I stood in the blasted clearing, Level 16, facing three Field Bosses.
An Ogre Chieftain (Lv 21) with a jagged axe. A Mossy Troll (Lv 19) with skin that bubbled and regenerated. An Adolescent Wyvern (Lv 20) circling above, its shadow a looming threat.
"A Monster Pack," I whispered, reading the [Appraisal] tag. A rare event. Deadly for any party.
"Three of them," I muttered. My mana pool was just over 2,000. My [Sun's Vengeance (T7)] cost 2,500. I couldn't even one-shot the Wyvern, and I'd be helpless against the other two while I tried.
This was the first real, tactical problem I'd faced.
I needed to split their attention. I needed a frontline.
A grin spread across my face. I'd been so focused on my fire and wind spells, I'd almost forgotten.
I looked at my [Earthen Bastion] skill tree. I'd only unlocked it to Tier 4, [Grasping Earth]. But my SP was already back over 30 million.
"System," I commanded, "Unlock Tier 5 and Tier 6 for [Earthen Bastion (Transcendent-Rank)]."
[Ding! Unlocking T5 [Tremor]... Cost: 1,350,000 SP. Confirm?] [Ding! Unlocking T6 [Earth Golem]... Cost: 4,050,000 SP. Confirm?]
"Confirm. Confirm."
[...5,400,000 SP Deducted. Skills Acquired!]
I now had a Tier 6 summon. "Okay, let's see what this does."
The Ogre Chieftain let out a deafening roar and charged. The Troll was right behind it. "Skill: [Earth Golem (T6)]!" I yelled, slamming my palm on the ground.
The cost was 500 Mana. A huge chunk, but affordable. I didn't just want one. "Skill: [Earth Golem (T6)]!" I cast it again. Another 500 Mana vanished. [Mana: 2,100 -> 1,100].
The ground in front of me didn't just tremble. It exploded upwards. Two 15-foot-tall behemoths of black, jagged obsidian clawed their way out of the earth. They weren't made of crude rock and mud. They looked like they were carved from volcanic glass, with dull red light glowing from cracks in their chests.
They turned their heads and looked at me. Then, in perfect unison, they turned to face the charging bosses. I was stunned by their appearance. "Appraisal," I whispered, targeting my own summon.
[Obsidian Guardian (Lv 120)](Host's Summon)Health: 500,000 / 500,000 Mana: 10,000 / 10,000 Skills: [Seismic Slam], [Adamant Skin (Passive)], [Guardian's Taunt] Analysis: A high-tier elemental spirit bound by a Transcendent-Rank skill. Its level is scaled by the skill's Grade and Tier, not the summoner's.
I blinked. I read the level again. "Level... one hundred and twenty?"
The charging Ogre Chieftain (Lv 21) didn't care. It raised its massive axe, roaring as it swung at the first golem's head. The Level 120 Obsidian Guardian didn't even flinch. It didn't block. It backhanded the Ogre.
It wasn't a punch. It was a casual, dismissive slap. CRACK. The Ogre Chieftain's head "popped" like a grape. Its body, still in the charging animation, was sent flying, tumbling end over end for 100 meters before smashing into a cliff wall and sliding down as a broken heap.
One hit.
The Mossy Troll (Lv 19) skidded to a halt, its eyes wide with what looked like genuine terror. Its high-speed regeneration was useless if it was one-shot. The second Obsidian Guardian took a step forward. It raised its massive stone foot. "Skill: [Seismic Slam]." It stomped. A shockwave of pure force erupted from its foot, turning the 30 feet of ground in front of it to dust. The Mossy Troll, caught in the center, didn't even have time to scream. It was instantly, and utterly, pulverized.
I stared. Two Field Bosses, dead in less than three seconds. My two Level 120 bodyguards turned back to me, awaiting orders.
"Holy..."
SKREEEEE! The Wyvern, seeing its ground support get deleted, shrieked in rage and dived—not at the golems, but at me. It knew I was the summoner. It knew I was the weak link. "Good," I said, my adrenaline pumping. "You're all mine."
The Wyvern (Lv 20) came down like a rocket. "Skill: [Earthen Bastion (T1)]!" A wall of rock angled itself in front of me. The Wyvern's claws hit it and skidded off, the force sending it tumbling. It recovered, flapping into the air, and let loose its [Fire Breath (Basic)]. A pathetic, orange-red stream of fire.
"You call that fire?" "Skill: [Fireball (T1)]." My tiny, cobalt-blue marble shot through the Wyvern's flames, snuffing them out, and hit it in the chest. TINK! The scales held, but the force of the Transcendent-Rank spell was like a cannonball. It knocked the Wyvern backward in the air, its attack completely broken.
It shrieked, furious, and dove again. It was fast. But I was faster. "Skill: [Gale Slicer (T1)]." I didn't aim for the chest. I aimed for the weakness. The invisible blade of wind shot from my hand. The Wyvern juked, but my [Quick Cast] talent, multiplied by ten, made my casting speed instantaneous. The blade hit its target. SHLK. It wasn't a loud sound. The [Gale Slicer] hit the Wyvern's right eye, sinking deep. The Wyvern's shriek was cut short as it lost control, its wings spasming. It crashed to the earth, writhing and blind on one side. I walked over to the flopping, 30-foot-long beast. "Skill: [Flame Lance (T3)]." The drill of blue fire appeared at my fingertip. I plunged it straight into the Wyvern's other eye, ending its misery.
Silence. I let out a long, shaky breath. My two Level 120 golems stood beside me, silent and terrifying. Then, the notifications. Oh, the notifications.
[Ding! You have killed [Ogre Chieftain (Lv 21)]!] [...10x Multiplier... Total EXP Granted: 350,000 EXP!] [Ding! You have killed [Mossy Troll (Lv 19)]!] [...10x Multiplier... Total EXP Granted: 280,000 EXP!] [Ding! You have killed [Adolescent Wyvern (Lv 20)]!] [...10x Multiplier... Total EXP Granted: 300,000 EXP!]
[Ding! Monster Pack Defeated! You have cleared a Rare Event!] [Bonus EXP: 500,000 x 10 = 5,000,000 EXP!]
At Level 16, I needed 550,000 EXP to level up. My EXP bar exploded.
[Ding! You have leveled up! You are now Level 17!] [Ding! You have leveled up! You are now Level 18!] [Ding! You have leveled up! You are now Level 19!] [Ding! You have leveled up! You are now Level 20!] [...and so on...]
I shot up to Level 25 in one go. My mana and health pools more than doubled.
[Ding! Rare Event Cleared! Bonus Loot acquired!] [4x Wyvern Scale (Rare)] [1x Ogre Chieftain's Axe (Rare)] [5x Troll Blood (Uncommon)] [1x Rare Skill Scroll: Passive Regeneration (T3)] [1x Rare Skill Scroll: Wind Glide (T2)] [1x Rare Skill Scroll: Wind Slash (T4)] [1x Rare Skill Scroll: Strength Boost (T2)] [All items have been sent to your System Inventory.]
I ignored the loot. I ignored my new level. I was staring at the skill scrolls. I pulled them from my inventory and, one by one, crushed them.
[Ding! You have learned [Basic Passive Regeneration (T3)]] [10x Multiplier System has upgraded this skill!] [You have learned [Undying (???-Rank, Passive)]!] [Effect: Your Health regeneration is 10x faster.]
[Ding! You have learned [Basic Wind Glide (T2)]] [10x Multiplier... You have learned [Sky-Walk (???-Rank)]!] [Effect: You can temporarily walk on air.]
[Ding! You have learned [Basic Wind Slash (T4)]] [10x Multiplier... You have learned [Void-Ripper (???-Rank)]!] [A new Transcendent-Rank Wind skill tree has been created!]
Then, I learned the last one.
[Ding! You have learned [Basic Strength Boost (T2)]!] [This is a temporary buff skill. Duration: 60 seconds.] [10x Multiplier System... 10x Bonus applied to skill effect!] [Title [Transcendor] (Host's Version) detected!] [Effect 1 (100% Effectiveness) is being applied to the skill's duration...] [Skill duration has been multiplied... New Duration: PERMANENT.] [You have learned [Colossal Strength (???-Rank, Passive)]!] [Your base Strength has been permanently increased by 200!]
My body thrummed. I felt a wave of raw, physical power settle into my muscles. I was no longer just a glass cannon.
I looked at my status. I was Level 25. I had a new passive regen, I could walk on air, I had a new void-based attack skill, and I now had permanent super-strength. And standing next to me, silent as the grave, were two Level 120 Obsidian Guardians.
"Common sense..." I said to myself, "is for other people."
A/N: Thanks for reading, and if you like it, plzz add it in your collection.