《descent of mana》 chapter 1: Touched by Manas grace Zalua was a war-torn world, filled with strife and conflict between the human race, although other races were present here they took a backseat, either being enslaved or slaughtered by the humans'' superior numbers when said species reared its head. Humans effectively dominated the surface world, having cities and empires on nearly all continents. although life was hard with their limited technology, the world was slowly advancing, blacksmiths crafting sharper swords and sturdier armor. Scientists experiment with new materials and formulate discoveries year by year. all in all the world was being brought in a better direction. The sun pulsed, a gust of energy billowed out from its core. spreading an ethereal light blue energy throughout the solar system and beyond. This energy, ''Mana'' as it would be called brushed past the 12 planets making up this solar system tainting them with its energies, and giving them the means to produce more. for once a planet gets touched by Mana''s grace, it too will echo that grace outwards. Ripping apart the law of conservation of energy that most of the universe holds dear with its very essence. for mana can both replicate itself endlessly and consume other energy to become more of itself. Indeed Mana could be considered a cosmic virus, devouring stray energy from across the void, and using it to propagate itself infinitely. spreading more and more. pervading the souls of its wielders with its power. As the ever-powerful finger of mana touched Zalua, the root of power that connected this storm directly to the core of this planet, it pressed and pushed tainting Zalua''s core and forcing it to produce more. The process was scarring. the 12 planets started to deform, rivers burst. oceans sank and rose. supporting the planet''s evolution further, even their very crust began to fold in on itself. pushing for a larger change to come. Directly in the center of this Mana finger was a small farmhouse, inside was a mother giving birth. the unrelenting energy passing through them both. the newborn unaware of the strength coursing inside its veins, shading them a deeper blue. As the mother, she thought this strength only to be the natural course of things. a staple of evolution to help a mother push through the agony of childbirth, yet this strength was too much for her weak body to handle. especially at a time of weakness such as this. Her life waned, as her body was slowly corrupted by a power far too strong for someone amid such weakness to bear. she used her last remaining strength to give birth to a creature blessed by Mana''s grace. a creature called Zach. ... "The next morning the sun rose, its rays blotting out the sky and dyeing that dreaded morning scarlet red, like the sky was crying blood. the world''s influx of strange energy showing." "Not all races and certainly not all humans could withstand whatever happened to their bodies. whatever was still happening to us, the lucky ones just died directly, the smarter ones died with the new power filling their bodies. usually scientists and alchemists. becoming newborn liches and undead necromancers. they retained a shred of memories but not much. yet they gained powers beyond our comprehension." "However, the majority of deaths to occur came from the zombies. humans, lizard-folk, dwarven, and even 1 or 2 elves were hit by the mana hard, harder than thought possible. like their bodies just felt repulsed by this energy entering them, and became something beyond death, turning their gaze upon the living they needed to feast, rending flesh with teeth stronger than steel and nails sharper than swords, arms and legs moving with lightning speed."Stolen novel; please report. "Our Empire''s capital had it mostly under control.. most of the hordes appearing were made quick work of by the highly trained king guard, this decisive leader had most of this platoon abandon him, leaving merely 6 to guard the throne as the rest of the platoon cleansed the city, forty powerhouses equipped with our empires strongest armor, each of them could apparently hold off 10 trained soldiers. yet they stood equal to the zombie''s newfound strength." "Not even our emperor is strong enough to stop whatever''s happening, however. the hordes outside are more numerous, dangerous than anything the capitol could ever imagine. I''ve been told they bordered up the gates, sealed the sewer grates tight, and hid behind their walls. not that I can blame them. no, you must rely on yourselves." "Yet outside the cities'' borders this type of protection was nearly unheard of, noble estates were wiped out, and less than 20% of them survived, I guess taking so many maids and butlers has its downside. I wonder how my- never mind." "The villages and town''s in our borders had it the worst. one zombie quickly became 10, then 1000, and it spiraled out of control just as fast. One zombie could wipe out a town, without guards or soldiers even the strongest town village was defenseless." "We only survived thanks to your mother Zach, she didn''t let her newfound state affect her too much, even as a zombie, or well, whatever she had become. she held back long enough for me to take you here. out of our village and into this cabin we found years prior." "Her, no our love for you was too strong to stop it. it''s been two weeks since then, and whatever this scratch has filled my veins with. it''s not fading. I tried all I could Zach, I really did. but father has to go. I have to follow your mother''s footsteps it seems. I love you Zach, we both do, never let this be forgotten". A quill, dull white and faded dropped onto the wooden desk, splattering the remains of its ink across the two pages. The man writing, Zach''s father. stood up, and stared into his reflection in the cabin''s mirror. pitch-black veins protruded across his face, stretching down his neck. his right eye completely black. The man opened his mouth seeing his teeth blackening before his eyes. "not much longer left" he sighed. It reached out his hand. the same black veins filling it as his nails/claws stretched out and turned darker. he used all his remaining willpower to resist ripping his son to pieces, to hold off from tearing into the ever so juicy looking skin, "goodbye son, survive." he turned away, pushing towards the cabin door. The corners of his vision started fading away. a faint blinking light echoed in the darkness of his vision. the transformation nearly complete. his leg muscles bulging inhumanly beneath his ripped shorts. those black streaks of veins covered these too. This Creature. formally known as Waylen pushed open the door. using as little strength as it could. yet he could feel it flooding his body. this power, this urge to kill. yet those last remaining vestiges of humanity forced it to ignore the two pieces of meat hiding so miserably behind the bushes. It growled. skin darkening and rotting, nails shredding through the soil as they pounced on arms and legs through the darkness of the forest. "Don''t follow it. lets quickly go inside." the older of the two said quietly. The younger man, looking like he barely stepped into his teen years ran into the cabin with a un-natural speed not befitting a child of his age. "T-There''s a baby in here. alongside two letters!" the kid''s voice yelled out. shocked as he looked at the other letter. "Dear owners, I heard you come back a couple of days ago, yet you wearily stayed outside and watched us. I''m not sure if you know but the world changed, but I don''t think anywhere is safe." "Please raise my son as if he''s your own. and try to properly dispose of any bodies you see." it leads on to describe in detail all that Zach''s father had seen in his travels. the weaknesses of the zombies and the liches that wield strange magical powers. the surprise he felt when he saw living humans develop the same prowess as a lich. "And finally.. stay safe in this new world of ours.." chapter 2: The emperors distress The empire''s capital ''Bastion'' was relatively unscathed during the apocalypse''s beginnings, the streets were still lively. And the population, who was similarly unscathed thanks to the emperor''s quick action, looked forward to the future with this new world. Rumors of people acquiring unheard-of magical prowess were beginning to circulate in the noble houses based within Bastion, yet the tradesmen and commoners didn''t have time to pay attention to such rumors. Unless they themselves were the cause of them. ... 2 weeks had passed since the zombies first appeared in Bastion City. Most appeared in the merchant streets, and although many merchants lost their lives. Their goods were redistributed amongst the remaining sellers. Leaving most of the humans left alive, happy with the turn of events. The emperor himself, emperor Julius Pegasus was swamped. Between finding and survivors who witnessed these zombies'' transformations, dealing with the ''accident'' in the alchemist labs beneath the throne room. And all the issues of defending the capital. And more issues plaguing his throne. "My emperor. Duke George Marsh wishes for a meeting" an honor guard. Dressed in full adamant steel armor. Painted dark red with white decor lines running along the extremities, their helmet had two decorative wings crafted into it, reminiscent of Pegasus wings. "Tell him I''m busy". The emperor didn''t even spare a glance at the honor guard. Before turning his attention back towards a pair of informants. "continue." The informant on the left, butler Sergius began his statement "Ah as I was saying my liege, the guards in our laboratories have been requesting backup, cannon fodder or something. The creatures in there have strength beyond belief, our men cannot get close enough to put them down". "Captain Asfolia directly said to lock down all the doors to our laboratories and blow them up, yet we need your permission beforehand." "Sergius, the throne is too understaffed to be able to bring more soldiers. If it will get my men out of those damn tunnels, blow them apart, suffocate them, do whatever you must. You have my permission, now Jess. What brings you here?" As Jess, the informant on the right began to speak. The honor guard coughed lightly before speaking. "forgive me for speaking out of line my liege. Yet Duke Marsh is not alone. Most of the nobles within our borders are requesting to convene with you, and with how worried they all are, they might go up in arms against us should we not comply." The emperor sighed. And at this moment a small amount of regret for taking the throne was born. "fine, let them in." Quickly streams of humans dressed in fancy clothes, and decorated in medals swarmed the halls. At least a hundred of them, from the lowliest of barons to even Julius''s brother himself arch-duke Ferdinand Pegasus. Every noble that was within Bastion''s grounds as the apocalypse began entered the spacious halls. "My liege, we have convened today to request a small portion of our armies to assist us in reclaiming territory, and securing our estates." said a man with a head full of platinum white hair, yet a visage that defined his age as being not a day above 30. "Duke Marsh, I''m sure you have seen the state of our walls. How do you expect to get even a single troop out of our city gates alive?" the emperor asked before shouting. "Do you not see the state of our city, even if we could leave our walls, the city would crumble before the next dawn." Julius slammed his fist down upon his throne. .. Meanwhile, in a nameless village on the southern borders of the pegasus borders.
ding! please start your evolution to continue.
Slumped over his greatsword, a mercenary dressed in full plate mail was staring at a floating blue box directly in front of his eyes. "huh? What is this thing?" he muttered to himself as he reached up to press it. The second his finger physically reached it, his hand went right through, yet as if the box knew what he wanted it continued.
Name: Thorim
Race: human 80% dwarf 20% Your race
Tier: 0 (max level 5) mortal
Age: 24 (in years)
Health: 160/200
stamina: 20/200
mana: 40/40
Level: 5/5 your level
experience: 500/500 how much exp you have/need to level up
Stat points: 10 you can distribute these amongst your stats
Strength: 4 your physical strength
Agility: 3 how fast you move
Constitution: 5 how much health/stamina you have +20/+20 per level
vitality 4 your health/stamina regen +1/+1 per minute/second
Intelligence: 3 your spell power and maximum mana + 20 per level
Wisdom: 2 your mana regen + 1 per second per level
Willpower: 3 your resistance to spell power
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "What the fuck, the fuck is this?" a young drunkard such as Thorim needed a second look, so he looked behind him only to find the screen following his vision. But luckily he found what he was looking for, past a long line of bodies belonging to both normal humans and zombies, across grass and rock splattered in blood and rot was his brother-in-arms "Hey asshat get over here!" he shouted. His ''brother'' visibly deflated before running over, although not brothers in blood Thorim and Caiden had been together for years, they grew up in the same orphanage of a neighboring kingdom before setting out as mercenaries for hire. between protecting carriages to looting towns. they had done it all together. They were just crossing the borders between two nations when the apocalypse descended. "Caiden you see this thing in front of me?" Thorim called out the second that Caiden got close. "No, have you finally gone insane or what? what blue box?" "It says a bunch of stuff about my ''stats'' and some other stuff, and it''s telling me to ''start my evolution'' or something, maybe I have" The two of them started laughing at the idea. "Well, Mr ''Evolver'', go on starting this so-called Evolution then." Caiden said. "ok then, let''s do it. start evolution?" he muttered the last bit under his breath.
ding! scanning current race.. scanning stats... please use your stat points before proceeding.
''Oh, okay then, add 5 in constitution and 5 in strength'' he mentally said to the screen. after giving it 0 thought.
Name: Thorim
Race: human 80% dwarf 20%
Tier: 0 (max level 5)
Age: 24
Health: 200/300
stamina: 200/300
mana: 40/40
Level: 5/5
experience: 500/500
Stat points: 0
Strength: 9
Agility: 3
Constitution: 10
vitality 4
Intelligence: 3
Wisdom: 2
Willpower: 3
The second he finalized that choice Thorim felt like he could lift a house, his muscles filled out his armor, to the point that the plate mail almost burst open. He immediately looked around to find something to test his strength on, before his gaze landed on poor Caiden. "Hey Caiden block!" he threw a punch at the same time, the punch whistling as it ripped through the air. Caiden barely having any time to react lifted his shortsword, the blade cracking as it collided with Thorims strike. "WHAT THE HELL THORIM, my fucking sword!" Caiden felt a tear well up in his eye as he watched the crack propagate throughout the steel blade. "Phew thankfully it didn''t break, let''s hope a blacksmith can repair that or I''ll have your hide you brute!" he gently slipped the shortsword back into its sheath. Caiden looked up at Thorim, only to see him gazing into the void.
please choose your desired evolution.
high human forsake your dwarven blood and become more than human
dwarf lord forsake your human blood and become more than dwarf
lesser titan forsake both bloodlines and awaken the king of body strength, the titan blood (req 10 constitution 8 strength) (lose all ability to wield mana)
lesser giant strengthen your bloodlines and become a behemoth of your race(s)
...
"Lesser titan!" Thorim basically yelled out.
Evolution beginning please hold on.
chapter 3: the apocalypses stabilizes Months began to pass as the living races learned of the system. Beggars and farmhands gained the strength of monsters, nobles buried themselves in conflict pushing ever harder to gain those ever-sweet experience points. scholars interviewed anyone they could find to learn about this mysterious power. But although the living races stepped up their strength with the system''s help, not all was good. core aspects of growth such as skill trees and core mechanic''s of said system were kept a close secret by those who discovered them. the lizard-folk keep''s beneath the surface learned of their own secrets and powers, many un-earthing stronger genetics within their bloodlines. the dwarfs discovered skills related to craftsmanship and although they didn''t share, those who lived in the dwarves'' mountains knew of their secret. Even the non-sentient races grew ever more powerful. bears gaining fur made of steel, teeth so sharp they can shred through even solid rock. insects grew hivemind''s and each member closely shared all they learned about the system and mana itself. Birds took the skies as their own, not that they had much opposition there anyway, but they began building villages of their own in the clouds, gathering up their numbers into pseudo-armies for dive-bomb attacks on gathering hordes of zombies. However the zombies were not to be outdone, they fought against the birds, against the insects and against the sentient species of Zalua. and evolved nonstop. the system seeming to help them in their growth, tier 0 zombies became tier 1 variants, which then became tier 2 and 3 leaders. The overwhelming majority of zombies were stuck in a bitter war with the Insectoid populations that kept sprouting endlessly throughout all continents. millions of Ants, beetles, mantis'', spiders and all manner of other insectoid or insectoid-adjacent creatures were fighting against them. leaving but the weaker of both sides to battle against the sentient creatures populations. Ants battled the dwarves throughout their expansive cave networks. spiders tormented the lizardfolk keeps from both the cave ceilings and through the floor, trapping them in endless mazes of web. Zombies battered the castle walls of the humans. sealing them within the pits of their own despair. .. and yet.. life still went on, the mutation that mana brought to wild animals made cattle larger, providing the surviving settlements with stronger more nourishing food. the Mana infused into the very soil beneath their feet. turning even the most inhospitable land into a cultivatable paradise for crops. the birds that filled the endless skies provided a more nourishing choice for those brave enough to anger their members, hunters had a more stable career path using their life skills to both hunt and grow stronger. and wiping out the daily zombie hordes provided even the frailest of humans a way to escape their fate. should they have the courage and incentive enough pay someone willing to help them. ... Young Zach opened his eyes, bright blue light swirling around his vision, suffused with tiny gray lights. ''I wonder if Uncle Gray found out what these are'' he wondered before getting out of bed. with a shake of his hand, the light blue swirling dots condensed into a thin glowing pair of clothes, the mana clothes were oversized and lacked any degree of detail. Making them look very unrealistic. despite existing in reality. Yet Zach always had a lot of fun playing around with it, and his Uncle Gray would always encourage him to do it whenever he could. even to the extent of giving Zach ''treats'' whenever he made something new or fun, like that time Zach made a toy mana spear after seeing one being wielded by his cousin Callum. He looked down, staring at his blue clothes as they began to vanish into the air, becoming more swirling blue balls. "sigh, good morning Zach", an aged voice came from his side. the old man Gray walked up to Zach, crouching and looking him in the eyes, "Keep it up kiddo, I''m sure you''ll get it soon, but for now come and have breakfast, it''ll get cold.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The duo walked hand in hand to the dinner table, even though Zach could already walk easily. Sometimes his body would betray him, and the mana exhaustion didn''t help his gait either. once all three of them were sat up at the dinner table, with a nice warm meal in front of them. Uncle Gray began to speak "So my boys, while I was gone for the last couple of days I took a trip to the nearby villages, it''s not looking good, apparently 2 of the nearby empire''s have fallen. the scouts just came back from their trip and zombies are everywhere." "Z-zombies.. zombies?" Zach muttered, trying to remember this new word. "What is.. zombie?". his skin crawled at the word, but he ignored it. Callum and Gray both looked at each other, smiling. "little Zach, zombies are the bad guys. they do bad things, if you ever see a Zombie run to me or your cousin alright?" Zach nodded, trying to internalize the information. "on brighter news, the northern village of Asglan found a new use for the system, if you copy me and say ''Show skills tab'' we can find new information." once again Zach nodded, hearing to his left Callum saying it, he tried to copy. "s-show shkils tab!" he shouted waving both his arms in the air as he tried to summon his system in front of him.
skills tab: lists all skills both active and passive, skills must be beyond a certain threshold to be considered by the system
active skills: all activatable skills, usually require motion or thought to activate them.
lesser mana manipulation level 1 (27/100) rudimentarily control mana at a 1-meter distance from the user
mana spear level 1 (3/100) condense mana into a spear-form
mana clothes level 1 (85/100) condense mana into the form of clothes
passive skills: all passive skills, can be anything from knowledge to strength buffs as long as they are always activated
blessing of mana blessed at birth by mana all mental stats +5, gain the active skill lesser mana manipulation
blessing of undeath born from unlikely situations, you can sense the presence of the undead +2 all stats
veins of mana so suffused with mana that it even flows through your veins, maximum mana doubled, health regen halved
higher intelligence from having over 5 intelligence before the age of 5, every level +1 intelligence
higher wisdom from having over 5 wisdom before the age of 5, every level +1 wisdom
higher willpower from having over 5 willpower before the age of 5, every level +1 willpower
Zach was stunned by the glow of his long list of skills, he tried reading through them but the monotony made him get bored quickly, so he willed it away and started eating his breakfast in peace. though the words mana manipulation stuck in his mind, throughout the meal. he hurried it, barely savoring the juicy boar meat on his fork and the second he had finished he ran out the front door. "thanks for the breakfast Uncle!!" he quickly ran into the front garden before beginning his fun for the day, surrounded by mana he willed it into the shapes of eight different toys he''d seen, before trying to make them ''fight'', aka floating at each other and absorbing them. he barely lasted 6 seconds with it before he fell over exhausted, but content. ... Zach spent the next months approaching his birthday like this, training his mana clothes in the morning under the eye of his Uncle Gray, and then running into the woods playing fights with his mana, before coming back inside to eat dinner and play with his new family. But even though his life was static, the world around him was changing... the sky dimmed, and night arrived upon the night of calamity, the night when mana descent. the worlds warped, continents kept in place by magic, the stars spun right above the eyes of those fortunate to witness it. in space the 12 planets became conjoined with the sun, all 13 celestial bodies merging into one, with both Zalua and the sun fighting for dominance. the skies flashed bright day, to dim darkness. again and again with increasing frequency, then red, the 12 worlds merged creating a pangea of planets, with the sun nestled within them, within it. the dead planet Zalua. and Zalua just like Thorim had completed its evolution... chapter 4: When worlds collide Zalua was a strange land, filled with insect''s who''s size would rival cars, foreign races straight from the depths of your fantasies and zombies that slaughtered all life they encountered. But those had already been around for awhile, no what made Zalua strange was the Alien landscapes and creatures that roamed the world. With the sun gone, the Eternal night was all its citizens could see, the twinkle of stars so far out of reach dotted the skies, well those and the landmasses that now floated above the common people''s heads, rumors spread the day they appeared, suggesting demons or gods placed them there, to make the citizens of Zalua live forever in fear. those without much strength would find themselves gazing listlessly at the floating islands, hoping for some glimpse of what may reside upon them. their minds conjured up dragons and mythical creatures from the lore of their world, but the ones with strength had a renewed vigor to grow more powerful so that they could see with their own eyes the lands above them. when the 12 worlds combined Zalua was its center. The main world, whilst the others were merely added upon it drawing land and life from these dead planets. the sun fueled its growth, letting the evolved planet spiral into a size reminiscent of Jupiter, and its growing ever more now, within a few years it could reach the apex of its new strength and attempt evolution once more.. ... Zach awoke that morning feeling a change, something felt.. off around him, the Mana in the air seemed denser and far more compliant to his movements, he got out of bed and attempted his daily [Mana clothes] spell once again, and the spell seemed easier to control. he walked out to the dining table in a glowing blue adventurer''s garb and cape, much like the heroes in his bedtime stories. And yet although easier to control, it didn''t change its mana expenditure much. his new clothes faded from his body mid-meal, the exhaustion quickly catching up and the only reason Zach didn''t faceplant his food was that he had already eaten it all. He ran out of the house a few minutes later while reading his stats.
Name: Zach
Race: human 95% undead 5%
Tier: 0 (max level 5)
Age: 1
Health: 160/160 (+1.5 health per minute)
stamina: 160/160 (+3 stamina per second)
mana: 320/320 (+8 mana per second)
Level: 0/5
experience: 0/50
Stat points: 0
Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Constitution: 3
vitality 3
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 8
Willpower: 8
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. A change had occurred. "it''s my birthday today?" he quickly figured out. His much higher wisdom and intelligence stats allowed him to figure out everything incredibly quickly, he had learned to walk in just 5 months, and could speak fluently in the words he knew around the same time, just learning most of Zalua''s language took up the next couple months of his early childhood. Uncle Grey had once told him when he asked why his Stats are so low, that a 3 was average for a adult, and 4-5 made you a genius in the given stat, plus with his growth these stats are likely to increase even further. Zach often looked fondly apon his status. calling himself the genius that will save the world from all evils, like all his favorite heroes do. He rushed out into the woods summoning his [Mana spear] and fighting the imaginary evils to protect his house. ... Emperor Julius Pegasus was still swamped with the chore that his ''empire'' if you could even call it had become, he retained control over a single city. Bastion capital, and the few successful attempts to push the never-ending hordes on his doorstep out had never lasted long enough to retain a hold over his empire, "sigh, and yet things can still get worse can''t they." The same honor guard as before approached the throne, a grim look plastered to his face beneath his helm. "m-my liege, something wishes to talk to our leader, and is waiting outside the throne room as I speak." "Something? what do you mean, the zombies or the lich organizations? Explain!" "Uh, its a mass of tentacles my liege, it called itself G''zrastia, we tried keeping it away but I believe the Creature is tier 3." the honor guard shivered at the mention of ''keeping it away'' "It indeed can get worse" the emperor muttered, "very well, bring the creature in then." he ordered. "y-yes my liege right away" the guard saluted like he was being ordered to march to his death and stepping through the side chambers after composing himself for a worrying amount of time. shortly after a sprawling mass of pitch-black tentacles pushed through the castle gates and approached the throne. The being unfurled into a floating Red eye surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of undulating tentacles. "I am G''zrastia, Emperor of all Beholders. We reside above your ''empire'' human emperor. A pleasure to make your acquaintance" The being voice was guttural, like a constant growl coming from within. yet it spoke fluently in the common language. "As I am named Julius, emperor of the Pegasus Empire. It''s a pleasure to meet you too, my neighbor" Julius was exhausted with the day''s matters, but he knew this was more important, if this meeting goes well the humans could have another ally against the zombie hordes. ... The meeting lasted hours, if not nearly a day. the lack of a sun stopped the world from feeling a change of time, yet it had been awhile before the creature G''zrastia left the throne room, flying directly upwards toward one of the floating islands directly above their heads. Upon arriving at his encampment, he looked around at his comrades. allies and friends. all fellow beholders. before speaking. "we weren''t originally this, we weren''t originally here, the blessing that mana is touched our souls and you followed me in this evolution path, you all stayed with me after I lost what was originally me, my race is gone, our home is gone. but we are still here and we can eek out a living far grander than we once imagined." "I visited our neighbors and they are weak. the elven city to the north is dead, the human empire below is weak. and the dwarves to our west are too busy to even notice us. we have choices but we must be fast. we aren''t the only beings here and others may take the land we will claim as our own. we must be united, and stay together no matter the opposition. we will forge a True empire for the Beholder race, follow me!" over a hundred smaller yet similar Creatures rose from the land around him, they were what made him what he is today, the special race a [Beholder Emperor]. .. Zach felt the air stir, All the surrounding mana flew upwards and his gaze followed it, as a Gigantic living mass of shadows flitted past at a speed unimaginable to his young mind. within his eyes were hundreds of brilliant diamonds shining within that mass, the mana of each beholder above glowing resplendently within his eyes. The child grew a hope that day. a hope to be like them, to glow like a sun... chapter 5: undeath takes its grip "Sigh, Zach you''ve grown up a bit now, so I think it''s appropriate to help you learn what''s going on around us, why we have to stay in this cabin in the woods, and why I take trips to the surrounding villages, but first I need to get something, ready young man, there is a lot you need to learn, take one last day of your magic training/fun/exploration you do but then that''s going to be it for a while." Zach looked up at his uncle who had already turned around and began rummaging through his personal desk, gathering a bunch of tools. and some other things before Zach shrugged and bolted out of the door. yelling behind him "cya later uncle I can''t wait!!" as he reached the dark shadows of the treeline he opened up his status page, sitting down with his back against a tree.
Name: Zach
Race: human 95% undead 5%
Tier: 0 (max level 5)
Age: 5
Health: 180/180
Stamina: 180/180
Mana: 360/360
Level: 0/5
Experience: 0/50
Stat points: 0
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Constitution: 4
Vitality 4
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 9
Willpower: 9
"All my stats have finally reached the next number, what should I work on next..." he sat there hand pressed against his cheek for some time. "I remember that was Uncle Greys'' suggestion, but now that I''ve done it I just want to play for a bit!" Zach stood up climbed the tree behind him and stood atop its crown. "here we go." the mana flooding the skies of Zalua above The lesser Asglan woodlands began to converge, and miniature balls of light began to flicker into existence. they floated high in the sky spinning around each other, they condensed into smaller and smaller lights their glow illuminating the nearby 150 meters around Zach his face awash with joy as he shaped them according to his will. The 8 balls of light were all blue, but one of them flickered with a gray glow from time to time, yet Zach was too focused on controlling them to notice it. He made them dance again and again like a group of ballerinas pirouetting in a ballroom, slowly they all lowered, till they were about 50cm away from his body, spinning faster and faster around him, they bobbed and dipped with the flow of music his mind created. the spin grew faster and faster as the ambient mana grew thicker and thicker, till his eyes couldn''t keep up with their speed. the after-images they would leave behind morphed and stretched becoming more so like pillars of energy connecting the ground to the sky. then... they vanished.
Mana: 0/362
his face, just now flush with color turned deathly pale, he got too caught up in his act. his inspiration that had started making the mana orbs act like that was gone alongside his mana, he fainted atop the treeline, sleeping peacefully.
skill created: active skill Mana condensation...
... Callum burst through the door, panting and exhausted. "Father I heard something.. something moving towards me during practice." Callum was now an adult and was training in the ways of the spear hoping to get assigned to the Emperor''s military if he could get there. he often brandished his spear to hunt for wildlife, earning him enough levels to hunt zombies effectively. "its footsteps were silent in the forest I only heard the bushes rustling behind me as I traveled. It''s like its.." the door burst open. a leaf-green scythe ripped through it and the window, Uncle grey moved towards the back of the cabin grabbing himself a bow and set of arrows. "it was hunting you, get back son. we have an evolved Mantid here." the creature pressed its head through the broken door, its dark green face coupled with its pitch-black eyes and blackened veins gave clear identification of its identity as it hobbled inside the room... Zach awoke sometime later, in his sleep, he had fallen off the tree crown and was dangling loosely off a branch. "oh shoot Uncle Grey is waiting for me" one for in front of the other he slowly jogged back to the cabin, the sheer distance he walked made the journey long. 30 minutes later he arrived. through the forest, he could hear the swinging of sharp weapons whistling through the air. "Uncle I''m home!!" he shouted blissfully unaware of what awaited him inside his ''home''. "huh? Where''s the door." Zach stepped up to the doorway noticing an arrow embedded in the wall next to him. his eyes were filled with a gray energy like mana swirling around the cabin. he entered slowly, the whole building was wrecked, with holes and slash marks littering the walls, floor, and ceiling then he came across it. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Uncle? uncle wake up are you okay?" in front of Zach was his Uncle Grey collapsed to the floor and covered in cutmarks, Beside him was a 8ft tall Green monstrosity with a spear connecting its head with the ceiling. Zach sat there trying to wake his uncle up for a minute or two before realizing. ''wait.. that''s my cousin''s spear'' "Callum where are you, he shouted. Looking around the beast he eventually found him, "C-callum?" or at least half of him. ''no how could this happen'' tears welled up in Zach''s eyes. although he was incredibly mature for his age owing to his high mental stats, no one could be mature enough to see this. Callum''s upper half lay there, entrails and organs leaking out of his lower half, with bite marks across his chest and face. Zach sat there, lost what could he do? ''Uncle Grey''s not moving and Callum is.. dead. is Uncle Grey the same?'' he thought to himself crawling over to him and rolling Grey''s lifeless corpse over, checking it for wounds where he found a deep cut across his chest. from right hip to left shoulder, Grey''s chest bloomed open like a flower. ... time slowly ticked past.. he sat there in a daze for hours, moving back and forth with his family. he puked up what little food was left in his system during that time and felt weak. "urghh..." a voice trailed out of Grey''s body, and the light returned to young Zach''s eyes, he ran over to help his Uncle stand, "come on Uncle here let me help you" he gripped his uncle''s waist, and pulled him up. the creature stared at the young undead in front of it listlessly as Zachs'' passive skill blessing of undeath activated. his eyes swirled with black energy. he could feel the gray energy filling up His uncle''s body. "n-no you are not my Uncle are you? what are.." a sentence echoed in Zach''s head, one uttered by the creature in front of him before ''You''ll know them when you see it, stay away from zombies'' "your a zombie.." Zach began to back up as Grey''s corpse lunged. Its three middle fingers ripping into Zach''s chest.
Health: 70/180
"NO stay away please.." fear leaked through every word Zach muttered triggering the zombies hunting instincts. Grey pounced again, ripping through Zach''s left shoulder.
Health: 15/180
His whole body hurt, throbbing pain echoed throughout his body. ''[Mana spear]'' he summoned the only thing he could, a detailed spear identical to his cousins but ethereally blue appeared within his hands. he thrust it roughly. trying to remember how his cousin moved during training, Grey lunged again, left arm colliding with the Spear. The booming impact reverberated throughout the Cabin as Grey''s arm ceased to be. "ok, I can do this.. no I must do this." Zach re-assured himself before thrusting again, this time colliding with his uncle.. no the Zombie''s exposed chest wound.
300 Exp gained.
The young boy collapsed to the floor crying himself to sleep. His nightmares were haunted by the memories of his family, He remembered every night and every breakfast. all the times he helped his older brother practice, and all the magic shows he presented to his Uncle, the very echoes of those relationships shattered, and they haunted him throughout that sleep, and many more to come... He awoke a few hours afterward, hoping and praying that all he experienced was a dream, a sick twisted nightmare created in the depths of his mind. yet seeing his uncle''s rotting corpse in front of his face solidified that nightmare into reality. In the corner of his vision flashed a blinking light. Zach stared at it confused temporarily before "open." nothing.. "activate?" still nothing.. "stats"
Name: Zach
Race: human 90.8% undead 9.2%
Transformation: lichification: 4.2% the process of becoming a zombie interrupted by your powerful mind. the process of becoming a lich can be slowed down with high enough willpower
Tier: 0 (max level 5)
Age: 5
Health: 180/180
Stamina: 180/180
Mana: 360/360
Level: 2/5
Experience: 150/200
Stat points: 4
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Constitution: 4
Vitality 4
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
Willpower: 11
"I''m... going to become like that? ok I just need to put these points into willpower"
Willpower: 15
"But.. now what?" he looked around his cabin, nothing was here for him anymore. no more family. no food, even his bed had been destroyed in the fighting. what now? Chapter 6: Pushing through the infection Zach trudged his way through the endless night. it took him hours, if not days he didn''t know. His young mind filled with the pain that hunger was. he felt so very hungry, and the agony those tearing scars brought to his chest and shoulder. every breath felt like acid coursing through his veins. every step felt like it was going to be his last. "W-where is the end?" he muttered to himself, hissing at the cold pain that even speaking brought to his body, "how long till this pain heals?" Zach thought, bringing up his status page.
Name: Zach
Race: human 77.2% undead 22.8%
Transformation: lichification: 17.8%
Tier: 0 (max level 5)
Age: 5
Health: 180/180
Stamina: 180/180
Mana: 360/360
Level: 2/5
Experience: 150/200
Stat points: 0
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Constitution: 4
Vitality 4
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
Willpower: 15
His health rang full simply because this wasn''t a pain that simple numbers could amount to, technically speaking his body was in nearly perfect health. this? no this was the pain of scars, of hunger, and of loss. coupled with his lichhood transformation. As Zach pondered his status page, new voices echoed in his ears. those of chatter and, worry and laughter. long had the growl of zombies and roars of beasts been drowned out in this cacophony of emotions reverberating through the air. Zach steeled himself and stepped forward. Breaching the woodlands... It''d been years since lord Thorim had taken over the bordering town of Asglan, as one of the first to evolve he held a strategic advantage over the previous lord. prowess, He and Caiden, the twin lords could offer something no one else could. protection and power, they offered to teach those willing to learn how to defend themselves in the wake of the horde and protect those who couldn''t. for a hefty fee of course. In the years that followed this, the two of them developed the meager village of Asglan. settling down and fortifying the land into a thriving townscape. Thorim was never much of a leader, he took the position nearly because he felt it right that the strongest would lead others and therefore would spend most of his time hunting down packs of creatures that could threaten his town before they got the chance to. Caiden on the other hand would often take up a role alongside the guardsmen. teaching and training those around him while making sure the city gates remained safe and under control. most of the actual governance was left to those more fit for the job. Today like usual Caiden was helping at the gates, when he noticed a limping silhouette approaching the gate. whilst not unusual in itself. the creature''s stature was the surprising part to him. It had been before the apocalypse began since the last time he saw someone so young. wearing a ragged ripped hunter''s garb the kid couldn''t be older than 8 caiden thought to himself. "Inspect" he muttered.
Name: Zach
level: 2/5
tooltip: a powerful mortal mage on the verge of the first transformation hurdle.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Caiden sighed to himself in disappointment "Of course the fucking kid is infected", getting up from alongside the palisade wall he walked over slowly, "hey kid come here!" he yelled. turning the heads of the many Asglan citizens. "H-hungry, I''m so hungry" Zach coughed out, just barely loud enough for those nearby to hear him. before collapsing headfirst in the mud. ... Zach awoke several minutes later with his back up against the wall, the area around him empty except for one person. ''an adult, I think. pointy ears too, should be an elf?" he remembered Uncle Grey''s teachings well. The man infront of him wore a light set of leather armor, with a multitude of patchwork and cuts embedded into its frame. his near-luminescent blond hair glowed in the dark of the endless night. as he was staring out to keep watch, the man heard rustling behind him, turning to meet Zach''s bright cyan eyes with his own yellow ones. "Ah good you''re awake, eat this, then we will talk" The tall elf produced half a loaf of bread from his bag and threw it to him. Zach devoured it in seconds. "T-thank you" he muttered between bites, quickly finishing his first meal in days. The elf introduced himself as simply as Caiden, before asking Zach a bunch of basic questions such as age and where he came from. "I-I''m 5 sir Caiden, my family lived in the woods. Uncle Grey would often mention coming here for supplies and stuff, maybe you knew him?" "Oh, your grey''s son? Callum, I think he was called. but Callum should be an adult by now?" "N-no Callum was my cousin, I was saved by Uncle Grey. my family died in the apocalypse I think. Uncle Grey and Callum were also killed." "Killed? Do you know who or what it was? judging from your wounds I''d guess zombies?" "N-no Uncle Became a zombie, the two of them fought off this giant green thing that broke into our house..." Zach then slowly used his mana manipulation skill to draw a copy of the creature, it was crude and the mantid looked more like a bright blue plushy than a deadly weapon. but he hoped this picture would help Caiden. "F-Fascinating... you will have to show me how you did that, but first I will send a group to see if more mantids or similar insects have breached our side of the forest" Zach slowly got up from the wallside, wincing slightly at the movement, "S-sir Caiden can I stay here, Uncle Grey used to talk about how safe this place is". Caiden sighed deeply, he was afraid of Zach asking this. "I''m sorry, afraid not. your infected kiddo. you''d be in danger from the other people who live here, and a danger to them". "B-BUT I.. I can heal it." Zach was scared. "with enough willpower, I can stop the infection from spreading." "IF, and only if you can actually stop the infection can I let you in our doors? you can come here every day till then, I will bring you some spare food. sorry kid." Zach stood there. dumbfounded "H-how.. how can I level up fast?" "simple. go out there" he pointed behind him to the woods, "and go kill things, anything that moves will help" Good luck kiddo see you tomorrow. Caiden then jumped over the 8-meter-tall wooden walls and disappeared. "god it feels so cool to do that" he muttered whilst walking into the town. "wow. that was cool when can I do that!" Zach muttered whilst walking into the woods. ... Zach proceeded to spend the next few days scouring the entry point of the woods for enemies. but found nothing, not even a single rabbit or bug. it was like the natural creatures that couldn''t evolve were also decimated during the last few years. he gritted his teeth and decided to push deeper into the forest on his forth day. suddenly alongside a surge of heat flowing through his veins. his status began to change before his very eyes.
transformation: lichification: 24.9%
transformation: lichification : 25%
passive skill gained: First hurdle of undeath you stepped past the first hurdle of undeath, -80% health regeneration, +100% maximum health
His left eyeball turned pitch black, and the veins surrounding it blackened too, those black veins quickly spread down his left arm the scarring wound left there fading away in the process. all at once the pain covering his body vanished, and the only remaining wound on his chest stopped throbbing too. the relief made Zach cry out in joy. he celebrated his joy for a couple of minutes before stopping. "okay I definitely need to head deeper tonight, that willpower needs to go up." he thought. stepping even deeper towards where he used to live. the echoes of civilization cast aside behind him. and the roars of beasts unimaginable reverberating through the ground beneath his feet. chapter 7: second kill The timer was ticking down, and sweat was flooding poor Zach''s face, it had been nearly 3 days since he stepped foot into the depths of the forest for the first time. He was scared, the Lichification was nearing 50% and if he didn''t increase his willpower in time he knew instinctually that he would become like His dear Uncle. if not worse. creatures were rare in the woods if you were not strong enough. you''d die to someone or something that was, so most lives there were younglings or powerful evolved creatures and although Zach was strong he didn''t have any confidence in fighting a beast the likes of which destroyed his home, not yet anyway.
transformation: lichification: 42.1%
"faster.. I need to be faster." Zach thought, pushing back towards his home. his mind wandered back to the few creatures he had seen during his adventures as a kid himself. his mind locked onto one of them and he went hunting. deeper and deeper, into depths he was familiar with. He summoned a small floating sphere by his side like always to help him light the way in this dim blackness. "that thing should be somewhere around here, right?" he muttered, scanning the area with both his gaze and the magic light, the magic naturally glowed so this was less of a light and just a clump of pulsing mana. Zach slowly searched the Area ''Tsk Tsk'' he sounded out, trying to lure the beast over to him. and too did the creature stalk the child, its three eyes watched the boy''s every move. ''foolish creature'' the beast thought to itself. it would have laughed at the human''s pathetic attempts if it could. goosebumps covered his arms and back and he ducked, completely on instinct but he wasn''t fast enough. a chunk was ripped from his shoulder, but only small 4 gashes appeared on the wound.
Health: 322/360
the pain made him flinch as he backed away. his eyes locking with the beasts. before scanning its imposing frame. ''it''s larger than before? much larger. but I know I can do this'' Zach reassured himself. The beast was a nearly four-foot-tall, quadrupedal creature covered mainly in a thick fur reminiscent of a bear. with scaled extremities and 2 bunny ears planted firmly on its head, its 2 yellow eyes watched the boys, whilst its 3rd eye on the beast''s forehead flickered constantly scanning the surroundings and Zach''s Mana orb for threats. Zach outstretched his left hand summoning his [Mana spear level 4] to his hand. the surrounding mana converged into a perfect glowing blue rod with hints of a more ornate design fading in and out of being, Zach had practiced a lot with this spell over his 5 years of life, being the first spell he learned. but most of its exp gain came from killing Grey when he had turned. The four-pronged tip of the spear looked moreso like an arrow than anything and Zach was ready to use it as one. The rabbit-like monstrosity pounced forward, with a speed so extreme that Zach struggled to react. He threw the spear towards it with as much aim as he could muster in the dark depths of the forest. the pulsing Mana spear ripped through the rabbit''s scaled front paw mauling it into a bloody pulp so grotesque that he would have puked could he see it. The creature staggered, stunned at the damage it took, before renewing its charge with greater velocity. crashing headfirst into Zach''s chest, knocking him back and ripping a bite that could chew through steel directly at his left arm. It was clear to Zach, as young and misinformed as he was that the creature''s stats outscaled his own by twofold. ''if I want to win I need to do something different'' he thought to himself. yet what could he do? it would take time for his Next Mana spear to form, and his assortment of Magic spells was limited at best. he knew he needed something for defense. as the creature''s teeth were closing in on his frail arm.
active skills:
lesser mana manipulation level 3 (213/300)
Mana spear level 4 (237/400)
Mana clothes level 3 (23/300)
Mana condensation level 1 (0/1000)
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ''Mana condensation? what''s that he thought, this active skill was new, yet although it might be a solution he knew better than to mess around with things he didn''t understand. ''but I might not have a choice'' his eyes were still locked on to the beast''s mouth, "screw it! [Mana clothes]" he shouted. The mana around and within him started condensing onto his body making a second layer of clothes yet he knew it wouldn''t be enough, a second layer started to appear on top of the first, then a third and finally as the fourth began to appear the highly condensed mana pressed into itself. forming 2 layers of a thicker clothingset and they condensed further into 1 layer.
Skill created: reinforced Mana clothes
Skills: Reinforced Mana clothes and Mana clothes are too similar: combining...
Skill created: Mana armor (tier 1)
Zach was momentarily stunned by the barrage of notifications as the rabbit maw ripped into his reinforced Mana clothes. shredding the arm-sleeve apart yet leaving the boys arm in near perfect condition.
Health: 302/360
The rabbit''s eyes saw Zach''s face turn from fear to glee as his idea worked flawlessly, "stupid boy, your armor protected you once, but for how long'' it thought to itself. Then as the rabbit went to back up and go for a second bite its third eye sensed the Magic fluctuations of that dreaded spear once again coalesce beside it. Zach Thrust the spear as hard as he could, using all his strength to penetrate the beast''s hide. ripping through dense layers of fur and flesh. the spear was driven deep as the creature before him cried out in pain. "I win" the boy grinned before pushing even deeper. Zach was exhausted, although the fight didn''t last long, he was one step from death the whole time. he fell back and sat down next to the falling figure of the Rabbit-like monstrosity. watching as it collapsed onto the verdant grass before dispelling his spear. the blood gushed out of the puncture hole like a faucet staining the ground around the two of them. "What a beast you were, good fight," he said with a grin reminiscent of a demon. "This fight was hard, lets hope I gained a lot of experience for this," he muttered to himself whilst pulling up his status screen.
Name: Zach
Race: human 52.2% undead 47.8%
Transformation: lichification: 42.3%
Tier: 0 (max level 5)
Age: 5
Health: 302/360
Stamina: 68/180
Mana: 88/440
Level: 2/5
Experience: 150/200
Stat points: 0
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Constitution: 4
Vitality 4
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
Willpower: 15
After taking his first glance at his status page the first thing he noticed was his mana "i-its all gone? he quickly calculated it, 80 for Mana clothes and 60 for Mana spear? 1,2,3,4 is 320 and mana spear I used twice is 120. so this fight took only 8 seconds huh?" he glanced down, his eyes hitting his experience bar. "none?" he jumped up staring at the Motionless rabbit beast. till he noticed a faint breathing sound coming from it. "[Mana spear]" he summoned, the creature quivered in fear beside him. Zach didn''t notice. blood splattered further across the glass as he moved.
500 experience gained.