A small, plump creature wiggle in a red jacket adorned with gold buttons. The creature is female and of the order of mammals as indicated by four bumps on her chest. Her skin is covered with light orange fur and she has large, captivating eyes in which an ambitious spirit shines. Her four arms and legs are rounded at their ends, but that does not prevent her from holding a sort of microphone in the crook of her paws. She greets the audience, in the arena and elsewhere, with a satisfied and slightly sinister smile before speaking in a confident voice. Music seems to come out of nowhere to accompany her words:
I am GM4 and I welcome you to this ultimate arena event!
Welcome to the MJ4 Arena!
Today a most exciting match will confront two creatures in a fight to the death! On one side a powerful classic and on the other… a surprise.
As the arena was divided in two by a solid fog, a blue glow shone in one half of the field. The creature that appeared there was a male of the same species as the announcer. Its fur was light green and thick enough to be his only clothing. He was not smiling.
Turning a glance towards the spectators and the announcer, whose presence seemed to transcend the notion of space, he brandished his fluffy fist and shouted:
“It’s me MJ4! They have no right to give you MY name! And then, I protest: you have no right to send me here either! And give me back my jacket!”
The female creature turns even more towards the audience, in order to speak to them. She does not speak to the creature in the arena: no, it is to you that she speaks. Yes, for real, that is indeed the case.
As you can see, this contestant is a fallen GM, the former holder of the name GM4. How many of you are excited to see a GM thrown into the pit? Yes, that is quite the spectacle!
The fallen one got even angrier:
“You have no right! Get me out of here! It''s illegal!”
The laughter of some spectators follows the exclamations of enthusiasm they had launched at the announcement of the nature of the protagonist of the future bloodbath. The new holder of the post sniggers with them, gargling about her new power, then speaks again to the spectators. And she specifies again in the narration that she is indeed addressing the spectators and not her fellow in disgrace:
Indeed, it happens that some individuals do not have the skills required for their position and that their ideas do not have the expected success.
Due to the poor performance of this arena, in particular the tiny number of participations in contests and other parts of the event that pay us, compared to the significant Energy expenditure for its operation, I therefore announce to you that this is indeed the last appearance of this arena.
But we still end in style with this epic fight, as authorized by the productivity commission, as an example. It is the last fight before the closing of the arena.
So, we have, on this side, this fallen and now nameless GM. And, on the other side...
The arena shook as the laws of perspective and space were thrown into disarray. The area expanded, while still allowing the spectators to observe every detail of the action without any problem.
On the other side of the fog, a gigantic shape stood out. To the audience, it was perfectly visible: a powerful red dragon of colossal size!
And facing this powerful GM, now restricted in his powers, we find a classic not to be underestimated: an ancient dragon with formidable power!
This is Fashmaug the Rancorous, removed from the game many versions ago, for some technical reasons... We finally have the opportunity to reuse him a little, in a fight that will also delight this hateful being!
Yes, you have here an S-rank duel!
Without further ado, let''s see the statistics of our two competitors and trigger this confrontation at the top!
!
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Fallen GM (Magician [adapted]), Level 92 [Rank S]
Name: [?]
Race: [Fallen GM]
Class: Magician [Rank S]; Level 92
Hit points (HP): 2054/2054
Energy Points (EP): 531.392/531.392
Vigor: 1104/1104
Armor: 6/6
<u>Abilities:</u>
Strength: 12
Agility: 12
Stamina: 12
Intelligence: 76
Mana: 76
Armor: 6
<u>Description</u>: Once at the top of the food chain, this wretched creature has failed to meet the financial targets outlined in the latest circular and has failed to convince the productivity committee to simply reassign him to a lesser position.
<u>Attributes (2)</u>:
Administrator (Supernatural Modifier) ??Has additional rights in manipulating the System.
Revoked (Supernatural Modifier) This individual''s rights over the System have been revoked by the combined power of the internal regulations and an “L” rank committee. Some skills will also be restricted or blocked.
<u>Skills</u><u> (15):</u>
Flight (Levitation) [S] (Natural Power) Allows you to float in the air. Consumes 1 Energy per hour. [Triples consumption if heavily charged.]
Telekinesis (B) (Magical Power) Allows you to manipulate objects from a distance by giving them a direction. [Weight, distance and speed vary according to the rank of the skill and the additional Energy spent.]
Amplification (A) (Supernatural Power) (Triples the effects of a skill for 25% of maximum Energy points)
Magical Armor (A) (Magical Power) Generates magical armor of 40. The armor can also block intangible blows. Consumes 50 Energy per minute and each blocked blow consumes 1 Energy point per ten blocked damage. The level is adjustable. [F=3 for 5/min, E=5 for 10/min, D=10 for 15/min, C=20 for 30/min, B=30 for 40/min, A=40 for 50/min] [It is possible to affix the armor to a target of your choice, but the caster pays the cost.]
Magic Shield (A) (Magic Power) Quickly generates a barrier that absorbs magical attacks and physical attacks. The shield absorbs magical attacks and rapid physical attacks by draining the user''s Energy points at a rate of 5 Energy points for 1 point of raw damage. All forms of the user''s Energy regeneration are also blocked for one minute.
Counterspell (S) (Magic Power) Allows you to dispel a magical power of equal or lower level that you notice being cast, by paying its Energy cost. You can also reflect it back for triple the Energy required to dispel the power. If you also know this power, the counterspell cost will be halved for dispel and will not be tripled for reflect.
By doubling the final cost, it is possible to counter a higher-level power.
Destructive Ray (S) [Magical Power] [Magical Energy] [Projects a ray of destructive energy: inflicts damage and applies the attribute of an energy (a basic magical energy will add 1d6 damage per rank)] [<u>Additional damage</u> (optional for a tripled cost in Energy and a cooldown of 5 minutes per rank): (Mana x Intelligence) (Below the power rank “S”, the maximum additional damage cannot exceed the maximum normal damage.)]
<u>Consumption</u>: F=25 Energy; E=50 Energy; D=700 Energy; C=9.000 Energy; B= 30.000 Energy; A=125.000 Energy; S=300.000 Energy
[<u>Damage</u>] (base attribute “magic”) [F=1 to 6; E=1 to 20; D=1 to 100+50; C=3 to 300+100; B=5 to 500+200; A=7 to 700+300; S=10 to 1000+500]
Magic Projectiles (S) (Magic Power) [Magic] Projects a random number of magic projectiles at the chosen targets and automatically hits them. Consumes 2 Energy points per projectile] [S= 10 to 200 projectiles]
Protection against projectiles (S) (Magic Power) Automatically reflects magical or physical projectiles that would hit you. Costs 1 additional Energy point per ten points of damage (min 0). Cannot block projectiles of rank equal to or lower than the skill. [Physical projectiles of rank F remain blockable.]. Costs 10 Energy points per rank and per minute to maintain. [Note: Below rank A, does not reflect projectiles but repels them]
Spell Reflection (S) (Magical Power) Allows you to automatically reflect a magical power of equal or lower level targeting you. The cost of the reflection is equal to twice the Energy used to send (or reflect) the spell. Maintaining “Spell Reflection” costs 10 Energy points per Hour, minus 1 per rank of the skill above F.
Total Invisibility (S) [Magical Power] Allows you to make the target (personal, voluntary ally or object) disappear from sight, consuming 10 Energy per hour. [If the target is an object, it is possible to imbue it in advance with the amount of Energy corresponding to the desired duration. With the exception of disruptive abilities and circumstances, only the caster can cancel the current invisibility.] [A voluntary ally target can break the invisibility of their own free will.].
Quick Incantations (S) [Magic Power] Allows you to cast magical powers more quickly, in cases where they should not be able to be cast simultaneously. Rank “F” allows you to cast two powers simultaneously and each additional rank increases this number by 1. [It is impossible to use most of the power options in this case.]
Additional energy cost of additional powers compared to the cost multiplier of the previous one: [F= x10; E= x9; D= x8; C= x7; B= x6; A= x5; S= x4]
Teleportation (SSS) (Magic Power) [Restricted] Allows you to move instantly. The cost is multiplied by the number of people (or equivalent targets) moved. Energy cost: 20/meter (max 300,000AU[1]</a>, cooldown 1s/100meter).
Magical Healing (L) (Magical Power) [Restricted to S] [Allows you to convert Energy Points to heal Hit Points] [Energy/Hit Points (max at one time): F=5/1; E=5/1to20; D=10/2to40 (Max 20 Energy); C=100/1to100+10 (Max 200 Energy); B=1000/5to500+100 (Max 2000 Energy); A=10,000/10to100+1000 (Max 20,000 Energy); S=100,000/20to2000+2000 (Max 200,000 Energy); SS=500,000/10to1000+5000 (Max 2,000,000 Energy); SSS=1,000,000/10to1000+10,000 (max 10,000,000 Energy); L=1,000,000/full restoration (unlimited)] (Usable at a lower rank) [Using healing requires concentration.]
Repair (S) (Magic Power) Allows you to repair equipment and buildings of varying levels from the Repair System, for a variable cost.
<u>Class Skills</u><u> (10):</u>
General Grimoire (S) [Restricted] [Magical power, stores secondary magical skills, you can learn more, mainly by deciphering other grimoires]
Quick Thinking (C) [Magical Power] Allows you to speed up your thinking. It costs 10 Energy to activate. The power always starts at rank F, but at the end of the duration the user has the choice to extend it by moving to the next rank. After ending, this power has a cooldown of one hour. [F=6 seconds; E= +54 seconds/20 Energy; D=+9 minutes/50 Energy; C=+20minutes/200Energy.]
Administrator Access (L) [Supernatural Power] [Revoked] (Access to an unlimited source of Energy. Access to documentation according to the accreditation level. Access to System controls according to the accreditation level.)
The All-Seeing Eye (S) (Supernatural Power, Magical Power, [Fusion])) Resulting from the combination of “Observation”, “Analysis”, “Evaluation” and “Identification”, this ability groups these skills together passively. Actively, it is possible to spend Energy to observe targets from a distance, passing through all means of protection of lower or equal rank.
Overpower (S) [Supernatural Power] (Reduces a cooldown to 0. Sets an ability (greater than 10) to 1 for the remaining time of the cooldown (All effects affecting it are also temporarily reduced, except those coming from equipment). This skill has a cooldown equivalent to (rank x cooldown) (this cooldown cannot be modified). [The rank of this skill is fixed and always equals the rank of its user.]
Trap Construction (S) (Magical Power) [Revoked] Allows you to generate traps of varying levels from the Trap System, for a variable cost.
Charm (S) [Magical Power, takes control of the actions of a living target, transforming them into a servant. It is impossible to give a directly suicidal order or to personally perform an action visibly hostile towards the target.] [Costs 10 Energy Points to activate, then 1 Point per minute to maintain. It is possible to consume up to 10 additional points to strengthen control against a recalcitrant target.] [Each point of Intelligence above the target increases the chance of success, each point of Intelligence below decreases the chance of success. The hidden characteristic “Charisma” increases the chance of success.] [Each additional target costs double the previous one for all Energy expenditures.]
Pathfinder (S) (Magical Power) (Passive) [Revoked] Allows you to analyze traces of passage or determine a path to your destination.
Mana Absorption (S) (Magical Power) Allows you to siphon an object to absorb its magic as Energy. Starting at rank C, it is possible to also absorb the Energy of a living target, but the latter can resist it and cause a counter-attack. Starting at rank S, it is possible to absorb an amount of Energy greater than your maximum total.
Summon (S) [General] (Magical Power) [Restricted] Allows you to make an object, building, or creature appear, in partial or complete form depending on the skill. […]
Having a specific sub-skill for the type of summon increases the probability of success. [New categories of summons can be unlocked through training or a skill book, allowing them to be added to this skill.]
<u>SPECIALIZATION:</u>
Management Specialization => [Unknown bonus]
<u>ACTIVE EQUIPMENT:</u>
Babelfish (S) [Gives access to the “Universal Translator” skill] [Implant]
SECURA-01 (S) [unknown bonus] [Implant]
<u>Hidden Trait (1):</u>
? (Missing data)
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!
!
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Red Dragon (Ancient), Level 98 [Rank S]
Name: Fashmaug the Rancorous
Race: [Red Dragon]
Class: ? [Rank S]; Level 98
Hit points (HP): 8552/8552
Energy Points (EP): 47.334/47.334
Vigor: 7252/7252
Armor: 76/76
<u>Abilities:</u>
Strength: 112
Agility: 11
Stamina: 74
Intelligence: 21
Mana: 23
Armor: 76
Perception: 106
<u>Description</u>: Of all the dragons, the red ones are considered the most classic. They breathe fire and become more and more fearsome with age. As proud as they are greedy and violent, they do not appreciate those who disdain them under the pretext of being “classic” and will prove with fire and blood that the classics are still the best... then they will steal the treasures of their victims...
<u>Attributes (2)</u>:
Dragon (Natural Modifier) ??Dragons automatically change rank as they age. If they don’t have enough XP, they gain enough to reach the minimum of their age rank. Some of dragons’ natural abilities evolve in the same way. Dragons have a different class system based on age: adding a class to it only gives them a wider range of abilities. [Starting Rank: E, Starting Level: 5]
Innate Property (Natural Modifier) ??[Fire] The creature is considered imbued with the Fire property. It does not have the ability to imbue its attacks with this property.
<u>Skills</u><u> (15):</u>
Scale Armor [S] [Passive Natural Ability, +70 Armor, +300 HP]
Fly (Wings) [D] [Natural Ability] (1 Vigor per minute) [Triples consumption if heavily laden.]
Fire Breath [S] [Natural Power] [Fire] [inflicts damage and applies the attribute of a fire energy]
<u>Cooldown</u> [Usable at different levels: the last level used determines the cooldown.] [F=1 minute; E=30 seconds; D=2 minutes; C=3 minutes; B=5mn; A=10mn; S=15mn
<u>Consumption</u>: at levels F and E, costs as much Vigor as a regular action. D=10% Max Vigor, C=25% Max Vigor, B=30% Max Vigor, A=50% Max Vigor, S=60% Max Vigor.
<u>“Regulated Breath” option</u>: for ranks D to S, 1 chance in 6 to reimburse 50% of the cost in Vigor. <u>BUT</u> then increases the chances of dodge of the targets by 5% per rank of the ability. [<u>Damage</u>] (attribute “fire”) [F=1 to 20; E=1 to 20; D=1 to 100+10; C=3 to 300+20; B=5 to 500+30; A=7 to 700+40; S=10 to 1000+100]
[<u>Additional damage</u> (optional for a doubled cost in Vigor and a doubled cooldown to which is added 1 minute per rank beyond F): (Mana x Endurance)]
Perfect Memory (banned skill) [L] (natural power) Makes you immune to lower-rank psychic powers. Allows you to have a perfect memory. From rank S, makes you immune to memory erasures and XP loss. [Passive: increases intelligence by 1 point per rank. (+10)]
Polyglot (S) (Supernatural power) [Universal translation and decryption of most codes, for the most complex ones, it’s only being facilitated.]
Diving attack (air) [F] (Natural power) Allows you to chain two quick attacks after an aerial dive.
Locate object [S] (Magical power) [posture] Allows you to visualize and locate a specific object. Passes through protections of lower or equal rank, depending on the compared power of will.
Perception (SS) (Supernatural power) [Passive] Allows you to detect presences around you. [Many parameters can affect the mastery of this skill…]. It is possible to use this skill actively by spending 1 Energy OR Vigor per second (depending on the mastery of the skill) to increase the detection capacity, in precision and/or distance. [Increases the “Perception” characteristic by 10 per rank (+80).]
Perfect Vision (S) (Supernatural Power) Allows you to see better and further, including in low light conditions. Allows you to zoom in on a point of interest. Night vision added. +15 to the chance to hit. Allows you to see certain data from the System.
Sixth Sense (D) (Supernatural Power) [+10% to detect nearby invisible or camouflaged enemies, +1 Intelligence] [+20 Perception]
Superior Strength (C) (Natural Power) [Passive] [Your Strength is permanently increased by 20]
Rapid Regeneration (A) (Supernatural Power) (You regain 30 additional Health Points per hour. Or accelerate your regeneration by consuming 30 Energy Points per 10 seconds or 300 Vigor Points per 10 seconds to regain 30 Health Points per 10 seconds) [A wound by fire or acid blocks this skill for one minute per point of damage.]
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Decryption [C] (Natural Power) Increases intuition to decipher a riddle or an unknown document.
Evaluation (S) (Supernatural Power) Allows you to understand the value of an object or material and to evaluate the price that can be obtained from it on the chosen markets. [Evaluation can suggest uses for the target being evaluated.]
Identification (S) (Supernatural Power) Allows you to discover the properties of a target, in particular the uses that can be made of it. [Identification can allow you to discover part of the history of the identified target.]
<u>Class Skills</u><u> (10):</u>
General Grimoire (S) [Restricted] [Magical
Intimidate (S) (Supernatural Power) Worries enemies. Targets below S rank may faint. Targets below B rank may die… [Costs 5000 Vigor per use]
Magic Attack (S) (Magic Power) [Uses X Energy points to replace up to X damage points from your attack (if successful) with magic-type damage. [Maximum of X: S=no limit] [Possibility to add an available property to the magic damage type for double the Energy cost.] [Available properties: Fire, Psy.]
Damage Reflection (S) (Magic Power) Allows you to reflect part of the damage (and effects) received to the attacker for a number of Energy points equal to the TOTAL damage received by this blow. This reflection is considered a homing attack. The skill can only be used every [F=1mn; E=10mn; D=30mn; C=1H; B=8H; A=12H; S=24H]. The damage reflected corresponds to [F=1%; E=10%; D=25%; C=50%; B=75%; A=100%; S=110%]. If you use the skill at a lower level, its cooldown is independent of other skill levels already used.
Hardening (A) (Supernatural Power) Temporarily increases armor. Consumes Vigor per minute. Level is adjustable. [F=3 for 10/min, E=5 for 15/min, D=10 for 20/min, C=20 for 30/min, B=30 for 40/min, A=40 for 50/min]
Damage Reduction (S) (Supernatural Power) [A portion of the damage (max 30) taken is removed from Vigor instead of Vitality.]
Second Wind (A) (Supernatural Power) (You regain 5 Vigor Points per level every 10 seconds.) [Max +50]
Conversion (B) (Supernatural Power) Allows you to use Life, Energy or Vigor Points instead of Energy or Vigor points. Exchange rate 6 to get 1. The maximum that can be obtained in one go is 400.
Protection against scrying (S) (Magical Power) Protects the user against all types of magical or supernatural scrying. The probability of success depends on the skill rank, opposing will and concentration.
The protection lasts 24 Hours and its renewal is automatically proposed. The cost of the protection is 10 Energy. It is possible to divide the cost per hour, but in this case the renewal is not proposed.
Parry & Counter (S) (Supernatural Power, [Fusion]) Resulting from the combination of “Parry” and “Counter”. [Obtain a 70% chance of parrying an attack (including magical) at the cost of 500 Vigor points. The higher the enemy''s Agility is compared to yours, the more the percentage will decrease.] [If you successfully counter a magical attack, immediately spend as many Vigor points as the raw damage normally received. If you do not have enough Vigor, do not spend any and receive the attack. [Modification: The skill owner''s System manipulation allows him to face magical attacks without spending more Vigor.]]
(It is possible to use it at a lower level)
[Passive] [Gain a 40% chance to reflect an attack if successfully parried.] [Gives a 7% chance to automatically parry]
Domination (A) [Magical Power, takes control of the actions of a living target, transforming them into a servant. It is impossible to give a directly suicidal order or to personally perform an action visibly hostile towards the target.] [Costs 10 Energy Points to activate, then 1 Point per minute to maintain. It is possible to consume up to 10 additional points to strengthen control against a recalcitrant target.] [Each point of Intelligence above the target increases the chance of success, each point of Intelligence below decreases the chance of success. The hidden characteristic “Charisma” increases the chance of success.] [Each additional target costs double the previous one for all Energy expenditures.]
<u>SPECIALIZATION:</u>
Vengeance Specialization => [Doubles damage against a designated hated enemy. Cannot reassign a new enemy for 24H]
<u>ACTIVE EQUIPMENT:</u>
-
<u>Hidden Trait (1):</u>
Draconic Obsession (Dragons are immune to any mental effects that distract them from their objective or treasure.)
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!
Fashmaug the Rancorous did not move as the mist cleared and his opponent appeared. Centuries of fighting the System had made him cautious.
However, upon hearing the announcer’s words, he could not prevent what looked like a ferocious smile from appearing on his draconic features. He now looked at the small, hated creature before him. He opened his wide maw and sneered:
“MISERABLE CREATURE! YOU WILL PAY FOR ALL THE OTHERS! MAY YOUR ATROCIOUS DEATH BE FOR THEM AN EXAMPLE OF THEIR FUTURE FATE!”
Lifting his head, he roared so powerfully that the ground shook. All who knew the draconic tongue could hear the curses he poured out against the GMs and all their hated kin.
He might still be a prisoner, and probably for a long time to come, but this distraction was a real gift from his enemies. He appreciated it very much and would thank them to their faces, the day he tore out their entrails.
The ancient dragon turned his attention to his victim. The fight was about to begin!
The fallen GM grimaced. There was no way to talk his way out of here.
He turned his full attention to the monster in front of him. No fear troubled him: the wretched creature would soon see the difference between a mere monster and a Game Master!
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Skill “Quick Thinking [F]” used by [?] [S]
Consumption of 10 Energy points. Duration 6 seconds.
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His thoughts quickened, allowing him to calmly prepare his strategy for victory. First, analyze the opponent.
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Skill “The All-Seeing Eye [S]” used by [?] [S] on Ancient Dragon
The active skill “Protection from Scrying [S]” has successfully canceled your attempt.
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“Damned,” he thought quickly, “this monster has protections. Given the level of pride of the dragons, there is no point in using the additional options of the power to try to force his barrier: he would surely resist it…”
However, Fashmaug was a known boss. Even though he had been retired for a long time, his former stats were still known. His life could be estimated at something like… 8000 Hit Points, probably. Might as well finish him quickly.
Observing his own skill list, he began to list those that would not be useful to him. He might as well forget about the “revoked” ones, since they were considered linked to his former status as GM. Some had also been restricted for the same reasons, but he could still use them to a certain extent.
“Summon” probably wouldn’t be very useful in its limited form. Usually, he could make all sorts of objects, creatures and buildings appear, quickly building any dungeon, but in the current state of the skill, he could probably only summon a random creature. However, from memory, Fashmaug had a skill similar to “Charm”. If the summoned creature was able to be useful, the fight would turn into a duel for the mental domination of the unfortunate summoned… and he wasn’t sure he could win such a duel against the will of a dragon.
Similarly, the “Charm” skill wouldn’t be useful to him. First, because a dragon of his level, with his hidden trait of draconic obsession, could easily resist it. Second, because having a similar skill would further increase the difficulty.
“The All-Seeing Eye” had just proven its ineffectiveness against the monster’s anti-scrutiny skill. The “General Grimoire” notably allowed him to access the entire range of S-rank spells, but in its restricted form, it would only allow him a few small sleights of hand (like deflecting the course of his destructive ray, for example, or giving it a more stylish shape…). “Repair” was useless without equipment to repair.
Normally, “Total Invisibility” would have given him an advantage beyond measure. However, dragons generally developed the skill “Perception”, when they were not simply born with it. From what he remembered, Fashmaug''s skill “Perception” was particularly high for a dragon, completely removing any advantage to being invisible.
“Protection against projectiles” was also useless, except in the unlikely case where the dragon had a power generating projectiles. The terrain, sandy and devoid of obstacles, did not offer him the possibility of throwing rocks, for example with a powerful blow of his tail.
Finally, “Telekinesis” would probably not be very useful, for lack of things to manipulate... Or perhaps he could create a screen using sand? No: the dragon''s “Perception” would make this subterfuge useless. “Flight” wouldn’t be much use either, unless he was looking for an aerial duel, but he was used to levitating in the air and had triggered that ability as soon as he arrived at the arena. It cost him next to nothing anyway, and it was better than walking on… ugh… sand! It stuck to your fur and is a pain to clean up; at least it was one less distraction.
“Well,” he thought as he pointed his finger at the enemy, “this won’t last long anyway. I’ll finish this quickly with a destructive ray. I’ll use “amplification” to triple its damage, which will cost me one hundred and thirty-two thousand eight hundred and forty-eight Energy points. I’ll have enough left to fire a category S or A ray. A is a better choice because by tripling the cost, I could add my additional damage bonus which is five thousand seven hundred and seventy-six. So, I would do raw damage of 927 to 3036, to which will be added the five thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, which being optional are not multiplied. That''s a minimum damage of 6703 and a maximum of 8812. That shouldn''t be enough for a one-shot, except with luck... Knowing that the enemy''s Agility is probably not high, there''s no chance he can dodge a magic ray... With an average of 7757 damage points and considering that the enemy has around 8000, that''ll be a little over 300 to eliminate if the enemy survives. In this case, a new “D” rank beam using the damage bonus, which will be reduced to… 168… with an average of random damage at… 109, or 277… And I would then have… 2533 Energy points left… It’s risky, but the enemy should be shaken enough to allow me to successfully use “Mana Absorption”, which should allow me to pick up enough… I could also just use “Quick Incantations” with the “Destructive Beam”? No: this option wouldn’t allow me to use the damage bonus and its profitability would be… meh… Bad. Come on: Let’s get this over with!”
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Skill “Amplification [A]” used by [?] [S]
Consumption of 132.848 Energy points.
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Skill “Destructive Ray [A]” used by [?] [S] on Ancient Dragon [S]
Option “additional damage” chosen: cost multiplied by 3
The skill is affected by “Amplification”
Consumption of 375.000 Energy points.
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From the fallen GM''s finger, a gigantic beam of energy was generated, growing to be three times larger than its caster. For a moment, it was no longer possible to see the target due to the intense brightness of the magic beam.
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Skill “Damage Reflection [S]” used by Fashmaug the Rancorous [S]
Consumption of 7723 Energy points, cooldown 24 Hours
Reflects 8495 damage (magical).
“Hated Enemy” increases damage to 16.990.
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All the hairs on the former GM’s body stood on, which was equivalent to an extreme paling, quite understandable as he saw the powerful ray coming back towards him. No time to teleport. Generating magic armor would be useless against such a sum of power: his only solution was the magic shield, but it would require 42.475 Energy points to absorb such a quantity of magic and he only had 23.533 left! The attack was still of a magical nature and, moreover, “Damage Reflection” was also a magical power type skill: he could therefore face it like a normal spell. “Counterspell” would be useless because the spell was already cast… But “Spell Reflection” could work. Of course, normally, he wouldn’t have time. However, one of the hidden bonuses of “Quick Incantations” was the ability to cast any magical power more quickly, at no additional cost.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
The duration of the skill “Quick Thinking [F]” has ended.
Do you wish to extend it?
Yes/No
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
A simple quick thought allowed him to approve this essential extension.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Quick Thinking [E]” used by [?] [S]
Consumption of 20 Energy points. Duration 54 seconds.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Spell Reflection [S]” used by [?] [S]
Consumption of 4 Energy points.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
The attack [???] emitted by Ancient Dragon [S] is reflected by the skill “Spell Reflection [S]” active on [?] [S]
Consumption of 15.446 Energy points.
Reflects 16.990 points of damage (magic)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
As it was about to reach the little furry creature, the ray went back in the other direction, as if having hit an invisible wall.
Fashmaug grimaced as the beam came back at him. He had survived enough fights to recognize a finishing move when he saw one, and he knew how to use the quintessence of his gifts to disappoint his opponents’ expectations. However, he hated to owe his survival to a risky gamble.
He could have taken the first attack and still had enough hit points to hope to come out on top: after such a display of power, the enemy mage probably didn’t have much Energy left. However, once reflected and multiplied by the effects of his specialization, the powerful attack now came back at him, absolutely deadly.
Of course, he still had a good chance of surviving and even a chance of winning in one hit.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Parry&Counter [S]” used by Fashmaug the Rancorous [S]
Consumption of 500 Vigor points.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
With a defiant roar, the dragon made a sudden movement of its paw that swept the beam away, sending it crashing into the invisible dome that protected the spectators in the bleachers.
The dome shook a little under the force of the shock, but it was mostly a dramatic effect, because it was very solid.
“Damn,” thought the dragon, “the automatic activation didn’t happen and I had to use a bit of my strength… Oh, and then I couldn’t send that damned death ray back at him… Well, I have plenty of other ways to kill him in reserve!”
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
[?] [Fallen GM] Level 92
Hit Points (HP): 2054/2054
Energy Points (EP): 8063/531.392
Vigor: 1104/1104
Armor: 6/6
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Fashmaug the Rancorous [Ancient Red Dragon] Level 98
Hit Points (HP): 8552/8552
Energy Points (EP): 39.611/47.334
Vigor: 6752/7252
Armor: 76/76
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Well, what a fierce fight, right from the start. It was close, but the end could have come in those first seconds! But, isn''t one of our competitors in a bad position now?
Fashmaug raised his head in joyful fury:
“IT’S MY TURN NOW!”
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Conversion [B]” used by Fashmaug the Rancorous [S]
2400 Energy points are converted into 400 Vigor points.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The dragon rose abruptly into the air, carried by his powerful wings, before diving down at high speed and sweeping the ground with his claws in two powerful attacks. It had lasted the time of a blink of an eye…
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Teleportation [SSS]” used by [?] [S]
Consumption of 200 Energy points (10 meters).
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The former GM, deprived of his name, looked with a certain disdain at the dragon that had just landed in a whirlwind of sand at his former location.
“An attack at that speed, I have no trouble dodging it!”
He reached out towards the enemy form and concentrated on recovering his only chance of victory:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Mana Absorption [S]” used by [?] [S] on Ancient Dragon [S]
The skill has been adapted to be used on a living being.
The skill can be countered with a risk of backlash!
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Success: 18% of the target''s Energy has been absorbed!
6697 Energy Points have been obtained!
A tiny amount of Energy has been lost in the ether...
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
“DAMNED THIEF!” roared the dragon. “YOUR DEATH IS COMING SOON!”
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
[?] [Fallen GM] Level 92
Hit Points (HP): 2054/2054
Energy Points (EP): 14.560/531.392
Vigor: 1104/1104
Armor: 6/6
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Fashmaug the Rancorous [Ancient Red Dragon] Level 98
Hit Points (HP): 8552/8552
Energy Points (EP): 30.513/47.334
Vigor: 7248/7252
Armor: 76/76
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The smaller of the two competitors considered his options.
First of all, the enemy seemed to have the skill “Parry & Counter” at a high level. It was therefore necessary to avoid single attacks and focus on multiplying attacks. Each use of “Parry & Counter” cost a lot of Vigor and, if the dragon decided to use it at a lower rank to reduce this loss, it would be much less effective and more attacks would succeed.
The former GM was not used to fighting without an unlimited supply of magic: he had to consider other methods than the usual ones and rely on spells of lesser power. For example, with “Quick Incantations”, he could fire four “Destructive Rays” of rank E for 4250[2]</a> Energy points and a miserable total of 8 to 104 damage points. But by using the almost forgotten skill of “magic projectiles”, he could activate it four times for 1280 to 25600 Energy points for a total of 40 to 800 points of damage, but the expenditure could exceed his current total Energy. He could also be more cautious and limit the additional cost in Energy by activating it three times for 320 to 6400 Energy points, for a total of 30 to 600 points of damage… Knowing that he was not certain of being able to successfully recover Energy again, this option was the most reliable.
Of course, this strategy would be reduced to nothing in the case where the enemy had magic armor or a magic resistance higher than 1, this value corresponding to the fixed magic damage inflicted by each projectile. However, from what he knew of the dragon’s “build”, he seemed to rely more on his ability to physically deflect magical attacks. It was effective against single, powerful attacks, but it wouldn’t be able to do anything against weak multiple attacks, except for taking them with his vitality…
The dragon let out a ferocious roar, pulling back his long neck as if he were gathering momentum to spit something out. He was clearly preparing to launch an area attack. If he teleported, the dragon would immediately spot his new location thanks to his heightened perception and simply change the target of his attack. It would be faster than physical movement and probably impossible to dodge with this technique…
But it could probably resist it.
He waved his hand in the air, then forward. Multiple bright stars, oscillating in color between purple and blue, dotted the space above his head, then transformed into streaks of light plunging towards the enemy in curved trajectories. At the same time, the dragon''s neck suddenly projected forward and a torrent of fire gushed out, covering the ground in front of him with an infernal blaze.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Magic Projectiles [S]” used by [?] [S] on Ancient Dragon [S]
Consumption of 218 Energy points for 109 projectiles.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Magic Projectiles [S]” used by [?] [S] on Ancient Dragon [S]
Consumption of 736 Energy points for 92 projectiles.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Magic Projectiles [S]” used by [?] [S] on Ancient Dragon [S]
Consumption of 3968 Energy points for 124 projectiles.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Fire Breath [A]” used by Fashmaug the Rancorous [S]
Option “additional damage” chosen: cost multiplied by 2 and cooldown doubled then increased by 6 minutes
Consumption of 7252 Energy points, cooldown of 36mn
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Fashmaug gritted his teeth as his body trembled under the pounding of hundreds of tiny projectiles. His reflexes, conditioned by his skills, made his paws move at a prodigious speed and he sent back several clouds of projectiles, some of them towards the sender. His 7% chance of automatic parry had a high probability of activating against such a number of attacks.
He nevertheless noted that he had taken 273 points of damage. His Vigor having fallen to zero, he had not been able to use “damage reduction” to take some of it, and the magical nature of the projectiles ignored his natural armor. But such damage was a pittance against the force of nature that he was... Just 3.2% of his vitality...
He was still in quite a bit of pain, but he preferred to avoid thinking about it too much, knowing that part of his thoughts was being transcribed to the spectators.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
DANGER!
Your Vigor is at 0!
Temporary penalty:
Inability to move
Inability to attack
Inability to dodge
Damage taken multiplied by 2
All types of regeneration divided by 2
These penalties will persist as long as you remain below 10 Vigor points!
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Oh yeah, that was annoying. Using “Conversion” would be less profitable while he was in this state. However, in ten seconds, his diminished regeneration would have restored 25 points of Vigor and he would be freed from this state… Still, it was lucky that the effect of the loss of vigor had triggered after he had taken the damage: otherwise, he would have lost 6% of his life and not 3%…
He turned his attention back to the smoke rising from the vitrified sand. With the doubling of damage brought by his specialization, it was unlikely that his target was still alive. The fact that the result had not yet been announced meant nothing: GMs loved to leave suspense…
As the flames covered the horizon, the nameless being took the most of the advantages that “fast thinking” gave him. He calculated the time it would take for the flames to reach him and the time between his last spell and the moment when he could cast another without it being counted in his “quick incantations” extra costs. Thanks to this, by the time the flames reached him, he was able to project his “magic shield” without incurring any extra Energy costs. Unfortunately, it was not possible to use teleportation in this short period of time…
What was particularly annoying about the dragon breath was that it was a “natural” skill and not a “magical” one, which limited the options he had to protect himself from it.
The heat was scorching and, on its own, would have been enough to kill a creature not adapted to the System. Many metals would melt instantly, and if he had equipment, he would have to fear for its integrity. In this case, his fur was linked to his hit points: as long as they were not attacked, it was safe…
In front of his outstretched hand, a transparent bubble of luminous blue unfolded, surrounding the mage with its protective globe.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Skill “Magic Shield [A]” used by [?] [S]
4082 raw damage points encountered.
1927 damage points were absorbed in return of 9635 Energy points
Any form of Energy regeneration of [?] [S] will be blocked for 1 minute
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
As the fire and fury dissipated, the scene became clear to the audience again:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
[?] [Fallen GM] Level 92
Hit Points (HP): -95/2054
Energy Points (EP): 3/531.392
Vigor: 1104/1104
Armor: 6/6
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2379%">
Fashmaug the Rancorous [Ancient Red Dragon] Level 98
Hit Points (HP): 8279/8552
Energy Points (EP): 30.513/47.334
Vigor: 0/7252
Armor: 76/76
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Of the old GM, there remained only a small pile of ash that was scattered by about twenty magic projectiles that, falling from the sky, had been sent back by the dragon.
The dragon raised its head towards the sky, roared:
“VICTORY! THIS IS THE FATE I WILL MAKE YOU ALL SUFFER! TO ALL THE GMs, BUT ALSO TO YOU, THE SPECTATORS! I WILL BURN YOU! THEN I WILL BURN THE UNIVERSE! BURN!”
And so, we have a winner, who loudly expresses it, and a loser.
Yes, all the experience and power of this GM was not enough… or perhaps worked against him… If he had had a hundred more hit points, or five hundred more Energy points, who knows if he could not have pulled himself together, taking advantage of his opponent’s temporary weakness?
He could have absorbed his Energy more efficiently, to replenish his reserve, using his “Overpower” skill to reduce the waiting time generated by his shield to zero...
Similarly, the attack at the beginning would have probably killed one or the other of the fighters instantly, or put him close to death, if it had hit...
Battles are always a field where skill alone is not enough and where sometimes, luck determines the end... Although it is preferable to also have the skill to correctly steer the result, of course: let us not deny the incredible talents of our irascible winner.
We leave you now, and this arena closes its doors for good...
A final message from our directors, intended for those of our employees among the spectators: meet the profitability objectives!
<hr>
[1]</a> 1AU= 149.597.870.700m
[2]</a> He probably didn''t make a mistake in his calculations but I''m NOT going to recalculate all that AGAIN! (For my sanity ^^)