Scorching Ascension - [Progression Litrpg Apocalypse]

The sounds of muffled steps echoed in the sloping tunnel as Ethan made his way down. The tunnel was bright enough thanks to the blue and purple fungi lining the walls. The air was humid. Musty, but not in an unpleasant way. It was almost fragrant. It smelled like fresh rain and and upturned soil in fall.

Thankfully, there were no monster just yet, though he could hear the call coming up. The claws summoned, but he didn't ignite them just yet. Ethan was looking forward to test them out against some new opponents.

Meeting Liz and her people had been a nice change of pace, but he had side quests to finish. Levels to acquire, and two demanding Arcanums to activate and upgrade.

Before I get down there though, should I use the the spell token from the hidden quest?

Ethan came to stop and hummed. A new spell could be useful. But it would be a tier-2, so it would tax his mana even more. Do he really need to crack this token open just yet? What did he really need? A way to heal quickly would be nice. A ranged attack was less of a priority now that he had [Small Fireball], so variety and utility were once more attractive.

Though I don't know how the Prime Arcanum's going to work. It may be best to see how that turns out before I commit. And I want more forms, so I gotta save some fragments for the Lesser Arcanum. And I got [Gout of Flames] to buy as well, eventually.

Ethan nodded to himself. He should hold on to the spell token for a bit more.

A handful of minutes later, the slope eased up and the tunnel's exit came into view. The smell of wet soil filled his nose, sending pulses of excitement down his arms. Finally, the room came into view.

Ethan's mouth dropped.

A tapestry of blue, purple, and‌ every color in between stretched below and ahead of him. The cave was nearly twice as large as all the above rooms combined. Easily as wide as three or four stadiums, and as for the depth, he couldn't see the end. The giant space sloped down near the horizon then continued around the corner, far in the distance. More fungal trees spread out in clumps, but they seemed more sparse than above, most likely due to the higher number of ponds in this area and as he took in the vista, a question popped into his mind once more.

"How is this place even standing?" he mumbled to himself. Ethan was no geologist or engineer, but it was shocking how the cavern hadn't caved in on itself yet. Along the nearby cavern walls, he noted holes in the wall, not unlike the tunnel he just came through, which meant there might be even more entrances to this space from above.

Without wasting any more time, Ethan slowly climbed down, keeping his ears and eyes open for any nearby dangers. The air was full of the humid scent of underbrush, while a mix of throaty calls and roars filled his ears. Fortunately, none seemed too close to him.

Nearing the bottom, he realized he was going to have to jump. It seemed there might a cave or a depression below him, and he'd rather not land on the bush right below him, so aiming away from the wall, Ethan pushed off and hopped down, landing on the soil with a soft squelch, which was quickly followed by a surprised, garbled screech from beyond the bush.

Shit!

Ethan turned in a crouch, flames surging around his claws, and came face to face with a small fire-camp of groggy lizardlings. One had been on watch, and it had its spear brandished at him, while four more were scrambling up, still dazed. One of them, the first up, was a stout warrior, and the only one at level 32, while the rest hovered between 20 and 28.

Ethan slowly exhaled with relief. This could have turned ugly, but thankfully, the lizardlings had been as surprised as him. While he hadn't expected a fight this fast, he was happy to see it was one he could handle easily enough.

Ethan extended a hand. "Hello there. What are you guys up to?"

The high-level one narrowed its eyes and summoned a second dagger, which was what Ethan had expected. Before it could speak or do much else, a small ball of concentrated fire zipped out of his palm right as he leaped backward, and the fireball hit the soil at the warrior's feet.

The spell exploded like the crack of thunder, making his own ears ring as fire engulfed and set fire to the bush he had been standing behind. A wave of heat hit him next, followed by the fallen debris, which happened to include a few lizardling appendages.

You have defeated [Lizardling - Level 21]

…

You have defeated [Lizardling - Level 27]

You have reached Level 31. 1 stat point awarded.

Ethan took a step back and brushed off some of the dirt that showered him while he waited for the survivor to show up.

Easiest level I've gotten to date.

The fire and smoke were clearing up as he took a step forward. A moment later, the smoke rippled and a gray arc of magic came zipping at his head. Ethan braced, summoning a gout of flames around his hands to block, only for the arc of gray energy to slice through his flames and shallowly cut into his forearms. It stung a little, but it wasn't bad.

A beat later, the warrior came hurtling out of the smoke. It had a crazed look in its slitted eyes, while burn marks marred its scales, but it was still standing. It came at Ethan low, daggers out, and in response Ethan pointed both clawed hands out and blasted it with a fire that put what the fireball produced to shame, forcing to take a step back lest whatever remained of his pants melted.

There was a muted screech, then he received another notification.

You have defeated [Lizardling (I) - Level 32]

Ethan lowered his arms and took in the smoldering carcass left where the warrior had been. A few flames were still merrily dancing about, mostly on the logs the lizardlings had used for the campfire.

Slowly exhaling, Ethan studied his surroundings for a few seconds. When nothing else moved or made a sound, he dismissed his the claws and went around collecting the fragments into his Prime Arcanum.

That could have been dangerous. The warrior might have been a tougher fight if Ethan hadn't gotten the drop on them, so even though he'd made quick work of this camp, he'd have to be careful from now on. If he'd dropped on a camp with four or five tier-1s—and clearly, the lizardlings seemed to have those in spares—he might have been in trouble. His fires were effective in closed spaces such as this one, but he might not always get the terrain advantage.

Ethan leaned over and collected the last fragments, which brought his total to 221 in his Prime Arcanum. He almost clicked the first form upgrade, but refrained and quickly scampered up the wall to one of the tunnels.

Just in case this takes longer than expected.

Pulling up the options at his disposal, Ethan crossed his arms.

As I said in the past, while the wand's nice, I want either the lance or the horns first. I could honestly go with either be happy, though in any case, I'll be getting the second form in hours at most.

The horns would boost his magic and he could do the thing he'd seen in his vision. On the other hand, the lance could prove valuable against things that might be tougher to crack. His claws were great, but a lance with an explosive stab? That was something else.

Horns, or lance, he wondered, then pulled both up to re-read.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Prime form - Lance of the Juggernaut: Summon an adaptable lance to pierce through your opponent's defenses. Impacts of the lance as well as the spells cast by it can provoke an explosion if willed. Form Bonus: Might, Mana - 200 fragments

Prime form - Horns of the Juggernaut: Summon formidable horns that empower your magic. Additionally, when charging toward your quarry, your Might and Toughness are greatly empowered. Form Bonus: Spirit, Toughness - 200 fragments

Ethan considered looking for a coin into his pocket once more, but it really was no big deal. He had to get all three forms anyway, so he opted to start with the lance first. It might not be optimal, but it was going to boost his Might and Mana, which was good enough for the next couple of hours.

He was about to confirm his choice when he heard the breaking branches outside the tunnel.

Furtively, Ethan glanced out of the tunnel and further into the woods. The mushroom-treetops swayed and rustled as something large made its way toward him.

The explosion from earlier… something must have heard that and came to investigate.

Having already made his choice, Ethan clicked his choice.

He took a step back into the tunnel as the light coalesced around him and just in case, he summoned his claws once more and was glad to find the process wasn't interfering with them.

There was hissing and more rustling outside, but he didn't dare peek out just yet. Thankfully, the upgrade didn't take long to finish. Somehow, just like the upgrade to his stats, it felt empowering. It was as if there had been a dormant part of him deep within he didn't realize he had, and now, roused with this mystical energies that had surrounding and flown into him, it had just woken up, giving more weight to his soul. Making him feel as if he'd just had the most restful night of sleep of his life.

The feeling was honestly trippy. Like a fever, dream, but positive, and in any case it was already fading away, leaving only one new mental trigger. A new button of sorts, that he could press to summon his new prime form.

As soon enough it was over, Ethan brought up his Prime Arcanum's page and found it changed.

Prime Arcanum of the Juggernaut - Activation in progress (1/3):

Spells: None

Spellforms: None

Prime forms: [Lance of the Juggernaut]

Traits: [Universal Tongue, Enduring Brawler, Child of Flames]

Tier: 1

Spell Capacity: 0

Spellform Capacity: 0

Form Bonus [10%]: [Lance of the Juggernaut: +10% to Might, +10% to Mana]

Essence: 5

Fragments: 21

He didn't miss the interesting changes, and a quick glance at the available upgrades told him that there won't be any spell-slotting until he finished up unlocking the Prime forms, but that was alright.

At least I'm getting the stat boosts. But what's the Essence for?

Ethan wasn't sure. Still, he pulled his stats, he wanted to see how the bonuses in action before he moved on. There was something creeping nearby, and he wanted to get the drop on it.

Level 31

Might: 16 (13)

Toughness: 23

Spirit: 13

Mana: 14 (13)

Unassigned: 1

Niiiice. I'm gonna hold on to that point for a minute. Now, let's see this new form.

Flicking the new button he could sense deep in his soul, Ethan grinned as a large weapon fell into his open palm. His claws tightened around the dark pommel as he eyed the black and red guard that protectively covered his hand. It didn't feel too heavy. Not at all, even though the whole thing was taller than he was.

But that shouldn't be an issue. Aside from the fact that the description had said it was adaptable, he could sense it in his soul. The option to customize the armament's size. Ethan willed the lance to grow smaller and promptly, it shrunk until the whole thing became slightly longer than a longsword. Something he could maneuver a lot easier.

Magic's awesome.

Ethan took a second to admire the pearlescent, dark gray metal coating of the lance. He couldn't tell what material it was made of, and ever couple of seconds, Ethan find himself looking back up at the incredibly sharp point of the lance.

This thing could do so much damage. Especially if I manage to put some momentum behind me.

He could picture himself, flying then dropping on monsters with this thing pointed down. How much damage would that do?

Ethan smiled dumbly at the weapon. He just had to find some wings. How hard could that be?

A growly hiss shook him out of his daze, and Ethan finally peered out and saw what it was that had come looking for him.

[Water monitor (I) - Level 42]

[Water monitor (I) - Level 37]

Two particularly large specimens of the blue-tinted lizards were dragging the smoking corpses of the lizardlings, fighting over them, as if there wasn't enough, and after a moment, the largest of the two paused and its flicked in the air for a couple of seconds before it tilted its head around, and a surprised Ethan met the yellow-slitted eye.

How did it detect me so fast?

It hissed, and the second one looked up at him as well. Bright-scaled and sharp-toothed, they bared their teeth at him while thick strands of viscous saliva dripped down and clung to their jaws. It seemed like recent squabble had already been forgotten, to Ethan's chagrin. Which might be a problem.

Cooperating opponents were more annoying to deal with.

Ethan ignited his claws as he looked down at the two lizards, then tentatively shot a [Small Fireball] at the higher level monitor, only for the lizard to open its mouth and shoot back a jet of concentrated water that hit the fireball and snuffed it out. Before Ethan could register what had happened, a second shot came at him from the side, punching through his flames and clipping him on the right shoulder.

The jet of water hit him like a sledgehammer, sending him reeling for a couple of step back in the tunnel. Groaning, Ethan made his way back to the exit, rolling his shoulder to shake the numbness out of it. The skin was bright red, but other than that, it wasn't really injured. Still, it really stung.

Carefully peering out at the lizards, he cursed when he saw them climbing toward the tunnel.

Enough half measures, he told himself as he gripped the lance tighter. He was here for fragments and levels. He could of course back into the tunnel and retreat, but where's the fun in that?

He'd have to be wary of the pressurized jet of water, but he wasn't running.

Ethan exhaled, listening to the clambering claws and hissing. Extending a head out, he shot another fireball, but this time, he aimed for the rocky wall between him and the lizards.

Soft earth and stone geysered out of the point of impact, throwing the lizards back to the flatter soil. The monsters quickly recovered, looking up at the screen of smoke and dust in time to see a pearly gray metallic point shine through the cloud of debris, with Ethan right behind it. With the lance held overhead and aimed down, he came down on giant lizards like a falling spear.