NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35 - Class Upgrades
Pulse Resonance: The blade amplifies the wielder’s natural rhythm, vibrating with a powerful hum that disorients enemies and enhances the wielder's senses.
Veil Sunder: This rune allows the sabre to cut through illusions and barriers with ease, revealing hidden truths and dispelling magical wards.
Blood Tempo: At the core of the [Heartseeker's Edge] lies the Blood Tempo rune, which synchronises with the wielder’s heartbeat, enhancing reflexes and granting bursts of accelerated movement.
Blood Mother? Owen wondered. He had never heard of this being and considered whether she might appear later in the book. For now, he had no information about her.
However, he soon dismissed the mystery as he revelled in the blade's abilities. When he closed his eyes, a red line spread out from him with each heartbeat, revealing the details of his surroundings. From rocks protruding from the sand to the wall beside him, the ability allowed him to navigate even in total darkness.
Next, he tested Veil Sunder. As he swung the sword, a blue phantom image traced its path. The strike didn’t feel any stronger than a regular swing; in fact, it seemed weaker. It seemed to use mana, of which he didn’t have a lot of considering had had to Plunder monsters that had an affinity with magic to gain the Stat.
Finally, he examined Blood Tempo, the source of the blade’s throbbing resonance. With each heartbeat, the sabre synced perfectly with his movements. When he stepped outside that rhythm, the connection faded. By focusing on the blade’s signal, he activated the Rune's unique aspect. Instantly, he moved with greater speed and precision, swinging his sword with double the momentum. The effect was incredible.
The blade and its Rune’s seemed tailored to his current Skill. It must be a unique aspect of the System granted Fragment’s, Owen thought with excitement. Happy about his new weapon, he stored it in his Soul.
It was time for the main event: the evolution of his people.
Mirian was first, and she chose this–
Veil Reaver
| Focus: Infiltration and Assassination
Abilities:
| Veil Dance: Shift between nearby locations in quick succession, confusing foes.
| Assassin's Mirage: Create a short-lived illusion to distract enemies.
| Culling Blades: Target weak points for increased damage on critical hits.
Owen nodded, approving Mirian’s choice. Focusing on Infiltration and Assassination was definitely the way to go. Out of all the options she was given, Veil Dance was by far the most potent Skill there was. Honestly, it seemed way better than other Tier 2 abilities.
Next up was Rehan, and again, Owen had little input as to what he chose.
Silent Observer
| Focus: Reconnaissance and Ambush
Abilities:
| Watchful Eye: Reveal enemy positions and vulnerabilities to allies.
| Trap Mastery: Set simple traps that can hinder or damage enemies.
| Whispering Shadows: Communicate silently with allies for coordinated actions.
As a Scout, Rehan’s new Skills were amazing. Watchful Eye and Whispering Shadows especially. Together, they would change the game for Owen and his army. The last Skill: Trap Mastery was very situational, but would prove useful if he was on his own, or with a small unit behind enemy lines.
With his Generals out of the way, Owen focused on all the other Warriors and Hunters that had also reached their Class evolutions. These were much more simple. He had everyone choose the Spearman Class. From what he knew of history, spears were the king of the battlefield for a reason. Simple, effective, and everyone knew how to point a sharp stick. Acquiring spears was a problem, but that would be fixed soon enough.
Finally, it was the star of the show; Gorath.
Arc Mage
| Focus: Lightning Control
Abilities:
| Chain Lightning: Cast a bolt of lightning that jumps to up to two additional nearby targets.
| Static Shield: Generate a minor electrical barrier that reduces incoming damage.
| Lightning Surge: Temporarily boost the next lightning spell's damage slightly.
Owen smiled upon seeing Gorath’s happy expression. And he knew why. CHain Lightning alone was an incredible boost in power. But combined with Lightning Surge, truly made Gorath a force to be reckoned with. His Class upgrade was a huge reason why mage’s were so coveted. Their abilities on the battlefield were devastating. Alone, they could beat an army with a singular spell. No physical class could replicate that feat. Not without being an extremely high Level, or having access to highly rare Skills, that is.
Happy with the changes, Owen regretfully had Gorath returned to the pillar to be chained up.
Draed was wanting to debrief the new Warriors, but Owen wasn’t done yet. He had over 30 corpses to Plunder, most of which were Sand Hounds, or other variants of them.
Placing them all on the ground in front of him, much to the surprise of the orcen Lord, Owen Plundered all of them one-by-one. He only made it half-way through the regular Sand Hound’s when he had to stop in fear of his heart bursting open.
You have plundered a Sand Hound x19.
| Claimed materials: Summoning Ticket 4x Hunter, Summoning Ticket 6x Warrior, Summoning Ticket 1x Chef, Sand Hound Pelt x19 (Normal), Sand Hound Meat and Organs x24 (Normal), Sand Hound Bones x43 (Normal), Spectre: Sand Hound [Drop chance: 2.4%].
| Stats gained: 13 Strength, 16 Vitality, 33 Dexterity.
| Skills gained — Dust Cloud: Kick up sand into the air, creating a brief cloud that reduces visibility and obscures enemy vision.
Owen felt the difference in Stats immediately. Focusing on his surroundings, everything became so much more clearer. Combined with the increased Dexterity and his Devil’s Reflexes, he saw the world in a different way. Everything was in so much detail, to the grains of sand, to the fibres on the nearest cactus.
He summoned his sword once more, and with a smile adorning his face, swung the blade. His movements were swifter, faster, and the control he held over the new weapon finer. But that wasn’t even what made him happier. He gazed at the Summoning Ticket he had just earned and resisted the urge to lick his lips. A Chef. Finally, they wouldn’t have to live in suffering any longer. He ripped the ticket straight away, revealing a glorious 3-Star human set up with a white chef’s apron, hat, and a only gentlemanly baby-smooth bare face.
Owen put the human named Clark to work straight away. He showed him where Balthus was; he was currently talking to the Builders so that he could give the Chef the information he needed.
I can’t wait for some good food, Owen thought, trying to stop himself from slavering. I wonder what he’ll do with it? Salt? A good herb infused rub? It took several minutes to snap out of his food induced cravings.
The orcen Lord was still bashing the barrier’s walls. Honestly, it was such a waste of time that Owen was a little disappointed in his opponent. A Lord without patience wasn’t going to live very long. It was just yet to be decided if he would be defeated here, or he himself fell.
Trying to not dwell on the upcoming fight, Owen ripped all the other tickets right away. All were 1-Star, some 2-Stars, and one 3-Star Hunter. After greeting them, he sent them off to Draed who finally started briefing them. There would be more once Owen had rested and could use Plunder again, but for now, he was done with summoning units.
Next up was trying out his new Skill. Stomping the sand, a cloud erupted from the sands, obscuring his figure. Although not groundbreaking, it would prove useful in situations in a pinch. Especially considering he was surrounded by sand on all sides, for god knows how many miles it spanned.
Finally, it was time to summon his new Spectre. Owen called upon the Sand Hound from the depths of his soul, and it answered his summons. Just like Shelldon, the hound appeared with a faint blue hue that shrouded its figure; telling everyone that it was a Spectre. Other than that, it looked identical to any other Sand Hound
Owen recalled a Beast Master evolution that Draed had access to, and a thought popped up in his mind. If his archer General was a Beast Master, would his Skills transfer to his Spectres? Or could he only tame his own monsters. It was something worth keeping in mind if someone gained access to the Class in the future.
Instead of sending the hound back into his soul, Owen stroked his fur for a minute or so. It was rough to the touch, but a smile crept up on his lips. For some reason, there was just something instinctually warm about raking his fingers through the hounds fur. Well, he was just a big dog, after all. Just with massive claws and armour penetrating teeth.
With all of that done, Owen was too tired to continue doing much today. He wanted to, but his body refused to listen to his commands. But that didn’t mean that his army would get to slack off. No, it was time to send them out through the tunnels for another round of power Levelling.
Owen locked eyes with the Lord, staring unflinchingly into his crimson, hate-filled gaze. Time was running out.