The First Archmage

(Gavin)

I stare at the message for what feels like several minutes, but in reality, less than a second passes before I realize I'm stunned.

There is a way to Advance a Bloodline. But even the Divine Beings weren't aware of it? Or did they know? Tulmis didn't seem to know, and the Dekami Scholar didn't believe it was possible. Is it something that one would have to know about existing or chance upon in order to actually know about?

I chanced upon it. How did Nahor know? He had to have known – why else would he have contacted me just as I was thinking about how impossible it was, while sitting in the very place that enables it?

The Divine Power within this place – is that the source of this? Did it truly form on its own through some sort of belief, enabling this place to allow Advancements for Subspecies? How? And why? The Dark Knights don't know about it, so I doubt it would've been their own belief for it.

In fact, if I'm the first Enlightened to have a Subspecies maxed, then no one would have ever known about this. Then again, there's no confirmation I'm the first Enlightened to master a Subspecies, even if there is confirmation I'm the first to ever Advance their Species.

Deciding this is something I can think about when I actually have a way to investigate, I accept the challenge for Beastborn (Wolf) to become Grand Beastborn (Wolf).

You will have 10 seconds of rest between each Wave per Wave you've beaten. You will have 300 seconds to prepare before the fight begins. Move into the arena to confirm, and the transformation will take place. It will revert upon completion.

Everyone's staring at me in confusion, likely wondering what's taking me so long. They'll be even more confused when I turn into a Beastborn upon entering the arena, but that's fine.

Dismissing the message, I walk around the pedestal and enter the arena, my body shifting immediately. While I remain mostly the same, my tail turns from violet to black, and my hair turns black, my ears moving, changing into a pair of triangular ears resting atop my head, much like Michael's.

My eyes are likely golden in color, instead of the violet they normally are, since I'm a Beastborn (Wolf), now. I feel a lot weaker, too.

I pull up my Status.

Name: Gavin

Age: 18 years

Title: First Dragonslayer

Species: Beastborn (Wolf) I 25 0/0

INT: 61, AGI: 36, CHA: 15, STR: 34, PER: 38, LIF: 36

MNA: 13, ARA: 589

Mana: 13; Aura: 589

Tier I: Sweets Quality Detection 6, Aether Sense 7, Spatial Detection 5

Mastered Tier I: Soundless, Camouflage, Magic Sight, Acting, Hotness, Mana Knife, Threat Detection, Magic Voice

Tier II: Appraisal Resistance 7, Divine Appraisal 4, Divine Appraisal Resistance 8

Mastered Tier III Skills: Chain, Silence, Roar, Blindness

Mastered Tier VII Skills: Clarity of Power, Rift Sense

Language Skills: Dekami Runic 7, English 5, Jozan 5, Velusan 5, Silvar Spirit 5, Shatus Wyvern 8, Karus 4, Kar Sacred 10, Ygdris Fairy 5, Kavvul Human 5, Surlin Elven 5, Hoihoi 10, Kratus Runic 5, Dirsoor Runic 4, Nakim Runic 4, Kurew Runic 5, Mnarian 7, Soradi Dekami 3, Nali Dwarven 5, Eitos Human 5

Mastered Manipulations: Mana, Aura

Mastered Masteries: Bare-handed, Knife

Mastered Resistances: Pain, Lightning, Air, Heat, Fire, Water, Cold, Frost, Stone, Light, Shadow, Mental Pain, Magic, Divine, Mental, Curse

Mastered Detection/Sense: Magic Sense, Mana Sense, Lie, Spirit, Divine, Spirit Sense

I lost almost all of my Skills, and it seems that even though Beastborn receive HLT per Level, it isn't a 'natural' part of their nature, whatever that implies. It seems Aura is, though, since I have a hefty amount of it like this.

I kept my Languages, Resistances, and Sensing or Detection Skills, but lost all of my weapons Skills, save for martial arts and knife-wielding. They do augment actual ability a fair bit, especially when someone doesn't have much real skill, which means I can't really fight well.

I could if I had a bow, since I have actual skill with one, and decent skill with a sword, but I'll have to stick to martial arts. What's my RRN, though? It's not visible anymore, probably because that's not normal. Depending on what it is, fighting with the Mana Knife might not be unfeasible.

Using a small amount of Mana – just a single point – I check my recovery rate. If I recover it before the fight starts, then it's fine, if I don't, then it's not. As I wait, I stretch and adjust to my new body and senses, getting a feel for it before beginning the fight.

Best to do that, than to try to do something I can't do and get tripped-up.

It takes me four minutes to recover the point of Mana. Still abnormally-fast, though it's not too useful. Good for getting out of a bind.

Right at the five-minute mark from when I entered the arena, a lone goblin appears. It's short, it's squat, and it has green skin and nothing on but a leather loincloth, and man is it ugly!

I charge it, jumping into the air and scissoring with my legs, snapping its neck and landing on the ground, the corpse fading away.

Wave 1 Complete! Wave 2 Starting in 10 Seconds!

The 10 is ticking down, allowing me a real-time track for how long I have left. As soon as it reaches 0, the notification disappears, and two goblins appear. They die quickly as well, then I wait the twenty seconds until the next wave.

This time, two goblins appear, along with a third one wielding a club. I quickly dispatch them, using my arm to block the club's attack. Goblins are weak enough that a Level 25 Beastborn without any Classes can handle it.

I continue to fight, feeling myself get a little bit tired, but it seems my stamina is still higher than average. Much higher than average, based on what little I do know of the Beastborn (Wolf)s. It isn't until I'm resting after Wave 20 that I even remember I have other weapons in my spatial storage.

And then discover, when I attempt to pull a bow out, that it's locked. Here, the Trial, what's next? When I'm lounging at home, hungry?

Sigh, I wait for the timer to tick down. There's a mix of armed kobolds and goblins coming after me now, and it's getting to be a bit too much for me to handle. I've been delaying the waves as long as I can as well, creating a chain a few links at a time, using just a couple of points of Mana each attempt.

Finally, after Wave 29, the chain is ready, and my Mana is full.

Now, with that ready, I begin fighting using the chain in the style of the Chain Monks, mixing my Aura and Mana together as a deadly weapon, using it only when my martial arts alone aren't great enough.

The fights continue, and I grow more and more exhausted, especially as as orcs and trolls enter into the mix. They're both annoying on their own, due to their brute force, but trolls especially, due to their immense regeneration. Thankfully, I only have to fight one of those in each Wave, it seems.

Despite how exhausted I grow, I push on, fighting harder and harder until, at last, the final notification enters my vision as my chain punches through a troll's chest, then rips its heart out, pulling it back towards me, the beast fading away.

Wave 100 Beaten

Beastborn (Wolf) has Advanced into Grand Beastborn (Wolf)

My body shifts, returning me to my true form, wings and all. Shutting off my Aura of Power, I look around at everyone, who looks stunned with their awe and fear at such a terrifying being.

Thinking of the Aura of Power… how come no one seems bothered by it with Michael? Everyone chats with him as they always would, despite them simply keeping distance from me and a healthy level of respect, while they simply chat cheerfully with him.

"So what was that?" Michael calls out.

"You know damn well what that was!"

"No!" He yells back. "You turning into a Beastborn!"

"The arena made me!"

It's not a lie.

I exit the arena, contemplating trying again. I could probably push Grand Beastborn (Wolf) up to whatever the next Tier's default/basic state is. Or do Fairy next – I just need to contract a couple of Spirits, and they'd do pretty much everything for me.

I highly doubt that the arena's version of my default form as a Fairy would be too much different from mine through Formshift. So I could handle it.

Yeah. I'm going to do it again.

"Spirits around," I speak in Silvar. "Would any of you like to form a contract with me? I'll need it to require under 100 Spirit to perform, preferably something combat-oriented."

Immediately, the thirty or so Spirits observing the area and me immediately rush to me and start talking, so I leave the arena and sit beside Michael as I talk with the Spirits and listen in on his conversations with the Dark Knights he's friends with. There's quite a crowd, and he's explaining to them who I am – they're glad to finally meet me – and just how powerful I am, as well as what that burst of power they felt was.

I do give a brief apology for that, as I'd not thought about the fact that the arena would likely shift me back into my real form, and it always triggers that little annoyance. Not exactly a good first impression.

After two hours of chatting, interrogating Spirits, and observing the fights, I've settled on three different Spirits and their Gifts.

While Warren's own Gifts tend to focus on enhancing his physical state, that's born from his life as an arena slave. Generally, Fairies use distance-based magics, much like Beck did. So the three Gifts reflect that.

The first Gift is an energy-based Gift, which will probably use up the most Spirit between the three. The Gift of the Static Wave creates a wave of electricity bordering on lightning that will radiate out of me in a sort of sphere.

The second Gift is ice-based, because why the fuck not? It's me. The Gift of the Icy Night creates a series of icicles, launching them at enemies at a high speed with great penetrative power.

The third Gift is, naturally, fire-based. I had to cover my three basics. The Gift of the Blazing Whip creates a whip of fire that I can wield and manipulate. I could probably just make one with Mana, Arcane, and Aether, but this is still good to have, in case I need those for something else.

With my Gifts decided, I enter the arena again, letting Michael and the Dark Knights near us to expect that burst of power for a moment once I finish.

Down in the arena, I accept the Challenge to Advance a Subspecies, selecting Fairy to Advance to Grand Fairy.

As I enter the arena, I feel my body shift and change, reverting down to the little Fairy I am naturally. Dammit. I forgot I did that. At least I have some Aether and Arcane, making manifesting a pair of pants to cover me trivial.

After performing a series of stretches and flying for a bit, I check my Status.

Name: Gavin

Age: 18 years

Title: First Dragonslayer

Species: Fairy (I) 25 0/0

INT: 63, AGI: 37, CHA: 64, STR: 9, CON: 8, PER: 13, LIF: 435

MNA: 62, SPA: 285, ACA: 24, AEA: 123

Mana: 62, Spirit: 285, Arcane: 24, Aether: 123

Tier I Skills: Mana Presence 9, Sweets Quality Detection 6, Enchantment 7, Aether Sense 7

Mastered Tier I Skills: Candle Flame, Soundless, Camouflage, Magic Bolt, Firebolt, Fireball, Magic Missile, Magic Shield, Lightning Bolt, Air Bolt, Air Slash, Static Shield, Waterbolt, Icebolt, Shadowbolt, Lightbolt, Stonebolt, Magic Sight, Acting, Hotness, Mystic Arrow, Frost Arrow, Threat Detection

Tier II Skills: Dispel 8, Appraisal Resistance 7, Divine Appraisal 4, Divine Appraisal Resistance 8,

Mastered Tier V Skills: Ice Lance (IV)

Mastered Tier VI Skills: Firebolt Chain (IV), Icebolt Chain (IV), Air Bolt Chain (IV), Lightning Bolt Chain (IV)

Mastered Tier VII Skills: Clarity of Power, Rift Sense

Language Skills: Dekami Runic 7, English 5, Jozan 5, Velusan 5, Silvar Spirit 6, Shatus Wyvern 8, Karus 4, Kar Sacred 10, Ygdris Fairy 5, Kavvul Human 5, Surlin Elven 5, Hoihoi 10, Kratus Runic 5, Dirsoor Runic 4, Nikim Runic 4, Kurew Runic 5, Mnarian 7, Soradi Dekami 3, Nali Dwarven 5, Eitos Human 5

Mastered Manipulations: Health, Lightning, Air, Fire, Mana, Water, Ice, Stone, Light, Shadow, Aura, Void, Spirit, Metal, Gravity

Mastered Masteries: Crossbow, Shortbow, Longbow, Whips, General Bow

Mastered Resistances: Pain, Lightning, Air, Heat, Fire, Water, Cold, Frost, Stone, Light, Shadow, Mental Pain, Magic, Divine, Mental, Curse

Mastered Detection/Sense: Magic Sense, Mana Sense, Lie, Spirit, Spirit Sense

Gifts:

Blazing Emperor, Freezing Emperor, Final End, Turnip Dance, Ultimate Experience, Static Wave, Icy Night, Blazing Whip

Wish-Granting:

Sense Desire: 4 Small Desire 5 Medium Desire 2

Large Desire 1

Huh. Looks like I kept most of my actual spells. Burning a point of Mana, though, tells me that it won't be feasible to just spam them. Using the Gifts, Arcane, and Aether will be required for me. No Health, though. I suppose that even though they receive a bonus to it, they don't have it naturally.

Wish-Granting… it's been so long since I've actually used my power of Wish-Granting, my Skills there are pretty damn low. Had I thought about it, I would've trained them up for a few minutes. With my absurd bonuses, that wouldn't have been an issue.

My Arcane isn't high enough to do too many big things, though, so it's fine. I'll just use it in an emergency scenario.

Time ticks down as I formulate my battle plan, and the first goblin appears.