They stumbled through the forest, Gendor leading the way as he cut branches with his sword.
The thing was in a bad state, being pre-system made, and it made Maxwell curious to see if he could fix those items by infusing mana. He was starting to get a craving for magic.
He chased away a fly buzzing annoyingly near his ear as he thought about their situation. They probably needed to camp soon enough to recuperate, and they would need to find a new water source soon.
The food problem could wait a bit longer, but it was still a problem as they couldn’t choose to find only low-level animals to hunt.
He was not thrilled to face something he couldn’t possibly beat when trying to hunt a bunny.
“There is an open area about 100 meters ahead according to one of my skills,” Gendor said. Maybe he has something like echolocation? Maxwell theorized. They still didn’t trust each other enough to tell each other completely about their skills.
“Everyone should have their tier advancement pending, right?” Maxwell asked.
“I had mine pending for a month…” Gendor said dejectedly. “It turns out you can’t get a good advancement when you are an assassin who never killed anyone with a skill,” he complained.
“I have mine pending too,” Bob said. He seemed dazed by the open space of the forest. Maxwell found it natural as the kid had probably been in a spaceship since birth.
“We should camp and deal with it as soon as possible. I don’t like going around weaker than everything that moves.” Maxwell said.
He was a bit grumpy because his right hand burned feverishly as adrenaline slowly left his body.
“If only we had an open spot 70 meters ahead.” Gendor joked, slowly regaining his cheerfulness.
They continued to move with an agonizing pace through the forest, and Maxwell could see that the sun was slowly going down. Now that they were relatively free to look around, he was examining the plants around him.
While they were different from the ones in Zephyr, they were still similar enough. It was food for thought that even in another universe, life was almost identical to one on his own planet.
Soon, they reached the place Gendor was talking about. It was not remarkable, but it would do. There was an area about 10 meters wide covered with soil where they could comfortably rest. Roots covered the ground like a cobweb.
This planet would be a wet dream for Sarah, he thought, smiling faintly. Sarah was his secretary from his previous life.
She was moderately obsessed with tropical life. They worked together for years before he sent her away with the Project Resurrection. To say that she was not amused by the idea would be an understatement.
“Kid, did anyone tell you you looked disturbing when smiling?” Gendor asked him, poking him on the arm. “Fuck you,” Maxwell countered maturely before settling on the floor.
He summoned his status for the last time before advancement and quickly put his remaining points into the soul attribute.
Name: Maxwell Aurelius
Age: 15(54)
Class: Mage
Level: 10(Pending Tier Advancement)
Nobility: None
Traits: Etherium soul, Merchant of Yliaster
Stats
Strength:15
Agility:18
Dexterity: 19
Vitality:17
Soul:53
HP:170
MP:795
Class Skills:
Mana Manipulation(32), Soul sense(20), Magic Theory(10), Infused Mana Bolt(11), Telepathy(11), Mana Infusion(10), Infused Mana Burst(6)
General Skills:
Blunt Trauma Resistance(1), Piercing Damage Resistance(1), Gaslighting(5), Observation(11), Athletics(5), Meditation(20), Mental Resistance(4)
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
He thought it would have been better if he had made a trade with his trait before advancing, but there was hardly anything unique around him to trade with. Also, he felt that nothing could live up to his first trade with the system anyway.
After a moment’s hesitation, as he once again considered whether he missed anything, he initiated his tier advancement.
First tier advancement initiated.
Unlocked: Title system
Showing current titles in the order of qualification:
[???], [Merchant of Yliaster], [Transmigrator], [Premature Soul], [Etherium Telepath], [Space Traveller], [Magic Prodigy], [Unnatural Mana]
Maxwell was surprised to see the new system unlocked, but it seemed logical for the system to have something like a tagging system for people.
Most of his titles were self-explanatory, apart from the one with the question marks.
He was a bit tired of routinely seeing question marks when dealing with the system but hoped that time would solve these mysteries.
He focused on some titles he was curious about to see if they had any explanation.
Merchant of Yliaster: You trade with the system as others only receive what they are handed obliviously. May your resources be bountiful as you reach the unimaginable.
This title was not surprising as it was his first feat in this new life, but he had to accept that the wording of the explanation was a bit too grand for the moment.
Premature Soul: Your mind and spirituality were fused prematurely by unnatural causes.
Etherium Telepathy: To your tainted soul, telepathy comes completely naturally.
He was starting to think that system didn’t like etherium at all.
Magic Prodigy: You touch subjects reserved for only the most knowledgeable and thrive in them despite your ignorance.
That's a bit rude now, isn’t it? Maxwell couldn’t help but comment while laughing softly. The system was weird with its rare sense of humor.
Unnatural Mana: You have mana in quantities way beyond your tier.
Maxwell wasn’t amazed to see this last one, as his soul attribute was not hard to decipher as overpowered. He let the System continue as he was satisfied with the explanations.
Titles are being evaluated.
Time since integration: <24 hours
Oh, so it’s important how fast you are, Maxwell thought, mentally congratulating himself on his decision not to wait and grind skills before tier advancement.
Showing possible advancement options:
Great Mage: You showed aptitude in magic as you controlled the arcane. Now, you may continue the path as you bend the elements you synergize with.
This seems to be the default option for advancement. Maxwell thought.
Magic Knight: You used mana to annihilate your enemies in close combat. You show no fear as you dive into the combat with whatever you can get your hands on. May your enemies fear when they see your form approaching.
Oh no, thank you very much. Maxwell discarded the option immediately.
Metal Mage: You commanded metal affinity without any previous teaching or learned methods. Continue on the path of metal to show the world how undurable their forms are.
This was probably not a very bad option, considering the conditions for achieving it, but it was too basic and limiting for Maxwell.
Prince Of Zephyr: Your brethren died in their last battle as their souls fueled your journey. Become the conduit for their return as they show the universe Zephyr’s might.
Maxwell was dumbfounded by this class. It hinted at the possibility that his civilization could be revived, but it felt a bit weird. Is this class something like a prophet? He theorized. It had a certain creepiness to it. He checked his last options.
Soul Mage: The concept of the soul is not known by many, but you already wield it to your advantage. Use your superior soul and let them tremble with a weight they don’t understand.
This is interesting, but what about the magic? Maxwell grumbled. Yes, the class seemed very powerful, but it appeared solely focused on his soul attribute. He figured it could also do other magic, but it sounded a bit too specialized for his tastes. He quickly checked the last class with hope.
Prima Soul: You use your soul to communicate with the world as it follows your will. Prima Soul guides the world to the path they desire as others try to bend it futilely.
Maxwell immediately knew that this was the class he was going to pick. Albeit its description was a bit cryptic, it was also worth taking a small risk.
It felt like an advanced form of the soul mage, but he could discern no specialization of any kind from it. It also hinted at the use of telepathy, which was one of his strongest points.
Maybe a specialization would be stronger, but Maxwell really wanted to try all forms of magic he could get his hands on.
It surely beats being a prophet. He thought before finalizing his choice.
Class “Prima Soul” Selected.
Prima Soul: Your etherium soul communicates with the world, guiding the particles to where they should be for your desired reality. Do not concern yourself with your compatibility with affinities as you guide them all the same.
Enables elementary soul energy manipulation.
Increases ability to guide and sense mana greatly.
Your existence shifts towards your soul as it partly replaces your vitality.
Soul (+13), Strength(+4), Agility(+4), Dexterity(+4) and 5 Free points every level.
Tier advancement initiating.
Your breadth of existence is widening.
Maxwell felt a cold stream of pure energy enter him as he read the class description. He could feel his body and soul change as the energy passed through him, making it more.
His breathing slowed as if his body was partially unshackled by such mortal concerns.
He felt his injuries cease to exist as if they were too material for him to care about.
He took a deep breath, and it felt like there was more to the world than before.
When he could feel the changes settling, he opened his eyes, and for a second, he couldn’t recognize where he was.
In the air, countless particles of differing colors were dancing as they twirled around each other.
As he looked around, he could see a colorless light exuding from things alive, pushing out the most mana particles while taking in a selective few.
He couldn’t understand what he was seeing for a moment before realizing that his soul sense was turned into something more advanced with the advancement.
Despite knowing that he should check the system messages, he couldn’t find the willpower to turn his gaze away from the scene before him.
The world was welcoming him with a show he would never get bored of as long as he lived.
It was beautiful
