Eric’s world narrowed to just himself, and the titanic beast with tusks of blue flame, charging his way.

Realizing that the creature had been holding back, in more ways than one.

Then again, so had he.

You have critically struck you foe!

The porker squeeled before the flash of plasma, doing all it could to gore Eric with its closest tusk. And though it failed to fatally swipe Eric with its stump, the skull that clipped him was more than enough to send Eric flying, even as he gave as good as he got.

Flying through the air only to land on his feet, massaging what he knew was a cracked ulna in his off hand, even as the pig hardly seemed to notice the thin line of blood across its massive snout.

It was clearly more bothered by the spiritual weapon of a tusk that had been cleaved from his right side, and Eric silently promised it was the only unorthodox attack he would use from this point forward in the fight.

And he stayed true to his word, even when the mammoth-sized boar trumpeted its charge once more, Qi attacks now crippled, but no less a fearsome fighter for it. Every savage gore and slash commanded Eric’s absolute focus, every attempt to kick or bowl over earning ever more of Eric’s respect.

So much so that as one minute stretched to another Eric no longer held back, no longer dared to hold back, incorporating every facet of his arts and skills into a fusion of blood, blade, and the essence of killing intent, finally sensing that the path forward to Adept tier wasn’t simple mastery of movement and form, trying to infuse it all with Spiritual Energy, but rather allowing his gifts to play to their strength, direct his skills with every perk and trait available to them, just as he would back on Earth proper. Even if it would put strain on his cultivation base, better he know for sure, then foolishly hold back when such could kill him. And if he actually managed to infuse a bit of Spiritual Energy into his attacks? So much the better.

But as the massive beast before him made clear as furious roars became increasingly uncertain squeals, Eric was best of walking the crooked path already before him, no longer daring to hold back.

Doomslice!

Doomslice!

You have successfully infused Burst of Strength with your attacks!

For a breathless heartbeat, Eric thought he finally had the best of the creature before him. Time itself seeming to stretch and slow as his thoughts raced and he and his foe became equal partners in a dance as old as time.

Predator and prey.

Hunter and hunted.

You have been struck by Spiritual Weapon! (Greater Spirit Beast Tusk)

You have suffered one critical wound!

And just when it seemed that the dance was about to come to an end, Eric ignored the blinding pain of a left arm near torn out of his socket, every ounce of focus on the white-hot blade in his right, in that moment finding his thoughts superimposing the lessons he had learned with his spear upon his saber, and far from panicking, screaming, or futilely trying to switch weapons while Sam screamed, seeing Eric’s imminent peril…

Eric instead embraced the moment.

Lunging forward with every ounce of his potential, flashing a fierce smile even as he was sent windmilling through the air, his doom all but assured as messages blared through his interface, the dance come to an end at last.

Battlefield Epiphany has allowed you to transcend System Weapon Feat Limitations!

You are now one with countless past heroes who have transcended System Weapon Feat Limitations!

Their path is now one that you dare to walk. May their insights aid your own, Contender!

With a successful skill check, you may now use Piercing Strike with all swords mastered to at least Journeyman proficiency!

Saber is now Rank 20!

Congratulations! You have achieved Adept Status with Sabers! Strength, Quickness, and Finesse have each gone up by 3 points as a portion of the wisdom and potency of countless blademasters before you becomes your own.

Eric forced his eyes open, heart racing with exhilaration and terror as he instinctively grabbed ahold of the only perk he was interested in, the only reason why he had risked himself so foolishly, besides serving as a channel for the fires of his bitter heart.

He could only hope it would be enough.

Adept Tier Perk Chosen! You have successfully honed your skills in the fires of conflict with yet another weapon tied to your soul! As a Battleforged fencer, you will now grow faster than ever in the crucible of conflict, blessed by epiphanies that only require you to risk your life to achieve!

And Eric felt it, just as much as he did the surge of coordination flooding through his soul. A newfound connection to the battlefield entire, as enhanced Strength, Finesse, and a perk-enhanced environmental awareness allowed him to twist around just enough to grab ahold of the tree branches he was windmilling towards bones cracking and splintering on impact as he tore through the foliage, skipping from one treetop to another until finally managing to stop himself, before collapsing in a broken heap on the forest floor.

Instead a groaning Eric hung in the bough of a tree he had hooked with both his legs while biting back cries of agony as inhuman Vitality valiantly strove to fuse cracked ribs and shoulders, shattered wrists and dislocated fingers into usable limbs he could use to either climb down… or just stay in his present shelter, trembling and shaking, as a half dozen squeeling tuskers a far more sane size than their leader squeeled for his blood from below.

Eric shuddered and focused on his breathing for long moments, finally allowing the flood of what he sensed were System linked memories of countless battles he had never lived flooded through him, sensing his body’s increased growth and coordination as the potency of countless elders caressed his soul before leaving him just a bit more coordinated and skilled than he had been before. As the furious pigs below were unable to actually smash down the tree, though not for lack of trying, he absolutely refused to relinquish the insights now washing over him, after having paid such a steep price to finally break through to Adept tier.

He took deep breaths, playing possum as best he could while his arms finished fusing together broken bones and torn ligaments while the branches shook.

He did his best to appreciated the similarities and differences between System-infused boons of power, and that which he earned via cultivation alone, correlating all the lessons of the blade that Vincent had taught him, memories now clear with a supernatural clarity, and the countless battlefield insights he had garnered for himself, to say nothing of the glimpsed flashes of battle experienced by countless Bronze tier warriors or better. As a result of what felt like hours of diligent effort meditating upon his breakthrough, by the time the agony had finally past from his once-more restored bones, he felt more in tune with his sword, and his body, than he ever had been before.

He then took a quick look at just how significantly his body had blossomed thanks to his diligent efforts, before glaring down at the pigs below, his dark smile making it clear that the hunters had once mroe become the prey.

_____________________________________

Eric Silver Level 9 Conscript

Rank 5 Basic Fire Cultivator

NOTE! - You have successfully infused your core! You are currently at 98.5% of maximum core density!)

Physical Characteristics

Strength – 61 (91%)

Vitality – 41

Finesse – 67

Quickness – 49

Appearance – 17

Mental Characteristics

Scholarship – 13

Perception – 51

Willpower – 34

Charisma – 13

Potency Pools

Arcane Potential – 17

Spiritual Energy – 26

Soul Reserves – 58 (52)

Stamina – 430 Points

Health – 559 Points.

Resistances & Recovery

Physical Resistance – 5

Physical Regeneration – 4.1/second

Elemental Resistance – 0

Qi Resistance – 2

Mental Resistance – 4

Physical Age = 17 Years (+24 years, 316 Days & 4 hours that Arcane Magics cannot restore! Superhuman vitality allows you to keep your youth, even if you’re now burning your candle at both ends!)

Interface Recognized Skills

Acting – Rank 5

Advanced Arcane Weapons (Blaster Rifle) – Rank 3

Bardiche (Unified) – Rank 21 (Cleaving Blow, Battleforged,*Piercing Strike)

Blade and Shield – Rank 11

Bow (All Types) – Rank 19 (True Strike)

Crossbows – Rank 16 (True Strike)

Small Blades – Rank 4

Demolitions – Rank 12 (Path of Mastery)

ESS Manipulation – Rank 10 (Arcane Resonance Mastery: You can store UNLIMITED amounts of any element, prize, or artifacts with arcane potential.)

Find Weakness (Spell Cleave) – Rank 13

Gunnery – Rank 2

Healer’s Aid – Rank 3

Iado (Fast-Draw) – Rank 9

Javelin Throwing – Rank 10 (Perk Deferred)

Negotiation – Rank 9

Repair – Rank 1

Saber – Rank 20 (Doom Slice, Battleforged, *Piercing Strike)

Spear – Rank 14 (Piercing Strike)

Stealth – Rank 12 (Hunter’s Grace)

Swimming – Rank 2

Unarmed Combat – Rank 5

Arcane Skills

Flame Bolt (Soul-Linked Wand) – Rank 6

Necromancer Affinities & Skills

Blood Mastery – Rank 24 (Blood Claimance, Lesser Healing, Essence Infusion)

Spirit Mastery – Rank 17 (Path of Dominion)

Rituals of Summoning and Binding – Rank 20 (Tier II Path of Dominion)

Flesh Sculptor – Rank 20 (Tier II Path of Dominion)

Blood Ward – Rank 1 (Ward against non sapient living creatures!)

Potency Binding – Rank 4 (Blood tattoo used to Store the potency of your foes to channel into necromancy!)

Necromancer Spells

Unorthodox Abjuration – Rank 20

Damage inflicted upon undead: EXTREME. - Cost to cast: 60 Ex, 10 temporary health, 20 mana, 10% of temporary Soul Reserves.

Interface Enhancements

Full Neuro-Linguistic capabilities

Extradimensional Storage Space

Essences Claimed:

Fire – Saturated - (Rank 2, White Tier)

Wrath (Rank 1, White Tier)

Dominion (Rank 1, White Tier)

Essence Related Skills:

Burst of Strength: Rank 14 (Path of Mastery)

Dominion’s Resilience: Rank 3 (Make your toys harder to break, especially the soul-bound ones!)

Dominion’s Command: Rank 6 (Command your foes to kneel. Command your allies’ flesh to seal! Weaker opponents must save versus contest of Wills to resist your orders. Even a single rank lets you throw lesser Classers off-balance! Note. This skill boosts Blood Mastery Healing affinity! Prerequisite to healing application: You must first anoint your target with your blood..)

Heat Surge: Rank 10 (Path of Mastery)

Infravision: Rank 17 (Magesight , +4 to spot mind & soul magic.)

Contender Skills (Path of Consumption)

Necromantic Consumption (Path of Endless Bounty): Rank 5

Essence Consumption: Rank 3

__________________

Eric reveled in earning nine whole points, the equivalent of 3 Conscript levels, for his Adept tier breakthrough, thrilled to see his physical attributes, resistances and recovery all growing by leaps and bounds.

Even if his regeneration had leveled off off to an average of one tenth of his Vitality, 4.1 health points per second was still a magnificent number, letting him feel that much better about his chances of surviving solo encounters, where peril was just a single misstep away. Of course, all it took was one bad stumble, and a boar tusk ripping open his chest or throat would be all it took to end his growth forever.

He winced, gazing down at the tuskers still glaring at him from below… before giving a series of snorts and ambling away from Eric’s impromptu nest in the branches, and it said something about just how utterly he had pushed himself that he let them go without a second thought.

Instead he spent a good hour embracing the gentlest of cultivation, delighting in just how strong and stable his foundation felt, wondering if maybe he hadn’t played the fool after all, for all that early excitement at saturating his Potency to accelerate skill growth soon turned to worrying that he was delaying too long in attempting another breakthrough.

Yet as subtle as it was, the difference was unmistakable. Whereas before his foundation had felt solid, if the tiniest bit strained, now it radiated a fecund vitality that almost seemed to beg to blossom into fresh breakthroughs.

He had delayed long enough, he thought. It was definitely time to ascend the cultivation ranks once more. Yet all he had to do was gaze down at the weapon in his hands that was now just an extension of himself to decide that yes, despite the expenditure of almost two precious weeks in time and the perils of nearly losing his life taking on targets way above his weight class, it had definitely been worth it.

Eric flashed a bemused smile as he spun his 1821 cavalry saber through the air in a dizzying series of moulinets as he made his way back to camp, delighting in how gracefully the weapon flashed and caught the shafts of warm sunlight, feeling connected to his weapon like never before. A weapon now so infused with the essence of Dominion that it might as well be a tungsten blade, near indestructible, and soul-bound, so he could repair it quickly enough in his ES Space if need be.

He couldn’t help quirking a grin at the added spring to his step, wondering of the System was, in its own way, advertising the virtue of exclusive dedication to the path it promised, even as his muscles tingled with the mighty boon his dedicated training had earned him. But never had he been so aware of the difference in the way his mind and body felt, with significant cultivation and System breakthroughs happening within just days of each other, and he was forced to accept that not all stat bonuses were equal.

Because as powerful and welcome as the 9 point burst to his stats was, as incredibly profound as his fresh insights into how to use his saber in the heat of combat happened to be, the sweet double edged blessing, and indeed it was a glorious blessing, had taken a tole all its own.

Despite the sense that his foundation truly was stronger than ever, and his meridian channels were more than ready to endure the hottest of plaque cleansing with his near two week break, it had come at an unexpected cost. Eric was now acutely aware of the faint patina of fresh plaque that had blossomed upon all of his slowly clearing channels.

He had had suspicions before. But now there could be no doubt. The System was happiest when an adventurer’s channels were frozen to crystalline hardness, as that somehow it made it easier to plant System Powers within a latticework of crystalline nodes.

But Eric was equally certain that such was not the only way, merely the easiest way. And just like liquid circuit boards had once been a thing, Eric had absolutely no doubt that Nodes could flow with Spiritual power and System Powers in a synergistic whole. In fact, his more cynical self was all but certain that that was exactly how it was done for scions of the most privileged galactic houses with their countless heritage libraries and other resources at their disposal.

Resources that would forever be out of reach of his own desperately grasping hands, he was sure.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t prepare himself as best he could, determined to find a class, whatever class it might be, that had unlimited potential, when he finally dared to enter a pod.

Which he now steadfastly refused to do until his Core saturation had reached 100%, and his nodes were free of all waste entirely.

If his hunch was right, the pod would be forced to showcase whatever classes were compatible with a cultivator’s foundation. And that was perhaps the best path to power he could hope for, and the only way he’d get strong enough to protect his sister and their people as a whole, however strained relations might be between him and his mother.

But first, before anything else, he made a beeline back to the cave. Both to check on his friend, store the massive spirit beast taking up most of their back yard, and most importantly, restore the blood ward Sam had so patiently taught him.

He just hoped that he got there in time.