Path of the Slayer B1 C5: "Title Drop"

Epiphanies were more mystical than the System made it seem sometimes.

Everyone’s Epiphany, especially at Rank 0, would rise at different paces, for different reasons, and for different events. However, everyone could agree that getting from 0% to 99% required some form of hard work at something, even if the rate of growth was unique to the person.

Two adventurers practicing similar sword techniques with the same type of sword could grow their Epiphanies in two separate ways.

One adventurer might grow theirs by achieving faster sword strikes and countermoves. The other adventurer might grow their Epiphany by using dominant power strikes that break their foes.

A third adventurer might have to do it all, being shifty, flexible, and capable of various styles.

That didn’t mean the adventurers were stuck on growing their epiphany only through sword practice. They could grow their Epiphany through facing monsters, going into Realms, and achieving great success in their work for the guild or in life in general.

Though there might be slight differences even within those actions, and how much that contributed to an Epiphany.

Then there were people like me who could grow their Epiphany by succeeding or working hard on just about anything. Or it seemed that way until I ran into the wall that was 99%.

Others had run into that wall as well, but it was never a permanent wall at Rank 0. It just meant they had to do something a little more extraordinary to achieve 100% Epiphany.

Most commonly, overcoming stronger monsters with their best techniques or maneuvers was good enough for most adventurers to get from 99% to 100% Epiphany at Rank 0. It was like passing a test from the System based on all of your hard work before grasping the full Epiphany.

The Holy Scriptures said the worthy would rise, and the unworthy wouldn’t rise.

That was why getting stuck as a non-ranker had a stigma to it.

There was once a time when non-rankers would be slain as blood sacrifices many years ago.

Granted, if you had enough money, like a noble, you could skip most of the process with a Rank 1 Epiphany Elixir. Such a thing would cost Rank 5 coins, since even an Epiphany Elixir at Rank 1 was legendary in Quality, far outside of most adventurer’s reach.

With my humble origins as a nomad orphan, I had done everything I could and some to break past the bottleneck. I went beyond even the usual Rank 1 bronze adventurer.

I’d practice with every weapon. I’d taught myself one of the hardest crafting disciplines, artificing.

I’d gone on every adventure that adventurers could with a tin, copper, or bronze badge. I’d even chaperoned silver adventurers back when the guild still liked me.

I’d gone on adventures with full parties. I went solo the past year. I’d entered a Realm, though I’d never done one by myself.

Until this day came up, where I’d entered a freaking Rank 2 Hell Realm, killed a Rank 2 monster, picked up a Rank 2 treasure weapon with a rare-Quality, and slaughtered hordes of Rank 1 monsters with it.

On this day alone, I’d done enough to achieve 100% Epiphany for over a dozen Rank 0s! Maybe two dozen or three dozen!

So, was it wrong that I felt rage when I saw my 100% status?

It was enough rage that nearly sent me marching out to my death.

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered. “That’s how I get my full Epiphany? By watching the Fallen Slayer? I’ve watched the guild leader duel another Rank 4, and you’re telling me that wasn’t enough? I’ve worked my ass off for years, and you’re telling me that wasn’t enough!”

The likelihood of something like this was so small that it was more likely I would’ve died of old age at 99% if I hadn’t witnessed the Fallen Slayer. I couldn’t reliably say this event was a repeatable occurrence. Nobody could.

Knowing that led to me being mad. Almost to where I was having an insane breakdown. It didn’t help that I was looking up and away from the autosaw in my grasp.

Hellion’s smooth and deep voice sounded from behind my ear. “Whatever angers you, the only solution is to tear it all apart. Rage, rage, rage against the silence of the screams.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, feeling more drained, losing my Vitality high quickly. The impacts shaking the ground sent me reeling back and forth, and my anger became even more shaken than me, like it was built on a house of cards. 

Once my anger collapsed, I found myself collapsing.

I stopped myself at the last split second. I used every ounce of willpower I had, despite me running on fumes. I focused on the facts, and strictly the facts, disregarding feelings.

My Epiphany was at 100%.

I could finally Rank Up from 0 to 1.

I needed more power to face the battlefield out there. So far, the Portal Boss was hanging back, letting the mob monsters chip in first. So far, the Fallen Slayer was turning the monster hordes into minced meat.

The situation could drastically change in the next couple of hours, if not twenty-four hours. But I couldn’t go out there as I was now.

I needed to Rank UP first and get my Rank 1 powers.

“Safety. Must find safety first.” I moved deeper into the tunnel, leaving the battle behind me.

Maybe something would remain for me to fight after the Rank Up. Or maybe I would find nothing but a portal, the way back home already cleared for me.

Most people would prefer the easy way back home.

I thought otherwise.

***

I nearly had my head smashed to bloody bits twice while searching for a safe spot. The carnage with the Fallen Slayer and the monsters of the realm waged onward, shaking the main tunnel and side tunnels around me. It would be just my luck to die that way, right before achieving my long awaited Rank Up.

Eventually, I found a reinforced hole between steel poles and thick columns of stone. I’d never seen construction like this before, and I wasn’t sure of the quality of the material. The strange metal carriages I’d seen strewn about in the wreckage were also unknown to me.

Whatever alien world had fallen to the purposes of a Hell Realm, they did things differently compared to the Empire. The curious artificer inside of me would’ve found that all fun to theorize about, but I was tired, and I needed to meditate, not fall unconscious.

Once I was tucked away in a hole-in-the-wall that was hard and secured, I waited for a rumbling quake to pass through. Very little shifted or jostled around me. I was as secure as I would get.

The autosaw and adventurer pack waited in front of me. I topped off the oil in the lantern before crossing my legs and placing my upturned left hand on my left knee. MY artificial right hand turned upward in a similar fashion, fingers and claws closed.

Looking inward, I saw my System Profile.

I saw the [Epiphany: 100%]. Gazing at that, I noticed my inner eye getting drawn somewhere beyond the simple profile, beyond the runes attached to my soul.

I went into my soul.

I tried to examine it – my existence encapsulated as a spirit – and couldn’t. Instead, I’d ended up in darkness. The void offered no comfort and no warmth. There was no up or down.

My body was gone, and I wasn’t sure if I even had eyes to see with. I certainly didn’t have ears, yet I heard something, a sound like a blade striking thick and hard flesh. 

The moment I heard the sound, the void shifted. The blackness faded. And a red, meaty horizon appeared before me, surrounding me, encroaching on my space.

The meaty wall had skulls on its surface. Evil orange lights shone from the eye sockets of each skull, and when they opened their rictus jaws, their teeth appeared sharp and hungry. From around the skulls, skeletal hands extended out of the endless meat, fingers slicked with gore and fire. They reached for me. They wanted me.

I didn’t know what the wall of gore and skeletons meant. I didn’t know what they wanted. But they were in my way, and I could only think of one way through. The sound of a guttural beast roared in the void. Then there was an impact and the sound of rapid chewing on thick and hard flesh.

Instantly, a way through the wall of gore and skeletons appeared, like something had cut through for me. But more of the gory skull wall appeared behind the cut, so I reached for the same desire.

I wanted to cut through.

The roaring and cutting sounds returned.

The way forward grew longer.

But more of the evil meat and bone wall stood in my way.

So be it.

I concentrated on roaring and cutting, roaring and cutting, roaring and cutting. I concentrated on making my way through like a monstrous butcher, my insistent progress filling the void with noise and bloodshed.

The path grew longer and wider, yet there was no end in sight of the gore and skeletons. They kept coming at me, and I kept carving a path for myself.

They kept coming.

I kept roaring and cutting.

They kept coming.

I kept roaring and cutting.

They kept coming.

I felt tired.

I wanted to sleep.

I didn’t give in.

I ignored the weakness.

I kept roaring and cutting.

Then I said unto the void, “I’ll keep going.”

My words were loud and true. They resonated everywhere.

The wall of meat and bones parted fully out of my way like I split the endless sea.

[Rank 0 Epiphany Achieved: I’ll keep going.]

I was snapped out of my trance of cutting through the gory skull wall. The vision faded, and I was back in the darkness with nothing to hold on to except for the big blue notifications and their white text.

Nothing but me and the System here, who I believed was a bigger deal than the damn God Emperor.

Yeah, label me as a heretic. Screw it.

Before I could contemplate my Epiphany further, something unexpected happened.

[Unable to Rank Up.]

I didn’t have a mouth here.

But I wanted to scream until my throat ripped and choked me with blood.

[Arden, human, of the Supreme Sovereign Empire World Realm is beyond the Rank Parameters.]

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

[Searching … Searching … Solution found.]

[Initiating … Path Parameters.]

[Calibrating.]

[Calibration complete. Begin your journey anew, Pathwalker Arden.]

I was beyond confused.

I’d never heard of something like this.

Why was I unable to Rank Up?

What was a Pathwalker?

The myriad questions went unanswered, and my racing thoughts slowed and fumbled. A strange sleepiness took over me even though I was delved deep into meditation. I tried to stay awake, to keep going just like my Epiphany would suggest, but I met limits.

The dreamless world swept over me, and I found myself at peace. I was vaguely conscious of anything, and for once, I didn’t feel the need to struggle or fight. I just allowed myself to be until I felt it was time to rouse.

It happened all at once, with me finding myself curled up on my side like a child, covered in smelly congealed gunk. The crevice I’d stuck myself into had more of the congealed gunk on the surfaces, all connected to me through branches and thick strings, as if I was in a horrid cocoon.

My clothing and armor were burdened with the stuff, and it was all disgusting.

My clothing and armor didn’t fit me anymore, either.

“I swear if I ended up becoming a monster, I’m going berserk,” I grumbled, shifting around forcefully to rip my limbs free of the putrid strands.

I used my dagger to swiftly cut through some of the harder strands and branches. The movement of my blade was quicker and easier than usual, and there was a pleasant feeling pulsing through my arm when I concentrated and moved it.

After cutting my free, I found my lantern and measured the amount of oil that remained. I’d been out for a whole day. Not bad, but not great.

I was low on oil now.

But for some reason, I could see better in the dark spots the light from my lantern couldn’t reach.

The adventurer pack and the autosaw waited where I’d placed them. But as I reached for them, I noticed a strange thing. My left hand was bigger and thicker around the knuckles.

I hadn’t noticed it with the dagger because the grip was a little larger than my hand prior, allowing for a double grip if necessary. Now it was fitting my grasp perfectly.

When I looked down at the artificial socket fitted over the nub, I noticed that the half arm had adjusted itself, but up to a limit. I also noticed my biceps were bigger.

That … was unusual.

Rankers didn’t undergo much physical changes between Rank 0 and Rank 1. That was more of a thing in the later Ranks.

“I’m not a Ranker,” I said, stunned.

I ignored the compulsion to check and focused on removing myself fully from my cubby hole. Free to stand fully, I walked stiffly in armor and clothing that didn’t fit me anymore. The boots were bursting from around my feet, and the same went for my leather armor and belt.

Making a snap decision, I used the dagger to cut through the straps on my armor and free myself. Then I found a piece of rubble to sit on and carefully remove what remained of my boots from my feet.

Judging by how everything felt, I was probably half a foot taller. That would make me six feet tall, which was a little above average for any male in the Empire.

I felt a ghost of a chill, but my big and hardy body didn’t respond to it. Instead, my body felt energized, juiced up.

My lungs breathed easier than prior to the change, much easier. The tightness I’d suffered in my chest was nowhere to be seen anymore.

There was a certain energy inside of me. Clenching my left fist, I felt the energy shake with a contained volatility in my balled hand.

I let out a slow breath. “What … is this?”

I pulled up my System Profile, my heart skipping a beat at the changes.

[Arden, “I’ll Keep Going,” Pathwalker

Path of the Slayer: Level 1

Path Magic: Path Energy (Exquisite), Two Unselected (Choose Here).

Great Skills: None.

Bonded Treasures: None.]

I dismissed the profile. After a few deep breaths, my lungs expanding and contracting with ease, I pulled it up again, confirming the changes.

My Epiphany came after my name, and I was no longer a human.

I was a Pathwalker.

I no longer had a Rank.

I had Path of the Slayer.

What was a Level?

I couldn’t select it to find out. Nor could I select Path Magic, Great Skills, or Bonded Treasures. I could, however, select Path Energy, making a new informational box pop up over my profile.

[Path Energy: Level 1 (Exquisite): There are many energy resources, and Path Energy can cover a lot of them. Vitality. Aether. Electricity. Heat. It’s flexible like that, even if inefficient. However you use it, Path Energy’s true purpose is to empower your Path.]

“Wow,” I said. “How can one energy do all of that?”

If this was true, I could heal with Path Energy.

I could empower artificer crafts with it, too, couldn’t I?

I checked my flimsy-looking artificial half arm and found it … fully empowered!

Damn!

I could afford to use the Demon Hunter Crossbow now!

I could also survive the Hellion Autosaw if it attempted to consume me.

Though I wasn’t sure how strong Level 1 could be for a power. Was it as strong as being Rank 1? Maybe it didn’t matter. Path Energy was Exquisite in Quality!

That was beyond anything I could hope for.

If Path Energy was an item that could be passed around, I would be in trouble.

Common Quality was the usual and not worth mentioning much.

Uncommon Quality was special.

Rare Quality was powerful.

Exquisite Quality could lead to fights among an entire guild.

Epic Quality could spark a citywide war.

And legendary Quality would draw the attention of the nobles and lead to bloodshed in one entire region.

Beyond that … I had no idea.

Still, Path Energy being Exquisite was astounding. It would be reliable. I could do a lot with this.

And I had two more powers to select.

Rankers couldn’t select anything for their powers.

But I could!

Feeling overly excited, I dismissed my profile. I dug into my pack and chewed on some nuts, giving myself a chance to calm down.

Looking over my artificial half arm, I didn’t like how small and uneven it was compared to the rest of me. It seemed one strong hit away from breaking.

I wanted a bigger and mightier metal arm.

“Let’s hope for an actual artificer power,” I muttered, pulling up my profile again.

This time I went straight for the Path Magic selection – which had me all giddy on the inside.

Having a choice was like finding a treasure chest … exciting.

I couldn’t help but smile as multiple options displayed themselves. All of them nearly floored me. All uncommon except for one. And that one was rare!

[Relentless Surge: Level 31 (Uncommon): Take your stubbornness to the next level and flood your body with Path Energy, boosting you for greater strength, agility, stamina, and toughness. Slaying enemies extends the duration.]

[Hunter’s Mark: Level 11 (Uncommon): In this business, someone wants someone else dead. Choose your target and mark them with a touch, making their position and vulnerabilities clear in your mind’s eye. The mark will last until they flee far enough away or defeat you.]

[Bullish Knock Up: Level 31 (Uncommon): What’s the point of being strong and magical if you can’t juggle your foes? Charge Path Energy into your next strike and launch an enemy high, making them more vulnerable to follow-up attacks from below or in the air. You might have to defy physics a little.]

[Stampeding Run: Level 31 (Uncommon): They really shouldn’t get in your way, but if they do, run forward while juiced up with Path Energy. You’ll move faster and harder in a straight line, resisting crowd control effects and smashing aside most obstacles.]

[Giant Slam: Level 31 (Uncommon): Walk silently and carry a big stick … or channel your Path Energy and strike downward. Upon impact, release a devastating shockwave that can demolish what’s under you and knock down what’s near you.]

[Tyrannosaurus Roar: Level 31 (Rare): You’re the king, aren’t you? Let them hear it, Young Rex! Roar with Path Energy, making weaker enemies more likely to freeze while stronger enemies become more likely to hesitate or slow down. This can also raise your allies’ morale, increasing mental resistance.]

I read the descriptions once. Twice. Three times. And I still couldn’t believe it.

These were far more magical and unique powers than expected.  The descriptions from the System were quirky, too. Though one power had something I didn’t recognize.

What was a Tyrannosaurus?

Also, I didn’t understand why the Levels were higher.

Maybe they were like treasure items. I could still use them while Path of the Slayer was at a lower level, but I wouldn’t be able to unlock their true potential until I reached their Level or exceeded it.

“I can only choose two of these?” I felt like a man facing an impossible decision.

And I had no idea if I would lose these options after finalizing my choices. I had no idea how any of this worked, really.

I’d never met or heard of another Pathwalker.

For all I knew, I could be the only one.

“The Fallen Slayer did this to me,” I said. “But that’s a monster, not a Pathwalker.”

A distant rumble traveled through the ground. The fight was still ongoing, but it wasn’t as heavy as before.

A palpable energy filled me to the brim. Whether it was Path Energy or my excitement or mix of both, I wasn’t sure, but I really wanted to go after the Fallen Slayer.

And I needed the right Path Magic for the job.