Chapter 2

The sensation was powerful and immediate, like slipping into a warm bath after spending hours in the cold. Caleb could feel his wounds beginning to heal. His nose, broken just moments before, slid back into place, bones and skin regenerating in seconds. Even his wrist, which he’d hurt a few days ago, felt miraculously better. Better than better, even. It felt perfect!

Blinking, Caleb tested out various parts of his body, poking and prodding at his arms, chest, legs, and back. They all felt better than ever. It was incredible. He hopped from one foot to the other, smiling and laughing to himself at the absurdity of everything.

Looking back now, falling into a crevice, hurtling from the sky, riding a boulder as though it were a glider, then crashing into a mountainside and killing a creature as tall as a two story building… It had been fun. During it all he’d been too distracted at the prospect of dying to realize just how much he’d been enjoying it.

He glanced down at the giant, its head now caved in, the rock lodged in its brow, blood leaking out. “Sorry for killing you, but uh… Thanks, I guess?”

Another screen flashed into his view, much like the ones before, but different.

Caleb Wade
Class: Unlocked at Aether Level 10
Aether Level 9
Truths: None
Bound Inheritance: Skyward Will
Inheritance Aspect: None

Titles:

• Skyward Will

• Original Kill

• Titan’s Bane

Stats:

• Strength: 3.9

• Dexterity: 4.2

• Resilience: 4.2

• Presence: 3.5

Available Stat Points: 9

Skills:

• Skyward Will (Passive)

“What the hell?” Caleb said, brushing a hand through the screen. Back when they’d first appeared, he’d never gotten the chance to touch them because he was so busy holding on for dear life. His hand phased through it, as if it weren’t even there.

“Is this… me?”

Caleb recalled his childhood playing video games. It was quite a long time ago, but most of this all seemed pretty familiar. Classes, stats, skills, levels. But the other things like titles, presence, and whatever the hell an Inheritance was didn’t mean anything to him.

Somehow, he instinctively knew that he had been Aether Level 1 up until he’d killed Bolvun. That meant the giant had leveled him up eight times and was close to leveling again. There was no basis of comparison, but sure sounded like a lot. The Hand had been Aether Level 25 after all.

Caleb started grinning as he read through everything again. His eyes focused on his titles and the screen shifted to display them. Maybe he should have played more video games in recent years. He was already starting to have fun with this.

Inheritance Title: Skyward Will
Claimed through deed or conviction, Bound Inheritances are bestowed upon only the worthy. To hold a Bound Inheritance is to hold a mark of destiny – it sets you apart from all others and binds your future to a path of unprecedented potential.
Reward Granted: Skyward Will (Passive)

Sure, it had been a while since playing games, but even Caleb knew that this didn’t sound like a starter ability. An electric shiver raced down his spine, got his heart pumping once more. Despite the frigid cold, he felt hot. He looked toward the mountain peak, toward the sky. Just what path had he begun to take the first step down?

He looked at his other two titles.

Title: Original Kill
Others may follow, but none can claim they did it before you. You are the first to defeat a Dungeon Boss in the entire world.
Reward Granted: All stats +10%

Title: Titan’s Bane
You have felled a foe that towered over you. You have slain an enemy over 10 levels higher than yourself.
Reward Granted: All stats +2

Looking at the rewards Caleb got from his titles, he realized that over half of his current stats were from them alone. Without them, his stats would only range from somewhere between one and two. And he currently had nine available Stat Points for him to place wherever he wanted to.

He took a step back and looked down from the snowy plaza. The wind bit at his face as he stared at the mountains stretching endlessly before him. Every jagged peak, every sheer wall, every cliffside said the same thing to him. Climb higher. Move faster. Be the first so that he could take what no one else could.

If he’d gotten a title for being the first to kill a Dungeon boss, what about being the first to complete a Dungeon. Surely that would be worth something even greater.

Caleb felt the thrill of challenge surging through him. This was what he was made for. A world where he could stretch himself to his limits before breaking through them. He flexed his hands and rolled his shoulders, muscles trembling from the cold and excitement.

There was still one more thing for him to look at on his status screen. He pulled it up with a single thought.

Skill: Skyward Will (Passive)
As long as the bearer of Skyward Will continues to strive toward growth, Aether Levels are gained at an accelerated rate, allowing them to rise faster than normal. This effect only functions while the user is actively progressing – stagnation causes it to fade until a new, worthy pursuit is undertaken.

It was as though he’d read the System’s mind.

No, he had that backwards. The System had read his mind. He was the reason he had this Inheritance, this skill. It was tailor made for him. The Inheritance had chosen him. Of course it would reflect his desires and strengths.

Caleb reached down and picked up another small piece of rubble. He rolled it over in his hand, studying the lines and strata as he had countless times over the years while trying to read his way up impossible boulders. Then he squeezed.

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Veins and tendons on his forearm bulged. The rock held firm.

Caleb loosened his grip, then opened his stat screen and placed one of his nine available Stat Points into strength. He squeezed again. Still, the rock didn’t break.

He did this two more times, bringing his total strength to 7.2. This time, the rock cracked straight down the middle, splitting cleanly into two pieces. Caleb looked at his open palm, grey dust clinging to it like chalk, and grinned.

“Now this is what I’m talking about.”

Next, he placed two points into Dexterity and two into Resilience, bringing both to 6.4. The effects hit him immediately and profoundly. His fingers moved with sharper precision. Movements that would have required immense focus now felt fluid, almost instinctive, like his body remembered how to twist and balance before he consciously thought about it. The cold, though still unpleasant, no longer bit through his skin. His arms and legs felt lighter and more responsive.

There were still two points remaining. He had no clue what Presence did, but he figured it was still important and placed one point into it, bringing it to 4.6. Unlike the other stats, there was no discernable difference upon allocating the stat. He didn’t feel any stronger, faster, smarter… anything.

He shrugged. Whatever it was, he would learn about it at some point. The corner of Caleb’s mouth flicked up. It was a strange feeling for him to realize that he wanted to learn about it. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to do anything but climb. Now, as he looked out at the mountains and rocks around him, he realized he wanted to grow stronger – to climb both literally and metaphorically.