The Apocalypse Grinder (LitRPG Apocalypse, Timeloop)

Ronan didn't immediately read the notifications in front of him. He floated in the endless white void, contemplating what he had just learned from his most recent death.

Mana was an all-encompassing energy. The mana that originated in his heart was, for lack of a better word, unattuned. No, pure makes more sense. It's not that it lacks an attunement, but that it has one of its own, unblemished by other elemental or esoteric influences.

There were still many mysteries regarding mana that were unsolved, but he was satisfied with what he had accomplished. Ronan had failed the nightmare tutorial yet again, but in the process he had learnt much, not just about mana, but also how to engage socially, with both friends and foes. It was a much-needed lesson. A lesson that he didn't want to repeat in the iterations that followed.

He believed that with his new knowledge about mana he would be able to master some of his 'elemental' spells like firestorm and fissure, as well as potentially create new ones from the ground up. Spells that he hadn't previously possessed as skills. That would have to wait for the next iteration, though.

Ronan finally turned his attention to the twin notifications that cried for his attention, curious to see what his more… literal gains had been.

Unprecedented modifications detected…

Analysing…

Unable to determine harm-benefit of modifications. Deferring to inheritor

Physical body has mutated, resulting in the following:

Cold resistance +392%

Radiation resistance +19%

Laceration resistance +63%

Energy has mutated, resulting in the following:

You have acquired the skill [Cold Affinity (Epic)]!

Cold Affinity (Epic): You are attuned to the cold. Your mana can take on its properties, be they defensive, offensive, or subversive in nature. Skills deriving their power from a cold attunement will be more powerful when used by one possessing this affinity. Weapons with cold-related enchantments will have more of their power drawn out when used by one possessing this affinity.

Keep mutations?

The resistances alone would make the rather brutal death worth every moment. Seeing his own nose fall off had been gross at the time, but a triple dose of new resistances made the loss of his extremities feel like a bargain price to pay. But they weren't the

pièce de résistance of that death.

He had gained a skill from Learn through Suffering. Something he'd never encountered before, but was more than happy to see. His decision to use that first Brand of the Temporal Artificer on the Skillbound Conduit Ring was validated once more.

Ronan took the skill and the three resistance increases without further delay. Even before the analysis of the iteration began, he was already satisfied with what his time in the underground bunkers had granted him.

Iteration 55 analysis:

Highest level achieved: 34

Highest class achieved: Gambler of Fate (Celestial)

Highest fortune achieved: 9 Bronze Credits, 862 Copper Credits

Stats gained: 33062

Cultivation stages achieved: Mind (Opal ★★★), Body (Iron ★★★), Energy (Vibrating ★★★), Soul (Yellow ★★★★) [+0]

Inventory value accumulated: 16 Bronze Credits, 153 Copper Credits

Chrono Enhancement Updates:

Experience gain multiplier has increased from 200% to 850%

Achieving a celestial class for the first time has rewarded you with 5 Chronos merits

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Credit gain multiplier has increased from 3.2% to 24.7%

Experience gain multiplier has increased from 8.86 to 41.922

Cultivation talent multiplier has not increased

Cultivation progress has been reset, maximum stages reached have been locked

Mastery progress has been reset, maximum tiers reached have been locked

Class has been reset, class skills purged from status

Levels have been reset, maximum race grade reached has been locked

Chronos merits have been acquired! All four paths of cultivation have reached at least the first realm! Inheritor possesses 35+ skills or traits! Inheritor has pushed one or more multipliers beyond the first concentration point! Access to chronos clan ancestral grounds granted at the second threshold

Ronan marveled at how quickly his multipliers were shooting back up. His decision to go through with the concentration had been confident but laced with some doubt, but this reaffirmed that it had been the correct decision. Iteration 56 would see him earning 20 times as much experience as iteration 55. It had only been a few iterations since he underwent the baptism in the Dark Sea and he was approaching his old numbers, with the exception of the credit multiplier and the cultivation multiplier.

The latter was mostly due to the lack of shards he'd encountered, but the former was simply a slower grind than the rest. Given enough time, they would all increase to staggering heights.

Having earned a few more chronos merits, Ronan was going to browse the Temporal Obelisk to see if anything was worth purchasing, but he realised there was still one more notification blinking in his vision, awaiting attention. Curious to know what it was, he let it expand and gave it a read.

You have fulfilled the requirements for the evolution of [Sub-Class 1: Sorcerer (Uncommon)]!

You have unlocked 2 potential evolutions!

Please select a class evolution from the following:

Frozen Sorcerer (Rare)

Unlike mages , who rely on sterile control of mana and the guidance of system-created skills to perform clean magic, sorcerers lean on their creativity, recklessness, and desire for chaos to cast freeform magic. There is power in a sorcerer's freedom, but an equally great risk of death—or worse. You have battled with the cold and learned how to wield its terrifying might for yourself. But be warned, the cold is an uncaring ally that can just as easily sap your own strength as smite your foes.

Gain a boost to mana regeneration that scales with acuity

Gain mastery over mana, cold-affinity magic, and cold-related masteries slightly faster.

+5 Wisdom, +1 Regeneration, +6 Intelligence, +1 Tenacity, +3 Acuity, +1 Free Stat Point on level up

Class Skill [Sorcerer's Insight (Uncommon)] will become [Frozen Sorcerer's Insight (Rare)] upon selection of this evolution

Unlock requirements:

Challenger has mana mastery at tier III or higher

Challenger possesses [Cold Affinity] at Uncommon rarity or higher

Challenger has experienced a natural source of cold attuned mana

Challenger possesses Mystic Energy cultivation of the fourth realm or higher

Challenger possesses the class [Sorcerer (Uncommon)]

Sorceric Bastion of Purity (Epic)

Unlike mages, who rely on sterile control of mana and the guidance of system-created skills to perform clean magic, sorcerers lean on their creativity, recklessness, and desire for chaos to cast freeform magic. There is power in a sorcerer's freedom, but an equally great risk of death—or worse. You have fought against attuned mana that sought to corrupt your own, and rejected its influence. There is strength in specialisation, but so too is there strength in purity. Rejecting transmutation, you seek a path to the pinnacle of pure sorcery.

Gain a boost to mana regeneration that scales majorly with acuity and minorly with wisdom

Gain mastery over mana and pure magic moderately faster

+9 Wisdom, +4 Regeneration, +2 Resistance +9 Intelligence, +9 Acuity, +3 Free Stat Points on level up

Class Skill [Internal Mana Manipulation (Uncommon)] will become [Noble Mana Heart (Epic)] upon selection of this evolution

Class Skill [Sorcerer's Insight (Uncommon)] will become [Sorceric Enlightenment of Purity (Epic)] upon selection of this evolution

Unlock requirements:

Challenger has mana mastery at tier V or higher

Challenger has experienced mana corruption from a foreign, attuned source

Challenger possesses Mystic Energy cultivation beyond the first threshold

Challenger possesses the class [Sorcerer (Uncommon)]

Ronan felt a great headache approach when he read through the two evolutions he could choose from. Neither of them were ideal or fit the path he wanted his sorcery to take. However, having one of his two sub-classes languish at uncommon rarity was not an acceptable outcome, either.

Purely by the stats and skills, Sorceric Bastion of Purity seemed to be the superior evolution. Jumping two rarity tiers in one go would mean far more stats and superior class benefits. The class had some pretty punitive drawbacks, though.

Not being able to use attuned mana of any kind was extremely limiting. Ronan would immediately be forced to stop using firestorm and fissure as well as any other elementally attuned spells. It would also limit his future options for learning and combat. That was something he felt was unacceptable. Especially given that he had essentially infinite time to learn and grow. Putting such a harsh cap on his future sorcery wasn't something he believed he could stomach.

On the other hand, while Frozen Sorcerer didn't necessarily limit his ability to cast any sort of spell, it certainly favoured the cold affinity over any other. There was an equal possibility that it might lock him out of other evolutions that were more generalist and only providing benefits to a single attunement. When he had the benefit of infinite lives, why would he settle for anything less than the best?

Unfortunately, the best choice wasn't on the table right now. Which meant he had to decide between the two options the system had bestowed upon him. It seemed like an easy choice, but there was more than meets the eye to both class evolutions.