Bumping Up The Stats

'Status screen'

<User Status Screen Updated>

[Name: Vincel Grey]

[Race: Human]

[Job: Arcane Initiate Lv.2 {101/200 Arcane Shards}]

[Specialization: None]

[Title: None]

[HP: 75/75]

[Arcane Mana Reserves: 105/125]

[Strength: 7]

[Stamina: 5]

[Agility: 7]

[Resistance: 5]

[Job Skills: Arcane Augmentation Lv.1]

[Spells: 2 {Indicate for more information}]

[Stat points: 0]

With a mental indication, Vincel clicked the 'Spells' section of the status screen and it rolled out with more descriptive information.

[Spells:

•Bind- A basic Initiate Level spell. (Not received from the System Spell Archives)- Costs 10 Arcane Mana reserves.

•Repel- A basic Initiate Level spell (Not received from the System Spell Archives)- Costs 10 Mana reserves.]

'Wait, System Spell Archives? There is a Spell Archive?!'

As usual, following Vincel's mental outburst, the system rolled out yet another set of never-seen-before information.

[System Spell Archives: Locked]

'Why is it locked?'

[System Spell Archives: Locked!

Scheduled to be unlocked once the User has proven himself worthy by becoming an Arcane Apprentice]

'Oh, so I wasn't supposed to know about it yet.

Wait, does that mean, I wasn't supposed to learn any spells yet?'

No response from the System.

'Oookay- When do I become an Arcane Apprentice?'

[Levels of progression;

Arcane Initiate- Lv 1-10,

Arcane Apprentice- Lv.1]

'Assuming the Apprentice stage is also ten levels long, what comes after the Apprentice stage?'

Again, no response.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

Zay'in's clapping brought Vincel out of his moment with the system.

'Damn, I almost completely forgot she was here'

"Impressive. That was really interesting spell casting to see from a beginner" Zay'in said.

Vincel smiled.

"Thanks"

Zay'in returned the smile.

"You're not tired, are you?"

"No, why?"

"Well, I wanted us to take this just a step further"

As Zay'in spoke, she made specific gestures on the wall and wherever her fingers touched, the wall glowed but that was not as attention-grabbing as the multiple holes that opened on the hall floor in front of Vincel.

Out of every single one of those holes, rose enchanted puppets just like the ones Vincel just hit against the opposite wall.

Speaking of those two, the ground had opened to take them back.

"You did well against two, let's see how you do against Five"

Vince grinned and took a more balanced stance.

"Alright"

Zay'in nodded.

"Okay then. Four units in strength and four in speed"

As she spoke, Zay'in inputted the numbers into a glowing panel on the wall.

"Wait, are those stats for the puppets?" Vincel asked in surprise.

Zay'in nodded.

"Yes."

"You can do that?"

"Of course"

"What were the stats of the two from before?" Vincel asked.

Zay'in shrugged.

"They were both at a default of two in speed and strength and your punch sent one of them flying to the other side of the hall.

Bumping both stats by two is fair, right?"

"Six"

Zay'in couldn't believe her ears.

"What?"

"Bump it up to six. Six in speed and six in strength for all five" Vincel said confidently.

'I barely felt any resistance when I punched that one puppet from before. I'm not sure if the unit of stats she's imputing is exactly equal to mine so I shouldn't let it go past six.

I should be able to handle Six in strength and speed from five puppets, right?

Yeah, It'll be fine- Probably.'

As she watched Vincel, Zay'in could almost see his brain working and thinking.

"Alright. If you're sure that's what you want."

Zay'in imputed the stat units and there was an increased glow on the lines all over the puppets.

There was a second or two of no activity and then the puppets all charged at Vincel in unison.

Instantly, their increase in speed became clear.

They were much faster than any of the two that had attacked Vincel before and unlike the last two puppets, the five did not move one at a time.

They attacked together without any strategy besides using their numbers and improved stats to overwhelm Vincel from the start.

Vincel furrowed his brows and leaped backward just as five puppet fists struck against the ground he had been just a second before.

*BAM!*

The puppets stood up almost as fast as their fists hit the ground. The moment Vincel's feet hit the ground again, they were charging at him again.

This time, Vincel was ready.

'Repel'

The spell circle appeared on his palm and the wave of Arcane Mana charged out to strike against the puppets.

*Bam!*

The wave of Arcane Mana pushed the puppets a few steps back but it was nowhere as impactful as before.

'The effect of the spell is reduced because there's more than one target' Vincel realized.

Because they were so closely banded together, the 'Repel' spell was a small setback for the puppets but Vincel did not wait for them to come at him. He dashed towards them instead.

A fist came at him, Vincel ducked under the puppet's arm and delivered a punch to its faceless head.

*Bam*

The punch sent the puppet sliding back just as another Puppet swung a fist at Vincel.

Vincel slammed the fist aside and was content with how he was able to overpower the puppet's arm right before he went after the one he had punched before.

The Puppet Vincel was closing in on appeared to detect danger and raised its arms to form an 'X' for defense but Vincel swept its legs and the moment it was on the ground, he delivered a blow to its chest.

*Bam!*

*Crack*

A little crack appeared on the puppet's chest and the light glowing in its lines dimmed to signal that it was now out of the commission.

"Easy," Zay'in said with a small chuckle "They're expensive"

Vincel turned and saw the four remaining puppets turn to face him and their fallen brethren.

Without a second thought, he stretched his hand and cast the 'Bind' spell.

The spell circle appeared and strings of Arcane Mana shot out of it to wrap around the four puppets.

*Snap*

They broke the strings instantly.

'The 'Bind' spell is also ineffective against multiple targets. Good to know' Vincel thought as he jumped to avoid a punch.

Before he landed on the ground after the jump, he cast the 'Bind' spell again but this time, he focused it on a single puppet.

The strings wrapped around the puppet and halted its movement. The puppet began to struggle against its bind and with six units in strength, it was going to break free for sure but it never got the chance.

Vincel moved towards it, dodged punches from the other puppets, and punched it square in the chest to knock it at least three feet away and hard into the ground.

Vincel closed the distance between them and delivered the final punch that dimmed the light of the puppet for good.

'Focused punches to the chest turn them off, it seems'

Vince realized as he clenched his fist.

'Two down. Three to go.'

Vincel had only just had this thought that he was stuck in the middle of an encirclement by the remaining three puppets. Their attacks were as simultaneous as they had been before but this time, they attacked from different sides.

Vincel couldn't keep an eye on all of them and due to the suddenness of their arrival with their punches, he was only properly able to dodge one. The one that came straight to his face.

The other two punches landed. Striking his ribs and his back.

[-1HP]

[HP: 74/75]

"Ah- Ngh"

Because of the Puppets being one stat weaker than Vincel as well as him having good resistance, their connecting punches only cost Vincel a single HP.

The blow to the ribs hurt Vincel the most but he used the momentum of the blow to his back instead.

He let the blow move him so that he slammed his body into the puppet right in front of him. The one whose blow he had dodged.

Vincel wrapped an arm around the puppet's neck and placed a palm against its chest.

'Repel'

The spell circle appeared and the wave of Arcane mana sent the puppet flying but since Vincel's arm was around the puppet's neck, he went flying with it.

*Bang*

The puppet's back hit the wall and almost immediately after, Vincel delivered a blow squarely to its chest to instantly dim its light.