Soul of Blades - Chapter 61: Cosmic Rewards (Patreon)

More madness. More changes. Who would have thought the imperials were cultivators? Alex had heard of the concept back on earth, but only vaguely. Maybe they had influenced earth somehow before the planets induction into the system? How else could earth coincidentally have knowledge of the Martial empire?

Now that he was out of the frying pan, he recalled his stat gains and and quest rewards, intent on viewing them before he facing the proverbial firestorm that awaited him. He willed his stat menu to appear before him. Instead, a slew of notifications filled his vision.

[You have defeated level 61 Astral Demonfiend - additional experience points due to the level difference]

[You have defeated level 34 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 23 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 27 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 43 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 61 Astral Demonfiend - additional experience points due to the level difference]

[You have defeated level 45 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated…

[You have defeated…

[You have defeated…

[Level 60 > 69]

Strength +36, Dexterity+36, intelligence+54, unassigned stats +36

[Quest ‘Incursion event -Daemon Sentinel’ Completed - You have been selected as the highest contributor!]

[Reward: E-rank equipment -Body Elixir, Spirit Elixir, Lunar drops, Band of power, have been placed in your inventory!]

[Reward: D-rank weaponry -‘Eclipse’ granted. All rewards have been placed in your inventory!]

[Name: Alex Ironwood

Level: 60

Race: Human - Rank F

Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic SwO̷̟̮̙͚̔rd So̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅve̶̷̵̴̲̳̱reign

Sub-class: Locked

Strength: 387 (267)

Dexterity: 416 (287)

Endurance: 198 (128)

Intelligence: 551 (380)

Wisdom: 543 (28)

Feats: First Encounter, Pioneer, Pinnacle IV, Survivor, Warrior, Champion, Dungeon Insurgent,

Active skills: Phoenix Leap, Mana Burn, Mana Blade, Boundless Dodge, Duȅ̷̳̮̄͝͠l of C̷͎̠̠̖̿́orruption, Sovereign Executioner, FlameBody, Sovereign Clone,

Passive skills: Inner Focus, Outer Focus, A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱, Inventory, Bestial Senses, BladeBody,True sight, Mana Vortex,

Dao: True Immortality - 0.11% Progress

Unassigned stat points: 36]

Alex lay within the tiny hut, his eyes moving through the notifications he had ignored while he was busy fighting for his life, and dying in the cosmic vortex.

His status showed an inexplicable boost, something he found hard to comprehend. He had over a two thousand stats in total, two thousand and ninety five to be exact. Two thousand was the number stats he’d achieved during his last application of mana burn— the stats of someone around level 130. His jaw almost hit the floor at the realization.

And almost one fifth of those stats was in 'Wisdom' alone.

Most people at that level would not invest so heavily into one stat, and it most likely would never be 'Wisdom'. Without a skill like 'Inner Focus' that allowed one to sense, and with mastery, expertly manipulate internal mana, the wisdom stat would be hard to decipher. It wasn't until Alex had gained the inner and outer focus skills, that he was able to intimately sense his own mana and its effect on his skills. It was through sensing his mana that he learned the true nature of the wisdom stat. It was an indicator of the strength and potency of your mana, and directly related to the strength and potency of the mana your body was able to safely handle.

That must be why Mei gave him the skill. But why was she helping him? Why go through all of this effort? The healing medicine he constantly sipped couldn't be cheap.

It was strange. Suspicious even.

"Why?" He asked, his words mirroring his thoughts. "Why are you helping me?… Why save me?”

Mei turned to regard him as if he'd just asked the dumbest question in the world. "Why not?" She shrugged, before turning and walking away.

As she left, Alex considered his skills, old and new. His mind turned to 'Inner Focus'.

With each new discovery he was growing more and more appreciative of the skill, it truly deserved its high rank. Lyra and her party had complained about how the system shackled their wild mana to limit them to only using set skills, but 'Inner Focus' changed that to a degree, it allowed him some semblance of control. 

It was nothing like the magic Keir, their archmage had described; keir had detailed the limitless and unbound use of pre-system magic to alter reality through knowledge and ability, and for the best of them, even create life.

'Inner focus' would not allow Alex to achieve such heights as the ex-archmage Keir had recalled to him. To forego being 'handheld' and 'babied' by the system, as Keir had described it, and solely use the true understanding of magic and mana to alter reality as one wished and to alter it as far as one's understanding allowed. Alex couldn't hope to achieve something like that. But maybe with full mastery of skills, he could at least try?

Currently his skills wouldn't allow him to repeat the impossible feats of magic Keir had described. But still, it was a start, and Inner Focus seemed better than any skills the entirety of Pyra, and quite possible Earth had. Although… Given the amount of doomsday preppers and fantasy enthusiasts on Earth, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else had managed to unlock an equally high or higher graded skill. Hmm…

Alex cackled, or at least struggled to through the resistant air. The thought of some weapon obsessed hillbilly acquiring godlike power tickling him to no end. 

His gaze then returned to his status, each digit flared in his vision, the gains laid bare for him to scrutinise. Wisdom - a startling figure that dwarfed the rest. His already formidable mana pool had been enforced to astounding proportions. If his guesses were right, this meant he could either spam his skills relentlessly using a smaller amount of mana to activate each skill, as each drop of his mana was now much more potent and vibrant than before. Or he could invest an unbelievably large amount of mana into a single skill, supercharging it to untested limits.

He recalled his fight with the demon prince, the way his 'Mana Blade' had pulsed with an unanticipated surge when coupled with 'Inner Focus’, Outer Focus, and Bestial Senses. His heart quickened as he envisioned what these numbers might mean.

But the rapid escalation came with a dire consequence. The mana in this world was too potent, each breath he drew was laced with it, brimming with oceans of potent energy. All of it pouring into his cup with each breath. It was a razor-edged sword, cutting him from within and causing him to rely on simultaneous healing.

He grimaced, remembering the searing pain as his body tried to accommodate the raw and untamed mana. initially, a single breath had contained far more than his body could handle. That single breath had contained more mana than he'd ever seen in his life. He sighed, struggling to run a hand through his hair as the very air resisted him. It felt like he was buried in grains of metal, fighting to move even an inch. 

Mei had been right. Her skill 'Mana Vortex' had been his lifeline, diluting the raw energy of the world to a level his body could only barely endure. 

He owed her his life, yet again.

His feats, had also netted him almost five hundred stats. it seemed a forty five percent increase in stats was nothing small to laugh at. The more powerful he became, the more inflated his stats would become. He could be leagues above his level if this continued, especially if he gained more feats like the ones he had already.

His attention was then  caught by another notification - the completion of a dynamic quest.

The incursion event.

Yes! I knew it! He attempted to pump a fist in the air, but all he managed was stiff shake of his arm as the air encased him to hinder all movements.

But still, he celebrated. He had in fact received the highest contribution in closing the incursion, just as he’d hoped. It made sense, after all. He had had stopped the endless stream of soldiers and limited the number of their troops. Eight dungeon stages worth of creatures would have been more than an army, it would have been a legion. 

The quest probably intended on the demon legion being defeated, but he had simply stranded their troops in the world, cutting off their connection to their home world with what he assumed was no way to get back. Effectively stranding them on Pyra.

He had single-handedly evaded and thwarted an army, despite not being able to land a significant blow during the melee. The recognition filled him with a sense of disbelief, his chest constricting as he read the notifications again.

He suspected that he owed his life to the infernal Prince R'jdar's lies and promises of Alex's secret knowledge. The misdirection had caused the royals to attempt to capture him instead of killing him. A mistake they would eternally regret, Alex chuckled in schadenfraude. Blue blooded pricks, he thought, eyeing his leg. He vividly remembered the demon prince's boot shoving him towards certain death, along with that menacing cackle. He would find a way to return to Pyra simply to repay the debt of pain he owed to them. Tenfold. 

Surviving that encounter would not have been possible without his Dao, or Class. Or that infernal pathologically lying prince.

His gaze fell on the term 'Strength'. He didn't hesitate and with a mental nudge, he chose to allocate all 36 of his  unassigned stat points into strength, bringing it up to 303, or 439, through his feats. He had observed that the reason he couldn't move a muscle wasn’t because he was injured, or paralysed.

It was because he was too weak. 

Mei was right, he wasn't even strong enough to move the particles of air in this strange world without great effort, it was a miracle he could even breathe. Perhaps that was why he was in a constant state of near-death.

[Strength: 439 (303)

Unassigned stat points: 0]

The ‘unassigned’ numbers decreased, turning to zero as his strength value soared to knee heights. 

[2 hour mana cooldown ended. Skills now available for use]

Without a moment of respite, Alex activated Mana Burn. The feeling was immediate, like a wildfire consuming everything within him. His body jerked, the world around him seeming to slip into focus. His breath quickened, but he clenched his jaw, riding out the sensation. The experience was raw, the sensation akin to a thousand needles pricking his muscles simultaneously. His breath briefly hitched in surprise as his body trembled under the weight of newfound strength.

Over five hundred mana, burned in an instant to empower him to four thousand stats, and almost a thousand in strength.

"Whoa," he gasped out, as the unfamiliar sensation of surging power crashed through his being.

When the tumult within him subsided, Alex stared at his fingers. With an intense focus, he willed them to twitch. 

They moved.

Alex immediately flung himself from the bed, only to lose his balance and collapse, forgetting he was now missing a leg. He landed on the floor of the room, sprawling not in pain, but freedom.

Finally, he thought.

Catching his breath, he struggled to sit on the cold ground. His memory drew him back to the events leading up to this moment. He realised, as if a veil had been lifted from his memory, that he still had many items left in his inventory from his past encounters and rewards.

He had lost his weightless sword, it had shattered when the clone clashed with the royals. The Bronze and Golden Swords had been lost in the melee and spatial explosion, never to be recovered. And all that remained of the Infinite blade was a crystal hilt— his journey through the spatial anomaly had destroyed the blade. He must’ve clung to the hilt even as the entirety of his body was constantly destroyed and rebuilt.  

His enchanted gear had been destroyed too, torn apart by the raging storms of spatial energy. 

But still, a wealth of items remained within his inventory, ranging from simple flasks and mundane swords he'd taken from the demon army in a desperate flurry of escape and combat, to enchanted items and quest rewards.  The vessel of madness lay nestled in a corner, too dangerous to use without a mental skill of some kind. There was the pair of gloves, cloak, aged wooden stake, and a grimoire he’d stolen from the queen's hoard, each item filled with mana. He summoned them before him. He would have to get them appraised in this world, somehow. Perhaps Mai had an appraisal skill of some kind?

There was also his latest quest rewards, four E-ranked items, a D-ranked weapon, and the portal crystal he'd stolen from the demons. He recalled that these rewards had been placed directly into his inventory by the system, unlike for those without such a skill whose rewards would materialize in the physical world. A subtle convenience.

Swiftly tapping into his Inventory skill, his consciousness drifted and connected to his tiny spatial realm, no bigger than a small room. He felt the phantom sensation of cramped space, the invisible boundaries of this pocket dimension pressing in around his senses. A surge of anticipation coursed through his tired being at the sight of his small hoard. It filled him with revitalising energy.

Among the stash, his eyes landed on the 'Body Elixir,' and with a flex of his will It appeared, nestled in his palm. Its glass container was cool to his touch and he could sense the potent energy swirling within the clear liquid. Well body means strength, right? He thought before immediately consuming the elixir, hesitation forgotten. With the terrain’s harshness pushing against his every step, he was desperate for anything to ease his journey. 

The instant the liquid touched his throat a searing heat shot across his body, causing him to seize and topple to the ground once more. His body convulsed, yet as soon as the pain had arrived, it had gone. Struggling to his feet, he hastily checked his stats as a gasp escaped his lips.

Strength: 511 (353)

He then summoned and downed the spirit elixir, anticipating similar growth. 

Wisdom: 613 (78)

His strength and wisdom had surged by fifty points. One hundred in total. That was insane.

He turned his attention back to his inventory, shifting his focus to the two smaller items, the E-Rank Quest rewards he had received from closing the incursion. At first glance, they appeared as jewellery. A ring and a single earring. Strangely, he could see a faint blue burn of mana, as well as silver and red energies that seemed to swim within the items. That was new. He could see the energies clearly and in intricate detail, much clearer than ever before. With slight surprise, he realised his passive skill ‘True Sight’ must be showing him the hidden nature of the items, allowing him to effortlessly see the energies construction and inner workings that fuelled them. Maybe the colours must signify the mana’s nature, or maybe its strength? he speculated.

His fingers tracing the cold metal of the jewellery. The earring was a delicate piece of craftsmanship. It had a stud, with a sleek crescent moon design etched in its surface, carved out of a shiny metallic substance that reflected the surrounding light. The ring was more robust, a simple band of darkened metal. Upon closer inspection, Alex could see intricate fractals engraved on the inside of the band.

Closer inspection of the earring and ring brought forth a notification.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[Band of Power - Ring grants 20 strength to wearer]

[Lunar Drops - These ear-studs are imbued with immense Lunar magic, and draw power from the light of the moon. Provides slight resistance to magical attacks of the same rank (E), enhances lunar-based abilities, grants the ability to move silently.]

Huh. I guess I can appraise items now. His gratitude for Mei seemed to grow by the second, but so did his caution.

With the notifications fading, Alex was left in the silence of his thoughts, contemplating his next steps in this impossibly challenging environment.

Lunar Drop, an earring filled faintly with must be Lunar magic. A useful defensive tool against magic attacks, a potential enhancer for lunar-based abilities, and the ability to move in silence. Useful tools indeed.

His strategy had always been based on his physical abilities and his mana. But his experience with items and equipment had added another dimension to his capabilities. He considered the silent movement that the Lunar Drops offered. 

Stealth had helped him get to the heart of the incursion while preserving his mana. It had been a potent advantage. And this equipment could enable him to do the same, bypassing obstacles and opponents without direct confrontation. 

It was not his usual approach, but versatility was a valuable asset in a world that created beings like the ten immortals, the cultivating prodigy Jin, or the old man, Phoenix.

Taking one last look at the items in his inventory, he put on the Band of Power, feeling the cool metal settle comfortably on his finger. The Lunar Drops were more challenging, he had never worn earrings before. But after a moment of hesitation, he pierced his earlobes, flinching at the brief sting. The studs fit snugly, their cool presence oddly comforting.

Armed with his newfound stats and capabilities, he felt a sliver of hope- He had never considered the possibility of equipment buffs. Maybe he could find more equipment, something to help him move freely in this world? He would have to ask the kid, Mei.

He retrieved one of the five random swords he’d stolen from the demon army, and turned his attention to the final quest reward, the named sword; ‘Eclipse’. 

Testing a hypothesis, he inspected the stolen sword until a notification appeared.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[D Ranked Sword - Standard issue blade of planet designation ‘Helven’s’ royal army. The weapon is made from the most mana resistant materials in the E-Grade]

So that explains why the clone could take such a beating, Alex thought. The weapons he turned to clones seemed to be as tough as the materials they were constructed from, perhaps even moreso after being altered by his clone skil.

I should’ve stolen more swords. Some of those demon soldiers had held some pretty enticing blades.

Alex then pulled the sword 'Eclipse' out of his inventory. The weapon appeared in his palm, sheathed, and he drew it and too in its details for the first time. The sword 'Eclipse' was forged from a dark, unrecognisable metallic material and was impossibly heavy, despite its slim and long appearance. Its blade was adorned with streamlined razor-sharp thorns that could and would pierce the flesh of its victims upon contact. Deep, curved channels ran along both sides of the blade, resembling veins.

Intricate, glowing crimson runes were etched along the blade, pulsating with dark energy. At the pommel of the sword, a malevolent, metal-slitted eye was embedded, unmoving and moulded into shape by some talented smith. Wicked, black tendrils coiled around the crossguard. When turned in the light, they appeared to be writhing as if alive. The sheath of Eclipse was marred by dried bloodstains.

The blade of Eclipse seemed to defy conventional sharpening techniques, maintaining an impossibly sharp edge that effortlessly cut through flesh and bone. Intricate engravings depicted scenes of carnage and conquest, adorning the blade, serving as a depiction of the demonic race's violent history. The blade was etched with ancient demonic symbols that seemed to shift and writhe, as if they were alive.

As he inspected the weapon, a notification flashed in his vision.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[Sword 'Eclipse' - Growth type weapon - An early work of a master craftsman of planet designation 'Hellven'. Ritualistically forged and doused in the blood of countless captured system beings, Eclipse's insatiable hunger for unique and higher blood grants the weapon potential for growth.]

Growth, Alex thought, this could be important, but what does ‘growth’ mean exactly? He assumed it could be growth in rank, power, or both. But deep down, he hoped it would be more.

He ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the sword 'Eclipse.' An E-rank weapon. He had a lot of those, but this was the only one with a name, unique history, and what looked like an absorption ability of some kind. He had a feeling this might be the key to his survival in this new reality.

A crash shook the hut.  

The door had swung open with a loud bang, as Mei entered the hut in that moment, seemingly attempting to make as much noise as possible by stomping and yelling at Alex.

Alex’s head spun on a swivel at the sound.

“Oi weakling!” She boomed. “Nice jewellery! I’ve got some gear for you, it's low ranked- well, to you it's probably super high ranked. But it’ll help you stop being so weak!- Well, you’ll still be weak, but at least you’ll be able to move!”

“you’ll need it to go hunting!” She smiled, then dumped a bag full of trinkets before him, all of them burned with mana in his vision.

“Come see,” she said.