"Any plans?" Isadora asked when I began walking towards the approaching horde of monster frogs.
"I will engage in close combat, while you bombard them with ranged attacks."
My feet kick up ground as I sprinted towards the oncoming monsters, crimson cape fluttering behind me.
Dozens of red magic circles appeared above my head, Isadora's doing.
Crimson spears shot out of these magic circles at breakneck speed, impaling several frog creatures.
I teleported above a cluster of monster by using [Spatial Step], then immediately activated [Gravity Manipulation] to increase the gravity in a 5-meter radius, freezing several monsters for a brief moment.
My katanas came down in two consecutive downwards diagonal strikes–forming a X-spliting the bodies of two monsters.
-SLASH!!
-SLASH!!
[Exp Gained: 50(3)]
[Exp Gained: 50(3)]
The instant I landed I swung Zakhristos(Right) in a wide horizontal arch, cutting through three more monsters.
[Exp Gained: 50(3)]
[Level Up!]
[Exp Gained: 50(3)]
[Exp Gained: 50(3)]
I ignored the torrent of notifications, my focus remained fixed on the battle, and my perception stretched to the limit.
When the monsters noticed my presence among their ranks, they instantly attacked.
Some jumped at me, intending to overwhelm me with their numbers, while others shot their slimy tongues at me in a bid to tangle me.
I disappeared from my spot–making the monsters chase ghosts–and appeared above another cluster of monster by using [Spatial Step] with [Gravity Manipulation] activated and my katanas already descending.
My slashes were fast yet controlled, every strike cutting through flesh, drawing blood and taking lives.
My perception picked up several projectiles rushing towards me with terrifying speed. They were covered in thick, slimy green acid, shot from the spores of the Advanced Realm leader.
They weren't very threatening to me, as I could get out of harm's way by simply activating [Spatial Step].
But instead of retreating, I charged straight into the barrage of projectiles. My eyes narrowed in concentration and I added the remaining free stat points to Perception.
[Perception: 100->118]
The world around me seemed to slow for a few seconds. Every projectile, every fluctuation of mana and every trajectory became crystal clear to me.
I twisted my body at impossible angels as I slipped through the gaps between the projectiles, dodging each and every one of them.
My gaze shifted towards the monster who launched the attack, only to notice that it was pinned down to the ground by a heavy force and with a magic circle underneath its frame.
I looked at Isadora for answers.
"I will keep it there for a while." She said, casting another round of magic circles. "Let's finish these small ones off first."
I nodded and in the blink of an eye materialized in front of another monster, my blades slashing forward with uncanny precision, instantly killing it.
I moved through the battlefield like a phantom, vanishing and appearing everywhere, taking the life of a monster wherever I went.
I teleported into the middle of the battlefield, dozens of monsters closed in on me from every direction, leaving no apparent path of escape.
I observed it happening calmly, but then I smiled.
"Let's see if you can handle this." I said and dropped my guard, making no effort to dodge as the monsters attacked as a unit.
"Julian!" Isadora shouted, panic evident in her voice.
"[Reflection]" I muttered, moments before the frog monsters' joint attack reached me.
Boom.
A small explosion erupted, splattering flesh, sticky slime and green blood everywhere. But I was completely unscathed, just covered in grime.
********
[>Reflection(Active)(C)–Manipulating the moon's reflection ability to reflect one attack from beings up to the Expert Realm.
(24 Hour Cooldown)]
********
This is the skill I just used, a very good one at that. A skill that I certainly was going to use many times in the future.
The combined attack from the frog monsters was no way near strong enough to what a Expert Realm being can produce, but it still packed a punch, instantly killing several monsters.
One can't help but be excited at the thought of what it will look like if I happen to be attacked by someone in the Expert Realm.
I leaped back from the small carnage I created, coming to a stop next to Isadora.
"Idiot!." She scolded, hitting my arm with a fist. "That scared me!"
"I'm sorry." I apologized, rubbing my arm. "But, look, I left some for you."
I pointed to the last remaining monsters, which was about 15, only a quarter of the original group.
"I don't care about the monster! Don't ever do something like that again!" Isadora told me.
"Alright. I promise to inform you next time. Now, quickly kill them before they scatter." I said, changing the subject.
"Uggh." Isadora grunted in annoyance, but raised her staff anyways.
She wordlessy casted dozens of magic circles and rained down crimson spears on the remnants of frog monsters.
"What level are you?" I asked.
"10 and you?" Isadora asked.
"Same."
'We have the same level, but I must have more experience points than her since I killed the most monsters.' I reasoned.
"Which tier is your gravity skill?" I asked, trying to figure out something that has been bothering me for a while now.
"B." She said.
"How is it still active after all this time? I'm sure the mana consumption is significant." I was talking about the monster that was still trapped under the weight of gravity since the beginning of the battle.
My [Gravity Manipulation] skill was only D-tier that allowed minimal influence of gravity and it still took a considerable amount of mana when I casted it: 50 mana per second.
And Isadora's skill which is higher in tier than mine will certainly consume much more mana. So her casting it for minutes on end is completely absurd.
"Probably because I have two huge cores and because I added all the free stats I got from killing the goblins to my Magic stats." She shrugged.
"That explains why you haven't run out of mana, yet." I understood that part. "But how about the fact that a spell from a novice can have such a impact on a advanced realm monster?
Even with the 150 or so free stats you added to your Magic stat, it shouldn't have this much of an effect."
Either that monster only recently advanced to the Advanced Realm, or Isadora's magic is insanely potent.
"Oh, that's probably because I mixed divinity with mana when I casted that spell." She said matter-of-factly.
"Mixing divinity with mana, huh?" Suddenly everything made sense to me. "Why didn't I think of that?"
I scolded myself for making such a huge oversight.
Obviously, a warrior type like me can't mix divinity and mana to cast spells, but I can spread it internally.
The divinity will strengthen my muscles and open my mana pathways, that allows for smoother skill activation.
This will make me stronger, faster and my skills will be more powerful and will activate quicker.
"Because you are not as smart as I am." Isadora said to my clearly rhetorical question.
"Yeah, yeah, Smartypants." I rolled my eyes. "Tell me, since you have such 'huge cores', you must have plenty mana left, right?"
"Yes, and you?" She asked.
"I have enough." I said, gazing at the monster that was trashing and writhing in fury and then looking at at my Mana stat.
[900/1000(×2)]
The of my cores were completely empty, but was refilling at a rapid pace.
"Any plans?" Isadora asked.
"Same strategy as before.
Neither of us has skills or spells strong enough to inflict significant damage on it, therefore, I think it will be best to slowly chip away at its Vitality.
I will use my space skill to teleport and strike at weaknesses from its blind spots, while you distract it with you ranged attacks.
And maybe try to hit wherever I landed a strike."
What I didn't tell Isadora was that with the skill I just used, we could've easily killed the monster, but I wasn't in the mood for another lecture.
"I'm going to add some stats to Magic, Perception and Willpower. That will increase the damage of my spells." Isadora informed me.
"I was just about to suggest that." I said.
"Status." Isadora summoned her status in order to make the necessary changes.
'I wish I could see her status window?' I thought but then I remembered the description of one of my skills.
********
>Identification(Active)(EX-Unique)–Allows you to gain information on any subject you wish. The amount and quality of information depends on the users mind.
********
'When it says "users mind", does it mean willpower?' I thought.
'Let's add some stats to that too, just incase.'
"Status." I called out.
*******
[Realm: Novice]
[Level: 10]
[Experience Points: 900/1000]
『Stats』
[Strength: 100->200]
[Speed: 100->200]
[Vitality: 1000]
[Agility: 100->200]
[Constitution: 100]
[Perception: 118]
[Magic: 100]
[Willpower: 110->146]
[Mana: 1000(×2)]
[Charm:––]
[Unallocated Stats: 336->0 ]
********
I added a 100 stats to Strength, Speed and Agility each and only 36 to Willpower, because I felt like winning this fight is more important than reading Isadora's status window.
The increase in strength and power in my limbs was almost imperceptable, but I felt every single moment of it.
'Identify Isadora's status window and the changes she made to it.'
********
[Status]
[Name: Isadora Aurelia Dracul]
[Age: 10]
[Race: Dragon(30%), Vampire(39%), Angel(30%), Human(1%)]
[Blessing: Moon Goddess(Luna), Star Goddess(Stella)]
[Title(s): Watcher's Daughter, Princess of Blood, Celestial Princess, 1/4 of the Children of Mana, Saintess of the Celeste]
[Affinities: Blood, Space, Gravity, Lunar(Moon), Stellar(Star), Time]
[Realm: Novice]
[Level: 10]
[Experience Points: 300/1000]
『Stats』
[Strength: 50]
[Speed: 63]
[Vitality: 1000]
[Agility: 62]
[Constitution: 100]
[Perception: 150->264]
[Magic: 237->342]
[Willpower: 99->213]
[Mana: 2500(×2)]
[Charm:––]
[Unallocated Stats: 343->0]
(Not enough Willpower to identify more information)
********
'Her name and age is the same as she claims.
Then comes the goddesses blessings, titles which is almost the same as mine.
The first difference between the two of us is the amount of affinities. She has 6 while I have an overwhelming 11.
Her realm, level and Exp are within expectations.
Her stats is good for someone who is not a warrior, but her magic stats is more than anyone her age and level should have.
She has way more Willpower and Perception than me, who is a warrior, and she was right: she does have two huge cores.' I summarized.
"Done!" Isadora called out.
"Took you long enough." I said, summoning my katanas, feeling their familiar hilts in my palms.
"Don't steal my lines, brother!" She pouted, summoning her staff.