Drifting Embers
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[MGM]: 24 - Near Death
🕑 Added 2025-01-23 14:30:02 +0000 UTCTalents were innate to the hunter and Origin both. They came in all shapes and sizes and usually reflected an aspect to be altered or an attribute to be improved.
Some talents focused on enhancing one's strength, either providing a flat bonus or some obscure application like bypassing your opponent's defense. Others focused on augmenting durability and enhancing vitality. However, each talent in some way drew from the Intelligence attribute.
Intelligence wasn't just a measure of mana, but encompassed all aspects related to the essence of the world and universe at large. It focused on the potency, purity, and regeneration of said mana. But more importantly, it governed to what extent the talent could be used.
Blood Monarch was the only talent I could make use of in the combat. With my intelligence near 200 points, the feats I could accomplish would be astonishing to say the least.
Unfortunately, my lack of actual practice with the talent severely hampered my range and destructive capabilities.
As I stood ruminating within the empty clearing, my supernatural perception alerted me to the movements within the bushes. My heart beat with increased intensity, fear and excitement giving rise to nervous anticipation. I let out a tense breath of air and peered ahead.
From behind the bushes, a shadow shot out. With my superhuman agility and perception, I caught the figure with crystal clarity. While the world hadn't slowed down around me, my mental process accelerated to make it seem as if it did. With my enhanced dexterity, I slashed out.
The blade edge glinted with sharpness and cut through the monster as if it was made of butter. The momentum carried the bisected monster forward, its two halves diverging to smash against the dead leaves and muddy sludge.
The entire fight, if it could even be called that, had lasted no more than a few seconds. My sword looked as pristine as ever, not a speck of blood visible to mar its beauty.
[+41.63%]
Of course the battle was far from over. I only took a fleeting glance at the dead boar and focused ahead. The clearing I stood in was devoid of any detritus or tall boulders. It would leave me open to the monsters, but they would be just as open to me.
I knew for a fact that battle veterans like Amara or even Jacob would try to use the environment to their advantage. Unfortunately, lacking in experience as I was, I could only make it disadvantageous for both myself and the beasts.
All around me, monsters started to clog the clearing. Wolves, boars, bears, and tigers, among other varieties, rushed me with enraged growls. Despite not even being half their level, I was easily stronger than them.
A claw zoomed in on me, and I sidestepped the attack and followed close behind with my own swing, taking its arm and leaving it to suffer being trampled by its own brethren. A maw advanced on my unprotected shin, and I stabbed my sword down on it, head, jaws, and all.
My footwork lacked even a smidgen of grace, my swordsmanship was crude and somewhat insulting, and even the posture I shifted into was sloppy and wasteful, unable to deliver the force that my strength over 150 would otherwise suggest.
Despite all my shortcomings, I wasn't losing.
When Amara spoke of the attribute difference being overwhelming in the later ranks, she wasn't lying. However, the difference persisted even during the earlier stages when the rarity of Origin was called into question.
If I only had a divine origin, my stats would've been half of what they were at the moment. If it had been at Transcendent, they would have been less than a third of what I boasted. And drag it all the way down, I could hold my ground against even C-Rank monsters.
Even as I was getting swarmed by the monsters, my heart only beat with furious passion. A bloodthirsty grin bloomed on my features as I relished in the shower of blood and gore. My vision grew focused, but my reasoning dwindled. Even the final trace of grace that my movements embodied was sacrificed in favor of savage dismemberment. I was more hacking with my sword than swinging with precision.
[+21.88%]
[+54.96%]
[+35.89%]
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
You have leveled up!
You're now level 16!
You have 60 unallocated stat points.
I felt my strength grow by the second, the bloodlust and desire for further progression sapping away at the last bits of reasoning. I need more strength; I need more power. So, I sought it by slaughtering the beasts that dared cross my path.
So lost was I in the rage and battle lust that I never even registered the force that hit me with the strength of a magic missile. I was knocked off my feet and shunted all the way back into the clearing. My body rolled like a rag doll, my clothes a mixture of gore and mud.
The force did manage to clear the haze from my mind, though, and as I beheld the scene before me, a bone-chilling cold crawled up my spine. I didn't forget the savage battle I had just waded through; in fact, I could recall each moment with crystal clarity. But that only served to make me nervous.
I need to focus!
I reminded myself and looked ahead. Even as I climbed to my feet, I regarded the monster before me. It looked like a Direwolf, but less bulky and taller. It had coarse brown fur with patches of it missing intermittently. And its crimson eyes shone with malice while a guttural growl escaped its throat.
Now that I wasn't being blinded by rage and excitement, I could smell the mana wafting off the monster. It was intense, more than what I had sniffed from the Saber-Tooth Tiger.
A C-Rank monster!
Somehow the mere presence of this monster filled its brethren with fear. They backed away, leaving the monster and me to face off in the middle.
How human of them, I couldn't help but consider. The monster put forth its claw and leaned forward. I had mere moments to consider its next move before it launched itself at me.
Fast! The monster arrived before me in the blink of an eye, leaving me to only use a sword to parry its claw. Even then the strength of its attack pushed me back, leaving a dull ache to echo in my bones.
The beast rounded on me in an instant, and I slashed without thinking. It was a mistake as the monster dodged the attack and swiped its claw at my thigh. Muscles and garments were torn alike, gushing blood and rousing agony.
I stumbled back a step and watched as the monster bared its sharp fangs at me. It wasn't attacking, simply judging me as if I were an interesting prey.
Rage! My heart roared in fury, and I mirrored its passion with my own battle cry. I charged.
The monster growled and leapt headfirst. My sword was already on its way. It would've evaded the attack had my weapon not reached it long before it could even think to avoid.
Blood misty corralled to my command, swirling like a rain of needles around my sword. It was a move I had seen Amara use against the goblins, and with my current intelligence resting close to 200, I was able to emulate the move.
Like guided feathers, the blood bombarded the monster in the face. Fur and flesh were torn asunder, its snout bleeding dark crimson on the ground.
I staggered back as weakness threatened to take hold of me. I had used my own blood in that attack, and it had cost me dearly. Despite having copied Amara's talent, I lacked the sheer proficiency she was able to display with her talents.
That said, I still had the Blood Monarch at SSS-Rank, which meant I was as much a menace as she was on the battlefield, if only slightly inferior.
Dead monsters scattered around the glade all dripped red, courtesy of my sword. And they all heeded my call as Blood Monarch worked to siphon their vitality.
The injured leg started to mend its flesh, and I felt a stinging pain shoot through my body. I grit my teeth and refrain from making a single sound.
GRRR
The monster had recovered by now, and it shook its head to clear its bloodied vision. As it focused on it, it let out a piercing howl, and a dark crimson haze enveloped its whole body.
My eyes widened in surprise, but I was given no time to react. In but an instant the monster was upon me, its maw open and ready to tear into my neck. I shifted at the last second, but it still caught me in the shoulder, its teeth sinking in, tearing flesh and breaking bones.
I cried as the pain erupted and the monster growled and shook its head. The agony was intense, and I could think of nothing else. It flung me like a piece of meat, and I smashed into a tree, feeling the bones in my back creak in protest.
"Fuck...!"
My vision was losing focus, and my left arm had lost its functionality. In that particular moment I couldn't help but wonder if choosing something like Immortal or Regeneration would've boosted my chances in this situation.
No, think! Think of something!
I could question my decision when I got out of this situation, but for now I had to think of a solution. The monster was tottering toward me, flexing its nose and giving me an uninterrupted view of its bloodied teeth. My blood, I realized.
My breath came out ragged, and my whole body felt like a massive bruise. I found it hard to focus on the monster without my vision growing bleary, and the lack of focus meant I couldn't properly activate my talent.
There was only one thing I could do in that moment. It was risky and might even lead to my death, but at least my dragon heart agreed with my plan.
I breathed out and struggled to push myself up onto my feet. The Direwolf growled at my motion but otherwise didn't rush in. It might've grown cautious after getting its face drilled by hundreds of needles.
With my sword in one hand, I beckoned to the monster.
"Come on, you big bald bastard. Get a taste of my sword."
Maybe it understood my words or maybe its instincts deemed me weak and thus relatively harmless, but the wolf bastard rushed at me all of a sudden. Instead of swinging my sword or circumventing its charge, I put my left shoulder in its path. The same one it had munched on moments prior.
And the bastard didn't refuse it. Thankfully.
Once more the burning agony erupted from my wounded shoulder, the nerves flaring like fireworks. It was only my will and my rage that let me push past the confusing haze and allow me to execute my plan.
Blood Monarch didn't just let me control only my blood, but that of the others also. Unfortunately, I lacked the training and proficiency with the talent to utilize it at that level.
If I couldn't control the monster's blood, then I just had to feed it my blood instead.
As my senses bloomed within the monster's body, I extended my control and issued one command.
Freeze!
And the beast stopped. Its body was restrained and left at my mercy. And I offered a crazed grin and said the words I never thought I would utter in my whole life. "Adios, fucker!"
And my sword stabbed deep into its brain.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
You have leveled up!(×4 times)
You're now level 20!
You have 80 unallocated stat points.
