Wolf of the Blood Moon - Book 4 - Chapter 13 - Class IV and a Surprise (Patreon)

                                                             Scarlet

I smile up at the ceiling as I enjoy the water in the bath for several minutes before eventually taking a deep breath.

[You have completed all the requirements to reach Class IV. Would you like to ascend?]

“Yes, I would,” I state out loud in response to the System, my voice echoing through the bath chamber after I let out the breath.

[Confirmation received. Ascension to Class IV will now begin.]

Several seconds pass in silence before I feel the extreme pain from the past ascensions return. But this time is different. I can tell almost immediately that it is.

Instead of the absolute burning pain across my body, this one feels more like that of a papercut. But all over. A simple stabbing pain everywhere that has me instantly screaming out loud.

And I already know why it’s so different. It’s because this ascension is directly changing my reality itself. My soul as humans used to call it in old-world Earth.

A process that is making me want to tear my own skin apart just to feel something else, because not only does it hurt, but it’s fucking uncomfortable. Like I have an itch everywhere on my body.

But I don’t do anything. I just stay stiffly underwater.

Because I know better than to scratch myself at this time. All that’ll do is end up tearing apart my skin and further extending the process of the ascension to repair that damage.

The stabbing pain and discomfort continues for who knows how long as I scream my voice hoarse, only to vanish out of nowhere. Then I hear cracking sounds along with the feeling of severe discomfort and some minor pain all over my body, causing me to look down just to find my bones shifting back and forth between my beast form and my lycan form on their own with no usage of the skill. Which surprises me quite a bit.

Not to mention the fact that judging by its appearance, it should hurt quite a bit. But it’s just uncomfortable with just some pain instead.

Strange.

The discomfort grows more when I feel my face elongating into that of the muzzle I have in my beast form, only to turn back. Then to do it again, and turn back again.

Please make this stop.

As if responding to my thoughts, everything stops. And I briefly wonder if the System actually listened to me, or rather the universe since ascension isn’t actually the System’s doing.

Only for a flash of pain to echo throughout my body as the shifting suddenly starts again, but this time joined with my size growing larger. And larger. And larger, only stopping when I reach about three meters in height, at which point I feel my entire form shifting along with it.

Then everything just resets, and I end up back in my lycan form while panting heavily, unable to move as my head rests on the edge of the bath, some of the water having overflowed thanks to my increase in size.

That… was weird.

“It looks like you’re probably going to get a major upgrade to your beast form skill this time,” Tar comments. “And yeah, the Class IV ascension focuses more on the reality than your physical body. So the pain is more spiritual in form than physical, with a lot more discomfort than the others rather than actual pain.”

A lot of discomfort. I really hope I don’t have to go through anything like that again.

“You will for your eventual ascension to Class V,” Tar says, crushing my hopes rather brutally. “Class IV just partially merges your reality and your body. Class V fully merges them, so it’s a lot worse than Class IV’s ascension.”

I’m starting to wish you kept that to yourself.

Well, at least I’m not passing out from exhaustion this time. There wasn’t as much pain after all, and the type of pain felt less exhausting somehow.

So I let my System Messages flow.

{Congrats, you have leveled up to level 501. Five Free Points have been awarded to you and your stats have been updated.}

{Congrats, on account of ascending to Class IV, your stat multipliers have been increased.}

{Your Species has changed from 75% blood lycan, 25% human to 87.5% blood lycan, 12.5% human.}

{One hundred Skill Points are awarded for ascending to Class IV. Spend them wisely.}

{One hundred and fifty Skill Points are awarded for ascending to Class IV within a year of being initialized into the System. Spend them wisely.}

{One hundred and fifty Skill Points are awarded for ascending to Class IV while less than twenty years old. Spend them wisely.}

{Rare rarity inherent skill ‘Metallicized Blood Claws’ may now evolve into the epic rarity inherent skill ‘Metallicized Blood Claws’ while retaining any previous effects it may have had at the cost of losing three levels.}

{Rare rarity inherent skill ‘Partial Shift’ will now evolve into the epic rarity inherent skill ‘Partial Shift’ while retaining any previous effects. There is no cost in levels due to the skill being static.}

{Rare rarity inherent skill ‘Beast Form’ will now evolve into the epic rarity inherent skill ‘Beast Transformation’ while retaining any previous effects. There is no cost in levels due to the skill being static.}

{Rare rarity inherent skill ‘Life Drain’ may now evolve into the epic rarity inherent skill ‘Life Absorption’ while retaining any previous effects. There is no cost in levels due to the skill’s level being maxed out.}

{You have earned the legendary rarity inherent skill, ‘Blood Nullification.’ Rejoice as you have earned one of a significant few full multi-element skills in the world.}

That’s a lot of skill points, and the new legendary skill is looking very nice. Although don’t I already have a multi-element skill? Bloody Thorns?

“I’m guessing it’s not counting that one for some reason,” Tar comments, making me nod my head in agreement.

Then something I knew was going to happen happens.

And another one follows right after it, making me wonder if I’m the only one with four etched skill slots without a single mythic skill.

Yeah, that was kind of to be expected. I only barely made that mark though, for the ‘within a year’ thing. Since I’m pretty sure it’ll have been a year since I was initiated within a few days. But then again, the days between Tartarus and Earth are confusing to line up. Something I learned during my lessons with Gramps over the last week.

And it’s a good thing I ascended before going to Earth, because I wouldn’t be surprised if the redaction on my name is cleared when I head back since the redaction on my full name was taken away when I went to Tartarus in the first place.

Although there isn’t a notification about Predator’s upgrade getting any progress, meaning reaching Class IV wasn’t one of the requirements.

But it apparently was a requirement for a different possible mythic skill considering the notification that replaces the universal one.

Or… not a mythic skill?

Huh?

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Ascension complete.

User is now class IV.

Warning! This is a universal notification!

[REDACTED] has obtained an etched skill slot through reaching   Class IV under the age of twenty years old!

May their achievement ring out throughout the known universe!

Warning! This is a universal notification!

[REDACTED] has obtained an etched skill slot through reaching   Class IV within a single year of initiating into the System!

May their achievement ring out throughout the known universe!

System Notice

User has completed FIVE out of SEVEN of the necessary achievements   in order to obtain a Title-Bearing [REDACTED] Skill.

The achievements they have completed include the following:

Reach Class IV while under twenty years old.

Defeat a being one hundred and fifty levels above you without any   assistance.

Reach Class IV within a year of having been initiated into the   System.

By being the descendant of the Demon King who is the original   etcher of the skill ‘Blood Domain’ or having obtained an inferior version of   the skill yourself.

By having both blood magic and null magic or being descendant from   a user with them that has etched their skills.

Complete the final achievement in order to attain the   Title-Bearing [REDACTED] Skill.