For example, he had created the Void Piercer skill a while ago, but never consciously used it anymore. It took less mental effort and was more efficient to condensed elemental energy within his fist and punch rather than drawing it out into a spike first.
What the System offered was consistency, and for more complicated abilities, that was valuable. A System based skill assured the user that the effects would always be the same and provided a framework to make subsequent usages of a skill simpler after it was acknowledged.
Jonathan made decent progress on his time dilation field, but the most he was able to eke out of his runes was a two times increase. It was also incredibly inefficient in terms of energy usage, eating away his Divinity faster than he could replenish it through conversion of Void energy.
He could manage an hour of dilated time at best, allowing him two hours of training. Then it took fifteen minutes to recharge fully. The efficiency of the Divinity he used directly correlated to its purity, meaning that if he tried to substitute Void energy for it, the dilation would go down to a negligible level, making it completely useless. He had to wait for it to transform from elemental power to actual divine energy.
Jonathan had originally attempted to use the extra time to further develop that ability, but he quickly found that diminishing returns came into play rather quickly. Until he could develop more powerful versions of the relevant runes, there was little to no point in trying. Instead he trained his other abilities, mainly his Pathway Skills. They had reached the point where it was almost impossible to make large strides while in battle, needing weeks if not months of practice to make any noticeable headway.
Runecrafting Expertise increased on its own due to his experimentation, reaching Master 3. Blunt Weapon Mastery and Energy Manipulation were harder to train, the former needing a partner to be effective and the latter needing insight. Despite this, Jonathan still managed to gain a level in both.
Sarnakthros proved to be useful for both, especially considering that as he resided within Jonathan’s body, he too was affected by the time dilation effect. It allowed him to make up for his body’s much lower Tier, fitting more instruction into the time he had.
Sarnakthros continued to progress in power as Jonathan did, siphoning a bit of essence to level up. Now that he had a corporeal form, he was able to use the System to some extent, though the core of his being was still permanently linked to Jonathan, at least until he regained his original power. That wouldn’t happen for a while yet.
Overall, Jonathan was happy with his progress, having reached level 865. Because of his new approach to fighting, his companions had reached similar levels, without the same gap as there once had been. Of course, there was still a sizable gap in power, but that wasn’t going away any time soon.
The Eternal Flame’s rage at Jonathan had only increased over time as he and his allies decimated its forces. The Rim had been left mostly undisturbed for most of the realm’s history, and there had been no culling missions from the Umber Trolls, or from the Uthraki that had come before them. The only danger to the monsters of the Rim was from each other, and all that served to do was hone the power of those that remained.
A scout from another sector of the Rim had made itself known, a representative of a different Elemental Hegemon. This one was known as the Forgefire Avatar, a weaker entity than the Eternal Flame, and presumably one of its rivals in the area.
Its servant had been a massive iron golem, metal heated to a white glow by molten blood contained within. Its weapon, as might be expected from a follower of an elemental named for the Forge, was of a far higher quality than anything Jonathan had seen a monster wield. A spiked flanged mace, each ridge filled with dripping, liquid flame. It was enchanted to an impressive degree, gathering the momentum of the monster’s previous strikes and unleashing it all in a single blow.
Of course, it had fallen swiftly enough, but it gave Jonathan a bit more insight on the politics of the Rim, if the vague interactions of monsters could be called such. What was really going on was a far more complicated set of skirmishes, compromises and wars between the various Elemental Hegemons with a stake in the area. According to Sarnakthros, most of their influence was only felt at far higher Tiers, but it seemed like the isolation of the Rim and the unusual power of the monsters there had been too juicy a target for them to avoid. It also seemed that any creature engaging in a relationship with the Hegemons had to be at least somewhat sapient. For some reason or other, this particular realm of Tartarus had far more examples of mental evolution amongst its residents.
With a bit of downtime on his hands, Jonathan opened his stats. He had a lot of free points to distribute and gains to look over.
Jonathan Harlowe
Tier 9
Void Human(Ascended)
Divinity Aspect: Void Hegemon
Elemental Mastery: 29%
Void Berserker: Tier 9 Legendary
Active Blessings: The Third Eye of Exal’drin
Level 865
(21316 free points)
Health: 2589638/2589638
Stamina: 6182123/6182123
Mana: 2650793/2650793
- Titles
True Unbound Spirit: Unique
Fourth Circle Breaker: Unique
Lesser God: Godly
Supreme Giantslayer: Primal
Supreme Initiate: Ancient
Stand Against the Unknown: Ancient
Prodigy of Fusion: Mythical
Lesser Xenocide: Legendary
Iron Will: Epic
Leader of Men: Epic
Refined Form: Epic
Avenger: Epic
Lineage Hunter: Rare
Righteous Killer: Rare
- Skills
Spark from the Dark: Unique
Limit Breaker: Primal
Maw of the Void: Ancient
Aegis of the Void’s Dichotomy: Ancient
Void’s Hunger: Ancient
Wrath of the Void: Ancient
Minor Endfire: Ancient
Ephemeral Quartet: Ancient
Void’s Eye: Ancient
Void Negation: Mythical
Void Consumption: Mythical
Fatal Strike: Mythical
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Void Piercer: Mythical
Void Missile: Mythical
Runic Overcharge: Mythical
Anchored Mind: Legendary
Rune Savant: Legendary
Void Drill: Legendary
Sense the Weave: Legendary
Fists of the Maelstrom: Legendary
Minor Enlightenment: Legendary
Void Slipstream: Epic
Warrior’s Trance: Epic
Battle Focus: Rare
Impact: Rare
Focused Scry: Rare
Runes of Power: Rare
Redirect: Uncommon
- Pathway Skills
Blunt Weapon Mastery(Advanced): Master 5
Runecrafting Expertise(Advanced): Master 3
Energy Manipulation(Advanced): Master 3
- Martial Path
Flowing Maelstrom: Expert 9
- Weapon Domain: Master 4 (Advanced)
Metaphysical Domain: Master 1(Advanced)
Energy Domain: Master 2(Advanced)
- Quests
The Strongest: ???
Hellbreaker: Impossible
Pathway of the Titans: Heroic
Both his Dexterity and Strength had passed the fourth threshold, granting him speed and physical power far beyond anyone else at his Tier. However, his other stats were lagging behind, one of the problems of his Void Berserker class. While it granted almost three hundreds free points per level, that wasn’t enough to maintain the even spread that he liked.
Jonathan hardly needed the points now, as none of the monsters of the Rim were beyond him individually, but it would be useful to distribute them anyway. Power was power and it would make his grinding more efficient.
He settled for an 1:3 split between Resilience and Intelligence, bringing both of them up to the next threshold. With a grimace, Jonathan started the process.
Jonathan started with Resilience, hoping that it would increase his pain resistance, though he knew that was a lie. All it would help with was physical pain, while the agony the Intelligence threshold brought was of a different sort.
His body was remade at a fundamental level, waves of pulsing torment rippling up and down. Jonathan bore it storically, his pain tolerance a far cry from what it once had been. Still, he was screaming on the inside. Thresholds were the most painful thing a warrior could go through, or at least, they were more painful than anything else he had ever experienced.
This one felt different though. Threads of his Divinity were being extracted, layering themselves into his muscles and bones. He had felt something similar during the Strength and Dexterity thresholds, but not to anywhere near this extent. Perhaps the difference was that Resilience impacted every part of his body while the other two focused on his musculature.
The process stopped, leaving him feeling far more solid than he ever had before. Not only had Jonathan added a sizeably chunk of stat points, but had passed another threshold, multiplying its power by fifty percent. He felt confident now that he could have fought Eventide on a more equal footing, or at least not been brought to the brink of death without using Limit Breaker.
Intelligence came next, and Jonathan sat down. He had a feeling that this one would be even worse.
The previous thresholds in the stat had functioned by overloading Jonathan’s mind with information in order to permanently expand its capabilities. As soon as he felt his mind beginning to spread outwards from the constraints of his own body, he knew this would be different.
Divinity spiraled out from Jonathan’s core and into the depths of his mind, enhancing its connection to the world around him. It didn’t stop there either, showing him insights into the nature of his godhood that were far beyond his current level of strength.
The edges of his sanity began to unravel, the very aspects that made up his personality beginning to drift away, lost in the maelstrom. All that was left was his core, shining brighter and brighter with the light of the Void.
Sensing true, existential danger from the threshold, Jonathan screamed, trying to force back control. He grasped his core with all of his remaining strength, holding his entire being close to it like it was an anchor. In this strange, half imaginary realm, his body was made up of gold tinted purple light, representing his Divinity. Bits of it flaked off rapidly, not even the sanctity of his core enough to keep him safe.
“Remember who you are!” a voice shouted from the blackness. So lost was Jonathan that he didn’t even recognize it. Then, like a light emerging from the darkness, a flash of memory hurtled across the darkness of his collapsing mind like a shooting star.
“Sarnakthros?” Jonathan called out, just that word nearly taxing him to his limits to pronounce. “Where… where am I?”
“I should have warned you about this,” Sarnakthros muttered. “Your body might have been ready to hold power far beyond your level, but your mind is weaker. Barely anyone reaches the fourth threshold in any stat before Tier 10, let alone multiple.”
Jonathan barely understood what those words meant, but what he did understand was that he was about to lose everything. If not his life, then his mind at the very least, which was just as bad. His entire brain was saturated with information, with the rest pushing in further and further, removing the space left for everything else. Memories began to melt away like candle wax, at first mundane recollections, but it would soon spread to more important ones.
Acting on instinct more than anything else, Jonathan pushed back against the flood of knowledge with his will and Divinity. Nothing happened at first and his memories continued to burn away like they were soaked in gasoline, but then there was a tiny shift in the tide.
“Yes!” Sarnakthros called out. “I have no idea what you are doing, but it seems to be working!”
The mental image Joanthan had of himself, the avatar crafted from the Void and his Divinity, began to strengthen as he tapped into the power of his core. At that moment Jonathan realized that while his mind was under assault, his body and soul were still intact. It was through his soul that he could channel the power of the Void and at that realization, the floodgates within him burst wide open.
A torrent of raging Void energy erupted from his core and sank into his energy body, strengthening it against the assault. Memories began to return, painted not from the firing of neurons and the electrical signals of the brain but from the very element that Jonathan had bonded with on a fundamental level. It reformed his mind from the scraps that remained, strengthening it against further incursions. The torrent of information slowed, unable to make it past the bulwark of violet energy surrounding Jonathan.
He opened his eyes, and immediately squinted, overwhelmed by the depth of the sensations. It wasn’t as if his perception had increased, such as when he broke through to a new racial tier, but instead he was able to parse far more information, drawing out every little bit of data from his senses.
Jonathan could use his heightened senses to scrupulously analyze individual molecules, and his intelligence to predict where they were going to move. The air seemed to come alive, a symphony of dancing atoms and particles.
With a reverent slowness, Jonathan reached out and waved his hand through the air. Rippling eddies and currents followed it as if he were dragging his fingers across the surface of a lake.
Notifications appeared as he got used to his new abilities.
You have passed the Fourth Threshold of Resilience!
Your body has now transcended the limitations of the natural world, more durable by far than any mundane substance. You are approaching the realm of inviolability, at least against any natural phenomenon. When the world crumbles around you, only you remain standing, a bulwark against the end. Be sure that this power does not become a curse, leaving all those you love behind.
You have passed the Fourth Threshold of Intelligence!
Your mind now extends beyond the limits of your body. Everything in your vicinity is now akin to a sample placed under a microscope, every secret revealed to you and every shadow illuminated. This transformation has been enhanced by latent Divine power, allowing for the enhancement of your mind through abilities from the Smite line of progression.
The Resilience notification was intriguing enough, but it wasn’t until Jonathan finished reading over the one for Intelligence that he encountered something new. Previously, his Divinity based enhancements had only extended to his physical body. While the increased his reaction time, that was a function of Dexterity rather than Intelligence. This was completely different.
Purple tinged golden light spread up and down Joanthan’s body as he used Wrath of the Void. Previously it had only gone as far as his muscles and bones, but now he could feel tendrils of power reaching into his brain. Everything around him slowed down, which was to be expected, but then a new level of cognition made itself known.
Everything around Jonathan transformed into sets of variables and patterns, his Intelligence so immense that he could predict the paths of groups of particles before they even moved. It was akin to the Third Eye of Exal’drin, but without the risk of soul damage that the other ability brought.
Jonathan canceled the skill, a little overwhelmed, and took stock of his new baseline. He was approaching the fourth Threshold in all his stats, just in time for Tier 10.
“What were you saying about the thresholds?” Jonathan asked Sarnakthos, fragments of the conversation coming back to him. “I was barely able to understand what you were saying.”
Sarnakthros manifested his physical avatar in front of Jonathan, a look of incredulity on his face. “Really? You almost lost your mind and all you care about is what I told you about thresholds?”
“I didn’t, though,” Jonathan replied. “Lose my mind, that is. What’s the point in thinking about it now? That threshold was something I had to cross eventually.”
Sarnakthros sighed. “The reason most do not achieve that level of power until after Tier 10 is because the transformation you go through at that Tier enhances you in ways beyond the normal limits of the System. Your body is near the limit of what a mortal can achieve.”
“I thought a mortal was a non system user?” Jonathan asked. “Or at least, that’s how everyone uses that word.”
“I suppose there’s no harm in telling you this, now that you are closing in on the Tier in question,” Sarnakthros said. “While progression, at least within this universe, goes up to Tier 100, there are subdivisions within it. One at Tier 10, another at Tier 25, the next at Tier 50 and the final one at Tier 100. Before reaching Tier 10, one is considered a Mortal Rank System user. Then it goes to Enlightened Rank, Superior, Ascendent and Divine.”
“So each one increases the limits of how much power my body can hold?”
“Exactly. It’s why despite having lived for billions of years, the Circle Lords don’t have ridiculously powerful Pathway skills. At a certain point their bodies wouldn't be able to handle the strain. The limit for most Mortal Rank System users is a peak Sage Rank skill.”
“So what’s my limit?” Jonathan asked. “What is the maximum power I can reach before breaking through to the next Rank?”
“I would say all of your stats at the fourth threshold, but not too far beyond. The more stat points you place in an attribute beyond that threshold, the worse the strain will become.”
“Well, it’s lucky that I’m almost at Tier 10. I can squeeze in those last thresholds. Judging by how classes have worked, the more power I can gain before breaking through, the better my reward will be.”
Sarnakthros raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t going to tell you that, but you managed to figure that out on your own. Impressive. But yes, there are different levels of Tier 10 breakthroughs, depending on how close you are to the maximum power one can achieve before that level. It’s calculated with the average power of Tier 10s being used as a baseline and with the historical maximum serving as the ceiling.”
“So if I am the strongest Tier 10 to ever live, I’ll gain the most out of this?” Jonathan asked.
“Yes, but that is a difficult goal, even for you. There have been countless prodigies and monsters to arise over the billions of years that Telvaria has been in existence.”
“But there has only been one Hellbreaker,” Jonathan replied. “That alone should give me an edge in this competition.”
“Perhaps. Whatever happens, you’ll get a lot out of this. You are the most impressive mortal I have ever directly interacted with. You certainly have what it takes to at least qualify for the top spot.”
“Alright. I’ll try to shore up all of my weaknesses over the next few weeks. By the time I’m at the cusp of Tier 10, I’ll be as ready as I ever have been.”
“Good luck,” Sarnakthros said, returning to his soul form and sinking back into Jonathan’s core. “The better you do here, the brighter your future and the greater your chances of liberating the Hells.”
Jonathan stood there for a moment, thinking about his path forward. He had to bring his last two stats up to the fourth threshold and shore up some of his pathway skills before he would feel ready. Stats would most likely be prioritized over his other abilities, but even in that regard, he was far beyond most. In the end, there wasn’t really any way for him to know what the trial would look for.