No, he told himself. I can do this.
Four C Grade beasts had just burst up from the ground beneath the Dark Mountains. They were massive Rock Worms that looked terrifying to behold. Xavier had never faced more than a single C Grade beast at one time.
And all four of them were infected by The Nightmare.
Xavier had, however, faced several C Grades on his own since he’d become D Grade. Killing the Fetid Forest Troll had been the hardest C Grade he’d faced alone. After he’d gained power from all of the titles from killing that thing, and the titles from being D Grade—not to mention simply becoming D Grade at all and the new class and race he possessed—it had become a lot easier.
He may not have faced anything like this before, but hadn’t he come here looking for a challenge?
Xavier grinned. This one felt a little bit forced, but he ran with it.
The dragon Volkarin, summoned as the Spirit of Vengeance, spoke to Xavier in his mind. It looks as though this fight just became more interesting! There was evident glee in the spirit’s voice. Xavier wondered what this beast was like in life.
Something told him Volkarin might have been a villain. But Xavier was glad to have the dragon by his side.
The earth shuddered. Rocks suddenly shot up from the ground like cannonballs and hurtled toward Xavier and the dragon. Xavier dodged the projectiles, but they were coming faster than he’d expected. He was putting every ounce of his energy toward this task.
Evasion has reached Rank 105!
Xavier cast Hover Dodge, and suddenly he had more grace in the air than even Volkarin. The rocks become easier to dodge, but they were still a nuisance he didn’t wish to deal with.
There were more steps to Xavier’s continency plan. Things he needed to do in order to have a chance at defeating this demon.
Time Alteration was mere seconds from reaching the end of its cooldown.
Xavier swooped down, dodging rock after rock. He wasn’t the only one dealing with this. The Spirit of Vengeance had been struck by several already—he was a far larger target—and though the dragon was powerful, he wasn’t able to defeat four C Grades.
This onslaught was practically putting him out of the fight.
Xavier moved like the wind, coming close to one of the Rock Worms. The beast snapped its teeth at him. Xavier whirled, dodging them by an inch—the last thing he needed was to be petrified—then touched a hand to the beast’s head.
Time Prison!
The beast became frozen in time as the spell was cast. Xavier hadn’t used Time Prison on a C Grade enemy since he’d become D Grade—he’d never felt the need to.
Time Prison was a powerful spell. It locked whoever he touched in time. This meant that whoever—or whatever—he locked down wasn’t able to strike back.
But, as they were currently locked in a different time stream for the duration of the spell, it also meant that Xavier wasn’t able to deal damage to them.
This, he knew, would make it a valuable spell to use on an ally if they were ever in danger. It was also a good way to put an enemy on pause.
The only downside was he never knew how long the spell would last.
The projectiles were taken down by a quarter as one of the Rock Worms was temporarily out of commission. This gave both Xavier and the dragon enough breathing room to dodge the enemy attacks in the air and strike back at the same time.
Xavier bit his lip, there was a spell he could use, but if he did… there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to use it again in this fight.
Soul Strike was that spell, and its cooldown was locked to the number of souls he used for it, and who knew how long the rest of this fight would take? Technically, he’d only been on the mountain for a few minutes, as he’d used his Time Alteration spell for much of that time.
Xavier soared toward one of the other Rock Worms and struck it hard at the top of its head with Enhanced Telekinetic Strike. His strength and power was so much that he managed to cut through its rock skin, leaving gouges where his claws had sliced. He even knocked the worm backward, halting its stream of attacks for a moment. The Rock Worm did not cry out in pain, but of course it didn’t—it was possessed by The Nightmare.
Xavier flew out of range of the beast as it whipped its head back and snapped its teeth at him, then he whirled around and faced the worm. His soul bound weapon shifted from reinforcing his arms back to a staff in almost an instant.
Xavier cast Soul Shatter on the worm he’d just struck—shards of the beast’s soul shot out and hit the other four wurms. Those shards also killed some of the lower-level beasts in the area—then Xavier dodged another of those damned rocks.
This is still too much. I need a distraction.
Xavier saw all of the beast corpses scattered around the battlefield. There were more infected D Grade beasts coming to the field as well. The flow of them never seemed to cease. If Xavier didn’t do something soon, they would be overwhelmed.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
There were plenty of levers he hadn’t pulled yet, however, and this was only one of them.
Soul Puppet!
One of the dead beasts sprang up from the ground. Xavier smiled. He could use that spell every second. It wouldn’t take long for him to have an army of his own.
Time Alteration finally reached the end of its cooldown in that moment, and he cast it in an instant.
There was something he needed to do. Something he needed time for. Besides, the Time Alteration spell would offer its own protection.
Xavier hadn’t encompassed anyone else within the spell—just himself. At least for now.
The time bubble was a sphere high up in the air as that was where Xavier currently hovered.
In the last few months since Xavier had become D Grade and gained his Portal spell, he’d been looking for gaps in his fighting ability. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t faced a true challenge up until now, he had yet to find something he felt was worthy of using the second Spell Credit on—he’d still yet to gain any other spells another way as well, something which he hoped would still happen in the future.
He was only Level 202, after all.
The dragon Volkarin was easily able to destroy the black substance. Xavier was not. He didn’t have a spell that allowed him to do the right kind of damage against it.
That was something which he needed to change.
Xavier didn’t hesitate to cast Otherworldly Communion.
Time froze as colour bled from the world.
You have successfully connected to the Otherworld.
What kind of insight do you wish to receive?
- Strategic insight
- Personal insight
- Sector insight
- Greater Universe insight
The cooldown for this spell varies depending on the level of insight you receive. If you have a specific question you wish to gain insight on, hold it in your mind as you choose your option.
Xavier didn’t have to think on his option. He already knew what he wanted to gain from this.
Personal insight, he willed, holding the question he wanted an answer to in his mind.
A bright light shined before him as the spirit summoned to give him insight made its way into this world.
As the spirit came into being, Xavier contemplated all of the properties he had assimilated in the past—his melee strikes weren’t only physical damage. He had some elemental damage in there as well, a trait he’d received all the way back on the fifth floor, even if it wasn’t something he thought about often.
Why hadn’t that been enough to kill the black substance?
It was these very questions he needed to ask the spirit he summoned.
Xavier didn’t know what kind of spirit to expect to appear. He had seen many spirits in his time. One had even been a tiny, humanoid hamster, of all things.
The spirit that appeared before him now however looked entirely human. They had a shaved head and wore orange robes that looked as though they would suit a monk from the east. The man had a youthful appearance, and a peaceful visage. His fists were touching each other just below his chest, and his eyes were closed, almost as though he were in prayer—or meditation.
The man opened his eyes and looked at Xavier.
What insight do you wish to gain, young Denizen?
For a moment, Xaiver wondered just how old he would need to be before these spirits stopped calling him young. Would it be decades, centuries… or millennia?
He would find out eventually.
I need a spell. Something that will make me able to destroy the enemy I currently face more effectively, but that will also synergise well with the other paths of power I already walk, and serve me well in the future.
The man inclined his head in a sagely nod.
I can offer you this insight, young Denizen. I see you walk many paths, but there is one path that has not been highly developed. One path that you could benefit from greatly if you were to strengthen it.
Xavier blinked. He only had one portal magic spell, two mind control spells, and two time magic spells… was it one of those paths the spirit was talking about?
Which path do you speak of, spirit?
The path of the unarmed fighter.
Xavier frowned. Thinking back to all the fights he had been in. He had several skills that helped him on that path, but only a single spell, Enhanced Telekinetic Strike. A part of him was offended that the spirit thought this path of his was underdeveloped, considering how powerful he was as a melee fighter these days—especially since becoming dragonkin. That transformation had only made him more effective.
But there was another part of him that was thrilled to find out he there was something lacking in him—that could be even stronger.
What do you suggest?
You have heard of cultivation. There is no doubt about that—you cultivate energy into your cores, and I see the ones you have unlocked. That is a journey you still walk, and one you will walk for your entire existence. But there is something that you are missing.
Missing?
There is a way to cultivate energy not only into one’s cores, but into one’s body.
Xavier blinked.
Cultivate energy into my body? he asked. I have never heard of such a thing.
It is not a path that many walk. It is an old path, one that is not favoured by the new universes. There are many reasons for this—one of those reasons is that not many here are ever able to gain access to it.
Xavier frowned. An old path? He had a feeling. How old?
The spirit raised its head. From the time before.
Xavier swallowed. A time… before the System?
Indeed. You are wise beyond your years, young Denizen. You walk the Infinite Path, and so even the Old Ways are now open to you—this is one of those ways.
Xavier lowered his head in thought. One of the Old Ways… something from before the time of the System…
That interested him greatly, though he still wondered at gaining powers similar to those wielded back then. The same question remained within him—hadn’t they created the System because their powers weren’t great enough? Didn’t they need something more to combat the threat that destroyed the universe?
But he sensed, and was starting to discover, that there was more to it than that.
Will this allow me to kill the entity I face? Will this… Body Cultivation give me the ability to harm it? He paused. And why is it the elemental damage I possess isn’t enough?
This will allow you to damage the entity, whether you ultimately kill it is not something I can foresee. And the reason your elemental damage does not harm this demon is because it simply isn’t strong enough—you gained that trait when you were E Grade. Do you think an E Grade, even with a strong elemental magic attack, would be able to harm this substance?
Xavier sighed, feeling foolish. Of course they would not.
Indeed, and so you cannot expect to with this alone.
Xavier supposed if he’d thought that through for a little longer, he would have come to that realisation by himself. But, at least he had a concrete answer from the spirit.
Which spell on the Body Cultivation path should I take?
There is only one spell.
Xavier had one more question he wanted to ask the spirit, one he wished to slip in before it disappeared. How do you know of this path, if it is of the Old Ways?
The spirit looked at him, something twinkled in its eyes.
The answer to that does not pertain to your question. Goodbye, Xavier Collins.
The spirit began to disappear, and colour returned to the world.
Accidental Champion!
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