Surviving The Myriad Worlds (A Multiplanar LitRPG)

After considering the bolt in his hand for a second, Moeris smoothly flicked it back at Dante. [Temporal Reactions] activated without Dante's prompting and he barely managed to dodge to the side. A line of heat seared against his ribs and the bolt shattered against the wall behind him with a loud crack! Dante patted the rent in his shirt, finding it already soaked with blood. The return shot had to be returned with interest to make it past his defenses. [Mana Body Fortication] has been useless under such power.

That could have killed me if it were a few inches to the left!

"Not bad. That aura reduced its power by half. And right before the impact, hmm, was that time distortion? I doubt you had the time to activate an ability, so two auras?"

"Attendent Moeris's intuition is terrifying," Dante replied cautiously. He was surprised that the man had figured out all of that with a single attack. It made him wary about guarding all of his secrets.

"Hmm, next is …"

A training sword appeared in Moeris's hand and Dante slipped into a ready stance, resigned to the inevitable oncoming beating. Dante wouldn't stand a chance against Moeris at his peak, but now his muscles were screaming at him like he had run a marathon. It had already earned him that first scratch, which still dripped blood across the floor.

Contrary to his expectations, Moeris swiped his sword through the air deftly as if it were a paintbrush. Glowing lines followed each stroke and a magic circle at unbelievable speed. Tens of thousands of small metal needles materialized in the air and Dante triggered his last charge of [Force Paragon] and crossed his arms to guard his face.

The cloud of iron needles surged forward and Dante grunted as it entered the edge of his aura. The shriek of metal was loud enough Dante wished he could plug his ears. It was as if he were back in the bus crash that claimed his life all over again. He leaned into the pressure as the onslaught intensified. He started to lose ground, the sheer mass of metal pushing him backwards until he was pinned against a wall. It was too much; the press of spikes brushed against his extremities. Sharp, piercing pain wracked his body as some of the spikes struck home. His pained cry was drowned out by the cacophony.

Without warning, the storm of spikes abated and Dante stumbled forward onto his knees. The movement shoved the spikes stuck in his legs deeper and Dante screamed. Not daring to move, he examined himself and found that he looked more porcupine than man. His buffer from [Mana Body Fortification] had filled up entirely partway through the storm, which allowed dozens of spikes to gain purchase. Most were shallow, but one had penetrated straight through his hand. Fortunately, none had struck his head or body as they were better protected by the sphere-like natural state of his aura.

"Substantial improvements with a distributed attack." Noted Moeris, his gaze flicking over Dante's injuries. "Able to stop the average twentieth-level demi-area spell. I can now see why it was able to stop the Black Wind's breath. Given that it's able to stack with other defensive magic … I suppose there is potential here."

That is dangerously close to a compliment. Maybe I am making progress.

"As for the last test, get back on your feet, soldier!"

Seriously? He isn't even going to heal me? At this point, I am convinced he is doing this out of some sort of grudge.

With a pained grunt, Dante pushed himself to his feet and wobbled erratically. The movement caused fat drops of blood to spatter against the ground and the iron scent of blood pervaded the air. He was beginning to feel very lightheaded. Dante felt like he was in the fifteenth round of a boxing match. Moeris stowed his sword and advanced

As the man drew closer, Dante grasped the spike stuck in his hand and pulled it free with a grunt. This caused a new flow of blood to join the others on the ground, but he trusted Moeris had some way to heal him. He was dead either way if he did not. He continued removing the other needles from his forearms, having no desire to push those deeper.

Moeris entered his aura and it parted around the imposing man like a shark's fin through water. Despite this, Dante was surprised to feel his aura pushing him back. Apparently, that backlash still occurred even when the other aspects failed. Dante was not content to wait this time, stepping forward and throwing everything he had left into a punch at Moeris's face. If he was going to lose either way, he was going to go down swinging.

There was an audible crack as his knuckles shattered against Moeris's nose. Dante screamed, clutching his hand to his chest. His remaining energy left him and Dante would have fallen had Moeris not grabbed his shirt, steadying him.

"Weak indeed. You would need decades before you could bloody my nose. Let me show you."

Having said that, Moeris cocked his head back and headbutted him. Stars exploded in his vision and blood flooded his nose. It was surely broken. Dante slumped in Moeris's grip, unconscious.

Dante awoke, chilled to the bone and soaked. He sputtered, rearing up and gazing around widely before fixing his eyes on Moeris, who was standing over him with a cold expression. In his hands was a bucket half-filled with water. Panic flared in his chest and he scrambled backwards, trying to gain distance.

"What was that!" Dante yelled, hyperventilating. If the door hadn't been locked, he would have tried to run. "You could have killed me!"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Moeris shook his head slowly. "Not possible. A training room of this level would intervene before any death. An attack of that level could never overpower it. Now, get a hold of yourself. A warrior should never succumb to panic."

Dante consciously slowed down his breathing. After a few moments, his pounding heart followed. During that time, he realized a few things. His body was uninjured, though the bloodstains and rents from the earlier violence remained. Poison still coursed through his muscles. Already, they were exhausted. More importantly, he had pending notifications.

[Strength] has increased to 9

[Chameleon] has advanced to Level 5

[Specializations] are available

[Pain resistance] has advanced to Level 2

[Pain resistance] has advanced to Level 3

[Temporal Reactions] has advanced to Level 8

[Mana Body Fortification] has advanced to Level 4

[Force Paragon] has advanced to Level 11

[Rising Tide] has advanced to Level 2

Wow, that is the most messages I have ever gotten at once. Even very stubbornly slow ones like [Temporal Reactions] gained a level and I have never seen [Rising Tide] advance! Strength too! Been working on that one for a while. Training with upper ranks is not to be underestimated. It's nearly enough to make me forgive Moeris.

"Your rest is over. Stand before me and prepare for more instruction."

Perhaps not.

Dante did not risk looking at his unlocked advancements for fear that the demonstrably perceptive Moeris would notice and wearily stood up. It took not an insignificant amount of courage to approach Moeris again. If every exchange was going to be like the previous one, Dante was not confident that he could endure. Even considering what he stood to gain.

"I am disappointed, soldier. During our last exchange, you used no mana. Not even to bolster your aura. Care to explain that?"

Dante blinked, confused at the question before realizing that Moeris was not familiar with his mana situation. After contemplating keeping it secret, he decided it would be futile. Any further training was going to involve mana eventually. It would be impossible to keep it secret.

"That is because I possess [Mana Ascetic], sir. I am unable to utilize my mana."

"Really?" For the first time since Dante met him, Moeris seemed a little intrigued. "That is a rare selection, quite inflexible. A double-edged sword, so to speak. In that case, the relative strength of your repulsion aura makes sense. But that simply won't do, as an aura user, you will require some mana."

Moeris fell into deep thought, his lips half forming words as he looked into the distance. Finally, the man sighed wearily, seeming to come to a decision. An elegantly inscribed scroll appeared in his hands, then spontaneously caught fire and turned to ash in seconds. The inscriptions remained behind, transfixed in the air. Dante was surprised but, given the routineness of the action, he assumed that this was normal.

"Senior Mage Vaso," said Moeris to glowing symbols, "report to the first-class training chamber immediately."

I suppose they have their own ways of long-distance communication. Though I suppose I already knew that, given that Pauwna communicated with her rebellion on the landship. Still, seems expensive.

"The effects of the poison are wasting, soldier. Prepare yourself for sparing."

Dante wearily assumed the combat stance that Pauwna had taught him, preparing himself for another beating. It was a simple enough stance, where one placed their feet shoulder width apart and the arms raised to guard the face with one slightly extended. It was similar to some he had seen in some martial arts on Earth.

Moeris slowly approached, with both arms behind his back. When the old monster entered his striking range, Dante struck, jabbing at his throat. With a casual sweep of his arm, Moeris brushed aside the strike, then deftly stepped inside Dante's guard. Before he could react, Moeris shoulder checked him, sending him spilling to the ground. Caught completely off guard, Dante's head struck the ground. Hard.

As Dante's vision swam and he clutched his head, Moeris stood above. "You always have to be ready to take a fall," said the man who was shaking his head yet again. Dante was quickly becoming used to these relative positions. "At your level, the difference between a proper landing and an uncontrollable fall can end a fight. When falling backwards, allow your legs and lower body to cushion the descent. Only then use your hands to stabilize yourself, or you might break a wrist. Make sure to tuck your chin, or else your head will be at risk. Learning this is critical, even at higher levels, where falling damage is negligible. Anytime you are not in control is another opportunity for your opponent to capitalize on their advantage. Is this clear?"

"Crystal," Dante grunted, pushing up into a sitting position. He knew better than to miss any of the man's words. Given his current treatment, Dante did not want to find out what an annoyed Moeris looked like.

"If your wit has recovered, then you are ready for more practice."

A hand of steel grabbed his ankle and lifted him off the ground, upside down. Moeris cocked his hand back like he was going to throw a baseball. The realization of what he was going to do struck Dante.

"Wait, you're not going to —!"

The breath was snatched out of his mouth as Moeris lazily pitched him across the room. Dante flailed, only serving to make his trajectory more chaotic before remembering Moeris's advice. With only a few moments to spare, Dante managed to land on his heel. That was the end of his success, as his posterior impacted the floor and Dante felt something in his chest break.

"Better. At least you protected your head. However, you kept your legs stiff and did not use your aura to offset the fall, which caused your current predicament. What's wrong?"

Dante tried to answer past the pain in his chest, but his words were interrupted by a cough. A fine mist of blood followed it, which Moeris swiftly dodged.

"A punctured lung? Very well."

Moeris uncorked a bottle over Dante's head and, after an initial spike of agony where the offending rib returned to its rightful place, the pain quickly retreated as did the fatigue in his muscles. This time, he had the presence of mind to release the accumulated damage in [Mana Body Fortification] Buffer for the healing potion to cure. As he waited, he reviewed a new notification.

[Pain Resistance] has advanced to Level 4

You know, for being called a 'resistance', I swear that I feel as much pain as ever. What does it even do for me? Well, I suppose I am going to have plenty of opportunities to find out.

Dante had a feeling that [Pain Resistance] was going to be his fastest-growing skill.