The same mindless slaughter occurred, the beasts not changing in the slightest. The only difference between waves was that there seemed to be more creatures, and he even started seeing a couple of level 6s in the mix towards the end.
He was currently standing by the door, staring at the countdown for the next wave.
Countdown: 0:10:11
A sigh escaped his lips, the boring repetition of the task starting to get to him. He knew it would get harder eventually, but still…
The fact that the monsters gave him virtually no EXP made it all the worse. Fortunately, the sheer volume of targets still pushed up a level.
Status
Name: Rajeev Narayanan
Race: Human(H)
Class: Swordsman[(Common-G) lvl 17]
Profession: None
Titles: Giant Slayer, Vitality I, Strength I, Enlightened One(G), Agility I, Endurance I, Intelligence I, Wisdom I, Dao Disciple, Tutorial Challenge: Level 9(Pending)
HP: 750/750
MP: 510/510
SP: 570/570
Stats
Strength:78(75)
Agility: 95(86)(+5)
Vitality: 75(72)
Endurance: 57(55)
Intelligence: 51(49)
Wisdom: 48(46)
Free Points: 0
Dao: Fragment of Reality
Class Skills: Mana Slash(Common), Dash(Uncommon)
Profession Skills: None
General Skills: Identify(Common)
He had elected to dump his Free Points into Wisdom, as he could definitely use the increased mana regen in this wave-like combat. Better to ensure he would always be topped off on MP. Trixie had similarly leveled up once. It would have been more if she had participated in the first few waves, but she had chosen to stay refreshed. Still, the stat increases were always a welcome addition.
Status
Name: L’thsnixzsiarla Velair
Race: Fairy(H)
Class: Mage[(Common-H) lvl 12]
Profession: None
Titles: Intelligence I, Wisdom I
HP: 190/190
MP: 350/350
SP: 190/190
Stats
Strength: 11
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Agility: 24
Vitality: 19
Endurance: 19
Intelligence: 35
Wisdom: 35
Free Points: 0
Class Skills: Mana Bolt(Common)
Profession Skills: None
General Skills: Identify(Common)
Raj had been curious about why she hadn’t evolved yet and had asked her after the last wave was over.
“Ah, yes, I forgot to mention that. To attempt to keep somewhat of a power imbalance between the bond and its master, the System increased the first threshold to level 15 for all bonds. The reasoning is speculation, but it is the most widely accepted theory. After all, not everyone is kind to their bonds, and the master is technically supposed to be in a position of superiority,” She had recounted, her distaste for the matter apparent.
He opened the door as the countdown hit 0, already drawing his sword. Then, something made his hand stop mid-action.
Wave 10
Boss Fight!
Begin!
“What the fuck,” Raj mumbled at the lack of information before yelling at his bond, “Trixie! Get your ass out here!”
It took no more than 10 seconds for her to join him, responding, “Honestly, how crude can you be?”
Ignoring her remark, he waited for her to read the prompt. “Hmm, it most certainly isn’t unexpected. The System is notorious for not allowing an easy way through, and that holds doubly true for challenges.” Raj simply tipped his head this way and that, the statement making sense to him.
A bright beam of white light suddenly shot down from the heavens, drawing his attention. His eyes watered briefly at the sheer intensity of the light, but just as he went to shield his eyes, the beam was gone. Instead, a lone monster stood in its place. Quickly, Raj identified it.
[Flesh-Knight - lvl 10].
His eyebrows raised slightly at that, and he took a moment to process the changes. For starters, the level was much higher than than the previous monsters. Additionally, the System-given designation for the monster was different. His mind instantly went to medieval hierarchies, but there was no way to confirm this until he saw the other bosses.
Luckily, the monster posed no threat to him, as he was closing in on nearly double its level. Still, this was a surprising jump in power. It was past the first threshold, which was curious.
He locked eyes with his opponent, the barren, open field making it look like an 80s Wild West showdown. The tension was released when Raj was charged by the Flesh-Knight. The Raj from a few weeks ago would have been jumping around in anticipation and nervousness, but now, he simply waited with his hand poised to draw his sword. He noted the oddity of such a maneuver, as he did not actually have to unsheathe his weapon. He simply had to pull it out of his spatial ring. Still, his time at HEMA formed a habit, and it was hard to break. He absently thought if he should buy a sheath just for that purpose, as it still felt off not feeling anything there. As silly as that may sound, comfort with your weapon, he had learned, is a vital part of battle.
As the monster reached him, he materialized his sword and spun, decapitating his foe in a single Dao-empowered strike.
You have slain [Flesh-Knight - lvl 10].
He read the prompt as he wiped his sword off on the rag he kept before making it disappear into his spatial space again. He chuckled slightly as he wondered how his current self with his increased patience would endure the long poojas and temple visits he had been so desperate to escape from.
He pushed the memory away, the thought of his parents causing him no small amount of heartache. Can’t really afford any more problems in that region, now can I? Emotionally or physically.
On that note, his mind was brought to the issue of his condition. He had been repeatedly hit with surges of pain, but nothing he hadn’t long since learned to bear with ease. Only that wild episode from before was different, and it scared him. He knew firsthand just how powerful the System could make people, so a System-strengthened disease made him figuratively shit his pants.
The best theory Raj and Trixie had devised was that it was a magical disease of sorts, and the reason it had not hit him so hard before was because Earth had not had magic, so the magical aspect of the problem was forced to remain dormant. It made him wonder just how many other things like that were out there, medical or otherwise. How far had the System’s reach really extended before the Integration?
He walked back to Trixie, who had been waiting at the door. Raj had not given her a chance to help him with how quickly he had dispatched the Flesh-Knight, and he felt slightly bad.
“Don’t worry, as the waves get harder, I’ll definitely need your help,” Raj said, trying to pacify the fairy. She waved his words away.
“It's alright, I don’t mind.”
A blaring cacophony of trumpets suddenly blared through his ears, the loudness causing him to cover his ears, but the action provided no respite. A notification followed the unpleasant sound a second later, and he read through it.
Wave 10 Complete!
- You may now select to automatically trigger the start of the next wave if you so choose to.
- You have gained: +1 level
You are now entitled to know:
- A boss monster will appear every 10 waves
- Death in this challenge is not permanent. A death will result in the player being placed in stasis for 24 hours before being released back into the tutorial.
A second prompt followed the first.
Congratulations!
You have leveled up x1!
Stats have been distributed.
He and Trixie both turned towards each other as one. “Well, isn’t that interesting?” Raj said with a small smile.