Perception check made! You have successfully spotted 2 Rat Sentinels.

Stealth check made! You have successfully snuck past Rat Patrol.

Congratulations! Stealth is now Rank 6!

Eric was filled with an almost overwhelming surge of relief when he spotted yet another quintet of rats after carefully making his way down the tunnels for a good half hour.

Apparently, it had just been chance that he had spotted the ambush as the patrol neared the passageway he called his own.

Relief immediately turned to resolve, Eric understanding that he had to take out this second group at a bare minimum. Because eventually this patrol would cross paths with where he had taken out the first. And even with the bodies gone, far better it seem like a hungry wandering predator eager to eat his fill of rats than a solitary hunter defending his home.

With an efficiency borne from the perfect combination of live experience and countless hours of practice, Eric effortlessly sighted and shot dead the first sentinel, flashing a satisfied smile as the second came racing around the bend just in time for Eric to line up his second shot, his foe’s death all but assured as he squeezed the trigger.

Quiet confidence quickly transformed to panicked alarm when a gentle increase in pressure met with nothing but resistance, and he was forced to accept in that horrifying instant both that his sense of mastery of the situation was a foolish illusion, that a single mistake could cost him his life, and that his crossbow was hopelessly jammed.

Quickness check made!

With a hiss, he lurched to the side, alarmed to find that yes, the sentinel could sense him far more quickly than the lesser rats could. The beast giving a triumphant squeal when it leaped through the air, eager to tear out Eric’s throat.

True Strike has successfully hit target!

Before its mad charge was abruptly stopped short as Eric’s spear blasted right through its skull in an explosion of brain and gore, Eric striking with a furious intensity unlike anything he had ever felt before. Even while training in his bunker, never had he unleashed this feat while facing imminent peril, and the echo of his ancestors had immediately stepped up from the faintest whisper to a fearsome roar.

A roar powerful enough to plunge Eric’s spear shaft completely through his prey, puncturing skull and heart in a single deadly thrust.

Unfortunately, even with whatever temporary sturdiness the perk, laden with the memory of spears far better made than his, might bring to the weapon, it wasn’t enough this time, as Eric both felt and heard the sickening crack of his trusty spear shaft breaking, feeling the imperfectly aligned bayonet warp under the force of True Strike, and the monster rat’s charge.

And that was when a sixth rat, so cleverly hiding behind a defunct rusted pipe, went in for the kill.

Eric's infravision blazed warning, but even with his desperate attempts to twist and dodge away, forced to forgo the broken spear jammed deep into his earlier kill, the ambushing sentinel rat slipped under his guard to snap and tear at Eric's face, teeth savagely chomping on his steel chainmail hauberk as Eric desperately wedged his forearm between those vicious teeth and his neck.

Eric lacked the split second he needed to summon a shield.

Seconds away from getting his throat torn out, desperate fingers tore free his sheathed hip dagger as he began savagely, frantically, stabbing the blade into the massive rat’s face and flank until he finally managed to leverage it under the creature's throat, ripping open its jugular and finishing off the furious sentinel for good.

And it was only thanks to countless hours of training and exercise that he was able to lurch to his feet in time to avoid falling before the three smaller squealing nightmares doing all they could to tear into him, deadly threats still, despite the monicker of 'lesser rat.' Eric's pain and fear morphed to a berserker's fury as he drew his saber and tore into his foes with a roar, leaving a trail of blood and death while remaining cogent enough to at least keep the wall to his back, holding back a scream as the final rat ducked under the dagger he still held in his left hand and bit deeply into his ankle, nearly crippling him, before he plunged his sword through its heart.

You have suffered 1 Medium Wound!

You have suffered 1 Crippling Injury!

You have successfully slain 3 Standard and 3 Sentinel Rats!

Experience earned!

The crucible of combat compels excellence in all those who would survive its embrace!

Saber is now Rank 10!

You are approaching the limits of what most mortal swordsmen will ever be able to accomplish!

But nothing beats a knife for rapid killing blows in furious melee! You might not be one for technique, but when it comes to desperate frenzy, your hammer fist knows no equal!

The Dagger skill has been successfully quantized at Rank 3!

Trembling with shock, pain, and the realization of just how close he had come to death, Eric frantically looked all around, but saw no sign of yellow eyes glittering with feral intelligence heading his way. Only the far-off hint of a squeak.

And that alone was enough to fill him with dread.

It was all he could do to calm his trembling fingers, slowly re-cock the crossbow that hadn’t jammed after collecting the pieces of his broken spear, cursing bitterly that not one but two of the tools he was counting on to conquer these tunnels had failed him at a time when he had zero margin for error, and where a single mistake could so easily result in his death.

Only after he had gathered all traces of fallen rats did he begin his agonizing journey back home. But not until he had tightly wrapped his wounded ankle in bandages he had thankfully been smart enough to place in his storage space, though praying he would never need them.

It did nothing for the pain, of course. But at least it helped to steady his agonized limp as he used his broken spear as a crutch, as well as minimize any blood trail. He also made sure to wrap the butt of his spear in a piece of hide he tightly tied with another bandage, so that even hobbled, he made no noise at all and had a fair amount of traction against the damp stone tiles as he slowly, painfully, made his way back home, praying he wouldn’t need his one working and loaded crossbow, walking with one hand on the passage wall and the other on his staff, both eyes scanning hallway and ceiling like a mouse terrified of becoming the prey.

And never had he felt more profound relief than when he finally caught sight of the familiar side passage leading to his sanctuary, struggling not to trip over his own alarm as he finally opened the vault door and sobbed with relief upon making it home.

It was only seconds before he collapsed into his customary exhausted stupor, but not until he had shut and securely locked the vault door, his only barrier between sanctuary and the ravenous rats waiting for him, just beyond.

Rats he found himself battling a dozen times over in dreams that both haunted and exhilarated him, even as he took deliberate control of his dreams, putting every ounce of focus that he could into mastering the saber he used to kill a flood of imaginary rats as his mind prepared him for yet another boon of ascension.

Congratulations! You have achieved Journeyman status in: Saber! You now enjoy +1 to Strength, Finesse, and Quickness as increasing mastery over the sword becomes mastery over yourself!

You may now choose 1 weapon related perk as the essence of the hunter becomes your own! Note. As you have evolved your saber skill along the hunter's path and have failed to engage in any formalized sparring since interface evolution, you are unable to select any perks related to warding enemy blows or countering an opponent’s ward. All Perks will become increasingly effective, and you will be able to make use of said perks with increasing frequency, as you continue to rank up this skil!

Skill Evolution perks available to you at this time:

Fencer’s Grace (Standard) – This perk taps into the living memory of countless fencers who have written legends in the stars with their passing long before you were ever born. Expect an improvement in all aspects of swordsmanship, from timing to ripostes to delivering crisp clean cuts and praiseworthy thrusts, as you commune ever closer to countless masters who have come before you! Because even if you’ve never used your blade in battle before, countless swordsmen before you have.

- Note! Synergism with hidden skill detected!

Cleaving Blow (Advanced) – Veteran of desperate hunts that you are, you know as well as anyone that sometimes a single powerful cleaving blow is the difference between a decapitated foe and your own entrails spilling on the ground. Embracing this perk means becoming one with the essence of countless finishing moves delivered with sufficient force to chop through almost anything! Even steel helms and breastplates will be sundered by your might!

Doom Slice (Adept) – This perk distills the essence of the cut into the essence of sharpness, a monofilament blade of potential echoing a million slicing cuts executed in the most perilous of circumstances, to absolutely deadly effect! The power behind your blows may not increase, but your ability to slice through almost anything and deliver the most wicked draw-cuts imaginable will mirror that of the deadliest of swordsmen… even if you’ll be lucky to pull it off more than once per battle! - Note! Synergism with hidden skill detected!

Piercing Strike (Adept) - For one brief moment in time, embrace the killing fury of countless millions of hunters before you in delivering one deadly thrust that can pierce through almost anything!

Even lost in the fugue between wakefulness and sleep, Eric recalled the interface warnings he had received upon earning perks for crossbow and spear, so grabbed tight to the messages blinking in his mind’s eye, quickly considering his options. He couldn’t deny that even at Standard tier quality, Fencer’s Grace really appealed to him. The thought of being able to tap into the memories and experiences of countless swordsmen before him, helping to refine his skill both subconsciously and by increasing his already impressive… absurd? Rate of skill growth was something no true gamer would deny himself the opportunity to claim.

But that was just it. He was no longer a gamer. He was a survivor. He could always dedicate more hours to training whatever he liked, once he had finally established himself somewhere. But right now, what he needed above all else, were trump cards he could play in any emergency, and having the ability to cut through anything with Doom Slice, or strike, say, even a fully armored enemy knight… or orc, with such force that they were sent stumbling back, armor crumpling, with Cleaving Blow, could be an absolute lifesaver, even if he only dared use it once per encounter.

Of course, Piercing Strike was also an option, but he had already claimed that perk with his spear. And for all that practicality now ruled the day, he was enough of a gamer at heart that he had every intention of seeing if perhaps, just perhaps, he might be able to stretch the rules, assuming there even were any rules, and see if he could eventually transfer his Piercing Strike ability from his spear to his sword. He had no idea if it would work or not, or if every alien or invader from long-established system-integrated worlds did just that as a matter of course. Or perhaps it would be an unmitigated disaster.

He really had no idea.

What he did know was that sleep was clawing at his mind, as well as a thousand dreams of a swordsman embracing his craft, and if he was going to control the flow of those dreams, it had to be NOW! - Choosing Doom Slice over Cleaving Blow as much for the hint that it would synergize with a hidden skill as that it was an Adept versus Advanced quality perk, Eric finally allowed himself to slip into the bliss of unconsciousness and the torment of countless fever dreams where a thousand masters were screaming at him from a thousand different military barracks, conquered villages, palaces, and cultivation academies to master the singular art of cutting with absolute killing intent. An intent so fierce, he almost felt like he was learning to cut by will alone.

Congratulations! You are now a Level 4 Conscript!

You have successfully invested THREE character points into Vitality. Vitality is now 20! Your Vitality is now Superhuman! Congratulations! You have achieved a Physical Resistance of 1! You now regenerate (254 / (3600)) = 1 Hit Point every 14 seconds! You are now tougher and can run and fight longer than 100% of all mortals lacking interfaces!

Your scars continue to fade. Inflammation has decreased and the pattern of flame that is your soul has begun to reveal itself! Appearance has improved by 1 point!

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Eric Silver Level 4 Conscript

Physical Characteristics

Strength – 14 (01%) (You’re now stronger than 90% of all unleveled mortals still fighting for their lives!)

Vitality – 20 Your Vitality is now superhuman! (Don’t expect to be able to train this any further in the gym!)

Finesse – 16 (Your grace and coordination make you a deadly opponent with spear, saber, or crossbow!)

Quickness – 13 (You’re now faster than 84% of all unleveled mortals fighting for their lives!)

Appearance – 10 (Healthy skin now shows between scars that look increasingly like tattoos! Your lips are fully restored, and you finally have eyebrows and a full head of fiery red hair!)

Mental Characteristics

Scholarship – 12

Perception – 15 (You’re more perceptive than 96% percent of your mortal peers when it comes to spotting and drawing a bead on your target, or sensing someone trying to draw a bead on you!)

Willpower – 16 (You have the determination and focus to push your body to your absolute limits, and resist a Rat Queen's Compulsion!)

Charisma – 13

Potency Pools

Arcane Potential – 14 (Your arcane potential exceeds that of 90% of Conscripts hoping for a better class.)

Spiritual Energy – 16 (Your ability to harness spiritual energy exceeds 98% of novice supplicants. You have managed to discover the rudiments of a Trash Tier cultivation technique!)

Soul Reserves – 22 (None can question the potency of your soul. You found it within yourself to embrace essences few on any world will ever sense, and resist a Rat Queen’s compulsion!)

Stamina – 220 Points (Your stamina and rate of recovery are now superhuman! You could easily get gold for distance running in the Olympics, if the modern world hadn't ended!)

Health – 254 Points.

Resistances & Recovery

Physical Resistance – 1 (Your bones are exceedingly tough to break, and you now resist a portion of all damage that penetrates your armor!)

Physical Regeneration – You recover 1 Health Point every 14 seconds.

Elemental Resistance – 0

Qi Resistance – 0

Mental Resistance – 1

Interface Recognized Skills

Crossbows – Rank 10 (True Strike)

Dagger – Rank 3

Find Weakness – Rank 3

ES Manipulation – Rank 5

Saber – Rank 10 (Doom Slice)

Spear – Rank 10 (Piercing Strike)

Stealth – Rank 6

Swimming – Rank 2

Interface Enhancements

Full Neuro-Linguistic capabilities

Extradimensional Storage Space

Essences Claimed:

Fire (Rank 1)

Wrath (Rank 1)

Essence Related Skills:

Infravision: Rank 5

Heat Surge: Rank 3

Unformed (Trash Tier) Cultivation Technique (Flame Origin) – Novice – 3%

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