I decided how I want to distribute my stat points. First I added 2 to Intellect, Endurance, and Agility. I did this to see how it would affect my body and the results were- Interesting?
Intellect had no effect. I couldn’t tell at all what happened when it increased.
Endurance didn’t make me feel different whatsoever, but my intrinsic stat Stamina dipped about 15% before slowly increasing back to full.
Agility had the most profound effect. Moving became strait up easier and more importantly I became lighter, literally! I could swear I just lost a few pounds.
Next I put 2 points into Soul, bringing it up to 10. Similarly to Endurance, My Mana dropped before slowly rising again. I also noticed something else, using Magical Aura Perception I saw the flames in my chest grow slightly.
It was barely noticeable but it made me realize something. The black flames in my chest are my soul. That means when I manifest my aura I’m literally coating my body with my soul… Neat.
Next up I didn’t need to add any points because it already has plenty. Durability, and there is no other word to describe this than hard. I dumped 30 stat points into this stat and it shows. I bet I can jump off a 10 story building and get away with a few bruises.
And last up, Strength. I put the last 7 points into this and like Agility the effects were immediate. My body felt lighter again, but not actually this time. And surprise, increasing Strength made me stronger.
I picked up a random rock and squeezed. After a few seconds it cracked then crumbled away.
“Woah.” Is all I could say. My giddiness only rises by the second.
I looted one of the dead cultists I killed. Eva told me his name was Curt or Kret or whatever. Took his cloak and wand.
My clothes have holes from being burned by that essence grenade thing. I’m wearing a white T and overalls. Now with the cloak over them I look more like a cultist.
The wand on the other hand feels kinda useless. My instincts tell me I can’t do anything with it, like it doesn’t match my class or something.
Anyway, I told Eva I wanted to explore the dungeon which she didn’t like. Apparently they were on an expedition and they were attacked by something. Now she just wants to get out of this place.
Buuut, since I’m royalty and all, guess who is accompanying me to explore this cool ass cave!
“I wanna go home.”
I look over at Eva. She’s wearing her mask again that makes you think she’s a guy. It’s very strange since looking at her, she is very clearly a woman. Even now I almost keep referring to her as him.
I used Observe on the mask, but all I get is Enchanted Mask and nothing else.
I responded indifferently “That’s nice. Anyway, when do you think we’ll run into monsters?”
Eva sighs “We should encounter monsters every hour or so of walking.”
I frown “Just how big is this dungeon?”
“Don’t know, estimates put it at over 200 miles across easily.”
My frown deepens. That's big, very big. Still though, that just makes me more curious about what this place is. The dungeon is mostly cave-like with stalagmites and stalactites and crap. But there are some parts where it’s smooth like it’s been dug by heavy machinery.
There are cavities big and small with passageways connecting them. Splitting paths everywhere. It reminds me of an indoor playground.
We walk together a little while longer and eventually the silence gets a little too awkward for me. “Soooo, you came here on an expedition right?”
Eva looks at me and blinks loud enough for me to hear “Yes um, yes.”
“What was the expedition for? Just curious about the dungeon or were you looking for something?”
“Yes um. Both I suppose. We did want to know more about this dungeon and we found this dungeon because of a Nav Imp.”
I furrow my brows. “What’s a Nav Imp?”
She tilts her head at me “Uh, a Nav Imp is a demon with tracking capabilities. They’re only a foot tall and have grey skin. Anyway, a Nav Imp was summoned and they said that they knew the location of a demonic artifact.”
I nodded along and added “And the Nav Imp led you to this dungeon?”
She lets out a sigh “Yes.”
“So, what is this demonic artifact? Like, what's it do?”
“It’s a collar-” and a nearby wall explodes, cutting her off. Two strange creatures crawl out, covered in dozens of claws encircling their bodies. At their front are pig-like noses.
(Abominable Mole/Level 11)
(Abominable Mole/Level 12)
I’m both terrified and excited at the same time. “Remember what I said?”
Eva sighs again “Yes, don’t interfere if the monsters are near your level.”
I give her a deranged grin and Eva grimaces. I turn back to the creatures to see them already crawling towards me.
I charge back at them and jump over to land behind one of them. I raise a fist and my soul shifts. It moves through my body and coats my right arm. I slam my fist down as fast as I can and the mole's spine snaps.
---
Earlier
Obscene Presence is too strong. Weird problem to have, but it’s still a problem. 1.) Using it is extremely exhausting. That's probably because it’s a skill that someone my level isn’t supposed to have. 2.) I have Eva with me now and I can’t just bring it out willy nilly less I end up killing her. 3.) It’s lame as fuck.
Obscene Presence is pretty much an instant win button and that’s boring as hell. But, I don’t have any other offensive skills at the moment. So, I asked for my favorite walking textbook.
“Hey, Eva.”
She flinches behind her mask “Um yes? Your highness.”
“How do I go about getting new skills?”
She tilts her head at me. I can’t see what kind of face she is making, but I’m betting she is confused at my lack of knowledge.
I almost completely stopped trying to pretend I'm a demon, simply because I don’t need to. She said it herself that only demons can do psychic damage, and I did psychic damage.
The lie supports itself and now I can just act and ask whatever and she won’t question my nature. Besides, her treating me like royalty while I act like an idiot is really funny.
Eva clears her throat “Yes, It’s simple. You simply have to do things you haven’t done before.”
I raise an eyebrow “Meaning?”
Eva sighs “Your highness, when you selected your class it gave you examples of what you could do with it right? Just do what it says you can do and you should get its corresponding skill.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
My eyes widened at that. If I remember correctly, other than driving others into insanity, it will let me strengthen and heal myself.
I look down at my chest, specifically at the ball of black flames. I use Magical Aura Manifestation and instead of it growing to cover my whole body- it splits.
OH FUCK! Did I just cut my soul in half?! Am I gonna die?!
No, wait. I’m not in any pain and this doesn’t feel wrong. After a moment of pause I continue to pull apart the halves of my soul. Each half travels down my arms before expanding.
As soon as my aura coats my arms a notification rings.
Congratulations, you have evolved a class skill
-
(Magical Aura Manifestation) becomes (Magical Aura Manipulation)
“Huh. I evolved a class skill.”
Eva’s head snaps towards me “What?!”
I frown as I turn towards her “Is that not supposed to happen?”
She quickly shakes her head “No, class skills only evolve during class advancements, or if the skill is maxed and pushed to the limit.”
My frown deepens. How the hell did I evolve this class skill then? Just when I thought this, a familiar grey screen appeared.
Okay, I may have tilted the scales a bit to give you a head start. You're welcome!
I scowl at the notification. Are you fucking kidding me. A fucking booster.
Eva speaks up again “How did you even do that?”
My frustration blows over and I snap at her “Nepotism! You pull that shit again and I’ll kill myself! Got it!” This is bullshit. It’s cheating and it practically sucks all the fun out of it. Obscene Presence is already OP enough.
That threat is genuine too. If Ydri is going to get in the way of me having fun then I’ll take away his enjoyment too. I know I’m petty enough to go through with it.
Okay! Damn, I won’t do it again.
“Good.”
Eva is staring at me with her head tilted “Um, W- Who were you talking to?”
I sigh “An asshole. Don’t worry about it.”
To be honest, I like the skill. It lets me manipulate my aura to only cover parts of my body, instead of having my aura covering my whole body at once. It’s so I can be more efficient.
The way I got it though absolutely blows. When I get something I want it to be my accomplishment, not a handout.
I groan. Whatever, I got it now and might as well use it.
Alright, time to get a new offensive skill. I focus on the aura coating my arms, but to be honest I have no idea what I’m doing. “Um Eva. Do you have any tips for getting a new skill?”
Eva nods “Is the skill you’re trying to get magical?”
“Uhh, yeah? I think.”
“Yes. So, you simply need to visualize the effect of the magic when it is cast. I can’t stress enough how important visualization is.”
I nod at her and look back at my arms. So, I just need to imagine being stronger to strengthen my arms and that's it. I furrow my brows and focus on my aura. This might take a while.
Eva confirms “This could take a few hours.”
I nod “Figures.”
But after a few hours of trying to strengthen my arms, something in my mind finally clicked and a notification rang.
---
I slam my fist into the Abominable Mole as blood explodes out of its nose and I hear a loud snap coming from its back. It’s not dead yet so I raise my fist again to finish it off, but before I can the second mole dashed to my left side to try and get behind me.
Before it can get past, I use Magical Aura Manipulation and my soul rapidly shifts to my left arm. I grab the mole by its snout and slam it into a nearby wall.
I pull the mole and fling it at another wall. It squeals as it flies through the air. I watch the mole as it crashes into a nearby stalagmite, then my Magical Aura Perception senses a change at my feet.
I look down to see the broken Abominable Mole turn its snout to me. Looking down Its nose, I notice an orange glow building towards me. I shift my soul to my right leg and bring my foot over it to stomp on its head. Flames shoot out of its snout as I bring my boot down. My clothing gets charred, but my leg goes down unimpeded and-
Crunch-
As my boot slams, its nose and most of its head crumples inward and explodes. My foot goes through and imbeds itself into the rock. Cracks form along the ground and I start to cackle maniacally.
My new class skill Aura of Strength is awesome. Let us take stock, shall we?
Class skills -
Magical Aura Manipulation / Level (1)
(You have mastered the ability to manifest your aura. Now you may manipulate your aura however you see fit. The less area the aura covers the more effective the auras power.) Sorwy - Ydri
Full aura coverage (x1)
3 limbs covered (x1.5)
2 limbs covered (x2)
1 limb covered (x4)
Magical Aura Perception / Level (1)
(You have begun to sense the very soul itself. This is usually the first step in becoming a monk. But you're a special snowflake, aren’t you?)
You can now see the souls of others and yourself
Aura of Strength / Level (1)
(Through focus, you have changed the structure of your aura. Your aura now commands your body to be stronger than it actually is.)
Expend Mana to increase your Strength stat by (25%)
Obscene Presence / Level (1)
(You're able to change your aura to appear malignant. When activated, your aura will make you appear as if you're a parasite festering in an open wound of reality, causing confusion. This will affect both friend and foe.)
Deals moderate (Psychic) damage
Skills -
Observe / Level (1)
(You see what is already evident.)
Basic observation
Quick thinking / Level (1)
(Under extreme stress, you have found a way to forcefully speed your rate of thought.)
Expend Mana or Stamina to increase your rate of thought by (50%)
Pain Tolerance / Level (1)
(You have learned to ignore your pain. Whether or not this is healthy is subjective.)
Pain doesn’t bother you
I feel amazing!
I look around to see where the other Abominable Mole went only to not see it anywhere. Weird, I could have sworn it was-
My head snaps downward towards the floor as Magical Aura Perception picks up a soul directly beneath me. I throw myself out of the way as the ground where I was standing explodes upward. The mole shoots straight up into the ceiling and continues digging out of sight again.
I suppress a laugh as a grin breaks my face. “Holy shit.”
I backpedal towards a wall as I watch the mole’s soul as it digs through the ground. Its soul twists and turns through the ground and eventually reaches the wall I’m standing next to. My soul splits to cover my right arm and left leg.
My face portrays a sadistic glee.
The mole explodes out of the wall and I side step it. I grab onto one of its dozen claws and I slam it into the ground. I use my left foot to step on its neck, still holding on to one of its claws I-
Pull-
The Abominable Mole starts thrashing. I hear the claw pop from its socket and see flesh tearing as I fully rip off its limb. I throw the amputated claw to my side and-
Reach for another, and another, and another.
I start laughing maniacally as I continue pulling claws off the mole like I’m pulling petals off a flower. I wish Eva wasn’t wearing a mask so I could see her reaction.
I continue to enjoy myself “HE LOVES ME! HE LOVES ME NOT! HE LOVES ME! HE LOVES ME NOT!”
Eventually I run out of limbs to pull and the mole stops moving. I got a notification.
I turn towards Eva “He loves me!”
She falls backward and goes unconscious.
“Whoops.”
You have slain a (Abominable Mole/level 11)
-
Moderate experience rewarded
You have slain a (Abominable Mole/level 12)
-
Moderate experience rewarded
You have leveled up! (9 → 10)
-
You have earned (5) stat points
(Magical Aura Manipulation) has leveled up! (1 → 2)
(Magical Aura Perception) has leveled up! (1 → 2)
(Aura of Strength) has leveled up! (1 → 2)
