Spearbound Ch. 57

You have destroyed 3 Chasmfiends (Arcana Level 53)
You have destroyed 1 Terrorhulk (Arcana Level 53)
You have destroyed 11 Voidborns (Arcana Level 52)
You have destroyed 1 Blood Revenant (Arcana Level 52)
You have destroyed 23 Warpstalkers (Arcana Level 51)
You have destroyed 2 Dreadmaws (Arcana Level 51)

…

Kade blinked before skimming over the overload of information. He didn’t need to know everything about the monsters he killed. The interface changed when his disinterest was clear.

Total Kills: 892
Eligible Kills for EXP: 837
Ineligible Kills: 55

That confirms my assumption that monsters with too low of a [Arcana Level] is useless to me.

Spear Impale (Level 9)—>Spear Impale (Level 11)

Spear Sweep (Level 7)—>Spear Sweep (Level 10)

Spear Thrust (Level 14)—>Spear Impale (Level 15)

Rapid Strike (Level 11)—>Rapid Strike (Level 12)

Kade almost dropped Eliza in his excitement. He had concentrated only on staying alive and had forgotten to use specific skills to boost his abilities, making the two new abilities a welcome surprise.

Your skill [Spear Impale] has reached Level 10! You have unlocked an ability. You have 3 options to choose from.

Vital Mark (Passive):

[Spear Impale] marks a vital point. A second strike within 5 seconds to the same spot causes critical damage.

Venom Strike (5-50 MP):

A successful impale poisons the enemy, inflicting stacking damage over time. Every movement they make worsens the effect. The [MP] cost will vary depending on the target’s [Arcane Level].

Arc Chain (1-30 MP):

On a successful impale, chained lightning strikes the surrounding area, stunning all targets briefly and passing the damage to the affected enemies. The [MP] cost will vary depending on the desired area, up to a maximum of 100 feet.

Kade’s attention kept being drawn to [Venom Strike], know how useful it could be against something much stronger than him. However, he already had too many abilities that were focused on a singular target.

He had been spamming [Inferno Burst] constantly as his sole option for mass damage, but that was better used as a ranged attack. [Arc Chain] would give him another option, and it had a much larger area of effect, though the cost increased to make that possible.

It was worth it.

You now have the ability [Arc Chain].

Kade didn’t get to take his attention off the interface. It immediately prompted him to make another choice.

Your skill [Spear Sweep] has reached Level 10! You have unlocked an ability. You have 3 options to choose from.

Flame Arc (5 MP):
Unleash a blade of fire with each sweep. The arc travels 5 feet beyond the [Soulrend]’s reach, causing minor damage to enemies at range and knocking them back.

Vortex Spiral (5-15 MP):
After a sweep, a vortex forms the peak of the arc, pulling enemies toward the center. The [MP] cost will vary depending on the desired strength of the vortex.

Mark of the Predator (5 MP)

[Spear Sweep] marks targets for 10 seconds. Marked enemies take increased damage (50%) from your next strike. Condition: The target’s [Arcana Level] must be no more than 5 levels higher.

Kade didn’t make his choice as quickly this time. He used [Spear Sweep] to gain maneuvering room in tight situations. He had a desire for that to translate into the [Skill], too.

However, that didn’t mean [Vortex Spiral] and [Mark of the Predator] did not tempt Kade.

He could see the advantage of grouping enemies so he could get rid of them in one powerful attack. He also saw how marking enemies for death could simplify his battles.

Those could even be better options to have in a majority of situations, but his other [Abilities] could provide a similar function. Plus, [Flame Arc] seemed cheap in terms of the [MP] cost.

That could be the fire resistance in play.

Kade wasn’t ecstatic about it, but he made his choice.

You now have the ability [Flame Arc].

Warning: Your [Dexterity] limits your skill ‘Spear Impale’ to Level 15!

He almost tripped, making Eliza falter as his grip on her loosed. He quickly rectified that before turning his attention back to the interface.

The warning he just received did not shock Kade. It should have been something that was to be expected. The problem was that he didn’t.

He was furious that he had somehow forgotten the limitation on [Footwork], especially when the [Ability] had given him [Ethereal Glide], a [Skill] that he treasured.

Kade’s heart burned when he realized how much experience he had given up for [Footwork] by neglecting to increase his [Dexterity].

He would do so immediately.

Level up! x4

Arcana Level 51—>Arcana Level 55

Constitution: 53—>57

Endurance: 49.5—>57.5

Strength: 61—>67

Wisdom: 36—>38

Free Points: 0—>6

MP: XX/72—>XX/76

Kade dumped his points into [Dexterity].

Free Points: 6—>0

Dexterity: 15—>21

Disappointment filled him when [Footwork] hadn’t magically jumped several levels after he spent his points. He wasn’t sure if that was because [Dexterity] wasn’t high enough, or if the growth of [Footwork] only applied at the moment it occurred.

Kade suspected it was the latter.

“Where are we going?” Eliza asked.

He stopped, looking around and noticing that they were heading out of the desert. That wasn’t what he wanted to do. “I’ll be honest. I wasn’t paying attention.”

She laughed, though it sounded more like a wheeze since she barely had the energy for it. “Let’s recover first, but staying where I have access to sand is our best shot of surviving until the day is over.”

“I won’t argue with you there,” Kade nodded. “Is there a way we can defend the broken pillar?”

“No.” Eliza’s denial was immediate. “The traps will let me kill twice the amount of monsters, but that’s still a fraction of what we will face.”

Kade didn’t want to give up so easily. She was right, but he wasn’t sure if waiting for the pillar to be repaired was the best option, especially since he assumed the area effect would become even worse for them.

The world flashing red interrupted the brainstorming session.

Survive for 7 days (4/7)

Area Effect removed.

Kade shared a look of shock with Eliza. It was far too short of a time since the ‘day’ began, and even though they had wiped out scores of monsters, they were still at a severe disadvantage.

Another mob would have finished them. It made no sense to give them this reprieve.

“I’m guessing they repaired the pillar,” Eliza said gravely. “Change of plans. We need to leave the desert. My abilities aren’t strong enough to deal with monsters at full health in one attack.”

Kade, once again, nodded. They had recovered enough stamina to make their way to the desert’s border quickly, with Hellion following them above.

He checked with the bird, getting snapshots to make sure they weren’t being targeted, but the confirmation didn’t make his wariness die down. With every area effect removed, a worse one soon followed.

Kade froze when the world… vibrated. It was like a deep chord filled the air, shaking everything, including his body, uncontrollably. There was a familiar flash of red before the interface appeared.

Area Effect: Invaders successfully transported

He tensed when he saw he was no longer in the desert. Eliza was nowhere to be seen, though that meant little. Two walls that stretched impossibly high surrounded him, with no end in sight, and the terrible visibility didn’t allow him to see beyond a few meters.

The bond with Hellion, though weakened, persisted, meaning the baby bird was alive.

“System, show me the distance to Eliza’s location,” Kade requested, not wanting to dawdle.

Location function is currently unavailable. Try again once the rift zone’s disturbance subsides.

“Fuck,” Kade cursed under his breath. “Eliza, I’m in an unknown location. Definitely not in a desert and possibly inside a humongous building. Reply soon if you get this message.”

Messaging function currently unavailable. Try again once the rift zone’s disturbance subsides.

He had little hope for that, but he had to try it before dismissing it.

Kade took in a deep breath and looked at the two options he had: Move forward, or backward. They both looked the same to him, so he chose the former and walked with his guard raised.