Ch 57

  As the day faded into night, Matt found himself alone, sprinting at full speed, slaying one monster after another to complete his first task of the evening. He was halfway back to the camp, where Emily and the other three awaited him, when it happened. Having completed three out of the four one-hour runs, Matt achieved level six. With the increase in his stats came a message displaying the available paths he could choose from, each offering new possibilities for his future.

  Available paths:

  Adaptive Blood Healer (Adapt your body through taking on the traits of those you heal.)

  Undying Blood Healer (Heal even mortal wounds without fear so long as your will to live remains)

  Unyielding Blood Healer (Poison, cold, starvation, dehydration, none of these will stop you or those with you from finding a way to persist.)

  Bloody Savior Berserker (Significantly increase all damage done to an enemy who has wounded you while you’re defending others.)

  Willful Warrior Healer (It matters not what those who see themselves as above or below you think, you will fight and save lives, even if they wish for you not to.)

  Lonely Warrior Healer (You walk alone, helping those who you deem worthy as they cross your path, but never sticking around for long)

  Hope Through Sacrifice (Through you selfless actions others will find a path forward where they normally wouldn’t )

  Fated Surviving Savior (Fate has decried that you must live until your purpose is fulfilled)

  The first thing Matt noticed was that he had fewer options than he had anticipated. As he continued running, he surveyed the eight choices before him and pondered which one truly resonated with him. The "Adaptive Blood Healer" option seemed entirely wrong to him, as he feared it might lead to a drastic transformation, turning him into someone unrecognizable—an outcome he desperately wanted to avoid. On the other hand, the "Undying Blood Healer" held some promise, considering his constant anxiety about sustaining an injury beyond his capacity to heal. However, it merely enhanced his existing abilities without offering much beyond that. In contrast, the "Unyielding Blood Healer" sounded intriguing, suggesting resilience in any environment.

  Although some options appeared powerful, none of these first three choices gave Matt the impression that they were worthwhile. The same sentiment applied to "Bloody Savior Berserker" and "Lonely Warrior Healer." It was the "Willful Warrior Healer" and the last two options that truly captured his attention. The final two were particularly intriguing because they contained the words "hope" and "fate," yet their descriptions remained frustratingly vague. Despite this allure, both seemed to align with the paths Tempormr had cautioned him against pursuing, leaving the "Willful Warrior Healer" as the most appealing choice. Matt was drawn to it because it suggested the ability to impose his will upon the world, regardless of the desires of others.

  With that decision made, he chose the path of the Willful Warrior Healer and eagerly awaited the transformations it would bring as his status sheet materialized once more.

  Matthew Pierce.

  Level 6

  Strength: 42

  Dexterity: 30

  Durability: 54

  Stamina: 73

  Spirit: 47

  Mind: 19

  Species Human (F)

  Bloodline: (Not evaluated at this level)

  Willful Warrior Healer (Increase Spirit by 60% Stamina by 45% Durability by 30%)

  Titles: Integrated, Front runner of species (5% boost to all stats), Lord of the Tomb of the Restless Defenders (Control the accessibility of fort associated with dungeon such that those within can enter and leave with or without challenging the dungeon. Can also relocate/repair the fort and dungeon associated with dungeon if needed resources are gathered.)

  Skills: Auto translate, Minor regeneration, Injury transfer, Give of yourself, Stand tall, Hand up, Attack negation, Give back to your enemy.

  Observing the enormous increases in his stamina, durability, and spirit—while his strength, dexterity, and mind barely budged—Matt felt a surge of satisfaction. At long last, he understood how to train his stats effectively. Although only his dexterity and mind currently met the qualifications, it was clear that stamina was fast becoming his primary attribute. Even though spirit was only his third-highest stat, its rapid growth and substantial bonus hinted at the possibility of it eventually surpassing all the others. Depending on the path he chose, it might even come to dominate his entire build. Still, the unsettling halt in the progression of three of his stats troubled him, unless he could somehow accelerate his training pace.

  Stolen story; please report.

  With that thought weighing on him, Matt returned to camp for one final check-in before setting off on his last quick run of the day to locate other survivors. Fortunately, while Emily kept the first watch, he managed to exchange a few friendly words before leaving. Over the following hour, he carefully evaded any fights and spent his time pondering his four new skills—each one proving difficult enough to induce a headache. In the end, he bit the bullet and contacted Tempormr once more, hoping for some clarity.

  "You know," Matt began, "I would have expected you to intervene the moment you saw me choosing a path."

  "I have already told you what to avoid," Tempormr replied. "If I told you exactly what to choose, you would likely do the opposite just to spite me."

  "You would have preferred I take the route of adaptation, wouldn't you?"

  "Such power is incredibly potent and could rapidly elevate you to become a true powerhouse, but it would also draw far too much attention. Besides, defiance suits you much better, given that you even feel comfortable defying me, despite all the ways I've tried to help you."

  "More like manipulative and intrusive," Matt retorted, his eyes narrowing. "Still, I know you see something valuable in me, and that will have to suffice for now. So, how about we skip the back-and-forth and you just tell me what you can about my new skills?"

  "They're powerful," Tempormr conceded with a knowing smile.

  Matt remained silent, waiting for Tempormr to continue—a wait that stretched to a full five minutes. Finally, Tempormr spoke, his tone laced with condescension. “It’s no fun when you refuse to engage,” he said. “Perhaps I should simply keep quiet about your skills and let you bumble your way through each of them and their limitations.”

  “Fine,” Matt replied reluctantly. “Surely you know they're more than just powerful.”

  “That is even worse. Regardless, what you need to understand now is that Stand Tall is merely a passive boost to your willpower—a boost so simple it should never be underestimated. The capacity to push forward when others retreat often marks the dividing line between a long, forgettable life and risking everything to rise to the top.”

  “That sounds dreadful—what if I only want a simple, unremarkable life?”

  “Then I'll ensure that life is a short one indeed. You've already lost that option, so you might as well accept it.”

  “No, I just need to become so powerful that no one will ever dare to trouble me.”

  “Unlikely, though your Hand Up ability is bound to please many of the powerful by compelling you to take action, even if it means going against them.”

  “That doesn't sound promising.”

  “It’s this very blend of defiance and self-sacrifice that crafts a skill capable of inspiring those who have given up to hope and grow again. You must remember that those of us in positions of power crave nothing more than the means to evolve. That’s why we send new initiates to worlds like the one you’re on now—the harsh environment forces you to grow in order to survive. Everything out there is so laughably weak compared to us that even obliterating an entire world wouldn’t earn us a scrap of experience, yet it would spark the kind of growth that might lead us to gain a level.”

  “So, I’m nothing more than a prized cow to you?”

  “No, you’re becoming the herder—endowed with the power to transform a dwindling herd into a magnificent bounty for us to enjoy. Or at least, that’s what your Hand Up ability could accomplish if you chose to break away from the school-of-fish mentality that most life clings to.”

  “Right—it sounds as though I’d end up causing entire worlds to self-destruct the way you talk.”

  “In essence, that is exactly what it would take to achieve the results desired by those of us with power. Some have even manipulated whole worlds around this concept, and in many ways, you currently find yourself on one such world.”

  “Do you have nothing more to say about the skill?”

  “It isn’t a skill you can control beyond the option of never helping anyone again if you wish to avoid using it.”

  “Joy, please tell me Attack Negation is as impressive as it sounds.”

  "It would be great if you could use it more than once a day," replied Tempormr, his voice tinged with a hint of discontent. "But still, being able to undo the damage from a single attack—as long as you survive—can be incredibly useful. Just remember, you must will it into action before the attack lands. The same isn’t true for the 'give back to your enemy' ability; that one can be activated after you’re hit to reflect the damage onto the assailant. The only catch is that you can use it only ten times a day, and it transfers to them as you heal from the damage."

  "That actually sounds rather powerful," commented Matt, as he contemplated the best way to exploit the skill. "Yet it seems to be limited by the speed of my own healing. Will even minor regeneration ever improve?"

  "Do you really believe you heal at the same rate you once did?"

  "I just assumed that was merely a result of my stats increasing."

  "No, it's the skill itself that is maturing. All of your abilities have the potential to grow, although you won’t see any noticeable improvements until you unlock the full system. Only then will you be able to observe everything I’m explaining right now."

  "Is that why F stands for failure, and why only those who reach E rank are considered worth something?"

  "Yes, but even reaching E rank is easy. Seeing so many stop at D rank, in fact, is utterly disheartening. It’s a shame how many settle at that level, complacent with mediocrity and fearful of death."

  "A fear of death is a healthy sentiment for many."

  "Not when it comes at the expense of truly living. In reality, people like myself are merely hanging on, slowly decaying, having reached a stage where any further progress seems utterly impossible."

  "You don’t suppose you could share precisely what point that is, do you? I imagine that for me to reach your level, over a billion beings would have had to perish, assuming I only fought those at my current strength."

  "Yes. That is precisely why it’s far better to contend with opponents who are just strong enough to count as a single experience point when you finally reach my level. Any delay only increases the number of casualties needed for each point of experience we earn. Even in what feels like an infinite universe, the number of corpses accumulating on my side is staggering."

  "And yet you still intend to create more, judging by what you’ve said.".

  "Of course, just as you plan to, undoubtedly. The only pressing question is: How will you justify it? How will you come to terms with the moral implications of eradicating those who are willing to do the same to your kind? This is precisely why forming attachments can be so detrimental to your progress. And yet, it seems inevitable that you’ll tread that path if you aspire to reach your full potential."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Your 'hand up' skill is designed not just to empower but to elevate others with your power," Tempormr explained solemnly. "To ignore it would be to stray from your ideal path, thereby condemning yourself to suffer the consequences."