Chapter 185: The Beaten Path

Class Advancement review:

Contribution: An external error has caused Trial Contribution points to be divided by zero. Default to maximum points.

Methodology: Evasive, indirect, travelling, Ability-heavy.

Outcome: No detectable changes: Presumed Failure.

Generating Advanced Class…

I don’t fail at shit, Will thought sourly. Obviously whatever trial was administered while I was asleep was simply confused by the enormity of my success.

Will told himself that to ease the sting.

Advanced Class generated:

World Traveller:

A World Traveller scorns borders, both real and imagined. Their drug of choice is the path untraveled. They embody the question unasked, action untaken.

They go places and do things solely because none before them have, and from these experiences, they derive strength in ways hidden to the naked eye.

They are strong, mentally and physically. They are tenacious, enduring. The World Traveller receives bonuses to tools, Meta Relic use, hardiness, and mobility, with a focus in Earth and Spacetime.

Will reviewed the Class changes for a moment, head cocked.

The ‘flavor’ portion was longer than it had been originally. Two paragraphs instead of one, and that little nod to ‘going places none before have’ felt like The Tower itself acknowledging his desire to sidestep the sudden end his predecessors had suffered.

The third paragraph, the description of the Class’s effects, was nearly the same as Resourceful Climber’s. A few key words were cut off, though.

‘But most importantly’ had been cut off in front of ‘tenacious, enduring’.

‘Minor’ had been removed in front of ‘focus in Earth and Spacetime’.

Does that mean my toughness max potential got slightly downgraded in exchange for a slightly upgraded focus in Earth and Spacetime? That’s it?

Does that mean I might be able to grab a better Teleport Ability? Will thought, frowning. I mean it is a Traveller Class, so I could see it happening. If I get a true Teleport out of this, that would be so awes-

Will’s thoughts stopped in their tracks as his new potential Primaries began marching through his mind. And they were…really good.

Generating primary Abilities and Upgrades based on your new Class and performance during the Advancement Trial. You may choose one of these options to add to your Primary Abilities.

Upgrades:

Phantom Hands:

Note, not a Primary Ability. This is an upgrade to Phantom Hand. Gain a right-hand Phantom Hand and all the benefits thereof. User will not gain another Primary Ability.

Upgrade Secondary:

User may upgrade a secondary Ability to a Primary Ability, increasing it’s potency and upgrade cap in the process. If this choice is taken, a tertiary Ability will be upgraded to take the secondary’s spot. User Will not gain another primary Ability.

Primary Abilities:

Consume:

Active: 5 Charges

Consume creatures or objects with strong miasmatic signatures and temporarily absorb a fraction of their power into yourself in the form of stat increases.

Map

Passive:

You have a map.

This map is a mental construct that contains an accurate record of terrain you have perceived. Your current location and heading is displayed on this map. You may summon this map and dismiss it at will, and it will only be perceivable to you.

Toggle: 7 Focus

Manifest a physical copy of the map.

Snake Husbandry:

Passive.

You may more easily control snakes and convince them to breed. Snakes view you more favorably and are less likely to become hostile.

Holdna’s Gaze:

Active: 1 Charge

Inflict Psychic damage and (acu/10) seconds of Paralysis on a target you can see. Acuity contested by Focus or Resistance, whichever is higher.

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Tunnelling:

Active 1 Charge

Instantaneously tunnel Acu/10 feet from a terrain the user is in contact with to another contiguous terrain. If the location is largely changed or the relocation would cause physical harm to the user, the Ability fails.

Holy…shit.

It didn’t matter what Will chose, he was going to be kicking himself in the dick for the rest of his life for passing up on any of these.

Except maybe Snake Husbandry. I don’t plan on marrying any snakes.

And Map…I remember where I’ve been.

The others were mouth-watering.

Tunneling was a straight-up teleport ability, which was absolutely phenomenal. Will could vaguely guess from context that ‘contiguous’ meant ‘connected’. Maybe it had been created based on an extrapolation of how he’d moved through Kincaid’s fear.

That makes sense.

Will had to look at all these Abilities not just based on what they could do now, but what he could upgrade them to accomplish in the future.

lose the ‘contiguous’ restriction, change feet to miles, and BAM! I’m teleporting miles at a time. And even if I can’t lose the ‘contiguous’ restriction, air is a terrain, and it’s all connected as far as the sky stretches. So I mean…

Will mentally hovered over Tunneling a moment, his mental finger hovering over the selection.

Gah, but Holdna’s Gaze! It’s too freakin good to pass up!

It was obviously a direct upgrade of Serpent’s gaze, but it had an added damage effect, it lasted ten times longer, and didn’t require him to see the targets’ eyes.

Not to mention as a primary, he could take it so much farther than Serpent’s gaze as a secondary, and deploy it through Phantom Eye.