Bluish-white electricity arced from the palm of his hand as his new pseudoskill formed. It was a piercing weapon, one that should let him punch through the puppets and just about anything else. Its only flaw was that it was a physical attack. He would need to work on that aspect later. For now, he focused on his enemies. The puppets continued their assault, uncaring about his new weapon, which was just fine with Maximilian. He ducked the first attack and then slammed his new attack into the second puppet. He underestimated just how strong his attack had been. He had expected to punch a hole into it. Instead, he ripped a chunk out of the thing's right side. The stone that had made up its body disintegrated. As soon as he saw the impact of his attack, he retreated.
Not because he was afraid of what he had done, but because his danger sense had gone off. He turned just in time to see one of the leader puppets react. His hair stood on end as the stronger puppet launched toward him. Maximilian had just enough time to form a wall of wind and water before it arrived. His hastility erected defenses, bought him just enough time to avoid the strike. His danger sense went haywire as his mind raced. Should he stay or should he run? The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to stay. The more he wanted to test himself. When the lead puppet attacked again, he made up his mind.
His Dao fields exploded a second before he activated Prismatic Barrier. The rainbow shield formed before the puppet arrived, if only just. The puppet slammed an open hand into it. The force caused a lattice work of cracks to spread along the front. The compensation was drawn from a greater portion of his spiritual energy reserves. Despite the drain, Maximilian grinned. The skill withstood the strike. He immediately activated an imbued Severing Disc. The two buzzsaw blades sought to split the puppet in two from opposite ends. He braced himself for the killing move he had used countless times till this point. Only for the puppet to raise both hands and shatter both blades.
Maximilian's eyes flared, but he didn't hesitate. Electricity arced from his right hand as he abandoned his defensive skill. He was before the puppet in a fraction of a second, his right hand screeched with the sound of electricity. His danger sense roared a warning, but it was too late. In the periphery of his vision, he saw it. Another open hand strike. He gritted his teeth, and a small amount of spiritual energy surged toward that part of his body. A deafening crack filled the air as both attacks hit. Maximilian groaned as the puppet shattered at least two of his ribs. His own attack punched a hole where the puppet's heart would be, but he wasn't sure if it was enough. He unleashed a blast of all three daos just in case. It wasn't until he got the kill confirmation that he relaxed. Just as he was about to remove his arm, his danger sense went off again. It was then that he remembered the second puppet.
He condensed his Dao field as quickly as possible. A moment later, something slammed into him with the force of a train. He screamed as his spine thrummed with pain. As soon as he could think straight, he activated Static Bolt followed by several blades of wind. The final puppet was torn apart. Maximilian ripped his arm free and half walked, half limped his way into the closest building. He wasn't sure how many people were outside now, but he was in no shape for a new battle. He slumped in a back corner and pushed the dao of rain to its limits. "Why the fuck did you take away the healing pills in a combat trial?"
He groaned. He knew no one would answer, but it made him feel slightly better. The pain was insane, but it couldn't dampen his mood. He had won. Barely, but he had won. Not only that, but the three kills were enough for him to level up. Altogether, the battle was worth it, but there was no way he would do it again. At least not tonight. It did raise a slight problem. There was a chance that as they went further inside, they would encounter more puppets. If those puppets were stronger, he would be in trouble. He might not be able to grind his skill. He had to decide whether to be among the first into the new zone or stay here to get his next skill. Both ideas had their merits. He thought about it for a few moments before putting it on the back burner. He was recovering, so he wasn't leaving anytime soon. He also had another notification to deal with.
[Foundation] Storm Manipulation - Proficiency: Middle.
[Foundation] Skysworn - Proficiency: Middle
Both skills had advanced. He was fairly certain that his manipulation skill had improved thanks to his new creation. He had forgotten about Skysworn, though it made sense. Almost every battle he had fought was beneath the open sky. He decided to experiment a bit to test the improvements. He started with Skysworn and was a bit disappointed. Not because the skill was bad, but because the benefits were obvious. Not only were the improved skill symbols mostly the same, but he could also pull up his attributes and perform some basic math. The buff had increased by 1%. A useful change but very dull. The change to Storm Manipulation was more of a mixed bag. The improvement taught him how to do the things he had already been doing.
He could do it better now. It revealed several flaws in the way his new pseudo-skill worked. Despite that, he was somewhat sure he wouldn't use it often. The puppet nearly killed him. Further, it didn't really fit his fighting style. If he was forced into a close-range fight, then he was fucked. He also wasn't sure how his attributes played into it. Even if the offensive power was based on Intelligence, actually hitting something was likely Agility. He had an idea for an alternate version where you could cloak a weapon in energy. He wouldn't be sure that, but maybe Farrell? Either way, it was a thought for another time.
He quickly assigned his points. As much as he wanted to spread them out, he couldn't afford it. That last encounter was a bit of a wake-up call. He was a bit of a glass canon. As soon as his defenses were broken, he was screwed. Which meant he needed to get stronger. He doubted he would ever go toe to toe with warrior types, but if he could give himself a better chance, he would. What he really needed was a different defensive skill. Something that could move or stick with him. Either that or some other way to improve his body. Something like Skysworn, but for his Endurance and Constitution. Unfortunately, level 30 didn't offer him a new skill. He wasn't terribly upset about it, but it wasn't fun. He shifted his position and sat up.
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The pain had faded into a painful ache. He wasn't sure if it was his attributes or something with his head, but the pain wasn't as bad as it used to be. It hurt, but he could think. He could focus. He continued working with his dao as he started up his cultivation technique. He would sit here until he felt strong enough to fight. As much as he wanted to head out and enter the next area, he knew it wasn't smart. He needed to play it safe. He had a clear chance to get stronger—one he had to take. An hour later, Maximilian sprinted through the streets. He kept his eyes on the rooftops as he dispatched puppet after puppet. It wasn't long before he realized something odd. The leader puppet he destroyed was never replaced. The entire area he was in was empty. He even unleashed his electrical attack again.
He had already decided not to fight it, but the lack of a replacement bothered him. He also learned that it was intentional. The puppet had divided the ruins into regions. Each region had a leader who wouldn't move. It was strangely reminiscent of a video game. He assumed the puppets were a sort of police force and that they operated on a weird type of autopilot. The situation only increased the number of questions he had. He doubted he would get any real answers until he was in the inner regions, so he pushed it to the back of his mind. Now that he knew what to expect, he systematically disposed of the puppets while limiting the amount of energy he used. He kept going until the sun peaked over the horizon, and he could no longer find any puppets to fight. He ducked into one of the nearby empty buildings to rest and review his gains. Between all the fights he had been in, he had just managed to complete the final quest.
- Flowing Storm (Class): Power flows like water, and wrath becomes grace.Complete.Reward Flowing Storm Skill
As soon as he confirmed the quest, a familiar warmth spread through his right arm. As soon as it faded, he passed his mental eye over the area and smiled. He had gotten his new skill. He opened the notification and nodded. It was the same as the others. The skill was offensive, but its exact details were weird. Based on the information the symbol gave him, it was "flowing electricity", which didn't make a lot of sense. Electricity always flowed. There was no point in debating what it meant when he had a sure-fire way to find out. He turned toward the opposite wall and held out his hand. Energy flowed into the skill, and a moment later, three beams of azure colored lightning shot out. The beams carved into the stone wall for almost three inches before stopping. He cut the flow of spiritual energy almost immediately. The skill's power was comparable to an imbued Severing Disc. Not only that, but it didn't use that much spiritual energy. He should be able to fire several beams before they noticeably impact his reserves. He grinned as he settled in to test a few things.
Thirty minutes later, Maximilian stood up and rolled his shoulders. Flowing Storm was an amazing skill. It had its limits, but it was more than worth the extra effort. His test revealed several things. Some good, some bad. He couldn't change the number of beams he fired. He wasn't sure if that would change as his proficiency increased. He couldn't infuse the skill with his dao, which was the only real weakness. It also hinted at the true power of the skill. It was already able to rival Severing Disc. When he was able to boost its power, who knew what it would be able to. There was part of him that wanted to sit back and train it up further. If he could advance his proficiency one or two more times, he could become a more formidable opponent.
He knew he wouldn't do that, but the idea was nice. He didn't have enough time to sit here and grind. Not unless he wanted to give up on the treasures. He made his way outside and pushed energy into his feet. He had lost track of time during his training, but it should be around midday. He leapt on top of the closest building and scanned the area. He could hear voices in the distance, but the ruins were quiet overall, at least in this region. He turned his attention back toward the gate. He half expected an announcement that it was open now, but there was nothing. He couldn't see the array from here, so he would need to check there. If it were open, he would head through and continue. If not, he would go around and train his new skill. He withdrew his aura and dao fields inside himself and took off.
He stopped by the building, but Alejandro was already gone. He said a silent wish that he would be alright before he headed to the gate. A gate that was now open. He looked around, half expecting someone to try to attack him as he passed through. When his danger sense stayed quiet, he shrugged and passed through. He let out a sigh of relief when he stepped through and entered the next zone of the city. He knew he was being ridiculous, but part of him expected a teleportation or a message or something, but it was just a gate. Now that he was here, he needed to figure out what to do next. He doubted the next gate would open anytime soon.
So it made no sense ot rush deeper into the city. It was best to work on the outer edge. He had no idea which direction was better. The map didn't provide business names, so he shrugged and headed right. He reduced his speed to a light job, which was almost as fast as a car on Earth. A short while later, he stopped at a smaller building. He doubted it had anything interesting inside, but he wanted to test his credentials. He expanded his dao fields in a small bubble around him and then braced himself. When he felt he was ready, he stepped through. He passed through the threshold, and nothing happened. He wasn't sure if there were no arrays here or if they were limited to certain areas in the buildings. Either way, he was fine. As happy as he was, he couldn't help his disappointment at what he saw. The building had been a shop, but whatever it once sold was gone.
The building reminded him a bit of an old coffee shop. The kind that sold overpriced coffee but was still popular. His initial instinct was to leave, but he thought better of it. The place was small and unassuming, which should make people ignore it. He could use it as a home base, at least for the next day or so. He had no plans to stay put for too long. With that settled, he decided to explore the surrounding shops. He quickly realized that he didn't like this area. There was almost no furniture. There were plenty of displays and shelves, but not much in terms of seating, bedding, or anything he wanted. That didn't stop him from taking everything he could. It just made it much less fun. He spent several hours looting everything he could before he made his way back to his base. Night would fall soon, which would give him a chance to test his new skill. It would also give him a chance to learn more about what's going on. With any luck, he could figure out where the puppets came from.
He also wanted to figure out the story of the city. His gut told him that the story was key to the best rewards available in this place. He stopped himself from getting too carried away. There was a limit to what could be done, and he needed to focus. He hid himself in a corner and sat down. He steadied his thoughts and focused. He had several important battles. Battles that he needed to process. The Dao of Rain was close to its next advancement. He would keep it on the same path. Focusing on the purification and healing aspects. Now that he had a bit more experience with the dao he knew he couldn't cram too many things into one dao. He would weaken any offensive or defensive capabilities of that dao. It would be a sacrifice but one he was accepted. Static was better for offense and squall was mostly speed. He had a few other ideas. When he had calmed down enough he slipped into a meditative trance. He drew spiritual energy into his dantian as he reviewed each battle.