Propagate: A survival litrpg

31st | Assault | part 1

Day 64

I finally know how my mom felt when child me was throwing a tantrum in the middle of a store.

"No, stop! Please! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this!" Oldren screamed sorrowfully.

I was left dumbfounded whilst standing in the middle of the dungeon as the large group of adventurers we saved from the lizard village dragged Oldren away from the ore deposit, kicking and screaming.

After killing that big yellow lizard, whose fight was honestly a huge let down, we all met back up and found refuge in one of the tunnels, which was a massive hole in the wall. We took turns on night watch, though I ended up doing most of it completely on purpose by not waking up the others to switch.

I think they misunderstood, celebrating my 'selflessness' as I actually just wanted to level up [Night Owl], which I did by hour four, then said fuck it and ranked it up.

< [Nocturnal]- Decreases the amount of sleep necessary for proper rest, and increases stamina efficiency and senses at night >

According to that, I only need six hours of sleep at night. Which I was pulling normally in high school, but whatever. I need to wait to see how effective the night bonus will be, but I'm hoping it'll make night hunting and even stealth missions a more enticing option.

Once we woke up, a short three hour march and up a few flights of stairs, and we discovered this huge wall of minerals. The party, the name of which was 'Red Tide', informed me that discoveries like this, the specific type of which is called 'wall outcroppings', would fetch good money at the Dungeoneers guild. Supposedly they pay a pretty penny for even the tiniest scrap of new information.

Oldren, however, was overjoyed for a different reason. He screamed in what I now know as delight when he spotted the dull blue hexagonal rock stretching out from the wall, running to them and hugging the nearest stalagmite.

He completely disregarded Red Tide and shifted into that golden state. His left arm flew off his shoulder and split into pieces as it flew to combine with his right arm, which became a giant thick saw blade. He created a portal underneath the saw and began spinning downwards as he thrust into the outcropping.

The shards of dull blue metal fell into the portal like the cookie monster's last meal. I let out a thunderous sigh at his antics, both because he was showing off his abilities and because he was effectively stalling the party.

I might have been less annoyed if this hadn't been going on for three hours now. The crew was pissed at the hold up, while the leaders were concerned at his lack of rest. The straw that broke the camel's back was when he got up for his almost sixtieth round of mining, in which a cluster of the adventurers had to drag him away by force to stop him from mining himself to death.

The female leader of Red Tide, aptly named Scarlet, gave me a baleful glare throughout the entire encounter. Once Oldren was effectively in time out, she strutted over to me, clearly fuming.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but her chewing me out was not it. I really couldn't take the whole thing seriously, mostly because she was shorter than me and had to crane her neck upwards to look me in the eyes, but also because I was too focused on my internal thoughts to pay attention to her.

Namely, why this was happening. Her main point was me being a bad leader, letting my teammates over work themselves. I had a lot to say about that, but she wouldn't let me get a word out. Should I let her continue, or shout over her? As she continued on, her point shifted from my bad leadership to my unprofessionalism. I actually tuned in for that.

"And another thing! You're not being nearly as attentive as you should. Even for someone as powerful as you, it's a wonder how you haven't had your whole team killed with that infuriating negligence of yours!"

She exhaled and looked up at me again, slightly flinching when she noticed my even glare piercing through her. She backed up, and took a deep breath. My cold look took the wind out of her sails, as evidenced by her quieter continuation.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself!?"

I mulled over my words before speaking. I'm not exactly known for my bullshit tolerance, so I'll be straight. "I'm sensing a whole lot of sass from someone whose life I saved. Whose entire team I saved. What gives you the right to question my judgment when your group couldn't fend off those pathetic lizards under your leadership, while I did so single handedly? You're out of your league, and you have no right to question me." I sighed, letting out a breath to diffuse the tension in the air. My next words were less stiff, yet still firm.

"And you have a few things wrong. First of all, I'm not the leader, she is." I jabbed a finger at Lily without looking back. "Two, Oldren can't run out of stamina. It's kind of his thing." Technically false, but might as well be true. He could have kept mining for a week straight if he could. Supposedly his energy stores were low when I met him in the jail, which is why he was tired during our escape. I guess he gave up on resting? Or he was too wary to sleep. Who knows, I should ask him later.

"And finally, I've been continuously cleaning the paths in front of us for hours. You complained about the lack of monsters? It was all by my hand. I can hear every heartbeat, every whisper and every footstep in this entire halfway. God himself couldn't side step my senses." I wonder what their views on religion are? I hope I didn't just commit some taboo.

"Impossible! We've been traveling together this entire time. You have had no opportunity to slip away!" At that, I simply pulled out the shiny short sword Oldren gifted me, spun it once in my hand before heaving my entire body downwards whilst casting [[Wave Cutter]] at a nearby wall.

The invisible (to them) blade of force dug a long, deep channel into the wall in a second, leaving all attendees in shock. Even Oldren looked interested.

Scarlet stammered. "W-wait. You're an apostle?" I gave her a strange look. ".. My native language is different from this one. What does that word mean?"

"People who have miraculous powers like yours, abilities born not from magic but gifted by the gods." That's a much different reaction then I was expecting. She looked at me in barely concealed awe, as did the rest of the party members, without the concealed part.

So that's what the natives call skill users. I guess that makes that prick Gwako an apostle? I wonder if they have a status too? Since monsters seem to have one, although unique, it's plausible that they would as well.

Now that the drama was over, I broke eye contact and walked away towards Oldren. "How much did you get?" He blinked up at me from his spot on the floor, looking away from his menus.

"Enough for three sets of armor between all of us, and then some." He tried to be professional, but failed to hide his satisfied grin.

"Neat. So, what is it?" He looked giddy at my question, which made me slightly regret asking. "It's called ferrous. It's like iron but slightly better. It's considered beginner material. For both its users and makers alike. Honestly, it doesn't make great stuff, but it has a lot of potential alloy wise."

"Mmm." I hum. Without another word, I cross my arms behind my back and begin walking deeper into the dungeon. Moments later, I hear shuffling and numerous steps behind me.

As we walk, I check my status.

Class - Thresher | lv 34/50 | 2307/6400 xp **

Name - Maximilian | Race - Modular Human m

Achievements- The Special | Self indulgent | Sure Kill | I'll be watching you | (+6)

Hp- 5500/5500 (11000) (1/2) | St- 7895/8000 | Condition- Curse of Soul Fray

Legacy: Sky Wyrm ( Wind | Draconic )

Ability's: Chaos Potential | Overload | Resonation | Mana Sense

SkP- 3 | Stp- 9 | Souls- 292 92 4

Assimilation Bonus:

Stats - (+31 phys)(+3A)

Strength 83

Speed 77 (+5A)

Stamina 80

Dexterity 97 (+71)

Intellect 68 (+17)

Insight 11.5

Sense 95.7 (x2.9)(+10)

Vitality 55 (1/2)

Charm 16 {locked}

Special / Class Skills

Existential Empower ||| lv16/20 - Death Resistance \ lv4/99 - Corruption Resistance ||| lv1/20 — Desperate endurance || lv3 - Schematica (4/9) || lv4 - High Hound || lv4 - Defense Vocation || lv1 - Imitation || lv1

Offense Skills -

Power Boost || lv6/10 - Penetrate || lv2/10 - Wrecking Smash || lv1/10 - Slash || lv10/10 - Sharp Shot ||| lv5/20 - Spectral Arrow ||| lv4/20 - CQC || lv9/10

Defense Skills -

Health Pulse ||| lv3/20 - Evasion || lv10/10 - Break Fall || lv1/10 - Nocturnal || lv2/10 - Conceal || lv6/10 - Rumination ||| lv1/20 - Nimble Hands ||| lv9/20 - Supplementation ||| lv18/20 - Greater Pain Res || lv10/10 - Shadow Res | lv2/5 - Greater Force Res || lv5/10 - Paralysis Res | lv2/5 - Cutting resistance | lv1/5

Mobility skills -

Strafe Lith || lv7/10 - Brash Dash ||| lv13/20 - Spring 7/7 || lv 9/10 -

Knowledge Skills -

Complex Crafting ||| lv17/20 - Adv Dismantling ||| lv5/20 - Chisling ||| lv12/20 - Toxicology || lv9/10 - Travel ||| lv18/20 - Bark Runner || lv2/10 - Terrain Memorization || lv6/10 - Knitting || lv2/10 - OLL ||| lv6/20 - Way of the Wind || lv2/10 - Seeking ||| lv7/20 - Take Down | lv3 - Grip | lv4 -

Magic Skills -

Stone Mind || lv1/10 - Mana Grasp || lv1/10 - Mana Manipulation | lv5/5

Stocks - +103 Str | +57 Spd | +69 Stm | +37 Int | +35 Vit | +33 Def | +7 Fer | +3 Stl

Piercing chomp lv1-2 x5 Crushing Bite lv1-3 x13 Ripping Snap lv2-4 x9 Healing Rush x5 Feather Faint lv4 x1 Claw Strike lv3 x2 Snipe lv7 x1 Armor Up lv1-4 x7 Thread Spin lv7-12 x34 Scale shot lv2-9 x28 Flame Charge lv7 x1 Six-Fold Smash lv23 x1 Roar lv14 x1 Fore-Blade lv19-34 x5 Sonic Javelin lv18 x1 Shadow Sting lv4 x8

Modularity-

Special: Assimilation

Nervous 300% Immune 300% Robust Integumentary 300% | Ardent Muscular- 300% ||| Absorbing Skeletal- 300% | Circulatory 300% Reproductive 300% Primal Assimilating Digestive 300% || Respiratory 300%

Brain 300% Heart 300% Lungs 300% Stomach 200% Intestines 200% Muscles 200% Bone marrow 200% Arteries 200% Veins 200% Enriched Blood |

Eyes 200% Ears 200% Jaw 200% Nose 200% Mouth 200% Tough Neck 200% | Supportive Shoulders 100% | Forked Tongue 200% | Arms 200% Stomach 200% Hard Hands 200% | Fingers 200% Condor Thumbs 200% | Demolishing Teeth 200% ||| Hard Hands 200% | Soft Feet 100% | Vigorous Legs 200% |||

The fight with the big yellow lizard was disappointing. While its scales were hard, the flesh underneath was not. All I had to do was rip off the scales and tear at the soft skin underneath. But I didn't even have to do that. The dumbass tripped on the buildings beneath it. All I had to do was shoot three arrows into its brain through its eyes.

It gave good xp though, if nothing else. With my spare points, I'll upgrade [Evasion] and [Greater Pain Resistance].

< [2nd] Tier [Evasion] Has ranked up into [3rd] tier: [Narrow Evasion]- Greatly increases body wide precision and control, allowing for extremely efficient movements. >

< [2nd] Tier [Greater Pain Resistance] Has ranked up into [3rd] tier: [Grand Pain Resistance]- Grants resistance and tolerance to debilitating pain. >

[Spring] and [CQC] are both really close to leveling up, so I'll be focusing on those two for now. [CQC} especially, since its the corner stone to my melee fights. Sigh. I really wanted to be an archer, I really did. But melee is just so much more efficient, material wise. I can only really use it for hunting, but lately I haven't done much of that. Sometimes, I miss surviving by myself in the forest.

But only sometimes.

—

Nearly two hours had passed since we had set off once again. The tension had dissolved, and the party remained silent. We had gone up another three flights of stairs, and were supposedly getting close to the surface. But like all things, it could never be easy.

My senses were assaulted by the pungent smell of pennies. Looking forward, the tunnel lost its mysterious light source, and widened out into a room plunged in darkness. Despite knowing it was obviously a trap, my curiosity got the better of me as I rushed ahead into the cavernous room.

The entire place spanned around half a mile, or maybe the shorter distance of an ovular stadium. The entire place was black, with lines in the floor glowing white and tracing across its entirety. The room was a perfect cube, filled to the brim with pillars evenly spaced apart, about twelve feet.

Natural night vision works by making the eyes more sensitive to light. In this room, my sense might as well have been reset to nine. Light sensitivity is useless in a place devoid of light. This darkness isn't just mundane though. These white lines flowing throughout the walls and floor are glowing, they should be making light, but they aren't illuminating their surroundings for some reason.

I licked the air with my forked tongue and followed the blood trail to a huge slick of blood coating the floor. Sitting against one of the pillars was a heavily damaged corpse. Death by a thousand cuts it seems.

But that wasn't all. The longer I searched, the more signs of a massacre I found. At least six other corpses, a pile of dissoluting organs, and bits of severed flesh everywhere. Whatever did this was clearly different from all the fodder I've come across.

All of these are slashing wounds…

A spike of danger drove itself into my spine. Time slowed as I dragged my body to the side, parallel to the almost invisible blade that drove itself through the air I was formerly occupying. The black blade bit into the corpse I was inspecting and went deep into the pillar.

I backed up while inspecting my narrow assassin. Black, probably vanta-black plates covered an almost humanoid form. It stood over twice my height, with some kind of thick tail hanging above its head.

Its armor completely absorbed light, making it look like a silhouette against an already black banister to my struggling eyes. The only reason I could see it at all was because of the white lines tracing through the terrain. The lack of light gave it away. That and the slight purple haze coming off of it in my mana sense.

A single second after my dodge the tail above it shifted, unsheathing a blade at its tip with an audible CHEECH, which then dove towards me. I panicked and executed a [Spring] into the air. Once the second blade pierced the pillar, I twisted myself mid air and executed a second [Spring] off the pillar, rocketing me towards the entrance.

I landed dozens of yards away, and twisted to intercept some kind of projectile. Again, I couldn't see it. I only felt the spear of danger lancing my way.

< [Shade Resistance] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv2>

I see, so this is some kind of darkness magic huh? That must be why I can't see. Must be some kind of field effect. The level up didn't change anything, I just have to hope it'll help at max level. Judging by the xp I'm getting right now, I won't have to wait long.

I hear footsteps around the entrance, the adventurers pace much faster than before. Did they smell the blood as well? Or were they just trying to catch up with me now that I've been gone for too long?

I brandish Oldrens blade and deflect another projectile. I feel an uncomfortable shift in the short sword. I reach through the party link and hit it with [Super appraisal] while dodging more projectiles and keeping my distance.

Weapon: Short sword

Name: Shine Maxxing

Grade: C

Durability: 26/300

Enchantments: Sharpness 2 | Durability 4 | Longevity 1

Traits: Armor Shred | Quick Silver

Ah, so that's why. According to the appraisal, once a weapon's durability goes below 10% the magic that enhances it breaks. Basically, it starts taking structural damage. I felt the last instance of durability loss due to my heightened touch stat.

More footsteps.

"MAX!" I here Lily call from the hallway.

"I'm here! I need light, this bastard's tough!"

< -83hp | 4737/5500 >

Splitting my attention while fighting... Whatever this thing is, took its toll. I needed both of my minds to fend off the creature, and with one busy reading the status, I had to take a few cuts to compensate.

< Conditions: Darkness (Major) | Wither (Lesser) >

Wither is very concerning, especially because I can't feel any difference.

< [Shade Resistance] Experience threshold Reached. Lv2 -> Lv3>

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I trade a few more blows with the creature, deflection after deflection I feel the sword grow weaker. I make contact once again, deflecting the tail when the blade shatters. The give away throws me off, affording the monster a prime opening. It swipes its left hand across my chest, driving a shallow cut across its entirety.

"FUCK!!" I yell. What the hell?? Why does that hurt so much! Like a paper cut, it hurt unreasonably bad despite the small wound. The attack seemed to ignore my pain resistance.

< Conditions: Darkness (Major) | Wither (Lesser) | Pain Amplification >

Pain- Now that's just mean.

"Look out!" I hear someone yell. I felt something whoosh by me, before light completely suffused the room for an instant. The creature shrieked, and I finally got a good look at it.

It was some kind of knight-like thing, but a complete nightmare version. It was huge, covered in smooth black plates with wicked barbs lancing out from every direction. Its helmet, where you would expect to see two glowing eyes, instead held multiple yellow eyes squeezing out of the T shaped hole. It had large, three foot long black blades coming out of its wrists, right above its armored hands. In the last instance of light, I saw its scorpion tail absorb the blade it had at its end, and begin shooting out large darts of that purple black mist from the empty cavity.

The party began peppering the monster with arrows, which tinged harmlessly off its diamond hard exterior. With no means of attacking it I had no choice but to..

Wait a minute. I took out the set of hexsidian knives still tucked into my belt. I put the knives between my fingers and rushed towards the knightmare. I punched into its leg armor, and reeled as the knives pressed into the skin between my fingers. They either slid out or jabbed painfully into my skin. I looked up and saw the knightmare with both its blades raised above its head.

I lept back as fast as I could, but still sustained some damage to both of my shoulders. Stunned for the moment, the creature finally turned towards the party. It readied its blade horizontally, suffusing it with more shadow magic. It hefted the blade to its side, sending a dangerous blade of darkness towards the largest mass of people.

I hefted the remaining knives in my hand and threw them all at the giant. Despite executing [Power Boost] at the same time, the knives pinged harmlessly off its armor as well. The only amount of damage I managed was some shallow, barely noticeable scratches to its armor.

Hope was not lost. Already the wounds made by the giant had been healed by [Health Pulse]. I noticed my recovered health was still ticking down despite that. Must be the effect of wither. Well, no choice.

Stocks - +103 Str | +57 Spd | +69 Stm | +37 Int | +35 Vit | +33 Def | +7 Fer | +3 Stl

First things first, stat distribution. Maybe if I increase my sense ill be able to see through the darkness? Worth a shot. Ill put three in speed as well.

Stats - (+31 phys)(+3A)

Strength 83

Speed 80 (+5A)

Stamina 80

Dexterity 97 (+71)

Intellect 68 (+17)

Insight 11.5

Sense 113.1 (x2.9)(+10)

Vitality 55 (1/2)

Charm 16 {locked}

< Due to the Sense stat surpassing 100, the overload skill: [{Nascent}] has been permanently acquired >

< [{Nascent}]- Become aware of anything within a spherical area. The smaller the area, the longer the effect will stay active. >

First up, armor up x7. I cast all instances of the skill on my arms. Each cast fixed about six inches of metallic plates on my skin. The rough plates cloaked my entire arm, reaching a little over halfway to my shoulder. I flexed the plates, making them tense up and solidify into points at my fingertips.

Of course, the skill was only level one to four. The armor was paper thin, although it looked impressive, it would barely protect me at all. The activation merely served as a foundation for the next skill.

Claw strike!

Yellow aura spread across my hands and sharpened my fingers. It formed an admittedly flimsy film around my hands, which only formed something worthwhile at my fingertips. The skill was instant cast, but with a little will, I could keep it as long as I wanted.

As I dove at the knight once again, I activated Overload and raked my claws down its armor once again, this time making clean scratches across its surface.

< Due to the stat: Strength surpassing 100, the overload skill: [{Concussive Blast}] has been temporarily acquired >

The party had remained active as I was preparing, serving as a distraction. They peppered it with all manner of items, ranging from normal arrows, to glass vials that glowed in my mana sense, and even straight up bombs. All the while Lily was directing them. Telling them where to aim. Not that this thing had any weaknesses, I had already checked with both our skills. She was telling them what places to hit to wear it down.

I'd like to get mad at how little they were helping, but the fact is, this monster is simply out of their league. Lily and Oldren are both supporting roles, even despite Oldrens pursuit of firearms. First thing Lily did was throw both of her spells at it, a bolt of lightning and a ball of water. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the result.

The knightmare swiped at me with its right arm, which I ducked under. While it was still swinging, I lanced upward and landed a mean uppercut on its arm mid swing. Displaced air shot up in response from the strike, dissipating before it hit the ceiling.

Its tail lunged at me again, and while I did dodge, I didn't jump away. Instead opting to sidestep the tail. Piercing Chomp! White, ethereal energy appeared in the air, a foot away from my face like a bear trap. The teeth were thin like stakes, and bit into the base of it's tail, a little away from where the blade was held.

I made sure to boost the skill, but the armor still refused to give. After a third piercing chomp, reinforced by my own [Penetrate] this time, I finally got through the armor. Next, I activated ripping snap, and attempted to rip the rest of the armor off using the ravine I had made in the middle. All of this was happening whilst dodging and tanking hits.

In all the chaos, wither advanced to normal, and pain amplification to greater. The battle had been going on for almost ten minutes now, with the knightmare showing no signs of damage, or even fatigue.

My stamina was at about half, with my hp around two thirds. I lept back into the vicious melee, continually tearing at its tail. Four ripping snaps later and I finally hoisted half of the tail armor off. The creature didn't seem to mind the damage in the least. I guess it can't feel pain?

I used the last bit of claw strike to aim at its tail, to no success. The sloppy skill aura faded, and the thin plates covering my fingers cracked and fissured. I activated fore-blade on both of my arms. The skill exploded out of my forearms, resembling large skating blades that stretched over my entire arm, and outwards by a foot. They gleamed in the unlight, wicked sharp. Supposedly.

In a dramatic flare, I slid past the knightmare and severed its tail mid swing. The end swung away and into the air, eventually landing blade first into the ground near me. I dashed towards it and hefted the tail end into my arms.

"Oldren! Catch!" I threw the armor at him, and he caught it with his entire body. That is to say, it slammed right into his center mass, landing him right on the ground. "W…what am I supposed to do with this!?" He managed to wheeze.

"Oh come on man, use your brain." I said to the knightmare. It ignored me, and continued its flurry of strikes. "Make a sword!"

"Oh! Yeah, that makes sense." Good lord.

*** Tertiary

I could do nothing but watch, as Max battled that damn shadow. No matter what, arrows, grenades, even bullets did nothing against it.

He seemed to be holding his own, forcing my worry to become something else. Guilt. All I could do was sit and make armor for all of us.

That is until he threw a huge sword at me. The hunk of vanta-black chitin hit me like a sack of bricks. I toppled to the floor, completely winded. The second I remove my transformation, my stats become comparable to a normal person.

As soon as I could breathe again I began processing the material. It was amazing, high B grade, possibly low A grade. It was huge too, if I made it into a sword right now, it would be more of a great sword then anything else.

But knowing Max's preference, I set to work breaking it down. Once inside the [Dimension Refinery] I broke the blade in half, then began stretching it. Making it less thick but longer. With the blades a foot and a half long each, I began ripping off some of the armor and fastening handles out of them.

I streamlined everything, ensuring everything was as perfect as possible. I'd have to take hand measurements later. I took out one of my best items, and the best thing I've ever gotten from my material gatcha. The divine Inscriber.

I took out the two swords and went to work inscribing the best runes I could. I went all in on piercing and sharpness. The properties of the material carried the process to unbelievable heights. Once I was done, I marveled at the incredible weapons, before throwing them at Max, blade first. It was only fair.

Weapon: Short sword's (Pair)

Name: None

Grade: A

Durability: 12000/12000

Enchantments: Sharpness 6 | Fury 3 | Critical Strike 4 | Leech 2 | Feather Weight 3

Traits: Night Shade | Shadow Affinity | Splice | Void Nexus

Ability's: X Scissor | Shade Binding

*** Primary

I snatch the first blade out of the air and dodge as the second one slams into the ground. I walked over and grabbed the second one as well. They were surprisingly light. They were still heavy, but not as much as the raw material had been.

I hefted the blades and charged at the knightmare. I raked both across its armor, and marveled at the scratches it left. It attempted a sweeping attack by leaning forward, which is just what I was waiting for. The creature's precarious balance gave me the perfect opportunity to stun it.

I used [Power Boost] on my fist and punched as hard as I could. The blow knocked back, causing its assault to fail, but the puff of air that followed knocked the creature clean on its back.

I [Sprung] on top of it and readied my sword. I drove into its head, but it simply went through. I began jabbing again and again at its chest. I changed my stance. Instead of holding the sword with both hands and going down, I pointed the tip at the creature while holding it with my left hand.

I activated two skills at once. They thrummed with power and fused together. Blue appeared around my arm like a gauntlet and red around my blade. As I drove the blade forward, the auras mixed together, turning a royal purple and dancing across its length. I stabbed into it's chest plate. The sword broke through, sending splinters of chitin through the air, but the aura stayed. The creature sat up.

< Skill Combo! [Smash] + [Penetrate] = [[Nutcracker]]! >

The aura fluctuated like a living creature. It roiled like a storm winding up before it exploded outward and through the creature. It tore through its armor and back, creating a ten foot long ethereal purple blade skewering its entirety. The blade vanished, and the hole in the middle of the nightmare's chest began to widen.

Cracks splintered throughout it as its armor's structural integrity was compromised. The hole continued to widen, but the monster did not stay still. Now with manic fury, it came at me with renewed aggression. Now even my best couldn't block its attacks. I stopped trying to hit back and went all in on defense.

Nearly a minute later and the monster was more cracks than creature. The field that covered the room shuddered and dimmed. Or un-dimmed? It got a bit brighter, and the darkness condition went down to normal.

I could see now that its body wasn't even holding together. Most of it was floating disconnected, with dark mist hiding beneath. I threw a [[Wave Cutter] at its center mass once again. The horizontal blade flew through its mass unimpeded, and the walking shrapnel froze. All of its floating pieces fell to the ground with an audible clank, and the mist making up its main body dissipated, as did the field of darkness .

< Knightmare lv100 Slain 25000 XP acquired>

<Achievement #11:

< Dominator

< Slay a level 100 enemy >

< +3 Skill points >

< You leveled up! LV34 -> Lv38 | +4 SkP +12 StP>

< [Shade Resistance] Experience threshold Reached. Lv3 -> Lv5>

< [Cutting resistance] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv4>

< [Grand Pain Res] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv3>

< [Grip] Experience threshold Reached. L4v -> Lv5>

< [Way of the Wind] Experience threshold Reached. L2v -> Lv3>

< [Spring] Experience threshold Reached. Lv9 -> Lv10>

< [CQC] Experience threshold Reached. Lv9 -> Lv10>

< [Power Boost] Experience threshold Reached. Lv6 -> Lv8>

< [Penetrate] Experience threshold Reached. Lv2 -> Lv4>

< [Wrecking Smash] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv2>

< [Health Pulse] Experience threshold Reached. Lv3 -> Lv6>

< [Narrow Evasion] Experience threshold Reached. Lv1 -> Lv7>

< [Supplementation] Experience threshold Reached. Lv18 -> Lv20 | +2 physical stats>

< Special Skill: [Death Resistance] Experience threshold Reached. Lv4 -> Lv5>

< Special Skill: [Existential Empower] Experience threshold Reached. Lv16 -> Lv17>

< All [Skills] +1 >

< Due to the Dexterity stat surpassing 100, the overload skill: [{Recreation}] has been Permanently acquired >

Wow, that's quite a lot. And wait, every skill? I check my status, and yep, every skill, including all of my class and special skills. I have more than four extra skill points now, so I'll upgrade [Slash], [Spring], [CQC], and [Supplementation] for now. I'll save the rest for later.

< [2nd] Tier [Slash] Has ranked up into [3rd] tier: [Cleave]- Increases cutting power and blade AOE. Duration increased up to fifteen seconds. Wide, sweeping arcs do more damage. >

< [2nd] Tier [Spring] Has ranked up into [3rd] tier: [Launch]- Omni directional traversal skill with multiple charges. Gains a new charge with every level. Allows increased control of power and trajectory. Three charges can be used at once in order to jump in midair.>

< [2nd] Tier [CQC] Has ranked up into [3rd] tier: [Skirmish]- A fast, violent, and efficient form of combat that utilizes everything at the user's disposal to win. This skill grows with other combat and movement skills.>

< [3rd] Tier [Supplementation] Has ranked up into [4th] tier: [Convergence]- Allows all stats and multiple stats to be shifted at once. Stats can also be shifted to inner stats. Can artificially temporarily raise stats by expending stamina, capped by level. >

Class - Thresher | lv 38/50 | 507/7600 xp **

Name - Maximilian | Race - Modular Human m

Achievements- The Special | Self indulgent | Sure Kill | I'll be watching you | (+8)

Hp- 2561/5900 (11800) (1/2) | St- 2345/8800 | Condition- Curse of Soul Fray | Tired | Wither (Minor)

Legacy: Sky Wyrm ( Wind | Draconic )

Ability's: Chaos Potential | Overload | Resonation | Mana Sense

SkP- 4 | Stp- 12 | Souls- 292 92 4

Assimilation Bonus:

Stats - (+34 phys)(+8A)

Strength 91

Speed 88 (+5A)

Stamina 88

Dexterity 105 (+74)

Intellect 76 (+20)

Insight 17.6

Sense 140.8 (x3.2)(+10)

Vitality 59 (1/2)

Charm 21 {locked}

Overload / Special / Class Skills

Existential Empower ||| lv18/20 - Death Resistance \ lv6/99 - Corruption Resistance ||| lv2/20 — Desperate endurance || lv4 - Schematica (4/11) || lv5 - High Hound || lv5 - Defense Vocation || lv3 - Imitation || lv2 — (Sen) Nascent - (Dex) Recreation -

Offense Skills -

Power Boost || lv9/10 - Penetrate || lv5/10 - Wrecking Smash || lv3/10 - Cleave ||| lv2/20 - Sharp Shot ||| lv6/20 - Spectral Arrow ||| lv5/20 - Skirmish ||| lv2/20

Defense Skills -

Health Pulse ||| lv7/20 - Narrow Evasion ||| lv8/20 - Break Fall || lv2/10 - Nocturnal || lv3/10 - Conceal || lv7/10 - Rumination ||| lv2/20 - Nimble Hands ||| lv10/20 - Convergence |||| lv2/40 - Extreme Pain Res ||| lv4/20 - Shadow Res | lv6/5 - Greater Force Res || lv6/10 - Paralysis Res | lv3/5 - Cutting resistance | lv5/5

Mobility skills -

Strafe Lith || lv8/10 - Brash Dash ||| lv14/20 - Launch 11/11 ||| lv 2/20 -

Knowledge Skills -

Complex Crafting ||| lv18/20 - Adv Dismantling ||| lv6/20 - Chisling ||| lv13/20 - Toxicology || lv10/10 - Travel ||| lv19/20 - Bark Runner || lv3/10 - Terrain Memorization || lv7/10 - Knitting || lv3/10 - OLL ||| lv7/20 - Way of the Wind || lv4/10 - Seeking ||| lv8/20 - Take Down | lv4/5 - Grip | lv6/5 -

Magic Skills -

Stone Mind || lv2/10 - Mana Grasp || lv2/10 - Mana Manipulation | lv6/5

Stocks - +103 Str | +57 Spd | +69 Stm | +37 Int | +35 Vit | +33 Def | +7 Fer | +3 Stl

Piercing chomp lv1-2 x2 - Crushing Bite lv1-3 x13 - Ripping Snap lv2-4 x5 - Healing Rush x5 - Feather Faint lv4 x1 - Snipe lv7 x1 - Thread Spin lv7-12 x34 - Scale shot lv2-9 x28 - Flame Charge lv7 x1 - Six-Fold Smash lv23 x1 - Roar lv14 x1 - Fore-Blade lv19-34 x5 - Sonic Javelin lv18 x1 - Shadow Sting lv4 x8

That fight was fucking annoying, but this growth is amazing. It just sucks that none of these monsters have souls. That monster was tier six right? Imagine the soul it would have had.

With the lights up now, Lily, Oldren, and Red tide rushed over. Oldren walked right past me and began looting the Knightmare corpse. Both Lily and Scarlet walked up to me and asked if I was okay, Lily hitting her with a vicious glare. If she noticed, she gave no indication.

"Well that was rough." I said to the air.

"I'm impressed you managed to survive!" Scarlet mentioned unnecessarily. I hit her with a glare of my own. "Yeah, thanks for all the help." My eyes narrowed when I noticed her guilty look. I'm actually kinda glad they didn't step in. It would have sucked if someone else got the final hit.

I scoffed. "Whatever. Let's just get out of here. I'm exhausted." She nodded and walked off towards her party. I kneeled down next to oldren and helped him gather up all the armor shards. Lily seemed to be contemplating something.

We ascended five more floors from there. Apparently, we were on the third floor now, which is when things got weird.

The mood had become tense for the whole part, minus us. "What's going on? Has something happened?" One of Scarlet's cronies answered.

"Hmmm… there's a huge amount of people here."

We had passed dozens of parties, most of them resting against the walls, and some were not wearing armor.

"That's not normal?" I asked.

He shook his head. "It's normal for there to be more people on higher floors, but not this many, especially not so close together."

"So what does it mean?"

Scarlet spoke before he could open his mouth. "It means something is happening on the surface."

No wonder everyone was so tense. "Do yall live up there?"

"Not most of us, but boss's s-"

"STEVEN!" Scarlet yelled suddenly. The already nervous group flinched at the sudden sound. I felt bad that he got yelled at because of me. Our eyes met, I gave him a small nod and stopped asking questions.

We passed several more parties, and found several loitering on the stairs. The flood of people got worse the further we went up, and it reached a crescendo once we got to the first floor. The ground was covered internally with people. Family's, refugees, adventurers, all of them grouped against the walls.

They began inching closer once they noticed us, and the drip. Our adventurer gear served as ID. My mood dropped considerably when multiple people flinched away from my eye contact.

Once we got near the exit, we got stopped by a contingency of soldiers, armed to the teeth with all manner of magical items, potions, and weapons. These guys were elites.

"Halt!"

"Hail! Red Tide. What is going on here?"

The guard captain wielding a massive tower shield surveyed the entire party, before nodding to the side. A guard fled outside the dungeon entrance. "... Skulxx is under attack. A group of high mages are destroying everything. The dungeon is the evacuation point, and now we are waiting until the coast is clear."

I pushed my way to the front. "Do you know what those mages looked like?"

"I don-"

"Blue robes, painted with intricate golden patterns and similar masks!"

His eyes widened a fraction. "You've dealt with them before?"

"I've fended them off before, when they attacked a border city."

He nodded. "Are you willing to help us?"

I cast a suspicious look. "...You'll just let me go in?"

He shrugged. "Why not? It's your life. Not like we'll be responsible if you get killed. And if you do end up stopping them, good for us." He continued after a moment of levity. "I see this as an absolute win."

Oh that's funny.

"Can I bring my party too?" I pointed to Lily and Oldren. He shrugged. "The more the merrier."

"Huh. Alright."

"Now hang on a second!" Scarlet proclaimed, putting a hand on my shoulder..

"I-"

"I'm gonna be real with you, Scarlet, but I neither trust nor like you or your posse in the slightest. Except Steven, he's cool. I'd like to get away from you as fast as possible." I wrenched my shoulder out of her loose grasp and marched past the guard captain.

Oldren looked back and nodded at the rest of them, then strode forward. Lily thanked them for their hospitality, or whatever, and left as well.

We left the dungeon entrance and looked at our surroundings. We were surrounded by fortress walls, and seemed to be on the counterpart of the city.

We began running out of the gate, watching out for any trouble. Not five minutes later we find trouble. The air around me trembles, and a ring of complicated mana appears around the three of us.

It's dark blue and silver, which must make it space magic. I can't even get a word out before I get forcefully dislocated and brought to a random location, one that is suspiciously close to the center of town.

My danger sense started humming in the background, as I noticed a colossal circle of space mana begin unfolding overhead. Aw hell.

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