Chapter 24.

CHAPTER 24.

The man before her was with the Arcane Council. The same group that had attacked Ax’thra, and now one of the members was standing in front of her. Amber looked at the man who was ready to fight and yet was still bleeding, his hand was shaking even though his voice remained steady.

And she knew, she couldn’t back down. She wanted answers. However, Cursed Momentum was no longer active and she had no rage to spend. She had nothing. The wise decision would have certainly been to surrender. However, she wasn’t wise, she was Amber.

And so, she met the man’s gaze and smiled.

“Fuck no, I’m not coming.”

“Then repent.”

Sharp Instincts immediately told her the attack was lethal, and she dashed to the side as a flash of white lightning exploded where she had just stood. Her heart rate immediately shot over the roof as she unsheathed her sword, and she knew this was an opportunity she couldn’t miss.

“Are you with Dargon?” she asked.

The man grunted. “How do you know his name?”

“I met him.” She grinned.

“Ridiculous.”

He tapped his staff on the ground and Amber dashed⁠— three blasts of lightning landed where she had just been standing. Even though she had yet to even take proper damage she found that Cursed Momentum slightly increased after the dodge, same went with Cursed Rage Synergy.

What level is this guy even?

She looked at him, he almost felt like a robot as he tracked her with his staff. She tried using Cursed Stomp, but it was blocked by a barrier.

“He came to the tower in the Arthra forest, I was right there when he showed up,” Amber said. “And he attacked my friend too.”

“Nonsense, he’d only attack a Primordial Spirit, unless your friend got in the way of that⁠—”

“Or my friend is the Primordial Spirit,” Amber snapped back.

The man’s eyes grew wide before he scoffed. He lowered his staff and instead tapped it on the ground. A shimmering barrier engulfing him before he pointed again.

“Then that only means that I must take you down at all costs,” the man declared simply. “Which is why, I’ll put an end to this quickly.”

Amber immediately frowned, just like the demon, she would’ve thought that the man was half dead⁠— but no, even though he was grievously injured he didn’t seem to care too much about his condition. Just like the demon, he didn’t give a shit. Would she be able to do that at over level 100? She sure as fuck hoped so.

Amber used Cursed Stomp yet again and it was blocked in the same manner. A moment later, the air overhead lit up and her danger senses blared like never before. Everywhere she looked, everywhere her eyes darted to— it all signaled danger to her. She was about to pick a random direction before she noticed it. The only non dangerous direction was⁠—

Towards the mage himself.

Amber used Quick Dash, putting mana into it as she moved with an explosive burst of speed⁠— and a moment later the lightning thundered. The ground shattered. Trees carbonized. All of the surroundings turned black, charring in an instant. And Amber, was blasted against the mage, she hit the shimmering barrier and bounced back as a dull pain spread all over her body.

She groaned on the ground, her vision was blurry and she felt like something inside of her was broken. A thing that shouldn’t be moving was shifting inside of her. She hardly understood the power of the lightning, but as the ringing in her ears began to fade she heard slow footsteps coming towards her.

Her vision cleared a second later and she saw the tip of a staff aimed at her. Her heart stopped, and the man looked at her. His cold eyes, visible under the hood.

“Never thought a level 67 could be so durable,” he commended. “I suppose that your worth is more than just the friendship of a Primordial Spirit. What is your name, Warrior?”

Amber struggled, she felt like death, but she also noted that Cursed Momentum had completely maxed out from that single hit, same went with Cursed Rage Synergy. Her mind darted, thinking of different things she could do⁠— skills she could enhance.

“Still refusing to accept your demise?” he asked. “A shame⁠—”

“Amber,” she spat. “My name is Amber.”

“Peculiar name, not from these lands I see,” he commented.

The man was again fucking bloodied, but Amber was impressed at the fact that even though his movements were shaky, his voice was calm and steady. Though she supposed that members of the Arcane Council were strange.

Maybe he’d bleed to death if I stalled him long enough? Plus I get to heal as well…

“What happened to your companions?” she asked.

“They have already left, and once I’m done with you and your friend I shall be gone too,” he said. “Of course, I’ll take your corpse with me.”

“You people seem obsessed with Primordial Spirits, is that why you attacked the king’s castle? For the rumored artifacts?”

“Yes. We obtained something that is meant to be used at the top of a Primordial Spirit’s tower.”

Amber’s interest was momentarily piqued, but the man continued speaking, marking the end of the conversation.

“I’ve had a nice time meeting you Amber.” The man did an almost unnoticeable nod. “Unfortunately, it is time for me to say goodbye to you. Farewell.”

She saw the staff crackle with white lightning, and Amber knew that the time for thinking and messing around was over. She hesitated, but grabbed onto her dagger and⁠— swung. She used Cursed Cleave and Cursed Rage Synergy at the same time. The light glinted and the dagger broke through the barrier as if it was butter; shattering the entirety of it. It carved part of the man’s shin, and yet he didn’t seem to react to whatever pain he could be feeling.

“An admirable attempt,” he said. “Unfortunately, you just aren’t strong enough.”

Amber’s eyes grew wide as the white intensified, and⁠⁠— she saw an incandescent line of light⁠—

“Burst.”

An explosion engulfed the man, somehow not quite reaching Amber as a wave of boiling heat washed over her. She blinked and didn’t even need to turn to know it was Liz. The blonde mage had come to help. A split second later, the explosion was dispersed.

Amber blinked and saw that the man’s robe was lightly charred, and yet aside from small blisters on his skin he seemed completely untouched. How…? She was frozen for a moment before she saw him point his staff at her companion. And that’s when Amber finally reacted. She scrambled and used Quick Dash in a haphazard manner, barely managing to tackle the man.

For a moment he felt like an unmovable object but he toppled, his destroyed leg giving way as Amber gripped her dagger. And then she stabbed, her dagger dug deep into the man and she left it there as cuts began to spread across his body.

“Why do you refuse to accept your fate?”

“Because I don’t have plans to fucking die,” Amber scoffed.

The man blinked at that and nodded. “This victory would undoubtedly belong to you, but I’m just like you.”

Amber raised her brow. The man was eccentric to say the least. She was confused.

And for the first time he smiled. “I don’t have plans to die.”

She hurriedly reached for the knife and unlodged it before going for the man’s heart⁠— Cursed Cleave was used and⁠— a flash of light passed as the knife hit empty air. Amber immediately felt her hairs stand on end, and she quickly dashed out of her spot. A split second later, a thunderous boom resounded behind her.

Liz seemed to have gone into hiding yet again, and honestly Amber thought it was for the best that she only intervened during critical moments. Amber turned in a hurry to see the mage, holding his staff.

“Why is the Arcane Council after the Primordial Spirits anyway?” she asked. “How will going after them even help you all become gods? How will getting their techniques actually help you? I doubt becoming a god is as easy as having some secret knowledge.”

The man’s face shifted into seriousness. “It is not.” He lowered his staff. “We wish to replicate what makes them. And for that, we need to have everything related to the Primordial Spirits including a Primordial Spirit.”

“If you are strong enough to capture one doesn’t that mean you’ve surpassed them?” Amber raised her brow.

The man shook his head. “There is a qualitative difference between all the other races and the Primordial Spirits.”

“And what is that?” Amber asked.

He raised his staff again. “Higher access. Now⁠— fall.”

Amber dashed and lightning came. The ground exploded and he moved his staff, lightning following after her. Amber wondered why the man did not use some spell of mass destruction and instantly kill her. But she didn’t complain. Instead she tried to use Cursed Stomp but after it was blocked she gave up on trying to use it again. Instead, as another bolt of lightning narrowly missed her, she grabbed a health potion and drank it. And then she grabbed another one, this time one of her two High Quality ones.

In the end, I have to use it again. Amber lamented it, she was beginning to think that using potions to defeat enemies was fucking lame. But at the same time, what could she even do against the man?

And so, after dashing from the lightning she drank it.

A pulse ran through her heart, and she felt it stop for a second before the curse was stored by Curse Battery, a large part of it being lost in the process. Just how fucking strong is the curse of a High Quality potion? Amber groaned, her body felt wrong just from that small interaction with it.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“You are still alive, how peculiar,” he observed. “Now I really want to bring you along, with the right tools we’ll be able to see your status and skills even if you are dead!”

And another lightning blasted. This time, however, there were dozens of thunderous booms going off at once. She turned to the man, and his grip was much less steady than before. Again; he was still bleeding. At this point, Amber believed that it was the effect of a curse similar to the Curse of Demonic Blood.

She dashed towards the man and swung her sword, he blocked with his staff as dull shock resounded.

“So, no potions?”

“They won’t work,” he gritted his teeth. “Not only that but I can only use about a third of my mana output. Otherwise you’d be long dead.”

A third⁠—? Amber was shocked, but she didn’t let it affect her fight. Instead, she looked over the man’s shoulder and saw Liz pointing her staff with a small crimson orb at its tip. And Amber nodded at her.

“Burst⁠—”

And the incandescent light hit the man on the back. Amber felt her skin sizzle as the man let out a scream. Since when are mages more durable than me? She diverted her sword and the staff was moved out of the way. Amber reached with her hand and grabbed onto the man’s forearm.

She smiled. “Battery.”

And five cuts appeared on the man’s forearm before he grunted. He collapsed to the ground clutching at his chest, and Amber at that moment knew she had won. It was stupid, but she had won. She felt glee as the mage gripped his staff, struggling to not succumb to the effects of the potion.

She raised her sword, and unlike the demonic mage, she felt the urge to apologize to the man of the Arcane Council.

“I’m sorry.”

And she swung down with Cursed Cleave⁠, a barrier was erected and smashed right through and⁠— another slanted one appeared. Completely deviating the sword, the man let out an almost war-cry like sound and lunged forward.

Amber’s eyes widened and the man grabbed her by the neck, her sword falling to the ground. His hand choked her. Wasn’t he supposed to be a fucking mage?! she screamed inwardly. Her legs flailed as he raised her up high, and Liz sent another projectile of her best magic. But a barrier blocked it. Amber grabbed at his forearm with all her strength, trying to get him to get off. Cursed Rage Synergy had already maxed out again.

“You…” the man met Amber’s gaze as he choked her. “Are quite something, aren't you?”His voice was incredibly raspy. “Trying to kill me with the curse of a potion.”

Amber wanted to ask how but the man smiled, seemingly knowing the question.

“Such a cheap tactic won’t work against those in the higher levels, Amber. But I commend your effort,” his voice was slowly turning to normal.

Amber gripped at his forearm in an attempt to get him to let go. She raised her dominant hand, and swung down with Curse Cleave. The hit completely bruised the mage and yet he didn’t even react. She did it again, and again.

“You are exceptional for your level, you really are.” And he squished harder. “If my class didn’t allow me to convert mana to heal me, you certainly would’ve killed me quite some time ago.”

Amber squirmed and Liz shot yet another deadly explosion that seemed to be completely brushed off.

Amber could feel herself dying from the lack of air, and yet the man seemed unrelenting. How in the fuck⁠— and she remembered. She reached for her back and barely managed to grab the demonic staff, the man paid it no mind but she thrust⁠— exploiting the definition of a cleave, she used Curse Cleave to drive the butt of the staff into the side of the man, like a stake.

He grunted, and his grip loosened enough for Amber to breathe. The man reached for the staff, but Amber kept it pressed into him, until⁠— she was dropped. Amber fell and reached for her sword, the man removed the staff from his body and Amber finally grabbed the Sword of all Mortals. And she swung in an upwards arc, using Cursed Cleave.

The sword tore a large gash on the man’s chest, and the man⁠ reached for her⁠— at that moment Amber felt helpless, nothing seemed to be enough to kill him until⁠— he fell to the ground. The man dully landed, blood pooling beneath him as Amber just stared.

And a moment later, a notification came.

[You have defeated a [Mage. Lvl. 168].]

Considerably less experience for defeating an already gravely injured enemy.

Less experience for defeating an enemy as a group.

For defeating an enemy 100 levels above your own, you have received bonus experience!

Level 168? Amber thought the man would’ve been at least 200, but it seemed that that wasn’t the case.

Her heavy breaths echoed in the forest, silence enveloping them as Liz slowly approached. She looked exhausted, but made sure to sit next to Amber to check up on her.

“Do you need me to feed you some potions or anything?” she asked.

“No… I’m fine…” Amber replied. “How the fuck was he so…”

“Durable?” Liz asked.

“Yes…”

The blonde mage turned to look at the dead man. “His robe was probably Enchanted or even a Relic grade piece of armor, though now it's in tatters,” she said. “He also had that class thing he mentioned, however that doesn’t explain him almost being able to choke you to death.”

Amber agreed, finally somewhat stabilizing her breath. “It doesn’t…”

“And I think I know why he may have been able to do all of that,” she stated.

Amber turned to look at Liz. The anticipation on her face must have been evident since it caused the mage to laugh. Before finally smiling.

“Wouldn’t you like to⁠— just kidding I’m not as insufferable as you.”

“You are even in the mood to joke,” Amber sighed.

“Well, I feel quite free now, and my sister seems to be fine, just unconscious,” she said. “Anyway, while I do not quite know all that much about what I’m about to say, I think it’s the reason the man was so durable in the first place.”

Amber nodded and met the blonde mage’s serious gaze.

“My guess is that he had a Legacy Branch.”

“Legacy Branch?” Amber raised her brow. “What is that?”

“It’s like… a second class, but different?” she hesitated.

There was a silence as Amber processed everything, before she decided to ask what she was thinking about.

“So he basically had a second level 150 class…?”

“Sort of?” Liz scratched the back of her head. “I do not know how they work, I just know its rumored to exist.”

Amber looked at the corpse.

Wasn’t he essentially level 300 then?!

She wondered what could have injured him to that state, but given it happened in the castle it just made sense to her. It was the heart of the kingdom.

Maybe there was a level 200 there…?

Amber wondered for a moment before remembering Ax’thra had slapped a level 100 monster out of existence. And her eyes went wide. How strong was Ax’thra? How strong was Dargon and his minions?

For a moment she felt off, as if she realized something that would never be possible. However, Amber hurriedly shook her head and got rid of those stupid thoughts. If Dargon could do it, why couldn’t she? Finally, after a few moments of internal struggle, Amber turned towards Liz.

“Where did you even hear about these Legacy Branches anyway?”

“My family’s library had a book that briefly mentioned, just as one of the steps to true power or whatever. Didn’t even say how to get one.” Liz shrugged.

Well that’s disappointing. Amber turned towards the man and considered looting him, but first she had to go through her notifications.

[Cursed Cleave has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 5 to 2nd Rank level 7.]

[Quick Dash has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 4 to 2nd Rank level 6.]

[General Weapon Mastery has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 4 to 2nd Rank level 5.]

[Cursed Momentum has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 5 to 2nd Rank level 7.]

[Berserker’s Body has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 5 to 2nd Rank level 7.]

[Sharp Instincts has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 2 to 2nd Rank level 3.]

[Cursed Rage Synergy has leveled up from level 7 to 9.]

[Curse Battery has leveled up from level 6 to 7.]

[Curse Aura has leveled up from level 5 to 6.]

[Magical Resistance has leveled up from level 4 to 5.]

And then, came a long awaited notification.

[Cursed Stomp has ranked up. Cursed Stomp is now 2nd Rank level 1.]

[Cursed Stomp has reached 2nd Rank — level 1

Discombobulate your enemy and inflict them with the curse you bear! Destroy them and make them suffer! This skill uses mana.

2nd Rank ⁠— Cursed Stomp will now go through barriers.]

Amber’s eyes widened, before she grinned. “About damn time.”

“Something good?” Liz asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “What about you?”

Liz grinned. “Class advancement.”

Amber blinked and used Identify on the mage.

[Mage. Lvl. 54]

“Are you sure you didn’t ask me to kidnap your sister so you can get levels from me?” Amber asked.

“Rude,” Liz snorted. “That mage could’ve killed me with a single spell and I still helped you. At least, unlike you, the System is rewarding me.”

“Ouch.”

Amber feigned hurt, but she still felt happy for her friend. Then, she turned to the rest of her notifications, namely the level ups.

[You have reached level 68. 5 stat points awarded.]

…

[You have reached level 75. 5 stat points awarded.]

“I don’t know if I expected less or more.” She blinked.

Finally, Amber turned to what mattered to her the most and those were the new skills she was about to get. The level 70 one was…

[New Core Skill! For reaching level 70 as a Cursed Chosen Berserker you have been offered Curse Sense ⁠— level 1.

You’ve embodied the curse. You can see curses through walls and sense curses from thirty meters away. Range increases per skill level.

Do you wish to replace one existing Core Skill for this? If the replaced Core Skill holds levels, all levels will be transferred to the new skill at the cost of losing one level on it.]

It was basically better Curse Detection, as she had predicted once upon a time. Amber pondered; if she rejected this skill would she never get a detection type skill again? She thought about it and decided that⁠— she was going to continue getting better and better skills of previous ones.

Then she let out a longing sigh. Better Cursed Momentum anytime soon?

After a moment, she turned to look at her level 75 offering.

[New Core Skill! For reaching level 75 as a Cursed Chosen Berserker you have been offered Curse Manipulation ⁠— level 1.

You’ve been fighting along with curses for a very long time. It is time to learn to control them. You can affect how a curse is applied and even the strength at which it is applied. While this skill is active, curses are 10% stronger. Percentage scales from skill level.

Do you wish to replace one existing Core Skill for this? If the replaced Core Skill holds levels, all levels will be transferred to the new skill at the cost of losing one level on it.]

Amber blinked, it looked like a really good skill to her. She wondered how exactly the manipulation worked, since it could be really good or really bad. However, she also couldn’t just reject the skill.

A sigh left her.

Farewell Curse Aura.

And a moment later, the skill was replaced.

New Core Skill! You have learned ⁠Curse Manipulation — level 4.

You’ve been fighting along with curses for a very long time. It is time to learn to control them. You can affect how a curse is applied and even the strength at which it is applied. While this skill is active, curses are 22% stronger. Percentage scales from skill level.]

Amber smiled at her new skill before finally distributing her attribute points.

[Name: Amber | Level: 75

Class: Cursed Chosen Berserker | Unspent Stat Points: 0

Stats:

Vitality: 170

Strength: 160

Dexterity: 143

Endurance: 51

Intelligence: 32

Wisdom: 40

Free Core Skill Slots: 0 | Core Skills:

[Cursed Cleave - 2nd Rank Lvl. 7], [Quick Dash - 2nd Lvl. 6], [General Weapon Mastery - 2nd Rank Lvl. 5], [Cursed Momentum - 2nd Rank Lvl. 7], [Berserker’s Body - Lvl. 2nd Rank Lvl. 7], [Cursed Stomp. - 2nd Rank Lvl. 1], [Curse Battery - Lvl. 7], [Recovery of Curses - Lvl. 10], [Cursed Rage Synergy - Lvl. 9], [Curse Manipulation - Lvl. 4]

General Skills:

[Supernatural Nullification], [Identify. Lvl. 2], [Toxin Resistance ⁠- 2nd Rank Lvl. 1], [Elemental Resistance - Lvl. 4], [Physical Resistance - Lvl. 6], [Magical Resistance - Lvl. 5], [Sharp Instincts - 2nd Rank Lvl. 3], [Quick Recovery - Lvl. 9].]

She had decided to neglect Vitality, at least for this round of level ups. However, Amber was quite pleased with her progress. Finally, she looked at Liz who was staring into the air with a serious expression.

Choosing her advancement it seems…

Amber nodded and moved towards the man. Given he was a member of the Arcane Council, she expected him to have at least some useful equipment. The first thing Amber did was pick up the staff.

[Enchanted Grade ⁠— Staff of Clarity ⁠— Superb Quality

This staff is enhanced with Great Mana Conductivity, amplifying the strength of all the spells cast by 50%.]

Well isn’t that broken, Amber scoffed as she began to stow it away, before pausing. She looked towards Liz who was still choosing her class advancement. And then, Amber closed her eyes. Remembering all of the times the blonde mage had gone out of her way to help.

Amber put the staff near Liz and moved to continue looting the man.

She went through his hands and then through his pockets, and she paused as she pulled out a cube. A moment later whispers began to reach her ears, and Curse Battery began to take a new curse in.

[??? Grade ⁠— ??? ⁠— ??? Quality

??? ??? ??? ??? ???.]

Somehow Amber instinctively knew what it was.

A divine artifact; something belonging to a Primordial Spirit.