Chapter 300: Ascendance (I)

Chapter 300: Ascendance (I)

Chapter 300

Ascendance (I)

Aldar sat stoically, his countenance shifty and anxiety-ridden, face pale, lips blue. Opposite of him sat a man who seemed to have lost all of the previous terror, appearing even slightly sheepish as he drank something. If Aldar hadnt personally experienced the terror, hed undoubtedly consider the man some meek nobody. But he had experienced it--and it would stay with him for all eternity.

The two were currently residing within the central, stone building, and were alone. Aldar dared not break the silence despite the fact that the two had been living in it for at least five minutes now.

Would you like something to drink? the man suddenly asked.

N-no, no, its fine, Aldar replied.

Youre still terrified? Damn, I thought I gave you enough time, the man sighed. Oh well. My names Cain. Whats yours?

A... Aldar, sir, Aldar swallowed a mouthful, trying to summon some courage to stand at least at an angle if not tall.

Well, Aldar, I believe its fairly clear Im quite new to this place, entirely unaware of the rules and such, Aldar wanted to roll his eyes but didnt dare. So, why dont you grease me in, so to say? Where did you come from, anyway?

F-from the Frosted Deeps, sir, Aldar replied honestly. Its a veiled region between the Fringes and the Wilds.

... those terms mean literally nothing to me, Cain said. Even less than nothing.

R-right--of course. Khm, well, were currently stationed in the Fringes. Most people think that the Primal World is concentric--meaning that regions are circles going inward, but thats not quite the case. Though nobody is certain of the worlds actual shape, we have the entire Fringes mapped out, and they resemble more a quarter-circle with a jagged top shore. The Fringes, contrary to the popular belief, isnt actually the largest part--as far as Im aware, at least, its the Crust, the region beyond the Wilds.

Anyway, the Fringes bleed into the Wilds quite well, with the maps drawing distinction largely based on the River One, though the Wilds actually extend a bit deeper into the map. Theyre named so because, unlike the Fringes which is mostly populated by greenery, the Wilds are... well, wild. A stretch of inhospitable environments, from dust-dwelling deserts, to chaos-bred, jagged labyrinths.

If I went on a binge, Cain added. With your help, when it comes to locations, at least, how many Mana Potions do you think wed find?

Uh... Im, Im not too sure, Aldar said, thinking for a moment. Anywhere between a few hundred to a few thousand, I gather, depending on the luck.

Good enough, Cain nodded, hiding his excitement. As a payment for your services, you can keep every other Potion--I just want Mana Potions. Furthermore, Ill inscribe a Classless Skill for you. Since the last one will take a while, you should let me know what you want as soon as possible.

Wait--really?!! Aldar exclaimed, shocked. In part, it was because he was surprised Cain even knew Skill Inscription, but mostly that he was willing to do it. After all, not only was Inscription a grueling, painful, and long task, often taking months at the very least, but it also meant that whoever was Inscribing... was giving up their own Skill.

Yeah, Cain replied casually. While for others Inscription was nightmare fuel, to him, the worst part was simply that it took quite a long time. After all, with his candid ability to just make Skills on the spot, he could likely make enormous profits selling Classless Skills. Not yet, but eventually, once people realize just how insanely valuable they are. Do we have a deal?

Y-yes! Yes, of course! Aldar rejoiced. Going from one of the worst days in his life, fearing for it, in fact, to one of the best in one, fell swoop. W-what... what kind of a Skill can you inscribe? he asked carefully.

Any, Cain replied. I know it sounds ridiculous, but trust me. Im fairly certain youd have taken a deal anyway out of pure terror. I had no reason to butter you up.

--a-any? Aldar, in fact, didnt doubt Cains words. Though it sounded ridiculous on the surface, someone who so casually mentions thrice-Awakened is far from ordinary himself. It likely had something to do with Cains class, though Aldar didnt want or dare inquire. Then... a... a Skill that increases my stats passively at the expense of Mana? I... most of my active Skills use very little, if any Mana, since Im a Yuel Fighter, mostly relying on building up enough momentum for fatal strikes. I rely heavily on raw stats over Mana so...

Stat boost? Are you sure? Cain asked. Thats... quite tame.

Its... its actually surprisingly difficult to find, Aldar smiled bitterly. Active stat increases are super rare, across the board, mostly because nobody really wants them all that much since they tend to cost exuberant amount of Mana even for the smallest of stat increases.

... alright, gimme a sec, Cain closed his eyes and began envisioning the spell. Though he had no access to the Skill Creation Window, hed done the whole thing enough times already to be able to go on without it. After fiddling about for some time and experimenting, he managed to create a decent skill, at least from his perspective. Alright, hows this sound: for 0.5% of your max Mana per second, your Prime Stats are increased by 40%, your damage is increased by 25%, your attack and movement speed by 50%. The alternate version is for the 5% of max Mana per second, while the stat bonuses are all tripled. Id really like to do both, but I wont be able to inscribe them within the two months frame.

The--the second!! The second one!! Aldar shot to his feet, shaking. Hearing the numbers of the first Skill had already floored him, but the second... just raw increase in damage of 75% was insane enough, not to mention everything else. While 5% of max Mana meant hed only be able to use it, at most, for 20 seconds, at least within those 20 seconds... hed be as close to invincible as he can get before the third Awakening. D-definitely, definitely the second, he calmed down and sat back down, though was unable to stop himself from shaking.

... alright, Cain shrugged. He was well aware of just how impactful such stats were to Classes that relied heavily on effectively stat-checking their opponents. Even to Cain, an increase of 75% in damage was quite good... but definitely not at the expense of 5% of his Max Mana per second. It was immensely inefficient, in fact. Well rest for a day and depart right after. Once we get into the Wilds, it will be a non-stop race, so just clear your schedule for the next two months. I want you to get me as many gates as possible--piss off whoever youd like in the process, if they bother you, Ill just kill them. You will have to go into hiding after the fact, but if thats an issue, I have some masks for us to wear.

... yeah, masks sound good, Cain smiled. Ah, the return of the presidents... our tale shall be legendary!!