《[Earth Reborn]》 Unfamiliar World Tom woke up in a tree, almost naked and upside down. So far this wasn¡¯t that unusual. He had a month of free time before the next semester started and went partying quite a lot in that time, which resulted quite often in him waking up in unfamiliar places and with his clothes not always entirely present. Shaking his head to try and clear his mind he looked around. He appeared to be in an entirely unfamiliar forest. ¡°Where the hell am I? And why do I have such a damn headache!¡± Toms voice sounded raspy and speaking had made his throat hurt. A quick pulse of healing magic fixed the headache and his throat giving his voice back the youthful sound it usually had. He looked down at himself finding only a pair of unfamiliar briefs covering him and an unfamiliar tattoo on his left chest. It was about five centimeters in diameter black in color and depicted the Vitruvian man. ¡®I¡¯ll remove it later.¡¯, he thought, hoping down, off the tree and being careful not land on any of the small branches that lay around. With a few stretches and liberal use of blood magic he limbered up his well-toned but cramped muscles, used a quick spell to clean his short, brown hair of sticks, leaves and grease afterwards and finally released a pulse of mana which speed through the woods, reflecting off of everything that was impenetrable to it allowing him to see the general terrain and strong magical fields in a large area. Ten seconds later he had found at least twenty beasts with magical cores, four wild dungeons and was sure that he had absolutely no idea where he was. Tom sighed. ¡°Seems like I have to actually put some effort into this.¡± He raised his right hand into the sky and drew glowing runes into the air in front of him with his left. A chant in a strange language rose from his throat rising in a crescendo before abruptly stopping. The runes flared up before disappearing and a translucent ball of energy erupted from his hand, rising into the sky and disappearing through the spars cloud cover taking a small chunk of his mana with it. A few seconds later a map appeared in front of Tom displaying an entirely unfamiliar pair of continents which where vaguely shaped like an hourglass and had quite a few islands to the east of the them. A glowing red dot on the northern continent showed Tom his position on the map. ¡°Well fuck. Wherever I am, I¡¯m not on Olion anymore, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Toms voice held a hint of annoyence within it. ¡°At least I¡¯ll be able to explore an unfamiliar new world! If it doesn¡¯t kill me that is, of course. I¡¯ll have to get word to my family and the university though.¡± And so, our hero made a plan or at least the first steps of a plan. He would hunt one of the cored beasts, gather the core and use it to extend the range of a message spell from a few kilometers to spanning dimensions. Afterwards he could spend some time exploring and gathering spell components to teleport himself back to his home at his leisure. The first step of the plan was the easiest as he had to simply find one of the beasts he had earlier detected and slay it. Casting a haste spell on himself, to not loose anymore time, and cladding himself in a protective shell of mana, so he wouldn¡¯t hurt himself by stepping on anything pointy, he started jogging towards the nearest beast. This beast turned out to be a nature attuned and carnivorous boar. It had dark brown fur which had green lines running through it which pulsed in regular intervals, as well as elongated tusks and glowing red eyes. As soon as it saw him, it tried to bind him with roots and branches belonging to the surrounding trees and bushes, before charging at him. Tom projected a spear of force in front of himself and watched the three-meter-long animal impale itself, splitting its skull and killing it instantly. He released the spell, dropping the dead boar, and, for an instant, projected an aura of death withering the foliage that had still tried to bind him. Bending down Tom inspected the corpse, ¡°Thick fur, probably highly resistant to pure physical force. Strong legs, sharpened tusks and thicker head than normal. I would guess lower D-tier, should be good enough. The core should be right¡­ here!¡± The hand he had fishing around in the split skull of the corpse reemerged holding a small sphere shinning with a dark green light. Cleaning the blood of his hand Tom appraised the core, ¡°Should have enough capacity, just have to remove the corruption and affinity.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Taking control of some of the blood of the boar, Tom created a simple spell circle two meters in diameter and a small distance away from the boar. He placed the core in the center left the circle and faced the core. As he began his chant and started channeling mana into the circle it began to glow with a red light. A few seconds later the core started hovering, rising to about hip height. Suddenly a crack appeared in the surface of the core, leaking a thin green mist. Panicking Tom immediately shoved more mana into the circle, stopping the leakage but also accelerating the process of cleansing. With an explosion of green the core turned transparent and fell to the once again innate spell circle. The green shockwave that had emanated from the core did no damage to the surrounding environment but twisted the flora, letting it grow taller and making it livelier, but also mutating some of the trees it touched. It dissipated after about fifty meters having evaporated the blood and turned the boar into a pile of overgrown bones. ¡°That could have gone better.¡± Tom wiped a bit of sweat off of his face and picked up the clear sphere, inspecting it for any lasting damage. Finding none he recorded a short message, attached it to the sphere and cast a message spell on it, which he sent to his soul bonded familiar. Immediately he gasped for breath and collapsed to his knees as almost half his mana where painfully ripped out of him into the core which disappeared with a popping noise. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±, angrily Tom checked his soul shell finding that he was father away then he had thought. The bonds to his familiar and pact blade where strained and stretched, if they had been ordinary bonds, they would have simply broken but these had been reinforced by a specialized mage. Closely inspecting them, he found that they stretched out of this plane of existence, through the astral sea and only entered his home plane after quite some distance. ¡®Alright that may take some time getting back.¡¯ He mulled over his options for interplanar travel, coming up with nothing feasible, when he discovered something worrying. There was another lose connection to his soul shell, one that was quite unfamiliar to him. Mentally he prodded it, being careful not to simply tare it off when suddenly something appeared in his mind¡¯s eye, startling him and making him flinch.
Welcome Traveler Welcome to the world of [Earth Reborn]! We apologies for the inconvenience. Due to unforeseen complications you have been transported to a world currently undergoing arcane recalibration. Relevant authorities have been informed and are searching for a solution. As this will likely take some time you will be integrated into the ¡°Mark of Power System?¡± (short: MPS?) and gifted a powerful, but randomly chosen mark as compensation. Good Luck! -Sincerely Administration
Mana-Enhancer
Welcome Traveler Welcome to the world of [Earth Reborn]! We apologies for the inconvenience. Due to unforeseen complications you have been transported to a world currently undergoing arcane recalibration. Relevant authorities have been informed and are searching for a solution. As this will likely take some time you will be integrated into the ¡°Mark of Power System?¡± (short: MPS?) and gifted a powerful, but randomly chosen mark as compensation. Good Luck! -Sincerely Administration
Tom blinked and looked back at the screen. It wasn¡¯t blocking out his sight it seemed almost parallel to his normal vision. He thought about not seeing it and it disappeared, thinking about seeing it again, it reappeared. After playing with the screen a few more times others appeared.
Congratulations User You have unlocked the interface. If you wish to view more information, please think ¡®menu¡¯
Congratulations User You have been randomly awarded with a mark of power. Rarity Approaching Mythical Location Heart Mark of Power? Mana-Enhancer
Congratulations User You have achieved all requirements to unlock the first tier of you Mark of Power? -Reach a Mana capacity of 500
Tom read the screens feeling quite dazed as he did so. He dismissed them and willed the ¡®menu¡¯ to appear.
Menu
General Information
Name: Tom ¡®Tommy¡¯ Chapman Age: 47
Race: Human, mixed ancestry Mana Capacity: 27 843
Marks of Power?
Mana-Enhancer
Rarity: Approaching Mythical Location: Heart
Tier: 0 Upgradable: True
Upgrade Requirements
Tier 1: Requirements Met - Have a Mana Capacity of 500<
Tier 2: Requirements Met - Have a Mana capacity of 1000<
Tier 3: Requirements Met - Have a Mana Capacity of 2500< - Be proficient in at least 1 form of unarmed combat
Tier 4: Requirements Met - Have a Mana Capacity of 5000< - Kill 1 cored beast under the supervision of the MPS?
Tier 5: Requirements MetFind this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! - Have a Mana Capacity of 10 000< - Have at least 1 System achievement in the combat or magic categories
Tier 6: Requirements Not Met - Have a Mana Capacity of 25 000< - Have at least 10 System achievements - Clear 1 dungeon of grade D or higher singlehandedly while under the supervision of the system
Mark Abilities
Mana Cultivation - Tier 1 The mana in your body passively enhances your speed, dexterity, strength, endurance and resilience by 0.1% per 10 Units Maximum Mana Capacity (278%).
No other Marks Found
System Achievements
Traveler Be Transported to the system by accident. (compensation achievement)
Aspiring Ritualist Perform a ritual
Aspiring Mage Cast 5 Spells
Magic Adapt Cast a spell or ritual that requires more then 10 000 units of mana
Solo Adventurer Kill a beast of at least D-Tier in single combat
Arcane Innovator 2 (Achievements with multiple ranks count as multiple Achievements) Perform or cast 5 rituals or spells which no one (under the supervision of the MPS? has cast before.
World Quests
As you are not a resident of this world this section does not apply to you.
Tom sat down on a nearby log, this was too much for him. He read the entire menu multiple times wondering just what was happening to him. When he finally was ready to belief that this was actually happening, he mentally prodded the button reading ¡®Upgradable: True¡¯.
Congratulations User You have upgraded your Mark of the Mana-Enhancer to Tier 1. You have been awarded the following abilitie(s):
Mana Shroud ¨C Tier 1 The presence of your mana stretches beyond your body, defending you from physical impacts and diverting and/or lessening magical damage.
A searing pain shot through Tom as the tattoo on his chest expanded, a ring forming around the central image. In between the ring and the center, a rune appeared, which Tom could read as ¡®one¡¯ in celestial.
Congratulations User You have upgraded your Mark of the Mana-Enhancer to Tier 2. You have been awarded the following abilitie(s):
True Sight ¨C Tier 1 The mana you embody allows you to pierce illusions and deceptions. Increases ability
Again, the searing pain shot through Tom as another rune appeared, this one to the right of the first and reading ¡®two¡¯.
Congratulations User You have upgraded your Mark of the Mana-Enhancer to Tier 3. You have been Awarded the following abilitie(s):
Elemental Strikes ¨C Tier 1 Your mark allows you to use the passive reality-bending of your affinities and imbue them into unarmed-melee attacks. Only one affinity may be imbued at a time and only if you know of it and it is at least ¡®Very Good¡¯ View applicable affinities (50+)
Congratulations User You have upgraded your Mark of the Mana-Enhancer to Tier 4. You have been Awarded the following abilitie(s):
Recovery of the Mana-Enhancer ¨C Tier 1 The mark of the Mana-Enhancer allows you to recover mana faster while resting. While actively meditating to recover mana, mana recovery is increased by 100%
Congratulations User You have upgraded your Mark of the Mana-Enhancer to Tier 5 You have been awarded the following abilitie(s):
Presence of the Mana-Enhancer ¨C Tier 1 The mark enhances your affinities, increasing their ability to passively or actively warp reality by 30%.
Camouflage of the Mana-Enhancer ¨C Tier 1 When trying to avoid detection, your mana will help to hide. Increases ability to remain hidden when trying to hide by 50%.
The following abilitie(s) have been upgraded:
Mana Cultivation ¨C Tier 2 The mana in your body passively enhances your speed, dexterity, strength, endurance and resilience by [0.1->]0.2% per 10 Units Maximum Mana Capacity ([278%->]556%).
Congratulations on reaching the first milestone
Every time a new upgrade notification appeared the pain returned, and a new runic number appeared in the tattoo. All five runes together spanned about a quarter of the circle, making the maximum tier for a tattoo approximately twenty. Tom was dazed, he dismissed the screens and just starred at the mark on his chest for a few minutes. Deciding that there was no harm in trying his new abilities out so he might as well do so, he got up and took up a standard fighting stance in front of a tree which had about the thickness of his thigh. Concentrating on his force affinity and trying to apply it to his fists, he noted that a slight silvery sheen appeared on his hand and wrists. Tom lashed out with a straight and punched the tree. The trunk splintered as his fist went through it, easily penetrating the bark and wood and throwing up a cloud of sawdust behind the tree. He looked at his fist, pushed with his hands against the damaged tree and watched it fall over. ¡°And I didn¡¯t even use a spell. This is crazy. How does it do that?¡± Tom tried to inspect the mark with mana enhanced sight and came up blank, there wasn¡¯t any more mana in the tattoo then in his normal skin. ¡°Maybe Its¡­¡± His thoughts though were interrupted. A scream echoed through the woods, it vaguely sounded like someone screaming for help. Of course its goblins Immediately Tom jumped to his feet, he reapplied his haste spell and started sprinting in the direction the scream had come from. Bounding and leaping through the underbrush and dodging around the trees, he arrived in a small clearing. Leaning against a tree was the presumed screamer, a youngish boy of approximately seventeen years. He was heavily wounded and seemed to be unconscious. In front of him was a group of about fifteen goblins chattering and jeering while a much larger hobgoblin was winding up for a swing with a solid looking iron mace. Around the boy lay three dead goblins and a copper gladius covered in blood. Not having time to think, Tom raised his hand and shoved mana into a spell. A black beam ripped through the hobgoblin¡¯s chest leaving a fist sized hole and rapidly spreading necroses. Not wanting the other goblins to have time to react, he took control of the blood in the clearing, turned it into crimson blades and cut them apart. The fight took no longer then ten seconds leaving sixteen goblins dead and having cost him not even a two hundred mana. Quickly he knelt down next to the boy laying a hand on his head and channeled healing magic into him. ¡°Blood loss, shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Punctured kidney, dangerous in the long run but fixable. A mild concussion, I can sooth it but not much more. Besides that, only minor bruises and scrapes.¡± He quickly closed the open wounds, revived and repaired the kidney to at least some functionality, soothed the bruised brain and supercharged the boys blood production, supplementing it with mana. Additionally, he cast a spell which condensed some water from the air and slowly forced it down the boy¡¯s throat. While he waited for the boy to wake up, he collected the corpses looking through them for anything useful. They only carried the stuff goblins usually carried: ratty clothes, small idles and figurines carved from wood and bone, wooden spears with bone or stone tips. Nothing useful to him. The hobgoblin however had a small pouch containing a golden figurine Tom recognized as the goblin good of strength. He took the pouch and clothes off of the hobgoblin, cleaning and repairing them somewhat with another spell before putting them on and fastening the iron mace to the belt. Tom stacked the corpses into a pile and cast a spell turning them into overgrown bones. Just as the spell finished Tom heard a grown from behind himself as the stricken boy woke up. Kneeling down in front of the recently awoken teenager he smiled at him, ¡°Take it easy, you¡¯ve just had a near death experience.¡± The boy just looked confused, looking up at Tom, ¡°I have no idea what you just said. What even is that language? Sounds european to me.¡± A few minutes of gesturing and slowly repeating words later, Tom learned that the boy¡¯s name was Alex and had explained to him that he had taken care of the attacking goblins and Alex¡¯s injuries. Being annoyed at the lack of progress Tom made a decision, gestured to Alex to wait for a moment, before starting to rapidly draw runes into the air and chant at a steadily increasing pace. His hands blurred as more and more runes where formed and the chanting turned into a droning buzz, below the pair a glowing spell circle formed filling with a strange script. Almost two minutes later of Alex watching, Tom clapped his hand and the world outside the circle seemed to freeze. Tom collapsed into a sitting position and gave Alex a winning smile. ¡°You should be able to understand me now.¡± Alex¡¯s enthusiastic reply confirmed that the spell had indeed worked. ¡°That was so cool, we have a few people who can do magic back at our village but nothing like this! What this spell anyway?¡± Tom whipped the sweat of his forehead before answering the boy¡¯s question, ¡°It¡¯s a jury-rigged translation spell. It¡¯s based on the only translation spell I know, that works when neither party knows the others language. It¡¯s called ¡®Negotiators Sphere¡¯ and is supposed to be cast by three people. But by simply ripping out half the functions, limiting time and applying some ¡®mana duct-tape¡¯ I was able to do it. Also, our bodies mostly shut down since I have to shoulder all of the mental processes for both of us. Should be save though.¡± Alex gapped at him, ¡°You shut down my body?¡± He tried raising his hand but couldn¡¯t manage to even feel it. ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s one hundred percent save. I think. Anyway, I can heal almost any damage in a human and most certainly any that¡¯s caused by a bit of ¡®not working¡¯.¡±, Tom tried calming the teen down and managed to convince him that there would be no permanent harm down by the spell. ¡°It¡¯s meant for peace talks, of course it¡¯s harmless.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t quite convinced but decided to drop the topic, ¡°Where did you learn it though? I know that you¡¯re not from around here, I never heard that language before, but we¡¯ve only had magic for like, two and a half years. Dad has one of those old two-way radios he uses to keep in contact with the other settlements and survivors, but we haven¡¯t heard of anything that advanced. Not even in New Sacramento, and they have some really awesome stuff like flaming swords and golems. Anna said she heard they summoned a demon over there and bound it to an amulet so now it boosts the fire magic of the wearer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid you shouldn¡¯t use demons like that, way to chaotic. If you want magic boosting equipment you need to bind elemental spirits. Anyway, I¡¯m not from around here.¡± Tom indicated the area with his last sentence. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a traveler. There are a few of you around. The town next to ours has this elf who really helps with farming. The guy was apparently walking home one night when boom, he found himself in the middle of a highway under attack by giant rabbits.¡± Alex seemed even more excited by this prospect then by the idea of a magical advanced community. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s what the system called me. I was partying, I think. Woke up in this forest, no idea where I was. I was supposed to start teaching linguistics next month at the university of winterfurt. I was actually kind of excited to start holding lectures but there really isn¡¯t an easy way back in the foreseeable future.¡± Alex looked at him strangely, ¡°You¡¯re a professor? You look barely older than me, I would have guessed you to be about twenty.¡± Tom chuckled, amused by the teens confusion, ¡°I¡¯m a bit older than that, I¡¯m forty-seven to be exact. I just happened to be born into a rather powerful clan. My great-great-something-grandparents where powerful people. One of them a chronomancer of considerable prowess, the other a blood mage, who was chosen by the blood god and turned into a true vampire. Additionally, my grandfather on my mother¡¯s side was half high-elf and finally I was gifted an elixir of longevity for my thirtieth birthday. Combining the bloodlines, elven ancestry and elixir my life expectancy is about 500 years, maybe even more. Anyway, back on track, I am indeed a traveler although less confused or out of my depth than this particular elf, wood elf I would guess, seems to be.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They talked for a bit more about this and that before the spell collapsed and it was time for Alex to return to his village. Not really having a plan or any idea what he actually wanted to do, Tom decided to tag along with Alex who started teaching him the basics of what he called ¡®american-english¡¯. Family Reunion The trip back to Alex ¡®s village was a rather uneventful one, taking them until sunset to complete but without any more monster attacks. During the walk, Tom¡¯s understanding of the English language had grown enough for him to be able to understand and construct basic sentences without spell assistence. They had been following a concreate road for twenty minutes when Tom got his first look at the ¡®village¡¯ Alex lived in. The first thing he saw was a tall brick smokestack, which had been converted into a watchtower. Metal and wood walkways, stairs, ladders and platforms encased it almost completely. Next to it was a large brick building which had been used as a production facility for car-engine parts. There were three other brick buildings on the property. Two warehouses and the mess hall and administration bungalow. Around the property stood what once was a chain-link fence. Metal sheets and wooden planks had been nailed and welded to it. At some places, brick or simple stone walls reinforced the barrier. And on top of the entire thing, electrified razor wire had been installed. Since walkways could not be installed on the fence, small watchtowers made from wood and plastic, with metal sheets for protection, had been erected along the compounds border. On these towers sat two people each, armed with a variety of rifles and equipped with binoculars and high-powered flashlights. The trees and underbrush had been cleared in a 300-meter radius around the settlement, leaving little cover for approaching invaders. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Alex asked Tom, curiosity showing in his voice ¡°I know it isn¡¯t much, but we have it a lot better than most folk. Of course, the big cities are a lot more impressive and before this hole magic thing we used to have even more impressive once, but we have power, clean water and can go hunting or foraging in the woods for food and pelts we can trade with the convoys.¡± Tom looked at the ¡®village¡¯ his gaze lingering on the tallest of the watchtower, before replying, ¡°I certainly did not expect this, although I have certainly seen worse emergency camps and post-catastrophe towns. This looks pretty good actually. Although, aren¡¯t the defenses lacking a bit?¡± Alex turned back towards the village, ¡°Not really. I mean the normal rifles can handle goblins or beasts for the most part. We also have a few anti-material rifles and an old military mortar when something shows up, we can¡¯t normally handle. But let¡¯s get inside before they lock up for the night.¡± They approached the gate which looked like most of the rest of the wall but was flanked by two watchtowers. A short-shouted conversation between Alex and one of the guards later they were let inside, where Tom got his first look at the actual village. Caravans, shacks and container flats filled almost the entire space. Makeshift electrical poles distributed power to the different homes. In some places, people had built in multiple stories, using either containers or caravans as a base. But throughout all of it roads and walkways where still present, mostly arranged in grit patterns, except when buildings forced them to have slight bends in it. Waiting for them behind the entrance to the ex-factory was an anxious looking middle-aged man, who sight in relief when he saw Alex but gasped when he noticed the torn and dirty clothes he wore. ¡°Alex! What happened? Is that blood on your shirt? You shouldn¡¯t have gone out alone.¡± Alex scratched the back of his head, sheepishly replying to the man, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s fine. I was just checking on the traps when I noticed goblins following me. I tried to run away from them, but they caught me. They had one of the hobs with them. I killed three but I couldn¡¯t get them all. This guy here helped me. He¡¯s a traveler.¡± Tom smiled at the man and extended his hand, ¡°It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Tom. The goblins where no problem for me, I have dealt with stronger foes in the past.¡± A now quite puzzled father took Tom¡¯s hand, ¡°Thank you for rescuing my son. My name is Jarret. If you need shelter for the night, I¡¯m sure we can organize something. How did you defeat them though, Hobgoblins usually travel with no less then ten normal goblins and are quite tough and fast?¡± Tom shock Jarret¡¯s hand before replying ¡°I am a student of the arcane, although a researcher or teacher is a more apt description. I am quite well versed in certain fields of magic and have broad experience in combat applications of even the simplest of spells, my tutor insisted on it. But let us talk later, I am feeling famished and my translation spell is wearing off.¡± Jarret hastily replied and started walking towards his home, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure my wife has made enough to feed one more.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Tom and Alex started following Jarret, Alex quietly whispered to Tom ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t have a translation Spell.¡± Tom¡¯s whispered reply came almost immediately ¡°I don¡¯t, this spell just borrows language from surrounding people. It¡¯s old and seldom used since it makes you sound a bit arrogant and like a prick.¡± Satisfied with the answer, Alex started pointing to special buildings like the bar or the general goods store and explaining what they were until they made it to his home. The group was greeted there by Alex¡¯s mother, Sarah, who also received an explanation as to who Tom was and what had happened on Alex¡¯s little adventure. After the dinner and some rather good whisky, Jarret had saved, they had some pleasant small talk before it was for Alex to go to bed, followed some time later by Tom. Alex¡¯s parents provided Tom with a couch to sleep on and some blankets to keep him warm. Late in the night Tom got up from his bed, checked that everyone else was sleeping and cloaked himself in shadows before blink-steeping out of the house. He wandered through the now somewhat darker town towards the outer wall and blink-stepped through it as soon as he found it. On the other side he knelt down, still cloaked in shadows, and started to mumble a quiet incantation. On his open palm, a small dust devil formed. It was about twenty centimeters tall and had two golden eyes as well as two spindly arms. ¡°Alright, listen up. You are going to gather some of your buddies, and you are going to protect this town. Feel free to siphon some mana from the area and some mana regen from people with a full mana pool. Don¡¯t harm them! Alright?¡± The small dirt elemental bobbed its head, or equivalent at least, in understanding and Tom pushed a few hundred mana into it. The creature spun faster for a few seconds, making a low buzzing sound. Around it more elementals of similar size formed before spreading out around the town. The original elemental hopped of Tom palm and sank into the ground, quickly followed by the other elementals. Satisfied that the town now had some, much needed, protection, Tom made his way back to Alex¡¯s house and went to sleep after checking for any new development in his character sheet.
Congratulations User You have unlocked new achievements:
Aspiring Mage 3 Cast 25 Spells
Aspiring Summoner 2 Summon 10 Creatures
Arcane Innovator 3 Perform or cast 10 rituals or spells which no one (under the supervision of the MPS? has cast before.
Congratulations User You have reached the following criteria for advancing your Mark of Power? to Tier 6 - Have a Mana Capacity of 25 000< - Have at least 10 System Achievements To advance your Mark of Power? you still need to complete the following criteria - Clear 1 dungeon of grade D or higher singlehandedly while under the supervision of the system
The council of five The next day, Jarret decided that it would be a good idea to introduce Tom to the council since he was a Traveler and could be a valuable asset and member of the community. He also needed some place to stay and some way to pay for his meals and home. So, after a quick breakfast Jarret took Tom to the Administration building to get him registered as a citizen. They were greeted by a bored looking clerk who was writing something on some papers, ¡°How may I help you today? Do you wish to register a complain, build some housing or have an audience with the council?¡± Jarret, who had too good of a mood for this early in the morning, answered ¡°Moring Jim! We need an audience with the council. We would also like to register my friend Tom here as a citizen. He is a traveler.¡± The last remark was whispered in a conspiratorial tone of voice and made Jim look up for the first time since they had entered. ¡°Um, sure let me just get the form.¡± Jim opened and closed a few drawers at his desk before pulling out a sheet of paper from one of them. ¡°I¡¯ll need your name, age, species and medical impairments if applicable. As well as combat experience and any noteworthy skills such as engineering or magic capabilities. Only name and species are mandatory, but the rest might help us find a suitable position for you.¡± Tom looked sideways at Jarret, who nodded encouragingly, before replying ¡°My name is Tom Chapman. I am mostly human but have a mixed ancestry. Nothing major though, except an expanded lifespan. I do not have any medical impairments. As for combat experience, I did serve in my countries army for a few years and have some experience in dungeon combat. My magical capabilities are rather broad, but include healing, scrying and enchanting as well as a few combat spells.¡± Jim noted down Tom¡¯s answers before getting up from his chair ¡°I will bring this to the council, I¡¯m sure we can find something for a man of your talents. Wait here I¡¯ll be back in a few minutes.¡± After Jim disappeared through a side door Jarret turned to Tom, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had military experience. What rank did you obtain? When I was younger, I served for a while, never made it past corporal though.¡± Tom looked sheepishly at Jarret ¡°Well, you never asked, and it just didn¡¯t come up in conversation. I was field promoted to sub-lieutenant during my deployment. My predecessor was blasted apart during bombardment by an enemy pyromancer, and I had the tactical expertise necessary to lead and guide the men under me. Of course, being able to scry the future helped. A few months later I was transferred to a different division though and my rank was changed to squad leader.¡± They sat in silence for a few moments before Jim returned, beckoning them over to him. ¡°The council will see you know.¡± They we¡¯re led through a corridor into a medium sized office. Before them five people sat at a few desks, which were arranged in a semi-circle. The right most person was an older looking gentleman with gray hair and a military uniform, to his left sat a middle-aged woman with dark skin and a gray business suit as well as obviously dyed red hair, she appeared to be in charge of administration as her desk was littered with important looking folders and files. In the middle sat young looking Asian with black hair and a Mark of Power? on his forehead which displayed a crossed wrench and screwdriver and denoted him to be of tier 3. He wore an apron stained with grease which had a few tools and a welding mask affixed to it.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The people to his left we¡¯re a handsome looking man with blond hair and brown eyes, who wore a faded red robe as well as a white glove on his left hand, next to him sat a muscular looking woman with pale skin, white hair and red eyes who had a large axe glowing with brown runes leaning against the wall behind her. She wore a black lather jacket and had a bandolier strapped across her chest which held an assortment of vials and flasks. The woman in the business suit spoke first, ¡°We of course welcome you into our community, if you wish to stay that is. We can currently not spare any space for you to build, or hire someone to build, a home. We do have a spare room in the barracks if you would like, but that would obviously cost rent. Seeing as that you don¡¯t have any currency, we could arrange for a job which would pay for your rent and your meal-¡± The handsome man in the robe impatiently interrupted her ¡°You said that you have a rather broad magic education. What fields might be you¡¯re specialty?¡± Tom thought for a moment before replying ¡°My strongest affinities are blood magic and time magic. Although I am quite well versed in death, shadow and barrier magic. I must admit though, that most of the combat spells, that I know, are either obsolete or support focused. My chosen profession was teacher after all and not soldier.¡± He infused mana into his eyes for a moment, checking the aura of the robed individual before making an educated guess. ¡°I could teach you some entry level fire and lightning spells like chain-lightning, crackling detonation and field of glass. They are quite affective against goblins, gnolls and similar but are quite easily suppressed and counter spelled by experienced defense mages.¡± The eyes of the obvious mage had an excited glint in them ¡°I would be very grateful for any of your teachings. As to defense mages, there really aren¡¯t any around as far as I know. The only thing similar to a dedicated defender I have seen are the Defender Mark or the Mark of the Shield Mage, neither of which focus on counter spelling.¡± ¡°If we could come back to the original topic.¡± The woman in the business suit looked quite annoyed at being ignored so thoroughly. ¡°We do have other matters to attend to besides this meeting.¡± In the end it was decided that for the time being, Tom would help out where he could, teaching magic, enchanting or clearing out monsters. In exchange he would get a room in the barracks and free food in the public cantina, in addition to a modest salary , which depended on the jobs he took. Inspecting the room, he was assigned, he found it rather more spacious then he expected, but still not very large. It contained a simple bed, an empty wardrobe, a footlocker without a key, a filing cabinet, a desk without writing utensils, a wooden chair and a nightstand which contained a religious book and a small mirror someone must have forgotten. Since he didn¡¯t have anything to do and the kitchen wouldn¡¯t open for another hour he flicked through the book. It wasn¡¯t really anything interesting or remotely true, when it came to the gods at least, so he whipped the writing of its pages with a simple spell and separated them from the book. Neatly stacking the freshly acquired paper on the desk he looked through it¡¯s drawers. They we¡¯re mostly empty containing either dust or just a bit of trash. ¡°This really wont due. Oh well I¡¯m just going to have to improvise.¡± Tom sat down in the chair and placed his right arm on the desk with his palm pointing towards the ceiling. Collecting mana in his left hand, he placed it on his right upper arm. The nerves in his right arm shut down, removing all sensation from the appendage. Next the bones in his lower arm started to reform, out of them grew a dip pen, and a small ink well. They separated from the original bones, slid upwards through his flesh and out of his arm. Not a single drop of blood escaped his arm and the wound closed, the damage to his arm simply disappearing. He filled the inkwell with some of his blood, which he changed with a quick spell to be more useful as ink, placed a sheet of paper in front of him and started writing. Goblin Horde A week passed in a flash. Tom spend it helping out around Town, learning English and starting his lessons on magic. The progress of the lessons though was rather slow as he had to teach all students some basic magic theory first, their lack of knowledge on even the simplest of arcane concepts hindering the process. Of the towns mages only 17 attended his lessons but all of them where enthusiastic and practiced relentlessly in their free time when Tom gave them exercises. All of them had already mastered the three spells Tom had originally given them. These spells where rather simple of course, but Tom thought that every mage should know the basic Magic Missile, Mana Shell and Simple Counterspell spells. ¡°¡­ so, you shouldn¡¯t use Counterspell against larger shields but instead try to use piercing or area dispelling spells.¡±, Tom lectured the room of mages when suddenly the door burst open and a messenger entered. ¡°Goblins approaching, about 600 we need everyone who can fight in the towers.¡±, the messenger panted after giving his report, having obviously run here from the central tower. ¡°Alright class dismissed we¡¯ll finish some other time.¡±, Tom ended his lesson and with a burst of mana teleported to the top of the central tower. The watchmen flinched as he appeared but resumed their duty, looking at the approaching mass of goblins and giving reports to their superiors on the ground. The signalman manning the phone line connecting the tower with central command gave a signal to the other watchman, and those armed with precision rifles started firing at the goblins. He then turned to Tom ¡°It¡¯s not looking good, they have at least 50 hobs and we¡¯re pretty sure they have some shamans too. Is there anything you can do?¡± Tom looked at the approaching mass of bodies, gauging the distance before nodding, ¡°I¡¯m going to fly up a bit, I need the room¡± The signalman informed the leadership before giving Tom a thumb up. ¡°Wings of blackest night, Gliding on despair and dread, Fueled by the death of those who oppose, Carry me so that I may bring them dismay, Flight of Lolth¡± The chant rose from Tom lips, increasing in volume and with the last line, wings sprouted from his back. They almost looked like oversized raven wings, but they seemed to drain color from the world, sheeting them in an aura of monochrome. He flapped them experimentally before taking of, hovering a good ten meters above the tower. Black mana started to gather in his hands, forming two black orbs which steadily increased in size until they enveloped both his hand completely. Raising up his hands he looked at the oncoming horde and pushed with his mana.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Writhing tendrils shot out from the two orbs, trashing wildly as they sped in the direction of the swarm. They reached the goblins a split second later and their writhing increased. Where they touched flesh, it started to rot, necrosis spreading through the injured foes. When they touched grass or other plants, they died, leaves blackening and wood rotting away. Yet the goblins did not stop, the attack only slightly reducing their numbers. With each passing second, they drew closer, even as the other mages and gunmen started their attacks. Suddenly, bolts of green energy started flying towards Tom from the back of the goblin horde, the shamans finally making there move. He recognized them as rather nasty curse bolts, but easily avoided them, dodging in midair. 30 seconds after his initial attack, he cut his attack of, sending a different spell at the enemy. At first nothing seemed to happen, besides two spell circles forming in front of his hands. Tom pushed with his mana forming connection with the corpses of those he and the others had already slain. The aura around his wings flared up, a monochromatic nova obscuring all color around him for a moment. The next instant the dead goblins started moving again, falling upon their still living fellows with undead vigor and strength. There were a few seconds of confusion where the undead where unhindered, but the goblins soon fought back. One of the strongest hobgoblins neatly sliced one of the undead in half and activated the second part of Tom¡¯s spell. There are a lot of spells which can raise undead. There are the simple ones like ¡°Raise Undead¡± and ¡°Infuse Unlife¡±, then there are more complicated ones like ¡°Mass Raise Undead¡±, ¡°Summon Necrotic Amalgamation¡± and ¡°Corrupt Soul¡±. However, the spell that Tom used was ¡°Mass Raise Corpse Exploder¡±. Like the name suggests this spell raises undead, which explode when certain conditions are met, in this case, when the undead dies. Which brings us back to the fight Tom is currently in. One exploding undead wouldn¡¯t really have done much to the army, sure it would have killed maybe two or three and wounded others with bone shrapnel, but overall there wouldn¡¯t really be much of an impact. But there wasn¡¯t one exploding undead, there were a few dozen, some even in the detonation range of some of the others. All around the horde undead exploded. The front rows where mostly fine, having left the dead behind themselves, but they were only cannon fodder. The hobgoblins and shamans where safely in the back, usually a good idea but in this case, it made them only more vulnerable. In seconds the horde was devastated, their elites and magic support tuned into paste or pincushions. The places where multiple undead had been to close together where now small craters. More than half of the horde was now either dead or incapacitated. The surviving goblins panicked and started running, their fighting spirit broken. Tom went into a dive, flying after the routed horde. From his hands shot out beams of decay as he went after the last of the attackers.
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