Reincarnated Hero System

A second later, Artemisia conjured a storm of wind and lightning, the cavern lit up with the crackle of energy as she electrocuted her enemies in a flash of blinding light.

Beatrix didn’t lag, charging forward faster than the monsters could track. Space warped around her as she teleported behind one of the creatures, driving her spear into its back; and with a pulse of offensive light magic, the monster collapsed.

As the monsters kept pouring in, the trio fought back in unison. Each attack was met with overwhelming force, and in no time, the first wave of beasts was reduced to nothing but ice and charred remains.

Beatrix twirled her spear, her eyes glinting with excitement.

“That was fun. But it looks like we attracted even more.”

A thunderous roar echoed from deeper within the cave network, followed by the heavy thud of something massive approaching.

The ground beneath their feet quaked as a second wave of monsters appeared, and these were bigger.

Epic-level monsters, the kind that’d give them EXP.

Evan grinned beneath his mask and dashed forward, his power seemingly tripling, much to the two girls’ surprise.

“Wait, Arty. Isn’t that?”

“Limit Break, yes.”

Artemisia had the same skill so she could instantly tell what Evan was using. Just then, she stopped sensing Limit Break, however, Evan’s power remained tripled.

“…what?”

The goddess was surprised, wondering what other skill Evan had that could triple his power.

‘If he can stack them…?’

The thought crossed her mind and Artemisia felt a chill run down her spine at the thought. Evan was suddenly wielding powerful destruction essence and beating down these monsters with levels near 600 like he was strolling through a park.

If this current power she could sense was to triple again…

‘Beatrix and I certainly can’t deal with that.’

Evan’s earlier confidence now seemed to make more sense to her as she watched him swing his sword and split a giant Yeti-like creature with frost-covered fur and massive claws in two halves.

Then he spun around and she heard him use a technique with a name that best described the result it created.

“Mesarthim; Red: Hell Unleashed!”

The yetis charged, but Evan’s attack was faster. The slash cleaved through two of them at once, bisecting their bodies diagonally. The explosive flames burned through them, reducing the creatures to nothing more than ash as the slash continued forward, ripping through the cave wall and bursting out of the other side of the mountain.

Prismatic flames burned through everything, consuming even the monsters innocently sleeping in the snow-covered forest outside the Desolate Mountain they were in.

“Elemental Weapon Projection.”

Evan called out as he walked forward, and dozens, hundreds, thousands of spears swords and daggers appeared in the air, each one burning with Frostfire.

“Elemental Weapon Barrage.”

They rained down on his command, a torrent of light that descended upon the monsters and brutalized each one, riddling them with holes as a Level Up notification entered his field of vision.

One of the Yetis, its eyes gleaming with cold intelligence, let out a deafening roar, a sound that echoed through the cavernous Desolate Mountain.

The snow beneath its feet shifted as it bolted forward, weaving through the storm of swords and spears raining down from above.

Sonic booms were left behind as It moved, dodging the blades while its thick hide deflected the daggers that grazed it. Ice formed in the wake of its path, shielding it from the burning Frostfire engulfing everything around it.

Evan, unfazed, collapsed the ground beneath the charging beast, but the Yeti jumped up when it sensed the magic power and began leaping from one chunk of shattered earth to another, using the airborne debris like stepping stones to propel itself even faster.

Elemental Skewer erupted beneath it, jagged spears of flames stabbing upward, but the Yeti barrelled through, its dense fur and magical resistance absorbing the brunt of the assault.

Evan fired a Hollow Bullet, but the beast batted it aside with a snarl, surprising the boy.

As it closed the distance, the Yeti’s powerful magic surged, summoning icy chains that lashed out from the ground, latching onto Evan’s arms and legs. The frozen chains constricted, digging their spiked ends into his skin, sending waves of frost deep into his veins, threatening to freeze his blood solid.

The beast was upon him in an instant, its massive claws raised high, ready to tear him apart in a single, savage swipe.

The cold claw descended, aimed to split Evan in three. But even as it neared him, Evan simply sighed, his calm demeanour betraying no hint of panic.

Just then, time itself slowed down and Artemisia dashed forward like a streak of lightning, determined to intervene.

But before she could reach him, Evan exhaled softly—a calm breath in the face of danger.

“?!”

Then, his body transformed.

White-gold scales appeared along his arms and neck, his hair shifted as two horns emerged from his head, and with a powerful burst, wings erupted from his back, scattering the icy chains that had bound him moments before.

Evan opened his mouth and the Authority of Dragons was activated.

Dragon Breath.

A torrent of prismatic light and searing flames exploded from his maw, a beam of devastating energy that incinerated the Yeti’s raised arm in an instant.

Flesh, bone, and fur vaporized in a heartbeat, leaving nothing but ash in the wake of his breath.

The beast howled in agony, but Evan didn’t stop. He stepped forward, unleashing another powerful breath aimed directly at the Yeti’s head, and in desperation it raised its remaining arm, reinforcing it with magic to withstand the attack.

“Limit Break.”

Evan’s body glowed with magic power, and he stacked his boosting skills.

The prismatic flames in his next breath intensified, and the beam of concentrated destruction tore through the Yeti’s reinforced arm with ease, blasting through to its chest.

The beast staggered, but Evan didn’t stop there. Another breath followed, then another, each one tearing through its powerful durability fur and unravelling its defensive magic.

The Yeti’s skin burned beneath the onslaught of prismatic flames that ate away at its body. It roared in futile defiance, but its strength was fading, unable to keep up under Evan’s onslaught of breath attacks.

Finally, its body collapsed, charred and releasing an odour of burnt flesh…but it wasn’t dead.

Evan shook his head and stepped forward, placing his hand on its burnt flesh.

“Permeating Wave.”

A ripple of power coursed through his palm, sending vibrations deep into the Yeti’s body. Its bones shook, its organs ruptured, and with a final violent tremor, its heart shattered.

The light in the Yeti’s eyes faded as its massive form collapsed, lifeless, into the snow.

Evan stood over the fallen beast, watching impassively as the other monsters in the distance fled in terror. Some screamed ‘Dragon!’ in fear, their voices ringing through the mountain.

‘Well, they’re not wrong.’

Evan thought with a small chuckle as he cancelled his transformation and returned to normal. His horns retracted, his scales disappeared, and his wings folded back into nothingness.

He then turned around after readjusting his mask to find Artemisia and Beatrix staring at him, their eyes wide with shock.

“What? Never seen a man kill a yeti before?”

“…I think how you did so is the ‘never-seen-before’ part.”

Beatrix replied after a second, while Artemisia, on the other hand, closed the distance between them in an instant, her hands immediately probing Evan’s body.

“…what?”

“…”

Artemisia didn’t respond. She continued her examination, feeling for any irregularities. Evan, clearly uncomfortable, teleported out of her hold, putting several feet between them. His gaze was wary as he watched her.

Her target of observation now out of her reach, Artemisia seemed to snap back to her senses, but then she immediately sunk into her thoughts.

‘He used Limit Break… but there’s no drawback? How?’

Of course, she had no idea about Evan’s Energem Reclaimer, which passed the energy backlash into a magic stone, sparing him from the strain. She was left puzzled by his apparent immunity to the strain that should’ve ravaged his body after using the skill.

“What was that all about?”

Evan asked, rubbing the back of his neck but Artemisia only stared at him in silence, her mind still running through possibilities.

‘Even if I asked him, I doubt he’d tell me his secret.’

After a few moments, she finally sighed and spoke.

“Nothing… just surprised your body is still fine after stacking so many skills.”

Evan gave a half-hearted shrug in response.

“Oh, well, you see, I did that so many times that the power—the future you gave me—made my body evolve to handle that strain without a problem.”

Hearing this, Beatrix crossed her arms and gave him a deadpan look.

“Dude, are you suicidal?”

“No, I told future Artemisia the same thing. I’m crazy, not suicidal.”

Beatrix pressed her hands against her forehead in exasperation at his reply.

“Admitting you’re crazy isn’t exactly better.”

Evan just laughed at her reaction, then turned his attention to the broken mountain behind them. The sky had begun to darken as the day came closer to its end and then he spoke.

“Well, I realize we were supposed to go beyond these mountains today, but I don’t think that’s happening anymore.”

“Of course, it’s not happening. There are fake divine abominations roaming around up there. We need to be in top condition to deal with them.”

Artemisia gave him an incredulous gaze as she responded and Beatrix shot both of them an unimpressed look.

“And you two wasted a lot of power fighting like children for no apparent reason.”

Both Artemisia and Evan turned to her in unison, causing Beatrix to instinctively summon her spear, going on guard.

“Oh no, you’re not catching me off guard this time!”

Artemisia sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple.

“Let’s just head back to the city.”

“Alright, back to the city it is.”

Evan nodded with a laugh and the three of them made their way to where their monster horses waited, smart enough to have stayed clear of the battle.

They mounted up and began the journey back to Resgar City, the air between them noticeably lighter.

They chatted as they rode, sharing laughs, and for the first time, the invisible tension that they didn’t even notice existed between them seemed to dissolve, piece by piece.

◇　◇　◇

Unbeknownst to the three teenagers, far back in the shadows, two pairs of gleaming eyes watched their every movement.

A hand reached out, long claws extending as if to grasp at them. But the hand was stopped by a divine barrier, burning it upon contact.

A guttural hiss escaped the figure, and it recoiled, sharp claws clenching in frustration.

With a final, hateful glance at the teenagers riding off, the glowing eyes vanished into the dark.