Draven swung his legs as he sat on the pavement, deep in thought. 'First, what's my disadvantage? Low Constitution and Physique—that means fragile defense and weak attack power. So, how do I enhance my attack and defense? The only thing I can think of is better gears. Like Third Order Transient rank gear. My sword couldn't even scratch Jude's armor, and that's a perfect example. But those gears must be ridiculously expensive.'
He pulled out his phone and checked the prices. The cheapest Third Order Transient gear started at five hundred thousand credit units.
Draven took a sharp inhale and shook his head at the staggering figure.
'Should I call Annie and offer more blood donations?' he mused, but quickly dismissed the idea. 'I'm already sick. Losing more blood won't do me any good.'
'[Mental Serration] gives my attack a lethal edge, but it still depends on my base attack power. If my base is weak, the lethality won't be enough.'
Lost in his thoughts, Draven decided to pull up his Elite Panel, hoping to find a solution:
–––
[Name]: Draven
[Class]: None
[Race]: Human
[Legacy]: Soul Mystic (Sealed)
[Rank]: Transient
[Order]: Second
[Soul Vitalis]: 42
[Mana]: 16/100
> Physique: 2
> Constitution: 1
> Will: 28
[Skills]: [Mental Serration], [Soul Eyes], [Stasis], [Ethereal Dominion], [Soul Covenant (25% Unsealed)]
[Gear]: [Desolate Might], [Iron Plate], [Verdant Reaper], [Horizon Vanguard], [Key 123]
–
[CURSE OF VOIDHELL]
–––
Studying his panel intently, Draven searched for a solution to his condition but found nothing except the new gear he'd forgotten—[Horizon Vanguard].
He summoned it, and a black bow resembling the legs of the Tank Crawlers materialized in his hands, a taut white string connecting its ends.
That was when it clicked.
'During this early phase, until I break through to the Primal rank, I need ranged attacks to survive. That's the safest way. With the enhancement from [Desolate Might], a good bow, a strong arrow, and [Mental Serration], my attacks could be deadly. First, let me check the description of this [Horizon Vanguard].'
–––
[Gear: Horizon Vanguard]
[Rank: Transient]
[Order: First Order]
[Type: Weapon]
[Description: A bow with a very taut string.]
–––
"Another First Order gear with no special abilities…" Draven muttered, frustration creeping into his voice. "Next, I need arrows."
When he checked his account balance—a mere hundred thousand credit units—he felt the urge to scream, but he held it back, his self-control keeping the frustration in check.
"This can only buy another First Order Transient weapon. I need to start hunting, or I'll be stuck with basic gear. Only [Desolate Might] is worth anything," Draven muttered before searching for arrows priced at a hundred thousand credit units.
He found five options, all with the same ability: the arrows could be recalled a second after being fired.
Draven quickly went home, got dressed without showering, and headed to the Council Association Store on Earth. He emptied his account to zero, purchasing the gear.
By the time he returned, the sun was high in the sky, and the sound of bulldozers echoed in the distance as they demolished buildings one after another.
Seeing this, Draven knew it wouldn't be long before his turn came.
"First, I need to survive. Then I can worry about finding a new place to live," he whispered before walking through the site until he found a thick sheet of metal.
Draven carried it deeper into the area far from the residents, finding an open, downtrodden field with the remnants of a destroyed building—only its pillars still standing.
He tied the metal sheet to one of the pillars using a rope he'd picked up along the way. Sitting in the narrow shadow of the pillar, Draven began searching for tutorials on archery on his phone.
He didn't learn much after watching for an hour—just the basics: stance to increase power and accuracy, proper bow positioning, and the existence of professional training rooms that cost three thousand credit units per session. But he was broke now.
Finally, he took a long distance from the metal plate, summoned the bow and arrow, and prepared to practice.
The bow and arrow materialized in his hands—a plain silver arrow in his right, the bow in his left.
Draven nocked the arrow, raised the bow, steadied his breath, and focused on the target. To his surprise, he entered a hyper-focused state, his vision narrowing to the metal plate.
Zeroing in on his target, Draven pulled the bowstring taut and released. The arrow struck the plate—not quite at the center, but the tip pierced the surface slightly.
Draven summoned the arrow back and fired again. This time, he missed entirely.
'I need to calm down. But I read that Third Order Transient rank monsters have a Constitution greater than thick metal sheets—meaning they're harder than metal. I don't know what kind of metal this is, and I'm not sure if the description of Third Order is an exaggeration. But to be safe, I need to be able to punch a hole through this.'
He took a deep breath and began firing shot after shot. His aim was slightly off by a few centimeters each time, and he couldn't fully breach the metal.
He experimented with different stances, but the results were even worse.
Finally, he calmed himself.
'I need better gear, or… I need to make this arrow faster,' Draven thought, summoning [Desolate Might].
With a sharp pull that made the bow creak under the strain, Draven squinted and released the arrow. It disappeared in a flash, deeply piercing the metal plate but still failing to bore a hole through it.
Draven nodded, somewhat satisfied. "Nice. That should be enough to kill First Orders and injure Second Orders. As for killing Second Orders… I'm not sure. But let's focus and try again."
He called the arrow back, pulled the bowstring with all his strength—making the bow curve dangerously—held his breath, and aimed at the center of the plate.
'I need it to go faster. Speed can compensate for the low rank and order. Very fast. Just go very fast.'
He released the string.
[–1 Soul Vitalis.]
A blue ethereal hue wrapped around the arrow just before it left the bow.
All Draven saw was a flash of blue before a thunderous crack echoed through the air.
His eyes widened as he rushed to inspect the metal plate. A clean, drilled hole marked the center, and the arrow had gone straight through the pillar behind it.
Draven called the arrow back and noticed the tip was slightly chipped.
'That must've been the Soul Vitalis,' he realized.
He dismissed the arrow to let it repair itself before summoning [Verdant Reaper].
Draven began experimenting with actively using Soul Vitalis.
He set one sword aside and focused on the other. Under his watch, a blue light—like a firefly—emerged from his palm and flowed into the sword. A blue membrane enveloped the blade, with the glowing light at its center.
[–1 Soul Vitalis.]
Draven felt a connection to the sword. He let go, and the sword levitated in front of him. The blue glow in the center slowly shrank.
Without wasting time, Draven tried to control it mentally. The sword began dancing through the air, swinging chaotically and leaving streaks of blue light in its wake.
But Draven noticed the blue glow—the Soul Vitalis—shrinking faster the more he manipulated the sword. The faster he moved it, the quicker the glow faded until it disappeared, and the sword flew out.
Draven stretched out his hand, focusing again. Another Soul Vitalis arced through the air and caught the sword just before it hit the ground.
This time, he tried controlling two swords simultaneously, clashing them against each other in a fierce duel. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched the blades danced and clashed.
'The speed, the power, the precision… this is an extension of my will. A form of telekinesis powered by Soul Vitalis. But why isn't it listed in the Skills column? Maybe it's tied to the legacy.'
The distraction caused the sword fight to slow down.
Draven spent the next thirty minutes testing different ways to use this ability, sweating and pale by the end of it.
He came up with several theories, which he tested:
The maximum range for control was about a thousand meters, but precision and power decreased with distance, making controlled long-range combat impractical.
Using two Soul Vitalis on a single material caused chaotic clashes between them, resulting in a loss of control and a painful backlash that left his head spinning.
Draven also discovered two more limitations:
Once a Soul Vitalis left his body, it couldn't be recalled—it had to be used until it was exhausted. He could only use five Soul Vitalis at a time.
Draven mused, "When I actively control it, the Soul Vitalis drains quickly. But if I use it purely for enhancement…"
Summoning the bow and arrow again, Draven pulled the string taut. The arrow glowed blue under his touch and he released it, piercing the metal plate and pillar with ease.
He recalled the arrow, which appeared between his fingers with the Soul Vitalis that had shrunk a bit, and repeated the process. He fired five enhanced arrows before the Soul Vitalis was depleted.
"For enhancement, five shots per Soul Vitalis. I'll call this ability… Psyche Weave."
He unsummoned his gear, his body damp with sweat under the high noon sun, his hair disheveled. Running his fingers through his hair, he muttered, "Time to hunt."