Chapter 20 - I Knew It
Added 2023-05-02 14:05:58 +0000 UTCAs Samris reached down to touch his shoulder, Jiran knew he was in for an unpleasant experience. A bone-chilling energy raced through Jiran’s body rather than the flipping sensation of teleportation.
A pop in his arm accompanied the end of the numbing tingle that had permeated his side. Jiran did his best to bite back a scream of pain as sensations flooded along his freshly repaired nerves to invade his brain.
“Why does it feel like you’re tearing me apart rather than putting me back together again?” He groaned as Samris worked.
“Pain is a valuable teacher. Perhaps you would be better served to ask yourself why you insisted on fighting alone. Your bravery may be commendable, however, your results are less than ideal.”
“I… don’t know. Somehow, I could feel that if I relied on you, I would end up always seeking help from others. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being part of a team, but I don’t have one, and waiting to grow stronger until I do seems foolish.
“I guess the idea of stagnating seems worse to me than the risk of injury,” Jiran’s shrug caused pain to shoot up his neck and bloom into a headache.
“Ouch,” He complained while Samris grunted with a light smile.
“That should be sufficient for the next round,” Samris dusted off his hands after standing.
“Next round?”
“Surely you did not think your task complete after a single fight? Just beyond this hill is a nest of Arachnoids which has grown rapidly of late. If allowed to propagate unchecked, they will soon come into contact with the town’s foragers and casualties will ensue.
"This beast’s corpse will be sufficient bait to draw out the weaker members of the nest,” Samris said while toeing the corpse lightly with his boot.
“Arachnoids?”
“Weak individually at lower tiers, they prefer to scavenge in small groups.”
Samris walked away as he finished his explanation. Jiran watched him as he arrived before a small tree. The unfortunate arboreal specimen shattered as Samris struck it far faster than Jiran could follow. It looked as if he was merely standing before the tree before its trunk exploded and it fell to the ground.
Jiran felt a spike of envy race through him.
I can’t wait until I can do that.
Samris picked up the tree and tore it apart with his bare hands as if he were ripping paper. Once there was a sizable pile of kindling, he pointed and it burst into flames. Within minutes, there was a raging fire and a bearverine roasting on a spit.
I suppose I should get ready.
Jiran climbed to his feet, groaning like an old man. He picked up his blood-soaked spear and began wiping it clean with handfuls of dead leaves.
When he was done and standing awkwardly waiting for something to happen, Samris beckoned him over to the fire.
“Jiran, beasts will never hunt prey above their tier. By using this one as bait, we should lure only the weakest arachnoids. Prepare yourself well. There will be no breaks once the frenzy begins.”
He tore off one of the beast’s arms like he was plucking a flower and handed it to Jiran. When Jiran gave him a confused look and did not immediately grab the offered breakfast, Samris continued.
“Your mana is low after that fight, is it not?”
Oh, my status. I need to get in the habit of checking it more often.
Jiran took the meat and bit off a chunk before closing his eyes.
Strength + .3
Agility + .2
Endurance + .1
Durability + .4
Wisdom + .2
Forcing + 1
Forcing + 1
CONGRATULATIONS - Coating technique discovered
NAME Jiran of Feylon
RACE Human
AGE 8
WEIGHT 37.45 kg > 37.97 kg
STATUS Mild bruising \ Mild nerve damage
TIER 1
GROWTH 52.3% > 55.6%
MANA 0.76
CONCENTRATION 1
STRENGTH 13.1 > 13.5
AGILITY 13.7 > 14.1
ENDURANCE 13.4 > 13.7
DURABILITY 14.1 > 14.6
WISDOM 16.5 > 16.8
INTELLIGENCE 15.5 > 15.5
SKILLS Molding lvl 50 - Mana Expansion
TECHNIQUES Forcing lvl 22
Coating lvl 0
OTHER UNIQUE - Fo$%si%h(
It’s official, fighting yields far greater attribute gains than exercising. At this pace, I’ll be tier two within the moon.
The thought lit a fire in Jiran to match the one burning before him. His toes curled in anticipation of the Shaping skill everyone received upon reaching tier two. He knew little about the skill outside of its most basic description which was something about bringing mana outside the body to create natural effects.
Jiran forced his errant thoughts back on track as his next fight was fast approaching.
Not as low on mana as I thought. Molding and Forcing are ridiculously mana efficient. Or maybe it’s my high level in them. I wonder if Samris would answer that if I asked.
Jiran glanced at the man who was stoically staring into the flames before shaking his head with a sigh.
Doubtful.
With a pulse of emotion, Jiran claimed the density in his stomach to top off his mana, then allowed the rest of the meal to be absorbed into his body naturally, boosting his growth.
This new technique must be related to covering my skin with mana.
Knowing he wouldn't receive any levels in the skill until he tried the automated version, Jiran activated the skill. A trickle of chemicals from his brain connected with his mana which flowed smoothly through his chest and arm.
The pleasant sensations ended there as his mana was brutally forced through his skin. Jiran shouted in surprise as his forearm felt the sting of a thousand insect bites. The mana rapidly exited his pores to pool across the surface of his arm in a thick, soupy coating.
Freaking rude. The automated versions are practically thought-free or I wouldn't bother using them at all. They are slower, less efficient, the effect is weaker, and they feel like something is reaching inside my body and taking control of it which is just plain creepy.
A densoon wave Jiran had failed to see, thanks to the tree cover, washed through the area rocking him back and knocking the fresh meat from his hands. Jiran didn’t waste a second as he manually activated Coating in order to experience the wildly fluctuating density once more.
It washed across his mana like a million ants forming twisting lines of snaking energy that fluctuated randomly and without warning.
Why is it so different from the regular density in the air?
The wave soon passed and Samris nodded toward the top of the hill. Jiran turned to look and saw three very tall spiders. The ungainly thorax of each beast was stacked directly on top of its abdomen, giving them the appearance of a mushroom with legs.
“Do you have a plan?” Samris asked in such a calm voice, he might as well have been sipping tea in his study.
“They look top-heavy. If I can take out a couple legs on each, they will probably fall over and be out of the fight.”
“Your spear isn’t suited for cutting,” Samris noted as he tossed Jiran a new one that appeared from thin air.
Ugh, so cool. Must tier faster!
Jiran caught the new weapon and nearly dropped it as the weight was several times greater than his current spear. He looked down at the weapon in awe as he activated Molding just to hold it.
The blade was curved on one end and longer than his old spearhead. A dagger of sharp metal extended from both the tip and back of the curved blade. The extra metal at the end of the long shaft made the weapon unwieldy and heavy, perfect for an ample application of Forcing.
This will certainly cut them down with ease. This fight should be an ideal chance to test my theory.
Jiran hefted the mighty weapon and charged up the hill. The spiders fanned out in a wide formation at his approach. Showcasing their pack-hunting skills. One lumbered directly toward him while the other two sucked in a large amount of air.
Some kind of special skill? Isn’t that supposed to be super rare for tier one beasts?
Their bodies swelled to new heights as air entered the large thorax on top of their bodies. When they began to vibrate from the internal pressure, both released the pent-up air combined with a heavy dose of webbing. The blasts of white goo spread into the air like a blanket covering a large area that would easily trap most prey.
Jiran was not prey.
Coating and Forcing combined to rocket him through the air. He arrived before the third spider far faster than the beast was expecting. It responded admirably, raising a claw-tipped leg high into the air in an attempt to spear through his body.
When Jiran moved to the side, dodging the predictable attack. The beast was already missing two legs as his new weapon easily sliced through its flesh. Its body tilted to the side like a decrepit wizard tower before a third leg snapped under the weight. The beast crashed into the ground kicking up a wave of dirt and leaves.
The beast screeched in an ear-piercing howl that was matched by its brethren. Jiran’s new weapon ended the horrid monster's life in the next instant as it was plunged half a meter into its face.
He used a nearby rock to break line of sight on the remaining two before running further away. When he felt like he was out of range of their web launching, he hid behind a tree and closed his eyes.
Agility + .1
I knew it! It’s not that I’m killing something, it's all about the challenge. Safely working out behind a wall is a waste of time. If I want to tier quickly, I need to push myself.
This weapon is way too strong. There’s almost no danger. Dodging the webs then the leg was the only threat so my reward was only a slight increase of agility.
Jiran tossed the weapon onto the ground and charged once more. The spiders backed away, opening the space between them as quickly as they could. He had to dodge two more waves of sticky thread before reaching his next victim.
The beast reared back and struck out with four limbs simultaneously in an attempt to pin him down. Unable to dodge them all, Jiran used Coating on his shoulder, solidifying the mana into a hard plate.
The single leg that landed on him skittered off the mana. His leather shirt failed to hold up against the massive weight of the beast and was instantly torn. A long cut all the way down his back erupted in agony.
Jiran growled deep in his throat as he unleashed a punch into the offending leg right where it connected to the lower abdomen. His mana-coated punch blasted through spiky hair, hard exoskeleton plating, and soft flesh in one swift movement.
The beast matched his growl of hatred with a screech full of resentment. Its legs reared up again, but with only two to dodge, Jiran easily tracked the movements and stepped to the side before carving off another leg.
With only two legs holding up the left side of its body, the beast began to tip. Jiran gave it no chance to recover as he dove forward, separating a third. The final leg collapsed, sending the beast toppling down right on top of him.
With a maniacal grin, Jiran pushed Forcing through both his hands and pulled himself into the air. The beast’s weight was significant, but nothing compared to hands brimming with mana. When they met the hairy exoskeleton, mana won.
The beast was thrown over his head where it was impaled on a tree branch. Green blood and disgusting spider filling came gushing out of its wounds to splatter on the ground. Jiran didn’t stick around to make sure it died as he was already sprinting toward the last beast.
A rapid blink showed his mana was still high enough that he felt comfortable repeating the fight. The beast held its final blast of thread until he was nearly underneath it. Despite the clever strategy, Jiran was simply too fast as he pulled his body to the side with his deadly combination of techniques.
The final spider toppled as easily as the second. Jiran’s fists blasted into its disgusting face, leaving a gaping hole where there had once been a terrifying maw. The beast continued to thrash its legs uselessly into the air long after it was dead.
Strength + .4
Agility + .4
Endurance + .5
Durability + .3
Wisdom + .4
Intelligence + .3
Forcing + 1
Forcing + 1
Coating + 1
Coating + 1
Coating…
