Jade sat cross-legged on the floor of his sterile room. The one-hour countdown to Floor 5 glowed in the corner of his vision. With a mental command, he summoned his status screen, the translucent blue interface materializing before him.
USER: Jade
TITLE: Self-Conqueror
LEVEL: 10
EXP: 350 / 10,000
RACE: Perfected Human (Evolving)
CLASS: Void Sovereign
ATTRIBUTES
VITALITY: 26
STRENGTH: 24
DEXTERITY: 20
AGILITY: 24
MENTAL: 25
DIVINE AFFINITY: 2
<< ATTRIBUTE POINTS AVAILABLE: 5 >>
<< ENERGY MATRIX STABILIZED >>
<< MANA INTERFACE UNLOCKED >>
Mana Pool: 400/400
Mana Regeneration: 40/second (+20/sec in cold environments via Obsidian Core)
CORE SKILL EVOLUTIONS:
[EPIC] Observer's Eye Lv. 6
Can now perceive emotional residues and hidden intentions in others' mana signatures.Future sight extended to 1.2 seconds.New Passive: Gains a faint outline of an enemy's intended movement path for the next 0.5 seconds.
[RARE] Obliterate Lv. 6
Reduced Mana Cost: 25% less mana for basic waves and lances.Improved Control: Can now curve the trajectory of a released Obliterate lance mid-flight by 15 degrees.Can manifest two smaller Obliterate waves simultaneously for area denial.
[DIVINE] Obsidian Core Lv. 2
Passive Thermal Siphon: Drains ambient heat, converting it into minor mana regeneration (+20/sec in cold environments).Frozen Malice Aura: Projects a minor fear effect on weak-willed enemies within 5 meters.Selective Dampening: Can now choose to suppress specific emotions (e.g., fear, anger) while leaving others (e.g., focus, calculation) active.
[VOID-SOVEREIGN] Sovereign's Gaze (Passive) - ENHANCED
Will-Shatter Effect: Enemies with critically low willpower (below 15%) are now Stunned for 1 second upon eye contact.Aura Reading: Can now gauge the approximate power level (Low, Medium, High, Critical) of others based on the "weight" of their aura.Mana Cost: None (Passive)
[VOID-SOVEREIGN] Throne of Frozen Malice (Channeled) - OPTIMIZED
Improved Efficiency: Mana cost reduced from 15% to 12% of max Mana per second.Nether-Flame Aura: The passive flames now slow enemies by 20% and apply a Soul Chill debuff, reducing their mana regeneration by half.Mental Dominion: While on the Throne, the range and potency of Sovereign's Gaze is doubled.Mana Cost: 48 Mana/second (12% of 400)
[DIVINE/LOCKED] World-Ender's Thirst
[SYSTEM QUARANTINE - Reality Instability Risk]Symbiotic divine skill manifesting user's and weapon's combined hunger
[MAX] Numbed Existence
Pain completely registered as spatial dataNo emotional or physical impairment from injuries
WEAPON STATUS:
[SYMBIOTIC ENTITY: World-Eater]
Sentient scythe with growing consciousness[STATUS: Dormant. Contained within dedicated System subspace.][QUARANTINE: Active - System Lockdown]
SYSTEM BONDS:
[Soul-Bound: Alter-Jade][Partnership: Zero - Status: Active][Vow-Bound: Seraphina - Status: Active]
Analysis: Obsidian Core Stability has reached Threshold (Lv. 2).
User's energy matrix is now sufficiently stabilized for precise resource quantification.
All future skill consumption and regeneration will be measured in Mana Points (MP).
Jade's glacial composure shattered. His crimson eyes widened a fraction.
Mana?
The word was alien in his context. He had used skills, felt energy drain, but it had always been an abstract concept—the cost of a technique, paid from some internal, unquantified reserve. Now, it was a number. A resource to be managed. A variable he had not been accounting for.
"This changes everything," he whispered, his mind re-calibrating a thousand previous engagements.
His eyes scanned down, taking in the evolved skills. Observer's Eye Lv. 6 could now see emotional residues and future paths. Obliterate Lv. 6 could curve in mid-air. His Obsidian Core Lv. 2 could siphon heat from the very air.
Then he saw it. A skill he had long taken for granted had reached its final form.
[MAX] Numbed Existence
Pain is completely registered as spatial data, No emotional or physical impairment from injuries
A cold, profound satisfaction settled over him. The last vestige of mortal weakness had been systematically erased. He was no longer merely tolerant of pain; he was indifferent to it. A true sovereign over his own flesh.
But it was his Class Skills that made his blood sing. Sovereign's Gaze could now shatter weak wills. The Throne of Frozen Malice was more efficient, its chilling aura stronger.
A wave of raw, predatory anticipation surged through him. The World-Eater in its subspace prison seemed to pulse in response. He had grown so much, and yet the screen screamed of untapped potential, of depths he had only begun to explore.
'Ahaaaaa...' The sound was a low, hungry breath in the quiet room. His fingers twitched. He itched for a real fight, a true battle to test these new limits, to feel the curve of an Obliterate lance and the absolute dominion of his Numbed Existence.
Shaking off the battle-lust, his analytical mind took over. He needed to understand this "Mana." He would find the Curator after this Floor. For now, Floor 5 was an unknown. Versatility was key. He allocated his five points: +4 to AGILITY (24 > 28), +1 to MENTAL (26 > 27). A wave of exhilarating sharpness and clarity washed over him.
A final, system-wide chime echoed.
Ascension to Floor 5: Commencing.
The mysteries and the itch for battle would have to wait. The next game was beginning.