Phoenix Healer, Chapters 49-53

Chapter 49

“Where did everyone go?” she asked Gromorlig.

“They got tired after a few hours. The knight stuck around longest but even he gave up eventually.” Gromorlig scratched his beard. “You’re the only one who even got the Skill.”

Monica checked her Skill with the monocle again.

Skill List

Meditation - Lv. 12

Rank: Iron -> Bronze

SKILL EFFICIENCY: 10%

Basic meditation technique that allows you to regulate your Mana flow.

#1 Base Effect: Increases Mana Regeneration by 5% while meditating. The bonus increases by 1% per Level.

Current Bonus: 17%

#1 Hidden Effect - Flow: You can now use Meditation while using your other Skills.

The description had a new entry, ‘Rank.’

“Bronze Rank?” She asked Gromorlig.

“So you reached 10%,” the Dwarf shook his head. “Once you do, that’s what you get. You can’t see the Skill Efficiency without an artifact, but you can see the Skill’s Rank if it’s above ten percent.”

“So this helps all my other Skills with their Skill Efficiency?” Monica asked.

“Yep. Not much, but it’s a start.” Gromorlig stood up. “Most people give up before they get this far. They think meditation is boring or useless.”

Monica stretched her stiff muscles. Her stomach growled loudly.

“I need food,” she said.

“Yeah, you do. But first, try using your Phoenix Step while you have Meditation on.”

Monica stood up shakily and tried to use Phoenix Step while keeping her Meditation active. Right away, she felt both Skills slip away from her.

“Try again,” Gromorlig said. “Focus on keeping the Mana flow steady first.”

Monica took a deep breath and started over. She got Meditation going, feeling the smooth flow of Mana. Then she tried to use Phoenix Step. The moment she did, her Meditation broke.

“This is harder than I thought,” Monica said, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“Keep trying. You need to learn how your Skills work their Mana around your body. The System imparts Skills, but no one spends time making sure they work correctly. Relying only on the System is like sanding a sword with a hammer.”

After a few more attempts, Monica managed to hold Meditation for a split second while activating Phoenix Step. What she felt shocked her. The Mana flow for Phoenix Step was completely messy - spraying everywhere instead of flowing in a steady stream.

“I see you noticed,” Gromorlig said. “Below 10%, your Skills are wasting most of their Mana. That’s why the Skill Efficiency is so low.”

“So, they consume more Mana than they should?”

“And they are not nearly as strong as they were intended to be,” Gromorlig added.

“How do I fix it?” Monica asked.

“Now that you have Meditation at Bronze Rank, lass, you can start working on your other Skills,” Gromorlig explained. “Do the same thing - feel how the Mana moves and guide it better. It’ll take time, but you can get them to 10% too.”

“And after that?” Monica asked. “How do we get past 10%?”

Gromorlig shrugged. “Don’t know, lass. This is all I learned about the Age of Heroes. The rest of the techniques are probably lost or hidden away somewhere.”

“So that’s it? We’re stuck at 10%?”

“Hey, 10% is better than what most people have these days,” Gromorlig said. “Plus, you’re the Avatar. Maybe you’ll figure out how to go further. Most people don’t have the patience. But yeah, they need it if we’re going to take on that spider nest.”

“Speaking of the nest,” Monica said, “how long do we have?”

“Those spiders won’t wait forever,” Gromorlig replied. “But a few days of training will help more than rushing in unprepared.”

Monica nodded.

DottyShe was hungry and exhausted as she stumbled toward the entrance of the barracks.

  *

Dotty stared at her Skill selection screen.

She had a choice to make but she wasn’t sure what to go for.

Maybe Monica was right, maybe she did have to pick Shadow Step.

Gromorlig had told Dotty that he wasn’t able to help—that she had to figure it out on her own since the choice was evident enough.

But then, why was Dotty so conflicted about it?

Shadow Step sounded like it would increase her chances of surviving their excursion in Viscera, but it also sounded nothing like Void Slash, which positively sounded like the strongest Skill Dotty had ever heard of.

She suspected it would be a complementary Skill to Magic Rend, something to one-shot a monster, even if higher leveled.

Dotty heard knocking at the door.

“Come in.”

Monica opened the door, startling Dotty. She had thought it would have been someone else.

Monica sat down on the dusty bed with Dotty.

“Can we talk?” The redhead asked.

“Sure,” Dotty shrugged, not looking up grom the scabbard of her sword laying on her knees.

Monica took a few beats before she felt comfortable enough to speak her mind.

“I lost my children,” Monica started.

Dotty knew that.

“I lost my children and now I’m terrified of losing you. I’m not your mother, Dotty. I’m not Madeline. I know you’re not my daughter. But I don’t think it’s because of chance that I was summoned in the temple and saved you and your brother there. I had two children exactly your age, one daughter and one little boy. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the System—or maybe someone else—is sending a message.”

Only now Dotty realized that, indeed, it felt like too much of a coincidence.

“I didn’t really want to think about this. The more I do, the more I have this rat made of fear that burrows in my chest every time I think about the possibility of you dying in here. Sometimes, at night, I wake up in a panic, wondering if someone is going after your mother and Ronnie.”

“Why would they?” Dotty frowned.

“No reason. I just worry.”

“Why?” Dotty frowned.

“Because,” Monica laughed. “I worry because I don’t have children anymore. I don’t even know what happened to them. I just know that… they’re not with me. That’s why I look at you, or I think of your brother, and I’m terrified of what might happen.”

“Terrified?” Dotty asked, surprised that the Monica, the fearless Avatar of the Twin Phoenix could experience such feelings.

“Absolutely terrified. I can die a thousand times over and come back without a problem, without feeling one single ounce of fear. I could be tortured for a hundred years, Dotty, and I would prefer it to the dreams I have, to what I wake up at night thinking of. There are monsters in my head that would make Machina’s creations blush in embarrassment. And I can’t kill them. I can’t burn them, I can’t do nothing. I’m powerless.”

Dotty’s own heart started racing at what Monica was telling her. She suddenly felt at least a part of the terrifying fear that the redhead had apparently lived with since Dotty had come to Viscera.

“Monica, I—“ Dotty didn’t know what to say. “I am sorry I came.”

“No,” Monica shook her head. “That’s the wrong conclusion.”

“What?”

“You shouldn’t be sorry you came here, Dotty. WHen I saw my daughter in my most recent vision, I realized something—I protected her too much. Let me ask, how would you deal with this terrifying sense that everything could come crashing down once again, that your children could be taken from you again at any point?”

“I would try my best to protect them, to shield them from—“

“That’s what I did the last time,” Monica said. “I sheltered them and their growth was impaired. I couldn’t let them take too many risks, especially when they weren’t under my supervision. So, if I did that again, I would just suffocate them.”

“But then, what about the fear?”

“The only choice I have is to live with it. It’s there. I can’t fight it. I fought with it in one life and we can see the results. Now, I can either embrace it or condemn you to make suboptimal choices for your life because I’m scared out of my mind for your safety.”

“Wait, so—“

“Take Void Slash,” Monica said. “Don’t take Shadow Step.”

“Why?”

“You’re a Hunter, not a Thief,” Monica shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious. If you need to run, you’re already dead. If it was a hiding Skill, I could have had my doubts between that and Void Slash. But a movement Skill? You don’t need that right now. We’re in a group and, again, if you needed to run, it means we’re all dead and you’re about to die shortly after. If you were trying to become fully independent, I could see choosing the suboptimal option in order to try and survive longer—say, in a forest alone where you might actually need to outrun your enemies. But the spiders are already slower than you and any speed-focused monster would catch up with you anyway, Skill or not.”

Hearing Monica’s explanation, Dotty’s eyes lit up.

“The daughter I had before all this.” Monica stared at her hands, remembering. “I tried so hard to protect her that I think I made her weak. I was so focused on keeping her safe that I never let her learn to be strong. I can’t do the same for you.”

“So, that why you’ve been so protective.”

Monica nodded. “I see myself making the same mistakes and only after hearing Gromorlig tell me off, I finally put it together.”

“But everyone said mobility would keep me alive-”

“Shadow Step is for sneaking around. For hiding, as I’ve already said.” Monica looked Dotty in the eyes. “That’s not you. You’re a Hunter - you’re meant to strike hard when it matters. By the time they see you coming, it should be too late.”

“You really think so?”

“I do. You don’t need to hide. You need to be unstoppable.” Monica smiled. “The traps Gromorlig mentioned? They’re tools, not crutches. You’ll use them to control the battlefield, not to run away from it.”

Dotty sat quietly for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”

She accepted the Skill.

Void Slash Lv. 1

SKILL EFFICIENCY: 1%

Channel Antimagic into Void Energy to deliver devastating slashes that pierce through any defense.

#1 Base Effect: Strike with concentrated void energy, dealing 2900% weapon damage. Damage increases by 25% per Level.

Current Damage: 2925%

#2 Base Effect: Attacks ignore 50% of target’s physical and magical defenses.

#1 Special Effect - Void Resonance: If used within 3 seconds after activating Magic Rend, Void Slash adds 500% further damage to the Base Effect.

Limitations: Can only be used with slashing weapons.

Cooldown: 2 hours

Immediately after, unbeknown to Dotty, two notifications popped up in Monica’s head.

Ding

Memory Fragment Unlocked

Ding

Quest Completed – ‘Memories of the Flame III/???’

Uncover a fragment of your past.

Reward: ???

Ding

Memory Fragment has been momentarily paused by The Twin Phoenix

Ding

You have been summoned by the Twin Phoenix

The world started spinning. Monica felt herself falling sideways, Dotty’s worried voice fading into the distance.

The last thing Monica heard before losing consciousness was Dotty calling for help, and footsteps rushing toward them on the stone steps. But she was already gone.

Everything went dark, and she found herself floating in a vast void.

In the darkness ahead, two massive birds made of fire - one gold, one black - waited for her.

The phoenixes towered before her, their wings spanning what seemed like miles.

“You’ve earned an audience, Monica Monroe,” they spoke in unison. “You are finally showing yourself worthy of our blessing.”

Chapter 50

Monica had no idea how she had ended up here, in this space. She only remembered passing out and then, after a moment, meeting the Titan behind her powers, the Twin Phoenix.

She floated in the endless dark space. The two massive birds towered over her, their flames lighting up the void. Each was bigger than anything she had ever seen.

Asking who these two phoenixes were felt redundant. Therefore, Monica chose to ask another question to start the conversation.

“Why am I here?”

Finally the two birds stirred and craned their necks to look at her.

“You have received our powers to fight the parasites,” the two voices said, speaking in synch with an unsettling echo following their words. “We were disappointed in your behavior, Monica Monroe, but you finally showed us a sign that things are not as they once were.”

First of all, Monica felt it was somehow strange to hear a divine creature call her by name. Second, she had a hunch of what they were talking about.

“You’re talking about my daughter and Dotty.”

“Yes.” The golden head nodded.

“Is that why you appeared now?” Monica asked.

The black head moved closer.

“We took your memories, Monica Monroe, because of what you did.”

“You took my memories?” Monica’s voice trembled with anger and disbelief. The flames of both phoenixes flickered in response to her emotion.

“We did,” the obsidian phoenix spoke alone this time, its voice deeper and more resonant than when they spoke in unison.

The two massive birds exchanged a look that seemed to carry centuries of meaning.

“Wait, what did I do? Did I hurt my children?”

“No,” the two Phoenixes spoke in unison once again. “You had nothing to do with your children’s demise. You did everything you could in order to protect them.”

Monica sighed in relief. For a moment, she had feared she might have had a hand in the death of her children. Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“What did I do, then?”

“You don’t deserve to know,” the Twin Phoenix spoke. “That life, that very universe is gone.”

“But Machina said she can bring my children back.”

“She very well might,” the Twin Phoenix responded. “But you are living a second chance and we’re not here to discuss your past. And now, after seeing to your improvement, we’re here to offer you the real power of the Twin Phoenix.”

Monica was eager to ask more about her past life but it seemed like the Twin Phoenix was moving on.

“Ok,” Monica said. “But, what’s the power? I am already immortal and I have the Obsidian and the Golden Flames. Is there anything else?”

“How laughable,” the two Phoenixes roared in laughter. “That you might believe that that would have sufficed to make you the most dangerous warrior and our Champion.”

“Then, what?”

“You have just now come in contact with the higher plane of fighting—what they call Skill Efficiency on this world. A better definition, however, is Skill Mastery.”

“What about it?”

“Skill Mastery is hard to achieve because to expose the flaws in a Skill, one has to be looking for them under the right circumstances. Normal people struggle an entire lifetime to reach the complete mastery of their strongest Skills. They can barely reach the ten percent mark, like that Dwarf just showed you. Even in your time, only a small select few reached above eighty. And those who managed to reach one-hundred…”

After a short beat, the two Phoenixes dropped a bombshell.

“Those were called Old Gods and Titans.”

Monica’s eyes went wide.

“Wait, so Old Gods were mortals?”

“We all were at some point. Old Gods, the parasites, earned their Skill Mastery through absorbing souls and their Skills, through depredating and stealing, through murder and lies. There are wicked practices they used to reach the peak of the Skill Mastery that made them what they are. Titans, instead, are those who practiced a Skill to its peak without taking shortcuts.”

“Wait, but why do Old Gods have followers and Titans only have an Avatar?” Monica frowned.

“When an Old God gathers followers, they take more than they give. They need power to sustain their imperfect form. They cannot live otherwise. Henceforth, why we call them parasites. They get their strength from others, from external factors. They’re thieves whose only directive is to keep stealing.”

“And Titans?”

“Titans cannot split their power once they ascend beyond their physical form. They can only bestow it onto one Avatar, who represents their reincarnation. However, unlike the Old Gods, Titans are eternal crystallizations of the Skill they mastered.”

The Twin Phoenix smirked.

“In our case,” the two Phoenixes said, “two Skills.”

“The Obsidian and the Golden Flame,” Monica muttered.

“Indeed,” the Twin Phoenix replied. “We are the only Titan to ever master Two Skills. And that is only thanks to mastering the Golden Flame first.”

“Wait, what?”

“We’ve said that the majority of people to ever live, regardless of their race, will never even scratch the surface of Skill Mastery, Monica Monroe. That is because they need the right circumstances to unveil the problems with a Skill and then what is commonly called an Inspiration to unlock the next Rank. Do you know what the right circumstances are?”

Monica shook her head.

“The right circumstances are only fights to the death, Monica Monroe.”

The redhead’s jaw went slack and immediately understood what the Twin Phoenix was getting at.

“When you reached the maximum Skill Efficiency for the Golden Flame, you became immortal.”

“All Titans are immortal—well, permanent is a better description. But, like the parasites, we live in a liminal space where we can only bestow our powers onto one Avatar who receives our strongest Skill, or Skills in our case, and acts as our ambassador and champion. But once we reached the peak of the Golden Flame, we delayed our ascendance, defying the System. After, we used its incredible power to cheat death and we mastered the Obsidian Flame just moments before the System forced us to ascend—those who master Skills cannot be allowed to stay among mortals anymore; it would be too dangerous to them.”

“Do you understand what that means, Monica Monroe?”

“That I, your Avatar, can employ the same strategy,” Monica said. “But how are life and death fights going to make me improve?”

“First of all,” the Twin Phoenix said, “they’d improve just about anyone. When someone fights with their life on the line, their soul changes and gets projected outward. Because of that, they can now get closer access to their Skills and are able to perceive the problems in Skill Efficiency, or Mastery, whatever you want to call it, much more closely. Everything suddenly starts making much more sense. But the battles have to be truly life-threatening for your Soul to emerge. The closer to death, the more your Soul will try and give you as much power and knowledge as it can to avoid dying. Your Soul, despite you being able to come back from death, is no different.”

Saying that this was a massive discovery and a terrifying advantage would have been an understatement.

“You are supposed to be the greatest warrior, Monica Monroe. You wield the power of the only Titan who ever mastered not one, but two Skills. Now, you know the true extent of your power. Do not let us down.”

Monica felt the space starting to recede and her consciousness blanking again.

“Thank you,” she said gravely. “I won’t let you down.”

“You better not.”

Chapter 51

Monica had left the others almost immediately, telling them she needed time to herself. She hadn’t even listened to Gromorlig saying she shouldn’t go alone since she couldn’t track down the monsters.

However, she had a much better plan than just tracking them down. Just the kind of plan that someone who could afford endless deaths could pull off.

She stationed herself on a roof rather close to the nest and started using Mana Sense and Meditation together, looking for any movement of a Corrupted Tarantula.

She knew normal spiders would not help her improve. She needed a stronger foe. She needed the Corrupted Tarantula. It had nearly killed them all in their previous engagement, and might have if it had not been for Sir Tristan, but now she wanted to face it alone.

She wanted to push herself to the limit.

She wanted to evolve her Skills faster by forcing her soul to fight at its peak.

Viscera was quiet for now, with barely any sound getting to her ears.

She breathed slowly and cleared her mind. She focused on Meditation. She tried to guide her Mana so that it flowed more smoothly.

First, though, she checked the streets below. Nothing.

She had to draw the Corrupted Tarantula out. She picked up a loose rock from the roof and threw it with all her Strength toward an old stone statue near the nest. The sound of the impact was loud. She crouched down and waited. Soon, she heard movement. A spider emerged from a collapsed archway. It was large and silvery.

Nice, Monica thought to herself.

It scanned the area, searching for prey. Monica prepared herself and smiled grimly. This was what she needed.

She jumped down from the roof while she kept Meditation active.

She felt her Mana in her chest and arms, but it slipped away the moment she tried to move. The Tarantula hissed at her, its legs scraping the stone ground. She stepped forward, trying to keep her focus on Mana Sense and Meditation.

It charged at her with surprising speed. She dodged the first strike, but felt her Meditation break. She cursed. She had to balance fighting and keeping her Mana flow steady. She tried again.

The Tarantula spat a thin wire that cut through the air. Monica tried Phoenix Step to dodge.

She felt the Mana surge, but now that her attention was inward, focused on the Skill, she noticed how rough and wasteful the movement had been.

I am the damn Avatar, she thought, angry.

She would pry her children away from the Old God’s magic, no matter what. She would burn through them, extinguish their parasitic life once and for all.

Monica might not have been confident about many things, but fighting?

This was what she was made for.

She might have not have been a great mother, a great friend, and perhaps not even a great woman at all, but she could fight.

She dodged the wire with a minimal movement and let it slice the stone behind her.

She clenched her teeth. She felt pain in her shoulder. She looked down. A small scratch and another dent in her Nightshade Battle Wear, nothing serious, but enough to make her even more mad.

She needed to let the Corrupted Tarantula wound her more, though.

She needed true danger to push her mind.

She lowered her guard slightly, allowing one of its metal-enhanced legs to slash at her thigh. Pain shot up her leg. Blood dripped on the stone. She bit her lip. She felt anger rising, but forced it down. She had to remain calm. She tried Meditation once more. She tried to hold that state even as she prepared Obsidian Impact.

The Tarantula lunged again. She raised her bracer. Her elbow under the impact of the metal leg on the golden bracer, which had made her entire arm ring like a bell.

She tried to channel Obsidian Impact. The Mana flow was messy. She struck the Tarantula’s body with a flaming fist. The blow landed, but not cleanly. The Tarantula stumbled back, but then shot another wire. This one caught her side and pierced through the shadowy substance of the Nightshade Battle Wear as if it had been paper. She screamed as it tore through flesh. She staggered, nearly falling.

Good.

She needed to push closer to death.

Before her vision could blur from the loss of blood, she flashed the Golden Flame around her body to heal the worst of the damage, then, she activated Meditation again.

This time, she felt a slight improvement. She sensed a small part of her Mana moving as she intended. She tried Phoenix Step while holding that feeling, but she failed. Right when it had felt like the flow of Mana from her abdomen to her legs was making her move smoothly across the paved stone, the Mana had slipped away.

She coughed and felt warm blood on her lips, especially after tanking another hit from the Corrupted Tarantula.

She was badly hurt now.

Perfect.

She would just resurrect if she died.

The Tarantula charged at her, trying to finish her off. She dodged to the side and tried Obsidian Impact again. She guided the Mana more carefully this time. She visualized the flow as she had during Meditation. She caught a small detail—just before releasing the Impact, the Mana spun out of control. She tried to adjust, but it was too late. The blow landed weakly.

The Tarantula retaliated by stabbing a leg into her shoulder.

Monica screamed and dropped to one knee, near death. She tried one final time to hold Meditation. For a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of how her Mana should flow through her arms for Obsidian Impact. She saw a possible solution. She would need several more tries to apply this lesson, though. She tried Phoenix Step, but she was too weak. The Tarantula’s next attack struck her chest.

She gasped. Her strength faded and she could not stand anymore.

The Tarantula loomed over her. She let out a shaky breath. She had learned something today.

She had noticed one small improvement in how she managed her Mana. Next time, she would try again.

She would die as many times as needed until she reached the next threshold of Skill Mastery in all of her Skills.

All of them.

Then, darkness enveloped her mind.

  *

Ted sat against a wall in the barracks, bored out of his mind.

Monica had left and the others were either sleeping already after using Meditation for so long or eating something or, in Monica’s case, they had just left to hunt alone.

Ted felt neither hungry nor tired, which was why he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees.

If he focused a lot, he could feel his Mana moving through his body. It was something his father had taught him. It wasn’t exactly Mana Sense, but it was enough as a grounding exercise in case Ted had ever needed to deal with Mana. The flow was very much uneven even as he tried to guide it like Gromorlig had taught them. The Mana responded in a lethargic mannery to his attempts.

Hours passed like this, with Ted bored and just meditating to pass the time. He didn’t really feel tired from Meditating, if he had to be honest. He didn’t understand why the others had complained so much.

In fact, Ted barely moved despite his back hurting and his numb legs. He was engrossed in the feeling of Mana circulating through his veins, in the slight pricklish sensation it created when he managed to ever so slightly steer it toward where he wanted it. He just kept focusing on the Mana as if it was the only thing that mattered in the entire world.

He noticed small changes in how it flowed hour from hour. Sometimes it would move smoothly for a few seconds before becoming choppy again. In other places, it rapidly accelerated for a brief time and then resumed its normal speed.

Ted felt almost drunk while he kept watching and watching it, getting a small reward from his brain every time one of his attempts was successful.

He lost track of time. His mind drifted to his mandolin but he pushed the thought away. He had to focus only on the Mana. Gradually, the flow became steadier. He could maintain it for longer periods.

More time passed. Ted’s concentration deepened. The Mana began following his guidance more naturally. He felt something shift inside him. The flow suddenly became crystal clear.

A notification appeared.

Ding

Utility Skill - Meditation has reached Level 10

Ted checked on his Skill List.

Skill List

Meditation - Lv. 10

Rank: Iron -> Bronze

“Huh,” he told himself. “That was actually easier than I thought.”

Only when a few seconds later Heidi knocked on his door, he changed his mind.

“Ted? Are you awake? It’s time for breakfast.”

Chapter 52

Ted stood up. He brushed dust off his clothes. He had not realized he had been sitting for so long. He opened the door and looked at Heidi.

She stood in the hallway, looking tired and hungry. After a moment, he followed her to the dining area.

They entered the dining hall. Sir Tristan and Dotty were already seated. Ted saw Gromorlig sitting on a low stool. The dwarf tapped his foot on the ground. Dotty looked at the table. There were some dried meats and old bread. Heidi took a seat next to Dotty. Ted sat across from Sir Tristan. He picked up a piece of bread.

“Is Monica still out?” Heidi asked.

“I think so,” Sir Tristan said. “She said she needed time alone.”

“Did she say where she was going?” Ted asked.

Sir Tristan shook his head.

“No. I thought she would return by now.”

“She might be still training,” Dotty said. “She had that look in her eyes.”

Gromorlig grunted.

“Training alone is a dangerous thing, lass. The spiders are strong. She can do it because she can’t die. Please, none of you should follow in her steps.”

Ted ate in silence.

He remembered what Gromorlig had said about Skill Efficiency.

Even though he didn’t know exactly what happened, he was sure that Monica wanted to improve. Maybe she was trying to push her Skills further. For some reason, despite the redhead’s immortality, he did not like the idea of her taking such risks alone.

Heidi broke the silence.

“We all tried that Meditation. Ted, did you manage to learn the Skill?”

Ted nodded, feeling a bit shy.

“Yes, I did. I also reached Bronze Rank.”

Heidi looked at him with surprise. “Really?”

“You got the Skill and you also brought it to Bronze Rank?” Sir Tristan asked, surprised. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Ted shrugged. “I stayed up all night—I couldn’t sleep.”

“I think so,” Ted said. “I also don’t feel that tired even though I didn’t sleep. Is that normal?.”

Gromorlig seemed pleased. “Lad, you surprise me. That is some real progress. Meditation at Bronze Rank is a hell of a good start. Not like these slackers.”

The Dwarf turned toward Sir Tristan and grinned at him.

“You hear me, Sir Knight? The little Bard is progressing faster than you. Maybe it’s time you pick up the slack.”

Sir Tristan narrowed his eyes at the Dwarf but simply got up and left for the courtyard, intent on practicing Meditation. Heidi soon followed suit and only Ted, Dotty, and Gromorlig remained at the table.

“Lad, I have a some advice for you. Why don’t we go and practice some before I explain to the lassie here what traps she’ll need to activate.”

“Is that good?” Ted asked Dotty.

“Yeah,” Dotty nodded. “Gromorlig said I need to get Meditation up to speed before that anyway. Apparently it helps with the Mana connection to the traps.”

So, Ted and Gromorlig left, leaving Dotty alone at the table.

“I wonder what Monica’s doing,” she suddenly said to herself.

  *

Monica faced the Corrupted Tarantula again. She had died seven times already. Her body felt heavy from the resurrections. Each death taught her something new about her Skills.

The spider shot a wire at her head. She tried Phoenix Step while maintaining Meditation. The Mana flowed much smoother than before. She moved to the side by infusing the Golden Flame into Phoenix Step.

The wire missed by a whole foot this time.

She kept Meditation active and channeled Mana Sense—now, she could see the Corrupted Taruntula chitin much clearly, even from afar. Most importantly, she could also perceive a faint sense of where the metal was weaker. She noticed weak points in its metal shell because the Mana felt thinner there.

The Tarantula charged. Monica attempted Obsidian Impact. The Mana surged through her arm. She guided it carefully like she had learned through her deaths. Her fist connected with the spider’s leg, making her whole body ring, but also finally shattering the silvery metal plating and delivering the first real damage to the monster.

She was making progress. Her previous deaths had shown her how to better control the Mana flow. The spider recovered and spun more wires. Monica dodged two but the third caught her shoulder. She gritted her teeth through the pain as her arm was fully severed from her body.

She needed to push harder. She let the spider wound her again. Blood spurted all over. Her vision blurred, but her Soul emerged stronger as she neared death. She saw the Mana paths more clearly now.

Right as the Corrupted Tarantula got closer to deliver a killing blow, Monica used Mana Sense and Obsidian Impact in quick succession, first to dodge and then to punch at the arachnid’s body.

Her fist punched and created an explosion that went straight through the spider’s metal hide. The monster screamed and staggered back.

Monica had felt the Skill move through her body, through her whole positioning, almost perfectly. She could feel it so tantalizing it close to where she wanted it to be.

One more hit and I’ll go up in rank, she thought, despite having only one arm left.

She dashed forward. She chained Phoenix Step into another Obsidian Impact. The Mana flowed from one Skill to the next. The spider couldn’t track her increased speed. She almost landed a solid hit before a wire pierced her chest. She coughed blood but stayed focused on her Mana control. She had almost mastered the proper flow for Obsidian Impact. Just a bit more…

The spider’s leg crushed her ribcage.

As darkness took her, she glimpsed the final adjustment needed for Obsidian Impact.

One more and I’ll destroy this monster.

Chapter 53

Monica crouched behind a piece of rubble, watching the Corrupted Tarantula resting.

Its legs were warped in several points and one of them was outright missing. It was heavily injured by their previous fights but it knew Monica was about to come back like it had already and was waiting for her. Clearly, the intelligence of the construct wasn’t that high or it would have either fled back to the nest or made sure Monica couldn’t get back up again by drowning her in rubble or trying to bind her up with its metal wires.

Instead, it stupidly chose to face her once again in an unending deathmatch.

Monica closed her eyes and activated Meditation and Mana Sense together, finally feeling a subtle harmony between them.

Her Mana now flowed much more smoothly than it had before and she could feel each slight change in movement from the Corrupted Tarantula in the vibrations of the cobblestone that traveled from the monster up to her.

Monica opened her eyes and picked up a small rock from the ground near her feet.

She weighed it for a moment, then tossed it gently toward a nearby chunk of debris. The rock struck true, producing a sharp, clean sound. The Tarantula stirred, drawn out of its half-sleep by the unexpected noise.

This was enough to pull the spider back into action.

As soon as the Tarantula awakened, it aimed its abdomen at Monica and fired its razor-sharp wire.

She noticed the flash of metal and easily sidestepped the deadly attack. The spider’s sudden burst revealed that it still held plenty of fight.

Or enough to make this interesting, Monica thought.

She was so tantalizingly close to ranking up her Skills that she honestly wished the Corrupted Tarantula had regained some of its health before the fight.

As the Twin Phoenix had said, it was only in life-and-death fights that her Soul would uncover the problems in her Skills. The Soul was the real receptacle of the System’s power and it needed near-death danger to emerge. Without it, Monica had no way of leveling up her Skills.

Which was why she dashed closer to the Corrupted Tarantula.

Monica charged in close to the Corrupted Tarantula, deliberately entering the range of its deadly legs.

She could have fought from afar, but that would not have pushed her to the brink where she needed to be.

The spider responded with a desperate flurry of strikes from its remaining legs, forcing Monica to time her dodges perfectly while keeping Meditation active.

The Tarantula shot more wires. Monica channeled Mana through Phoenix Step. The flow was almost perfect now. She moved like water between the deadly strands. She felt her Soul emerging as the danger increased.

A wire caught her leg. She didn’t try to pull free. Instead, she let the spider draw her closer as blood ran down her calf.

“Come on,” she muttered.

The spider pulled her within range of its legs. Monica activated Obsidian Impact.

The spider stabbed at her with three legs at once. She blocked one with her bracer. She let another pierce her shoulder. She dodged the third.

As usual, her vision started to blur from blood loss.

She saw the flaws in her Skills with perfect clarity.

She understood what she needed to do. She gathered her Mana for one final strike. The spider raised its legs for a killing blow.

Monica channeled Obsidian Impact one more time. She controlled the Mana flow exactly as she had learned through her deaths. Her fist shot forward.

The impact shattered the spider’s metal hide. The explosion tore through its body. The monster stumbled backward and crumpled to the ground, dead.

A notification appeared in her mind.

A grin appeared on Monica’s face before turning into a frown.

Ding

You have slain [Corrupted Tarantula - Level 110]

You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature fifty levels above you.

You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature infected by Corruption.

Ding

Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 32

+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes

Ding

Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 33

+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes

Ding

Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 34

+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes

Ding

Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 43

Ding

Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 44

Ding

Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 45

Ding

Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 46

Ding

Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 47

Ding

Healing Skill – Golden Flame reaches Level 48

Ding

Offensive Skill - Obsidian Flame reaches Level 40

Ding

Constitution Skill – Phoenix Feathers reaches Level 24

Ding

Constitution Skill – Phoenix Feathers reaches Level 25

Ding

Phoenix Feathers’s Skill Description has been updated!

Phoenix Feathers Lv. 25

The bonuses last while the Skill is active or until the rage-triggered secondary effect is activated.

#1 Base Effect: Increases your resilience, physical strength, and physical speed by 100%. The effect increases by 10% for each Level.

Current Bonus: 350%

#2 Base Effect: Increases all of your Attributes by 1. The effect increases by 1 for each Level.

Current Bonus: +25 to All Attributes

#1 Special Effect - Fury of the Phoenix: You gain +30 to All Attributes for each Phoenix Feather you burn. The effect increases by 3 for each Level. Your Vitality is reduced by 30 for each Phoenix Feather you burn. The Vitality cost increases by 3 for each Level. If your Vitality is negative after Fury of the Phoenix runs off, you will die. Resurrecting after dying because of or during Fury of the Phoenix will result in all your Attributes and Skill potency being cut by 80% for the next 24 hours.

Current Bonus: +105 to All Attributes, excluding Vitality for each burnt Phoenix Feather

Cost: 105 Vitality for each burnt Phoenix Feather

Current Number of Available Feathers: 3

Monica had just gotten access to the third Phoenix Feather.

Ding

Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 46

Ding

Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 47

Ding

Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 48

Ding

Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 49

Ding

Perception Skill – Mana Sense reaches Level 50

Ding

Mana Sense’s Skill Description has been updated!

Mana Sense Lv. 50

Develop the ability to perceive Mana and its echoes in your surroundings.

Monica had to squint and stare at the updated description for nearly a minute before realizing the only thing that had changed was that now the Skill didn’t say ‘to perceive Mana’ alone, but ‘to perceive Mana and its echoes,’ which of course Monica had no idea what it stood for.

Ding

Movement Skill - Phoenix Step reaches Level 23

Ding

Movement Skill - Phoenix Step reaches Level 24

Ding

Offensive Skill - Obsidian Impact reaches Level 23

Ding

Offensive Skill - Obsidian Impact reaches Level 24

Ding

Offensive Skill - Obsidian Impact reaches Level 25

Ding

Utility Skill - Meditation…

Utility Skill - Meditation… reaches Level 24

Meditation had gained twelve levels—so many Monica skipped all the notification before she checked and double-checked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

How was it possible that she couldn’t the Rank up in Obsidian Impact? She had distinctly felt the Skill become way more polished. But then, where was the notification? Where was it?

She briefly checked her Skill List but there was nothing on there.

Then, a sudden realization hit her: she hadn’t done enough. This last fight with the Corrupted Tarantula had been too easy compared to the previous ones. The monster had already been injured and she hadn’t fully felt the same sensations she had during the previous engagements.

“But I am sure I could feel it, I saw it before,” Monica muttered to herself.

The last time she had died she had clearly seen what she had needed to do to reach the ten percent mark in the Skill, but then why hadn’t the application of that been enough?

Not knowing what else to do, she briefly checked her Akashic Record.

Name: Monica Monroe

Race: Earther

Title: Avatar of the Twin Phoenix (Unique)

1st Class: Phoenix Healer (Rare) - Lv. 23 -> 34

2nd Class: None

Talent Class: None

Attributes:

Vitality - 301

Endurance - 170

Strength - 173

Dexterity - 214

Wisdom - 170

Spirit - 170

Intelligence - 170

Charisma - 170

Free Attributes: 66

Skills:

Golden Flame (Healing Skill) - Lv. 48

Obsidian Flame (Offensive Skill) - Lv. 40

Phoenix Feathers (Constitution Skill) - Lv. 25

Mana Sense (Perception Skill) - Lv. 50

Phoenix Step (Movement Skill) - Lv. 24

Obsidian Impact (Offensive Skill) - Lv. 25

Meditation (Utility Skill) - Lv. 25

Equipment:

Steel Talons (Uncommon)

Twin Phoenix Bracers (Divine) - Twin Phoenix Set (1/12)

Nightshade Battle Wear (Rare)

Racial Abilities (Earther):

Tutorial

Quest System

Inventory

Map

Myriad Tongues

Monica looked at her Vitality and then looked at the cost of Phoenix Feathers again.

Cost: 105 Vitality for each burnt Phoenix Feather

“That’s three-hudred fifteen Vitality,” she sighed, looking back at her current Vitality.

Vitality - 301

Free Attributes: 66

She dumped fifteen points into it, bringing it to three hundred sixteen.

The problem, as Ted had anticipated, was that now for every level of Phoenix Feathers, Monica would need to put four Free Attributes on top of the five she was already getting from her Class level ups in order to keep up with the cost of Phoenix Feathers. And that was only if she kept leveling at the same speed the Skill did, which wasn’t necessarily a wrong assumption, but it made it dangerous not to keep some extra Vitality on hand just in case.

Free Attributes: 41

Monica used fourteen Free Attributes, leaving twenty-seven to Vitality, which would allow her to bridge the gap in case she leveled up Phoenix Feathers more than her Class. Of the fourteen, twelve went to Dexterity and two to Strength.

Attributes:

Vitality - 328

Endurance - 170

Strength - 175

Dexterity - 226

Wisdom - 170

Spirit - 170

Intelligence - 170

Charisma - 170

Monica turned toward the direction of the barracks, then toward the nest.

I still have time, she told herself and cracked her neck, walking once again toward the nest.

  *

Ted sat cross-legged in the courtyard. Dotty stood nearby with her sword drawn. Gromorlig paced between them.

“The song needs to match the fight,” Gromorlig said. “Your Phoenix Song is good but you need more than one Skill.”

Ted held his mandolin. He didn’t understand what Gromorlig meant. The Phoenix Song had helped them in many fights before.

“Lass, show him your basic forms,” Gromorlig told Dotty.

Dotty began slashing the air and stepping forward in rather simple movements.

Ted played the Phoenix Song as she practiced.

“No, no, lad,” Gromorlig shook his head and exhaled. “You’re not watching her. You’re just playing the same notes.”

Ted stopped playing. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t play what she’s doing, feel the rhythm of what you think should happen.” Gromorlig tapped his foot. “Come on, lad, you can do better than this.”

Ted tried again. He watched Dotty’s movements. He changed the tempo to match her pace. It still felt wrong.

“Better,” Gromorlig said. “But you’re forcing it. Let the music come from her movements. Play in front of them.”

Ted adjusted his playing. The notes clashed with her rhythm.

“I can’t get it right,” Ted said. He lowered his mandolin.

“You’re thinking too much.” Gromorlig walked over to Ted. “Close your eyes. Listen to her footsteps.”

Ted closed his eyes. He heard Dotty’s feet on the stone. He heard her breathing. He heard the whisper of her sword.

“Now play,” Gromorlig said softly.

Ted’s fingers found the strings. He played without thinking about the notes. The music followed Dotty’s movement… until it didn’t.

“Lad, you need to empty that head of yours. You must focus on the battle, not on whatever you’re thinking about.”

Ted tried again and again, but it still kept being elusive. Whatever Skill Gromorlig wanted him to get, he wasn’t there yet.

“Lad, that’s enough,” the Dwarf sighed. “I need to show the lassie what she needs to do. We need to rehearse the path she needs to take.”

Ted nodded and looked at the beat-up Mandolin in his lap.

He prayed that whatever plan Gromorlig had concocted wouldn’t require much of his assistance.