Chapter 104 (Book 3 Chapter 32) (Patreon)

Later that night, Rob sat in his bed, rubbing his hand together in anticipation as he counted down the seconds. Everything else he'd needed to take care of that day was finished. Another city searched, another Locus Attuned to, and another batch of Corruption-riddled Fiends stabilized. The Attunement hadn't yielded any earth-shattering revelations this time around, but it had doubled his Locus search radius yet again in addition to tripling his Purge Corruption energy stores. He'd tended to over fifty afflicted Fiends today. That was probably less than the number of new infections occurring in the same window, but it was still progress, dammit, and he was going to celebrate with a well-earned reward. Which was coming right up in three...two...one...

Ding. A small instinct in the back of Rob's mind notified him that Awaken Class's 24-hour cooldown timer was up. Keira got first dibs back when he chose the ability, and after an impassioned rock-paper-scissors tournament to decide the order, Meyneth's Thrasher Class was Awakened into an Executioner on the day after. Then Vul'to's Vanguard became a Guardian, and then finally, finally, it was Rob's turn. Without any further ado, he activated Awaken Class on Berserker, preparing himself for a deluge of system messages and some potential weird shit to go down.

His expectations were promptly met in full. As the numbers and ability descriptions cascaded down his field of vision, Rob sensed the furnace in his chest that embodied Berserker start to flare and roar. Awaken Class stoked the burgeoning flame by pouring in a continuous stream of energy, its power acting as stacks of Blue coal providing fuel. Searing heat pounded in Rob's chest, but rather than burn him from the inside-out, it resonated warm and pleasant like a midnight campfire. No matter how hot this fire raged, it would never harm him. It was his fury to direct when and where he chose, and all who stood in his path would turn to ashes in the wake of its-

<Chill, dude.>

Rob froze. Sorry, he thought, sheepishly. Went a little loco there. In my defense, at least I didn't start cackling maniacally like Meyneth.

<You were getting there.> Diplomacy grabbed Rob's mental cheek and squeezed. <No going mad with power while I'm stuck in your head. The property value will plummet.>

Your concern is appreciated, Rob drawled. Let's just check the system messages and see what we got for our troubles.

Berserker has Awakened into BERSERKER!

15 additional stat points gained!

Lifesteal has upgraded into Lifesteal+!
Description: Heal yourself for 25% -> 50% of any damage dealt to a living creature. Normal plants like trees and grass don’t count. No loopholes.

Battle Fever has upgraded into Battle Fever+!
Description: For every 30 seconds spent in battle, increase all of your stats by 1. Bonus caps at +8 -> +15 for each stat. The effect ends after a minute of not being in a combat scenario.

Blood for Blood has upgraded into Blood for Blood+!
Description: Your damage dealt increases by 1% for each 1% of your missing Max HP. Bonus caps at 50% -> 99%.

Rampage has upgraded into Rampage+!
Description: Quickly rocket straight forward. Your next attack has highly increased damage. If the user chooses, a moderately-sized explosion centered around them will appear at the end of their dash. The user will not be damaged by this explosion. Costs 50 MP.

Enmity has upgraded into Enmity+!
Description: Draw the attention of a single enemy. For the next 30 seconds, they will become temporarily enraged and focus their attacks on you. If the user chooses, an afflicted enemy will take continuous major psychic damage until the Skill's effect ends. This effect can be nullified or partially resisted by a high Mind stat. Your damage against an enemy that does not nullify Enmity increases by 25%. Costs 50 MP to use. Five minute cooldown.

Flames of Vengeance has upgraded into Flames of Vengeance+!
Berserker Rank 6 Ability: Flames of Vengeance (Active)
Description: Surrounds your body in nonelemental ‘fire’ that deals intense, searing damage to all other living beings in close proximity. If the user chooses, wounds inflicted by this Skill cannot be healed by natural or magical means for one week. Consumes health equal to 1% of max HP for every second that the Skill is active. Can be toggled at will. No cooldown.

Rob grappled with a myriad of increasingly complex emotions the longer he went down the list of system messages. After some deliberation, he decided to indulge in the good vibes first, and tackle the negative, petty feelings last.

"It says something that the fifteen free stat points are almost an afterthought," Rob mumbled, his voice laden with awe. "That's equal to three extra Levels right off the bat. Objectively amazing, but not nearly as fun as being able to cause explosions on demand."

<For 50 MP and a cast of Rampage,> Diplomacy added. <But yes, that's definitely a boon that suits your fighting style. Perhaps the system resonated with your unquenchable Firebomb fetish and decided to tailor Rampage's upgrade to that desire?>

Rob clasped his hands together and bowed his head. "Listen up, system, cause you're probably only hearing this once." He adopted a solemn tone. "Thank you. I'll be sure to cherish this gift that's been mercifully granted from on high to a poor, wearied soul."

Jokes aside, it was a really strong upgrade, and it was just one of six. Enmity's added psychic damage gave him a legitimate long-ranged attack ability that didn't involve throwing things. Flames of Vengeance now shut down healing and regeneration, which would especially come in handy if – when he fought more Blightspawn. The upgrades to Lifesteal, Battle Fever, and Blood for Blood weren't as unique, being direct number increases instead of adding unique ability modifiers, but if he was being honest, those Skills had probably gotten the strongest boosts of the bunch. They were functionally the same type of Skills as before, but Elatra ran on numbers, and increasing the numbers on a Skill could change its effectiveness by several orders of magnitude.

For example, with the upgraded version of Blood for Blood alone, Rob would've been able to kill the Blightspawn in their final incursion of Broadwater City more efficiently. He likely could've conserved some of his resources due to that, preserving Not a Scratch, or Lifesurge, or his HP, or some combination of the above. The fight would've played out differently from start to finish.

And then maybe the nameless Elf wouldn't have had to die.

Rob kicked that train of thought off the tracks before it could reach the station. What's done was done. The important thing to focus on was that his new-and-improved Skills would help prevent anything like that from happening ever again.

<Good news!> Diplomacy interjected, standing tall and proud. <After examining your mental state, I've concluded that the fit of mania you experienced when Awakening your Class was merely an instance of temporary delusion brought upon by a surge of power. It is unrelated to Leveling High or the Awakened Class itself.>

"Oh. Okay." Rob tilted his head. "Thanks? I didn't know you were that worried about me getting hyped over new abilities."

<Of course I was,> Diplomacy stated, suddenly sounding deathly serious. <The Dragon Queen has an Awakened Class, and she's a fucking lunatic. And then when you take into account what we learned about Archmages...well, I feel that my concerns were highly justified.>

Rob winced. Malika had actually gotten 2nd place in the rock-paper-scissors tournament and was set to Awaken her Class after Meyneth. However, when he tried bestowing the effect on her, she got a message stating that her Archmage Class was already Awakened, something that caught everyone off-guard. People born with the ability to select Archmage, and those who underwent natural Class Awakenings like the Dragon Queen's, were both rare enough that there wasn't much information to glean from historic examples. Even Elder Duran came up blank when they asked him if there was a known connection.

He did know half a dozen legends recounting stories of Archmages descending into power-born madness, though. Which, in retrospect, probably should have caused Riardin's Rangers to put the brakes on further Awakenings until they could verify that Awakened Classes didn't inherently turn people into cackling supervillains.

But they didn't. Because there was an opportunity to make numbers go up, and they took it.

"...are you sure that Leveling High isn't contagious?" Rob asked, in a voice like someone trying to find the humor in a bad joke. "One of the saner people in our Party should've advised caution. Vul'to or Zamira at the very least."

<You don't need to have a magically-induced addiction in order to be attracted to power,> Diplomacy said, with a nonjudgmental tone. <Plenty of people have taken bigger risks for less gain. And it turned out fine in the end, so I suppose I can't fault the results.> They sighed. <If anything, the blame is mine. I could've stopped you, but I held back. Didn't want to police your thoughts anymore than I already do.>

"Diplomacy, you – wow, for some reason it's weird saying your name out loud." Rob cleared his throat. "Anyway, feel free to point out any impending fuckups you think I'm about to make. The feedback is appreciated."

The Skill shook their ephemeral head. <Thanks, but it isn't that simple.> Their core let out a pulse of anxiety. <Oh my, would you look over there? It's a change in subject, hiding just around the corner. Would you mind divulging that nagging issue that's been on your mind?>

Rob opened his mouth, then closed it a moment later. The only reason that Diplomacy would use such a blatantly hamfisted segway would be to remove any doubt whatsoever that it wanted to talk about something else. In a sense, doing so expressed its trust in Rob; that he wouldn't question the change or think less of Diplomacy for hiding something.

"Okay," Rob began, rolling with the sharp right turn the conversation was taking. "So. Awakened Classes seem perfect, right? Free stats, awesome abilities, the works. Keira, Meyneth, and Vul'to are over the moon, and personally speaking, I'm 99% as happy as they are."

<99%?> Diplomacy's anxiety gradually settled down. <What's the 1%?>

"Why don't I get new names?" Rob complained, fully realizing that he was veering into the territory of rich people complaining about a scratch on their new yacht. "The others did, for both their Class and Skill names. In Vul'to's case, Vanguard became Guardian, and his 'Unwavering' Skill became 'Indomitable'. I only got '+' added to the end of everything, and my Class went from Berserker to...Berserker in all caps."

<This, coming from the man who dubbed the primordial energies of a world 'Blue'?> Diplomacy snickered. <I think the system is just accurately representing your home world's creativity when it comes to updating names. Consider yourself lucky that you weren't graced with 'Berserker 2.0'.>

The Skill paused. <And this way you won't be confounded by the presence of too many big words,> they said, with a hint of mild horror. <Honestly, after you showed me an example of what long-distance messaging from Earth looks like, I'm surprised you know what the word 'indomitable' means. The crimes that your world's youths commit against their own vocabulary are *hideous*.>

"If I had a grandpa, you'd be sounding like him right about now."

<I'm the embodiment of Diplomacy,> the Skill stated. <Caring about proper diction is part and parcel with my profession. How am I supposed to make people dance to my amusement if I can't understand what they're saying? It's apparent that I'll need to develop an entirely new Auto-Translate Skill just for digital communication alone.>

Rob sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that half the reason you want a body is so you can make evil villain speeches?"

--

An errant wind whipped underneath Sylpeiros' nose, bringing with it the stench of rotted, decaying flesh. He ignored the unwanted reminder of what was to come and turned to face the line of Reviton defenders who were positioned in front of the city. All eyes were on him, looking to their Seneschal with the same reverence of a wayward explorer clutching their compass to their heart. Sylpeiros slowly swept his gaze across the line of Reviton defenders, lingering just a fraction long enough for each of them to feel like he'd been looking at them, specifically. It was a tried and true way of bolstering morale, and they needed every ounce of morale they could muster.

Even the most stalwart of soldiers could falter when they knew that hundreds of monsters were fast approaching.

"You've fought long and hard to reach this point," he proclaimed, loudening his voice with magic so that it boomed across the clearing. "Months of battle, bloodshed, and sacrifice. Let me state this as plainly as I can: to me, every single one of you is a hero deserving of great renown. You've gone beyond what anyone thought would be necessary when the upsurge in monster materializations first began. By now, many have chosen the saner option and withdrawn from the front lines to apply for the Teleportation Crystal lottery. No one would have judged you had you done the same. Everyone in Reviton has suffered loss of some form or another. There is a limit to mortal willpower, and not a day has gone by where that limit hasn't been tested."

Sylpeiros slammed the butt of his spear on the ground. "Yet here you stand. For the sake of those walls and the loved ones residing within them, here you stand." He nodded. "I am truly proud to fight by your side. May we drink to memories of victory for centuries to come."

His soldiers straightened their postures, and a few seemed on the verge of tears. The iron ball of stress coiled in Sylpeiros' gut loosened slightly. He didn't know what he would've done if that speech hadn't worked. Those were his best words – as they were real words, not mere lip service. These men and women were on the cusp of escaping hell, and it was his duty to see them through their last push forward.

"You may have heard rumors," Sylpeiros continued. "And perhaps they sounded too good to be true. A fantasy told for the children's sake." He paused for dramatic effect, waiting until his soldiers had drank their fill of silence. "Everything you heard is real. This will be our last battle. After today, monsters will spawn normally, as they have in the past. No horned abominations. No slithering grotesqueries. Just the occasional animal to be hunted at your leisure."

An outpouring of relief erupted from the crowd. Those who'd been on the verge of crying let their tears fall freely. Sylpeiros used their moment of celebration to consider how much else to reveal, before deciding that explaining unnecessary details would simply distract from the good news. His men didn't need to spend mental energy wondering why the infected mana-air plaguing the lands around Reviton City had abruptly traveled northward and was showing no signs of returning. They only needed to take heart in how the next wave of Corrupted monsters was the final batch that Reviton needed to conquer before peace returned as it should.

The one detail giving Sylpeiros pause was that no one knew why the Corrupted mana was heading north. After a brief period of reflection, he determined that he didn't care. An end was in sight, and that was all that mattered.

An odor of rotted flesh assaulted his senses once more. Sylpeiros swung his spear in an arc, stabbing it towards the line of shambling monstrosities that were starting to appear over the horizon. "One last stand!" he yelled, as his soldiers cheered along with him. "One final push! Today-"

A bone-chilling roar that could split the heavens echoed down from above.

Sylpeiros barely had time to process what was happening as Queen Ragnavi flew in and unleashed a torrent of white plasma, incinerating dozens of monsters in the span of several seconds. He watched, dumbfounded, as the Dragon Queen savagely tore the wave of beasts apart like a sword hacking through a pile of wet leaves. No single monster in the horde was above Level 50, while Ragnavi was...Lothren preserve, Ragnavi was two Levels higher than the last time he'd seen her.

Less than five minutes passed before she'd apparently satisfied herself. Without saying a word to Sylpeiros or any of his soldiers in attendance, Ragnavi flew back from where she'd came, leaving behind the scattered dregs of her conquest. The horde, previously numbering in the hundreds, was now reduced to a few lonely creatures left in a state of shock.

Everyone was silent as they made quick work of the remaining stragglers. By all rights, they should've been celebrating. Not a single Elf died that day. And not a single Elf, Sylpeiros included, was able to enjoy that outcome as much as they wished they could.

--

Changes, Character Sheet, Skill List 

Thanks for reading!