Chapter 48 - Increasing the Difficulty

You have re-entered a combat scenario you have already completed. Would you like to increase the difficulty?

Yes.

Blake shot out of the void, Flame Shield active, as he landed hard on the dim cave floor. The high temperature of the Mander’s home only served to empower it.

Once he confirmed the area was clear, he navigated the narrow corridor, longsword and buckler in hand. He was fully rested, rejuvenated, and recently raised his Magical Resistance from seventeen to eighteen and a half. While the Manders were a magically focused species, Blake doubted even they could penetrate his high resistance.

After he rounded a corner, a chorus of hisses greeted him.

Excellent.

Blake teleported with Spatial Step directly into the group of four Manders. His first swipe of the sword severed a tongue, while a bash interrupted another’s spell form.

He quickly killed the two disrupted monsters, while the remaining two continued to cast. He shifted his focus to the farthest Mander and activated Mind Blast. 

It reeled from the mental assault, and he thrust forward with his sword. Simultaneously, the closest Mander finished its spell and a pillar of flames materialized. The fire engulfed Blake’s body, yet did no damage as his sword sank into the monster’s open mouth. 

Immediately, the flames sputtered out.

He unsheathed his sword from its head and whirled to face the last creature. As he turned, his Flame Shield suddenly dissipated. Intense heat buffeted him, and he almost lost focus.

The last Mander launched itself from the ground toward him. He quickly raised his shield to intercept the living projectile, and felt a thrill of elation when he felt it thump into the metal barrier.

The monster bounced off his shield and landed hard on the rocky ground. Before it recovered, he leaned forward and thrust his sword through its neck. Once he checked his logs to confirm all four creatures were dead, he immediately tried to renew his expired Flame Shield.

What the hell?

According to his interface, the spell could not be recast for another four minutes. He shook his head in disbelief and shifted uncomfortably in the heat, as he pulled a water bottle from his storage and relished the cool drink.

Did I really just find and kill the first group in less than fifteen minutes?

Once summoned, his Flame Shield remained active until it absorbed a moderate amount of heat, or an hour passed. However, once used, it could not be recast for fifteen minutes. 

Blake absently wiped the sweat off his brow and reconsidered how dangerous the level two Manders were. Against level ones, his Flame Shield was capable of absorbing an entire group’s fire spells. He felt incredibly powerful as he ended their lives with little to no risk. Of course, the relatively small amount of nano he received for doing so reflected the lack of peril.

The higher level Manders, however, were very different. A single, interrupted Breath of Fire destroyed his Flame Shield.

It must have increased its Magic Power by a ton.
 For the hundredth time, he wished his Analyze was higher so he could see exactly how his enemy’s attributes compared to his own, and what spells they had learned. Not that he had time to use it on the monsters. If he tried to stand back and Analyze them, he would likely die. 

Unlike the Ursa and goblins, there was no way to sneak up on the hyper alert Manders. At least, not without utilizing a spell to mask his footfalls. The moment they became aware of his presence, a timer started. He had just seconds to disrupt and eliminate the threat. Despite the somewhat close call, his current strategy remained his best option. 

He shook his head and waited.

When his Flame Shield’s cooldown period finally expired, he recast the spell. Ten seconds later, the barrier settled around him, and he sighed in relief.

Much better.

With his protection renewed, he paused to drain a water bottle from his spacial storage. Once satiated, he stalked down the corridor, eager to eliminate the Manders which remained. 

Ten minutes later, he got his chance. After he turned a corner, five Manders greeted him. They hissed and immediately began to cast their spells.

Blake teleported forward until he was only a step away from the nearest enemy. His sword sliced into the monster, while his shield interrupted the next’s cast. 

Another Mander had foregone a spell and launched itself off the glowing wall. He raised his sword to intercept the airborne creature, but was taken by surprise when his weapon failed to pierce through the creature’s scales. 

Shit, it must be a chi user with Hardened Shell. What’s its other spell?

Despite its protection, physics remained active. The monster bounced hard off his weapon and tumbled to the side.

Blake focused on the next Mander and rushed forward. His sword easily pierced its throat, and he used Mind Blast against another to interrupt its cast.

Unfortunately, before he could reach the fifth creature, it completed its spell form. A blast of air slammed into him and swept him off his feet. His back slammed into the hard ground, and he slid backwards with a grunt. 

When his momentum finally faltered, he saw the chi user launch itself toward him once again. This time, its claws glowed. He raised his sword to intercept the monster and grinned when his blade sank deep into it. 

Should’ve waited for your Hardened Shell before you attacked.

Unfortunately, his elation was short-lived.

The Mander he blasted with Psi recovered and finished its spell. An intense light was followed by a crackling, and his left arm suddenly went numb. 

Electrocute?!

Despite his surprise and injury, Blake pushed off the ground and charged the last two mana users. As he sprinted forward, he checked the cooldown on his Spatial Step and cursed.

It was nowhere near ready to be recast.

Just before he reached the two Manders, a Gale once again slammed into him and sent him tumbling backward. When he came to a stop, he quickly gained his feet.

Screw this!

Rather than repeat his previous move, he turned and fled down the tunnel. Both Electrocute and Gale were powerful, but had a limited range. They also required their target to be in their line of sight.

Blake sprinted through the corridor and turned a corner. Once he was out of sight, he paused to recover. He sank to his knees, activated Regeneration, and caught his breath.

Only then did he inspect his wound.

Well, it could be worse. 

His leather bracer was blacked. Through a small hole in the armor, he could see his cauterized skin below. The electricity bored through the toughed hide and burned him. Now, a dime sized chunk of flesh was missing, almost a quarter of an inch deep. He grimaced at the wound.

Hopefully it’s healed by tomorrow.

Luckily, only two Manders remained alive within the group. Only they stood in between him and his reward. He checked his interface and grinned. Spatial Step was no longer on cooldown.

Let’s try this again. Focus on the Gale Mander first.

He rounded the corner at a sprint. They hissed and began to cast their spells. When he was twenty feet away, he used Spatial Step to close the distance and immediately ended a monster’s life.

Before the last creature could either Electrocute him or cast its other spell, he hit it with a Mental Blast. He extracted his blade from the corpse before him, and a moment later, his sword swept through the last monster’s neck.

What good are two spells if you die before you finish casting them?

Blake sank to the ground and materialized a bottle of water from his Spatial Storage. Curious, he checked the skill’s experience level on his interface and noted that it was at one hundred percent.

Maybe once I get my attributes upgraded.

It would consume ten million nano to upgrade the skill to level two. At level two, the stored mass would be doubled, but that would not yet help him in battle. As his last battle showed, he needed higher attributes as soon as possible.

Blake checked his accumulated nano.

Nano - 20m

Just enough to upgrade one attribute.

Blake immediately increased his Magic Resistance and reviewed the result. According to his interface, once the nanomachines finished their enhancement, his Magic Resistance would be at nineteen point nine.

Hopefully that’s high enough to partially resist their spells. This is getting annoying.

While the wound on his forearm was relatively mild, it alarmed him that a level two Mander could injure him through his already high resistance. Their Magic Power was far higher than he expected. He hoped the increase would be enough to blunt the damage or effect of any new spell used against him.

I need to get stronger before I attempt a level three scenario. 

This increase was only the second of twelve total attribute enhancements he was allowed at level one. Once he hit that hard limit, he could only increase them further by gaining another level or utilizing equipment and achievements.

Blake’s immediate goal was to grow strong enough in this level to fight Manders two levels higher than himself. He hoped it would grant him an upgraded achievement and further increase his attributes.

All in good time.

An hour and a half passed as Blake waited for the nanomachines to finish their job. During his break, his Flame Shield expired, and he quickly renewed the spell. The extreme heat would not harm him, but he had no desire to wait in furnace-like temperatures unless it was absolutely necessary.

Okay, time to go. Hopefully the next group is easier.

Blake’s battle against the next group of Manders settled much the same as the first. There were no surprises, and the only spell he failed to interrupt was fire-based. His Flame Shield easily absorbed the heat before it overloaded. Once the battle was completed, he renewed the barrier and moved on.

The final cluster of creatures was more difficult, yet he never truly felt in danger. His only surprise was a Mander capable of utilizing aether. It cast Amplify Mass, which Blake partially resisted. At half strength, it increased the weight of his body by fifty percent, and slowed his movement. 

That’s it? That’s barely more than the Ursa planet’s natural gravity.

Blake interrupted the Mander’s channeled spell with a Mental Blast and executed it before the creature could recover.

When the last Mander died, he was presented with a prompt.

You have successfully completed the Combat Scenario. Would you like to choose your reward now?

Yes.

Blake grinned when he saw the four level two rewards which were presented to him. Every single one of them was an upgrade. 

Finally, some real options.

The first was a spear capable of channeling chi. Chi abilities could harm their opponent's body directly, but required direct contact. This spear would eliminate that condition. With it, he could utilize a chi-based spell through its tip.

Unfortunately, his only chi spell was Regeneration. It would be very useful in the future when he reached level two or three, especially against Ursa. However, he needed something that would help him now.

The second reward was a pair of gloves that increased the owner’s Physical Power by one point. In addition, they would repair any damage they received. However, they offered the same protection as his current gloves, so he passed.

Next was a pair of boots. Like the gloves, they repaired over time. They provided the same defense as his current boots, but would also increase his Physical Stamina by a single point. The attribute was not as important to him as his Physical and Magic Resistance. However, none of his current gear raised it. It would essentially be a free attribute point.

Maybe.

The last choice was a ring that would increase his Magic Stamina by three.

Damn…

He had hoped he would receive an upgrade to his current jewelry. Unfortunately, Magic Stamina was almost useless to him at the moment. In fights, he was limited by spell cooldowns, not by a lack of energy. 

I guess I get a new pair of boots.

Blake accepted the reward and checked his available nano.

Yes!

He had just enough to increase his Magic Resistance again. He quickly enhanced the attribute and checked to see how high it would be after his achievements were taken into account.

Twenty-one point three. Finally, another attribute over twenty. Should I get my Physical Resistance over twenty next?

He idly inspected the wound on his forearm. While it was relatively mild, the fact that a level two Mander could injure him through his high resistance was alarming. Their Magic Power was far higher than he expected, and he would need to raise his Magic Resistance further if he planned to conquer a level three scenario.

No, I need to stick to Magic Resistance until it gets above twenty-five.

While he waited for his reward to assemble, he contacted his mother for a ride home. It was well after lunchtime, and he did not have time to complete another scenario today. 

At least, not if he wanted to keep his word and join his family for dinner.

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Hey mom, can you send someone to pick me up?

Donna Summers: Sure, I’ll send your brother out to get you.

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Wait, Oliver doesn’t have a car. Are you actually going to let him drive yours?

Donna Summers: No chance. I bought him an old diesel truck for a couple grand. I figured he should be useful and drive you around until the parts get in for the retrofit. Kuruk is too busy upgrading everyone’s tools now.

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: You found a mechanic that can install a crank start?

Donna Summers: Yep. He said the parts should arrive in a couple of days, and he’ll start working on it immediately.

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Nice! Thanks, Mom. 

Donna Summers: No problem, Blake. 

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Do you think we should invite him to the faction?

Donna Summers: Eventually, yes. But, I want to see his work ethic first. 

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.

Donna Summers: Anything else?

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Naw, we can talk at dinner tonight.

Donna Summers: Then, I’ll see you there.

Blake said goodbye and waited for his brother to arrive.