Monarch Chapter 194 (Patreon)

Chapter 194

Rayne woke up with a slight headache.

It wasn’t painful enough to force him out of bed immediately, but it was irritating, a dull pressure that lingered behind his eyes and made him frown as he stared at the ceiling.

For a moment, he wondered if it was simply the stress from the battle in the sewers the previous day.

Fighting the mire devourer had been exhausting, especially since the creature’s body had been capable of regenerating from nearly every attack they threw at it.

Even after the battle ended, the lingering tension had remained in his muscles, and he had been too tired to do anything more than eat dinner and lie down.

Perhaps the headache was a consequence of that. Or maybe it was because he had neglected something important.

Rayne blinked, and the thought came to him a moment later.

His notifications.

He still hadn’t pulled them out.

He had meant to do it after returning to his room. But after sitting down for a while, he had somehow fallen asleep without realizing it.

The fact that he had grown accustomed to the presence of notifications at the back of his mind probably hadn’t helped.

They no longer felt as urgent as they once had, and he could leave them unattended for hours without feeling the need to check them immediately.

That was probably dangerous in its own way.

Taking a breath, Rayne focused on the notifications and pulled them forward.

***

You have slain Mire Devourer x1. You have gained adequate experience.

You have levelled up. Level 34 reached.

+1 point gained in Vitality.

+1 point gained in Arcane.

+1 points gained in Charm.

Skill stealer activated.

You have stolen the skill Heavy Poison Resistance (Rare). The skill couldn't be registered as a new skill since you already have something of a similar nature.

Skill merging activated.

Your skill Poison Resistance (Uncommon) has been upgraded to Poison Resistance (Rare).

***

The first few were exactly what he expected.

The system confirmed that the devourer had been killed, followed by the familiar notification informing him that he had gained enough experience to level up which he was already anticipating.

Another point in Charm was greatly appreciated.

But then his attention stopped at the notification below them.

Rayne’s expression changed slightly as he looked at it in surprise.

Getting a skill wasn't anything special by this point, but he had gained [Heavy Poison Resistance].

He hadn't expected to gain another poison resistance skill, but something completely unexpected had happened. Something he didn't know his skill was capable of.

The newly acquired skill had upgraded his existing poison resistance skill to another grade. Since when was something like this possible?

He blinked repeatedly. Then he read it again.

After confirming that what he read wasn't his brain making up things in the morning, Rayne sat up slightly, the headache at the back of his head momentarily forgotten as he considered the implications of it.

He had thought about what would happen if he obtained the same skill twice before.

His assumption had been rather simple. If the system recognized that he already possessed the skill, then it would probably reject the duplicate, or perhaps give him some other form of compensation.

He had never seriously considered the possibility that two similar skills could merge together.

The wording might have played a role. His existing skill was [Poison Resistance], while the one he had obtained from the mire devourer was [Heavy Poison Resistance].

They weren’t exactly the same, and perhaps the system treated them as different grades of a single skill. That would explain why they had merged instead of simply being rejected.

With that logic, could he upgrade his other abilities by acquiring a skill with a similar effect? Would two skills merge if their wording was different but their functions were close enough? Or would the system only allow it when one skill was clearly an improved version of the other?

What if he acquired another skill with the exact same name? Would it merge as well, or would the system reject it because there was no distinction between the two?

A number of questions surfaced in his mind, each leading to another possibility.

Rayne rubbed his forehead and leaned against the wall behind him. There was no point in trying to come up with answers without testing the system himself.

He could speculate all he wanted, but unless he found another opportunity to acquire a similar skill, he wouldn’t know what would happen.

[Skill Stealer] had never explained all of its rules to him, and he had learned over time that many of its functions could only be understood through experience.

For now, he decided that only time and experimentation would tell.

With that thought, Rayne dismissed the notifications and opened his status, a smile slowly appearing on his face as he began reading through it.

***

Status (1/3)

Name - Rayne Frayser (Human)

Age - 22

Class - War Weaver

Rank - Common Soldier (Forsaken), Valeria Kingdom

Level - 33

Health - 100%

Mana - 99%

Stamina - 100%

Stats

Strength - 72

Vitality - 38

Endurance - 59

Agility - 71

Arcane - 48

Charm - 12

Titles -

Bastard of the Fraysers

The Tortured Child

Soldier of Valeria

Survivor of the Trolls

Otherworlder

Gravewalker

Skills -

General Skills

Valerian Language Mastery (Basic) - Level 5

Lycarian Language Mastery (Basic) - Level 2

Foraging (Basic) - Level 2

Mathematics (Basic) - Level 3

Toughened Physique (Uncommon) - Level 3

Footwork (Basic) - Level 3

Unarmed Mastery (Basic) - Level 2

Pain Tolerance (Uncommon) - Level 4

Paralysis Resistance (Uncommon) - Level 2

Mana Manipulation (Uncommon) - Level 1

Commander's Aura (Rare) - Level 1

Poison Resistance (Rare) - Level 1

Balance (Uncommon) - Level 1

Class Skills (5/10)

Weapon Mastery (Uncommon) - Level 1

Formation Knowledge (Basic) - Level 1

Danger Sense (Basic) - Level 2

Weaver's Protection (Uncommon) - Level 2

War Pulse (Rare) - Level 3

Unique Skills (8/10)

Skill Stealer (???) - Max

Goblin Tongue (Uncommon) - Level 1

Umbral Sight (Uncommon) - Level 1

Lesser Regeneration (Rare) - Level 2

Death Strike (Rare) - Level 2

Analysis (Rare) - Level 1

Wolf Frenzy (Uncommon) - Level 2

Mark of Henrexa (Unique) - Max

***

Compared to the first time he had opened his status, the screen in front of Rayne had grown considerably larger, filled with far more skills, titles, and information than he could have imagined when he had first arrived in this world.

Back then, he had barely understood what most of the things meant, and even the simplest increase in his stats had been enough to leave him excited.

Now, however, he had grown accustomed to seeing new skills appear, watching his level rise, and discovering different ways in which the system could influence his growth.

Still, looking through his status made him realize just how far he had come.

He had started with almost nothing.

His body had been weak, his understanding of mana had been nonexistent, and he had possessed no real combat experience beyond his memories.

Yet now, he had several rare skills, a class that continued to develop, and enough strength to fight creatures that would have killed him easily when he had first arrived in this world.

It was difficult not to feel a little proud of himself.

His gaze lingered on [Poison Resistance], and the smile on his face widened slightly.

The skill had genuinely improved by an entire grade, and that was probably the best reward he could have received from the battle.

If he could find some trolls, perhaps he would eventually be able to upgrade [Lesser Regeneration] into something better.

The thought alone made Rayne's eyes brighten.

He already knew how useful his regeneration skill was. Even though it was still a lesser version, it allowed him to recover from injuries as he moved and he could save up on potions too.

If he could upgrade it, then perhaps the speed of his recovery would increase considerably.

He might be able to heal wounds faster, recover from more severe injuries, and potentially continue fighting even after suffering damage that would otherwise force him out of battle.

And that was only the beginning.

Rayne had heard that certain creatures, including some orc variants and particular troll tribes, possessed regeneration abilities capable of restoring entire limbs and even damaged organs.

He didn't know whether every story he had heard was accurate, but the possibility alone was enough to make him interested.

If he could obtain such a power, then he would become incredibly difficult to kill.

Perhaps not truly invincible, since there were probably countless ways to destroy a body beyond the limits of regeneration, but it would certainly bring him much closer to that point.

As long as he could survive an attack long enough for his body to recover, he would have a significant advantage over most opponents.

Unfortunately, that was something for the future.

He doubted there were any creatures in the Godless Ruins that would allow him to improve his regeneration so easily, and he certainly couldn't start searching for trolls simply because he wanted to test a theory.

For now, he kept those thoughts to himself and dismissed his status.

There would be plenty of time to consider his future growth later. At the moment, he had an expedition to prepare for.

Rayne got out of bed and moved through the hallway, making his way toward the area where the rest of his party had gathered.

The place was already beginning to stir, with soldiers moving between rooms and preparing their equipment for another day inside the ruins.

The morning air was cold, and the faint smell of cooked food drifted through as he approached the dining area.

Now that they had killed the mire devourer, they could finally move deeper into the sewers.

Honestly, Rayne wasn't particularly looking forward to it.

The creature had been difficult enough to deal with, and there was no reason to believe that it had been the only dangerous monster living beneath the ruined city.

If anything, the fact that they had encountered such a powerful creature in the sewers suggested that there might be even worse things waiting further ahead.

But it wasn't as though Rayne had much say in the matter.

Prince Caelan had a goal, and Rayne was already involved in it. Besides, a part of him simply wanted to get everything over with.

Reaching the inner city would bring them closer to the Lost Sanctum of the Sage, and once they found it, a considerable portion of their objective would be accomplished.

That was assuming they actually found it. Rayne still dreaded the thought of entering the sanctum.

No one knew what they might find inside, and the lack of information made the entire thing more unsettling.

The sanctum had been hidden for centuries, and whatever had been left behind by the Sage might have remained untouched for just as long.

It could contain knowledge, artifacts, and treasures beyond their imagination, but it could also contain traps, guardians, or something far more dangerous.

The unknown was rarely harmless in a place like this.

With those thoughts in mind, Rayne sat down for breakfast and began speaking with his party.

The conversation was mostly casual at first, with everyone discussing the previous day's battle and their preparations for the expedition.

However, it didn't take long for him to learn that there had been both good and bad news that hadn't been reported to him.

The good news came from Bran.

Apparently, the scout had gained a new skill after the battle with the mire devourer.

He had already gone to the Adventurers Guild and verified it using a soul shard, so there was no doubt that the skill was genuine.

"It's called [Guided Arrow]," Bran explained, holding a piece of bread in one hand while speaking. "It lets me control the direction of an arrow to a certain degree after coating it with mana.”

Rayne looked at him with interest. "How much control?"

"Not enough to make it fly in circles yet, if that's what you're thinking." Bran shrugged. "But I can change its direction slightly. If an enemy moves after I shoot, I can correct the arrow's path. The amount of mana I need depends on how much I try to change it."

That was still an extremely useful ability.

Bran's greatest strength had always been his accuracy and awareness of the battlefield.

A skill that allowed him to correct the path of his arrows would make it considerably harder for enemies to evade his attacks.

Even a slight adjustment could turn a missed shot into a direct hit, especially when he was firing from a distance or attacking targets that moved unpredictably.

Rayne nodded approvingly. "That should be useful. Just make sure you don't waste mana trying to force the arrow to do something you can't.”

"I know," Bran replied. "I've already tested it at the guild.”

Rayne wasn't surprised. Bran was usually careful with his abilities, especially when they involved something as limited as mana.

If anything, he was likely to spend the next few days experimenting more with the skill until he understood its limitations completely.

As he mulled over it, he turned towards Jason and Nate, ready to hear whatever bad news they had.

***