Meera had just pulled out the chakram from the dead woman's chest when she heard a scream—not a painful scream but one of loss. A wounded Aksha, with blood dripping from her forehead onto her face, stumbled into the clearing. She was favoring her right leg as the other dragged behind her. She had a massive claw mark on her leg, and her pant leg had been ripped completely off.
"Mother!" All her remaining daughters shuffled forward to support their mother, but Aksha ignored them and moved for their mother with teary eyes.
Meera quickly backed up, giving them space.
"No…" she cried. "Why didn't you let me help? We could've taken on the archdragon together…" She wept. It was as if her crying was the only sound in the world.
Meera was aware that she was standing dangerously close to her, but she feared that if she made a sudden move, Aksha might realize she was there and attack.
Duinith went to the grieving Aksha and placed a hand on her shoulder. "There was nothing we could do. She was in a lot of pain. Meera did her a mercy."
Aksha's head snapped up. "Meera did this?"
Duinith retracted her hand slowly. "Aye."
Meera backed up. "Hey, it was Veridiana's wish. She wanted me to put her out of her misery, and it's not like I could've done all that to her. It was the archdragon."
Aksha stood slowly and turned towards her. "But who was it that brought the archdragon?"
Meera didn't even get time to blink as Aksha punched, and a massive purple poison fist extended out from her, covering the distance between them in a blink. Meera instinctively crossed her arms in defense.
Someone snapped their fingers. "Stop."
Aksha's attack never landed. Meera looked up gingerly, and Aksha's poison fist was frozen in mid-air. All the other sorceresses who were wide-eyed at the sudden rage from the poison sorceress were like life-like statues. Even the falling snow stood frozen, suspended in the air. It was like someone had stopped time itself.
Everything had stopped save for this behemoth of a man who stood where the Gateway Mirror was. He must've been over eight tall, if not taller, and built like a bear. His biceps were probably the size of Meera's head, if not bigger. He had an all-around bulky and muscular physique. In all aspects, he was the largest man Meera had ever seen. He wore a thin brown armor with a lion's skin as a cape. If Hercules existed, she would think he would look like him.
"Come," he said in an earth-shaking voice. "We have a lot to talk about."
Meera was downright terrified that this man, who could stop time, would want anything to do with her, but she was even more afraid of what he would do if she didn't comply with his command. She gulped and moved towards him slowly. The sound of her feet squelching in the muddled snow was the only sound in the world. Not even the winds blew.
Seriously, who could even do that? Then, a thought struck, and she almost stopped. Please don't be a Cosmarian. Please don't be a Cosmarian.
But her fear was elated when she used Identify and was replaced with utter shock.
[Master of Skills – Level ????]
"You're Darthin." She inadvertently looked to the witch. "As in the Darthin. The one whose power she was trying to…"
"Yes."
It was like Meera's feet carried her on their own and deposited her before the god. Meera tried and failed to keep herself from grinning. She bowed to the god and smiled as wide as she could but wiped it off when she rose.
"What pleasure do I owe you, my lord?" She instantly turned red. "I mean, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, my lord?"
He briefly looked to Veridiana. "You know."
Meera sighed. "I didn't think she was telling the truth about all this. I might have made a different choice if I had known she was trustworthy."
"Every breath wasted stuck in the past is a breath robbed from the present if you learn nothing from it."
"Thank you, my lord," Meera said. "I will remember these words and act upon them."
Darthin grunted. "Open your notifications, girl, so we can begin. I will guide you through the change."
*ding!*
[You have killed 9 Frostweavers – Level 283 – Level 542]
*ding!*
[You have killed 10 Sorceresses of Rebirth – Level 482]
*ding!*
[You have killed Sorceress of Tremors – Level 1095. You have gained partial experience. For killing an opponent six hundred levels higher than your own, you have gained bonus experience.]
Meera did a double take at Veridiana's absurd level. Her level was that high. No wonder she didn't need any magical skills to defeat me.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. The Shadow Image has gained 117 levels and reached Level 588. You have been awarded 351 stat points]
[Congratulations. Chakram of Echoes effect activated. Upon reaching Level 480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, and 580 in your main class, you have earned eleven more Chakrams.]
Eleven chakrams filled her arms. Along with her existing chakrams, she had so many that a dozen chakrams were on each arm. If she had the time and Mana, she would've fused a chunk of them into Level 3 chakrams. Then, there was the absurd number of levels she had earned from doing nothing but sending a dying woman on her way, and that, too, was only but a partial experience.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
How many more would I have earned if I had killed her fair and square?
[Chakram of Echoes Stage 4 effect unlocked. Size Chakram – You can control the size of your chakrams at will, growing them larger to the size of cartwheels or shrinking them to the size of rings. You can do so whether they are in your hands or flying in the air.]
Meera's eyes widened at the applications of this skill. She could wreak so much havoc that her enemies wouldn't even know what hit them. She could shrink her chakrams and let them zip past them only to expand and cut them in half. Oh, I can't wait to try this one out.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror's Affinity has gained 15 levels and reached Level 378. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 383% boost.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Ambush Tactics has gained 2 levels and reached Level 182]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shroud of Shadows has gained 3 levels and reached Level 203]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Nightstalker Bindings has gained 4 levels and reached Level 170]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Step has gained 2 levels and reached Level 229]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirrorstrike Vision has gained 4 levels and reached Level 303]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Tower Shield has gained 3 levels and reached Level 228]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Blast has gained 2 levels and reached Level 192]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Fury has gained 4 levels and reached Level 223]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Vitalize has gained 3 levels and reached Level 262]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Phantom has gained 2 levels and reached Level 272]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Phantom has gained 2 levels and reached Level 168]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Dusk Veil has gained 4 levels and reached Level 125]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Spectral Dominion has gained 5 levels and reached Level 159]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Death Mark has gained 5 levels and reached Level 128]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Identify has gained 2 levels and reached Level 25]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Alpha Aura has gained 10 levels and reached Level 30]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shadow Affinity has gained 11 levels and reached Level 213. All of your shadow-based attacks will get a 214% boost.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Tactician's Gaze has gained 4 levels and reached Level 128]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Prismatic Distortion has gained 3 levels and reached Level 29]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Absorption has gained 7 levels and reached Level 87]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Haunting Presence has gained 6 levels and reached Level 24]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Spectral Resilience has gained 4 levels and reached Level 221]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Iron Skin has gained 4 levels and reached Level 190]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Accelerated Healing has gained 92 levels and reached Level 124]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Volatility has gained 2 levels and reached Level 63]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Nightfall Surge has gained 5 levels and reached Level 6]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Frost Sense has gained 3 levels and reached Level 4]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Armor of Mirrors has gained 7 levels and reached Level 264]
With that, Meera was more than excited to move to her favorite part—looking at the notifications. Given that she had stolen a skill from the queen of the sorceresses, she hoped she received something special.
"Allocate your stat points now," Darthin spoke, and Meera nearly jumped out of her skin because of his heavy voice.
She drew quick, deep breaths, hoping the god hadn't noticed. "But the system usually shows me the skills I've stolen next."
"It will make an exception this time."
Meera figured he was in charge of the notifications, so he could make them do whatever he wished. Not to mention, he knew when she had finished viewing all her level upgrades. She pulled up her stats and looked at the absurd 351 Free Stat points.
She decided to spread an even twenty points across everything. Then, she added another forty extra points to Constitution and Endurance to further increase her Health and Stamina. She also gave Dexterity forty points to boost the power of her chakrams. Last, she gave another twenty points to Agility.
With that, she had fifty points remaining; she dumped all of it into Focus for a massive boost to her Mana, which she hoped would be enough to create another level 3 chakram if she survived Aksha's onslaught.
"Now, I will give you the choices for your class evolutions," Darthin said.
Finally! Meera cried internally. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this.
Darthin continued. "This time, I will only offer you two choices. When it comes to class evolutions, this choice will be the most important, for it will decide what kind of Ascendant you will be."
Meera frowned. "Ascendant?"
He raised a beefy hand. "First, make your choice."
*ding!*
[Congratulations. You have met the requirements for Class Evolution: The Shadow Image can evolve to The Mirrorborn Slayer. You have become proficient in using your mirror and shadow skills to take down any foes. You have trained yourself to employ your skills in a seemingly perfect manner to confuse, terrorize, and dispatch any foes with extreme prejudice.]
[The Mirrorborn Slayer makes the battlefield their stage—a chaotic dance of glinting shards, flickering shadows, and sudden death. You can strike from seemingly impossible angles, vanish into the shadows, and emerge behind their prey for the killing blow.]
[Would you like to evolve The Shadow Image to Mirrorborn Slayer? Your skill progression will remain the same. Choosing this class will lock other progression paths.]
Oh, I really like this one. Meera couldn't help but grin. This class description sounded like just what she wanted, and she almost said yes to it. However, she calmed herself down by taking a deep breath and moved on to the second choice.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. You have met the requirements for Class Evolution: The Shadow Image can evolve to The Celestial Sentinel. You have shown time and time again that you put the well-being of the people first. Whether through your harrowing battles or decisions on and off the battlefield, you have saved the lives of many.]
[The Celestial Sentinel is a defender forged from the duality of the heavens. With your enhanced mirror armor and permanently shadow-cloaked, divine weapons, you reflect the celestial bodies you are sworn to protect. Your prowess on the battlefield is awe-inspiring and utterly devastating.]
[Would you like to evolve The Shadow Image to The Celestial Sentinel? Your skill progression will remain the same. Choosing this class will lock other progression paths.]
This one was good too. She especially liked the part about enhanced mirror armor. Does that mean it will upgrade my armor?
That could prove helpful in the battle, and she didn't know when and if she would get another helpful skill from her armor. In any case, this class seemed to be more focused on defense, while the Slayer class was focused on offense.
The choice was obvious for Meera. She had never been much for defense, and The Mirrorborn Slayer class sounded just up her alley. She almost picked it but then a dreadful thought arose in her mind.
"What will happen to the skills I've stored in my Shadow skill slots?" Meera asked. "I only have the five shadow skill slots because of The Shadow Image class."
"You will lose them," Darthin stated plainly.
