‘Seriously… what the hell is up with this game?’

“Alright,” said Roy, sliding his fingers over his blade’s runes and handing it to Drake. “Pass me your sword.”

Slightly hesitant, he did as the master instructed and braced himself before grabbing onto the handle of Roy’s runed broadsword. But unlike before, the weapon felt much lighter. He stared incredulous for a moment before feeling a rush of power coursing through him. He then saw a Status Effect icon blink into existence right next to his HUD.

Spiritual Resonance activated. Spirit Class specific Stats increased: Strength +50, Intelligence +200, Vitality +100, Endurance +50, Agility +150, Power +150. Mana Regeneration increased by 100%.

Simply reading the buff’s ridiculous description sent Drake’s mind racing. ‘How is something like this even remotely possible? That’s… sixty LEVELS worth of stats. And my mana regeneration right now is… 16.44 per second?!’ He raised his gaze and shivered as he saw the wicked grin on Roy’s face.

“Well now,” the master grinned, “do try to make things interesting for me as well, runt.”

Before he could even reply, Drake felt his legs being swept out from underneath him. He braced himself and jerked back as the master’s sword stabbed clean through the cracked, stone tile where his chest had been merely a moment ago. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he rolled into a crouch and jumped. But the sheer force of his jump sent him flying back several meters as he slammed into one of the pillars and then tumbled to the ground.

You have taken damage! -90HP.

‘Shit, everything feels… off.’ With the master still keeping his distance, Drake stopped and took a moment to catch his breath. He clenched his fist, his knuckles whitening as he felt the smooth leather of the sword’s hilt. Granted, his Stats had all increased by a massive amount. However, he had never expected them to actually influence his physical abilities by quite so much. And now that he had had the chance to focus, everything around him seemed to move much slower. ‘Well, if he wants a fight, who am I to disappoint him?’

Taking his stance, he placed his fingers over the sword’s runic inscriptions. He exhaled, concentrating on the power raging inside of him as he then channeled his mana into the blade.

Spellblade has been activated.

But even with the skill’s high cost, his mana didn’t so much as budge. He grinned and raised the sword beside him, his heart pounding as he poured even more into it.

Mana Manipulation has been activated.

You have unlocked a Spellblade Variant. Would you like to name the Variant?

Finally feeling his mana beginning to trickle away, he stopped and shifted his attention towards the system prompt. His eyes lingered for a moment. ‘Let’s just go with… Spellcleaver.’ And as he heard the confirmation’s chime, he returned his gaze towards the master.

“Already done?” the master grinned. “Well then, come at me!”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. Drake felt his muscles coil as the stone cracked beneath his feet and he shot towards the master. Within a moment, he had closed the distance. A blue flash illuminated the chamber as their spell-clad blades clashed. Just a moment later, the master forced him back using a single hand. However, Roy didn’t even bother to following up.

‘Shit, I know he’s just toying with me, but it’s still infuriating…’ Leaning forward, Drake dashed towards the master and slashed towards his torso, stopping mid-swing as Roy tried to parry. The slash-turned-thrust rushed past the old mage’s sword, scratching the master’s runed chest plate just as he stepped back.

The luminous trail enveloping Drake’s blade vanished as blue flames began to swirl inside his left palm. Aiming for the other’s legs, he fired four Manabolts in quick succession and rushed Roy. But with a single swing, the master blew him and the projectiles away. His boots skidded along the uneven floor as he finally came to a stop, several meters back from where he had stood.

“Not bad, not bad at all!” the master grinned. “You might’ve landed one on me if you hadn’t made it so obvious that you were going for a ranged attack after that faint!”

“Why was it so obvious?” he asked, noting that Roy’s complexion seemed a lot less pale now.

“Well, first of all, you can’t cast two spells at the same time, so cancelling your Spellblade could only mean one thing. Secondly, your eyes immediately gave away your aim.”

Drake opened his mouth to say something, but he instead simply gaped at the old mage. ‘He got that from just a couple of moments…?’ He then smiled and chuckled, seeing Roy’s brow rise. ‘Dammit, Dan was actually right… this really can be fun. Not that I’d ever admit that to him.’

“So,” said the master, lowering his sword, “I think that’s enough of a warmup. How about we teach you how to actually use that spirit of mine?”

Confused, Drake stared at Roy for a second before turning his gaze towards the small, flashing Status Icon. And as he focused on it, a more detailed window sprung into his field of view.

Spiritual Resonance

Magic SchoolArcane

You have entered a temporary pact with one of the spirits in Roy Darkeye’s service. While under the effect of this pact and depending on your level, you gain access to some of the Arcanum spirit’s abilities, while also receiving a Stats boost based on Arcanum’s class and level.

Strength +50

Intelligence +200

Vitality +100

Endurance +50

Agility +150

Power +150

Arcanum’s Blessing: Mana Regeneration increased by 100%.

Mental Acuity (Passive, Rank 1): While under Arcanum’s influence, you are able to take in and process information at a slightly increased rate.

“Hah!” The master’s laugh reverberated throughout the chamber, wrenching Drake’s attention from the Status Icon’s window. “Did that system of yours finally fill you in?”

“I think so?” he said, going back to the description in front of him. “It says that you linked a spirit called… Arcanum to me?”

“Well, why don’t you check for yourself?”

It took Drake a second to figure out what Roy had meant, but he then closed his eyes and exhaled. His senses reached out past the floating particles of mana themselves. Instead, he concentrated on the things that influenced the swirling currents around him. First himself and then everything else.

You have activated Spirit Sight.

His knees went weak as he finally felt the presence of the spirit enveloping him. A bright blue, mist-like entity in the form of a large, long-tailed falcon stood perched atop his shoulder. And as its sapphire eyes stared straight into his, he suddenly heard the spirit’s voice echoing inside his head. “Greetings, Drake. My name is Arcanum, and I have been tasked by the master to help you in providing him a worthy challenge.”

“Hi…” he replied, his heart-rate still settling down. “I’m all for finally making him sweat a bit, but how exactly do you propose we do that? He literally just blew me away with one arm no more than a second ago!”

As Arcanum spoke, Drake could have sworn that he felt an impish sense of glee coming from the spirit. “Should you allow it, I do have one idea that I think might prove effective…” His eyes widened and he couldn’t help but crack a smile while listening to Arcanum.

“So,” Roy chuckled, “are we finally done with this little intermission?”

Pointing his sword back, ready to slash, Drake leaned forward and exhaled as Spellblade’s blue flames roared to life. “Okay, I’m counting on you,” he thought, in turn sensing the spirit’s tacit confirmation. Slightly scared, he took another deep breath before gritting his teeth and kicking off.

Two rapid steps echoed throughout the chamber as he instantly closed the distance. His posture low, he immediately came to a halt and twisted his entire body. The sword’s bright trail lit up the air and missed the master who had slid back in one fluid motion, his ever-present smirk now gone.

In sync, Drake stepped forward and adjusted his grip, striking down without pause. Sparks flew as Roy brought up his blade to meet his. But he immediately jumped back, deflecting the blow to the side as Drake’s attack pulverized the stone tiles below. Eyes narrowed, the master placed his second hand on the sword’s handle and waited.

He rushed Roy again. Their weapons bit into one another and he leaned in, forcing the master back.

“Drake, get back!”

But before he even had the chance to try anything else, he felt the air leaving his lungs as the master shoved him and kicked him straight in the chest, hurdling him into the wall behind him.

You have been hit! -2571 HP.

“Heh, that was a clever little trick, Arc, redistributing the pact’s power on the fly to whatever Stat the runt needed. You almost had me worried there for a second!”

Drake coughed, tasting a bit of blood in his mouth as he forced himself up. He groaned, dusting himself as he glanced at his HUD before turning to face Roy. “Master, you could have held back a little… If Arcanum hadn’t shifted most of the buff’s points into my Endurance, you could’ve killed me with that… kick.”

“Then it’s a good thing I did,” he grinned, sending chills down Drake’s spine. “Well, Arc? Do you think we can make something of him?”

“I believe so. Whether it comes down to his particular constitution, or due to the fact that he is a Stranger, his mind and body do seem especially adept at establishing spiritual links.”

Roy raised his brow as he stared at his dusty and exhausted apprentice. “The two go hand in hand, Arc. There’s only so much the body can do if it’s being led by a weak-willed mind. For now, take care of him and teach him what you can.”

“As you wish.”

Upon hearing the spirit’s voice, Drake instinctively shook his head. “Sorry,” he said, taking a deep breath, “but having you inside my head like this is going to take some getting used to.” Instead of a reply, he simply heard Arcanum chuckling. ‘Yeah, even the Link Sphere felt a bit strange. But this really is on another level entirely…’

“Understandable,” the spirit replied, causing Drake to jerk to a stop as his hand shot up to his heart.

“Shit,” he sighed, taking a moment to calm down. “So, you can read my thoughts even if they aren’t directed towards you?”

“The principle itself is similar to how Link Spheres work. In both cases, your mana constitutes the transfer medium between your thoughts and those of the other party. However, a Spiritual Pact differs slightly since the connection itself remains active even if you do not consciously focus on it.”

“A simple yes would’ve been enough,” he smiled as he followed the master towards the tomb’s entrance.

“With more experience, it is possible to learn how to shield your thoughts from those of your contracted spirit.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said, craning his head up as they approached the archway. “It’s actually pretty nice to have someone to talk to like this.”

The doorway loomed over them and, as they went through, he could feel a strange breeze sweep by.

You have entered the hidden dungeon Wind’s End.

Environmental Modifier Blessing of the Windwalker has been activated.

Movement Speed: +20%

Wind School Skills & Spells:

+25% Damage & Effectiveness

-50% Cooldown Duration

His steps felt lighter and he could no longer feel the stagnant, pervasive air of the manor. Passed the stone gateway, they found themselves inside a wide tunnel, impeccably crafted out of smooth, white blocks of stone. Its sheer size gave Drake pause as he looked around, mouth agape. The ceiling itself had to be at least three or four stories tall, and yet he couldn’t see a single support beam or pillar throughout the place. As he turned around, he noticed two crystalline blocks attached to the archway through thin, crystal veins that burrowed directly into its stone surface.

“Master, what exactly are those?” he asked, examining the heavily cracked facets of the two transparent slabs.

“Manacells. They sustained the Stills’ devouring seal on this place. And to break that seal, I had to overcharge them.”

“Not an easy task,” Zane added, a definitive sense of awe present in his voice. “That seal was never supposed to be opened. As such, the dwarves designed it with the specific intent of killing whoever attempted to break it. The”

“Wait, kill?” Drake asked, turning to Roy. “I thought you said that you just couldn’t stop the process…”

“You can’t. Once triggered, you either overload the seal or the seal consumes all of the mana in your body, leaving you dead. Hence the devouring part.”

He stopped to take another look at the two nearly shattered Manacells. “Why even make a key in the first place?”

“So that the person who placed the seal could also lift it,” Zane answered. “Anyone else would simply fall prey to it. Key or no key.”

They continued on in silence as they followed the straight path laid out before them, the master’s mana orb lighting the way. Eventually, the tunnel veered right and ended at a ledge overlooking a seemingly bottomless chasm. Roy sent the orb down as its light lost the fight with the surrounding shadows the further it descended. Then, with a flick of the master’s head, the light shot up from the pit’s depths. It stopped close to the ceiling, revealing another ledge on the far side of the hollow depths before them.

“Come on,” said Roy, approaching the edge of the chasm. And as he got closer, the space around them began to shake and creak. The white, stone blocks slid out of the walls, floating and rearranging themselves in midair above the pit. Grinning, the master kicked off the ground, leaping effortlessly between the makeshift platforms as he made his way up.

Inching closer to the end of the ledge, Drake shuddered as he caught a peek of the darkness sprawling below him. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me… No way.”

“I do not think you have to worry,” he heard Arcanum, the spirit’s calm, reassuring voice doing little to dissuade the rising dread inside of him. “I believe that this whole area has been constructed with the sole purpose of intimidating those that step foot inside.”

“Well, it’s doing a great job…”

“I sense rising currents of air and mana that appear to be originating from directly underneath us. I believe that you are supposed to traverse this area by making use of them. I have already taken the liberty of reinforcing your Agility and Strength through the power of Spiritual Resonance.”

Sighing, Drake glanced up and then back at his feet. He certainly felt lighter, almost weightless. ‘Okay… you can do this…’ He made a few tentative jumps, each time placing more and more strength into it, until he suddenly noticed that he could reach a slightly bigger height than that of the nearest platform. As he fell from his jump’s apex, the air rushing past him, his lips began to curl into a broad smile. His knees bent softly as he touched down, and he could feel his heart beating furiously. “That… was so fucking cool!” he yelled, raising his fists into the air.

“Any day now, runt!”

Hearing Roy’s snide remark, he took a second to prepare himself. He then sprinted towards the ledge, shooting up as he jumped full-force. Dread and excitement intermingled inside his stomach as he rushed past the first two rows of platforms, slowing down just as he almost reached the third one. Barely reaching the floating block, he latched onto it with both hands and pulled himself up, cold sweat dripping down his spine. Relishing in the cool breeze flowing up, he glanced back at the ledge which was now almost two stories beneath him and grinned. His elation soon turned to panic as he saw that the first row of platforms had begun to move back towards the wall, revealing more and more of the bottomless pit down below.

Not wasting another second, he scanned the blocks above him and jumped, clearing the distance in just a few leaps. And as he landed next to Roy, his legs immediately gave out. With the master’s footsteps getting further away, Drake forced himself up, his steps still a bit shaky, and followed him.

The path’s slope soon began to steepen rapidly, to the point where a mere slip could send them tumbling down the tunnel, straight into the pit they had just left behind. Unwilling to take that chance, Drake took out his sword. Blue flames engulfed the blade as he used its tip to gain some form of purchase on the slick, stone tiles. A while later, they could see flickers of light dancing at what they could only presume was the end of the tunnel. As they stepped out of the tunnel, they both shielded their eyes.

All around them, near vertical cliffs enclosed a fractured plateau, out of which hundreds of verdant pillars jutted out. Mouth agape, Drake scanned the area, confused as to where the light came from, deep within the mountain. He glanced at the immense pillars sitting at the center of the valley as they fought their way towards the top of the stony cauldron. And as he followed their winding path up, his eyes landed on the transparent, glass-like dome of the cauldron.

Just as he was about to say something, a strange gust of wind forced him to squint and step back. Prickles ran down every exposed bit of his skin as if something had dragged thousands of needles across his entire body. “W-what the hell?” he stuttered, crossing and running his hands up and down his arms.

“Of all the damned things…” Roy muttered, gesturing for Drake to swap his runed sword back with him. “Zane, I take it that this place used to look different before.”

“Indeed. The was no vegetation to speak of. Only flocks of vicious Manarocs perched atop those pillars.’

“Fantastic…”

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“A rift’s opened up in here,” he said handing him the carved sliver of bone. “Zane, Arc, mind taking care of the runt?”

“If it is within my power…”

Despite the former knight’s soft-spoken tone, Drake could feel the conviction dripping off of every word. And as the master stepped in front of him, scorching red flames coating the runed blade in his hand, Drake felt another vile gust of wind brush up beside him.

“Quickly,” said Arcanum, the spirit’s voice booming inside of his head, “reach out to the spirit of Zane Stills, and channel your mana towards him!”

Doing his best to focus on what he was told instead of the shudder-inducing winds besieging them, he exhaled and allowed his newest senses take over.

You have activated Xelian Meditation and Spirit Sight.

He could now see and feel the whirlwind of pale-white mana raging around them. But he did his best to ignore it and instead focused on the purple wisp of energy, hovering just above the splinter of bone he held in his palms. He took a deep breath and visualized his own mana reaching out towards the wisp. Splitting pain wracked his head for an instant as the image of an older woman and a child flashed before him, the two running through the giant, stone door just before it slammed shut.

Confusion, followed by an impending sense of doom and unbridled anger washed over Drake as his knees gave out. His breath hastened and he squeezed his fists, strangling and ripping the soft vegetation underneath him. But the feeling soon began to fade and he then realized that both spirits were calling out to him.

“Drake!” he heard Zane’s voice, “talk to us! Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I think so?” he said, still wobbly on his legs. “What… was that?”

Arcanum’s calm, soothing voice allowed him to concentrate on something other than the throbbing he felt in his temples. “I believe you have just experienced some of Zane Stills’ memories.”

Drake shook his head and hoisted himself up. “This… seems like a bit much,” he sighed as he then heard the system’s familiar chime.

You have learned Spiritual Pact (Active Skill)!

Spiritual Pact (Active)

Rank:ApprenticeLevel:1 (0.0%)

Magic School:Spiritual Invocation

As you’ve come to better understand the world around you, so too has your perception increased, allowing you to glimpse into the spirit realm.

You can now forge pacts with willing spirits, which allows you to use some of their abilities while also granting you some of their power, in exchange for a portion of your mana.

The Mana Regeneration Cost is dependent on each individual spirit’s Rank.

Zane Stills has accepted your offer to enter into a temporary Spiritual Pact. Since his spirit is bound through Roy Darkeye’s magic, you will not incur a reduction in your Mana Regeneration for the duration of this contract. As a result, you have gained access to new abilities:

Grave’s Spite (Rank 1, No Cost): Stun nearby foes for 1.5 seconds (5 Minutes Cooldown)

Dreadknight’s Authority (Rank 1, 100 Mana): Raise a fallen foe to fight for you for 5 minutes (1 Hour Cooldown)

Due to the presence of Arcanum, the Spiritual Pact has also granted you an additional bonus consisting of:

Strength +50

Endurance +30

Agility +20

Intelligence +10

Even more than before, the wind picked up. Arm raised, he shielded himself and looked around through squinted eyes. A sharp whistle drew his attention to the left. He turned just as a pale-blue blade of light raced towards him, cutting down vines and tallgrass alike. But just as he prepared to dodge, he felt a wave of searing heat.

Almost instantly, Roy had appeared in front of him, his bright red sword warping the air around it. With a wide slash, the master scattered the luminous blade headed towards them as the resulting shockwave flattened the grass around them. “Stay beside me.”

The wind settled for a moment as Drake finally caught a glimpse of several pale orbs of light floating just on the edge of his Spirit Sight’s radius. ‘Wind Sprites… Level 78?!’