Jayce stared at his unallocated stat points, his mind racing. Fifty free points was a massive boost, but he hesitated.
"Where do I put them?" he muttered.
Strength? More power in his strikes.
Vitality? Better survivability.
Speed? He was already fast, but could he push it further?
Each option had its merits, but without a clear build in mind, spending his points recklessly could cost him later.
"I’ll hold off for now." He clenched his fist, deciding to let his instincts guide him once he had more experience.
For now, he had something else to check.
Jayce opened his Skill Window, scrolling down to the abilities he had stolen from the boss.
[Error Nullification] (Passive -- Immunity to Negative Effects)
- Grants complete immunity to poison, stun, paralysis, burns, curses, and all debuffs.
- Passive effect -- Always active.
“This… is broken.” Jayce’s eyes widened. This ability alone would make him unstoppable against enemies relying on status effects.
[???] (Active -- Weapon Skill) -- Stolen from Toxic Devourer
- ??? (Details unavailable)
[???] (Active -- Travel Skill) -- Stolen from Toxic Devourer
- ??? (Details unavailable)
“Figures.” Jayce sighed. Some stolen skills took time to manifest properly.
“I’ll test them out later.”
After checking his new abilities, Jayce turned his focus to alchemy.
He had gathered plenty of materials -- pure condensed mana, plants, mushrooms, even some monster drops and minerals -- but raw ingredients weren’t enough. He needed to refine them.
He crouched near his campfire, crushing some herbs into a small bowl, mixing them with a few drops of pure condensed mana. He heated the mixture carefully, stirring it with the hilt of a dagger, hoping to extract some kind of potion that maybe the System identifies.
Nothing happened.
He added more heat -- the mixture burnt to ash.
He stirred slower -- the mixture separated into useless sludge.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Alchemy Attempt -- FAILED.]
[Reason: Lack of Proper Equipment.]
Jayce groaned. "Figures it wouldn't be that easy."
Without alchemy tools like flasks, cauldrons, or filtration setups, he had no way to properly refine his ingredients into potions.
"I need to find a way to craft or loot alchemy tools."
For now, he had to rely on natural recovery and scavenged food.
“Status Open! Skills.”
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Unknown Skills]
[Stored Function: Weapon Skill -- ???]
[Stored Function: Travel Skill -- ???]
- [Venomfang Rend] (Active -- Weapon Skill)
- ???
- Effect: ???
- Bonus: ???
- [Umbral Stride] (Active -- Travel Skill)
- ???
- Effect: ???
- Bonus: ???
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Inactive Skills]
[Stored Function: Weapon Skill -- Inactive]
[Stored Function: Evasive Skill -- Inactive]
[Stored Function: Restorative Skill -- Inactive]
- Fragmentation Blade (Active -- Weapon Skill) -- Jayce's weapon “%@#$01&%#*” splits into multiple pixelated shards that attack independently, then reform.
- Desync (Active -- Evasive Skill) -- Jayce temporarily shifts out of sync with reality, making him untargetable for a brief moment.
- Rollback (Active -- Restorative Skill) -- Reverts Jayce’s body to a previous state, undoing injuries or debuffs. High cooldown, may erase buffs.
Jayce pushed forward, his senses on high alert, seeking stronger enemies to test his newly acquired skills. The Glitchrift pulsed with eerie energy, fragmented data and shifting distortions. Amidst the distorted landscapes, he encountered glitched beasts -- twisted, corrupted versions of Aeloria’s native monsters, with their very existence defying natural laws.
His first encounter-- a pack of warped fenrirs, wolf-like beasts with jagged, pixelated bodies.
Perfect test subjects.
The moment they lunged, Jayce activated one of his new abilities. A faint blue aura rippled around his sword. Instinct guided his movements as he was about to slash.
A crackling sound emanated from the sword. Multiple pixelated shards scatter swiftly as it releases itself from the now fractured weapon. Each piece targeted multiple beasts with high accuracy!
[Fragmentation Blade] (Active -- Weapon Skill) Activated!
The shards that followed their targets movements sliced through them like butter, severing and shattering reality itself as the wolves were cut apart. The glitched pixels of their bodies scattered, deleted from existence.
Jayce grinned.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Activated Skill]
[Stored Function: Weapon Skill -- Active]
Type: Active -- Weapon Skill
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Description: Jayce’s weapon fractures into multiple pixelated shards that hover around him before launching toward enemies. Each shard acts as an autonomous attack unit, dealing damage before the weapon reforms.
Effects & Bonuses:
- Base Damage: 80% of weapon’s damage per shard.
- Shards Generated: 5-10 (based on DEX and INT).
- Homing Effect: Shards automatically seek out enemies within a 10-meter radius.
- Multi-Strike: If a target is struck by multiple shards, they take 10% bonus damage per additional hit.
- Armor Bypass: Shards ignore 20% of enemy defenses.
- Reform Effect: When the weapon reforms, Jayce's next basic attack is enhanced, dealing 150% increased damage.
- Glitch Surge (Passive Boost): If used consecutively within 5 seconds, the next activation releases an extra wave of shards.
Another wolf pounced -- he stepped backward, activating another inactive ability. His entire form flickered -- a momentary desynchronization from space itself.
[Desync] (Active -- Evasive Skill) Activated!
He reappeared a meter away, narrowly avoiding the creature’s fangs. The battle continued, forcing him to use his new skills repeatedly until the last unfamiliar ability activated purely on reflex—
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Activated Skill]
[Stored Function: Evasive Skill -- Active]
Type: Active -- Evasive Move
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Duration: 0.75-1.5 seconds (scales with INT and SPD)
Description: Jayce briefly shifts out of sync with reality, making himself untargetable. His presence flickers between frames, leaving behind visual afterimages that confuse enemies.
Effects & Bonuses:
- Untargetable: Jayce becomes immune to attacks and effects for the duration.
- Afterimage Confusion: Enemies will mistakenly target his last position for 2 seconds after reappearing.
- Momentum Boost: When reappearing, Jayce’s movement speed is increased by 30% for 3 seconds.
- Glitch Strike (Bonus Effect): If Jayce attacks immediately after Desync, his next strike has a 25% increased critical hit chance.
- Phase Evasion: If used just before a fatal hit, Desync refunds 50% of its cooldown.
[Rollback] (Active -- Restorative Skill) Activated!
His body shimmered, reversing a fraction of time as a deep wound on his leg closed itself instantly.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Activated Skill]
[Stored Function: Restorative Skill -- Active]
Type: Active -- Healing Ability
Cooldown: 120 seconds (scales with INT and LCK)
Description: Jayce forces a system correction, reverting his body to a previous state. This ability undoes injuries, negative status effects, and debuffs, but may also erase buffs in the process.
Effects & Bonuses:
- Wound Reversal: Restores up to 40% of HP lost in the last 10 seconds.
- Debuff Purge: Removes all negative status effects (poison, paralysis, burns, curses, etc.).
- Buff Instability: 50% chance to erase active buffs as well.
- Temporal Aftershock: Leaves a glitch distortion at Jayce’s previous location for 3 seconds. If struck by an attack during this window, the distortion absorbs 30% of the damage instead.
- Adaptive Glitch (Passive Boost): If Rollback successfully removes a powerful debuff or fatal injury, Jayce gains 1.5 seconds of invulnerability.
Glitch Memory: If used twice within a short period (under 30 seconds), the system destabilizes, causing a random stat fluctuation (-10% to +10%) for 15 seconds.
One of these creatures lunged at Jayce, its blackened fur glitching between dimensions. Acting on instinct, Jayce countered with a fierce downward slash -- only for his blade to glow with a sickly green aura upon impact.
The warped fenrir howled in agony, stumbling back as its veins darkened, an effect lingering even after Jayce pulled his weapon away.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Unveiling Acquired Skill -- “Venomfang Rend”]
Type: Active -- Weapon Skill
Effect: Coats a melee weapon in venomous energy, dealing lingering poison damage over time. Damage scales with STR and INT.
Jayce’s eyes narrowed as the warped fenrir weakened without him even touching it again. He waited, observing the corrosion effect as the poison worked its way deeper into the beast’s system.
Jayce smirked.
“A blade that cuts even after I strike? Now that’s something useful.”
Refining the technique, he tried varying the intensity of the venom’s infusion -- learning to control its potency, making it last longer but burn slower, or hit harder with a concentrated dose.
The next battle against a Glitched Stalker -- a creature with teleportation-based attacks -- pushed Jayce’s reflexes to their limit. As the enemy phased behind him, its claws aiming for his back, Jayce reacted--
But instead of a normal dodge, his body blinked out of existence for a split second.
When he reappeared, he was several meters away, a sensation of cold emptiness lingering in his chest.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Unveiled Skill]
[Stored Function: Weapon Skill -- Active]
[Venomfang Rend] (Active -- Weapon Skill) Unveiled! Fully Activated!
Type: Active -- Weapon Skill
Cooldown: 12 seconds
Description: Jayce delivers a ferocious slash, coating his weapon in residual venomous energy. The strike sears into the enemy, inflicting a lingering poison effect.
Effects & Bonuses:
- Base Damage: 120% of weapon’s attack power.
- Poison Effect: Deals 25% of initial strike damage per second for 5 seconds.
- Corrosive Strike: 25% chance to weaken enemy armor, reducing defense by 15% for 6 seconds.
- Venom Infusion: If the enemy is already poisoned, this attack deals an additional 20% damage and refreshes the poison duration.
- Glitch Venom (Passive Boost): If the attack critically strikes, the poison spreads to nearby enemies within a 2-meter radius.
Adaptive Resistance: If used on the same enemy multiple times, the poison mutates, increasing its potency by 5% per stack (max 3 stacks).
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Unveiling Acquired Skill -- “Umbral Stride”]
Type: Active -- Travel Skill
Effect: Allows the user to phase-shift, moving at an unnatural speed. Can be used for dodging attacks or repositioning in battle. Cooldown scales with SPD and INT.
Jayce froze for a moment, processing what just happened. Unlike a normal dash, this movement felt…warped, like he had momentarily existed in a different plane of reality before returning.
He experimented, triggering the effect intentionally, noting how his body felt when shifting. It wasn’t just speed -- it was like stepping through a shadow of himself, re-emerging where he willed within a short range.
Jayce smirked, rolling his shoulders.
“Now that’s what I call a real evasive maneuver.”
[Umbral Stride]
Type: Active -- Travel Skill
Cooldown: 18 seconds
Duration: 0.8-1.5 seconds (scales with SPD and INT)
Description: Jayce momentarily steps into the shadows, becoming semi-intangible. While in this state, he can phase through thin obstacles and avoid direct attacks.
Effects & Bonuses:
- Phantom Shift: Jayce can pass through solid barriers up to 1 meter thick.
- Evasive Blink: Incoming attacks during the phase window pass through Jayce, negating damage.
- Shadow Momentum: Upon reappearing, Jayce gains a 40% movement speed boost for 3 seconds.
- Backstab Effect: If Jayce reappears behind an enemy, his next attack deals +50% damage.
- Dark Veil (Passive Boost): If used in low-light environments, Jayce becomes briefly invisible for 1.5 seconds upon reappearing.
Shadow Extension: Can be chained with Desync, increasing the total phasing duration by 0.5 seconds and allowing Jayce to reposition unpredictably.
Jayce let out a sharp breath, his heartbeat racing. Now he understood. Some of the skills he gained through Adaptive Glitch had to be unlocked or fully activated through real combat. Whether it was based on intelligence, luck or repeated usage, he wasn’t sure yet.
With each battle, Venomfang Rend and Umbral Stride became second nature. Jayce fine-tuned the timing, duration, and control of both -- using Umbral Stride to dodge at just the right moment and chaining Venomfang Rend into lethal counterattacks.
Like the combination of Venomfang rend and umbral stride weren’t lethal enough for Jayce, he then simultaneously activated venomfang rend with fragmentation blade for deadlier precision strikes.
Enemy attacks that came pouncing from the shadows were gracefully avoided with umbral stride and desync.
After several encounters, he fully understood their potential, adding them to his growing arsenal of abilities.
Hours passed. His level increased, but more importantly, he had gained battle clarity.
That’s when he saw it--
An ancient ruin, its stone walls cracked and entwined with vines. At its center, a vast lake, still and untouched.
A single path of floating stone platforms stretched across the water, leading to the center where an old wooden chest rested.
Jayce narrowed his eyes.
A trap? A test?
His instincts screamed caution, but curiosity pulled him forward. With careful steps, he hopped across the floating stones, each landing creating ripples in the water below.
Finally, he reached the chest.
Slowly, he lifted the lid.
Inside, a set of ancient armor lay neatly arranged, its metal gleaming unnaturally despite its age. The moment he touched it--
VRMMMMM!
The chest exploded open, its contents lifting into the air. The armor spun wildly, each piece snapping into place as if assembling itself.
And then--
A wraith-like entity materialized within the armor, its form a swirling mass of ghostly blue energy.
A voice, cold and ancient, echoed across the ruins:
"You dare claim the relics of the fallen? Then prove your worth, mortal."
Jayce barely dodged as the spectral knight lunged at him, a massive greatsword slicing through the air where his head had been.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Wraithbound Sentinel Encountered!]
[Warning: Lethal Enemy Detected!]
Jayce steadied his breathing as he stared at the Wraithbound Sentinel. The towering knight loomed before him, its ethereal form clad in ancient, floating armor. Its eyes -- if it even had any -- were voids of shifting blue light, burning like cold fire beneath a helmet that seemed to phase in and out of existence. The eerie hum of spectral energy radiated from the entity, and the weight of its presence alone was suffocating.
The lake surrounding them was deathly still, its surface reflecting the ominous glow of the floating runes embedded in the knight’s armor. The only sound came from the faint clinking of shifting metal as the Sentinel moved -- silent, yet deafening in its approach.
Then, without warning, it attacked.
A Clash of Spectral Blades and Distorted Shadows!
Jayce had fought many enemies since entering this accursed place, but none moved like this one.
The Sentinel surged forward with impossible speed, its greatsword howling through the air like a guillotine descending upon an executioner’s block. Jayce barely had time to react -- his instincts screamed, and he threw himself sideways, Phantom Step activating on reflex. The massive blade carved through the stone platform, splitting it clean in half.
The force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling across the lake, breaking apart several floating platforms. Jayce landed hard, his boots skidding against the worn stone beneath him.
"Fast -- too fast."
“Have I learned nothing!?”
“Why am I shaking??!”
“Are my skills not enough?”
“This isn’t the time to ponder.” Jayce said while scrambling to get to position.
“FOCUS!!!”
The Sentinel didn’t relent.
It twisted midair, reversing its swing in a brutal arc. Jayce barely managed to bring his sword up in time--
CLANG!
The sheer force of the impact sent him flying backward. His arms burned from the strain, his weapon rattling in his grip. Before he could recover, the knight vanished, reappearing behind him in a blur of spectral energy.
A bladed gauntlet punched through his side.
Too fast for desync to activate.
Pain exploded in Jayce’s body as the sharpened metal ripped through flesh, twisting inside him before he was violently kicked away.
He hit the ground hard, tumbling across the broken platforms, leaving a streak of blood behind him.
As his HP plunged by a significant amount, He activated Rollback but it wasn’t enough to fully heal.
"Damn it -- !"
“2mins till I could activate it again…”
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand, his left hand pressing against the gaping wound in his side. His fingers came away slick with blood, his vision flickering for a second. Recompile was already working, but the healing was slow -- too slow.
Jayce took a stance. Activated Venomrend Fang and Fragmentation Blade at the same time.
The Sentinel didn’t care.
It descended upon him like a reaper, its greatsword raised high, the tip gleaming with a chilling blue light.
Jayce forced his body to move.
This is a fight against Death incarnate!
He rolled to the side as the blade came down, narrowly avoiding being split in half. The impact shattered the stone beneath him, cracks veining outward like broken glass.
But the Sentinel was relentless.
It swung again, this time in a horizontal slash meant to bisect him. Jayce ducked, feeling the rush of displaced air as the blade narrowly missed decapitating him.
"I need an opening--!"
His mind raced as he analyzed its movements. It was predictable, but overwhelmingly powerful. Its attacks were methodical, each strike calculated to corner and eliminate.
But it wasn’t invincible.
Jayce’s eyes flickered, scanning the knight’s body -- there.
A glitching distortion near its left shoulder joint.
"Weakness found."
He dashed forward, Fragmentation Blade activating in his grip. The pixelated edge of his sword began to scatter and flared to life, cutting through reality itself as pieces swerved to the direction of the vulnerable joint--
CLANG!
Pixelated shards bounced off.
Jayce’s eyes widened.
The Sentinel’s gauntleted fist slammed into his gut.
All the air in his lungs vanished as he was lifted off his feet, pain erupting through his torso. The impact cracked ribs, his entire body whiplashing backward before he crashed through a stone pillar, shattering it on impact.
With roughly 1min left on Rollback’s cooldown.
7 HP remaining. The notification barely registered. Blood pooled in his mouth. His left arm -- completely broken.
The Sentinel approached.
Jayce barely managed to lift his head, his vision swimming. His right hand trembled as he gripped his sword, but his body was failing him. His strength was draining fast.
He wasn’t going to win like this.
He was going to die.
"No--"
He gritted his teeth.
"Not like this."
Something shifted inside him.
The pain, the exhaustion, the sheer overwhelming pressure -- they all collapsed into a single point of defiance.
A spark ignited deep within his status window.
[SYSTEM ALERT: UNLOCKING GLITCH SLAYER PROTOCOLS -- LIMIT BREAK INITIATED.]
Jayce’s body flared with energy, a surge of newfound power exploding outward. His wounds began closing faster, the glitch-like distortions in his aura intensifying. His broken bones snapped back into place, raw power coursing through his limbs.
His eyes glowed with the same eerie blue light as the Sentinel’s.
The knight staggered back.
Jayce grinned through bloody teeth.
"Round two, bastard."
He moved.
Only one single strike is needed to end Jayce’s life.
The Sentinel swung its greatsword one final time, but Jayce was already gone.
A blur of movement -- Desync activated.
He flickered in and out of reality, appearing above the knight.
His Fragmentation Blade screamed with unstable energy piercing through the cracks, a trail of glitching afterimages followed every strike.
The Sentinel raised its arm to block--
Too late.
Multiple shards of pixelated blade plunged through a single point on its chest, cutting through the core of its ethereal form.
A deafening roar of static and distorted screams filled the air as the Wraithbound Sentinel convulsed, its body rupturing into thousands of glowing fragments.
It collapsed into a storm of data and mist, fading into the wind.
VICTORY!!!....
Jayce landed hard, his body drenched in sweat and blood. His knees nearly buckled, but he forced himself to stand. His entire body screamed in agony, but he was alive.
And he was stronger.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Wraithbound Sentinel Defeated!]
[Legendary Loot Acquired!]
[Ultimate Skill Unlocked!]
[NEW SKILLS UNLOCKED: Select_Only_One_Option.]
- [Option 1:][Ethereal Summon] -- Call upon the Wraithbound Sentinel in battle.
- [Option 2:][Phantom Vanguard] -- Gain the Sentinel’s armor and weapon set, enhancing defense and combat ability.
A choice was his to make.
Would he claim the Sentinel’s power as an ally?
Or would he wear its legacy and carry its strength as his own?
He exhaled, staring at the floating loot before him.
This battle had nearly killed him.
But it had also pushed him beyond his limits.
And for that…
Jayce smiled.
Jayce stood amidst the spectral remnants of the fallen knight, his breathing ragged, blood dripping from his wounds onto the cracked stone beneath him. The air still thrummed with residual energy from the battle, his body pulsing with the aftermath of his limit-breaking surge.
The System presented him with a choice, and he had to make it now.
Option 1: Ethereal Summon
- Effect: Allows Jayce to summon the Wraithbound Sentinel as a temporary battle companion.
- Summon Duration: 5 minutes (Scales with INT and LCK).
- Cooldown: 12 hours.
- Sentinel Strength: The Sentinel retains 70% of its original power, but grows stronger as Jayce levels up.
- Abilities:
- Spectral Blade -- A powerful greatsword strike imbued with ethereal energy.
- Void Step -- Allows the Sentinel to phase through attacks for brief moments.
- Guardian’s Will -- The Sentinel will block a fatal attack for Jayce once per summon.
Pros:
? A powerful ally in battle.
? Can provide cover and tank damage.
? Grants tactical advantages in team-based fights.
Cons:
? Limited duration and long cooldown.
? Cannot be equipped with additional gear.
? If the Sentinel is destroyed, Jayce must wait for a full recharge to summon it again.
Option 2: Phantom Vanguard
- Effect: Jayce equips the armor and weapons of the Wraithbound Sentinel.
- Armor:
Ethereal Vanguard Plate (Legendary) -- Increases Defense, Magic Resistance, and Evasion.
Spectral Cloak -- Allows brief phasing through physical attacks.
- Weapon:
Wraithborne Greatsword -- A cursed blade that grows sharper the more Jayce fights. Can be enhanced.
- Abilities:
Phantom Phase -- Briefly become intangible to dodge attacks (Cooldown: 20 seconds).
Sentinel’s Resilience -- Reduces incoming damage and grants passive HP regeneration.
Pros:
? Permanent enhancement to Jayce’s defense and survivability.
? Does not rely on cooldowns like Ethereal Summon.
? Synergizes well with close combat builds.
Cons:
? Jayce must retrain his fighting style to wield a greatsword.
? The Phantom Phase ability has a cooldown and doesn’t prevent magical damage.
? Heavy armor may reduce his mobility slightly.
[Wraithbound Essence] -- A core fragment from the defeated Sentinel, used to fuel the chosen skill or upgrade other abilities. Awakens inner spirit when used.
[Spectral Rune of the Fallen Knight] -- An ancient rune that can be engraved onto weapons or armor to grant ethereal properties.
[Ultimate Skill Unlocked!]
[Shadowform Excalibur] -- A devastating ability that summons a greatsword to create a phantom slash, cutting through both the material and spiritual plane. Deals massive true damage.
Jayce felt the data settling within him as the System processed the stolen skills.
- [Void Severance] -- A spectral slash attack that can disrupt magical constructs.
- [Phantom Rush] -- A rapid dash that phases through an enemy and releases multiple replicas of every attack performed in form of an afterimage. Attack Replicas multiplies by 10 on the first action performed and reduces by 2 for every succeeding attack. All Attack Replicas deal only 50% damage of the original attacks. Attacks made after phasing through an enemy receives additional 35% damage as Backstab.
- [Phantasmal Gauntlets] – Upon activation of the skill, Phantasmal Gauntlets manifest on both casters hands. When fighting barehanded, ATK Damage increases by 50% when landing physical blows. When casting magic, increases efficiency or damage by 25%. Phantasmal Gauntlets act as a shield. Can absorb physical and magical damage to a certain threshold. If used to block magical or spiritual attacks, Phantasmal Gauntlets passively absorbs and transfers 10% of the amount mana or spirit residing in each blocked attack.
Jayce’s HP had plummeted to 7 during the fight, but thanks to leveling up, he gained a fresh boost.
EXP Gain & Level Up
- Defeating the Wraithbound Sentinel: +8,750 EXP
- Current EXP: 22,400 / 4,000 (Level 20)
- Level Up Bonus: Full HP Recovery + Bonus Stat Points
Stat Growth Per Level (Randomized Scaling)
Each level grants:
- +2 STR, +2 VIT, +2 DEX, +2 INT, +4 SPD, +1 LCK
- +10 Manual Stat Points
Updated Stats -- Level 20
Jayce’s base stats have increased due to leveling up:
Total Available Manual Stat Points: +60
Jayce now has 60 points to distribute at will.