New skills
The others immediately scattered. The pack surged into action, spreading out, moving to flank him, their movements so well-coordinated.
Kaden twisted, his arms snapping out.
[Thorn Whip.]
A spiked vine lashed through the air, catching a second wolf across its flank and tearing through muscle and fur like paper. The beast yelped, staggering, but another tendril shot up from the ground, wrapping around its throat and twisting.
A sickening snap.
[Ding! You have killed a Dire Shadowfang Wolf.]
Two down.
The rest were on him in seconds. A wolf lunged from his left, another from behind. Perfectly timed. Kaden let them.
At the last moment, he spun—faster than should have been possible, his newfound agility pushing his body to new limits. His foot slammed into the side of one beast's skull, sending it hurtling sideways, while his hand snapped outward, catching the second wolf by the throat.
With his bare hands.
The beast thrashed, claws raking at his arm, but his skin barely broke. His strength was on a whole other level now.
Kaden grinned. "You should've run." He squeezed. A crunch, a final whimper—then silence.
[Ding! You have killed a Dire Shadowfang Wolf.]
Three down.
The remaining wolves hesitated now, their instincts screaming at them to retreat. They had sensed it. He wasn't prey. He was the apex predator.
Kaden wiped the blood off his forearm and tilted his head.
"Who's next?"
It took about twelve dire wolves and finally, when the twelfth one dropped dead, Kaden received the notification he was waiting for.
[Ding! You have killed a Dire Shadowfang Wolf.]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Level 25 > Level 26]
[Ding! You have gained +1 Mental Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Physical Strength, and 7 free attribute points]
[Ding! You are now allowed to choose a class skill from the following]
[Nature's Curse: A passive skill that imbues your attacks with a decaying effect. Enemies struck by your abilities suffer continuous damage over time, and their natural regeneration is weakened.]
[Thorn Barrage: An active skill that allows the user to summon a storm of razor-sharp thorns, launching them in all directions. The thorns drain a small amount of life from enemies and return it to the user.]
[Bloodthorn Execution: An active skill that summons a massive, barbed thorn from the ground to impale a target. If the enemy is slain by this ability, a portion of their health and mana is absorbed by the user.]
Kaden glanced at the three skills but did not select anything. He continued fighting with the wolves. There were about twenty in total and it took him a few more seconds to finish the fight.
He then wiped the blood off his arms and exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the pile of corpses surrounding him. The fight had been fast, brutal, and one-sided.
His strength was undeniable. Even quasi-core beasts, creatures that would have given him hell in his past life, barely stood a chance.
Now that the immediate danger had passed, he could finally focus on what mattered—the new skill selection. His gaze flickered to the three options floating before him.
Nature's Curse. A passive ability. That alone made it a solid choice.
Passive skills required no activation, no preparation—they were always in effect. The ability to inflict decay, weakening an enemy's regeneration and dealing consistent damage over time, was tempting. Prolonged battles would tip in his favor, and tougher enemies wouldn't be able to outlast him.
Thorn Barrage. A high-damage, area-of-effect skill. The idea of launching a storm of razor-sharp thorns appealed to him.
It was a skill built for crowd control, something that could wipe out weaker enemies en masse while also granting him a life steal effect. He imagined standing in the center of a battlefield, raining death upon his enemies, his wounds closing as fast as they formed.
He sorely lacked a skill like this at the moment. If he had this skill when the beast horde was after him then he could have handled the situation in a much better way.
Kaden rubbed his chin, weighing the options. The last skill choice available was Bloodthorn Execution.
A single-target burst ability, but one with a deadly edge. The thought of summoning a massive, barbed thorn to impale an enemy and drain their life force had a certain brutal elegance to it.
If he aimed it correctly, it could eliminate priority targets in an instant, giving him both health and mana in return. A solid skill for finishing off powerful opponents and keeping himself in peak condition.
Nature's Curse was excellent for long fights. Thorn Barrage would be devastating against groups. Bloodthorn Execution was perfect for assassinations and sustain. Now, what to select from these three?
The next class skill selection would only be available at level 50 and considering that he had to kill so many quasi-core wolves just to gain a level, this was going to take time.
The normal progress wasn't this difficult at least until one reached level 100. However, Kaden's progress was different. Chalking it up to the same weird evolution and the bloodline mutation, he did not think too much about it. He could simply kill more. There was no need to worry.
As his thoughts drifted back to the skill selection, he suddenly remembered the other new quests he had received. Kaden mentally slapped himself for not thinking of this sooner and willed open the system screen.
[Ding! New Quest: Class Upgrade II]