The hammer crashed into the four crossed arms of the Vatronid abomination a second time. Ronan's ruined forearms were like wet spaghetti, barely holding the weapon straight. Only through sheer grit was he able to deliver the blow.

Still, his foe could not prevent the assault. A third and fourth hammer blow smashed into it, with the fourth finally breaking through its guard. The four arms were bent and broken beyond recognition, giving way to the fifth strike that blew a hole in its chest.

The critical hit was devastating, sending chunks of grey flesh flying and breaking hard tissue inside the Vatronid's body. Ronan had no idea what it was made of, but he was destroying it.

His mana and stamina were far from being depleted. His huge stat gain meant his resource pools were far from what they'd once been. A sixth, seventh, and eighth hammer blow smashed into the Vatronid's chest. Chunks of grey flesh were torn and battered with every strike.

No matter how much he struck his foe, the yellow orbs did not flinch in their gaze. He felt the four arms repairing themselves even as he continued to pour himself into the skill. A ninth blow struck so hard that it tore all the way through the creature's body and thudded into the trunk of the tree behind it. The hammer bounced off, almost destabilising Ronan. He refused to fall, not done with his relentless assault.

The tenth hammer blow literally exploded the Vatronid's torso. Ronan was hopeful, wishing he might hear the chime of victory. It never came.

Instead, as his arm reared back for an eleventh strike, he felt something shoot out and wrap around his legs and arms. His arm pushed against the restraints, but failed to finish the swing. Glancing to the side, he saw tendrils of grey flesh entangling his body from foot to neck.

The lower half of the Vatronid had morphed into biological chains that kept him locked in place. The upper half collapsed on itself, gluing to the trunk of the tree and then compressing inwards. Ronan tried to cast a lightning strike, but before the mana even left his heart, the clump of grey flesh formed a needle that blasted through his forehead and pierced his brain.

He remained conscious for about six seconds, but he lost control of his body after two. The last thing he felt was the Vatronid's strange flesh expanding through his skull and prodding at his brain.

Unprecedented modifications detected…

Analysing…

Unable to determine harm-benefit of modifications. Deferring to inheritor

Physical body has mutated, resulting in the following:

Physical damage reduction +92%

Keep mutations?

That was the single biggest resistance gain Ronan had ever received in one go. It also went well beyond the soft-cap he'd been stuck in during the last few iterations. A great first reward for the end of this particular iteration.

Iteration 49 analysis:

Highest level achieved: 100

Highest class achieved: Dao Child (Mythical)

Highest fortune achieved: 386 Bronze Credits, 571 Copper Credits

Stats gained: 9075

Cultivation stages achieved: Mind (Agate ★), Body (Copper ★), Energy (Pulsing ★), Soul (Orange ★) [+9]

Inventory value accumulated: 286 Bronze Credits, 167 Copper Credits

Chrono Enhancement Updates:

Experience gain multiplier has increased from 890% to 1000%

Achieving a mythical class for the first time has rewarded you with 2 Chronos merits

Credit gain multiplier has increased from 112.2% to 386.5%

Achieving a total accumulated inventory value of 500 Bronze Credits has rewarded you with 1 Chronos merit

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Experience gain multiplier has increased from 18.238 to 27.313

Raising all cultivation paths to ★★★★ has rewarded you with 1 Chronos merit

Raising all cultivation paths to ★★★★★ has rewarded you with 1 Chronos merit

Raising all cultivation paths to ★(1st) has rewarded you with 2 Chronos merits

Cultivation talent multiplier has increased from 2.9 to 3.8

Cultivation progress has been reset, maximum stages reached have been locked

Mastery progress has been reset, maximum tiers reached have been locked

Class has been reset, class skills purged from status

Achieving an F-grade race has rewarded you with 1 Chronos merit

Levels have been reset, maximum race grade reached has been locked

Chronos merits have been acquired! All four paths of cultivation have reached at least the first realm! Inheritor possesses 35+ skills or traits! Access to chronos clan ancestral grounds granted at the first threshold

The iteration analysis brought him another windfall. The most chronos merits he'd ever earned from a single iteration, along with a huge upswing in all of his multipliers. In his next iteration he felt he could tear the Vatronid fusion creature apart with ease, no matter if it was formed from seven or seventeen of the odd grey aliens.

That would be a problem to worry about when he faced it, however, as right now he had a lot on his to-do list. The ancestral grounds of the Chronos Clan unfurled before him in the endless white void, the Temporal Obelisk calling to him as though it were his hearth. In that moment, it felt like returning home.

For a moment Ronan basked in the infinity of it all. The white space stretched into endlessness, no physical dimensions to speak of. The night sky had a certain majesty, but this was a different experience entirely.

He wondered who had created the Temporal Obelisk. Had they been through the same struggles as him? Endless deaths and continued improvement? Watching the same people dying over and over again and not being able to change their fate in any meaningful way?

He enjoyed growing stronger. He enjoyed fighting. That last battle against the Vatronid had been the most alive he'd felt since… Well, forever. When the needle pierced his brain, it hurt like hell. Ronan had been disappointed in himself for losing, but it only made the flames of his ambition burn brighter and fiercer.

The moment of reflection ended and he realised he'd been compressing himself. The mass that made him up here floated apart, the tension he'd felt slipping away as he approached the obelisk. The towering obsidian megalith seemed to be the source of many of his abilities, and even now it was supposed to be 'awakening,' whatever that entailed. Hopefully more powers for him.

He made contact with the obelisk, bringing up the chronos enhancements menu. He had a tough decision ahead of him, and while he had received a windfall of merits, they were a finite resource that was hard to obtain. Spending them carelessly would only make his future iterations more of a struggle.

[Temporal Obelisk]

Jack of all trades, master of some III: The influence of the Chronos Clan is not truly boundless, especially so for a sapling. However, with time and investment, your mastery over everything becomes more persistent through iterations. Maintain 25% more of your progress towards the next mastery tier through each iteration for every tier of this enhancement. [Cost to reach next tier: 2 Chronos merit]

Deep cultivation IV: As a clan which transcends the limits of time and space, the act of cultivation holds a far more significant meaning to those of the Chronos heritage. Maintain 10% more of your progress towards the next cultivation realm for every tier of this enhancement. Cultivation benefits are 25% more effective for every tier of this enhancement. [Cost to reach next tier: 3 Chronos merits]

Brand of the temporal artificer III: Even items forged from the base materials of reality can be iterated. Through the powers of the temporal artificer, items can be branded and will persist through iterations. The number of concurrent brands increases by 1 for every tier of this enhancement. Enhancement will mutate once for every 3 tiers in this enhancement. Branded items will receive a 10% improvement for every tier in this enhancement. [Cost to reach next tier: 2 Chronos merits]

Hard work bears fruit II: The first descendants of the Chronos Clan enjoyed the taste of stat fruits so much that they discovered a way to make that sweet nectar echo through the fabric of time. Retain permanent stats gained by consuming stat fruits. The next tier of this enhancement will allow you to retain 10 points in each stat by consuming stat fruits. [Cost to reach next tier: 1 Chronos merit]

A class of one's own II: What is a class but a way of specialising one's skillset, to best defeat one's enemies? A single life, a single vocation. Those of the Chronos Clan are not so limited. Unlock 1 sub-class slot for every tier in this enhancement. Once a class has been locked to a slot, it cannot be removed, but it can be evolved. [Cost to reach next tier: 13 Chronos merits]

Accumulate greater accomplishments to unlock further enhancement options…

In total, Ronan had 9 chronos merits to spend. There were two options on the table for him. Either he spent all 9 of them right now and greatly enhanced his capability to grow, hoping that would allow him to push on and earn far more merits than he otherwise could, or he saved up to earn 4 more merits and get himself a second sub-class.

Both options were valid routes to getting more powerful. A second sub-class felt like it would be really powerful. Sorcerer was only an uncommon class, but already it was proving to be a great assistance in his quest for strength. From the get-go he had class skills allowing him to practice magic, as well as increased stat gain at levels 0 through 10.

This would be a tough choice to make.

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