《Descent of the Arcane》Chapter 7: Learning and Training
Advertisement
"The Galgorian Empire is an empire of living machines. Most choose humanoid forms though there are those who choose more exotic forms. The most common race is the androids and living robots. There are also cyborgs as well as more normal biological races. The difference between an Android and a living robot is how they come to be. A living robot was originally just a machine who through certain circumstances became completely sapient. An android on the other hand is born. This is done by the parents creating a body for their child using materials that can grow and be interchanged. After crafting the body the parents will sever a small piece of their soul and mix it with the other parent's severed soul, this amalgamated soul will then be placed into the prepared body gifting it new life. Only those under A-rank may be able to give life among the machines because higher ranked beings souls are to powerful to create new life. This is why the machine empire is very protective of children of both their and all other races." Caleb closed the book, 'Greatest Empires, Clans, Churches, and Halls of the 97th Cluster'.
This book once more shook Caleb's mind at the reality he now found himself living in. First this book mentioned that each Sector was made up of 4 quadrants which all held 15 to 20 Clusters. Each Cluster was made of 20 to 30 Star Clusters each of which was then made of 10 to 20 billion galaxies, each of which was significantly larger than the milky way galaxy that Caleb had grown up learning about. The second thing that shocked him was how sci-fi all of this felt. He felt far more comfortable with the magic and game like system than he did with the knowledge that machines can gain sapience and give life. How does magic and sword fighting work in a world with laser cannons and space pirates?
"Oh well, it's time to get back to work. Hell it is not like those things will be affecting me anytime soon." Caleb though before turning back to the metallic dummy. It had been 6 days, during which he had spent 100,000 credits to use a room with a 50/1 time dilation to learn and master the runes. This was something only possible with Tier 1 runes as they were not that profound. Learning profound things inside time dilation was nearly impossible as the time dilation warped the profundities, which is why time dilation was typically used to train fighting and crafting techniques. There was actually three stronger rooms, but they cost far more and charged by the hour instead of by the day. The only reason he had enough for the 50 times training room was because Jared and Thomas had given him all the money from selling the rhino trophies and the 2 wind copper ore they had found in the mini-dungeon they had done. The other loot was split evenly though, but after all of that Caleb was now nearly broke again having only 6,531 credits. They also learned that the only way to get Tutorial points was killing things or completing quests. To receive a quest that offered a Tutorial point reward you had to go to the city office were a bulletin board offered quests to transport goods slay monsters craft something and many other things. while there were other quests at the different guilds they would only give credits and occasionally items but no Tutorial points. Hidden quests had hidden rewards and it was complete luck whether or not you even completed them.
Advertisement
Currently Caleb was working on a runic spell for fire, as he had learned he could use any element he was not weak against. Having an affinity made it easier to learn/create a spell of that element was greatly increasing it power as well. Caleb for that reason had already created 4 runic blood spells and 2 runic lightning spells. He had currently ignored his dark Addinity as he had know idea how to use it. The reason he wanted to create a fire spell was because he knew that he would eventually find opponents immune or at least resistant to blood and lightning kind of like the people of the machine empire he had just read about. So far Caleb had learned to make a spell 5 runes at a minimum was needed. Also while a spell formation may work it needed to cross a certain threshold to be recognized by the system as a proper spell. The first threshold was speed: every rune needed to be completed in less than 2 seconds and the max cast time for a spell was 5 minutes, Caleb was very far from the max time but then again the most runes he had put into a single spell was 30 so far as trying to hold all of those runes had made his mind feel like it would shatter. The second threshold was in a way more difficult for Caleb to measure: the power of the effect of a spell, this was easily measured for damage or healing spells but became far more difficult for auxiliary spells. But Caleb believed that he had finally gotten a winning combination:using burning from Aedirg, cleansing from Dryder, stability from Tygio, destruction from Hamnyr, fast from Mylg, explosive from Trydg, and fire from the rune Bolnirc. Forming each rune above his hand as fast as he could in a circle and in the correct order, 9 seconds later his mana flashed into the spell formation transforming into a crystalline blue flame before launching at the steel dummy causing the face to ever so slightly melt as it turned a very bright cherry red with parts even being white hot.
**DING** ACQUIRED SPELL, StarCleansing Firebolt: Does fire and magic damage. Does double damage against the undead and living dead. Damage scales off of intelligence and wisdom
"HaHa, yes finally! " Caleb screamed in joy. It had taken him 127 tries, 13 blown off arms, 4 dissolved arms and one lost leg to finally unlock a fire spell. The lost leg came from the time he tried to make a fireball that could curve around a target, unfortunately what he got instead was a fireball that bounced off the metallic dummy and into the dummy who cast the spell. With this new victory Caleb was once again invigorated to master the arcane path and rule over all magic but for now let's look at my status page.
Advertisement
STATUS PAGE NAME: Caleb Fulmen RACE: Human (G) LEVEL: 7 CLASS: N/A PROFESSION: N/A TITLES: (FORERUNNER OF EARTH) (MASTER OF THE COMMON TONGUE) (PRODIGIOUS LINGUIST I) (TIER 1 ARCANIST) (RUNIC SPELL SCHOLAR I) STATS HEALTH (HP): 200/200 STAMINA (SP): 390/390 MANA (MP): 450/450
VITALITY: 20
TOUGHNESS: 20
STRENGTH: 25
AGILITY: 60
ENDURANCE: 14
INTELLIGENCE: 45
WISDOM: 45
WILLPOWER: 45
PERCEPTION: 31
FREE POINTS: 0
SKILLS:
INSPECT: Allows user to inspect anything non-sapient. Scales off of wisdom and intelligence.
IDENTIFY: Allows user to identify anything sapient. Scales off of wisdom and intelligence
JOURNAL: allows use of system panel to right down thoughts and ideas. Every 5 levels in race adds one panel.
QUICK-STEP: Increases movement speed at the cost of stamina. Scales off of agility and strength
SPELLS:
MANA BOLT: a bolt of mana that causes damage scales off of intelligence and wisdom.
MANA SPEAR: Mana in a spear shape. increased penetration. damage scales of intelligence and wisdom
RUNIC SPELLS:
MANA BOLT: Made of 5 runes, a bolt of mana that causes damage scales off of intelligence and wisdom.
MANA SPEAR: Made of 6 runes, Mana in a spear shape. increased penetration. damage scales of intelligence and wisdom
THUNDERBOLT: Made of 8 runes. A ball of lightning that blasts the enemy dealing lightning and magic damage. damage scales off of intelligence and wisdom LIGHTNING VINES: Made of 17 runes. Creates vines of electricity that shock, and bind enemies in a 20X20 yard radius at the targeted location. can be cast at an equal number of yards as perception stat from caster. Power and strength of vines scaled off of intelligence and wisdom. INFERIOR BLOOD AMPLIFICATION: Made of 23 runes. Burn your blood to increase all stats by 10% with zero issue, 25% at an added cost of 10 HP/sec and a 7 hour weakness debuff lowering all stats by 75%. for every additional % of increase costs an additional 50 HP/sec BLOOD MARK: Made of 15 runes. Mark the enemy with your blood making it impossible to be lost, few can even notice the Mark. Increases exp from Marked enemy, increases damage enemy receives from caster. must be within 1,000 yards and have enemy in sight to place Mark distance can be increased through perception. damage scales off of intelligence and wisdom BLOOD ARROW: Made of 18 runes. Difficult to heal. 10% of damage caused returned to caster as HP. damage scales off of intelligence and wisdom SACRIFICIAL BLOOD SLASH: Made from 30 runes. Uses resources from all three pools. Does true damage to enemies HP equal to a quarter of sacrificed HPs. Must use claws or a bladed weapon. scales off of intelligence and strength. StarCleansing Firebolt: Made from 7 runes. Does fire and magic damage. Does double damage against the undead and living dead. Damage scales off of intelligence and wisdom
ELEMENTAL AFFINITY:
Inferior, Low, Medium, High, Great, Supreme, Peak, Apex, Demi-god, God
DARK: Inferior
LIGHTNING: High
BLOOD: Supreme
?: ?
ELEMENTAL WEAKNESSES:
Inferior, Low, Mild, High, Extreme
HOLY: Mild
RUNE MASTERY:
TIER 1: 100%
Caleb smiled before taking a look over his two new Titles:
TIER 1 ARCANIST : COMPLETLY MASTERED THE TIER 1 RUNES. +5 TO ALL MIND STATS
RUNIC SPELL SCHOLAR I : CRAFT 5 RUNIC SPELLS OF YOUR TIER. +5 TO ALL MIND STATS
Caleb loved how many stats he was getting. The more stats he gathered the high he would evolve. His goal was to become the most powerful as only then could he see himself as the true ruler of magic, as if you couldn't even reach the peak how could you ever understand all the intricacies of magic. Caleb checked the pocket watch he had bought seeing that it was 9:03 in the outside world. After thinking for a little bit he decided to go get some rest before going out of the city tomorrow to see about getting those last three levels that he needed, Thanks to the training rooms time dilation he would be able to return to his adventures in this new world significantly faster than planned. It had taken 2 days to learn all the Tier 1 runes and three days to master them. The last day had been spent trying to craft spells to help in the adventure. What Caleb didn't realize was that even for an elf genius they would need a year to craft a spell so instead they would usually just buy already crafted runic spells that used runes they had mastered. This was why the Title (RUNIC SPELL SCHOLAR) was so rare. Yet Caleb had crafted 9 runic spells in only 50 days time.
Advertisement
- In Serial1063 Chapters
Edge Cases (Book 1 Complete!)
Rare classes and powerful skills are helpful. Too bad the system doesn't seem built to handle them. What even are all these errors? Our team of outcasts and adventurers will have to rely on their trust - and the bane of all stories, healthy communication - just to survive, let alone understand what the system is doing. Because they're quickly realizing that it's doing something; to people, to monsters, and maybe even to the gods themselves. And their goal isn't just to survive; it's to make things better. It's a good thing they're not doing it alone. --- Edge Cases is an attempt to take the LitRPG genre and the overpowered MCs trope and write a story where numbers aren't everything. Sometimes it takes trust, support, and just a touch of being very, very clever. Expect a mix of action, slice-of-life, friendship, and ominous worldbuilding. Updates M-W-F at 6pm EST. Cover art by Alovck of Artstation, and typesetting by jessessey right here on RoyalRoad.
8 228 - In Serial38 Chapters
Beast
A threat to the galaxy has come from another, and the Union of intelligent life will go to any length to stop it. Military Quarantine has held for hundreds of thousands of cycles. Traders, merchants, colonists, and Pirates live risky lives along the fringes as the politics from the inner systems fail to see the larger threats beyond their borders. A lone human finds himself far from home with no memories to how he arrived. A failing Trade vessel plays on a desperate gamble, while a malicious parasite searches for a suitable host. ............................................. Author's note: Beast is a story that I wrote a long, long time ago. Some of you might have read it then, back when it was posted on reddit over at r/HFY. It was my first webfiction and made in the spirit of that subreddit's "genre" of humanity being awesome. But, it is also a story that has bothered me a little bit. Just like most new writers tend to do, I made mistakes and errors that feel painful to reread. A Space Opera will be a Space Opera, but I had prose that makes present-me cringe. Still, at the same time, the story is still very much a tale I've never given up on. It was my first adventure into fiction: Beast was a crazy adventure with bodysnatching aliens, galactic war, threats from across the universe... Posting this story here is a way to try and redeem myself a bit. I won't call it a complete rewrite, because it's not, but I have wanted to go through and correct some of the major issues Beast has for a long time and put it somewhere more accessible to read (instead of as posts/comments on reddit) and I figure that now is as good a time as any. Additional corrections you might notice are welcome.
8 182 - In Serial40 Chapters
Cantrip - A Wizard's Tale
The Fae were a legend, a myth. Until five years ago, when they made contact with humans and then abducted 1% of the population, disappearing once again into the shadows. Kel is a boy fueled by an obsession to regain the family he lost even as he fights back at the debts they left behind. Seeking admission to the Academy and rushing to escape the threat of enslavement, Kel must use his wits and determination to master more than simple tricks. To regain what he has lost, he must become a true wizard. Updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! (Cover photo by: DarkWorkX from Pixabay)
8 227 - In Serial167 Chapters
Knights, Nobles, and Cannibals
Empires wage all out warfare for control of powerful crystals. Twelve unique shards capable of becoming battery banks for different special powers designated by colors, with alchemy infusions adding even more. The faction that mines, barters, or conquers the most rocks will dominate the planet of Tenare!
8 189 - In Serial9 Chapters
Summoned Villains.
When you and your friends are summoned to another world, it wasn’t to kill the Demon Lord. You were summoned to kill the Heroes who were summoned to kill the Demon Lord. Forced to learn foul, evil magics by an evil cult, will our…. Villains? Will our villains rise to the challenge?
8 130 - In Serial10 Chapters
Reincarnation of a Dedicated Loser
Hard working smart kid with the determination of a lion suffers his entire life and gives up, but in his last moments he shows his strong will to fight once again. Unfortunately its too late for his life to change. But not to late for a second chance. With his dedication he resolves to never be weak or powerless and decides to live a good life, in a new world of powerful magic and adventurures, with great beasts and challenges ahead.
8 141

