B3 Chapter 318: Sanctuary, pt. 6

Ianmus watched his closest two friends roughhouse in the middle of the safe room. Nominally, they were practicing their new skills — taking their time not to burn through too much of their already-drained resources.

In reality, he knew both of them well enough to be certain they were blowing off steam.

Porkchop’s poisoning had worn on them both. They were staunch warriors. Both of them could and had smiled as they were disembowelled, using one hand to shovel their organs back in while they struck back at their enemies with the other.

Still — they were young, and carried an attachment that was closer than what you would see out of even blood family. It was more than just their bond — their first delve had tied them closely together.

He’d struggled to understand at first. Not anymore. Not after a week in this delve. As much as it stressed his mind to imagine, he could only assume it had been worse. They’d had no classes, no backline, and no hope of significant growth.

What a terrible fate — the simple thought of it sent shivers down his spine. He knew many would be tempted to think of the pair as ‘lucky’ for the advantages they had secured. That anyone would grow strong under the same circumstances. Ianmus knew better. Even if he had had a completed legacy, he wouldn’t have survived the same experience.

He just didn’t have the mindset — the steel will required to pull off what they had done. They’d already been singular, that delve had just reforged them into something truly unique.

Shaking his head slowly, Ianmus watched the two continuing to spar. Kaius moved so fast he was an indistinguishable blur, sliding through a sequence of parry and riposte as Porkchop fell on him in a storm of claws. Every impact between them sounded like a titan punching a mountain, reverberating through Ianmus’s chest. Both of them observed, judged, and reacted to each others aggression faster than Ianmus could blink.

Even Kenva, who was a physical classer skilled and strong for her level, with Honours and ten stats per level, would have fallen in moments.

Monsters.

A display of simple physical superiority, overwhelming stats, and masterful grace. They were playing — playing! If their stats weren’t enough, both moved with the preternatural grace of predators. Porkchop’s was innate — the eminent physicality of a greater beast. Kaius had been reborn to it, that same blood woven into his very marrow.

Kaius’s culling of the rootborers had only proven his capabilities. The disgusting beasts might have been fragile, but that hadn’t stopped them from being fast.

Ianmus had good eyes, and a sharp mind thanks to his father’s heritage — with his Intelligence he could spot, evaluate, and react to a threat faster than the average High Steel rogue could ever dream. Sure, he wouldn’t match them in flexibility, strength, or speed. That mattered little when a stat-backed Sunbeam bored a hole through the head of whatever he found distasteful.

He still would have died the second he stepped into that room! Even with his senses, the worms had seemed to simply teleport to full extension.

Kaius had matched them blow for blow — moved and cut faster than they could strike. Spire’s light, the man had been reacting before the nascent impulse to attack had even made it to their primitive brains!

The power of overwhelming stats and high rarity skills. He might have been strong beyond his levels, but Kaius and Porkchop both well and truly had the strength of Silvers. It was a gap that was hard to overcome — not only the additional stats per level, but he was almost certain there was something about that transition that made people more.

Considering the aura of strength those in the second tier possessed, and that he already knew the System kept the secrets of class selection from those yet to undergo it, it seemed like a small leap to make.

If his front-line were already indomitable, where would they be after such a transition?

It was enough to make him guess second himself — almost.

Ianmus looked at his own stats, both in awe of how far he had come, and how large the gap still was between him and his front line.

Status:

Name: Ianmus

Dynasty: Sunspire

Age: 21

Race: Human (Dynastic) – +1 free stats per level

Layer Reached: 25

Class: Solar Theurge Apprentice (Rare) – +4 Int, +2 Wil, +1 Con, +1 Vit per level

Level: 167

Resources:

Health – 2420/2420 (24.2/min)

Stamina – 1370/1370 (13.7/min)

Mana – 2790/8130 (45.2/min)

Stats:

Constitution – 242 (187 + 26 + 14%)

Vitality – 242 (187 + 26 + 14%)

Strength – 137 (95 + 26 + 14%)

Dexterity – 137 (95 + 26 + 14%)

Intelligence – 813 (688 + 26 + 14%)

Willpower: – 452 (371 + 26 + 14%)

Stat Points: 0

Aspects:

Pillar Corporus: N/A

Pillar Mentis: The Patient Weaver

• Reinforcement: Glass Mind

• Seed: Threads of Preparation

Pillar Animus: N/A

Class Skills (9/10):

Sunbeam (Uncommon) – 183

Sundrenched Strength (Rare) – 151

Hypercharged Spell (Rare) – 159

Ray of Tender Recovery (Rare) – 136

Starlit Alacrity (Rare) – 81

Artinine’s Light Weaving (Rare) – 43

Armour Shredding Magic (Rare) – 56

Illthurial Mage Armour (Rare) – 1

Theurgic Mentalist (Rare) – 1

General Skills (10/10):

Magister’s Dash (Unusual) – 145

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