Scorching Ascension - [Progression Litrpg Apocalypse]

Ethan scratched his head as he scanned the three trait options proposed to him.

So here's the deal. While the Harvester's dagger netted me a few spellcores and primagems, I can still get them with just luck. And while this is still not a 100% sure-thing, it seems that if something's high enough level, there's higher odds of it dropping something. Maybe. I got two primagems from Edwin, and I got one spell from the lord. Or maybe that's an effect of being in a rift?

Ethan hummed. The primagem of the lord wouldn't count as those did not rely on luck or drop chances. They were the by-product of the tier-3 [Crystalbed Bloom] spell. He eyed the three options some more and this time, his gaze lingered on Enhancer Specialist.

I'm either going to pick that one now or with the trait reward of the rift itself. I've got enough spellforms to make it worthwhile. On the other hand, I have so many boosts running I don't think I need it to finish off the rift, and for that, the Harvester's Dagger would be best than a few stats. It might net me a few more spells and primagems. But the Bound Spellform….

While it was true that he was suffering from limited capacity, Ethan really liked the idea of having one spell always at his disposal, no matter what he decided to slot in his Arcanums. Aside from the fact that it was an extra spellform that wouldn't take space, what if someday he found himself in a place that restricted Arcanums? If that was even possible, of course.

He looked back at Harvester's Flames and grimaced. While he could always pick this one the next time, what if he missed out on some great drops? He got lucky with the lord and Edwin, but what if he didn't get anything from the next two lords?

Damn. Damn damn damn.

Ethan sighed. At least he'd get another trait pickup at level 70, and he had one waiting for him when the rift would be cleared. He could always get the Bound Spellform and Enhancer Specialist then.

He eyed the options and grit his teeth. He groaned, grimacing as if he was getting his teeth pulled out until finally, he pulled his mental finger away from the trigger.

I can't pick.

Ethan glared at the choice for a second. Took a few quick breaths to hype himself up and before he could change his mind once more, he selected Harvester's Flames. Just like he said he would in the last trait choice.

Primagems and spellcores are important. I might not have an immediate use for some of them, but I bet I could trade them for stuff I'd need. Bound Spellform won't go anywhere if the last selections are of any indication.

Ethan sensed the magic of the system sink into him, altering and adding the trait to his soul and as he did, he checked his fragments and Essence.

Shardpurse: 2241 fragments

Essence: 34

He was getting close to some more upgrades, but none for spellforms just yet.

The new Arcanum for the main quest can't get here fast enough, he thought. But I should have enough fragments to evolve the Lesser Arcanum to tier-4 once I'm done dealing with the next territory.

The magic finished doing its thing, and Ethan eyed the spells in his Arcanums, looking how he was going to fit the new [Draconic Skeleton]. After a couple of seconds, he realized that if he wanted to keep everything he had equipped, he'd need to equip [Arcanum of Forms] again.

Eh. What the hell, he thought with a shrug. It cost nothing to move things around, at least temporarily.

Once it was in place, Ethan took a deep breath, then triggered the spellform.

The change started immediately. First, he noticed the flow of power and weight that spread through his body, and the draconic set description changed.

Draconic Set Bonus:

2 forms: +5 to all current stats.

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3 forms: +5 to all current stats per form.

Ethan's eyes widened, but he couldn't stop and appreciate the increased bonus. The skeleton was being summoned, and it was as if his bones had suddenly turned into mana sponges, drawing the energy into themselves at a prodigious rate. Ethan thought the wings were many-hungry, but they practically had the appetite of a finch compared to the bones. Ethan felt himself grow denser. Heavier. He was pretty sure he heard a brittle stone shatter under his feet, but when he tried to walk around, he didn't feel himself too affected. A quick hop told him that his jumping ability was a bit reduced, but when his feet hit the ground after his little hope, the cave rumbled, a few small stones jumped off the ground while a heavy sound echoed in the chamber. There was even a crack that spider-webbed around his scaly feet.

"Whaaat?" Ethan grinned, and as he stared at the indentation his foot left, he had an idea. With a flex, he summoned his wings and practically fell to his knees as he felt his inside nearly wither at the intense mana-draw.

Oh. Yeah. I guess it's time, he thought, panting as he cancelled the summoning of the wings and loaded up his interface.

Prime Arcanum: Mana Regeneration (Tier-1 → Tier-2): Increase the Arcanum's mana regeneration - 400 fragments, 25 Essence

Arcanum of Forms: Mana Regeneration (Tier-2 → Tier-3): Increase the Arcanum's mana regeneration - 300 fragments

He couldn't afford the first one, but he could afford the second, though he took note to upgrade his Prime Arcanum's mana regeneration as soon as he unlocked the Echo ability.

The magic swirled about him and Ethan took a deep breath, hoping it'd be enough. With a flex of his will, he resummoned the wings. When they materialized without any hiccups, he breathed a sight of relief. The draw in his chest lightened, and it should be a lot better once the Prime Arcanum caught up. Though it'd be even better if he could think of a nice upgrade for [Mana Heart].

If only he could get his hand on some draconic primagems. I bet that'd make those upgrades easier.

***

Wind rustled around Ethan's ears as his wings held him aloft, high up in the sky. Over his scaly shoulders, a pretty annoyed cat was crouched, tail wrapped around his neck as the two of them peered down at the pretty busy swamp stretching below them. As always, the fake-sky was bright and clear inside the rift, but not even the nice weather was enough to appease the Ignisra.

"[This is stupid. It might work, but it's still stupid.]"

Ember had been grumpy ever since Ethan had outlined his plan.

"Even the small ones spit out disgusting water. The big one has acid as well, and the fight's in a swamp. It's bad for both of us. We have to be decisive and finish it fast. Don't you think?"

"[What if you miss?]"

Ethan waved a claw down at the tiny lord.

"Look at it! How can I miss that? Even if I hadn't trained on my landing against the swarms outside the rift, I still couldn't miss that. Even a child wouldn't miss that fat, moss-covered lizard."

The two of them were high, high above the sunbathing lord of the swamp. In Ethan's opinion, this was the best, fastest, and most juggernaut-like way to end an annoying fight quickly and almost painlessly.

Still, he was a bit worried about what such an impact would do to him, even though he'd just tested a drop from nearly the same high. The difference was that he'd done that test on dry-land, on the other side of the mountain so he wouldn't alert the lord. And it might have been a little lower. But now that he looked down, he wondered if this was really that great of an idea. Going through the body of a tier-2 beast, and potentially buried himself in the soft soil of a swamp was a bit… well. It gave him pause.

Worst case scenario, my wings still work, and I fly away to recover. But how cool would it be to just stomp right through the monster's back?

He patted the cat on the head, and she swatted at him. "Look. You're not even going in there with me. You're hopping off with your own anklets, right? It'll be fine. I think. Then we can go and boil the lagoon until the last lord comes out."

That was his second plan for the other lord. Just heat the water up until the monster gets annoyed and swims out. Unless it likes warm water more than cold and in that case, Ethan would have to go back to the drawing board.

"[Fine… just kill it fast.]"

"Alright. We're going down in 3…2…1."

Ethan retracted his wings and began the descent as he covered his face with the scales. Ember crouched on his shoulder, readying herself to jump off as the two of them began accelerating dangerously to the ground. With a quick adjustment of his wings, Ethan corrected his path, aiming for center mass. They were only seconds away. The lord who'd been barely the size of a nail was quickly growing larger.

His heart hammered in his chest as he adjusted his path once more just as Ember hopped off. The world blurred, and in the last second, he saw the lord's head snap up, frantically looking around as if it had sensed the danger coming toward it. But it was too late.

Before it managed to move a single foot, Ethan made contact on the moss-covered back of the creature.