Ray regained composure a moment later, unsure of what had just happened. His attention flashed back to Erith, and he ran over to her. “Are you ok?”
She nodded, still panting, and looked up at him. “Are you?”
He looked down at Horde Breaker in its decreased form. Channels carved into it form the gluttony mana he had forced through it. He sent an apology through the mental link but got no response. He frowned. “I’m not sure.”
“Quest complete, you have stopped the horde from expanding.”
“Was that thing a commander?” Erith asked.
“Special quest received.”
A screen popped up in front of Ray as he tried to process what was happening.
Slay the Horde
Requirements for compilation
Kill horde commanders 1/6
Kill horde lord 0/1
Time limit
This quest will not end until one side is wiped out.
Rewards
All xp gains related to the hordes are doubled for the duration of the quest.
Ascension quest completed.
New title based on performance
Several screams of rage filled the air as Ray finished reading the quest.
“We should get out of here!” he shouted, dashing to Erith’s side and quickly opening a portal.
He helped Erith the best he could, and they squeezed through the portal just as a cloaked figure arrived with a terrifying presence.
“Stop!” it bellowed in a commanding voice, but there was not a chance Ray would listen, and he slammed the gateway shut.
“Damn it!” The cloaked figure cursed and kicked at the ground. “That idiot was only meant to chase them away, and he ends up getting killed? How?” it growled, kicking at the ground again where the portal had just closed. The figure clenched its fists and panted briefly before calming down.
It looked up to see two massive lines of toppled trees carved through the forest. “Guess I got a bit carried away,” it sighed, turning back in the direction it had come from. “At least our king will be here soon.” It vanished.
Ray and Erith found themselves back in the castle of Promises Echo. Now that they were safe, Ray collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. He winced as a dull ache resounded from his missing hand.
Erith pushed herself to her feet and looked at him with worry. “What happened when you grabbed the piece of that creature that split off?” she asked.
Ray winced again. “I think I lost control for a few moments.”
“Lost control to what?”
“The... voice tied to origin mana,” he said with a look of guilt.
Erith sighed. “So that was a gluttony spell you used, huh?”
Ray nodded.
“Is that voice still affecting you?”
He shook his head. “It disappeared again directly after I, for lack of a better word, ate that creature.”
“That’s good.”
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Ray’s eyes went wide, and his heart sank as he remembered the voice from the end of the fight. “Spark consumed: Famished skills upgraded. Class evolution available.”
“What?” Erith asked with a confused expression.
“I heard the goddess say those words after I ate that thing.”
“Ok, first of all, can we find a better word than ate? And second, have you checked your status yet?”
“How else am I supposed to describe it?” he asked, opening his status menu.
StatusName: Ray
Level: 91
Ascension: 0
Class: Magus of Crafting (Rare)
Mana E: 9640/9640
Stamina: 1000/1000
Stats
Strength: 88
Endurance: 100 - Max breakthrough available
Dexterity E: 266
Intelligence E: 1000 - Max breakthrough available
Wisdom E: 964
Available Points: 82
Multipliers
Strength 0.5
Endurance 0.5
Dexterity 2
Intelligence 3
Wisdom 2
Skills
Draconic Insight, weapon bond, dual-wielding, Upgrade Material, Disassemble, Power Shot, Crafters Resilience level 1, Gluttony Mastery, Obsession Over Output
Titles
[System-Appointed Artisan], [Low-Grade Stats Collector], [Ninth Threshold], [Blessing of the Scale Mother], [Underdog], [Artifact Grade Craftsman], [Horde slayer 1], [E Grade mage], [Awakened], [Famished], [Transcendence]
Skill choice available
Class evolution avalable
He gaped at the panel and muttered. “10 levels…”
“What?” Erith asked.
Too shocked by the numbers he was reading, he turned the panel and showed it to Erith.
She went wide-eyed as soon as she read through the screen and quickly opened her own. “I went up three levels!”
“Nice!” Ray smiled at her and reopened his status panel, performing both breakthroughs.
“Breakthrough: successful Intelligence increased to rank D, 1-100 Intelligence reset to 10.”
“Breakthrough: successful Endurance increased to rank E, 1-10 Endurance reset to 10.”
It felt strange having his stamina reduced by 900 points. He quickly placed all his available points into the stat, raising it back to 510 before moving on.
“So, what happened to your title?” Erith asked.
Ray sighed. “I was holding off looking at it.”
She reached over and grabbed his hand. “Whatever happens, it will be ok.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled a few times before finally ripping off the bandage and opening the famished title.
Famished
You now walk a path few have walked before you. Your accomplishments will surely be written about one day, but you will find no level of wealth, fame, or power to satisfy your voracious hunger.
Effect
Spark absorption: 10% chance to absorb the spark of a fallen combatant, even if they are not [Redacted].
The effect of gluttony spells increased by 5%
He showed the screen to Erith. “It could have been worse.”
She nodded. “Still, I think you should try to avoid activating that first part. There is no telling what the hidden section says, and it could only make the voice worse.”
He nodded and moved on to his skill selection.
Skills currently available
Feast or famine:
5% increase in dexterity when starved.
5% increase in strength when full.
Hollow God’s Appetite
You can no longer die from starvation.
The larger your appetite, the more power you can access.
Apostate of the Hollow God:
Portable workshop level 1:
Access to a portable workshop.
At higher levels, this workshop will unlock additional workspaces.
Dual-Wielding Mastery:
…
He groaned as something in the back of his head tried to force him into picking the third option.
Erith ran over and placed her hand on his back. “Ray, are you ok?”
He could not answer, doing everything he could to resist the voice. A second presence burst from his mental link and battered the voice, buying Ray a few moments. Without hesitation, he selected Dual-Wielding Mastery and, as quickly as the voice had appeared, it faded away. Horde Breaker went back through the mental link, and Ray sent it all the gratitude he could muster.
It acknowledged the thanks but still seemed angry with him as it stopped responding again soon after.
Ray frowned and turned to Erith. “I’m fine now, thanks.”
“What happened?” She asked.
“The voice flared up again, trying to make me pick some skill option I didn’t understand, but Horde Breaker helped me suppress it long enough to choose something else.”
“Good, anything that voice wants can’t be good. Do you remember what the skill was?”
“Apostate of The Hollow God or something like that. It had a strange description, only talking about faith failing my but, emptiness embracing me too.”
“Yeah, that definitely doesn’t sound good. I’ve never heard of that god, but his name alone sounds terrifying.”
“Yeah, maybe we could ask Freia, she might know something–”
The door to their room flew open, and a scowling woman in a scarlet dress wearing a crown walked into the room.
“What the hell!” Ray shouted, scrambling away from the angered scale matriarch.
Zenith held up a finger, commending him to be silent. “I will be the one asking the questions here, you foolish child. Do you know what you have done?”
“Are you this pissed of we completed the quest without having to resort to your help?”
Her eyes widened. “While that certainly explains a lot, no. That matters so little compared to the trouble you are bringing down on all of our heads!” she shouted, snarling at Ray.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
“The hollow god, you imbecile. I felt his presence in this room. So what the hell did you do to attract that being’s attention?”
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