"And so I've been in that room for some weeks now, when suddenly I finished my first splitting path and a ton of skills just fused into this one because of one reason or another." Explained Aki as they were killing another nest of spiders. He'd begun doing so some time ago but mostly had to pause during combat.

While it still hurt to talk about it, his brewing rage helped with successfully putting his feelings into words and actions.

"Ok… Look, I've only been born after the tutorial on my own planet, but we should probably revise what you think you know about the system.” Lea eventually answered. Really, they’d been at this for so long that she’d leveled once already since she was basically gaining all the bonus experience her summoner couldn’t use. Plus, she was half sure these had been the last spiders around.

They had in fact already found the proper way to leave the spider tunnels, it actually opened into a swamp, but the two of them hadn't left as Aki just refused to leave before destroying all the nests.

The one they just cleared even had a variant monster, despite it having a pink name in it's analysis there had been no portal leading out, so it couldn't have been the dungeon boss.

"I can't really imagine I got something important that wrong, I mean, you have skills, paths, levels and likely something special at level fifty and a hundred. Anything game changing I should know about?" He shrugged, having mostly intended to figure things out on the go, but now that he had a good if perhaps outdated source of information…

"At level fifty you can evolve your class for better benefits and even some unique features depending on your abilities, and at level 100 your class is capped but you gain an unique skill that levels up with normal XP, though it gives out a lot less stats it can have other benefits, evolve with you and grow indefinitely." She clarified as they started moving back towards the exit to the caves.

"Well that explains why everybody gets the per class level stuff by just getting a few skill levels. I take it that it's not retroactive either." He asked, the skeletal bird shaking her head. "Ok, then I do have to ask why wouldn't people only get classes after having accrued over a hundred thousand points and completed tons of paths related to their stats."

"Because of a lack of aether. Dungeons have gigantic reserves of it so it isn't noticeable here, but you're going to die soon enough if you don't get a class when outside." The immediate reply about his life being in danger didn't really faze Aki though, it just made him sigh.

"And there goes my hope I wouldn't need to push things. This is still fine, don't worry too much about it." He shrugged. "As someone that does have a level though, how do you compare to other classers?"

"As well as someone with a blue class, which gives me around twelve points per level plus three free points from the paths I'd finished before. My level 50 upgrade however, would be retaining my sentience. If you advance your skill in grade I should get some retroactive bonuses though, so do keep that in mind." She explained, her stat distribution rather obviously focused on mental stats with some survivability, but asking for the specifics would be the same as treating her as a beastly pet instead of a companion.

They talked a bit more about what to expect when they got out, because it turned out that the situation was rather strange from his point of view.

His planet had basically been instantaneously terraformed together with a mass of yet other planets, which yes, had intelligent life forms in several stages of societal advance. Everyone was apparently meant to get teleported back to where they had previously been in their own world, which had been scattered into sections.

Each section had to complete some kind of challenge after forming up appropriately, and the faster you finished, the faster you joined the world's hotspot of resources through some kind of space fuckery. This treatment was only for the first ten sections though, the rest would have to trudge and look for other opportunities, which were certainly there, just not as obvious or immediately relevant to more events and quests from the system.

There was apparently also some kind of extra reward for the first ten areas related to what challenge they completed and chosen from a list by either the recognised section leader or whoever had contributed the most to completing the challenge.

They spent some time talking about those exactly because neither thought it possible for a zone with Aki to not be amongst the top ten if not the first to complete it's challenge.

After all, getting out of the dungeon was more of a trek through some woods than the hellish jungle dinosaur safari it should have been since the monsters were all around level 30 with some coming in closer to forty.

With his mental stats as they were, Aki had simply no problem reacting before he got hit by things with a speed extremely above his, before then retaliating with prejudice, only to quickly get the spent mana back with the death of his enemy.

Even if he did meet an enemy he could not normally detect, it was actually easier than if something just straight out attacked him with a loud skill since he had his mana sight active the whole time he looked around, so it was only a matter of sending a low level scan for his behind and if there a place suspiciously empty he shot at it.

That worked around eighty percent of the time, but he did realise he likely wouldn't go much further with his meager perception.

Really though, it could be that this ended up being so easy because he spent a whole day freezing the whole swamp to death by changing the climate from uncomfortably hot and humid to extreme cold.

Considering it'd gotten Lea another level, that was probably it.

The boss monster wasn't even that hard.

"let's get this over with."

It had been a giant poisonous lizard, but as a cold blooded creature it could almost not move.

[Your skill Frozen chains has evolved into Frozen fetters of failure (Y). All skill levels maintained.]

A pitiful little thing really. Despite its level and status I could do nothing about it's own nature.

"Just kill it already."

[Your skill Shards of pain has evolved into Fragments of Regret (Y). All skill levels maintained.]

*Slap*

"What?" He asked, surprised at the seemingly unprovoked physical aggression from his summon.

"What? That's all you have to say? You've been torturing the dungeon boss for over an hour, the thing probably lost way more than its natural health pool thanks to you healing it several times, and you've been ignoring me ever since you laid eyes on the thing, but 'what?' Is all you can say?" Her disappointed tone and wing pointing drove home what she was saying.

He'd gone on a rampage of sorrow and self loathing, he realised, beating the boss like it was some kind of punching bag for his failure towards his family because of what it represented.

Had they spawned anywhere on that swamp then perhaps he'd have succeeded in safeguarding them even if with injuries and some trauma, but that didn't happen.

And he had to deal with it. He had to live.

"Thank you, I shouldn't be doing any of that. I'm going to complete a few paths now, please watch over the boss but don't kill it." He asked, his expression much sadder. Be it his tone or reaction, Lea didn't question him, simply nodding.

He turned to his status.

Ocissus Aki

Class: N/A

Lv: 0 (100%)

HP (R per hour): 430/430 (31.9)

MP (R per hour): 1584/1584 (96,4)

SP (R per min): 290/290 (31.9)

Vitality: 43

Endurance: 29

Strength: 25

Agility: 18

Perception: 12

Intelligence: 120

Willpower: 61

Focus: 33

Control:46

Wisdom: 27

Free points: 0

Physical skills:

Running Lv 22

Brawling Lv 29

Kicking Lv 9

Screaming (O) Lv 31

Rage (O) Lv 67

Dodge Lv 22

Fitness Lv 52

Parry Lv 6

Athletics Lv 42

Sneak Lv 17

Arcane power blow (Y) Lv 44

Powerful arcane body (Y) Lv 75

Swimming Lv 6

Equip Lv 46

Climbing Lv 14

Spells:

Mana orb (O) Lv 81

Fireball Lv 17

Flame thrower Lv 65

Detoxify Lv 18

Flint Lv 29

Guided transmutation (G) Lv 67

Arcane grimoire (G) Lv 88

Regeneration (O) Lv 96

Degeneration (O) Lv 46

Embered strike Lv 54

Lance of the four elements (Y) Lv 76

Fragments of Regret (Y) Lv 42

Boom juice (O) Lv 21

Disinfecting field (O) Lv 13

Infernal blisters (O) Lv 1

Chasm Lv 1

Frozen fetters of failure (Y) Lv 52

Screaming tundra (Y) Lv 81

Crying tempest (Y) Lv 22

Bleeding core (Y) Lv 22

Specter’s breath (Y) Lv 31

Dark blood (O) Lv 51

Unending falls (O) Lv 41

Blood carriers (O) Lv 32

Carriers of suffering (Y) Lv 42

Masteries:

Mana sight Lv 82

Advance mana weaving (Y) Lv 71

Mana compression (O) Lv 51

Multicasting (O) Lv 52

Extract mana (Y) Lv 39

Prolonged casting (O) Lv 51

Underground survival (O) Lv 22

Improved earth affinity (O) Lv 46

Improved wind affinity (O)Lv 62

Improved fire affinity (O) Lv 47

Improved water affinity (O) Lv 63

Arcane affinity (Y) Lv 76

Lord of death (B) Lv 68

Dismantling Lv 7

Armour crafting Lv 11

Weapon crafting Lv 7

Wield hammer Lv 33

Wield shield Lv 23

Wear armour Lv 47

Wield sword Lv 6

Resistances:

Fear resistance Lv 51

Pain resistance Lv 53

Fire resistance Lv 31

Poison resistance Lv 9

Arcane resistance Lv 32

Sleep resistance Lv 37

Ice resistance Lv 13

Mental:

Psychopath (Y) Lv 83

Arcanum (C) Lv 86

Cold calculation (O) Lv 32

Biology Lv 46

Geographical survey Lv 9

Elemental analysis (O) Lv 17

Thoughtful meditation (O) Lv 117

First aid Lv 49

Macgyver Lv 31

Skill points: 1374

Paths:

Explorer I (0/10)

Fearless I (0/20)

Trapper (0/40)

Pursuer (0/50)

Heavy defender I (0/50)

Cold blooded (0/100)

Elementalist (0/100)

Elemental Lance (0/100)

Transmuter (0/200)

Magical sight I (0/50)

Meditation I (0/50)

Arcane II (0/500)

Doctor (0/50)

Dedicated healer (0/125)

Blood warlock (0/250)

Greatest genius (0/????)

Planetary hope (0/1000)

Intermediary fitness (0/100)

Pain immunity II (0/50)

Weather warlock (0/250)

[Congratulations! You have completed the Planetary hope path (1000/1000)! +50 free stat points. +2 free stat points per level. +50% experience gained. +25% Skill growth. All regeneration multiplied by 1.1x. You have earned the skills Champion {Humanity} (G) Lv 1 and Inspire {Humanity} (G) Lv 1.

Champion {Humanity} (G) Lv 1- When fighting with or for fellow humans you receive a minimal bonus to all your stats per individual. Bonus minimally increases with skill level.

Inspire {Humanity} (G) Lv 1- You inspire fellow humans who witness your practice, allowing for an easier time in training skill levels related to the inspiration. Effect slightly increases with skill level.

Congratulations! You have completed the Willful path (250/250)! +10 to Willpower. +1 to Willpower per level. Mana regeneration multiplied by 1.1x. A tenth of the willpower score now also contributes to spell power.]

Forty nine points to willpower and eleven to vitality. It would have to do.