I flexed my fingers, feeling the tension in my muscles—stronger, steadier, different. Something in me had changed.
I pulled up my status screen.
Name: Sylas Orread
Race: Painbound Revenant
Specialization: -
Titles: One Against Many, Childkiller
Skills: Cloaked Appraisal, Freshen
Level: 3E
Strength: 23
Dexterity: 23
Vitality: 23
Fortitude: 23
Veil: 23
Mind: 24
Instinct: 24
Torment: 23
Unspent Points: 12
Skill Points Available: 1
I let out a slow breath. There were a lot of changes. I had expected my race to shift my stats, but not this much. I had to break it down, focus on one thing at a time.
Strength – Measures raw physical power. Affects melee damage, carrying capacity, and striking force.
Dexterity – Governs agility, reflexes, and precision. Affects movement speed, evasion, balance, and fine motor control.
Vitality – Determines overall health and resilience to physical harm. Affects max HP, regeneration rate, and resistance to disease or poison.
Fortitude – Governs endurance and durability. Affects resistance to exhaustion, stamina regeneration, and the ability to withstand sustained damage.
Veil – A shield against the unnatural. Governs resistance to magic, curses, and supernatural effects. Affects the ability to endure or negate mystical forces.
Mind – The seat of intelligence and willpower. Affects skill learning, magic efficiency, mental clarity, and resistance to mind-affecting effects. Also determines supernatural energy reserves.
Instinct – Heightens perception, reaction speed, and awareness. Affects the ability to sense danger, anticipate attacks, and react to unseen threats.
Torment – A volatile energy that accumulates through suffering, pain, and prolonged battle. It does not fade naturally and must be spent to be relieved. The higher its presence, the more the mind fractures, instincts sharpen, and emotions dull. At critical levels, restraint becomes meaningless, and the world is seen only through the lens of predator and prey. However, Torment can be harnessed, its raw power fueling abilities beyond their normal limits. When spent, it enhances skills, strengthens attacks, and twists supernatural forces to the user’s will. It is both a curse and a weapon—unforgiving, but undeniably powerful.
I lingered on Torment.
IIt wasn’t just a number on a screen.
It was there, at the back of my mind, like a weight behind my thoughts, coiled and waiting. It wasn’t hunger. It wasn’t rage. It was certainty.
I had felt it in the cave—the way hesitation had disappeared, how easy it had been to act. No doubt. No second-guessing. Just motion.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
And it hadn’t left.
Torment didn’t fade on its own. It had to be spent. Used. If I let it build too high, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. If I let it fall too low, I would weaken.
A razor’s edge.
I exhaled, closing the attribute screen. There was no use dwelling on it now.
Level Reset.
I had noticed it earlier, but now it made more sense. I had started fresh. My level had reset to 1, but I had already climbed back to 3E by killing the… monsters. If I was understanding this right, that meant I had gained stats every level—a base of +1 to everything, plus 4 free points per level.
Twelve extra points already. That was absurd.
I rolled my shoulders, feeling the strange lightness in my body. Faster regeneration, sharper reflexes. Everything felt refined, smoother. It was like my body was catching up to what I had become.
When I saw my skill section, my heart sank. I had lost all of my demon specific skills- which was the definition of my build. At least I kept the general ones. That felt like a win.
I pulled up the titles next.
One Against Many
Survived and triumphed against overwhelming odds without external aid.
- +1 to all attributes.
- Endurance +1% effectiveness.
Still the same, though Endurance no longer existed as a stat. Completely wasted. That was annoying.
Marked by the blood of the defenseless, an executioner of potential threats before they could rise.
- +1 Instinct, +1 Mind.
- When acting against those who may grow into future threats, hesitation fades, decisions sharpen.
My jaw clenched as I read the words.
It wasn’t just a name. It had an effect.
Hesitation fades. Decisions sharpen.
I had already felt that. It had sealed my resolve before I even knew it was happening. But was that the title shaping me? Or had it simply reinforced what was already there?
I didn’t know.
A light breeze stirred the trees, rustling the leaves and cutting through the heavy air around me. Birds chirped somewhere overhead. The world hadn't stopped turning. The sky was still blue. The grass was still green.
And I had just awakened again.
I smiled. It was time to learn how to fight.
Twelve unspent points sat at my disposal, but I held onto them. No sense in rushing until I knew exactly where to invest them.
Opening my skill tree, I found unique Painbound Revenant abilities waiting for me. My smile widened. No one else in existence had these—I was certain of it.
Of course, nearly every ability revolved around pain. That much was expected. But pain alone wasn’t enough—I needed endurance, sustainability. Without a way to heal, I’d be nothing more than a one-fight warrior, and I refused to be that weak.
Then I saw it.
Heal a small injury.
- 10% Torment added effect – Heal a moderate injury.
- 50% Torment added effect – Heal a large injury.
- 100% Torment added effect – Restore even what was lost. Flesh, bone—your body will not remain broken.
My breath caught.
On its own, it was weaker than Hell’s Reprieve—that skill could heal moderate wounds outright. This one needed torment to reach the same level. But the more I looked at it, the more I felt my pulse quicken. It could go further. With enough torment, I could heal wounds that should cripple me. With enough torment, I could push beyond my limits.
With enough torment, I could come back from anything. Even if I was torn apart, even if I lost something vital—I would not stay broken.
I grinned.
Skill acquired.
Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out the pendant, my gaze settling on its unmoving glow. No blinking. No pull to the east. The village I had abandoned—left to fend for itself—was gone.
I had chosen Chloe.
I exhaled, tucking the pendant away. Two weeks remained to complete my teacher’s task. A daunting deadline, especially knowing the roadblock at level 19.
Taking one final look toward the village I had saved—the one I chose over another—I turned away.
I didn’t have time to waste.