Frostbound [LitRPG Apocalypse]-Chapter 243 - Frozen Leach

Name: Christopher Zalenski

Race: (E) Human*

Class: (E) Hammer of the Jotnar(Legendary): Level 91

Profession: (E) Runesmith(Rare): Level 84

Affinity: Arctic

Faction: Frostheim (Leader)

Title: Baron

Strength - 1615

Agility - 793

Perception - 478

Fortitude - 1180

Endurance - 959

Vitality - 597

Intelligence - 415

Wisdom - 667

Acumen - 406

Free Points: 0

Laws: Law of Ice (Tier 2), Law of Wind (Tier 1)

Body Stage: Body of Wood(Northern Wind Body)

Mana Stage: Ignited Mana Heart-Perfect (Stars of Primordial Frost)

Spirit Stage: Anchor Formation

~~

A look at my status showed the immeasurable changes that had taken place since Winter. Not only one but two new lines were added, which was a lot considering the previous amount of added lines could be counted on one hand.

It took getting measured from a mana device Gabriel devised to find out the Rating behind my ignition, but I had a feeling about what grade it was even before being tested.

The changes were just too substantial to be anything under Perfect. A full ignition was a monumental achievement, and something to be proud of, but the fact I perfected mine gave me a great deal of pride.

Having my third stat about to reach the one-thousand mark was another thing to be proud of. Endurance was only 41 points away after sinking all of my Free Points into it.

After my Ignition and the immense changes to my mana pool, Endurance was the weakest link and it was the drain of all my available free points currently. It would probably continue to be so until my new Class and Profession changed up the ratios.

Looking over everything pointed out that I didn't have that much more to do before evolving. My Bloodline was nearing its peak for what my body could handle, any further and I'd risk internal damage by calling upon it.

My Body could use an upgrade, reaching Body of Stone would help matters with my lacking Endurance. It wouldn't give me any more Stamina to use, but the improvements to my body would let me do more with less. Letting me stretch what I had a little bit further.

The building to do it in was already built, as Vincent had worked through the Winter with Brayden to make it happen.

I was not looking forward to the pain, but if I made fun of Austin for putting it off, I couldn't show hesitation or the vulture would pounce on it. Especially while he was here.

The next level of Mana Cultivation was well out of reach and it wasn't something I could aim for. It required more mana than I had and I only just started exploring the current changes.

Any advancement to my Laws was glacially slow, my Ice Law specifically. I could feel Wind was close to Tier 2, but there was something missing.

Lastly, my Anchor was growing nicely. The amount of Spirit I could use during fights was orders of magnitude larger than when I first formed it. I was lucky I formed it when I did, as Austin was still running out relatively quickly.

Jonathan and I could use it for extended periods of time by now.

The next stages for that were still a bit of a mystery, but it would be a long time before I was ready for that.

All of that being said, the list I still had to do before evolving had shortened dramatically after my expedition North.

1. Upgrade my Wind Law to Tier 2

2. Upgrade my Body to Stone

3. Expand and purify my Bloodline to its maximum

Only three remained and two of those were close to completion with the last only requiring me to set the time aside.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

And gathering the essence to level up, obviously.

The new skill choice at level 90 was one easily filled. The selection had the same choices as before with a few extra but none of the new ones were better than the one I had in mind.

My choice was for a few reasons.

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Initially, when I was choosing my last skill, [Frozen Leach], [Icy Connection], and [Jotun Armor] were the three I passed over to choose [Frozen Rift].

All three had their advantages and disadvantages, but I picked [Frozen Rift] for reasons the others couldn't provide. I hadn't had the chance to explore the depths of the rift connection as much as I wished, but it was something I'd do soon.

Austin's return helped me decide which I would choose next. We had sparred a few times, neither of us going all out, but it was a new experience and explored something I hadn't come across yet. Speed. His speed, increased from his Anchor, was an exercise in futility to try and hit.

Speed wasn't something I'd had to fight against before. Most of my enemies were usually running at me, not running away. Plus, most things I fought weren't smart enough to use their faster movement against me.

The Dungeons had creatures faster than me, and those were a hassle to fight, but the environment was their downfall. Being trapped in a confined room gave me the advantage required to win.

Fighting Austin in an open field was impossible.

My hammer was fast, as fast as one and a half thousand points in Strength could swing, but it still wasn't enough to catch the slippery bastard. He couldn't do anything to me either, but it was annoying to not be able to hit him.

My Domain skills were the only things that worked, but they weren't enough to defeat him outright, as he had Laws and tricks of his own.

While his attack on the Boss was strong and gave me a feeling of danger, I was confident that using [Frost Armor] and [Jotun's Resistance] would be enough.

It was enough for the Boss's attacks.

That was the second reason. Being able to tank the attacks of something so much stronger than me without noticeable injury eliminated [Jotun Armor] from contention.

My defense was already powerful enough, I didn't need another skill oriented that way as that would be massive overkill.

Given enough time, I assumed I could turn [Frost Armor] into [Jotun Armor] by upgrading it manually, but there was one aspect of the skill that kept me from dismissing it outright.

'can break down and consume mana that comes into contact with it that isn't Cold aligned.'

That line of the description was what stopped me. I could strengthen, expand, and condense the ice, mix things regarding its formation, and play with all the variables I could to upgrade the skill, but I had no idea where to start when it came to that.

The full skill description held some hints, but that didn't help.

Jotun Armor(Legendary) – Clad your body in the most formidable of Icy armor. Created from Ice directly tied to the lands of Niflheim, it holds trace amounts of its magic. Able to hold up to even the most powerful of blows and can break down and consume mana that comes into contact with it that isn't Cold aligned.

The 'dispelling effect', as I dubbed it, was something I wasn't confident in replicating. I had no past experience to call on and it was a completely new aspect of Ice.

My hunch was that 'Created from Ice directly tied to the lands of Niflheim' was the reason behind it, but I had no way to confirm.

With [Jotun Armor] out of contention, that left [Frozen Leach] and [Icy Connection].

What sealed the deal was a conversation I had with Austin after a particularly interesting spar.

"How come you never use the negative aspects of Ice?" Austin asked while wiping sweat off his face after stabbing his spear into the ground.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously, letting the Ice under my control fall still.

"Well, you kind of use Ice only as a material, if that makes sense. Fighting you and fighting Jonathan are remarkably similar. He uses a lot more shields and defensive constructs, but the principle is the same."

His question made me stop and think. I used Ice as armor and my weapon. I also turned snow into miniature knives, but there was one thing he was forgetting.

"What about the Cold? I've used that to great effect using [Blizzard]." I defended. The plunging temperatures were debilitating in their own right.

"Oh, sorry, you use one aspect other than its physical properties. Congratulations." He snarked condescendingly. "I'm talking about the more mystical aspects. Like in games and stories."

"Now you're starting to sound like Gabriel."

"Oh, hush. I'm serious." he said, "You've focused so much on one side of things you're forgetting the arcane and mystical just because you can't see it."

"Okay, great fountain of knowledge, what about you? I don't see you pulling some arcane bullshit with your solar powers?" I ribbed back.

He laughed deprecatingly, "That doesn't mean I haven't been trying."

"Trying how?" I asked seriously, "An example would help."

"You know how in games the Sun and Light have healing properties and are normally used to heal or restore." He asked, "That's what I've been trying."

"Okay, I see what you're saying," I nodded, "So Ice would be slowing and debilitating, not just sharp water that's been frozen."

"Exactly!" He smiled, "Like a debuff."

"But how would that fit into my fighting style? I'm not exactly geared for afflictions and debuffs."

"How should I know? I'm just pointing out that there's more to it than how you look at it. Fighting isn't all about who can hit harder." He laughed.

I fell silent and he went on to babble about something else.

After that conversation, I looked at my next choice of skill differently. Instead of seeing what would immediately slot in and be useful for my repertoire, I looked at what would expand it instead.

[Jotun Armor] would bring the 'dispelling effect', [Icy Connection] would bring its namesake, the connection between me and my ice, and [Frozen Leach] would bring the negative aspect Austin talked about.

Of the three, I found the last most important.

If I could turn the Wintery Domain I already used into something that sapped energy and slowed, it would allow me to fight in more than one dimension. That dimension being strength of arm and body.

Right now, if I couldn't overpower or outlast, I would lose. Sparring with Austin introduced another weakness making a third, not being able to hit something, but that wasn't something I could remedy with my available skill choices.

The Boss was a perfect example.

If I'd been alone, and the Boss was a creature I found in the Wild, I wouldn't have been able to defeat it. It would've been a long and hard battle, but ultimately, I would have lost.

My attacks dealt damage and my defense was enough for me to hold my own, but it would have drained me dry in the end. If I could've Leached its energy and drained it of mana and stamina, I might've won solo.

Frozen Leach(Epic): The Cold saps Heat but that isn't all it can do. Both Mana and Stamina are forms of energy that can be leached away. Use Cold-aligned mana to target one or both of an enemy's energies. More powerful energies require more mana to sap.

The skill description listed Mana and Stamina explicitly, but I was curious as to how far the skill could be pushed. Pushing skills wasn't high on my priority list, and I hadn't dedicated enough time to doing so with most of my skills, but there would be time eventually.

Gabriel had already explored doing so himself and had some interesting results.

I doubted the skill would stop at only those two. Could I sap speed? Slow people's movement? Momentum was a form of energy, how would that work?

The new avenues the skill opened up were too big to ignore and was why my choice was much easier than others before it.

Choosing [Frozen Leach] as my fifth skill in my Class only left one more, but I was confident it was my best option.

My next skill choice would be brutal. The Last one always was.