MM - Chapter 148 - BEYOND LIMITS

Multiple jets of acid impacted Raine, coating his whole body in sticky, sizzling goop. Before each application could tick a second time, the liquid bubbled and burned away in the semi-solid fire erupting from his armor and skin. Raine forced himself to keep breathing as his lungs were seared from within. The feeling was violating, akin to gulping water while attempting to breathe underwater. Despite the wrongness, his regeneration kept him alive, and on the battle flowed. The experience was yet one more example of ZionLine pushing the limits of what the human mind was capable of, and precisely the reason Raine pushed his people so hard. On far too many levels, they were not prepared for what was coming.

Beyond keeping corpses fresh, crafters who specialized in harvesting also had skills that prevented the smell of rapidly decaying flesh from attracting more monsters. Lacking a tool to do the same, Raine was in an uphill battle against the nemesis of all life: time. The commotion was bound to attract the attention of beasts not only much higher level but also large enough to squish him flat.

The fourth activation of Decree and Punishment brought the first deaths, flooding Raine’s HUD with satisfying notifications.

[Obtained 220,800 Superiority (1050% bonus for defeating a monster 10 levels above you)]

[Obtained 57.5% Attunement (1050% bonus for defeating a monster 10 levels above you)]

They were only the start. More followed, each a drop in the black hole that were Raine's growth weapons. Just to catch them up with his current level required an astonishing 70 million Superiority. It would take another 75 million to get them and himself to level 26.

The flow of bugs showed no signs of slowing. More and more arrived, attracted by the carnage. Raine was fully buried beneath a mass of writhing chitin and smoking innards. The press of bodies grew until each movement became a tedious chore. The smell was horrid: pungent vinegar and fetid, sulfur-soaked excrement.

No matter how much time was spent honing the mind to ward against such things, some smells were simply too invasive. There was too much of it, and it was as trapped by the press of bodies as he was, leaving no avenue of escape or relief. Black smoke clogged with vileness invaded Raine’s lungs with every drawn breath. He desperately desired to unleash the next Decree and Punishment straight up to allow a hint of fresh air inside. That would be a particularly idiotic move. The battle had evolved. It was no longer Raine vs. limitless bugs. As was the plan all along, new monstrosities that found the aroma a delectable call to dinner had arrived.

Buried as he was, Raine didn’t see it coming. He didn't need to. The ground heaved as it landed. The sound of it eating was loud, even through the press. The crunching and clacking of an oversized beak created claps of thunder as a feast was swallowed down a gullet wide beyond imagining. His first glimpse of the new arrival came when a beak the size of a building penetrated deep into the pile, too close for comfort. It clamped around dozens of mites at once. As it withdrew, Raine was struck by a sudden burst of ‘fresher’ air and light that illuminated the colossal creature covered in mites.

[Golathean Sparrow: (Level 47) (HP ???/???)]

It towered over them, much larger than any of the demons from the raid. The bugs failed to pierce its iron-like feathers, each of which was at least ten meters long. The entirety of its body was much too vast to see clearly through the gap it made, a gap which was quickly sealed by a hundred more suicidal mites.

For good reason, the Ruptured Chaparral was known to be a land of death. In the past, rumors of rare materials to be found here spread like wildfire. Raine was still a noob when the army he was attached to invaded these very woods. None survived. Without his varied advantages, he never would have considered coming back.

To combat the new arrival, Raine narrowed the range of bloodlust so the bird was the only one affected. A 20% reduction in attributes wouldn’t allow the much lower-level mites to hurt it any more than they could Raine. Still, its lowered maximum health would force it to flee and lick its wounds sooner.

Tucked against the tree as he was, there was little chance Raine would be eaten so long as he didn't truly piss it off. Since the bird wasn’t the beast he came here to find, he mostly ignored it, directing his efforts toward thinning the mites as efficiently as possible. Rupture was used on cooldown, but it hardly made a dent in their numbers. While the bulwark was getting the job done, he wouldn’t be earning any achievements for killing speed. Unfortunately, the demonic-looking slab of metal was essentially a fancy metal door with an attached arm brace. Meaning it lacked the sharp edges required for most of his AOE repertoire.

The lack of an edge only exemplified an underlying issue Raine had been struggling with ever since acquiring the cursed ring. Not only shields, most of the wapons he was forced to use created a profound awkwardness that clashed with his martial style. As an example, everyone knew shields were meant to be paired with another weapon. Even duel-wielding daggers, hatchets, and swords were unavailable to him, each combinations that he was intimately familiar with. In the past, Raine used both hands equally. Yet now, more often than not, a whole arm was reduced to nothing more than a weighted decoration. The lack was wrong on an intrinsic level, reducing his overall offensive options to a pittance of what they should be.

While flying, Raine had done a deep review of his available skills and items. During the process, he'd stumbled upon an idea to alleviate his off-hand issue and spent over a dozen hours practicing without much success. Knowing he learned fastest when in the thick of it, Raine was eager to try again.

Focusing on the useless limb, Raine toggled the second passive ability of his soul flame.

[Wisdom of Amanesh: Concentrate your inner flame in various areas of the body for a wide variety of effects (Currently available: Hands / Arms) (Further mastery will unlock additional areas) (no cooldown) (no cost)]

A third barely perceivable golden flame mingled with the two he was already producing. It rapidly extended to cover the shield with a flickering layer he assumed was hot to the touch. The nearby mites let him know that was the case when they screeched in newfound agony. They tried to withdraw but were unable to with so many of their brethren trapping them nearby. Meanwhile, additional ticks of damage sprang into Raine's HUD each time one of the bugs made contact with the shield.

Raine's empty hand flashed out, snatching one of the beasts by the upper leg. It cried out, high and angry, as the flames covering his hand slowly melted away at its carapace. [-50]

Fifty. Same as the active ability. Test one's a success. On to the next.

Raine released the bug, then immediately smashed his flame-wrapped fist into its ugly face. [-2,742] The impact to Raine’s joints and the force causing the beast's thick head to snap to the side were more than a little satisfying. Raine wanted to throw his head back and roar with delight but held it in. A fresh mouthful of acid would have quickly brought an end to his fun. However, he failed to hold in the wide grin that stretched his lips. No longer would his off-hand be restrained by the roulette's randomness. Fists, once his primary weapon, would become the solid foundation to further develop each weapon in his arsenal.

Raine wasn't done. The moment the thought occurred that his fists might return to their former glory, he’d thrown caution to the wind and purchased one of the last two basic Armsman skills. Activating it, his arm pulled back of its own accord before the whole limb vanished. Ten distinct cracks echoed as the mite’s shell cracked, and its innards turned to steaming paste.

[Flurry of One: (Novice > Beginner) With any fist weapon, combine 10 > 12 strikes into 1, dealing 350 > 480% physical damage (Cost: 5 Discipline) (Cooldown: 5 seconds)]

Raine was immediately vindicated in splurging the general skill point and Attunement. The payout easily matched his high expectations. There was only one basic Armsman skill remaining to purchase, but Raine decided against it for the same reason he held back for so long with Flurry of One. At level 30, he would get his first unique skill choice. It was only possible to have two unique skills, and they were individually powerful enough to drastically alter how a class functioned. After seeing the choices, he wanted to have as many options as possible to further refine his build.

While Raine’s overall combat effectiveness had taken a considerable step forward, he still couldn't use all his skills. Attempting to fix that, he focused on the flames coating his hand, willing them to change. The fire morphed into spiked, full-arm pauldrons. They were translucent as any fire yet held a solidness that was fully confirmed when he raised a blaze-coated forearm to block a mite's closing jaws. The beast clamped down with all its Potency, body vibrating with the effort. Raine barely felt a thing. [-1]

The beast writhed in pure torment as heat gushed down its throat. In a panic-fueled burst of effort, it managed to wriggle a step back and spit out Raine’s uninjured limb.

Not just armor, it counts as a shield for mitigating penetration. This soul flame is already so good, and I'm only at 2 of 10 Mastery. Insanity. Last test: the big one.

Raine flipped off bloodlust. Ignoring the innumerable impacts from the bugs, he focused with all his mental might on the fiery armor. As with every time he'd tried during the flight here, nothing changed. The plan was to alter the shape of the wicked-looking pauldron so it formed a bladed surface along his forearm that he could use to activate his other skills. Raine stubbornly kept at it for several minutes with zero noticeable changes occurring in his soul flame. Disappointed, he resigned to try again at a higher mastery.

Can't win 'em all. 

Bloodlust exploded forth as the soul flame slithered across Raine's hands and shield. He went about the monotonous task of clearing the bugs with methodical patience. There was no need to limit himself to Rupture, Flurry of One, and Decree and Punishment. With all the recent boosts to his attributes, Raine’s current Discipline regeneration was 1,154 per minute. Rupture only used 50 in that same time.

Raine had been shocked upon doing the math and realizing he could use all of his skills on cooldown without running out of resources. That had certainly never been the case in the past, especially with the astronomical increase in skill costs at each tier. Thanks to the cumbersome bulwark, his only other usable Armsman skills were Uncanny Acceleration and Debilitating Crush. For the cleric skills, his buffs had 5-minute cooldowns at a low cost, so they hardly made a dent in his equally ludicrous Divine Power regeneration. Using Healing Burst and Life Drain on cooldown only consumed 190 Celestial Power per minute, yet kept him more than topped off.

Being a forerunner is crazy. No wonder the ones who survived the year of assassinations ended up ruling ZL.

Needing to use each skill hundreds of times to increase their grades, Raine was happy to continue blasting apart the bugs with overwhelming force. A few minutes later, a pleasant milestone sprang into his interface, reminding Raine to start dumping Superiority into his growth weapons.

[Congratulations!]

[Shield mastery Beginner 5000/5000%]

[Defense and Resistance increased by 10% while wielding a shield]

[See a trainer in any major city to advance shield mastery to Adept]

The distraction allowed a claw-tipped leg to slip around Raine's guard, clipping his shoulder for noticeably less damage than he was taking before. [-18] The soul flame coating Raine's hand helped repay the mite’s kindness. A knife-hand jab slid between the protective plates covering its body and neck. [Critical hit! -5,549] The extension of Raine's arm allowed a dozen more hits through. Grumbling, Raine swapped the flames back to the defensive gauntlets and bided his time.

Both growth weapons were nearing level 24, and the Golathean Sparrow had long since fled when Raine's actual prey decided to make a late appearance. Considering it was the prized meal of the sparrows, its hesitation to enter the fray made sense.

Raine remembered well the sounds the creature made; it was the very sound which heralded his death the first time he came to this hell-hole. What could have been pressurized water shooting from a hose filled his ears. It was only heard for an instant before the screeching of dying mites drowned it out. Raine angled the bulwark up, unleashing a Decree and Punishment that blasted open a hole. Leap brought him back into the light of day.

Flying high, Raine was greeted with a birds-eye view of the mountain he’d been fighting beneath. His callous gaze swept over the writhing death, eyes locking onto a moth-like creature that could only be called nightmare fuel; it was a pasty white with bark-like skin. Bulbous red eyes were positioned atop four scraggly limbs. On its back was one large wing that evolution clearly got wrong, yet managed to repurpose into a single large fan used to propel the beast forward at dizzying speed.

[Golathean Vomicida: (Level 43) (HP ????/????)]

Its wide-open mouth still dripped the acid it had sprayed across the pile of mites. The vomicida's acid was several times more potent than the mites. Each and every drop meant death for an unlucky beast. The liquid sizzled as it ate through tough carapace as though it were damp paper before liquifying innards that oozed out into the open air.

Raine Lunged toward the disgusting monster. At the same moment, the vomicida flapped its oversized wing, releasing a sonic boom that sent mites flying. Its body hurtled into the mountain of bugs, where it vanished from sight. High above, a bird’s caw sounded with such impossible force that it shook even the trees.

Oh no you don’t! This one's mine!

Shield first, Raine Lunged into the pile of melting bugs, only catching a glimpse of white, parchment skin before his slippery foe vanished into the darkness.