Forged By The Apocalypse - A LitRPG With Draconic Potential

Despite the danger and my newly enhanced mind, I was still slack-jawed at the sight in front of me. My chest felt like I’d been hit by a cannonball, and breathing was difficult. My recent experiences controlling pain came in useful as I forced myself to take deep breaths past my cracked lungs.

Concentrating on the flow of my mana helped.There was a whole new layer to my form which I could both feel and sense, existing as a perfect copy of my physical form. Tracing this layer was a river of power which I could now control. I would need to, as true danger was staring me down.

It was hard to breathe, not just from the hit I had taken, but from the sight in front of me. Two stocky legs fed into a shell, around five feet across as the ‘chest’ area. A pair of strangely proportioned arms, almost like frogs legs, held a long stick forward like a staff. A squat, round head with a lipless, beakish mouth sat atop this gruesome mockery of a childhood staple. Two double-ringed eyes of yellow and red around large black irises bore into me.

Over its head was a pair of underwear which came down to just over its mouth.

Like a quickdraw moment in a samurai movie, we were both as still as ice. The moment a single muscle twitched on either of us, the spell would break and a life-or-death battle would ensue. I didn’t need 50 points in Mental to tell me that. What I did need it for was the burst of inspiration I was flooded with. Instead of falling into shock, my mind was racing with ideas. I sent a wisp of mana to my eyes and locked it there, away from the flow.

Monster - Adolescent Amphibious Attack Animal (Level 12)

“Oh that’s just fu-” I couldn’t help reacting to the name I saw float above the creature’s head. The whole situation was completely absurd and just the changes to my own physicality was taking some getting used to. Having a knock-off ninja turtle bearing down on me was almost too much.

Almost.

I was level 18. Six levels higher than this mutant. Even if it was terrifying and stank of frogspawn, it was supposedly weaker than me. The turtle monster was clearly focused on Speed or Fortitude, which was intimidating but so what? With my physical attributes, going blow for blow wasn’t going to work but I had never planned on that anyway.

Bounding forward, the monster growled something before I could see it gathered strength in its legs. The turtle was nearly on me, so I feinted left. The mud underneath my feet betrayed me, but the turtle was fooled all the same. I didn’t get the distance I wanted and shards of glass peppered me but I ignored the shrapnel and scrambled away. I needed to maintain some distance while I figured something out.

The amphibious attack animal was already clambering out, but it hissed as its feet and hands were sliced by the broken glass. “Good, you fucker.” My banter needed work, Peter Parker I was not. Its horrible eyes were full of rage as it threw itself clear of the café. The blood from people inside was dripping from it, staining the white underwear on its head. “Come on, then.”

This was dangerous, for sure, but it was also a very valuable opportunity. I could feel the mana in my eyes fade, giving me a sense of how long the infusion would last. I realised how I could use this situation to my advantage. With no other enemies around and an incredibly simple attack pattern before me, I could use this creature as exercise equipment.

How much of my mana pool did it cost to chop down the tree? I hadn’t paid attention but as the slimy green staff-wielder came in close, I sent a similar amount to both hands. As the staff came down on my head, I brought my arms up to block. Like it had hit an airbag, the turtle was thrown back. At the same time, I suddenly felt like I’d run a 100m sprint.

“Okay, I think I’m starting to get it.” My arms stung a little, but that attack could have cracked concrete. A little numbness was an incredible result. I snorted as I saw the turtle sprawled on its back, struggling to get up. The evolution of such a creature didn’t make a lick of sense. Whatever maniacal mind had created this thing hadn’t designed it for actual existence. Had the System created them as a joke?

With a scooping kick, I pushed the nasty thing onto its front. It scrambled to its feet, using the stick to help before looking at me warily. I felt a little like a bully, but I reminded myself that the mutated creature had attacked me first. I didn’t have the luxury of kindness here, I needed to defeat three bosses before I could leave the dungeon. While I didn’t know the limits of the place, the claustrophobia was still pressing onto me all the same.

“Come on,” I taunted, curling my fingers into my palm twice, “I’m not done with you yet.” The knock-off seemed to understand it was being made fun of, at least, as it roared and came for the next round. I took a deep breath, specifically noting how my ribs felt better.

God, magic is cool. Time to practise.

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One thing about the regenerative effect of magic was that you needed to have mana left to make use of it. Only once the flow was completely returned, my mana refilled, did I start to heal from the battle. I looked to my right and spat a mouthful of blood onto my fallen enemy.

In total, the fight had probably only lasted five minutes, but I was exhausted down to my very soul. The bastard had gotten more than a few good hits in and each of them was like being punched with a cinder block or hit with a steel pole. The battle had not been enough to give me another level, but that made sense considering I was six levels clear to start with.

My issue had been the life of comfort lived up until this point. When I had struck the turtle myself, I lacked the experience needed to make the hits do damage. Able to avoid most of the damage and recover, I had lacked the ability to finish the fight cleanly. Which is why I was currently covered in muck and drained to within an inch of my life.

Mana Control could be used to create a few effects. The analysis ability I had used in my eyes was one, and the infusion of strength to a limb was another. Like my eyes, I was able to leave a portion of my total mana in my arms or legs to create a burst of power. Over the fight, I became more and more able to reliably move the front of my flowing mana to where I needed it.

The result was basically controlling two bodies at once. As I moved my arm to block, my mana followed and reinforced the bones and muscle. A quick cycle sent the remaining mana to my other fist, already in motion. The turtle went flying as the punch caught its shell. My right hand was ruined because my mana hadn’t moved quick enough.

That was the epiphany moment. Pain, danger and a surprising amount of excitement all mixed into one inexorable driving force. Every fibre of my being was focused on one result. Survival. I knew what I had done wrong, and knowing it was a mistake meant there was a more correct way.

The mana wasn’t quick enough? No, that wasn’t it. I wasn’t quick enough. Did I need to make the mana flow from one area to the other? That was just mana use, right? My skill wasn’t Mana Use, though. I was supposed to control it. Suddenly, all the inefficiencies of my actions to now were highlighted in the clearest light.

The turtle had recovered, replacing the sodden underwear which had fallen from its face. It looked at me like I was a dead man walking. I was almost offended until the fist I tried to clench exploded with agony. Oh yeah. Fair enough then, I conceded mentally. One hand down, I definitely seemed like an easy target.

It couldn’t know I had just transformed.

Despite the damage, I gritted my teeth and replicated my taunt from earlier. Two of the fingers didn’t move, which actually made the gesture even more perfect. I thought the one with the stick was smart? The provocation worked yet again. The next few steps were choreographed by me, the amphibian an unwilling participant.

First, give the enemy a target. When it swings and misses my hand, grab the staff. A burst of mana into my working hand and one in my knee. The staff stayed, while the turtle flew into the air from a devastating knee. I felt the bone creak, my control still not perfect, but the shell also buckled. Before it could land, I positioned myself for the kill.

Stick in hand, I ignited the mana in my arm and brought it down on the falling shell. The ground all around buckled as the durability of the turtle fought against the strength of my blow. The sturdy staff was inexorable, falling more like a meat cleaver than a tree branch. Whatever the creature’s durability, it was useless in the face of the meteoric impact.

I fell to the wet floor next to my slain enemy. This was where I made the connection between my spent mana and my recovery. It took around two minutes for my mana to fully return, which it did so despite the state of my body. From there, I felt the mana start seeping into the different injuries on my body.

So there I was, five minutes after killing the ninja turtle knock-off, a slight drizzle keeping cooling me down. I turned, I spat, and my eyes widened in surprise as words floated into view above the dead monster.

Would you like to loot DaGuerre?

“That thing had a name? Oh god, isn’t DaGuerre a photographer? Someone should try to hit the System with copyright infringement.” I doubted that was going to happen, but who knew what the lawyers of the world were up to? Probably trying their best to argue the monsters away. I chuckled at my dumb joke and accepted the prompt.

Looted: Pepperoni Calzone, White Belt (Upgradeable)

A few moments later, I was holding a steaming hot cheesy turnover. Perhaps I really was in shock because I couldn’t help myself from taking a bite. The next thing I knew, I was licking my fingers. “Holy… that was the best thing I’ve ever eaten.” Perfectly spiced, perfectly cooked, the impossibility of the calzone’s existence was completely overshadowed by its immaculate preparation. It was so good, I almost forgot about the other reward.

Item - White Belt (Upgradeable)

The first step on the journey to martial mastery.

Defeat the remaining Amphibious Attack Animals to upgrade.

Effect: Attributes +2.5%

That’s both ominous and awesome. I slipped the belt around my waist and could immediately feel the effect. “This is a crazy item…” I murmured, rubbing my thumb on the soft fabric. It really was just like a beginner’s karate belt. Simply wearing this was going to give me even more power? And it could get stronger…

My left hand was still messed up, but I could feel an itchy burn there which told me it was healing. I could already move all of the fingers now, when I couldn’t before. Hopefully it wouldn’t heal in a strange way, but there wasn’t much I could do about it right now. If I was going to go turtle hunting, I couldn’t just use my fists. I lifted the stick from out of the dead carcass, sending some mana into my eyes which in turn would let me analyse the weapon. Unsurprisingly, it was more than a simple stick.

Item - Yo Staff (Rare)

Once wielded by a gregarious monkey prince, this is a lesser version of a much more storied weapon.

Effect: Infusing the Yo Staff with mana increases its weight exponentially

“Oh yeah,” I stretched my legs and back. From bruised and battered to pretty much fully healed in fifteen minutes? I reconfirmed my love of magic. The world might be insane, and it would probably kill me, but I had never felt so alive. I gave Clive’s one last, mournful look before making for the treeline. I would honour those people by surviving as well as I could.

“Time to hunt some turtles.”