6. Savage Sage

Zane swallowed. Again.

He'd held the fruit in his mouth because he knew he was on the verge of a level up. And the level up came with one very specific perk.

There was a flash. Then he stood up, shirt all but shredded off his body, his trousers torn to limp strips, but underneath was cords of smooth, clean muscle. There wasn't a mark on the skin. Perfectly healed.

The chief's face went slack with horror. It tried to get up, even managed to stagger to a knee. No, you don't. "Round two."

He took a step and full strength, full essence, he blasted a Titan's Fist in the Chief's face. Again.

It was like a bolt of lightning touched down. And when it vanished, it left a smoking heap. This time the Chief did not get up.

There was a deafening silence.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕠𝕓𝕘𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕖𝕗𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕟!

𝕆𝕓𝕛𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕖: 𝟙/𝟛

The Chief's body began dissolving to white.

All its minions ran screaming, but they didn't get far before they were stumbling over themselves, smoking into nothing too; it seemed once their boss went, so did they. And all that essence flushed straight into Zane, thick rivers of light merging to one.

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟛 -> 𝟚𝟜

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟜 -> 𝟚𝟝

𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝔼𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕!

𝔾𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟 𝕊𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣 𝕀 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]

𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕤 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝟛% 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕕𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝔾𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟 𝕗𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤

He grinned stupidly. He was still drunk off the heat of the fight, but he felt himself quickly cooling. It took a moment to get himself to focus, take in the words floating before him. His first title—how neat. 3% might not seem like a lot, but spread over dozens of strikes in the course of a battle, it'd surely add up.

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖.

𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕪. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖 𝕨𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕤 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕪.

𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝔼𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕!

𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖, 𝟙𝟙𝟜𝕥𝕙 𝕀𝕟𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 [𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖]

𝔽𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 𝕔𝕠𝕠𝕝 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕙𝕠𝕥 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕠𝕗 𝕓𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖, 𝕪𝕖𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣-𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕕 𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕕𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕚𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕞𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕤: 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕠𝕤 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕖𝕕. ℂ𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕫𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕, 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕕𝕪.

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝: 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕕 (𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖) [𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖]

𝔻𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕪, 𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤.

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝: 𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕕𝕪 (ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖) [𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖]

𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖'𝕤 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙 𝕕𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨 𝟝𝟘%. 𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕝𝕪 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙, 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕍𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕓𝕪 𝟚𝟝%. 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙 𝕕𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝟝𝟘%. 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝.

Zane reread the numbers. Then again.

What.

He thought about Goblin Slayer granting a 3% boost to damage against only goblins. 25%? 50%?! These titles were not at all alike—if he assumed Common was the lowest rank, just how much higher was Signature?

What the fuck did I just get? He was reeling. This Title gave him the sense that it was something so huge, he couldn't even understand the implications of it from where he was standing. Even so, he could tell this was not normal.

Before he could think further on it—

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟝 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕. 𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥-𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕕. ℙ𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟.

ℕ𝕠𝕥𝕖: 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟. 𝕀𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤. 𝕆𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕟, 𝕚𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕓𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕕.

He blinked, shook his head, tried to wrap his head around the new thing. Right. The system did mention that classes evolved. He'd been wondering when it would happen. He'd expected it at Level 10, actually.

𝕂𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]: Knights are armored guardians. They excel in defense, protecting allies, and holding strategic positions, but are also capable of meting out punishment. Knights are ideal for those who hold strong in the heat of battle, a balanced class. 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟: Spirit Sword I (Common)

𝔹𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕣 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]: Avatars of raw fury, Berserkers are relentless in their attacks, thriving in the chaos of combat. They overwhelm their foes through sheer ferocity and grow stronger as the battle intensifies. 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟: Spirit Axe I (Common).

𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]: Gladiators are masters of the arena, skilled in engaging multiple foes with grace and efficiency. They blend offensive prowess with crowd control, ideal for those who enjoy a showy yet effective combat style. 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟: Spirit Spear I (Common).

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝔸𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕥 [ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]: Focusing on hand-to-hand combat and agility, Martial Artists are swift and precise. They make lethal weapons of their bodies, ideal for those who prefer a more refined, technique-oriented approach to physical combat, valuing speed and skill over brute force. 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟:: Spirit Gauntlets I (Common)

𝕀𝕣𝕠𝕟 𝕍𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕕 [𝕌𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟]: The Iron Vanguard specializes in resilience. Known for their ability to endure and counter heavy assaults, Iron Vanguards are adept at controlling the flow of battle through their unyielding presence. This class excels in defensive tactics, turning endurance into a weapon by outlasting their opponents, converting defense to offense. 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟: Soul Pavis I (Common)

Zane was pretty close to selecting Berserker. It was a good thing he hesitated, because—

𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕙.

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣 [ℝ𝕒𝕣𝕖]: The Chain Reaver is where primal wrath meets the elegance of chain combat. Their chains are extensions of their spirits, transforming into weapons of war that wield explosive, suffocating power. The Reaver binds, and the Reaver reaps.

𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟: Prometheus Chains I [Signature]

…If the other classes were Common, and this was Rare—and it came with a signature 'Soul Weapon', whatever that was…

That Berserker class, that axe, spoke to him. But he'd just seen the difference between Common and Signature. This was not a choice.

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝔾𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕! ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣 [ℝ𝕒𝕣𝕖]

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝-𝕦𝕡 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥 𝕓𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤: 𝕍𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 +𝟘.𝟞, ℝ𝕖𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 +𝟘.𝟚, 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙 +𝟘.𝟠, 𝔻𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪 +𝟘.𝟛, 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕 +𝟘.𝟙.

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕!

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕀 (ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖) [ℝ𝕒𝕣𝕖]

𝔼𝕟𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕨𝕚𝕖𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕤, 𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟 𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕓𝕠𝕕𝕪.

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕!

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟 ℂ𝕪𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖 (𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖) [ℝ𝕒𝕣𝕖]

𝔼𝕩𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕒 𝕤𝕨𝕚𝕗𝕥, 𝟛𝟞𝟘-𝕕𝕖𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜, 𝕒 𝕔𝕪𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥; 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣. 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕔𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕖𝕤, 𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕠𝕥𝕙 𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒 𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕣.

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟 𝕌𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕕!

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕦𝕤 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤 𝕀 [ℝ𝕒𝕣𝕖]

𝔸 𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕝 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕕𝕠𝕞 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖, 𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕓𝕠𝕥𝕙. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖. ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕖.

𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕀 ℙ𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕤: ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤, 𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖, 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕨𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖'𝕤 𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝.

He felt like he'd been struck by a whirlwind, and now that things had finally calmed down, it was time to assess the damage. He was still baffled by what just happened.

First, that Title. Savage Sage. Its description—that was him. Was it tailored to him? But that notification made it sound like it was the other way around; he was chosen for it. And as for his class evolution... chains? He was ambivalent about it. He never fought with chains before. He never played characters that fought with chains before. Did Kratos count? He was skeptical they could actually be used to fight. Light to the Sage, heavy to others, it said…

He could feel them there, like a new limb, waiting. If he wished, he could simply summon them and they'd come. So he did.

They burst into being mid-air, ranged before him like two great coiling serpents. He could believe these are chains meant for a God. It was pitch black, the blackest thing Zane had ever seen; it was not reflective at all—light went in and got swallowed whole. The links fit his grip perfectly, like they were made for him.

He saw all this while the chains were falling. Then they hit the ground, and he was thrown off his feet.

He stumbled back up and blinked. There were two new furrows dug deep into the ground, dust drifting over them. He swore. It wasn't kidding when it said these things were heavy. It wasn't kidding when it said they'd be light to him too; he could shuffle around just pretty easily, but every small shift made the earth groan.

He realized he could actually control the weight with his mind. Or rather that he had a kind of bond with it, and he could use that bond to carry most of its weight, artificially lighten it.

Could he move it around with his mind too? He tried, but all he could do was point it, steer it. No. He couldn't give it energy, impetus with just his mind; that had to come from its base, his hands. His mind would do the steering, his hands the throwing.

And it came so easily too, as though he'd been practicing for years. Chain Mastery did this? He lashed it up and down, and it undulated like a wave; it felt like cracking a whip. He took most of the weight with his mind, and it clattered like a common chain.

Then he put all the weight back and threw it casually to the side, and it flattened half the tree line.

Three big ones were almost fully decapitated, the trunks clinging on by a strip; wood chips showered everywhere. Through the gaping maw he'd torn in the canopy, he got a glimpse of blue sky. Sunlight burst through, making a golden pool on the twilight-purple ground.

Zane was quickly changing his mind. Yeah—he could see how these things could be useful in a fight.

Then he had an idea. He turned to the massive moon tree, cocking his head. He lashed his chains at it, curled them around the base, and yanked with all his might.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then it started trembling at the roots, and Zane yanked again, harder.

It burst clean out of the ground. It was like the chains were an extension of his strength stat. He felt the tree's enormous weight bearing down on him; the chains shook with the effort of it, but still he managed to turn it over in one slow revolution.

He shook it vigorously, and Moon Fruit dropped like hail into the crater the tree left behind.

Satisfied, he tossed the tree off to the side. It rolled over to join its fallen brethren, and Zane enjoyed a pleasant dinner on the goblins.

That was all very fascinating, but he felt to really understand what he'd just gotten, he'd have to test them live. Only all the goblins were dead.

It was time to move regions. He couldn't wait until tomorrow. Next up: Crystalback Highlands!