L.E. Miranda
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SSR - Book 2 Chapter 18: Basilisk Wilds (3)
🕑 Added 2025-03-25 00:17:47 +0000 UTCRylan read his Status Window carefully and slowly.
Status Window
Name: Rylan Flameheart
Level: 42
Race: Human (E)
Class: The Dreamer
Profession: none.
Trait: Determined
Stats
Strength: 170
Agility: 170
Endurance: 171
Body: 171
Intelligence: 199
Wisdom: 181
Free Points: 146
Active Skills
Magic Missile (F); Stormcaller Sword Style (S), Mountainpeak Swordsmanship (A), Second Imperial Swordsmanship (B), Falling Snow Steps (A), Earth Grab (F), Earth Spikes (E), Firebolt (F), Wind Blades (F), Water Bullets (F), Gust (F), Ray of Frost (F).
Passive Skills
Mana Core (Second Circle), Sword Handling (E), Stamina (E), Blade Affinity (D), Precision (E), Force (E), Overpower (D), Balance (E), Cutting Edge (D), Persistence (D), Mana Affinity (E), Faster Casting (D), Lionheart (C), Dreams of Transcendence.
Hybrid Skills
Sword Mastery (Master), Mana Cultivation (Beginner).
Titles
Young Mage; Reincarnator; Swordmaster; Expert Monster Slayer; Hard-working; Duelist; Swordseeker; King of Steel; Dancer of the Crescent Blade; Battlemage; Moonlight’s Eternal Promise.
Rylan nodded to himself with a smile. The first thing he looked at was his Level.
I’m not far behind Evenon now.
The thought of the damnable man made him furrow his brow, but his expression returned to a satisfied one right after. Evenon had been Level 48 at the time of his death and a powerful Fourth Circle Mage, though unskilled. Now, the gap between Rylan’s current self and this life’s first enemy was small.
Well, he probably had a Class that focused entirely on raising Intelligence and Wisdom.
Though the Level difference between them was no longer large, Evenon had still likely had higher Intelligence and Wisdom stats, at the cost of every other stat. Rylan ran his eyes over his stats. As expected, his Class’ ability to increase every single stat at every Level was even more monumental in practice. Every physical stat had more than doubled through Leveling up alone.
The difference each Stat Point makes becomes greater the higher the stat’s value.
It was something that had been true in his past life and that he had already verified also applied to this one. Roland’s theory had been that the System intended to reward development and training to get every stat as high as possible before spending Free Points; Rylan agreed with it.
In short, it only meant that his Class’ effectiveness would increase over time, up until the second Class Evolution.
Rylan then looked at his Skills. They hadn’t changed much, since he hadn’t had the time to actually learn anything new over the past day.
At least, not yet.
Ideas for sword styles that would fit his current self bubbled within him. Now that his physical stats were much higher than before, he could afford to start using more taxing styles and their respective Sword Arts. The Stormcaller Sword Style was still the best one for his current self, but he could complement it with other styles. Most importantly, he could now go beyond the Third Movement.
Rylan focused on his Mana Cultivation Skill. He was still labeled as a ‘beginner,’ but if his suspicions were right, this would change the moment he stepped into the Third Circle. Lastly, his Monster Slayer Title had changed, skipping straight to Expert Monster Slayer.
“So?” Gerard’s voice came from the side. “What do you think?”
Rylan looked at his father and smiled.
“I think you don’t look like you’ve been fighting for this long at all, Father.”
Gerard’s robe was nowhere to be found, but his leather armor was still mostly intact. Apart from the damp shirt and pants that made it clear just how much the man had sweated, there were no signs of too much struggle.
Gerard scoffed.
“Because you threw yourself in the way every time. But you know that’s not what I’m asking.”
Rylan shook his head with a smile.
“I heal faster than you. I have no regrets about using my body to shield you, Father. But yes, I think we can do it.”
Gerard’s eyebrow twitched before he took a deep breath.
“Are you sure? What value are your physical stats at?”
“Around 170.”
His father blinked, then frowned.
“The world truly isn’t fair. Your Class is too good.”
Rylan let out a tired laugh.
“I’ve already died once after accumulating almost a century’s worth of training.”
“But you’ve only trained for close to a year in this life.”
Rylan shrugged, making Gerard scoff while shaking his head.
“…I’m not happy about this plan, but I do think it could work,” Gerard continued. “No matter what, we can’t afford to make a mistake.”
Rylan nodded.
“Catch your breath for a bit. I’ll need your support, Father.”
Gerard took another deep breath. As his father steadied his breathing, Rylan raised his sword and ran his fingers on the steel blade with tenderness, as if caressing a lover.
“You’ve been through a lot…” he muttered.
The blade was no longer as pristine as it once was. The sword was well-made, but the burden of fighting strong enemies continuously had worn it down. It was still usable, but the whole structure was weaker than before. He caressed his blade again as Gerard’s breathing became stable once again.
…Moonlight would complain if she saw me treating another sword like this.
The thought made him smile. He still recalled how happy he’d been once he got the Moonlight’s Eternal Promise Title. Its power was great, but to him, it was nothing but confirmation that his oldest friend was still around.
Even if she’s a bit jealous of other swords.
Dragging himself out of his thoughts, Rylan looked at Gerard as the man approached.
“Alright, I’m fine now. Let’s go.”
Rylan grinned and stretched his body. The plan was simple. If they stayed as they were, they would be continuously attacked by the Dungeon’s monsters. The repeated battles would wear them down and reduce their fighting ability. Of course, if they managed to hold on for long enough, the Academy’s professors would enter the Dungeon and solve the whole issue. However, Gerard had raised another possibility – go to the Boss and kill it as fast as possible, before they lost too much fighting power.
Now that Rylan had Level up considerably, his strength was incomparable to before. This, added to the fact that the most dangerous enemies so far had been Spriggans and Treants, allowed Rylan and Gerard to conclude that the Dungeon could be beaten by the two of them. As his thoughts reached this point, Rylan smiled.
He decided to do this out of consideration for me.
Despite his earlier scolding in the Veria Woodlands, Gerard understood Rylan’s desire for growth. As such, he had decided upon a riskier plan that would allow Rylan to reap the maximum benefits from this Dungeon raid.
“We’ll probably run into Wendigos and the other enemies you saw,” Rylan said.
Gerard nodded.
“Probably. Gather them up and create an opening for me to use large spells.”
“Of course.”
Over the past day, Rylan had become increasingly used to fighting alongside Gerard. In a way, it had been a new experience; Roland had only fought beside others at the beginning of his journey, many decades before his death, and only next to swordsmen. Most importantly, the man he was fighting alongside was his father. He grinned at the thought.
Rylan ran through the Dungeon. His improved senses captured the surrounding mana’s movements with even more clarity than before. Colors were more vivid and sounds were more distinct. His mana circulated within him endlessly, rotating in the shape of twin whirlpools that supported all that he was. It flowed like water to every corner of his body and soul. He let out a breath as he reveled in the sensation. At the same time, he remained perfectly aware of his environment.
Take a slight right here.
Rylan went around a tree that looked no different from any of the others, changing his path. Gerard followed him without a word. The mana around them served as guidance toward the Boss’ lair. The thicker it became, the closer they were.
It took only a few minutes for Rylan to raise his free hand and slow down. Gerard immediately raised his staff. A moment later, a Magic Shield appeared around him. Rylan tightened the grip around his sword’s hilt. A loud shriek reached their ears as a gaunt, tall figure approached them rapidly from the right. It crushed through the shrubbery and branches in its way with ferocity and a wailing howl.
Rylan glanced at the incoming monster but didn’t stop moving. A few seconds later, the Wendigo leaped past the nearest tree, dragging its steel-like claws along the trunk. They tore through it as if it were paper. Rylan responded to the attack only with a single swing. His muscles roared with power as his mana raced through them. Faster than ever before in this life, his sword reached its destination as he tilted his body. The giant claws almost grazed him but ended up hitting nothing but air. His blade cut into the Wendigo’s belly and part of its torso, slicing through the thin hide and reaching its bones in a heartbeat.
The Wendigo wailed again as black blood flowed out of the wound. Its head, which was nothing but a beast-like skull, stared at Rylan. The monster raised its claws again. At the same time, he felt the mana behind move. With a grin, he suddenly dashed to the side with Drifting. A moment later, a burst of flames consumed the Wendigo’s entire body.
The creature screamed as its flesh slowly melted off its bones. The fire was especially fierce around its bony legs. As it raged, the Wendigo became unable to support its own weight and lowered its head.
Now.
Rylan shot toward it, reaching it in less than a second. His dash seamlessly transitioned into a horizontal slash aimed straight at the monster’s head. The blade reached the beast-like skull and split it in half amidst a burst of inky blood, but it wasn’t enough. He kept going and spun the moment the blade left the Wendigo’s skull, using the previous attack’s force to start another. His slash landed on the monster’s torso, cut through everything in its way, and came out on the other side.
A second later, the monster’s upper section fell to the ground. Its skull followed suit, the two halves landing on the soft earth. Rylan glanced at them and let out a satisfied small nod. The attacks had been a test to see if his current Strength and mana circulation allowed him to directly pierce through the defenses of a Wendigo even if he didn’t target a weak point; he had received his confirmation.
Without stopping to even exchange a few words, Rylan and Gerard continued to run. More enemies hindered their progress, ranging from the Spriggans and Treants to Moss Golems and Dryads, alongside waves of Wendigos. The further they went, the fewer ordinary giant beasts. Virtually all enemies now were unique and named monsters.
Every battle only made Rylan feel stronger and helped him get used to his suddenly much higher stats after Leveling. Like a blade on a whetstone, he only became sharper.
He was done running around and being at the Boss’ mercy. Now, he would take the fight directly to this damned beast.
***
The beast narrowed its sharp yellow eyes. A guttural hiss left its mouth as it realized what was going on. To think that the intruders would choose to run toward its lair out of their own volition. It should have been happy because of this development, but it felt only wariness. It analyzed its enemies with its powerful perception.
The stronger one had been successfully worn down, but the beast focused solely on the weaker one. He had become much stronger over the past day, to the point where the beast felt a distinct sense of danger. Its senses of smell and eyesight had allowed it to track the intruders’ position so far, but that was all. It hadn’t expected that the weaker one would become so much more powerful.
The thought that sending so many of its subordinates to the intruders had been a mistake struck the beast. Since it could grow over time, it stood to reason that the intruders could too. No, that wasn’t the whole truth – the weaker one’s growth rate had surpassed what should have been ‘possible.’ The evidence was that the stronger one’s power level hadn’t changed nearly as much.
The beast raised its long body as its forked tongue went in and out of its mouth repeatedly. It was done playing games. If the intruders wanted a fight, they would have it.
As a Basilisk, it knew that the odds were in its favor.
Comments
Some Guy
TFTC
BH
Yeah I could even see it being better strategically because if he is fighting a far faster opponent he might need to dump more into that vs strength for a stronger opponent.
L.E. Miranda
I'm continuing to write it, but so far I've been unable to build up a stockpile, so I'm posting new chapters on RR. SSR is my priority right now, but I believe I'll be able to write DA consistently from today forward!
Joanie
Thanks for the chapter! I want to ask if there is any news you have for us for Draconic Ascension. I don't want SSR to slow down but sometimes I wonder what will happen to that other story. Thanks again!
Joanie
Also, he might use them in time of need. Say an enemy with more speed, thicker hide or something else those stats would help him overcome it... But he probably won't if he can do it without doing it. To surpass himself with less stats. But to protect his father who knows.
James Faulkner
Tftc!
thaughton2
Incredible escalation. Now the basilisk is taking them seriously. Too late though. Should've just ambushed them immediately, instead Rylan got into the groove.
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! :-)
ReShaddoll
My guess is thats its easier to push yourself to the limits to gain aura at lower state values
Raymond Mouton
Thanks for the chapter.
TooOldForThisShit
Is there a reason he's stockpiling his free stats? He currently has enough to take all his states to 200 with 8 to spare. I feel like given the danger, leaving stats unspent is needlessly risky, unless there's something I'm forgetting.
Larry Newbury
Thank you for the chapter! I can't wait for the big boss fight!
