Ray stared over the carnage left behind when the sun rose the following day. So much had happened the night before, it almost felt like a blur. Erith was currently by her mother's side and had not left since they found her after the fighting had finished. They also found a few of Draven's soldiers within the camp, but they had lost their will to continue fighting after his skill, which had sent them into a frenzy, ended.

  After counting their losses, the number of people within the camp had been reduced from almost 400 to less than 120. It all left a bitter taste in Ray’s mouth. If he had only resolved himself to do what needed to be done sooner, then maybe many soldiers would not have made it deeper into the camp. He shook his head, trying to get that thought out.

  They had surrounded the camp and attacked from all sides. Even if I had made that choice sooner, the others still would have made it into the camp.

  He knew he was right, but still felt he had not done enough or saved enough people. He opened up the title he had gained during the fight again.

  Famished

  You now walk a path few have walked before you. Your accomplishments will surely be written about one day, but you will find no level of wealth, fame, or power to satisfy your voracious hunger.

  Effect

  N/A

  “I'm sure you have something to do with this feeling,” he muttered with a sigh.

  He lay back and began messing with the ability the seventh threshold granted him. It wasn’t the most useful ability unless one wanted to prove one's level or strike fear in a weaker opponent, but Ray now had the ability to exert a level of pressure through an aura. He played around with it for a few minutes before realizing there was not much he could do besides activating and deactivating it. With nothing else to do while waiting for Erith's news, he sighed and opened his skill selection.

  Skills currently available

  Whispercraft: cast spells in your incantation panel without having to mutter an incantation

  Tinkerer's Eye: detect flaws in blueprints and optimize for performance.

  Obsession Over Output: Every time you craft, your standards rise. You're compelled to dismantle subpar items, but your top-tier output keeps growing.

  Feel the compulsion to destroy any item you create that is of uncommon rarity or lower.

  Gain a 25% chance to increase an item's rarity when a whole day is spent working on its blueprint, up to a maximum of 75%

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Threshold Breaker: Temporarily break through the next threshold, gaining stats equal to the level difference. Warning: This skill will cost 1 level per minute when it is in use.

  Volley: a regiment of archers on your own, fire a volley of arrows with a single shot.

  Mana cost: 20 mana per extra arrow up to a limit of 2000 mana

  …

  Ray took a few minutes to review the options before finally selecting Obsession Over Output. While Tinkerer’s eye and Whispercraft piqued his interest, he already spent a lot of time obsessing over blueprints, and getting a boost for doing that would make it all the better. He waited a few more hours before Erith finally appeared, spending the time working on his lightning spell from the night before.

  “How is she?”

  “She's still not awake, but she seems completely fine other than that,” she said, sitting beside him with a sigh. “The Felwind clan elder stopped by and let me know there will be a meeting later between all the survivors.”

  Ray nodded and opened the timer.

  Time limit

  62 days, 20 hours, 24 minutes

  “Only 62 days left…”

  Several hours later, they joined a large gathering of people in front of a small hill that the Felwind elder stood atop.

  “Hello everyone,” he said with a bow. “We have lost a great many today, and the road ahead will not be much clearer. Even with the threat of Draven and the Elborn clan mostly eliminated, our true enemy now stands on the horizon. We will need to stand strong and as one during this turbulent period. As the most experienced member of our makeshift gathering, I would like to propose that I take soul leadership as we hunt for allies and take on the coming threat.”

  Murmurs passed through the crowd, and a growing rage built in Ray’s heart.

  “There was a council deciding things before yesterday, why do you think that should change now?” Ray shouted.

  “A fair question, but one that is naive. Look at where a council got us.” The elder gestured around the camp. “We need to make quick and decisive decisions. Not be bogged down by a group that can’t reach a consensus. I had advocated for weeks for a preemptive strike against the Elborns, but the other members disagreed with me, leading to that attack last night.”

  “That’s funny,” Erith said with venom in her voice. “I seem to recall you arguing against a strike when we planned it the other day.”

  More murmurs emerged through the gathered crowd.

  The elder cleared his throat. “Even if that were true, how do you expect us to trust the same people who brought the Elborn to our doorstep. We all saw those devices they had. The ones depicting you.”

  Angered glares pointed in Ray and Erith's direction as mutters of agreement circulated.

  “They would have come either way, and what would you have done if Ray was not here to finish off Draven?” Erith shouted with a hint of open hostility entering her voice.

  “The only reason he was able to finish him off was because he was already exhausted from his fight with Vaelora. Any of our soldiers could have done the same.”

  Ray scoffed. If it weren't for the help of his awakened right arm, Draven’s first strike would have sent him to an early grave. A deep desire built in his chest as his anger built—the hunger to show what he was truly capable of, the need to prove to another old man, who could not see talent if it was staring them in the eyes, that he was wrong. He blurred into motion, appearing on top of the hill before anyone could move to stop him.

  “Would you like to test that theory?” Ray asked with the eyes of a starving predator.

  The older man stepped back, startled by his sudden appearance and gaze.

  He composed himself less than a second later, staring with indifferent eyes. “Are you truly challenging an elder on the brink of ascension?”

  Ray did not falter, staring the man directly in the eyes. “Yes,” he said plainly.

  375 followers - Bonus chapter -

  ?????????? 100%

  150 favorites - Bonus chapter

  ??????????? 66%