Chương 49: Real Mage

Excitedly, I sit up against the wall and press the word evolution. Options spread themselves for me to see. [Burst Heal Companion] [Through the tamer's bond, transform the tamer's mana into health and gather it to be received by a tamed being in a large burst. Distance and burst quantity scale with wisdom. Efficiency scales with intelligence. Efficiency, distance, and burst quantity scale with skill level and Unity.] Oh! This one's cool!

Looks like it's meant to be used in combat or something, sending it all at once instead of having to stop and concentrate. I could also see it surprising an enemy by growing back a ton of flesh during a fight, just when they think they've won. Might take it, depending on how good the other options are. [Efficient Heal Companion] [Through the tamer's bond, efficiently transform the tamer's mana into health to be received by a tamed being. Distance and speed scale with wisdom. Efficiency scales with intelligence. Efficiency, distance, and speed scale with skill level and Unity.] Never mind, it's going to be this one. Only a single word has changed from the original skill, but it's a big one. Efficiency has been the largest limiting factor when it comes to healing so far. Even more so now that my health is double that of my mana. With the conversion rate of mana to health of about four to one, it takes about eight or nine full passes of my entire mana bar to heal everything. That's too much.

And also the only reason I haven't used my earring yet, which I really need to. [Heal] [Transform the user's mana into health to be received by a living being, transferred by touch. Speed scales with wisdom. Efficiency scales with intelligence. Efficiency and speed scale with skill level.] Oh? I didn't think this kind of thing was possible. Instead of an upgrade, it turned into something a cleric would have. Is the efficiency the same as heal tame? Would it go back to level zero if I took it? Most likely.

I worked pretty hard to get it as far as it is. But the ability to heal others would make me a massive boon to wherever I go, especially given that the next phase is the party phase. I stroke my chin as I stare off into space. Wouldn't my party have a healer in it, anyway? Hard to tell. I'm not even sure how many people will be in the party. Three? Seven? Even if it's seven, it's unlikely for one in every seven people to be a healer. Some people are going to have to make do without one.

Selfishness battles with altruism as I stare at the text on the screen. [Superior Heal Companion] [Through the tamer's bond, transform the tamer's mana into health to be received by a tamed being. Increased quality allows healing for older wounds and complicated injuries in exchange for lower efficiency. Distance and speed scale with wisdom. Efficiency scales with intelligence. Efficiency, distance, and speed scale with skill level and Unity.] My fingers brush against the scar where my right eye should be.

The divots of scars from past battles also resurface in my mind. It says complicated injuries, but doesn't mention lost body parts. I may have to upgrade it another time before it's able to heal my eye. Plus, the mention of lower efficiency bugs me a bit. Chewing my lip, I decide to look at the last option. [Revitalize Companion] [Through the tamer's bond, transform the tamer's mana into health and stamina to be received by a tamed being. Distance and speed scale with wisdom. Efficiency scales with intelligence. Efficiency, distance, and speed scale with skill level and Unity.] Yeah, no. My mana is low enough without it being split between two resources. And stamina regenerates fast enough for me not to be concerned about it. I scroll back up. The only real choice is between efficiency and generalization. If I pick efficiency, I'm going to regret it the second someone else near me is injured. If I pick generalization, I'm going to think of it every time I heal myself ineffectively.

After a bit of debate, I choose efficiency. [Heal Companion > Efficient Heal Companion] At the end of the day, I can't help anyone if I'm dead. If I can't heal them, then I'll protect them instead. With a nod, I close my eye again and start healing. Wait… I stand. One Mind/Two Bodies The world slows down as usual before I section off part of my mind to control mana. As mana starts funnelling into the drain of the skill, faint wisps of green energy roil over my body.

Without dedicating my full attention to mana control, I can actually feel my flesh around some of my wounds shifting. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. The sensation of growing flesh at a thousand times the normal speed is hard to put into words. Crouching down, I rub my hands over some of the wounds on my legs, where plates of metal are missing. Like itching, but not. It buzzes slightly. Strange.

Still, I can feel the weakness leaving me by the second. One Mind/Two Bodies is way too versatile. I can concentrate to slow my perception of time, double up on control to use my body like an expert puppeteer, or split my mind to use mana. A wide grin spreads across my lips. My skills have way too much synergy. It's amazing. As I heal, I quickly chew through multiple bags of jerky and drink water from the fountain. Now I don't have to wake up like a starving animal after a session of healing.

When my mana finally runs out, I open the status menu. [Health: 1070(768)] [Mana: 730(0)] [Stamina: 1145(956)]"Heh, sweet." I mumble to myself. Walking to the door, I push it open and feel the sun on my skin.

"Hey Brax, I'm heading out again."

"Mhm," he hums, sitting on the mattress with both eyes closed, and a rock in his hands. The door grinds closed, and I take a deep breath, admiring the beauty of the cavern.

"Haaaah. Where to today?" Perhaps I should visit some new caves? Fight some really strong enemies. No, I'm eager to reach the final objective. The castle looms proudly in the distance, still as large as the first time I saw it. The only difference is that it becomes clearer every time my perception goes up.

"Kevin, move perfectly." After stretching for a few minutes, I step forward. My jog turns into running, then into sprinting. I slam my foot down, transferring into my new favorite mode of transportation. Each step carries me like a bullet train, gliding across the ground for dozens of feet. My foot stumbles slightly against the stone, and One Mind/Two Bodies covers me instantly, perfecting my movement even further. Air blasts past my ears as I fly across the ground. It's intoxicating.

Wooden encampments steadily grow larger as I move further into the cavern. Eventually, they become smaller and are made of stone, signifying the increased difficulty. Even then, I continue moving. The castle grows larger and more imposing the closer I get. With intimidation growing slightly, I slow my steps to a stop. At this point, the castle is only about ten miles away. It sounds like a lot, but it would probably only take a few minutes to get there.

The closest encampments have a diameter of a bit over a hundred feet. A good place to continue.

"Kevin, fight perfectly, and focus on the fight." This time, I keep the command simple and trust that the skill will allow me to understand myself. Without thinking too much, I make my way over to the nearest encampment before crouching down and leaping. At the peak, I seamlessly glide over the wall. A dozen log cabins, with a larger cobblestone building in the back, likely for the elite. Around a large campfire in the center sits a group of eight or so hobgoblins.

Like the prior stone settlement, they are all clad in leather with an assortment of different weapons. [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 4] [Highest stat: Agility] [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 5] [Highest stat: Endurance] [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 4] [Highest stat: Strength] [Identify Living Being(lv. 9) > (lv. 10)] [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 5] [Highest stat: Fortitude] [Lowest stat: Intelligence] Looks like it gets stronger every five levels, which was within expectations. I identify the rest of them, just to further the skill, but don't read them.

Their stats are similar enough that it's inconsequential. A couple of hobgoblins look over as I hit the ground. No time is wasted as I burst forward toward the group. The hobgoblins facing me on the far side of the campfire stand, unsheathe their weapons, and yell all at once. It's not quick enough. The first casualty doesn't even start turning before my fist slams into the back of its head, crumpling it and sending it crashing forward. Before it leaves my reach, I rip the spear off its back.

I pull the weapon into a swing, slicing several inches into the next goblin's face before the wooden shaft snaps in my hands. Damn! That was fast! My eyes flicker around before I spot a weapon I can actually use. I lunge over a dozen feet, passing by the campfire and landing on a swordsman that just stood up. Both of us tumble to the ground. As we stop, my fist slams into its skull, causing its head to explode against the stone. Damn! The command hushes the distracting thoughts as they form.

As I stand, the effects of my new musculature skill start to become noticeable. Every movement makes my flesh a little stronger and a little more robust. The neutral expression I held for most of my days before the system doesn't show up often anymore. I can't find any reasons to stop smiling. My hand pulls the longsword from the back of the corpse under me. Danger tingles in a line across my back. My chest thrusts out, and no pain follows. I turn and thrust, piercing through the head of the axeman behind me.

With no wasted movements, I dance around the group. Necks are sliced through. Heads are punctured. Two warriors are left, and they both back away instead of advancing. I grin.

"Already? We just started!" I say with joy. Danger prickles on my back. I turn to see a large ball of burning fire flying towards my face. My legs bend without a thought, and I launch myself sideways. Stumbling into a roll, I recover just in time to see the fireball explode into a coating of napalm. It covers a few bodies in a thin film of flames before petering out unnaturally a second later. At the steps of the cobblestone building, stands a hobgoblin a bit skinnier than the usual.

It wears a dark cloak and a flowing leather robe that screams mage. A large, gnarled staff is pointed at me like a gun. [(II) Hobgoblin Lord lv. 21] [Highest stat: Intelligence] [Lowest stat: Strength] I ignore the new warriors trickling out of the cabins and rush at the mage. It doesn't close its eyes to focus inwards. Instead, it stares me in the eyes as flames quickly collect at the tip of the staff. Now THIS is a real mage.

A couple of seconds later, another similarly-sized fireball launches from the tip of the staff. With plenty of warning and the insane reaction time from my skills, I easily curve around the projectile and continue advancing. Annoyance is clear on the mage's face as it builds another fireball. Both of my feet slam against the stone, and I shoot over the ground like a bullet. Twenty feet are crossed in an instant, the mage showing a brief bit of surprise before my sword pierces through its forehead.

Chime After pulling the weapon free, I turn to see a group of warriors rushing at me. The system injects itself into my body, making my muscles ripple and contract. Hobgoblins gather into formation and approach with calculation. As usual, I make my way towards the edge to take it apart piece by piece.