Chapter 3: The Wild Card
Dropping into a battle stance, Leonard prepared himself.
Living on the border of a wasteland, he had experience with fighting monsters in the past. Even before undergoing awakening, defeating the weakest creatures was within almost everyone’s grasp.
Considering that he hadn’t ventured too deep into the dark forest, he was supposed to encounter only those that were considered the bottom of the food chain.
The nearby bushes rustled, and a green creature with a large belly and pointy ears emerged.
"A goblin?"
Surveying the area, Leonard made sure there weren’t more goblins creeping to ambush him.
Usually, the creatures traveled in groups and, when battling humans, resorted to underhanded tactics to compensate for their lack of physical strength.
"Perhaps it has separated from its group or kicked out." Leonard charged, taking the initiative.
The goblin’s wide mouth twisted into a grimace, baring its fangs. In desperation, it used the stolen dagger it carried to retaliate.
However, it immediately realized its crucial mistake.
The goblin’s stature didn’t even reach a meter, while Leonard towered at 185 centimeters. With his axe on top of that, his effective range was almost triple that of the goblin!
Raising his axe high, Leonard spared a glance at his remaining mana.
[Mana: 11/100]
It was enough to activate Lightning Strike.
Energy coursed through his weapon as he struck downward.
The goblin stared at the incoming blow with absolute horror.
The impact was brutal. The axe’s head carved the creature in two.
[You have defeated a Level 1 Goblin]
[You have gained 1 Experience]
Leonard nodded in satisfaction. With the system link established, slaying monsters now rewarded him directly, making every battle worthwhile.
Experience was the most valuable currency in this world. Once an awakener accumulated enough, a level-up would follow, granting attribute points to increase stats and evolution points, mainly used to improve skills, traits, and other abilities.
Curious, Leonard decided to see how much it would cost to improve his Rare-rank Skill.
[Upgrade Lightning Strike to the next level: 10 Evolution Points]
For merely upgrading the skill to the second level, the price was quite steep, especially when Leonard had to consider that with each improvement, the required price would double.
But for now, he didn’t let it bother him. He still lacked the necessary experience to level-up.
He stepped closer to observe the slain goblin, searching for valuable loot.
It was then that Leonard realized the darkness had hidden shallow wounds across the goblin’s body.
He had struck only once.
Those injuries had come from elsewhere.
Originally the goblin had not journeyed solo. Its group had been slaughtered, and the last survivor had the misfortune of encountering Leonard while fleeing.
The fallen dagger rippled and shot towards Leonard’s eye.
"Close one." He dodged the strike by a hair’s breadth.
Instantly, his gaze fixed on the hovering weapon. The blade rotated toward him, almost as if it had a life of its own.
Thick fog swallowed the surroundings.
Leonard frowned. Lifting his eyes from the dagger would lead to his doom, and wandering across the dark forest without looking where he was going risked him venturing deeper.
If it was the old him, he might have been done for. Fortunately, he now carried Primordial Bloodline.
Tilting his axe sideways, he used its head like a shield. The dagger’s movements were too fast to be intercepted mid-air, and missing would leave him open to attack.
Blocking the dagger’s strikes, which carried a surprising amount of weight, he moved in circles, using each brief second of respite to search for the enemy controlling the hovering weapon.
Since his enemy was hidden, he suspected they would be fragile in a frontal confrontation.
The echoes of metal clashing against each other resonated through the forest, the mist thickening and worsening visibility.
Leonard spotted movement amidst the black trees.
"Here you are."
Sending the dagger away with a parry, he charged forward, not allowing the moment to slip from his grasp.
[Mana: 9/100]
Although he lacked one point of mana to activate his skill, he remained undeterred, perfectly timing the passive restoration of Accelerated Manaflow.
Behind the tree, he found a formless silhouette of mist with a core residing at its center.
He was about to swing, only for the dagger to return past the bushes, pointing at his head.
Tilting his head forward to avoid a collision threw him off balance. Swinging awkwardly, he accidentally buried his axe into the trunk of the tree.
The silhouette tried to flee away. Simultaneously the dagger circled back, poised to kill Leonard.
[Mana: 10/100]
"Lightning Strike!"
Lightning coursed along his weapon, reacting with the moisture of the figure.
Momentarily stunned, the core halted, and so did the hovering dagger.
Freeing the axe by severing the tree, Leonard took aim at his adversary.
[You have defeated a Level 1 Rebellious Mist]
[You have gained 10 Experience]
Leonard panted, getting his breathing under control. Completely draining his mana pool left him feeling as if he had just run a marathon.
"To think I would encounter a monster with a mana core..." He exhaled.
Possessing a mana core was an indication that the mist had been close to evolving.
Depending on its level, it could have fetched a high price in the market.
"A shame that it had to be broken for the mist to die..." Leonard sighed dejectedly, picking up the shattered remains.
To his bewilderment, the system responded.
[Primordial Bloodline stirs in your veins.]
[You have personally slain the core’s owner. Your level is equal to or greater than the selected target. All conditions have been fulfilled.]
[Devoted Summons takes effect.]
[Add this summon under your command?]
Leonard blinked slowly, mentally agreeing.
[You have gained a new follower!]
[Rebellious Mist has been added to your rule!]
[Summon: Rebellious Mist]
[Rank: Rare]
[A Rebellious Mist that lacks restraint. Its formless nature allows it to evade detection, making it ideal for assassination. At higher ranks, it can hide in plain sight and act as a spy. Additionally, it can assume the form of any being equal to or lower than its master’s Level, retaining 10% of the original’s attributes. Current evolution is too low for skills to carry over.]
[Summon cost: 20 mana. Further mana expenditure required to sustain the summon depends on the level of exertion.]
"Gaining a summon so effortlessly? And being so powerful on top of that?"
Leonard was at a loss for words.
"The benefits of the Primordial Bloodline are truly unmatched."
He let the passive regeneration of his mana pathways take over, simultaneously allowing his body to recover. Once his recovered mana reached an adequate point, he summoned the Mist.
This time, the Mist appeared without the core, which had been its weak point. The fog concentrated into a small ball, making it easier to distinguish among the surroundings.
Leonard felt his mana draining faster than it could recover, yet he was more than satisfied with the result.
With an idea coming to mind, he pointed at himself.
"Do it."
The Mist obeyed and expanded, forming a misty version of Leonard.
Matching his height, it had the same raven-black hair and golden eyes, along with his appealing facial features.
"Interesting." Leonard hummed.
It was obvious this was merely an imitation of the original. The fog’s thin concentration and pale color meant it wouldn’t be fooling anyone anytime soon.
Yet Leonard knew that as the Mist evolved, it would eventually reach a point where it would become indistinguishable from the real thing.
"All that is left is to name you. Calling you Mist would feel weird, wouldn’t it?" He spoke to his summon.
The Mist tilted its head to the side in intrigue.
"I suppose you wouldn’t appreciate it if I took the easy route and just named you Misty, right?" Leonard chuckled.
The golden eyes of the Mist darkened ever so slightly, remaining silent.
Leonard suspected as much and scratched his chin thoughtfully.
The name had to reflect the Mist’s nature. Based on its description, the summon was a wild card that favored deception and stealth yet possessed the ability to hold its own in a fight.
That unpredictability was its greatest strength.
After a moment of consideration, Leonard nodded with a smile.
"Joker."
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