Chapter Three: The Hunt Begins.
[You have slain an awakened demon, Armored Fiend.]
[You have received a Memory: Chitin Armour]
'This is what I'm talking about!'
Memory: [Chitin Armor]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Armour.
Memory Description: [A warrior tribe once lived in the hollowed grounds of the Bloody Plains. Although nothing grew on its soil, there was plenty of blood to be spilled on the plains, and they excelled at it. Their weapons were their enemies' claws, and their armors were their enemy's bodies. Their wills didn't need protection; they were unbreakable.]
'No description of its Tier or Enchantments... Sunny did get those later in the story. I'll have to remedy that as soon as possible.' Jack ruminated silently.
After taking off his current armor, he summoned it; in a short window, red-plated armor and a closed helmet, adorned at its top with black claw, covered his body from head to toe. Although it gave a metallic sheen, the armor was indeed made of the chitin that protected the Armored Fiend.
'Even though I can't read the runes, the description and feel upon wearing give great hints as to its capabilities. Other than the obvious protection it offers, it seems to enhance one's will. Exceptionally practical in a protracted war.' Jack thought, satisfied with his gains from his first kill on this nightmare.
'And now...' He looked from his little corner of the battlefield, as mayhem continued on all sides. 'It's time to rack up some kills and get myself a weapon.' A maniacal grin spread across his face.
-x-
Hours passed on the battlefield, and the bodies piled.
Although the brave soldiers of the Empire fought with all their might, for each of their enemies that fell, they lost tenfold of their own numbers.
There was only one exception to that.
On a tiny corner of the Bloody Plains, a respectable stack of Armored Fiends encircled a single man. With battered red chitin armor and a wicked black scimitar in hand, he nearly looked like one of their own.
Seeing that there were no more living enemies in his immediate vicinity, he sat on the ground, depleted. However, if one could peer under his helmet, one wouldn't see the face of someone who just fought a life-and-death battle. They would see the face of someone who just earned a fat paycheck from their hard work.
'Hell Yeah!' Jack couldn't be happier with the result of the last hours of challenging labor.
[You have slain an awakened demon, Armored Fiend.]
[You have received a Memory: Remembrance of the Fallen]
'I think this is the 20th one...' Jack did a quick head count in his mind.
To understand the magnitude of such an achievement, one needs to think only about Sunny's first nightmare. Although with a stellar performance, reaching the Divine Rank, Sunny killed a single Awakened Tyrant creature: The Mountain King. And he was only able to do so through heavy use of artifice.
Though two Classes above the current creatures in Jack's Nightmare, the Armored Fiends still should be nearly impossible for a normal aspirant to kill. Even though Jack was a Reincarnator with plenty of combat experience under his strap, it was still not enough to close such a gap in strength. After all, his body placed a weighty limit on how he could use his skills.
The reason why he could do so with relative ease lay with a single attribute: [Boundless].
It was one of his main points of contention with the Secret One as they tried to reach an accord. And the final result was one he was immensely proud of.
[Boundless] Attribute Description: "The limits of the Body are imposed upon by the Mind. The Shackles are broken."
Although the description was simple, the results were anything but.
In practical terms, his soul could influence his body and raise it from the limitations, or 'Shackles' as called by the Spell, placed upon it by his biology.
'And as a direct result of my tempered soul... I can probably display the same force an Awakened could as a mere Aspirant.' Jack pondered with a giddy smile. Such an advantage would probably maintain itself in the ensuing ranks, as his soul got even more robust.
But that was only one of the utilities he had envisioned for [Boundless].
No longer having limits on my current body means several things. First, the number of cores. In this world, even Divine rank beings can only have seven cores... That is, until now.
'With Boundless, I theoretically have no longer a limit of cores. Though, in reality, I'll probably never get over eight cores, as there are no creatures from that rank that even could be slayed to rise in rank. That could make me one level higher than any other being in this world, perhaps except for the Unknown. But that is very far into the future.'
And that took him to his other, less wanted, attribute. [Deathless].
[Deathless] Attribute Description: "As a sacrifice for the renewal of a Greater Being, your body is beyond Death, until it concludes its final purpose. Each demise brings you closer to it."
'Pretty on the nose, this one.' Jack thought with mirth. 'A normal person would probably despair upon seeing such an attribute... They wouldn't even be able to kill themselves, though.'
It was a very cruel curse, befitting a Great Old One.
For Jack, though... They couldn't have given him a greater boon.
As soon as he read its description and felt how it worked on his soul, he knew he could use it in his favor.
That is because, with his deep knowledge of souls and his inborn connection between mind and spirit, Boundless and Deathless could work in tandem.
'This thing doesn't truly make me undying. Not even Cthylla is all-powerful; otherwise, It wouldn't need my help. Deathless simply binds my soul to this realm and gives it and my flesh strong regenerative powers.' Jack contemplated.
'Although the attribute prevents me from ever truly departing, I will still be in a state of stasis as my soul recuperates, and that can take who knows how long. And during that moment of vulnerability is likely when her powers will work to slowly corrupt my body and soul... creating the perfect vessel for her Father.'
Each death would bring him closer to being an unwilling fulcrum.
With Boundless and his innate ability, though... Every single one of his cores could become a new Soul.
Cores are nothing more than the blueprint of a soul. That is one of the reasons why creatures with many of them could accumulate greater power.
And, with his ability and the direct connection to every single one of his cores, his original soul could slowly siphon its energy to them, and build them into accessory souls, making use of his now strong regenerative capabilities.
'It'll hurt like a bitch, though.' Nothing like ripping one's soul apart to build a new one to test one's pain tolerance.
'But it'll be worth every second of it. Because then, if one day I die... Those other Souls won't let me go into stasis.'
At that moment, he would be truly "Deathless."
'So the first order of business is to create a second core. And to do that, I have to slay a whole lot of beasties.' Jack thought, seeing some lone Armored Fiends approaching the field, probably attracted to the smell of death. In their places, he saw only credit signs.
'Let's get right to it, then! But first things first.'
Memory: [Remembrance of the Fallen]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Charm.
Memory Description: [The fallen never truly forgot their comrades, and as long as a single man was still standing, they fought on.]
Jack summoned the charm and could instantly feel the ring on his left index finger. Although he couldn't see it because of the armor, it felt cold to the touch. He could also discern some kind of extracorporeal sense, capable of alerting him of any immediate hazards surrounding him.
'A Danger Sense in the form of a fallen soldier's spirit watching over you... Very useful enchantment.' The aspirant was already amassing a respectable arsenal of memories.
Not a moment after he equipped it, a sharp spike in his mind alerted him of a lunge coming from behind.
With a swift roll forward, Jack could feel the wind on his nape from the closing jaws. He quickly came to a stop and turned around to evaluate his new foe.
He was surprised to see a creature that until now hadn't shown itself on the battlefield. With a more undersized body, around 1,5 meters, and a sleek frame, they were evidently more agile than their counterparts. 'Probably scavengers of some kind, attracted by the pile of bodies.'
Their armor, although in the same familiar red of the Armored Fiends, was much lighter, and would probably be easier prey for Jack than their giant peers. There was only one problem...
'These fuckers are pack hunters.' Jack grumbled internally, already seeing plenty of them slowly climbing the bodies all around him. He was soon the center of attention.
'Is this what it feels like to be Nightmare Creature famous?' He thought with mirth as ten of them slowly encircled him. 'Sunny would be jealous.'
A helpless grin spread across his face. 'Well... at least, I won't have to hunt them down anymore.'
And then, the first of the creatures jumped towards him with a screech.