Solo Leveling
Duth glared at the checkpoint. There happened to be a spell blade here. Strong foes, given his spell repertoire. He was lacking against them, but the rest were a different story.
Amongst the two dozen guardsmen, a few seemed particularly strong. Not all of them were armed with melee, there were a good handful with short bows. Which means they would be a danger to him. Short bows, though hunting tools, can reach up to a maximum of fourty meters, that is roughly hundred and twenty feet. He could pelt them from this distance, but the spell blade would pose a huge problem. Alongside the creeping issue of his spells range. Without proper structure maintenance, his spell would weaken and after a certain distance, fizzle out.
He pulled up his system to confirm for himself if he was strong enough to wipe out the checkpoint alone.
[Lich system]
Name: Duth
Lv[20] - Exp 720/5100
[Stats]
Hp: 249/249
Mp: 335/335
SP: 25[1]
SM: 3400
Skills: Mana Bolt[Lv.4], Raise Horde[Lv.3], Group Harvest[Lv.4], Skull trap[Lv.1], Souls wrath[Lv.3], and Barrier[Lv.7]
He had 25 SP, which means he could upgrade.. The only viable upgrade here would be magical potency. Upgrade skill wouldn't do it, but more mana could level that playing feild, expanding his capibility and longevity in battle.
Duth had backed off into the forest away from the checkpoint.
Taking the upgrade as soon as he felt he was far enough away.
[Magical Potency]
A torrent of mana gathered around him, the first fifteen feet stirring with a breeze of wind. It wasnt breathtaking, but its job was the only satisfying result he looked for.
he felt his mana pool expand rapidly, ending when it capped out! It had risen a hundred and twenty! That four percent did wonders.
MP: 455
Duth felt that this would work, but even with the increase he would need to be extra careful. If he engaged the spellblade, he would need to do so with a plan Less he end up at death's doorstep as nothing more than bone meal.
Hmm, he had a plan. Reackless plan.
###
All was normal, the guardsmen watched the forest, spellblade checking up on this outpost. Few of his class doing the same across the cities check points. There werent that many of them. This one had been one of the ones to watch his comrade die at the hands of that damned skeleton.
Though he didn't know the man well, it still stung. So color his surprise when a creeping green mist edged close. He felt its necrotic potency, but before he or anyone could alert each other. It began to rain, mana bolts.
The very man he was talking too, saw his raising brows. Before his head was plastered into the dirt in a shower of red, coloring the spell blade in his death.
Raining bolts struck over a dozen men, plastering their bodies into the dirt, killing on the spot. Some even painted the ground in the blood of the dead men. As if being dead wasnt enough.
The spellblade was protected, for most of these either not hitting him, or bounced off his enchanted armaments. Yet the blunt force was felt, rather unpleasant too.
He drew his blade, bouncing out of the checkpoint with concerning speeds. Body lowering as mana gathered around his boots!
Crack!
The moment he landed, he was in flight. Dirt echoed in small clouds upon him shooting forward with a whiplash of wind!
Duth snickered at his audacity. Two skull trap erupting into motion. Jared tsked to himself, stamping his boot with his other one as he pivoted his feet forward like a badass homing rocket. Dropkicking the snapping skull into shards before landing, his wrist flicked, blasting the other skull trap into bits.
Jared inhaled, mana surged. Coaxing his body in a dangerous sheen.
Duth felt a sudden emergence of imminent danger, the man seemingly vanished in his sight, the whooshing air that nearly whipped at his speed the only indication he didn't teleport!
He dived away from the danger, a blade slashing the ground where Duth stood just half a second before. The blades edge skidded across the ground, digging a gouge into the dirt. A harrowing miss, a hair pin yet not enough.
Dutth swiped, mana bolts manifesting, a skull trap bursting to bite its target, just where Duth stood before, where Jared now stands was a trap. It would be wrong to not assume that Duth had planned this far.
Jared saw as the jaws closed around him! The darkening space and ribs that drew right behind the skull a snapping reminder to his sitaution.
He dipped, hand planting against the ground.
BaBOOM!
The skull exploded, that same mana coaxing his armor dimmed greatly. Jare stood, finding himself at the behest of three bolts!
He grunted as they fizzled out against his flickering mana arua.
Jare snarled at the lich, his boot stamping the ground with a sudden shift in stance!
His arua flowered onto his blade, making its enchantments brighten up!
The blade humed, and Jared swung it around over his head. Up from left to right then down into a cleave, a blue scar slashed in the air. A mana blade swished forward at unprecedented speeds!
Duth felt his body skid, he felt his soul roar in pain!
His Hp being reduced to half!
Ribs shattered, bones cracked. Whatever this man did, it was deadly with each move.
He sharply inhaled, stumbling as Jared leaned in and burst towards him!
The lich ahead weakened, Jared grinned! Bringing the tip of his blade up, just inches to his left, before thrusting out! Aiming to shatter this liches head and end the foe once and for all!
Duth's eyes seemed to flicker in the passing moments, Jared failed to pick up the next three actions. Not because they were too fast to precieve. Nor that he had tunnel vision, but because the actions seemed meaningless for a mage type to commit. Therein to him it wasnt worth noting, but he was wrong.
Every clash, the lich fought with magic, and magic alone. Never striking out physically.
Though the liches body seemed a bit tough. It didn't seem all that strange.
So when Duth struck out, the tide changed.
Duth smacked the blade aside with considerable force, stepping into the attack. Both of his hands came up with finger tips exposed, gripping, digging into skin, anchoring themselves.
[Group Harvest]
Duth's sockets raged with building flame, his hands caked in sickly green. Piercing into Jared skull, burning.. Searing, twisting, festering flesh.
He screamed unnaturally, so full of that raw done to the marrow scream. Demonic to anyone listening from afar.
Blood curdling.
Jared dropped his blade bringing his hands up to the liches arms, his gauntlets clutching them. Squeezing hard.
Yet they didn't break. Jared realized his mistake. The downside to his mana aura and its strengthening, is when he runs out, he is momentarily weakened. Yet he had gone all out at the beginning to ensure the lich would die. But he was without key bits of info, leaving him at the mercy of the dead.
To which no mercy was given. He felt the flames worm its way into his veins, spreading out swiftly before he breathed his last. The flames were resisted, but all was futile at the beckon hands of death.
Duth let go as the spell blade did. His body a pillar of green as Duth appiled his neceotic abilities to the dead spell blade.
When the flames receded he stared at a strong undead. Its skull and body still burning, but now in a mana/soul fueled ocean blue.
[Wight Overlord]
Desc: powerful undead, easily fifteen times stronger than a wight and nearly on par with death knights.
Hoo hoo hoo hahhhaaa haa!
Duth chuckled before parting the man in the shoulder.
"Rest in the forest till your needed."
It nodded and swiped up its blade sheathing it before dissipating into the forest tree line. Duth turned to the bloody checkpoint. Deciding to retreat as he could see reinforcements fast encroaching. Easily a hundred men with over thirty adventurers amongst them. He was not a match for that force.
###
[Lich system]
Name: Duth
Lv[21] - Exp 3620/5500
[Stats]
Hp: 259/259.2
Mp: 470/470
SP: 5
SM: 3440
Skills: Mana Bolt[Lv.7], Raise Horde[Lv.3], Group Harvest[Lv.4], Skull trap[Lv.2], Souls wrath[Lv.3], and Barrier[Lv.7]
He only gained one level. Even after killing fifteen men and a spell blade. The fifteen oddly enough gave him less exp than before. Did he pass a threshold that requires more? Yet the spell blade alone was thirty-five hundred easily eleven and a half times more than the guardsmen. Which means he would have to kill more spell blades to have any quick draw on leveling. Which was a reckless and stupid plan to try. The last one had damn near killed him. He hadn't even leveled to fight the spell blade. Not only that but the armor the spell blade had was quite sturdy.
Their equipment enchanted. Yet something seemed off about this spell blade. Did he give me more than the last one I killed. And those skills, does that mean that there are stringer Spellblades? So then who in that city is the strongest.
Duth facepalmed feeling a rather unnecessary headache coming his way. Why was this city so many times harder than Garlen its like the first city was a mere mockery, whereas this one holds a more strategic position. Ugh.. Without information about this kingdom its not easy understanding the issues of this obstacle..
Wait.. I could find out easily, i just need to exert my will over the dead and gain information through them.
Duth glanced up. His will strengthened and he exhaled when his mind reached out to all of the dead he had risen since his coming to the mortal plane.
"Tell me.. About your lives, this kingdom you once lived in."
Information swirled and gathered, piercing across the line and reaching Duth. His sockets burned. For now he knew his armies were no match for Farevie.
Not yet.