Influence +5!

The notification was like a clap; it snapped him out of a trance.

Randidly blinked and chuckled at his own behavior. He had been standing still and considering the PP investment of Stat Evolution I for so long that it was only another notification about his influence that attracted his attention. Shaking his head, Randidly allowed a small smile to bloom across his face. What’s there to think about? I still have 81 thousand PP waiting to be used… if this actually evolves a Stat, it will be a worthy investment.

So Randidly chose this Path next. To his surprise, moving through the Path had Stat gains, but they were concentrated at the end. He gained 1 Stat per 100 PP spent, but these Stats were ‘of the eventually chosen evolved stat’. The phrase was enough to build some anticipation in Randidly’s chest. With burning eyes, he completed the Path.

Congratulations! You have completed the Stat Evolution I Path! You have continued to blaze a Path forward despite the sharp increase in resistance; your improvement has been significant and comprehensive. And as you gradually accumulate benefits on your journey, the very foundation of your power, your capable body, has ripened toward its true potential. Still, not all Paths forward are smooth. A hint of luck is required in all endeavors.

Calculating… Randomizing peak metamorphosis…

Congratulations! Ancient has been selected! Please set a Stat to evolve to the Ancient Rarity! Please note that your state of mind and concentration will be consulted to determine the resulting Stat.

Randidly small smile gradually faded as he looked at the notification. Then he began to scowl as he looked at his Status screen. “Randomized…? Well, shit.”

The Rarities under the System went as follows: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Ancient, Runic, Legendary, Mythic, Transcendent, and Pinnacle. And when he had first seen the Stat Evolution Path, Randidly had immediately felt a flush of pleasure as he imagined evolving his Control Stat. It was the Stat that formed the cornerstone of his development. Perhaps if he evolved it, he could be able to replicate the mystifying capability of the Nether King that even now danced playfully above his head.

Yet if he was just going to evolve Control into an Ancient Rarity… Randidly was unwilling. Nether Brawn was at the Ancient Rarity, and although it definitely had improved his impact power and raw strength, the effect hadn’t been too overwhelming. To make matters worse, his Grim Intuition was Legendary…

Randidly shook his head. He did recognize that perhaps his scale was off; the upper three Rarities might not be available for Stats. But he somehow doubted that was the case. So he had a difficult decision sitting in front of him.

Influence +3!

After thinking for almost ten minutes without any conclusion, Randidly sighed. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. Well, I’ve improved Stats in the past; there’s no reason to assume I won’t be able to do it again in the future. And my images and visualizations have improved so much that I don’t doubt that I can push the Rarity of a Stat above Legendary with a little effort…

Which left Randidly with a new decision: what Stat should become Ancient…?

After humming a bit, the two obvious options Randidly settled on were Agility and Willpower. They were the second and third highest Stats he had, respectively, that weren’t already evolved. As for which was better to evolve… Randidly settled on Agility.

The whole point of using all this PP is to craft a very particular surprise for Velio Dunn and his ilk that plan to ambush me on the frontlines, Randidly reflected as he readied himself. Even if I improve Willpower, my images and Skills won’t improve enough to match up to Velio in a direct confrontation. Meanwhile, if my speed gets a significant bump…

Agility selected to evolve to the Ancient Rarity! Calculating…

Randidly pressed his eyes closed. He wasn’t quite sure how to guide the evolution, but his mind went to those quiet moments in battle before he exploded into motion. What he wanted was speed; speed enough to surprise...

Congratulations, your Agility has evolved into Dreadful Alacrity (A)! Effectiveness of each Stat point has increased! In addition, the first half-second of any movement from over five seconds of stillness will be calculated with half-again as much Dreadful Alacrity! +100 Dreadful Alacrity!

All told, it was both a qualitative change to Randidly’s Agility and also 200 more Stat points, which now made Dreadful Alacrity his second-highest Stat. Randidly paused in his Path finishing and tested the limits of his new Stat. While he was doing so, he also produced Acri and experimented with his Ripple of Amenonuhoko.

At first, he just spun Acri in his hand while hopping back and forth. Not only was his base speed improved, but when Randidly stood still for the required five seconds, his first attack was incredibly vicious and sharp.

When he was satisfied with his new Dreadful Alacrity, Randidly focused on the Ripple of Amenonuhoko. The main effect appeared to a strange series of ethereal fissures that Randidly could feel in the air. When he held Acri still, he could just barely glimpse six lines spreading out from the weapon. If he cut sideways along the largest of those lines, the ground in front of him rippled and exploded upward in the direction he gestured.

Narrowing his eyes, he began to experiment with the limits of this strange ability to manipulate the ground. As he did so, he realized two things: one, that it wasn’t just the ground he could now mobilize with the proper movements. He could generate a powerful wind in the surrounding area by following the strange lines which seemed intimately connected with the natural world. However, the second thing that he realized was that doing so required extreme Control; he would need quite a bit of practice before he could cause an effect reliably.

When he combined his newfound explosive power with his ability to affect the ground beneath him.

Congratulations! Your Skill Ripple of Amenonuhoko (M) has grown to Level 334!

Afterward, Randidly grinned and lowered his spear before he started moving for real. He didn’t want to reveal his true capability, but the sensation was intoxicating. Extremely worth it.

To his surprise, when Randidly went back to the Path screen, the second in the series was waiting for him: Stat Evolution II 0/10,000.

Gritting his teeth, Randidly teetered on the availability of the Path for a little longer. But after feeling how valuable the evolution was for his Agility… Randidly decided to put another 10,000 PP toward this goal. Once again, he earned 1 Stat of the chosen Stat when he finished per 100 he spent.

However...

Congratulations! You have completed the Stat Evolution II Path! Further and further you have traveled. Each step becomes accumulation and accumulation eventually becomes transformative. Once more, you have arrived at a crossroads. Still, not all Paths forward are smooth. A hint of luck is involved in all endeavors.

Calculating… Randomizing peak metamorphosis…

Congratulations! Uncommon has been selected! Please set a Stat to evolve to the Uncommon Rarity! Please note that your state of mind and concentration will be consulted to determine the resulting Stat.

You fucking piece of shit. Randidly’s eyes twitched. For several seconds he ground his teeth as he examined the notification. Uncommon? No fucking way I’ll evolve Control into an Uncommon Stat… haaaaaah… Even making Willpower a Stat only at the Uncommon Rarity feels like a waste…

Randidly growled and swept his eyes around, wishing that a new Nether Pinion would crash to the ground in front of him so he could expand some of the seething frustration in his chest. Perhaps he should have read the notification more closely; if the result were truly random, these bad outcomes might be more common than something like an Ancient Rarity…

However, Randidly knew that even if the Pinion were to descend in front of him, he couldn’t go all out. At the moment, he had just displayed his ‘combat prowess’ in a public mission for Military High command. He couldn’t shatter that perception of his power before he could crush whatever trap his enemies might spring against him.

Randidly quickly quieted his bitterness; he was not someone who regretted things for very long. Regret was useless. Instead, he simply selected Vitality for the Stat Evolution. Some extra survivability wouldn’t hurt. As he selected the Stat, his mind settled within his heart and listened to its reassuring beat. He could feel the aura of life he had gained when every Stat rose above 1000, circulating through his person.

Congratulations! Your Vitality has evolved into Uncommon Metabolism (Un)! You will receive slightly more Health per Stat Point! You will receive more Stamina Regeneration and Health Regeneration per Stat point! +100 Uncommon Metabolism (Un)!

“How low class…” Randidly muttered to himself as he scratched his head. “The Stat name also includes its Rarity…?”

Still, Randidly’s expression grew rather solemn as he looked at the changes to his Health, Health Regen, and Stamina Regen from the shift. While the shift in Health was only about a thousand, both of the regenerations nearly doubled: the benefit to his regenerations that he got from the Stat had increased by a fold. And regenerations didn’t often become relevant in battles where images were dominant, but if they were high enough…

For that alone, it was worth it.

With a heavy heart, Randidly looked again and found that the familiar Path Stat Evolution III waiting for him. If he finished this Path, he would have spent one-third of his Tithe on the Stat evolution. In terms of raw Stat gains, it might be worth it, but Randidly didn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket. Still…

Randidly sighed and tried one more time.

Congratulations! You have completed the Stat Evolution III Path! Some have managed to evolve a single Stat in their journeys. Fewer still had the capital to create evolution opportunities for the second. Yet to evolve a third… truly, your abilities are significant. Still, not all Paths forward are smooth. A hint of luck is involved in all endeavors.

Calculating… Randomizing peak metamorphosis…

Congratulations! Mythic has been selected! Please set a Stat to evolve to the Mythic Rarity! Please note that your state of mind and concentration will be consulted to determine the resulting Stat.

“About. Damn. Time.” Randidly growled. It was the lowest of the three higher Rarities, but it would still be the highest Rarity Stat he possessed. Then, with a flourish of the hand, he selected Control to Evolve. As he did so, Randidly shifted his gaze upward to the conflict between the Nether King and Commandant Wick.

Huge spatial cracks ripped outward from their point of conflict before zipping back together. Yet Randidly could just barely catch the constant assembly and dissemination of the small Nether particles that continually cranked up the pressure against Commandant Wick. That strange ability to generate overwhelming patterns from transient and meaningless particles… that was what Randidly sought.

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 201!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 222!

With burning eyes locked on the majestic movements of the Nether King above, Randidly selected Control.