Evolving Classes In The Apocalypse-Chapter 31: Advancement Decisions [pt 2]

I ended up pushing Weapon Novice to the Ascended stage, spending fifteen thousand Definition Essence.

CLASS PROFILE

[Class Name: Weapon Novice

Rank: Novice

Stage: Ascended

Category: Combat

Primary Attribute: Perception (Sense) — with secondary lean toward Strength/Agility

Core Authority: Weapon Comprehension

Class Description: Born from the Axiom’s answer to those who lack a singular gift but possess an insatiable hunger to master the tools of war. Where other Classes define what you fight with, this one defines how fast you learn to kill with anything you touch.]

[Class Skills Description]

[Awakened Skill — Appraisal Upon gripping any weapon, the user’s body reads it through contact — weight, balance, optimal grip, design intent, structural flaws, fighting style it was forged for.]

[Established Skill — Adaptive Muscle Every second spent wielding an appraised weapon accelerates proficiency. The body self-corrects — footwork adjusts, grip tightens, angles sharpen in real time. A sword picked up mid-battle feels familiar in thirty seconds, competent in five minutes, lethal in ten. Partial carryover to same-family weapons (e.g., longsword experience gives a head start on all straight blades).]

[Ascended Skill — Weapon Resonance You wield an appraised weapon at its absolute theoretical limit. Every strike lands at the mathematically perfect angle. Force is distributed with zero waste — the blade cuts deeper not because it’s sharper, but because you have eliminated all inefficiency from the swing. Structural weaknesses in enemy weapons or armor are targeted with surgical precision on contact. The weapon lasts longer because it is never misused — no stress fractures from bad technique, no edge damage from poor angles.]

[Essence required to reach Transcendent: 20,000]

Staring at the new skills, I couldn’t help but think about how much of a great Defined Desmond would’ve become.

I felt sorry for him... truly.

But... also happy for myself.

’Besides, how do I know that the skills inherited don’t change to match the Definition of my own soul.’

That thought settled my conscience just enough.

Now was the time to focus on my attributes and keep some points in reserve for emergencies.

’Attributes point worth of six thousand Essence points.’

[You have lost 6,000 Essence points]

As I watched the number drop, something drained out of me with it, my body recognized what was being spent and mourned it on principle.

[You have gained 1,500 Attribute points]

’A hundred points to strength attributes.’

[Your Strength attribute has increased]

[Your Strength attribute has hit attribute cap for your stage]

[You have received 65 attribute points.]

The moment the strength attribute settled in, fire crawled through every muscle fiber in my body. I gritted my teeth and locked my jaw, refusing to make a sound. The burning was sharp, invasive, like my muscles were being torn apart at the cellular level and stitched back denser.

But it was quick. Two seconds, maybe three, and then it was gone, leaving behind a fullness I hadn’t had before.

I brought my focus back to the strength attribute.

’So the attribute cap for a Transcendent Novice is a hundred...’

I knew about the existence of attribute caps but just didn’t know the exact numbers. They differed according to stage and rank.

’Ha... I guess I’ll just max them all out and dump what’s left into the Dimensional Store then.’

I did the same for every attribute, enduring the pain each time. It didn’t get easier. Every stat burned differently: agility like lightning threading through my tendons, vitality like my organs were being squeezed and released, spirit like something behind my eyes was expanding, perception like every nerve ending on my skin was being scraped raw and then polished.

Then I stared at my status again.

AXIOM STATUS

[Name: Axel Rubravis]

[Main Class: Hollow]

[Sub-Class: Weapon Novice], [Tyrant’s Gaze]

[Rank: Novice]

[Stage: Transcendent]

[Attributes]: [Strength: 100], [Agility: 100], [Vitality: 100], [Spirit: 100], [Perception: 100], [Attribute points: 1,280].

[Definition Essence: 5,793/50,000]

[Class Trait]: [Absence], [Stability]

[Sub-Class Skills]

[Weapon Novice: Appraisal (Awakened), Adaptive Muscle (Established), Weapon Resonance, (Ascended)]

[Tyrant’s Gaze: Commanding Glare (Awakened)]

’All hundreds.’

A cold satisfaction settled into my bones.

After I was done absorbing the information, I stood up and the ground tilted slightly — a brief lightheadedness passed in a breath. I didn’t see Archer in my immediate surroundings, so I turned to my right side, and only then did I find him.

He was doing something with his ability, secreting the golden liquid into the ground.

I took a step forward and the difference hit me immediately. My steps were lighter, my entire body was. The weight I’d carried since the beginning of all this had been redistributed into something leaner, tighter, more efficient.

I stared down and saw I had thinned out even more. My frame was now athletic not fully though but better, and when I tightened my fist the muscles in my forearm responded like coiled wire. Then I moved towards Archer.

He was sinking Galahad’s body into his honey and solidifying it there. A burial of sorts.

I stared down at the pale, lifeless face before it was covered, then muttered to Archer.

"Thank you."

The young man flinched and staggered back, then he looked at me with a small shock in his face.

"Y–You... why didn’t I sense you coming?!"

I shrugged.

"Maybe you were too absorbed in whatever you were doing."

I shifted my attention to the pool of golden liquid on the ground and stared blankly at it for a few seconds.

He seemed to still be looking at me. He could tell something had changed and wasn’t sure whether to believe it.

"Are you okay?"

I let out a small smile and turned to him.

"Are you worried about me? Or do you have to deliver me to your higher ups in fine shape too?"

He frowned and turned away from me, looking down. His frown shifted into something more conflicted now.

He clenched his fist.

"It’s the right thing to do..."

My expression did not change. My eyes stayed on him, flat and still.

’I’ll decapitate him the moment he moves and end this...’

I had Tyrant’s Gaze to freeze him for a moment and then knock him out. I don’t have to kill him.

He exhaled and his shoulders dropped.

"But what right do I have to do what is right when I abandoned innocent lives to preserve my own..."

My right eye widened slightly, while the wounded one stayed shut.

"Oh?"

He looked down with a downcast expression.

"Gal was right... I wasn’t here by chance... I followed him ultimately because I was sure that it would increase my chances of surviving in the wilderness. He was an Ascended Adept... and I’m an Established one. With both our efforts I thought I could survive."

A small ghostly smile stayed on my face.

"And yet you helped me kill him..."

He didn’t respond. Just stared down at the solidified golden liquid.

"What he was doing was wrong... I know it..."

He clenched his fist so tightly that it trembled.

"And yet... I did as wrong as he did. I..."

"Don’t sell yourself short because you picked your own life over that of those people. If you stayed back you would have died..."

Saying it put a small knot of fear in my chest.

’Ysor...’

I resisted the urge to clench my teeth and breathed through my mouth instead.

"Well then... I have to find my way back."

He threw me a dark frown.

"Back? Back where?"

I responded with an indifferent expression.

"Back to the site of the accident. I’m looking for my partner."

Archer gave me a tensed look.

"That’s a reckless thing to do! The Undefined would still be there, feeding on everything! If you go back there, you’ll just become one more meal for them. And how are you sure that this partner of yours is still alive?"

I chuckled.

"If that has to be the case then so be it. But personally, I’m not really edible you see..."

I tapped on my tough stomach.

"Besides, my partner has a very strong will to live. She’s not dead, so I have to find her."

I gave him a polite bow and walked away. While I was going, I remembered something and turned back to ask.

"Uhm, this may seem out of the blue, but I’m just curious... I’ve been really curious."

I pointed to the solidified liquid on the ground.

"Is that thing really honey? Does it come out of your body? Like how does it work? Wait, I hope it doesn’t come out from your..."

Archer stood there, blinking at me.

Then he burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, all I could do was stand there and blink back.

’Why is he laughing? Was it funny?’

I didn’t think it was. I was genuinely curious.