Luke Everhart
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Chapter 231 - Strong But Weak
🕑 Added 2025-04-02 10:40:29 +0000 UTCThey arrived sometime in the middle of the night, and were ordered straight to their rooms, with orders to report back to sickbay whenever they woke up, to have their bodies checked for any lingering frost damage. Meanwhile, the injured were shipped off to sickbay, with Rel, Tuk and Mul expecting to be discharged by the afternoon of the following day, and Gad requiring some more intensive healing, but expected to make a full recovery within the next three to four days.
Nar remained just conscious enough to take a quick, very hot shower, change into the new pajamas they had given him alongside with a new storage ring, and climb onto his bed.
A sigh of bliss escaped his lips as his head hit the pillow, the mattress seemed to embrace him, and the blanket hugged him with the promise of safety.
The Scimitar’s soft hum lulled him into an instant sleep, and he was home.
*********
He woke up late the next morning, and from the quiet in the room, he could tell that he was alone, as Kur must already be out and about, checking in on the others and getting checked himself.
Aches and bruises made themselves known across his body, as he hadn’t been healed to perfection in the mad rush of the previous night, and Nar allowed himself to languish in bed.
The dark. The quiet hum of the ship. His little bunk bed in its tiny corner of Creation…
It was a balm to his very soul after the crazy couple of days he’d just had, and it was nice to finally feel rested, safe, and at peace. Besides, with the dungeon complete, for better or worse, they had finished the last of their three assessments, and Nar doubted anyone would look at what they had achieved in that corrupted dungeon ,and tell them anything other than “Well done! You’re in!”
Well, you never know, Nar thought.
A few minutes passed by in quiet comfort, and he almost dozed back into sleep.
Ugh… I should get up, he told himself. And it’s probably time to check those gains. They better be the best thing I’ve ever seen…
He reached for his UI, and as expected, now that he was outside the Church’s blanketing zone, he could access it again.
His notifications icon flashed in its usual location, on the upper left corner of his UI, and with his heartbeat speeding up, Nar opened it. As expected, the gains notification awaited him, its subject line reading Gains from completion of FORD10-OR-1R-259877.
Alright, let’s have a look.
-[ DING!
You have cleared a dungeon.
You have cleared a corrupted dungeon!
Additional gains have been awarded.
You have defeated a foe whose level exceeded the dungeon limits!
Additional gains have been awarded.
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
You have gained:
Strength 25 -> 33
Constitution 33 -> 41
Stamina 43 -> 49
Vigor 6 -> 9
Speed 38 -> 54
Agility 44 -> 52
Hearing 30 -> 33
Sight 24 -> 27
Smell 9 -> 12
Dexterity 7 -> 12
Reflex 41 -> 52
Accuracy 4 -> 7
Awareness 8 -> 15
Perception 8 -> 10
NPC 12 -> 18
Ego 54 -> 66
Aura** 292 (139 + 153 Mod.) -> 544 (229 + 315 Mod.)
Instinct 33 -> 41
Endurance 15 -> 21
Might 12 -> 16
[???] 25 -> 32
Congratulations!
You have gained your third attribute modifier.
[Aura**] has become [Aura***]. For each point gained in [Aura] you will gain an additional 2.4 points (rounded down).
(Example: 6 points gained in [Aura***] = 6 + (6 * 2.4 = 14.4) = 20)
New skills gained:
[Aura Blade]
[Combat Cycling] (Passive)
Skills upgraded:
Skill [Sword Aura] was upgraded to [Sword Aura 2].
Skill [Aura Quickening 2] was upgraded to [Aura Quickening 3].
Skill [Mastery 4] (Passive) was upgraded to [Mastery 6] (Passive).
Skill [Pathways of the Champion 4] (Passive) was upgraded to [Pathways of the Champion 7] (Passive).
Skill [Senses of the Champion] (Passive) was upgraded to [Senses of the Champion 2] (Passive).
Skill [The Aspiring Champion] (Passive) was upgraded to [The Aspiring Champion 2] (Passive).
Skill [Dark Vision] (Passive) was upgraded to [Dark Vision 2] (Passive).
Warning: Cumulative attribute gains and skills exceed safety parameters for current level!
Gains and skills application will be phased out across a period of 3 days. ]-
Well… Would you look at that, he thought, his eyebrows rising in quiet, but shocked surprise.
Five levels in one go, he read. All main combat attributes pushed up to the forties and fifties? Crystal… And big boosts to [Constitution] and [Stamina] as well?
He had to re-read it twice to make sure he was reading it properly.
All senses increased. [NPC]... 6 whole points in one go? Crystal Almighty… [Ego]’s gone even higher, too, and that thing’s never enough… And…
He paused at the sight of the beastly number besides his aura, and for a few moments, he forgot how to breathe. Then he pulled himself up into a seated position and stared blankly at the window for several seconds, his head brushing against the low ceiling above him
That can’t be right…
He checked his status but there it was, a nearly empty gray bar that nonetheless indicated a grand total of 5440 points of aura.
You’ve got to be kidding me… And the third modifier’s also…
He had been expecting, and greatly anticipating, his third modifier into his [Aura]. However, now that it was here, that 2.4 bonus gave him reason to pause, especially given that the massive raise he had just witnessed was still due to his previous 1.8 modifier being applied to what he calculated was 90 points gained in his [Aura**].
90 points… What in the Pile? He thought, frowning back at his gains window. Was that because of what I did to the sword? Or because of all that aura I used up all at once? Oh, wait! These are gains from the whole dungeon! Yeah, that makes a lot more sense then… Right?
It was still a phenomenal number, but it seemed alright, and at last, a smile touched the corners of his mouth, before it grew into a grin and the grin burst apart into incredulous, wild laughter. This is what he wanted, right? A massive [Aura***] to power his insane, hybrid path?
Well, we're committed to it now! Might as well see where this crazy path takes us! He thought, shaking his head. What else did we got? [Instinct]! Fuck, yeah! I don’t know what happened back there, but I’ll never say no to more [Instinct]... And we’re wrapping up with a big chunk of gains into [Endurance] and [Might] as well? Holy shit!
He threw up his fists, drumming them against the low ceiling above his head, and laughed maniacally. Tys had been right about the bonuses from clearing a corrupted dungeon, and his gains were far, far better than he had dared hope for! They were so high in fact, they were too much for him to handle all at once and had to be phased across a period of 3 days? How insane was that!
It makes almost dying nearly worth it! Nar thought, shaking his head in utter disbelief. But we still have that [???]... Oh, well! Who cares? This is all massive! And look at all my skill gains… Plus [Aura Blade]! Yes!
To see [Aura Blade] listed amongst his gains was not a surprise, but it was a damn sight after everything he had gone through to unlock it! All that hard work, paid off and summed up into two, glorious words… It was magnificent!
But what's this? [Combat Cycling]? He thought, frowning. What in the Pile is that about?
Everything he had been taught thus far had always led him to believe that combat cycling was just something one did, not an actual skill, and yet…
Curious, he checked his two new skills.
-[ Aura Blade (Aura/DPS): Let your blade reach your enemies, no matter where they may be or hide. Let your intent be made manifest, and those that stand in your way be brought low before your might… Creates a controllable edge of razor-sharp aura that deals n * 0.7 aura damage on hit (unless the target is hit by the physical sword as well, in which case base weapon + aura coating damage is added as well), where n is the amount of aura points used. Cost n points of aura. - Uncommon
Aura Blade Control (Aura/DPS): The edge of aura remains under your command for as long as you control it, or until the target manages to resist/overcome your aura. It will continuously damage (unquantifiable) the target. Cost 20 points of aura per second to maintain. - Uncommon
Combat Cycling (Aura/Self) (Passive): Many are those who proclaim their prowess in combat, and claim that their one true home is in the midst of blood, pain and death, but few are those who actually embody such existence… You are one such delver. Like it or not, you more than excel in combat. You thrive in it, pushing against every obstacle, rebelling against all endings, and finding your true potential when faced with death, again and again… But where will this path of bloodshed and destruction take you? Grants a flat 20% increase to [Mastery] and [Vigor] while in combat. - Epic ]-
An epic skill…
Nar could scarcely breathe.
An epic skill?
He read through the skill two more times, and then stared mutely at the rank of his new skill.
By the Crystal, an epic skill! He thought, still reeling from the momentous discovery. And it gives me more out of [Mastery] and [Vigor]... So that I can use even more aura and stamina? Crystal Above All… This is… This is…
He didn’t even have words for it. An epic skill… That was only one rank lower from freaking legendary!
But that description… Did he enjoy combat? Was that what the skill was hitting at? But how could that be? He’d spent the entirety of the last while wondering if the life of a delver, a life of danger and death and everything else he’d seen, was for him! When had he enjoyed fighting? Ever?
So where in the Pile is this coming from?
He shook his head. The bonuses from [Combat Cycling] were tremendous, and that’s what he decided to focus on. The rest… He would figure it out eventually, if it ever mattered… Power was power, and as long as it propelled him towards his goals, he would take it.
Wait! I should look at the rest of the skill upgrades as well!
-[ Skills
Active
Sword Aura 2 (Aura/DPS): The focused intent of will and aura manifested through the blade. Adds an extra n * 0.75 aura damage to base weapon damage, where n is the amount of aura points used. Cost n points of aura. - Common
Aura Blade (Aura/DPS): Let your blade reach your enemies, no matter where they may be or hide. Let your intent be made manifest, and those that stand in your way be brought low before your might… Creates a controllable edge of razor-sharp aura that deals n * 0.7 aura damage on hit (unless the target is hit by the physical sword as well, in which case base weapon + aura coating damage is added as well), where n is the amount of aura points used. Cost n points of aura. - Uncommon
Aura Blade Control (Aura/DPS): The edge of aura remains under your command for as long as you control it, or until the target manages to resist/overcome your aura. It will continuously damage (unquantifiable) the target. Cost 20 points of aura per second to maintain. - Uncommon
Aura Quickening 3 (Aura/Buff): For ten seconds your [NPC], [Reflex], [Agility] and [Speed] increase by n * 0.1, where n is your [Aura]. Cost 100 points of aura. Warning: Severe physical and mental damage may be incurred if this skill is overused. - Common
Meditation (Recovery): recharge your [Aura] through deep breathing and the emptying of your mind. Through this, it is possible to access a sense of… (No more information available).
Passive
The Aspiring Champion 2 (Aura/???): The Path of the Champion is not an easy one to tread, but you continue to take the first steps towards building this path. As long as you hold firm and stay the course, you passively gain n * 0.02 bonus points to your main combat attributes, where n is your [Aura]. In addition, while [Aura] remains your highest attribute, no other attributes can gain modifiers. The Path of the Champion demands commitment. - Rare
Pathways of the Champion 7 (Aura/???): Upgraded version of the [Aura Pathways] skill. The [Pathways of the Champion] reach further and deeper throughout the body. The higher the level of the pathways, the higher its quality, allowing the user to better cycle their aura, in higher quantities, and with lesser and lesser loss of aura through leakage. Adds a 0.15 bonus to [Mastery]. - Rare
Senses of the Champion 2 (Aura/Enhancement): Drawing upon your senses, including [Instinct], automatically taps into your aura. This empowers all your senses by a further n y (x * 0.02), where n is the level of this skill, y is the current stage in the Path of the Champion (currently Aspirant = 1) and x is your [Aura]. - Rare
Mastery 6 (Aura): The amount of aura that you can cycle and control all at once. Each journey is its own. Currently, 297 aura points (270 + 40 [Pathways of the Champion]). Warning: While you can reach for more aura, it will be extremely difficult, and carries with it potentially very serious risks. - Common
Combat Cycling (Aura/Self) (Passive): Many are those who proclaim their prowess in combat, and claim that their one true home is in the midst of blood, pain and death, but few are those who actually embody such existence… You are one such delver. Like it or not, you more than excel in combat. You thrive in it, pushing against every obstacle, rebelling against all endings, and finding your true potential when faced with death, again and again… But where will this path of bloodshed and destruction take you? Grants a flat 20% increase to [Mastery] and [Vigor] while in combat. - Epic
Dark Vision 2 (Enhancement): As one born in the deepest darkness, you will always be able to see well through the dark. - Common ]-
For several seconds, his brain tried and failed to comprehend the bonuses he was reading.
The Path of the Champion is not an easy one to tread, but you continue to take the first steps towards building this path… That bit changed, Nar realized, in awe. And from 0.01 to 0.02 bonus points per aura point… With 544 points in [Aura***]?
He gulped, and with his heartbeat drumming wild in his chest, he called upon his full status.
-[ NAR293457741235645XAV
Champion Aspirant 10
(Aggr. 35)
Rare
DPS/Tank
Aura: 101/5440
Health Points: 138/410
Stamina: 104/490
Stats
● Strength: 45 (33 + 10 [The Aspiring Champion])
● Constitution: 41
● Stamina: 49
● Vigor: 9 (9 + 2 [Combat Cycling] (while in combat) = 11)
● Speed: 83 (54 + 10 [The Aspiring Champion] + 19 [NPC])
● Agility: 90 (52 + 10 [The Aspiring Champion] + 28 [NPC])
● Hearing: 54 (33 + 21 [Senses of the Champion])
● Sight: 48 (27 + 21 [Senses of the Champion])
● Smell: 33 (12 + 21 [Senses of the Champion])
● Dexterity: 12
● Reflex: 108 (52 + 10 [The Aspiring Champion] + 46 [NPC])
● Accuracy: 7
● Awareness: 15
● Perception: 10
● NPC: 18
● Ego: 66
● Aura***: 544 (229 + 315 Mod.)
● Instinct: 77 (41 + 10 [The Aspiring Champion] + 21 [Senses of the Champion] + 5 [???])
● Endurance: 21
● Might: 16
● ???: 32 ]-
Nar stared mutely at the tab in front of him. What is this…
What kind of numbers were those before him?
83 cumulative points in [Speed]? 90 in [Agility]? [Reflex] at almost double what it had previously been, and [Instinct] at 83 points?
TING!
Nar startled in his bed, and he blinked at the flashing notifications icon, with its small bubble indicating that he had 1 new and unread notification. Opening that tab, he found a new message from the Master of Blades, the subject reading Great gains! But…
But? But what? Nar thought, opening the message. Look at them!
They were more than great! They were phenomenal! They were miraculous even!
-[ BRAVO!
You may not know it, but what you and your party have achieved in that dungeon is nothing short of phenomenal!
To come face to face with an illatrian, low leveled or not, at your level and survive… Now that’s a show of resilience and might!
And you’ve got the gains to match it!
Those 5 levels you just got were incredibly attribute dense for someone under level 50! So well done! Well done indeed!
Now, I don’t want to rain on your parade, but don’t let it get to your head. You have done an amazing job, yes, and your gains are amazing! And [Combat Cycling] in particular is a very, very, pleasant surprise to see amongst them… But while you are strong, you are still just a strong low level combat class! You still have much to learn, my apprentice, and the path is yet long ahead of you…
We’ll go through a bit of consolidation before we move on to the next stage of your training, but getting [Aura Blade] this early will definitely speed things up.
Well, provided you decide to stay with us… Of course, you have passed all your assessments with flying colors, especially this last one!
If you do stay with us, I heard HQ is cooking up something really nice for all you apprentices as a reward for surviving that mess, so look forward to that!
(If you stay, of course…)
All in all, you got out of that dungeon surprisingly unscathed, so for now, just rest! You’re forbidden from any training, studying or even worrying about anything!
Go into Haven, get smashed, sleep and have fun!
You’ve earned it.
Oh, and don’t worry about your sword. DON’T TRY ANYTHING! But don’t worry either… We’ll talk about it when we meet again.
From the Master of Blades. ]-
Am I still weak? Nar thought, reading through the message and his brain struggling to match that quantifier to the numbers in his status. Even with all of these gains? Fucking Pile… Just what level are all these people at?
Tys was at least level 150, which meant she was, at the minimum… A whole 115 levels above him?
Okay, fine, Nar begrudgingly conceded the point. Anyways, he’s also surprised about [Combat Cycling], uh? That can only be a good thing, right?
He shook his head at his own sarcasm. Surprises didn’t often tend to be pleasant, though only time would tell with his new skill. And thinking back to it, even his [Aura Infused Strikes] had not had much mileage in that dungeon, thanks to all the missing beasts and bosses, though he was pretty sure that at the end there, his [Lingering Aura] had triggered to ravage the illatrian’s insides…
Oh, well, we’ll see… And consolidating, uh? I guess it makes sense, he thought. Though I’m not so sure I trust this reward of theirs…
He was certain that the other apprentices would’ve also made tremendous gains from that corrupted cluster of dungeons, and unless he was very, incredibly, stupidly wrong, that probably meant they had all just jumped ahead of schedule. At the very least by a little bit! Which meant that Tsurmirel was definitely going to capitalize on that, and push them even harder in its goal to make elite combat delvers out of them as quickly as possible.
Just how hard they would push? That remained to be seen, but he had no illusions as to the deadly nature of said reward.
I guess I’ll just try to relax, for now, he thought, scanning through the last of his master's message. Oh, and don’t worry about your sword?
He shook his head. I’m not worried. I just have no clue what in the Pile happened back there.
Dismissing the message, he climbed out of his bed at last, and commanded the lights to turn on. Then, he summoned his sword.
The blade looked the same as it had, when he had showed it to Tys and Kur, but now, in the quiet of his own room, and feeling a lot more alive, he examined it once more. He passed his finger along the uneven, burned and scarred blade, marveling as he always did at how smooth it felt despite its appearance, and his eyes fell upon the new modifications made to its appearance.
The pathways now visible across the blades' two sides formed uneven zig zags, and they were almost not there, being so incredibly shallow and thin in the metal. Still, the lines managed to somehow look clean, and solid, and as his fingers reached the circular indentation that signaled the existence of the new aura core now residing within the sword, he let out a half-cry of surprise.
It’s warm! Does that mean there’s some aura left inside of it? He wondered, as he lay his thumb across the small, three-inch wide circle, covering most of it, and marveled at his undeniable warmth.
“What happened to you?” he whispered to the blade, pulling up its status.
-[ Longsword of Hunger
Rare
Level 4
This used to be a simple longsword given to a Climber, but it has since been upgraded with the power of Hunger, and it continues to be upgraded by its master’s own aura, having received crude pathways and an aura core.
Meant to be discarded for something better after the Climb, there is no telling what fate awaits this weapon now, as it hungers to become more…
Stats
● DPS: 45 - X (Phys. Dmg.) + Y * 0.5 (Aura Dmg.)
Where X is the potential of its master, and Y is the aura actively cycled within the blade.
● Damage block: 0 - X%
Where X is the potential of its master.
● Hunger
4 - 8% of physical damage dealt will be absorbed by the wielder as health points up to maximum health points.
● Crude Pathways 2
This sword has had crude pathways carved into it, and thus amplifies aura attacks channeled through it. 5 - 12% bonus aura damage.
● Aura Core (Personal)
This sword has been enhanced by the creation of an aura core within it, and one that is perfectly attuned to its master. Can store up to 1000 aura points, which can be used at will by the user, as if it were its own aura. No penalties apply to the aura stored within this core. ]-
“Well… I’ll be damned,” Nar whispered. “You’ve come far, haven’t you?”
Sure, the evolution of the sword into full Hunger was worrying, especially given the time he had almost abandoned Mul for his gains, but that Hunger had done him a lot of incredible good. It was easy to forget its continuous, passive healing effect in the midst of the chaos of battle, but it was a pretty significant effect, and one that was now even further boosted, which perfectly suited his hybrid path. And the sword had saved Jul before, in the confluence. Of that he was certain! And it had saved them all in that dungeon in a way that he still didn’t understand…
But if that Hunger remained focused on his own growth, protecting his party, and saving his dad, then maybe, it would only continue to be an advantage in the long term. Something to lean on, rather than shy away from…
“And we are hungry, aren’t we?” Nar thought, passing his fingers across the blade. “And with this… If I… We keep going the way we are… Maybe it’s not so impossible to go back down after all in time.”
Sure, rest and relaxation were important, even needed, and he was definitely in need of it.
But Nar had no intention of slowing down. Not now that he had tasted the first proper fruits of his efforts outside of the B-Nex., and not now that his path was starting to look like something that could truly be considered promising.
No. He was far, far from done.
“You and I,” he whispered to his blade. “We’re going to keep climbing, higher and higher, aren’t we?”
When next they met, and they would meet, his dad would barely recognize the two of them, as gone would be the nervous, lost little boy that had wandered into the darkness of the B-Nex, as well as the plain, underwhelming longsword he had taken along with him for his journey…
(Sorry for the delay there! There were a few weird things popping up with the formatting, and while I think I caught them all, let me know if you spot anything out of place. Happy Wednesday!)
Comments
Faces The Wind
Attribute Modifiers: What We Know So Far when all gained on a single attribute the progression is as follows: Mod---Total Points---Bonus Points Per Point Gained 1st---40---1 2nd---80---0.8 3rd---140-229?---0.6 4th---???---0.4 5th---???---0.2 so much for thinking it was 40/80/120/160/200 and I cannot math a likely progression with such a large uncertain range for the third point. Best guess now is 40/80/160/320/640
Lucas Onderwater
Right? And if you like gains, I think you're going to love Arc 3!! (hopefully!)
Beater
Sweet rewards! Numbers going up is always satisfying af.
Lucas Onderwater
Fixed!! I had 27, changed to 40, then questioned myself on it a few hours later and wrote 27 again 😵💫 The brain wasn't braining... Thanks for reading!
CentaureHeart
If Pathways of the champion increases Master by 15% it should be an increase of 40 not 27! Thanks for the chapter :)
