: [Adaptable](55%) [Source Nexus] [Soulforged Mana] [Ley Line Attuned] [Runic Resonance] [Runic Augmentation] [Source Burned]
Class: Runic (Legendary) - Level 37 (Intermediate)
Class Skills: Artistic Rune Shaping (Epic) - Level 49 (Intermediate) | Rune Soul Storage (Epic) - Level 23 | Soul Infusion (Epic) - Level 9
Attributes:
Strength: 120(+270%)444
Vitality: 120(+270%)444
Dexterity: 120(+270%)444
Wisdom: 120(+1070%)1404
Intelligence: 120(+1070%)1404
Willpower: 120(+1070%)1404
Twin-Soul ???(+???%)???
Non-Class Skills(3/6):
Liquid Mana Beam (Epic) - Level 10 (Basic) | Liquid Mana Inferno (Rare) - Level 1 (Novice) | Mana Mind (Epic) - Level 47 (Intermediate) | Create Plate (Rare) - Level 24 (Basic)
Buffs: [Three]
Debuffs:
The system couldn't take titles away, could it? Not that it would matter inside Three, with its two-hundred percent boost to all attributes. Or would the buff not work? Would it be like when he had negative attributes?
Oh, look, new skill slots! Then he noticed another wonderful detail. My debuffs are gone!