City of Fallen Souls: A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 3) by Jez Cajiao (fb2 epub reader .txt) 📕

mana in tight areas and feeding it into the required symbols, feeling the Runes activating…

Congratulations!

You have created a new Class and its subsequent Profession. What will you name them?

I focused while powering the final stage up, no idea how the prompt had overridden my preferences, but I filled it in quickly with the bits I’d already decided, and it vanished, followed by a new golden prompt.

The battle around me ground to a halt as everyone on both sides found their vision obscured by the message, as it could not be dismissed until it had been read and understood.

Know This!

A new Class has been created: Imperial Magekiller!

This class has several hidden requirements, but at this time, it can only be bestowed by the Imperial Scion, Lord Jax of Dravith.

Imperial Magekillers gain a +10% resistance to spells cast upon them, with a one-off boost of +5 to both Intelligence and Dexterity stats.

Know this!

A new Profession has been created; Imperial Arcane Tattooist!

This profession has several hidden requirements, but at this time, it can only be bestowed by the Imperial Scion, Lord Jax of Dravith.

Imperial Arcane Tattooists gain a one-off boost of +5 to Dexterity and Perception stats.

I heard a low mutter rising from everyone as people read fragments out loud. A noticeable rise in optimism emitted from my forces as I strode toward the shield wall. The final prompt appeared only for myself.

Congratulations!

You have created a new Class and Profession. As a bonus for being the first in the realms to create this combination, you receive the following:

100,000xp per profession or class.

5 stat points per profession or class.

2 Blueprints of ‘Average’ quality (to be selected)

“Oh, yeah…” I whispered, feeling Oracle’s pleasure as I approached the front line. A ripple of pain flooded through me and made me grit my teeth as the changes took effect. I paused, drawing deep breaths in and pushing them out through my mouth until the pain subsided. The discomfort was well worth the sight of the mana bar growing to reflect the new reality of gaining an extra five points of Intelligence.

“Let me through,” I said, and the Legion broke the Shieldwall down the middle. The glowing red shield that had overlapped them dissipated as I strode forward, glaring at the Anubai that stood a dozen feet away, flanked by two Prometheans.

This one was different to the ones I’d fought before. Where they had been heavily muscled, wearing robes that were open at the front and waist wraps like Egyptian schenti, this one was thinner, wearing only a waist wrap for decency’s sake. It was adorned with dozens of thin golden chains, while gold and ivory symbols dangled from the countless hooks embedded in its skin. Standing to either side of it, like two particularly self-important book ends, were two enormous, pale blue-skinned Prometheans, their wings casually folded behind their backs and simple wraps covering their junk. The one on the left brandished a longsword, which was as tall as I was, while the one on the right wielded a hammer of insane proportions.

I slammed the butt of my naginata down hard as I strode forward. Each strike flared the power filling it and cycled it back to me, testing my new glowing tattoos.

I had not had many runes to work with, since Ame’s knowledge was limited, but with Jenae’s help, and Renna’s, we’d managed it. They were black as pitch when they were unpowered, but as mana flowed into them, they shone silver, glowing steadily as more mana sank into them. The pattern of Runes tattooed over my chest began to glow brighter and brighter, ‘Add,’ ‘Mana,’ ‘Grow,’ and ‘Shield’ flared with light, and I started to run, feeling my mana dipping lower and lower as they consumed my reserves.

“Come on, you motherfucker!” I screamed at the Anubai, who growled at me and raised both arms. Ripples of darkness flowed down his limbs to coalesce into a ball that he built upon frantically as I crossed the intervening distance. Just as I leapt into the air, my naginata held two-handed overhead, blade down, he released his spell with a snarled oath. The spell flashed forward to hammer into me… where it hit the failing shield I’d cast, its heavy draw of mana too large for me to maintain for long.

Until a helpful Anubai Mage kindly donated his mana to it.

As the spell hit the shield, it flashed, the blackness bursting like a waterbomb hitting the sidewalk. The mana was ripped out of the spell, splashing, then sinking into the shield and revving it up to full strength. I felt the drain on my mana reserves vanish, allowing me to pound the last dregs of it into my naginata, just in time to see the sneer of contempt on the Anubai’s face turn into horror and disbelief.

The blade hit his own shield, punching through, thanks to the power of the weapon and the force behind it, but his shield lasted long enough to deflect it to the right, depriving me of the outright kill. The blade slammed into his left shoulder and punched straight through to erupt out of his back.

The Prometheans on either side, who’d been grinning and eying me with unconcealed contempt, snapped to alert. The one on my right grabbed the Anubai and yanked him backwards, while the one on my left tackled me.

My shield held, flaring into bright light, but being designed to take magical attacks, rather than physical, I knew it would not last long.

As the Anubai was dragged backwards, the blade of my naginata came free with a ‘hiss’ and a scream of pain. The entire weapon was glowing bright white. Lightning energy flickered, popped, and crackled up and down its length, and the black blood coating the blade hissed into steam and vanished as I pulled back.

The Promethean confronting me slammed his enormous hammer down atop my shield. Cracks appeared, flaring, and the mana powering the shield drained even faster. Before he could manage a second strike, I stabbed out. The