[You have learned a new skill, Overdrive.
Overdrive - Enhances your body and cognitive capabilities for ten seconds.]
[You have received nourishment for defeating a Barbtus.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Congratulations on reaching level ten. You may now choose a genus. Possible choices are:
Combatant (Ordinary)
These individuals have demonstrated fighting prowess. They are proficient with weapons as well as unarmed combat. Leads to species such as warrior, barbarian, berserker, etc.
Points per level, +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Endurance, +2 Free.
***
Internist (Unusual)
Healing is their calling. Whether through medical training or magical means, they have found a way to heal the masses. Leads to species such as devout, shaman, healer, etc.
Points per level, +4 Capacity, +2 Wisdom, +2 Constitution, +2 Endurance, +2 Free.
***
Primordial (Scarce)
They have mastered primeval energies. Whether it’s fire, lightning, earth, air, or water, these individuals have honed their power and made it their own. Leads to species such as elementalist, electromancer, firemancer, etc.
Points per level, +4 Wisdom, +4 Capacity, +2 Agility, +4 Free.
***
Generalist (Anomalous)
As the name suggests, they are jacks-of-all-trades, tinkerers, and all-rounders, wielding skills that can fit into multiple genera or species.
Points per level, +16 Free. ]
A flurry of screens popped into his vision and Jose sent them away as he fell to his knees. He was whole again but exhausted and hungry.
He’d used up all of his ether, which led to a full-body ache, or maybe it was because of the new skill he’d just used. He wasn’t sure which, but what he did know was that all of his joints were on fire, nausea ruled his senses, and his head felt like it was being split open with a mallet.
Jose would need to take a close look at each message, but first, he needed food and rest. Looking up, he noticed the monster's body was gone, replaced by the exit that had appeared before him. ‘Thank the heavens above,’ he thought. ‘I wouldn’t be able to beat a butterfly in a fight right now.’
Attempting to stand and walk through the exit was another matter. His body was heavy enough that his muscles shook like gelating any time he attempted to move.
When he finally was able to stand and hobble out of the domain, his joints lanced with pain at every tiny move. Every step brought with it a blinding headache that stabbed at the top of his head, his temples, and behind his eyes. Every time his foot landed, fresh waves of nausea assaulted him, eventually causing him to vomit blood, food, and phlegm before reaching the exit.
As he stepped out of the domain the gate quickly collapsed back into a diamond shape and began spinning at a high rate of speed. The diamond began emitting a light that quickly grew blinding before morphing into a long chest and hovering to the ground.
When the light was gone, a long, thin chest lay on the ground in its place. It was ornately made with colored glass that was much too dark to see inside, and the top was adorned with a small Barbtus figurine.
None of this Jose saw. His vision had gone blurry by the time he walked through the gate, and his body had grown too heavy. He flopped forward into the soft sand as he stepped out, barely managing to turn his head sideways so as not to suffocate. Another message appeared behind his closed eyes, and he willed it away before slipping into an exhaustion-induced slumber.
[Quest: Defeat the Domains sentinel - has been completed, a reward has been provided.]
***
His body was still a wreck when he awoke, but the pain, weakness, and nausea were much more manageable. He’d found the box lying where the gate once stood and reached for it.
Jose flipped the lid open and found two items inside. One was a rapier similar to the one the Barbtus had used, and the other was a large marble with sand-colored energy swirling within it.
Jose grabbed the marble first and received a message identifying it.
[Barbtus core]
He still hadn’t figured out how to use the other cores he’d collected or if they would even be useful, but he had ensured to keep them on hand. ‘Considering that cores could be rewards for conquering an aberrant domain, they might become quite useful. Hopefully sooner rather than later,’ he thought as he studied it.
After putting the core away he reached for the rapier and received another message.
[Dash Barb
Skill - Dash
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Dash - Move forward at blinding speeds to stab your enemies.]
“Oh? So the skill it was using belonged to the sword? Nice. Rapiers are not my style though, I prefer the slicing of knives and swords, but absent other options, it’ll have to do for now.” The blade was around four feet in length and came equipped with its own scabbard and belt loop.
As he stepped away from the chest, the sand enveloped it and shot up five feet, leaving behind the diamond crystal that had been there before as it slid off the sharp facets. Only, the energies swirling within seemed diminished.
‘Are these things like dungeons in games maybe? It probably needs to recover energy or something before someone can enter again. Wish I had a way to leave a note for whoever happens upon it next.’ With that worry on his mind, he made his way back toward the forest and set up a similar camp to the night before.
***
‘Combatant,’ Jose thought to himself. He’d risen with the sun and was currently reading through each genus and considering why he’d been offered them and their good and bad points.
‘I do like fighting as much as using the magical skills, but it gives the least amount of points per level and means I would likely be stuck in that particular role… Making it, not optimal. Not to mention that these sound an awful lot like classes. And those often replace any current skills with skills matching them in games and stories.’
‘Internist sounds interesting, but healing is not the only thing I would like to do. Hell, I don’t even know if my one healing skill would apply to others or just me. Maybe the fact it’s being offered means I can heal others with it?’
‘Primordial just sounds badass. But again, I would be stuck in a purely magical role, and it seems that it would only concentrate on the elemental side of my ether too. I do enjoy all of my lightning skills, but there are insulators out there that might protect against it. Which brings me to the last genus.’
‘Generalist. I mean, is there even a reason to consider the others? This will allow me much more freedom in picking my own path, not bogging me down in one specific role. Also, it will, hopefully, allow me to gain skills that are not lightning-specific in case I run into some of those insulators I mentioned before.’
He chose Generalist, and everything went dark.
***
Jose’s body floated several feet off the ground as he fell limp, his body seeming to catch in the air as if underwater. A semitranslucent red bubble surrounded him as he began floating up, red lighting formed within it and struck his body repeatedly.
Seconds later, white lightning joined the red, followed by black lightning a few seconds after that. It was as if he was the center of a plasma ball with lightning caressing his body as it swirled and arced around him.
Dark clouds gathered in the area above him, soon joined by thunder and lightning as it flashed within the deep purple of the clouds. The bubble that had enveloped him went from semitranslucent red to stark white to matte black.
***
Jose opened his eyes and found himself in a dark void, seconds later, he was accompanied by flashes of red, white, and black light as it swirled above and around him. Not long after, the lightning began falling as he walked forward, hoping to find answers to what was happening.
There was no concept of time where he was currently, and having walked for either hours or days, Jose found himself standing in front of a tear in space. He could see nothing through the tear, though it was clear he was supposed to walk through it. Jose took a deep breath and plunged in before he could lose his courage.
***
A large and powerful bolt of lighting lanced down from the heavens and struck the bubble that had enveloped Jose. An intense flash of black, then white, then red light encompassed the area as it struck.
When the light subsided, Jose hovered in the air as the three colors of lightning arced and ran across his body. It was as if a new being had been birthed from a preternatural egg, welcoming the world with blinding arcs of light.
Slowly, he floated to the ground, his mind gently waking him from the slumber imposed by the changes. His eyes slowly opened as feeling returned to his body, and he stood, taking in deep gulps of air to steady himself.
His vision was much too clear and crisp as if seeing the world for the first time. He’d been color blind before, something becoming galvanized hadn’t seemed to have an effect on.
But now, the vibrant colors overwhelmed him. Where before the sands were nothing more than a muddled brown color to his eyes, they were now a vibrant mix of different shades. He could now see that each grain was different with its own mix of shades from red to a light brown, giving it a golden brown overall effect when taken in as a whole.
Breathing in lungs full of air nearly made him choke. Not due to sandy winds or pollutants but due to the freshness of it. He could taste the light crispiness of the clean dry air, the warmness of the sun radiating off the sands, and the freshness of the slight breeze wafting through the dunes. There was a mix of light earthly tones in the air, not surprising considering he was near the edge of the desert bordering a lush forest.
The light touch of the sands wafting in the lazy breeze was calming and soothing, reminding him of lying on a warm beach after a nice swim. Although it was hot, it was not stiflingly so due to his proximity to the forest and its vibrant vegetation.
His ears picked up the sound of running water, though it was faint and far. After a few seconds, he recognized that he was picking up the sounds of a small water source not too far away. Likely, a small brook at the edge of the forest nearby.
Jose studied himself for a few minutes. His lean, veiny body was covered in corded muscles, like those of a trained fighter with years of experience. He jumped in place, feeling light and agile.
In his early twenties, he’d gone through a stage of unrest that he’d combated by taking up several martial arts, boxing, jiu-jitsu, and eskrima to keep himself out of trouble and because he’d always been interested in them. Shadowboxing now with his new body allowed him to move in ways he’d only imagined, even in his fittest days.
He called his status into view as he calmed himself and settled into the new changes, preparing to make camp as his stomach was grumbling and pulling at him.
[Health: 335/335 Ether: 70/70
Level: 10
Soul: Ancient
Race: Sapient
Genus: Generalist
Species: None
Strength: 20
Constitution: 23
Endurance: 26
Agility: 26
Dexterity: 19
Awareness: 19
Wisdom: 18
Capacity: 29
Free Points: 24
Skills: Strike, Volt-Gen, Bolt, Null-Bind, Overdrive
Passives: Flux-Bod, Ether-Cell, Crafting (Beginner)]
Jose flexed his muscles as he stretched and looked down at his new body. Noticing several more minute changes as he did. His skin was now darker, where it had been a warm caramel color, it was now more of a burnt umber color with a barely perceptible reddish glint running across it.
Running his tongue across his teeth, he’d also noticed they had become slightly sharper, and his fangs had elongated like that of a feline’s.
It was jarring, or should have been, how much stronger he felt. But his mind and senses were also much more refined, making it easier to accept the change.
Looking down at his powerful hands as he flexed his fingers, a thought terrified him. ‘What would happen if someone could control him or any other powerful being? They could be used to rule over the populace, murder innocents just for someone's pleasure, or just cause havoc in general.
He had to do something to protect himself, not just from the woman who’d attempted to kill him, but from anyone who could use such skills.
