Chapter 11 – Chasing Power
The ruins were quiet again, but not in the peaceful way. It was the silence of watching eyes, of predators waiting beyond cracked buildings and sunken roads.
Auther tightened his grip on the old steel pipe strapped across his back and kept his ears open. Enhanced Hearing filtered through the distant rustle of debris, distant caws of mutated crows, and the faint scraping of claws on concrete.
He wasn't hunting blindly.
He had a goal now.
Reach F3.
He needed the advancement to stabilize himself for the dungeon. And with only two full days left until the mana sink matured, time was closing in fast.
That meant fighting.
And killing.
He stalked through the shadowed remnants of an old shopping plaza, ears tuned, body low.
His breath was steady. Calm. Silent Star Breathing kept his core circulating mana at a gentle rhythm, preparing him for a sudden spike.
A rustle—too rhythmic to be wind—sounded from a cracked store entrance ahead.
He waited.
A distorted shape emerged—small, hunched, fast. Its back twitched with mana veins, and its face was barely human anymore.
A Gnawer Mutant. F2, quick, often working in packs. Their bones were sharp from malformation, and their eyes glowed with low cunning.
Auther didn't hesitate.
He darted forward—then stopped.
Another movement.
Two more.
They'd flanked him.
One leapt from the right, its claws extended.
Auther ducked low, slid across the dusty floor, and activated Mana Edge. His blade shimmered from his right forearm as he spun and slashed the leg of the one lunging at him.
It howled and crashed into a wall.
The second dove at him.
Too fast to counter with a full swing.
Instinct and Fighting Mastery screamed at him to move back.
Instead, Auther pushed forward and let the beast overshoot him.
Its claws missed by inches.
But the third mutant — the first one he'd seen — suddenly leapt toward his exposed back.
Auther cursed.
Too many enemies.
He needed a new tool.
He jumped back behind an overturned counter and opened his system mid-fight, blood racing.
---
[Skill Creation Window Open]
Goal: Create a movement-based combat skill — fast approach + slash.
---
He typed furiously.
Attempt 1:
Name: Blink Slash
Description: "Instantly teleport a short distance forward and slash with enhanced force upon arrival."
[Rank: E1 – Cost: 99 Points]
Too high.
He tried again.
Attempt 2:
Name: Burst Step
Description: "Briefly enhance leg muscles with mana for a sudden, high-speed burst movement. Slight increase to momentum-based strikes during movement."
[Rank: F4 – Cost: 16 Points]
Much better.
He hit confirm.
---
[Skill Created: Burst Step (F4)]
[Skill Points Remaining: 6]
---
The counter shattered behind him as one of the mutants landed hard.
Auther launched forward.
Burst Step activated.
Mana surged through his legs—controlled and explosive. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he blurred forward and closed the distance between him and the one he injured earlier.
Mana Edge flared, and he twisted mid-run—
Slash!
The blade cut deep across its chest, and the Gnawer slammed into the side wall, twitching violently before falling limp.
The other two snarled.
One approached from the right, leaping again.
Auther didn't dodge this time. He used Piercing Mana Spike mid-lunge and stabbed forward with a sharp spike formed from raw mana.
The spike dug through its eye and out the back of its skull.
A spray of dark blood painted the ground.
Two down.
But the third was already gone.
He spun.
Too quiet.
He barely ducked as the final Gnawer dropped from above — it had climbed the ceiling and waited for a moment of vulnerability.
Smart.
It tackled him, forcing him to the ground, claws flashing.
He used Reinforced Frame to shield his body from the impact and Lesser Flesh Knitting to instantly patch a tear in his shoulder as claws scraped skin.
He headbutted the beast, just enough to throw it off balance.
Then—he used Burst Step again.
Not to escape…
To launch upward.
He flipped, landing behind the creature.
And with a calm breath, thrust Mana Edge into its back, right at the base of the spine.
It spasmed and collapsed.
Auther stood over it, panting, hands slick with blood and mana stinging his veins.
---
[3x F2 Mutants Defeated]
[Enemies Equal to Rank – +10 Skill Points]
[Bonus: Clean Execution – +3 Points]
[Skill Points Gained: +13]
---
[Rank Up: F3 Achieved]
---
A breath caught in his throat.
His body shifted.
His limbs grew subtly denser, nerves sharper, his mana pool deeper.
This was not a sudden transformation — but a refinement, like his body being tightened and honed into something more precise.
F3.
It wasn't much to the world.
But to Auther?
It was the difference between death and survival.
He absorbed one of the cores, channeling the chaotic mana into his body through Silent Star Breathing, syncing with Mana Flow Regulation to keep his center stable.
He sat beside the corpses, wiped the blood off his arms, and let the warm glow of advancement seep into his bones.
---
Hours later, back in his shelter, Auther stared at his updated screen.
---
[Name: Auther Finn]
[Rank: F3]
[Skill Points: 13]
[Skills:]
Silent Star Breathing (F5)
Mana Edge (F3)
Fighting Mastery (F3)
Reflex Boost (F4)
Enhanced Hearing (F4)
Reinforced Frame (F4)
Lesser Flesh Knitting (F4)
Mana Flow Regulation (F5)
Piercing Mana Spike (F5)
Burst Step (F4)
---
Ten skills.
Balanced.
Efficient.
And most importantly — battle-tested.
"Only two days left…"
He opened his notebook and wrote under the mini-dungeon entry:
> Objective met: F3 achieved.
Combat effectiveness confirmed.
Burst Step – excellent engagement tool. Combine with Mana Edge.
Next goal: one more ranged or wide-area attack skill. Reserve points.
He looked out the cracked wall of the train car.
Beyond the rubble, the pulsing glow from the mana sink had become brighter, visible even during the day.
It was almost ready.
And now, so was he.