Leveling Up

chapter 4:

Leveling Up

The tide of shambling skeletons rushed in, bony feet clacking against the parched ground. Any normal player would feel icy fear at the sight of hundreds of undead horrors swarming for the kill. But Wan Jie stood firm, grin widening in anticipation of unleashing destruction upon them.

With a thought, he activated one of his new skills. A swirling aura of lightning coalesced around his body, arcing wildly as he drew in power from the atmosphere. This area-of-effect ability consumed massive amounts of energy, but Wan Jie's mana reserves now had no limit thanks to the System.

"Turn to dust!" he roared, discharging the pent-up electricity in all directions. Blinding tendrils of lightning tore through the ranks of undead, reducing dozens of skeletons to charred fragments with each blast. The lucky few not instantly incinerated recoiled from the web of deadly currents.

Pressing his advantage, Wan Jie charged into their disorganized ranks while maintaining the protective lightning aura. Desolation flashed in broad arcs, slicing through enemies with every swing. The serrated edge caught and shredded their bones apart like dry kindling.

The skeleton horde tried to mob Wan Jie with their sheer numbers, but his whirling blade formed an impenetrable defense, destroying whole groups at a time. The ground became littered with broken skeletal parts as the tide of undead rapidly thinned under the onslaught.

Within minutes, wisps of necromantic energy dissipated into the air as the final revenants collapsed into inert piles. Not a single monster remained intact. An eerie calm returned to the ruined village, the only sound Wan Jie's own steady breathing.

Sheathing his sword, Wan Jie surveyed the absolute devastation. Rationally he knew these were just NPCs following predetermined behaviors. But seeing so many enemies demolished by his newfound power still sent an intoxicating thrill through his heart.

A portal shimmered into existence nearby, the telltale sign of completing a major quest. Wan Jie stepped through to receive his reward. Beyond lay a majestic hall lined with marble columns and mosaic floors. At the far end upon a dais sat a robed NPC flanked by armored guards.

"Congratulations, brave adventurer, for accomplishing what no other could and purging the cursed villages of their undead scourge. Please accept this token of the kingdom's gratitude."

With an ostentatious gesture, the questgiver summoned forth a glowing trove of loot. Wan Jie's eyes lit up seeing weapons, armor, accessories and potions spill out across the polished stone floor. Even mundane quest rewards would provide major boosts to normal players. 

But Wan Jie was far beyond relying just on in-game loot now. He focused instead on the main quest rewards: a huge sum of experience points, class points to strengthen his swordsmanship further, and most importantly, enhancement stones. 

These rare stones empowered gear beyond normal limits when socketed in. Wan Jie swiftly fused the fist-sized gems into his sword, gloves, and chest-armor. Multicolored glows pulsed from each piece as their attributes magnified exponentially. 

The questgiver showed a rare look of surprise. "In all my years granting boons to heroes, never have I witnessed one so nonchalant about rewards that others can but dream of. Just who and what are you, bold wanderer?"

Wan Jie smirked back cryptically. "I am the future of this world." He gave a mocking bow before turning to leave. The dumbfounded NPC guards blocked his path momentarily, but a glare from Wan Jie made them hastily step aside as if compelled.

Stepping back out of the portal, Wan Jie surveyed the landscape with his enhanced vision. Even at this distance, details of the surroundings appeared clean and magnified as if viewed through a telescope. His perception could encompass the entire valley now.

Most promisingly, Wan Jie spotted more villages tucked away in the rugged wilderness that matched the coordinates of other [Cleansing] quests. Likely they each contained their own legion of undead or demons. He licked his lips in anticipation of the carnage to come.

Like an unstoppable force of nature, Wan Jie tore his way through each infected village across the frontier over the following days. Skeletal armies were shredded into powder by hurricane force sword blows. Hulking demons sunk into bubbling puddles of gore beneath his fists.

Every monstrous quarry only stoked Wan Jie's power and bloodlust further. He came to crave unveiling new abilities against ever greater foes. Out here away from cities, he could unleash his full destructive potential without restraint. It was liberating beyond words.

Within a week, Wan Jie had completed every [Cleansing] quest available in the disputed frontier region. From a gameplay perspective, these multi-part challenges were meant to keep whole guilds occupied for months. Yet one man empowered by the System had surpassed all difficulty barriers with ease.

Throughout this journey, Wan Jie's level soared at a wholly abnormal pace. After each quest, he absorbed massive experience point rewards along with unlocking new skills and class upgrades. His raw stats expanded by orders of magnitude beyond normal human limits.

By the time he returned to Imperial City, Wan Jie had already reached the maximum cultivation level possible for mortal players. He stood now as an unrivaled Sword Master, capable of cutting mountains apart with the wind pressure of a casual swing. Any normal foe was insects to be crushed underfoot.

From the shadows of an alleyway, Wan Jie watched the bustling central plazas of the capital. These people had no idea a literal god-in-flesh now walked among them. The power bubbling within his veins cried out to be unleashed, to lay waste to these fragile ants that scurried about oblivious to his presence.

But wanton destruction attracted too much undesirable attention, Wan Jie knew. He must continue playing the part of a hero to the public for now, honing his strength while subtly expanding influence. There were always rebels and rogue cultivators outside the law that made for useful targets after all.

Returning to the auction house, Wan Jie was pleased to find even more rare artifacts had arrived during his absence - likely the treasured spoils of other top-ranked adventurers earned through countless hours of play. He casually drained the entire stock, claiming their power for his own with the System.

No conventional means of advancement was beyond Wan Jie's reach anymore thanks to these reality-warping abilities. Each new height obtained only expanded his ambition further. He would climb to the pinnacle of this world and beyond, no matter how many laws needed breaking or gods toppling. The grand destiny awaiting him would eclipse all who came before.