Celeste's uncle apparently trained his thugs as well as she did hers, because they ran at the first sign the tides turned against them. He killed the nine that were in easy reach, not bothering to hunt down the rest; the corpus and whichever grandmaster the government ended up sending to investigate the firearm were more than capable of handling that.

  It was less an ironclad law, and more a long standing tradition that the grandmaster involved went on a killing spree upon arrival. They were in essence, the military power of a government and wasting their time was never forgiven. Also known as external force users, grandmasters were only one full step on the martial path short of an Old Monster. Granted, that step was so great that most died of old age before taking it.

  As some of the most powerful and influential people on the planet, they were overbearing to a fault. Not having the backing of an equally powerful master, Raine would essentially be subject to their every whim. If they took an interest in him, his days of living in freedom would be over. That was the real reason exhaustion pulled on his shoulders.

  Raine forwarded unedited footage to the mayor, and a clipped one to the corpus. They had no business seeing his techniques but the grandmaster would certainly demand the full version and giving it away in advance could only help his case.

  He had very few alternatives other than kissing ass. One was discovering the secret of external force and becoming a grandmaster himself. Raine sighed deeply, knowing the chances of that were basically zero. The number of people who had developed external force without a master to guide them could likely be counted with three fingers. That didn't mean he was completely out of options. There were other ways of dealing with grandmasters. Unfortunately, they were far from cheap.

  Raine appeared in ZionLine close to where he left, at the edge of the Zeletin Academy training grounds. It was midnight, the moon large and high in the sky. Trickling clouds threatened to block its light, but lanterns hanging along the streets illuminated the city in its stead. Thanks to the content expansion, the world was alive in ways it hadn't been before. Shadows now held a complexity in their depth, matching the new, subtle scents that filled the air. Moisture clung to Raine's skin from the damp night, and the textured fidelity of every surface was truly indistinguishable from reality.

  A gentle wind sent the odors of massed humanity into his nostrils. He choked, eyes watering as he was momentarily overwhelmed by the ‘uniqueness’ of it. He learned long ago that there was no such thing as a foul odor, only foul conceptualizations. Unfortunately, a positive mindset could only take one so far when their senses were dialed up to a thousand thanks to imbalanced attributes.

  That same over-sensitivity made the imprisonment within his bubble of overpowered Connection all the more confining. On his knees, Raine struggled to stand in soil that couldn’t decide if it were a liquid or solid. All the while, he was pinned by heavy air pressure that painfully crushed his skin. He flexed his thoughts, convincing the air to thin and it swung so far in the other direction he began to float away from the ground.

  Raine accessed his status with a growl. He was prepared to assign his fifteen free attribute points to fix his predicament, instead gaping at what he saw.

  Nascent attributes adjusted to match real world fitness:

  Potency: +3

  Finesse: +4

  Acuity: +3

  Physique: +4

  Connection: +10

  Current nascent attributes:

  Potency: 5 > 8

  Finesse: 5 > 9

  Acuity: 5 > 8

  Physique: 5 > 9

  Connection: 5 > 15

  That can’t be right. The maximum achievable nascent attribute is fifteen. Including the five I got at avatar creation, this puts my Connection right at the peak. I was only at nine in the past! Could it have to do with unlocking bloodlust? Another side effect of the stronger dose of ReGen? Damn, once I unlock my tier three class and those bonuses become percentages, my Connection is going to be insane.

  Unable to solve the mystery at the moment, Raine distributed thirteen free attribute points into Physique and the remaining two into Potency.

  NAME: Alaric

  CURRENCY: 13,453-G 98-S 72-C

  CLASS: Armsman

  TITLE: Sky Catcher

  ASPECT: Greater Aspect of the Werewolf

  LEVEL: 15

  SUPERIORITY: 108,500 / 1,000,000

  ATTUNEMENT: 13,813.25% > 9,513.25%

  GENERAL SKILL POINTS: 0

  HEALTH POINTS: 300 > 500 (1,000)

  ATTACK POWER: 66 > 82 (182)

  DEFENSE: 30 > 50 (275)

  RESISTANCE: 59 > 92 (179)

  CRITICAL RATE: 19% > 25% (45%)

  ELEMENTAL POWER: 78 > 122 (172)

  DISCIPLINE: 69 > 111 (161)

  ATTACK SPEED: 2.4 > 2.5 (2.7)

  MOVE SPEED: 4.1 > 4.9 (6.9)

  POTENCY: 30 > 38 (63)

  FINESSE: 30 > 37 (62)

  ACUITY: 41 > 50 (75)

  PHYSIQUE: 30 > 50 (75)

  CONNECTION: 39 > 61 (86)

  DISTRIBUTABLE: 15 > 0

  The over-stimulation of his senses dissipated the moment he broke through the Physique threshold. Not only his skin, but his bones and muscles hardened. The additional weight dropped him back to now solid ground. Moving would be a challenge before his Potency broke through, but the excellent bonuses from his gear did wonders to compensate.

  The greatest boon was a side effect stemming from the way Physique helped resist status effects; with the improved resiliency of his organs, including the brain, his ridiculously high Connection stabilized. The ease at which he could control the nearby environment, and bloodlust, improved drastically.

  Raine shook out his limbs, then flowed through the first Martial Qigong Kata: Resplendence. Years of steadily increasing stats allowed him to rapidly adapt to his doubled raw power and weight. More importantly, buried beneath the significantly boosted attributes, he felt the size and shape of his real body represented in exacting detail. Despite the awkwardness of having only three attributes through the threshold, he was now a class four martial with supreme command over his body. The advantages he could display in combat would be leagues above his previous avatar.

  When he gazed at the nearby Vaaterrans, they looked back with uncanny intelligence. He caught the eye of a soldier. The man frowned and approached, his head tilted, “Hail, Traveler. If you're lost or seeking lodging, there's an inn not far.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Raine straightened from his bent backward stance and nodded deeply, “I'm fine, thank you. I'll be leaving shortly.”

  “Very well, see that you do. The academy is closed after dark. Since you’re so new that your visitor registration has yet to expire, I'll let it slide this once.”

  Raine waved politely as the soldier left. While briskly walking toward the exit, he scanned the numerous system messages waiting for him.

  [Content patch: Realism Upgrade complete. Please note the following important changes]

  [Nascent attributes now match real world fitness (train daily to improve all aspects of your life!)]

  [Avatar senses that now seamlessly match reality:

  -Proprioception and Balance

  -Sight

  -Sound

  -Tactile feedback of Skin, Nerves, and Muscles

  -Taste and Smell]

  [To facilitate these changes, avatar dimensions will now match reality, minus deformities. Character customization will be limited to facial features, color, and style]

  [Hit boxes will now perfectly translate damage to specific body parts. Pain receptivity reduced from 50% to 40%]

  With the seamless senses, taking damage feels so authentic that getting eaten alive even once at 50% would give lifelong nightmares. 40% is… bearable.

  [These changes will drastically affect the difficulty of adapting to sudden increases in attributes. Instanced therapeutic assistance sessions are available through the Menu Interface for a small cost]

  [Players may now enjoy the complete ZionLine experience while fully unconscious. Warning! This feature may not be used to completely replace sleep. Forced ten hour logout to regulate brain functions will be enacted once per real world week]

  [It is our sincerest desire that these advanced features accelerate your journey down the martial path. May you live dangerously, seeker of adventure]

  Raine took another deep breath of not-so-fresh night air, flexing the muscles in his legs to carry him faster. Finally, he felt at home. He was connected with the world as he should be. He was in an avatar no longer; the him in this place was no less real than his flesh and blood. In fact, with his attributes turning him into what the Earth Realm would consider a monster, he was more, much more.

  He yearned to push himself to his current limits and jump from rooftop to rooftop. That would quickly land him in jail. He restrained himself, advancing toward his first goal with haste. He pulled up a notification he’d seen previously, wanting to make sure his eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him.

  [For becoming a rare pillar of strength in the Tri-glades: Celendine Dynasty Reputation +15]

  Raine whistled, glad he hadn’t imagined it. Usually, reputation was gained very slowly through specific factions, and rarely, entire cities. Inside the Celendine Dynasty, there were separate factions, each with their own reputation: Merchants, guards, the royal family, individual nobles, unions, guilds; the list went on and on. Just by becoming an advanced class, he gained fifteen reputation with every organization and noble that operated inside the Celendine Dynasty, which spanned three megazones, each the size of the Tri-glades.

  Grinding for reputation was almost as a rule, extremely time consuming. There were rare exceptions, like special quests and outright buying it from the Vaaterrans in question. However, the prices were always astronomical. In the past, more than one guild had gone bankrupt and collapsed trying to raise a specific reputation.

  I’m only ten rep shy of becoming a minor noble! No reason to delay that objective now since the benefits of starting a guild as a noble are so good. Hmm. If I’m going to do ‘that’ quest for the rep, it would be a waste to do it alone. I was going to meet Richtor’s group then pay some random people to fill in the last spots for the raid but now I have a better idea. It’s going to take a bit more work and time, but it’ll pay off in the end.

  Raine made a few quick adjustments to his plans, then opened the list of purchasable skills for his new class. A delighted smile spread across his lips when he found he could still buy all the cleric skills after becoming an armsman. He quickly organized the long list, moving the healing and caster skills to the bottom. Reading the name of the first new skill, his mouth went dry and he licked his lips.

  [Guillotine Slash: (Novice) With any melee slashing weapon, cut space for 3 seconds, pulling enemies within a 2 meter radius at 500% force. Slashes up to 5 times at 600% physical damage. Reduces users Defense and Resistance by 50% for 10 seconds (Cost: 30 Discipline) (Cooldown: 30 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Slash) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  There it is! The same Guillotine Slash that nearly killed me a dozen times over. 3,000 AT though? That’s in line with level fifty tier two costs. Skills that reduce Defense or Resistance, like berserk, always have high damage. Since it's both, it almost makes sense for the total potential damage to be 3000%. Almost.

  I only have nine thousand AT. Looks like I’ll have to choose more carefully than anticipated, and there definitely won’t be any AT left over for upgrading beyond novice. Dang. I was going to have the weapon trainer upgrade my weapon masteries to beginner. If I do, all the AT I earn will be sucked into them, instead of pooling to buy the rest of these skills. If the rest of these are equally powerful, I have to prioritize them first.

  Raine had long ago reached 100% Attunement with each of the melee weapon types, increasing his attributes in the process. Advancing their grades from novice to beginner would require several thousand Attunement. The delay couldn’t douse his enthusiasm for the Armsman skills and his eyes quickly devoured the next one.

  [Great Divide: (Novice) With any melee slashing weapon rend the ground in a 10 x 3 meter column AOE. Deals 2000% physical damage at the expense of 5% weapon durability (Cost: 30 Discipline) (Cooldown: 30 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Slash) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  Two thousand percent AOE?! No wonder the noble took so much damage when I kicked him into this one. Explains why the mystic realm had so much good stuff, too. The fact I survived past the first fight with how hard these hit is a miracle.

  [Debilitating Crush: (Novice) With any melee blunt weapon, create a powerful Blinding light. The next hit lowers armor by 50% for 10 seconds and deals 500% physical damage (Cost: 20 Discipline) (Cooldown: 20 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Strike) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  [Blind: Negative status affliction that renders sight inoperable]

  Another ability I’m glad I never got hit by. Thank you, Parry.

  [Flurry of One: (Novice) With any fist weapon, combine 10 strikes into 1, dealing 350% physical damage (Cost: 5 Discipline) (Cooldown: 5 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Strike) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  If I could choose which weapon I fought with, this would be an easy buy. Low cost and cooldown with excellent damage. I would have killed for this skill in the past. Can’t believe it's this good at novice grade.

  [Untold Vengeance: (Novice) Imbue any melee piercing weapon with lightning for 60 seconds. Each hit has a 25% chance to inflict Paralysis and deals an additional 60% elemental damage (Cost: 50 Discipline and 50 Elemental Power) (Cooldown: 120 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Pierce) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  [Paralysis: Negates physical movement unless overwhelmed with a Potency or Physique check]

  Requiring a piercing weapon isn't as niche as it sounds. Swords, knives, spears, and many axes and hammers fulfill the requirement. Pairs well with the spear I got in the mystic realm but easily the most underwhelming so far. The potential damage per EP isn’t as high as Final Gambit and I’d likely lose most of its duration moving from enemy to enemy. Would be amazing against some raid bosses though.

  [Guardians Bane: (Novice) Stab with any melee piercing weapon to ignore 90% armor and physical resistances. Additionally deals 450% physical damage (Cost: 20 Discipline) (Cooldown: 20 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Pierce) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  Armor and resistances! These skills are so good! Once they're adept grade like Rupture, they’ll easily be on par. Gimme!

  [Uncanny Acceleration: (Novice) With any melee weapon, ignore momentum and force while accelerating attack speed by 500% for one attack. Additionally deals 200% physical damage (Cost: 20 Discipline) (Cooldown: 20 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Lunge) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  Definitely the most broken skill against players. It’s basically unblockable without Parry and perfect reaction speed.

  [Repartee: (Novice) With any shield, absorb up to 600% casters Defense in both damage and force from a single physical attack. Return the absorbed damage and force in a 10 x 3 meter column AOE, additionally dealing 200% physical damage (Cost: 40 Discipline) (Cooldown: 30 seconds) (Purchasing this skill requires and consumes Block) (Price: 3000% AT)]

  Can’t wait to see Fizgore’s reaction when I show him this one. Dude’s going to lay an egg. About time to go ‘save’ him. Might be fun to bring Mel and Celeste along for that little adventure.

  Raine’s grin was evil, his teeth reflecting the lantern light brightening the street. He was almost to his destination, and wasn’t in a hurry to select any of his new skills now that he’d gotten a good look at their descriptions and costs. He needed to plan carefully, accounting for as many potentials as he could imagine. After all, he had a psychotic witch who could pop up at any moment and send him into another impossible challenge.

  These skills. They cover every type of melee weapon. This is no coincidence. I wouldn’t have the cursed ring without the witch, and the same goes for armsman. Why is she leading me down such a broad combat path? Is it all for another part of her chain quest?

  Regardless, they're much better than anything the basic classes have access to. Good to know my choice to go with armsman was correct.

  Raine slowed his trot at the entrance to an expansive lumber mill. There were no gates, just a beautifully worked wooden arch that led inside. The night crew was hard at work, manning large saws and hefting trees with equal ease. The moment he walked past the arch's sound shielding array, the buzzing of powerful industrial-grade Gromglenn technology filled the air.

  Fine particulates of sawdust tickled his nostrils as he waved down the nearest manager. The man looked him over and tucked his fingers into his britches with a squint, “Who's you?”

  “Greetings, master sawyer. My name is Alaric. I've come to purchase Onyxian Lumber.”

  “Alaric? I reco’nize that name. New feller all the yunginz been chater'n bout. Onyxian Lumber, ya say? Well, that's our speciality. Follow me ’n I'll get yah sorted.”

  “Much appreciated, master sawyer,” Raine followed the short, squat man into a nearby building where he passed several scrolls across a short table. They listed the types and prices of all the different building materials made of the expensive wood.

  Raine pushed the stack of papers back to the man, “I'll take them all.”

  “One o’ each then?” The man frowned, a glimmer of annoyance showing in his bushy brows.

  Raine shook his head with a chuckle, “No, your entire stock. I've got a guild hall to build, and your lumber's the best in the district.”

  The man’s eyes widened when Raine withdrew three thousand gold from his inventory and slid it across the counter. A quick contract was drawn up detailing delivery location and time. Then, Raine was on his way.

  Originally, he planned on renting a guild hall until he could afford to build his own. The differences between the two weren't even worth comparing. Once players found out the benefits they could gain by joining his guild with a fully constructed guildhall, they would be tripping over themselves to sign up. Now that he had the gold, he obviously wouldn't be delaying.

  While on the way to the next vendor, Raine accessed his interface, pulling up the Ncode Celeste gave him for her ZionLine account. She picked up on the third chime, her avatar’s face filling in a corner of Raine HUD. She scowled at the black square where a face would be had he not blocked it out long ago, “Alaric? Who—”

  “It's Raine. Care to explain why one of your uncle's goons tried to kill me with a flechette pistol?”

  She froze, her expression morphing through a range of emotions before settling on horrified, “Was that truly uncle’s doing? I heard about it on the IS, but… And they came after you? I-I didn't know.” Her voice turned faint, rife with mournful grief, “I-I’m going to be branded as a traitor, executed. I can’t believe it's going to happen like this. What a worthless way to die.”