Fighting the Corrupted inside of the Hollow have a lot more experience. With a couple more days of work, spending a couple hours per day, we were able to finally get the [Iron Sword] up 9 levels to Level 20. One week in, and we got one of the three done.

Along with that, we also got a couple more crystals from the Corrupted, sold for a total of another 55 AP.

My [Danger Sense] leveled up twice, [Hollow Wanderer] once, [Chains of Holy Fire] thrice, and [Eagle Eye] twice. My Agility also went up another level.

[Profile]

Name: Jackson Walker

Race: Nephilim

AP: 840

Level: 4

Charm: Level 3

Strength: Level 4

Wisdom: Level 3

Agility: Level 5

[Danger Sense] Level 18 - A warning of incoming danger and which direction it is from can be felt.

[Hollow Wanderer] Level 5 - You can access the mysterious Hollow Realm through special portals.

[Chains of Holy Fire] Level 12 - You can summon and control chains infused with Holy Fire.

[Eagle Eye] Level 10 - You can see farther and clearer.

[Demon Arm Beelzebub] Level 10 - A Demonic Arm that overtakes your own upon use. Holds the mysterious powers of the old Lord of Flies.

* [Gluttony] The full potential of the Demon Arm. Absorbs magical energy to make the arm stronger.

[Fire Resistance] Level 5 - Any fire attacks dealt upon you deal less damage and don't hurt as much.

[Boo] Level 3 - A familiar of Jackson Walker. A Slime King, a monster which is impervious to physical attacks and can absorb things to become stronger.

All of that was normal, but what was strange was staring at the [Iron Sword] on my inventory.

We were currently taking a break, sitting down in a forest in the Hollow. We had set up a picnic, with a blanket, basket, and food. Anna had placed some traps in case any Werebeasts attempted to sneak up on us, so we could leisurely enjoy our meal.

"Why are you staring so intently at your [Inventory]?" Anna questioned.

[Iron Sword] Level MAX [Ascension?] - An medieval European styled common sword made from iron.

"Well...[Iron Sword] says it's maxed out. And there's a new pop up next to it which says [Ascension?]." I told her.

"[Ascension]?" Dawn asked. "Try clicking it."

I clicked it, a new screen popping up in front of me.

[Ascension]

[Level Requirements Met]

[Catalyst Needed]

"Catalyst?" I muttered to myself. "Wait a minute..."

I quickly maneuvered over to the [Missions] tab, looking back at the rewards for the [Mission] the system had issued me.

And there it was. In the bonus, not only did I get 100 AP, but also 1x Random Catalyst.

"It's called a Catalyst." Sally stated, everybody perking up at her words. "They're used to 'evolve', or ascend an item. Unlike Skills, items need something else to 'evolve' them."

"So, it's like a leveling system?" Anna said. "You reach a certain level, then need a Catalyst to breakthrough and go higher?"

"Exactly." Sally replied.

"What makes something a Catalsyst?" Dawn asked.

"Usually, any sort of magical item or artifact." Sally informed. "In the [Ascension] screen, only Catalysts will show up as options to be chosen."

"I could probably get something..." Dawn muttered to herself.

"However...." Sally suddenly said. "...there is a little more. There is no specific Catalyst required, but which one you use is important."

"How so?" Angela asked curiously.

"Catalysts, similar to Skills and Items, are ranked in rarity. There are Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary of each." Sally explained.

"And higher ranked Catalysts are as you'd expect, rarer, but are also stronger. So by ascending an item with a strong enough Catalyst, the item could slightly change because of it." Sally continued.

"When you Ascend, you are basically fusing the two. That's why the Item can gain some properties of the Catalyst." Sally finished.

"So, it could gain a sub-skill or something?" I asked.

"Yes." Sally stated. "And since the [Iron Sword] was only a common item, any Catalyst should be able to give it extra properties."

"Then we definitely need to get the bonus." Anna stated. "Then Jack can upgrade one of his items. We have one week left, and we'll need to work even harder to get both final items to Level 20."

"Which were they again?" Dawn asked.

"Bow and bike." I stated.

"Then let's have you ride the bike around here." Anna stated. "That should give you plenty of experience, with how uneven this off-road landscape will be."

"Is that safe...?" I sweatdropped.

"You were a natural. You got this." Anna smiled.

"Then what about the bow?" Krystal asked.

"We can weaken the Corrupted and let Jack finish them off with the bow." Dawn suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Angela smiled, cracking her knuckles.

Another week passed by fairly quickly. We all spent a lot of time in the Hollow, taking out Corrupted. I'd drive around, lure Corrupted towards the girls, who would then weaken them while I shot them from afar.

We barely had an hour left on the mission when we finally got both of the items to Level 20. The Firebolt came up as MAX, but the [Deathbane Bow] came up as Level 20. It's max must be higher since it was an Epic ranked item.

We exited the Hollow, collapsing down onto the ground tired. Throughout all of that, a couple more of my skills had leveled up again, and I was so tired from grinding.

[Eagle Eye] leveled up the most, likely because of the fact I was using a bow. It increased five levels to Level 15, which is incredible.

[Danger Sense] leveled up twice more to Level 20, my strength leveled up to 5, and my [Chains Of Holy Fire] leveled up once to Level 13.

And my total level went up to Level 5! I'll have to check out the shop later...

Anyways, the girls crowded around me as they stared the mission screen which sat in front of me.

[Mission] - Level up an item to Level 20. Completed.

[Bonus] - Level two more items to Level 20. Completed.

(Claim?)

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Krystal grinned. "Claim it! Claim it!"

I clicked the claim button, gaining another 170 AP from the mission and the bonus combined, bringing me to a grand total of 1010 AP, which is incredible!

Another screen popped up in front of us. It looked like the [Lottery], where there was a wheel to spin. A button hovered under it.

(Claim 1x Random Catalyst?)

"Do it." Anna smiled. "Let's hope you have good luck."

I took a deep breath, clicking the button. The wheel started to spin, and we watched as it's colors blended together until it stopped spinning, the pointer landing on blue.

"Congratulations." Sally stated. "You got a Rare Catalyst."

"Rare?" Dawn said. "That's pretty good."

"Check your inventory!" Krystal demanded. "I'm too curious!"

I moved over to my [Inventory], where a new item sat.

[Inventory]

[Deathbane Bow] Level 20 - A Bow made from the bones of a Grim Reaper.

[Iron Sword] Level MAX [Ascension?] - An medieval European styled common sword made from iron.

[Combat Outfit] Level 1 - An outfit gifted from Madam Webb.

[Firebolt X] Level MAX [Ascension?] - The newest motorcycle from the Firebolt line, known for their flaming wheels and intense speeds.

[Eye of Yuki-Onna] - The eye of a Japanese yokai, an icy woman from the cold mountains.

"[Eye of Yuki-Onna]...?" I questioned. Even with reading the description I didn't understand.

I summoned the item into my hand, flinching at how cold it was as it laid on my hand. It looked like a normal eye, with a freezing blue color. I quickly put it back into the inventory. Looking at an eye in my hand was unsettling.

"Yuki-Onna?" Krystal questioned.

"Do you know what that is?" Anna asked.

"It's a type of yokai, which seduces men before freezing them to death." Krystal stated.

"Oh..." Dawn gasped. "That's...morbid."

"You sure you want to use that?" Krystal asked.

"...yeah." I nodded. "I don't think the eye of a dead yokai can seduce me. I think it will be fine. Why would the [System] give me something that would harm me?"

"I don't know." Anna shrugged. "Try it."

I nodded. I clicked on the [Ascension?] next time the [Iron Sword]. I felt this would be more useful than the bike. I had gotten really good at bike riding, but being better with the sword will be more valuable.

Clicking on the [Catalyst Needed] button, it presented me a list of Catalysts. The list wasn't very long, since it only included [Eye of Yuki-Onna].

I clicked on it, as a new screen popped up. It asked for confirmation, and I accepted. The [Iron Sword] appeared in front of me, before the [Eye of Yuki-Onna] also appeared.

They drifted towards each other, fusing together in a bright light. We shielded our eyes, and when the light died down we were revealed with a new sword.

It looked similar to before, but there were a couple of differences. The blade seemed to be covered in a thin layer of ice, and the guard and knob at the end had small ice spikes.

It disappeared back into my [Inventory]. I quickly looked back inside to see what had happened.

[Inventory]

[Deathbane Bow] Level 20 - A Bow made from the bones of a Grim Reaper.

[Frozen Iron Sword] Level 20 - An medieval European styled common sword made from iron, enhanced with the icy powers of a Yuki-Onna.

* [Heart Of The Cold] The sword can only be wielded by Jackson Walker, and through it the elemental of ice can be commanded.

[Combat Outfit] Level 1 - An outfit gifted from Madam Webb.

[Firebolt X] Level MAX [Ascension?] - The newest motorcycle from the Firebolt line, known for their flaming wheels and intense speeds.

The [Eye of Yuki-Onna] was gone, but the sword had now ascended into a [Frozen Iron Sword].

It even unlocked a sub-skill, [Heart Of The Cold]! The only other thing with a sub-skill is my [Demon Arm Beelzebub], and that was a legendary!

Catalysts are strong.

"Woah..." Krystal gasped. "That was amazing..."

"We'll have to start practicing with that." Anna stated, before laying down and stretching. "But let's wait a little. I'm so tired, and summer break is just about to start."

"This summer break is going to be so amazing!" Krystal cheered.

"Summer break?" Angela questioned.

"We'll show you..." Dawn smiled. "...how summer break is one of the best things ever."

I laid down, smiling to myself. I loved Summer break, and there was no doubt that this would be the best one yet.

If only I hadn't jinxed myself.

A/N: We hit 100k words!

And, be ready for the next arc.