Scorching Ascension - [Progression Litrpg Apocalypse]

Ethan grunted and slowly lifted his arm. After a couple of minutes of observing the injury, he decided to leave it as is. It wasn't bleeding, and he didn't really want to walk around shirtless. The temperature here wasn't cold, but it wasn't too warm, either. Though as he took in the state of his once white t-shirt, he hoped he'd eventually find something to clean himself up with.

Maybe there's a cloth cleaning spell?

Ethan blinked.

Magic is a thing.

It still felt surreal. He glanced down at the still bloodied claws and swallowed. "This is happening."

It all felt too real to be anything else. His brain couldn't fake how vivid the musty smell coming off the two creatures were. Or the feeling of wet, cold red blood drying along his digits.

Ethan glanced at the stab wound in his arm once more.

Well, if it starts bleeding, I'll tear a strip off my shirt. But for now it's probably fine…

Stepping closer to the dead spear-wielder, he poked the weapon with a foot. Nothing happened. Then Ethan leaned over, reaching for the spear with his clawed hand. It also had the soft golden haze about it, barely visible, but it seemed that he needed to touch it with his claws to absorb the fragments and effectively, as he touched it, the weapon dissolved into golden smoke and another notification popped up.

Lesser Arcanum: 1 fragment collected.

Looking down at the two lizardlings, he found nothing else he could test his collecting ability on. There was no smoky, gold-like magic floating off of anything and so, Ethan stepped toward the exit and slowly, carefully, looked down the hall. He didn't intend to leave yet. He had a couple more things to check. But he needed to make sure no more of these lizardlings were on the way.

Corridors of stone stretched out on both sides. Light came down from a few spots where the roof had caved in, and as he listened, he neither saw nor heard anything.

Actually, it was eerie how quiet everything was. No birds. No running water. No wind. Just… silence.

Ethan shook his head and retreated into the room, then loaded his menus. Specifically, the side quest.

Side quest: Reach level 5

Reward: 1 stat point. Trait: Universal tongue.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. Did that mean he would understand what those lizardlings had been saying once he gained the trait? Actually, were they monsters? Back when he'd been reading the variants for his Arcanum, there had been a line about how Enhancer-wands were the default option for monsters, but these two creatures had weapons.

So that means they're an intelligent species. A hostile one. But not technically monsters.

If those things weren't considered monsters… then what was a real monster like?

The questions kept piling up, and he wasn't getting any answers from this room, so he turned his attention to the next task at hand. He had a point to assign.

Okay. I see an unassigned line right under Mana, so it's safe to assume the point will go in one of those four. The Might stat seems related to strength. Toughness is straightforward as well, and so is Mana. Which leaves Spirit… Maybe that's for spells? Or some sort of resistance?"

One thing was clear: whatever he decided to boost, it wouldn't be a waste. Every one of these stats seemed important.

He glanced back at the two dead creatures, then down at this injured arm. While he had said that he'd improve his Mana first, it seemed like Toughness could use that a bit more. Especially considering his current state and the potential danger he was in.

Could it help him with his current injury? Maybe. Would it allow him to take bigger risks and speed up his progress? Probably.

It'll really depend on how effective every Toughness point is. I'll have to test it. Though I won't benefit from the Form Bonus… but better to stay alive. I've got the offensive potential with the claws. Now I need some defense. If Toughness allows me to shrug off injuries or not even take them, then it's the most important stat right now.

As soon as Ethan confirmed his choice, warmth filled his muscles, sinking into his flesh and bones. After a couple of seconds, Ethan could swear the stab wound was less painful. Even when he moved his right claws and slowly raised his arm the injury barely protested.

Nice. One or two more points and I bet it'll feel even better.

With that done, he turned his attention the last matter at hand.

Ever since this series of events had started, Ethan began noticing a pattern and by now, it was niggling at the back of his mind. Considering the early-bird rewards and the new side quest he'd just gotten, it felt that the tutorial wasn't just here to teach them how to adapt and be ready for the real world and its dangers.

There was an edge of competitiveness, he believed. He didn't think it was the main goal of the tutorial. The goal of that was probably still equipping them for survival. But it seemed like the orchestrators of this whole thing wanted them to compete. To push themselves. Otherwise, why encourage early participation if everyone was going to be enrolled anyway?

He didn't have enough to prove anything, and it didn't feel nefarious per se. But if that was the case, then there might be more rewards. More incentives. And Ethan wanted those.

Pacing around the room and winking his noise at the stench of the two creatures as he passed them, he resolved to push himself harder. He fully intended on taking advantage of every leg up he could get. And if he was a bit off, if this was all actually a competition masquerading as a tutorial, he needed to find an edge. Some way to propel himself ahead of everybody else. Because if the dynamics of the world were changing, if new rules and new powers were being drawn up and established, then there one thing that Ethan would not be able to tolerate.

He was not going to be at the mercy of anyone. He was not going to submit to any person—or entity's—will.

Never.

Ethan took a deep breath. He might be leaping to conclusions, of course. But even if he was wrong, he would only benefit. Sure, it'd be a bit riskier. But he wasn't passing up an opportunity. Not when it might put him behind and give others power of him.

Ethan shook his head. Those were some worries for another time. For now…. What should he prioritize? Focus on collecting spells? Clear every side-quest? How about the fragments and Arcanum upgrades?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Well, side quests seem to have nice rewards on top of free stat points. So that' s a good venue to start with. At the same time, I should focus on the Arcanum upgrades. Getting the next tier and unlocking more option would be good. Plus, I'd be able to use the new spell I'd gotten.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Let's start with that."

Eying the exit, and imagining the dozens of lizardlings potentially infesting the castle—or whatever this place was—Ethan thought of Luther and everyone who'd been pulled into this. He hoped the old man was okay. And as soon as he had the thought, the man's voice rang in his ears.

"You can't help anyone if you don't help yourself first, you brat," Luther would have said. He was an aggravating man. But he was very often right. Ethan smiled at the memory, then took a deep breath.

Alright. Time to go exploring.

Ethan stepped to the exit and stealthily glanced down the halls. He inhaled, then exhaled, then nodded to himself.

He slowly crept out, looking left, then right, then back to the left.

That was where the lizardlings had come from. If a new patrol was coming around, he might be able to ambush them around the corner and if there was a camp of them nearby, then he should know about it.

Quietly, close to the wall, Ethan made his way down the corridor, weathered stones and gravel crunching under his feet. Hand on the cold wall, he slowly looked around the corner, only to find stairs leading down. A lit torch was on the wall facing the steps.

Looks like another corridor.

With extra care, he went down the stairs, hands against the grey stone. Wind whistled through the hallways and slowly, with every sense on alert after he made sure nothing was coming from the left, he peeked down the right corridor and instantly snapped his head back.

He hadn't been fast enough.

Welp. There goes my attempt at stealth.

Four lizardlings had been walking toward him and as soon as his head popped around the corner, one of them warbled something and all four had summoned their weapons.

Ethan exploded into movement, climbing up the stairs two steps a time while screeches sounded behind him, echoing down the corridor. The sound of clawed steps became louder, slapping against the flagstone.

I can do four. Probably. Maybe.

Ethan turned around the corner and slammed his back against it, panting. The footsteps slowed, but he could still hear the lizardlings speak in their scratchy tongue. Any second now, one of the aggressive creatures was gonna pop out.

While he wouldn't have minded brokering for peace, just like the other two, these didn't seem keen on keeping him alive and considering there were four of them, he was going all out from the get-go.

The sound of crunching stones was right around the bend, then the tip of a spear poked out of the corner, inches away from him. The signal.

Ethan surged forward, and his left claws shot straight toward the first lizardling's throat, tearing into it. Blood splattered on the wall and the floor, and gurgling filled the hall while he jumped back, dodging the stab of a second spear.

You have defeated [Lizardling - Level 3]

You have reached Level 3. 1 stat point awarded.

Ethan immediately put that into Toughness as he continued leading the remaining lizardlings closer to the room.

[Lizardling - Level 2]

[Lizardling - Level 4]

[Lizardling - Level 4]

The magic sunk into his flesh once more, and the pain of his injured arm lost more of its bite. Ethan discovered that he could flex and exert force with it now, though it still caused some pain. He parried a spear away from his chest and with a clawed grip, he stabbed into the lizardling's chest and twisted, tearing its guts open and grimacing as his injured bicep protested the gesture. But it wasn't enough to stop his movement.

With a shove, the lizardling fell down, limp, and Ethan leaped back, creating some more distance between him and the two remaining lizardlings.

You have defeated [Lizardling - Level 4]

At this point, the two survivors took a step back and shared a quiet look and a hiss. Ethan knew what would be coming next, so he rushed forward, suddenly alarmed.

I can't have runners.

The higher level lizardling raised a dagger and made a screech, stabbing forward and forcing Ethan to defend himself while the second turned heel and bolted. Ethan cursed as he jumped back from another stab. But it didn't come after him and when he took a step forward, the creature took a step back away from him. It was content to just wait.

It's stalling. Little bastard.

Ethan feinted forward, earning him another panicked—and expected—slash and when it realized its mistake, it was already too late. Ethan lunged as soon as he saw it flailing at thin air, eyes on the dagger as the creature tried to recover its stance. Ethan caught the creature's weak, panicked swipe and stabbed with another open palm. It stared up at him, eyes wide, then it fell to its knees. A few seconds later, a notification pinged in his ears.

You have defeated [Lizardling - Level 4]

You have reached Level 4. 1 stat point awarded.

Ethan hurriedly bent over the three dead lizardlings and collected his fragments.

Lesser Arcanum: 4 fragments collected.

With that done, he rushed up the corridor and away from where the lizardlings should be coming from. As he passed his spawn room, he glanced back, expecting torches and running armed lizardlings, but nothing was coming just yet.

One more point in Toughness. Then I can start investing points elsewhere.

Ethan did that without stopping and at this point, the pain in his arm was more of a soreness than anything else. He needed his limbs, especially if he was about to be fighting even more stabby lizards.

Ethan slowed as he approached the corner, heart hammering.

He couldn't tell if it was from the exertion or from the excitement, but one thing was clear, once he dealt with the lizardlings' reinforcement, he would be sitting on a small pile of fragments. He was gonna have a lot of spending money. And he was only a level away from his first completed side quest.

A grin stretched across his lips.

This is a lot more fun than working in a store or going back to college, he thought as he turned the corner.

Something moved.

Ethan's clawed hands shot forward, thinking it was another lizardling, but stopped once he realized it wasn't. The man in front of him, on the other hand, only gave him a crazed smile before a flash of light shot out of a pointed wand.