Skills Unlocked

chapter 5:

Skills Unlocked

Wan Jie sat in a secluded courtyard within the imperial palace, awaiting his private audience with the king. Word of his exploits clearing the frontier had spread, and the royal court scrambled to bring this mysterious wandering hero into the fold. Little did they know he already eclipsed their power.

Amused by their scramble to woo him, Wan Jie decided to entertain their efforts for now. Furthering his reputation among the elite could smooth the path for the plans formulating in his mind. Why immediately flip the game board when gradual domination proved more intriguing?

The palace servant girl returned, gesturing for Wan Jie to follow to the throne room. He rose and strode after her confidently. The opulence of his surroundings only reinforced his disdain for this gilded cage of supposed power and nobility. Soon he would unveil their status as little more than playthings.

Carved mahogany doors inlaid with gold and jewels groaned open before him. The throne room's sprawling pillared space sought to overwhelm visitors with grandeur. But Wan Jie was unimpressed. His calm footsteps echoed as he approached the raised dais where the king sat draped in ermine finery.

"So, you are the swordsman I have heard so much about recently, surpassing all other heroes in my realm," the king greeted in an imperious tone. Yet his eyes glinted with wary assessment, unable to parse Wan Jie's concealed depths.

Wan Jie simply gave a perfunctory bow. "I go where the martial path takes me. Lately that has led through many dangers on your frontier."

This seemingly humble response pleased the king. Far better this one prove a loyal subject than a renegade threat. He gestured to an attendant who came forward bearing a lacquered box.

"Then as thanks for your deeds, I bestow upon you the Kingdom's Heart, our highest honor." The attendant opened the box to reveal a medallion styled after a roaring golden dragon. "May its blessing and protection follow you always."

Again Wan Jie simply bowed and accepted the trinket. Its enchantments were only marginally useful to him now, but rejecting rewards at this stage could seed unwise doubts. He pinned the medal above his heart as expected of an honored hero.

The king nodded in satisfaction. "Walk always in the light, brave warrior. My court is open to you, and additional quests awaited." Dismissed by a wave of his royal hand, Wan Jie turned and exited the chamber. The doors sealed heavily behind him.

Away from prying eyes, Wan Jie allowed himself a disdainful chuckle as he made his way out of the palace. The King's Heart medal joined the growing collection of accolades, titles, and treasures he continued accumulating seemingly as a loyal hero. In truth, he cared nothing for their empty prestige.

Stepping into the sunlight of the bustling capital streets, Wan Jie considered his next move. He had exhausted all conventional means of advancing his power at this point. The only remaining limits to break were those imposed by the world's own source code itself - the hard limits on status values, experience gain, etc. 

But those could be overcome as easily as any other obstacle with the System and enough creativity. The "cheat" abilities he had avoided thus far specifically to avoid detection would now prove most useful. Subtlety was growing tiresome anyway.

Slipping into an uninhabited alleyway, Wan Jie opened up the System Interface and selected several reality-altering skills. Stat Limit Breaker allowed his attributes like strength and speed to expand infinitely rather than capping at predetermined values. 

Code Manipulator granted backend access to manually edit game data like his level, skills, and unlocked content. And Experience Multiplier did exactly as it sounded, letting him acquire limitless EXP at exponentially accelerating rates. Even the most routine monster killing would yield godlike power now.

Eager to test his new abilities, Wan Jie used Code Manipulator to transport himself instantly deep into the orc kingdoms of the frontier. For too long he had restrained his strength fighting only sanctioned enemies and quest targets. Now he would unleash hell upon all who stood in his path.

Appearing in a billowing nexus of void energies amidst the sprawling orc encampments, Wan Jie swiftly surveyed the scene. Thousands of the hulking beastmen scrambled to grab their crude axes and clubs at the sudden intrusion, bellowing in rage and confusion.

Wan Jie's aura flared wildly as he activated Stat Limit Breaker. Power flooded into his body, muscles bulging and senses heightening to overwhelming acuity in mere moments. He could discern every fine detail of even distant structures and movement now, his reaction speed exceeding any possible threat.

With a guttural shout, waves of orc warriors charged in attempt to swarm over this lone human. Wan Jie smiled wide, savoring the oncoming battle. He exploded into motion, blade cutting apart enemies with each swing like a scythe through stalks of grain.

To the orcs, this swordsman appeared as a blur of divine wrath, moving impossibly fast and striking from all directions at once. Their numbers meant nothing before his strength. Within minutes the sands were soaked with green blood and gore.

Not even the three-headed dire wolves the orcs unleashed could threaten Wan Jie now. He severed all six heads in one cross-slash of his blade, felling the legendary beasts as easily as the foot soldiers. A pile of corpses and parts steadily accumulated around the lone warrior.

The ruthless slaughter continued unabated until the earth itself trembled with a titanic footstep. A furious roar split the heavens as an orc war god emerged from his temple, wielding a club larger than a redwood tree. Lesser players may have quailed at the sight, but Wan Jie grinned wider with anticipation.

He launched skyward, unleashing a barrage of sword beams that bombarded the massive deity. The war god crossed its arms and weathered the blows, its boulder-like hide enduring far more punishment than any normal orc. Then it swiped its colossal club in retaliation.

The resulting shockwave obliterated hundreds of orcs instantly and flattened everything for miles. But Wan Jie blinked behind the war god, carving massive gashes across its thighs and back before dancing away from retaliation. Vast spurts of glowing ichor sprayed forth as divine flesh parted.

Howling in fury, the war god slammed down its fists, sending out earth-shaking impact waves. It tried to crush this insolent human within its gigantic palms. Yet Wan Jie evaded the blows with minimal effort, continuing to inflict greater and greater wounds faster than the deity could regenerate.

Within an hour, the war god sank to its knees amidst the ruins of its temple, life essence pouring from countless ravaged wounds. It crashed face first into the rubble, its titanic body going still at last. Wan Jie landed atop its head in triumph, sword still pulsing with power.

Surveying the absolute devastation, Wan Jie laughed heartily. No more holding back or striking from the shadows. He would reforge this world in his image, and all within would know his power.