Unranked ascension a lit.., p.26
Unranked Ascension: A LitRPG Adventure, page 26
Roland listened to Tiber’s recounting of Julie’s fate, shaking his head as he saw the stress on Tiber’s face.
“You can’t keep blaming yourself. Now that we know she’s really gone, we can focus on the people who are still with us. Julie would want that.”
Tiber cleared his throat and nodded at Roland’s words before walking over to his sleeping bag.
““Let’s get some sleep. Half the night is already gone. Lucius, you can have the last watch. I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”
Lucius tucked Maryanne and Whisper into the bed in the spare room before sleep dragged in. It seemed like no time at all had passed when he was awoken by a tap on his shoulder. Lucius opened his eyes to see Tiber standing over him, speaking quietly so as not to wake everyone else.
“Wake up, kid, it’s your shift. There’s only two hours left until morning. Just keep an eye out for Abyss creatures and wake us up if something comes along that you can’t handle.”
Lucius rubbed his eyes and nodded groggily, reaching over to wake up Whisper before he left.
“Whisper, wake up. I’m going on guard duty. Keep watch over Maryanne while I’m gone.”
The purple bat fluttered up to the headboard above Maryanne, waving to Lucius as the young man stepped out of the cabin. The air was dark and cold, especially when the wind blew, but the stars, moon, and the magical glow of his ring provided enough light that he could make out his surroundings. After a few minutes of adjustment, he was able to see quite well.
Lucius strolled around the cabin, casually scanning the dark forest while staying alert for any signals from Sense Danger. With a few hours to kill, he decided it was a good time to test out his new talent. Drawing Matriarch’s Fury from his ring, he approached a nearby tree. First, he wanted to measure his speed without the talent’s assistance. Tossing a stone into the air, he swung his sword at the decaying bark as many times as he could before the stone hit the ground.
The starlight glinted off the sharp blade as it sliced back and forth rapidly. The young man’s arm became a blur of motion as he unleashed his full speed with each attack, though he chose to keep his strikes light to avoid destroying the tree and losing his training target. As the stone hit the floor he stopped and looked up to see that the bark contained eleven fresh slices across its front.
“Not bad.”
Lucius circled to the back of the tree, raising his sword into a ready stance as he tossed the stone into the air and activated Flicker for the first time. Instantly, the forest around him seemed to distort—the chirping of insects stretched into long, drawn-out notes, as if time itself had slowed. Overhead, the stone drifted lazily through the air, moving with surreal slowness.
Lucius burst forward in a blur of motion, astonished by the sheer speed of his own body as he struck the tree with rapid, relentless blows. When the sounds of the forest snapped back to normal and Flicker faded, the bark was covered in so many overlapping cuts he couldn’t begin to count them. As he turned away, he suddenly noticed the stone was still falling. Eyes widening, he reached out and caught it with his free hand.
“Incredible…” he muttered. The next moment, Lucius felt a welling up of fatigue spreading through his body. It wasn’t enough to really slow him down, but it certainly was not pleasant.
Looks like Flicker uses stamina to power itself... he thought.
Lucius paid careful attention to how he felt after trying Flicker out for the first time, trying to gauge how many times he could use the ability before growing too exhausted.
“Hmm, my limit is probably less than ten uses right now, maybe even five.”
Lucius spent the next two hours practicing with his sword. He used his enhanced creativity to visualize different creatures and imagine how they might attack him, practicing counterattacks as best he could. He also practiced different swings, cutting through the air from different angles while jumping or diving. Finally, he practiced his aim while using Piercing Throw. He got so lost in his practice that before he knew it, the sun was rising and the forest around him was illuminated by the light of dawn.
Through effort, you have raised Sword Fighter to level 5.
Chapter 57
Classes
As sunlight flooded the clearing around the cabin and the temperature rose, Lucius glanced toward the building, leaning Matriarch’s Fury on his shoulder.
“Wonder if anyone’s up yet,” he muttered.
His eyebrows rose as he received an unexpected response.
“No, Father, the humans are still asleep.”
“Wait... You can hear me from in there?” Lucius asked Whisper incredulously.
“I am not hearing your words—more like your intention. It is difficult to explain. I suppose it is easier to just assume that, yes, I can hear you.”
“Huh... That’s useful. Let me know when the others wake up then.”
“Yes, Father.”
Lucius turned away from the cabin and gazed into the woods. It looked like the creatures of the forest woke up earlier than the humans. Something odd was going on with Sense Danger. The skill had been growing increasingly useful the more he used it. Originally, it had simply flooded him with fear whenever anything dangerous was nearby, but it was now capable of distinguishing between different threats.
One such threat was slowly approaching the area around the cabin from deep in the forest, and for the first time, Lucius could almost precisely gauge the strength of the threat. The skill seemed to have suddenly broken through a bottleneck he did not know existed.
Through effort, you have raised Sense Danger to level 6.
Congratulations! System integration unlocked!
Would you like the system to integrate this skill, and display the information gleaned from Sense Danger?
Lucius could feel that whatever was coming was much weaker than himself, and it was still far enough away for him to comfortably focus on the system’s message. The system was offering to display with words the information his skill collected, he decided that might be a useful thing.
“Sure, integrate the skill.”
Integrating...
Sense Danger has detected an F-Class threat!
“F-Class? What does that mean?”
Class refers to the strength classification of a particular being. Classes are determined using each being’s single highest attribute.
“That sounds interesting! Can you tell me what the classes are?”
F-Class refers to beings whose highest attribute falls within the 0 to 39 range. D-Class includes attributes between 40 and 99, C-Class covers 100 to 249, B-Class ranges from 250 to 999, and finally, A-Class—or the Demigod realm—applies to any being with an attribute greater than 1,000.
Lucius read through the information, doing his best to commit it to memory. As his gaze reached the end of the list, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath through his teeth.
“Damn... The highest class has 1,000 points in a single attribute? That feels impossible.”
He rubbed the back of his head for a moment, wondering how high Twixy or her master’s attributes might be, before focusing his attention back on the approaching threat. It wasn’t far away now.
“So, whatever’s coming is F-Class. I just reached D-Class, so that means I outclass them by a grade. I should be able to handle this by myself without waking the others.”
Lucius concentrated, determining the approximate location of the threat. As it drew closer, he realized it wasn’t a single creature—there were multiple.
“Hmm, feels like three separate creatures. They’re moving through the trees. Wait... I know this feeling.”
Lucius dashed forward, slamming his right foot against the ground to propel himself into the air toward the forest canopy. Grabbing the lowest branch with his left hand, he swung himself up and planted his feet on a thick limb, scanning in the direction Sense Danger had indicated.
“Sure enough, I’ve fought these before,” he muttered. “It shouldn’t be too difficult to dispatch them.”
Twenty yards away, a creature swung into view through the trees. It was an apelike being, slightly smaller than a full-grown man. Its body was covered in yellow fur stretched over rippling muscles, and its eyes glowed with an eerie blue light.
It was another pack of the apes he’d faced during his first scouting mission after leaving the farm, or maybe it was the same pack. He couldn’t be sure. These creatures had a strange ability to see through Guise of the Thief, likely tied to their glowing eyes. The apes weren’t heading directly for the cabin. It looked like they were going to pass it by. If he stayed where he was and did nothing, he would probably be able to avoid the fight.
A wide grin spread across Lucius’ face as he dashed into the woods, heading straight for the creatures.
“Let’s test my growth!”
He moved through the trees at a speed he would have once thought impossible, never slowing as he kicked hard off one branch after another, his body almost horizontal as he flew through the air. Breaking past the 40-point mark in Dexterity had caused a fundamental shift in his speed and maneuverability. That was probably why it was the dividing line between F-Class and D-Class.
The apes let out startled screeches as they saw Lucius’ rapid approach, quickly scattering as they searched the forest floor for their weapon of choice. Even as the apes rounded on him with stones in their hands, Lucius did not slow down, choosing the closest ape as his target. Increasing his speed with a burst of effort as the force of his step destroyed the limb he had just kicked off.
Three large rocks blasted through the air toward him. Lucius had to give the apes credit—they possessed incredible accuracy, predicting his trajectory and sending the rocks straight at him even as he rushed through the trees, presenting a moving target.
Lucius focused his mind, reaching out toward the projectiles with the newly enhanced telekinesis granted by the Signet of the Commander. Two of the stones vanished instantly as he diverted them into his storage ring. Narrowing his focus to the last one, he pushed against it with his mind, slowing it until it hovered mere inches from his body. It floated after him like a tiny moon orbiting a planet as he moved through the trees. Grinning, Lucius pumped his fist in triumph.
Before, the most he could have managed was pulling a single stone into his storage ring. Grabbing two mid-air while halting the third with his mind would have been impossible. When the apes realized their attack had failed completely, they let out fearful howls and scattered in all directions, scrambling to escape.
Lucius tried to hurl the stone at one of the fleeing apes using his telekinesis, but his moderate skill level wasn’t strong enough yet to cause real damage. The stone bounced harmlessly off the creature’s back. Still, it wasn’t a wasted effort. Mistaking the projectile for Lucius himself, the ape spun around defensively—giving him the perfect opening to catch it.
The ape swung its long arms at the young man as he approached, but Lucius’ body suddenly blurred, darting past the creature with incredible speed. The ape furrowed its brows in confusion, trying to turn its head to track its enemy—only to realize it couldn’t move its neck.
You have slain Magna Simia level 12.
Lucius glanced back just in time to see a spray of blood as the ape’s head toppled from its shoulders, tumbling toward the leafy forest floor. He shifted his focus to the remaining creatures, a wave of exhaustion washing over him after using Flicker to swiftly kill the first ape and close the distance on the next before the effect wore off.
The second ape had just landed on the ground to rearm itself when Lucius got close enough to use Piercing Throw. He reached back, flinging his sword forward with all his might and boosting its velocity even more by pushing on it with telekinesis after it left his hand. The weapon tore through the air faster than ever before, appearing more like an actual arrow than a sword.
You have slain Magna Simia level 14.
The ape had turned at the last moment to face him, just in time to narrowly avoid Matriarch’s Fury. But Lucius deftly adjusted the weapon’s trajectory with telekinesis, driving it through the creature’s skull. The ape stood motionless for a moment as it stared back at Lucius, the sword protruding from its head like some gimmicky Halloween costume. Even Lucius was surprised at how easily the weapon had pierced the creature’s tough skull, and he stared back at the doomed ape with wide eyes until it finally collapsed.
“Holy crap…” Lucius came to a stop, taking a few heavy breaths and wiping the sweat from his forehead. He retrieved his sword and stored the slain creature’s body in his ring. The third ape was already a few hundred meters away, so he decided to let it escape rather than risk leaving the cabin unprotected while everyone slept.
On his way back, he casually collected the beheaded ape’s body. When he returned to the forest clearing where the cabin stood, the message he was waiting for finally reached him.
“Father, the others have awoken!”
Chapter 58
Return
Now that the others were waking up, Lucius headed inside. Maryanne was the only one still asleep, so he told Whisper to wake her while Roland worked on breakfast for everyone. Garrick didn’t say a word, although he looked like he had calmed down over the course of the night. He simply took his breakfast to go as he headed outside.
Maryanne got up, her blankets still wrapped around her as she emerged from the spare room slowly rubbing her eyes. The child looked better than she had since Lucius first found her. Roland’s cooking talent had gone a long way in alleviating the lingering effects of her injuries and malnourishment. Once Roland finished the rest of their meals, he placed the food in front of them and Tiber began discussing their plans.
“Once we finish eating, we should get moving,” The stern soldier suggested. “The sooner we take a look at these farmhouses of yours, the sooner we can report back. With every day that goes by, we lose more people to the goblin raiders.”
Lucius nodded along as Tiber spoke. Afterward, the group hastily finished their food and packed up their things. When it was time to go, Maryanne wanted to walk on her own, but they needed to move quickly and there was no way the child could keep up.
“Just ride in the bag one last time, alright? We don’t have much further to go,” Lucius tried to persuade her. Maryanne scrunched up her nose before making a counteroffer of her own.
“It hurts my legs to stay like that for a long time. I can hold on tight like this!”
The young girl motioned for Lucius to bend down before climbing onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and wrapping her arms around his neck. Lucius stood up slowly and rocked from side to side a few times to check how sturdy her grip was. Maryanne grinned broadly when Lucius agreed to piggyback her. Whisper disappeared into the storage space of the new ring as Lucius made his way toward the exit, following the soldiers who had just stepped out of the cabin.
The bat happily fluttered around the enlarged space, using his shadows to reorganize all the items Lucius had clumsily piled inside the night before.
“There’s so much room!” he exclaimed joyously.
The new space was double the size it had been previously, and it hadn’t been small before the upgrade. Now it was roughly half the size of a basketball court. Lucius wouldn’t be able to fill it up anytime soon. When Whisper found the corpses, he turned to Lucius with an eager look on his face. As soon as Lucius gave him permission, a cocoon of shadows encircled the two corpses. Checking his status as the warm energy flooded his body, Lucius saw that he’d gained one point to Vitality from each corpse Whisper devoured, bringing his total to twenty-three.
Garrick, Roland, and Tiber stood just outside the door, carrying their heavy rucksacks as they waited for Lucius. When he walked out of the cabin, Tiber glanced at him, motioning toward the road with his arm as he spoke.
“Lead the way, kid.”
Lucius took a moment to ensure that he knew the route before setting off down the driveway at a casual run. He would have gone much faster if he had been alone, but he set a pace he thought the three soldiers could follow as he wasn’t sure how much stamina they possessed.
The sun had been up long enough to warm the air, and the clear blue sky stretched as far as they could see over the canopy of trees. It was a good day to travel. After a few minutes of running, Lucius realized he had underestimated the soldiers. They urged him to move faster twice before finally being satisfied with the pace. Now the group was moving at quite the speed, with Maryanne tucking her face into Lucius’ neck to shield herself from the wind generated by their rapid movement.
The group made excellent time, and with Lucius’ ability to steer them around most threats, they avoided being delayed by any fights. Before the sun had reached its peak in the sky, Lucius spotted the tiny farmhouse in the distance. The place had already changed significantly in the few days he’d been away. The nearby field was full of thriving greenery, strange pig-like creatures grazed in the pasture, and several carcasses had been skinned and hung up to allow the blood to drain. Their furry pelts were laid out nearby to dry in the sun. Someone had also begun constructing a rudimentary defensive wall that rose six feet off the ground, made of sharpened logs half-buried in the earth and tied tightly together. Though only a small portion of the wall was completed, Lucius thought it would greatly enhance the farm’s defenses when it was finished.
What the soldiers noticed first, however, were the patrolling guards riding on the backs of large spiders, carrying matching shields and spears. From this distance, only the spiders were clearly visible, while the details of their riders remained indistinct. Tiber dropped to one knee, pulling his sword from his storage ring, a horrified expression spreading across his face as he shouted to Lucius.
“Goblins! Get down! They’ll see you!”
Lucius turned around, furrowing his brows at Tiber’s reaction, before realizing the misunderstanding. He couldn’t suppress a chuckle as he watched the serious man react with such alarm. Nonetheless, he cleared up the confusion, waving to get the guards’ attention.
