He briefly read the notification, and then focused back on his second incoming Dao, sinking into another vision a moment later. He saw a few more trolls coming his way, so before the darkness claimed him, he sent a pulse of his Dao Seed’s energy out, turning them into flakes of ash drifting on the subterranean breeze.
Between one second and the next, he had become a peerless warrior, renowned across the universe for his might. The keystone of his power was his ability to react to every impulse that came his way, the strength of his body acting in concord with the power of his mind to deliver him to victory every time he fought.
A series of battles played out before his mind, tournaments, bloody civil wars, duels for the fates of worlds, and even more besides. The only commonality between them was his victory. Every time he fought, he grew stronger, more in line with the mechanisms of his overwhelming might.
After centuries of fighting, he could predict entire battles before they even happened, so in tune with the whisperings of Fate that he had transcended the limits of his mind. Then, everything started to fall apart.
Such was his fame that entire factions banded together to kill him, and awash in the morass of a thousand competing timelines, he finally met his end at the hands of a single arrow, slipping through the weaves of fate that protected him. The last thing Sam saw was the warrior’s face, a look of shocked disbelief turning into the featureless mask of death.
Sam’s mind whipped back into the real world, and he experienced a moment of disorientation, the vast nature of his Dao Vision having taken him to a place far away. His Dao Visions were becoming steadily grander, many of the concepts that he touched upon becoming things of breadth rather than depth. Emotional Daos generally had short Dao visions, as their meanings could be encapsulated within a single action. Physical Daos needed a lot more work though, as they represented something that occurred naturally. A notification appeared a moment later.
You have gained a new Dao!
Dao Mote of Prescience
Practice makes perfect, and in battle, even more so. The more experience you have, the easier you can apply that to your fights. This Dao revolves around this ability, granting you a shortcut to greater power. This is not true foresight, however, rather an advanced form of muscle memory.
Sam could feel his two new Daos rotating near his Dao Seed, taking up far less space. They were minor aspects of his power, but still present. With a grin, he drove their power down his arms, coating one fist in the energy of his Dao of the Conduit, and one with the Dao of Prescience, before clipping his hammer to his armor.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
His right fist shuddered as lightning coursed through it, reinforcing his might. Every movement brought more power to it, the lightning burning brighter and brighter. Meanwhile, his other fist went perfectly still, ready to respond to anything that could harm him. He strode forwards, searching for more trolls to kill.
As Garnax fought behind him, Sam moved on through the caverns, testing his new abilities. When the first troll charged at him from the darkness, he drove his lightning empowered fist into it, flesh bubbling beneath it. Most of the damage was from his strength, as it was only a Dao Mote after all, but it was still noticeable.
Meanwhile, his left fist flashed out unconsciously, blocking an incoming strike from another troll. The creature was stopped dead in its tracks, all of its momentum coursing back up its arm, pulping flesh and bone. Sam backhanded it and blasted it apart, not taking his eyes off his current foe.
He cocked back his right fist once more, watching as the lightning surrounding it increased in power. Then he punched once more, this time killing the monster in a single blow. He could feel more insights spinning through his mind as he fought, coalescing into skills and Dao upgrades. With his own level of power, and his current foes, he was able to stimulate his Daos to a far greater degree.
Sam concentrated on his Dao Mote of the Consuit first, seeing it as the most useful, as he already possessed a more powerful form of foresight from his natural treasure. He seized the meaning of the Dao in his mind, and took a conscious role in its cycle of empowerment. The lightning around his fist crackled louder and louder as he pumped Dao energy into it. Unfortunately, it was merely a Dao Mote, and compared to the ocean of Dao energy that his Seed contained, he barely had a cup’s worth. He bottomed it out in a matter of moments, his fist suddenly vanishing behind a shroud of golden energy.
Sam roared and thrust it forwards, a lightning bolt shooting from his palm and into another troll. They just kept coming, unheeding of the fact that Sam was far beyond them.
The bolt struck the foremost of the trolls, blackening its fatty and lumpen flesh. The energy coursed through the monster and carried on, growing in power the more it struck. The first few trolls were too powerful for the Dao Mote to kill, but as the skill progressed, the bolt grew to the width of a telephone pole, and soon, it began to kill its targets.
It faltered a few seconds later, but the damage was done, and five corpses fell to the ground, charred beyond recognition and the regenerative abilities of the trolls to fix. Sam quickly finished off the others, smiling as a notification appeared.
You have gained a new skill!
Voltaic Rampager: Epic
Using the conceptual power of exponentially growing lightning and the nature of electricity, you have created a skill that can grow far beyond its initial parameters, if given the chance. Summon a bolt of lightning that grows every time it strikes a target, limited by your Dao energy.
While only Epic rarity, the skill would grow rapidly as he leveled up his Dao. Besides, he could always add it to his other skills.
