NOVEL WEB Chapter 21: Level Up
For the next few weeks, Jacob focused on entirely training. Rowan kept teaching him sword fighting, he was still an amateur though he got the basics pretty much down. He also did regular exercises and workouts. When he finished training physically, he focused on his mana. Figuring out how to concentrate his mana into individual parts of his body and reinforcing those parts.
He wanted to ask someone from the group to help him out, but learned from Aphrodite and Ares that demons and humans had different ways of gaining mana. For humans, they could just simply absorb the mana floating through the sky, but for demons, mana inherently rejected their tough bodies. In exchange for a much slower absorption rate, the mana would be a lot denser and stronger than the mana humans absorbed. Pretty much, the mana is more effective but stuff like reinforcing and casting skills would be a lot slower. Exchanging strength for attack speed.
Regardless, Jacob could feel himself getting stronger, he was close to advancing.
He also became the personal chef of the gang. Making breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Occasionally, Mary or someone else would stop by to help or talk to him. His life fell into a mundane, but fulfilling routine.
Then, one morning, his body finally broke.
Jacob collapsed mid-training. A sharp burn ignited in his core, spreading like wildfire through his veins.
Shit. This is it. I'm awakening.
His whole body convulsed, like his flesh was being torn apart and stitched back together over and over again. Rowan and Emma stood nearby, their eyes serious but calm. They didn't move to help him. They couldn't. This was his battle.
Jacob's nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. He ground his teeth, fighting the urge to scream. I can do this. I can push through. His muscles trembled, locked in place. Mana surged wildly inside him, tearing him apart from the inside like it was testing him.
His thoughts splintered. His vision warped, pulsing with white-hot flashes. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, ragged and uneven.
The pain dragged on. Minutes? Hours? It felt endless. And then—
It was gone.
The fire in his veins died out, leaving his body trembling, drenched in sweat. His vision blurred, his breath ragged. But he could feel it.
I got stronger.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Screen
Jacob Lee
Mana: 100/100
HP: 200/200
Strength: F
Agility: F
Stamina: F
Charm: A
Mana Capacity: F
Dexterity: F
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holy shit! A full two sub-ranks up! No wonder it hurt so much, but no pain no gain.
"Jacob! You did it!" Emma leaped towards him, embracing Jacob into a tight hug. Rowan smiled and praised him.
"I could tell; you've got a lot stronger. What rank are you now?" He questions.
Jacob couldn't hold back his smile. "F rank."
"Great progress. Two sub-ranks in only a few weeks? You got talent, that's for sure. Keep up the good work. Once you get to E-rank you can start helping us out on dungeons."
"You evolved from weakling to below average! Congrats my guy." Emma teases, but she was genuinely happy for him.
The trio went up the stairs to meet up with the rest. Marinette, Dylan, and Elaina were currently in the center, relaxing on the couch. Mary and Dylan were discussing something while Elaina was listening intently.
"Yo guys! I got great news" Jacob jogs towards them, wagging his imaginary tail.
"What's up?" Marinette looks at him.
"I ranked up! Introducing F rank Jacob!"
I expected you to take months to get there," Marinette admitted. "That's faster than I thought. Good work."
Without missing a beat, she added, "Rowan, Emma, you'll take Jacob and Elaina on the next dungeon run. Dylan and I will hold down the bar."
"Which dungeon?" Emma asked, already hyped.
"A metal-coated serpent spawned in a mountain dungeon near Lorant. Should take about thirty minutes by horse." Marinette passed Emma a rough, hand-drawn map.
Elaina stood up and turned to Jacob. "Jacob, come with me. I've been working on your axe. I added some new things."
Jacob's interest sparked immediately. "New things? What kind of things?"
Elaina smirked. "Come see for yourself."
They walked together toward the lab. Jacob's steps were lighter now, his body sore but stronger.
Elaina opened the door and beckoned Jacob over.
"Here ya go." She calmly passed axe to him; it clearly looked different.
The surface shimmered with a faint green glow, its texture still slick and fluid, but there was something else. Embedded along the shaft were tiny channels, almost like veins, pulsing softly.
"Ta-da," Elaina said proudly, holding it out. "It's still your slime axe, but I modified it to be more adaptable. See these channels? They're mana conductors."
Jacob blinked. "Mana conductors?"
"Yeah. When you pour your mana into the axe, the slime's viscosity changes depending on how much you give it. You can make it harder, sharper, or keep it in that semi-liquid state to create binding attacks. Oh, and I added a small pressure node right here." She pointed to a faint indentation near the grip. "Add mana to it and you'll be able to slash out long ranged acid attacks."
"You're a genius."
"I am but Dylan helped me out a bunch too, the pressure node was his idea."
"Dylan? I'll thank him later." Dylan? Jacob was super surprised; he still thought that Dylan hated his guts. Maybe he gained his respect somehow.
He spun the axe, grinning. "Thanks, Elaina. Seriously."
"Don't sweat it, just make sure to carry your weight. You're our valuable cook, can't lose you yet."
"Aww, how sweet–wait, what do you mean yet?!"
"Don't worry about it." Elaina walks away.
Jacob shakes his head, laughing loudly while chasing after her.