Chapter 17

What was that?

Hakon scrambled to his feet, gasping for air. Blood dripped in his eyes and his legs caved in more often than he was willing to acknowledge. His chest hurt worse than any training with his father.

Still, he was alive. Somewhat.

His body barely listened to his commands. Hakon couldn’t feel much of his lower legs, other than pain and that something was wrong. It felt like something in his leg had snapped but he couldn’t quite tell what it was or if it actually happened.

His arms didn’t feel much better, neither did his head or his caved-in chest. It was like his rib cage was no more, replaced by a mess of fragments. Yet, here he was, gasping for air, scrambling to his feet.

Traces of mana swirled through his pathways, signifying the last remains of all the energy he possessed merely a few heartbeats ago. Then there was the Colossal Terror. It was still alive, and so were enough Giant Ants and Acidic Beetles to kill him. But something had changed.

The Colossal Terror no longer charged at him. It still approached him but its steps were groggily, its head no longer looking the same. The antler-like horn tilted to the side and its skull was caved inward. The monster was on the verge of death.

Giant Ants and Acidic Beetles rushed at Hakon, but his bloodied eyes remained on the beast.

Only a little. Give me a little strength, Ancestors. Just a little, and I will survive. Strive and shed more blood for you. He prayed to the Ancestors, dragging his worn body across the battlefield.

[Proficiency gained. [Pain Tolerance Lv.14] improved to [Pain Tolerance Lv.15]]

The pain lessened only a little, but the intent was clear. The Ancestors were watching, and they wanted him to survive.

A small smile played on his lips and he pushed forward. Taking a deep breath through the pain that assaulted his lungs, Hakon gathered his remaining strength. His trembling hand reached toward his sword. Keeping a hold of the sword was harder than it used to be. His fingers were stiff and struggled to coil around the blade’s handle, yet he succeeded.

[Weapon Mastery] helped him, and so did [Combat Awareness], [Split Focus], and all his other Skills.

Reaching for the mana mass within, Hakon used [Dash]. He added a burst of [Circulation], dragging his half-dead body across the battlefield in a final attack and appeared before the Colossal Terror. His feet dug deep into the ground and he let the last bit of strength in his legs loose to leap into the air. A snapping sound rang in his ears, but his mind was fully focused on the creature ahead of him.

[Mana Infusion] filled the blade in his hands with all the mana he had left to spare. A faint shimmer coating the sword caught his attention, yet it only lasted a moment. And that was all Hakon needed. It was all the time he needed to ram the blade through the Terror’s cracked skull.

Darkness threatened to consume him. Then came the pain. Unbearable. Unbidden.

Hakon looked down to the broken antler horn jutting from his chest, and a grim smile bloomed. At last, he twisted the sword in the Terror’s skull and shoved it deeper.

“You will join me!” He croaked, coughing up blood.

Then came the mist. Faint at first, but it expanded rapidly. Grew denser – heavier.

The Terror faded from his view, replaced by nothing but densely grown mist that seemed everywhere yet nowhere. It poured into him even as he bled to death.

I am bleeding? He looked down at his chest once more to see gaping holes where the antler horn had been before. Blood poured out of him like a fountain, grim reality filling his head.

Hakon knew what was about to happen. He was about to die. He should have died, but that was not acceptable. His tale had not yet been recorded.

[Major Deed – Defeat Colossal Terror(1/1)]

“That should have been enough, don’t you think?” He coughed up even more blood, trying hard to ignore the coldness that replaced the strength of his body. “Did I not do enough to satisfy you?”

No, he did. He did far more than any of his peers were able to. He surpassed them all.

Hakon performed a feat worthy of ascension.

[You have shattered the Wall. Ascension permitted.
Ascend, young warrior. For your Saga does not end here.]

Power filled his being. It dispersed the coldness that had taken hold of him and returned the strength it had sapped. Then, came more. The dying wick of his life ignited again, transforming into a raging inferno.

A laugh escaped his lips. This time, he didn’t cough up blood.

[First Ascension initiated. Body, mind, and soul reinforced. Ancient Power strengthened.]

Following the power that surged through his body came the mana. A familiar flood, yet it was stronger much greater than it used to be.

The mass within Hakon expanded as his worn body changed and shifted. His muscles grew denser and it almost felt like his bones were heavier than they used to be. He was tougher, but most importantly, Hakon healed faster as well. His natural regeneration accelerated greatly as his body accustomed to the 1st Ascension. His mind worked faster and his focus sharpened once more.

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Then came the messages.

[The Well of Experience has been unsealed. Accumulated Experience distributed.]

[Experience threshold met. Level Up!]

[Experience threshold met. Level Up!]

[Experience threshold met. Level Up!]

Warmth filled every corner of his body, and it only spread as he poured all the excessive mana into [Natural Regeneration]. As weak as the healing Skill ought to be, it eased the pain and did what Hakon did not believe was possible. He stopped bleeding. His wounds were still there, hurting, throbbing, yet the fountains of blood diminished until they ceased entirely.

As quick and surprising as his recovery was, Hakon was too tired to care. He instead accepted it as is.

Exhaustion had him tightly in his grasp. It wanted him to close his eyes and fall asleep, rest until the end of times, but the Crawling Expanse was not yet cleansed of its scourge. Giant Ants crawled through the densely grown mist around him. They could not fight him, neither could the Acidic Beetles as their acidic spit whistled through the air. However, at some point, they would fight him. The mist would not last forever. It would disperse, revealing his position to all the monsters.