Chapter 102 - Beneath the Child's Smile (Patreon)

"Okay, it's decided. I can't put off this any longer, and it's better to just pick the upgrade now than wait for who knows what.

Yes, Focus and Mana Manipulation might upgrade at level 30, knowing how much the system likes rounded numbers, but damn, these two skills just sound so nice.

Symbiotic Transference: Learn to transfer the stored energy directly into physical strength, endurance, or speed, increasing combat prowess.

Mana Flow Analysis: Develops the capacity to identify nuanced patterns and rhythms in the movement of mana, offering deeper insight into how skills are invoked and controlled.

In the end, I go with Symbiotic Transference.

And while I clench my teeth against the pain, I think over my decision. It wasn't easy at all as my skill of learning other people's skills is one of my strongest points and it could even help me to improve my current ones.

Yet I think I made the right decision. With this upgrade, I should be able to ignore strength, constitution, and dexterity even more!

Yes, the reason is as silly as that. I won't need to waste my stat points and instead, I can absorb external attacks or kinetic energy from my orbs to boost the stats I need!

Hell, in the future when I learn to use [Redistribution] better and absorb more types of energy, it could become a nearly passive skill, making my body stronger the more the opponent attacks me.

Damn, it sounds cool as heck!

I excitedly test it for a bit and it's as I thought. Currently, I can only change kinetic energy to one of the stats, it's too hard to boost multiple stats at once.

But that's fine, it would be too boring if it were so easy.

And yeah, Mana Flow Analysis is totally the next upgrade and heck, there better be something super, super good to make me change my mind and pick something else.

I check the community and write one sentence for the 10th time today, each having a 30-minute pause in between.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - StrongestOne, you have 5 seconds to answer.

Now, after checking the community for a bit, I'm sure that he ended up with Lily so he better not try some shit or he is done. I'm sure he knows it, but I better remind him.

StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I'm with Grumpy.

Finally, and as I thought.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - After a while, the buildings are in a better state, try heading that way.

Soph (Hell, group 4) - How is Isabella?

Noname (Hell, group 4) - We might all meet sooner or later if we all head the same way, towards what feels like middle of this city.

Soph (Hell, group 4) - Noname!

StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - Ok...

You better not try anything funny. I owe Lily too much. Having her die before I pay her back would feel way too sour.

Ciphermind (Hell, group 4) - Noname, we will meet you there too :) I'm curious about the skills of people from the hell difficulty, lol.

Frostfall (Hell, group 4) - lol, me too!

I ignore two of the three guys that got to our group from hard difficulty and send a short message to Sophie, telling her that her sister is safe. The little girl still refuses to join the community because some time ago Sophie told her not to do that.

Okay, time to check my beautiful status.

[Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]
Difficulty: Hell
Floor: 3 - Saint's Eternal Bastion
Time left until forced return: 4y 274d 16h 31m 30s
Traits (1/3): Mana Circuit (Passive)

Lvl 75
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 67
Mana: 229

[Primary Class: Mana Channeler]
[Sub-class: unavailable]

Active skills:
Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 28
Mana Manipulation (Advanced Mana Manipulation) - Lvl 28
Perception - Lvl 22
Oscillation - Lvl 18
Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 13
Armanent - Lvl 23
Mana Surge - Lvl 10
Disruption - Lvl 12

Constructs:
Reinforcement (Construct)

Passive skills:
Mana Flow (rare)
Cerebral Harmony (rare)

[Upgrade token: 1]
[Difficulty change token: 1]

Pretty good if I have to say so myself. Soon, I will need to create another construct to take care of my ever-growing mana as I already start feeling some push even though I invested so much in controlling it.

As for the Sub-class, I expected it to be unlocked the moment we entered the third floor, in a similar way the primary class was unlocked the moment we entered the second floor. But yes, it seems like the system has different plans.

Upgrade token? I already have plans for it, I just need to take care of a few things first.

As for the Difficulty change token, I already tried it and it seems like the only way to go is down to Hard difficulty. It doesn't allow me to go higher - as expected - and it also doesn't allow for normal or easy difficulties.

Oh, there is also a [Side Quest]

Side quest: Kill 100 enemies

Rewards:
Common gear of your choice
Food and water rations

This alone helps me to understand this floor a bit more. Up until now, I didn't find any flowing water, didn't see any animal. Just building after building stretching on forever. All of them are two stories tall, rarely some bigger ones.

As for gear, it kinda makes sense as we gained the ability to identify item rarities, so that would mean this floor will work more with them.

As for 100 enemies, does that mean that the enemies here are a bit weaker, just in bigger groups? That would be kind of logical.

Anyway, it's time to move.

"Wake up, brat," I poke Isabella and she wakes up, already complaining.

A bit longer and we finally find some signs of life. Corpses of few men. They are wearing leather armor and their bodies are mangled, torn, and pieces bitten off. Even though I tell the girl to stay away, she gets closer, not showing any reaction to the cruel sight in front of us.

I will have to check the thing Sophie put on her a bit closer.

I pick one of the weapons of one of the men, that was left behind, the enemy not caring enough to take them.

Crude Iron Mace (Common): This mace exhibits rough and hasty craftsmanship. Fashioned from crude iron, its head bears uneven edges and a lack of refinement. The wooden handle is worn and splintered, showing signs of neglect and subpar construction.

The remaining gear is mostly the same and I leave them behind.

A minute later, we find what killed the group of men. We spot a group of 20 or so rats the size of small dogs.

[Rottenfang Vermin - lvl 39]

Most of them are around this level and most of them look sick and diseased. Some have big wounds, some are missing limbs.

"Ewww," the little girl says what I am thinking.

Not having any wind to absorb, I make three orbs of mana and spin them around myself and after a while, I absorb their energy. After moving closer, I change it, and a vibrant dark yellow flame comes into existence, created from a point in front of me.

Keeping it alive by creating more orbs and absorbing more energy, I burn the entire group.

[You have defeated a Rottenfang Vermin - lvl 36]

[You have defeated a Rottenfang Vermin- lvl 38]

[You have defeated a Rottenfang Vermin - lvl 34]

"My flames are better," the cheeky little girl complains.

Pff, as if! Just wait, give me a month or two, you little brat! I'm sure that you have some fire skill, but I am a master of doing things the junky way.

My poor man's flamethrower shall win in the end!

More rats come our way and this time I absorb thermal energy from my fire that set on fire a building close by, making the yellow flame disappear, and then use the energy to boost my mana orbs, obliterating the rats.

All while holding a kid in my arms!

Easy.

We start moving again and I ask a thing I was a bit curious about.

"So, you said that I am safe, right?"

"Yup," the girl continues to pull on my shirt, bored of being just carried around, but I learned to ignore it.

Her answers might help me to understand her skill better.

"Is Sophie safe too?"

"Sophie is the safest! Even if she is super sad and trying to hide it, she is safe! Soph is…"

"…is really stupid sometimes," I finish up.

The girl giggles and nods.

She still refuses my offers to remove Sophie's construct or whatever it is from her brain but I still don't know if it's because of how Sophie set it up or because of the girl's decision.

It makes me curious. I couldn't imagine letting someone mess with my mind even if it was my closest family or a friend. The problem might be on my side but at the same time, it might be a little girl who is weird.

"But you still attacked me the moment I appeared near you, even though you said I'm safe?"

"Sorry for that! I was a bit nervous, a few bad guys attacked me before."

That makes me stagger and I stop, looking at the girl in my arms.

"They appeared out of nowhere and were super scary. They told me to come with them."

I already know where it's going.

"But Sophie told me to never leave with strangers!"

I don't know what to say.

"So I burned them!" she smiles while saying so "And only then did you appear."

There is not even a hint of regret as she says so.

A ten-year-old girl says it in a similar way to how she talked about the cute dog she met a few weeks ago.

***

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