[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 76: A Battalion’s Worth

Sam still couldn’t quite believe his eyes. He catapulted forward in power from that battle.

[Status]

Name: Samuel Hunter

Race: Human

Legend: [Voidknight (Lv.10 - Unranked)]

Job: [Swordsman (Lv.18 - Unranked)]

Path: [Void (Lv.14 - Unranked)]

Profession: [N/A (Lv.0 - Unranked)]

Health(HP): [1,038/1,038]

Mana(MP): [201/201]

Attunements

[Void Mana] (F-Class Apocalypse Gate) (★★★★Legendary IV)

Affinities

[Fire Mana] (F-Class) (★ Common I)

[Metal Mana] (F-Class) (★ Common)

[Void Mana] (F-Class) (★Common)

Physical Stats

Strength(STR): 88 (+22)

Dexterity(DEX): 45 (+8)

Agility(AGI): 44 (+3)

Vigor(VIG): 91 (+18)

Awareness(AWR): 24 (+18)

Magical Stats

Arcane(ARC): 25

Control(CTL): 15

Resonance(RSN): 20

Mind(MND): 21

Insight(INS): 28 (+17)

“What level are ya now, Sam?” Komachi asked, amped up to see how far he’d grown.

“I’m at 18 Swordsman, 14 Void Path,” he replied, goggling at his stats.

He had known that Swordsman gave a lot of stats, but… damn.

Though he had to keep in mind that Swordsman’s [Max HP Up] trait increased his HP by 15% so, technically speaking, he didn’t actually have over 1,000 HP naturally, but he didn’t care.

The [Thanas] armor set also gave him an extra 18 Vigor, then there were his Vigor Talents, and his bloodline. Without all of those, his insane HP wouldn’t be possible.

Which made him wonder just how much higher he was compared to a person of similar stats and level without any of the extra bonuses.

Combined with his gear, both his Strength and Vigor topped a hundred points each. Those two physical stats were well over double any of his other stats.

And he still had 18 bonus points to spend.

However, his MP just looked sad. It was slightly less than a fifth of his HP. With another Void Path Art, Sam was beginning to see where his shortcomings were.

And it was Mana with a capital M.

Unfortunately, it meant he would need to invest heavily in Mind to up his MP, something he didn’t quite like. Unlike HP, each point of MP was a bit harder to come by, even if it was a significant improvement over Fighter.

Maybe there was something else he could do, rather than rely only on Mind to have a serviceable amount of MP. Mana potions came to mind, and anything else that could actively restore MP.

Of course, that would likely require a Profession, of which he didn’t have. And even if he did have access to Alchemist, he wouldn’t pick it unless it was the only option after exhausting all other possibilities.

He had flunked chemistry more times than he wanted to count and had to retake countless exams. What the fuck was a “mole” anyway, and why did they use it to denote an amount?

No, he would greatly prefer to use his two hands to make something. Though what that was… he hadn’t the faintest idea.

So far, the Shard hadn’t given him anything to work with, not even the barest hint.

He could greatly improve his MP by dumping all of his points into Mind… but that seemed like a bit of a waste. The increase wouldn’t be all that big for one, and he’d be neglecting the other stats he could use.

Stats that benefited a host of abilities and traits he now had access to. The benefit was still mostly “minuscule”, but anything was better than nothing.

So as a test, Sam put 10 points into Mind, raising it from 21 to 31. Similarly, his MP jumped from 201 to 279.

Ten points for just shy of 80 MP, he thought to himself. It was undoubtedly more complex than that, but that worked out to—very roughly—8 MP per point he spent on Mind.

Most of his Path skills didn’t seem to cost too much,except for [Surge] which just guzzled his MP like there was no tomorrow.

[Smother] said its MP cost varied, something Sam took to mean that it was more or less based on the size of the area he applied it to, perhaps something else, like its potency.

With 8 more bonus points to spend, he could get his MP over 300 pretty easily, and Mind was one of his lowest stats. Since getting Swordsman, his physical stats—with the exception of Awareness—were actually doing quite well.

Both Dexterity and Agility were a little under half of his Strength and Vigor. That sounded like a huge imbalance until you realized that both Strength and Vigor were hilariously high.

Then there was still the fact that his Void Path highly suggested that it was affected by Insight as well. And so far, increasing his Insight had some interesting benefits.

Having 31 Mind annoyed him so much that he threw one extra point in there just to make it even, then Sam put the 7 other bonus points into Insight, making Mind and Insight his highest magical stats.

He checked his [Status] once again to see the overall total in full. Although partly he just enjoyed the satisfaction of the stats visibly increasing.

Good thing nobody could judge him on his guilty pleasure. It wasn’t like his friends would know.

[Status]

Name: Samuel Hunter

Race: Human

Legend: [Voidknight (Lv.10 - Unranked)]

Job: [Swordsman (Lv.18 - Unranked)]

Path: [Void (Lv.14 - Unranked)]

Profession: [N/A (Lv.0 - Unranked)]

Health(HP): [1,038/1,038]

Mana(MP): [201/286]

Attunements

[Void Mana] (F-Class Apocalypse Gate) (★★★★Legendary IV)

Affinities

[Fire Mana] (F-Class) (★ Common I)

[Metal Mana] (F-Class) (★ Common)

[Void Mana] (F-Class) (★Common)

Physical Stats

Strength(STR): 88 (+22)

Dexterity(DEX): 45 (+8)

Agility(AGI): 44 (+3)

Vigor(VIG): 91 (+18)

Awareness(AWR): 24 (+18)

Magical Stats

Arcane(ARC): 25

Control(CTL): 15

Resonance(RSN): 20

Mind(MND): 32

Insight(INS): 37 (+17)

Man that’s really annoying when my current MP doesn’t match my new maximum. Guess I’ll be getting pruned up in these waters a bit longer.

Sam now had time where loitering around in the Sacred Tree’s rejuvenation bath was to his benefit. He went over his skills and abilities. Partly to get a refresher, and partly to see how far he’d come from their base Primitive rarity where most of them started at.

First up were his Job skills. They were the most plentiful, and he used both Fighter and Swordsman skills consistently while fighting.

(Job Skills & Abilities)

[Armor Foundation]

(Fighter Skill) (F-Class)

(★ Common II)

With your nascent understanding of armor types, you can not only identify various types of armor, but also move in them without great encumbrance. Though most of your experience with armor has been hand-me-downs and Earth-style fencing protection, your past-life’s knowledge has been added to your current Skill Level. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Strength, Agility, and Dexterity when using [Armor Foundation].

[Basic Maintenance]

(Fighter Skill) (F-Class)

(☆Primitive II)

Owing to your familiarity with armaments, you’re aware that even the best made breastplate needs some TLC. Sharp edges need cleaning, sharpening, and oiling, armor should have its dents banged out, the list goes on.

When properly maintained, your equipment operates at full strength. There’ll be no rusty breastplates, cracked leather, broken chain links, or chipped swords for you. Through countless hours of maintaining your HEMA gear, your past-life’s knowledge has been added to your current Skill Level. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Awareness and Dexterity when using [Basic Maintenance].

[Rally]

(Fighter Ability) (F-Class)

(★Common I)

When the going gets tough, you get tougher. Summon deep reserves of strength to perform beyond your mortal bounds for a short period of time, adding Temporary HP to bolster your body. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Strength and Vigor when using [Rally].

[Endure]

(Fighter Trait) (F-Class)

(☆Primitive II)

When others fall, you stay on your feet. Conditioned as all basic [Fighters] are, you are able to take mortal injuries and continue fighting. Once per day, whenever your HP would be reduced to 0, it is instead reduced to 1. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Vigor when using [Endure].

[Power Stance]

(Sword Stance) (F-Class)

(★Common IV)

A simple but aggressive stance that builds stacks of [Fury], providing you with the opportunity to enhance your attacks at the cost of [Fury] stacks. Through your force of will, you have altered this Stance to fit your fighting style. You may now generate [Fury] for any normal attack, unleashing your built-up [Fury] on one of the Power Arts listed below, augmenting them depending on the amount of [Fury] expended.

Maximum [Fury] Stacks: 3

Power Arts:

[Shockwave], [Whirling Slash], [Reaping the Willows]

Seeing the [Basic Maintenance] skill reminded him to check on his armor, especially his [Charred Claymore]. It had a few cracks in it from the fight with Raiko, and if he didn’t take care of it soon, it’d only get worse.

For the most part, aside from [Endure] which he thankfully hadn’t needed to use again since the fight with the golem, and [Basic Maintenance], all of his Fighter abilities had improved to Common rarity.

He couldn’t help but wonder if there was some sort of equivalence between level and rarity. Was level 10 roughly equivalent to Common, or were they too different to compare directly?

It wasn’t as if they had levels on them to make the comparison any easier.

Onto his Swordsman skills, which had seen a surprising amount of use considering how recently he acquired some of them. [Rolling Strike] in particular was ridiculously powerful the longer he built up the stacking buff.

If only he could have some sort of visual representation of how many stacks he gained, it would be perfect.

[Swordsman]

[Swordsmanship Foundation]

(Weaponry Skill) (F-Class)

(★Common IV)

Provides the fundamentals for all Sword-based weaponry skills, allowing the use of all Sword Stances. Through your dedication and training with both longswords and Greatswords, you have gained access to a weaponry skill that encompasses all swords. In keeping with your dedication to swords, [Swordsmanship Foundation] now applies to all types of swords, regardless of whether or not you previously had any weaponry skill for them. Additionally, [Swordsmanship Foundation] replaces your [Greatsword Foundation]. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Strength, Agility, and Dexterity when using [Swords].

[Battle Tactics]

(Swordsman Skill) (F-Class)

(★ Common I)

Swordsmen are frequently found at the frontlines, shouting encouragement and shoring up battle formations. You are a beacon of hope and a symbol to rally around amid the chaos and bloodshed. With [Battle Tactics], you are able to form your allies into units that perform specialized roles which improve a wide variety of stats and skills based on the Tactic. While most Tactics work best in a group, they also apply to individuals. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Insight, Awareness, Vigor, and Strength when using [Battle Tactics].

[Tactic: Rolling Strikes]

Whenever you employ this Tactic, you gain a stacking damage buff for the last damage type you attacked with. If you have not recently attacked, then your current damage type gains the stacking buff. You can only have (1) Tactic up at any one time, cancelling or changing Tactics resets the stacking buff to zero.

[Switch]

(Swordsman Ability) (F-Class) (☆ Primitive)

Through your experiences and training, you’ve stumbled upon a fundamental truth earlier than most and uniquely suited to Swordsmen. Where others must stay committed to singular stances, you have learned how to [Switch] from one stance to the next while keeping all relevant resources and buffs, granting you greater fluidity in combat. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Strength, Dexterity, and Agility while using any Stance.

[Armored Aura]

(Swordsman Trait) (F-Class) (☆ Primitive)

Swordsmen are more than fancily armored fighters. Their techniques and abilities guide their compatriots through the thickest fighting, so they all come out the other side. Armored Aura shares a portion of your defenses with your nearby allies, shielding them from harm and enhancing your own defenses at the same time. Grants a minuscule bonus to the effect of Vigor when using [Armored Aura].

[Max HP Up]

(Swordsman Trait) (F-Class) (☆ Primitive II)

Swordsmen are known for their strict, esoteric regiments of training that provide them with superb health and hardiness. By inheriting the Job of a Swordsman, you now share in their secret. Increases your Maximum HP.

Sam couldn’t help but wonder how [Armored Aura] was possible to enhance if it didn’t while he was fighting constantly with Komachi nearby.

Perhaps, inside his armor, she didn’t count as gaining the benefit? Or was it that a person covered by [Armored Aura] had to actually take damage for it to trigger?

Instead of spending forever pontificating the inner-workings, Sam moved on to his Path.

With more of his group able to participate in battle due to their higher levels, he was confident that [Armored Aura] would catch up quickly.