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Chapter 543 Training Training Training
🕑 Added 2020-08-19 16:46:03 +0000 UTCAuthor's note: Hey all. New chapter up and more hopefully on Saturday.
Thanks for another month of support :)!
Author's note: Hey all. New chapter up.
Have a good week and thanks for reading.
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Chapter Index: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37813894
Chapter 543 Training Training Training
Ilea didnt get a revelation in the next few hours but she did feel like she got closer to one.
Meadow provided various runic systems and combinations for her to get a feel for them, not letting up with the constant insults to her primitive human brain, as was protocol.
You have a reliable way of hunting level seven and eight hundred creatures. I believe you should gain every level you can before the closure of the gate, Meadow said.
Youre ignoring the evolution problem, Ilea said.
You wont evolve, Meadow said.
Says who? The Meadow God? Ilea asked.
I wont try to convince you. If you wish to enhance your skills, I suggest you go out there and use only those you still need to level, Meadow said.
Ill do that, Ilea said. But well still spend a few hours every day working on this. If you have time.
Between the weekly one minute conversations with the Elemental and my busy life of waiting for creatures to awaken, I think there should be a few slots open for helping you. Please speak to my assistant for specific times, Meadow suggested.
Your assistant keeps freezing me, Ilea said, looking at the sleeping wolf deer ice monster.
Im too nice. She makes sure I dont overtax myself, Meadow said.
Thats good. Wouldnt want you to get a burnout. Plenty of time for that with your new cult in Hallowfort, oh divine tree, Ilea said.
Ive learned some ways of avoiding that fate. The way you described them however, it shouldnt be too difficult, Meadow said.
Let me guess, using overwhelming force and displays of incredible magic isnt the way to go? Ilea asked.
Very funny. I wasnt always all knowing, Meadow said. Ill keep a low profile.
Youre literally a four mark being, Ilea said.
I meant my magic. Ill just focus my more impressive efforts on people like you. Those who wont sacrifice their children to try and appease me. Its not like many can understand me directly anyway, Meadow said.
Fuck. Im sorry that happened to you, she said.
Oh nobody died. Took me a few months to convince those responsible that their actions would cause my wrath instead of help. Not the smartest creatures those, it mused.
One of the surviving species? Ilea asked.
No. No no. They moved away, their cultural rites more important to them than my knowledge or protection. Perhaps theyre still out there, Meadow said.
Should I tell it?
Probably better if I dont.
Ilea heavily doubted anything managed to survive out there. Thats if theyre not as or more powerful than her. Even then, in the long run, it seemed unlikely.
They might be fine, she said.
Meadow sent an amused thought. Hope remains but I understand the conditions required for life. Better than most.
She smiled but didnt say anything else.
You should get going then, if you wish to level your skills, Meadow said.
Ilea nodded. Do you think it might be more beneficial if I use them against you?
No. My intent would not be to kill you. Not truly. Your hordes are the best bet. Ill be here whenever you decide to return, Meadow said.
Thought as much. Still not willing to give me info on four marks? she asked.
Those I know of, you would not be able to best, nor do I know their location as Ive said before, Meadow said.
Have you seen spirits of that level? Ilea asked.
Only the daughters. Death spirits form through the remains of those deceased. I have yet to see one reaching level one thousand but if there is a way for you to kill something at that level, it would be one of them, Meadow said.
The millennia old creature hasnt met a single one? Well good luck then, Ilea thought. She didnt think it impossible due to its stationary nature but her prospects didnt look particularly good.
Ill try my best then, Ilea said with a smile before she vanished.
It only took a minute to be back in the fray. Ilea checked her ashen skills quickly to see if she could help them along somehow.
Passive: Eyes of Ash lvl 3rd lvl 27
Increases your perception by 63.5% [508%] when fighting without a weapon.
2nd stage: Effects apply with weapons as well. Opportunity calls, you notice possible critical weak points on enemies with more ease.
3rd stage: Your eyes are vastly improved. Great distances and a lack of light wont pose a problem to you anymore.
Category: Body Enhancement Ashen magic
Maybe try to look around at the enemies farthest away? And focus on weak points.
Active: Storm of Cinders 3rd lvl 27
Burn the inside of whatever your body hits with a surge of heat and embers or release the attack in a burst of fire and cinders.
2nd stage: The flame burns on. Targets hit will have fire burning through or on them. Time and consecutive attacks will increase the effect.
3rd stage: Storm of Cinders burns away all that stands against it, damaging mana intrusion capabilities of defensive enchantments, natural- as well as manufactured armor.
Category: Ashen magic
Alright, just keep attacking. At least I can use this one hundreds of times with my ash.
Ilea added whatever passive abilities she could from her third Class and tried to level Sentinel Huntress despite the likely low results.
A few hours later, she decided to up her game a little. Maybe the new bonuses might be enough.
Instead of fleeing the Astrals, she stayed as long as she humanly could.
There were six already present, all the death spirits in the area already destroyed.
Beams of astral magic flashed past as she pushed her wings to the absolute limit of their flexibility.
Her sphere and precognition allowed her to react much faster than a single spirit could fire its spells but the combined efforts lead to more than a few damaging hits.
With Space Shift, she could teleport a little more than twice per second, combining both blink and displacement. Each had a roughly 0.8 second cooldown between uses with the bonuses from Space Shift.
This time she didnt attack immediately, focusing on dodging in a hope to level her Eyes of Ash a little quicker in the dangerous environment.
Theyll add astral area attacks and concentrated slashes into the mix once I get close.
Ilea sped through the air, watching another astral spirit arrive, its spells immediately forming, aimed at her.
She didnt teleport yet, dodging three massive cones of astral energy with the help of her precognition and wings alone. Her wings got damaged in the process, the cones simply too broad for her to dodge efficiently.
Damage is still alright, she noted, keeping an eye on her health. Her armor was shaved away constantly but reformed just as quickly.
She swerved around the group of creatures, moving herself between two of the spirits floating close to each other and the rest of the group.
The maneuver didnt deter any of the monsters, their beams still simply aimed at the annoying human that refused to be incinerated.
A large part of the astral energy slammed into the spirits on the way but they didnt seem particularly bothered. Their mana drain however activated, now that their bodies had experienced minor damage.
Third tier resistance, here you go, Ilea thought with a smile. Any point of mana they drained would damage the creatures, in turn forcing them to drain more.
Just have to keep them in a perpetual loop, she smirked, knowing full well that their own regeneration likely outpaced the effects of her resistance easily.
Let alone the fact that they steal mana from each other. Wait, shouldnt they all have high resistances too? Maybe not a third tier, I guess. If it works the same for unawakened monsters.
Another spirit showed up half a minute later, the encounter now not just reminding of a laser tag game but actively being one.
Pretty uneven teams, Ilea thought with a smile as she noticed the slightly reduced damage from her third tier Body of the Valkyrie. Five percent is more noticeable than I thought.
She failed to dodge five incoming cones, her teleports still on cooldown. Getting a little low there.
Phaseshift activated after she continued her dodging, displacement taking her behind one of the spirits. The damage reduction allowed her to heal much more efficiently, despite the higher frequency of attacks hitting her.
She even stacked some health into her Flare and Awakening, if only for the increased defense both would provide.
When the combined efforts started to overwhelm her and both her teleports were on cooldown, she used her third tier Displacement in front of her.
The spirits didnt grow any smarter just because there were more of them, Ilea sending eight continuous beams through the gate right back at the creatures.
She laughed in her phased form, stacking her auras with more health before the spell dissipated again.
Her resilience increased immediately, allowing her to take a little more of the magic head on.
Ileas laughter was the only thing audible besides the low hum of the spells trying to catch the fast moving human.
Mana wasnt an issue, Sentinel Core filling her resources up thanks to her maxed out second tier resistance and the abundance of magic burning into her ash and body.
Minute number two, she thought, noticing the slight defensive boost again.
Phaseshift activated once more, her third tier Displacement however still on cooldown.
She displaced herself a little farther away, the increased distance forcing the spirits to move closer. Either that or their spells would simply not hit her quite as quickly.
Every millisecond counts, she thought, watching with joy as one of the now more distant creatures left the field again.
Why I wonder?
It didnt matter. Another creature soon took its place but every delay in combined attacks would lead to increased resilience and regenerating health. The mana drain cluster already seemed to damage the beings quite a bit, at least one of them now constantly using the ability.
Ilea soon started to test Storm of Cinders.
The area spells activated right when she reached the highest possible range of her limbs. Ah shit.
Now that she was closer to the floating group, the beams reached her near instantly. It was close before but with her precognition and constant recovery, the difference was more than just noticeable.
Her ashen limbs vanished in the combined astral energies, only able to deliver a single dose of her spell.
Still enough, she thought, reforming her sixteen limbs after she blinked out again.
Ilea distanced herself, flying around the group of spirits. Phaseshift, use the deactivation time to get close and blink in, hit once, displace out.
She did just that, the timing proving to be a little tricky with her increased perception.
Every hit of her mana intrusion ability forced her to retreat for a while again. More spirits showed up as time went on but it seemed to plateau at around ten of the creatures. Most of them only hit with half their normal damage by now, allowing her to fly around the beings without having to retreat more permanently.
A third tier astral magic resistance would make it even easier, she thought, using phaseshift and displacement again to catch her breath.
Slowly, she acclimated herself to their magic, the way they moved, the frequency of their spells, and her resource management. The latter was really the thing it came down to. That and her own positioning.
With each passing minute, Ilea became more efficient at delivering Storm of Cinders. She was still forced back every single time, her health occasionally dipping so low she had to disengage the group with full distance blinks.
The difference between her and the creatures however was their limited ability to adjust based on her abilities. Knights of Rhyvor changed their behavior accordingly, just as much as the Specters of Rot did. Spirits seemed to care less or were simply incapable of learning, the comparison to a natural phenomenon continuously more apt.
She was forced to disengage entirely when the numbers rose to fifteen, the delicate balance shifting in the Astrals favor.
Ilea didnt wait long to join them again, waiting at a distance until the monsters started leaving.
She reached them when three remained, annoyed she had to build up her damage reduction again but glad some at least had stayed.
Theyre not coming back, she thought after half a minute, seeing a single Astral spirit join the three initial creatures. Guess Ill just do this then, she thought and focused her entire being on the deathly training.
Ilea stopped when she thought that another full day had passed. Instead of disengaging, she marked a few of the spirits and fled.
She had moved through the wastes in her search for higher leveled spirits, the mark on Meadow allowing her to travel much farther without any danger of getting lost.
It was hard to know how much time had passed in her battle trance and traveling, the eclipse looking the exact same throughout her whole time in Erendar.
Is it just a long day? Maybe were close to one of the poles?
Might have been more than two days even. Im a little hungry, she noted. Meditation was both useful and dangerous when it came to situations like this. Couldve just gone on. As long as my resources remain and neither sleep or food is necessary. Might be a part of Mental Resistance too, or even some of my Class skills?
The training was efficient. She was in danger and she could focus on her few skills. But it wasnt enough. Not even close.
Id need at least another few weeks to get them to thirty. Fuck.
The marks were there, floating away as she remained in the air, indecisive. Im stalling. For uncertain benefits.
What if Meadow was right and there isnt an evolution at all?
So much time wasted instead of killing these fucks for experience.
I didnt even find a four mark yet. Just frozen caves, bones, and spirits.
She floated for a little longer, twirling a few times as she summoned herself a meal.
You know what? Fuck it.
Eight maxed out skills in each Class is enough.
Ill use the marks. Make an impression at least before I leave this godforsaken place.
Ilea followed the closest marked spirit, this one residing much lower in the atmosphere than the first one she had hunted down.
Finally, payback time for all that boring, fucking, training!
Phaseshift deactivated after a blink, tens of thousands of health flaring up in the form of white flames, her body empowered by Azarinth Awakening.
She easily grappled the unwieldy creature, her fists and ashen limbs striking into the creature. Destructive mana slowly overwhelmed the spirit as it tried to kill her.
Her ash didnt yield, each spell the creature used further fueling her offensive capabilities.
Ilea didnt reach the first minute of her third tier Valkyrie skill, the Astral Spirit killed and stored within her necklace.
And so it begins.
She checked the few messages from her training, on her way to the next marked monster. It would take more than these to push her past four hundred.
ding Phaseshift reaches 3rd lvl 2
ding Space Shift reaches 3rd lvl 4
ding Body of the Valkyrie reaches 3rd lvl 6
ding Deviant of Humanity reaches 2nd lvl 4
ding Veteran reaches 3rd lvl 11
ding Mana Drain Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 3
ding You have defeated [Astral Spirit lvl 742]
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 249 One stat point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 250 One stat point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 251 One stat point awarded
At least my third Class is coming along nicely.
Ilea continued to hunt down spirits, killing twelve of them until she finally reached her short term goal.
ding The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 398 Five stat points awarded
ding The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 399 Five stat points awarded
ding The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 400 Five stat points awarded One Core skill point awarded
ding Kin of Ash has reached lvl 397 Five stat points awarded
ding Kin of Ash has reached lvl 398 Five stat points awarded
ding Kin of Ash has reached lvl 399 Five stat points awarded
ding Kin of Ash has reached lvl 400 Five stat points awarded One Core skill point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 252 One stat point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 253 One stat point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 260 One stat point awarded One Core skill point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 268 One stat point awarded
ding Sentinel Huntress reaches 3rd lvl 17
ding Flare of Creation reaches 3rd lvl 7
ding Deviant of Humanity reaches 2nd lvl 5
Come on.
Nothing else appeared within her mind.
Damn tree!
Alright, five hundred it is. Should be easy enough, she murmured to herself, searching for the next group of spirits.
Judging by the time it takes me to level my fucking Classes compared to my skills, Im definitely catching up with the former.
Maxed out skills would have been nice for the various evolution requirements but I doubt an option would have appeared just because of that. Not with all my other achievements since getting the last ones at three hundred.
Ilea spent the rest of the day hunting Astrals.
Not even a fucking extra core skill point for reaching four hundred, she thought, beating her fists into the smooth blue chest of a spirit.
Did I expect too much?
I could already fight Zaiked at three sixty. I guess now it would be a much more even battle with phaseshift and awareness in the third tier. Let alone Valkyrie.
She frowned, crossing her arms as she watched the dead spirit float down.
I need a break from this.
ding The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 401 Five stat points awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 269 One stat point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 270 One stat point awarded
ding The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 276 One stat point awarded
ding Azarinth Reversal reaches 3rd lvl 28
ding Displacement reaches 3rd lvl 9
No training for half a day. At least not here.
She summoned another meal and made her way back towards the temple, her wings lazily moving on her back. At least youre never disappointing, she thought, glancing at the bowl of food.
Comments
Morgan
I wonder if meadow can alter her body or if she has another way to taste food.
Samuel Johansson
Okay, so since the meadow said that is has "awakened" classes, can we assume that two of Ileas classes are awakened and one is "dormant"/*subdued"? I'm hoping one of the added core point options is awakening her 3rd class at 350 but the cost might be very high, as in 20+ core points, perhaps 45 (total amassed from 200-500 from one class?). That might eat up some of her huge storage of core points and give her an unusually early full 3rd class. I really liked when she was starved of points and had many options instead of a bunch of points and useless options...
The way I understood it, she expected a 3rd Core skill point for reaching level 400 in general, because it seems like a very big achievement for a human.
Doubtful Meadow will meet them any time soon. He's going North and the two Enchanters aren't really ready for that yet. On the other hand Illea probably has a ton of useful Space Magic insights to drop on them, given her recent advancements.
MrrC
Who else is looking forward to Meadow blowing the mind of the 2 enchanters and being the key to making a permanent Taleen style gate between Hollowfort and the North. Cakes for Catelyn; Walters Ale for Dark Ones and major new training for Shadows, Shadowguard, and Illeas Medic Sentinels. The world building that this would include and the likely contact with the (formors (sp?) - dragon reptile people who worship dragons) as well as Illea being the Center of a 3 species trade between Dark Ones, Rebel Elves and Humans..... Big setup for huge new conflicts as we get to see what 4 mark powerful species that fly / reside in the high mountains are like
MrrC
Great Point - I could imagine Meadow improving it by doing some form of exotic enchantments that also forces Illea to improve her space magic and her other skills that she did not have when Goliath built the Armament of Trials
Magnus Gullhav Leikvik
It just occurred to me that the Medow have not seen the training armor (Armament of trails or something)
Benjamin
Finally time for all the lvl500 and enhanced/tier 4 skill discussion to start Haven't seen it since lvl300 and T3 general skills. Bring it on
Chopper
When Ilea gets back to civilization she can do all kinds of great gags with Phase Shift!
Alsia
I am so stoked for when this happens. Lowkey want her to walk into the Golden Drake full of swag. I'd like to see some uppity noble try to kill her for butting the line - for the restaurant she owns - again xD
fbt
Yay, new chapter! yayyyyyy! :)
Johannes Sauer
Everybody will probably call her a monster. Remember the Tournament in Riverwatch where commoners and even nobles came from far and wide to watch these local legends fight and the strongest guy was barely lvl 100?
Dargon
Can we get, like, a Harthane hivemind or something?
It's either an error or extremely ambiguously written, with the 2 second cooldown referring to what it would be before Space Shift. Either way it should be reworded.
Håvard
In a few weeks she is never going to need the resistance again (most likely), it wont give her an great effect for its 3rd tier (most likely). She can't upgrade all her gerereal skills to the 3rd tier. Therefor she have to prioritise what skills she want to use those points on and Astereal magic is not one of those. Also there is an small chance that fighting the ???? versions might give her the 3rd tier resistance without needing an point. It's very unlikely, but she have done it before so might be able to do so again. So to sum it up I agree with her yes she losses something like 10-15 levels in the skill, but by taking it she in effect lose 85-90 skill levels in order to get back the point she used. So that way of looking at it getting the point for free would give her up to 130 levels. much better than using the point.
foldedcorners
I wonder if this means she's going to push for 500 asap for the class evolution? I think a ??? human is going to cause some... problems in the human planes.
Question!: "Not even a fucking core skill point for reaching four hundred, she thought, beating her fists into the smooth blue chest of a spirit." a few lines earlier it was stated that she did in fact get 2 core skill points from getting lvl 400 in the level up mesages. Which statement is true?
Andrei
Like everyone else I'm also looking forward to a 3-mark Healer Ilea walking into a city and seeing the reactions!
Jonathan
All true, yet she changed her skill training selection before 300 because she wanted a body-enhancement-centered evolution from her ash. So we have to take into account that she might go for whatever her gut feels is the skill that goes with that the most. Plus, if she puts both Aspect of Ash and Azarinth Awakening, think of the multipliers!
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Gian
I appreciate the grinding chapters and new interactions with unique creatures. It's going to make level 500 more satisfying knowing that she's out there putting work in. Thank you for the chapter! Take care and enjoy your vacation :)
Johannes Sauer
There should be a law for cloning authors. Alternativly giving them a split personality, where one is the reader and doesn't know the thoughts of the author would be nice to. The author shares the readers feelings. I hate that You are on vacation but you definetly deserve it.
Andrew
Thank you!
Zarik0
Maybe in the 450 not 500 for evolution and she didnt check when she reached lv400 if she unlocked new option with core skill point
agentjongon
I think her 3rd class has to reach 400. That’s my best guess for unlocking all requirements. Probably needs all of her classes to reach 400
tibbish
Obviously they'll all see the [Healer] tag, ignore the 3 marks, and immediately try to pressure her into joining their team for free or for sexual favors after which glorious hilarity (via punchy blood time) will once again ensue!!
Acquiles Vitorino de Melo Graça
This all but a small step to the healer, but a great leap to the fan base waiting for the three mark on a random village scene!
Acquiles Vitorino de Melo Graça
I'm pretty sure she could choose to advance the Astral resistance since she was stuck between it and mana drain at one point, but I'm pretty sure even those training sessions are all unlocking it for her considering Hector was able to unlock her wager resistance. Like, I'm pretty sure earth resistance would increase her weakness against anything that measures her weight, but otherwise, yeah.
BeatleNerd
I can't wait for the day when Ilea walks into Random Human Town B at level 500. The reactions from seeing a human 3-mark will be priceless.
Blaublue
This is so sad - we know powerful Entities can influence the System, and Meadow repeatedly saying she won't gain a new Class at 400 made it come true :( /s Thanks for the chapter
Han Pol
she got one from the regular intervals when leveling up but nothing additional I guess.
SoggyBiscuit
Something's been on my mind lately regarding her tier 3 resistance achievements. Has she met the requirements for Astral Magic, Death Magic, Earth Magic, Ice and Wood Magic Resistances from her recent encounters, sparring sessions and battles? If the mantis queen was enough to unlock her Health Drain Resistance and the astral spirits her Mana Drain one, shouldn't the super high leveled beings she's been interacting with recently easily be able to help her get the achievements for the rest? Or has Ilea simply not checked yet?
Grond (James)
Why does she say she didn't get a Core skill point at 400 when she clearly did?
Grond (James)
Another possibility is her time will be spent leveling and then dealing with the evolved third class
So with nothing unlocking immediately at 400, that leaves a couple of possibilities: 1: There’s literally nothing else to unlock until 500+. This means Illea’s skills will be largely stalled until she hits 500, limiting her growth to stats, skill proficiency (getting better in a way the system doesn’t recognize), general skills, and capping her 3rd class skills. If this is the case I suspect we’ll see a montage and can count on her hitting 500 much sooner than expected, just to see something new with Azarinth and Ash. Alternatively the story will focus more on other things and we won’t see as much `ding` growth for a while. 2: There’s additional requirements to unlock new core use points that will help with skills. The simplest option would be getting all 10 skills in a class to 3-30 will let her spend core points to increase the cap for those skills. If that’s the case we should see her unlock that for the Ash class soon, with Azarinth being held back by Huntress. And she’ll need to slow down her level gains to max additional skills before the 500 evolutions.
BookDragonling
Oh my, a Wednesday chapter? What is this feeling. It is joy
MountainFox
I think this is the part where Meadow would say "It is not about the levels, but the journey getting there" to a groaning Ilea.
Julien Fellegara
I read this story with the only dream to see the comoners in awe and fear on a '???' Healer. Can't wait the stupids situations :^)
Julien Fellegara
Same. Sad. Maybe 450? Something with her 3rd class or 3rd spells? General skill to? Solo a '????'.. she surely miss something here for the first time.
Connor Bruha
Thanks for the chapter! I'm surprised she didn't unlock a new use for Core Skill points at 400.
agentjongon
Truly a struggle. I imagine that its unlikely for Ilea to miss out on any achievements necessary to unlock something at 400. But who knows. Maybe an achievement she needs is to max out on her skills. But then Meadow would probably know that. Onwards to 500!
obviousPenname
I was going to comment on the same thing, so as to not make my copy/paste a waste of effort, the quote is right here to be specific: "Not even a fucking core skill point for reaching four hundred, she thought, beating her fists into the smooth blue chest of a spirit."
shillbear
i love surprise chapters
Chase Clawson
Another great chapter! Though I'm a bit confused, she said not even a core skill point for level 400, but she did get one on both of them
Alexander Zeheter
I hope the vacation is everything you expected! Great chapter as always. I can’t wait for more 🤘
