Chapter 8: A New World

Nova slipped through the portal easily. It felt as if he was walking through a bubble that didn't break as he passed it, only stretched itself to accommodate his form. As his head popped through to the other side, he looked at the things that surrounded him. For one, it was daytime. The bright sun beamed down onto his head, and he could feel the warmth of this world as soon as he entered it. He looked around to take in his surroundings. Nova was in a forest in, seemingly, the middle of nowhere. He took a few steps forward, looked around for a second, and asked himself the obvious question. "Where am I?"

[Welcome to Remnant!]

"Remnant? I feel like I've heard of that place before. I think it was from some show I watched a while ago." He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember where he had heard that name from. "For whatever reason it's not coming to me. Not that it matters right now. Hey Meta, where should we go?"

[Meta has no idea!]

"Ok so we are lost with no place to go. That is just excellent."

[Meta has a recommendation! The System has multiple Mechanics to assist with finding your way! One of them is the System Map, would you like me to tell you about it?]

Y/N

"Yes please."

System Map- A map granted by the System that can map out the current location of the user. As this Mechanic is upgraded, the better the Map function becomes, granting new mechanisms.

[Would you like to begin upgrading the System Map?]

Y/N

"I think that is an excellent idea. How about, since we have all these System Points, let's see how far we can upgrade this thing. How many SY (System Points) would it take for the Map to max out?" Nova asked his partner.

[It will take 10 SY to upgrade the System Map to MAX. Would you like to do so?]

Y/N

"For only 10 SY? Absolutely! I must have gotten a ton for killing Sin, because I thought that it would take a lot more than 10 to MAX out an essential skill like the mini map."

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the MAX System Map!]

*MAX System Map*

*Organism Detection- Anything living that is in plain sight will now be visible on your System Map via a Blue Marker.

*Ally Detection- Any organism that is in a friendly relationship with the user will show on the Map as a Green Marker.

*Threat Detection- Threats that are visual in plain sight will now be identified on your System Map via a Red Marker. Beware, enemies can hide and not be targeted by this feature.

*Master Detector- All living things that can be shown on the map will no longer be confined to simple markers. Instead, they will be arrows that show the Direction that organism is looking.

*Dungeon Detection- When near a Dungeon, a purple cave marker will appear on your map. This will identify the location of any Dungeons you may come across.

*Master Topographer- The area that the Map reveals as you move is now far larger than it was before.

*Treasure Hunter- As you approach items of value, they will show up on the Map as a golden coin marker, making sure you won't miss it.

*Word of Mouth- Any location of items, Dungeons, and organisms alike that you are told of will immediately appear onto your Map, regardless of if you've been to that location before.

*Fast Travel- Any major location, or Dungeon, that you have visited or conquered will now be available for you to teleport to with the price of 50% of your mana.

*Mass Mapping- As longed as the surrounding area of the area has been mapped, all things that can be identified on the Map will be shown even if they had yet been discovered.

*EX System Map- All things are discovered and mapped without the user mapping out its location. Dungeon and Treasure descriptions can be read from the Map, even if they had yet to be discovered.

[A Dungeon is a mass gathering of Animus that exists on a World waiting to be released. Destruction of these Dungeons can reap lots of Rewards, and conquering dungeons lessens the Strength of the Stygian Animus Invasion! By conquering them all you may be rewarded with something even greater!]

"Thanks Meta you read my mind! I was just about to ask about what the Dungeons were, and how they worked with the worlds. Is this how the skill interpretation works? You just know what I want done?"

[Yes! Meta naturally knows when Nova wants certain things activated, however I don't believe Meta can do it very well in a combat scenario.]

"That's dope as fuck! I'm sure we'll be able to get along just fine with this handy intention reading ability you got." Nova mentally gave Meta a fist bump before continuing to his next point. "Last thing before we go find something to do, is there anything else I need to know before we get started?"

[Meta believes that there is. Meta has been hiding messages from you since the other Awakened appeared and thinks that you must see them]

Skill Obtained: *Angered Roar*- By pouring mana into your throat, you let out a bellowing Roar that strikes fear into your foes. To all foes that hear your Roar -10% STR, -10% END, -10% DEX; High Chance to Stun; High Chance to Fear; Cost 250mp

Titles Acquired: Cold Blooded, Unflinching, Unfazed, Unshaken, Attentive Listener, Cuddle Buddy, Kaizerin's Kid Brother, Shiva's Mate.

Cold Blooded- You withstood the intense freeze of below Absolute Zero temperatures caused by Kaizerin's frosty Aura. *MAX Freeze Resistance*

Unflinching- The golden pressure of Shiva's form brutally crushed your body, but you prevailed. *MAX Pressure Resistance*

Unfazed- After witnessing the strength of two beings that far exceeded your own power, you stood fast and instead of giving up you rose to the occasion: fighting instead of falling. When fighting enemies' higher level than yourself All Attributes +10%.

Attentive listener- When those around you are speaking, you become an excellent listener, making the speaker feel extreme comfort in telling you things that they would not tell others. With great listening, comes great learning. +1 INT on Level Up.

Cuddle Buddy- Your body is soft and soothing to everyone's touch. After feeling the extreme comfortability and warmth that comes with cuddling your body people can't help but not let go.

Kaizerin's Kid Brother- After meeting you, Kaizer has taken a liking to you, and now sees you as family. *Vampiric Body*- There is no such thing as a fatal wound, you only die once your HP has reached 0; High HP Regeneration 10% Base HP/10sec; +5 INT on Level Up. *Beastly Body*- The skin that acts as your body's first line of defense is no longer flimsy. Still soft and silky to the touch, but now to an attack its less like skin and more like armor; +5 END on Level Up; +5 VIT on Level Up. *Kaizerin's Favor*- Kaizerin wishes to see you become the best person you can be, and to make that happen he is willing to do any and everything to keep you safe. Obtained Equipment: 'Master Viber' (Chest Piece)

Shiva's Mate- Shiva has loved you since the instant her eyes laid upon your form. After gaining the courage to court you, she has unofficially, but officially, become your mate showering you with her love and affection even when you are far, far, away. *Strength of the Amazon*- Demolish foes with your overpowering fists, this is the strength of the Amazon; +5 STR on Level Up. *Speed of the Amazon*- With lighting fast movements become unseen to your enemies, this is the speed of the Amazon; +5 DEX on Level Up. *Power of the Amazon*- With exceptional magical abilities conjure spells beyond one's wildest dreams, this is the power of the Amazon; True Mana Manipulation Unlocked. *Skill of the Amazon*- With all weapons masterly defeat your foes with finesse regardless of circumstance, this is the skill of the Amazon; Obtained Title: True Weapons Master. *Shiva's Love*- In her undying love for her mate, Shiva will do anything and everything to help you complete your journey to become the strongest. Obtained Equipment 'Shiva's Love' (Helmet).

True Weapons Master- Any and all weapons you touch becomes a naturally wielded weapon of destruction wielded skillfully by you. It takes no prior knowledge to become a master with a weapon, this is what it means to become a true Weapons Master.

"Holy Shit! They really liked me that much? I mean, I could've guessed Shiva, but Kaizer really felt this way about me? That's insane." Nova looked to the bright blue sky as he stood in the open clearing of the forest. He clenched his fist and spoke softly to himself "I promise I won't let you guys down." Turing his thoughts inwardly, he talked to Meta yet again, but this time it was a silent exchange. Knowledge suddenly found its way into Nova's head as if Meta had heard his silent thoughts.

Inventory:

'Shiva's Love'- In her undying love for her mate, Shiva will do anything and everything to help you complete your journey to become the strongest. As a sign of this love, she gave him a treasured object of her own. A beautiful golden ring-shaped hair tie, that perfectly fits any hair style that Nova wants. It changes size at will, so it can be worn as a headband or bandana of sorts as well! +50% STR, +50% DEX, +50% LUK; When Equipped grants Ability *Amazonian Protection*- A Golden Barrier surrounds the user, protecting them from harm, creating a shield that is equal to 50% of the users base HP.

'Master Viber'- Kaizerin wishes to see you become the best person you can be, and to make that happen he is willing to do any and everything to keep you safe. IT was this wish, that made him gift Nova his jacket from when he was still in Transylvania. It is a simple long jacket that goes down to approximately waist level, but it feels oddly comfortable to wear off shoulder. The interior changed its color based on whatever the user wanted it to be, but the outside stays a shimmering black. +50% END, +50; When worn Grants Abilities *One with the Gun*- You and your bullets are not separate entities, you are one in the same. Like swinging a sword, or slamming an axe, you are in control of your bullets; All projectiles no longer have fixed damages instead they are scaled based upon Nova's STR, or INT. *Magic Hat*- Anything you own can easily be stored in the interior of the Jacket and you may easily take the stored items out with a simple thought and a grab.

Equipment:

Helmet: 'Shiva's Love'

Chest Piece: 'Master Viber'

Chausses: None

Gauntlets: 'Killer Gauntlets'

Boots: None

Weapons:

Right Hand; None

Left Hand; None

Accessories:

Neck; 'Gaia's Motherly Embrace'

Left Hand: 'Earth-Chan's Thank You!'

Status:

Name: Nova Pollux

Age: 18

Race: Awakened One, Deus~Humanus

Titles: Awakened, Savior of Earth, King Slayer etc.

LVL: 0 (0.0%)

HP: 2750/2750, (+455), {+438}

MP: 1500/1500, (+70), {+250}

Attributes:

STR; 40, (44), {+10}

END; 30, (25), {+7.5}

DEX; 40, (36), {+10}

VIT; 35, (45.5), {+8.75}

INT; 40, (14), {+10}

LUK; 15, (14.25), {+3.75}

EX AP: 0

SY: 90

SP: 100

$Money$: 100,000 AUG

"The status window looks different from how it did before. I can tell that the values in the parentheses are from my equipment, and I think that the other bracketed values are from one of my abilities; more than likely Kingly Aura due to me being at max HP. This should be all, but I have one more mechanic I want to check out before we go. Hey Meta, do you think you could show me the Beast Tamer Menu that you mentioned we unlocked earlier."

[Of course!]

The screen that appeared had multiple different tabs, but the one that he was on right now was called 'Party'. On the left side of the screen was one slot open with the rest being locked with red chains covering the open spot. On the right side was an open space with empty attributes, skills and abilities. The center of the design seemed to be for a picture of whatever 'Beast' he had selected in his party. Nova clicked over to the next tab which was titled 'Nursery'. The layout of this section had an incubator egg nest as the focal point with lots of seemingly random item icons surrounding it. The last tab was title 'Beast Tamer' and the layout of the tab surprised him to say the least. "This thing looks exactly like a Gacha game. They're banners, star ratings, and rolls." Nova took a closer look at each of the banner descriptions reading them in full. He discovered that most of the banners were for a specific element or a specific type of beast. For example, there was a Fire Beast banner with the special Beast on the front looking very similar to the Behemoth that accompanied the Legion King Sin and another one with wolf type beasts. Nova continued to scroll down the list of banners until he found the one at the very bottom. It was title 'Legendary 10-Star Beasts' and the description was very intriguing to him as well. It stated 'Legendary one-of-a-kind Beasts that are Loyal beyond belief, and strong beyond reality. Each and every Beast in this banner are the best of the best in their class, utterly destroying all those beneath them, but this strength comes at a steep price.' The price for this banner was 10,000 AUG for one roll. "That's a steep price? I have 100,000 AUG this is only a tenth of my current account. I could do this shit ten more times if I wanted to." Thinking it over for a moment, Nova decided to spend the first of his new monetary currency on this Beast Tamer banner. As he clicked the roll button a confirmation screen popped up. He quickly clicked yes, and an even larger screen appeared with a Dragon and a white Behemoth fighting for supremacy. Their battle was clearly very intense as destruction on a massive scale occurred every time their attacks clashed with each other. Suddenly a massive white thunderbolt appeared striking down in between the Dragon and Behemoth, sending both of them soaring away crashing into the mountains that surrounded them. The camera them zoomed into the point where the lightning bolt struck, and it revealed a white egg with black designs surrounding it. The scene ended and Nova had acquired this Beast egg. It didn't tell him the name of the Beast inside the egg or anything like that, it just said 'Congratulations you've acquired a Beast Egg!'. With his newly acquired egg Nova switched back over to the nursery and put his new egg into the incubator.

"Hey Meta, how do I hatch this thing?"

[All of the Legendary Beasts have different requirements that must be met before they hatch. The stronger the Beast, the more mysterious and difficult the requirement is for the hatching!]

"So, what your saying is you don't know."

[Exactly!]

"That kind of sucks I really wanted a super dope pet to keep around and train with me, but no use in worrying about it now. That seems to be a running theme when the system is involved. Now where do you think we should go Meta? I'm thinking, we hit up a dungeon and see what that shit is all about."

[Meta agrees with your assessment!]

"Now that were on the same page, Map." A map suddenly appeared in front of Nova. "Let's see where the closest dungeon to my current location is." Looking at the expansive map that detailed the lay of the forest around him, he found a purple tringle marker a few miles north of his current position. "Aight lets go to this one. Speed Demon." Nova's speed increased immensely as he took off racing toward the dungeon.

He reached his destination surprisingly fast, and he began taking in the area. The location of the Dungeon was a point where the endless trees of the forest met with the base of a cliff. At this meeting place was a small, but long, distorted crack on the cliff side. The crack glowed red in an intimidating manner, as a warning sign to not enter. Nova ignored this warning and placed his hand on the distortion. A window suddenly popped up, explaining what this dungeon was.

Warning! Strong Enemies Ahead

Dungeon: Beowolf Grimm Hive

Recommended Level: 10

Are you sure you want to enter?

Y/N

"Hell yeah, I want to enter!" The crack suddenly opened up into a red portal, similar to the ones that fell from the sky the day he fought his way to Awakening. Staring at the large entrance Nova fearlessly stepped into the portal of Animus.

As he made it to the other side, he found himself in a normal looking cave. The walls were jagged with brown stones of various sizes, the ceilings were covered in spiky stalactites that dripped with water, and even some parts of the floor had sharp stalagmites jutting out. The cave smelt of wet earth, and mineral similar to concrete after a rainy day, but this cave had a much danker smell to it. Like stale water, or mildew clothing, a place that hadn't seen fresh air in years. Visibility in the cave was very limited. It was very dark and Nova could only recognize his surroundings with his sixth sense.

Mentally, the system gave Nova anther message.

Quest: Conquer your first Dungeon!

Description- You have finally stepped foot into your first dungeon, now it is your time to test your strength by conquering it.

Complete Dungeon 'Beowolf Grimm Hive'

Rewards: 1,000 EXP | 50 AUS | Title 'Dungeon Novice'|

Do you Accept?

Y/N

Quest: A Beginning in Remnant

Description- You have just stepped foot into Remnant and this dungeon is your introduction to this World. You must pass the first obstacle you face in this World by any means necessary.

Complete Dungeon 'Beowolf Grimm Hive'

Rewards: Essence of Remnant

Do you Accept?

Y/N

"Yes, I'll accept both quests."

Quests accepted! Good luck.

"Alright, I guess I gotta make sure I beat this Dungeon then. Map." The map of the Dungeon mentally appeared inside Nova's mind, showing the layout of the cave. Littered across the winding halls of the cave were red arrows facing in various directions. "This place is littered with enemies; I should try to be as careful as possible so I can find out how strong they are." Nova crouched down low, stalking up slowly and silently around the jagged corners of the winding cave hallways. Upon turning the corner, he immediately sensed the presence of his first encounters.

Name: Beowolf

Age: ?

Race: Grimm

HP: 3550/3550

MP: 400/400

LVL: 9

Attributes:

STR; 28

END; 27

DEX; 14

VIT: 42

INT; 14

LUK; 10

The beasts that Nova came across in the cave opening were creatures unlike anything he had seen. They were all black in color with the darkness of their bodies rolling off like heavy smoke. White bones covered their forms with skull masks, and spiky protrusions down their spines and arms like body armor. On top of that, they had bright red eyes that pierced through the darkness of the cave, clearly exercising their advantage in this environment. "Damn, these things look kinda creepy, but its showtime." In that moment, Nova mentally prepared himself for battle; he took on a cold-blooded serious expression. He became intensely focused on the beasts in front of him, preparing to act. "Demon Step." In that instant, Nova teleported silently behind the pack of three Beewolves. They never even turned their heads, not noticing the menacing presence that was poised behind them. Nova balled his fist together and reeled his fist back aiming for the nearest Grimm. While winding back his attack, he took a silent step forward and leaped quietly into the air, placing his body right above the head of the beast. With all his strength he brought down his mighty fist with an incredible CRAAAASSSSHHHHH echoing around the cave walls. The Beowolf's head instantly fell under the blow sending it smashing down hard into the floor cracking it heavily on impact. The mask like skull that Nova's fist connected with, shattered on the impact, and the beasts head was instantly crushed. As soon as his fist had connected with the Beowolf, the system notified him of the effects of his attack.

Critical Strike! | Weak Point! {7,197 DMG!}

Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated!

Nova had no time to process the information as he moved to the next beast immediately following the death of the first. He dashed forward into the second wolf, hitting him with a hard upper cut to the jaw, followed by a solid left straight to the body, sending the beast flying into the cave wall.

{1087 DMG!}

{993 DMG!}

{368 DMG!}

The last Beowolf was already in route attempting to slash at Nova with its massive claws, but he swiftly jumped upwards to dodge the attack. While in the air, he lifted his leg and subsequently brought it down in a strong axe kick. The heel of his foot connected strongly against the mask of this third Beowolf, sending his head careening into the floor.

Weak Point! {2,309 DMG!}

{432 DMG!)

Quickly analyzing his current positioning, Nova stomped one more time harshly against the mask of the downed Grimm.

Weak Point! {2,288 DMG}

Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated!

Looking over at the last of this pack, Nova decided to use dispose of it quickly. He dashed over to the beast and kicked it hard in the chest, pushing it deeper into the cave wall. He then reeled his fist back yet again, punching it hard in the mask crushing it under his fist.

{1,054 DMG}

Weak Point! {2,449}

Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated!

Now that all three of the wolves were defeated, their bodies slowly disintegrated into the shadows leaving almost nothing behind. What was left behind however was what looked like claws, spikes, and the masks from the creatures. Along with this bounty, another message popped into his head.

You Defeated Three Beowolf (LVL 9)'s your rewards are:

+288 Exp {+144 Exp} (+72 Exp} | +256 AUB | 6 Beowolf Claws, 13 Grimm Bones, 3 Beowolf masks |

"Holy shit this is dope AF! I got actual game rewards for beating up these easy mode dogs! However, that is not the important thing to focus on right now.Based on that small battle, I can infer a lot of things about this damage system. There are Weak Points and Critical Strikes that do far more damage compared to a normal punch or kick, it also seems like they stack well together for even more damage. I'm surprised I didn't get a notification for leveling up though. Status."

Name: Nova Pollux

Age: 18

Race: Awakened One, Deus~Humanus

Titles: Awakened, Savior of Earth, King Slayer etc.

LVL: 0 (0.0%)

HP: 2750/2750, (+455), {+438}

MP: 1500/1500, (+0), {+220}

Attributes:

STR; 40, (44), {+10}

END; 30, (25), {+7.5}

DEX; 40, (36), {+10}

VIT; 35, (45.5), {+8.75}

INT; 40, (14), {+10}

LUK; 15, (14.25), {+3.75}

EX AP: 0

SY: 90

SP: 100

$Money$: 90,000 AUG | 0 AUS | 256 AUB

"Huh? Why don't I have any levels? I definitely earned experience even the System alerted me of that. Even if I didn't level up, the Exp percentage should have gone up some, so what's going on?"

*New* Skills Obtained: *Sneak Strike*- A strong punch dealt from the shadows into an unaware opponent. Deals additional damage when remaining unseen after initial attack; Cost 10mp

*2-Piece Combo*- Giving your enemies a two piece with no sauce, a quick one two combo that is sure to leave your opponent reeling backwards in pain and anguish. The two-piece combo ender determines its effect; Straight, Additional Knockback; Jab, Additional Stun; Hook, Additional Damage; Uppercut, Increase Critical Chance; Kick, Additional Weak Point Damage

*Axe Kick*- Lifting your leg high into the sky and slamming it down with in a powerful downward arc deals a devastating kick to your enemy. Skill does additional damage when attacking a weak point; Cost 30mp

*Finishing Stomp*- Crush your enemy beneath your heel, ending its life instantly. Grants +10mp; +5hp

*Finishing Punch*- Crush your enemy with the enormous pressure of your clenched fist, sending them to the afterlife. Grants +10mp; +5hp

*New* Abilities Obtained: *Silent Walk*- At your will, walk with silent steps that no being can hear.

"I got some new skills, but somehow, I didn't Level Up at all. Meta, do you know what's going on?"

[Meta is sorry. Meta has no idea either.]

"Damn it." Nova thought about it for a second longer before deciding to give it a rest. Instead of worrying about it, he continued onward deeper into the Dungeon. He came across 4 more Beowolves of the same level as before, but this time he decided to attack them differently. As he lay still, he prepared a skill that he had been waiting to use. While his hands were at their side, he thought "Wave." Suddenly a small magic circle appeared in front of him. It was elaborately designed with all sorts of shapes and lines. The most standout features of this magic were the city like landscape that bordered around its edges, with lunar symbols decorating the exterior. These moon-like images depicted the various phases of the moon that Nova had come to know and love in his time on Earth. The most beautiful part of this magnificent structure was by far the center piece. A beautifully spherical earth was rotating eloquently in the center of the magic circle. It rotated faster and fast, as a spiraling sphere of water began forming out in front of the Earth. The water sphere quickly grew to the size of the circle, and then immediately shot out in the direction of the wolves. The Beowolves recognized the attack and made to dodge, but it was too late. The sphere of water crashed against the wolf that was in the center of its pack mates, sending it flying backwards skidding against the floor until it came to a stop.

{1042 DMG!}

The other members of the pack quickly went to rush down Nova, but he had already prepared his next skill. "Spark." The same magic circle appeared yet again, but this time a quick spark appeared suddenly next to the attacking far left Beowolf. The spark looked as if it ignited something in the air, because as soon as the snap of the spark was heard, a small explosion occurred sending both wolves slamming harshly against walls beside them.

{928 DMG!}, {932 DMG!}

{396 DMG!}, {379 DMG!}

Evidently, the impact wasn't much as the Beowolves quickly stood back up, ready to attack yet again. In response Nova used another skill to pin them down for a moment "Ground Shake." The Earth-chan magic circle appeared on the ground underneath the wolves. The floor beneath them began shaking violently, making them loose their footing falling to the ground yet again unable to move.

{300 DMG!}, {300 DMG!}, {300 DMG!}

Enemies Have Been Stunned!

He quickly followed up with another skill, "Flame!" A large magic circle appeared before Nova, and the spinning earth came to a stop. Instead, the earth heated up rapidly, forming into a ball of flame. It slowly left the center of the magic circle, slowly approaching the stunned wolves who could only watch in horror at the massive ball of flame approached them. When the flaming earth contacted the first wolf, the ball of flames suddenly exploded, engulfing the other wolfs in an intense flame.

{2777 DMG!}, {2894 DMG!}, {2876 DMG!}

Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated! Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated! Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated!

You Defeated Three Beowolf (LVL 9)'s your rewards are:

+354 Exp {+177 Exp} (+89 Exp} | +312 AUB | 9 Beowolf Claws, 11 Grimm Bones, 3 Beowolf masks |

*New*Ability Obtained: *Spell Linkage*- Link Spells (Magic Skills) one after another to create awesome combinations and deal massive damage! -50% Cast Time in between Spells

Nova went wide eyed at the destruction he caused. Flames were still popping up like hot coals, and the entire area was illuminated be the flames. Oddly enough there was no smoke coming from the flames, only red and orange licks of fire. "I guess that's magic for you, very destructive." Looking over at the destruction he caused, a small smile appeared on his face. "Nice." After the quick comment, he continued on the path that was laid in front of him. Only stopping once he saw an offshoot on the map that had a golden coin icon. "Some loot? Don't mind if I do." Walking slowly down the small corridor, he happened upon an old chest. It was wooden and looked very beat up, but somehow still sturdy. Nova bent over and opened the old chest.

2 AUS | Red Crystalized Dust, Light Blue Crystalized Dust | Red Powdered Dust Vial, Blue Powdered Dust Vial |

"What is this?"

Dust- Dust is a powerful energy source known only to Remnant. This energy is activated by Aura and can be used in a variety of different ways, mainly combat oriented.

Powdered Dust- Dust broken down into powdered form, to be used as gunpowder for ammunition and a multitude of other uses.

Crystalized Dust- Dust at its highest density, compacted into a hardened crystalized metal like form. The amount of Dust in this form is far more than its powdered counterpart, and as a plus it is far more stable as well.

Nova held the crystals in both of his hands, observing them carefully. The red crystal was very warm, unnaturally so. It was very hot, but not enough to burn the skin. The blue one was the exact opposite; it was cold to the touch borderline freezing but not quite. After he was done with the inspection, he threw all the items in his jacket, and they instantly entered his inventory. "This Dust stuff seems useful, but I don't think I have the Aura to activate it just yet. In the meantime, I'll keep it in the back of my mind and figure out some utility for it." Nova turned back the way he came, walking back out into the endless halls of the cave Dungeon. He quickly came across two more Beowolves, but this time they were a little different. They were slightly larger and had far bigger and sharper bone protrusions across their bodies. Off of their bodies came blooms of shadowy smoke, that flowed across the floor in dense waves forming a thin layer of the odd substance across the ground.

Name: Beowolf

Age: ?

Race: Grimm

HP: 3750/3750

MP: 425/425

LVL: 10

Attributes:

STR; 30

END; 29

DEX; 15

VIT: 45

INT; 15

LUK; 11

"It seems like the higher the level on the Grimm, the more they change physically. I wonder if it's like Pokémon where at a specific level their look changes, or maybe they look different at every level. Probably the former, but there is no way to find out right now." Readying himself yet again for combat, Nova's fists clenched, and he balanced himself on the tips of his toes. "Breeze." The magic circle that he has come to know, formed lightly in the air surrounding the Beowolves. The Beowolves didn't notice the dissipating magic circle in the air and that would prove fatal. Out the smoky area came sudden sharp gusts of wind that slashed against the Beowolves. As the slashes began at random, the wolves began panicking, looking around for an enemy.

{432 DMG!}, {427 DMG!}

Enemies are now Bleeding! {216 dmg/ 10sec}, {214 dmg/ 10sec}

{216 DMG!}, {214 DMG!}

Before the Grimm could escape the area, Nova activated another skill. "Magnitude." Suddenly the ground below the two beasts shook violently before jagged spikes from the earth erupted from the ground stabbing them and holding them in place.

{857 DMG!}, {872 DMG!}

Enemies are now Pinned!

Enemies are Bleeding | {216 DMG!}, {214 DMG!}

Breeze continues to affect the enemies! {476 DMG!}, {475 DMG!}

"Pin Huh?" Nova looked ahead at the stuck Beowolves. They struggle harshly against their restraints trying to breakout, but they couldn't breakout. "They really can't move at all. I think stun is a temporary effect that leaves them unable to move for a bit, but Pin is way stronger." He then began walking around the pinned wolves, examining their turmoil. "I think Pin is less a statis affect and more like a physical ailment. Time doesn't determine when they breakout, it based off of their ability to physically destroy their restraints." Walking closer to the Pinned Beowolves he noticed the shadowy blood drooling from their bodies, and the slashes wind that gashed the Grimm at random.

Breeze continues to affect the enemies! {444 DMG!}, {487 DMG!}

Enemies are Bleeding! | {216 DMG!}, {214 DMG!}

"And they are clearly not strong enough." The breeze effect slowly dissipated leaving the cave air foggy no longer. "Oh, the breeze effect doesn't last very long, but it does a ton of damage in comparison to the other tier one Earth-chan spells. It just takes a lot longer." Nova walked back to the front of the two beasts. "Unfortunately for the two of you its time to end your suffering. So… goodbye. Gust." The Earth-chan magic circle appeared largely again with the earth in the center splitting apart into various sized blades of wind. The blades of wind suddenly shot forward slicing the two beasts into nothing more than chunks of black flesh before the bodies dissipated into nothingness.

{694 DMG!}, {687 DMG!}

{704 DMG!}, {677 DMG!}

{638 DMG!}, {698 DMG!}

{676 DMG!}, {680 DMG!}

{699 DMG!}, {702 DMG!}

Beowolf (LVL 10) Has Been Defeated! Beowolf (LVL 10) Has Been Defeated!

+222 Exp {+111 Exp} (+56 Exp} | +298 AUB | 4 Beowolf Fangs, 5 Large Grimm Bones, 2 Beowolf masks |

*New* Titles Obtained: Expert Torturer, Trap Expert

Expert Torturer- You are a master at slowly providing pain to your enemies; keeping them alive just long enough for you to crush them under heel, they instantly giving you whatever you ask of them.

Trap Expert- You are masterful when it comes to trapping your enemies and putting them into scenarios that lead to their doom. +50% to Stun Duration; +50% to Pin Durability; +30% Duration to all Trap Skills

"Still no level up. Well, oh well. On to the next area!" After lightly reading over his new titles and the abilities they granted him, he continued forward. As he walked, he found a couple more chests with similar loot in them except for one item.

7 AUS | Red Crystalized Dust , Bright Orange Crystalized Dust, Deep Blue Crystallized Dust, 2x Yellow Crystalized Dust | 3x Bright Orange Powdered Dust Vials, Red Powdered Dust Vial, 2x Powdered Dust Vial, 3x Light Blue Powdered Dust Vial | Salem's Influence

Salem's Influence- ?

Salem's Influence was a hard cylinder crystal that was an extremely pale white with voided black cracks and crevices seeping throughout its figure. It naturally gave off a vial purple Aura that felt unnatural to the touch; this made Nova incredibly curious. "This thing looks like a core. Almost like a magical beast core or something of that nature that I've seen in some of the Anime I watch. I wonder what I can use it for." As soon as he put the item away for later, out of the shadows came 4 level 9 Beowolves that were prepped for an ambush. When they attacked, the entrance that Nova came through closed shut instantly. He found this chest in a very similar area like the first one, an off shoot that led into a dead end with the only escape being back the same way you came. Leading up to the treasure room, Nova took notice that there were absolutely no Grimm whatsoever, even on the mini map no red arrows were shown. As he entered the room with the chest, with his sixth sense he was easily able to identify and observe the 4 Grimm before they even had a chance to begin the ambush. Therefore Nova was able to calmy collect and inspect his new items without care. As soon as the Beowolves lunged to attack, Nova jumped high in the air easily dodging their attacks, and before they had an opportunity to redirect the lunge at his new position he spoke. "Flood!" Bellow his feet, a room encompassing magic circle formed with the Earth as the center. The Earth center piece suddenly filled itself with water, building and building quickly until it fell towards the Grimm. When the Earth made first contact with the ground, a massive amount of water exploded out from the Earth flooding the room with icy water. The Flood was intense, viscous waves formed and crashed roughly against the struggling wolves. At the same time, even though the Skill was called flood, a massive vortex of water formed, whipping the Grimm around the room violently with the current. Towards the center, they were dragged down to the bottom of the violent pool.

{1388 DMG!}, {1396 DMG!}, {1384 DMG!}, {1401 DMG!}

Enemies are Drowning! {277 dmg/ 2sec}, {269 dmg/ 2sec}, {275 dmg/ 2sec}, {280 dmg/ 2sec}

Nova was watching all of this unfold while he was hanging from the ceiling, holding on with one hand to a stalactite that he thought sturdy enough. "I could just sit up here and wait for them to die, but that sounds kinda boring. Sooo, fuck it." Nova let his hand slip from the spike on the ceiling of the cave, free falling to the vortex of water the Beowolves were stuck under. He held his breath as he entered the violent pool. The moment he broke the waters tension, he opened his eyes to view the violence of his attack. The Beowolves were spinning rapidly, unable to move outside of the current that the Skill created. Fighting the current, Nova swam forward and struck the first wolf he came across. He opened his attack with a quick left jab and ended it with a strong right straight. His fist felt extremely sluggish in the water, but his attack still had impact as the Beowolf that he attacked flew through the water, cutting through the whirlpool of currents, slamming in the wall of the cave. For whatever reason, Nova found himself completely unable to hold his breath any longer even though it had only been a second since he entered the pool. "Devils Step." Nova teleported back to his previous position, hanging on to the large stalactite atop the celling. He took a moment to catch his breath, wiping his face with his arm.

{658 DMG!}

Enemies are still Drowning {277 DMG!}, {269 DMG!}, {275 DMG!}, {280 DMG!}

Enemies Take Damage from the Vicious Current {234 DMG!}, {234 DMG!}, {234 DMG!}

"Goddamn, that water is fucking deadly. It literally sucks the air from your lungs to force you to drown." Finishing his quick recovery, Nova looked down at the raging vortex once more. "I could just wait it out, but that's kinda lame. So fuck it, Imma finish this myself. Maximum Effort." Nova pinpointed one of the Beowolves towards the edge of the vortex and leaped from his position on the spiky ceiling. As he flew, he raised his leg high into the sky yet againand as he reached his target, het aimed the heel of his falling foot at the barely afloat head of the Beowolf. "Axe Kick!" As Nova's foot connected with the boney mask of the wolf, he simultaneously jumped. This quick action sent the wolf down into the vortex of spinning water and sent Nova soaring back into the air.

Weak Point! {2768 DMG!}

Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated!

Now that Nova was airborne yet again, he found his way down to his next victim. The next closest of the Grimm was in a similar situation to the one he had just killed. Its pale masked face was just barely hanging above the surface, gasping for breath. As he jumped towards the wading beast, he cocked his fist back yet again and spoke the name of his skill "Sneak Strike!" As soon as the words were spoken, his cocked fist slammed down into the Beowolf's barely floating face, shattering its skull on impact. Nova used this momentum to continue his tirade onto the next of his opponents.

Critical Strike! | Weak Point! {6804 DMG!}

Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated!

Enemies are still Drowning {277 DMG!}, {269 DMG!}

Enemies Take Damage from the Vicious Current {234 DMG!}, {234 DMG!}

The next of his targets were located at the center of the vortex, spinning violently under the water unable to control themselves in anyway. Nova decided to use a risky move in order to get these two final kills. He dove into the center of the whirlpool with his fist prepped for attack. As soon as he broke the waters tension he aimed his balled fist directly at the nearest Grimm, and mentally spoke his Skill "Finishing Punch." His fist shot forward somehow hitting directly on the mask of the whirling Grimm. On the impact its head shattered like the others sending its fragments throughout the water.

Weak Point! {1800 DMG!}

Beowolf (LVL 9) Has Been Defeated!

"Devil's Step" Nova sent himself back out of the water however instead of being all the way to the ceiling, he was just above the water line. Time was moving so slowly that it felt as if he was floating above the vortex that he created. He quickly realized his next attack and located his new target beneath the waves. He extended his right leg in a stomping motion as he came down with a mighty move "Finishing Stomp!" As his foot passed through the water, the flood parted way for his action like mosses parting the red sea. His foot passed completely unhindered by the water as it made its way to the skull of the last Beowolf that could do nothing as its skull was met between a hard ground and a might foot. The floor gave way to a large crater as Nova crushed the beasts head against the ground while the whirlpool of the flood suddenly dissipated as if it was never there.

Weak Point! {2000 DMG!}

4 Ambushing Beowolves (LVL 9) Have Been Defeated! Here are Your Rewards:

+411 Exp {+206 Exp} {+103 Exp} | 1 AUS | 4 Beowolf Grimm Cores | 12 Beowolf Claws, 18 Grimm Bones, 4 Beowolf masks |

*New* Skills Have Leveled Up!

*The Devils Step* {Lvl: 2}- Cooldown has decreased to 60sec (was 120sec)!

*2-Piece Combo* {Lvl: 2}- No longer a 2-piece combo meal, you can now link a third attack into your combo! 2-Piece Combo (no Sauce) is now 3-Piece Combo (no Bev/Beverage)!

*Sneak Strike* {Lvl: 2} – Sneak Strike has evolved into something more than a move to catch your opponent when they aren't looking it is now a true punch that can be thrown at any time but is even more effective when used on an unaware opponent. No longer a Sneak Strike, now a Sucker Punch.

*Finishing Stomp* {Lvl: 2}- Increase return from finishing your opponent's +20mp; +10hp (previously +10mp +5hp)

*Finishing Punch* {Lvl: 2}- Increase return from finishing your opponent's +20mp; +10hp (previously +10mp +5hp)

*Axe Kick* {Lvl: 2}- Increase damage; Increase Weak Point Damage; Adds Low Chance to Stun

*New* Abilities Obtained: *Enemy Step* - By using your speed and attack strength you can continue your momentum from attack to attack. After attacking an enemy, deal additional damage to the next enemy you attack.

*Simulcasting*- You can bombard your enemies with magical attacks while simultaneously attacking with your own physical strengths. You can now use both Magical (Int based) Skills and Physical (Str based) Skills simultaneously!

*New* Titles Obtained: Oceanic Predator, Undrownable, Perfect Swimmer, Magical Brawler, Grimm Slayer, Finisher

Oceanic Predator- Killing things in the water is just as easy as killing things on land. Your strength is no longer hindered by the water surrounding you when you do battle in the depths *MAX Strength Water Tension Resistance*

Undrownable- Experiencing the hells of violent waves with no air in your lungs, you survived against the odds, and for this you cannot be drowned. *MAX Drown Resistance*

Perfect Swimmer- In any pool of anything you move your body so perfectly that you can practically run-in water. Your speed is no longer hindered by the water surrounding you. *MAX Dexterity Water Tension Resistance*

Magical Brawler- Fighting with your fists you demolish your enemies, attacking with magic you destroy your opponents. When bringing these two skills together you are unstoppable. When Simulcasting +30% DMG

Grimm Slayer- When it comes to decimating Grimm you are unmatched in this field. When defeating Grimm +10% Exp; +10% Item Gain; +10% Currency

Finisher- The enemies that think they will receive mercy from you are crushed by your strength and mercilessness. +30% Returns to all Finishers

"Wow that took way more effort than it should have, but a lot of my skills leveled up so… worth." Taking one last look around the room, making sure he didn't leave anything, he turned back the way he came to continue his quest to conquer his first dungeon. "I wonder why I was able to use Devil's Step so quickly in succession. I have a feeling that it was because of the level up resetting the cooldown, that makes the most sense. Either way, just somehow knowing that I can use a skill again with no logical reasoning beforehand is kinda weird and its definitely gonna take some getting used to." As Nova continued walking the halls of the dank cave he took the downtime to sort through his inventory, mentally of course, figuring out what could be used for what in the future. His introspection continued until he came across something interesting. A split path found its way in Nova's way blocking his path to simple progression. To find the best path forward, he decided to enlarge his mental System map to see what led down each trail. The left path led to a dead end, no surprise there, and the right path led to something far more interesting. The long hall opened up into a massive open circle with no clear changes in elevation throughout the circular room. The scariest part about this was that the entire sphere was covered top to bottom in red arrows. It seemed like this would be the final test of his strength, but this did seem like a lot. He decided to continue down the right path anyway, walking through the path at a leisurely pace, mentally preparing himself for the battle ahead. He encountered a few more packs of Beowolves on his way to the lion's den, some lower level even a few higher, and took them out easily using a combination of his physical and magical skills. Yet even through those battles, his Level didn't increase at all. He remained at LVL 0 (0.0%) and it was disheartening to say the least, but he continued on. Walking through the seemingly endless hall, repeating the same encounters became sort of boring until he saw, on his mental map, the massive open area with tons of red arrows sitting and waiting for someone to attack. "Holy Shit! That's a lot of Grimm." Nova crept slowly towards the opening that led into the large den. As he made it to the mouth of the open area, he took a quick peak to see what exactly he had to deal with.

Across the floor were what looked like hundreds of Beowolves in groups fighting one another, chewing on bones, and laying down in resting positions. The room was spacious, easily holding that many beasts in one area with some room to spare. The air was a cloudy fog of Shadows due to the density of Grimm in the room, it was a truly horrific sight. "How am I supposed to deal with all these fucking animals? Can I just skip this room? Probably not after all the other hallway leads to nothing. Shit!" Nova stood still, silently, in his position thinking of how to deal with this situation. "How much mana do I have left?"

MP:1500/1500 (0) {0}

"Oh yeah, I forgot, MAX Mana Regeneration. As long as I take a quick break between fights I'm not ever going to run out of mana. Thank you, Meta!"

[No Problem Partner!]

Nova sat perfectly still while he quickly drew up a plan in his head. "Aight, I got it. Let's see how this plays out. I really hope that this room doesn't collapse on me, that would be a pretty shitty ending to this story." He slowly walked out of his hiding place and began putting his idea to the test. Walking into the mouth of the beast, all of the Grimms attention suddenly shifted towards himself. The numerous growls that begun to sound echoed loudly off the hard cave walls creating a horrific reverb that made it sound as if thousands of beasts were sounding off a war cry in union. They looked very ready to tear Nova apart, but if his plan of attack was sound, they wouldn't get the chance. "SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" As soon as his roar was heard the vicious crowd of Beowolves turned into a group of winning puppies. None of them could move as they were stunned and paralyzed with fear it was quite a site to see.

" Ok now phase 2, let's see how well this goes. Please don't cave the entire Dungeon in on my head. Earthquake." Across the floor of the Den a massive Earth covered every square inch of the space. The Earth fused itself with the ground before it began violently shaking. The shaking of the floor caused stalactites from the ceiling to fall on unsuspecting wolves, but even those that had been hit couldn't move. Fractures and cracks of various sizes began forming in numerous places across the floor, before the ground could no longer contain the pressure. Jagged stone pillars began shooting out of the ground while, in other places the floor just collapsed dropping its occupants 5-10ft below where they were previously. This process continued until the entirety of the ground collapsed causing all the wolves to drop 10ft into jagged edge rocks and rubble. "The room didn't collapse… completely. So, we call that a resounding success." Most of the Beowolves were still alive but moving was a non-option. The stacking of the Pin, Stun, and fear left them completely helpless to the bombardment from Nova.

"Next up we have, Wildfire." At the activation of the skill, a large ball of fire appeared in the center of the room flaring like the sun. It suddenly condensed itself smaller and smaller until it was only a small ember floating in the air near the ceiling. "Was that it?" As if taunted by Nova's words, the small ember began falling towards the crushed floor. Nova watched with belayed breathes as the ember contacted the ground, and the entire floor caught flames. "That's a lot of fire, but its still kinda underwhelming. Next up we got- "He was unable to complete his sentence as the room suddenly exploded into an atom ray of intense heat. Nova wasn't even in the room, but he was getting suffocated by the sun like heat that was radiating from the room. The den had turned into a microwave, and Nova couldn't even look into the direction of the room because of its brightness. "Goddamn its hot! It's not burning me, but I can still feel how hot it is! Cool this shit down. Tsunami!" Suddenly a small Earth, the same one from the magic circle, appeared in the air of the room. This small Earth began rotating at an extremely fast pace and then another Earth appeared and did the same thing. This continued until there was a massive wave like structure of supersonic rotating Earths made completely of water. The Earth Wave stood still for a moment before they began shooting down at the ground unlike rain and more like meteors. They crushed stones and bodies alike, exploding into a massive wave of water that absolutely drenched the battlefield. Every Earth water ball contained what looked like half a Flood amount of water. The effect of this was scary. The entire room filled with water, forming a massive whirlpool of Beowolf corpses waiting to be mercy killed. The worst part about it was the fact that the Wildfire flames had not lost their splendor. This caused the water to boil the Grimm alive while they were still being drowned and pelted with vicious waves.

"I'm starting to feel kinda bad. I know this isn't going to end well, but maybe a Tornado will cool the water down?" The spinning vortex in the center of the room slowly stopped spinning, which was odd. Everything seemed calm for a moment until the vortex began spinning even faster in the opposite direction. A waterspout of massive proportions began forming from the water up, launching stones everywhere without discretion. As the spout reached its peak size, it began shooting out blades of wind that sliced everything they encountered. Some of these blades were completely made of water, some of fire, some of stone, but in truth it didn't matter what these projectiles were made of because the instant it touched any of the Grimm, they instantly disintegrated turning into nothing more that shadowy dust that was swallowed up by the ferocious tides. Nova stared at the scene with a look of shock on his face, until he received a notification snapping him out of his stupor.

467 Beowolves (LVL 9) Have Been Defeated! 97 Beowolf (LVL 10) Have Been Defeated! Here are Your Rewards:

+51730 Exp {+25865 Exp} {+12932 Exp} {+5173 Exp} | 3 AUG, 57 {6} AUS, 28604 {2860} AUB | 2x Salem's Influence | 34 {3} Large Beowolf Grimm Cores, 284 {28} Beowolf Grimm Cores | 3x Black Crystalized Dust | 143 {14} Black Powdered Dust Vials | 194 {19} Beowolf Fangs, 243 {24} Large Grimm Bones, 1279 {128} Beowolf Claws, 998 {100} Grimm Bones, 564 {56} Beowolf Masks |

*New* Titles Acquired: Merciless, Mass Murderer, Walking Cataclysm, Magical Maniac, Master Grimm Slayer

Merciless- You show no mercy towards those you are determined to destroy. If you want them dead, then it will be so. Skill Obtained *Merciless*- Highly pressurized mana surrounds the target on all sides before suddenly converging on them with force unseen. This insane force crushes your opponent, crumbling their bodies into nothingness, brutally ending their life. Grants +100mp; +100hp

Mass Murderer- Groups that you deem unworthy will kneel in your presence offering limb, bounty, and life at the sight of you. Skill Obtained *Mass Culling*- A massive wide swinging attack with bladed weapons that eviscerates all those it meets. On those killed Grants +50% Item Drop, +25% Currency, +10% Exp; When killing over 10 opponents with this attack Grants +100mp; +100hp; Cost 250mp

Walking Cataclysm- The strength that you hold in your body is far beyond that of a normal person. You can create catastrophic events with a single thought, change entire landscapes with a swipe of a hand, and destroy entire cities with your power. You are a walking Cataclysm. Obtained Skill *Cataclysm*- Destroy everything with your immense power. Cost 5000mp

Magical Maniac- You are maniacal when it comes to your use of magic. Mass destruction is only a natural effect of your every increasing arsenal of Magical Power, and you will only get stronger from here on. *Magical Maniac*- When using Magical Skills that cause high amounts of destruction, +10% DMG.

Master Grimm Slayer- You are a master at slaying all Grimm. No Grimm can stand in your path if you are determined to end its life. When defeating Grimm +25% Exp; +25% Item Gain; +25% Currency

"What the fuck!? There were that many Grimm in the room!? The mass murder, merciless, and magical maniac descriptions go a little too far. I honestly wasn't trying to do all that, I just wanted to try out my new Skills." He spoke sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "Well, I just got so much shit, but I didn't level up one time. There must be some kind of reason for my lack of leveling and I refuse to believe that it's because it just takes this long to level up." Nova looked onward at the destruction he caused in the Beowolf Den. He searched with his eyes for an exit of any kind but there was none to be seen. He checked his map once again, looking for a chest or something to assist him in finding the exit to this place but he was lost. "Damn. I don't think the exit is here, maybe I gotta go back to the entrance of this place. That's a long trek, but if it's necessary it must be done." Nova spun on his heels returning towards the way he came. As he walked, he began reviewing the items that he got from killing the horde of beasts "I got two more of these Salem's Influence, but this item must be incredibly rare if I only got two out of the 560 some Grimm in the room. That must mean that it's at least somewhat good. Same thing with these Black Dust crystals, it must be another rare drop. I need to hurry up and get out of here so I can analyze this shit further and make something good out of them." As he finished his thought, he found himself back at the split path that originally led him down to the Grimm den. "The left path led to a dead end on the map so I didn't pay much attention to it in the first place, but now I'm just walking around anyway so I might as well check it out." Nova took a quick right turn, walking at a leisurely pace down the previously overlooked pathway.

As he took in his surroundings, he noticed that this path was very different from the rest of the Dungeon. He no longer needed to use his sixth sense for sight, instead there were lit torches lining the walls making it much easier to see. The ceiling, walls, and floors were no longer covered in spiky rocks, but instead were now smoothened almost like a person had carved out this hallway. As he reached the end of the path, he could now see why there was a dead end on his System Map. Standing tall in front of him was a large, decorated door. It was black in color with purple and red carving going down the entire structure. It gave off a menacing aura, screaming DO NOT ENTER, but all Nova could do was face palm. "You mean to tell me, that the massive den with damn near all the Grimm wasn't the final boss area, and I just wasted all that time fighting those scrubs! I mean honestly it was worth, but it was also a waste of my time and effort. I am now a Mass Murderer because of you!" Nova took a deep breath calming himself down slightly before he continued. "Goddamn it. Of course, it looks like a dead end. Why would I be able to see into the Boss Room, that would be omega cheating." Nova let out a long sigh as he began checking himself over one last time before this boss fight. "Status."

Name: Nova Pollux

Age: 18

Race: Awakened One, Deus~Humanus

Titles: Awakened, Savior of Earth, King Slayer etc.

LVL: 0 (0.0%)

HP: 2750/2750, (+455), {+438}

MP: 1500/1500, (+0), {0}

Attributes:

STR; 40, (44), {+10}

END; 30, (25), {+7.5}

DEX; 40, (36), {+10}

VIT; 35, (45.5), {+8.75}

INT; 40, (14), {+10}

LUK; 15, (14.25), {+3.75}

EX AP: 0

SY: 90

SP: 100

$Money$: 90,003 AUG | 73 AUS | 32,330 AUB

"As I thought, the mana regen doesn't translate to MP granted by abilities and equipment its only base. I can also assume the same thing for HP. I have a fuck ton of Gold, Silver, and Bronze but I don't know exactly what I can use it to buy just yet. I could check the shop now, but I'd rather just beat this dungeon with no help and Lvl 0, after all I've gotten this far with 0 experience so I may as well finish it off that way. Aint that right Partner!"

[Right! Let's do this!]

"Alright Meta lets get this shit done, and then celebrate our victory with more investigation!" Nova put both his hands on the two large double doors and began pushing them open. The two massive doors gave way to Nova's strength before a message suddenly popped up in front of his face.

The Dungeon Master Lies Behind These Doors. Are you sure you wish to enter?

Y/N

"Of course!" At his response, both doors suddenly swung open without Nova putting any force on them. The room that he found himself walking into was big, while nowhere close to the size of the Beowolf Den, it was far larger than the usual corridors of the dungeon. The room was covered in gray and black stone rock structures, some jagged and some boulder shaped. The ceiling was the same, except it was covered in stalactites that were clearly extremely sharp. Along the walls of the cave were torches that dimply illuminated the area in an orange light. Because of the hostile design of the room, it felt as if he had walked directly into the jaws of a beast. Speaking of which, in the center of the room stood a Grimm very similar to the ones he had defeated up till this point except it looked much more aggressive and deadly. First thing that Nova noticed was that he stood on two legs, and it was because of this that he stood incredibly tall. Its skin was black as night and had that same shadowy smoke drooling from it in pulsating waves. His entire form was covered in sharpen bones that threatened to kill anyone who came close. Atop its massive upper body were two incredibly long arms that had humanoid hands at the end of each of them. The nails of the hands looked more like claws then fingernails and were long and sharp. Its face was a mixture of black 'skin' and white skull. Its jaws were wide showing razor sharp fangs that had drool dripping from them. The beasts towering form heaved up and down with every breath as it prepped itself to destroy its attacker.

Name: Alpha Beowolf

Age: ?

Race: Grimm

LVL: 15

HP: 7000/7000 {+3000}

MP: 925/925

Attributes:

STR; 70

END; 54

DEX; 35

VIT: 105

INT; 35

LUK; 16

"I thought that this Dungeon was recommended to level 10's not fifteens! Fuck it. Max Effort" Nova chose to quickly make the first move, he began sprinting at his opponent. "Flame" the magic circle appeared and began doing its spell, but Nova ran past it, letting it form while he continued his attack. The Alpha finally began reacting to Nova's presence and lunged forward attempting to slash him with his claws. Instead of claw meeting flesh, Nova disappeared in a red streak of mana as he suddenly appeared behind the Grimm. "Sucker Punch" the hero's fist reeled back and shot forward impacting strongly against the Beowolf's spiny back. The beast didn't even flinch at Nova's attack as he quickly turned around swiping wildly at the human. Nova saw this attack coming and leaped up in the air to dodge, as he came down, he used this opening to attack yet again. "Axe Kick" his foot crashed down against the pale skull of his opponent, but yet again the beast ignored the attack and opened his jaws wide to chomp at Nova's extended leg. However, the Magical Brawler used the momentum of his axe kick to jump backwards easily dodging the beast's counterattack.

{1123 DMG!}

{1254 DMG!}

As soon as Nova feet touched the ground, he was moving yet again. Dashing at the Alpha with seemingly reckless abandon, however it was much more skillful than that. During Nova's quick dash the Beowolf attempted another strong slash at his opponent, but it was easily dodged again. Now in close range under his massive body, Nova quickly struck the Beowolf's body with a three-piece combo ending it with a straight.

{620 DMG!}

{611 DMG!}

{634 DMG!}

This quick combo caused the beast to stumble slightly, waddling a few steps backward from the attack. Nova took this opportunity to land another strong blow, by jumping in a backflip motion while kicking strongly with his dominate foot. His Backflip kick landed harshly against the Beowolf, causing him to stumble even further backwards and collapse down onto one knee.

{670 DMG!}

Alpha Beowolf is now Stunned!

The beast didn't remain stunned for long, as it shook its head and stood back up on its two feet. However, it didn't have a chance to counterattack as a large source of heat began radiating behind the Alpha. A massive fireball slowly approached the beast from its back and the Beowolf was unable to dodge. The large Flame skill contacted the beasts back and exploded violently sending flares of magical fire soaring across the room, littering the floor with flames. As the Alpha was struck its body jerked forward from the impact of the attack leaving the bipedal wolf lying flat on the floor with its back still covered in red and orange flames.

{1388 DMG!}

Alpha Beowolf is now Burning! {347 dmg/ 5sec}

Before Nova could continue his offense, the beast found its way back to its 'feet.' Instead of standing on two legs like it had before the Alpha was now back on all fours. The Shadows that pulsated off its body were no longer pitch black, but instead a deep purple that oozed toxicity. The Alpha Werewolf opened its jaws wide before letting out a deafening howl that extinguished, not only the fire on its back but also, the flames surrounding him.

Name: Alpha Beowolf

Age: ?

Race: Grimm

LVL: 15

HP: 3700/7000 {+0}

MP: 825/925

Attributes:

STR; 70 {+30}

END; 54 {+50}

DEX; 35 {+30}

VIT: 105

INT; 35

LUK; 16

The beast suddenly launched from its position, slashing rapidly with its arms aiming to kill the human in front of it. It was just barely unsuccessful as Nova was able to dodge in time to avoid the attack. "Damn he is much faster than he was before. This must be some kind of phase 2 amp or something. He is not fast enough that I can't dodge so let's see if I can create some space first and then pin him down." Formulating a plan quickly in his head, Nova swiftly dodge each of the Beowolf's attempts at his life. The pressure of the Beowolfs relentless attacks begun waring on him as he continued to lose ground bringing him closer to being pinned against the wall. Nova was forced to make a move so he chose to dodge forward into the beast's attack. This move left him too close for the beast to slash at him with its claws however it put him dangerously close to its drooling jaws. The Alpha clearly recognized this and went to chomp its teeth into Nova's neck. "Speed Demon" as he activated his movement skill, he could feel the mana rush across his body down into his legs. He used his newfound speed to duck under the beasts' gnashing jaws and chose to spring back up with a mighty uppercut sending the Alpha reeling backwards.

{114 DMG!}

Nova chose not to let up and he began his assault. "Magnitude" as the skill went off, the floor beneath the Beowolf began shaking violently and spikes shot from the floor aiming to pierce the Grimm's body holding it in place. However, the Grimm nimbly dodge each of the jagged pieces of earth that jut from the floor. Nova took note of this as he let another skill loose on his opponent. "Spark" the snap of the spark was heard, and the explosion followed soon after, but the Beowolf remained unfazed, launching itself towards Nova yet again. This time however, the Alpha's overhead swipe with its claws was met by an unnaturally hard fist. "Sucker Punch" Nova's fist clashed against the wolfs claws in an epic battle of strength, neither of them was willing to give up. Nova could feel the beasts strength getting the better of him as his upward facing sucker punch was being crushed downward by the claw. "Shit! Its not enough, I need more strength!" Nova forced the mana from inside his body towards his fist, and he began to feel his strength increase. Echoing in his mind was the sound of his STR increasing with each pulse of mana he sent towards his fist.

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

"Not yet" MP: 985/1500

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

"Not Yet" MP: 835/1500

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

+1 STR! -50mp

"NOW!" Nova shoved his fist upwardly in a massive uppercut, completely overpowering his opponent. After his phenomenal parry, the wolf was left with his ribcage wide open and Nova decided to take advantage of that. "Five Knuckle Shuffle" Nova's fist blurred through 5 extremely quick punches that left the Beowolf stumbling backwards yet again.

{1167 DMG!}

Alpha Beowolf is now Stunned!

Nova refused to let up his attack as he ran towards his stunned opponent; "Wave, Gust" two magic circles suddenly appeared, one with a spinning ball of water, the other with an earth made entirely of wind blades. The wave was the first of the spells to activate, as it sent itself speeding into the torso of the reeling beast. The wind blades quickly followed, cutting shallowly into the Grimm's body making it bleed purple smoke all over the ground.

{320 DMG!} Wave Extended the Alpha Beowolfs Stun!

{256 DMG!}

{245 DMG!}

{257 DMG!}

{236 DMG!}

{234 DMG!}

The Alpha Beowolf is now Bleeding {129 dmg/ 10sec}

"Magnitude" while the Beowolf was still stunned, Nova activated his next skill, making the floor rumble and shake violently as it did before. Out of this rumbling ground came jagged edge rocks that pierced the bleeding and stunned Beowolf pinning him down even further.

{192 DMG!}

{192 DMG!}

The Alpha Beowolf is now Pinned!

"Damn Mr. Alpha Wolf, you were a little bit tougher than I thought you were gonna be. Honestly, I expected some kind of bullshit last ditch effort, rage mode thingy, but I did not think that your stats would go up nearly as much as they did. So, congratulations, you almost managed to hit me." The Beowolf continued to struggle against his restraints as he bled heavily across the hard stone floor.

Alpha Beowolf Continues to Bleed! {129 DMG}

"Well, oh well, nothing you can do about it now. Aint that right Meta."

[Yes, that's right!]

"As my buddy said, yes that's right. I don't think you can hear him, but just act like you can for me please."

Alpha Beowolf Continues to Bleed! {129 DMG}

Nova cleared his throat slightly and continued his monologue saying, "Do I sound maniacal right now? Like insane? Because that's not really what I'm going for, I swear."

[Nope! Not at all! You sound super-duper cool!]

"Thanks Meta! Have I ever told you how glad I am that you are in my life? I mean, I am just so lucky to have a partner like you. You are just so…" Nova trailed on, talking about how cool Meta is to have around, but at the same time the Alpha was breaking free from its restraints.

Alpha Beowolf Continues to Bleed! {129 DMG!}

The Beowolf struggle hard against his restraints until the beast managed to shatter one of the spiky pillars. Now that it was freed from one, it used its massive claw to shatter the other freeing its body completely from its restraints. As soon as it broke free, the Alpha lunged towards Nova jaws wide open looking to decapitate the human before he died from blood loss. As its jaws approached their target, the Alpha extended its jaws wider than they ever had been before, exposing its sharpened fangs that were about to burrow themselves deep into the human's skin. The death of this man seemed imminent until a quiet, cold blooded, voice spoke "Merciless." The body of the Alpha Beowolf was suddenly crushed midair, as the mana surrounding him converged onto its body. The Alpha was able to resist slightly for a half a second before its entire form was compressed down to the size of a cubic inch. The sight was not pretty, purple and black smokey blood shot out from the crushed corpse of, what was, the Beowolf.

"So that's what Merciless looks like. I definitely can't say that the name doesn't match the attack, but goddamn that was brutal. The target does have to be at an extremely low health though which may or may not be doable at most times, but we'll see."

[Congratulations! You killed the Dungeon Master Alpha Werewolf! You are awesome!]

"Oh shucks. Stop it Meta, your gonna make me blush."

You Defeated Alpha Werewolf (Lvl 15)! Here are your Rewards:

+650 Exp {+325 Exp} {+162 Exp} {162 Exp} | 200 AUS {50 AUS} | Alpha Beowolf Grimm Core | 4 {1} Alpha Beowolf Fangs, 6 {2} Alpha Beowolf Claws, 8 {2} Alpha Grimm Bones, Alpha Beowolf Mask | Black Crystalized Dust | 1 {1} Salem's Influence |

*New* Skills have Leveled Up:

*5 Knuckle Shuffle* {Lvl: 2}- Your skill with this attack has increased tremendously. The furry of strikes that you unleash have become even faster, guaranteeing that your opponent is stunned. Guaranteed Chance of Stun.

*5 Knuckle Shuffle* {Lvl: 3}- The proficiency that you use this skill with is astonishing. No longer can anything scoff at the power of this move when its in your hands. Any opponent who thinks that they have the upper hand on you will have their Attitude checked by this Skill. 5 Knuckle Shuffle evolved into Attitude Adjustment; -5% STR, -5% END to Opponent; Cost 50mp

*Sucker Punch* {Lvl: 3}- This move has evolved even further than what was originally thought possible becoming a much stronger attack than what it was previously. Sucker Punch is no more the Blindside is forever. Sucker Punch evolved into Blindside. Cost 30mp.

*Speed Demon* {Lvl 2}- Being fast for 60 seconds sometimes just doesn't cut it, just ask your mom. To become a true speed demon, you can now use this skill without limit, but it comes with a cost. +50% DEX; Cost 250mp/ 120sec

*The Devil's Step* {Lvl: 3}- To become a true Devil, you must be able to step like one whenever you please. Break through the cooldown for a steep price. Ignore Cooldown; Cost 500mp

*Mana Manipulation* {Lvl: 2}- You've become more efficient at using this skill you can now get more out of the mana for less! Cost 75mp/ 2ap

*3-Piece Combo* {Lvl: 3}- Sometimes a three piece isn't enough to send the message that you aren't to be fucked with. It is in times like these that you must resort to the 4- Piece Combo. The 3-Piece (no Bev) is now the 4-Piece (no Biscuit, extra gravy).

*Axe Kick* {Lvl: 3}- This attack shows the true strength of the power of the overhead kick. You've demolished your enemies with this attack and as such it has rewarded you with evolution. Axe Kick is now the Battle-Axe. The pure power of this strike causes a shockwave from the point of impact, dealing damage to all those surrounding it. Adds AOE damage equal to 10% of initial damage;+20% Damage when Attacking enemy weak point; Medium Chance to Stun Opponent; Low Chance to Insta-Kill; Cost 50mp

*Merciless* {Lvl: 2}- Now Grants +200mp; +200hp (previously 100mp and 100hp)

*New* Skills Obtained: *Flash Kick*- Using your powerful legs, you jump high in the sky performing an extremely fast and powerful backflip, while simultaneously kicking you opponent harshly. The kick is so fast and powerful that you leave a after image of the kick in its wake. Medium Chance to Critical Strike; Low Chance to Stun; Cost 50mp

*Parry Strike* - Parry your opponent's attack with an equal or stronger attack of your own, leaving them vulnerable to your next strike. +10% Damage to Phys follow up attacks after parry; When Parry Strike is stronger than the move parried +20% Damage to follow up Phys follow up attacks

*Dragon Punch*- Deliver an incredibly strong uppercut to your opponent, sending them soaring away from you crashing harshly with anything they encounter. High Knockback; Low chance of Invincibility on Activation; Cost 100mp

*New* Abilities Obtained: *Skill-Chain*- You have the impervious ability to chain multiple skills together to create your own combinations of attacks. Chaining skills together deals additional damage

*Chain-Casting*- You can chain together the magic that you activate creating devastating combinations that your opponent's cannot deal with. No cast time in between Magical Skills: Magic Chained together have boosted effects (+DMG, +Stun, +Burn etc.)

*Dual-Casting*- You have the innate ability to masterfully use magic at an advanced level. Your knowledge about your magical ability allows you to Cast two Magic spells at the same time.

*New* Titles Acquired: Dungeon Conqueror, Dual Caster Master, Chain Caster Master Skill-Chain Master, Defensive Guru, Stun Master, Bleed Master, Pin Master, Taunt Master, Sadist

Dungeon Conqueror- You have achieved an excellent goal and have conquered a dungeon!

Dual Caster Master- You are a master when it comes to casting two magical Skills simultaneously, it is because of your amazing skill and efficiency that you can do so at no additional cost. -100% Additional Cost when Dual Casting

Chain Caster Master- Your ability to Chain together Magical Skills is peak performance by any standards. It is due to this phenomenal ability of your that allows you to do this with no additional cost to your mana reserves, while also generating even more damage! -100% Additional Cost when Chain Casting; +30% Damage when Chain Casting

Skill-Chain Master- Your ability to chain skills together is immaculate to say the least. Your immense efficiency and skill with this ability leads to far more powerful combinations at no additional costs. -100% Additional Cost when Skill Chaining; +30% Damage when Skill Chaining

Defensive Guru- You can easily parry any attack that comes your way as long as you have the strength to do so. +25% Damage after a parry

Stun Master- You have mastered the ability to leave your opponent Stunned. Increased Duration on Stunned opponents

Bleed Master- You have mastered the art of cutting your opponent in parts of their bodies to leave them helpless to bloodletting. Increase Duration of Bleed on Opponents

Pin Master- You have mastered the technique of using physical objects, and weapons to Pinn your opponents in place, not letting them move or attack in any way. Increase Durability on all Pinn attacks

Taunt Master- When it comes to pissing people off, you know exactly which buttons to push. Increase duration of Rage on targets

Sadist- You know what this means, and when it comes to your enemies you are this.

"Who writes these descriptions! I do not have any, and I mean any, sadistic tendencies. Right Meta?"

[…]

"Ok, maybe a little bit, but not enough to get a whole title off it." Nova let out sigh as he looked around the cave for an exit to this Dungeon. Directly in front of Nova, a few feet from where the Grimm had met its end, was a white portal with a black border surrounding it that practically screamed EXIT. So naturally, Nova walked towards the portal and put his arm through to the other side.

Are you sure you want to Exit Dungeon: Beowolf Grimm Hive?

Y/N

"Yes please!"

Chapter 9: A New Companion

Nova walked through the white exit portal and came out the other side with renewed confidence. It wasn't the most important, impactful, or difficult thing that he had ever accomplished, but it was his first big step into his new life as the Awakened One. It was for this reason that even though he hadn't grown in Attribute Points, he still felt much stronger and wiser than he was before. And because of the multitude of skills that he gained through conquering this dungeon he had become stronger and more skilled in combat. As he walked out of the exit portal, he took in his surroundings yet again. Surprisingly, the environment was the exact same as when he initially entered the dungeon. He was still at the base of the cliff, but now he was looking into the seemingly endless trees of the forest. His relaxing vibe from the peaceful environment was suddenly interrupted by a multitude of screens that suddenly appeared, blocking his view.

[Congratulations!]

Quest: 'Conquer your first Dungeon!' Completed!

*Quest Rewards*: +1,000 {+500} EXP | 50 AUS | Title 'Dungeon Novice'|

Quest: 'A Beginning in Remnant' Completed!

*Quest Rewards*: Essence of Remnant

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Nova's face went blank for a moment, trying to register the thing that he was seeing and hearing. It took what felt like centuries for the information to register in his brain, but as soon as it did, he went ballistic. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT! I LEVELED UP! Oh my god! LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO!" Nova yelled at the top of his lungs, jumping up and down, running in full circles, and breaking out in the best dance moves he could manage at the notification he just received. At the same moment another being attempted to make contact with the over excited hero.

[Nova]

"I can't fucking believe it. FUCK YEEEEAAAAHHHHH!"

[Nova]

"WOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

[Nova!]

"Meta! Look what happened! I have no clue why, but we finally Leveled Up Buddy!"

[NOVA!]

"What? What happened Meta?"

[Meta has noticed something incredible! The Egg is Hatching!]

!Alert!

Your White and Black Beast Egg is Hatching! Would you like to watch?

Y/N

"Yes of course I wanna watch." In a flash of white light, the Beast egg that Nova had bought earlier appeared in front of him. The egg was surprisingly large, and was about half of his height, coming up to his waist. The intricate designs of the egg were now clearly visible, as the base was completely white, but the lines and symbols that ran across the surface were black. These black designs slowly began glowing brighter and brighter by the second. The beast egg then began shacking incrementally, synchronizing itself with the brightly glowing designs, as the lines pulsated with every shake. Each pulse made the designs grow brighter and brighter until a black and white light shot from all parts of the egg like rays of sunlight. After its peak in brightness, the ray's splendor slowly decreased in intensity before they completely dissipated, leaving no sign that the egg had been there in the first place. What was left in its place was quite a sight for sore eyes. Sitting in front of Nova was an adorable tiger cub of black and white. Its body was decorated elegantly with bold, sharp black and white stripes. The hatchling had flowing fur that rose and fell slightly with the wind, and a long tail that moved swayed back and forth at the will of the adorable animal. Its face was almost completely white, sparring intricate designs of black that decorated its eyes like tattoos. Atop its head were two sharply pointed black ears that had white designs running down them. At the fore front of all of these features were its piercing light blue eyes that seemed to illuminate the rest of its body in a icy glow.

Nova and the hatchling stared each other down for a moment, neither of them moving a muscle. The animal decided to make the first move as it suddenly leaped at Nova, crashing into his face. The extremely soft fur of the animal brushed up against his face making him naturally lean into the newborn. However, the force of the animal crashing into his head caused him to lose his balance, and the comfortability from the soft fur made Nova's mind go blank for a moment. This combination made both the animal and the man fall backwards down to the earth. Nova's back clashed hard with the ground as the white tiger landed surprisingly softly on his face. The cub then wrapped its paws around Nova's head and pulled him closer in an animalistic embrace enhancing the soft and fluffy experience. The animal was not finished yet, as it opened its jaws revealing a black interior lined with razor sharp teeth, with 4 incredibly long fangs out in front. Instead of using those features, it stuck out its long pink tongue and began lapping lovingly at the face of the man. Its tongue was rough, but somehow still incredibly soft making Nova take a little longer to reel back than normally would have.

"Hey stop it. That kinda tickles!" Nova managed to chuckle out, as he was licked lovingly all over his face by the animal.

Congratulations! You have Hatched the Godly Guardian of the West, Queen of Animals, Goddess of Righteousness, Celestial White Tiger Byakko!

Name: Byakko

Age: 0

Race: Celestial White Tiger

Titles: Celestial White Tiger, Goddess of Righteousness, Queen of Animals, Guardian of the West

LVL: 0 (0.0%)

HP: 1750/1750 {+188}

MP: 1000/1000 {+125}

Bond Lvl: MAX

Attributes:

STR; 20, {+5}

END; 10, {+2.5}

DEX; 30, {+7.5}

VIT; 15, {+3.75}

INT; 20, {+5}

LUK; 5, {+1.25}

Somehow, Nova managed to sit up with Byakko's paws still wrapped around his head. Sensing a change in her master's mood, she took one last long slurp of his face, from chin to forehead, and then unhooked her paws from the head of Nova. She then curled up into his lap, laying comfortably as she looked up at his thinking face. "Byakko, that's a powerful name for such an adorable tiger like you." Byakko meowed excitingly in response to her master's compliment. Nova then gently rubbed his hand on the top of her head causing her to purr intensely, leaning further into his touch. He slowly moved from head to tail, gently stroking her soft fur as he thought. "So, this is the beast tamer system that I got from Sin. I can spend System currency to summon more beasts in that Gacha menu, and the nursery is what I use to hatch the eggs. I wonder what else I can do." Nova re-opened the Beast Tamer menu and began combing through some of the prospects, analyzing the many uses of each of them. The first menu held a picture of Byakko and all her stats that he just saw. It also listed the possible equipment slots that can be filled. There were 3 different slots, with one clearly being locked, all of which were titled 'Bestial Accessory' which meant that each piece of equipment didn't have a slot restriction like his did. He could also see the skills that she had and could use, but he chose to review all that later. The other Beast slots under Byakko were locked so he couldn't have more than one Beast partnered with him at once, however he could still create more, they just wouldn't be able to be used. The next section he thoroughly looked at was the nursery, and he found that it was split into a few different parts. There was the incubator, the breeding grounds, and training ground. The incubator section was where he could put any beast eggs that he wanted to hatch, but there was a limit to the amount. As of right now he could only incubate one egg at a time, and it was also here that he found the reason why he wasn't leveling the whole dungeon.

The incubator shows the requirements for hatching any egg that is placed inside of it, when he originally got Byakko's egg the requirement that was shown was all question marks. However, it now clearly showed the hatching requirement for the beautiful tiger. "100,000 Exp! Are you fucking insane!" It turns out that he needed a metric fuck ton of experience to hatch her. He got incredibly lucky that the Dungeon housed suck an incredible amount of Grimm for him to slaughter or else it would've taken forever to hatch her, and he would've remained level zero that entire time. The breeding grounds was pretty self-explanatory, you put whatever compatible beast you have in the grounds and hope they make a baby. The limit started at one egg can be collected at a time, with only one couple active at a time. However, when Nova attempted to put Byakko in the area, the System alerted him that she, not only could not, would not breed with any other beasts. Nova wasn't planning on putting her in the breeding grounds for that purpose, he just wanted to see if Byakko would suddenly disappear from his lap or not. This message brought up another interesting idea, "Can the beasts refuse to Breed? I'd imagine that if they are strong enough, they can, but most of them more than likely cant, or won't. I do wonder why Byakko won't breed though." Shelving the thought for later, he continued his analysis of the system, moving on to the next section. The training ground was very interesting to say the least. There were a few different modes, all orbiting around the idea of getting stronger. There were the Battle Simulator which pits Nova's Beast up against enemies he has fought in the past, and if they successfully beat that enemy, they receive a portion of that Exp. There was the Arena where the Beast can fight each other in a battle for supremacy with only one coming out on top. This reminded him of a Kodoku, or Poison Jar, that he had read about and seen in some manga he read. The Kodoku was when someone put multiple venomous insects in a jar and had them kill each other until only one remained, creating the strongest and most venomous insect out of the bunch. The limits to both of these were one battle a day, and 5 participants maximum respectively. The last of the training grounds was kind of a curveball, as it was a feeding room where he could prepare different strengthening foods using different items he had obtained. The last section of the Beast Tamer menu, at least for now, was Beast Tamer tab.

When Nova had originally opened this section, he only looked at the Gacha aspect which easily caught his eye, but there was more to this section than just that. Besides the Gacha, there was another section are called the 'Life Creation Center' or 'LCC' for short. This area had a very clear purpose in mind and that was to make new Beasts or ones that he had already seen using certain items that he collected killing them. A fine example of this was the Beowolf Masks, and Cores that he collected. According to the various descriptions it takes 5 Beowolf cores to create a normal Beowolf Egg, it takes 5 Large Beowolf Cores to instantly create a normal Beowolf, and it takes 5 Alpha Beowolf Cores to create an Alpha Beowolf egg and so on and so forth. The more interesting part about this whole section was that Nova could upgrade the items into one another. It went a little like this.

10 Beowolf Masks = 1 Beowolf Grimm Core

10 Alpha Beowolf Masks = 1 Alpha Beowolf Grimm Core

10 Beowolf Grimm Cores = 1 Large Beowolf Grimm Core

10 Large Beowolf Grimm Cores = 1 Alpha Beowolf Grimm Core

10 Alpha Beowolf Grimm Cores = 1 Large Alpha Beowolf Grimm Core

1 Mutant Beowolf Mask = 1 Large Alpha Beowolf Grimm Core

10 Large Alpha Beowolf Grimm Cores = 1 Mutant Beowolf Grimm Core

10 Mutant Beowolf Grimm Cores = 1 Large Mutant Beowolf Grimm Core

1 Mutant Alpha Beowolf Mask = 1 Large Mutant Beowolf Grimm Core

10 Large Mutant Beowolf Grimm Core = 1 Alpha Mutant Beowolf Grimm Core

Nova began thinking through the usefulness of each group of Beowolf's he quickly did the math and determined that he could create, at most, 8 Alpha Beowolf Grimm Cores leaving him with 4 Large cores, 9 normal cores, and 2 masks. This would allow him to make 1 Alpha Beowolf egg and 1 regular Beowolf egg. "What would I even be able to do with a single Alpha Beowolf? He did give a little trouble, but that was because I was level 0, and I didn't use any of the super strong Skills I have. I was trying to prioritize leveling up the newer skills that I have." Sinking deeper into thought, he found himself staring deeply into the eyes of his new partner, and Byakko let out a small smile in return, while nuzzling herself deep into his embrace. "Plus, I don't need a dumbass Grimm anyway, I got Byakko! I may as well fuse as many of these items together to free up some space."

630 Beowolf Masks have become 63 Beowolf Grimm Cores!

370 Beowolf Grimm Cores have become 37 Large Beowolf Grimm Cores!

70 Large Beowolf Grimm Cores have become 7 Alpha Beowolf Grimm Cores!

You Have 8 Alpha Beowolf Grimm Cores Total!

After he finished reading up on the LCC, he discovered the reason one may want to use this system often. When going through the motions of making an egg, he found that he can add different items to the egg to give them a potential boost in strength. From something as small as a Beowolf Fang, to a Dust Crystal. Of course, this system had limits as well, more specifically a limit of one item, but it clearly had its perks. Nova decided to go onto another category of the system as he already completely dissected this part of the system. He thought over the idea to try fully upgrading it like he did with the system map but decided against it for the simple reason that he has no reason to. He already has one of the best Beasts he could possibly acquire, and he only has the one so he can't really take advantage of the other systems to their full extent. He also briefly considered rolling a bunch in the Gacha to get some more cool Beasts and make them breed for even more beasts but decided against it because there might be something even better to spend all his money on. "It's best to consider all of the option first before divulging all of the resources at your disposal", is what he thought as he made his decision. He then turned his attention to the next system mechanic that held his attention.

Skill Alchemy:

The skill alchemy menu was fairly basic, as its layout was short and to the point. On the left side of the screen was two empty slots with more locked slots beneath them, and on the right was the empty single slot that determined the output of the Alchemy. The requirements of the skill were simple, first the two skills had to be compatible, second, they had to be the same level, and thirdly they must both be of the same type STR with STR, and INT with INT. For whatever reason these restrictions felt extremely constricting to Nova, and in that moment he made a brash decision. "Hey Meta, can you Max upgrade Skill Alchemy for me really quick?"

[Of course! It will take 5 SY, are you okay with that?]

"Only 5 points?! Are you sure?

[Meta double and triple checked! It only takes 5 SY to MAX Upgrade!]

Are you sure you want to upgrade?

Y/N

"Hell yeah! 5 points aint shit to us."

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the MAX Skill Alchemy!]

*MAX Skill Alchemy*

*Triple Skill Fusion- Unlocks the third Skill slot, allowing you to fuse three Skills together with no difficulty!

*Everything Is Compatible- This completely lifts the first restriction of Skill Alchemy, allowing you to fuse punches with kicks, sword strikes with scythe gashes, and any examples in between

*Auto Fusion- When two skills of high compatibility are gained, instead of having to manually fuse them together, the System will do it for you!

*Universal Leveling- The level of the skills you are performing Alchemy on no longer matter, whether they be MAX or Lvl: 1 they can be fused

*Master Alchemist- You are not limited in any way to the number of skills that can be fused at any given time. Whether 2 or 10 you may fuse them all.

*EX Skill Alchemy- There are no more restrictions on your ability as an Alchemist. You may fuse STR and INT skills as you like but be aware there may be risks involved with doing so. When performing Alchemy, small chance of granting an extra Skill.

"If upgrading these System mechanics is this easy, I may as well at least see how much it cost to MAX the Beast Tamer, after all I may get some good shit from it. However, that's not important right now, let's focus on these Skills!" Staring deeply into the screen, he quickly decided what Skills he wanted to fuse, and which ones he wanted to remain the same.

(*Finishing Stomp* {Lvl: 2}, *Finishing Punch* {Lvl: 2}) = *Ruthless* {Lvl: 2}- Absolutely decimate your opponent with a flurry of punches and kicks leaving them as nothing more than a mass of destroyed flesh. Grants +200mp; +200hp

(*Attitude Adjustment* {Lvl: 3}, *4-Piece Combo* {Lvl: 3}) = *5-Piece Attitude Adjustment* {Lvl: 3}-A barrage of 5 extremely fast Skills linked together, giving your enemies a five-piece combo meal with no sauce, no Bev, no biscuit with extra gravy, and no dining set. This attack is a quick one two three four five Skill-Chain that leaves the enemy utterly destroyed. Any opponent who thinks that they have the upper hand on you will have their Attitude checked by this Skill. Guaranteed Chance to Stun; -5% STR, -5% END to opponent on any ending Phys Skill; Cost 250mp

(*Wave*, *Flood*, *Tsunami* {Lvl: MAX}) = *Monsoon* {Lvl: MAX}; Cost 250mp

(*Ground Shake*, *Magnitude*, *Earthquake* {Lvl: MAX}) = *Tectonic Shift* {Lvl: MAX}; Cost 250mp

(*Breeze*, *Gust*, *Tornado* {Lvl: MAX}) = *Cyclone* {Lvl: MAX}; Cost 250mp

(*Spark*, *Flame*, *Wildfire* {Lvl: MAX}) = *Inferno* {Lvl: MAX}; Cost 250mp

"Alright now that that's done, Meta can you let me know how much it will cost us to max out Beast Tamer?"

[Anything for you Partner! It will cost 15 SY to MAX the Beast Tamer Mechanic. Would you like to Upgrade it now?]

"Fifteen. That's more than all the other upgrades so far, but for some reason in my eyes it still doesn't seem like all that much. If I do this, I'll still have 70 more SY, and I'm pretty sure that the Beast Tamer mechanic is one of the more System Point heavy upgrades anyway, so fuck it. Yeah, upgrade it to MAX please."

*MAX Beast Tamer*

*Better Bestial Armory- Increase the number of accessories that a summon can hold by one. Increasing from 2 to 3.

*Bestial Duo- Your chosen partnered Beast will no longer be the only ally you can have at any given time. Increase party slots from 1 to 2.

*Better Incubator- Your incubator has now been upgraded and can hold up to 2 Beast Eggs at a time instead of 1.

*Better Breeder- The breeding grounds have increased in size allowing for 2 couples to accommodate the space at once. Also, 2 eggs can now be collected at a time, before the couple can breed again.

*Bestial Trio- Your Duology will now be upgraded to a Triad of your choice of Beasts.

*Better Simulator- The realness of the Battle simulator has increased a phenomenal amount, allowing the participant to gain 50% of the experience of the battle.

*Better Battle Arena- Drastic increase to the size of the battle arena has increased the number of participants by 5.

*Master Kitchen- You may use any and all possible ingredients to create life altering meals for your companions. Beware, some of these concoctions may have deadly consequences.

*Bestial Quartet- Your Triad has increased yet again, forming a magnificent Quartet of 4 Companions

*Master Egg Infusionist- Due to an increase in your proficiency at egg infusions, you may now infuse a maximum of 5 items of various strength into created eggs.

*Master Bestial Armory- Because of your knowledge of every beast's biology and tendencies, you have learned the maximum number of Accessories that can be placed on every Beast.

*Motherly Embrace- You're caring and nurturing nature towards all beasts that you create has left you with a motherly aura towards your creations. It is this Aura that allows you to grow, and nurture 5 different Beast eggs at any given time.

*Breeding Fields- A massive open field that can create the natural environment for any Beasts you enlist. Because of the massive size of the fields, you can enter any number of Beasts and allow them to copulate amongst themselves. However, the maximum number of eggs you can collect is 5.

*Master Trainer- You have become a master at cultivating the strength of the Beasts you create. The Battle Sim now allows the Beast to gain 100% of the experience of the entity that they manage to defeat, while the Battle Arena has evolved into the Colosseum where up to 100 participants are welcomed to give their lives in a test of strength.

*Bestial Companionship- All of those Beasts that you have created, fused, earned, or collected can now be with you at any and all times with only a single requirement. You must have a loving relationship with those Beasts that you choose to accompany you on your travels.

*EX Beast Tamer- You are a masterful savant of all things Beast, even more so with the Beasts that you have accompanying you. It is through this incredible knowledge that you have gained extraordinary new abilities. Firstly, you may now have an opportunity to recruit different Beasts from any of the Worlds. Secondly, you can now Fuse different Beasts together to create new ones. Not only that, but with Beasts that you have an exceptional relationship with now share your ability. This allows you to freely allocate points (SP, EX AP, etc.) to them at any point.

"So, in order to have one of my companions with me at any time, I must first have a MAX level bond with them. This would be true for the ability sharing bit as well. I guess it's a good thing that I already have a MAX bond with Byakko already, but that makes me wonder why we already have that deep of a bond. Again, that's nothing I need to worry about right now, next I need to focus on my status. First things first, I gotta absorb the essence that I gained from completing this quest."

[Meta would like to know if you want to Absorb the Essence of Remnant?]

Would you like to Absorb the Essence of Remnant?

Y/N

"Yes!"

Nova absorbed the Essence of Remnant. New Powers have been obtained:

*New* Power Source Manifested: *Aura (AU)* has been Unlocked!

*Aura*- The manifestation of one's soul into a powerful source of energy that all soulful beings have access to.

*New* Abilities Obtained: *Semblance*- A manifestation of your innate ability, and personal power unique to you. This power was developed from the manifestation of your soul, Aura, and is a tangible representation of it.

*Overtime (Semblance)*- This is the unique power manifested from your soul, the tangible representation of your Aura. Overtime instantly creates a follow-up attack after any Phys attack is done. The damage that is done with each follow up is determined by the Pay Rate.

*New* Skill Obtained: *Pay Rate* {Lvl: 1}- This power is what determines the effect of the Semblance Overtime. The Pay rate increases based off the number of times the Semblance is used.

*Half Time*- This follow up attack does damage equal to 50% damage of the initial attack it was based off; Cost 25au

*Overtime*- This attack follows up and does damage equal to the amount of damage that the initial attack caused, essentially make the initial attack do double damage; Cost 50au

"Aura, and Semblances I have heard of both of these things before, but where was it from? Why can't I remember this shit!" After his sudden mental outburst, Nova decided to give the idea a rest, focusing on more important stuff like figuring out how his Semblance worked. Of course, the description they gave him was a great explanation as far as the System goes, but it doesn't tell him of it looks or feels to activate and those were just as important. While he was still gently stroking Byakko down her soft and slender body, he began focusing, internally, finding the feeling of his own Aura that he had just manifested. The feeling of Aura was much different from Mana, as it felt much less fluid and sturdier. Instead of flowing from his core to his entire body it naturally existed on the outer most portions of his form. The Aura hid just beneath the skin, waiting to be activated. Nova grabbed hold of this feeling and began activating his own Aura, causing the magical substance to shoot out from its place under his skin, surrounding his form in a blanket of Pink Aura. After his activation of the power, he attempted to activate his Semblance while stroking his new companion. The effect of its activation was an interesting sight to say the least. Upon rubbing his hand down the head, back and tail of Byakko, trailing directly behind his moving hand was a translucent Pink hand doing the exact same motion as he was. The feeling must've been blissful as Byakko suddenly purred even louder and snuggled herself into Nova's lap, adjusting her position slightly, exposing her underbelly to him. At her request, Nova continued stroking her body receiving more purrs as a reward for his actions. "So, this is how it works. It seems that as long as I commit the action with my body, I can activate Overtime and have this weird ghost like after image follow it up. Cool." As Nova was finalizing his observations, he suddenly got another notification from the system.

Congratulations! Your Companion Byakko has Manifested her Aura! Would you like to see the details?

Y/N

Nova's eyes went wide in shock for a quick moment before the gears in his brain began turning. He quickly came up with the logical reasoning for this sudden phenomenon and accepted the effect easily. "I guess this shared System Ability goes beyond just AP and SP allocation. Byakko more than likely unlocked her Aura the instant I did, but hers probably didn't activate until I used mine on hers. Interesting."

| Byakko |

*New* Power Source Manifested: *Aura (AU)* has been Unlocked!

*Aura*- The manifestation of one's soul into a powerful source of energy that all soulful beings have access to.

*New* Abilities Obtained: *Semblance*- A manifestation of your innate ability, and personal power unique to you. This power was developed from the manifestation of your soul, Aura, and is a tangible representation of it.

*Queen Venus (Semblance)*- This is the unique power manifested from your soul, the tangible representation of your Aura. Venus creates a circular domain around you that has various effects on your allies and enemies. The effects are based on Venus's Imperial Power.

*New* Skill Obtained: *Queen Venus's Imperial Power* {Lvl: 1}- This power is what determines the effect of the Semblance Queen Venus. On each activation, a large domain is expanded using your Aura, in this domain various effects can occur.

*Venus's Heat*- In the Domain, the enemies of Byakko will experience the intense radiating heat of Venus, causing intense burns that cannot be extinguished; Cost 50au

*Venus's Might*- In the Domain, the enemies of Byakko will experience the immense pressure that crushes all who enter. This bone crushing pressure rapidly causes damage will inflicting a terrifying slow that makes it extremely difficult to escape; Cost 100au

"Damn girl, your ability might be better than mine!" Byakko responded with an adorable sound that was somewhere in between the meow of a cat and the growl of a tiger cub. Nova smiled sweetly at the cub before giving her a tight embrace. Byakko responded well to the hug, curling her tail around his waist and nuzzling deeply into his neck. They sat there for a moment, enjoying each other's warmth before breaking the loving embrace. "Alright Byakko, it is time for us to move, we've been here for a bit too long for my taste." Nova got up from his position sitting on the soft grass and Byakko leaped from his lap landing gracefully on the grass without a sound.

Name: Byakko

Age: 0

Race: Celestial White Tiger

Titles: Celestial White Tiger, Goddess of Righteousness, Queen of Animals, Guardian of the West

LVL: 0 (0.0%)

HP: 1750/1750 {+188}

MP: 1000/1000 {+125}

AU: 150/150 {+13}

Bond Lvl: MAX

Attributes:

STR; 20, {+5}

END; 10, {+2.5}

DEX; 30, {+7.5}

VIT; 15, {+3.75}

INT; 20, {+5}

LUK; 5, {+1.25}

Name: Nova Pollux

Age: 18

Race: Awakened One, Deus~Humanus

Titles: Awakened, Savior of Earth, King Slayer etc.

HP: 5600/5600, (+1196), {+1150}

MP: 3525/3525, (+201), {+718}

AU: 565/565, (+161), {+109}

LVL: 3 (33.3%)

Attributes:

STR; 112, (+123), {+28}

END; 87, (+53.5), {+22}

DEX; 100, (+90), {+25}

VIT; 92, (+120), {+23}

INT; 115, (+40), {+29}

LUK; 60, (+57), {+15}

EX AP: 90

SY: 70

SP: 100

$Money$: 90,003 AUG | 373 AUS | 32,330 AUB

"Don't my stats go up a little too much when I level Up? I only got three levels at all of my Strength alone is double that of the Alpha Beowolf boss that I killed earlier." Nova spoke sheepishly as he lightly chuckled to himself. "Hey Byakko, your already pretty strong too! You could've easily taken down those Beowolfs in the dungeon earlier. I wish you were there lowkey, you could've been a great help."

Byakko looked up at her master and replied with a excited Mwrah! The response from the tiger cub made Nova chuckle a bit, after all he just met this adorable creature, but somehow, he felt like he had known her for his entire life. She understood everything he said and responded in such a way that made him smile every time even if he didn't exactly understand it. That was the other weird thing, he didn't exactly understand it, but for some reason he could still make out a meaning in her various purrs, growls, meows, and mwrah's. He figured that this was the effect of the MAX bond, but he still didn't know why the bond was already maxed out in the first place. But for whatever reason he didn't care about the why, he was just happy to have another companion that enjoyed his presence as much as he did theirs.

"Alright Byakko, Meta, where do we go next!"

Another one that's long asf, I hope you enjoyed! Please Review if you wanna let me know something, feedback is very welcome!