Rylan looked at his Status Window with a complex gaze.

Status Window

Name: Rylan Flameheart

Level: 72

Race: Human (E)

Class: The Dreamer

Profession: none.

Trait: Determined

Stats

Strength: 391

Agility: 384

Endurance: 395

Body: 392

Intelligence: 439

Wisdom: 425

Free Points: 216

Active Skills

Magic Missile (F), Magic Shield (F), Stormcaller Sword Style (S), Mountainpeak Swordsmanship (A), Second Imperial Swordsmanship (B), Sharpgale Sword Style (A), Earthsplitter Swordsmanship (A), Falling Snow Steps (A), Earth Grab (F), Earth Spikes (E), Firebolt (F), Wind Blades (F), Water Bullets (F), Gust (F), Ray of Frost (F), Water Sphere (D), Fireball (D), Frost Lance (D), Rupture (D), Tide (D), Fire Ring (D), Lesser Lightning (D), Frost (E), Fire Spear (D).

Passive Skills

Mana Core (Third Circle), Sword Handling (E), Stamina (E), Blade Affinity (D), Focused Impact (D), Overpower (D), Balance (E), Cutting Edge (D), Persistence (D), Mana Resonance (C), Faster Casting (D), Lionheart (C), Efficient Reserves (D), Silent Casting (E), Mental Fortitude (D), Keen Focus (C), Sharpened Mind (C), Dual Casting (D), Flow (C), Circulation (C), Sharp Edge (D), Blooming Growth (C), Swordsman's Senses (C), Dreams of Transcendence.

Hybrid Skills

Sword Mastery (Master), Mana Cultivation (Advanced), Magic Swordsmanship (Beginner).

Titles

Experienced Mage; Reincarnator; Swordmaster; Master Monster Slayer; Hard-working; Duelist; Bladedancer; Swordseeker; Battlemage; Dedicated Student; Warrior; Resilient Swordsman; Fighting Maniac; Moonlight's Eternal Promise.

He took a deep breath and started from the top. First, he looked longingly at his Level.

So close to Level 75.

It was the Level where he would be able to go through the second Class Evolution. In many ways, it had been his objective from the moment he first entered Golem Haven. Even though he had Leveled up considerably, to the point where his overall power had gone through a complete overhaul, he still fell just a bit short of achieving his goal. Rylan frowned.

I don't know if there's enough time to grind for XP right now.

His priority was leaving the Dungeon and talking to Damian to understand if anything had changed. It had been too long since his encounter with Jason, and with each day that passed, the odds of the Empire attacking increased. Shaking his head and trying to clear his mind, Rylan moved on to his stats. His gaze hovered over his Profession for just a second. It was something he needed to work on as soon as possible.

He lowered his eyes to look at his stats again. As expected, all of them had increased significantly. Because of the way Stat Points worked, where each point was worth more than the last, the overall power of each stat had more than doubled. As he looked at his Free Points, he hesitated.

Should I increase my physical stats? Or increase Intelligence and Wisdom to strengthen my Mana Cultivation?

After pondering for a few moments, he decided.

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"System. 36 Free Points into every stat."

The System rang out in affirmation in his mind. A second later, he could feel his muscles growing tougher and stronger, more resilient and flexible at the same time. His mana pool expanded in real time as his mana circulation became greater than before, his Mana Core pulsating. Every aspect that composed his power grew in real time. After a few seconds, the process was over. He was left with a body that surpassed every version of himself in this life.

Since I rely on every single stat, there's no harm in increasing them all.

He didn't have the luxury of waiting for his Aura to awaken before deciding on how to spend his Free Point. His enemies were coming for his loved ones' lives. Sighing, Rylan looked at his Skills. There had been little change to his Active Skills – he'd only learned two new spells, Frost and Fire Spear, and one more sword style, the Earthsplitter Swordsmanship, to complement the Mountainpeak Swordsmanship. His Passive Skills, however, had changed significantly.

Rylan smiled as he looked at them. Through grueling effort and continuous battles with his life on the line, he had been able to merge several of his magic-related Passive Skills into stronger ones. It had only been possible because of his knowledge from his past life, which allowed him to understand how Passive Skills worked in the first place. On top of that, he had also managed to learn new Passive Skills related to swordsmanship. Blooming Growth, for example, was the result of the combination of several Passive Skills such as Greater Strength and Greater Agility. Nevertheless, as he looked at his Hybrid Skills, Rylan's gaze stopped. He narrowed his eyes.

Magic Swordsmanship.

It was the second time the System acknowledged the path he'd taken, the first being Mana Cultivation. The second time it told him that it was possible to go down this road. Not simply magic or swordsmanship, but something that united them. As his thoughts reached this point, Rylan furrowed his brow.

…It's unlikely that I'm the only person in the world who knows about this path.

He frowned, then shook his head. No matter how much he thought about it, it was pointless. He would deal with things as they came. Even if there were other people who had discovered Mana Cultivation, there was nothing he could currently do about it.

After glancing at his title and raising an eyebrow at Fighting Maniac, Rylan dismissed his Status Window. Still holding Silver Twilight's hilt, he took one last look at the Frozen Elemental's remains and turned around. He then looked at his free hand.

I'm so close.

He had already been at the tipping point of awakening Aura for a while, but he was now closer than ever. Unfortunately, it still hadn't happened. He sighed.

Using Snowstorm, he dashed out of the room and through the stone temple's corridor before leaving it behind. Now, back on the frozen land with the icy wind crashing against his frame, he started his run back to the Gate. He stepped on the air to avoid the mountains and ran on the surface of frozen lakes, quickly killing all enemies that got in his way. Unfortunately, he didn't manage to Level up even once.

As Rylan got closer to the Gate, groups of Mages started to appear. At first, they were scattered and few in number, but this quickly changed. Rylan tried his best to remain inconspicuous, whether by speeding past the groups before they realized he was at the Third Circle, or by trying to act natural. As he ran, a thought struck him.

My stats are already more than enough for the Fourth Circle.

He still remembered Evenon's Level. The man had been at Level 48. Of course, it had been obvious that Evenon had invested all of his Free Points into Intelligence and Wisdom, but Rylan also had a better Class. In terms of stats, it was likely that he could already form his Fourth Circle. The only reason why he hadn't was that he would rather get Gerard's advice before doing it.

No, Father might not be able to help much.

Because of how different his Circles were, the formation of his Third Circle had already been abnormal enough. His Circles had already surpassed Gerard's knowledge. Rylan furrowed his brow. He would think about it once he made sure everyone was still safe. And so, he continued to run. The wind felt abnormally cold.

Finally, after a while of struggling to avoid as many groups as possible, Rylan arrived before the Gate and decisively stepped through it. Spacetime twisted before he found himself outside the Dungeon. As usual, there was a large group of Mages around the Gate. Before anyone else could even look at him, he ran into the woods to the side. The surprised gasps and shouting were lost in the wind. As he ran, he pulled the Communication Crystal out of the Spatial Ring and infused it with mana. The connection took shape.

"Damian," Rylan said, a bit anxious. "How are things? Is everyone okay?"

"This is a bit earlier than we expected. Have you already cleared that Dungeon?" an unfamiliar male voice replied. It was grave, but also filled with surprise.

A chill went down Rylan's spine as he blinked. He sank his feet into the earth, grinding to a halt in less than a second. The hand holding the Communication Crystal trembled. In the next second, pure, unfettered killing intent bloomed within his heart. Was his family safe? What had happened? Was Damian still alive? In the end, they were all questions that would be answered the moment he confronted the man.

"…Are you in the Mage Tower?" Rylan said after a few seconds, almost growling.

"I suggest you be quick, Rylan Flameheart," the man replied calmly. "Time is running out."

The connection was cut off.

For almost five seconds, Rylan remained frozen in place. A moment later, his killing intent flooded the world around him. It was as if the sun had become dimmer, like the rays of light coming through the canopies had disappeared. The sounds of animals and insects all vanished almost instantly. His mana roiled within him, making the ground vibrate. It circulated faster than ever. Silver Twilight hummed on his waist, as if greedy to be drawn. Images of his family flashed through his mind. Gerard, Elizabeth, and his siblings smiling happily in Damian's Mage Tower.

If anything happened to them…

The air vibrated. He slowly laid his right hand on his sword's hilt.

I will kill them all.

It was a declaration of war. No, it was an oath.

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