The Forgotten Faithful: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 2) by Cajiao, Jez (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

I dismissed the memory. I steeled myself, deciding it was just loot, and I’d taken a fuck-ton of that already.

No need to be suddenly squeamish, even if I had peeled a sentient creature like a grape during questioning.

I saw a series of notifications blinking for my attention, and I pulled them up, swearing as soon as I read the larger one.

I’d managed to create or discover a new ability, it seemed, but it was one with some seriously shitty consequences.

New Ability found!

You have supercharged your body with mana, creating a hybridization of your mana channels and musculature. You now have two paths before you and must choose one. This choice cannot be undone or postponed…

Full mana channel conversion:

Altering your mana channels to fuel your musculature completely will result in an increase of +10 to Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance, and Constitution. You will begin to change to a new form, one that is far stronger than any human. Each additional level you will gain +2 to each of the aforementioned Stats.

Beware!

You will no longer be able to cast spells beyond those that are internally focused, all mana in external use will be cut off.

Current conversion status 1/100

Mana-Overdrive:

This ability will allow the supercharging of your physical form, increasing your physical stats in Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance and Constitution by +20, butwill last only so long as you have mana. Once this ability ends your physical characteristics will drop by -10 until a full healing has been carried out.

Choosing this will result in a single increase of +2 to Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance, and Constitution, and a onetime increase of +5 to a stat of your choice.

Beware!

Choosing this ability will result in a permanent altering of your mana channels, until mana manipulation skill reaches 10. Any sufficiently advanced practitioner of the magical arts will be able to sense your approach by the mana leakage you emanate, and your mana regeneration will drop from 2.9 points per minute, to 1.4 until your mana channels are fully sealed at level 10. Excessive use of this skill will drain you of mana and health…

Mana-Overdrive skill 1/100  

I re-read it twice to make sure, and sighed. There was no choice to be made here, not at all.

If I chose the first cool-as-fuck option, I could be a hell of a fighter. I could scrap my casting ability and concentrate on the fight, growing seriously stronger, and I’d have both a massive jump right now, and a serious one with each level. Hell, I’d go to gaining nine points per level up, rather than five as I did now. I’d also pull my mana from Oracle and Bob, killing them both. Not going to happen.

I selected the Mana-Overdrive skill, groaning as my mana channels shifted, and pain rippled through me. I fell forward with a gasp, my eyes flaring wide. It felt like my veins were on fire, my muscles being torn from my tendons and flesh.

I could literally feel my mana channels writhing and shifting under my skin, and Bane was there in an instant, Barrett, Lydia, and her squad going into full freak-out mode as they searched for a target.

“It… it’s okay…” I ground out, forcing myself to speak, even as I dug my fingers into the ground, squeezing as I tried to crush the earth below me. “Just get anything you can… strip the bodies, if there’s anything… worth taking…”

Bane shook his head and gestured to the pile of weapons, and I looked over at them, panting in pain.

“There’s nothing else worth taking. The basic low-level armor is little better than anything our people wear now, and it’s either damaged or bloody. I’ve taken the weapons and wealth already.”

“Give them the weapons… if they want them…” I forced out, and he gestured to Lydia, who separated out the swords and gave them to those that wanted one.

There were six swords in all, and while they were an upgrade to Jian, who spun and flicked them about, loving his new blades, to the others, they were a secondary weapon, and an extra weight.

Barrett’s sword was huge, a great two-handed affair, and he wasn’t interested in another one. Neither was Cam, but Lydia, Arrin, Stephanos, and Miren each took one. The daggers were passed around as well, while Bane kept the throwing knives.

Eventually the pain ceased, and I collapsed to the dirt, panting and trying to slow my heart rate. I looked at my HUD and saw my health and mana bars were drained to barely above half.

I groaned and pulled out a healing potion, knocking it back, and casting ‘Battlefield Triage’ on myself at the same time. I’d managed to assign the five points while I was changing, thinking it was better to get it over with in one go, and I pulled up my character sheet when I could see again.

Name Jax

Titles: Strategos: 5% boost to damage resistance. Fortifier: 5% boost to defensive structure integrity, Chosen of Jenae

Class: Spellsword > Justicar

Renown: Unknown

Level: 13

Progress: 123,030/120,000

Patron: Jenae, Goddess of Fire and Exploration

Points to Distribute: 5

Meridian Points to Invest: 0

Stat

Current points

Description

Effect

Progress to next level

Agility

41

Governs dodge and movement.

Average speed + 310% (+10% increase in darkness, -20% in daylight)

49/100

Charisma

12

Governs likely success to charm, seduce, or threaten

Success chance +20%

5/100

Constitution

32

Governs health and health regeneration

HP+400, regen 25pts per 600s (+10% regen due to soul bond, -20hp, each point invested now worth 20hp)

38/100

Dexterity

21

Governs ability with weapons and crafting success

+ 11% chance to wield weapon successfully, + 11% chance of crafting success

69/100

Endurance

25

Governs stamina and stamina regeneration

STM +150, regen 15pts per 30s

66/100

Intelligence

26

Governs base mana and number of spells able to be learned

+140 mana, spell capacity: 13 spells (-20mp due to soul bond)

51/100

Luck

18

Governs overall chance of bonuses

+8% chance of success in area luck affects

11/100

Perception

24

Governs ranged damage and chance to spot traps/hidden items

+140% ranged damage, +24% chance to spot traps/hidden items

81/100

Strength

24

Governs damage with melee weapons and carrying capacity

+14 damage with melee weapons, +140% carrying capacity

32/100

Wisdom

34 (28)

Governs mana regeneration and memory

+240% mana recovery, 1.7ppm, 240% more likely to remember things, -50% mana regeneration until mana manipulation