Chapter Thirty-Five
Not long after the first monster was defeated, Edward found one himself. When he encountered it, he first thought it was an ordinary animal. Only when the beast turned around did Edward realize it was a monster. It seemed like a boar at first glance, but there were red markings covering its face that made it appear menacing and savage. As the boar noticed Edward, it immediately roared and charged in Edward's direction.
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Red-Marked Boar
Lvl 1
HP: 10 | DMG: 5 | DEF: 7
︾
"My god, the stats are so low," Edward laughed. He charged forward as well, but he didn't even try to pay attention to the boar's actions. As soon as it neared him, the boar attempted to skewer him. Edward unsheathed his blade and casually swung it in the boar's direction.
The boar was easily cleaved in two, despite Edward's careless method of slaying it.
︽
+20% XP
︾
︽
You have leveled up!
︾
"Nice," Edward smiled. He sheathed his weapon and sat down on the ground, "This method of grinding is far too easy. I'll be level four in no time." Edward opened his status screen and began to allocate his points. Before he did so, though, he took a moment to look at his current strength.
︽
Lvl: 3
XP: 5%
Title: The Winged Legion
Origin: Dragonkin
—
HP: 55
MP: 10
SP: 25
HUNG: 55/55
—
DMG: (Iron Sword - 5) 12
DEF: (Leather Armor - 5) 16
—
POW: 7
AGI: 5
END: 11
WIS: 2
LUC: 2
—
Stat Points: 20
—
Skills: [Master Dragon Tame], [Perfect Draconic Language]
—
Available Skills: [Minor Talon Strike], [Minor Dragon Presence], [Minor Pyrokinesis]
︾
"I've been offered the Pyrokinesis skill?" Edward mumbled in surprise. That was the same skill Leila used, just he was being offered the weakest version, "I'll have to upgrade it to reach the same skill as her, but I should consider it. After all, her display of that skill impressed all of us."
'I probably won't be able to make use of [Master Dragon Tame] for a while, so I should find a different source of strength,' Edward thought to himself. After a moment, he looked up at his stats, 'I've already put some points into Power. If I choose to start using Pyrokinesis, those points will be wasted.'
Edward suddenly had an idea, so he decided to test it out. He turned back to his stats, then focused on the Power stat.
︽
Power Stat: 7 > 2
Stat Points: +5
︾
"I can remove stats from my stat block while I'm leveling up!" Edward cheered. As soon as he confirmed this theory, the consideration for his skill choice became concrete. He selected the [Minor Pyrokinesis] skill, then watched as another screen appeared before him.
︽
[Minor Pyrokinesis] - Learned
Allows the user to manipulate the raw power of fire by using their will. This skill is currently at its weakest stage— you are but a novice.
This skill can be upgraded.
︾
'Good, now to add more points to Wisdom so I can use this skill effectively,' Edward thought to himself. At the moment, he only had two Wisdom. With twenty-five points available, he decided to use most of his points in one go, thus increasing his Wisdom to twenty-two. He chose to put four of his remaining points into Endurance while he put his last point into Agility.
He gazed upon his status screen, satisfied with his selection.
︽
Lvl: 3
XP: 45%
Title: The Winged Legion
Origin: Dragonkin
—
HP: 75
MP: 110
SP: 30
HUNG: 75/75
—
DMG: (Pyrokinesis - 1) 24
DEF: (Leather Armor - 5) 20
—
POW: 2
AGI: 6
END: 15
WIS: 22
LUC: 2
—
Skills: [Master Dragon Tame], [Perfect Draconic Language], [Minor Pyrokinesis]
︾
"Hmm? They've killed two more monsters while I was going through my stats. Nice!" Edward quickly realized.
︽
+20% XP
︾
"Again? This method is too good!" Edward cheered. He began running into the forest once more. Not long after, he found a boar and defeated it with ease. Once it was dead, three notifications suddenly appeared before him.
︽
+20% XP
︾
︽
+20% XP
︾
︽
You have leveled up!
︾
'It's been thirty seconds! This has got to be a record!' Edward thought. He quickly opened his menu and changed the XP distribution before another kill was given to him. This time, he gave it all to Brandon. He was already close to level four— only three kills away if they used this method— so he knew Brandon would level up soon.
Then, once that was settled, Edward sat back down and— once again— went through his stats. He skipped his stat allocation, for now, and instead focused on the skills.
︽
Skills Available: [Minor Talon Strike], [Minor Dragon Breath], [Minor Dragon Presence]
︾
However, Edward didn't choose any of these. Instead, he focused his attention on the skills already in his possession. [Master Dragon Tame] and [Perfect Draconic Language]. One was at max level, and the other he wasn't concerned eith were both at their max level. Because of that, he was only able to focus on his newest skill, [Minor Pyrokinesis].
︽
[Minor Pyrokinesis] has been upgraded to [Basic Pyrokinesis]
︾
Then, once his skills were settled, Edward turned his attention to his stats.
︽
POW: 2
AGI: 6
END: 15
WIS: 22
LUC: 2
︾
"I'll put five points into Wisdom, but I should split the other fifteen between Agility and Endurance," Edward muttered. He knew he wasn't fast enough for most fights, but now that he was using a long-ranged ability he didn't have to worry as much. He eventually decided to put five points into Agility and dump the final ten into Endurance.
Eventually, his stats looked like this:
︽
Lvl: 4
XP: 5%
Title: The Winged Legion
Origin: Dragonkin
—
HP: 125
MP: 135
SP: 55
HUNG: 125/125
—
DMG: (Pyrokinesis - 3) 31
DEF: (Leather Armor - 5) 25
—
POW: 2
AGI: 11
END: 25
WIS: 27
LUC: 2
—
Skills: [Master Dragon Tame], [Perfect Draconic Language], [Basic Pyrokinesis]
︾
Only by this point did Edward believe it best to stand up and contribute to the effort. He made sure to keep himself as close to Brandon as he needed to, but once he confirmed that he was safely within range, Edward ran through the forest and attacked anything that moved.
He quickly used this opportunity to begin practicing his newest skill. However, because this was his first time using magic, he wasn't sure where to begin. He tried a few ideas, including some he was sure wouldn't succeed.
First, he tried to hold his hand out and give a verbal command. His shouting 'Fire' in the forest wasn't good enough for his skill to activate. He tried a few other things as well, including snapping his fingers, using a stick as a wand, and even concentrating until his face went red. None of these methods worked. Eventually, he decided to punch the air. When his fist stopped, a few sparks erupted from his knuckles.
The fire was weak and only managed to last a second, but the mystery had been solved.
'So it's in the physical movement? I thought Leila was using her movements to help visualize her intentions,' Edward thought to himself. After he realized this, Edward quickly lowered his waist and moved his legs to support his body. Then, he gave two quick jabs through the air. Two puffs of fire shot forward, one stronger than the other.
"The physical movement is the steering wheel," Edward muttered, "But my intention is the engine. If I'm simply copying the movements, nothing happens. If I move with the intent to summon flames, I'll do exactly that. I'll have to practice this later— it's completely new territory."