Soul of Blades - Chapter 63 - Overpowered Prey (Patreon)

Authors note: Enjoy.

Chapter 63 - Overpowered Prey

Days had passed since Alex had awoken in Mei's humble hut.

Alex was barefoot within the hut and practicing with his sword, centering himself and developing his technique, when Mei's sharp voice jolted him out of his focused state. "Come on, we gotta go." There was an edge to her tone that Alex hadn't heard before.

Barely giving him time to pull on his boots, she practically shoved him out of the hut. As the chilly morning air hit his face, he squinted at the sudden change from the dark, warm hut to the bright, crisp morning. Mei was already a few paces ahead, making her way up the steep trail leading away from the hut.

"Where are we going?" Alex called out with rocky steps, still trying to wake up fully.

"No time to explain, just follow," Mei called back without turning.

Alex's gait slowed with shock, his jaw opening slightly as he stepped out of Mei's humble hut. His gaze fixed on distant structures below, glinting in the light. Figures flitted about in the sky above what looked like an ancient Chinese city, with structures of wood, stone, and strangely, metal. It was too far away to discern their exact nature, or the nature of the flying figures. The lights and small structures made it look more like a city than a mere town to his eyes.

"What is that city?" he asked, calling ahead to her disbelief in his voice.

Mei giggled, her youthful lack of worry at odds with the constant air of authority she exuded, looking back to him. "That’s just a town. It's nothing compared to the grand cities of the Empire."

Alex frowned, trying to grapple with the scale of the distant structures. "But those figures in the sky..."

"They're cultivators," Mei said dismissively with a wave of her palm. "Nothing to worry about unless you cross them. Now come on, we've got a beast to hunt." She smirked and slowed her pace to match Alex, a strangely mischievous look in her eye, like she was planning something.

She tapped him on the shoulder, and as a result, he received a new notification, something he'd never seen before.

[Administrator 'Mei' has affected you with the buff 'Aurelia's blessing' - Senses increased by 40%]

"A beast..?" Alex stumbled after her, still reeling from the boost. The world looked sharper, brighter. Overwhelmingly so. Every sound was magnified, every subtle shift intensified. The rustle of the leaves, the distant chirping of the birds. Even the shifting wings of rustling insects sounded like an earth highway.

The rush of clarity and capability left him slightly breathless. He paused, crouching in an attempt to regain his senses and calm himself in the eye of a storm of stimulation. Alex looked at Mei, his eyes wide, fingers squeezed tight in a fist. "This...is incredible."

"Yeah, yeah. All the big, tough newbies say that," Mei retorted, rolling her eyes. She looked away, but not before he caught the slight blush of satisfaction on her cheeks.

"Let's get a move on."

They ventured into the forest, the trees towering around them, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground. "So, what are we hunting?" He asked, stepping over a shifting tangle of gnarled roots.

"You are hunting a Thundering Bull," Mei said, not looking back at him.

"That doesn't sound very weak."

Mei waved a hand dismissively. "Psh. It's barely a blip on the radar."

Alex wanted to argue, to remind her he was still adjusting to the new leg, stats, and skills she had gifted him, but he decided against it. The easy path would not make him strong and would not equip him to excel past the dangers of this new world. What he needed more than anything was strength. It wouldn't do him any good to argue with Mei. She was a bit callous, and a bit immature, a bit abrasive, and a bit rude for that matter. But there was a genuine kindness in her. Despite her dismissive words, she had proved that she was doing this to help him ‘regain’ his strength. She had believed he was a cripple, who had had his abilities and memories stripped from him, forever barred from having any sort of power or way to survive, and she had still helped him. She had genuinely helped and believed she 'turned him' into a system user by granting his empty husk skills, and thus access to the system. Despite him already having both.

Despite the misunderstanding, Mei was the only source of information and insight into this impossibly dangerous world he found himself in.

And plus, she had saved his life.

"Let's go then," he said, picking up his pace to match Mei's. "I'm ready, let’s do this."

Alex pulled the repaired Infinite blade from his inventory, plunging it into his chest with one arm, his dark blade, Eclipse, held tight in the other.

[Grade D Skill: InfiniteBody (Active) gained!]

As they walked, her voice rang out loudly, carelessly sounding through the forest. She jested about the meekness of the bull and how Alex, with his boosted strength, should stand a chance. She told him of how every creature at the D grade, would have at least a 400 base in each stat before it even began levelling, with the strongest having 800 in each. Similar to how F rank humans at level 0 have anywhere from 1 to 10 in each stat when the system arrived, Alex thought in realisation.

Any thundering bull or alternative beast they encountered would have 2000 to 4000 in total stats, to match what she presumed to be Alex's three thousand total stats, thanks to her trinkets. She said the challenge would help him unlock a better subclass when he reached level 200, and that it would be "a piece of cake", although Alex very much doubted her words. Ah, he thought at her words, I’d forgotten about that. I still have my next class milestone skil at level 100, the executioner is probably the reason why I received the clone option… Alex trailed behind Mei as she led the way through a dense forest, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of fallen leaves beneath his boot. Its still influencing my class skill options… I’ll have to be more careful with my next choice, then. He stroked the stubble of his chin in thought, recalling his active quest notification.

[Active Quests: Limitless Prospect: Reach level 200. Reward: Unlock sub-class.]

And then there’s my subclass to unlock at level. Whatever I choose will affect everything I do moving forward in an even more permanent way… and Mei’s right, killing something of higher rank should give some great options. His eyes widened with avarice at the thought. Alex quickened his pace, now somewhat eager to complete the hunt.

Every now and then, Mei would sing praises of her own conquests, of beasts far mightier than the Thundering Bull. But amidst the jests and the boisterous laughter, Alex noticed the undercurrent of sincerity. Mei, despite her callous exterior, truly believed in him.

But of course, she couldn't see his real status. Or at least, Alex hoped she couldn't.

[Name: Alex Ironwood

Level: 60

Race: Human - Rank F

Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic SwO̷̟̮̙͚̔rd So̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅve̶̷̵̴̲̳̱reign

Sub-class: Locked

Strength: 789 (303)

Dexterity: 816 (287)

Endurance: 548 (128)

Intelligence: 901 (380)

Wisdom: 893 (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, InfiniteBody, Sovereign Clone,

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

Dao: True Immortality - 0.11% Progress

Unassigned stat points: 0]

It seemed the items Mei had given him had not boosted his base stats, but only been added as a flat addition. The one thousand four hundred stats they gave would not be boosted by his feats. That’s a shame, he thought, ducking beneath a low hanging branch. But there’s a bright side to this, her items have boosted my total stats to almost 4000… Alex paused, briefly calculating, 3947 stats in total, that’s very close to the base for D-Rank, and stronger than a weaker person below level 10 at this rank, assuming everyone gains 5 stats per level before level 25, or level 15 for tutorial-goers. His steps became more assured with each new realisation. Perhaps Mei was right and this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Assuming she doesn’t attract a level 200 beast with 6000 or 7000 stats, he thought, eyeing her with worry. If such an event were to occur, he wasn’t entirely sure of how helpful she’d be.

Still, with Mei's equipment his stats matched someone at the cusp of the D grade, and anyone at the E rank at level 209 with a unique or higher class, or level 377 for those of E rank with classes of lesser rarities. Either way, it was much more than double what he should have by now. The only downside would be that should he return to a lower world through some means, he would be stripped of his boosts, and his stats would return to a total of 1633, far less than half of what he had now.

Such a thing was even only possible because he had 'crash landed' into a higher ranked world. He briefly wondered if it was possible for people in lower ranked worlds to somehow travel and trade for such equipment with higher worlds. But judging by the consequences of using high mana intensive equipment in insufficient environments and his harrowing entrance to this land, he doubted it. His D rank Blades, the ‘Infinite Blade’ and demonic growth blade, ‘Eclipse’, only seemed to work on lesser worlds because they had no external mana requirements, and offered no stat boosts. He recalled the way every breath had nearly ended in his death, and he surmised it would be impossible. Even now, with his significant stat boost, he could still feel the world resisting him, pressing in on his lower ranked race and body. His stats had risen but he did not feel strong, or even fast, the hostile environment suppressed him. The dense air and thick energies still resisted his every move, if slightly.

Still, if the beast he was hunting only had 2000-5000 total stats against his 3947, it should feel the same resistance he did. Unless... it had somehow invested thousands of its total solely in strength or some other stat, and as a result completely outmatched his boosted 789 strength.

That would be a problem.

Can beasts even allocate stats? Alex wondered. Or are their stats are allocated for them through some evolution? Maybe the system sets the beast's stats based on their species? Like the Arachnae? He decided would have to ask Mei later. For all he knew, despite his superior total, a single one of the beast's stats could completely outshine his.

Stat allocation. That may be a problem to watch out for at higher levels, he realised. Someone or something lower level could still have higher Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence, or even Wisdom if they decided to go all in. And what if the beast had skills? Active or passive, all of the beasts skills would be D ranked, a whole grade higher than his. He wasn't sure of how powerful the differences in skill ranks were, but if his deadly entrance into this world was any indication, they would be significant. He decided he wouldn't let his guard down, whether he had higher total stats or not.

But he knew better than to voice these observations. Instead, he chuckled at her jokes, parried her incessant teasing with his own, and walked on, the anticipation of the hunt coursing through him, spurred by her boisterous energy.

Mei, suddenly and suspiciously, stopped them in their tracks and turned to face Alex. Why did she stop? He wondered.

"Remember, it's just a bull," she said, punching his arm lightly. "You've got this."

"Right," he responded, his voice steady. "Just a bull."

"You sound sceptical."

"I am sceptical." He turned to regard her and noticed she had just disappeared.

The encounter with the Thundering Bull was sudden, and fierce.

Crash.

The sounds of its charge from behind was the only warning Alex needed.

Swift action propelled him over the charging beast, a Phoenix Leap his saving grace. Even so, the Bull's wrathful shockwave knocked him back.

“Sovereign clone.” Alex breathed the words as he flew, the world around him blurring yet perfectly sensed through his heightened awareness.

He plunged his blade into the earth to steady his tumble, the impact sending a quiver through the soil and the metal sinking with a thud that vibrated back up the hilt to his hands. Ahead, the air thickened, then split as his construct materialized, a sharp replica forming from the mist, breaking into reality with a sharp blade that mirrored his movements and sought to pierce the beast's soft eye from beneath it.

The massive creature, muscles tensing beneath its fur, paused as the blade approached its vulnerable spot. The Bull huffed, its movement unnaturally rumbling the ground beneath them. Vibrations signaled an impending storm. Its form emerged from the shadows of the forest, massive and daunting. Its breath was like a thunderstorm, its hoof-strikes creating shockwaves.

It shattered the mana construct’s assault.

Alex was quick to rebound, using Boundless Dodge to sidestep another violent charge. Yet, the Bull's might outshone his own. He coated his sword with mana, his Mana Blade bringing Eclipse to life. He twisted his body, barely avoiding the giant horn aimed for his heart. His hand moved in a blur, blade slashing in a quick, precise arc. The beast roared in pain as Eclipse lightly clipped its hide.

Too shallow.

His triumph was short-lived as the Bull immediately retaliated, sending Alex crashing into a tree, blood pouring from a gash in his forehead.

Yet, pain was an old friend now. He rose, relentless.

Alex leapt forward, Phoenix Leap. Sovereign Executioner. A surge of mana propelled him at a blinding speed towards the Bull. Immediately, his construct appeared, its form bursting into reality, a sharp-edged mirror of his own, both shooting forward in blurs of speed.

But the beast was faster. It swung its massive head, catching Alex mid-leap. He crashed into another tree, the impact rattling his bones.

The ground welcomed him with a jarring collision. Momentary disorientation took hold, but Alex clung to consciousness.

Recovering quickly, he used Inner Focus, Outer Focus, and True Sight to cause of surge of summoned mana into his palm and outward. He was attempting to mimic his mana blade using only his control skills, without activating the skill. But the result ended up in nothing more than a light show. His mana burst forth from his palm and coated his sword in a blazing uncontrolled blue aura. It looked as though his sword was aflame, wild mana leaping off its form in all directions. He attacked again, his blade arcing towards the Bull with intent, a streak of light. Mana Blade he thought. The aura solidified.

[Mana blade - Mastery: 5 > 16%]

The blade cut through the air, aimed at the beast. But the Bull simply swatted it away with its tail. The shock of the impact travelled up his arm, the pain searing. Blood dripped from a light cut on the beast where the blade had connected.

A scratch.

His skills were not working. It must have high endurance, or a D ranked skill to the same effect. This was a different battle, a higher-ranked beast in a higher-ranked world. He had one D-ranked offensive skill, granted by a blade that swam through his cells, ‘InfiniteBody’. But the skill required him to receive a blow of some kind— a last resort. His low mastery E-rank skills would not win this, he realised. Concern began to creep into his thoughts.

With a blast of mana, Alex soared into the air, a streak of magic against the sky. The mana of his Phoenix leap was like a ripple across a pond, his body moving in a blur, leaving trails of light in its wake.

He guided the mana using Bestial Senses, Inner Focus, Outer Focus, and True Sight in concert. A temporary omniscience. His sensory skills guided his raw mana to form uneven, flimsy, and unsteady platforms beneath and around his legs as he soared. He spoke, “Phoenix Leap”. Then spoke the words again. Alex's skill seized the loose and weak platforms of mana and solidified them as he ran through the air, shooting forward with each step.

Like a bullet in ricochet.

[Phoenix leap - Mastery 0 > 11%]

His landing was a whisper of movement. The earth beneath him gave way as he nimbly landed on the balls of his feet. But the beast reacted, faster than any could anticipate. A shockwave erupted, scattering debris in every direction.

Boundless dodge. Alex pivoted, side-stepping the shockwave as a barrage of its debris assaulted him. He was covered in cuts and bruises as blood flowed freely. He whipped out his blade ahead of him, Mana Blade becoming a beam of light in the encroaching darkness.

His mind was a mess of possibilities, each one dismissed as he searched for an alternative. His gaze locked onto the Bull, its eyes meeting his in a silent challenge as mist began to form around the both of them. A storm. His thoughts turned to his Dao, the Dao of True Immortality. Breathing deeply, he connected with the universal truths of life, death, infinity, and change. He felt the universe’s rhythm in his cells, his dao influencing his every move.

Then, as a final resort, Mana Burn was activated. Power ran through him, pushing his strength to its limits while his mana dwindled.

Now, it was a race against time. His Dao was his only hope, the universal truth imbuing his every move, every strike.

He felt the rhythm of the universe, the endless cycle of existence. Infinity pressed in from all sides, contained in blades of grass. He realised the essence of his Dao, the truth of change, the adaptability it entailed. He envisioned the cycle of life and death, of impermanence, the constant state of fux that exists in all things, changing from moment to moment. Nothing existed permanently, rust, degredation, age, growth, the state of existence in all things was at its core, based in change. Pouring and channelling these profound truths into his next attack, a new capability had sparked within his understanding, an attack fueled by the Dao's truth, capable of changing its form to bypass the enemy's defense. A familiar sword, the very one he had used to slay his greatest foe to date.

It was a sword in a constant state of flux. An ephemeral Strike.

His eyes opened, a renewed conviction glowing within. The sword in his hand was not just a tool anymore; it was a conduit of his Dao. He initiated the ephemeral Strike, his sword rippling as if it was changing, adapting. He lunged at the Bull, his sword, now formless, cutting through the air. Then, a clash of metal and flesh. Sword met the hide of the beast, ripping through the coarse fur and tough skin. The beast cried out, its roar tearing throughout the forest. It staggered but remained upright.

The first true strike.

The bull retaliated, a surge of electricity gathering around its horn. Mei, seemingly appearing from nowhere, watched on from above, her voice cool and indifferent, "It's weak, you can handle it."

Alex wasn't so sure. His skills weren't enough, he knew, but he didn’t just have skills.

Even in his enhanced state, Alex felt the sheer power of the beast, each exchange leaving him breathless. It became a desperate struggle of attrition, one where his every move felt like tempting the jaws of defeat. His body, operating at its peak, began to strain under the continuous use and damage. Alex sensed the mana infused in his muscles and willed it to burn. He felt his time left dwindling, the energy being redirected to his aching muscles.

[Mana Burn - Mastery 0 > 9%]

The beasts rippling muscles, pounding hooves and the smell of ozone filled the air.

A metallic clone manifested beside him as he activated his Sovereign Clone skill. “Fight,” Alex commanded, as both warriors charged, their attacks harmonised and synchronised.

A clap of thunder resounded. Lightning tore through the clearing. The air between them snapped.

Alex’s clone leapt in front of him, its metal form absorbing and grounding the bolts, it soon disintegrated into metal dust.

Inventory Alex thought as he retrieved another demon sword. “Sovereign Clone” He whispered as almost simultaneously, an engraved silver-metallic clone appeared beside him, an exact replica. With his increased intelligence enhancing his connection to the clone, their swords hummed in unison. Although the clones was much weaker, both blades were coated with the wisdom of his Dao. That was new.

Their charge continued.

As the electric mana danced on the Bull's horn, he plunged himself into the teachings of immortality, embracing the truths of the universe: change, impermanence, beginnings and endings; time. His perception of time slowed, each second a drawn out eternity.

[Dao: ‘True Immortality’ - Progress 0.12 > 0.13%]

He had a small window and he used it. Boundless Dodge, his body moving in an inhumanly swift sidestep. A second Alex appeared beside him, his clone mirroring his movements with flawless precision, two swords shone in unison. The technique reflected his understanding of the duality of existence, a stepping stone to the path of immortality.

His Soveriegn Executioner appeared as the third.

Then, the swords all met the beast, guided by his hand. Empowered by his Dao, all three swords cut through the beast's defences, encountering a moment of resistance before breaking through as water through a broken dam.

A thunderous roar echoed through the forest, rocking the trees and causing birds to scatter. The Bull reared up, its shockwave trembling the earth.

Then it fell.

Its mighty form collapsed to the ground, defeated, and the forest became quiet. Just the rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds, returning to nestle on swaying trees of normalcy. Alex, standing over the fallen beast, felt a rush of exhaustion sweep over him. He sheathed his sword, a wave of immense satisfaction washing over him.

He had done it, defeated a beast of a higher rank.

[Sovereign Clone - Mastery 0 > 5%]

A sword clattered to the grass as his sword-clone ceased to exist. The storm ceased, and victory was his. But this victory came at a cost - his body, worn out and his mana, drained, his head pounding from finding new ways to use his Dao. Yet, in his heart, he knew it had been worth it.

Mei looked on, her eyes wide with silent appreciation.

[You have defeated level 20 Thundering Bull (D) - additional experience points due to the level and rank difference]

[Level 60 > Level 70]

[Strength +40, Dexterity+40, intelligence+60, unassigned stats +40]

[Gained Rare Feat: "Titanslayer" Defeat an enemy of D rank or above solo using inferior ranked body and race - All stats +10. All stats +5%]

Alex, on the verge of collapse, deactivated his skills, dumping all of his free stats evenly between strength and dexterity, to better navigate this new world. His mana pool was alarmingly low, soon to be depleted and his body was an orchestra of pain. Mei's voice broke through his haze, "I-Impressive. Barely, but impressive."

Her voice broke as she spoke.

As he turned to her, a smile of triumph cut through his exhaustion. He'd survived. She sat in a tree high above, watching him with a strange expression.

“What was that at the end? It was so weird. You didn’t even use mana.” She asked, leaning forward from her tree branch in intense curiosity. That was a statement, her tone implied she was sure of what she’d seen.

As Alex wondered how to respond and how much to reveal, a voice cut through the clearing.

“Was that a Dao, slave?”

Mei dropped from the treeline as Alex turned to regard the speaker. It was a young man, dressed in fine, embroidered yet form fitting robes, an insignia of a moon crossed with a dagger could be seen on the chest of his embroidery. The ground indented as he stepped closer, yet no earthen stains remained on the tight and unnaturally clean, thick wraps that encased his feet.

The man burned with energy in Alex’s vision, like a small white furnace, increasing in intensity as Alex’s gaze drifted towards the source of the burn, the man's navel. He had never seen anything like it in intensity, even among the artifacts, even among his skills. He had seen traces of similar energy in parts of the air, but nothing had ever emitted anything quite like this. The energy surrouding the man was It was intense, restless, volatile, and strange. Whatever it was, it wasn’t mana.

It must be 'Qi' Alex realised.

This man was a cultivator.