Ethan let himself fall on his ass, panting, then pushed himself back just enough so he could rest his back on the crystal-studded monitor.

"Goddamn this bastard was tough," he said, wincing at the muted pain he could feel across his stomach and back. Ember was lying on her side a few feet away, eyes squinted and mouth opened as she gasped for breath.

The smoking and ashy clearing had only two of the creatures, but the largest of them had taken nearly five minutes of non-stop fighting to bring down.

"[At least you got something for it.]"

"That I did," said Ethan as he raised the small bead between his fingers.

Assimilate [Crystal Dart - (Tier -2)]?

Ethan shoved the bead into his dimensional pouch, then pulled his notifications as gave the cat a sidelong glance. "Not showing any interest in this one? It could work with your fire, you know. Imagine those crystals when they're hot."

The cat yawned. "[If you get it one more time, I'll take it off your hands. Now let me take a quick nap. Then we take more swings at these bastards if you're still suicidal.]"

You have defeated [Cave Monitor - Level 55]

You have defeated [Cave Monitor - Level 61]

You have reached Level 49. 1 stat point awarded.

Arcanum of Forms: 143 fragments collected.

Ethan opted to funnel the fragments into the Lesser Arcanum. The other one was sitting was sitting on nearly a thousand fragments and just needed some more Essence before he could upgrade it. He was already at 79, and just needed a couple more fights before he got it to a 100.

And I just need one more level to get to 50 and finish another side quest. Considering how long it took to kill this one, getting my hands on those extra points would do me well. Especially before we tangle with the tier-2 creature. As for the points I'm currently sitting on… let's do something about that.

Ethan eyed the three points, then his current stats.

Toughness is carrying me through these fights, but I need Might to catch up or it's about to become a wet-noodle fight between me and the monsters.

The fire had been effective, but the claws had not cut through the monsters as easily as he'd hoped. The rocky, crystalline hide of the cave monitors might be the toughest he'd seen so far, and even through Ethan's many bonuses, the fight had taken a while as both him and Ember chipped at the beefy lizards until it keeled over.

Mana's falling behind too. And so is Spirit. Well… everything but Toughness is evenly distributed…but they gotta catch-up soon.

Ethan considered the number for a few moments, then decided to go with the healthy approach of giving every stat one point. And when he'd get the bonus point from the side quest, he'd do the same.

Gotta keep upgrading the Arcanum and their spellform bonuses. That's where a lot of my stats are coming from, nowadays, he thought as he pulled his updated stats. They haven't changed much, but he bet they would soon.

Ethan took a quick look at his Lesser Arcanums next and eyed the upgrades at his disposal. He could either go for another spellform bonus upgrade or mana, and with his mana being decent at the moment, he went with the stats.

Arcanum of Forms: Spellform Bonus (Tier-2 → Tier-3): Increase Spellform bonus from 20% to 30% - 450 fragments

Ethan confirmed it and closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the changes take place. Within moments, the recent fatigue was washed away as the magic refilled him with vigor. After all, every one of his stats had just gotten a 10% boost—15% for Toughness, considering [The Vanguard]'s effect—which translated in at least two points extra in every stat.

Good stuff, he said with a grin. Then his stomach gurgled.

Glancing behind him at the large body of the rock and crystal studded monitor, Ethan eyed the tail for a second before he shook his head.

Probably too tough. My teeth hurt just thinking about it…

He'd go find a regular water monitor in a minute. And as he eyed his updated stats, Ethan couldn't wait to get another Arcanum at the end of the tutorial.

The form bonuses were just too good.

Level 49

Might: 35 (21)

Toughness: 65 (32)

Spirit: 32 (19)

Mana: 32 (19)

That upgrade just netted him 5 points in Toughness and 2 in every other stat.

I lost the crown again, huh. No matter. I'll get it back soon.

With that done, Ethan decided to close his eyes and rest for a few minutes. He'd never tried meditation before. Not willingly, that is. But maybe there'd be some benefit aside from giving [Mana Heart] and his body some rest.

Just a few minutes, and then, one more push to get the remaining Essence needed.

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***

Ethan had never been a jogger. He didn't hate it. He also didn't love it. It was just something he never really worried about. Early in his life, whenever Ethan had had to run it was either to run away from trouble or to trouble. But once he'd manage to get some sense of stability in his routine, it was either to warm up before training, or it was to catch the bus because he really didn't want to have to wait for the next one. Running for pleasure had never been his thing. Whenever he'd tried it, he ended up bored out of his mind. Which made it a little surprising that he was having the time of life right now as he bolted between the mushroom trees, leaping over bushes, and occasionally, he'd spread his wing and go for a glide when the terrain got a little rough before he landed back down into a sprint.

"[I hate this. Can you slow down?]"

"You can go down and run by yourself. I'm already at 86 Essence, and I'm only stopping once I hit the 100."

Ethan pumped his arms while Ember hung on for dear life atop of his horns. He'd tried to put her on his shoulders, but she was more uncomfortable to both of them over there. He had to move his arm and shoulders, to dodge, and cast his spells, so up on the horns she went.

"New group, heads up," he called out as he jumped into a new clearing, and was surprised to see some of his old friends.

[Lizardling (I) - Level 48]

A bunch of lizardlings and their pet drakes were fighting swamp and water monitors and without decelerating, Ethan ran into them, clawing, kneeing, and sending fire at anything that moved.

He was a whirlwind of burning sharp edges, and most of the monster needed one or two attacks before they keeled over. Whenever one of them managed to retaliate or hit him with something, it washed over his scales, stinging or burning a bit but quickly enough, the scales sapped the magic out of his enemies' abilities and within a minute, only one of the swamp monitors was still alive.

91 Essence. Fuck!

He just wanted the upgrade so he could just sit down and do everything all at once. He'd already cracked into level 50 and now the only thing missing were 9 Essence points. If this encounter wasn't enough to get them, then he'd just have to sit down and go through his completed the side quest anyway.

It likely wouldn't be enough. But he did have an idea he wanted to test.

Ethan eyed the remaining moss-covered monitor and wondered; what would be the most juggernaut-y way he could take it down?

[Swamp Monitor (I) - Level 57]

The monitor hissed balefully at him, slowly circling as it waited for another one of its glowing green orbs to be ready while Ethan eyed critically. Then he blinked.

Wait… It's not just 'juggernaut'. It's the path of the Burning Juggernaut, he thought. He didn't need to just bulldoze through it. He had to burn too. Maybe?

"Leave this one to me, Ember," he said, shooing the cat away from his horns. "I want to test some things."

The Ignisra hopped off, annoyed, and stalked toward the foot of one of the mushroom trees. "[Fine…]"

Ethan took a deep breath, and ignited his claws as a rumbly breath escaped from the four-feet high monsters. It was massive. At least ten feet long, from snout to tail. Green glistening moss covered its join and back, and lurid green smoke wafted out of its mouth.

This thing looks venomous. Or toxic, at the very least.

Ethan shook his head and reminded himself of his plan.

Burning juggernaut. Can't be stopped. Burns everything in his path. Even toxins and oversized lizards.

He took a step forward. Then another. The lizard hissed, and Ethan flared the flames around his claws stronger.

Burn everything. Burn it all.

The monitor opened its jaw and spat a green ball of murky water. Ethan raised one hand and pushed everything he had in his chest. Every ounce of mana was ignited, creating a pillar-sized gout of intense flames that lit up the clearing and banished every bit of shadow within a hundred feet.

The water was vaporized, then the vapor itself was burnt so only a scalding, rippling haze of heat was left.

The monster opened its eyes, having recoiled from the intense light and fire, but Ethan wasn't done.

He had never stopped walking.

The air seemed to tremble as he kept his mind on his path's mantra, but the swamp monitor wasn't easily cowed. It hissed once more, then surged forward, sending clumps of overturned earth as it dragged its massive body with surprising speed at the small human ahead of it.

Ethan saw it coming. At least, a small part of him did. But all of his being, all of his toughts were focused on one simple concept. One one simple idea.

Be unstoppable.

The noise around him fell away as something had stolen over him. The train of thoughts seemed to have induced some sort of trance. Or maybe it was his imagination, but he quickly ignored the doubt and focused on the feeling that permeated his being.

He didn't care about the savage beast running at him. It wasn't his problem. Its efforts will be in vain. He was a juggernaut, and he would not be stopped. It will move out of his way, by its own volition, or it will be burnt, and he will step over its charred bones as he keeps walking.

The monster lunged, its massive frame looming ahead of him. Its toothy maw whipped down, fangs glistening, reflecting the orange lights coming off of him before it latched down on his neck and part of his throat like a vice.

Ethan didn't even budge. He didn't even feel its weight.

Ethan didn't blink and took one more step, and the reptile was dragged along with him as if it were weightless, which finally managed to surprise him enough to snap him out of the trance.

Ethan blinked and felt the weight of the monster drop on him. He grunted, and tried to recapture the fading feeling, but he knew he wasn't getting it back. He glared at the fat lizard as it tried and failed to punch its sharp fangs through his scales before he stabbed up, punching his burning talons through its scales and into its chest before he fed the flames more mana, cooking the wailing creature from the inside out.

You have defeated [Swamp Monitor - Level 57]

You have reached Level 51. 1 stat point awarded.

Ethan stood there, mouth open as he looked down at the dead creature. What had even happened? What was that?

It really had felt like he'd just channeled the concept of a juggernaut. Could he always do that? And did it do anything to his Essence?

Pulling up his Prime Arcanum, he checked his Essence count, and a chuckled escaped his lips. He'd been right.

Essence: 103

Ethan found himself a rock to sit upon and began loading his interface as he glanced around, looking around for his partner. He had a question for her and then, he had a Prime Arcanum to upgrade, as well as a completed side quest to go through and a new one to read up on.

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