NOVEL NEXT Chapter 100: 843 Points
I knew from an unfortunate experience that I should not attempt to cultivate all of my new stat points at once. The last time I allocated too many stat points had been when I only had 129 to work with. But now…
I warily scanned through the stat sheet hovering before my eyes within my trance, feeling both anticipation and a little unease to finally see the massive number of free stat points I was bound to have floating within my core, just waiting to be allocated. I had advanced from mid-Tier 4 all the way to mid-Tier 7. The jump in levels and statistic points was undoubtedly significant.
STATUS
NAME: RAYDEN GRIM
TIER: 7
LEVEL: 90
90 OUT OF 135 LEVELS REACHED FOR TIER 7
STATS
MIGHT: 24
AGILITY: 21
VITALITY: 36
INTELLIGENCE: 71
WISDOM: 67
WILLPOWER: 21
FREE STAT POINTS: 843
I gasped at the sight of the massive free stat points number, shocking myself out of my meditative state. I became aware of my bed covers wrapping around my crossed legs and the subtle smell of damp wood that always accompanied the dormitory. I clutched my pounding heart with a shaky hand, my body disliking the rude awakening from a deep trance.
How, by the gods, was I supposed to even start allocating 843 stat points?! Using up 129 stat points all at once just days ago had almost torn my core to shreds! I quickly reminded myself that at Tier 7, my body and core were stronger now and could probably handle a large stat dump much better than when I was at Tier 4. However, I still needed to proceed with caution.
"Dex, if you can hear me somehow, somewhere, what should I do?"
No response.
Having my AI companion back in my head briefly while in the cavern made Dex's recurring absence all the more stark. I felt… irreparably lonely, like a massive, Codex-shaped hole bore into my brain, accompanied by the ache I felt from missing him. He definitely would know how many stat points I should allocate at once.
"Stupid neural implant," I grumbled to myself, pounding a fist near where the device had been inserted.
The sooner I could get the foreign device out of my head, the better. But while I lived in this city, the neural implant had to stay put. At least, that's what I'd been told, and I had a feeling asking for its removal would draw some unwanted attention.
Maybe staying at the academy wasn't the best option anymore. The purpose of attending the academy was to learn how to efficiently advance to Tier 10 and become an adept warrior, mage, or whatever I intended. But now, I was already at Tier 7 after attending barely over a week at the school. Maybe I could climb to Tier 10 quicker than I'd initially planned, get off this planet, get the neural implant out of my brain, and have Codex back permanently. And if I ventured to more caverns with Cinthara and successfully completed whatever tests Lord Solomon had set up within them, reaching Tier 10 didn't seem like a far-off goal.
The levels within higher Tiers would take much longer to advance through, as each higher level needs exponentially more essence to achieve. But now I had a plan. A decent plan. I could figure out how to get the neural implant out of my head and leave this planet later. First, I needed to get to Tier 10.
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I rolled my shoulders back and inhaled deeply through my nose, mentally preparing myself to slip back into a meditation. I still hadn't scrolled through my new Tier 5, Tier 6, and Tier 7 Skills yet.
TIER 5 SKILL:
ECHO SNARE
-THIS SKILL ALLOWS THE USER TO LEAVE AN ECHO OF THE ESSENCE USED TO
DUPLICATE AND CAST ANOTHER USER'S SPELL FOR 10 SECONDS. IF A
SEPARATE SPELL FROM A TIER 5 OR LOWER USER IS CAST IN THE RANGE OF
THIS ECHO, A WEAKER DUPLICATE OF THE NEW SPELL IS IMMEDIATELY MADE
AVAILABLE TO THE OWNER OF THE ECHO SNARE.
It took me a couple times to read it over and understand, but once I did, my eyebrows raised in shock. If I understood the description of my Tier 4 Skill correctly, I could chain two stolen spells together back to back–two different spells. A spell stolen from this Echo Snare would be a weaker duplication of whatever spell it caught, but it could still prove extremely useful. I couldn't wait to try it.
TIER 6 SKILL:
SKILL SNARE LEVEL 3
-THIS SKILL ALLOWS THE USER THE ABILITY TO READ ANOTHER'S
ESSENCE USED WHEN THEY CAST A SPELL, MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR THE
USER OF THIS SKILL TO STEAL SAID SPELL. BUT ONLY AS LONG AS THAT
PERSON IS USING A SKILL RANKED TIER 7 OR LOWER. THIS SKILL CAN BE
USED ONCE PER 5 MINUTES.
That's good, I thought. Every time my main Skill, the Skill Snare, upgraded, the better. The more spells I could steal and keep in my repertoire, the more options I had in a fight. Now, I didn't just have to steal from people Tier 5 or lower.
TIER 7 SKILL:
ECHO SNARE LEVEL 2
-THIS SKILL ALLOWS THE USER TO LEAVE AN ECHO OF THE ESSENCE USED TO
DUPLICATE AND CAST ANOTHER USER'S SPELL FOR 20
SECONDS. IF A SEPARATE SPELL FROM A TIER 7 OR LOWER USER IS CAST IN
THE RANGE OF THIS ECHO, A WEAKER DUPLICATE OF THE NEW SPELL IS
IMMEDIATELY MADE AVAILABLE TO THE OWNER OF THE ECHO SNARE.
My last new Skill, my Tier 7 Skill, had given me an upgrade to my new Echo Snare Skill. So, instead of leaving a 10-second trap meant to steal oncoming spells within range and allow me to use a weaker version immediately, the same trap would stay around for a full 20 seconds. That was a significant amount of time.
I slipped out of my meditative state again, too much adrenaline pumping through my blood to keep me relaxed. I desperately wanted to test everything out, especially the Echo Snare. But where would I go to train so late into the night? And I needed someone Tier 7 or lower to cast some spells around me so I could explore exactly how my new Skills worked.
I convinced myself that my best step forward was to start allocating my pile of free stat points. Perhaps my body could handle just 50 stat points at one time. Then, I could do more if my core wasn't stretching and essentially screaming at me to slow down. I could even spread out allocation over a few days.
My eyes fluttered closed, and I tried to relax back into a trance, but the blood pumping loudly in my ears distracted me. I blinked my eyes back open and stared at the wooden wall across from me.
Tier 7. I'm at Tier 7!
It was as if I'd become fully aware of my new Tier for the first time. When first arriving at Solomon's Realm Academy, Dex told me that the aging process began slowing at Tier 7. How much slower, I didn't know. Did it mean I'd forever look like a teenager, or would I still age enough to actually look like a man someday? And how was I supposed to keep attending the academy as a first-year student who had started just days ago as a Tier 2 and somehow explain to people that I was now a Tier 7? Didn't I have to report to those androids and pretend to cultivate the way everyone else here did?
I shook my head and cursed at myself. There were too many things to worry about, but none were important enough to dwell on at that very moment. I was exhausted after Cinthara's and my excursion on the surface. I had class in the morning, and I needed to get at least some of the 843 stat points out of the way. I had plenty more days in my life to worry about everything else, but right now, I needed to get myself to sleep as quickly as possible.
I forced my lids down over my eyes and took about a dozen deep breaths to force some calm into my tense limbs. After finally achieving a meditative state full of tranquil breaths and pleasant lightness, I began an allocation of just 50 stat points. I continued following Nic's advice by placing my primary focus on Intelligence and Wisdom for now.
STATS
MIGHT: 24 (+5)
AGILITY: 21 (+5)
VITALITY: 36 (+5)
INTELLIGENCE: 71 (+15)
WISDOM: 67 (+15)
WILLPOWER: 21 (+5)
FREE STAT POINTS: 793
I submitted the allocation, reeling over the fact that I still had 793 more points to put somewhere, and then I slipped out of my trance. I allowed my head to fall back onto my pillow and closed my eyes against the warm buzz that began to course through my entire body. The buzz grew intense, and I grimaced against the discomfort, clenching my fists around the bedcovers and curling my toes to keep from crying out in pain. The stretching of my core felt like a sharp throbbing in my abdomen.
Maybe 50 points is too much at one time, too, I thought.
But the discomfort dissipated just as quickly as it had come, returning to a pleasant warmth as it subsided. The desire to test out my strength with some spell practice and sparring almost trumped the desire to sleep, but my heavy eyelids and weary body won out in the end. Besides, I had a schedule to keep, classes to attend, discovering my new shifts as part of the Elite Group #1…
I rolled myself underneath the warm sheet and blanket and pushed all excitement about my new Tier away. And along with that, I ignored all the worries swirling through my tired brain. It didn't take long for sleep to take over me.