《Transcending Is More Than I Thought》 1. Transcending "Argh, I can''t take it anymore. There''s nothing for me to do, it''s all just so... boring." I pushed myself back and forth on the swing, which for some reason, was the most enjoyable thing I could do. About 40 years ago, monsters began to rampage throughout Earth and Humans were granted a ''User Interface'' which allowed us to fight back against them. Truth be told, the interface was like something in a game or novel, quite a cliche. The interface allowed us to level up and improve our bodies to limits beyond understanding, however, most people stopped at around level 30 because the gap between levels began to grow exponentially. But back then, I was just a kid with way too much spare time. I was homeschooled so I guess I had way more freedom than most, so instead of going out and enjoying myself, I dedicated all my time to level up. Fast forward 10 years and I now sit at the pinnacle of all Humans, although, I don''t like to brag about it and just go about my daily life. The usual fun I once had begun to dwindle day by day before it eventually fully died out, a life of boredom wasn''t much a life. "Might as well check how far I''ve really come." I checked my pulse and the interface popped up instantly, to open it you could check your pulse on your wrist or your neck. Quite creative I must say. -------------- Name - Jake Vale Level - 250 Health - 23740/23740 Mana - 8560/8560 Strength - 375 Agility - 215 Dexterity - 324 Stamina - 483 Intelligence - 182 -------------- Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author."Hah... I''ve really come a long way, haven''t I?" I sighed as I stared at the ungodly stats I''d earned through blood, sweat and tears. Truthfully, I wished there were more stats or something else I could work on. As my eyes scoured the menus of the interface, a certain option which I''d seen before but just skipped, lit up in my eyes. ''Transcend'' A previous option which I had just ignored, now shimmered like a star before me. Transcend? What on earth did it mean? In a split second of excitement, I had already pressed on the option. [Would you like to ''Transcend''?] [Requirement - level 150 or above] [Rewards will be applied for extra levels] [Yes/No] "Maybe... just maybe, this is what I was looking for!" My excitement burst through the roof, something I hadn''t felt in a long time. I was usually quite indecisive when it came to things related to the interface, but this, I didn''t even need to think about it. My index pierced straight through ''Yes'', the interface instantly disappeared. [The requirements have been met] [System updating] This messages seemed to appear in my eyes. A bright light instantly consumed everything around me before everything went to darkness. A warm sensation filled up my veins as the darkness spread out endlessly in every direction. [Additional reward requirements have been met] [You may request one thing, please speak.] "Oh um... I guess I''d like to have fun again." I hesitated for a second before finally asking for what I wanted for such a long time [Request granted] [Extra rewards applied - You will now be moved] Sparks began to fly everywhere, filling up the expansive void. The heat produced felt like it could melt my body before the sparks could reach me, I began to fall. A flurry of colours filled my view as I fell further and further down, grass, trees, water and the sky were all within my eyesight. Without any time to react, I hit the floor with a fierce force. The dirt that filled the small area I landed in, dispersed in all directions as I fell flat on my ass. "So, where in gods name did you move me to?!" I shouted to the sky before I looked around. A dense barrier of trees surrounded me and hundreds of flowers covered the area I lay in. The harsh sun beat ruthlessly down on my skin, just where was I? 2. Glimpse Of Death The blistering heat eventually made me come to my senses. I could only look around speechlessly, just what happened? One moment I''m on a swing and the next I''m in a field surrounded by gigantic trees. As I was wondering what happened, I felt the sudden urge to check the interface, I placed my fingers on my neck but nothing happened. "Huh? Don''t tell me it was removed?!" I shouted in shock and worry because the interface gave me some comfort. I especially needed that now. ''Calm down Jake, maybe it''s just changed to another way of opening? Wait... what If I just think real hard about it?"
Status
Name - Jake ValeRace - Human(?)
HP - 90MP - 130
Level - 1
Strength10Agility15
Dexterity12Vitality9
Intelligence16Charisma7
Luck13Mentallity19
"Holy shit, new stats?! And all of them have been reset!" I quickly calmed myself down, noticing I got a bit too excited. I was still in a dazed state, to try and shake it off I walked to a nearby stream. I scooped up some water and splashed it in my face, but I noticed something else. The reflection in the water was me, but it wasn''t me at the same time. My face was much skinnier and my body as a whole looked weaker, maybe this was an effect of my stats being reset? Just from walking to the stream, I didn''t have as much control over my body as I used to. "Ah shit, so I''m in the middle of nowhere and very weak? What sort of reward is this?!" For a moment, I was furious. This damned interface told me that I was given rewards but what type of reward was this? I was always bored with nothing to do, now I have something to do and I''m angry about it. I should make my mind up. "Hmph, I might as well get moving. I don''t want to be out in the dark."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I sighed and began to move again, however, I was extremely careful moving through the forest. If this place was inhabited by monsters then I''d be screwed. The forest was dense and filled to the brim with various plants and trees I''d never seen before. I walked for a few hours without encountering anything, which was extremely lucky. Darkness descended upon the world but I was still in the forest, this place felt like it went on forever. For the first time in a while, I felt fear. I looked around and there were no branches low enough for my climb on and sleep, it didn''t help that everything felt like it became louder at night. I rummaged around in my pockets to find anything I could use, luckily, I found my phone buried deep within them. I used the phone and turned on the flashlight, my surroundings were instantly illuminated from the bright light. I continued to tread warily throughout the forest, being careful not to step on anything that might make loud noises. I walked further for a few minutes and all I could hear was my heart beating crazily, something which hasn''t happened for a long, long time. However, one thing could be heard over my insane heartbeat, a fear-instilling howl and the sound of chains rattling. ''Fuck, shit, fuck'' I dove into a bush nearby to try and conceal my whereabouts, but to no avail, it found my scent. I watched as a skeleton of a dog walked by sniffing and howling, a chain was wrapped around its neck and a fire roaring from its ribcage. A Hellhound. These bastards were hard enough for level 40''s to handle, nevermind a level 1. If I even dared move, this rotten beast would rip me apart in seconds. They usually moved in groups, however, this one was alone although that didn''t help at all. I watched in terror as it moved around slowly, its paws burnt the grass beneath. I sucked in my breath as it got ever closer to the bush I was hiding in. The moment it got too close to me, I made a fatal mistake. I stepped back behind the bush as I felt like the dog was about to pounce at my bush. However, instead of the hellhound greeting me, the teeth of a beartrap did. "Aargh!" The teeth of the beartrap sunk deep into my ankle, I let out a small scream and the dogs head instantly snapped towards me. It pounced on me, tackling me to the floor. My ankle was getting mangled in the beartrap but I had bigger problems to worry about. I used all the strength in my arms to push away the hellhounds mouth as it tried to tear away at my face with its fangs. My hands began to sear from the heat of its jaw. My elbows began to buckle under the amount of force its head was exerting. ''Shit, am I really going to die here?!'' It hadn''t even been a fucking day here and I was about to die. I let down one of my arms to search for anything I could use as a weapon nearby. Finally, I picked up a rock and bashed it against the bastard''s skull. Although I was too weak to do any real damage, it was stunned for a second. I took the chance and ran. My right ankle was fully torn off from the bear trap. What the fuck was it made out of? Right now, I had no time to think about the excruciating pain, I had to run. I hopped as fast as I could, from the view of an onlooker, it would have looked pathetic and useless. But In a split second the Hellhound reached me again and bit at the stub where my ankle was. I let out a blood-curdling scream from the pain. I collapsed to the floor and lost all strength in my body. I couldn''t do anything apart from letting the hound bite and try to eat me. As I began to lose my consciousness, a fist struck down on the hell hound and its bones cracked and crumbled to the floor. "Tsk. What''s someone doing out here. What a pitiful state" I heard a woman''s voice but I didn''t even care at this point. I was dying.
Level up!
I watched this message blurrily appear in front of me. Piece of shit. This was my last thought before I shut my eyes and prepared to severe my ties to life. 3. Hell An unfamiliar, wooden roof greeted me as I awoke. Light seeped in through the shabby windows and illuminated the room. I groaned as I lifted my body and held my head in confusion. "What... what happened?" I murmured to myself before finally remembering. Ripping off the sheet that covered my body, I stared at my leg. My foot... was still there? I stood up and walked around for a bit, not an ounce of discomfort as if wasn''t ever even injured. "Huh. This is great. I was sure I was going to die." Although I was excited, I still needed to stay calm. I mean, I was in someone else''s house, I can''t forget simple manners now, can I? I found my clothes hung over a chair and quickly got dressed. Opening the door, a beautiful woman greeted me. Although she was exceedingly beautiful, her aura scared the ever living shit out of me. "Hm? Look you''re awake and not dead. What a surprise." I could easily pick up the sarcasm in her voice. I could only imagine that she was somehow pissed at me. "Y-yeah. Thanks for saving me! I would have died if it wasn''t for you. I should be on my way now though." I bowed deeply and tried to make it to the door. "Not so fast!" She grabbed my collar and pulled me back, forced me to sit in the chair opposite me and stared daggers at me. "I have many, many questions for you. First, why were you in this forest so late at night?" "Ah... it''s kind of a long story, one you probably wouldn''t believe." "Nope, I believe we have a lot of time actually." She tapped her wrist as if to indicate looking at a watch. I proceeded to tell her everything that had happened up until now, although I thought she wouldn''t believe me, she listened curiously to what I had to say. "Could it be...?" she whispered something inaudible under her breath. "Sorry, did you say something?" "N-no. Anyway, I''ve decided, from now on you''ll be staying here and will train underneath me." "What? I''m sorry but I think it''d be better if we went our separate ways." I was a little confused as to why she wanted to train me, but I thought if I just went out alone I could do more. "Nope, I remember saving you, correct? So I think this is the least you can do." She gave a sly smile and stood up. "Before we start, I''ll have to make some preparations. Oh by the way, what level are you?" I hadn''t checked since I first came here, and I remember levelling up from the Hellhound. I thought about the interface and surely, it popped up.
Status
Name - Jake Vale Race - Human(?)
HP - 101 MP - 130
Level - 7
Strength 12 Agility 16
Dexterity 13 Vitality 11
Intelligence 16 Charisma 7
Luck 13 Mentallity 23
Skills
Transcendent (1% more exp gain per level)
"Uh, level 7" I was a bit surprised at that level, but I was more surprised at ''Skills''. Before I transcended, skills didn''t exist. However, this skill was warmly welcomed.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "Ahahah, this is going to be fun for me!" She gave me a wink before leaving the room. For the first time in a while, I was truly scared of a woman. After a while of sitting still in dread, she finally came back from her room. "Here ya go." She threw me a notebook and I read the contents. "W-what. You expect me to do this?!" I shouted out in disbelief. This notepad... no, I didn''t even want to think about it. "No way, this a death sentence for me right now!" "But it''ll get easier right? So, it''s your first day. Get going!" "B-but, I''ll just collapse from exhaustion!" This was just absurd, how could I do this type of training right now. "I fixed your foot, I think I can heal a bit of fatigue." She picked me up by the collar and dragged me outside. "You''re not coming back in until you''ve done it, and don''t dare to try and lie to me." The last thing I saw before the door shut slammed was her back and her long flowing crimson hair. I looked around me, massive trees domineered over me in every direction. It was certainly a change from the field I was in before, now the grass was replaced by dirt. The ground was mainly empty aside from the trees, the sun beamed through the cracks in the trees leaves. "Shit, I might as well get started if I don''t want a repeat as before." I started with a light jog running around in a circle, about 1 kilometre away from the cabin. About 40 minutes into it is when I started getting tired. An awful sensation I hadn''t felt in a while, fatigue. My mouth began to dry up as I sucked in air, my legs slowly began to hurt. At this rate, I won''t even finish this damned marathon, never mind the other exercises. After about 6 hours, my lungs felt like they were on fire and my legs would collapse any second. "This... this should be... enough." I sucked in air as If I had just been strangled and slouched down next to a tree. My eyelids slowly drifted closer together. A light, sunset breeze swept over me, instilling a sense of comfort deep within me. My mind relaxed as I thought about all that had happened in the last day, too much. Maybe, just maybe, my wish will come true and I''ll finally have fun again. But all that can wait until tomorrow, right now, I need sleep. *** ''Hah, this kid actually did it.'' I looked down on his still body, sound asleep. The forest was now dimly lit from the moon, I picked up the sleeping boy and carried him back to the cabin. If what this kid told me was true, if he was like the others, if I trained him right, he would turn out extraordinary. 20 years ago, a calamity struck our country, Eden. The great demon ''Baal'' was resurrected, with its resurrection came numerous wars. Millions lost their lives, dozens of kingdoms were wiped out. The seven Deities never intervened, everyone lost hope at the terrifying thought of fighting the demons army. However, when the destruction had reached its peak, a lone man rose from the ashes. He made ridiculous claims to have come from another world, to have the power that could take down ''Baal''. Of course, no one believed him, they made fun of him and told him it''s hopeless. Even the kings and queens, who needed help the most, rejected his claims. However, our king, the king of Eden believed his ridiculous claims and agreed to help him. The day came where he set out to put an end to this war, he showed overwhelming power and crushed Baal easily. From that day on he became known as a ''Hero'' to all. Years passed by as numerous people claimed to be from another world, most where just lies but some showed the same overwhelming power the hero showed that day. No one knows where they are now, even the hero left without a word of warning. But this kid, if i train him right, he''ll be able to stand above everyone else. 4. Progress "Here, take this" She handed me a cup of water before sitting opposite me. "You know, I never caught your name. I''m Jake." I smiled lightly at her before taking a sip of the water. Refreshing was the best word for it. "Scarlet." "Hah, suits you." I laughed a slight bit at the name. "How?" "You know, the red hair?" "I guess it does." She looked down at her hair and smiled a small bit. "Anyway, today we''re heading into the forest and doing some hunting." "Really?! Last time I was out there I almost died!" I was a bit scared but it couldn''t be helped. This would be the best way to get stronger. "Yes, I remember quite well. I''ll make sure you don''t die but I won''t intervene for small injuries." This damned woman, guess I''ll have to put up with another ankle being bitten clean off. We stepped out into the forest, the first thing that greeted me was the gentle breeze and beaming sun. I squinted my eyes for a second before they adjusted to the brightness. We walked through the forest for about 10 minutes before coming against our first monster. "Mhm, yeah you could take that on," Scarlet spoke and pointed to a small goblin. "Alright then, looks easy enough. Wish me luck!" I analysed the goblin before launching an attack. I saw the dagger it held in its hand and decided I''d have to use it against the goblin. First, I''d sneak up behind it, force the dagger out of its hand and kill it. Easy enough, right? Although I was confident I could take on this goblin, I was still only level 7. This thing was probably around the same level so I didn''t have an advantage. I moved slowly and carefully, soon enough I was close enough to launch my attack. In an instant I shot forward and tackle it to the ground, pinning it down. "Kuarrgh!" The goblin let out a shout as I grabbed the dagger in its hand and pierced its throat. Smooth right?
Level up! (x2)
2 levels just from that?! Damn, this transcendent skill is useful. "Hah, I did it, smooth right?" I shouted to Scarlet off in the distance. "Hmph, I could have done that with my eyes closed." Is it that hard to compliment someone? Guess so. I looked down at the goblin but realised something else, much, much more important. "Oh for gods sake. I''ve got blood all over my clothes!" I looked down at my hoodie which I came here in, it was completely covered in blood. My pants weren''t any better, my joggers were covered in mud. ''It can''t be helped.'' I consoled myself a bit before getting up again.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. We continued for a few more hours, although we encountered a goblin farely quickly, it was hard to find other ones. Scarlet had told me that this forest was filled with hundereds of strong monsters, which I believe. I managed to level up a few more times and reached level 11. Even though it was a small level boost, I felt much stronger and faster than before. As we were walking back to the cabin after a long day, I got a bit curious and asked Scarlet a question. "Hey Scarlet? Just out of interest, what level are you?" "Oh, um. Level 81." "W-what. Really? Who are you?" Level 81 was a huge level. Although I''d reached level 250 before I transcended, the exp gap inbetween levels was vast. I still have no idea how I got to such a high level, but level 81 was still very, very high. "Hah, you''ll find that out a bit later. Come on, hurry your pace up it''s getting dark!" She frowned as she saw me lagging behind. No I wasn''t, she was just a very fast walker. I quickly ran to match my pace with her. Once we got back, Scarlet said she''d be making food and I should go and get changed. If I think about it, the whole time I''ve been here has felt weird. Coming to some place I didn''t know, living in someone elses house, being cared for by someone I didn''t know. There were a lot of unknowns in this new world, but that''s what made it all the more exciting. My wish was finally being fufilled. The stronger I got, the more fun I had. But this time, I wont make the same mistake and get bored again. I checked my stats once again, feeling satisfied with todays results.
Status
Name - Jake ValeRace - Human(?)
HP - 143MP - 130
Level - 11
Strength16Agility20
Dexterity18Vitality14
Intelligence23Charisma7
Luck13Mentallity24
Skills
Transcendent (1% more exp gain per level)
I gave a cheerful smile towards the interface and closed it. ** *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* "Ugh. Stop knocking you damn bastards. I''m coming." I shouted to the door and the knocking quickly ceased. I groggily walked towards the door and ripped it open. Two knights stood in front of the door, staring at me. Wondering what they were staring blankly at, I looked down and noticed. I was practically half naked aside from my undergarments. I didn''t care though, I''m sure they''ve seen a woman before. "Yes? What do you want?" "M-milady. The king requests your presence!" One of the knights blurted out. I massaged my temples at this request. "That old man needs me? Hah, who knew that stubborn bastard would ask me for something!" "Please don''t disrespect the king milady, he has a very important matter to discuss with you!" A few more stupid words left the other knights mouth. Before I could reply, I heard the sound of another door rip open. "What''s with all the noise this early in the morning?!" Jake shouted towards me as he stepped out of his room. "Hoh Hoh. I didn''t know milady was into younger men! I would''ve tried if I knew that!" Would the knight''s stupid words ever cease? "Shut up. Jake, I''ll be gone for about a week. Try not to ruin the place before I get back or you''ll be in for a world of pain!" Jakes facial expression change from one of anger to one of fear. Good, he still knows his place. I hurried and got changed into formal clothes and left with the knights. The journey to the kingdom would take about 2 days, and I should be there for a day or two. "What''s so important that the king requested my presence?" I asked irritably. "It''s the annual meeting. We will be discussing many topics this year. The king wanted you to attend this time because you haven''t for the past few years!" "Ugh. There''s a reason I don''t go to the damn meetings." I frowned and looked out of the carriage. The cabin fell out of view as we got further and further away. That brat better not mess up my cabin!