The New World

Chapter 243: A Discourse

Chapter 243: A Discourse

Torix –

As the resonance finalized, I stared forward with invigorated senses. Strength. Power. Might. I was all these things and more. Is this what Daniel felt at all times? The sheer vitality and mana generated defied all convention. It was as if I siphoned into the body of a deity, stealing all that came with said implication.

In order to test my newfound capacities, I stomped my heel onto the metal flooring of the silver’s territory. It caved underfoot, and my dominion mana flowed with the fluidity of mastery. The sheer volume of mana coursed into the land, drenching it in my abyssal influence.

I seized control of the bodies, each of them coming to life. Given form anew, they rose with utter allegiance. I stood tall, my confidence soaring towards the heavens.

I spoke with a new voice,

“I am undeath given form. From my darkness, blight will follow in my wake.”

Daniel stared at me, his stoic persona cracking with a semblance of emotion. Taken aback, I composed myself. Now was not the time to be overwhelmed. An example must be set, and I was the one to do it. I turned to him.

“Let us show them what occurs to those that oppose us.”

Daniel raised a hand,

“Hell yeah man, we did it. It’s about damn time.”

I followed suit, raising my arm,

“But of course. What else is to be expected of us?”

We clapped our hands with enough force to crack concrete. I recoiled from it, taking a step back. Grabbing my wrist and staring down, visions of a snapped arm terrified me. I envisioned my bones shattering into a thousand pieces, yet my new arm held strong. It absorbed the force without worry.

I stared at my palms, the bones interlocking smoothly. I clenched my hand into a fist, stunned by the sheer forces I dealt out at every passing second. I peered back up to Daniel,

“Is this what it’s like at all moments?”

Daniel gave me a matter of fact glance,

“Yup.”

Concise and straightforward as always. I took a moment, staring at the army around us. I bent over, inspecting the metal I broke through with a stomp. In the heat of the moment, I did such a thing. It astonished me now. Even my system enhanced body could never have handled such forces. Now I played with metal as if it were putty.

No scratch littered the surface of my foot, either. I was even more resilient than expected. Excellent. I grabbed the steel, peeling it in my fingers as if it were moist dough.

I cupped my chin, “Well…perhaps there were merits to being physically imposing after all.”

Daniel patted my back, “I can’t wait to see what you can do now.”

I raised myself back up, “I as well. Thank you for this, disciple. A master could ask for no greater gift.”

“Eh, I do what I can.”

With a moment of silence passing between us, I turned towards the monolith’s previous position. As the ritual dictates, there my phylactery sat exposed to those around us. It was strange. Even in the open, it felt far more secure than my previous one had. Considering the tenacity of the material that composed it, I was likely right in that assumption.

I grabbed the dodecahedron, tossing it over towards Daniel. He put it in his pocket dimension. As I dwelled on the ability, the utility of it astounded me. Smuggling, absorbing energy, even deflecting strikes, it was an awe-inspiring talent.

I peered down at myself, wondering if I owned similar abilities. The closest phenomenon I garnered was a sensation of ownership over the space I occupied. It felt as if I ‘owned’ an area around me. Upon closer inspection, I comprehended my misunderstanding. The space I owned was subservient to a much larger force.

I peered up at Daniel. Ah, of course. His aura.

He created a far greater stranglehold than I could enact. He was the origin of this material. It seemed more than likely that he acted as the premier space owner. In fact, this body of mine was a mere shadow when compared to the original.

A realization sparked in my mind. This pale imitation extended my own abilities by leaps and bounds. The distance between us…it mirrored the difference between an ant and a lion. While mind-boggling, I found those thoughts comforting.

This apprentice and ally of mine, he carried this kind of frame. Now I owned something similar. New possibilities popped into my mind as Daniel pursed his lips,

“Alright, what next?”

I steepled my hands, “We should replan our battle stratagems. This new body of mine, it has extended my abilities by many orders of magnitude. It allows us to battle differently than before. I may now join the fray on the frontlines without much in the way of risk.”

Daniel nodded, “Yeah, sounds about right. We’ll be getting a new tactician on the ground, which helps a lot. I’m a lead by example kind of guy, but actually managing the troops is difficult.”

Daniel was wrong about that. His tactical prowess showed itself in the last battle with his newfound mana bombs. That alone saved many of our soldiers. I shook my head,

“I believe you’d be more than capable of doing so, but you already bear a tremendous burden in regards to our martial might. By alleviating that burden, I may unleash both of our full potentials, one tactical and the other militant.”

Daniel rolled his shoulders as if getting ready to fight at that moment,

“Yeah, let’s hope so. I mean, just imagine having each of their dead give us a new soldier. That’ll show the Adairs what it feels like having their own turned against them. It will be a taste of their own medicine.”

I cackled, “Oh, there will be much to discuss, but before we do so, I must access my status. There are notifications to parse through and little time to do so.”

“I’ll make some bombs or something.”

He prepped mana bombs while I opened my own status. I made sure he could view it at the same time. As I stared at the literal first number I found, I fell backward.

It was incredible.

Torix Worm, the Harbinger’s Erudition(lvl 9,000)

Strength – 2,132 | Constitution – 2,419 | Endurance – 4,160

Dexterity – 1,104 | Willpower –19,702 | Intelligence – 28,052

Charisma – 14,264 | Luck – 11,153 | Perception – 6,829

Health: 1.2 Million/1.2 Million | Health Regen: 2.4 Million/min

Mana: 3.8 Million/3.8 Million | Mana Regen 4.4 Million/min

Stamina: Infinite | Mass: 601,302 pounds |Height: Actual – 9’6 (2.74 meters) | Damage Res – 97.5%

Phys Dam Bonus – 32,092% | Damage Bonus – 45%

I stared in utter disbelief. Daniel squatted down, resting his arms on his knees. He inspected my status,

“Huh… You’ve gained more willpower than anything. It actually looks like my multipliers for my stats carried over for you. That’s gotta be a nice bonus. Didn’t expect that.”

I gestured to my status with a hand, “How did my willpower over double? That’s absurd.“

Daniel shrugged, “There are all kinds of perks and multipliers involved with my status. You didn’t have them, now you do. If I’m honest with you, I’ve always wondered why Schema was so damn generous with stats to me. This explains it.”

He banged his chest as if knocking on a door. It let out a metal ring,

“This stuff, it’s easier to manipulate than what a normal person is made out of. I mean shit, the bonuses carried over to you. If that’s the case, then the bonuses must be pretty easy to maintain and keep up. That also explains why Schema’s ok with me abusing my Orbital bombardments.”

Daniel stared up at the sky, “I’m easy to keep and hold onto, I guess.”

He offered me a hand, so I accepted said offer. After rising, I attempted to compose myself,

“While perhaps unbefitting a lich, one cannot blame me for reacting in such a manner. I am over forty times more durable, my mana pool tripled, and my mana regen increased by twentyfold. This…this is unbelievable.”

Daniel gave me a nod, calm as always, “Yup. Did you get any other notifications along with them? You never know what else carried over.”

I peered at my status updates once more. I found surprises in spades.

New Body Gained! The Following bonuses have been unlocked!

Dimensional Pliability – + 1,000 to level cap | Your body is simpler to adjust with mana, making your level cap increase due to this efficiency.Dimensional Wake – You’ve gained the ability to extend yourself into your surroundings, manifesting as an aura | Current Aura: Cerebral Corrosion – Allows the user to dominate the minds of others by slowly draining their willpower and resistance. This applies to both the soul and mind of enemies and allies alike. It also enhances dominion magic against effected targets, including but not limited to, telekinesis, telepathy, gravitation, etc.A Dimensional Construct – Your frame is composed of an odd substance coursing with vitality. This grants additional multipliers for specific attributes! +60% to Endurance and Willpower. +20% to strength and constitution. +10% to all other stats. +300% to health and mana regen. +100% to Health and mana. Stamina is no longer a limiting factor. 5% of mana added to mana regeneration…

These additions explained much of the nonsense on my status sheet. I cupped my chin as I read through them,

“Ah…yes…This would explain most of this insanity.”

I peered at the final notification.

New Trees unlocked!

| Archmage(0/5,000) |

I crossed my arms as I spotted this new tree. Five thousand entire points for a single tree? It was absurd on many levels. It outdid my class unlock for becoming a speaker. Perhaps that was precisely what it was – another class for me. Considering the level limit of being a Speaker, this would suit me quite well and extend my limits.

I selected it, having already cleared out my remaining trees long ago. Having been obsessed with learning for ages paid its dividends, after all. I earned many skill points over the years, which in turn gave me many treepoints. This was how I unlocked a class before Daniel. I simply had more skillpoints earned over my lifetime.

Up till now, I never owned enough skilltrees to invest in, however. Schema tended toward unlocking trees based on achievements. This meant I lacked many trees to place my horde of treepoints into.

This, in turn, suited me quite nicely in that regard.

Without a word, I placed 4,281 points into the tree. While not owning all the points for it, I held more than most. The refreshing sound of Schema’s voice boomed in my mind, his prerecorded messages refreshing to hear after all these years.

This world is one dictated on the principle of knowledge. Knowing an enemy is understanding their weaknesses, strengths, and essence. You’ve understood this concept for many years, your diligence for study impeccable, your intention for research unwavering. This will prove your greatest asset in the trails to come.

+ Doubled ease of creation for unique magical skills

+ Doubled ease of creation for mythical level magical skills

+ Doubled ease of gaining magical affinities

The nature of your mind gives you a sensitivity for the subtle. Details that appear meaningless to others evolve into vital insights when seen through your eyes. These insights are gained not through talent alone; they are the result of study. In any undertaking, your skills will prove critical.

+ Doubled ease of creation for magical Legendary skill

+ Doubled learning speed of magical legendary skills

+ Doubled learning speed of magical mythical skills