The Road To The Peak

Skullius' mind had spun as he thought about the best option for him to choose. He knew this wasn't simply about getting overwhelming strength. Even though he wasn't an undead anymore, he was still bound by Doom Factor 1.

As a summoned creature, he needed to supply himself with mana constantly to rid himself of that Doom Factor. At least that's what VOW had said.

He would know the specifics of how much he needed soon enough but he had considered it more clearly now that he wasn't being chased by a murderous boar or standing in the presence of a god-like beast.

'I would really love to have great physical strength, though,' he thought as he lost himself to this possibilities, seeing himself prancing in a field under the gazes of his jealous friends as they gawked bonically at his bulky figure and lustrous bones.

They would drool and ask him how he got so strong and he imagined himself imparting his divine wisdom.

'Milk, my fellow gravemen. Milk.'

'Wait! What?!' he thought as he shook his head.

However, he knew that would probably be a bad idea.

He had never been a bones-for-brains kind of skeleton. He had always been interested in mana and the interest he had in manipulating it had saved his life in Deadmanland.

Even though he knew that was the logical choice, Skullius couldn't help but shed a non-existent tear at the prospect of giving up on the attractively named Class, [Berserk Skull Hegemon].

[Pffft!].

"Shut up!" Skullius barked at VOW.

The only two options he considered were the first and last.

[Vehement Bone Nullmancer] and [Revenant Forcemancer].

[Spirit Walker] didn't seem all that attractive to Skullius because from what he'd seen both in Deadmanland and this new world, all that had left a deep impression on him was unbridled might that didn't need to be hidden. The Death Knights, Somanda, Azila and even that perverted boar.

Besides, the mana it offered was less than the other two which made it even less attractive.

'The Forcemancer sounds good, but I can't even see many of the skills. What if I can't use them until I'm as strong as Azila? That would be... problematic,' Skullius thought. 'But that must also mean they are quite powerful, right?'

Then there was the Vehement Bone Nullmancer. It came with a lot of mana and even though it didn't boost strength by much, he still found it attractive.

The skills it gave made it the most attractive out of the bunch.

The word Summon had already won him over. He was intrigued by the prospect of becoming like Somanda.

"It's something like that, right? Like being able to Summon soldiers to do what I want? Right, VOW bro?"

[Hmmm. Every option you see has its own significance and you will likely get to see what each one can do as you grow, regardless of your choice. I will leave the actual choosing to you however, young Boneman].

Tktktkt!

Skullius clacked his teeth in displeasure.

That was vague.

Above all else though, what made him want this Vehement Bone Nullmancer more was one thing. One thing that he knew he needed.

One thing that would make him feel whole.

One thing he felt would only leave a stream of pain in his pelvis if he didn't acquire right now.

"I need that INTELLIGENCE!" he screamed.

Even though he had evolved from being a Moronic Undead, he still felt the lingering embers of his Moronhood dancing in the emptiness of his skull.

But with those 50 points, he felt that he would at least get VOW to stop mocking him.

"There's no other choice," Skullius thought as he poked on the guidance field.

[You have selected 'Vehement Bone Nullmancer' as your class. Please note that you CANNOT change classes in the future and advancements in the respective Class will stem solely from 'Vehement Bone Nullmancer'. Would you like you to proceed?]

Skullius clacked his teeth as he felt a vague sense of fear from the fact that he couldn't divert from what he had chosen. It made sense, but...

Why did this notification need to sound so ominous?

"Uhmm.. yes," he said, pushing forward with his resolve. This had to be the right choice, right?

A tremendous force shot up from his feet and encased his entire body with a bluish-white flame that licked his bones!

The power he felt at this moment was staggering as he felt changes appear within him. His core, his bones and his mind shook.

[You have become a full-fledged 'Null Lifeform'!]

[You have become a 'Vehement Bone Nullmancer']

[You have received +150 Mana]

[You have received +50 Intelligence]

[You have received +20 Strength]

[The following skills have been added: ]

['Apostle Summoning'

'Apostle Armament'

'Depths of the Core'

'@%#^#@' ]

----

[You have finished basic evolution to Null Life!]

[You have received the skill 'Null Life Aura']

[Your power comes from the Serenity that rises after life. Your presence is overwhelming yet tranquil]

[You are neither claimed by the Living nor the Dead. Your soul and body are protected by Serenity. All physical and spiritual damage will be reduced by 50%]

----

Skullius felt an intense change in his bones. They grew by a bit, their shade changing to a foggy grey as the flame in his sockets turned darker.

He felt his mind become less foggy and his thoughts became free.

A certain feeling attached itself to his core but Skullius couldn't discern where it was coming from.

After a few seconds, the transitions and flames died down, Skullius finally getting the chance to look at his own body.

He ran the fingers of his one hand on the bones of his ribs and rejoiced. He could feel that he wasn't as brittle and weak as he had been.

"This is incredible," he said. He looked at all the notifications he had received and marvelled.

With his mind feeling clearer than ever, he felt that he could understand all the basic details very well.

The first thing that he wanted to know was what the skills he received from his class could do.

~~~

[Apostle Summon | Lv.1]

When an enemy is slain by your hand, purify it and bring it to the border of Life and Death, assigning it as your Apostle. When summoned, it will be sustained by '#%@%' until it dies.

<Current 0 1 Limit:>

Mana Requirements: 100 Mana Points

Duration: None

Cooldown: None

----

[Apostle Armament | Lv.1]

A servant needs great strength to protect their master. Using Mana and Null Life Essence, grant your Apostle skills and aid so that they remain useful while standing by your side.

-Caution-

This skill is more effective when your Apostle obtains a Class or Mutation.

<Current 0 2 Limit: Common Skills>

Mana Requirements: 250 Mana Points + 2000 Null Life Essence

Duration: None

Cooldown: None

----

[Depths of the Core | Lv.1]

To attain great strength, one must understand their own source of power. The core. The more one understands the more they can evolve their strength from the standard to the elite boundary where very few reside. When this skill is used, the user can alter their core in the direction they want.

<Current limit: Blue>

Mana Requirements: 500 Mana Points

Duration: 1 minute

Cooldown: 100 days

----

'@%@^##!' [Locked]

~~~

"The costs are insane!" Skullius exclaimed in shock before reeling back with surprise at what he had just said.

"Wow... I never thought a miner like me would ever say something like that. <Sniff >. I've grown so much."

Skullius wiped away a non-existent tear and continued scrolling through all the options. He was excited.

[Depths of the Core] attracted his attention quite a bit since it had to do with his core.

Did this mean he could actually change his core? To what exactly?

The lack of knowledge was biting his hungry mind.

He began reassuring himself that he had chosen the right Class. If such a thing as changing one's core was possible, then he would make sure that he used this skill to the fullest, granting himself every single advantage he could.

As expected, the last skill was not available to him but he would patiently wait for it.

The Apostle set was intriguing.

He could resurrect a foe he had killed! The prospect of having an army like Somanda made the flames in his socket burn fiercely.

Quite the cliché thought and path, others would say but the Null Lifeform would be shocked to learn that the simplistic un-alive army that he imagined wasn't the goal nor purpose of the skill [Apostle Summon].

Only with his exploration further into himself and this world would he learn that.

Sadly, for now, he was limited to a single Apostle.

But wasn't this just like undeath?

What was the difference?

The descriptions weren't enough to give him the full picture and he found himself wanting to know more about this skill that piqued his interest.

How could he possibly know more about it?

His sockets turned to the dead body of the boar and Skullius clacked his teeth.