NOVEL WEB Chapter 31: Contact (10)
Heritage? A blessing?
There were no further notifications, so Michael opened his Status Window. It had been a while since he had done so, anyway.
Status Window
Name: Michael Gray
Level: 18
Race: Young Draconic Human (E)
Class: Mage
Job: None.
Stats
Strength: 66
Dexterity: 95
Endurance: 71
Constitution: 71
Intelligence: 129
Wisdom: 166
Free points: 35
Skill Points: 8
Active Skills
Mana Sphere (F); Analyze (F); Mana Shield (F); Mana Wave (F), Mana Arrow (F), Whisper (F), Minor Heal (F).
Passive Skills
Clarity (F), Alacrity (E), Mana Empowerment (E).
Hybrid Skills
Newborn’s Dragonheart (D.)
Heritage
Blessing of Light.
Titles
Dragon’s Descendant; Apprentice Mage.
Damn.
Now that he stopped to look at them, all of his stats were too high for a Mage. Given that the average human being started out with a value of 10 in every stat, he could only be described as freakishly superhuman. Intelligence and Wisdom were his highest stats, as expected, with Dexterity coming next since he had dumped Free Points into it in order to face the Mushroom Warriors. His Endurance and Constitution were considerable nonetheless and had helped him withstand the blows he’d taken in this last battle. The only stat he didn’t have much use for was Strength, but he didn’t let himself stop thinking about it. There must be a way he could use it. A question popped up in his mind.
Why am I struggling against enemies that aren’t at a much higher Level?
As a Young Draconic Human, all of his stats could be considered to be overpowering, especially Intelligence and Wisdom. Michael analyzed his battles so far since his awakening.
No, that isn’t an accurate judgement.
He had been injured, but that was mostly due to his carelessness. His Shield, a basic Skill, still managed to hold fast against the attacks of higher-Leveled creatures, while his attack Skills hadn’t failed him yet. In terms of power alone, he was above every enemy he had met so far, including the ones in this Dungeon.
What I lack is experience.
Since he was unable to use two Skills at the same time, he needed to fluidly transition between attack and defense. However, he had been nothing but an ordinary student before the System’s descent. It was only natural for him not to know how to fight properly. His awakening had also empowered him too much, too quickly. He wasn’t familiar with the limits of his current prowess. Michael clenched his fists. With a deep breath, he looked at the newest, most important part of his Status Window. He focused on it, bringing up its information.
[Heritage
Blessing of Light: the sacred touch of a Light Dragon, brought to life in the shape of an incorruptible blessing. Passed down as a Heritage through the Dragons’ sacred system of power. Only a combination of Heritage and Dragon Words can make a Blessing possible.
Effects: allows one to wield the power of draconic Light Magic.]
He furrowed his brow. The window did nothing to explain what exactly a Heritage was, apart from mentioning that it was a system of power. The blessing’s effects were also unclear. Did that mean he could use draconic magic at will? Or that he was only capable of learning how to do it? He felt no different, so it was probably the latter. How was he supposed to learn when there was no one who could teach it to him? He hadn’t met any Dragons. He sighed. The blessing might end up not being useful, after all.
At that moment, a thought struck him like a lightning bolt, making him almost curse at his own stupidity. Someone had blessed him. The System itself stated that the blessing could happen through Heritage and Dragon Words, both of which belonged solely to the Dragons. It meant that a Dragon knew of his existence and had blessed him. This realization made Michael immediately comb through his memories, trying to identify anyone who might even resemble a Light Dragon in disguise. Of course, since he had no idea how such a being would look, his search was fruitless. He clenched his fist.
I’m not alone.
So far, there hadn’t been even a drop of information regarding Dragons or Draconic Humans in the Tutorial, but it was now clear that he wasn’t on his own. Something was watching over him. It was highly invigorating. The mysterious Dragon had seen enough promise in Michael to bless him. He smiled in glee.
He turned his attention back to his Status Window.
Should I spend my Free Points?
He had far too many of them not to, thanks to his racial bonuses. He could significantly increase any stat of his choosing. He scratched his chin.
Let’s think.
He took Intelligence and Wisdom off the list. Both stats were already far higher than the others. Even using up all of his Free Points on them wouldn’t likely make much of a difference at this stage. Michael suspected that his defensive power and offensive prowess were now more limited by his own proficiency and the low Ranks of his Skills than by his stats. If anything, he still had high enough Intelligence to make a simple Mana Sphere crush the bodies of the Mushroom Warriors, who were all higher-leveled. Until now, none of them had been able to even block the Skill. On the other hand, his Mana Shield was comparatively weaker, but that was because he hadn’t been paying much attention to it after managing to increase its area of effect. Overall, it was still surprising that it could withstand the blows of melee-focused, higher-level enemies.
That left him with four other stats to consider. Endurance was the next to be discarded. So far, he had never run into stamina problems. Spellcasting and moving weren’t an issue. The stat had grown by itself because of his Race, and he saw no real need to increase it at the moment. The other three stats, however, were more important. Dexterity had been what allowed him to survive his first fight against the Mushrooms, while Constitution was responsible for healing him and helping him recover, as well as withstanding attacks.
If my conjecture is right, they’re all linked. Strength supports Dexterity, while Constitution helps with both.
The stats had never been clearly explained by the System. It was up to the contestant to figure it out. Strength should relate to the power of his muscles, which naturally affected his speed. Dexterity referred to his agility, balance, and quickness. Constitution was the axis holding everything together. A strong body supported his muscles, which helped with explosive movements and consistent ones. The three stats were all connected to one another.
I broke the balance by increasing Dexterity by too much.
It had been necessary to survive, so Michael didn’t regret it. But, in the past battle, he had felt the strain. His lower body had cried out in pain, and he had felt as if there was something holding him back. He couldn’t move entirely as he wanted to, nor as quickly as he felt he could. Dexterity had surpassed Strength by too much. His body couldn’t bear the burden of what he was trying to do.
A decision was reached.
System. Fifteen points into Strength and fifteen into Constitution.
The System resounded with a small “Ding!”
As he was about to close the windows, he checked out the last one remaining. It was also golden in color.
[You have acquired a new Title.]
[Title
Draconic Blessing: very few throughout the entirety of history managed to become friends with the Dragons. Even fewer received their Blessings. You are one of the chosen. May your heart never waver.
Effects: +20% Intelligence, +10% all other stats.
*This Title’s effects may change over time.]
Michael thought his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. What the hell was up with this insane boost? He stared at the System window in utter disbelief before laughing out loud. It seemed like there were no brakes on this train. He needed to keep growing more powerful. It was not only what he wanted, but what grander forces in the universe were actively encouraging him to do. He eagerly desired to meet the Dragon who had blessed him. They couldn’t be too far away if they knew of his existence.
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to use this blessing well.”
He spoke out loud to nobody in particular, hoping that his words could somehow reach their intended destination. Lastly, he looked at the one Title that had changed since he last opened his Status Window.
[Apprentice Mage: you have learned more about magic and its wonders. Automatically awarded to all Mages who reach Level 15.
Effects: +10 Intelligence, +5 Wisdom.]
The effects were much less dramatic than that of the other ones. He gave it a nod. It was the last bastion of normalcy within him. The one bonus that an ordinary Mage should have, without the other nonsensical increases. It was also indicative of what values affected an ordinary Level 15 Mage. As Mages got three Intelligence per Level – apart from the other stats and Free Stat Points – even at Level 15, ten Intelligence was a significant boost.
Michael furrowed his brow as his thoughts got to this point. Given how much higher his Intelligence was and that he’d already formed a Circle, shouldn’t he be much more powerful than he was now? Even if limited by his Skill’s Ranks and his own lacking proficiency, his ordinary Mana Waves should still be capable of tearing the Mushrooms apart.
I’m missing something.
Either way, it was something to talk about with Tairy once he got out. Determined, he continued on his way through the Dungeon. There were a few more fights in his way, but nothing he couldn’t handle. His increase in Strength and Constitution helped him make full use of his Dexterity, which combined with his willingness to stop casting Skills to avoid an attack, made it so that he was rarely injured. Whatever injuries he did have were healed in moments with Minor Heal.
Slowly, he was learning how to fight. It wasn’t a matter of just seeing who had the higher stats or the better Skills. Decision-making and battle sense were crucial. When to advance and when to retreat, when to cast a more powerful Skill or go for a quicker one. Michael learned all of this as he fought the endless hordes of Mushroom Warriors and Casters.
At last, he stood before a huge, wooden door. His game knowledge was tingling.
It’s time for the Boss.