Chapter Five: Ruler of the West

[+2 (3/50) Incinerator I.]

[+1 (2/50) Battle Healing I.]

[+7 (15/15) Dashing Knight.]

[+7 (15/15) Blade Channeler.]

[Congratulations! For having Charisma as your highest Stat and Strength as your second highest for fifteen levels, you have completed the Dashing Knight challenge.]

[Congratulations! For having your casting stat (Charisma) as your highest Stat and Strength as your second highest for fifteen levels, as well as having a One-Handed Proficiency at Competent or above, you have completed the Blade Channeler challenge.]

[Dashing Knight [Un] Perk added.]

[Blade Channeler [Un] Perk added.]

[Congratulations! You are the first soul from Earth to complete a challenge. Rewards granted.]

[Dashing Knight [Un] Perk upgraded to Gallant Exemplar [R].]

I didn’t have time to gawk. Even as I felt my body changing from my level up--the added Charisma flowing through my curves and the Strength into my muscles.

Whatever the Ruler of the West was, it wasn’t just another mana cat. Its power rushed at me from the cliffside like a falling star, and the chill in my blood told me all I needed to know: I wasn’t ready.

My character sheet flashed open at my will.

>>

[Clarissa Ardent, Level 19]

Class: Sorceress

Health: 225 [3 regen/per-minute].

• Baseline Health = [(Endurance/2 + Strength/2) x 10 rounded down].

• Baseline Regen = [3 + (Endurance/2 rounded down)].

• Modifiers: [Resource Points: 110].

Mana: 530 [69 regen/per-minute].

• Baseline Mana = [Willpower x 10].

• Baseline Regen = [3 + (Charisma/2 rounded down)].

• Modifiers: [Elder Blood +190], [Sorceress's Soul +190], [System Bonus +100].

Stamina: 110 [3 regen/per-minute].

• Baseline Stamina = [(Endurance/2 + Strength/2) x 10 rounded down].

• Baseline Regen = [3 + (Endurance/2 rounded down)].

Armor Class: 1 [Base: 1 | Armor: 0].

• Base Armor Class = [Endurance/10, but can not be less than 1.]

• Governs what class of weapons, spells, and unarmed attacks can damage you.

Unarmed-Class: 7 [Base: 5 | Mods: 0]

• Unarmed Class = [(Strength/4 rounded down) + Unarmed Fighting rounded down].

• Governs what Armor-Class your unarmed strikes can penetrate.

Resource Points: 50

[Stats]

Strength: 22

Physical might.

• If Strength is greater than your melee weapon's Weapon-Class add +1 to it.

Endurance: 1

Resiliency and the ability to keep moving.

Agility: 7

Speed of movement. Flexibility of body. Speed of reactions.

• Each level of Agility = 10% increase in the progression speed of physical proficiencies.

Charisma: 27

Amplifies physical attractiveness, pleasantness of voice, and ability to read social-interactions

• Governs how long it takes you to learn new spells from spell-matrixes and the results of spell-forging. (Sorceress Class)

• Spell-Class gains +1 for every 10 points of Charisma you have. (Sorceress Class)

Perception: 1

Increases awareness range.

• Sight and hearing range are multiplied by your Perception score.

Intelligence: 1

Speed of cognition.

• Each point in Intelligence = 10% increase in the progression speed of mental proficiencies.

Willpower: 1

Your ability to reduce pain and contain mystical energies.

• Mana increases by +10 for every point of Willpower you have.

• Divide your perception of pain by your total Willpower.

Stat Points: 9

[Proficiencies]

One-Handed: Competent 2 (0/45)

Acrobatics: Competent 2 (0/45)

Grappling: Competent 2 (0/45)

Unarmed-Fighting: Competent 2 (0/45)

Writing: Competent 2 (0/50)

Fire-Manipulation: Competent 2 (0/22)

Spell-Attack: Novice 1 (0/22)

Spell-Control: Novice 1 (0/22)

Spell-Efficiency: Novice 1 (0/22)

Proficiency Points: 10

[Spells Known]

Raging Blade [1st] - Summon a fiery blade. [Fire] [Attack] [Sustained]

• Spell-Class = 10 [Spell-Attack + (1/4 Charisma + One-Handed + Fire-Manipulation) rounded down].

• Mana-Cost = 60 Mana per minute [(1 Mana per second]/Spell-Efficiency)].

Fireball [2nd] - Conjure an explosive ball of compressed fire. [Fire] [Attack] [Explosive]

• Spell-Class = 10 [Spell-Attack + (1/4 Charisma + Fire-Manipulation) rounded down].

• Range = 27 feet.

• Mana-Cost = 100 Mana [(100 Mana/Spell-Efficiency)].

[Skills]

N/A

[Perks]

Elder Blood I [B] – As a member of the Caliban race, mana flows through your veins. Your baseline mana is increased and your regeneration increases in tandem with your maximum mana.

• Your baseline mana is increased. [+10 Mana per level.]

• Your mana regeneration increases in tandem with your maximum mana. [Mana regeneration per minute +1 per 10 points of Mana.]

Sorceress's Soul I [C] - You cast and fight with force of personality, not breadth of knowledge.

• You level both physical and magical stats at a moderately faster rate than others. [10% Leveling Increase After Buffs.]

• Charisma now provides all the magic-related bonuses that Intelligence does by default.

• Moments of high-emotional intensity may occasionally provide you with new spells.

• +10 Mana Per Level, +1 Strength Per Level, +1 Charisma Per Level.

Blade Channeler [Un] - Your blade imparts your will upon the world, your mana ensures it is not challenged.

• While actively wielding a one-handed weapon (including conjured weapons), you gain: 1/4 your Charisma as bonus Strength and Spell-Class.

Gallant Exemplar [R] – Your presence is as forceful as your blade. When you strike, it is art. When you speak, it is law. You are the battle's rhythm, the spark in the hearts of heroes.

• Grants an aura of Heroic Presence, increasing ally morale and granting 1/2 your Charisma as bonus Strength to nearby allies within 15 meters.

• Killing blows made within 5 seconds of a dodge, parry, kill, or leap generate a burst of flair, boosting your Charisma by 1/5 the level of the slain enemy for fifteen seconds.

• Allies who kill an enemy while within your aura restore an amount of HP equal to your Charisma.

Trailblazer I [R] - Accelerated proficiency growth for pioneering achievements.

• All proficiencies tier with half of the effort that would otherwise be required.

• Skills and spells are easier to learn.

Raging Sorcery I [RU] – You can channel strong emotions into your fire spells to condense and propel them towards a target, causing the condensed spell to explode in a violent burst of mana that deals extra damage.

• When this perk is activated, any fire spell can be converted into an explosive blast. The base Spell-Class of the blast is equal to the original spell's Spell-Class x (Charisma/10).

• Casting range of converted spells and all spells with the [explosive] tag is equal to your Charisma attribute in feet.

• Spell-Class x (Charisma/10) of all fire spells in general with the [explosive] tag.

[Equipped]

> Simple Traveler's Tunic. (Tattered.)

> Simple Traveler's Breeches. (Dirty.)

> Simple Traveler's Socks.

> Simple Traveler's Boots. (Dirty.)

[Inventory (3/50)]

> Greater Bestial Shard

> Skulker Hide

> Skulker Meat

>>

No time to linger. My class choice had paid off. [Blade Channeler] would help me hit hard enough to knock some regret into even a mini-boss--hopefully.

Fifty core points went straight into Health. It jumped to nearly 300. I bumped Agility to 16.

My instincts screamed for more ability to fall back on. I dumped the proficiency points into [One-Handed], tiering it with the reduced requirement applied by my Agility score.

[Congratulations! For reaching Journeyman in a weapon proficiency, while knowing at least one [2nd] level spell and having your casting Stat (Charisma) above twenty, you have been awarded the Battlemage perk.]

[Battlemage Perk [Un] added.]

[Perk Description: Magic. Blades. It makes no difference. To you, they’re just weapons. (All offensive spells cost 25% less to cast).]

[Congratulations! You are the first soul from Earth to earn a Milestone Perk. Reward granted.]

[Battlemage [Un] has been upgraded to Warmage [R].]

[Perk Description: Your magic is forged in blood and fire—built not for beauty, but for war. (All offensive spells cost 50% less mana and gain + (Charisma/4) as a bonus to their Spell-Class).]

There was no way...

Oh. Hell yes.

I slammed my sheet closed.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The Ruler hit the ground like a bomb.

Trees shook. The beast roared.

I clenched my hand. Summoned my will and flame. [Raging Blade] roared to life. My grip changed. Natural. Familiar. As if I'd been using blades wrong my whole life until now.

Strength surged through me as I felt [Blade Chaneller] recognize the presence of my conjured weapon.

Sword in hand. Perks active. Stats boosted. Skills sharpened.

This was going to be a dance--or a catfight, pun intended.

The Ruler flickered. It was on me in seconds. Faster than I hoped--about as quickly as I expected.

I dodged. Just barely. Its claws sliced air where my head had been. Did not want to start this thing off by taking a critical hit.

Flames from my blade crackled as I met the Ruler's claw with my sword edge. The Ruler’s swipe veered off course. I sliced cleanly through one of its massive claws, severing it.

Fuck. I was a lot stronger--and my blade's Spell-Class was deadly.

Then the Ruler vanished. Blinked away like its kin had been able to do as well--until I'd slain them.

I struck out instinctively. It reappeared behind me—I was ready. My slash missed the kill shot, but it clipped the beast's shoulder--incinerating its flesh and sinew.

Then pain. Its counter caught me.

It rushed forward and tackled me. Sending me flying.

I slammed into a tree, losing a quarter of my health.

The Ruler panted, foreleg twitching from the heat of the burns I'd inflicted.

Then it roared once more.

The panther's body glowed--and the shine began to split off. Two smaller mana cats peeled from its illuminated form.

I stood.

"Alright, asshole," I spat, summoning flame into my hand. "Let’s see how you deal with this."

My eyes glowed, infusing more power into my spell.

I aimed [Fireball]. Bringing the spell to life at a fraction of the Mana cost now due to [Warmage]. And thanks to activating [Raging Sorcery], it also both packed a hell of a punch and had impressive range.

I hurled it directly at the boss. One of its summons charged forward to meet me, however--just as I'd thrown the spell.

The Ruler flinched. Jumped and dodged the subsequent explosion, but stumbled from the shockwaves nonetheless.

I met its smaller spawn head-on as it got close enough to leap at me. I dodged under its feline body, finding my new Agility very useful in conjunction with my acrobatics proficiency.

Back-bent, I stabbed my Raging-Blade into the mana-cat. And detonated it with [Raging Sorcery].

The explosion blinded me for a moment. But it all but incinerated the summon.

The Ruler was on me the moment I'd pushed myself back up to my feet. Before I could even re-conjure my sword.

One enemy summon was down, but the second was hot on the tail of its master--coming for me as well.

I swept my arm across my body towards the incoming Ruler. Fire leapt from my fingers and coalesced into a projectile mid-air.

Another [fireball].

The Ruler flickered. The blast still hit its ally--knocking it off its feet.

[Raging Blade] was forming in my free-hand.

But the Ruler reappeared too close to me. I couldn’t get the sword up in time to intercept it.

Desperate, I cast [fireball] again. The Ruler jumped from my spell's path.

I redirected the burning orb to the wounded Mana Cat. It tried to jump away from the impact as well, but was still burned and sent rolling by the blast's edge. This time, I doubted it'd get up.

I swung my flame sword at the Ruler next. But I wasn't fast enough compared to its quick reflexes--again.

Claws raked my stomach. Agony shot through my body and bulged my eyes. But my blade found the Ruler's uninjured shoulder in return. I pushed the weapon as deeply inside the cat as I could, until the panther swiped at my head.

[Warning! Your are bleeding! -1HP/s.]

I retreated. Triggered [Raging Sorcery]. Exploded my spell inside the Ruler's body.

The huge, viciously majestic panther was bathed in fire.

Two more summons jumped from the explosion, however--proving their summoner wasn't ready to be dead yet.

I made sure a [Fireball] each rained down on them just as they were born.

All the while I clenched my bleeding, rended stomach. Fuck... I was hurting so bad.

I could feel cold sweat rolling out from my every pore.

The Ruler pushed itself back to its paws. Smoke rolled from its body.

I threw one more [Fireball] at the group.

The Ruler's summons, already knocked prone, died.

The Ruler itself only reeled against the shockwave. Anything but a direct hit, it seemed, did little to the beast.

I poured mana into my free hand. Tried to make my fingers burn over my bleeding stomach.

They did, igniting with orange fire. I could feel my own mana’s hesitance to harm me, but I forced it to. My spell seared my flesh--steeping the bleeding with cauterization.

[You have created a spell! Burning Hands [1st] added to spell list.]

I wasn't done yet. HP still drained, only slower.

The Ruler flickered from reality in a burst of an arcane, blue silhouette.

I was ready when it reappeared in front of me.

I kept it off its rhythm with another [fireball].

The move gave me time to summon [raging blade] and cut the panther across the whiskers--just as it came back towards me.

Backstep. Block. Counter.

[Fireball].

I lunged.

Adrenaline and the new Strength in my legs was the only thing keeping me going. My enemy's own wounds was the only reason what I had left was just barely enough to keep up.

Flurry. Dodge. Parry. Slash. I got the massive panther across the throat.

Then a break. The Ruler trembled and stepped back away from me.

I trembled and drove towards it

I plunged the sword deep into its chest.

The cat's body surged blue again--having learned not to let me keep my sword buried in its flesh. Another flicker turned teleport.

The Ruler reappeared a few feet away, barely managing to still stand.

I wasn't doing much better. Didn't feel like it was a good idea to approach the panther for more melee in my state.

Fire formed in my free hand.

It'd be my final [Fireball]. I was hot out of extra mana. All I had was enough to keep [raging blade] going for a bit longer.

I threw it at the Ruler. The panther responded by glowing brightly.

It summoned a final mana cat to take the hit. Born lunging, with its mouth open and full of all of its mother's fury.

My spell flew straight down its throat. And exploded.

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 20.]

Health restored. Mana surged.

Pain ebbed away. Thank God.

I laughed. Holy shit the Ruler had just fucked itself.

The Ruler stepped back.

I threw my sword with all of my new Strength and Agility.

[You have learned a skill! Throw Sword added to skill list.]

My weapon struck the lethargic, near dead panther in the third eye. My eyes flashed, the sword exploded. The cat flickered, reappeared—collapsed.

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 21.]

[22.]

[23.]

[24.]

[25.]

[Quest: The Huntmaster's World updated!]

[You have defeated the Ruler of the West.]

[Four stronger Rulers remain.]

The ground shook.

A column of light engulfed the Ruler's corpse from the sky.

And another came down to surround me.

[Congratulations! You have defeated a low-tier world guardian. You may either attempt to integrate its power into your own or forgo this for a different, lesser reward.]

[Warning! You have slain the Western Ruler without the aid of a party. Should you choose to absorb its essence, the full burden of its will, power, and nature will fall solely upon you.]

[Warning! You are only thirty percent compatible with the Western Ruler’s mana signature. Failure to integrate the inherent nature of another being may result in permanent, lasting damage.]

[Do you wish to proceed: y/n?]

The pillar of light bathed me in wild, dense power. The Western Ruler’s presence surged all around me—untamed, predatory, vast. Just being near it threatened to unravel me... somehow I knew only the System held it back.

I hesitated.

I’d survived up to this point through a mix of grit and luck—emphasis on the luck. Every battle had nearly killed me. And if the other rulers were stronger…

I needed more power. If Earth was facing anything like this world, then the people I loved might already be in danger.

I selected yes.

The System’s protection vanished. In an instant, the Ruler’s essence crashed against my skin.

My flesh offered no defense.

The feline power surged inward—cool, agile, unrelenting. It circled my heart like a predator toying with prey. The closer it drew, the more I felt it pressing to smother me from the inside out.

I resisted.

And that was a mistake.

Pain lanced through me as the Ruler’s mana retreated from my chest and seized my left arm. A foothold—anchored. From there, it spread like wildfire.

I felt my soul falter, pushed back, driven out of my own body by that stalking, relentless force.

Every time I lashed out, it evaded, flanked, surrounded. My mana wasn’t fighting—it was being hunted.

I’d once thought my magic ran through my nerves. But now I felt it—my body was webbed with circuits, a lattice of mana pathways radiating from a pooled core within my heart.

And one by one, those circuits were being severed.

Panic bloomed.

What if this had been the wrong choice?

I couldn’t win like this. Not with brute force. The Ruler’s essence was too elusive, too dominant.

And yet—this was why I wanted its power.

I didn’t want to kill its essence. I wanted to claim it.

So I stopped fighting.

By then, most of my circuits had gone dark—only my heart and mind still glowed.

If it reached my core... No. It had to reach my core. But not as a conqueror.

When the Ruler’s essence slammed into the energy surrounding my heart, I opened the gates.

I let it in.

The panther’s mana surged into my center—alien, wrong—but I didn't resist. Not yet.

I willed my core to release its grip on being only me. Because I was dying. Losing.

I gathered the last of my soul and mana, pulled them tight to my core, and gave a single command:

Burn.

Become fire—the only thing I'd seen for sure could match something like the Ruler.

"Ignite!"

And they did.

The Ruler's blue-white energy was suddenly surrounded, devoured by the blaze I had lit in the depths of myself. This time, I ambushed it—just as it had done to me. But when its essence met the newborn flame of my soul, it didn’t burn away.

It mixed.

At first, the fusion was chaos—mana clashing, unstable, volatile. I felt a single, terrifying moment of balance. A razor’s edge between destruction and rebirth.

Would this union destroy me—or remake me?

But dying the same was worse than becoming something new.

I gave everything to the fire I’d become. Will. Focus. Surrender.

When the Ruler’s mana surged to overwhelm, I let my flames yield.

When my fire flared to consume, I reined it in.

Bit by bit, the blue energy stopped fighting. It didn’t vanish. It fed the flame. Became fuel. Became part of me.

And I felt it—the moment it understood. The moment the Ruler’s essence recognized me. Saw how I had changed to beat it on its own terms—become a predator, just like it.

And that made all the difference.

My flame shimmered, taking in the last of its strength. It sharpened, edged in white-blue. Wilder. Brighter.

Alive in a new way.

Stronger.

The pillar of light shattered.

I dropped to my knees, breath ragged, as power surged through me—restored circuits flaring to life with newfound fire.

[Congratulations! You have achieved full integration of the Western Ruler’s essence. Its strength is now your own; may you use it to free this and other worlds.]

[Mana-Flicker [3rd] added to spell list.]

[Pure Flames [RU] perk added.]

[Perk Description: The purity of the Western Ruler’s essence has merged with your inner fire. (Your fire-spells now deal 75% damage to fire-resistant enemies (instead of 50%).]

[Congratulations! You are the first soul from Earth to slay a world-guardian. Reward granted.]

[Pure Flames [RU] upgraded to Soulfire [EU].]

Unlike all the other times the System had upgraded a Perk for me, this time I felt a surge of energy erupt inside my core. Already on my knees, I fell to my hands as well--gasping now.

[Perk Description: The fire of your soul has been refined. (You bypass fire-resistance and deal 50% damage to fire-immune creatures.)]

[+6 (9/50) Incinerator I.]

[+1 (3/50) Battle Healing I.]

Everything ached. Everything had changed.

I could feel it... my soul was now more flames than woman. Not broken, but reforged.

And why did I feel like the System wasn't giving me all these rewards for nothing? Like it expected something from me?

I looked up to what I assumed was the Ruler’s den.

Then to the loot orbs scattered across the forest canyon floor.

No rest until I gathered every last one.

Then? Then I’d sleep.

I’d earned it.

I trembled as I pushed myself to my feet. Not hurt... just drained.

I raised my hand in front of the Ruler of the West's loot orb.

>>

[Loot: Ruler of the West – Level 35, Elite]

• Spirit Guardian Pelt

• Spell-Matrix: Summon Mana Cat [3rd]

>>

Another spell? And a summon at that?

Well, I was lonely...