Chapter 143: Reached Level 25! Class Evolution Available! ’Much better’, Moon thought with satisfaction as his next strike carved deeper into their flesh, leaving a burn mark on their skin rather then merely scratching them. "Selene, Yara, don’t intervene unless things go badly wrong," Moon called out while parrying a spear thrust. "I need the experience and the kills." Selene looked momentarily concerned but nodded understanding. "Just don’t get overconfident and die." Had Moon maintained his usual combat style of casting spells, Selene wouldn’t have been worried, with the four Savi warriors helping him, he could easily dispatch them, but he was fighting in close range, something that he wasn’t attuned for. Selene knew that Moon had a mage class. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to cast out multiple elemental spells. This meant that Moon wasn’t naturally attained to the dagger, since it was a universal rule that awakeners could not use skills outside their class circle. A mage couldn’t use close combat skills, and a knight couldn’t use mage skills. Yara translated Moon’s instruction to her warriors, who adjusted their tactics accordingly. Rather than trying to kill the Heretics they’d engaged, the Savi fighters move to a more defensive style of fighting, merely blocking attacks, maintaining pressure, preventing escape, and avoiding lethal strikes. They were holding the enemies in place specifically for Moon to finish. [You have killed a level 24 Savi Heretic.] [You have gained 420 Lives.] [You have killed a level 24 Savi Heretic.] [You have gained 400 Lives.] Moon moved through his assigned targets swiftly, his body graceful dancing between them. His movements grew progressively smoother as muscle memory reinforced itself through repetition. Parries became more efficient, strikes found vulnerable points with increasing accuracy and his footwork improved with each exchange. [You have killed a level 24 Savi Heretic.] [You have gained 410 Lives.] [You have killed a level 24 Savi Heretic.] [You have gained 370 Lives.] Selene watched the scene in pure disbelief, she couldn’t believe what she was witnessing before her eyes. It was as if here very eyes were deceiving her. ’Am I hallucinating or is he getting better by the minute?’ The proficiency was definitely there, Moon could feel the techniques settling back into his body even without the system skill actively guiding him. ’So it is possible,’ Moon confirmed mentally. ’Skills leave permanent knowledge even after the system support ends. I just need to maintain practice, and perhaps I would be able to even gain the skill at a certain point.’ Moon was certain of the former hypothesis, as for the latter, he still needed to test it and gain a skill through it. For now, it remained something he needed to explore to understand deeper. Eventually, only the Heretic leader remained standing. His companions had all been eliminated by Moon slowly but surely, becoming experience and lives he claimed. The leader was now isolated, and surrounded, but he was still dangerous. His eyes burned with fanatical hatred. Moon approached cautiously, recognizing this opponent was significantly more skilled than the others that he had dispatched. The leader was clearly level twenty-five based on his movement and the power behind his attacks. Fighting him with just a dagger would be too risky and foolish. ’We need to leave soon, just in case more are coming. It’s better to slowly dispatch these people in groups of ten rather than at once.’ Moon thought to himself, his eyes on the last remaining heretic. Moon decided on a practical solution rather than an honorable one. He formed a compressed fireball in his free hand and hurled it directly at the leader’s face as a distraction. The Heretic reacted instantly, raising his weapon to deflect the magical attack, exactly as Moon had anticipated. BOOM! In that split-second of divided attention, Moon closed distance explosively and thrust his superheated dagger forward in rapid succession. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Three quick thrusts penetrated the leader’s torso, covering the abdomen, lower ribcage, and upper chest. Each one driving deep before Moon withdrew the blade and repositioned for the next attack. The Heretic leader tried to counterattack with a desperate swing, but Moon had already leaped backward out of range, his agility attribute making the retreat effortless. The leader stood swaying, his body punctured like a sponge, blood pouring from multiple wounds. He coughed violently, blood spraying from his mouth. Despite his mortal injuries, the Heretic leader’s eyes remained defiant. He raised one trembling hand and pointed directly at Moon while speaking in a rasping voice filled with venom. "Vor’keth... sha’neth kal.... vor’nash krath..." Then he collapsed forward, dead before hitting the ground. [You have killed a level 25 Savi Heretic.] [You have gained 550 Lives.] [You have reached level 25!] [Class Evolution Available! Please complete Evolution Tasks to advance from Awakener to Evolver.] Moon stared at the notification with satisfaction before turning toward Yara, who looked visibly shaken by the battle’s brutal conclusion. "What did he say at the end? Before he died, what were those final words?" Moon asked curiously, he felt conviction behind his last words, despite not understanding what the words meant. Yara swallowed hard, then translated quietly. "He said... ’The false ones... shall never claim... the legacy... your corruption will end under his brother’s hands...’" She paused, then added softly, "He truly believed you were evil, Moon. Until his very last breath, he was convinced he was fighting for something righteous." Moon looked down at the dead Heretic leader without emotion. "These fanatics will always believe they’re fighting for a righteous cause, that’s what makes them dangerous." Moon said simply, before dismissing the dagger back to his storage. ’Status.’ He muttered, summoning the translucence screen before him. He had achieved a milestone he had long since wanted to hit. -- [ Name: Moon ] [ Race: Human ] [ Class: Classless] [ Level: 25 ][Awaiting Evolution] [ Lives: 15,221 ] [ Strength: 38 ] [ Agility: 38 ] [ Constitution: 43 ] [ Mana: 58 ] (+5 to all stats) [ Attribute Points: 5 ] [ Skills: Elemental Attack, Five Element Affinity, Tenacity, Silver Skin, ignite,] [ Talent: Grim Reaper ] [ Class Skill: Class Slot {0/1} ] --