《Outrage of the Ancients》 Prolog: The Ancients Wake Hill of Allen, Ireland There were few things stranger than seeing a grown man in full plate armor sucking his thumb to uncover the secrets of the universe. In fact, any grown man sucking his thumb was a strange sight. However, in this particular situation, there was a reason behind it. The strange blue box that had woken him from his centuries-long sleep and was currently hovering in front of his face.
Warning, the System has descended! Over the course of the next year, the world will have to face seven challenges, the last of which will be the opening of this world to the enlightened universe. The First Challenge, [The Beasts of Legend], has already begun, and will ramp up over the next several days. The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], will begin in five days. Time remaining: 4:23:59:17
Fionn Mac Cumail was no stranger to magic, but this kind of thing was a first for him. This System was strange, beyond even his ability to truly understand. In his youth, hed eaten the Salmon of Wisdom, a mystical being that supposedly contained all the knowledge in the world, and would transfer it to whoever ate it. In fact, it just contained most of the magic and knowledge in the world. Also, hed first eaten the salmon by sucking some hot fat off his thumb when hed burned himself during the cooking process, which meant that he had to suck his thumb to access the ability. That always looked real mature when people saw it happen without the proper context. But that wasnt the point, now was it? No, the point was that his knowledge of the world told him a lot about the current state of things, how it had fundamentally changed since his day, and how much chaos the System was already wreaking. But he couldnt see the System directly, not in any measure. He might be able to see its effects upon the population and the havoc it was already wreaking a scant five minutes after it had appeared, yet the thing itself was frustratingly evasive. He shifted his thumb around to the point where it was barely hanging out of the right side of his mouth, giving the impression of him chewing his nail instead of, well, sucking his thumb. It still didnt exactly look very mature either, but at least it wasnt him sucking his thumb while walking into battle. It also made it a lot easier to free his thumb in a pinch and use both hands to fight. Whats going on out there? Are you telling me we might actually have something to fear up there? Goll mac Morna complained. Loudly. He was loyal, but between his hotheadedness and general demeanor, youd never realize it just by watching him. Its complicated, Fionn shrugged. If you want, youre free to head out and start fighting monsters, but a good plan will take a while. And off the man went. Im going after him, Caoilte mac Rnin sighed. Call me when you know what you want to do. Caoilte was Fionns strong right hand and played peacekeeper when needed. Or nanny. Which was required a lot more often than really it should be, considering that they were all seasoned warriors whod been legends even during their lifetime. And then, there were three. Him, his son Oisin, and Conn mac Morna. Do you know what you want to bring? Conn asked. Hed already been gathering supplies but now, hed apparently hit the limit of the obvious picks, like food, camping supplies, and clothing. Bring some of the flashier treasures, Fionn ordered. Well need them. Hed been aware of the true size of the world ever since his fateful meal, but today was the first time hed paid attention to more than just Europe and Greenland. People really had colonized the entire world, including deserts and, to a small degree, even the vast icy planes at the poles that hed have sworn were impossible to inhabit for more than a few days without freezing to death. Machines that created heat on a scale unimaginable in his day, machines to create cold, machines to create lightning itself. Self-powered carriages, machines to conquer the skies, weapons that rivaled the powers of some of the deadliest monsters hed ever faced but were built by the hands of men. Not to mention that the average person had access to almost as much information as he did, being able to access it from a small handheld device that most Europeans were never without. In fact, the biggest barrier to finding a given piece of knowledge wasnt the search, but the fact that there was so much information available that one practically needed to know that particular piece of knowledge existed in the first place. And yet, they were losing, being pushed back on virtually every front. As mighty as humanity had grown, it wasnt prepared for the appearance of beasts in any place where animals had once existed, behind walls, inside fortifications, and everywhere else. But he wasnt the only one whod risen to combat this cataclysm. There were others whose lives had not ended but rather been suspended until the time was right. Hed just never known before now because hed been the first. He rose to his feet and turned, the motion sending his cloak swinging around behind him. This world is in danger, and without help, either monsters will destroy it, or humanity will do it out of sheer spite. One more fight, legendary beyond anything weve done before. And then well have more options than ever before! It was an extraordinarily grand speech to be held in front of just two people, but he wasnt one to seek a large audience for his own ego. The plan really was quite simple. As much as the world had changed, humans were still the same. The exact same. Stories and legends, larger-than-life existences to look up to, imagine oneself being, or aspire to become, that was what people loved. And that was what hed leverage. Theyd go out there as themselves, fight monsters, and be noticed. From then, hed choose the most influential individual from amongst those whod contact them, and with that, well, just keep going. Contact the others. Fight the waves that came next. And beat this System once and for all. Yet he could still hear the voice of the arcane interloper ringing in his ears. [Trait Registered: Thumb of Wisdom] [Class gained: Warlord of Magic and Legend] [Warlord of Magic and Legend Lv. 1] [Warlord of Magic and Legend Lv. 1 -> Warlord of Magic and Legend Lv. 57] [Skill gained: Warband Awareness] [Skill gained: Final Strike] [Spell Awarded: Shock] [Spell Awarded: Lightning Bolt] [Spell Awarded: Lightning Storm] [Spell Awarded: Lightning Cataclysm] [Skill gained: Eternal Arnament] [Skill gained: It didnt just give him countless small improvements to his body and mind that hed have taken a while to even notice without his thumb, oh no. He knew where every one of his people was, and what their status was, and if they needed help, and he could even cast countless spells without drawing on his gift. In fact, it even gave him knowledge of the four most commonly spoken modern languages, as well as granting him the ability to speak his native tongue as it was used nowadays, removing the issues over a millennium of linguistic drift would have doubtlessly caused. [Skill gained: Language Modernization] [Skill gained: Modern Langage Packet] He could have bypassed this using the Thumb of Wisdom, of course, but speaking with his thumb in his hand wasnt particularly conducive to making himself understood. So now that he had a decent overview of the current situation, it was time to act. Fionn Mac Cumail, national hero of Ireland, strode out into the twenty-first century amidst a storm of fire and blades to fight the monsters that were destroying the modern world. He, and six others whod risen from the past just like him, would duel the end of days, the very Apocalypse itself. And theyd win. *** Glastonbury Tor, England Dirt exploded away from the blond man as he climbed the stairs that dug themselves through the dirt, flickering ethereal flames lighting his way forward. Hed woken up completely healthy, despite his last memories before that having him mortally injured. Not to mention that his sword had been back at his side, despite it having wound up in the lake as to his latest recollection. Damn, convincing Bedivere to throw it in while on his deathbed had been a nightmare. But now, it was back. Back alongside an entirely new type of magic, which seemed all but designed to become a massive problem in the shortest possible amount of time. In other words, he could scarcely imagine a situation that needed intervention more. Nimue had said shed only release him in Englands greatest hour of need, so even if the voice hadnt been whispering in his ear, hed have known things were bad. [Class gained: King of Unity] [King of Unity Lv. 1] That had to be a joke, right? Unity? Hed fought against the warlords splitting up the England of his youth and created a grand kingdom, true, but then, hed lost it all. Lancelot and Guinevere, his throne, his men, the Knights of the Round Table and eventually, even his life. [King of Unity Lv. 1 -> King of Unity Lv. 43] [Skill gained: Swordbound] [Trait Registered: Soublbound Blade: Excalibur] [Trait Registered: Soublbound Dagger: Carnwennan] [Skill gained: Royal Proclamation] [Skill gained: Royal Constitution] [Skill gained: Grand Slash] [Skill gained: Army of One] [Skill gained: And on the voice went, describing his abilities as he received them. Hed have doubted his sanity normally or assumed some manner of magical creature was playing a prank on him, but he could feel the power he gained with every new line uttered. It was all phrased strangely, but the meaning was quite clear. A Class was something between a description and an outright title. A Trait was something about him already present and now received further explanation, and these Skills were spells of sorts that were cast upon him. Or could be cast by him. In some distant corner of his mind, part of him worried that using the power of this System to fight that very entity was a terrible idea, yet it had already affected him. His body was far stronger than it had ever been, and even should he refrain from casting any of these Skills himself, hed been changed. Arthur Pendragon took one final step before the wall in front of him outright disintegrated, leaving him blinking against the bright light of the sun. Hed emerged onto a low hill, looking out across a sea of grass, though it had several roads cut across it and there were quite a few people wearing strangely colorful clothing around. And there were monsters. Lots and lots of monsters. And no one seemed to be able to do anything about them. Dog-sized hares that seemed to be under the impression that they were mules based on how they spun around on their front legs and kicked out with their powerful hindlegs, the blows impacting with enough force to shatter bone. Birds of prey large enough to take down and carry off entire sheep were clawing at peoples faces and necks. The former was bad, but the latter the latter was lethal. The biggest issue seemed to be some kind of demon sheep, he didnt really have a better word for it. A body that was probably the size of a bear, but he couldnt really see anything beyond the creatures head amidst a literal sea of wool that trapped anyone unlucky enough to be nearby. What was worse, however, was the fact that the wool was like steel, tightening and carving apart anyone it caught. Arthur was already moving before he was truly aware of it, Excalibur leaping from its sheath. His first slash would free the sole person who still looked to be alive, and the second would take the beasts head!
Steelwool Strangler (evolved sheep), Level 11 Field Boss
And then some kind of floating, glowing page above the sheep, startling him so much that he royally messed up the first strike, barely managing to shear off a few hairs. That cost him. The Strangler turned on him, a sea of steely fur surging upwards and at him in a towering wave, forcing Arthur to dive backwards, sword slashing back and forth, cutting short countless attacks. He shouldnt have even been aware of the attacks coming from behind him, his blindspot, and no mortal man should have been able to keep up with this barrage. But he did. Somehow. In fact, it seemed to be growing easier, almost. As if he were a a single man with the force of an army. Nothing about the situation made sense, from the monster to his powers, and yet, somehow, he knew what he could do, what these Skills did. And some were closer to spells than anything else, oddly enough. The world was a nonsensical combination of magic and demonic influence, of horseless carriages and humans in oddly colorful clothing. But he didnt need to understand the world, he didnt need to understand his opponent, he didnt need to understand the people. He knew what the current situation was. The creature in front of him was a monster, it needed to go, and hed be the one to bring it down. Arthur retreated up the hill slightly, with the Strangler creeping after him slowly, demonic wool spreading out and strangling all life from the ground. Come on, come on, come on you bastard, Arthur muttered, and the beast continued to comply, creeping after him, making sure to keep controlling the battlefield. And then, it was finally close enough. Arthur took two quick steps backward, jumped onto a rock beside him, and then, used it as a springboard to leap straight at the Stranglers head, well above the carpet of death. But the mess surged skywards, sharpening into needles that looked like theyd be able to go clean through him. Would this already be the end of his second life? [Grand Slash]. [Grand Slash] was what he needed. He just knew. Excalibur thrummed with power as he swung it downwards with inexorable power, and halfway through the slash, the energy erupted into a long projected blade almost a dozen meters long, carving clean through the woolen shield and the monster itself before continuing into the ground, invisible force cratering the entire area around the blade, flattening both halves of the body, the spiky carpet, and the dirt itself. All around him, countless demon birds took flight, fleeing his attack. That thatd do. A massive crow, the last bird still present, hopped off a corpse it had been tearing at, but Arthur waved Excalibur in its direction with a flick of his wrist. [Grand Slash]! And it did nothing. To be entirely honest, now that he was truly trying to use that particular ability, he actually did know that he could only use it every few minutes. But did it matter? Hed fought without these powers before, and hed do so again. The crow leaped at his face and he sidestepped, bringing Excalibur down on the neck of the bird as it flashed past. Who who are you? a man on the ground stammered, staring up at him with wide eyes. Arthur could tell the man was speaking English, but it was a very different English than hed spoken in his day, however long ago that had been. Yet he could understand it clearly, as though hed been speaking it for his entire life. More magic, clearly. My name is Arthur Pendragon, and I was the King of Albion. Now now Im its savior. He likely technically still was the king, considering that hed never really died but he just didnt feel it anymore. His throne had been usurped, hed killed his son whod, in turn, mortally wounded him, and the men of Camelot had died on the battlefield to a one. Even if the world decided the crown was his by right, he didnt give himself the right. Youre King Arthur, someone suddenly burst out, looking up at him with shining eyes. Im not the King anymore, but yes, Arthur nodded, feeling his heart clench at the adoring look in the womans eyes. More whispering followed, whispering he could hear unnaturally clearly. Whispering of stories, of myths and legends about him. Of hed return in Englands greatest hour of need. People deciding that things would be alright now that he was here, people worrying that his presence meant that things must be truly dire. Arthur just kept his back straight and watched the landscape below as he began to make his plans. He would not return to the throne unless forced, but he would save Albion even without being its king. *** Untersberg, Germany The ruins of the ancient library werent how hed remembered his surroundings. Granted, he hadnt been particularly attentive during the last few centuries, having slept most of them away, only occasionally waking up to check up on the worlds current situation. Then again, those checkups had been entirely limited to glancing up at the sky, checking if the ravens were still flying around the mountains top. He never truly knew what had possessed him in the last few months of his old life, just that it had allowed him to build this place, and survive for a long time. Long enough for his beard to grow around this table three times, long enough that hed barely even been able to get up without carefully disentangling it. How strange was being tied to the presence of ravens when compared to everything else? Certainly, it seemed like the process worked. After all, the first time he hadnt seen a single raven after waking was the day that some kind of magic had descended, announcing that Judgement Day had come, scaring off the Mandln that had been watching over him while he slept in the process. Before he did anything, hed have to first find them and get this whole complex back into a useable shape. Oh, and there was this voice informing him of his achievements. No, that wasnt what was going on, it was informing him of things powers that might have been useful? [Class gained: Emperor of Order] [Emperor of Order Lv. 1] [Emperor of Order Lv. 1 -> Emperor of Order Lv. 49] [Skill gained: Manifold Mind] [Skill gained: Empire Sense] [Skill gained: Instant Training: Missus Dominicus] [Skill gained: Pristine Documentation] [Skill gained: Loyalty Check] [Skill gained: Christian Legions] [Skill gained: Bestowment: Legacy of the Twelve Paladins] [Skill gained: Might of the Feather] [Skill gained: Instant Improvement] [Trait registered: Mandl Staff] [Skill gained: So. Magic powers. Lots of them. That was new. New, but not unwelcome, even if things werent necessarily good for him. [Empire Sense] was supposed to give him the status of his empire, but all he could sense was the room he was currently in. Well, that stunk. But hed forged an empire from nothing before, and he could do so again. Not to mention that if the world was as disrupted as it seemed, there were bound to be opportunities. Opportunities for him, and for people who distinguished themselves on the field of battle whom he could take as his subordinates. Karl der Gro?e had returned, and whatever chaos had been wrought during his sleep would be ground into dust along with anyone who dared stand in his way. *** Swabia, Germany Honestly, he should have learned his lesson by now. Actually, the fact that he hadnt done so several adventures ago was almost appalling. That incident with the dragon especially should have taught him to avoid this mistake. He could already hear Hildebrands comments. The man whod once been his master had become a good friend and comrade in time, and while he might have passed on since, his lessons remained. It would have probably gone something like this: Oh, so Dietrich von Bern does not hunt boars with a magical sword, now does he? Well, so now, Dietrich von Bern is stuck in the middle of an unfamiliar forest, sitting on a horse he does not own. Because he decided to hop on the obviously magical horse. Because he was too impatient and wanted to chase the obviously magical stag. And now, Dietrich von Bern, legendary king, dragonslayer, conqueror of the dwarven halls, has no bloody idea where he is, now does he? Honestly, Dietrich knew he deserved all the criticism anyone decided to lob at him, he really should have brought the mystical blade Eckesacks, but now wasnt the time for any of that. He was somewhere entirely different than where hed started from, the forest was far lighter than any he knew of, many of the plants were unfamiliar and he didnt even have the faintest idea of how long hed been riding on this horse. It felt like it had been minutes when it had been happening, but now it felt like it could just as easily have been hours. Or days. Or weeks. The flow of time had been weird. But either way, Dietrich von Bern had made decisions as though he were still a young man in his twenties, and now, he was in an unfamiliar place without any allies, his magical sword, or any idea where he was. And to top it all off, he was hearing voices. One voice, to be specific, whispering strange things in his ear, accompanied by strength surging through his limbs that hed almost never felt before. He was familiar with arcane empowerments, of course, though theyd usually been used against him. [Class gained: King of Adventure] [King of Adventure Lv. 1] [King of Adventure Lv. 1 -> King of Adventure Lv. 51] [Trait Registered: Supernatural Horse Companion] [Skill gained: Dangersense] [Skill gained: Nose for Treasure] [Skill gained: Slayer of Myths] [Skill gained: Conqueror of Legends] [Skill gained: Equalizer] [Skill gained: A Blade Borrowed] [Skill gained: A Brush with Death] On and on it went, lumping on more and more magic. Some seemed clearly based on his life and work while others had no clear source, but all were going to come in handy sometime. This world had utterly lost its mind, but hed tamed chaos before. Chaos was where hed always managed to shine, while peace was where he pulled idiotic stunts like going hunting without Eckesacks and winding up in this current situation. Or almost getting eaten by a dragon, also after going hunting with merely mundane gear. Was it all part of one big magical artifact that had wreaked havoc, a threat, an invasion, or something else entirely? A gift with a sting in the tail, and attack that gave out boons as a matter of fairness, what? Either way, it was obvious what this System was. A challenge. One hed accept, beat back whatever was responsible for the mess, and then, look for the next adventure. And perhaps, hed see if this new world had people of the caliber of his old companions. The horse under Dietrich wasnt wearing any gear hed ever owned, having appeared out of nowhere fully prepared for him, just in time for him to use it to chase after a clearly magical stag. It was clearly a magical steed, letting itself be steered with extreme ease, with him never even having to pick up the reins. All he had to do was slightly guide it with his legs and it did the rest. Oh, and it was ludicrously fast. It shot off like an arrow loosened from the string, once more carrying him across the landscape until it stopped seemingly on its own, well before hed had a chance to pull it to a halt himself. Two young people were facing off against some kind of massive wolf pack with a pair of surprisingly blunt swords and it wasnt going well for them, but judging by the corpses lying at their feet, they werent doing too badly. Now was as good as any a time to get started on his return, and get the lay of the land. And he really did find their spunk impressive, even if they might be a bit lacking in skill, currently. *** Prague, Czech Republic All around Joseph, dust gathered. Not like the dust hed been reduced to, dry earth and small stones, but the floating specks of dead skin cells, cloth fibers and pollen that shimmered in the light that fell in through a small window. How long had it been? How long had he been in this dusty basement? Had he been forgotten, or simply never needed? Hed felt desperate calls for help around eighty years ago, yet he hadnt been able to bring himself to wake fully back then. Whatever happened now it was far worse than what had happened back then, even if, thus far, fewer souls were crying out in desperate fear. With an incredible force of will, he reached out towards the piece of parchment that had been resting before him for centuries, attached to the roof of the urn that had preserved him. An aleph. The sacred word of creation, penned upon paper in masterful script, ready to empower him if only he could touch it. Every time hed woken, hed tried to reach for it, but hed never had the energy. Today, however, he did. Dust formed a craggy arm and moved through the air at a pace that made a snail look like a striking falcon, but move it did. And move. Until finally, his finger touched upon the piece of paper and it was sucked in in an instant. That little scrap of parchment was what had taken him from being mud-shaped into a humanoid figure to, well, him. A living creature, one formed of mud and magic rather than flesh and blood, but living nonetheless. One that could do anything a regular person could do. Almost. Merely the gift of speech eluded him. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The very first time hed woken, hed not quite been ready, hed gone too far, reacted to too many things, retaliated too much, and Rabbi Loew had stopped him. Hed done his job, but it wouldnt be the last time that someone like him was needed. In this room, hed waited for centuries, waiting for that surge of power that heralded another catastrophe he needed to stop. Around him the urn shattered into fragments that were instantly caught by tendrils of dust as they expanded outwards, then they were sucked into his dispersed form, leaving him a hollow shell, but it was a humanoid shell. For the first time in centuries, Joseph rose from his kneeling position and began to march forward, the outer layers of his body morphing to take the shape of clothing while his face became a true face, a reflection of humanitys ability to show their inner feelings to the world. All the while, motes of dirt and powdered stone flowed through the cracks in the stone floor, filling out his form, giving him back much of his old power and durability. From the last time hed been truly alive, hed grown considerably, his power to think and feel no different from that of a natural-born human. The door before him was locked, and there was no key, but that only stopped him for the brief amount of time needed to decide that the door was, in fact, immaterial in the face of potential armageddon. And if that strange ephemeral paper was anything to go by, it was armageddon. So he broke it with a gentle push, feeling the doorframe splinter as the locks bolt tore through it. He emerged into a dark room, filled with terrified-looking people. His sudden appearance certainly didnt help. Joseph raised a single finger to his lips, grabbed the nearest piece of paper, some manner of form, as far as he could tell, and some kind of astoundingly uniform pencil. I AM HERE TO SAVE YOU, he rapidly scribbled down and handed over the paper. While the paper was passed around with hushed whispers, Joseph began to move in the direction of the strange sounds hed been distantly hearing since hed woken. Heavy footsteps, scratching, deep barking. The next door was also locked, but this time, one of the people whod been hiding hurried over with the key. The woman also handed over another sheath of paper and a strange implement that looked like it was meant to be used to write. Please, be careful, she whispered. Lock the door behind me, he wrote back. Good luck, she whispered. The door clicked open, and he slipped out only to have a truly massive dog leap at him, large enough to almost be mistaken for a horse in poor lighting, slamming into him with enough force to send him to the ground. He was partially made of rock and far heavier than any living being his size had any right to be, and this thing could toss him around so easily? Now more than ever, it was obvious why today was the day hed truly woken. Joseph rolled to his feet and met the beasts next charge, ducking under its slavering jaws to land a solid punch on its chest. The massive dog might be unnaturally heavy and hard to throw back, but that just meant that more energy was expanded on cracking the beasts bones. It sailed past, whirled around, and charged again, this time, keeping closer to the ground so he couldnt duck under it. Josephs fist slammed into the beasts nose with a loud crunch but it ignored the damage as it latched onto his shoulder and bore him to the ground, gnawing on him like a bone. Even when Joesphs left hand clamped onto the back of its neck and held it there, it continued to chew on him. Ultimately, while that dog might be heavy and tough, he was functionally indestructible, having only a single point of vulnerability on his entire body. So a monster trying to hurt him and failing miserably was actually the best position for him. Even if it had gone for his head or throat, it wouldnt have done anything more than superficial damage that would heal in seconds once it stopped attacking. And then, for the first time, Josephs right fist smashed into the dogs throat. And again. And again. The dog had ignored the first blow, but after the second one, it had started struggling, desperately trying to get away, to open up the range, but hed been holding it down since well before any attempts had been made. Joseph didnt have the power to take this thing down easily, but he was functionally indestructible and had endless stamina. If the first blow didnt net him victory, the tenth would. And if the tenth didnt, the hundredth would. And if the hundredth failed, hed hold this beast down until it died of starvation, punching it all the way. But as it turned out, that wasnt necessary, and eventually, around punch twenty-seven or so, something in the dogs throat cracked under his knuckles. And he continued to punch, punch, punch until the monster finally stopped moving. A voice rang out at that, whispering into his mind while power flooded his body. [Trait Registered: Sapience] [Class gained: Living Golem] [Trait Registered: Body of Gaia] [Trait Registered: Adamant Mind] [Trait Registered: Eternal Mana Engine] [Living Golem Lv. 1] [Living Golem Lv. 1 -> Living Golem Lv. 37] [Skill gained: Earthen Armor] [Skill gained: Instant Fortification] [Skill gained: Mountains Fist] [Skill gained: Defenders Mind] [Skill gained: Nose for Trouble] [Skill gained: Innate Defense] [Skill gained: Roots of the Mountain] [Skill gained: The list went on and on, more and more new abilities flowing into him even though he was unable to understand the things hed already been told about. [Class Evolution: Living Golem Lv. 37 -> Champion of the People, Artificial Paragon Lv. 42] [Skill Evolution: Earthen Armor -> Armory of Gaia] [Skill Evolution: Instant Fortification -> Fortress of the Six-Pointed Star] [Skill Evolution: Mountains Fist -> Titans Fist] [Skill gained: Armageddon Ward] [Skill gained: Soul of the Sentinel] And then, the voice slapped him with another flood of notifications. A normal human would be hyperventilating on the ground right now, and while Joseph wasnt human, he still rested there, mentally worn out. There wasnt a single monster around, not yet, and if one showed up, well, he was more than able to rise back to his feet. A few minutes later, that was exactly what happened, barking and growling echoing across the room as four more monsters entered. Thankfully, the humans were still in the room behind him, so all he needed to do was make sure to win. And with all this power flowing through him, he could. He knew where the monsters were, and would continue to know even after they left his field of view, he could tell what they were after, and it took a mere thought for heavy plates of rocky-and-metal armor that went by the title of [Armory of Gaia] to manifest around him. The first of the dogs leaped straight for him, seemingly having decided his show power wasnt a threat to it, and was promptly met with a [Titans Fist] right to the face. Even with an instinctual grasp of what the ability could do, Joseph was still shocked to see the beasts head explode under the impact, which he promptly followed up by snatching the body out of the air and hurling it at the closest still-living enemy. That just left two more dogs. One went for his leg, chomping down and attempting to yank it out from under him, yet his new, so-called Skill, [Roots of the Mountain], solidly glued him to the ground, immovable against almost any external force. And the last monster once again went straight for his throat. [Titans Fist] didnt seem to be useable, not for the next few minutes, but even so, he was still incredibly powerful. [Armageddon Ward] was something to defend an area, and he designated the area as a narrow pane of energy in front of his face which the dog promptly slammed into, falling onto the monster gnawing at his leg. Several swift, well-aimed punches finished off those two, while the last creature made a valiant attempt to go after the room full of the humans, but it was knocked off course when Joseph hurled one of the benches at it. It survived that impact, but not his follow-up attack as he lunged at it and crushed its head into paste under his boot. Holy Joseph turned his head to look towards the young man staring at him from the door. He clomped over towards him, picking up the paper and writing implement hed left there, and wrote down Its safe now. Have you been hearing voices too? Yeah, some kind of video game shit, isnt it? the young man shrugged. Explain? Joseph asked. The explanation that followed was complicated beyond belief, and spanned countless decades of history, but in time, Joseph began to understand the situation. Somewhat. But ultimately, this meant that as he fought, hed grow stronger, more able to protect the Jewish people, and anyone else who happened to be nearby and wasnt an antisemitic bastard. *** HMS Defiant, Sea just off Portabello, Panama What is the progress on the radio repairs? Did you get anything on the satellite uplink? Captain Theodore Smith knew hed already asked these questions before, but that had been ten minutes ago and things were still just as buggered as theyd been then. As far as anyone on the crew could tell, technology still worked, it just couldnt actually do anything. They were cut off from everyone else, unable to reach any satellite, ship, naval base, no one. Hed have suspected some kind of software issue or even computer virus if it hadnt been for all the other shit that was happening. The floating screen proclaiming the apocalypse had come, the voice whispering to everyone about new, albeit minor, superpowers most of them were getting, and above all, the drumbeat. That damn drumbeat. There wasnt a single drum on the ship, or at least, there shouldnt be, and even if there had been, the sound should not have been audible on the entire bleeding ship! And of course theyd bloody checked if the sound was coming from the Defiants PA system. It wasnt. Just a drum beating the tune of Rule Britania on a loop, echoing from somewhere off the starboard bow, audible even to people standing on the deck of the ship. Hed even sent someone out on a speedboat to check if the effect was limited to the ship. It wasnt. But there was also no speaker or similar out there, because a speaker wouldnt be equally audible within and without the ship. Radar contact, two clicks out, ten oclock, the radar operator warned. That was the third contact theyd had since the world had stopped making sense. Identify it, Smith ordered. After a few seconds, it was pulled up on a screen. It was a seagull, quite a bit larger than even an albatross, with a decidedly evil glint in its eyes and claws that could tear through a warships hull. Theyd already seen what those things could do, when one of the random seabirds that had settled on the ships deck had suddenly turned into a rabid beast. Shoot it down, he ordered, Bow gun, three-round burst. The bird on the ship had gone down to handheld weaponry, but it had nonetheless taken an ungodly number of bullets before it had died. He wasnt taking any chances. But a destroyers 4-inch bow gun was an order of magnitude more powerful than anything handheld and easily reduced the interloper to bloody mist. By now, it had become abundantly clear that reality had clearly gone off the deep end, and now, the crew of the Defiant were stuck dealing with the fallout. Smith sighed. Either nothing existed anymore beyond his ship, or they were cut off somehow. It didnt matter. Either way, the situation had gone thoroughly tits up, and he was the man on the ground, without anyone way to reach his superiors or receive new orders. The captain is the master of his ship and next to God. That phrase had never felt so heavy. Follow those drums, find the origin, Smith ordered. There was a distinct possibility that he was sailing straight into a trap, one laid by some kind of siren or the like, and yet something was telling him this was the correct course of action. Something about a drum being beaten in Englands darkest day, lauding the return of something. There was a supernatural drum beating Rule Britannia on the day the world went down the drain. He had to believe there was a reason behind it. Uh Sir? What course should I take? the helmsman asked. Play it by ear, Smith ordered. Just head in whatever way the song seems to be the loudest. The ship jerked under his feet several times in the next few minutes as the helmsman made course corrections, but in due time, they reached the source of the unnatural song. It had a clear origin, you could turn your head and hear it louder in the ear pointed towards the source, yet after having traveled towards the source at the Defiants top speed for several minutes, its volume should have been deafening. After all, if the song was that loud when theyd started moving, it should be much louder almost three miles closer to the source. And then, he saw him. The man in the old-fashioned naval uniform, covered in medals. He was sopping wet, true, but he was standing on the ocean. The radio crackled to life. To the captain of the naval vessel. This Vice Admiral Sir Francis Drake, Royal British Navy, requesting permission to come aboard. Crikey. That was something. Drakes drum. Smith wasnt entirely certain whod spoken, the quiet whisper hadnt been conducive to recognizing the speakers voice, but the statement almost made him facepalm. Almost. Drakes Drum was an old song, but also an actual drum, one deeply interwoven with the history of the British Royal Navy. An instrument that the man had carried on his vessel during his trips around the world, one hed had returned to England after his death, swearing to return if England were in trouble, and all someone would have to do was beat on this drum. However, what had happened was really the opposite, with the British hearing the beat of a non-existent drum during historically significant events. The launch of the Mayflower. The start of World War 1. The evacuation of Dunkirk. And now, its latest beat, this very day. The date on which reality itself had lost its marbles. Did anyone else hear that? Another whisper, a different speaker this time. On one hand, on any other day, this would have been a reason to declare oneself unfit for duty on psychological grounds and make sure nothing nasty had wound up in the food. On the other hand, hed shot down a demonic seagull barely five minutes ago. Send the speedboat out, fetch him, get him a fresh outfit, and bring him to the bridge with a Marine escort, Smith ordered. Was it potentially a bad idea to bring someone with clear supernatural powers onto the ship? Possibly. Then again in for a penny, in for a pound. And things were so far beyond anything hed been prepared to handle that the old certainties really no longer held much sway. Francis Drake coming back from the dead made just as much sense as anything else did. Now, all that was left to do was wait until the man reached the bridge, all the while trying to reach someone, anyone, and taking down any supernatural creatures that showed their ugly faces. Smith heard Drake before he saw the man, a loud, metallic, thunk being followed by a bitten-off curse. It seemed that the old Admiral wasnt used to the knee-knockers on modern warships. The tiny doors in the bulkheads were meant to contain water in case of a hull breach, but they were narrow enough that people not used to them tended to alternatively bang their heads or shins into the top or bottom portion, respectively. And then the man himself appeared in the doorway, dressed in a modern uniform with the decorations of his old one haphazardly tacked on. Drake had, supposedly, come up from the bottom of the ocean, something his sopping-wet uniform certainly supported. Having someone go around dripping all over the place was a safety issue even when pneumonia wasnt a concern. Not to mention that sensitive electronics did not enjoy contact with salt water in the slightest. So Smith had had them give the Vice Admiral a new outfit. Vice Admiral Sir Francis Drake of the Royal Navy of the British Empire, Drake introduced himself. Im Captain Theodore Smith, commanding officer of the Royal Navy destroyer Defiant, Smith responded. A destroyer? Im not familiar with that class of vessel, Drake said. Its short for torpedo boat destroyer, these vessels serve as escorts and were originally conceived off to prevent a new weapon known as a torpedo from easily bringing down capital ships, the helmsman informed him. Tor-pe-do, Drake said the word slowly, carefully enunciating every syllable, rolling the unfamiliar word around on his tongue. It seems I have a lot to learn. Captain, Ive been hearing voices that informed me of new abilities since I woke. Is that normal? So it hadnt been entirely in Smiths head. Somehow, that was less comforting. Paradoxically, things would have been easier if he had been crazy. Then he could have either removed himself from command or would have been declared unfit by the ships doctor. Either way, even at the cost of his career, the situation would have been resolved. But no, the world really was going insane, and either the Defiant had the last working radio on the planet, or there was something effing with them. What range does your communication device have? Drake asked, My ability allows me to use it to contact you, but does not tell me anything about it. Technically, global, Smith informed him. But thats using satellites for relay, and we cant reach any of them. Is there anyone capable of receiving your signals in your regular range? Yes, but they arent responding, Smith said. And this pattern of interference doesnt match any documented issue? Drake rubbed his chin. Smith just nodded. If you hadnt come to pick me up, what would the plan have been? Drake asked off-handedly, studying a monitor as though it were an exotic animal. Smith shrugged. Head back to shore, see if there are still people there, drop off a group of marines to find a landline. If that doesnt work the ship proceeds to the naval base at Bermuda, theyre fully equipped to refuel and rearm the ship. And if the base isnt there either Before you try any of that, something tells me theres a specific enemy disrupting communications. Drake casually dropped that bomb without so much as batting an eye. Smith heroically resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Dont swear at the vice admiral, dont swear at the vice admiral, dont swear at the vice admiral who also happens to be a national hero Can I ask why you neglected to share that information? he finally asked. Skills are as new to you as they are to me, Drake said simply but elaborated almost immediately afterward. As near as I can tell, I, a man out of time, am almost as lost as you are. We have a choice to make here. Do we blindly attempt to continue on as though the old certainties were still in place, following modern protocols for extraordinary situations, or do we take a chance? Do we use this new weapon that is Skills, trusting in them despite knowing nothing about them? The man then shrugged and walked a few steps into the center of the bridge, as though everyone hadnt been staring at him from since before the beginning of his speech. Well, I say that today has already been a day for the supernatural. I did mean what I said when I swore to return in Britannias greatest hour of need, but I never expected to be able to fulfill that oath. And then, I rose from the very bottom of the ocean amidst a world beset by monsters, a world in which people gain powers. I say that we are the denizens of a new world, one filled with danger and opportunity. I say that we find whatever is causing this interference, that we go after whatever is creating these monsters, that we conquer it all! Drake paused briefly, before practically shouting For King and country! Smith could feel himself shiver. So this was the man whod smashed the Spanish Armada, cut a bloody swathe through the Caribbean, and become the very model of a patriotic sailor. But as much as he wanted to let himself get swept up in it all, he had to remain aware of himself. So he thought about it. Drake was right, the nearest naval base was far from here, and by the time they reached it, an already chaotic situation could easily have become far worse. If they had to wait until then to gain knowledge of the global situation And if all else failed, Francis Drake was a bleeding Vice Admiral, Admirals orders was a very nice shield to hide behind if things went terribly wrong. Of course, no one expected a centuries-old admiral to show up and start barking orders, but the royal navy of today was a direct continuation of the one Drake had served. Technically, there was nothing preventing his rank from holding weight even today. Practically, was an entirely different matter, of course. Smith marched over to one of the marines and gave her an order. Go find the Midshipman Fletcher from the radio room and get him here, hes to give the good vice admiral a crash course in proper weapons systems. And while they waited for that to happen, Smith asked the admiral about his Skills. It was likely the most surreal conversation hed ever have in his life, but it was informative. The next thirty minutes were extraordinarily tense, with Drake quietly talking to Fletcher in the corner and occasionally barking a course correction, while Smith kept making, discarding, and remaking plans for what they might face. ***
Deep Sea Kraken (evolved Giant Squid), Lv. 14 Field Boss
Isolation Kraken (evolved Giant Squid), Lv. 14 Field Boss
Kraken of the Primordial Ocean (evolved Giant Squid), Lv. 15 Raid Boss
So apparently, monsters got nameplates if they were powerful enough. And what were field and raid bosses? Smith knew that in video games, bosses were the strongest enemies, but that was the absolute extent of his knowledge. And these things did look damn tough, and to make things even worse, they were almost invisible to radar. Not to mention that the so-called Isolation Kraken was likely what had caused their inability to contact anyone. It was a massive squid, equalling the Defiant in size, though most of that stemmed from its tentacles, its main body barely made up a quarter of its imposing build. White streaks tore across its body in jagged scratches, with the rest of its body covered in a pattern that was a strange mixture of TV static, the blue screen of death, and, somehow, it looked like what radio static sounded like. Even without the utterly batshit concept of visible bleeding nameplates, Smith would have likely decided that one was the one responsible for the radio disruption. By contrast, the Deep Sea Kraken was a very simple squid monster from legend, barely larger than the Isolation Kraken. Big, strong, scary. And then, there was the big one, the Kraken of the primordial ocean. A monster with tentacles that could fully wrap around an aircraft carrier, a main body just as large as the Defiant, and eyes that gleamed with hate and vicious intent. One of the Marines walked over to Smith while returning his radio to his holster. Corporal Lannis says that in video games, Field Bosses are powerful roaming enemies, and Raid Bosses are really powerful enemies that you can only fight in a huge group. That was a hell of a lot more useful than Smith had ever expected video game trivia to be. So, these things were powerful, then? And they now knew that they were being affected by some kind of radio disruption ability, which meant that the world was still there. They could run. But that would leave these incredibly dangerous enemies at their back. How easily will we be able to find these creatures should we retreat? Drake asked, clearly having come to the same crossroads. I dont know. Itll be almost impossible, I think, Smith admitted. The Isolation Krakne wasnt like any kind of interference hed ever encountered, everything still worked, no disruptive signals were detected, no nothing. It was just as if they were the only thing in existence, isolated from everything else. It was more than likely that that interference also hid the goings on within its area of effect from outside detection. But if we were to go after the Isolation Kraken, wed be able to return with a vast force, Drake suggested. Oh, that was a good point. Damnit! If they left those things there, they could easily become a nigh-undetectable threat that roamed the ocean, trackable only by the mysterious disappearance of the ships they destroyed. So now that there was an option for doing something genuinely valuable and constructive without risking having to fight all those monsters, they basically had to take it, didnt they? Moore, keep us at a distance while we make final preparations, Smith ordered the helmsman, while the familiar call of all hands, go to battle stations blared out on the PA system. If anyone hadnt been at battle stations already, they wouldnt have been doing their job, but the announcement was still a part of the process. The Defiant had eight ship-to-ship missiles already in their launchers on the deck, though reloading them under combat operations would be difficult. Hopefully, using them as an overwhelming initial strike would finish the fight before it even started. It also had forty-eight vertical launch cells for anti-air missiles that could be retooled to strike at surface targets, should the Krakens be polite enough to stay on the surface. Should those things decide to dip, though, then the Defiant would be in trouble. She had two helicopters that could deploy anit-submarine torpedoes, but the Type 45 destroyer wasnt designed to directly go toe-to-toe with submarines. And none of their anti-submarine capabilities were designed to target non-metallic monsters. Hopefully, the missiles would do the trick, because the last thing Smith wanted was to do was have to duel one of these monsters with the 4.5-inch popgun he had for a gun turret. And if they didnt, maybe these Skills would do the trick. Honestly, theyd have to, since the Defiants strength lay literally anywhere other than a direct gun battle. Keeping the distance open would be key, but they couldnt use anything close to the full range of their weaponry either, seeing as they were relying on the Mark One Eyeball to track these things. Careful modification of targetting protocols, ways to work around the limitations of their weapons, all of these things would hopefully let them kill their enemies, but those took time to perfect. Would these monsters give them that time? Under Smiths orders, the Defiant was slowly retreating, opening up the range. It didnt seem like any of the Krakens would be charging after them just yet. Spoke too soon. Well, thought, but the principle was still the same. The Isolation Kraken began to retreat, the Deep Sea Kraken submerged itself and Raid Boss started swimming straight towards Smiths destroyer. Even as the ships captain began to bark orders, the Vice Admiral of a bygone age began to speak, announcing his arcane actions for the bridge crew to hear. [Chain of Command], [Sling of David], [Numbers Dont Matter]. It should have been nonsense, meaningless phrases that might be somewhat related to Drakes life, and yet, they held power. Immense power. The first command he invoked some manner of power that linked him to his ship, granting them understanding of every subsequent power activation, and how to make the most of it. In this case, the Defiants guns gained offensive capabilities as the power gap between the ship and her opponents grew, and theyd be able to face their first foe one-on-one even though there were three krakens. It was simple, yet so incredibly insane. Once every ten or so minutes, Sir Francis Drake could declare a one-on-one fight with a given foe and as long as he worked towards finishing that fight, no one would be able to interfere. Smith had gotten several abilities of his own, these mystical Skills, but his were practically nonexistent by comparison. Preternatural, albeit limited, knowledge of the health of the crew and the ships logistics without needing to check was useful, sure, but even both skills combined didnt add up to even a fraction of one of Drakes abilities. And he had three that hed shown so far. Evasive Maneuvers, keep as far from the Raid Boss as possible. Launch all anti-ship missiles, target the Isolation Kraken, Smith ordered. The deck beneath his feet trembled slightly as all eight of their missile tubes were flushed, unleashing enough firepower to obliterate a carrier. At least if all of them hit. A giant tentacle cracked through the air like a massive whip as the Kraken of the Primordial Ocean struck, losing the appendage in the process, but that was the full extent of its contribution. And then, the missiles hammered home like meteors, blasting apart the Isolation Kraken that hadnt been quite smart enough to hide underwater. Or being submerged disrupted its abilities, either one was possible. Point was, the attack seemed to have been a success. Still not getting through, the radio operator warned while Drake announced, My Skill is still active, we are currently still locked into a duel with the Isolation Kraken. As if to punctuate that statement, the Defiant jumped, rising at least half a meter before dropping back to its previous position with jarring force. Damage report. What the hell just hit us? Smith snapped. Launch the Wildcats the moment theyve been armed, tell them to hit whatevers under the keel the instant they can. The Defiants two Wildcat helicopters could each deploy two anti-submarine torpedoes, they had just been loaded with anti-air missiles before the Krakens had come into view. Reports began to flood in, speaking of stuff getting tossed off shelves and people being thrown into ceilings or walls or landing baldy when they came back down, but ultimately, the ship itself was fine. I think that was the Deep Sea Kraken, I saw an unidentifiable shadow on the radar, but I lost track of it again, the radar operator reported. Ok, that made sense. But why the hell had they survived a knock like that? Enough force to literally send the ship flying should have snapped the Defiants keel like a toothpick and the hull at the point of impact couldnt possibly have survived the impact. And yet, they were golden. Mostly. So thats how [Numbers Dont Matter] works, Drake commented under his breath, though still somewhat audible, before loudly adding We wont be protected from too many more hits like that? How many? Smith demanded, deciding to ignore the fact that he was speaking to an admiral. Drake just shrugged. I can guarantee one, I have no idea beyond that. These Skills are decidedly new to me. And attempting to target a different enemy will disrupt the effect. Ok, that was fair. Found the Isolation Kraken! Smith immediately zeroed in on the report, the image on the screen showing a ragged mass of pulped flesh amidst water darkened by the monsters blood. Target it with the main gun, draw up a targeting solu Smith began to order when the ship jerked again. It wasnt as bad as it had been the first time, but still utterly terrifying. A warship a hundred and fifty meters in length, weighing several thousand tons, should not be able to be tossed around like that. One more hit, Drake warned. Prepare to launch half of all available missiles at the Deep Sea Kraken, the instant the Isolation Kraken is dead, Smith repeated himself while the bow gun roared to life, spitting a four-point-five-inch round towards their enemy with a little over two seconds between each shot. And suddenly, the bridge was flooded with reports while the roar of twenty-four vertical launch cells being used in as rapid a fashion as was possible and Drake warned that his Skill had broken now that theyd killed their main enemy. Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is the HMS Defiant Smith half listened as their distress call was sent out, including their current coordinates. It wasnt something hed ever expected to say, at least not in a situation like this, but judging by what he was hearing, this crap was happening all over the globe. We are currently engaged with two Krakens, one of which is the size of an aircraft carrier. We have a visual of their location, they will not be locatable via radar once we go down Yeah, that was about the long and short of it. Once again, the Defiant trembled, though this time, it was only the shockwaves from countless missiles detonating against the surface of the water reaching the hull. Wouldnt those munitions be more effective if they detonated underwater? Drake asked. Theyre anti-air missiles, not designed to survive the impact, Smith answered while barely paying any attention. I can help with that. [Enhanced Munitions], Drake intoned, and suddenly, Smith just knew that theyd at least survive the initial contact with the ocean surface. And out of the corner of his eye, he could tell how the firing solution was being adjusted for the next for the next salvo. More blue blood stained the water below the Defiant, the powerful shockwaves unleashed into the water by the missiles having damaged something in the second Field Boss. And then, the Defiant rang like a bell from the impact of a gigantic tentacle as the Kraken of the Primordial Ocean finally got too close, having literally whipped the ships stern. That was immediately followed up by a loud screeching noise, like nails on a chalkboard but more metallic and infinitely louder as the Defiant strained against the tentacle holding it fast. Giant squids had hooks in their suction cups, Smith suddenly recalled. Between those and the cups themselves, that thing had actually latched onto their stern. Split the remaining missiles between both targets, fire as soon as you are able, Smith ordered. Reloading the missile tubes was an involved process, a full reload would take longer than they had, in all likelihood. [Adapt Armor], Drake ordered, the meaning of the Skill once again being perfectly conveyed by the name being spoken aloud. And while Smith couldnt see the outer hull of the Defiant, obviously, he could feel the changes taking place, armor plates shifting to be nigh-impossible to cling to while taking on an almost springy property that made it actually impossible for the claws to sink in. Another bout of hair-raising noise later and the Defiant was free, leaving the Raid Boss behind. Twelve more missiles were launched as they fled, plunging through the surface of the ocean even though at their speeds, the water should have been hard as concrete. Deep Sea Krakens dead. Which just left the big sucker, which had somehow escaped radar tracking while the first creature had died. Smith sighed. Appraise anyone who replied to the mayday of the new situation, make sure people know theres a big Kraken around. Continue moving at full speed ahead, we cant afford to have that thing pop up on us, Smith ordered. The ocean around the Defiant was silent, still, only disturbed by the vessels wake, without a Kraken in sight. Somehow, that was all the more terrifying. Soon after, the radio operator reported that several nearby countries were preparing to send out what bombers they had, armed with depth charges, ready to carpet bomb the area. In addition, the helicopters had finally been rearmed with anti-submarine weaponry. Eventually, the Defiant had to slow down due to fuel concerns, though, and that was utterly nerve-wracking. Venezuelan bomber wings are five minutes out, and theyre requesting any targeting data we have. Give them what we got, Smith advised. It wasnt much, but it wasnt nothing either. Minutes passed without anything happening other than the occasional plane passing overhead. But otherwise, they were just waiting, slowly traveling in the direction of England, to deliver the hero of a bygone age. And then, from one moment to the next, everything went to pot in an instant. Again. Incom- the warning came way too late. Radar had clearly picked something up, but not soon enough as the Kraken surged up from beneath the ship, wrapping its tentacles around the Defiant in a crushing death grip. [Escape], [Flank Speed]! Drake snapped and suddenly, the destroyer slipped from the monsters grasp like a greased egg. A moment later, he turned to the radar operator. Inform those airplanes that we found the Kraken. And as the Defiant practically blurred across the waves, the first Raid Boss of the new world was torn apart by countless bombs and torpedoes. It was well past midnight that Smith was finally able to lie down in his bunk, his head swimming. Well, the XOs bunk, as his room had gone to the Vice Admiral. It was always a mess when higher-ups traveled on vessels without spare rooms for them, resulting in a domino effect of officers kicking someone underneath them out of the room, who would in turn kick out someone else, and so on, and so forth. This world the world he was going to sleep in was not the same one that hed woken up in this morning. It had magic, monsters, and people returning from the dead. As far as he knew, only Francis Drake was confirmed to have returned, but there were countless rumors that had already been reached even an area as isolated as a warship in international waters. King Arthur, a couple of German kings, some kind of artificial creature in Czechia, and, of course, the dear Admiral this world was going to be eternally changed even if those were the only ancients whod come back. *** Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Im getting too old for all this. Far too old. Temujin sighed, cast away the stick hed been swinging for the last twenty minutes, and picked up a metal rod that held some kind of sign on its end. He wasnt an idiot, hed grabbed both a sword and a bow the moment hed woken up, but the sword was buried beneath some kind of elephant beast several miles behind him, and even if hed had any arrows left, his bow had been snapped by that very same monster. In his hands, the metal rod began to morph and shift, his new magic by the name of [I Claim This Weapon] transforming it into a long glaive, but possessing a crossguard more typically found in boar spears. And this was magic, real magic, not a science he did not yet understand. When hed first seen black powder, it had startled him far more than hed ever admit. But then hed understood it, begun to use it, and it had taken him far. This, on the other hand, was a magical voice that had listed his titles and told him of magical powers called Skills, which hed apparently gained. Hed have assumed hed gone insane normally, but considering that he could feel new strength flowing through his aging body, there was clearly something going on. And what that floating page had said about monsters, well, if the creatures hed been fighting for hours werent monsters, he didnt know what was. At first, hed thought that maybe, now, the prophecies about him had come to pass. He obviously didnt remember his birth, he couldnt tell anyone whether or not hed come out of the womb clutching a clot of blood, but he was fully aware of all the stories that had sprouted. So when hed woken up with a magical voice telling him what magic he was in the process of receiving, well, his first thought had been that maybe, just maybe, the omen had struck true, it just hadnt come into effect during his first lifetime. But the real world had soon disabused him of that notion, as it had done to so many other dreams, belonging to so many people. Other people had magic too. Nothing as strong as what he had, but those he witnessed fighting were far younger than he was, practically infants in his eyes, and none of them were anything like the hardened warriors he normally surrounded himself with. How long had it been since the people of Mongolia had last needed to go to war? And for that matter, how long had it been since his death? The world looked utterly different, with immense buildings made of materials he could barely identify, gunpowder weapons that were stronger than anything short of a cannon yet could be held and used in a single hand, capable of being fired over a dozen times before needing to be reloaded. At least he thought those were gunpowder weapons, the noise level certainly spoke to that idea, but they lacked any of the characteristic smoke he normally associated with that kind of armament. Oh, and they had carriages powered by some kind of device hidden below a layer of surprisingly fragile metal armor, which made an odd growling sound. And yet, for all the fancy machinery these people were able to use, they were losing. Wherever Temujin appeared, that changed, but he was more than aware of the fact that a single powerful fighter could only do so much, so he used any and all appropriate magic whenever possible. [Instantaneous Training: Mangudai] and [Strength of the Horde] would have to do. The former imparted the full training regimen of one of his most powerful units in a matter of seconds, for all the good it would do, since he hadnt seen either horses or bows. That being said, though, a little military discipline wouldnt go amiss here. And the latter increased combat power based on the number of allies nearby. Temujin didnt know how that power worked, or even if it did, but honestly, if it didnt work, he hadnt lost anything. But even those efforts would fall short in the face of such a monstrous horde. Thankfully, things seemed to be calming down somewhat, so he could have a conversation without needing to stop and chop up monsters every other word. There was a young woman nearby doing an admirable job turning an overgrown lizard into a smear on the pavement using a frying pan. That was she had moxie. Hed ask her. So he slowly approached her while dropping his sign-turned-weapon to grab her attention once the creature was done. She jumped a foot in the air at the clatter with a startled oath, only for her to look him up and down and grow confused. My name is Temujin, he introduced himself, deciding to leave out his title. Do you know where I can find a scholar, perhaps one with a focus on history? Until he knew the lay of the land, he wouldnt know whether or not it might prove inflammatory. A scholar? she asked, sounding confused. A house of learning, a library with an adequate selection of tomes, something like that, he clarified. Theres an elementary school two blocks that way, she said gesturing, still eyeing him curiously. What is an elementary school? Temujin asked. He was perfectly capable of telling that she was speaking a variation of the Mongolian hed known back during his reign, and he could also understand her as though she were, in fact, speaking that version of the language, but the concept simply failed to translate. At all. There simply was no word for it to be translated into. A school for very young children, she said. So not what he was looking for. Where could I find information about history? he wondered out loud, only to whirl around when he heard something behind him, slip his boot under his glaive, flip it into his hand, and bisect the gigantic praying mantis with a brutal horizontal slash. A simple flick of the wrist removed most of the blood from the blade before he rested it on his shoulder. He just hoped he hadnt scared his conversation partner. Terrifying others had a time and a place, but it made people truly awful conversationalists. It was almost as awful as torture in that way. Youd hear what you wanted, not what you needed. The proper way of employing torture was simple. You tortured someone else, and then, used them as an example to the person you actually wanted information from. What do you want to know specifically? she asked, pulling out a rectangular device made of glass and a strange material that appeared like it might be leather, but he really couldnt tell. It was weird. How long has it been since the reign of Ghengis Khan, and what is the current size of the Mongolian Empire? he asked. She tapped away on the device for a few moments while she said The Mongolian Empire doesnt exist anymore, I can show you a map in a second. Then, she added, Ghengis Khan died almost 800 years ago. And finally, she showed him a map that he took a very long time to recognize as a map of everything. The whole world, drawn in excruciating detail. With just this map, what he could have done What other information is on there? Temujin asked, curious. Everything, I can pull up anything I want, the woman said. All the knowledge in the world? he asked. Basically? That was Temujin had a lot of questions about how that could possibly work, but the biggest one was how they could possibly find any given piece of information. There had been immense libraries in his time, and it had taken trained and experienced librarians to find anything. He was about to ask that question when the womans eyes sparked with sudden realization and she dropped the frying pan, staring at him with her mouth hanging open. Yes? he asked. You Im sorry I didnt realize I Temujin had seen that particular song and dance before. The mixture of respect and fear fuelling the embarrassment of not knowing the proper protocol for talking to him and turning it into utter terror. Enough! he said, forcefully. My name is Temujin, once upon I time, I held the title of Genghis Khan. I have returned to fight this monster horde. And I need you to answer my questions. What do I need to know about this world, who else is fighting the monsters, and am I the only one who returned? Talk! And talk she did while leading him to the local university. What he learned was illuminating. Apparently, the world was far larger than he ever could have imagined, both in terms of size and when it came to technology. Flight! Humans could fly! Weaponry that could sweep cities clear in under a second, automated scouting that could show him an image of a building on the opposite side of the world if he so wished ... machines that could talk, answering his questions, news that shot around the planet mere minutes after it happened. And yet, they were losing. All of humanity was losing. And with every person who died, every nation that was snuffed out, there was less to stand between Mongolia and the horde. Chapter 1: Royal Rescue Of course the world ended while I was in the middle of nowhere, with only a blunt sword for defense. Specifically, a hunk of metal that resembled a sword enough to look good in a movie, but would decidedly not be able to fulfill the same task as an actual, well, weapon. And while I wasnt alone, my twin sister, Mia, wasnt exactly in any better shape than I was. So in summation, our only real advantage was that there were two of us. And, maybe, just maybe, these swords might be a bit better than just sticks at whacking monsters. They were blunt training swords that were meant for HEMA, though unfortunately, the two of us werent practitioners. At least, I wasnt. I knew enough to make choreography look good and while Mia was taking it much more seriously than I was, shed only been at this for as long as I had. In actuality, we just liked to come up with somewhat complex choreographed fights, then hike out into the wilderness and act them out. Id designed it, wed test it to make sure it was doable, and eventually, wed come back with some of my fellow film students to have the affair redone professionally. Or as professionally as we could afford. For practice, to have stuff to put on YouTube to grow my channel, and, well, it was fun. Escape reality for a while, pretend that were back in the days of monsters and heroes, even though in reality, the Middle Ages were mostly just the time with a whole lot of cockroaches and rats in places where they really shouldnt be. And no monsters, unless you counted exotic animals that were described as monsters by panicked explorers. But judging by the looks of that floating screen, we were about to come face to face with some creatures truly deserving of the title. Something howled in the distance. Uh-oh. I grabbed my sword, noticing that Mia had already had hers out, and shed likely been like that since the message had arrived, but she was in a weird stance, not one that I was overly familiar with. You need to stab them, she hissed at me, eyes fixed on something I hadnt seen yet. I tried to follow her gaze, but all I could see was foliage. But I was right there with her on the stabbing thing. Getting whacked with a blade like what we had would hurt, obviously, several kilos of steel tended to do that, but they were too blunt to do real damage. But the point was still somewhat dangerous, stabbing was where most of the accidents happened. There was only so much you could do to blunt the tip before it started to be obvious in the videos. So we trained with big, fat, stupid-looking rubber covers and only took them off once everyone had their part down pat. But right now, there was nothing left to do but hope that these literal toys of ours held up to whatever was out there. The thing or things out there made another noise, but it wasnt a howl, it was a growl and it was far too fucking close. I whirled around, then twisted back into my original position, turning back and forth, trying to spot the source of the sound. There! Mia hissed, pointing at a creature that had gotten far too close for comfort. But there was something even more disturbing floating above it.
Quicksilver Wolf (evolved wolf), Level 3
So, we definitely werent just dealing with a weird hallucination, then. There was more to this nonsense. More I sure as shit couldnt think about right now. Instead, I hefted my sword and pointed it at my enemy, ready to defend myself for when this inevitably hit the fan. I really didnt like the look of this thing. Sure, it was pretty, a beautiful silver predator that looked like something straight out of a fantasy novel, maybe as the main characters pet slash totem animal slash companion. A gorgeous animal, but one that Id much prefer to observe from the other side of a fence. It growled once more, its head low to the ground, teeth exposed. I hurriedly glanced left and right to check if there were any others sneaking up on me, which may or may not be the case. I didnt get a chance to find out as the wolf took that as its chance to go for my throat. My sword flashed through the air and smacked across its snout with a dull thump and it smacked against my chest in a very different pose than it had started out in, causing both of us to go to the ground. If Id been alone, this would have been it for me. Id fouled up its initial attack, but now, it was on top of me. Mias boot slammed into the creatures ribs, followed by the flat of her dull sword smacking into its back and a second kick to the ribs. Yipping in pain, the creature leaped off me and stumbled back, whimpering. I think it just hasnt learned to be wary of humans, I said as a shot to my feet, one hand grasping my sword while I patted myself down with the other. Dont rely on it, Mia hissed, glaring at the creature. It still sounded like a kicked dog, which was really making me uncomfortable even though it had just tried to kill me. Yet the growling was back fuck. They were pack hunters, just like normal wolves. Fu-uck. A slightly smaller wolf emerged on either side of the first monster, and I shivered. This really wasnt good. And then, they lunged. I managed to smack away the first one, and Mia managed to position her sword so that the second ones own weight and momentum caused it to impale itself, but the third one cannonballed into her legs, jaws clamping down around her boot. She fell with a shout of anger, arms briefly flailing before she managed to get her sword around, hammering its pommel into the base of the wolfs skull. And again. And again until the creature went limp. All I did in that time was smack the smaller wolf I was facing with my sword. Every strike rewarded me with a pained noise, but this was a blunt prop and swords werent even all that heavy, only a few kilograms. I really needed to be able to take this thing down. It tried to lunge at my leg but I kicked it in the face. We both lost our balance, but I managed to smash my sword into its leg as I fell on my ass at just the right moment, when the foot was on the ground and the leg couldnt bend out of the way. So it broke, or at least, something cracked. I managed to get back on my feet while it was still trying to balance on three feet, and then then I managed to start stabbing it. This wasnt something Id ever forget for as long as I lived. The sound of bones breaking, organs squishing, the sight of blood running through the previously pristine silver fur and above it all, the horrifyingly doglike sounds of pain this thing made. Those would be living in my nightmares, I just knew it. But I did it. I wasnt sure what I expected from killing what basically amounted to be a video game monster, some XP gained or you have killed so and so message, but I didnt get anything like that. No, I was just left standing there, bloody sword in hand, staring down at the dead monster. And then the howls started. My eyes just flicked left and right, trying to spot the creature, while beside me, Mia just swore. They emerged from the trees in a silver stream, I wasnt even sure how many there were, at least ten, but probably more, I sure as hell couldnt keep track of them or even reliably tell where one ended and the next one started. Oh we were cooked. But honestly, running was an even dumber option than fighting, and there werent any trees to climb that we could reach before the wolves were upon us. No regrets, Mia announced. I wanna live through this, but honestly, if I could go back and do it all again, I would. Yeah I sighed. After our parents had died, wed barely managed to stay in school but nevertheless graduated and spent a year traveling around the globe before going to university, where wed started doing our little film projects. No boyfriends or girlfriends, an almost entirely shared circle of friends it was probably unhealthy in the long term, but up until now, it had worked. Wed given each other the stability wed lost along with our parents. Slim as our chance at continuing to live might be, that chance only existed if we, once again, tackled the problem together. This time, the new arrival didnt announce himself in any way, he just showed up. A massive black horse plowed through the wolfpack, appearing out of seemingly nowhere, trampling the wolves into the ground while its rider speared more of the damn things with a long spear, though it snapped just before the pair came out the other end of the pack. But the horse wheeled around and they plowed through once more, and the man broke his second and final spear, so he leaped off the horse and waded in on foot, blade carving through them as easily as a knife through a rotisserie chicken. I only then realized just how impressive the horse was, more resembling the ideal of what a horse could be, rather than anything that could exist in the real world. And the man himself, well, the descriptor that flashed through my head was silver fox. He could be as young as fifty or as old as eighty, his face had a strangely timeless quality and his hair people talked about old people having silver hair, but really, it was usually something between grey and white that could look good but definitely wasnt fully silver. His hair was, glittering like precious metal, while his eyes gleamed amber, something I could somehow tell despite the distance. They oddly reminded me of a stone eagle Id once seen at one of those showing off our birds of prey shows at the zoo. Overall, he looked like hed just stepped straight out of Lord of the Rings, complete with old-fashioned armor, the likes of which hadnt been made for centuries. When the final wolf fell, the man marched over to us, the horse following behind him without him even having to make any gestures or calling out to it. Somehow, he was almost completely clean, only the occasional drop of blood on his armor, and the little bit he hadnt managed to flick off his sword. As he reached us, he sheathed the blade and said something. I frowned. I hadnt understood a word of that, but the language was oddly familiar. It was like listening to someone speak Dutch or Afrikaans, similar enough to my native German that I could mistake it for being German if I didnt actually listen to the words, merely paying attention to cadence, and I could understand some words. Also, the meaning of others seemed to be at the very edge of my understanding, but as for gleaning the meaning of what had been said, the speaker might as well have been talking in Klingon. Im sorry, I dont speak that language, I said. It felt almost racist to say that, but I genuinely didnt know which language hed used. I was sufficiently familiar with plenty of languages that were comparably similar to German to what Id just heard to know that they werent what had been used. Now it was the mans turn to frown, but his face suddenly lit up and then, he introduced himself. I am Dietrich von Bern, a warrior and king from distant lands. Or a distant time. There was some kind of magic that trapped and then transported me here. I gaped at him but managed to shut my mouth before I embarrassed myself too much. Hopefully. If he was who he claimed to be. A living legend. Dietrich von Bern was, in many ways, the German King Arthur, albeit vastly less famous. But he still had a ridiculously long list of achievements that boggled the mind. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Hed fought giants, even killed one that was functionally immortal, capable of putting herself back together even after she was literally bisected or decapitated. Hed conquered the realm of the dwarven king Laurin. Hed defeated Siegfried, the dragonslayer, in single combat, before killing a dragon of his own. And in the Song of the Niebelungs, hed been the one who finally brought an end to the slaughter, defeating the men whod betrayed and murdered Siegfried. But when theyd beaten the almost invulnerable hero, theyd stabbed him in the back. Dietrich had done it face to face, in a duel. But honestly, I could buy that the man before me was, in fact, the legendary figure. For starters, he mostly matched the description in the stories. Sure, his hair was silver instead of gold, but he was, well, an old man now. But his eyes, they were exactly how theyd been described. And he was just as much of a terrifying fighter as hed been in his legends. Not to mention that riding off on a jet-black horse and disappearing into the otherworld, ready to reappear when needed, was exactly how Dietrich von Bern had gone out. I bowed awkwardly, only bending maybe twenty degrees forward, but it was the first time Id ever bowed to anyone, and stood straight less than a second later. It felt oddly right. But Mia decided to introduce us before I could, looking the legendary king right in the eyes. My name is Mia Vogt, this is my younger brother Tristan. Normally, this would be the part where I reminded her that she was only older by a few minutes, but for obvious reasons, this didnt feel like the right time. Its been centuries since your day, and no one is even sure where Bern was. Some say its the modern city of Verona in Italy, others claim it only ever existed in mythology, I decided to inform him. But your story is still known. Do your people still have a king? he asked. I shook my head. Good, he said. I have no intention of reclaiming the crown, but in my experience, kings do not accept even the possibility of rivals. Fuck, I hadnt even considered that. The Bundestag probably wouldnt be too happy with his existence either. How different is this world? Dietrich asked, gesturing at us. I frowned, but belatedly realized he was referring to our clothes when he added Ive never seen people dressed like you before. Incomparably, Mia said while I pulled out my phone and switched on the flashlight, illuminating a patch of nearby shadow. Youre a mage, then? Dietrich asked me, new respect creeping into his voice. No, Im not, and thats the biggest change. This is technology, anyone can use it and most people have access to it. I then switched off the flashlight, turned to him, and snapped a picture which I then showed to him. Dietrich grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose. I also took a foto of the wolf corpses before I put away my phone. I think Ill need a guide to this new world. Would you be willing to fulfill that role? I cant promise it will be safe, I intend to fight monsters and prevent the threat of this System, but I will reward you once I have the means, and He shrugged, and gestured towards the corpses. If no one fights and defeats the monsters, were probably dead anyway? I asked. Dietrich nodded. Mia and I exchanged a look, all that was needed to realize wed both been thinking the same thing. We accept, she said on both our behalf. Dietrich stepped right in front of her, holding out his hand. It was clear what he wanted. Mia grabbed it. I swear to you that as long as you are my comrades in this fight against these monsters, I will keep you safe with all my power, and that when all is said and done, you shall not be the poorer for it, Dietrich solemnly swore and they both pulled their hands back. Do you have horses? he asked. We have a car, I said. Thats a kind of horseless carriage. Will it fit all three of us? Yes, I said. Then lets go, talk while we walk, he announced, making a gesture towards his horse which vanished off into the trees. My horse will come when I call, no matter where I am. And with that, we started to walk, him following us towards where Mia had parked. Tell me, is a voice talking about giving me something called a Class and Skills also normal now? Dietrich asked. Nope, I shook my head, while Mia said, I only saw the warning about the monsters. Whats my Class? I asked, looking up into the air as though another weird screen were about to pop up just because I wanted it to. Nothing happened, though. Class options? I asked cautiously. I was given my Class directly, Dietrich pointed out, unhelpfully. I didnt blame him, it was how things had worked for him, but that didnt seem to be how this would go for me. I nodded. I still have to try. I just hope everyone can get powers, I sighed and closed my eyes before I went right back to staring into the air while the others looked out for more monsters, all the while advancing towards the car park. Me messing around with the System, Dietrich giving sword tips to Mia. Class choices. Nothing I want to select my Class. Bupkis. What Classes can I get? Zilch. Class options. Jack squa- I belatedly realized that a window had popped up in front of me, it had just appeared at eye level. It followed my gaze on the horizontal axis and kept a fixed distance, apparently, and it was even transparent so that I could keep walking safely, but didnt go up or down when I moved my head. So, that worked, I announced, and looked at what I saw.
As you are young and are yet to gain sufficient experience in any one Class to automatically lock it in, you have to decide which path to walk, from the following options: Film Student Lv. 9: All the worlds a stage, and youre the one learning to capture its happenings. Knowledge Devourer Lv. 8: Seek information and devour it, ever-expanding your pool of knowledge purely for the sake of learning Modern Human Lv. 7: Live in the modern times, gain standard skills needed for survival in a highly technological society Actor Lv. 3: All the worlds a stage, and youre the one upon it, showing others anything save existence as it really is Legends Guide Lv. 1: Guide a Legend through the modern world, be the bridge between the past and present
So apparently, you got auto-assigned your Class if you were really good at something. Whats your Level? I asked Dietrich. Fifty-one, he replied. Impressive, but that also meant that there was a very high spread for what the threshold might be. In fact, it could be anything from Level 10 to 51. But once again, that was an issue for later. Right now, I needed to pick a Class, and it was damn obvious. [Film Student] was useless for the current situation, depending on how destructive this whole affair was, [Modern Human] would soon become useless, [Actor] could be useful but likely wouldnt, and as much as I itched to pick [Knowledge Devourer], how useful would it really be with monsters about? Getting knowledge required time, and applying it took even longer. Youre picking [Legends Guide], arent you? Mia asked. Wait, you can see that? I asked, surprised. Somehow, Id imagined these screens were only visible to the user, I sure as shit hadnt seen her warning screen. Yep, she nodded. So, youre picking it? I accept [Legends Guide] as my Class, I announced, hoping I wouldnt wind up having to try out another half-dozen potential commands. Either the System was more forgiving with this command or Id guessed it correctly, either way, it worked. [Class gained: Legends Guide] [Legends Guide Lv. 1] [Skill gained: Knowledge Transfer] [Skill gained: Innate Etiquette] So, that just happened. Id just heard about what Skills Id gained, and now, I was just expected to, what, know them? But I did, sort of, know them, and I could see if I could find out how to pull up my Skill list later. For now, I was suddenly aware of exactly what I could now do. I could use [Knowledge Transfer] to send Dietrich information packets on the modern world while [Innate Etiquette] told me just how badly Id acted earlier. Telling me just what I was supposed to do when face to face with a king. However, it also told me that Dietrichs attitude had then disabled the standard social etiquette, signaling that neither Mia nor I have to bow or call him Your Majesty, but I should still have started out from a position of extreme courtesy and then started reacting to how he was acting, adjusting to the etiquette he demonstrated. I could even call him by his first name. It was a fucking weird sensation to suddenly have all this information forced into my head, but I had to admit, it was also kinda cool. So, whats the plan? I asked Dietrich. There are some swords I need to retrieve. One of these Skills that invaded the world is letting me find any treasure that I have sufficient knowledge about. And while we travel, well have time to discuss. One would be Nagelring? I asked, referring to his original magical sword. You have Eckesachs, what are the others? Dietrich winced, then awkwardly scratched at his neck. This seax isnt Eckesachs. I dont bring magical weaponry on hunts. I should have learned after the dragon, but that never ended up happening. I wisely decided to not comment, and Mia clearly saw the wisdom in that too. Eckesachs should be in my castle, or its ruins. Hildebrand had Balmung and he had me bury it with him but made me promise to retrieve it if it was ever needed. Its a similar story with Heime and his sword, he died but told me to keep Nagelring where I could retrieve it and pass it to someone worthy if dangers that plagued Europe in our youth returned. And Mimung honestly, Im shocked I can find it. But its the strongest sword Ive ever beheld, its a weapon capable of injuring even Siegfried through his otherwise invulnerable skin. Wittich killed himself by jumping into the ocean. But I know hed have wanted his sword to be retrieved and used if disaster struck again. Dietrich was silent for a brief moment. I never thought Id be able to bury him. I winced. I knew the story. Wittich had been a long-time companion of Dietrich, and been with him through thick and thin, but eventually, hed gained back his family lands, which were a part of the kingdom that Dietrichs uncle Emmerich had stolen from the young king. So, reluctantly, theyd parted ways, but remained friends. Until Dietrich had fought to regain his birthright, and Wittich had been called to arms. During the Rabenschlacht, as the battle would later come to be named, Wittich had tried to position himself in a way that would minimize the risk of him coming into combat with any of his old friends, or even fighting at all, but Dietrichs younger brother and the two sons of King Etzel, Dietrichs strongest ally, had attacked him for being a traitor. Hed only defended himself but hed been the wielder of the strongest sword in all of German myth and legend fighting three men who, depending on the person telling the story, might not even have shed the label of boy yet. Hed lived, his opponents hadnt. Horrified by what hed done, and fleeing an understandably furious Dietrich, hed jumped into the sea. Can you two look out for me a bit? Mia asked. I want to pick my Class. Yep, I agreed. Of course, Dietrich echoed me. Class selection, Mia announced, and once again, a screen appeared.
As you are young and are yet to gain sufficient experience in any one Class to automatically lock it in, you have to decide which path to walk, from the following options: Engineering Student Lv. 8: Learn how the world works in ways that are easily applicable to create useable materials Modern Human Lv. 7: Live in the modern times, gain standard skills needed for survival in a highly technological society Traveler on the Path of the Sword Lv. 5: Someone seeking truth and serenity by mastering the blade. Not for the sake of combat or war, but the self Actor Lv. 4: All the worlds a stage, and youre the one upon it, showing others anything save existence as it really is Legends Apprentice Lv. 1: Be the first to learn under a Legend from ancient times, gain power and influence if you survive
It was an interesting spread. A similar starter highest-Level option to mine, the same actor and modern human Classes Id also ben offered, and a variant on a legend class. The only difference was the sword class, which looked damn impressive, but made sense in hindsight. She used swordsmanship to distract herself from the burdens of life, just losing herself in it and its practice. Would she pick it, or [Legends Apprentice]? I mean, its an easy decision, isnt it? she asked. [Legends Apprentice]. Would others in this age be able to figure out how to get a Class? Dietrich asked. No, but I think we can fix that, I grinned pulling out my phone. Can your picture-making light send knowledge too? Dietrich asked, causing me to pause. Actually, I just got a Skill for sharing information. Can I use it on you? I asked and he nodded. So I tried to use it and failed. Apparently, I needed skin-to-skin contact, so I reached out and tapped the back of his hand. From there, it was smooth sailing. All I needed to do was will it to happen and it did. Instinctively, I knew that [Knowledge Transfer] had a cooldown of six hours and there was a limit as to how much information I could send. So what did I want to send? It was easy, really. This was called the information age for a reason, and the sheer interconnectivity of the modern world would likely be the thing that was the hardest for Dietrich to grasp. So I taught him what a phone was, what it could do, and the seemingly limitless amount of information it could pull on. The ancient kings eyes went wide as I pulled my hand away, and he missed a step, stumbling past me before catching himself. Then, he turned around and stared at the small box of metal and plastic in my hand. That Id have given half my kingdoms wealth for just one of those. If I tell you the direction and distance of a target, can you find it on the map app? Dietrich stumbled over the unfamiliar phrase, but otherwise, he seemed to have handled the flood of information about as well as could be expected. Yep, Ill do that in a sec, I said, holding up my phone and opening YouTube, then I clicked on make a short. Normally, I didnt make shorts, I only uploaded properly filmed and edited videos of our choreography, but this was how Id reach the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time. If anyones checking their phone in the middle of this chaos, please watch to the end of this video, then prepare because this is dangerous as hell. We just got attacked by monster wolves, Ill show you the picture in a pinned comment. Basically, the System dropped a bunch of monsters onto Earth, like it said in the message, but you can get powers too by verbally asking for Class Selection. Then you can pick something that fits who you are, but you need to go for something that can help you. Then I angled the phone to the side so that Dietrich was caught on video. Also, theres magic around now, this a legendary king from German mythology whos come back and The time ran out. I uploaded it anyway. No time to refine it. Good idea, Dietrich said, then pointed off to the side. Three swords are close together, 200 kilometers that way. So I opened Pocket Earth, and turned to face the direction hed indicated. Then, I used the function of tap the screen in two spots and the phone will tell you how far theyre apart, pulling my fingers further apart until the distance matched. From there, I could look for the nearest major city, Achen. I now switched to Google Maps to get a proper route calculated. Once we were there, wed be able to narrow it down. Five minutes after that, we reached the car. Would you like to sit in the back with Tristan so we can discuss whatever you need to, or do you want to sit in the front? Mia asked. Youre driving, then? Dietrich asked. Yeah, Tristans smart and all, but he keeps drifting off into his thoughts and Im not dying because he got an idea while behind the wheel, she announced. It was true but did she really have to tell that to him? Dietrich laughed. Ive known people like that. Then, he grew a little morose, as if recalling something painful. I was pretty sure I knew what he was thinking. Eventually, he decided to sit in the back, though he almost ripped the door off its hinges before figuring out how car doors worked. And then, together, we were off, going into a new, chaotic, and dangerous land. Chapter 2: Fionn Mac Cumail/Charlemagne/Francis Drake Fionn The march to Dublin had been a bloody affair, though that was likely due to how Fionn had chosen his path, dragging the Fianna through as many monster-infested areas as possible. It had achieved its primary purpose, allowing them to stop some of the biggest problems before they actually impacted the people of Ireland. It had also left everyone tired, dirty, and while hed normally not apply that phrase to his esteemed brothers in arms, cranky. However, the whole affair had also demonstrated that none of the old legends had been exaggerations. Well, he knew of one that was a little more fantastical than what had really happened. It claimed that a member of the Fianna had come back from the grave to settle a dispute about whether or not a poet was correct about the site of a battle. It was a long story, that basically boiled down to poets being able to lay dangerous curses down upon those who insulted them, a king correcting a factually incorrect statement made by a poet, and then being threatened by a curse unless he could prove it. The issue was that, well, while everyone knew where the battle had taken place, there hadnt been any proof. It was true, his son Oisin had shown up and set the record straight, but he hadnt escaped the grave for that. Regardless, this was a new world. One where anyone who cared to seek knowledge was almost as well informed as he was, except that they drew from humanitys collective knowledge, not the world itself, as he did. So, that was the plan. March into the capital city, declare their names for all to hear and spread about, and then, they could work together to gear up this country, and any who would follow Irelands lead, for war. Because this was not going to end quickly, or painlessly. Modern weapons were powerful, intense, and destructive, but they were limited in how often they could be used. A swordsman could skewer a dozen enemies before his blade needed to be sharpened, and said blade could be sharpened a hundred times before it needed to be replaced. A gunman could spend the entirety of his available munition in a matter of minutes, and the machinery needed to replace it would only survive so long in a world where new monsters could appear anywhere, at almost any time. An issue that only grew when it came to tanks and jets, the latter of which especially could become useless within a single day of use without adequate maintenance. They needed to figure out how to get everyone Classes, and find people willing to fight for this cause. The head of the carriage-sized seagull that was mounted on the end of his spear should serve as a better rallying symbol than any banner hed ever beheld. *** People stared as they entered Dublin, and marched through the streets. As expected. This wasnt a sight those of this age would have been used to. Phones were being waved about, pictures and videos taken, something many people were doing despite also looking rather scared. Was clout on this social media really that valuable? Either way, he ignored questions, for now, his goal was barely a hundred meters away. The Spire of Dublin, positioned right at one of the citys main thoroughfares and holding not insignificant symbolic weight. As he reached it, he raised his left hand slightly and muttered a spell, the magic flowing far more easily than it ever had in the past, raising a low platform of stone from the ground. Being unable to see the System and its direct effects unless said effects had been studied and quantified by humanity, thereby making it a part of earthly knowledge, was limiting. It completely ruined his ability to see most of the future, removing a large part of his metaphysical arsenal, and yet, he knew he was stronger than hed ever been. They all were. So what did it say that thoughts of the future filled him with dread and uncertainty? My name is Fionn Mac Cumail, he declared, after stepping onto the platform and turning around. Most of you know the old stories, some of you dont. Some of you will believe this to be false, fakes like so many things seen on the internet. Others still will choose to avoid facing the reality of the situation, preferring to let others handle the threat posed by this new world. He raised his spear overhead as he said this, showing the monster head impaled there to even those standing furthest back, then rammed the butt of this weapon into the stone beneath him, leaving it stuck there even when he removed his hand. The world is about to become as dangerous as it was in the age you only remember in myths, but this change has also returned power to mankind. The Fianna has returned, and we will lead the charge once more. Come to us for protection, and even the likes of the biblical Leviathan will not be able to harm you. Come to us for training, and we will mold you into a warrior worthy of standing beside us. And if you come to us seeking purpose, together, we shall. Save! This! World! The distant rumble of thunder that followed the proclamation hadnt been intended, and Fion only belatedly realized that hed subconsciously triggered one of those countless Skills, namely, [Inspiring Proclamation], but it fit the image he wanted to project despite not having been planned. With that, he dropped down onto the ground, leaving the monsters head where hed planted it, and made one final announcement. Well make camp in Phoenix Park, youll be able to find us there. Even if some of us are away, hunting, someone will be there to hear your requests. It had the space for a camp, even if their numbers increased tenfold overnight, and was near the western edge of the city, where he expected most of the problems to come from, at least for now. Not to mention that the ras an Uachtarin, the residence and main workplace of Irelands president lay in that same park. If the government decided to meet with him, already being within spitting distance of the head of state would make things much easier. *** Creating a camp was one of those things that any self-respecting warrior of their original time would have done a few hundred times in their lifetime, an action practiced to almost perfection. And the Fianna was made up of some of the finest Ireland had to offer. It had been easy. Grab rocks to line the fire, find sticks to build said fire, set up the tents youd brought with you, dig a couple of holes to serve as toilets, and that would be it. Maybe cut down a few trees to form a basic palisade. Of course, they couldnt really do most of that in a public park, someone would inevitably raise hell despite the fact that this situation was the very definition of an extenuating circumstance. That was something he might know and understand intellectually, but in reality just what had the world come to? Even so, it was an overall moot point. This new magic known as Skills made it easy and simple to create a camp better than anything theyd had before. And while their Classes varied, they were all somewhat based on their status as members of the Fianna. Caoilte had been declared the [Legendary Deputy of the Fianna], Conan had his [Wrrior of Unwavering Loyatly] while Goll had gotten the most basic descriptor as [Warrior of the Fianna]. Oisin and his [Child of the Forest] would have been able to transform this park into a verdant paradise in short order, but Fionn had sent him off to buy some clothes for everyone. Modern clothes. It had been a simple thing to get their measurements in modern standards, then find a shop that would let itself be paid in gold. Of course, theyd make sure to massively overpay in the process, that would smooth things along. But worrying wasnt his job right now, that would be setting up camp in a way that both looked impressive and was inviting. In many ways, the modern world was far more concerned with appearances than his timeline- Images were so much easier to make and proliferate, including stills from those movies, and people would have a basis of comparison for basically everything, a mental picture for how something was supposed to look, even if it like had never been seen in living memory. Therefore, well this camp needed to look good. And hed be damned if that wasnt a little annoying. [Instant Setup] meant that the tent hed packed appeared in an instant, complete with all the wards hed normally prepare. Caoilte managed to create a palisade wall in a heartbeat. Conan created the firepit with a gesture. And so on. The camp took shape in short bursts, all that was really required was someone to find the relevant Skill on their lengthy list and apply it. Presumably, people who started out at lower Levels would be able to grow into their abilities, and make each of them their own. Fionn took this as a chance to once again use his sight. For the sake of not looking ridiculous, he only stuck the tip of his thumb into the side of his mouth, giving the whole affair the appearance of merely chewing on his nails. The world was, surprise surprise, in utter chaos, the various spots of monster activity causing varying degrees of casualties, depending on the armament of the locals and proximity to military installations. But there was one more thing. Hed probably drawn on his gift more today than he had in the decade preceding their slumber, but was still feeling absolutely lost and was constantly being caught by surprise. For example, it seemed like hed sent Oisin off for no reason. Or not sent him early enough. Either way, the meeting hed wanted a modern suit for was just about here. It was a matter of a few simple motions to divest himself of his weapons, unhooking his sword and hunting knife along with their sheaths from his belt, and removing the sling that held his spears from his back. It would have been easier to simply remove the weapons themselves, admittedly, but this look, without empty holsters, was simply cleaner. Fionn strode out to meet the government envoy, surprising the man who immediately proceeded to awkwardly bow slightly. It was clearly not a motion he practiced often, if ever, but the effort was appreciated. Lord Mac Cumail, President ODwyer would like to extend an invitation to meet him at his residence, to discuss the future of this country, the man, who was clearly an aide of some stripe, began before pulling out a folded piece of paper, hot off the presses, as it were. Fionn grasped the proffered letter and looked it over. It read like a modern mans version of a proper royal summons, even more flowery than the originals had been, and it was exceedingly, for lack of a better word, submissive. As if he were the king, being asked to grace one of his subjects with his presence. It even stated the time of the meeting as by his convenience. Oof. The governments being polite was good. Afraid, on the other hand, not so much. Would me taking him up on this invitation right now be too early? Fionn asked. The aid shook his head. No, President ODwyer would Hed like to be able to plan with all information at his disposal? Fionn finished as the aide trailed off. Yes, exactly, the man beamed. No, this wasnt fear, no, it was awe. Or, in modern parlance, the man was starstruck. If the same feeling drove the president, then maybe this meeting would go well. The aide led the way and Fionn followed until they reached the ras an Uachtarin. It was guarded, of course, considering the nations sovereign lived and worked here, but no one stopped them. They soon reached what Fionn was able to identify as a sitting room, complete with a cabinet of liquor, huge bookshelves covering most of the walls, and two comfortable armchairs stood in the middle of the room, with a low table holding two wide, short glasses alongside yet another bottle of liquor sitting between them. An informal meeting, even better. Good afternoon, President ODwyer, Fionn greeted, dipping his head. A far cry from a full bow, but an acknowledgment of the other mans standing nevertheless. Then, he offered his right hand, palm perpendicular to the ground. Neither of their hands would be above the other, a handshake between equals. Lord Mac Cumail, thank you for coming, ODwyer shook the hand with clear relief before he gestured towards the chairs. Again with the lord. Clearly, something that had been settled on to cover all bases when it came to politeness, though not something he was entirely happy with. Please, call me Fionn, he said as he sat down. The ODwyer seemed a little uncomfortable, so Fionn explained. I know its a regular first name nowadays, but for me, its a title. My name is Demne, even if I havent heard it since I was a little boy. The president nodded. Alright, Fionn, I have to ask, what are your intentions beyond your declaration earlier today? he asked. We, the Fianna and I, want to do what we set out to do all those centuries ago. Protect Ireland. There were no more monsters to fight at that time, no dire need, and while my sight didnt stretch to the present day, it wasnt hard to predict that, eventually, wed be needed again. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ODwyer sagged in his seat, though the cause was clear relief. Thank you, he breathed. Thank you so much. My sight means that we can easily find and fight monsters as they crop up, but if you have an issue that you need help with, you know where to find us. Thank you, ODwyer repeated. Though access to some of those mobile phones would make things go much more smoothly. And some modern clothing wouldnt go amiss either, Fionn continued. We can arrange for all that. Hell, lets do that right now, ODwyer announced, turning to the aide that had led Fionn here. Mac Liam, can you arrange to have everything they could need delivered to the Fiannas campsite? Coordinate with the Corps of Engineers to make sure you have a complete list of what could come in handy. Yes, Mr. President, the aide nodded and marched off. Then, ODwyer turned back to Fionn, looking nervous. I really appreciate everything youre offering, but ODwyer sighed, and Fionn chose not to comment. It seemed like hed follow that up in a reasonable amount of time. There are people who wont see it that way. Or people who decide that going for your head is a way to earn prestige. Or stupid teenagers who decide that messing around with a lethal swordsman to film a funny video is a grand idea, Fionn added. Theres no need to worry. Ill defend myself, but Ill leave everything I can to the proper channels, as it were. And Im more than capable of differentiating between a real threat or a fool doing something foolish. Also, I can clearly distinguish between friend and foe, I wont hold anyone elses actions against you. As he said that, Fionn raised his right hand, palm facing towards him, and a cloud slid aside from in front of the sun at just the right moment to reflect off the glass front of the liquor cabinet to perfectly illuminate his thumb, which was covered by a mottled scar. This time, [Inspiring Proclamation] had been used on purpose. The scar had been old even when theyd gone to sleep, and was truly ancient in the twenty-first century, it should have faded into near-invisibility by now, but one could still see it due to its faint blue tinge. That was the so-called thumb of wisdom, his signature power, gained when the burning-hot fat from the frying Salmon of Wisdom had splashed onto it. I guess that would make it easier ODwyer stared. Now that we have an agreement, dont you think we could use a photo opp, Fionn stumbled slightly over the unfamiliar word before continuing. The people need something to boost their confidence. Id also like to be introduced to some of your military leaders, and I have reason to believe there are others like the Fianna out there, people from ancient times returned to save the world *** Charlemagne So, this was what Francia had turned into. Split up in two parts, which constantly fought against each other for centuries upon centuries, with the half now known as Germany having become most-famous for producing the worst villains of the worlds history, and the one known as France was globally stereotyped as constantly surrendering. Although there was one good thing to say about the current state of Francia. Germany really seemed to have taken his philosophy of structure and order to heart. To the point where it was an international joke. As for the world itself a Godless place filled with countless pagan and even satanic religions. Far from the legacy Karl had hoped to leave behind. But he could only get general information on everything. [Information Osmosis] was good for slowly understanding his situation, not receiving precise intelligence. Not to mention there were these strange Skills that had originated from something. A System that seemed to be the threat that had woken him despite the fact that it was also helping him. So much magic, without a clear and present origin he could point to, and investigate. Though he needed to find his helpers, his keepers during his long sleep, before he could do anything else. So yes, he needed to take a few steps to ensure that everything went smoothly. Step one, find the Mandln. Step two, have them fix this place up. Step three, go out into the world and re-establish proper structures once step two had begun. Step four show the world just what he was capable of. Gathering his beard up into a big knot pressed against his chest. Karl began to march through the tunnels beneath the Untersberg. Dust flew into the air in great clouds with every step he took, making it harder and harder to see and breathe the faster he marched, so he pulled his beard up to cover his nose and mouth. As hard as it had initially been to imagine that it had been over twelve hundred years, seeing this made it easy. Here and there, he saw signs that the Mandln had tried to clean up, but this vast complex that had simply appeared beneath the mountain was large enough to house the entirety of his army at the height of his power and then some. Of course, a mere bakers dozen of mountain spirits would not be enough to keep it in shape for over a millennium. While he marched, he came across a sign that said Armory, which he promptly opened. He had to put his entire weight on the doorknob before it moved, and when he hauled it open, an ear-splitting screech rang out, but open it did. The inside was room less dusty than the corridor had been, having been largely sealed, but that didnt mean it was clean, far from it. Karl picked up a dagger and pulled it from its sheath, seeing a freshly oiled blade staring back up at him. So that was where most of the upkeep effort had gone. A single sweep of the weapon later, the monumental beard fell from his face, and a few more cuts left him looking halfway presentable. Perfect. He attached the sheath to his belt and continued his search. Eventually, he reached the deepest point of the fortress, and there, he finally found the Mandln, huddling together in the tiny tunnels that served as their home. There is no threat for now, Karl declared. I need you to march out into the world as my envoys, find those worthy of becoming my paladins in this new age. Find me the greatest keepers of knowledge, the bravest of warriors, people who can navigate this new world, and those who can make things happen in the current climate. Then He was interrupted by a loud boom that echoed through the entirety of the underground fortress. Oh, that could not possibly be goo- were those footsteps? Yes, they were, heavy, loud beyond measure, and most importantly, familiar. Eleven of you, find me worthy Paladins. The rest, make this fortress presentable. Rough sweep to get rid of the dust in the throne room and the corridors that lead there first, everything else can come later. And with that, Karl whirled around on his feet and began to make his way upwards, in the direction of the entrance. The more he closed in on the newcomer, the more the dust in the environment began to jump, until his visitor finally came into view. A giant of a man, wearing silver plate armor, a shortsword that seemed to hum with energy grasped in one giant hand, covered in fresh, odd-colored bloodstains that the dust now clung to. Carolus Magnus Rex, the man rumbled. As always, you have your ideas staying up way too late into the night, and present them to everyone else still wearing your nightshirt. Karl looked down at himself and sighed. Yes, hed fallen asleep for centuries and was clad in not only, well, a nightshirt, but also countless layers of dust. And yet, he couldnt bring himself to care about the mess. You have to admit Ogier, they were good ideas. That, they were, the giant responded, and at that point, both men were already close and embraced each other, with Karls ribs creaking by the time they separated again. Where were you all this time? Karl asked the last survivor of his twelve paladins, Ogier the Dane. Asleep under Kronborg Castle, the man announced. And this is your resting place, I presume? Karl nodded. And what are you going to do next? Why, Im going to rebuild the empire, of course, Karl announced. The modern world is not ready for the appearance of monsters, and its inefficiencies would have spelled its doom sooner or later. Ill find the best and brightest to serve as my paladins and advisors, Ill forge a military that can take on the worst this System can throw at us, and once all is said and done, the sun will rise over a new world! Thats going to have to be a pretty powerful military, Ogier noted, gesturing to his chest, and the blood spatters there. These things are tough. So are we, Karl said. So are we. *** Drake This world was truly incredible. The capabilities of this ship had already been impressive beyond belief when it had been under the suppressive effect of that monster. But now, Captain Smith was in some room, alone, talking to someone in England. From just off the coast of Portabello, to his homeland. In an instant. Real-time communication. He could receive orders from the other end of the world in less time than it had taken Queen Elizabeth to send for a fresh pot of tea. If hed had that kind of communication capability back in his day, hed have been able to tear the Spanish Armada apart with casual ease, coordinating wolfpack tactics across several sea miles, drawing attention at one spot with only a handful of ships that remained at a safe distance before attacking in full force from another side, destroying what they could before retreating. On the flip side, a single one of these radios, or rather, a pair that could communicate, would have stopped his raids on Spanish colonies dead in their tracks. And this radar of theirs fantastic, fascinating, world-shattering, a concept that would forcefully shape strategies and alter all tactics, everywhere, now that it had been invented.A simple machine that could track thousands of objects simultaneously, even if they were as small as a pea . It boggled the mind. The things he could have done with something like that in his day boggled the mind, but alongside the daydreams his imagination painted of that world came nightmares of the Armada devastating the Royal Navy simply by being able to track their every move, even at night. Midshipman Fletcher had been very informative, mentioning past disasters when his drum had sounded, and briefly, very briefly, Drake had thought about the world he might have returned to. However, the more the Midshipman explained, the more he realized just how little hed have been able to do in that situation. It was humbling. He was an old man now, at least by the standards of his day, and the world had moved on without him even on the final raid, the one that had ended with him contracting dysentery and dying. The sheer amount of technological catching up hed have had to do to be useful in the so-called Second World War would have rendered him useless, and the intuition that had carried him through so many dilemmas and dangerous situations would likely have failed him, simply because his knowledge of that world was so lacking. But today, today, the world had fundamentally changed once again. They were all off balance, just like him, scrambling to understand how things worked now. Everyone was just as confused as he was. However, unlike him, the sailors of today hadnt had the chance to gain his degree of experience. He had power beyond this ships crew, and likely, beyond everyone else on this planet. Drake grinned. This would be a fascinating world to explore, one that held countless challenges and adventures. All he needed was to be given a fleet, or, hell, even just a single ship. And while the Captain was briefing high command, he could continue learning about this new world, and experiment with his Skills. There were a lot of them, ranging from directly applicable abilities with simple effects, such as [Instantaneous Reload] to instantly reload all guns on a vessel, or [Full Restoration] to restore a ship to full combat power, including refilling munitions, to more esotheric and hard-to-understand abilities. [Devils Luck], [Uncanny Intuition], or [Sling of David]. Another Midshipman strode towards him, one he hadnt met yet. Well, actually, she was a Midshipwoman. Not something hed have expected to see, but apparently, it worked for the navy of today. His contemporaries had thought his open attitude to primitive locals and willingness to accept help from escaped slaves was stupid and reckless, but it had almost always worked for him, a handful of situations where literally everything that could go wrong had gone pear-shaped notwithstanding. Just because common wisdom said, or rather, used to say, someone couldnt serve in combat didnt mean it was so. Itd still take some getting used to. Midshipwoman Buckley, are they ready for me? he asked, getting her name from her nametag. That was yet another new thing for him, something that would certainly have been useful in his day. No need to ask for names, no need to resort to hey yous, just addressing people with their names. Simple and polite. Yes, Sir, she nodded. If youll follow me? Lead the way, Drake announced and rose to his feet. It wasnt far, just walking a couple of meters and stepping through a single small door with a raised threshold that was at just the right height for an unwary sailors shins to bang into. As his did. It made sense, this door was part of a bulkhead, and having the bottom edge raised off the ground would make it harder for water to flow from one section into the next, but it would take some getting used to the change. Biting back a string of blistering swearwords, Drake reached down and rubbed his shin as he fully stepped in, while Midshipwoman Buckley stayed outside. The room he now found himself in was tiny, but that was to be expected. Space was at a premium on a warship, especially a small one such as this. As for what this room was used for Drake would have called it the captains mess, but that was mostly a guess. It could also be a meeting room, or one solely meant for using telecommunications equipment. It could be any of those, it could be all of those. It was a room with a table, eight chairs were set around said table, and one wall was covered in what Drake was now able to recognize as computer screens. And displayed upon those screens seemed to be a high-ranking officer. At least that was the assumption, based on the higher number of gold stripes on the womans sleeves and far more intricate epaulets. There were three stars on them, assuming each of those stars on them represented a higher rank, and Captain Smiths uniform lacked that kind of design, she was either a vice admiral like him or a full admiral, depending on whether the first rank that gained a star on its epaulet was commodore or rear admiral. Hed learned that the Royal Navy of today was a direct continuation of the organization hed served in his day, so technically, he should still have all the rights and privileges of his rank, but that wouldnt necessarily hold true in practice. Annoyingly, his authority was a technicality, hers was cemented in the hearts and minds of every person on this ship. He was under no illusions about the power dynamic here. Im Vice Admiral Porter, she introduced herself, solving at least one of his questions. Youre Vice Admiral Drake, I take it? Her tone was somewhat skeptical, but far less so than hed expected. What else had happened today to make her a believer? Aside from the whole System mess, that was. At your service, he gave a formal bow before snapping back up to a ramrod-straight position, carefully making sure to not hit his head on the table. That display at the threshold had been bad enough, no need to make himself look any worse than he already did. The same Vice Admiral Drake who served Elizabeth the First in the sixteenth century? That is correct, Admiral, he said. Porter sighed. Captain Smith tells me you have no clear idea as to how you managed to return? He shook his head. I made my oath to return on Englands greatest hour of need, and I did, alongside an empowerment by the System. I see, she said. Your level wouldnt happen to be somewhere in the forties or fifties? Thats correct, Drake said. [Daredevil of the Sea], Level 47. What made you assume that? Youre not the only one with such exotic circumstances. Arthur Pendragon marched out from under Glastonbury Tor four hours ago and immediately proceeded to destroy the most powerful monster to date. More powerful than the Kraken Drake blanched even as Porter corrected herself. Though that kraken of yours might have been stronger, its hard to get a proper comparison since he used magic of currently undefined power. Drake nodded. Does his return have any consequences for the line of succession or current monarchy? Thankfully, everyone seems to be ignoring those implications for now, Porter admitted. The royal family is working on staying safe and Mr. Pendragon has been marching around exterminating any threat he can find. In addition, a man claiming to be Fionn Mac Cumail, a hero from Irish mythology, announced his return in Dublin, there is a video floating around of the German mythological king Dietrich von Bern having returned, and some claim an armored giant ran down the length of Germany from Denmark. Hes rumored to be Ogier the Dane, another legend, this one tied to the former Germanic emperor Charlemagne. Either there was something in the water at the navys intel division, or the world had just gotten a lot more fascinating. I ordered the Defiant to proceed to England with all due haste. Are those orders acceptable? Drake asked. Porter shook her head. Get back here, then, well discuss how we proceed further. Speaking of, what are your plans for the future? I plan on going hunting, Admiral, Drake announced. It seems like however dangerous the land has gotten, the sea is a hundred times worse. What would that require? Porter asked. Anything the navy is willing to spare. And if there are no ships to spare? Then Ill go out to sea on a fishing boat, armed with a speargun, Drake responded flatly. I swore an oath, and I intend to keep it. One of these Skills I was provided lets me instantly teach people to fill in for any position on a modern warship, Ill find whoever is willing to stand beside me and then, well hunt down the most powerful creatures this sea has to offer. And he was already practically vibrating with excitement. Though it seemed that Porter had understood something very different from what hed actually said. So, you can magically teach people what they need to know to do anything on a modern warship? Can you use these Skills on yourself? Actually, hed never checked, even though it had been very obvious. They could teach people and he certainly was people. Let me check, Drake said and used [Instantaneous Training: Midshipman]. It was important to start at the basics, with the lowest officer rank to give him a broad base of information the training the latter rank teachings could build upon. For about ten seconds, a pounding headache made him wince in pain, but it passed before he could even begin to articulate a request for a medic. Are you alright? Smith and Porter asked nigh-simultaneously as Drake managed to sit up straight again. Peachy. Drake was met with two flat stares. That was unpleasant, but it worked. Ill brush up on everything I could possibly need to know on the way to England, he promised. I look forward to making your acquaintance in person, Porter responded. Until then, please also work with the crew of the Defiant to figure out the optimal uses for Skills. Drake nodded. Until then, I bid you farewell. It would have taken the Defiant between six to ten days to reach England under normal circumstances, depending on how much they were willing to push the engine, but with his Skills, that time should shrink quite a bit, to four or potentially even three days. Chapter 3: “Graverobbing” Apparently, even legendary heroes got car sick. Dietrich and I had been in the back, discussing what information I should give him once [Knowledge Transfer] came off cooldown. Hed wanted to know about modern weaponry while Id argued that I didnt actually know all that much about guns and tanks and missiles, and what I did know, Id gained from probably unrealistic movies and TV shows, as well as the occasional YouTube video. I could easily just as easily find a few videos and show him those to convey just as much information as my Skill would have while saving my Skill for something more useful. Hed agreed that would work better, so Id searched up a few videos, queued them up, and handed over my phone. And then, this had happened. Dietrich wiped at his mouth, unleashed a string of unfamiliar swearwords, and straightened back up before he began to walk towards the car hed leaped out of while itd still been moving. That was unpleasant, he muttered. Is that normal? Its an inner ear thing, I shrugged. Happens to some people, doesnt happen to others. I think well stick to talking for now, Ill watch those videos later, he sighed. That seems to have been the cause of the issue. Yep, I nodded. You should probably also sit in the front now, that makes it easier. And look out of the window. Dietrich sighed again and shook his head. I miss riding. Why dont you? I asked. That horse of yours is supernaturally fast, isnt it? Cant make a horse run at full speed the whole time, Dietrich explained as he fought the seatbelt for a couple of seconds before it finally clicked into position when Mia reached over to help. I wouldnt know, Mia said. But from what Ive heard, horses tend to be a little fragile. One thing goes wrong, and you have to put them down. Broken leg, slightly messed-up stomach, thats it. I prefer cars. She thumped the steering wheel for emphasis. Dont mechanical devices tend to break the moment one of their components goes? Dietrich asked. Yeah, but you can fix a car. Cant fix a horse, Mia replied, pressing down the gas pedal even further. And theyre fast. And everyone can have one? Dietrich asked. If they can afford it, I said. I think modern transportation might be a good choice for our next [Knowledge Transfer]. Maybe modern etiquette, then transportation, Dietrich suggested. I dont have the privilege of a king to have others ignore my missteps. That was a good point, actually. We kept driving, with Dietrich pointing at whatever caught his attention and asking Whats that. It was a little like babysitting a toddler, except this toddler had silver hair, a sword, a deep voice, and most importantly, a brain. He could understand the meaning behind something. The golden arches of a McDonalds that sat next to the Autobahn were strange and alien at first, but when we explained what they were, he filed them away as an unnaturally obnoxious advertisement. Mia, you never told us what you got from your Class, I asked during a period of silence. Something called [Matchless Endurance] and [Knowledge Sponge], she said. It gives me more stamina and lets me learn better. I think. If the System gives you something like that, I think youre going to need it, I commented dryly, but Dietrich shook his head. Physical training is important, but you seem to be in good shape. Im not going to make you run in circles with a weighted backpack or the like. Mia seemed on the verge of sighing in relief when he continued. I think youre already prepared for proper drills. Sparring, training a single strike a thousand times before moving on to the next one Somehow, I was more than fine with not directly learning under one of historys greats. While the other two talked, I fished my phone out of my pocket and started reading the news. Somehow, it wasnt all that apocalyptic. Plenty of talk about mass hallucinations on a global scale, and several rumors about monsters, but there wasnt anything concrete there. It was weird. The so-called hallucinations were a problem, obviously, but shouldnt literal monsters have taken priority in the news cycle? However, the road trip was going well. Until suddenly, Dietrich jerked in his seat, face more serious than Id ever seen anyone look, and snapped Stop the car! It was the kind of statement that, depending on tone, could be everything from serious to pleading, seriously rude to almost polite. But when Dietrich said it, it came across as nothing less than an impossible-to-deny order. Mia slammed on the brakes immediately while flicking on hazard lights and pulling over into the breakdown lane as quickly as she possibly could. It was an incredibly dangerous maneuver at 130 kilometers an hour, but she pulled it off. Had Dietrich gotten carsick again? How bad was it? But while the former king threw himself out of the car with the same alacrity as he had earlier, he wasnt looking nauseous. No, he an ear-splitting screech made me jump in shock, staring around wildly to try and spot the threat. *** Call it instinct, call it the sixth sense, call it whatever, any warrior worth their salt had it. It was what kept them alive in combat, let them react to blows they werent even aware of, and it was what allowed them to glean things from obtuse patterns that scholars would take months to untangle without actually having to dig into everything. The current situation was based on precisely none of that. Instead, one of his new magics had warned him. [Dangersense]. Something was coming from above. So he ordered Mia Vogt to stop the car, there being no time to explain, and she did just that. Dietrich hurled himself out of the car the moment it had stopped and whipped his sword from its sheath, whirling to face a horse-sized eagle that was coming at him, claws outstretched.
Steelfeather Eagle (evolved eagle), Level 7
Oh, hell. He threw himself to the side while swinging his sword at the monsters legs, feeling it jerk in his hand as it struck home but he didnt see it happen as he was currently moving away from the beast. And the world slowed to a crawl. He hadnt even fully concentrated on making it happen, hed merely been made aware of the fact that [A Brush With Death] could be used and would be helpful, so hed made some vague decision to take advantage of the opportunity. Suddenly, he had an incredible amount of time to consider his actions, a single second that stretched into infinity, while his mind unfolded, revealing all surroundings even though they werent even in his line of sight. The bird was currently only two meters behind and slightly above him, with one of the claws it had tried to rip him apart with only hanging on by a thread. He couldnt reach the beast with his sword right now, and his last javelin was in the car, but somehow, he felt he had another option, one of his [Skills] that was calling to him. [A Blade Borrowed] let him, well, do exactly what the name indicated. Borrow a blade hed once held, for a single strike, then, it would return to wherever it had been before. And Dietrich knew exactly what weapon to pull out. Time moved like syrup, Dietrichs body was frozen like an insect in amber, but his mind was working faster than it had ever been, his plans seeming to imprint him into his body as he made them, coiling up like a serpent preparing to strike. When the first Skill ended, all his preparations snapped into place perfectly, just as hed imagined. Dietrich whirled around, an impossibly slim and elegant sword manifesting in his left hand as he did so, and he released the blade at just the correct point to send it whirling through the air straight at his foe. There was no guarantee that it would strike perfectly, but with a blade as sharp as Mimung, that didnt matter. Hed aimed the blade at the birds wing, hoping to clip it, but it not only carved straight through the appendage but also continued straight into its chest, until it came out of the monsters other end, having practically bisected it. And since the weapon had disappeared after completing the attack, there wasnt even a sword to retrieve. Im guessing someones going to come clean that up eventually? he asked, gesturing towards the corpse once he was back at the car with the Vogt twins. Tristan shrugged. Probably. But its not in the way, and I dont think we can afford to wait for it. Dietrich nodded. Onwards. *** The last stretch towards the target was a pain in the freaking behind. Wed stopped in Aachen to rest a little, eat something, and plot our next steps. It had been simple. So simple. And it had taken so fucking long. All wed had to do was repeat the few steps of having Dietrich point in a direction and state a distance, me whipping out my phone and finding a proper route, and Mia driving us there, until eventually, we had to hop out on foot and march through the woods without so much as a trail to guide us. Just three people marching through the woods, following the magical feelings of a time-displaced old man. No, that wasnt fair. Dietrich was being as polite as could be about the whole thing, showing more courtesy than I ever would have expected from a king. I was just being cranky because wed been running ourselves ragged. Under normal circumstances, wed already have been back home, me lying on the couch with a book while Mia had gone straight back out to do something else. I liked exercise and long walks through nature and all, but not to this extent. One more kilometer. At least with Dietrichs narrating, I knew exactly how much further we had to go, and it didnt seem like wed have to climb any cliffs to reach our destination. Mia and Dietrich continuously talked while I just plodded along, keeping a straight face. I sighed. Just a little bit further and then, finally, we were standing in front of a sheer cliff face. Do we have to climb that? I asked after a long moment where we just stared at it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. No, we need to go inside, Dietrich responded after taking a bit to think things over. Step back, please. I havent used these Skills yet and it could be dangerous. Mia and I had retreated almost fifty meters back before he turned to the cliff and swung his sword in a massive arc that not only cleaved straight through the rock where he struck it, but also the stone beyond, shearing the entire structure in half before a wave of force slammed into the upper chunk, shattering it while pushing it off the lower chunk. Holy Dietrich turned around to us. Do you want to go inside? Lets go, Mia grinned at me before hurrying towards the site of the chaos while I followed at a more sedate pace until I was right in front of the whole mess. It looked like a bomb had gone off, but one that was unnaturally precise, having pulverized a ton of material while leaving a long, dark, staircase that led into the ground intact, as well as the material around the structure, which hopefully meant it couldnt collapse on top of our heads. Mia had already had her phone out so I did the same, and we switched on the flashlights at the same time. Can I borrow that? Dietrich asked, and Mia handed it over. He led the way, phone in one hand, sword in the other but two steps in, the sword soundlessly fell apart, followed by a resounding clatter of a dozen chunks of metal bouncing off stone. He sighed, and conjured the same weapon hed thrown at the bird earlier. I think that might have been too much for a mundane weapon. Then, we all entered. He was still in the lead, Mia followed with her prop sword drawn, and me in the rear with the second phone-light. A voice rang out in my mind. The moment I was deep enough that my head was below the ground, that apparently counted as some kind of achievement. Can you guys wait for a second, theres some System weirdness in my head right now, I called out and the others waited. [Legends Guide Lv. 1 -> Legends Guide Lv. 3] [Skill Boost Available] [Skill gained: Restoration of the Old] Okay, that was a neat upgrade. Now I just needed to know what any of that meant I mean, [Restoration of the Old] was fairly self-explanatory, and it felt like all I had to do was will it to trigger and itd clean and fix stuff. Simple. And the Skill Boost was also something I could understand, mostly, but I had no bloody clue how to use it. Could I just make it happen? So I tried and slapped the boost on [Knowledge Transfer] because that seemed to be my most important Skill for now, [Innate Etiquette] was already at the point where I needed it to be, in my opinion. Immediately, I heard the same voice that had told me about the Skills Id gotten informing me about [Knowledge Transfer] being upgraded and a blue box similar to the Class Selection screen or the initial warning message popped up. [Skill boosted: Knowledge Transfer]
The amount of transferable knowledge increases, can be used at a range of up to one meter.
Okay, that was useful, both due to the nature of the upgrade and the fact that Id gotten a proper overview of it. Greater bandwidth was always good, and not needing to figure out what patch of skin to touch made it easier, especially since I suspected Dietrich would soon be running around in full armor. But where was that same description for my existing Skills?
[Knowledge Transfer] Transfer your knowledge on a given topic to a target you are directly touching (skin-to-skin contact), can be used every 6 hours The amount of transferable knowledge increases, can be used at a range of up to one meter. [Innate Etiquette] Automatically understand and execute proper etiquette, automatically know names and titles of conversation partners unless that information is deliberately hidden
And why had I previously only gotten vague impressions of what my [Skills] did? Was this change only due to the fact that I now knew proper descriptions could be gained? I sighed and hung my head. Guys, you can get a written description of your Skills if you ask for it, I announced. Be right back. Then, I took a few steps outside, grabbed my phone, and filmed another short. Everyone, I just figured out how to get actual Skill descriptions, instead of vague impressions on how they work. If you already knew about that, ignore this video. I turned my phone around to show the screen that had followed me. That might change in the future, but right now, it seemed like there was no damaging information on that screen right now. Basically, all you have to do is ask for descriptions, but it only worked for me when I asked for descriptions like what popped up when I unlocked a Skill Boost at Level 2. Oh, yeah, you can apparently either get a new Skill or a Boost you can slap on one of your other Skills, I finished, ended the whole thing, and sent it off. Then, I marched back inside to join the others, who were still standing on the stairs. All of my companions who died were buried here, but I have no idea why Nagelring and Echesachs are also here, Dietrich explained as the smooth stone of the staircase was slowly replaced by a rougher floor, akin to what youd find in a cave. Here we are. He heaved open a door Id entirely missed, set deep in a recess in the wall, and was greeted by a tidal wave of dust. I just acted, waving my hand towards the incoming mess and triggering [Restoration of the Old]. It felt natural and, hey presto, it worked. In an instant, the dust turned into a funnel that flashed towards my palm, and by the time Id finished the motion, there sat a small, marble-sized sphere of compressed dirt. At the same time, the clearly aging door had become fully restored, gleaming like new. Not bad, Dietrich observed. Apparently leading a legend involves fixing old structures, I replied, following him as he walked into the room, and pocketed the marble. I could tell it was easy to break if I wanted to, and Id keep it for a rainy day. Because if someone got right up in my face, I could empty a millenniums worth of dust if need be. And chances were I could find a new room to clean after that to restore my stocks of ammo. There were ten immense stone coffins in the room, each intricately carved and looking like new. My comrades, he said simply before walking towards a specific one. Hildebrand. My teacher, master at arms, and one of the finest men this world has ever seen. I dont think Id have survived a single one of my adventures without him, let alone all of them. All hed have to do is look at a seemingly invincible supernatural foe and hed know how to get around its apparent immortality. Dietrich drew the hilt of his sword, which had remained intact even as the blade itself had shattered, and brought it down onto the stone sword that sat on the chest of the stone warrior carved into the coffins top. The stone shattered like drywall, revealing a second sword, this one made of metal and sitting in a gorgeous metal sheath. Slowly, carefully, almost reverently, he withdrew the weapon before looking at me. Can you restore the coffin? We built it to hide the sword at his request, but if possible, Id want his final resting place to be pristine once more. Mentally, I reached out for the Skill and shook my head. Give me an hour, I said. I can wait if were done before then. Dietrich nodded slowly. Thank you. Then, he slowly drew the sword from its sheath, right hand on its hilt, left hand sitting atop the sheath. This is Balmung, the blade once wielded by Siegfried, forged from the remnants of a blade said to have been awarded by Odin himself. When he was betrayed and murdered by Hagen, it passed to the backstabber. Later, Krimhild, Siegfrieds widow, executed him with it before herself facing death for betraying the laws of hospitality, and causing countless deaths including that of her own infant son. It passed to Hildebrand after that, since it was he and I who brought an end to the slaughter at Etzels court. He pushed the blade back into its sheath with an incredibly swift and sudden motion, then held it out to Mia. And now, Mia Vogt, it passes to you. May you learn from its previous wielders, making their wisdom your own and remembering their mistakes so that you may avoid them. We both gaped at the literally legendary weapon hed just handed over. Not without a little pomp and circumstance, admittedly, but still, how did we deserve this? It was generous beyond belief, so why? Finally, Mia managed to bring out an I cant accept this. I want you to have it. And he would have wanted someone like you to have it, Dietrich gently explained. Dont you need it? Mia asked, finding her footing again. Dietrich jerked his head towards the wall. There are two more swords in the next room. Ill use Eckesachs, since Im more familiar with it, and Tristan, youll take Nagelring. I know you dont love the sword like your sister does, but you should still carry one for protection. That last part would have sounded rude, but hed been spot-on about my feelings and the fact that Id have turned him down flat if hed handed me the blade, terrified of disrespecting or losing it. So spot-on that I couldnt feel mad at him. He held out the sword to Mia again, where she could grab it if she reached out her hands, and she did so, moving slowly as she stared at the weapon. Somehow, my brain decided that this whole situation looked kinda funny since it was only illuminated by mobile phone flashlights, Dietrich especially having the light catch his face from below like that ridiculous scare tactic you knew from summer camp scary stories. However, I managed to avoid laughing despite the laughter that was bubbling up from my gut. Once Mia was finished attaching Balmungs sheat to her belt, Dietrich led us to the room where he was sensing the other blades. The door was once again set in the wall and had even been caught by my restoration, causing it to slide open easily to reveal, well, an armory. There was a column a couple of meters from the door, and it had a message scratched into it. For Dietrich, We know youre going to return, one day. We know we wont be there when you do. As the last of your companions, I chose to create this armory for you. It holds both Nagelring and Eckesachs, enough gold to buy anything you need and raise an army on top of that. I also included the rings we took off Laurins honor guard and some dwarven-made gear. Find people in your new age, lead them as you have us. The world is a better place when it has you in it, and anyone who walks through life with you will be the better for it. Dont worry about us, find people who can be there for you where you are now. Your friend and comrade, Dietleib von Steier. I could feel my eyes growing moist as I read it and studiously ignored Dietrichs stricken expression. After a long time, I genuinely had no idea how long, Dietrich wiped across his face once, then turned to face us once more. Is gold still a viable currency in this age? he asked. No, but we can easily trade it in for Euros or overpay so much that itll get accepted anyway, I suggested. Good, Dietrich nodded, already moving through the armory like a literal whirlwind, grabbing a huge chest that rattled with what I assumed to be gold coins and setting it next to the entrance before he was in front of me with another sword. This is Nagelring. Forged by the dwarf Alberich, and guarded by two fearsome giants. I slew Grim, the male, but when I cut his wife in half, she just popped back together. I decapitated her, and she once more returned to life. No matter what I did, she just healed herself until Hildebrand told me to cut her in half once more and step between the pieces. When I did that, the healing ceased. I have carried this sword through countless battles, and when I acquired Eckesachs, this blade passed along to Heime, who brought down his own giant with this sword. And now, it passes to you. May you learn from its previous wielders, making their wisdom your own and remembering their mistakes so that you may avoid them. Thank you, I replied, bowing as I reached out to receive the gift, then continuing once I was standing straight again, meet his eyes, then drew upon [Innate Ettiquete] for the proper verbiage as I went down on one knee. Dietrich of the Ammelungs, King of Bern, I bid you to accept my oath of fealty. Until the end of my life, or until you choose to dissolve this bond, I will be your comrade, your guide to this new world. [Legends Guide Lv. 3 -> Legends Guide Lv. 4] [Skill Boost gained] Maybe Id gotten swept up in the situation, maybe I was just scared of facing this chaotic world on my own, but it had felt like the right thing to do. Dietrich looked surprised, but responded with a similarly formal proclamation. I, Dietrich of the Ammelungs, King of Bern, accept your oath of fealty and swear to treat you with dignity, shield you from the danger of this world, and provide for you until this bond is severed by dissolution or death. I rose back to my feet and he nodded at me. Mia flashed me a look and I returned it, a wordless message flashing between us. Dietrich of the Ammelungs, King of Bern, I bid you to accept my oath of fealty. Until the end of my life, or until you choose to dissolve this bond, I will be your sword and the one who watches your back, standing with you in this new world against threats too great for any one warrior to defeat. Dietrich responded as he had with me, looking incredibly happy before he returned to digging through the armory. At some point, he returned with a pair of rings, which he handed over, though I also noticed that hed found a sword he felt was suitable at some point. These are rings that once belonged to the honor guard of the dwarven king Laurin. Wearing them allows you to see through invisibility and increases your physical strength, he announced. Dont you need one too? Mia asked. Dietrich rolled up his sleeve to reveal a tiny belt there, ripped in one place but otherwise looking brand-new, tied around his arm, the two ends of the rip knotted together. Laurins belt. It has the same effect. I tore it off him when attacked me while invisible. Oh, right, I remembered that story now. Laurin had kidnapped Dietleibs sister, and Dietrich had taken his comrades to get her back. Dietleib had drawn Laurin out by trashing his rose garden, and then Dietrich had knocked down the dwarven king, who had surrendered and invited them in to show them she was safe and promptly drugged them at the following feast, then locked them up. Dietleibs sister had freed them, but Laurin and his honor guard had attacked them under the cover of invisibility cloaks, which had solidly failed when Dietrich had gotten his hands on the belt after grappling with his invisible assailant. Hed killed other members of the honor guard for their rings and passed them out and together, theyd conquered the dwarven kingdom. I immediately slipped the ring on, and Mia did the same, but I didnt really notice anything changing. I kept staring at the ring for a long moment longer. It sat on my left middle finger, glittering in the cell phones light. A gold band was the base, though a line of purple crystal ran down the center, and two lines of what was either silver or platinum running over the top, intertwining in a beautiful pattern. As he worked, Dietrich told some stories. At some point, I also applied the Skill Boost, on the Skill that seemed the strongest to me. Yes, knowledge wasnt particularly helpful when faced with violence directly, but it was also second to none when it came to avoiding winding up in no-win situations in the first place. [Skill boosted: Knowledge Transfer]
Up to two targets can be taught at once, range increases to 5 meters.
Oh, nice. I could also share some knowledge with Mia. Obviously, we shared an understanding of the modern world, but when it came to things like sign language, which only Id learned, it would still be helpful. And eventually, we left the tomb slash armory laden down with stuff Dietrich thought would be useful only to be greeted by a whole lot of cops. What. The. Actual. Fuck. Chapter 4: Arthur/Joseph/Temudjin Arthur Another monster fell beneath his blade, and after briefly checking to make sure it didnt magically return to life, Arthur marched off. There were other places to me, more monsters to fight, more things to do. Sir, there are reports of a giant monster in the New Forest National Park. Arthur turned to see a man in a green uniform giving a gesture he recognized as one of respect by now, his hand open and flat, held above one eye at an angle. Sir. It was an unfamiliar form of address for him, one that was very different from the your majesty he was used to, but then again, he wasnt entirely sure he still deserved to be called by his former title. It felt like just as much of a joke as his so-called Class. [King of Unity]. Hed forged Camelot from nothing and then hed thought it had returned to nothing as that boat drifted out onto the lake of Avalon. That the only people whod survived had been himself, and two of his knights, Sir Lucan, and Sir Bedivere. Everyone else, including the traitor Mordred, had fallen. Every remaining member of the round table, every footsoldier, everyone. All killed in a single terrible battle in this civil war against his own son. The fact that he was still remembered as the father of the nation that existed today did little to soothe that pain. Those deaths had still occurred, and the fact that they were now hundreds of years in the past, if not thousands, he wasnt entirely clear on the timeline, that didnt change the situation. But despite the strangeness and downright bizzarity of this new world, it did have something good. Targets. Monsters that he could take his anger out on. Hed liked his expeditions and monster hunts before, during his reign, but the demands of court and leadership had always pulled him back to Camelot after seeing just one or even none of the beasts hed gone after. The Questing Beast, Twrch Twryth, Cath Palug, and more besides. Some of his greatest triumphs and fondest memories had been won during such expeditions, but the concerns of the larger picture had limited what hed been able to do. It had just been him and some of the Round Tables knights, no gossiping nobles to interrupt them, or commoners he needed to act dignified in front of. He could be himself, his comrades could make fun of him when he screwed up dinner when it was his turn to cook, and they could all act as they wanted to, not as they had to. Now, however, there was nothing do to but fight. Fight, and lose himself to the flow of combat, the feeling of Excaliburs blade slicing flesh, the impact of an enemys titanic fist crunching into his shield it was the only thing keeping him sane right now. Thank you, Second Lieutenant, Arthur said. You dont say the full rank, its just lieutenant, Sir, the man gently corrected. I see, Arthur replied. He really didnt, but hed try to apply the corrections he received and if he made a mistake, well, hed keep trying until he got it right. The man led the way towards the infernally noisy means of conveyance that had ferried him all over the country. He-li-cop-ter. If these had existed in his age, hed have probably had to ban them altogether, theyd have driven the horses insane. Hell, they were well on their way to driving him insane. However, in a roundabout way, it was also what was saving his mind. Because thanks to it, he didnt have long to wait for the next fight. The so-called New Forest was a large area that contained wild horses, or hed been told, and soon, he was able to see some of those out of the window. However, soon afterward, he could see his actual target, and it was definitely his target. Not only was it quite a bit bigger than any normal horse, but there was also a mans twisted torso growing from its back. Oh, and also, the whole thing had no skin.
Nucklavee (evolved hybrid), Level 15 Field Boss
The monster likely weighed more than the helicopter, was tall enough to look over most castles walls with its human head and its entire being glistened wetly with exposed muscle. Its entire body save the tips of its arms, which were so long that they almost dragged across the ground. There lay a three-fingered hand covered in black rot, tipped with long talons that Arthur decidedly did not like the look of. This was the kind of monster hed have had to go up against with the entire Round Table in his first life. Today, however Its noticed us, well have to land far away, the pilot announced. Never mind that, just open the door, Ill jump, Arthur ordered. He was met with a shocked look from the lieutenant, but the man nevertheless opened the door, causing the screaming of the helicopters motor to become all the louder, and Arthur hurled himself out into the open air. A lethal drop, previously, but right now, perfectly fine. Excalibur flew out of its sheath and a [Grand Slash] flashed out, a tremendous sword of light and power hammering into the nucklavees shoulder. The horse-bodys shoulder. Black, stinking blood flew and the crunch of breaking bone rang out, causing the creature to rear onto its back legs, splattering more of the vile substance around the place. Anywhere the blood touched, plants died and Arthur sincerely doubted hed be in much better shape if it hit him. One of the monsters arms elongated as it lashed out at him and he intercepted it with Excalibur, lopping off the arm above the wrist. A mistake on his part, sadly, as the resulting spray of blood hit Arthur square in the face. It burned, and the stench seemed to actively crawl up his and try to smother him, and yet he was fine, one of his new abilities flaring to live, burning with the fury of the sun. He didnt even have to check to realize it was [Royal Constitution], which apparently also served to protect its bearer from poison. The blood continued to hurt, and tears streamed from his eyes, but Arthur pressed on. [Grand Slash] was in the process of recovering, but yet another of his powers was growing in strength until it would be burning at full strength, turning him into a single man with the strength of an entire army. Fittingly, it was named [Army of One]. The nucklavees remaining hand raked across Arthurs chainmail, splitting the rings and rusting the metal while the leader underneath began to rot, but he was past it in a flash and hacked off the monsters back right leg, combined with him already having broken its front left leg, that was a death sentence. The monster collapsed to the ground, and Excalibur decapitated the monstrous horse. And yet, the monster continued to move, continued to thrash, blood and even more disgusting fluids spraying across the previously pristine meadow. So, he needed to remove both heads, was that how it worked? Arthur did just that, and at that point, the helicopter had already landed outside the defiled zone. [Royal Ears] was helping him pick up what they were saying even with the distance and infernal racket the machine was still making. Much of what they were saying was familiar, exclamations of gratitude or surprise, but there was also plenty that he didnt understand. And then there was the phrase decontamination procedures. He had no idea what that was, but somehow, he was certain that he would absolutely hate it. *** Joseph It seemed like the Jewish people were no longer repressed, nor locked in ghettos, even if theyd gotten rare. Extremely so. That was an unfortunate combination. Instead of being able to guard a single location, he had to march through this city, finding those he was tasked with protecting, but that didnt exactly work either. After all, he could find Jews, but would he necessarily find them when they actually needed him? In fact, he was far more often coming across monsters on their own, and it was pretty easy to draw their ire with his very presence alone. His presence and these whatever they were. This magic known as Skills that had coalesced around the scrap of parchment that functioned as his core, empowering him in ways that he never could have thought possible. As he crushed yet another dog beast under one foot, the voice of this strange System rang out. [Champion of the People, Artificial Paragon Lv. 42 -> Champion of the People, Artificial Paragon Lv. 43] [Spell gained: Invisibility] So, he had that ability again. It had been attached to an amulet when hed first walked this Earth, but it had broken when Rabbi Loew had had to stop him. This System was clearly a mighty magic beyond anything that kabbalistic magic was capable of. And it was empowering him, allowing him to step beyond the limits of his previous limitations, allowing him to keep pace with a world that had become home to literal monsters, not just humans that, by all rights, deserved to be called monstrous. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. But first, he needed to find some more paper. Perhaps even a book of some sort. What little hed had when first waking up was already covered in enough scribbles that it showed more ink than paper. Something for later. For now, he was just doing his job. With every step, the Prague of today became more and more familiar, his mind connecting it to the Prague of five hundred years ago. Some buildings were old, others even older, to the point where he recognized them, but most were new. Very new. Disgustingly so. Still, it was his task to protect the Jews in this city, and when that wasnt needed, guard the city itself. Step by step, mile by mile, he drew his circles, crushing anything he came across, and directing people into the areas hed already cleared. Put one step in front of the other, on and on, until there was nothing left to do. That was what he had been created to do, and that was what hed do. *** Temujin Once upon a time, proper organization had been a difficult thing. Illiterate soldiers had made him compose his orders in rhyme, since they were easier to memorize, and communications delays over vast distances meant that there was very little he could do to control a force he wasnt right next to. That last one had largely been compensated for by capable commanders such as Jebe, Subutai, Kublia, and Jelme, but even so, it had been a big issue. Todays world, on the other hand, had the exact opposite problem. Too much information, too much connectivity, an overload of the senses and mind that made it utterly impossible to take in everything one could learn. However, this magic known as Skills could compensate for all of that for the most part. He was currently holed up in Ulaanbaatars university, getting himself caught up on the worlds developments, but at the same time, his Skills were spreading out, affecting the world in ways he never could have thought possible. [Remote Recruitment] was blaring his presence out into the world, as if someone were endlessly blowing on a trumpet, somehow managing to convey the full breadth of his message despite merely being an ephemeral feeling for those who received it. And when someone accepted that offer, he also knew about it, including how much they meant it. Some only joined out of fear of the monsters at the proverbial gates, others were afraid of him, and yet, a staggering number chose to follow because they wanted to, because they wanted him. That last part was something of a double-edged sword, however. As far as he knew, history hadnt overly exaggerated him and what he was capable of, but if his descendants and the scribes they employed had somehow made proclamations he was not capable of living up to the people would turn on him. Once again, hed made sure to find out about the past and the lay of the land once hed gotten his hands on people who could share that information, so it seemed like things were alright, but relying on your intelligence being absolutely and unchangingly true was a recipe for disaster. That meant trying to understand the basics of modern life. The history hed slept through, yes, but also concepts like mass production, globalization, automation and the capability of modern machinery in general, modern weaponry, communications technology, and many more besides. Including something called social media, which appeared to be the distilled essence of modern communication, framed in an exceedingly strange way. At first, this social media had seemed like a grand waste of time. Something for the rich to do to show just how much time they had on their hands. That was what it would have been in his time. Nowadays, that was only half right. Plenty of rich idiots doing idiotic things that they, through a process he wasnt entirely clear on yet, got even richer with. But also plenty of normal people created content, and it was mostly normal people who consumed said content. And then there were people who used social media to share information or warnings. He was told that a lot of that information, especially when it pertained to health, was nonsense, but there were some hidden gems as well. And one could get that information mere seconds after its originator had made it available. That was particularly relevant right now, where he was watching a so-called YouTube short of a young European scholar whod been investigating the System. Basically, all you have to do is ask for descriptions So, it really was that simple, wasnt it? Know there were descriptions to be had, and ask for them? System, can I Temujin had begun, but apparently, all it took to get a visible description was to think the request, it didnt require speaking.
Instantaneous Training: Mangudai Instantly trains a given group of people in everything needed to become a Mangudai Strength of the Horde The strength of your people grows logarithmically with their number, the tipping point is at 1 million people. Moment of Glory Activate this Skill to temporarily boost your physical capabilities for a single action and draw the eye of any allies or enemies to whom this distraction would not prove problematic. Terrify enemies and embolden allies when you succeed at that action I Claim This Weapon Transform any object you hold into a weapon suitable for you Inevitable Conclusion Skip the progress of a battle as long as a specific outcome is obvious. This Skill cannot kill or destroy, but it will make devastating changes to enemy formations Remote Recruitment Announce your presence to anyone who might be amenable to joining your cause (this effect can be toggled), they will know what your cause and requirements are, and once they accept, you will know of their loyalty automatically Remote Administration Remotely control your lands, unless focusing on a given area, amount of information gained will be uniform.
It was a lengthy list, so big that he had to scroll to see it fully, but at least hed managed to figure out how that worked already. Also, now he knew how [Strength of the Horde] truly worked. Its strength flowed through him and those whod decided to bow down to him. It strengthened everyone on a logarithmic curve, which he had to have explained to him but it made sense once that had happened and he knew what it was. The power gain was rapid up to a million, then it slowed down until it eventually reached an absolute crawl, but even then, every new addition would strengthen them as a whole. This list also explained why had so much trouble using [Remote Administration]. Unless he was heavily focussing on a specific area and interrogating the Skill about it, hed get the exact same level of information from everything that was his. Which made it exceedingly easy to accidentally drown himself in a sea of information. It likely wouldnt be long before hed have to almost entirely disable the effect, to the point where the only things he could tell was whether or not a given area under his control was currently a disaster zone. Or in the process of becoming one, hed probably notice that too. Now that bit of information on the System had been useful. Was social media something akin to a crucible? Something that flooded its users with information, allowing only those who were able to find the gems amidst the dross to rise? Temujin was busy talking, listening, and simultaneously testing the limits of [Remote Administration] when a woman burst in through the door, whom he recognized as Sarangerel after a long moment, whod brought him here, to this university. But of the various people whod ducked in and out of this area, she was the only one he could reliably identify. This was getting embarrassing. Of course, he hadnt known every single person in the old horde by name, but hed known those he dealt with directly so well that hed even been able to recognize them even based on the sound of their footsteps outside his tent. Genghis Khan, there is another large monster closing in on the university from the southwest, one kilometer away. Nowadays, for now, at least, that title always caused a twinge of annoyance in him. Because apparently, much of the world had entirely forgotten that that wasnt his name. In fact, when hed been walking across the grounds of this university, a terrified-looking Westerner had looked rather put out by hearing him being addressed as that. Because unlike Mongolians, who only had their personal names, Westerners seemed obsessed with making sure that everyone had a family name, but also using either their personal or family name to refer to someone, not both. Point was, Westerners were weird, and their historians were fools. Ill deal with it, he announced as he rose in a flash, striding towards the wall, which was currently covered in multiple objects that weighed around a single kilogram, perfect for being turned into a javelin by the influence of his Skills. Normally, hed have stepped outside the door for something like this, but he had a well-placed window facing the direction his new aide had indicated, so he just used that. He felt that [Indirect Fire] was meant to work with siege equipment and the like, allowing him to first calculate and then execute attacks at targets he could not see but whose location was known. But there had been nothing that indicated that he was not able to use it with a simple javelin. Sarangerel had told him the rough direction and distance, and though it had taken him quite a bit to get a handle on modern measurements, hed managed it. With that information, he could focus on the relevant area with [Remote Administration], excluding everything else so that he may gain every scrap of information possible. He found there were enough people whod chosen to follow him in the area that he could locate the monster based on what they were seeing and hearing. That information immediately went to [Indirect Fire], which instantly returned a complex calculation of forces and angles that might have made sense to modern scholars, but not him. Yet he could still follow these directions perfectly. His arm whipped through the air and the javelin tore through the sky, hammering into its target in an instant. He stayed focused on the area for a few moments more, until he knew that the monster was indeed dead, then sat back down. Continue, he asked the history scholar whod been giving him a brief overview of world history since his supposed death. The man obeyed instantly. It hadnt been an order, but it might as well have been, so that was how it had been interpreted. It was a sweeping story, of a war that had made Temudjins many conquests seem like a squabble between children, at least when compared on a basis of length. And that was the end of the Third Reich, which was split up into East and West Germany. Wow. That Adolf Hitler was an idiot. A complete and utter moron. Hed managed to forge an empire from the shards of an old nation, but built it on the basis of lies and propaganda. It would have failed anyway, even if he hadnt lost the war, which he had done. Soundly. But there was so much more utterly wrong with everything. Instead of pointing at one of the countless actual foes the German people had had, hed singled out the Jewish people as scapegoats and deported them en masse including all the doctors, engineers, and other vital professions that his empire was in desperate need of. Instead of integrating them properly, hed alienated them, and anyone else he could declare as other. And then, hed attacked his strongest ally over racism of all things. Not internal conflicts, not desperation, just because hed declared them a part of the other in his ideology, and essentially doomed his war over literally nothing. Not to mention that all of his actions had been beyond perfect at painting himself the villain he was in the eyes of the international community. That would have been a great time to return. An enemy force built upon shaky ideals rather than conviction, and one that was downright evil. The rallying cries practically invented themselves. Come join Mongolia! Gain a position based on your capabilities and efforts, and kick the bigots in the teeth! It was a fantastic offer, and Hitler had created fertile ground for such offers to be received perfectly. Or maybe it wouldnt have gone that smoothly. It didnt seem like there would have been any Skills to gain back then, and Mongolia was too far from Europe to be able to engage properly. No, it was probably a good thing hed returned now, instead of seventy years ago. Sarangerel entered while he was still musing over what hed just learned. He hadnt had to ask her to be his aide, shed just begun to do so on his own, and he was beyond glad things had worked out that way. A strong right hand was invaluable in almost all circumstances. Ghengis Khan, there are envoys from the government here, she reported. That could either be a good sign or end exceedingly badly. Temujin straightened from a regular sitting position into a more regal pose, then belatedly activated [Striking Figure] once he remembered he had that particular power. Whether his visitors were here to make a deal with him or start a fight, hed deal with it. Hed risen from nothing to Khan of his own horde, then become the ruler of all Mongols, the Genghis Khan, the universal ruler. Hed unite Mongolia once more and do whatever he had to to win against these monsters. Temudjin, Level 63 [Legendary Khan of Duality], was a force unlike anything this world had ever seen even if he doubted hed be able to say that with a straight face anytime soon. These Skills and Classes were just too strange. Chapter 5: Natural Overreaction I froze for a second, then took two steps back into the gloom to grab my phone, activating a live stream on YouTube. Whats wrong? Dietrich asked as I did that, having stopped when I did. Local law enforcement, I said. Im hoping that showing this to the world is going to keep them honest. Dietrich nodded. Clearly, he was deferring to my expertise on the matter. Hey, are you going to come out or what? someone yelled. Ill go out alone first, I said before doing just that, arms crossed over my chest, hands fully visible in a way that not only made it clear that I didnt hold any weapons but also made it near-impossible to untangle my arms before they could react. A reasonably safe pose that wasnt as submissive as putting my hands up or on top of my head. Id also started a live stream on YouTube and stuck my phone into the breast pocket of my polo shirt, camera visibly poking out. I drew on [Innate Etiquette] to figure out who was in charge, easily being pointed towards the guy who led this lot. Or rather, the guy in the hot seat. Slowly, I walked towards him. Can I see your Dienstausweis? I asked after a couple of steps, three meters away, demanding the flimsy bit of plastic German police officers carried in lieu of a badge. Um the man looked a little thrown at that, staring at me, my pose, and the dust covering me, though I also noticed his eyes flicking to the phone in my pocket. Dienst-aus-weis, I repeated, carefully enunciating every syllable. Admittedly, I was acting just like the stroppy witnesses and evil suspects as seen in countless cop shows, but come on, those were cop shows. The cops were automatically the good guys, anyone who didnt do what they said was a minor antagonist at the very least, and if they crossed any lines to convict someone they knew was guilty but couldnt prove it the right way, they were guaranteed to have been right in their accusations, retroactively justifying any and all line-crossing. This was the real world. Cops could be just as bad as the criminals they chased, and this whole circus was not making me feel particularly charitable or understanding. The man finally seemed to shake himself out of his puzzlement, reached into a pocket, and all but threw the relevant piece of plastic at me like a shuriken. I caught it and held it up to my face, before letting my hand drop down to my side and looked the man straight in the eye, cocking my head to the side. Polizeidirektor Friedrich Hofmann, what the hell did I do? I asked, holding out the card for him to take back. He stayed where he was. Isnt it obvious? he responded. No, it really isnt. I mean, it has to be bad, you dont need fifty people to arrest me and youre way too highly ranked to normally lead something like that, but I have no idea. And lets not play the you know, you have to game because its a pointless waste of time. Were here because you seem to be the only one who knows anything about the terror attack of an unknown scale that has already killed over a thousand people. Oh. Oh. Wait, no, um Id successfully confused myself. Hold on. That could mean two things. Do you think Im valuable because I figured out some stuff, or do you think that, because I know stuff, Im responsible for the mess? Cause sending that overly armed backup says its the latter. Little of both. The backup is mostly because something set off a bunch of seismographs. Oh. Admittedly, not the most intelligent reply, but it was the best I could come up with in the face of the unexpected addition to the statement. Do you want me to explain how I know figured everything out? I finally asked after taking a few seconds to think about it. Please, Hofmann gestured at me to continue. He was still standing at a safe distance, as was everyone else, but no one had drawn their weapons yet. That was a good sign, I think? I figured out that people could get Classes when Dietrich von Bern, yes, the legendary king, asked me if Skills and Classes were normal nowadays, and I figured out that I could pull up a full description when an upgrade description popped up when I used this Skill Boost I earned. I swallowed an addition of see, not supernatural, just me using my brain. Hofmann nodded. And Im guessing that Dietrich von Bern is still down there? I nodded. I figured itd be easier on you guys to deal with a harmless college student, instead of a legendary dragonslayer. What is down there, exactly? An ancient armory left by the Amelungs, for when their most famous king returned. Dietrich von Bern is gearing up for war against monsters before they can do significant damage. Or even end the world, I explained. We were taking everything of value already, if they decided to steal what was left, it wouldnt be too much of an issue. Why are you so concerned the world is going to end? Hofmann asked. Because earlier today, I saw a Level 7 eagle that looked like it could carry off my sisters car. And I know for a fact that the Level scale goes past fifty, and I have no earthly idea just how high it scales. So I figured I should tell everyone so that they could learn to protect themselves. That was actually a lie. Id figured the world would end because the wolves had really freaked me out. But using the bird as an excuse sounded better. Less panicky. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Were you the ones who left a giant bird carcass in the middle of the Autobahn?Hofmann asked. Oh, was he really trying this right now? Baiting me into correcting him that no, wed left it by the side of the road, thereby admitting that wed been involved? Or was that just a Berufskrankheit, as we Germans liked to say, a pattern of behavior imposed by ones occupation that showed up even when it shouldnt. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I still wasnt going to fall for it. Wed never leave an obstruction like that behind, thatd be rude as hell and dangerous to boot. A flash of guilt appeared on Hofmanns face at that. Yeah, like I thought, Berufskrankheit. Im guessing that the reason you know how high the Level scale extends is because of Dietrich von Bern? Hofmann asked. I nodded. While giving out the specifics of his Level and Skills would have been a terrible idea, general information should be fine. Hofmann frowned at that. Sure, this world didnt have a proper idea of just what Levels translated to in terms of power, but fifty still sounded damn high. Does he have any plans beyond fighting monsters? he asked. Not that I know, I shrugged. While I hope youll understand why we were suspicious, I think we can declare the idea that youre behind the System as debunked, Hofmann said and finally closed the distance between us, so I gave back his Dienstausweis. As for the damage to a national park, I think we can let that go with a fine. Say, one euro? Now, I wasnt entirely sure whether a fine from a police officer was enough to block further penalties under the principle of double jeopardy, not being a lawyer, but I was still picking up what he was putting down. Hofmann borrowed an official block for writing fines from one of his subordinates, wrote out a fine for a whopping one euro and the biggest issue turned out to be a complete lack of change in my wallet, leading to a whole whos got change for a fifty euro bill song and dance. Honestly, by the time that got resolved, Id been just about ready to tell him to keep the whole 50 euros. Normally, I was downright miserly when it came to spending money, but under these circumstances, I felt like avoiding awkwardness would have been worth it. Then, finally, Hofmann handed over a business card. If you ever decide that you have a piece of information that could cause more trouble than it prevents, please dont share it. And if you figure out something that could help, or need help yourself, feel free to give me a call. How much help could you help? I asked slowly. Look, were both smart people, Hofmann said. If it actually helps improve the situation and wont break the bank, Ill supply the help. And if breaking the bank is whats needed to save millions if this escalates, then Ill do even that. So dont be greedy or an ass about it, gotcha, I summarized. He laughed. Well, Mr. Vogt, I hope youre wrong about how things play out in the future, but thats not in either of our control. Have a nice day. And with that, the small army of police officers retreated at his direction, leaving me staring at their backs, mouth all but hanging open, barely paying attention to the voice ringing out in my ears. [Legends Guide Lv. 4 -> Legends Guide Lv. 5] [Skill gained: Modern Makeover] Nor did I realize that Mia and Dietrich had stepped up next to me at some point. So, are all modern watchmen this reasonable? Dietrich asked. God no, I sighed and tapped my chest pocket. The YouTube stream might have helped. Cops tend to be nicer when people can prove their misdeeds. I mean, dont get me wrong, there are nice cops, Id just never rely on it when I get confronted by a random one. Some things never change, I suppose, Dietrich slowly nodded as we began to make our way towards the car, heavily laden down with stuff. So we dont trust him, Mia asserted. Oh, I do trust him I replied, causing her to gear up for a reply before I continued. About as much as a toaster from the One-Euro-Shop. Mia laughed, Dietrich looked confused, and we all continued to walk, carrying heavy objects I likely never would have been able to lift before. The strength boost from the ring might not have been all that obvious at first glance, but now that I was actively doing a physical activity that required more than just my normal strength, it was actually helping quite a lot. So, the ring came with a built-in safety cut-off of sorts. Handy, that. And my new Skill was also quite cool.
Up to one outfit can be transformed into something appropriate for your surroundings while retaining all relevant properties, applying this Skill to a new outfit will cause the first outfit to revert.
I immediately applied it to Dietrich after warning him, dressing him in a business casual suit. I dont think these outfits are meant to get dirty, he observed. Also, it weighs the same. And feels the same. The sleeves are longer, where can you feel them end? I asked. Where I can see them, he responded. So, its a complete transformation, but it doesnt change weight or material, I surmised. On the way back to the car, we had a lot of fun playing around with the Skill. I could create most outfits, though something absurd or restrictive wasnt possible to spring on people, I needed permission. Sure I could manifest a full ballgown on someone, including myself, one of those big poofy Victorian things that was so wide that you could only touch another person if you were both holding your hands out, but when I tried to drop one on Mia, the Skill fizzled and died. In hindsight, that was probably the only reason Id made it to the car alive, because shed have definitely killed me for that prank. Still, it made me think. What could I do with my other Skills, how could I use them to defend myself? Randomly giving someone else a wildly impractical outfit would trip them up, but if that wouldnt fly as a prank, how could I expect things to work when pulling off the Skill activation would end with the other guy dead? [Restoration of the Old] had an obvious use, compressing the dust and dirt in a room down into a marble and saving that to chuck at an enemy at the best possible moment. But what about [Knowledge Transfer]? I mean, it wasnt a psychic attack or something that could influence someones knowledge base, but could I inject something nasty? Like, say, the plot of some of the more depressing movies Id watched? You know, Your Lie in April and Grave of the Fireflies, throw in Marley and Me not because that film had been particularly depressing except the ending but because Mia and me had watched it way too young and been inconsolable afterwards Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a short series rather than a movie but it also more than fit the title of depressing. However, heres the thing, Id seen all of those, and while it had been an utter gut punch to watch them, it wasnt like I walked around in a perpetual funk now. I was a normal person, reasonably well adjusted if I may say so myself, especially for someone whod already lost both parents despite not even being twenty-five. So would adding knowledge of all that to someones head actually hurt them? It might be a bit more present in their heads for having been a recent addition, but truly debilitating? No, it probably wouldnt be. Ultimately, it was something Id try if things really came down to the wire, but I wouldnt resort to it as a standard tactic. Eventually, we reached the car and started stuffing things in the back. Mostly the chest of cash, various bits of high-quality armor and weapons tacked on, as well as some clothes that Dietrich wound up running back and getting. If I could use my Skill to transform them, then silk and even more exotic fabrics could become wearable in the modern day. And then, it was time to find the final sword. Mimung. That should actually be pretty simple, itd just take a while to get there. Wittich had jumped into the ocean at the site of the Rabenschlacht, which had occurred near the city of Ravenna, which still existed and was therefore very easy to plot a route to. Chapter 6: Resting … Not It was late at night by the time we reached Ravena. The drive had been far and it sure as shit hadnt been helped by having to stop seven times to kill monsters. Well, for Dietrich to kill monsters, me and Mia werent quite at a Level where we could. Checking into our hotel was thankfully easy, even this late, since wed pre-booked. Wed also looked up a nearby shop where we could get scuba supplies, and even somewhere to get clothes for Dietrich. Me and Mia could tough it out with our current outfits, wearing them for one or even two days at a time, using [Restoration of the Old] to clean them somewhat, even if the efficiency was terrible since our outfits were new but he could only walk around as he was for so long. [Modern Makeover] could compensate for his lacking wardrobe appearance-wise, but not the other issues that came from only having one set of clothing, and such a heavy outfit to boot. Mia took one room, the single, while Dietrich and I shared a second. I figured it might go really badly if he was alone when someone needed something of him. Id taught him modern etiquette using [Knowledge Transfer], but I wasnt certain how complete that had been. I finally looked at my phone at this point, and immediately felt horrible. Not because Id missed an important message, not because Id just learned that someone close to me had died, no, because of something entirely different. I. Was. Famous. My dinky little YouTube hobby had blown up beyond all belief and all I could feel was guilt. I felt like one of those asshole IRL streamers who convinced drunk people to do incredibly dangerous shit and legged it when something inevitably went wrong. Or something like that. Either way, even though it wasnt really true, it was too much like I was capitalizing on a disaster that had affected all of humanity. But at the very least, it seemed like my message had gotten out, that was what really mattered. It might have almost gotten me arrested, and I was now likely on a billion watchlists, but in the end, things had mostly worked out. There was a knock at the door. Oh. My. God. If that was another cop, theyd be eating that dust ball right in about two seconds time! I looked out through the peephole. Nothing there. I sighed. Kids, probably. So I turned around and began to make my way back to my bed, when the knocking came again. Sighing once more, I turned around and crept back, waiting for a chance to rip open the door the next time someone knocked and scare the bejeezus out of the little shit. And, indeed, the knock came when I was in position, so I whipped the door open and glared down at something. Not human. Definitely not. Id have called it a garden gnome at first, but it clearly wasnt. not once I started paying attention to literally any of the creatures details. It, no, they, were short, but I couldnt really tell you whether they were male or female, or even if those were concepts that could be applied to whatever they were. The top of the beings pointy hat barely reached my hip, and its skin was all wrong though wrong was obviously the wrong term. Inhuman would, perhaps, be a more fitting term. It was a pale color that might either be pale blue, light grey, or something similar that I didnt have a name for. It was certainly a shade I wouldnt have blinked twice at if Id seen it on a mountainside somewhere. Overall, the more I thought about it, the more the skin reminded me of a cliff face, rocky but overall smooth. The being was also wearing a uniform that looked old-fashioned, potentially belonging to a medieval official of some kind but I had no idea what kind. I was a nerd with way too much time on my hands, but my focus had primarily been on reading about all kinds of things, not looking up pictures. Only the pointy hat that had first made me think garden gnome didnt fit. Arent you going to ask what message he has? Dietrich asked from behind me, suddenly making me acutely aware of just how long Id been staring. That seemed to have been the trigger for the next part of this beings planned actions. They bowed at the waist, practically folding in half as they did so. I am Septimus, seventh of the Untersberger Mandln, and I have a message for Tristan Vogt. From Emperor Barbarossa? I asked, stunned. Id immediately recognized Mandl as a diminutive form of the German word for man, which wouldnt have gotten me very far if it hadnt been for the mention of the Untersberg. There were plenty of stories about that mountain, including one that claimed the Wild Hunt was stationed there. But its dwarf-like inhabitants, one of whom stood before me and had just introduced himself by mentioning his full species name. And that connected him to Frederick Barbarossa, who was said to be sleeping under that mountain, waiting for when he was needed. Karl der Gro?e, Emperor of the Heiliges R?misches Reich Deutscher Nation, has sent me to find him worthy advisors. Or it could be the other emperor who was said to be waiting in the very same mountain. 50-50 chance to get it right, and I hadnt. Fuck. Just fuck. I see, I nodded at that, trying to move past my earlier misstep. Are you telling me that I somehow qualify? Sure, it would have been a little presumptuous that he was referring to me instead of Dietrich normally, but hed asked for me by name. The Untersbergern Mandln are gifted with magic. And mine says that you are the perfect guide to introduce him to the complexities of the modern world. Actually, Id have expected a teacher or maybe an ambassador of some kind to be more qualified than me, [Legends Guide] or not, purely on the basis of life experience, but it seemed that my Class weighted in more heavily than Id thought. While Ive already found a sovereign to serve, Id be willing to use my own magic to support the Emperor in a limited capacity, I cautiously responded. Has the Emperor regained his old power already? Dietrich called out from behind me. Not yet, but one of his Paladins has returned as is prophecized, and when the new order falls beneath the claws of monstrous invaders, itll be him who rallies the Frankish people. The Frankish people being Germans and Frenchmen? I asked. The Mandl nodded. Oh. The relations between Germany and France had gotten quite a bit better in the latter half of the 20th century, but smashing together both those nations was still unlikely to go particularly well. At least it sounded like hed wait for things to naturally end badly, rather than destabilizing things himself. And the Paladin, he wouldnt happen to have been Ogier the Dane? I asked. I was overall familiar with Karl der Gro?e, or Charlemagne as he was called in English. He was widely seen as the father of the German nation, its first version, at least. But in addition to the various historical truths surrounding him, ranging from his efforts to create a working bureaucracy and organized military, there were also plenty of myths involving him. The whole will return in the greatest hour of need thing, obviously, but you also had the mythos surrounding his twelve paladins, which were actually the origin of the term Paladin, which was, in turn, a derivative of the name Palatine Hill, which was where the rich and powerful had lived in ancient Rome. It was a group that included the likes of Roland, who was the titular character of the Chanson de Roland, one of the oldest surviving French works of literature, an Archbishop sometimes portrayed as some kind of warrior-priest, and several others. I didnt know the whole mythos by heart. But I did remember Ogier, mostly because he was yet another individual who was supposed to return when he was needed, and he even had a legendary sword, Cortain. The Mandl nodded again, produced a scroll, and handed it over. It couldnt possibly have been any more cliche, a rolled piece of parchment held closed by a purple silk ribbon, with a blob of wax resting on the knot and the Karolusmonogramm, the seal of the Emperor, stamped in said way. Sure, that could easily have been faked and purple stuff was cheap nowadays, but in his age, purple had been the single most expensive color in existence. Slowly, cautiously, I took the scroll but didnt look at it yet, turning around to look at Dietrich, who Id noticed was now standing right behind me, looking down at the Mandl, amber eyes burning with intensity. Can you carry a message back to your Emperor? he asked, and the Mandl immediately nodded. I am King Dietrich von Bern of the lineage of the Amelungs, returned after one and a half millennia of rest. Neither I nor the Vogt siblings have any intentions of subordinating ourselves to the Emperor, but considering the situation, working together is advised. Once we are finished here, we will visit your Emperors lodgings. The Mandl bowed deeply at that. I will convey that message. He snapped back up to a standing position and marched off, the sound of his footsteps vanishing the second he was out of sight. Well, that was weird, I commented after a long moment of silence. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ive seen weirder, Dietrich shrugged. Dont dwell on it, sleep. Weve got a busy day tomorrow. And I dont think you should be sleep-deprived when operating underwater breathing gear. I just nodded and let myself collapse onto my bed. night, I muttered and was asleep before I heard whether or not he responded. *** Today, I learned just how efficient throwing money at a problem was. Neither the captain of the boat wed chartered nor the dive shop had been particularly hot on the idea of doing anything less than sheltering in place, but Id wound up massively overpaying, and that had done the trick. And after Dietrich had converted some of his gold into Euros at a jewelry store, that hadnt even been particularly painful. But overall, it was weird. A lot of people were doing the sensible thing after a worldshaking event had introduced monsters, and that was staying home after having spent all of yesterday buying every bit of supplies they could lay their hands on. However, there were also a lot of people gleefully ignoring everything that had happened yesterday, and were out here as if nothing had changed. Overall, Ravenna looked just like Id expected a large-ish Italian coastal city to look, but with smaller crowds. Still, admittedly, monsters seemed to be rare. All we wound up seeing on the way to the harbor was a single terrifying-looking seagull that Mia wound up hacking in half. In fact, it took her longer to get the blood off the blade than the fight had taken. The small number of actual, tangible, problems probably made it easier to imagine that everything was a part of a hoax. Anyway, we were currently on a small boat, speeding across the ocean, with a very perplexed but happy skipper following Dietrichs directions while Mia and I were busy checking our diving gear. We were only really rated for a dive depth of thirty meters or less, anything below that massively complicated what wed have to do to avoid the bends, but Wittich had committed suicide by jumping off a cliff in full armor, which meant that his body, and therefore, his sword should be somewhere around there. And the water right next to a coast tended to be shallow, at least when compared to the actual open ocean. I went through the checklist, using the memetic device big women really are fun. There was a PC version of that, several, in fact, but somehow, those never quite stuck. Eh, wasnt like I ever actually said anything like that in front of everyone else. So, first, the BCD, aka the Buoyancy Control Device, the vest that divers wore. You in- or deflated that control your buoyancy when in the water, achieving equilibrium with the downward pull of your weight belt. It was important to check that it had no leaks and could do what it was supposed to do, suddenly winding up with an uncontrollable a- or descent because the button got stuck in inflation mode or the whole affair popped underwater wasnt great. Then, you had to check the weights. First, did you bring them? Then, you made sure that you had enough of the lead blocks attached to the belt and that the whole thing fit smoothly under everything. After that, you had all the releases. Were they properly closed, and could you get at them in case of an emergency? Diving was, overall, safer than one might expect for a sport that involved going deeper underwater than most pools were long, but you still needed to be able to shuck your gear at a moments notice if something went wrong. And then you had the all-important air. Could you get not only from both the primary regulator, but also the octopus, the secondary regulator used to share air or in case the primary one got knocked free and you were having trouble finding it in time? Also, did the air smell funky in some way? And did the pressure gauge visibly dip from you taking a single breath. Finally, you then had the final check. Got your fins, got your mask, look yourself up and down, do the same to your buddy, and then, you were ready. Somehow, running my hands over the various bits and bobs felt stranger than everything that had happened recently. Or perhaps, it was precisely because of everything that had happened that I was feeling like this. Carefully analyzing perfectly mundane equipment and machinery that would nevertheless seem like magic to the people of Dietrichs time was something that felt shockingly normal in a decidedly abnormal time, and therefore wasnt. Normal. At all. But that was how things were going right now. I could be doing something perfectly normal, like getting coffee, then turn a corner and run into a monster. Or see a guy who was fifty times as old as the nation I lived in. Either way, things were weird, and the transposition of normality somehow made it even worse. It. Was. Freaky. And weird. But I supposed that described my entire life now. Thankfully, it didnt take too long for Dietrich to call the boat to stop. Both Mia and I took that as our cue to go into the water, sitting on the boats raising before letting ourselves tip backwards, landing with huge splashes. Entry into the water was always disorienting in the first second before natural buoyancy took over, causing the feet to sink while the fully inflated vest kept the torso at the surface of the water, which naturally put your head right back above water. Are you alright? Dietrich called from the boat. I flashed him an ok sign, which was met with a confused look, so I pulled the regulator out of my mouth and called back Fine. Generally, I just didnt give thumbs-up while diving since that meant go up when underwater. Were not going to need the rope, Mia added from next to me as she pulled her head out of the water. Good luck, Dietrich responded. And with that, I put my hands on the BCD controls and began to deflate the vest, allowing the lead weights around my waist to pull me under and letting the water close above my head. In an instant, the world went silent, all normal noise from seabirds to wind cutting out, but at the same time, new, distant, sounds became audible, carried far within the water. Boats, mostly, but also some kind of metallic creak from what was likely an old pier or something. Likewise, the world went dark as the water diffused the light, and I could barely see a hundred meters to the side, where Id been able to see for kilometers outside, but at the same time, the seemingly impenetrable barrier of the oceans surface was gone, allowing me a clear look at the ground. It wasnt even that deep, only ten meters at the most. And Mia had been right, the rope wouldnt have done us any good. The basic trick was to use a weighed-down end to create a central point from which to search from, slowly letting up more and more to increase the distance in stages. But with how rocky the ground was, any kind of rope would have gotten tangled in no time flat. So we had to use a different kind of slowly expanding search. Basically, you went a bit in one direction, used the compass on the air gauge to turn ninety degrees, and went the same distance in that direction to, counting the number of kicks youd done with your flippers to measure distance, until youd completed a square. And then, you proceeded to a slightly larger square, until eventually, you either found what you were looking for or wound up way outside the search area. Or ran out of air. Right now, winding up outside the search area meant getting more than, say, twenty meters away from the boat. After all, Dietrich had said wed stopped right on top of the swords location. Between the motion of the waves and the boat drifting, therefore, its current location wasnt an absolute indicator of being in the right spot, but it was still something to use as a reference point. That was when the monotonous part began. Look around, count kicks, check compass, turn ninety degrees, rinse and repeat. Until eventually, I spotted what I was looking for somehow. A sword, resting on top of the rocks that covered the round. It had been over a millennium, it should have been overgrown with algae, not not fine like this. Pristine leather covered the wooden frame of its sheath, looking like it hadnt been in the water for even five minutes. Overall, though, it made some small amount of sense that itd be undamaged, after all, it had been made by a magical blacksmith of mythical proportions, but how come it was sitting out in the open like that? I reached behind myself and rapped my ring against my air tank, producing a high-pitched ringing sound that Mia would have been able to hear even if shed been three times as far from me as she actually was. I heard a similar sound from the distance, Mias signal that shed heard me, and barely ten seconds later, she was right next to me and I pointed at the sword. Now, there were plenty of ways to lift stuff off the ocean floor, ranging from just, you know, grabbing it, to using winches on boats or attaching the salvage to a balloon of sorts that youd then inflate with your regulator. But swords were light enough that the just grab it option was feasible. So I reached out for it, only to tumble backwards through the water in an undignified manner, reeling as a spectral figure emerged in front of me. It was a man, in his early forties at the oldest, wearing an intricately made set of armor that reminded me of Dietrichs, except this was even fancier. Pale, ethereal green light illuminated the undersea realm, and if it werent for the color, I could practically imagine he was still alive. That, and the fact that he was slightly transparent. I couldnt outright see the rocks behind him, but his skull, seemingly the only bone he still possessed was quite visible beneath his ghostly face. Holy shit. Holy. Fucking. Shit. My name is Wittich Wielandsson, and that is my blade, Mimmung. Yeah, figured that much out already. A long time ago, I served a king by the name of Dietrich, sovereign of Bern, and I was one of his oldest and closest confidants, until he sighed and hung his head. Things happened, and I found myself on the opposite side of my king in a battle right here, above those very cliffs. I He trailed off again, and I could scarcely image the anguish that was going on in his mind. I knew the myth of what had happened, but trying to picture what it had to have felt like for him nope. I know my king is back. Bring that sword to him, and tell him Im sorry. If I could do it all again, Id have hurled myself off these cliffs before those boys died, I He broke down. There was something extremely uncomfortable about watching strangers cry, at least when they were adults. With kids, it mostly woke protective instincts, with friends or family, you wanted to console them, but with complete and utter strangers, there was nothing to really do. Especially underwater, where we couldnt even talk. It wasnt like the diver signs, or actual sign language, were something that he would be able to understand. Mia elbowed me at that, then tapped her temple before gesturing at me. What was she oh, that was actually a great point. Mentally reaching out towards my Skills, I looked for [Knowledge Transfer], searching for its cooldown. Id used it last night, at like 4 am, so it should have become available at some point around now. I certainly hadnt been able to use it when the boat had launched earlier. And it turned out that I could use it. So that was what I did. Packaged everything Id experienced the past twenty hours up in a single ball of knowledge and emotion, and gently pushed it towards him. The specters eyes widened and he stopped shaking, staring at me and vanished. The skull, that had been hovering where the image of the face had been, began to crumble away as it drifted towards the ocean floor, hitting the ground as little more than powder. I had I killed him? Or given him peace? Mia elbowed me again and gestured at the sword. It and the sheath were still intact, but I could see how the leather was visibly darkening, as if it had been utterly immune to the touch of water previously but was now getting wet. Yeah, we needed to get it out of here before the centuries caught up fully. Being closer, I grabbed Mimmung and looked back to her, where she was giving me a thumbs up. The dive sign for go up, which I flashed back at her. So we went back up, waiting at a depth of five meters for a few minutes to prevent the bends. But after that, we could finally surface, and I held out Mimmung to Dietrich, keeping a hold of the sheath while offering him the hilt. Slowly, almost reverently, he took the blade from my hands and stared down at it while Mia and I awkwardly pulled ourselves over the railing and flopped onto the deck in that awkward manner usually found in amateur divers. Quickly, I managed to get off of the diving gear until I was just standing there in my wet suit, and approached Dietrich. We saw him down there. Can you retrieve his body? he asked. Id like to give him a proper burial. I hung my head. No, sorry. We saw his ghost. I told him that you were back, and what you said about wishing to have done things differently, and then, he just went away. But he told me to tell you he regrets it. Everything. Now it was Dietrichs turn to look stricken. Everything about that situation was there was no right answer, nothing anyone could have really done. And there were no winners in the end. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. But before that, we had some good times. You know, I should probably tell you the story about how we met. See, he wanted to test himself against me but we met on the road before he reached my castle and didnt recognize me, and he also didnt tell me what he was here for, so we just traveled together for days *** We were at the marina for another hour or so, but after that, Mia and I were once again dressed in our street clothing, wed bought something for Dietrich too, though he now had quite a collection of touristy I heart Ravenna shirts that were probably below his dignity, but at least it was something to wear. So with that done, we were soon on the road back to Germany. Specifically, a mountain at the very south-eastern tip that was said to hold an ancient emperor. Should be interesting. Chapter 7: On the Road Somehow, I only got my reward for the events at Ravenna once we were well-clear of the city, but I did get it. [Legends Guide Lv. 5 -> Legends Guide Lv. 7] [Skill Boost Gained] [Skill gained: Arcane Core] I sighed. If I hadnt known how to access proper descriptions, I would have been at a complete loss of what to do with that. But since I did know how to do that, it was a matter of seconds to look at what seemed to be a magic Skill.
Arcane Core Gain the ability to use and sense magic, thereby acquiring the necessary resources to learn from your legend even if their abilities require magic or other forms of arcane energy
Okay, not what I expected. It was theoretically awesome, but not in my current situation. If I were trying to wrangle Sun Wukong through modern China in a way that doesnt see cities reduced to ruin the instant someone threatens him or accidentally gets between him and his food, this Skill might have let me learn his transformations, his countless unnamed but potent spells, maybe even first form of immortality. If Id found Merlin in his tree and woken him, I could have probably learned his spells. And so on. But Dietrich was just a badass warrior, no magic to be found. Eh, maybe Id find someone else to teach me, maybe I wouldnt, but either way, I sure as shit wouldnt be able to get any use out of it anytime soon. However, as for the Skill Boost, I knew exactly what to do with it. [Skill boosted: Modern Makeover]
Number of transformable outfits increases to three, choose which outfit reverts when re-applying the Skill
In other words, I could now give each of us a new outfit simultaneously, something I immediately shared with the others. That should come in handy for making a good first impression, Dietrich said while Mia just nodded along. By the way, what did you do with your Skill Boosts? I asked him. Those are what you used to get at the descriptions, right? he asked. Yep, I nodded. I didnt get any. Not a single one? I frowned. Dietrich just shook his head. How many Skills did you get?" Fifty-one, one for each Level, Dietrich said. Do they all sound the same in terms of theme, or do they escalate slowly starting basic and get more impressive from there? And theyre all marked as Skill gained, not Skill boosted or something like that? I pressed further. I felt like I was onto something. Not something Id share with the world, this was private to Dietrich, but something that I felt was important. Theyre all Skills, but one is labled as being an Ascendant Capstone. It was the last one I got, Dietrich explained. Let me guess, it fundamentally puts you beyond normal people in some way? I asked. Dietrich nodded slowly. Its called [Historys Heart] and it protects me from indiscriminate attacks as long as I hold a position in history. It also uses something called a nuclear warhead as something that wont work because its too impersonal, or using more than a thousand people in personal combat. Mia nearly crashed the car after that statement, though she managed to regain control before anything happened. Whats a nuclear warhead? A city-destroying bomb, Mia explained. It can be dropped from flying machines called airplanes and once it has destroyed a city, it poisons everything about it. The soil and water become tainted, any living being that survives the first impact gets sick and dies and the dust thrown into the air can create a new winter. Dietrich winced. So what Im hearing is that at some point, everyone whos at a high enough Level is going to become immune to having raw numbers thrown at them, I grimaced. Lets keep that a secret before someone decides that killing people who are about to hit that point is a good idea. What makes you so sure that everyone gets a power like that? Mia asked. Because its a special type of Skill, I explained. Its not just a part of Dietrichs Class, its special in some way. There are also probably regular Capstone Skills, but it sounds like people who start at a high Level instead of starting out able to chose their own Class get a bunch of Skills thrown at them instead of being able to direct their growth. I think Im happy with that, Dietrich shrugged. I like my Skills. What I dont like is the sound of those bombs. Do you have any other weapons like that? Oh boy the next [Knowledge Transfer] was going to horrify him. *** Two more monster attacks and six hours of driving later, we were sitting on a bench at an Autobahn rest stop with burgers, fries, and soda. A cool trick Id figured out earlier involved [Modern Makeover], which I was now using to transform extremely comfortable clothing, pajames in this case, into something that I could reasonably wear anywhere. And the amount of fabric I had didnt really matter, at least visually. I could turn a short-sleeved shirt and shorts into a full three-piece suit and it would look just fine, despite how thin the material had to have been stretched. I could feel how fragile it was, and wouldnt try this with armor or something like that, but Id been in too many situations that were far too hot for the clothing the dress code demanded. The Skill was perfect for something like that. Your Skill should have come off cooldown by now, shouldnt it? Dietrich asked, looking up from the phone Id given him, nearly making me choke on my coke. It was weird how well hed adapted to the weirdness of modern vocabulary already. Well, the modern weirdness. I nodded. WMDs, right? Yes he said cautiously. Wed talked about this before, and while he didnt know much about them, he knew enough to know how devastating they could be. And how horrifying. So I triggered [Knowledge Transfer]. And for the first time, I saw fear on his face. Id seen him emotional before, Id seen him angry when fighting monsters, but this was the first time Id seen him scared. Then, a burst of rage flashed across his face, which slowly faded into what it might have been acceptance, or he might have just gotten control over his expressions. Well talk later. Yeah, definitely control. How long do you think itll take for people to become WMDs themselves? Mia wondered. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I am a weapon of mass destruction, Dietrich threw in. You give it six months. Between my tutelage and the System, youll grow quickly. And knowing Tristan, hell turn his cleaning Skill into a WMD or something, Mia added. Actually ... I cut myself off there. I already knew how to do that, namely, use the marbles of compressed dust as weapons instead of as a convenient method of disposal, but with some really toxic dust. You know, something from Chornobyl or the like. However, that sort of thing worked best as a surprise, and I really didnt want to explain all about how Id commit an act of terror in a semi-public setting. Because, quite frankly, that was what use of strategic weapons was. An act of terror, pointless for any other purpose since it absolutely destroyed anything that one might have wanted to preserve, including the very land itself. So, were going to the mountain, but how are we going to find the Emperor? Dietrich asked. According to the internet, its a fully natural mountain without anything proper construction on it. I guess now is as good a time as any to read the scroll, I shrugged and pulled said piece of parchment out of my backpack, which had been resting next to my legs the entire time. I placed it on the table and slowly, carefully, reached out to either end of the cord keeping it tied together and puled, watching the wax of the seal slowly crumble beneath the force exerted until the ancient pattern fully broke, releasing the silk beneath. And once Id fully removed the silk cord, I carefully unfurled the parchment. It was, well, parchment, but it was so well made that I could have easily assumed that it was merely yellowed paper, covered in meticulous but old-fashioned writing, with letters in a style that I assumed to be Carolingian minuscule. I knew that had been the official style during his reign, but I had no idea what it actually looked like. Still, these looked close to what Id imagined it to have looked like. God, this is long, I sighed as my eyes flashed over it. At least two thousand words, if not more, all neatly packed onto a surprisingly long roll of parchment, that ran nearly half the width of the table when fully unfurled. As I read it, I occasionally commented under my breath. Come to the Untersberg entrance obvious searching for capable administrators and leaders ... bringing on other qualified individuals will be rewarded comprehensive benefits package okay, who the hell wrote this? I finally exclaimed. I could buy that the medieval emperor had magically learned modern German the same way Dietrich had, but that phrasing woof. Sounds to me like he got someone to write it for him. Some marketing schmuck, maybe, Mia suggested. I think it has to have been magic. Something to create an embodiment of the economical and employment Zeitgeist, Dietrich suggested. Thats gotta be it, Mia agreed. I dont think a marketing schmuck would use parchment. I nodded. Beneath the combination of old-fashioned phrasing and modern marketing speak lay one simple, unified message: join me, Ill change the world and you wont be the poorer for it if you help me In me, specifically, he was looking for a guide, but he also needed someone to serve as a castellan for his castle, who could take care of everything while he was out, which would likely be a lot. Historically speaking, hed always been out touring his empire, running the area around where he was at any given point himself while using emissaries to control distant nobility and making sure they didnt do anything too crazy or treasonous. I wouldnt join him, of course, but Id be more than willing to help him a little in exchange for support for Mia, Dietrich and myself. As for what shape that support would take I genuinely didnt know. Wed have to see what he had and what he could do. Probably some kind of vast arsenal of ancient stuff and bureaucracy as a superpower, based on what I knew and how thorough the scroll had been. Hed also put out something like five times the proclamations on logistics and law as the next five following rules combined. I might be mixing stuff up here, but it was still a huge difference, I knew that. So, were done here, right? I asked. Yep, Mia nodded, crumpling up her burgers wrapper, something Dietrich carefully observed and then mimicked. I had to hold back a laugh, but thankfully managed it. *** We managed to drive most of the way to our goal, but unfortunately, it was a mountain, not a city with well-maintained roads, and the instructions on the invitation specified a hiking path being the way to the main entrance, so we wound up leaving the car behind. Dietrich whistled for his magical horse, we put the heaviest stuff on its back, and then set off on foot. So, tell me more about these other Ancients, Dietrich asked. Well, we got Karl der Gro?e, who created the basis for modern France and Germany, codified language and many laws, set up a disciplined army whose strength lay in ironclad logistics and discipline, preserved ancient works of literature and is hated by schoolchildren everywhere. Oh God, not this again, Mia sighed, even as Dietrich asked What did he do? Basically, he declared that Latin would stay as it is, to allow modern languages to evolve while the old language remained in its current form. Therefore, he is responsible for Latin being taught at modern schools, Latin is almost everyones least favorite subject, so as kids, the moment we heard about that, we hated him for that. It doesnt make sense, because otherwise wed have wound up learning French like Mia did, which is even harder, but, you know, emotions and rationality rarely go together. Dietrich wound up laughing. You know, sometimes, you really remind me of Hildebrand. Oh? Mia and I asked nigh-simultaneously. Mia, youre probably one of the best sword fighters of your age, youre always alert and dont miss any threats and Tristan, you well, you have an endless wealth of knowledge and use it to figure things out. Thank you, I said, though I was also painfully aware of what he hadnt said. Mainly, the fact that when I was figuring things out, I was almost completely unaware of my surroundings and that was not only stupid but also dangerous. Righ, so basically, Karl der Gro?e, or Carolus Magnus Rex, as he was called in Latin, is ambitious and competent. Hes no outstanding strategist or the like, but hes smart and knows how to use his advantages to win. When going to war, he focussed on creating a disciplined, well-equipped army with a fully worked out logistics plan that could just stomp most enemies into the ground. Hes pretty religious, though, and there are million different things about the modern world that are probably going to make him blow a gasket. And when he deals with pagans, its pretty bad. Sacred trees and groves burned, Saxon clergy executed I hope he and the modern world dont come to blows. And that man you mentioned when the dwarf was talking to us, Olgier? Dietrich asked. Ogier the Dane was one of his paladins. Basically, an exemplar knight, strong, enduring, loyal, I briefly summed up. I dont know much about him. There was a lull in the conversation as we navigated a trickier part of the path, before we were able to divert some of my attention to talking again. The other Ancients the internet seems to confirm are Fionn Mac Cumail and Genghis Khan, Mia added, motioning for me to explain more. Basically Fionn Mac Cumail is an Irish national hero who ate a salmon that, depending on the story you hear, either contained all the knowledge in the world, or all that knowledge and quite a bit of magic as well. Hes an actual hero, though, someone deserving of all the implications of the title, unlike, say, Theseus or Jason, I explained, briefly going into some of the specific stories I remembered. And Genghis Khan is basically a walking war crime, Mia explained. I think were going to be at war within before the end of the week. She flashed me a dirty look when I shook my head. You dont think so? He did a ton of bad shit, but western historians focus on that exclusively, I explained. Way I see it, hes not or main problem. Ultimately, hes a pragmatist. Hes not going to pick a fight with the entire world with monsters knocking on the door, and hes honestly one of the most tolerant leaders Ive ever heard of when it comes to stuff like equality and religion. He built his empire on equality regardless of race or religion, valued scholars, hell, he even gave more rights to Mongolian women, letting them divorce abusive husbands and the like. Hes not going to go on a religious crusade or do anything like that. If we dont piss him off, we should be fine for now. And if we do? Dietrich asked. The Khwarezemid Empire killed a group of his ambassadors. He sent one more delegation to give the Shah one last chance to make it right. When that group was also killed, he practically erased the empire, killing to the tune of four million people in the process, I stated flatly. That drew a wince not only from Dietrich but also Mia, who clearly hadnt known any exact numbers. Like I said, dont piss him off, dont betray him, or therell be literal hell to pay. But I think if we can wrangle something like a mutual aid pact out of him, we should be fine. And if he lies? Dietrich asked. Then hed be ruining his credibility, and he wont do that. Hes, above all, a pragmatist. Even the most biased historical accounts can agree on that. He slaughtered the aristocracy of conquered tribes because they would have plotted, but regular tribesmen were treated the same as his people basically the second after hed won. Hed adopt orphans from conquered tribes as his brothers and gave them to his mother to raise. But when he conquered the Tatars, there were too many to safely integrate, so he decided on the arbitrary selection criteria of men taller than a wagons axle and executed them all. Like I said, savage, Mia said. I just shrugged. And if hed been European, wed still have wound up calling him Temudjin the Great. Wait, what? Dietrich asked. Genghis Khan is a title that roughly translates to ruler of all, I explained. And Im not saying that hes a good person or anything like that, but I do think we can trust that hes not going to go ape for no reason, and that we can trust any promises he makes in public. I can work with anyone if I have to, as long as theyre trustworthy, Dietrich nodded sagely. And from what Ive heard, hed probably be easier to work with than most of my allies. As long as you dont get him mad at you, Mia noted. As long as I dont get him mad at me, Dietrich confirmed. Honestly, I feel like once weve established ourselves, it wouldnt be the dumbest idea to reach out to hi- I stopped talking when I saw the entrance to Charlemagnes mountain fortress and my jaw dropped. The scroll had been right, the entrance had been impossible to miss. Just a massive stone door carved into the side of the mountain, with the soil that had previously covered it having been blown away by some arcane force. Now, it was covering the floor before it as hard-packed dirt, creating a path that was visibly of a different color than the surrounding rocks. I feel like were about to enter the Mines of Moria, Mia said. Yeah, but Dietrich can kill a Balrog if one jumps out at us, I added. Balrog? he asked. Big ass monster with a flaming whip, I said. Ive killed giants before, Dietrich noted. Exactly. Chapter 8: Ancient Fortress So, how do we get this open? Dietrich asked, rapping his knuckles against the massive stone gate. It sounded like hed just smacked solid rock, without any hollows or non-stone materials underneath. Just a massive slab that looked impossible to move. Dietrich could probably break it, but that couldnt possibly be the intended method of entry, could it? Let me try something, I suggested, stepping in front of the immense door that practically looked like it had been painted onto the stone, and declared Mellon! Seriously? Mia asked, exasperated. I shrugged. I figured it was worth a try. Try what? Dietrich asked. Theres a famous story that has a gate just like that, and I just used the password, I explained. Do we try anything else, or just start knocking until someone comes? Mia suggested, but Dietrich shook his head. The sound wont carry with a door like that. I took this as my cue to pull out the scroll again. Skimming over it didnt reveal anything relevant, sadly. The paragraph describing the path to entry talked about how to find the path and then locate the door, but that was it. Was the door supposed to have been open when the invitees arrived and just wasnt? Hello, Im here with an invitation from the emperor, I called out, raising the scroll above my head. Nothing happened. Worth a try, I guess. Do we just walk around out here until another monster shows up? Mia suggested and I was about to answer when I heard something coming from deep inside. Or we just wait, period. The sounds got louder and louder, until they were clearly recognizable as footsteps until it sounded like a literal giant was stamping his feet right on the other side of the rock wall. I noticed Dietrich and Mia exchanging glances next to me. Was this about to turn into a fight? That was when the giant stone doors began to grind open, pulled inward by a force I could only describe as inhuman to reveal a man. He was a very large man, granted, standing two meters tall at least and exuding an aura of strength that was above even Dietrich. Not in actual power, just he looked strong, like someone who bench-pressed dump trucks. The armored giant stopped, surprised, and looked us up and down. This time, I was pretty sure that showing the scroll would actually do something. My name is Tristan Vogt, I was invited by the Emperor, my companions are Dietrich von Bern, a king from the line of Ammelungs, and my sister, Mia Vogt. Ogier Danske, last paladin of Karl der Gro?e, the giant introduced himself. Yeah, I should have realized that before, it had been kinda obvious. As had been the fact that he was unlikely to refer to himself as the Dane. Danske basically meant the same thing, but it sounded much better, coming from him. So, youre one of the people the Mandln invited? he asked, looking around as he did so. They are all out at the moment, searching for candidates at the moment, so Ill lead you to the Emperor. With that, he turned around, clearly expecting us to follow. Which we did, of course. The corridor beyond was built to the same scale as the doors had been, not quite to the point of, say, the Mines of Moria, but overall pretty big. Maybe more comparable to an old church, with high, vaulting ceilings, but it was also very utilitarian and dirty, with dust almost everywhere. It wasnt nearly as bad as the ancient armory wed found, but still quite noticeable. Every few meters, I saw regular-sized doors set into the doors, but we didnt enter any of them, continuing straight for around a hundred meters, where we reached a slightly more normal-sized gate. Still huge, mind you, reminding me of a church gate not only in size but also in design, but not as ridiculous as the main entrance. Ogier pushed it open and loudly proclaimed My Emperor, the first of your messages has found a recipient. May I introduce Tristan Vogt and his companions? Both Mia and I cringed at that, but Dietrich didnt seem to mind being dismissed like that. The throne room, and the chamber we found ourselves in could be nothing else, was smaller than Id expected, but nevertheless a big fucking room. Ceilings taller than the corridor outside, with magical lights shimmering in the middle of crystal chandeliers that threw the illumination all throughout the chamber, multiple columns that seemed more decorative than anything else lined either side of where we were standing, decorated with countless images of Charlemagnes triumphs, framing the far side of the room, around ten meters away, and what was there. A throne elevated by six steps, with a man wearing rich and expensive but slightly dusty clothing atop said throne. I honestly wouldnt have recognized him as Charlemagne based on his pictures, and if Id passed him on the street, I certainly wouldnt have thought Hey, that guy looks a lot like that old emperor, but seeing him in the here and now, even without the context of the invitation or the myth, there was no doubt about his identity. Drawing deeply on [Innate Etiquette], I stepped forward and bowed deeply and properly despite never having done more than a mocking facsimile to make fun of someone elses spectacular pratfall or cover for one of my own. My name is Tristan Vogt, and my Class is that of [Legends Guide]. Its given me the ability to directly transfer my knowledge to others and clean and repair old construction with a snap of my fingers. While I already serve a sovereign, I would be more than willing to restore this fortress to its old glory and share my experience of the modern world. I straightened after saying that. That old-timey formal speak was a bit of a mindfuck, but it felt appropriate. And [Innate Etiquette] had insisted that I wasnt allowed to start cleaning without permission, coming in and wielding strange magic could have easily wound up going badly. No, it would have gone badly. And my motivations for offering to clean were hardly selfless, I just wanted more ammo. However, the details of that will have to be discussed with Dietrich, King of Bern. This was his fight now. *** Im seeking an alliance with my fellow sovereign, Dietrich began. This is a new world, one that neither of us is comfortable in yet, but one we need to live in. Its also one that will not last long under the current circumstances, Karl der Gro?e responded. I plan on filling the void the government leaves behind. What about you? Thats something to be decided when we see what the world looks like at that point, Dietrich announced. For now, Id like to ask for a place to rest for the night, for me and my companions. To be quite honest, he would be more than comfortable with the man in front of him taking the reigns, as long as he was as competent as history claimed. Dietrich himself hadnt been the best king. Not bad, mind you, just not outstanding. Extraordinary as an administrator in any way. Hed been comfortably competent in his role, and done it diligently, but his primary achievements had been made as an adventurer. Hed fought giants, trolls, ogres, and dwarves to protect his people, and while the dragon had been a case of self-defense, after all, the stupid beast had attacked him first, if his people had needed him to take on its kind, he would have. For their sake. If the administrator was competent, then hed be happy serving as the blade that culled the unnatural beasts that predated on innocents. Dietrich would be fine not being a king again. Especially since ruling this Germany wasnt his by right. If it had been, thatd have been another story. But it wasnt, and this would hardly be the first time hed worked under another sovereign. His time at Etzels court, for example, had been among the happiest of his life. I can agree to an alliance, Karl der Gro?e nodded. The guest bedchambers are open to you, as is the library, provided that the books are treated respectfully. Beyond that, How open would you be to working with me Ogier to hunt down these new monsters? The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Of course. Though Ill have to talk to him about the specifics. Targeted hunts or broad expeditions, and similar issues. That had been the plan from the beginning. Find the magical weapons wielded by him and his comrades, and then go kill some monsters with the twins. Train Mia until she was his equal while Tristan grew into his role as diplomat and guide, allowing Dietrich to avoid all the pitfalls that came from living in a world completely and utterly foreign to him. Doing so from this ancient fortress, with the backing of a revered emperor, that would simply make things easier. Feel free, Karl replied. Ogier took this as his chance to reenter the conversation. I was heading out to clear the local area. Would you and your apprentice like to join me? Dietrich glanced at Mia, who nodded. So that was how theyd be spending the evening. With your permission, Your Imperial Majesty, would you allow us to retrieve some gear to facilitate modern technology? Primarily, a source of power and modern compact libraries? Tristan asked. How compact? Karl asked. A hundred books stored in a device that can be held in a single hand, Tristan offered. If you have something like that, please, retrieve it. The sheer wonder in the other sovereigns voice made Dietrich almost laugh. It was incredible how much of a difference [Knowledge Transfer] had made. Alien as much of modern technology still was, he understood what Tristan was referring to and how it worked. To Karl, it might as well have been magic. After a brief conversation later, the three monster hunters left the fortress, leaving only a young man of the modern age and an ancient emperor of impossible power. *** So, what was that thing you did outside the doors? Karl der Gro?e asked me, and I felt like dying, fervently wishing the ground would just swallow me whole. Theres a famous story about a door like that, and that was the password. The riddle was speak friend and enter, and the solution turned out to simply be the elvish word for friend, I explained as I followed him to the side of the room, where a table was waiting. Everything was dusty, but there was a very conspicuous clean circle around the stone furniture. Another part of the myth, the way Charlemagnes beard was supposed to have grown around the table hed slept at. I also finally took this as my cue to snap my fingers and trigger [Restoration of the Old]. This time, a visible ripple of power washed out, carrying away the dust like a wave of water, leaving behind not only clean but also fully repaired stone, making everything gleam like new and continuing seemingly forever until it bounced off the far wall and came rushing back towards my palm, where it condensed into another marble of dust. It was larger than the old one, though, closer to a shooter marble, the big kind you threw at the smaller ones, than what youd normally picture based on the word marble. After looking at it for a brief second, I palmed it and slipped it into a jacket pocket. Karl whirled as he saw the effect, then calmed down almost instantly when he realized that it had just been my cleaning ability. Can you use that on the rest of the fortress? he asked. I mentally checked and noticed the cooldown was currently sitting pretty at one hour. Nowhere close to the maximum, but still high. If I spread out the uses, I said. Ill do it as it becomes available again. So thats what youve dedicated your life to, leading ancient legends? the emperor asked, sitting down while he motioned for me to do the same. Actually, I wanted to become an entertainer, I said, gesturing to where my sword, the legendary blade Nagelring that was utterly wasted on me, hung. I learned how to use swords on a stage, not in a fight. And in my spare time, I study folklore and history. Does folklore include myths and stories, or just oral tradition? he asked, turning in his as if to talk to a servant or the like, only to realize that there was no one there. Oral tradition doesnt really exist anymore, I told him. When Im not reading for pleasure, Im reading the old works that form the basis of modern storytelling ideas. Lord of the Rings, Journey to the West, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata is on my reading list, Aesops Fable, and so on. Ive only heard about the Fables. Lord of the Rings is only a hundred years old, and the others are Chinese and Indian, respectively, I explained, and suddenly, the ancient emperor, founder of the nation Id been born in, looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Tell. Me. Everything. And suddenly, I remembered a few more anecdotes about his life. For one, how hed had people read the ancient stories to him in the bath, and just in general, that the Carolingian Renaissance hadnt just been about creating proper writing styles and reforming scholarly work on a country-wide scale. Hed also been the one to commission the copying and recreation of the works of antiquity, ancient even in his day. Me telling him about what Id read had been like dangling a raw steak in front of a starving tiger. So I told him the story of the monkey born from a rock that had spent a thousand years absorbing the energy from the heaven and the earth, eventually becoming the king of monkeys and styling himself the Handsome Monkey King, how he gained his true name, that roughly translated as Monkey Awakens to Emptiness, his time at as the keeper of the heavenly horses, his fury at realizing how low that position was in the hierarchy and declaring himself the Great Sage Equalling Heaven. Then thered been the chaos that followed, him becoming an immortal several times over, to the point where even the impossibly powerful Samadhi Fire only managed to burn out the impurities in his body, granting him yet another form of immortality. But there was so much more to the story. Sun Wukongs loss to the Budha himself, him being sealed under a mountain for five hundred years, and then, finally, the journey itself, which was an allegory for enlightenment. Countless monsters, ranging from the truly depraved to those who were merely former members of the heavenly court, returned to the earth and having become some manner of beast. And his companions, a former heavenly marshall, and a general, a young dragon whod transformed himself into a horse, and a monk whod become so pure that any monster who ate him would become immortal, which was the reason why they were attacked so often. At some point, I felt [Knowledge Transfer] come off cooldown, so I switched topics and told him about it. Despite having lived centuries ago and having been old enough to be my grandfather at the time of his death, he was looking excited to the point where it made me a little uncomfortable. But engaging the Skill was doable regardless of my mental state, so that was what I did, though I focussed more on information technology over connectivity. Databases and the like. It might have seemed like an odd focus as the first thing to tell a time traveler, but, well, we referred to the modern era as the information age all the time. And unlike Dietrich, I could tell that the man in front of me would be more curious about information storage and sharing over things like social media. Karl der Gro?e stared at me for a second. Then two. And then, voice full of wonder, he finally asked Do you have your phone on you right now? Yes, but I dont have a signal right now, I explained. Were too deep underground. Even as I began to offer alternatives to walking into the nearest town and finding an internet cafe, another voice echoed in my ears. [Legends Guide Lv. 7 -> Legends Guide Lv. 8] [Skill boost gained] [Skill boosted: Knowledge Transfer] The choice of what to boost had been obvious. If I was going to be working with not one but three ancients, this Skill would be my bread and butter, and I really did need to start getting that cooldown lower.
Can now gain knowledge from target when transferring, requires consent, choice of gained knowledge rests with the target
Well, that upgrade would have been nice to have five seconds ago, but it should be great going forward. Knowledge was a thing that wasnt lessened by being shared. It could lose value, true, and secrets were secrets no more once they were spread far and wide, but sharing information with someone else didnt remove it from your own memories. Right now, the charges for [Knowledge Transfer] were few and far between, even if I adjusted my sleep cycle to not lose out on too much time overnight, but eventually, Id be able to not just transfer information to time-displaced legends and gain knowledge in exchange, but also gather countless bits of wisdom in my own head by trading with modern people. I could learn a language in a split-second, teach a professor a new language, and become a master of every STEM field a true polyglot. No, that wasnt right. Actually, no, I wanted to be a polyglot too, but the word Id been looking for was poly-math. Though I forced myself to banish my daydreams and focussed on the situation at hand, and the centuries-old emperor I was talking to. Whenever [Restoration of the Old] came off cooldown, I found my way into a new room and cleaned that, until I found the library and the location of the conversation switched to that. There were still no refreshments or people to provide them, which I could tell was tripping up Charlemagne something fierce, but that was largely fine. Eventually, the monster-hunting team returned not only heavily laden with food, drink, and the basics of an electrical setup like a generator, satellite phone, and cheap laptop, but also covered in monster blood. Me and Mia worked together to find a well-ventilated room to set up the generator in, then actually put it in there. Thankfully, the instruction manual had been good, because running outside to watch an instructional video at every stumbling block would have taken forever. And Mia was an engineering student, so she was more than capable of setting up a basic machine. My job was mostly to hand her whatever tools she needed. Though I did dip out a few more times to clean more rooms. It had gotten to the point where Id gotten so many of the dust projectiles that I was starting to worry about accidentally crushing them in my jacket pocket. It wouldnt be too bad if that happened, most of the dust would stay there and Id be able to fix everything with a literal snap of my fingers, but it would still have been a mess. So I put most of them on the bedside table in the guest room that had been made available once some of the Mandln had returned. Apparently, finding candidates hadnt been the issue, it had lain with finding ones who didnt immediately go after them with broomsticks or the like. Apparently, they would now be producing a grand feast for everyone, but I wound up begging off, being too tired. Though Karl would probably spend that entire even with his nose pressed up to the screen of the laptop, onto which Mia had downloaded a whole lot of history books. And that now left me lying here, in a bed that had doubtlessly been top-of-the-line luxury in its day, but was practically lumpy compared to the mattress in mine and Mias apartment. Though on the road here, Mia had joked that [Restoration of the Old] should work just fine on my room, after all, it was such a mess that it qualified as an archeological dig site. However, that wasnt what was keeping me up. No, there was something about the whole monster issue that was making my mind spin in circles, endlessly reminding me of how weird it was how many monsters wed encountered. Now if only I could actually figure out what my subconscious mind seemed to have put together hours ago ... Chapter 9: Francis Drake/Temujin Drake Never in all his years on the sea had he had such a terrible headache, and quite frankly, his current state went well beyond even the hangover after every post-raid celebration hed ever had put together. But honestly, Francis Drake did not regret a single thing. Because now, he was fully ready to act his rank in the modern world, though hed still have to recover from shoving so much information into his brain and then prove that hed retained said information. His Skills seemed to have, in part, been set up to create a new navy from scratch. Magically teaching people everything they needed to know to fulfill any role for any rank below his own was just the start. He could use [Full Restoration] to, once a year, bring any ship he wanted to full battle readiness, albeit only once a year, and then upgrade it to modern standards using [Instant Overhaul]. Perhaps a nice battleship. They didnt make them anymore, the design having largely been overhauled by modern smart munitions, but that wasnt quite as effective as it had been. Weapons that could track and unerringly strike modern ships and airplanes would likely struggle with the exotic abilities of monsters, not to mention the sheer cost of it all dumb guns might be shorter-ranged and overall weaker, but could be reloaded far more quickly and munitions would be vastly easier to source. Maybe he could find one from the Second World War? Raise it from the ocean floor, overhaul it, find people with the right Classes to stuff all sorts of magical explosives inside the shells oh, the possibilities were endless. But this world was a strange one. Especially the changes to the British government. Not serving the queen, well, king, anymore was strange, though Drake had to admit that he was more than a little gleeful at knowing how much power the aristocracy had lost. No more aristo idiots who were formally and legally subordinated to him but nevertheless felt like he should obey them due to their social standing, no more confusion in the line of command, just his authority backed by the admiralty, and a fleet to lead to victory. At least once he was done with all these ridiculous tests that hed been sent by the Brittania Royal Navy College to prove hed actually learned from his Skills. An alarm began to blare. Monster ahead! All hands to battle stations! Oh wonderful. Drake sighed. It was a distraction, something to do that wasnt an inane test, but he also needed to get this done. Once the monster was dispatched, hed have to get right back to it. Nevertheless, he swiftly hurried onto the bridge, managing to do so without tripping over a single one of those infernal thresholds. It seemed like hed finally adapted to modern life. This was going to be an interesting one, he could feel it in his bones. Drake might not have been entirely happy having Skills like [Devils Luck] and [Black Magic Intuition], they were far too reminiscent of those old accusations of him having made a deal with the devil or some other malevolent force. But they worked perfectly. As he hurried through the cramped corridors, his other magic powers began to flare to life. Ones that had been harder to figure out since they werent just fire and forget, as some of the sailors called the simpler Skills. No, abilities like [Current Sense] needed to be understood and practiced with. At first, it had merely done what its description claimed, letting him sense undersea currents. But with a little practice, it had also let him sense disturbances in the water below, like when a large monster was tearing through it. And [A Closer Look] let him, well, get a closer look at anything he could perceive. Activation was simple, but staying on target wasnt, it was just too easy to have the target the Skill showed him keep changing as new things caught his attention. So when he sensed something scything through the water towards the ship, he immediately saw it in his minds eye, alongside one of those descriptors that the System liked to provide.
Megalodon (evolved great white shark) Lv. 13
It was huge, with a maw large enough for a man to walk in standing fully upright, not even having to stoop in the slightest. And Drake didnt like the look of those teeth either. But now he was on the bridge properly, and sat down in the observers chair that had been added just for him mere hours ago. The contact vanished from radar! the operator snapped, making everyone on the bridge wince. Its continuing straight towards the hull, Drake informed everyone before fixing Smith with a stare. Permission to use Skills? That was something that theyd agreed on earlier. His Skills were hugely impactful, but could also disrupt other plans. For example, using [Escape] allowed him to yank the ship out of the path of an incoming attack, but it would also play merry hell with any planned actions or already set up lines of attack, altering firing arcs and so on. So unless it was an emergency, hed ask for permission. Gladly. After all, Smith wasnt being an ass about it, and while Drake might have been an Admiral, a ships captain was in charge of his vessel. Permission granted. [Chain of Command] was the first Skill he triggered, allowing everyone else to immediately know and understand when he triggered follow-up Skills. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. [Shared Intelligence] put the monster back on everyones screens, by projecting his own knowledge onto them. [Sling of David] to strengthen them based on the level difference, for all the good it would do considering his own personal power. And finally, in the split second before impact, [Escape]. The shark flashed past, breaching the surface of the water and flying almost ten meters into the air before it began to fall back down, but the Defiants bow gun had already started tracking it by that point, chattering to life, pumping shot after shot into the monster, blasting apart flesh and ripping the cartilage beneath. That gun was practically offensive to him on a deeply personal level. It was a weapon that could have ripped apart a warship of his age with a few shots, which it could fire within a handful of seconds. With the Defiants maneuverability, it could have sunk the Spanish Armada on its own, at least assuming sufficient munitions were present. And yet, it was considered a popgun, a peashooter, a weapon of little concern, almost superfluous in a modern warships arsenal. Where were the rows upon rows of weapons, the gundecks and heavy ships of the line that unleashed hell upon the enemies of the crown amidst plumes of fire and smoke? The shark splashed into the water trailing blood and guts, swiftly vanishing into the depths. Its back on radar, two hundred meters deep, the radar operator reported. So the shark is invisible on its final approach, Smith surmised, sighing. Its coming up from behind us. How long until the helicopter is ready? Drake asked. The infernally noisy machine was the Defiants primary anti-submarine weapon, capable of more easily targetting the shark where the missiles would have to be manually guided in, which would have been incredibly difficult against something as fast as the shark. Against the slow-ish krakens, that had been doable, against this thing, not so much. Too long. Brace for impact, Drake ordered, [Chain of Command] carrying the order to every corner of the ship. And then, he activated [Instantaneous Reinforcements: Fireship]. A small frigate from his era, a wooden-hulled sailing ship stuffed to the brim with gunpowder, appeared out of nowhere, manifesting right in the path of the shark. And boom. The Defiant shuddered under the impact of the shockwave, and if it had been an older ship, some of the rigging and sails would have likely caught fire, but the ship was overall fine. And with his warning, the crew damn well better be too. But that had been a fairly close call, all things considered. Too fast for their usual tactics against monsters, too far removed from the usual targets of modern weaponry for automation to kick in, and smart enough to stay out of the bow guns arc of fire. Granted, there were hard limits as to how much damage fangs alone would have been able to do to the Defiants hull, but this had still very nearly been the first attack that actually landed properly. Drake grinned. This was getting interesting. *** Temujin wasnt entirely sure whether to praise his descendants wisdom or shake his head at their foolishness. He was now the de facto Mongolian head of state, something that would soon become a full truth, free of any qualifiers or modifiers. Theyd put him in charge. On one hand, that was fantastic. He was not in a position to use his powers to their greatest potential, save Mongolia from the monstrous invaders, and potentially expand once again. On the other hand he was almost eight hundred years old. His knowledge was outdated, his myth might have been exaggerated, and they just plain didnt know him. This could have gone terribly wrong. But as long as their naivety remained limited to this situation, and they didnt blindly believe everyone, itd be fine. He took a moment to stretch in his new office, marveling at the office hed received, then rose and marched back out of the room. His [Remote Administration] now covered the entirety of Mongolia, so it had become practically useless for anything but the most surface-level information, but it did tell him that the monsters were concentrated in Ulaanbaatar. An attempted decapitation strike that had turned into a drawn-out siege and would soon die out in its entirety barring reinforcements. But no one knew whether or not reinforcements were going to be coming. After all, the first wave had appeared out of nowhere, who was to say the reinforcements wouldnt arrive the same way? Not to mention that there were not insignificant issues coming from China. Apparently, all it would take was one of his people putting one foot across the border and a nuclear response would follow. That had seemed like an overreaction until hed gotten a look at the relevant history books. Namely, the fact that they claimed that hed killed 40 million Chinese during his invasion. Now, things had been bloody back then, but 40 million? That seemed excessive. Historical propaganda, or had the officials responsible for the Chinese census been as incompetent as their military? Either way, he and his rule were being looked upon in askance and threatened with violence. And how he responded would likely color international reception of him. In his age, information was a sluggish thing, moving through anything larger than a single camp at a speed that made snails seem fast by comparison. Except gossip. Gossip could outspeed even an arrow in flight, distortion in the process until even the most mundane of issues would be blown vastly out of proportion in less than a day. The people directly on his borders needed to know and fear him, and their neighbors, in turn, would learn of him and his horde, but they wouldnt fight him directly. He could sweep across the world nation by nation, conquering them one by one, establishing Mongol rule, distributing scholars and other learned men across his empire to spread innovations, prove to those who behaved the benefits of cooperation while using the inevitable idiot who rebelled as an example of what not to do. But not in this new world. A message he sent to the Chinese could reach the other side of the world in less time than it took him to reach the toilet. So, his reply was simple. I believe humanity currently has a far bigger problem than internal squabbles. I have no intentions of attacking you, or anyone else for that matter, for every human who dies is one less who can fight the foes created by the System. It would only make them more paranoid, of course, and theyd send saboteurs. And then, he could make an example of. In a way that made their fates look horrific but appropriate while somehow not making him look overly savage. If he couldnt come up with a trick like that in time, he was sure someone else would. He might be in charge, but he was hardly the only person who could use their head and innovate. Besides, if China really did try to attack him, that would be bad. For them, that was. His [Heart of the Horde] was something called an Ascendant Capstone and it kept him safe from any attack that was sufficiently impersonal, which included this so-called nuclear weaponry, the pinnacle of human ingenuity. No one, and that truly meant no one save him, knew about this power. Hed kept it a secret for a reason. If someone tried to kill him using something like nuclear weaponry, all theyd be doing was giving him an ironclad justification to go after them. His only worries were the collateral damage that would happen if they attacked while he was in a city, and the fact that the attack might come before he was finished defeating the monsters. Todays world was a world ripe for his rule. All he had to do was once again make the offers that had made him a khan in the first place. Equality, opportunities for advancement based on merit rather than parentage, and social security for those who were injured serving the cause, as well as the families of those who died doing the same. Nothing made a man fight harder than knowing that no matter what, his loved ones would be safe and cared for. For now, though, hed have to limit himself to making improvements in Mongolia. Chapter 10: Where there’s Smoke, there’s Fire Somehow, I woke up perfectly refreshed, and I even had a plan for everything. At least that was what it felt like. Boundless energy filled me, and I was raring to go that wasnt right. Couldnt be right. Id slept terribly, so why was I feeling so good? System, can you show me everything thats influencing me? I asked. There should be something like that available, right? Urgh, this was going to be another throw out a thousand phrases until I find the right one, wasnt it? Active Effects? Active Effects tab? Current status overview? Status Effects? Okay, that last one worked.
Status Effects: Well Rested (product of [Optimized Palace]) Blessing of Innovation (product of [Imperial Renaissance])
Both of those had to be our hosts Skills, that last one especially screamed Karl der Gro?e. I got up and dressed myself in some of the stuff wed bought in Ravenna. Wed really have to get some more clothing. My Skills could make up for a lot, cleaning worn stuff or transforming new stuff into something that looked appropriate, but they werent omnipotent. I certainly knew that I was using swim trunks as underwear by now, and the others were likely in the same boat. A trip to the nearest town to find something suitable was in order. There had to be stuff for tourists whod forgotten something, to panic-buy at a jacked-up price, right? Granted, it would probably be all sports clothing, meant to be worn when hiking and the like, but even that would be much better than to continue to wear what I was currently clothed in. There was a knock at the door just as I was finished, and I opened it to reveal Dietrich, dressed the same as I was. In tourist clothing many regular people wouldnt have been caught dead in, let alone a king staying in the home of an emperor, so it was clear what he wanted. [Modern Makeover] to the rescue. A single thought was all it took, and he was suddenly wearing modern business casual. A white shirt that looked high-end, black pants of similar quality, and a sturdy leather belt that Id left unchanged from his original outfit, with Mimmung, Eckesachs, and a utility knife dangling from it, though only the first weapon was placed in a way he could easily draw it. Then, I cast the same Skill on myself, giving myself a darker but similar outfit, with Nagelring also attached to my belt. [Innate Etiquette] told me that, in this particular set of circumstances, showing up armed to breakfast was fine. And yes, breakfast was waiting for me, er, us, I could smell it in the air. Hmm, I wondered who cooked. I sincerely doubted Karl der Gro?e was responsible for it, Ogier and Dietrich hadnt struck me as particularly domestic either, and Mia wasnt someone who liked to cook breakfast. Cereal and milk alongside a glass of orange juice was all she needed. No big effort early in the morning, there was other stuff she wanted to get to. Me, on the other hand? I loved sitting down with a nice hearty omelet or something, alongside a little bacon, and tea, and spend half the morning eating while reading a good book, but the only thing I could be one hundred percent certain of was the fact that I wasnt responsible for the food. Had the Mandln come back? Ah, who cared, we should find out soon. What happened last night? I asked. We killed monsters, and then, we had the worlds tiniest feast, Dietrich said. Did the Mandln come back, or did you cook? Ones here right now, the one who contacted you, I think, he said. And what about the monsters? I asked. How many were there? Eleven, all mutated local animals. That cinched my earlier idea, now all I needed to do was go check how things had been elsewhere once Id eaten something. As if to agree with me, my stomach growled loudly. Yep, food first, definitely. Also, if both kings were there, I could take full advantage of [Knowledge Transfers] first upgrade to teach them simultaneously. Mia showed up at one point, likewise looking like Ravennas number one fan or a tourist whod managed to lose her suitcase while in said city. Like me and Dietrich, she had her sword strapped to her belt. I reverted her old clothes, which had to still be in her room, to free up a slot in [Modern Makeover], and gave her the outfit she usually wore for competitions. Dark blue shirt and cargo pants, with pockets that were usually stuffed with all sorts of knick-knacks. Somehow, the effect even extended to her hair, which was suddenly in a bun. That was how she usually wore it along with that outfit, but it caught us both by surprise. She flashed me a look that both conveyed gratitude and promised dire retribution if I used the Skill to actually mess with her hair. We soon reached the main room, and found the other two there, sitting at the same table Id been at when expounding the virtues of modern literature. Come, sit, Karl waved us over, gesturing towards a vast spread that sat before him. Oh, definitely, the Mandln were back. No person here could have been responsible for something like that. Of course, we all took him up on the invitation, and for what had to be the billionth time, I reflected on how downright bizarre the entire situation was. For one, Karl had very obviously not slept, something that I felt entirely comfortable blaming on the laptop. I feel like it would be a good idea to introduce coffee, Mia suggested. Or maybe energy drinks for emergencies. Lets stick with coffee, I said. Energy drinks can take so weird that someone will probably assume theyre poison. Not to mention that they were hella bad for you and I had vague memories of Charlemagne not being able to give up red meat for his health during his later years despite his doctors insistence, and that was just food. Him resisting energy drinks was not something Id bet on. Are they really that bad? Ogier commented from the table, and for the first time, I really took in his appearance. Instead of being clad in full, face-concealing armor, he was wearing normal clothing. Normal for his original time, that was. Close-cropped blond hair and a well-cared-for beard that would not have looked out of place on a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and piercing green eyes that probably looked damn intimidating when flashing someone a death glare. His huge size probably helped too. Ill get a can of Red Bull the next time I get supplies, Mia promised. Though that should probably have been considered a threat instead. I certainly would have considered it to be one. Are you two ready for another round of [Knowledge Transfer]? I asked, addressing Dietrich and Karl. The former nodded, while the latter asked What topic did you choose today? Modern political systems, I said. I was thinking that this afternoon, Id go with culture, and this evening, maybe the current economy? When youre talking about culture, are you referring to the cultural Zeitgeist or things like music and literature? Charlemagne asked. I was thinking about something called pop culture, which is short for popular culture. The kind of thing that most people will know about through cultural osmosis even if theyre not familiar with the topic itself, I explained. Go ahead, Dietrich told me, so I triggered the Skill. Two ancient rulers blinked owlishly at me for a couple of seconds then stared at each other. Is democracy as much of a mess as it sounds like? Karl asked. My favorite quote of all time is Democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. Its a mess, but its a reliable one. Actually, my favorite quote was a different one, also from Winston Churchill, diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions because it was plain funny. But the one on democracy was the one that I was confronted with more often in my life. I dont think Id have been able to achieve half the things I did if I had a term limit, Charlemagne pointed out. And yet, would you have been able to guarantee that all your descendants would be good rulers, including the ones who werent even born yet? Dietrich asked, shrugging. Ive seen plenty of disgraces with crowns on their brow, who only became the leaders of men due to their birth. Ungrateful, backstabbing, traitorous, guest-murdering disgraces. With each statement, I was pretty sure I knew who he was talking about. King Emmerich, King Gunther, Sibbich, Hagen, Krimhild. So much of the shit hed been through in his life had been because of people who should never have been within a mile of any kind of power. But not having that context, Charlemagne seemed to be gearing up for an argument. Still, I think everyone present is more than qualified for their positions, I pointed out, prompting the king to nod and the emperor to shrug. What kind of music do you have nowadays? Ogier threw in, changing the topic. Modern music is all over the place. Personally, I prefer metal, I told them. And thats a kind of music? Dietrich asked, sounding more than a little perplexed. Yeah, I have a bunch on my phone, I said, pulling out of my pants pocket. My favorite is Power Metal. Its very epic, melodic, and really gets the blood pumping. Can you give me an example? Ogier pressed and I obviously agreed. I couldnt have asked for a better distraction than the pounding beat of my preferred kind of music. The question of what song to play was simple. My Sabaton playlist. Epic songs about ancient battles and legendary warriors, and even a few like Carolingian Prayer and Carolus Rex which should go over very well with our host. But there was no way in hell Id let my phone out of my hands before I had a chance to delete some stuff. Specifically, my playlist for my favorites from the band Powerwolf, because that was more than a little sacrilegious. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Deus Vult would probably be appreciated, but We Dont Wanna Be No Saints wouldnt, and Demons Are a Girls Best Friend would be an unmitigated disaster. And if, God forbid, he stumbled across Resurrection by Errection I mean, the song was funny as hell, but I sincerely doubted that a legendarily pious Christian emperor would see the humor in it. Which still left me with a question about what song specifically to pick, so I settled on Primo Victoria. An iconic song about the first true victory achieved against the Nazis on D-Day. Eventually, it ended, and I shut the song off and asked a question that really should have come up earlier, pulling up the relevant screen as I did so. When the System had appeared, it had warned of the danger escalating in five days from that point, to the second, and this was the morning of the third day of the System. What are everyones plans to combat the Second Challenge?
The current Challenge, The Beasts of Legend, has concluded its initial mass-spawning phase and transitioned into regular operations. The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], will begin in three days. Time remaining: 3:03:17:59
The first forty-five hours of the System had been insane, but now that things had calmed down, we could make preparations. Should make preparations. Outfit this fortress with everything it needs, gather the best and brightest in the nation, and weather the initial storm. Accept whatever help the current government is willing to offer. Then crush whatever shows up with an optimally equipped and trained army, Charlemagne explained. Dietrich shrugged. Find somewhere to whether the initial storm, keep you and Mia out of the line of fire, and see where we go from there. Why dont you stay here? Charlemagne offered. Oh, I wouldnt want to impose, Dietrich responded. And I havent explored nearly enough of this new world just yet. In other words, he wasnt entirely certain about making such a gesture just yet, since it could indicate that he was open to subordinating him to the emperor. Can I make a suggestion? I asked. Dietrich gestured for me to continue. I think the monsters might be attracted to you. All of you. I glanced over to Mia. How many monsters did we run into on the road, even if we ignore the wolfpack? Six, she said slowly. But if we count what we ran into outside last night, twenty. But most people havent even seen one, according to the internet, I added. Either weve got the worlds worst luck, or monsters like to go after the ancients. When on the road, only Dietrich was in the car with us, and we saw more than normal. But here, with three ancients, you fought more monsters in a few hours than we saw in the last one and a half days. Are you suggesting we draw monsters here? Charlemagne asked. Perhaps find other ancients to increase the draw? Dietrich just started laughing, though when I gave him a hurt look, he immediately tried to get himself under control, which he managed eventually. Im sorry, I just thought about what Hildebrand would have said about a plan like that. Hed have loved it. Thank you, I dipped my head. But I still need to do a little more research to see how strong the effect is. Are you sure you the local library will have what you Charlemagne trailed off, then sighed and corrected himself as he remembered the information Id imparted upon him yesterday. Does your phone have internet access in here? And Ogier, he just grinned, his fingers twitching towards the blade at his side. If this plan works, well need to create a fortress in this mountain, Charlemagne offered. Find me some books on modern fortifications while doing research, would you? I slowly shook my head. Modern fortifications wont work here. With the creation of modern artillery, all strong walls are going to do is trap the guards inside for the explosive projectiles to tear apart. However, were not going up against todays armies, but a bunch of monsters. And we do have some older ideas we can pull from. It all depends on how easily the mountain can be reshaped. Pulling up a drawing app on my phone, I began to sketch out the basics of a star fortress, this one having seven points to avoid any religious connotations, the way one with five or six could have had. The basic principle was, well, basic. A star fortress had a central area and a bunch of protruding spikes that one could walk on and while it might be tricky to target the base of the wall one was standing on, the next spike over could easily hit that point. And anything that wasnt at the base of a wall could be targeted from both points. Reshaping the mountain is easy, the Mandln are exceedingly capable stonemasons, Charlemagne said. But we dont have the time to reshape the entire mountain or the people to man the resulting fortress. I nodded. The Untersberg was an immense mountain massif with multiple peaks almost two kilometers in height, and it covered seventy square kilometers. That was larger than many cities. But Id planned for that as well. Another stolen idea, this one taken from a bunker in the Maginot Line that had been turned into a museum. It had had several turrets that were far from the main bunker, connected by singular corridors that could be collapsed even if someone managed to break in via one of said turrets. So I sketched something like that. Except instead of turrets, which would have required specific components that no one would sell to us, theyd be smaller half-fortresses set into the side of the mountain, with a final set of gun- or arrow-slits set into the sides of the mountain itself, meaning thered be a clear line of fire at the base of any point of the wall. In addition, thered be a handful of individual star fortresses on the top of the massif, which would prevent monsters from gathering up there and digging down. However, both of these would only be connected to the core of the mountain, where we were, through corridors that were designed to easily seal off. That design would ensure that anyone inside the fortress would be able to find a place to target any spot outside from. In addition, I proposed redesigning the front door to mirror that of the original bunker Id seen, creating a roof that extended out ten meters from the door, as well as walls on either side, that likewise extended that far, and with murder holes/arrowslits in all three. The approach to the door would be a kill box. And by using [Restoration of the Old] on the armory last night, Id turned rotten bows and rusted blades into freshly oiled and gleaming weapons that wouldnt look out of place in the hands of the shining hero in an action movie. All that needed to happen now was for the people Charlemagne claimed were coming to actually, you know, come. Tristan, why dont you find somewhere you have reception, while I go train with Mia? Dietrich offered. I nodded, and turned around to the Mandl whod been looking over my shoulder to observe the plans. I wasnt sure which one, or even if there was a difference between them, though. They all looked the same and as far as I could tell, they were literally just numbered, with their names being the Latin words for first, second, and so on. Primus, Secundus, etc. Is there an easier way to get out of the mountain than the main door? Ill take you, he offered. Follow me please. So I did that, leaving behind the others. Dietrich and Mia were moving off towards a training room, and the other two were currently deep in discussion about something I was already too far away to understand. The Mandl showed me a door set into the stone just outside the entrance to the throne room, almost invisible if you didnt know to look for it, and the spiraling staircase beyond. It was tiny, claustrophobic, and the fact that this entire fortress was lit by magic had never been more obvious. In the bigger rooms, I could imagine that they had torches or lightbulbs, they were just not in my field of view. In this tiny, practically claustrophobic space, it was more than obvious that the light was magically emanating from the stone itself, which was just as magical as the rest of the fortress, including the creatures that crewed it. After ascending so many stairs that I felt like Id been on that endless stairs machine in the gym, I was let out onto a large ledge that no doubt looked natural from the outside, but standing on it, I could clearly see that it served as a balcony of sorts. A balcony so high above the main area that the first thing I did when I reached it was flop down onto the ground and suck in huge gasps of air, but a balcony nonetheless. Next time, Id open the main door, its ridiculous weight be damned. Anything was better than those damn stairs. A couple of minutes spent recovering later, I pulled my phone out and searched for monster sighting map. There were a bunch of results, some belonging to video games, others to fantasy novels, and others still I couldnt quite place. But there were a few, most of them centered on the US. Someone, or, more likely, a metric ton of someones, had been busy creating thorough maps of where monsters had been located, with differentiations made between confirmed sightings and unconfirmed ones, level, type, etc. But none of those advanced features were what I was looking for. All I needed was a general overview of where they were located and it was telling. Very telling. I distinctly remembered that something like two-thirds of the US population lived within a hundred miles of the border from a YouTube video explaining how the border patrol could ignore many regular rights in the border zone which was everything within 100 miles of the border and, well, held the vast majority of the population. And that was where the monsters were, with the concentration of beasts further rising in several locations, many of which I could mentally correlate with the locations of major cities such as New York or Chicago. Granted, there were likely factors skewing the results, starting with the fact that a monster was more likely to be seen strolling through Central Park than if they passed through one of those little one gas station, five houses, and a water tower along the highway towns in the nations center. City populations also tended to skew more towards embracing technology, boosting the chance of someone who did encounter a monster actually posting about it, and so on. But there was no way this was all just statistical variance and bias-introducing factors. The sample size was just too great. So, what did that mean? Monsters didnt get randomly distributed, they had targets. Based on my experience, they went after ancients, but if there were no ancients around, at least I assumed there were no American ancients based on a lack of relevant news alerts, they went after population centers. That wasnt good. That really wasnt good. But it also proved how much of an outlier all the monsters around here were. That just left one question, just how far did the monster attraction field spread? I might not have had access to any comparable German maps, but I did have a business card and a promise of support from a certain Polizeidirektor. So I I barely managed to throw myself to the side to avoid a swooping monstrous bird, having barely caught sight of its shadow on the ground. Its claws slammed into the stone next to my head, digging deeply into the stone before a single beat of its wings ripped them free before it hurled itself at me. Oh fuck Hand fumbling for my swords hilt, I cast [Modern Makeover], suddenly very glad Id spent so much time messing around with it. Admittedly, part of that had been trying out various cosplays that didnt require any makeup or hair dye, but overall, I could zap any outfit I wanted onto myself. Including wildly impractical ones that completely hid my body like the giant T-rex costume I used now. It was one of those inflatable ones where the wearer looked out through a clear plastic pane in the costumes chest to look out through because that was where their head would be. Large birds like this mutated eagle usually went either for the neck or skull, depending on how hard they could hit, so when it tried that, it missed entirely, ripping apart the fabric mere centimeters from my skull and I reverted the Skill, hand already resting on Nagelrings pommel, it was just that the costume had been in the way right at that moment. So when the cloth vanished, leaving me in a ragged shirt, I could pull out the sword and swing it at the bird before scrambling to my feet. Now, Id be the first to admit that I wasnt the best in an actual fight, but birds were also kinda fragile. So even only having managed to smack its wings with the flat of my blade, Id apparently managed to ground it. Now here I was, facing down this thing on a reasonably equal footing, finally able to catch a glimpse of its nameplate.
Gluttonous Eagle Lv. 2 (evolved stone eagle)
Not equal footing, an advantage, at least going by raw Levels. But I also had a noncombat Class, making this whole thing ever so slightly fairer. I still didnt like the look of that beak The bird tried to bite me so I smacked it with my sword, still not having gotten the edge pointed quite the right way, but I took that as my cue to turn it slightly, just as it lunged again and I chopped at its head, cleaving clean through. Fuck, I muttered as it collapsed to the ground, head cleanly split down the center. My sword was deadly as hell when I managed to hit with its edge. But before I did anything, I needed to go back down, because I wasnt setting foot outside alone again anytime soon. Maybe Mia and Dietrich would be willing to move their training session outside? As I walked down the stairs, I could hear the grinding of stone and the shifting of rocks, something I sincerely hoped was just the mountain being reshaped by the Mandln, though I was afraid that if it wasnt, there wasnt a damn thing I could do about it. I ran into Ogier as I entered the main hallway, and he raised an eyebrow at the state of my clothing. Giant eagle, I said by way of explanation. Do you want me to bandage that? he asked, gesturing towards my left shoulder. Bandage wha- I started to ask as I looked at it, finding several shallow scratches there, which promptly began to sting. Ah, those. I think Mia has a first aid package. Now, I was fully aware of the fact that the modern idea of the Middle Ages was a collection of historical low points and misconceptions, but that didnt mean Id take his offer of medieval first aid over sterile bandages and Neosporin. Suit yourself, he shrugged. Anything else up there? Not that I saw, but we might have to clear out the local area before anyone else arrives, I suggested. He nodded and headed towards the door while I went off to find Mia. [Legends Guide Lv. 8 -> Legends Guide Lv. 9] [Skill gained: Polite Rebuke] I looked around for a few more seconds before pulling up the description.
Retaliate against attacks or rudeness by knocking the offender away, force scales with level of offense. Cooldown increases with power used.
Oh, now I get a combat Skill. At least that was what it sounded like. After all, I didnt know about anyone else, but personally, I considered someone trying to kill me to be very rude. And how hard would a [Polite Rebuke] powered by righteous fury hit? Chapter 11: Ogier Danske You know, this would have been a lot more fun with that modern music. It was like the most exhilarating part of the trumpets calling one to battle, extended across an entire song, and there seemed to be a near-infinite number of songs out there. Though chances were the emperor would ban it from the fortress in a few days. For now, it was interesting, but in due time, it would get on his nerves, as it made it hard to hear anything else. Which meant hed make the most out of everything while he still could, once this was all done. Later. For now, the name of the game was extermination. The door Tristan must have returned through was finally in sight and Ogier squeezed himself out onto the natural outcropping, relieved to finally be clear of its confines. Ogier had always been a big man, towering over most of his fellows, and instead of learning to project authority, hed had to learn how to not scare the living daylights out of any stranger he interacted with. At the same time, most doorways were too small for him, and plenty of rooms even left him in danger of gaining lumps on his head. There was a reason he preferred to keep a helmet on at all times. That damn staircase if he didnt know better, hed have assumed that it had been made specifically to torture him. Now he was free though, free in more than one way. He glanced down briefly, spotting the corpse of the eagle Tristan had fought, its head cleanly split in two, but that was just about the only part of this that was clean. Everything else it looked like hed smacked it with the flat of his blade twice and that almost certainly hadnt been an accident, but a mistake on his part. That boy really needed to either learn to wield his sword properly, or give up and become a member of the support staff. Because as much as warriors, even Ogier himself liked to think otherwise, support staff were ridiculously valuable. Cortain slid free of its sheath with nary a whisper, the very air parting before the impossibly sharp blade. Combined with the buckler already strapped to his other arm, he was now fully ready for combat. The Paladin of Europes greatest emperor, the [Titan Knight], was about to go to war! The general menace that he naturally exuded increased a hundredfold as [Titanic Presence] activated, the first of many Skills. Come on! Ogier roared, his voice echoing off the nearby mountains as he raised Cortain and brought its edge down onto his shield, the resulting clang echoing out at a volume that was even louder than his shout had been. Here I am! Once again, Cortain slammed into the shield, which started to bend now. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. You want people like me, so come get me! This time, the shield cracked right down the middle and he retrieved a second just like it from his [Mobile Amory]. His other gear might have been strengthened by [Titans Armor] and Cortain didnt bend or break unless he wanted to, like that time hed shortened it, but he tended to be rough on shields. Between the shouting, the attraction, and the Skill, he should be neck-deep in monsters by now. Ogier sighed and turned around to eye the rock wall behind him, evaluating how easy it would have been to climb up there. In hindsight, doing this somewhere more creatures could approach him would have probably been a better idea. So he did just that, sheathing Cortain and grabbing a hold of any protruding chunks of rock and pulling himself up when possible, punching a handhold into the sheer cliff when not. He was making slow and steady progress up the mountainside until eventually, just as he reached the halfway point, he heard the furious screech of a giant bird of prey. Of course it would happen at the absolute most inconvenient time possible. Swearing internally, Ogier craned his neck around, spotted the creature in question, pulled his legs up, knees pressing against his chest, feet resting against the rock, and waited. It only took a couple of seconds for the bird to be on its final approach, shooting straight at him. That was when Ogier extended his legs, literally reducing the rock he was holding onto to powder in the process, launching himself into the open air as though hed been hurled by a catapult. Cortain stayed in its sheath, he didnt need it for this. The monsters nameplate floated in his vision for a split second before they collided, making a startled squawk that made Ogier grin.
Steel Eagle Lv. 14 (evolved stone eagle) Field Boss
He slammed into its chest, wrapped his arm around it, and squeezed even as they began to fall, the impact having destabilized its flight. One hand closed around a piece of ribcage he could feel under his fingers and squeezed tight, ripping through flesh in the process until he was certain that he could keep a hold of it even if he released his other hand. Dangling from the monster by one hand freed up the other to punch into the base of its wing, utterly ruining its ability to stabilize its flight. Together, they fell, and Ogier craned his neck to spot the incoming ground until he finally managed to catch sight of it, trying to gauge how long it would be before they hit it. Five seconds, four, three, two, one [Shockwave Impact]. All his downward momentum was instantly transformed into an immensely powerful shockwave that tore out of him in a wave of force the likes of which hed never before seen. As for the beast, well it was between him and his shockwave, and the ground. It burst like an overfilled wineskin, though one that was rather feathery. Ogier spat, blood and something fluffy splattering across the ground. He looked down at himself. Come on, [Titans Armor], clean the mess, youre supposed to restore my armor did this not fall under the scope of its authority? He supposed hed always had to clean his armor when he went off on his own before, no reason to expect that to have changed now. Retrieving his shield and drawing Cortain again, he began to make some noise while walking back towards the mountain. There had to be more of these things around here, didnt there? Itd be damn waste if all he got out of his efforts was a single fight. Chapter 12: Mia Learning from Dietrich von Bern was an intimidating prospect. With most of Mias teachers, they might have been far beyond her when she started, but she had swiftly learned from them, mastered the basics, and grown from there until shed eventually hit the point of diminishing returns, where measurable progress only occurred over a period of months or years. Give it a decade, decade and a half maybe, and shed be able to maybe not surpass the various people whod taught her, but at the very least, shed be able to give them a good fight and win occasionally. With Dietrich, it was different. She could feel how much power was in his blows, and how much more he was holding back. It wasnt just that shed seen him hack apart a mountain in one hit and casually obliterate monsters that would have killed her and Tristan in seconds. She was, quite literally, able to see the gulf between them. [Power Sense] barely worked on anyone else, but her teacher she could see clearly. Sense the overwhelming strength he wasnt bringing to bear not just because this was training but because to him, the world might as well have been cardboard. Dietrichs sword bounced off hers, Balmung being one of the few weapons that could withstand Mimung. Yes, they were using magical weapons, because her [Training Safeguards] made even that safe. In fact, it was explicitly mentioned that as long as everyone involved in the training was fine with it, even legendary blades couldnt do any damage. Mia lunged while ducking low, trying to evade the ancient kings follow-up attack, going after his leg. But he backstepped to avoid the attack, then moved in and lashed out with his boot, stopping it a bare centimeter from her nose before he dropped it back to the ground. That could have worked against a worse fighter. Dont try that unless you really have to, Dietrich announced while Mia got back into a proper stance. She really had overextended, and even if it had gotten her closer to landing a solid hit than anything else shed tried, it had still failed. Yet even as insane as the power gap was, her growth was even more ludicrous. She wasnt just learning, she was also gaining magic, of which [Matchless Endurance], [Knowledge Sponge], and [Training Safeguards] were only the least. Shed also gained the same [Arcane Core] that Tristan had, which would let her learn magic if she ever found someone who could teach her, and finally, shed gained something called [Blank Sword Art] that Dietrich had figured was the basis for creating her own, well, Sword Art. A powerful active Skill based on what she was good at, presumably. His was known as Giantsplitter, a single incredibly powerful attack meant to bisect powerful foes in a single strike, which he could unleash every ten minutes or so. And the origin of the name was obvious. After all, hed hacked apart plenty of giants in his time. What would hers be? And how the hell did she make that happen? It would be a complete game-changer when she managed it, but until then it just hung there in her Skills list, practically taunting her. Can I try something? she asked. What do you want to try? Dietrich answered the question with another question. Can you just defend for the next round? I want to see if I can figure out how to get my [Sword Art] figured out. He shrugged, then nodded, once again drawing Mimung and settling into a combat stance she hadnt seen him use yet. Something defensive, clearly. Mia took a brief moment to try and remind her to focus on attacking now that she could afford to, and began to free Balmung from its sheath, when she saw Tristan march in. Wearing a shredded t-shirt, and there were several long scratches running across his right shoulder, and she had no idea how much further it extended down his back. Are you okay? she gasped, running past Dietrich who sighed and turned towards her brother. Giant eagle, I think I just need some disinfectant and something clean to cover the wound, he sighed, gesturing at the injury shed already spotted. Clearly, he didnt think it was too big a deal. The first aid kit is here, right? Yep, Mia said, as she hurried to fetch it. It was the one from their car, though it had been filled primarily with stuff meant to fix injuries when doing choreography. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The wounds turned out to be really shallow, but of course, Tristan wound up squirming and cursing as she cleaned them anyway. Did you try to hunt monsters on your own? she finally asked once she was done. No, he shook his head, sounding irritated. I was outside to use the internet and poof, there it was. Ogiers going out hunting, though. So, the situation is being handled, Dietrich stated, though it might have been a slight question too. Until the monsters come back. I was right, by the way, when there are no ancients around, the monsters go after big cities. The only reason for this many to be here is that they are after you. I think we can move training outside, Dietrich offered, throwing Mia a questioning look. Of course we can, she nodded empathetically. Tristan could miss a literal bomb going off when he was deep in his research, or engrossed in a book, him being outside with things as they were was not safe. Come on, do you need me to carry you? she asked Tristan and stuck her tongue out when he glared at her. You know, I have a combat Skill now. I can make shockwaves when I get insulted. Seriously? Seriously, he grinned at her, which was immediately followed by a tiny wave of wind that could just as easily have come from someone a couple of meters away blowing out a candle. I think someone needs to attack me to make something cool happen. Mia elbowed him in his uninjured side, and was rewarded with a slight but clearly magical pushback. He didnt even move himself, it was all a Skill. Cool, but I dont think thatll save you from a monster, she replied. Itll hit harder when it needs to, he said, to which Mia responded by waving her hand through his hair, or tried to, at least. A shockwave threw her hand off course. I think it hits harder based on how much you dont like whats happening, she remarked. He hated it when she ruined his hair, and the response had made a pretty clear statement. Yep. So, youre invulnerable now? Tristan shook his head. The harder it hits, the longer it takes before I can do it again. At least he was a little protected, even if it was much weaker than it had sounded. Together, the three of them marched out of the mountain and took up position outside the door. Tristan found a nice rock to sit on, while Mia decided to pick up where shed left off. Using an ancient king as a punching bag. Mimung and Balmung practically flew from their sheaths and hammered together in a steady staccato, speeding up all the way, until the sound of metal on metal was like an entire hardware store was falling down a sinkhole. Even with her being entirely free to focus on offense, she wasnt getting anywhere. By the time her sword was even halfway towards Dietrichs body, his blade was already interposed. No matter what she tried, he was able to read her like an open book. It didnt matter, honestly. Shed known from the start that he was better, she could literally keep this up for the entire day thanks to [Matchless Endurance], and it felt like she was so close to figuring something out. So she kept going. At some point, Ogier marched past, looking like hed been rolling around in the dumpster behind a butchers shop. Tristan looked up at his phone at that and waved his hand, using that restoration Skill of his to clean the whole affair only to yank his hand back with a yelp of disgust when a tennis ball-sized orb of grossness appeared where his hand had been a mere second before. Oh, her little brother was adorable. It didnt matter that their age gap was measured in minutes, he was still her little brother. Always willing to help, not always thinking things through quite to the end. Which was weird, considering how he overthought quite literally everything else. But also endearing. But once that little distraction was over, they both went right back at it. One of her strikes was deflected straight into the ground and carved straight through, the front third of the blade vanishing into the rock. Mia froze, staring at it. Do you want to try something else? Dietrich asked her, not in the least annoyed with her. Somehow, shed expected him to not be quite as okay with being used as a glorified training dummy. Not that she thought about him like that, but she would have understood if he begrudged her the current situation. Five more minutes, I think Im close, Mia finally replied after considering for a long moment. Five more minutes, Dietrich agreed, raising his sword between them. And they were right back at it. Some of her blows were stopped dead, others deflected, others still, the worst of the lot, deflected with such force that she had to regain her balance. Until Mias sword was once again bounced into the rock and continued, carving through the stone practically with ease, the supernaturally sharp blade aiming straight at the bottom of Dietrichs shoe. He could still have blocked, Mimung was even sharper than her sword and would have had no trouble punching through the ground to stop her attack before it could hit, but for once, shed caught him by surprise. In a burst of motion, he was suddenly a meter further back, with the blade exploding from the ground and almost reaching chest height before Mia managed to arrest its momentum. Not bad, Dietrich admitted. But thats not something you should try if you have another choice. Even if your sword can cut stone, you cant move it to the side in that situation. But I managed to get you to use a Skill, Mia grinned. His handicap and her ability to attack with impunity be damned, shed managed to get him to use a fraction of his true power. That was an achievement. [Legends Apprentice Lv. 9 -> Legends Apprentice Lv. 10] [Capstone Skill gained: Arsenal of the Soul] And apparently, the System agreed. Now, what the actual fuck was a Capstone Skill? Chapter 13: Spreading the Word I looked up from my phone at the sound of Mia running over to me, grinning from ear to ear, a System window in front of her, bobbing up and down as she moved. Therefore, I couldnt read any of that, it was bouncing around too much, but at least it was pretty obvious what had gotten her excited. Then she stopped in front of me, and I also realized that I couldnt read it since the transparent screen was facing her, meaning it mirrored for me. I sighed and stepped through it, then turned so that I could read it as she could.
Arsenal of the Soul (Legends Apprentice Capstone) Bind one piece of gear to you every ten levels, gear can be recalled at will regardless of distance and will gain a self-repair function. Complete destruction will delay reconstruction by up to a year. Capstone Skills grow naturally as your Level does, and are not eligible for boosting. Currently Bound Gear: Balmung (sword)
So, whats your next Class? I asked. Next Class? Capstone implies that youre at the peak of [Legends Apprentice], but unless youre Level 50 already, that means youre getting something else after this, I explained my reasoning. Mia just shook her head. No new Class yet. I probably need to reach Level 11 before I see it. Or pick one, I dont know. She shrugged. And youre Level 10, right? I asked, causing her to nod. I grinned. One more Level to go, and then Id get something cool too. Probably. Dietrich, do you know about any legendary armor pieces Mia could bind once she hits Level 20? I called over. Just the dwarven-made gear we found in the arsenal. Im cool with that, Mia grinned. But right now, I just want to try out what I can do now. With that said, she lightly tossed Balmung into the air, in a way that shed be able to catch it with ease, but instead of snatching it as it started to fall again, she stared at it with an odd expression and without warning, it vanished, only to reappear in her hand. Then, she sheathed it before drawing it not with her hand but her mind, Balmung directly jumping into her hand from the sheath without crossing the intervening space. And with that, things rapidly got crazier. Dropping the sword and running away before recalling it, burying it under rocks, throwing it as though to impale an imaginary enemy, then zapping it right back into her hand once it had hit the target. Seeing as Mia had already tried out all the things Id have suggested, I decided to stop watching and actually do the stuff Id come out here to do. First, finish up the list of things I needed to do and questions I needed to ask, and second, call the Polizeidirektor. I mean, I knew that I wanted data on when and where monsters had appeared in Germany, thereby letting me figure out how much the presence of an ancient affected them, and whether they simply drew in monsters or actually redirected where they spawned. I also needed to figure out how many other ancients there were, and where they were located. And how to warn them. Because shouting from the rooftops about how they attracted monsters would doubtlessly be twisted into the whole thing being their fault once politicians, news organizations, and social media did their thing. With the help of the internet, Id managed to figure out that not only was the Golem of Prague patrolling the streets of, well, Prague, but I could drive there in a surprisingly reasonable amount of time. But Mongolia, or even just Ireland, would require a plane and there was no way in hell Id take a plane, not now. Even if they flew with all the chaos currently going on, it just plain wouldnt be safe. I could barely survive in the face of a monster bird on my own, with my magical sword and strength-boosting ring. Trying to do so from the inside of a fragile metal can no, if a plane was attacked, the passengers were dead. Full stop. Not safe, not gonna do it, no way Jos. I pulled up my contacts and clicked on the entry titled Polizeidirektor. Id made it mere minutes after Id gotten his business card, along with taking a picture of said card and tucking it into the most secure spot in my wallet. Assuming he hadnt just given me the thing because Id live-streamed our conversation on YouTube, or at least not just because of that, hed be an invaluable ally. Or at the very least, supporter. Hopefully. As my phone rang, I activated a recorder app to make sure that Id later have some kind of record just in case this whole thing went badly. Because it could, and if I wound up in conflict with the German government, Id need every scrap of proof I could possibly lay my hands on. He picked up after a couple of rings. Polizeidirektor Hofmann speaking. Things are currently moving a mile a minute, if this isnt important, we can do it later. Well, wasnt that welcoming? Its Tristan Vogt, I introduced myself. I need some information that I cant easily get my hands on as a civilian. What kind of information? Hofmann asked, sounding suspicious. Not that I could blame him. Locations of monster attacks and sightings in Germany, and if possible, the same information from Italy, Switzerland, and Austria over the last couple of days. Also, can you map that out digitally, into a coherent overview? Of course we can, he insisted, sounding almost offended. And while I understood that, I also had to ask, because German state and technology were two terms that I expected to be followed by the word disaster. Now, I couldnt remember which branch of the government had been responsible for this particular piece of brilliance, but a few years ago, thered been a huge scandal involving a government office allowing for the digital submission of forms, only for the processing of said forms to come to a grinding halt. You see, they hadnt merely processed the forms as they came, oh no, that would have been too damn easy. No, instead, theyd printed out the forms, dealt with them in that form, and then typed them back into the computer. Not even scanned, typed. So yes, my doubts about the digital savviness of anything German Government-run or related were more than justified. I just need to go get someone from IT here. Ah, there it was. Or maybe, it was just Hofmann who wasnt sufficiently capable with technology. There were muffled voices from the other side after that, as though he were having a conversation with someone while covering his phones microphone with his hand. Thisll take a couple of minutes, he said. Do you have anything else youd like to talk about in the meantime? I took a deep breath before answering, knowing that what I was going to ask for next was going to be a difficult pill to swallow. Do you have the authority to evacuate the area around the Untersberg? I asked. Does this have anything to do with Karl der Gro?e? Hofmann asked, seemingly having gotten that particular bit of information from somewhere. Indirectly, I responded. Have you seen the data on monster attacks from the United States? They tend to focus on cities, if I remember correctly, he said. Yes, but only if there isnt something else to draw their attention, I corrected. And they really seem to like Dietrich, for some reason. So were going to use that. Stay here, in the mountain fortress of Karl der Gro?e, and face the next challenge as it comes. If everything from kilometers around converges on the Untersberg, most of the country will be safe because their monsters will be here but anyone who lives nearby is going to be in the line of fire. So, are you in a position to evacuate them? That can be arranged, Hofmann agreed, sounding surprisingly agreeable. Though Ill have to coordinate with my colleagues in Austria as well. That made sense, considering that the border was only a handful of kilometers away. Also, can I ask for one more favor? I asked. Depends, what is it? Saying depends usually came across as a little rude, but honestly, it was something I always did too. I didnt like to make promises I could easily wind up having to walk back because Id made them before knowing what they entailed. Can you ask around for volunteers to help fortify the mountain? The Technisches Hilfswerk, mainly? Build a proper road to the entrance, get us proper communications that doesnt require me to be outside with my phone? I was, of course, referring to the corps of engineers that the German government had set up to respond to disasters and build bridges, damns, and the like. Most countries liked to use the militarys combat engineers for something like that, but well, Germans liked to have things complicated. Ill have to ask for volunteers, Hofmann offered. But if youre right, and youre about to be neck-deep in monsters, wouldnt a military liaison be important? Honestly, I figured that working communications would take care of that, I explained. Besides, most of us will be inside a mountain fortress, and the people outside are going to be tough. If you accidentally bomb Dietrich, your biggest problem is going to be convincing him that there wont be a repeat of the incident. Is he really that tough? Yep, I nodded empathetically, even though he couldnt see me. As for why Id revealed how tough he was, it was simple. The more powerful they thought he was, the more theyd throw at him if they felt he was an enemy. And the more powerful the ordinance they threw at him was, the more his resistance to impersonal attacks would come into play. Simple. And hopefully, overly-paranoid redundancy, but this was a clear-cut case of hope for the best, plan for the worst. Ill still ask around if there are any military officers whod be willing to go to the Untersberg and liaise. Unless thatd be a problem? I think that would be much appreciated, thank you, I replied. There was a long pause until Hofmann spoke up again. I have the maps. Did someone run from Denmark to the Untersberg on the first day of the System? I believe thatd be Ogier Danske, I informed him. That was one of those situations where trying to keep it would just wind up making me look dumb and/or untrustworthy. After all, between the people he might send to help and the ones Charlemagne had recruited, even if they were yet to show up yet, the cat would come out of the bag soon enough. Anyone else I should know about? Hofmann asked. No, I told him. What do the maps say? Can you get them to differentiate between monster sightings and places where they actually attacked people? Gimme a second here we go. On the first day, monsters in southern Bavaria were almost nonexistent, and most of the critters that were seen were in transit heading heading in a south-eastern direction. Right here, then, I said. Did the radius increase over time? More specifically, had it grown when Ogier had arrived, then done so again when Dietrich had shown up? Yeeeees, Hofmann said, dragging out the word. Can you send me those maps? I asked. Email address? I rattled off the requested address, then followed that up with a Thank you. And if you ever need help, especially if you need someone to kill a strong monster, you have my number. Are you sure things will reach that point? He asked, just like he had the first time wed talked. More certain than ever. Levels and monsters both come from the System, so Im guessing that anything Levels can give, monsters can match. So since Dietrich is strong enough to take on a significant chunk of the Bundeswehr, wouldnt that mean that eventually, were going to see a monster with that kind of power? Hofmann didnt say anything for a long moment before he finally answered. Youre probably right. But let me be blunt, that doesnt mean that well roll over to a new government just because itll save us from monsters. And I sincerely hope that this all just turns out to be a pessimistic overreaction. Auf Wiedersehen. Well, that hadnt been very professional. But honestly, I couldnt blame him. The last time Germany had had an absolute ruler, it had been because hed united it against an enemy. Granted, Hitlers enemies had been imaginary, based on the Dolchsto?legende, which claimed that Germany had only lost the war because the Jews had stabbed the army in the back, and thered also been that whole nonsense about acquiring living space in Russia despite there not being any shortage of said space right in Germany, while the monsters we fought were very real. But that didnt change the fact that royals returning in an age of chaos could very easily herald the return of absolute rulers. And why that idea sent alarm bells ringing in his head. I just hoped that things would keep working at least somewhat, that this wouldnt cause a breakdown of relations while he planned how to murder us all. However, quite frankly, whether or not hed stay on our side didnt matter. Id do as much as I could to protect us, and give out as much misinformation as I could without outright fucking over our relationship. And then, the voice of the System spoke into my mind, completely disrupting any further thoughts Id have otherwise reached. [Legends Guide Lv. 9 -> Legends Guide Lv. 10] [Class Evolution: Legends Guide Lv. 10 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 11] [Capstone Skill gained: Guides Shortcut] [Skill gained: Ambassadors Autority] [Skill gained: Will of the Sovereign] Whoa. So, that settled a lot. First, Id been right about the Evolution after Level 10. Second, one did not get to choose the evolved Class, that was auto-assigned based on something. I certainly didnt think Id done enough to earn the global tag or maybe the YouTube videos counted. Those certainly had the potential to reach every corner of the globe, even if I didnt know whether or not theyd actually reached that far. People still needed to click on them, after all. Third, everyone got a Capstone Skill. And forth why the fuck was I still thinking about this, there were Skills to figure out.
Guides Shortcut (Legends Guide Capstone) Once a day, make a portal to a place you have been since gaining this Skill. Number of portals per day doubles every 10 Levels. Capstone Skills grow naturally as your Level does, and are not eligible for boosting.
Ambassadors Authority Once gained, automatically prove ambassadorial authority for any ruler who trusts you to represent them, in whatever way is required, up to and including a live conversation via an automatically-cast scrying spell
Will of the Sovereign When acting as your sovereigns ambassador/guide, you are capable of understanding what they want and are striving towards. There is no element of compulsion to this Skill
Okay, and fifth, all Capstones worked the exact same. No boosts applicable, automatic upgrades every ten levels. Also, it was kinda useless for now, since Id only been here since Id gotten it, well, one minute ago. But once I started traveling oh, there were so many things I could do. And so many more stunts I could try, even if they might not work entirely as I was picturing right now. So, [Guides Shortcut] was amazing, and that was all Id say about a portal power. Quite frankly, I couldnt come up with anything better. [Ambassadors Authority] was a way to prove I was who I said I was, assuming I actually got the job, though Id kinda been working in that capacity the whole time already. And [Will of the Sovereign] was, well, good and bad. Well, no, it was good, knowing Id be able to predict and avoid missteps was invaluable, Id be able to fully avoid coming home thinking Id done a good job only to be raked over the coals because Id overpromised or fucked up in some other way. But that whole no mind control thing put some terrifying thoughts into my head. Were there Classes out there that could grant mind control? Or, something that would almost be worse, control their holder to act in accordance with said Class? This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Objectively, the former was worse because it could affect more than one person, but the latter the latter was viscerally terrifying. The idea that all it would take to literally lose my free will was doing things that earned me the wrong kind of Class words alone could not describe how that made me feel. And yet, was it even a risk that existed? Or had I just driven myself crazy over what was meant to be a kind clarification that stated that [Will of the Sovereign] wouldnt literally override my will? I sighed. Probably. But now that Id had that idea, it was solidly lodged in my mind. Hey, Dietrich, I called out as I got up off the stone and walked towards him. I just got a new Class, its an ambassadorial one. I dropped into a courtly half-bow, as dictated by [Innate Ettiquete]. Do I have your permission to act as your representative in the world at large? Dietrich nodded, turned to me, and gestured for me to stand straight again. Rise, Tristan Vogt, and stride forth into the world as my ambassador. At the same time, the voice of the System told me the same, though in a weird way. [Trait Registered: Ambassadorial Authority (Ammelungs)] Basically, instead of becoming his ambassador, I was now the ambassador of his royal house of which he was the only surviving member. A distinction without a difference, but it was a weird choice nevertheless. Im going to go explain what I figured out about monster targetting priorities to the other ancients I know about. Also, Ill send out some initial feelers about potential cooperation or mutual aid treaties. If thats alright with you. Do you have anything else I should tell them? I asked. Doesnt the government know that too? Dietrich asked. Knowing the German government, theyll get around to sharing that information some time next year, I replied dryly. And using social media again is out of the question? He asked and I nodded. Someones going to turn this into a story of you being responsible for the monsters, I said. Ill make sure the people who need to know, know, and social media is always an option too. You should also drive around the country once youre done, Dietrich suggested. Find some places youll likely have to portal to later. Then just use todays portal to come back once youre too tired to drive. Great idea, I told him and hurried back into the mountain to grab myself a dagger from the armory wed retrieved with Dietrich. I didnt want to run around with a sword for self-defense, or leave Nagelring in the car after Id been seen with it. Losing or having it stolen would be unimaginably painful, considering what the blade now represented for me. I found one, attached it to my belt, and used [Modern Makeover] to alter my outfit in a way that concealed it. Itd still set off a metal detector, but at least I was unlikely to get the police called on me for being armed. As I headed out, I ran into Mia and Dietrich once again sparring. I told her about my new Class and was about to leave, but then Dietrich held out a hand to stop me, turned towards a nearby patch of forest, and whistled. Oh, I dont know how to ride I slowly said, but he shook his head. Dont worry, the horse will take care of everything, he assured me. I turned towards the animal and raised an eyebrow. It slowly lowered its head and gently nudged my chest. Somehow, that conveyed more than Dietrichs words had. This animal was, well, no mere animal. Hell bring you to your car, Dietrich said while Mia asked, Do you have your keys? Thank you, I said, holding up my keys before I climbed up onto the horses back. And then, suddenly, the horse just blasted off, the landscape blurring past as my eyes began to tear up from the wind. There was a variant of the Dietrich von Bern myth which claimed that he hadnt just ridden off into the sunset on a magical horse, ready to return when needed, but left astride one of the Wild Hunts steeds. Right at that moment, I completely believed that. It would certainly explain how it moved through time and space, appearing whenever Dietrich needed it. Though those same powers seemed to be somewhat limited when it had a rider. And yes, the horse did take care of everything, taking me right where I wanted to go, giving me some time to experiment. Playing around with [Ambassadors Authority] yielded some interesting results. I could take literally any appropriate method of authentication, which included slapping appropriate signets anywhere I wanted them. Id checked and yes, this included tattoos even, though that felt, well, kinda icky. Actually, more than just kinda, I wouldnt touch that entire concept with a ten-foot pole even though I could remove them with a mere thought. Id also figured out that I could summon any kind of official document I wanted, ranging from ancient parchment to one hundred percent modern sheaths of paper. Of any thickness. A single page, signed by Dietrich and notarized by the System, or a five thousand page blob heavy enough to bash someones brains in with which detailed the exact limits of my authority. For example, I could commit to fighting a war on foreign soil on his authority, but not guarantee that hed be fighting on the front lines for some reason. A billion different tiny limitations that I wouldnt have crossed anyway because they were, as I saw them, common sense. Maybe that was exactly why the limitations were in place in the first place, I supposed. In the end, I settled on a small heater shield-shaped coat of arms on the left side of my tie. Dietrich predated the medieval tradition of having proper coats of arms, but he hadnt had a problem with me using the symbol often associated with him, a golden lion on a red background, when Id asked And for Charlemagne, if I ever wound up representing him, itd be a shield that was half Reichsadler, the Holy Roman Empire version, and half Fleur-de-lis. Something for both nations descended from his empire, France and Germany. Hmm, come to think of it, if I could make a tattoo using [Ambassadorial Authority], could I do the same with [Modern Makeover] nope, didnt work. I sighed. Would have been cool if Id been able to pull it off, but it wasnt exactly the worst thing to have it not work. Soon enough, the horse reached the car park where wed left our car. Our older, beat-up BMW, which sat in harsh contrast with the pristine animal I was currently climbing off. It would never not be funny to me how foreigners saw this as a luxury brand, whereas Germans saw it as an entirely mainstream design, with its logo gracing cheap vehicles aplenty and the luxury designs almost never seen. Of course, that was entirely down to an issue of how the brand marketed itself here and abroad, but when watching an American TV show and hearing some rich jackass talk about my new BMW, I always thought about this hunk of junk and burst out laughing. But said hunk of junk still worked, so we kept it. As I was about to unlock my car, a second vehicle pulled up. I slowed down and turned to look, watching a harried-looking man jump out of the passenger seat, followed by a second one getting out of the drivers seat. The passenger waved a familiar-looking roll of parchment in my general direction. Hey, do you know where the fortress of Charlemagne is? he called out in English. Oh, so the emperors recruits were finally starting to arrive. I flashed him a friendly smile, replying in English. Just head up the trail there, but you should be careful, there are monsters around. Ill call ahead. As I was in the process of pulling out my phone, I saw them unpacking multiple large boxes from the trunk of their car. Technology wed likely need. Oh, can you save any styrofoam once youre done with the setup? I asked. Ok, but if you want to make Napalm, youll need to get your own gasoline, the driver replied, having practically read my mind. After all, one could make something that got pretty close to Napalm by dissolving styrofoam in gasoline to create a gell that would stick to absolutely everything as it burned. An upgrade over the traditional boiling oil, which I wasnt sure the fortress even had any stocks off. Real Napalm was a properly designed chemical that was stable, burned far hotter than what I was going to make, and designed to burn evenly, as opposed to the chaotic mess my recipe would make, but the makeshift version should still do nicely. I will, I nodded. Anything else you need? I dont know if Ill be able to get it, but Im going on a supply run later. I think were fine, the man told me. After that, I finally called Mia and she told me that shed bring the horse down to help carry stuff and escort the newcomers. And once I was done, I finally drove off, letting Google Maps guide my way. *** I reached Prague after a little over four hours of constant driving. The Autobahn, and later, the Czech equivalent, was surprisingly empty. I guessed that any panicked driving home had happened yesterday and the day before yesterday, and that right now, most people were bunkering down with whoever they wanted to stay with. Though that didnt help nearly as much as one would have thought it would. Any kind of travel over significant differences, driving at a cars top speed as opposed to the recommended speed of 130 kilometers per hour wouldnt help much. Youd burn through fuel so quickly that youd waste so much time at the gas station that itd eat almost all of the ground youd gained by driving as quickly as you could. My driving instructor had once told me that in an experiment, theyd had two drivers take their Porsches from the northernmost point in Germany to I think it was Vienna, but I could be wrong. Either way, it was basically driving the full length of Germany and a bit into either Austria or Switzerland, with one driver staying at 130 kmh, and one being allowed to go as fast as his car would allow. The second driver was just twenty minutes faster. Or something like that. Hed certainly beat the first driver by less than an hour. So Id stuck with the recommended speed, and been damn grateful I hadnt run into a traffic jam, until eventually, I found a car park near the center of town and parked. Now, to find the Golem of Prague as quickly as I could. Because after this, I needed to drive to Berlin to go to all the embassies. That was going to take a while, barely faster than the journey from the Untersberg, but I felt that going to ambassadors would work best overall. There had to be a better way to go about this. Maybe I could find a consulate somewhere? Or a different embassy? Vienna was pretty close, wasnt i- I facepalmed. I was currently in Prague. Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic. Prague, the city that should therefore have embassies, right? Sighing as I pulled the key out of the ignition, I got out of the car and checked Google Maps. Yep, I could find all three needed embassies right here in Prague. Whether or not Id get to talk to an ambassador, or if the embassies all actually had an ambassador present was an entirely different question, though. They might have been recalled, and I distinctly remembered some news reports of multiple US embassies straight up not having had ambassadors, something I hadnt even known was possible, Id thought one of the defining features of an embassy was having an ambassador. But I should be able to talk to someone with a degree of authority and connectivity to their government. And then, when all was said and done, drive as far as I could manage without nodding off. Once out on the streets, I saw a sign that looked like it referred to requiring a parking permit of some sort, so I wound up taking several minutes to find a machine that spat those out but when I had the permit in hand, I realized that it would actually be better to visit the embassies first. Because I knew where those were, unlike the golem. So I got back into the car, drove to the Mongolian embassy since it was closest, parked, and got out, only to immediately get back in, remove the dagger and its sheath from my belt and stick them into the glove compartment. An embassy would likely have security and metal detectors, and if I got caught smuggling a weapon inside, it wouldnt matter that it had been because Id forgotten to take it rather than anything more sinister. I looked down at myself one final time, once more triggering [Modern Makeover] to smooth out the wrinkles that had appeared during the drive, remove a coffee stain, and make final adjustments. White shirt, black jacket, dark blue pants, gold and red tie, the sigil of the king I was currently representing to the left of the tie, and my hair looked orderly without looking slicked-back or greasy. Fuck, I was nervous. This was terrifying. I never really had trouble speaking with people, the idea of waltzing up to a foreign embassy and demanding to speak to the ambassador was tying my stomach in knots. Especially since my overactive imagination was feeding me a non-stop list of dumb things to blurt out, leaving me feeling like instead of the proverbial shoulder demon and angel advising me, I had a moron and idiot competing for who could get me thrown in jail the quickest. I could likely spend another four hours just standing here, still as a statue, trying to convince myself things would be fine and would probably still be nervous by the end, so really, waiting wouldnt make things any better. Also, just standing in front of an embassy and staring not a good look. So after closing my eyes and taking a few more deep breaths, I began to march forward. The Mongolian Embassy was an austere building, in an odd yellow I couldnt quite name, with a fence in front of it, and on that fence, sat a massive red sign that likely read no trespassing. But there was also an entrance gate with a guard shack, which I approached. There were two guards within, who immediately noticed and began to pay attention to me, but took no other action even when I was standing right in front of them. So I decided to speak first, choosing to use English. After all, German wouldnt have helped, even if I hadnt forgotten most of the Latin Id learned in school, I doubted that would have gotten me anywhere either, and I spoke neither Czech nor Mongolian. Therefore, English. Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Tristan Vogt, I speak for Dietrich von Bern, the ancient German king, he has a message for your Genghis Khan. Id like to talk to the ambassador. Hopefully, phrasing it like that would indicate that I was aware of the fact that Genghis Khan was a title, not a name. And, in turn, thatd earn me some brownie points. Can you prove that? the closer guard asked, sounding less bored than Id expected. Somehow, with a claim like that, Id half expected to be laughed off the front lawn. In fact, he sounded downright serious. Any way you want, I nodded, pulling a document from thin air, a single-page certificate. My certification is produced by a Skill, I can also use magic to call him. Actually, itd take a couple of minutes before I could do that, [Will of the Sovereign] was telling me that he wasnt currently somewhere hed like me to drop in on. But I felt the offer still needed to be made. Let me see that, the first guard asked while the second one did something on his phone. I passed over the paper, but while the guard was looking it over, the second one elbowed him in the side, showed him his phone, and a rapid-fire conversation in Mongolian followed. I grimaced. I knew it was likely nothing horrible, but for all I knew, they could be discussing how to best hide my body. They probably werent, but the situation was still making me nervous. Tristan Vogt, the first man slowly repeated, looking down at the document, then his colleagues phone, and then, finally, me. Could I see some ID? Of all the things he could have said, that had been the last thing Id expected. Had his colleague found a warrant out for my arrest, but one that had an outdated picture, so he couldnt properly recognize me? But running away because Id psyched myself out would have been beyond stupid at this point. So I reached into my pocket, retrieved my wallet, and handed over both my actual ID and my drivers license too. The two guards looked them over, and then, the first one handed them back. Welcome to Mongolia, Mr. Vogt. Well call ahead to the ambassador, an aide will come and show you the way, the man told me. That puzzled me for a couple of seconds before I remembered that embassies were technically a part of the nation they represented, so in a very real way, I had been welcomed to Mongolia. Then he grabbed one of those intercom-things from the table in the guardpost that looked like an old-fashioned landline but only connected to another point in the same building, and had a brief conversation in Mongolian, then hung up again. Can I ask what you were looking at on your colleagues phone? I finally asked while we waited. One of your videos, the man said. There are many so-called tutorials out there, but yours were the first. Ok, that actually explained a lot. And hopefully, itd help when trying to get into the other embassies. All in all, I waited for maybe two minutes before a young man, maybe five years older than me, showed up and headed right for me. Mr. Vogt, if youll follow me, Ill take you to Ambassador Altan. I nodded. Lead the way. Now, the only question was whether or not Id get through this without shoving my foot solidly in my mouth by fucking up with the names. Because Mongolian names were, well, different. For the longest time, they had only had personal names, and no family names, though nowadays, they used patronymic names where Europeans would use family names. A system that was vastly different than anything I was used to, and while I had tried to find out what to use, looking something up on the Internet did not an expert make. The last thing I needed was to accidentally mix those two names up, or use one where I should have used the other, though based on what Google had told me, I should almost exclusively be using the personal name. Hopefully, sticking with Ambassador Altan was a safe option. And hopefully, [Innate Etiquette] would warn me in time of any missteps. In theory, I could rely on it, in practice eurgh, the System was too new, too unproven. As the two of us walked through the hallways of the embassy, I noticed that things were getting progressively busier, with the area around the entrance practically devoid of life, and the area near the ambassadors office as busy as Id expected the whole building to be. The aide opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing me inside, and then pulled it closed behind me, leaving four people in the room. Me, the ambassador, and two nondescript security guards whod positioned themselves next to the door. Good afternoon, Ambassador Vogt. Oh, I liked the sound of that. Ambassador Vogt. It had an interesting ring to it, though it also made me flinch because I couldnt help but be reminded just how far out of my depth I was. And the Mongolian wasnt even finished speaking yet. Im Ambassador Altan, serving as the Genghis Khans representative in Prague. Thank you for receiving me, ambassador, I said, and shook his hand across the table, hoping, once again, that the Internet had been correct about that being an acceptable greeting. [Innate Etiquette] certainly hadnt complained, but I was still nervous as fuck. Please, take a seat, Altan said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk while he himself sank down into his own armchair. Can I ask why youre here? I accepted the offer of a seat before replying. I have a piece of information that all returning ancients should know, but one I dont want to shout from the rooftops. And Prague was on the way. So, Im guessing youve already been to or are planning to visit the English and Irish embassies? Altan asked. Yes, Ill visit them after this meeting, I said, before my mind caught up to what hed said. Why the English embassy? A couple of hours ago, the United Kingdom held a press conference announcing the return of King Arthur Pendragon, Altan informed me. Ah, I was driving at the time, I explained. Altan nodded in understanding. And what is the information that the Genghis Khan should know? Monsters are attracted to ancients, I warned. If he is in Ulaanbataar when the second Challenge begins, your capital will become a battleground. But if he is outside the city, he can dictate the field of battle. And if hes close enough, he can even ensure that any monsters that would attack the capital would instead go after his position. I see, Altan nodded. I dont have enough data to know how great a distance monsters are drawn in from, but the maximum range seems to lie somewhere around 100 kilometers, I added. I have some map data on monster sightings in Germany and the effects that our three ancients had on their movements and attack locations that I can send you. As well as a collection of similar data from the United States, which demonstrates that in the absence of an ancient to target, theyll go after cities. Altan nodded a third time. Thank you. Ill pass your information and proof along to the Genghis Khan. Hell appreciate the information, and open to a more formal relationship. Now, it was my turn to nod. That brings me to the second part of why Im here. Chances are, in a few more challenges, no regular person or even ancient is going to be able to defeat everything on their own. As a representative of Dietrich von Bern, Id like to lay the groundwork for a joint effort to keep the Earth safe. International disagreements are secondary to safeguarding the planet, they wont matter if were no longer alive to fight about them. Altan laughed softly at that. Weve received orders to that end as well, in essence. Let me guess, it was something along the lines of anyone whos still alive in the other countries is another buffer between us and the monsters. Of course, I was smart enough to not say that out loud, but that was probably it. Then that would be a good basis for a mutual aid treaty, I suggested. Something along the lines of monsters beyond the strength of a single ancient, therefore requiring help to defeat, will be taken on as a coalition, with allowances being made for domestic issues to be cleared up before aid is given, if the issues are big enough. Kill the local Field Bosses before traveling abroad to help with Raid Bosses, Altan rephrased, and I barely managed to keep the surprise off my face. I hadnt expected him to be this deep into the Systems lore, especially since no one had officially announced that those were categories of monsters available. Exactly. I think thats a workable basis for a treaty, Altan said. I also briefly considered asking him to contact the embassy in Vienna, and tell him that Id likely be contacting it instead since it was closer, but then decided against it. It was only half an hour closer, and I figured staying with an embassy and ambassador I seemed to get along with reasonably well was the better option. There was also probably a consulate in Munich, though a consul didnt have the same breadth of authority as an ambassador, I should probably stick to embassies. We wound up talking for another half hour, hammering out a proper basis for a treaty, though nothing was formally signed. Eventually, we bade each other goodbye, I left the consulate, and drove towards the city center, where the other two embassies were located. And as I drove, I got my reward for the successful negotiation. [Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 11 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 12] [Skill Boost gained] It was pretty obvious what to do, [Innate Etiquette] would likely carry me in my quest to visit embassies. Id have chosen [Ambassadors Authority] if I hadnt strongly suspected that the upgrade involved some kind of everyone automatically knows of your authority effect that was way too close to mind control for most peoples peace of mind. [Skill boosted: Innate Etiquette]
Body language can also be automatically adjusted to match the vibe of a situation, or project a given image. The users accent and slang will likewise be under their conscious control
Okay, that was actually cool. Perfect poker face, the ability to soften and reduce my rather pronounced German accent, and fully keep slang out of my language yep, that was a solid upgrade. I got a suitable spot, parked, and scoured the internet for the whole ancient reveal the Mongolian Ambassador had told me about. It wasnt hard to find. The British Embassy was closer, so I visited it first. There really wasnt much to write home about, though. Once again, I walked up to the embassys main entrance, introduced myself, and asked to speak to the ambassador, though this time, I also mentioned my role in trying to inform the world about the System. I was soon let in, talked to Ambassador Reid about much the same I had last time, and left three-quarters of an hour later with vague promises of aid should it be required and a couple of crumbs on my collar, courtesy of the refreshments. Boring, and yet, enough to award me a Level while I was walking towards the Irish Embassy. [Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 12 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 13] [Skill gained: Burgeoning Omniglot] Okay, that sounded awesome. Now what did it actually do
Rapidly learn languages as you are exposed to either them, or people who have different mother tongues than you, slang is picked up after proper vocabulary and grammar is gained
Oh yeah, thatd come in real handy. Combine that with [Knowledge Transfers] potential to instantly be taught someone elses language, or teach the language I learned myself to others oh, there was so much I could get up to. Merely walking through the streets of Prague, catching snippets of conversation, or reading shop signs was letting me slowly learn Czech. It was still all Greek to me after the four-minute walk it had taken me to reach my target, but I wasnt quite as ignorant as I had been before. Progress! Once again, I approached an embassy, though this time, one of the security guards approached me, heading straight towards me before Id even made my intention to approach clear. Ambassador Vogt? he asked. Yes? I responded, more surprised than anything else. Follow me, please, youre expected. I nodded slowly, not entirely sure what was going on here. Had the British ambassador called ahead? I certainly hadnt told him where Id be going next. So, what on Earth was going on? Chapter 14: Temujin/Fionn Temujin At least someone was being polite about contacting him. No premature threats, no insults, just an ambassador walking up to a Mongolian Embassy and politely asking for a meeting with the lord of the house, so to speak. Then, theyd had a conversation like reasonable men, and decided that the System was a far more pressing issue than just about everything else. And after that, theyd worked out the basis for a reasonable deal. Of course, immediately rolling over and offering an unconditional surrender in the event of war was the smart choice upon hearing that the indomitable force that was Genghis Khan had returned, as some Russian border towns had done. Arguably, immediately going for aggression, puffing up to appear larger in the same a startled cat might make its fur stand on end, was also an understandable response to an ancient enemy returning. It was certainly how China and Russia had reacted. But both those over- and under-reactions were just plain idiotic. He was a newcomer to this new world, and quite frankly, any knowledge they had of him was distorted by almost 800 years of historians interpretations, translations of likely already translated works, loss of original documents, and just generally the value shift that kind of time imposed. He hadnt known anything about the nations of today, and he wouldnt have gone back on the relationships hed had with their historical forebears anymore than hed revived ancient Mongolian traditions once hed ascended to Genghis Khan. They could have had a good relationship with a resurgent Mongolian Empire. But no, theyd reacted to him as if he were the inhuman monster their historians had turned him into. Their loss, literally. Theyd lose to the Systems monsters, and then hed take their lands. That simple. However, this Dietrich von Bern character, he was smart. Or he had smart advisors. With monarchs who ascended to power purely based on their bloodline, you never knew. Though considering how high the requirements for returning seemed to be, it was likely the latter. Plus, the information he had freely shared was invaluable. And dangerous. Making it known to everyone would have ended with people afraid to follow him, or even if they were following him, they might not be willing to come near him. So, he couldnt fight the second wave from his office. Hed never planned on doing so in the first place, but now, he knew there needed to be a greater distance between him and Ulaanbataar. Fifty kilometers should be enough, right? Grinning ear to ear, Temujin reached out to the intercom to call Sarangerel so that she could arrange for things to be done. Gather horses and cars, guns and bows, bullets and arrows. Everything theyd need to be mobile and fight at range. The horde of today would be vastly different than that of 800 years ago, but it would be a horde nonetheless. A good one. Especially because almost everyone was literate nowadays. Making orders rhyme so that theyd be easier to memorize had been a good stopgap, one that had worked solidly, but when even the lowest-ranked soldier was capable of reading, things were just easier. Now all that was needed was some more organization and preparation. Hed be in charge overall, of course, but delegation was the only way to rule large groups. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. So, he reached out to the infernal intercom-device, hoping to be able to use it properly this time around. He didnt. That device how hard was it to build something that was easy to use? He tried a couple more times, accidentally reached the kitchen one time and wound up ordering light meals and coffee for everyone hed be making work late today, but that still wasnt what he wanted. Eventually, Temujin gave up and decided to sidestep the whole issue. Sarangerel, come in here with your phone, he roared, pure volume meaning that she heard him from her office and came running. Ultimately, technology was just a tool. A very useful tool, but raw power could make up for lacking it. *** Fionn The more you knew, the more glaring any gaps in your knowledge were. And if you were occasionally nigh-omniscient, any surprises tended to be quite unpleasant. Either because they were themselves an issue, or because they highlighted something youd completely missed, thereby highlighting a flaw in your planning, thinking, or just generally a way youd messed up. And right now, Fionn was feeling the consequences of having missed something quite dearly. Fundamentally, his scrying ability had three major limitations. Firstly, he couldnt read minds. If a piece of information only existed in one persons brain, it was beyond his reach, and only as it became shared would he be able to see it, though if it wasnt written down anywhere, itd have to spread very far. And secondly, he needed to process what he was seeing. In theory, he could see literally everything that was occurring right in this moment, every leaf trembling, every bug dying or being born, even the tiniest gust of wind and well, everything overall. But for him to find things, they either needed to be significant enough to draw his attention, or he needed to look for them. For the longest time, hed thought those two were it. But then, hed woken up in the twenty-first century, discovering a third in the process. He couldnt really see the System. He couldnt see the metaphysical construct itself at all, he couldnt predict anything was being made to happen using it or the Skills it provided, and he had a really hard time picking out the physical things it created. Monsters only showed up when he looked for them in a given situation, and peoples System-given strength was practically invisible unless was very close to them and focussing intensely to boot. And this was a problem that had been hidden by all three limitations. Theyd noticed the monsters loved to go after the Fiannas camp, of course they had. And theyd moved further out of the city to compensate for that. But they hadnt followed that idea far enough. Until a new piece of information had spread and caught his attention. Monsters targeted ancients. They appeared near them, and moved in their direction if they were already present when an ancient entered their range. They might go after someone else if they were near the ancient, but the presence of someone like him determined the direction they went. It was something he should have figured out himself, damnit. Because he could have, if hed tried. Matching old legends with news reports to find ancients, simple. Find information on monster spawns and movements, tedious but possible. Then all hed have had to do was crunch the numbers himself, or find someone qualified to do it for him. But hed never really had to do something like that, not really. A truth as vital as the nature of monster targets wasnt something hed have had to look for, its importance would have made it stand out, revealed it, let him pick up on it with ease. So hed missed it until someone else had started stirring the pot, so to speak. Sending alarm bells ringing first in his own nations police force, then extending that chaos to the rest of the world mere hours later. Though it was the good kind of chaos, an upheaval that broke an old paradigm to allow for the establishment of a new one. Of course, old paradigm was one that had existed for not even three days, but that was fine. Fionn felt he should have a talk with the young man whod uncovered everything. And considering that he was even already heading towards the Irish embassy, it would be exceedingly easy to arrange. Call ahead, arrange for a video conference, then take the time until Tristan Vogt reached the embassy to get somewhere with a proper setup, and gather some more information. Because while he might have missed a vital truth at first, he could add so much more information now that he had it. How far could monsters be lured, that was the big question. But also, did the radius grow if more ancients were in one spot? And did their presence alter monster behaviour in any other ways? Chapter 15: Perfected Beings The Irish Embassy looked pretty similar to the British one, a building design that Id have described as traditional, though I didnt need [Innate Etiquette] to remind me that that almost certainly wasnt the correct, official, term. But still, it had charm, and the buildings outside was painted in that yellowy beige whose variants seemed ubiquitous in the historical areas of central European cities. It fit in. Its insides, on the other hand it could have been literally any government building in any European nation built at any time in the last thirty years, white walls, glass cases that showed posters and flyers while guiding visitors to wherever they wanted to go. The only thing that really differentiated it from one of those other buildings was the abundance of Irish flags and decor with designs that evoked the Irish flag. The aide I was following led me into a non-public staircase, but unlike I expected, he didnt go upstairs, where I assumed the ambassadors office to be. After all, didnt the big boss usually have the room with the best view? Instead, he headed down into the basement. Where are we going? I asked, stopping at the top of the stairs. Isnt the ambassadors office upstairs? [Innate Etiquette] agreed, this was fishy, though it was reminding me not to talk about any of the ideas that shot through my mind at the idea of following a stranger into their basement. Yes, but the video conference is set up in the IT room in the basement. Lord Mac Cumails orders, the aide immediately responded. Oh that also explained why theyd known I was coming. I should have figured that out. It also made sense why a big computer setup would be down there. Upstairs probably got way too hot in the summer. Is he who Ill be meeting with? I asked, and the aide nodded. Even as the upgraded [Innate Etiquette] gave me a poker face that could reduce casino owners to paupers, I was internally having a teensy little bit of a meltdown. This was moving just a smidge too fast. But it was already way too late, way too late, to back out. The aide opened a door, revealing the promised video conference setup, already showing an active call, with a desk along with a chair sitting in front of it. The implication was obvious. That chair was meant for me. So I sat down while the door was closed behind me, and observed the man on the other end of the call. He was handsome, with a chiseled face that could have made him a famous actor even if he lacked even the slightest smidge of talent, alongside light-blond hair in a shade Id have normally unhesitatingly described as artificial or bleached, though this time, there was something honestly, Id call the sensation sincere about it. Real. The man who absolutely had to be Fionn Mac Cumail reminded me of Dietrich. Possessing features that werent normally seen on people, but they didnt look out of place on them, or unnatural in the slightest. Just unique. Good afternoon, Lord Mac Cumail, I greeted, using the same term the aide had used. [Innate Etiquette] was currently waffling between that and the full Fionn Mac Cumail, since Fionn was actually an honorific rather than his first name, but both were correct enough that there wasnt a clear case to be made for either one. So I stuck with what the aide had used. Ambassador Vogt, please, call me Fionn. Its a title, rather than my first name, he replied, solving the conundrum handily. Alright, I nodded. Im guessing you already know why Im here? Exactly, Fionn replied. You want to warn the Irish government that ancients like myself draw monsters, and that we need to adjust our preparations for the Second Challenge based on that. Id like to thank you for figuring that out, things could have gotten unpleasant if you hadnt. And Im glad you decided against sharing that knowledge with the entire world. A screen off to the side, previously dark, switched on at that, displaying what seemed to be a map of Ireland, though it was covered in dots of various colors. Green ones, barely visible, were spread out all over the place, though they were denser in the east, yellow ones were broadly clustered around a spot on the eastern coast, which was where I thought Dublin, the capital, was, and finally, red ones that were concentrated into a single area maybe 10 kilometers across, west of Dublin. This is where monsters spawned over the last few days. On the first day, they were spread out, on the second, they appeared near where the Fianna camped but not on top of us, and today, they all went after us alone because we moved out of the city. The screen changed, displaying another map, which I only recognized as a map of Czechia because of the word Prague sitting in the center. The map was just too zoomed in to show any coastlines that I might have recognized, or enough of the borders to make a judgment based on that. It was more of the same. An initial wave spread out all over the place, and later spawns concentrated around the capital city, and the golem who lived there. However You woke up as a response to the System, didnt you? I asked. The first wave appeared, then you entered the scene, and all subsequent spawns were influenced by your presence. If by you, youre referring to all ancients, that seems to be the case, Fionn agreed. So, the next challenge is going to concentrate around ancients from the start? In all likelihood, Fionn agreed. That means the plan will work, I thought aloud, earning myself a questioning look. Were hoping monsters will just go after the mountain fortress in the Untersberg, instead of any cities, I explained. Beyond that, its a matter of helping when were needed outside, and hoping well get support when were the ones who need it. Thats our plan too, largely, Fionn agreed. Though we barely have sixty hours left to prepare. Thats not a lot of time to fortify our respective positions, let alone create a workable treaty or figure out the logistics of it all. Then lets make a basic promise now, and work out a proper agreement for the third challenge once we can, I suggested. Something to the tune of if there is a disaster that is beyond our power to handle, youll help, and vice-versa, unless theres a pressing domestic issue? Fionn suggested, echoing my thoughts. Though hed probably not read my mind, since the offer was largely a matter of common sense. Basically, I said, then tried to make myself look dignified, with [Innate Etiquette] seriously helping things along. On behalf of Dietrich von Bern, I, Tristan Vogt, promise to come to your aid if a monster you cannot beat appears on your soil, unless we are in the middle of a crisis ourselves. Fionns response was immediate, though hed been in a formal and dignified pose the entire time. I, Fionn Mac Cumail, on behalf of myself and the Fianna, promise to come to your aid if there is a threat that requires it, unless we are as desperately needed on Irish soil. I think any further treaties should just be based around that idea. I think the biggest issue is going to be getting the governments into the loop, I added. Logistics is still going to be a problem, Fionn added. Theres a significant distance between us. Actually, I can help with that, I announced, deciding that if there was anyone whod notice that I had portals, itd be the guy with scrying magic. I have a portal Skill, Ill need to have been to your encampment to be able to teleport there. I think that can be arranged for, Fionn assured me. A diplomatic visit, perhaps? The Irish government has access to diplomatic planes that can be sent your way in a calm moment. I frowned, tapping into [Innate Etiquette] to suppress a more severe reaction. I dont think planes will be safe with aerial monsters around. Ill arrange for an escort, Fionn promised. The conversation soon went down into the nitty-gritty, with Fionn promising to send me the data hed gathered via email and me telling him Id send him any conclusions I drew. It took almost an hour, but eventually, we were done. I was about to say goodbye when I thought of something. Can you tell me where the Golem of Prague is at the moment? I asked. Fionn nodded. Ill send you the location, but hes currently engaged in combat, you might want to wait. Thank you, I said. I hope this is the start of a fruitful relationship. Thank you for your work in figuring out how the System works, Fionn replies. I think we can do great things together. Good luck with the next challenge, I told him. Goodbye. You as well. Until we meet again. And with that, the call ended, I was led back outside, and my phone dinged as it received the information Fionn had promised, including the current location of the Golem. The moment I was outside the door, the voice of the System spoke to me for what felt like the hundredth time just this day. [Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 13 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 15] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Diplomatic Pouch] Apparently, dealing with an ancient directly, one I didnt know to boot, was seriously helpful. And unless I was badly misreading it, [Diplomatic Pouch] was going to be my favorite Skill yet.
Diplomatic Pouch 1m x 1m x 1m pocket dimension immune to inspection, it cannot be used for smuggling, or importing weapons with the intention to hurt potential hosts, weapons can be withdrawn for reasons of self-defense.
So yes, perfect. There were hard limitations on weaponizing the ability, granted, but they werent really going to be much of a problem. After all, I had no plans on playing saboteur or assassin. As for which Skill to boost, I wound up settling on [Polite Rebuke]. Now that [Innate Etiquette] was at a point where it was as useful as Id need it to be, my best and only combat skill needed to be better. [Skill Boosted: Polite Rebuke]
The rebuke can now affect attacks, projectiles, and spells. Physically using the Rebuke will increase its effect.
In other words, unless it was on cooldown, Id be able to protect myself damn well. If there were really monsters where I was going, Id need to be armed as well, though. So I dropped by the car and retrieved the dagger Id brought, reattaching its sheath to my belt. I also altered my clothing, removing the jacket and making both my shirt and pants less formal. Still what Id consider appropriate for a business lunch, but nowhere near as stuffy as what Id worn mere seconds ago. And, of course, I hid the dagger once again. Normally, thatd also make it hard to get at if and when I needed it, but [Modern Makeover] had no limitations on how it could alter my clothing if I stuck to the amount and type of material I already had on my body, didnt use the alteration to undo damage and I could only have three outfits altered at once. So yes, there were limitations, but none that prevented me from abusing the Skill, and shattering the concept of non-combat in the process. When I wanted the dagger, a mere thought would cause the clothing to shift in a way that granted me access. Hell, now that I thought about it, I could probably also thicken the clothing in a spot to provide rudimentary armor if it really came down to it maybe I should take a look at how gambesons were made. After all, they were cloth armor. But that was yet another project for later. Although maybe there was some cool stuff I could pull off with [Diplomatic Pouch], depending on how quickly I could store and withdraw stuff. Until I knew that, Id keep the blade sheathed at my side. Now, to go visit the Golem of Prague. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The streets of Prague were full of life, something that was surprising in the middle of what should have been a crisis of unprecedented proportions. And yet, that was how things were right now. People were out and about, some as happy as could be, others looking around fearfully, as though expecting to be attacked at any second, though theyd still chosen to come out. In many ways, it reminded me of the early days of COVID. There was danger, everyone knew that, and yet, many people behaved as though said danger was minimal or nonexistent. As I walked, I stored and withdrew a one-euro coin into [Diplomatic Pouch] to test how it worked. It worked well, it worked like it should. An inventory, basically. But there was one small issue. I could only draw stuff out of it so quickly. The Skill might have been thought-activated, without any inherent cooldowns or delays I needed to be aware of, but it was slow to work. It was a little like going into your inventory in a video game if the game didnt pause for that. Accessing it required me to think open, then go looking for what I wanted, find it, and go take that out, which took between two and five seconds, depending on what else I was doing at the time. Also, I needed the space to summon an item. For example, I couldnt manifest a coin inside a clenched fist, and I also needed to hold onto it in some way when it came out. Meaning, the coin needed to come out lying in my palm, or between two fingers. But the slowness was what was really limiting my options. It just took too long to make getting tricky in combat using this Skill safe or viable. Otherwise, there was so much cool shit I could have done. Like making a slash with my dagger that looked like it would miss, only to then store the dagger and call out my sword, vastly increasing my reach from one second to the next. Ah, I shouldnt complain. The ability was damn useful even taken at face value. It was just that, well, I had a non-combat Class in a very combat-heavy world. Getting tricky with my Skills and using them in ways beyond the obvious so that theyd help in combat was kinda necessary for me. And fun, though that was beside the point. I once again checked the screenshot of a map app that Fionn had sent me, compared it to Google Maps, plotted out a path over there, and followed that path through a surprisingly empty area until I ran into my first corpse. A human one, throat torn out, though the monster that had done it was likewise dead, visible from where I was standing. A giant, mangy dog with orange patches of fur that still seemed to smolder that Id unhesitatingly call a hellhound. Yep, there were definitely monsters around. I began to focus on [Polite Rebuke], preparing it, charging it to be unleashed on the first thing that attacked me, power channeled into the through a physical medium version. Mia had helped me figure out that how offensive I, personally, thought something was, so psyching myself up should increase its power. I could feel it, like static electricity tinged with the sensation of a rapidly beating heart, concentrated in my left hand, for some reason. The first thing to attack me would get both barrels, so to speak. I took a moment to look down at my phone, checking my location relative to where the Golem had been ten minutes ago. Only two hundred more meters, and if I could avoid the monsters, this was actually a good place to talk, clear of people. All I had to do was slowly make my way over there and then I heard the scream. Fuck. Now, I didnt run over like an idiot, without even paying attention to what was in the way, but I still hurried over there while making sure to keep a distance between me and the corner I turned, so that I could see was behind it without running straight into it. But there was nothing waiting in ambush, just a man on the ground, slowly inching away from another demon dog, arms raised in a vain attempt to defend himself. Again, fuck! Hey! I yelled and threw the first thing that came to hand, the coin Id been playing around with. It bounced off the dogs back, and combined with my yell, that had been enough. It whirled around, snarling, while I drew my dagger with my right hand while keeping my left charged up with [Polite Rebuke]. Shoo! I yelled, hoping to be able to resolve this without having to burn through my Skill. No such luck. The dog charged.
Lesser Hellhound Lv. 7 (evolved dog)
That thing was stronger than the eagle had been, but I had no bloody clue how Levels scaled on monsters, let alone how to compare my Level to that. It leaped straight for my throat and I was in the process of bringing up my knife to stab it in the chest while sidestepping, except my left hand blurred through the air practically on its own, unloading all the righteous fury I had been building onto a deserving target. The back of my hand smacked into the monsters jaws and sent it flying, hurling it through the air until it slammed into the nearest building and was reduced to meat paste and bone shards. Ew. I was just glad that hadnt happened when Id hit it. Also, how long until Polite Rebuke was available again? That threw up yet another System window.
Skills on Cooldown Polite Rebuke 17:51
So, every eighteen or so minutes, I could basically instakill a monster half my Level. Cool. But not enough to put me on the front lines with. I walked over to the man Id rescued and offered him my hand. You okay? I asked as I pulled him to his feet and he replied something in Czech I couldnt really understand. I thought it was something like who are you, but [Burgeoning Omniglot] had only been active for less than two hours, and only twenty minutes of that had been in an environment where I heard people speaking the language. English, please, my Czech is terrible, I requested in Czech. Only realizing what language Id used after the fact. Huh. That was cool. Who are you? the man repeated in lightly accented English. My name is Tristan. Do you know where the Golem of Prague is? I asked. Im looking for him. Hand trembling, the man pointed past me, and I slowly made my way in that direction, making sure to keep an eye out. Now all I had left was the strength boost from my ring, a good solid weapon, and potentially some kind of intangible upgrade from raw Levels that I wasnt entirely sure existed. Hopefully, Id run into the Golem first. But that didnt wind up happening. Instead, I saw a monster. A black and orange cat-thing that had the size of a cougar but the shape of an alley cat, glaring at something around the nearest corner as it slowly stalked closer. I grinned. Viciously. Cats had a terrible tendency to focus on the prey they were stalking to their own detriment. It could likely sense me, but was filtering out that information since I wasnt what it was going after. So I lunged, driving my dagger into the back of its neck, sliding it past its spine to rip through half a dozen vital blood vessels and I was pretty sure I also caught the windpipe. The cat was still alive as it whirled around to me but I was able to step back to avoid a slow claw swipe and then it just plain collapsed. Dead. Good. Now I just needed to manage to do that when I was the one who was caught flat-footed. Looking around the corner, I finally saw the being Id been looking for, who was in the process of crushing his final attacker. The Golem of Prague raised his head and looked straight at me. There was an intelligence in that gaze, but it wasnt like anyone or anything Id ever seen before. Not human, definitely not. Slowly, I sheathed my dagger again, [Restoration of the Old] wiping away the blood that covered it while [Modern Makeover] altered my clothing to cover it once again. And then I raised my hands to either side of my chest, palms facing him, making it clear I was unarmed. This was a being whose like I had never seen, and Id heard way too many stories about monstrous golems, and even variants of his myth specifically that made me very wary of him. I slowly approached, meeting his gaze, and introduced myself. My name is Tristan Vogt, and I have some information that you need to know. How many times had I said a line like that today? More often than any other month in my life, probably. The Golem reached into a pocket formed from magically held-together dirt and retrieved both a bit of paper utterly covered in scribbles and a ballpoint pen. He wrote something on one of the few spots on the paper that was still clear and turned it around so that I could read it. What is it? Its about how monsters attack. They go after beings like you, who were born a long time ago and slept until they had to fight against the Systems monsters, I said. By patrolling in the city, youre ensuring that monsters keep showing up where people are. The Golem was about to write something else before he flipped over the paper and pointed at something already on there. Proof? I can show you the data from Germany and Ireland, I said. If I can come closer? The Golem nodded, and I did so. Slowly. Apprehensively. Until I was close enough to show him my phone and explain, with him occasionally writing down a question. He seemed to believe me, but the way this was going was taking forever. In the background, I could hear distant sirens, but wasnt paying much attention right now. I have a Skill that lets me instantly teach you something I know. And a long time ago, I learned something called sign language that lets one speak with ones hands, I finally offered. I wasnt very good, Id gotten it in my head that Id learn it when I was younger only to eventually stop. I wasnt fluent by any means, but I could still fingerspell the entire alphabet if it came down to it, and knew all the important signs. It was enough to muddle through with. The Golem tapped on another point on the paper. Danger? Its safe, I assured him, prompting him to write something else down. Dont try anything. Yeah, Im well aware of the power dynamic here, I assured him. The Golem nodded and motioned for me to continue. Fuck, maybe this had been the wrong thing to offer but was backing out even an option? I activated [Knowledge Transfer] and shoved over everything I knew about sign language something was wrong. Someone, him, clearly, had seized the connection and was shoving something else back. No, that wasnt right. Not shoving offering. With insistence. Optional in the way you could choose to not let the old lady youd just helped in some way give you a sweet from her purse as she called you such a nice young man. Theoretically easy, but anyone whos ever been in a situation like that knows just how much of an inexorable force old ladies could be. This was the same. He wanted to give back. And while I felt like I could just plain sever the connection, I really felt I shouldnt. We stood there like that for several seconds until I managed to recognize what he was sending back, language skills of his own. Czech, specifically. I just accepted and woke up on the floor a few seconds later with a pounding headache. Ow. Fuck. Probably an information overload of some kind. But I could hear the voice of the System even through the haze of pain. [Skill Evolution: Knowledge Transfer -> Knowledge Trade] So, that was also a thing. Whod have thunk? I looked up at the Golem, who was repeatedly signing are you ok? Peachy, I grumbled as I slowly got to my feet, the headache rapidly fading. Could have warned me. Then, I realized Id just been speaking fluent Czech. A language Id learned in less than a day. That was really cool. Im sorry, Tristan, the Golem signed. My name is Joseph. Nice to meet you, Joseph, I replied. We started to talk after that, even as the police and ambulances arrived, standing there in the center of the square. We must have made quite a sight, but neither of us cared. Joseph especially. It seemed like finally having a proper language, a way to communicate, a voice, had awoken something within him. He wanted to talk, and I was willing to listen. The cops just worked around us. Unwilling to bother us. Eventually, Joseph bade me goodbye and began to slowly plod towards the edge of town, as Id advised him, while I retreated to my car. As I walked, I realized that Id actually learned several new signs during that conversation, which shouldnt really have been possible. Joseph and I had identical vocabularies, so there shouldnt have been a single sign I could learn from him. And yet, somehow, Id improved. How [Burgeoning Omniglot]. Id been using Americal Sign Language, so my grasp of ASL had improved. Wait, did that mean I could learn languages just by having some knowledge of them? I mean, I knew two works of Japanese, kawai, which meant cute, and nani, which meant what. Could I learn the language just by focusing on my existing vocabulary? I mean, it would be obvious if I improved, a new word that increased my vocabulary from two words to three would be hard to miss. So I spent the next few minutes constantly repeating those two words in my mind, but didnt achieve anything. Still, worth a try. Then, I stopped dead as I remembered I still had a Skill to check out. This time, I pulled up the entirety of the Skills description, instead of just the new addition gained by a boost.
Knowledge Trade (triple boosted; evolved) You can teach knowledge you possess to up to two targets within five meters, every six hours. The recipients are able to likewise choose knowledge they possess to teach you, if they so wish. All parties will be aware of what the other is offering, and will be given a chance to cancel the process if the knowledge is not suitable. If all parties involved agree, the transfer will proceed. Transferred knowledge must be limited to a single subject, and large topics, such as an entire field of study may not be possible to transfer in a single burst. In such cases, the basics will be taught first.
So, that was a Skill Evolution. No real boost in raw power, just some streamlining and clarification. Also, while Id forgotten to use the can also teach me something option this morning and decided against activating it with Joseph though hed managed to somehow trigger it on his own, going forward, Id be asking for information from Dietrich and Charlemagne. I yawned. Not because I was bored, but because I was simply wrung out. I managed to stumble over to a nearby cafe, however, and downed a double espresso before I continued to my car. There, I switched the radio on and flipped through the channels until I found one that played metal, then drove off beneath the rapidly darkening evening sky, listening to songs Id never been able to understand before today. My goal was to reach Berlin so that I could teleport there, but I wound up hitting the point where I was too tired to be able to drive safely well before that. I pulled over at the nearest gas station and called Mia. Hey, hows it going? I asked, injecting false cheer into my voice. Pure chaos, she groaned. Bunch of people came, theyre usually helpful, but its She trailed off with a yawn. Chaos? I suggested. Uh-hu. Do you need anything from the gas station? she asked. Coffee. Sure, I replied. Can you come meet me at the car park? They turned the trail into a road, you can just portal into the fortress, Mia said, yawning again. Okay, see you in a bit, I replied. Bye. Bye. So, I bought Mia a coffee, and several cans of gasoline for my napalm project, then walked back towards my car. Now, how did I use [Guides Shortcut]? Mentally reaching out towards the Skill, I was suddenly presented with a question that felt like where. And my answer was simple. Untersberg, I whispered, but instead of activating, the Skill asked for clarification, a mental question along the lines of you can only use this Skill once a day, do you want to use that charge now?. I told it to go ahead, and a hole was torn in reality before me, large enough to admit not only me, but my car, showing me the main hallway of the Untersberg. Shoot. I guess I should have been more specific. Almost a dozen people turned to stare at me, but I just slowly drove inside and the moment the car was clear, the portal snapped shut behind me. Who are you? the closest person, an elderly woman easily three times my age, asked as I got out of my car. My names Tristan Vogt, I work with Dietrich von Bern, I was just on a bit of an outreach mission to Prague. Sorry about, uh I gestured at the car. I need to practice aiming my portal, Ill get the car out of here soon. Oh, Mr. Vogt, she lit up. Youre expected in the throne room. Ill just park the car, then Ill head there, thank you, I said. Mrs. Gertrude Kittel, she introduced herself. Im the current castellan. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kittel, I replied, got back in the car, and drove the car out through the now-open stone doors. The area outside was almost impossible to recognize, and held several vehicles. A handful of regular cars, but also half a dozen distinctive blue flatbed trucks with the distinctive sign of the Technisches Hilfswerk. It seemed like Hofmann had kept his word, and plenty of people had volunteered. But it was too late in the day for me to celebrate too much. My bed called to me. That was the plan. Bring Mia her coffee, then go to sleep. No, bring coffee, report to Dietrich, and use [Knowledge Trade] no, that was still on cooldown. So, bring coffee, report, and then, finally, bed. Chapter 16: Final Preparations The main chamber, or rather, the throne room, was thankfully mostly empty. Well, not completely, and the table wed eaten at this morning had been turned into the center of all strategic planning, but it wasnt overrun. Karl der Gro?e was there, discussing something with a man in a uniform I assumed to belong to the Technisches Hilfswerk. Ogier was there too, along with a few other people I didnt recognize. The emperor glanced up as I entered, likely alerted by the sound of the door. Everyone, this is Mr. Vogt, the mountains ambassador, he introduced me, and I was forced to use [Innate Etiquette] to hide a grimace. I didnt work for him, I worked for Dietrich. Mistake, or political move trusting that I wouldnt argue too much? Chances were, it was the latter simply because he wasnt stupid. But I also couldnt countermand that too strongly ... there needed to be a middle ground, right? Though even as I considered that, the voice of the System informed me that that throwaway line had actually given me something. [Trait Registered: Ambassadorial Authority (Carrolingians)] It seemed like him acknowledging me as the ambassador of the organization created here was enough to gain the authority needed to act in that function. Interesting. However, I still felt I needed to set the story straight. Hi, my names Tristan Vogt, Im a vassal of Dietrich von Bern and currently represent the mountain to the other ancients. There, that should be fine, right? What did you achieve? he asked. I visited the embassies of all three nations that boast their own ancients, as well as the Golem of Prague himself. I established a basis for future treaties with all of them except Ireland, I was able to talk to the Irish ancient Fionn Mac Cumail directly and we do have an informal treaty of mutual support if we need it. Though well have to fight the second wave ourselves in all likelihood, we dont have any way to reach each other in a reasonable amount of time. And both parties will likely have their own problems to deal with. But hes a very reasonable person, very aware of how badly this could all lead, and willing to do whatever he needs to resolve it. Thank you, ambassador. A polite dismissal if ever I saw one. So I went searching for Dietrich, but couldnt find him. And no one seemed to know where he was either. If only [Ambassadorial Authority] let me use the scry-chat feature outside of having to prove my bona fides as an ambassador but did it actually explicitly tell me I could only do it under those circumstances? Checking [Will of the Sovereign] let me know that I wouldnt be bothering him if I called now. So I focussed, thought really hard about wanting to contact him, and even squeezed closed my eyes for a couple of seconds while focussing, until his dry voice jerked me out of my thoughts. Tristan, why am I seeing your head hanging in the air with your eyes closed? My eyes flew open in an instant, and I found myself face to face with Dietrich, displayed in a slightly rippling image in the air, around the size of a large dinner plate. A creative use of [Ambassadors Authority], I said. I figured youd want to know what happened, but I couldnt find you. Is Mia there? Dietrich turned around and called Your brothers back. Mia replied something I didnt quite catch. She says to leave the coffee on her bedside table, Dietrich told me. Now, what happened? I tried to answer but was forced to stifle a yawn instead. You should get some sleep after this, he told me. Thats the plan, I replied. So, basically, I went to Prague I told him what Id told Charlemagne, though in slightly greater detail. Oh, and our host gave me his ambassadorial authority too, I hope thats alright, I told him. I fully expected him to be cool with it, but this was likely one of those things that was no big deal on its own while having the potential to blow sky-high if kept secret. While were allied, theres no problem with you speaking for both of us, Dietrich told me, then added an empathetic Now, go to sleep. as he saw me stifle another yawn. Gnight, I told him and cut the connection. Mias room was right next to mine, so it wasnt far out of my way to drop by and put down her already lukewarm coffee in the requested spot. Id have preferred a fresh one or something actually meant to be drunk cold, but then again, my sister was a bit of a freak when it came to anything with caffeine. Id been half-tempted to drink half the coffee myself just to stay awake a bit longer, but I knew caffeine was no substitute for proper sleep. By the time Id reached my own bed, I barely managed to get off my pants and transform my shirt and underwear into proper pajamas before collapsing into it. And then, I was asleep in a matter of seconds. *** Id actually forgotten to set an alarm last night but that wound up not mattering, I woke up early since Id also gone to sleep early due to mental exhaustion. A brief check of my phone revealed that it was actually five in the morning. Cool. Not like a proper sleep schedule was important for ones health, though any chance of getting that had likely already gone out of the window. So I got up and started to head out, putting on yet another set of random, tossed-together, set of clothing and used [Modern Makeover] to make myself look presentable. A sturdy grey shirt and blue jeans looked good but not overly stuffy, and would allow me to fit in when everyone was working to fortify this place but also be fine at the strategy table. I also incorporated the two coats of arms from [Ambassadors Authority] into the outfit in the form of collar pins. When actually acting as an ambassador, Id move them down on either side of where a tie would be. In my mind, having both on the left side, one over the other, would have probably looked better, but that would likely cause no end of trouble as it would be seen as attempting to impose a hierarchy onto two rulers. As if that could ever go over well. And finally, I strapped Nagelring to my side, though Id banish both the sword and its sheath into my spatial storage the instant they got in the way. The mountain was quiet as I walked through it. In the handful of minutes Id spent in here while awake last night, it had been a bustling hive of activity. But right now, it was quiet as a grave. I headed towards the main hall, hoping to find breakfast waiting there, or at the very least be able to reach the kitchen from there. The vast hall was empty, with no breakfast in sight, though the table wasnt looking like itd see food anytime soon, as it was utterly covered in stuff that looked so important I was afraid to even breathe on it. A pristine model of the mountain, clearly forged from magic, several highlighted points where turrets and firing slits had been added, countless bits of paper were attached to anything that needed further clarification, and a to-do list was found in front of Charlemagnes seat. Id have left that alone, but I spotted my name underlined on it, and curiosity got the better of me. Tell Vogt where to find bomb components, followed by a way description. Apparently, he hadnt been told I was making homemade napalm, an incendiary, not an explosive, but otherwise, it made sense. I memorized the description and went on my merry way in search of food. I knew where the food had been brought in yesterday morning, but found myself unable to locate the door. Urgh, fuck. Maybe some cereal bars to tide me over? I knew I had some in the car. Also Id been at a freaking gas station last night. I should have stuffed [Diplomatic Pouch] to the brim with supplies. Wouldve, couldve, shouldve, and all that. I sighed, headed towards the car. Not only did I need some food, but I also had to get the cans of gas Id bought. In the corridor, however, I ran into the castles elderly castellan, who was walking towards me with a cup of coffee in one hand and a croissant in the other. Good morning, Frau Kittel, I greeted her. Youre up early, Mr. Vogt, she remarked. Theres some food in the mess hall if you want it. The buffet isnt set up yet, though. We have a mess hall? I asked, maybe looking ever so slightly daft in the process. Why, yes, whered you eat before? she raised an eyebrow. At the map table ... I sighed. Can you tell me where the mess hall is? Sure, Ill take you, she said and marched off at a pace I wouldnt have expected from someone her age. I followed, of course. What are the plans for today? I asked. Receive people, figure out where we need them, and set up a proper chain of command, she said. I grimaced, not bothering to hide it. We had regular civilians whod shown up individually, civilian volunteers under the umbrella of the Technisches Hilfswerk, and I was pretty sure Id seen at least one police officer from the Sondereinsatzkommando, complete with an assault rifle, last night. Not to mention that there were two monarchs in the mountain. Maybe if we plan beforehand, we can limit the number of conflicting orders, I suggested. I think theyre already doing that, Kittel told me. But thats still going to leave a big issue, if something big happens we need to coordinate a response to. And at that point, we cant rely on everyone just following the first semi-workable idea thats voiced, I replied. That worked just fine on group projects in school, with people arguing about what to do until someone came up with something good, and then jumping on that one good option. But in the middle of combat I might not have been an expert on war, but even I knew that wouldnt fly. Kittel nodded. Thats something for our ancients to discuss. Also, do we have a space to put the cars inside the fortress? I asked. Well need to store them, otherwise, theyre gonna get busted up when the second challenge hits. No, but Ill find something. And whats the status of the internet service in here? I asked. They put in a few satellite dishes on the mountaintop and wired them down into the throne room and a few other spots. Also, they managed to make phones work, but technology is all Greek to me, Kittel admitted. But we can communicate with the outside world. Great, I grinned. That should do nicely. As wed talked, wed turned into a hallway I hadnt even known was there, found a flight of stairs, moved down a level, and found ourselves underneath the throne room. It was a school, barracks, or, perhaps, prison-style mess hall, long tables lines with benches one either side of them dominating the center of the room, while long stone slabs ran down the walls, with windows leading into the kitchen above them. Only a small part of said kitchens were in use, and an even smaller chunk of the buffet already held food, but that was enough to fill the room with wonderful smells. I hurried over there, grabbed the available knife to slice off two slabs of fresh bread that was still steaming, then stepped over to the tub of butter and used the stone spoon there to ladle out large dollops of each. Immediately, the butter began to melt into the bread, glistening patches spreading over the steaming goodness that I couldnt wait to tear into. It was everything I could do to not immediately chow down, but Id spotted some blackberry jam that just had to be a part of my breakfast. So I lumped on some of that before I realized that I should probably have found a plate first. So I looked around, didnt see any, shrugged, and went back to balancing my breakfast as I prepared it, then slapped both chunks of bread on top of each other. That was when freshly cooked bacon and fried eggs were made available on the buffet. I still didnt have a plate, though, so I just used the available tongs to stack a little of both on top of my bread to eat once it had cooled down and returned to Mrs. Kittel. So, what are you going to do today? she asked me. Figure out where Im needed, I replied while carefully checking whether the bacon had cooled down enough to eat. Receiving newcomers probably. Kittel laughed. And here I was thinking youd want to create the dirty tricks division. Oh? I raised an eyebrow. Im told your first thought after seeing boxes for the internet setup was turning the packing material into napalm, she said. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Oh, yeah, thats true, I said. But thats not really what I do here. Maybe you should, Kittel said with a glint in her eye. Id appreciate help wrangling everyone, but a good scheme can be invaluable. Gotcha, I nodded. If I come up with something else, Ill drop everything to put it into production. Good luck, she said, suddenly glaring in the direction of the kitchens. I think I have to go streamline some stuff, otherwise theyll be eating each other in a couple of hours. Good luck, I echoed. Have a nice day. And with that, I marched out with my stack of breakfast food, carefully balancing it on my left hand while poking at it with my right, trying to make sure it was cool enough to eat. Sure enough, as I walked out of the door, the first bit of crispy bacon was ready. Well, it had been ready the entire time, it was bacon, but I felt like running around with a lisp cause Id burned my tongue was a bad idea, today of all days especially. As I walked, I was downing my breakfast bit by bit, safe for a single lukewarm bit of bacon that I tossed in [Diplomatic Pouch]. I wouldnt be able to leave it in there long enough to see whether or not it would rot, but I would be able to see if it cooled. I soon reached my car, grabbed the cans of gas, tossed them in my [Diplomatic Pouch], and marched towards the location of the promised styrofoam. Eventually, I reached a room attached to the armory, which Id have called a chemistry lab in a modern building, though it was ridiculously primitive. And dirty. It had been cleaned, but it was a mop and dustpan sort of cleaning. Workable, but nowhere near what [Restoration of the Old] could do, so I used that, and then got to work. It was a pretty basic process. Toss in styrofoam, watch it melt, then toss in some more, then once a can was stuffed to the brim with gunky napalm, I picked it up and stored the product. Just the product, leaving the can alone. And then, I could retrieve it into my palm while my palm was facing downwards, causing it to fall like water from a spigot. Perfect for portioning it out or just plain pouring it onto someone beneath me. Then, I marched towards the throne room to wait. A small part of me was tempted to wait on the throne itself, but every other part, the larger one, told me just how terrible that was. And if [Innate Etiquette] had been able to speak, itd have screamed itself hoarse in the mere handful of seconds that idea had spent floating around my head before being discarded. Instead, I sat at the planning table, waiting, thinking, until eventually, Dietrich and Karl walked in together from the direction of the emperors quarters. While I command the defense of the gate, Dietrich was saying. It sounded like Charlemagne was in overall command. Things were settled, and theyd done so out of the public eye. That should work. Good morning, I greeted them. I think the best plan for [Knowledge Transfer] would be what I know about the other ancients. Good idea, Karl said. But uh, there is something Id like to ask, I carefully began. The Skill evolved, is now called [Knowledge Trade], and I can now also be taught stuff when teaching. So, would it be possible for you to teach me something to make me a little less I almost said squishy at that point, but that was unlikely to translate properly. vulnerable. I finished. This just felt like was suddenly jacking up the price on a vital good that I had a monopoly on. It wasnt, but the human brain was a weird organ. Of course, Dietrich said. I dont know how well my swordsmanship will carry over, but you can have it. But Karl was more hesitant. I can do that, but I believe that my own personal combat skills wouldnt be able to expand on my fellow monarchs abilities. Perhaps, strategy and logistics would be more helpful? That was true, wholly and entirely true, but I couldnt help but be a little disappointed. Id built up this idea of instantly gaining super special invincible combat arts from both of them and the reality of the situation felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water onto me. Yeah, thatll work, I agreed. Ready? They both nodded, and I activated [Knowledge Trade]. For a brief moment, it hung in limbo, my information packet being offered while they returned the favor. The swordsmanship of a man whod cut a bloody swath through Europes monsters for almost a hundred years, and the logistics from the man whod forged his army into an unstoppable force that had crushed all comers. I accepted the trade, so did they and then, the migraine hit. Was I just a wimp, or did my Skill hate me? This time, it might be down to the fact that I was getting a double-load of information, and the first time Id received information hadnt exactly been voluntary, which could be why that had hurt too, but I hoped it would get better with time. Tristan, are you okay? Dietrich asked, worried. Headache, I grunted. But its already getting better. My head was utterly swimming with ideas and knowledge. For starters, the map table was making a hell of a lot more sense now, every single notation was suddenly bursting with information I could fully read. Perfect. Though even with that knowledge, all I had was knowledge. Not skill. Not experience. Not wisdom. Id probably still easily lose out to Charlemagne in any direct contest. But it was still indescribably awesome. Thank you, I said after a few more seconds. I think Ill go inspect the defenses at the entrance. Dietrich just gave me a knowing grin, while Karl laughed softly. With that, I headed off, while they began to discuss the knowledge theyd just gained. The words genghis and khan were dropped a lot. But if I didnt try out my sword skills, Id burst. Soon, I was outside, underneath the lip that had been added above the door to pour burning oil or, well, napalm from. It would also ensure that anything that attacked came from the front, where I could see it and pulverize it with [Polite Rebuke]. Nagelring flew from its sheath, flashing through the air in a picture-perfect cut, then returned to its sheath in a single smooth motion. I drew it again, and executed a few more slashes before once more storing it. Compared to what Id been capable of when Id woken up this morning, it was a difference between night and day. But I could also feel its limitations. Even if the term itself didnt really fit, what Id just gained was book learning, not raw experience. Knowledge, not reflexes and muscle memory. Too bad. Though Id have probably had to pour every single Skill Boost Id ever earned into [Knowledge Transf-], er, [Knowledge Trade] to achieve that kind of bandwidth. It looked like Mia would keep kicking my ass up and down the sparring mat. But even with those caveats, I could still not put into words how awesome this was. My checks were hurting from how widely I was grinning, though. After a quarter of an hour dueling imaginary enemies, I retrieved my bacon from [Diplomatic Pouch] and bit into it. Room temperature. So, nothing perishable could go in there for an extended period of time, though an ice pack would probably lengthen how long I could keep stuff fresh. I plopped down on a large rock and cleaned myself off with [Restoration of the Old]. My. Life. Was. Nuts. And the world was about to end. But honestly, I wouldnt trade it for the world. I mean, I could do without the monsters, without the danger, but somehow, I was happy. So I just sat there and gazed out across the landscape. Rolling green hills, the occasional tree, and I could easily imagine the distinctive sound of the bells hung around the necks of alpine cows underpainting the image. There werent any cows here, of course, but that was just the kind of beautiful image that was before me. Though all I had to do was turn around to see the towering, fortified, gate behind me to be reminded of what this was about. How dangerous this world was. The narrow path towards Germanys road system was still more than a little ramshackle, meant for people, not cars, but I could already see how it had been expanded in several spots, widened, reinforced. Id still let Mia drive the car down that, she was the better driver and with me behind the wheel, Id likely run off a cliff in no time flat, but at least we had a proper connection to the outside world. I got up and started exploring either side of the entrance, examining the plateau around the main gate. Could we mine this place? Maybe dig some trenches? It wouldnt be enough to trip over individual invaders, but if we were about to be swarmed as I suspected, the sheer mass of enemies would result in some falling in and hopefully breaking bones in the process. With new eyes, I looked over everything, trying to see the world as Charlemagne did. I did that for maybe an hour before I realized Id largely just recreated the plan already in place. Though that didnt seem to have been a waste of time. [Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 15 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 16] [Skill Boost gained] Wait, that counted? As in, I could gain Levels based on using gained knowledge? Or had that just pushed me over the threshold to Level 16, with most of the XP having come from everything else? As for the question of what to upgrade, that was obvious. [Skill boosted: Diplomatic Pouch]
Pocket dimension parameters increased to 2m x 2m x 2m, up to three items can be designated for swift retrieval.
More space, and faster retrieval. Perfect. Also, I should probably get some actual work done, so I headed back inside. *** Mia At first, the power to bind equipment hadnt seemed too strong. Useful, but far inferior to the literal teleportation Tristan had gotten for his Capstone Skill. Maybe the self-repair function would have been more useful if shed bound a piece of armor instead, leaving her with a constantly regenerating defense, but that would have cost her the sheer utility of her sword always being only a single thought away. And then, shed figured out how to turn that very simple ability into a deadly trick, perfect for combat. But Dietrich had helped her come up with it, so she wouldnt be able to see just how useful something that needed surprise was against him. But Ogier had offered to spar against her, and shed taken him up on it. Ready? he asked, staring down at her. Shed known he was big, but somehow, the thirty-centimeter height advantage felt like it had become thirty meters the moment hed stepped onto the proverbial mat. But she just didnt care. Ready, Mia grinned and unsheathed Balmung even as he whipped out Cortain. His sword was a hell of a lot shorter than hers, which should have given her an advantage, but he was also twice her weight, had longer arms, a shield, decades of experience, and, oh yeah, to the tune of thirty Levels on her. But hed promised to hold back his raw strength, limiting himself to what hed had in his first lifetime, though that would still be plenty overwhelming. And shed be relying on a trick anyway. Their swords clashed a few times, and Ogier deflected with ease every time. Until Mia stepped in close and brought down her sword in an overhead chop, causing her opponent to practically roll his eyes as he interposed Cortain. And Mia didnt even blame him for finding the attack simple, because it was. As was the way to counter it normally. Because there werent very many fancy tricks one could pull based on her attack normally. But Balmung flickered out of existence in the split second when it should have impacted, appearing in Mias previously empty left hand, only to return in her right a split-second later and thud against Ogiers chest, the blue-ish glow of [Training Safeguard] preventing the very real and very sharp sword from carving into his sternum. A victory against a legend of the ancient times. Someone whod been fighting for longer than shed been alive, and had enough physical strength to throw her around like a football even without his Skills. Oh, that felt good. And the System seemed to find it impressive too. [Skill Evolution: Blank Sword Art -> A Blade Across Time and Space] [Class Evolution: Legends Apprentice Lv. 10 -> Legends Squire Lv. 11] [Legends Squire Lv. 11 -> Legends Squire Lv. 13] [Skill gained: Matchless Power] [Skill gained: Combat Analysis] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Second Blank Sword Art] So, an Evolution, a physical strength boost, something to help learn an enemys moves, and an option for creating a second Sword Art once she figured out just how shed managed to make the first one. Well, she knew what shed done, but not which part of that had actually triggered the effect.
A Blade Across Time and Space (acquired Sword Art) Extend your blades reach by a factor of 50, and/or exploit an opening up to five seconds after it was available, successful strike ignores all armor. Ten-minute cooldown.
And what an effect it had been. All she had to do was see what the evolved Skill did when activated. Mia grinned at Ogier, who was suddenly no longer looking cocky at all. *** Id entered the training hall just in time to see Ogier the freaking Dane be saved by Mias Skill. I was pretty sure I knew what had inspired that move. Star Wars. Or, more specifically, the avalanche of video essays on how people wielding lightsabers should switch them off briefly to bypass their opponents blade. I mean, of the two of us, I was the nerd, which meant when she encroached on that, a little teasing was in order. Though first, Id see what shed just gained. Because based on that grin, it should have definitely been something incredible. They stepped back to open up the distance again, setting things up so that they could approach for a bit before being in each others range. And then, Mia lunged. Ogier parried and tried to hit her with his shield, forcing her to dodge, and then, she struck again, only for Balmung to bounce off the mans shield. They clashed repeatedly until I noticed something. While I couldnt really put Dietrichs knowledge into practice, it let me read others using that knowledge with casual ease. I was becoming the ultimate armchair general, wasnt I? For example, Mia had just missed a fairly big opening. Perhaps shed thought it was a trap? Either way, the chance had passed, and judging from the outside was always easier than making the correct choice in the moment. So I shouldnt wait, what the fuck just happened? Balmung had just simply twisted, warped like a funhouse mirror, as though it were a video game item that had glitched out the graphics engine and was not displayed as being a thousand times longer than it should be and no longer straight. Or something like that. I really wasnt sure what Id seen, just that something had happened, and Mias safe training Skill had flared across Ogiers throat, but before I could even begin to wrap my head around what Id seen, they were already breaking apart, stepping back, and Balmung was back in Mias hand as though nothing had happened. Okay, whatever that Skill was, it was badass. Congrats! I yelled out, giving her a double thumbs-up when she turned around to me. Mia grinned. You wanna try? I laughed. Pretty sure we both know youll wipe the floor with me without trying. She flashed me a mock pouty face before she returned her attention to the training. While Mia was busy experimenting with her new Skill and potential, I was running around fixing random issues I came across, until I was back at the gates to see if there was a space to put the cars yet. There, I found a note from the Castellan, ordering people to bring the cars inside along with a description of where to drive them. So I did that and decided to go search for something else to do. Soon, I was once again outside, staring up into the sky. Could I open a portal above the ground to throw something through? [Guides Shortcut] had come off cooldown when the Systems clock had officially ticked over to put us on day four, but the fact that the Skill required me to confirm that I wanted to use it meant I could experiment with the targeting. So, I checked to see if I could open a portal right here, where I was, just, say, a hundred meters up? The answer was a resounding no, but the edge of the highest portal I could open was brushing the top of my head. That seemed specific. I raised a hand and the portal height limit increased by half a meter. Then, I jumped, arm stretched straight up. That really proved it. Having been there, for the purposes of the Skill, referred to me having physically been in a spot the portal would be touching when it opened. So I borrowed myself a ladder and climbed it in seemingly random spots several times before I returned it and found somewhere else to do busywork, though Id gained the ability to remotely pour napalm onto any point outside the main doors. Id probably looked pretty silly in the process, however, and I wasnt particularly sure how well the Skill with weird activation requirements argument worked to counter the narrative that I was an idiot. Though fixing a broken-down truck and other stuff with a mere wave of my hand likely put me in the category of eccentric genius instead. Hopefully. Throughout the day, I just kept doing whatever was needed, directed newcomers, fixed stuff, coordinated things when asked to by a monarch, and only briefly dropped by the throne room to use [Knowledge Trade]. Unfortunately, it did not seem like receiving the trade from two people at once got any better, but at least it wasnt as bad as it had been with the Golem of Prague. And as it turned out, what Id learned this morning was just the start of what they knew, itd likely take another half-dozen trades before I knew everything they did on just one topic. It was kinda cool how quickly the mountain was transforming, and who was showing up. Military reservists with hunting rifles, police officers with their sidearms, regular citizens with less martial abilities to lend to the cause it was only a fraction of a fraction of Germanys population who came to help, but it was still amazing to see. We even got a few military liaisons so that we could coordinate. Eventually, though, the day ended, and just like Id done every day since the Systems emergence, I collapsed into bed and slept like the dead. *** The fifth day of the System wound up being basically being a repeat of the fourth. People arrived, people did what they did, and then either settled down to wait for the next challenge, the next wave of monsters, or they got the hell out of Dodge. Night fell, morning came, and breakfast was eaten. The mess hall was silent, knives and forks scraping across metal plates, the sizzle of cooking from the kitchens. Not even 500 people against a monster horde of unknown size and power. A terrifying prospect. And yet, we were here, ready to do whatever we had to. However, eventually, inevitably, it was time to pack up, head to our positions, and prepare. Because the end was near.
Warning, the System has descended! Over the course of the next year, the world will have to face seven challenges, the last of which will be the opening of this world to the enlightened universe. The First Challenge, [The Beasts of Legend], has already begun and will ramp up over the next several days. The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], will begin today. Time remaining: 0:0:17:11
So. Bloody. Near. Chapter 17: Drake
The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], will begin today. Time remaining: 0:0:1:01
Little over one minute to go, then all hell would break loose, potentially even in the literal sense. Because it could mean almost anything. A gate to the underworld, anything that was once dead stirring back to life, or simply every burial ground since the dawn of time exploding, who knew what would happen? Not to mention, well, the modern myths of the undead. Everything from liches, ancient magi who removed their very souls to live eternally, to highly infectious rotting abominations known as zombies that could kill with a bite or even a single scratch, dooming their victims to rise to join the horde. It was that last part that was the most terrifying, even if it was the option that threatened him the least simply because a warship was built to repel borders. The very idea behind it the people whod come up with those stories had some very twisted imaginations, and the sailors whod thought that a classic horror movie was the best way to introduce a man out of time to modern media had come damn closer to a court martial. They were just lucky that Drake had a sense of humor. Speaking of luck, Drake was just glad that theyd been warned that monsters liked to target ancients before the start of this new challenge. Hed have been on a warship at that point in time under almost all circumstances, but Arthur Pendragon, whod also miraculously returned, would almost certainly have been in London, defending something. Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, 10 Downing Street, or maybe just a wealthy part of the city. Whichever it was, it would have backfired. Now they knew, though. The legendary king was stationed north of London, and every vessel the Royal Navy had was sitting a few miles east of the mouth of the Thames, close enough for the carriers to unleash their planes if something did appear in London, and certainly close enough that his presence would draw some of the monsters that would otherwise attack the capital. Well, most of the ships. Their only ship of the line, the flagship, in fact, was a ceremonial vessel over two hundred years old, and minesweepers werent exactly built for dishing out damage either. Also, theyd gotten reinforcements from Germany and Denmark, since theyd likely do more good here than guarding their own coasts. After all, the monsters were expected to appear on land when not attracted to his presence, or potentially even always, without exceptions. The amassed ships were currently divided into two formations. The carriers along with three-quarters of the escorts, under the command of Admiral Chambers, who also held overall command, and the five frigates and four destroyers who were between the main fleet and London, under Drakes own command. They were using him as bait and Drake couldnt help but grin. He hadnt had to ask to be assigned here. He glanced over at the system warning message and watched the clock tick down, simultaneously moving with painful slowness and rocketing towards disaster with inexorable speed. Drake sighed. Hed finished doing what he needed to hours ago, and forced himself to go to sleep after that, and now, he was just sitting here in the admirals chair hastily added to the Defiants bridge, watching and waiting, trying to avoid wearing his patience thin. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Showtime. The System window flickered, but Drake only skimmed it to get the salient points. The Second Challenge raised the dead, and the third one wouldnt be for twenty days. Right now, he had to focus on his enemies, of which there were many. Undead sea creatures of countless stripes, huge skeletons, disgusting amalgamations of countless smaller bodies, and even a massive fusion of wooden planks and the corpses of drowned sailors it was a horror show.
Zombie Whale (raised humpback whale), Level 16
Skeleton Whale (raised blue whale), Level 11
Union of Wood and Bone (raised sailing ship), Level 27 Raid Boss
School of Rot (raised fish swarn), Level 25 Raid Boss
Jaws of Undeath (raised great white), Level 15 Field Boss
Zombie Shark (raised mako), Level 2
Wherever he looked, nameplates were appearing, at least a hundred. All of them undead sea life of some stripe, even the ship counted as such to a certain degree. So, King Arthur was likely currently neck deep in the terrestrial risen corpses. Drake grinned. [Chain of Command] was already active, linking him to his fleet and automatically passing along the relevant information of his Skills to those whod be taking advantage of them.Then, [Flank Speed] was making every vessel in the formation just that little bit more nimble. And now, as the missiles rose into the morning sky and then [Remote Retargetting] grabbed them, gave them new targeting parameters, and sent them straight to where they were needed. A simple trick, really. Programming the missiles ahead of time was hard without knowing what their enemies were, but [Remote Retargetting] could bypass all that. It was mainly meant for making sure that all guns in an area were aiming at the same point, but when the projectiles themselves could retarget themselves, a whole new universe of possibilities opened up. The missiles speared down into the water, detonating against the surface, while the various anti-submarine weapons that would be launched from helicopters and planes were going to be in the second wave. Assuming there was anything left worth using an expensive piece of tech on. Because the bigger targets were obviously also primary ones, and the two Raid Bosses were right at the top of that list. One didnt really look too distinct from the rest of the boiling sea, a vast mass of half-rotten fish, connected by strings of silt and slime, with a cloud of sharp-looking fish bones floating in between. The other was a massive ancient merchant vessel that looked like an old-fashioned sailing ship that was in the middle of being built, but being constructed of rotten wood with old bones and strands of decaying flesh acting as the hinges in the macabre setup, which had the appearance of a gigantic ribcage that doubled as a massive pair of jaws. Anything that got too close would be crushed into paste in seconds. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And both of them ate half a dozen anti-ship missiles each. It wasnt enough. By a long shot. A single one of those missiles would have been enough to sink a modern warship and should have reduced an older ship to kindling, and yet, against that thing, shockwaves were blunted and fireballs rolled across the surface of the wet wood relatively harmlessly, leaving some charring behind but not much beyond that. As for the bloody fish, the collective was blasted apart half a dozen times over, but was already in the process of pulling itself back together by the time Drake was observing the results of the fire. Admiral Porter was already ordering another salvo to be fired and the planes were getting their targeting directives. In less than a minute, most foes here would be gone, but so would the vast majority of the missiles, reducing the warships to their guns, which were an infinitesimal fraction of their armament. That was the problem with modern warships, and potentially, warfare in general. It was built around smart weaponry, long-range missiles that could strike at and eliminate targets from long range, with only a limited quantity of munitions being required. But these weapons were expensive, ill-suited to target anything other than the thing theyd been designed to destroy, and yes, there were only so many to go around. Columns of water erupted from the surface of the ocean, painted odd colors by the mess of gore that was all that remained of the targets. A direct hit was capable of annihilating even the strongest regular monster, and that damn ship was rocked by explosion after explosion, bones breaking, wooden timbers splintering, anything even remotely flammable igniting. Until finally, the ship sank beneath the waves, in pieces. Drake took stock of the mess in its entirety. Enemies mostly gone, munitions almost completely gone. And the living corpses seemed to be starting to swarm his ships. He began to snap orders, moving back certain ships while sending one of the Defiants sister ships, straight at the only surviving Raid Boss, which was currently half-rising out of the ocean, a spiderweb of disgusting fluids holding up the component fishes as though to throw them onto the decks of the closest warships. Dauntless, full speed ahead, hold your heading, [Ramming Speed]. Modern warships, or warships in his heyday, for that matter, were not designed to ram enemies, and probably wouldnt survive it either. When the strongest available ship-based weaponry had been light ballistae, turning the vessel itself into a weapon was a viable prospect. But in an age of gunpowder, or even the modern age, a fraction of a salvo would easily match a ramming attack for damage. Normally. However, while this situation was a lot of things, normal was not one of them. Not by a long shot. The Dauntless bow glowed white-hot, as though it had just been pulled out of a forge, and continued to do so even though the water of the ocean should have cooled it down in a heartbeat. And the seven-thousand-ton destroyer was hurled through the second Raid Boss as though it had been fired from a cannon. There was a loud bang that was clearly audible even over the din of battle, and the loose cloud of rotten fish neatly split apart under the impact, its singular nameplate being replaced by hundreds of individual Level 1 undead fish descriptors. Apparently, that had finally been enough to break the previously seemingly indestructible collection of foes. Yep, the big monster was cut down to size, though the poor bastards whod be cleaning the deck of the Dauntless would probably have Drakes picture up on their dartboard for the next century. It was looking as though they were winning, and yet damage was mounting. It was hard to quantify just how much metal had been gnawed off the surface of a ship you were currently on, but all of the vessels in Drakes fleet were looking like hell, and [Current Sense] gave him a perfect view of the damage. Oh, he knew what he had to do, though hed have to wipe that damn grin off his face. Or, even better, prevent it from appearing on his face in the first place. [All Eyes On Me] and [Batten Down The Hatches] as one while Drake directed the Defiant away from the rest of the formation. The first Skill was a bit of an outlier in his Class, one that he suspected might have been intended to draw the eye in a ball or the like, but it worked just fine for attracting attention in combat. And these were dumb, literally brainless, monsters. If they saw something that looked attackable, they attacked. And the second was a defensive skill that completely prevented external forces from entering the ship, to a point. Even if the monsters stripped off literal tons of external armor, theyd not be able get through the final layer and cause the ship to start sinking, because doing so would also wind up getting them inside the ship. Of course, the Skill would eventually be overwhelmed, but by then, the Skill would no longer be needed. Soon, the ship was utterly covered in undead monsters, piling over each other, to the point where some were getting flung onto the deck. The rest of the fleet can unleash a time-on-target salvo onto our position in thirty seconds, the communications officer reported. Ye- A large, mostly rotten tuna slapped against the bridges main window, though thankfully, the sound of that was loud enough to muffle the beginning of Drakes startled exclamation, which he hadnt been able to muffle. He cleared his throat. Warn me five seconds before impact. Everyone on the bridge threw him weird looks, and Drake studiously ignored them. Theyd talked about this, no part of this crazy plan had come as a surprise to them, and yet, he could understand why they were being skeptical. A dull bang sounded from the front of the ship and the sound of the main gun stopped. And now, with that particular source of noise gone, they could hear every single creak and groan of the vessel with crystal clarity. It was a terrifying sound. Dangit. He liked this ship. He got along with Captain Smith and the bridge crew, and when this vessel got trashed, hed have to try establishing this rapport with an entirely new set of people. Five seconds. And there was the warning. [Escape], Drake announced, the deck lurched underfoot, and suddenly, they were no longer suffering underneath the wrath of countless undead sea creatures, rather being almost fifty meters next to them. The swarm, no longer linked or fused to form something stronger than the sum of its parts but nevertheless incredibly dangerous, turned and began to move towards them and blew up under a barrage of explosives, one greater than any single salvo the fleet was capable of unleashing. Time on target wasnt something Drake would have been able to pull off in his time, but it was such a cool concept. You fired all your guns at an angle that would delay the impact, then shift them so that the next salvo would spend less time in the air, and kept that up as long as you could, allowing countless projectiles to hit as one. So, that was that. Victory right? But Drake didnt feel like theyd won. And while the damage to his ships was annoying, that wasnt what had put a damper on his mood. Something in the back of his mind was telling him there was more to this, nad What was it How deep is the ocean here, right underneath the ship? he asked, knowing full well that that bit of information could be pulled up in a matter of seconds. Around fifty meters. How deep is it according to the most recent survey? Do we have that data? Drake asked. The report came after a couple of minutes. The ocean is supposed to be fifty-three meters deep I guess all those depth charges the engineers didnt manage to figure out how to deploy are going to come in handy after all, Drake sighed and turned towards the radio operator. Contact Admiral Chambers, tell him we have a horde of non-swimming undead covering the sea floor that need dealing with. And that was likely the final contribution he could make to this whole affair. His flagship was barely keeping afloat, and constant explosions on the sea floor might even be enough to sink the ship. His fight was over. [Daredevil of the Sea Lv. 47 -> Daredevil of the Sea Lv. 50] [Class Evolution Daredevil of the Sea Lv. 50 -> Reckless Admiral of Fortune Lv. 51] [Reckless Admiral of Fortune Lv. 51 -> Reckless Admiral of Fortune Lv. 52] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Shared Fortune] [Ascendant Capstone gained: Storied Soul] [Skill gained: Fortune Favors the Bold] [Skill gained: Instantaneous Relocation] [Skill Boost gained] Oh, that was a rush. Only an immense force of will kept the grin from creeping onto his face. So that was why people liked playing these video games so much. But what was an Ascendant Capstone?
Storied Soul (Ascendant Capstone) The user cannot die casually (by accident) or indirectly/impersonally (nuclear blast, stray bullet, etc.), and even when utterly overwhelmed and/or outclassed, they will at the very least be able to make a good showing of themselves.
Drake took his leave and barely managed to reach the wardroom before he started cackling. Oh, that was a perfect power. The kind legends were made from. Hed died once, and as was the way of all living things, hed die again once his second life came to an end, but now, he was guaranteed hed give a good showing. His second death would not be to poison or disease, no, it would be a battle worthy of legend! Chapter 18: Temujin
The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], will begin today. Time remaining: 0:0:0:27
A force of unprecedented power and was about to impact the world, forever reshaping the course of its history. And Temujin was leading the simultaneously strongest and strangest horde hed ever led. Horses ran alongside cars, trucks drove next to tanks, and overhead, machines he could scarcely have imagined were possible flew, having launched to be ready right now, at this moment. So polite of the System to announce when it would attack. So foolish. It wasnt like one could use information to lay traps, right? Of course, this trap would be rather ineffective if the information hed received from Europe turned out to be wrong, but the fact that there was something to the missive had been fairly easy to prove. Temujin hadnt even had to go out and look for said proof, a simple review of the last few days had shown him exactly how the monsters within a hundred kilometers or so of him were concentrated around his location. However, there was one small issue. He had no earthly idea how close to him the monsters of this new wave would appear.Which meant they needed to be mobile, since it was easy to imagine a worst-case scenario where they found themselves utterly surrounded by enemies, with their foes being so close that the hordes outer ranks would be instantly embroiled in combat. Because being surrounded was one of the worst situations an army could find itself in, just like being attacked while in the middle of fording a river spelled defeat. That last one had been one of Subutais favorite tactics. Run away from the heavily armored European knights, cross a river, then turn around and annihilate his enemies while it was their turn crossing the river. It had been funny how much tradition had been holding back the Mongol tribes of his youth. Subutai had been from a different tribe than Temujins own, one of reindeer herders to boot. No one would have ever made him a general under normal circumstances, simply because of his origins, but Temujin had decided to throw tradition out of the window a long time before hed ever met Subutai and gained an overwhelmingly capable general in the process. However, encirclement wasnt the only reason they were out on the steppe, in the middle of nowhere. Because modern fortifications were awful. Granted, considering the modern militarys propensity towards devastatingly accurate long-range weaponry, that was understandable, but that didnt change the fact that no modern army base would do the job he needed it to fulfill. So, to ensure that this fight would go well and not end in seconds due to monsters being dropped right on their heads, hed established the army-slash-horde in the middle of nowhere, a place where he had options. Advance, Temujin ordered. It wasnt a full-on charge, something at a far lower speed than that, but it was the start. Something that could easily transition into a dead stop or a charge, depending on the requirements of the situation. The horses began to trot forward, the vehicles engines began to chug to life, and overhead, the helicopters still did their thing, hanging there, making an infernal racket that was annoying even down here. Temujins horse nickered and he patted it on the head, applying yet another dose of [Horse Whisperer] to calm it down. They had a lot more cars than they did horses, but paradoxically, between [Horse Whisperer], [Enduring Mounts], and [Supernatural Lineage], it was the horses that were all-around better. Though he privately had to admit, hed have likely chosen a horse even if the cars had been superior, simply because he was more familiar with it. And those cars hed have been reduced to a mere passenger because him driving one was not a good idea. Yet. Hed learn, hed even started, but for now, he had to be honest in his assessment of his driving skills. A mere thought minimized the warning window, reducing it to a mere countdown in the corner of his vision. Five seconds, four seconds, three seconds and finally, the countdown hit zero,and jumped up to twenty days while the window expanded back to its full size without his input. Temujin only looked at that long enough to make sure they wouldnt get hit by the third wave while still fighting the second one, then removed the window from his field of view and paid attention to the area around him, channeling [Remote Administration] to get information on things he couldnt directly see. His entire field of view was filled with nameplates, and while his Skill didnt show them, he was absolutely certain that the areas it showed him were likewise covered in the warning signs.
Skeleton (raised human), Level 1
Zombie (raised human), Level 1
Skeleton (raised horse), Level 1
Skeleton (raised reindeer), Level 1
Enhanced Skeleton (raised human), Level 10 Field Boss
Skeletal Amalgam (raised fusion), Level 35 Raid Boss
Zombie Horde (raised humans), Level 30 Raid Boss The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
A lot of simple, Level 1 beasts that didnt look to be particularly tough, a handful of larger creatures that would doubtlessly turn out to be Field Bosses when he looked at them directly, and two immense creatures right in front of him. A skeletal spider-thing with far too many limbs, many of which were likely whips, while others held immense bone balls on their ends. And an unnaturally dense group of rotting human corpses that, for some strange reason, shared a nameplate. Pivot right and break through! [Crushing Charge]! Temujin roared, his Skills ensuring that the orders reached every last member of his horde. There were at least a hundred meters between the undead and the closest to them portion of the horde, but that distance was rapidly disappearing as the monsters advanced. And they were in a terrible position right now, completely surrounded by the dead closing in, and their foes were stronger or at the very least equal at the moment. If they werent, [Overwhelming Superiority] would activate, tilting an already uneven balance of power further in Temujins favor, making small advantages have a far larger advantage, assuming everything worked as advertised. So, they had to get out of here, and Temujin was driving the horde straight through the weakest spot in the horde, using the hundred-meter gap to accelerate while [Crushing Charge] allowed the attacking horde to create a massive wedge of energy before it, ripping clean through the enemy. Rotting flesh was pulped and bones reduced to powder as the frontline crushed the enemies. Now this was more like it. As useful as having all the information he could access in this new life was, it could get overwhelming. Very overwhelming. But this, charging against an enemy with the wind whipping through his hair, bow in his hand, and staunch allies all around, this was a return to his glory days! Modern warfare was loud, roaring engines and rattling guns far exceeding the noise level caused by clashing metal and whinnying horses, but that was just another part of the enigma that was the world of Temujins second life. His [Dread Aura] began to flow out of him, his emotions boiling out of him as a literal, physical, presence, undead quailing wherever it touched, further opening the breach in the enemy encirclement. The Skeletal Amalgam, in the meanwhile, had already reached the back of his forces, ripping into them. Not good. Twisting in his saddle, Temujin loosed an arrow at it, activating [Starfall Shot]. A glowing meteor was hurled through the air, gracefully arcing through the sky, trailing embers, before returning to the ground with a vengeance, ripping clean through the Amalgams chest in a massive explosion of fire and bone splinters. Not enough to kill it, but certainly enough to slow it down. Also, it seemed like their escape was a sure enough thing that another of his Skills would activate in the way he wanted. [Inevitable Conclusion], Temujin intoned, reality itself seemed to stutter, and from one second to the next, all living humans were two kilometers from the undead, formed up to face their foes, while said foes were congealed into a massive blob that was stumbling in his general direction. That particular ability was very much a double-edged sword. It wouldnt hurt anyone, in fact, it would neither kill nor destroy in any way, and yet, it was easily the most indiscriminately lethal Skill in his arsenal. Simply put, it ran through a simulation of how an engagement would go, and if there was an outcome, or rather, a conclusion, that was highly likely, the battlefield would be shaped to match it, shifting armies around in an instant. Undisciplined enemies would see their formations torn ragged before their discipline broke, traps that were likely to work would instantly succeed and whatever small chance an enemy had had at spotting and evading them would be reduced to nothing, and maneuvers that were almost guaranteed to succeed but entail casualties could be pulled off bloodlessly. While they were fighting to free themselves from the enemy encirclement, this Skill might have seen Temujins forces intermingled with the undead, all but served up to them on a silver platter. But once the escape had started to succeed, well, they were more than able to set themselves up to square off against this scourge. Temujin led the cavalry contingent, trotting it out in front of the vehicular forces, while those in cars got out and started to aim whatever ranged weapons they had in the direction of the undead, while the tanks began to fire, explosive shells raining down into the densest clumps of enemies. Missiles and bombs rained down from overhead, wiping out huge chunks of the enemy army as well, but at this point, the little ones werent the real issue. Not with their modern weaponry and vastly superior mobility. No, the real issue would be those Raid Bosses. Strange name, but the power they held was respectable. Onwards! the horsemen charged past the undead horde, unleashing bullets and arrows from well outside the monsters range. Again and again, they shot past, the stupid walking corpses constantly deciding that they, as the closer target, were what they wanted to go after, despite them not only being far more mobile than the shambling undead but also than the other humans. Simple as can be. Until eventually, only the two Raid Bosses were left. With the Amalgam, it was abundantly clear what granted it the power its rank demanded. But the Zombie Horde had been harder to understand until he paid attention to how it was taking damage. Any time a part of it was struck, every other part took the same amount of damage, weakening the original strike into near-irrelevance in the process. Combined with the sheer durability of anything high-leveled, and they were all essentially indestructible. That would be a pain in the behind to fight, so he snapped a few orders and charged at the other enemy. Because it wouldnt be his job to deal with the Horde, and everyone else would more easily be able to take it down without the threat of the Amalgam hanging over their head. So he stowed his bow and charged, then, leaning out of the saddle, scooped up one of the monsters limbs that hed blown off with his initial strike. The bone whip began to flop around but he triggered [I Claim This Weapon], forging it into a deadly tool for him to wield, a mighty glaive that would cleave his foe apart. [Crushing Charge] flung him forward, closing the distance at ever-growing speeds, then [Moment of Glory] triggered, further sending both his and his mounts physical abilities rocketing skywards for just a brief moment, but it was enough. The titanic weapon hed forged his enemys limb into struck a crack in its armor with unstoppable force and hacked through, slowly but inexorably carving through until both halves of the beast hit the ground. Which just left the Zombie Horde. He sighed. It would take a while for things to be ready there, but until then, they had horses and cars, they could just keep retreating. And they did. Until the preparations were finished. After that, things were just anticlimactic. A pit had been dug, and half the monsters had fallen in before the rest of the entity realized the threat. By that point, it had been a simple matter of bombarding the pit with incendiary weaponry, and with the flames concentrated in a single point, it didnt really matter that the damage was spread out between various bodies. Granted, with half the undead outside the hole, they were only burning half as quickly as they should have been, but that only bought them a little time. The Mongolian army simply retreated before the slowly advancing and even more slowly disintegrating army until eventually, even the last zombie had been reduced to blackened bones that were seemingly no longer capable of ambulation. [Legendary Khan of Duality Lv. 63 -> Legendary Khan of Duality Lv. 65] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Self-Guarded Settlements] So, as different as his power-gain experience was, with him not having gotten any [Skill Boosts] or [Evolutions] to date, and the only thing he had gotten that wasnt a Skill being his [Ascendant Capstone: Heart of the Horde], he could still grow. Temujin grinned. Chapter 19: Army of the Dead Tristan
The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], has now begun, raising the dead and occasionally forming them into new shapes. The First Challenge, [The Beasts of Legend], has concluded, and no new monsters will be created, nor will animals be mutated. However, existing monsters will remain until slain. The Third Challenge, [The Waking of the Unliving], will begin in twenty days. Time remaining: 19:23:59:59
Everyone else in the throne room with me was of vital importance to the fight, but I could take the time to pay attention to the System itself, reading it in full and taking the time to think about and interpret that information. So, just like wed already expected,the Second Challenge was undead. That had been kinda obvious. Just a little. That being said, though, the Third Challenges name could be read as just being a repeat. Or a revival of all slain monsters from the first two challenges. However, I doubted it. In fact, I was pretty sure Id figured it out, though that hadnt been particularly hard since Id found something similar in one of my favorite book series. Reluctant guide warns good guys about one of his colleagues having experimented with animating the inanimate, heros sidekick proclaims that theyve all killed plenty of undead before and then ninety percent of the un-named side characters get slaughtered by golems. So, would that next challenge animate statues, or outright throw elementals at us? Either way, we had twenty days to break this horde, and hunt down the remnants of the first wave since, thank god, those monsters wouldnt be replaced. Though I noticed that there hadnt been anything in the message about how the monsters couldnt breed. Yeah, wed have to do a thorough sweep of the mountain later, breeding pairs of giant monster eagles would not be good for anyone. I looked at the bank of monitors hastily set up against one wall, showing us the feeds from the cameras outside. It had been a slapdash affair, with the corridors having gained a ridiculous number of tripping hazards in the form of cables until the Mandln had worked their magic, moving them a couple of centimeters down, burying them below the floor. The quality wasnt great, and neither were the screens the feeds were displayed on, but it was workable. Besides, the central figure in this fight, Karl der Gro?e, was more than able to see what was going on without such technological trifles. I might not know what Skill he had that let him do this, how it worked, or what its limitations were, but it seemed to be good enough. But even if I hadnt had the monitors to show me the outside, the look on the emperors face would have told me everything I needed to know about the current situation. We were well, we might be fucked, but we were definitely surrounded, with every screen being utterly covered in simple undead, ranging from a smattering of people who looked practically still alive, as though theyd been embalmed and put in the ground mere hours ago, to walking skeletons that merely had scraps left of flesh and cloth. Just enough to make them look extra-disgusting, unlike those completely clean and bleached bones seen on video game enemies. Also, there were multiple other kinds of enemies. Large hulking zombies that looked like the stereotypical zombie shooter bosses, rotten amalgamations that were basically a bunch of regular zombies half-liquefied and glued together, and a couple of giant skeletons that looked like a piece of art that some particularly morbid sculptor might have created, forging a large statue of a human skeleton, except each bone was actually a combination of multiple regular bones. Just sucks that we cant see their Levels through the screens. That had been Lukas Reinhart, the military and police liaison. I wasnt entirely sure just what his actual job or position were, just that he fulfilled the role and that when Id called Hofmann, hed confirmed that everything was kosher there. Suddenly, nameplates began to populate the screen, they were almost exclusively Level 1 skeletons or zombies. It was a good idea, Karl admitted. He was currently looming over the map table, leaning on it while glaring down at the tiny animated figures he saw. Once again, I wasnt entirely sure how he was making the table mirror the happenings in the real world, but clearly, he could. Somehow, that little model managed to not look like someones diorama or a Warhammer battlefield despite being just like those, functionally. Instead, it honestly, my imagination failed to provide me with an adequate comparison. However, I could say with certainty that nothing else could ever have conveyed the true scope of what were facing even half as well as that little scale model of the mountain. A large rock surrounded by a roiling ocean of tiny figures, a black swarm of the living dead speckled with monstrosities that stood out even on a scale of 1:5,000. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Most of the monsters seemed concentrated on the plateau outside the main entrance, though. I can use my portal to drop an incendiary weapon on any single target on the plateau, I announced. Chances were I wouldnt be called upon, but I figured it was vital for the commander of the defense operations to have all available information. I should probably have told him that before, but, well, all I could do was make sure not to fuck up like that again. Noted, the emperor replied, his hands clenching the table so tightly his knuckles became white. I just hoped that anger wasnt directed at me. *** Charlemagne That would have been very useful to learn beforehand. Or something that would have been nice to have figured out himself, because it really was quite obvious. Though [Automatic Logistics] told him that young Vogt had made sure to have the tools on hand to use his portal ability to its fullest, so perhaps things werent quite that bad. That being said, perhaps an announcement to remind people of the importance of sharing information like that was in order. So while one of his many strands of thought was already writing up that, his others were fully focussed on the current situation, [Manifold Mind] letting him process countless bits of information at once while he triggered every single Skill applicable to the situation. [Might of the Feather] only had limited utility here, being primarily good before combat started, but it nevertheless worked behind the scenes, burning at full power, the practically sapient energy crawling through the fortress communications systems to streamline anything and everything it touched, while figuring out the best way gain help from external sources. [Christian Legions] was likewise active at full power, ensuring that anyone who wanted to fight for truth, righteousness, and a shot at paradise would do so with unmatched fury, though it was disheartening to see how few gained this boon. In the meantime, [Expounded Advantages] boosted any aspect of the defense in which they were superior to their foes, shifting the balance of power slightly back into humanitys favor despite how utterly outmatched they were at the moment. And, of course, [Informatoin Network] had been sending out his orders since this whole affair had started. But it still felt like he was fighting a force stronger than anything hed ever seen before, and it was an unholy beast to boot that may even be unkillable. *** Dietrich Hed seen a lot of horrible things in his life. Monsters, monsters actions, and monstrous acts committed by humans. Hed even once seen knights trapped in a burning building drinking the blood of their slain comrades to sustain themselves. Of course, those same knights had been the ones who betrayed and murdered Siegfried and the people trying to kill them had broken just about every law of hospitality in existence, which was why hed not felt too sorry for either party and stayed out of it until the victims had slaughtered his men merely for trying to retrieve bodies for burial. And yet, even after seeing all that, he could unhesitatingly declare the sight before him as being the most horrifying thing hed ever seen. Rotten abominations of someone elses loved ones standing side by side, somehow simultaneously conveying extreme apathy and an utter hatred for anything that still drew breath. Dietrichs hand clenched around Mimungs hilt, but he didnt draw the sword. It wasnt time, not yet. His eyes roamed over their enemies, his various analysis Skills triggering. [Equalizer] let him drag supernatural foes down to his level, or rather, it provided him a roadmap to doing so if it was possible, but it wasnt, not with this foe. And just like with the monsters from the First Challenge, [Conqueror of Legends] assured him that there was no conquering this foe, no making it bend the knee, no averting it from its course to crush all of humanity save extreme violence to bring them to an absolute and final end that not even the System could resurrect them from. Which was where his final analysis ability came in. [Slayer of Myths]. Hed killed giants, both the regular and immortal kind, overcome invisible dwarves, and brought down legendary warriors. If something could die, hed know how to make that happen, even if he had to drag them down to the underworld with his own two hands. The Skill also thankfully warned him of any nasty surprises that a given foe might have for him. They cant spread their infection by biting, Dietrich announced. But theyre still extremely dirty, so be very careful with any wounds they cause. All undead are functionally immortal and can only be killed by destroying their skull, but that skull needs to be attached to the rest of the body for it to function. Even if theyre mostly made of flesh, there has to be a skull in the mix to destroy. As he spoke, Mia tapped on a button on the intercom and relayed this information to the throne room. It was weird. He knew that that device was horribly outdated based on what Tristan had taught him, and yet, to him, it was still a miracle. A miracle which, just like everything else in this mountain, would cease to exist if the enemies outside were to win.
Skeleton (raised human), Level 1
Zombie (raised human), Level 1
Undead Giant (raised Giant), Level 12 Field Boss
Rotforged (raised humans), Level 35 Raid Boss
Fractal Skeleton (raised humans), Level 35 Raid Boss
Bone Spider (raised amalgam), Level 11 Field Boss
Liquefied Horde (raised humans), Level 35 Raid Boss
Everything he saw was enough to trigger even his gag reflex, but the worst offender was the Rotforged, an already immense mass of flesh that was constantly absorbing more rotten meat from the corpses that were being absorbed into the Fractal Skeleton, forming a living wave of putrid human remains that was more than capable of reaching into the fortress through the arrowslits and ripping them apart. He was about to ask Mia to pass that information along as well, but at that point, the Rotforged was already surging toward them. Chapter 20: The Siege Dietrichs fist met the revolting tentacle as it passed through an arrowslit and he triggered [Titan Strike], the magic now inherent to him overriding the normal rules of nature and how such an action would normally have gone. A field of force wrapped around his gauntlet, gripping the flesh around the site of the impact, allowing him to shove the entirety of the invading limb back as one while adding immense amounts of additional force. There was a disgusting squelch as Rotforgeds tentacle bunched up on the inside of the hole it had come in through before something tore, splattering stinking fluids across the ground. The effect on the monster was not to be underestimated, though. The limb hed punched flew back out like a catapult stone, hammering into the monsters main body and sending it sliding halfway across the plateau outside. This is my position now, Dietrich declared, taking position right in the middle of the mess the tentacle had left behind. He was more than tough enough to survive in the soup of disease and pestilence, but the others probably didnt. Someone gagged. Someone else threw up. He studiously ignored both those things, Mia tossed him the bow and quiver hed left behind when hed sprinted over here from his previous spot, and fired an arrow into the mass outside, striking a skeleton on the head and shattering his skull. There was another brief moment of silence, and then the gunfire picked up again. Single shots only. Take your time, and aim well, there is only a single spot where you can hurt them, and out munitions are highly limited, he reminded them, though theyd obeyed before hed even finished the first sentence. Those firearms were powerful, but he preferred his familiar bow and arrow. Besides, the armory had far more munitions for those. In fact, it only had replacement arrows, their supply of bullets and other modern tricks was limited to what people had brought with them. The regular monsters were falling by the dozens, but there were hundreds before the doors, thousands on the plateau, and likely millions around the mountain. But there was far more out there than just regular animated corpses. The Rotforged, specifically, was already pulling itself back together, spitting out the various lesser creatures that had been squished into it when hed thrown it back. And now, his [Dangersense] was really blaring away, seeming to have finally decided that particular creature was worth highlighting even amidst all its fellows. What was that modern idiom about people who made obvious and therefore superfluous statements? Ah, right, Captain Obvious. That was what this Skill was. But he was limited in what he could do from here. His Sword Art could be used at range but would be difficult to employ through an arrowslit, throwing a sword felt like a pointless exercise in futility even if he used [A Sword Borrowed] to ensure he didnt have to go look for it later. At least it was moving slowly enough that [Titan Strike] would be available again before he needed to remove the creature once more. But how many times would he get a full minute between attacks? And how long before his efforts to remove the invader filled this space with enough rotten flesh to kill them through sheer proximity? Mia tapped him on the shoulder, making sure to stay out of the puddle of filth he was standing in. Yes? he asked, barely managing to avoid snapping at her. It was probably important if she was disturbing him. She pointed at the big Enhanced Skeleton closest to the entrance. Do you know where the skull controlling it is? Dead center of its chest, he said while unleashing another arrow into the horde. Not at one of the big suckers, though, his bow didnt have the power to penetrate their exterior, and ripping them apart with his sword would require them to come far closer. Though it seemed like Mia had an idea Space twisted and warped before his very eyes as her sword flashed through the air, a silver ray of death striking the large monster and carving through it from top to bottom and doing absolutely nothing. Until the monster simply toppled over, dead. How had she right. Her Sword Art bypassed armor, and while the bone that covered the skull was immensely thick, it was only a single layer. So if all that counted as armor, she could effectively destroy anything out there with a single hit, every ten minutes. Though now the next time they sparred, itd be hard to concentrate on anything save figuring out how to block that ability. Good job, he told her and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her grin broadly despite the situation and the stench in the room. Monsters at the gate! And there was the warning hed been dreading. Dietrich turned around and took two steps back, then looked down into the murder hole positioned there. Dozens of undead were already there, banging against the stone slab that pretended to be the fortress door, and dozens more were coming in every second, piling on top of the existing attackers, both increasing the pressure against the gate and rapidly gaining height. About ten minutes until they were literally boiling up through the murder hole. Use the gasoline, then drop stones in two min- Dietrich was in the middle of ordering when his [Danger Sense] blared even louder, warning him of something that wasnt merely a threat in the area but a clear and present danger. He whirled and met the next invasion attempt with another [Titan Strike], blasting back the Rotforged. Next Challenge, hell, next wave, hed better have a place where he could fight with his sword, because being cooped up in here was a nightmare that locked him out of using any of his big attacks. Because outside, the Rotforged was once again pulling itself back together, the skull binding it frustratingly intact. *** Tristan That thing was absolutely terrifying, its tentacles continued to pull itself back together every time Dietrich punched it. I itched to open a portal and pour fifty liters of napalm over it, but Id hold off until our general told me to. The knowledge hed shared with me had already highlighted it as a major threat but there might be a reason why he was holding off. There was certainly a part of me that revolted at the idea of using a trump card this early in the fi- Mr. Vogt, burn the Rotforged, Karl ordered. Or maybe Id been right, and the expert had merely taken a couple of extra seconds to eliminate all other options. I stepped a few meters to the side, raised both hands and held them out, palms facing towards the ground, and triggered [Guides Shortcut]. Suddenly, the floor was replaced by a horizontal portal that sat flush with the ground, a circular hole that put me far closer to the action than Id ever wanted to be. My head instantly started swimming, both from the stench and the sudden shift in perspective as I was suddenly standing next to a five-meter drop, staring down into oblivion. Though Id already been doing what I had to by the time the nausea hit me and that was enough. As far as actions taken purely through not letting yourself distracted because youd already been in the middle of doing it, this wasnt quite as metal as walking several steps after being decapitated as the legendary pirate Klaus St?rtebecker had managed. But honestly, I was still quite pleased with the fact that this worked. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Napalm manifested beneath my hands, pouring out in a thick sheet that splattered across the monster below, which immediately began to thrash, the stench of gasoline briefly overpowering the smell of the corpses. And then, he pulled a road flare straight into my hand from my [Diplomatic Pouch]. It was one of those that could be triggered purely by yanking on a string, with all the various safety locks already removed before Id stored it. So I pulled on the string and dropped it, slamming closed the portal before anything could come through. Then, my head snapped up to stare at the row of monitors, watching the seemingly invincible boss become engulfed in flames until the voice of the System distracted me. [Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 16 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 17] [Skill gained: Piercing Gaze] So, apparently using my Skills to fight also gave me XP, even if my Class wasnt geared towards that. Or maybe it had merely been a matter of experimenting with Skills boosting me?
You may see the true allegiances of anyone you gaze upon, directly or through mirrors, scrying spells, or video conferences, as long as you are seeing them as they are, not as they were.
Oh, that would be very useful, though Id have to experiment with it to see just what it did. And this wasnt exactly something useful right at this moment. Or something I felt like focussing on under these circumstances. Not with the monster barbeque going on outside. The flesh golem was engulfed in clouds of nasty-looking black smoke as it thrashed and flailed. That stuff might not have been proper military-grade napalm, but it burned hot, clung like glue and there was a lot of it. I thought I could even see the monster drying out, bits and pieces of it completely falling off while its movements left behind fewer rancid smears on the ground. Then, the creature tried to surge right back into the main shooting gallery, only to be blasted back one final time by Dietrich. This time, it didnt merely go splat but crashed into the ground, breaking apart into multiple pieces. Still moving, but largely disabled. The fight continued on from there, being basically a continuation of what had happened so far. Undead marched against walls, some got shot, many more reached the walls and or, in the case of the main entrance, the door, and started clawing at it. All the while, most bosses seemed content to stay back, waiting. But the monsters as a whole kept moving, kept coming, piling up against the walls, rising higher and higher until their corpses became a ramp. [Righteous Fury]! Charlemagne suddenly thundered and a wave of gold washed out from him, passing through the surrounding rock and hammering into the undead outside, hurling them back and clearing the area around the walls, but that was all. Wed taken down maybe a quarter of our lesser foes, and that alone had been enough to practically breach the walls. The next shockwave would only be pushing enemies and corpses against the point where the first ramps had been pushed back to, and judging from the look on the emperors face, he wouldnt be able to do that again anytime soon. That wasnt even touching most of the big fuckers. Dietrich or Ogier could likely easily kill them individually, or even three at a time, but four or five plus a zombie horde could easily be beyond even them. And Karl der Gro?e, well, he didnt have too many combat powers. His military was based on forging his forces into a deadly weapon through logistics, promoting effective officers, and ensuring high morale, then going on well-thought-out campaigns. Not tactical brilliance or personal combat power. Now, his Class and Skills reflected that. Given a few weeks or even months to work his magic, hed have been more useful than Dietrich and Ogier put together by an order of magnitude. But hed barely had five days, and that was counting the time it had taken for people to come to him in the first place. So we were left with the current situation. I could see it now, the various firing bunkers dotted around the perimeter of the mountain being overrun eventually, with the people manning them collapsing the tunnels behind them as they retreated. Until the main door was eventually breached too. Wed be able to lead the monsters on a merry chase through the mountain, we had seventy square kilometers of rock to run around in and possibly even win, eventually, but it would be a disaster. The signs were already there. It had barely taken a couple of minutes before people had resorted to burning the corpses at the bottom of their fortifications and theyd started dropping the anvil-sized rocks meant to further break down the ramps, but neither of those resources was in infinite supply. Next time, were using your portal to deploy or retrieve Ogier, Charlemagne said. But that incendiary of yours is impressive, make as much of that for the murder holes the next time you have the chance. Do you have enough to repeat that portal trick if this lasts until tomorrow? I shook my head. I have a little napalm, but that was my only road flare. While this entire mountain being automatically and magically lit was amazing in general, but this would have been so much easier if Id just had access to torches to chuck down there. Here, Reinhart said, handing me something from a belt pocket and I nearly dropped the grenade in shock. Its a flashbang, he explained. Dont know how hot that road flare was, but I guarantee, thats hotter. At least at the point of ignition. Thank you, I said and carefully tucked it away in my storage Skill and went right back to staring at the monitors, watching corpses pile higher and higher until I had a lightbulb moment. Skills were all about visualization, werent they? They could be used outside of their intended purpose, they could be abused, and their identity could be shifted until a relatively innocent transport ability became a devastating fire bomb delivery system. So I focussed on the piles of corpses outside. They were no longer animated, they were dead, they were, disrespectful as that was to say, trash marring the previously pristine surface of the mountain. And I had a cleaning Skill. [Restoration of the Old] washed out from me, encompassing the entirety of the mountain, and began to, well, clean. Id managed to figure out how to modify where the Skill deposited the trash yesterday when mucking out the kitchens, collecting all the refuse in the trash can rather than my hand, so I threw in that concept as well, compressing the re-killed corpses into small blocks around a liter in volume and stacking them as far from the mountain as I could until I felt my knees buckle and my head start to throb. For a brief second, I held it, maintaining the connection, but it seemed like Id hit a hard limit, and it snapped, leaving many blocks to drop out of the air mid-transit.The walls were clear, though. Ow, I groaned. I think pushing Skills too far might be a bad idea. Itll get better at higher Levels. I think, Charlemagne said. My [Righteous Fury] was clearly meant for personal protection, not that. How long until you can do that again? I checked and sighed at the number that stared back at me. So that was the kind of stunt that was required to hit the maximum cooldown. The highest Id previously hit was an hour when Id fixed up Dietrichs hidden armory. Twelve hours, I replied. And with that, I went right back to staring at monitors. This was a frustrating situation. I wasnt built for combat, I literally didnt have the build for it, in role-playing terms, I was the face, important for social interactions but not combat. But that didnt make staying in the command center fun. Being able to stay away from combat didnt feel like a reward. Or a boon. Or any other synonym for good. Strange as it was to say, it felt like a punishment. Admittedly, I could charge in, but I wouldnt make much of a difference. Any real difference. Dietrich was a beast even stuck in what basically amounted to a medieval pillbox.Ogier too. Mia had managed to figure out how to one-shot Field Bosses and was using that trick every chance she got. Me? I was just like any of those volunteers. No, actually, I was worse, not being able to use a gun. Well, I knew which end the bullets came out of, knew about the common-sense rules of handling them like always assuming they were loaded, never pointing them at something I didnt want to shoot and keeping my finger off the trigger until I was ready to fire, but as far as reloading or even switching off the safety went nope. The most I could do was use [Diplomatic Pouch] to ferry around supplies. Where is the German army? Charlemagne eventually asked Reinhart. Shouldnt this be the best target for modern bombers, with all foes clustered in one place? Probably, he admitted, then opened his mouth to reply and froze, unsure of what to say. The Bundeswehr is currently undergoing a massive overhaul, I said. Only about half of any given vehicle type are operational at any one time and due to strong military allies, supplies are generally limited. We can probably get bombers dispatched if we need them, but theyre probably hard-pressed to safeguard the rest of the nation. Not to mention that there were numerous issues with modern weaponry that made it useless against ground-based swarms. Anything meant for anti-air use would be hard to bring to bear, precision missiles would likely have a hard time locking onto bosses simply due to not being designed for that and I sincerely doubted the Bundeswehr had too many extremely powerful bombs for wiping out groups since there wasnt much call for that in this modern world. But Id already explained all that to him, I wasnt going to repeat it. And then, Charlemagne began to swear. I couldnt see the issue on the monitors, however, so this problem was probably new. Chapter 21: Boss Fights Ogier There are undead in the caves. Oh, that that was bad. Ogier didnt even bother holding back on the swearing as he stormed out of his previous assigned position, a so-called pillbox on the far side of the mountain from the throne room. There were multiple caves in the Untersberg, ones that werent connected to the fortress. But if they were filled with undead, they might be able to dig into places they werent supposed to go from there. But sheer urgency wasnt the only reason hed taken off like a bat out of hell. The safety of his previous position might have protected him, but it also limited him to an absurd degree. Though Absurd was a good way to describe everything that had happened in the last five days, starting with his own powers and ending with the monsters he fought. However, it was his abilities that were tripping him up the most. Before, any skill he acquired was one he gained through training and could therefore understand. Nowadays he had to read the description of something he could do, he needed someone to explain his own abilities to him, and half the time, he still needed to test out several things to make sure everything worked. But work things did. He wanted to find out what was behind the System at some point, and until that happened, hed gladly use the powers it provided to crush its minions. It only took him a couple of minutes to reach the spot his emperor had indicated, though the full path description hadnt been needed, the sound of countless hands scratching and clawing at the stone was unmissable and utterly terrifying. Wait for them to come to me or breach the wall to meet them in there? Ogier asked into the empty air. Normally, helping the enemy break in was a terrible idea, but right now, it should let him control where the enemy breached. Meet them, but stop your advance once you run into a split and wait until Dietrich von Bern can replace you as a guard, his emperor responded. Communications had mostly been kept to modern intercoms to lighten the load on the emperors mind and automatically keep everyone in the loop without his having to directly inform others, but there were situations where taking full advantage of magical communications was necessary. Like the current one. Ogier drew back his fist and punched the stone, causing cracks to radiate out from the point of impact. Normally, this would be the point where the people on the other side reacted, froze up, or at the very least, paused. Instead, the scratching and clawing kept up as a steady, horrifying, metronome. So he punched the wall again and again, until he finally spun, took a few steps back, and charged at the spot hed been hammering away at, triggering [Shockwave Impact] as he struck it. Instead of inadvertently kissing stone as he smacked into the rock, he came to a dead stop while all the force of his body passed into his target, which was promptly blasted away, pulverizing the lesser enemies behind it. It was terrifying to see how much of the wall had already been torn out, and Ogier realized that if the monsters beyond hadnt suddenly gained an entrance, theyd have ripped open a ten-meter-wide breach into the fortress, instead of the one-meter gap that hed made. And on the other side of that gap sat a massive melted-looking skeleton that had to stand at least three meters tall and was already moving to go after him with its emotionless motions, not even having paused for a single second. These things were just plain wrong. Ogier had had many different hair-raising encounters, seen plenty of strange behaviors, but be it self-destructive zealotry or cold, reptilian, calculation, theyd been human emotions. This thing, on the other hand just it just did what it was supposed to, based on instructions from an entity beyond mortal understanding, to such an absurd degree that it could hardly even be called obedience anymore. Abomination this massive fusion of several lesser skeletons might be, however, it was weak. A single strike with Ogiers shield shattered the field boss against the far wall of the cave and he stepped into the narrow channel carved through the mountain by water or some other natural force. Then, he just started smashing undead on either side of him with wide swings, until the flood of monsters dried up from his left, where a dead end lay. At that point, he just right and triggered [Indomitable Momentum]. That was a fun Skill. Simply put, if an impact would not have been enough to slow him appreciably normally, it didnt slow him at all while under the influence of this ability. And skeletons weighed far less than an adult human before one considered just how massive Ogier was all on his own, let alone when he was wrapped in Skill-enhanced armor that likely weighed as much as he did by this point. In other words, not once did he have to slow down or turn around because hed knocked down an enemy without destroying their skull, he just plowed right through them, leaving greasy smears on the ground and bone powder floating in the air until he reached a larger cavern and ran straight into the strangest zombie hed ever seen. It was not only rotten, it was dripping, bits and pieces half-melting and dragging along the floor or connecting it to similarly disgusting fellows, all of whom seemed to be in the exact same state. Hed have been able to guess that this was yet another of those strangely unified mobs of monsters that shared their power in some way even without the nameplate.
Liquefied Horde (raised humans), Level 35 Raid Boss
Wonderful. At least he was mostly immune to disease according to this Skill because this was easily going to be the most disgusting thing hed ever done, and that was including the time hed chased a murderer through the sewers after the local guard had all been too squeamish to do so. The horde began to shuffle around to face him even as the strings of decay that connected the individual beasts seemed to harden and become physically powerful, lashing onto parts of the wall or lifting individuals out of the mass, hovering above the rest, seemingly ready to drop down onto him. Ogier stepped back, seizing the head of the monster hed run into and yanking it back, severing its connection to the rest with Cortain. The strings snapped and the monster stopped moving for a brief second before it went feral, scratching and clawing at his arm with the strength and ferocity of a rabid animal. So while he decapitated the next-closest zombie, he crushed his captives head with a single clench of his fist. In an instant, it stopped moving, limbs hanging limply. He dropped it and turned to face the rest, only to see black ribbons of liquid snap past him in the direction of the monster that hed thought dead, while the decapitated corpse in front of him rose to its feet, headless, its skull nowhere to be seen. Ogier whirled around to see the corpse there in the exact same state, dead but puppeted by the strings of liquefied flesh. So he slashed through those strings and the zombie dropped to the ground but the connection was already reestablishing itself. He swore internally, not willing to open his mouth in the slightest with all this filth in the air, and charged into the mass of shambling, dripping, corpses, [Titanic Presence] burning at full power, ensuring that even with him no longer guarding the entrance that led to the breach, any undead that entered the cavern would be going for him. And if this enemy required him to crush every single skull in this mass of foes, he would. [Indomitable Momentum] carried him deep into the mass until he felt himself slowing down, then [Shockwave Impact] sent everything in front of him sprawling. Ogier spun, swinging Cortain in a wide arc, [Cleave] bisecting half the undead there. Even if it wouldnt stop any of them, it would definitely slow them. So while the swarm animated those and the back lines charged over the sea of their barely mobile fellows, he returned to the entrance, making sure to stomp on every skull he found before their bearers could get back up. And from there, he waded right back into the mass. There were undead flung at him from above, but those splattered off his armor like bugs on a riders helmet. Ogiers skin began to burn both with revulsion and literal pain as the liquid connecting the undead dripped through the gaps in his protection. It would have been worse without his sheer toughness, but it was still plenty horrifying with it, on every conceivable level. He. Didnt. Care. Any chance he got, Cortain hacked through an undead limb or torso, his left arm flashed out to knock back or crush anything he could reach, and whenever he stomped over a downed enemy, a skull exploded into bone shards, and the last vestiges of brains that were yet to drip out of the bottom. Eventually, Ogier found himself standing on a pile of dead that were still moving. But he didnt spot a single strike head that was still intact enough to animate everything what the fuck? Another [Cleave] brought the tallest enemies back down, buying him the time to look around. Was that thing buried beneath the rest no, there was yet another string leading off into a dark corner of the cavern. He stormed over and severed it, and the slowly rising mass fell back down into a pile. Of course, yet another strand began to wiggle out of the corner, trying to animate the rest. That was where the skull from the first monster hed decapitated had gone. With the string leading him, it was easy enough to find the skull and stomp it into paste. Instantly, everything stopped moving. Finally. So, you guard the cavern, I clean out the branching corridors until we can advance, rinse and repeat until were outside? Dietrich von Bern asked from the fortress-facing entrance. Ogier nodded grimly. Watch your step, he warned, gesturing at the mess. Dietrich just grimaced and carefully picked his way through the piles of rot and dead bodies, into one of the branching corridors. So that was how they advanced. Clearing corridors until they came to a fork, then the emperor told them which led outside and which was a branch that could be cleared, then one would hold the fork and the other would make sure they wouldnt be leaving behind anything as they advanced towards the exit. *** Mia Can you hold the position here? Dietrich asked and barely gave her enough time to nod before he whirled around and ran deeper into the mountain to follow the alert the emperor had sent out. Thankfully, the remaining Raid Bosses were staying back, waiting their turn, otherwise, it would not have been fine. But the Field Bosses she could handle with ease. If she could land a single hit on her targets skull, or, at the very least, the skull animating everything, she could take them down. But Raid Bosses seemed to exist on an entirely different level. There was only one still out there, the Fractal Skeleton, the giant skeleton made up of smaller skeletons, but she had no idea how shed deal with that thing once it attacked. Hopefully, someone else would be around to deal with that. Though she had to admit, there was an undeniable temptation to try to take it down herself. Find another facet of her abilities, be they acquired or System-given, and figure out a way to hurt an enemy who should be beyond her in every respect. To grow to match the challenge before her and surpass it. She knew it was a bad idea, but it was nevertheless what she wanted to do. Once she could. Down below, the pile of dead bodies was building back up, the fires burning low as the gasoline ran out or the flames were smothered by more bodies covering them. Somehow, the horde outside had shrunk massively, part of it having bled away to a new battlefield, but that still left way too many of them. In the distance, two more Field Bosses lurched into motion. One was a bunch of bones smashed together into a roughly humanoid shape, and the other was an undead giant. Literally. A giant that had died at some point, been mummified by one natural process or other, and was now moving once again, having risen under the power of the System. Mia put down the bow shed borrowed to make herself useful while her Skill was on cooldown and whipped out Balmung. [Sword Art: A Blade Across Time and Space] triggered with the familiar sensation of space-time shifting beneath her sword, reality itself twisting and warping as though it were mere aluminum foil being carved apart by an infinitely harder and more well-forged tool of war. Anyone else saw a mesmerizing display of weirdness, but she saw something truly beautiful. A blade that could cut anything, even the most fundamental building blocks of this world, the highest form of swordsmanship she could imagine, carving through space and time under her own power right now, it might only be something she could do while this Skill was active, but it also was a glimpse into the heights that could be reached. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The heights she strove to reach. Her sword was in her hands, not even long enough for the tip to reach outside the fortress, and yet, it reached the enemy, all the way out there, past all the armor her target had. And the fused-together collection of bones was ninety-nine percent armor, with the only thing the Skill would strike being the skull that animated the whole thing. At first, shed needed Dietrich to point out the locations of that weak point, but at some point in the fight, something had just one click, and shed started to uncover her target simply based on how her target held itself. Or maybe, it was just the [Experience] Skill shed gained around that time, she hadnt had a chance to look up what it actually did, but it seemed to accelerate her learning. Her shimmering blade passed through the massive skeleton and in an instant, it stiffened up, stopped, and keeled over. Dead. [Legends Squire Lv.18 -> Legends Squire Lv. 19] [Skill gained: Preternatural Pericognition] Thankfully, the System considered her current place to be out of combat. That way, she could gain Levels even in the middle of a fight. But the second Field Boss had trampled over all the smaller critters and was now hammering away at the doors, the cracking and grinding sounds that had accompanied the entire fight growing ever louder. Fuck! Mia took off for the stairs. Get reinforcements to the main gate, throw every bit of gasoline outside the door, and use all the grenades. Ill handle the boss! she snapped. Charlemagne said something at that, one of his Skills allowing her and, presumably, everyone else to her his orders. It basically boiled down to do that, hold back the zombie giant, Dietrich and Ogier will sweep up the rest from the rear. Where theyd be coming from wasnt mentioned, but honestly, Mia trusted the elderly emperor. If he said theyd handle the rest, theyd handle the rest. A few days ago, trying to run down the stairs would have gone well for maybe a couple of seconds, then shed have inevitably tripped and wound up at the bottom with a concussion. The Mia of a few days ago was not the Mia of today. She left the bottom of the stairs at such speeds that she didnt even have to keep running, she just planted her feet and slid into the center of the corridor, and drew Balmung, which shed sheathed while running. And then, she stood there, listening to the groans of the abused gate and the loud booming impacts of the giants fists striking stone, all the while watching the numbers dictating the period until her strongest Skill would become available again spiraling ever closer to zero. Would she have to face that thing without her Sword Art? Possibly. But then again, that was just a chance to evolve her [Second Blank Sword Art] into a Sword Art she could actually use. The stone above her cracked, a large sheet of rock breaking off and shattering across the ground below, adding to the carpet of shards that had already been there. An empty, dead in more than one sense, eye stared out through the hole, and a distant part of her mind, one trained on action movies and cliches, warned her that it was about to reach through the hole and grab her, but nothing of the sort happened. The zombie just kept punching while she retreated several steps back, in case the door flew further than expected when it was finally battered down. In fact, it was a bonafide miracle that it was still intact. Metal, when subjected to external force, bent. You had to subject it to ridiculous amounts of force to actually get it to break. Rock, like what the gate was made up of, might be tough but once it broke, it broke. That gate well, it was about as magic as everything else about this place, which was to say, very. There were some very interesting things she could probably do with a material like that if she were allowed to play with it. People usually thought of Tristan as the smart one, but that wasnt entirely true. He knew a lot more randomly useful facts than she did, but the depth of her knowledge in her chosen profession of engineering was considerable. Even if she was mostly a swordfighter nowadays, she had other skills and interests which had precisely no place in the current situation. Her Sword Art came off cooldown as she stared at her enemy, who was still battering away at the gate, which was now so badly thrashed that she could see the sea of flames behind it. It seemed like she really would be able to fight that thing on its own. It would still be a problem. This thing didnt have a single regular human skull buried deep within itself she could destroy, just one massive lump of giants bone that shed have to somehow destroy, all without being able to rely on her armor-bypassing prowess. [Sword Art: A Blade Across Time and Space] whipped out, her sword once again carving through the world and striking the top of the giants head and stuck fast. Sure, it had carved almost thirty centimeters deep, but that was nowhere close to being able to split a skull that huge. What it did manage to do was get the damn thing mad. No, mad was the wrong word. Undead didnt get mad. They saw something that had managed to hurt them, and then, they prioritized. The giant ceased its unflinching advance, turned to glare at her, and lashed out with a massive fist. Mia threw herself to the side and was still pelted with small stones as the ground at the point of impact exploded under the strike. Rolling to her feet, she lashed out with Balmung, cutting its wrist down to the bone and a little beyond that, but it wasnt enough to hinder it in any appreciable way. The monster rose back to its feet and closed the distance but Mia flung herself past it, carving through its left ankle. It spun and lashed out, but once again, she dodged and the massive fist went straight through the door shed been standing before and the giant found itself stuck briefly. Just long enough for Mia to jump behind it and go after its tendons there. It was undead, and skeletons could move without any flesh, but hopefully, zombies could be crippled. Or at the very least, slowed. Balmung flashed, carving into undead flesh and she just kept slashing, ducked under the monsters backhand as it freed its arm, and went right back to attacking. Tendons didnt seem to be a weak points, but spots where bones met were, so she started stabbing and hacking, until the voice of the System rang out in her ear, barely reaching her through the fog she found herself under. But the meaning was nevertheless clear. Her [Second Blank Sword Art] had evolved and she could feel that it had become something perfectly suited to her current foe. So Mia triggered it and felt the world dissolve around her, images of her foe from every angle flashing through her mind before she suddenly found herself back at her original spot, but staring at a very different image. The monster was still alive but slashed to ribbons, every single spot she would have targeted having been ripped apart in less than a second. As though it were aware of the fact that she hadnt heard it properly the first time, the System repeated itself. [Skill Evolution: Second Blank Sword Art -> Sword Art: Crows Peck the Eagle] The monster was still alive, so she didnt look at the description, but it was in such a horrible shape that finishing it off was easy. All she had to do was walk around it and start hacking away at its head until it was split in two and the creature finally stilled.
Sword Art: Crows Peck the Eagle When fighting against a superior enemy, trigger this Sword Art to strike at every single weakpoint you can reach simultaneously. Strikes do not have significant armor penetration potential. Can be used every ten minutes.
So, basically, one-woman wolfpack tactics. Mia grinned briefly before turning to face the entrance, readying herself for the next enemy. Instead, she came face to face with Dietrich, whod just finished carving his way through the undead there and then, she gagged. The stench of the undead might have been bad, but shed grown blind to it pretty quickly. But whatever unholy abomination of a substance had wound up on Dietrichs armor, it smelled a hundred thousand times worse. How are you doing? he asked. Fine, Ill clean up in here, she shouted back, gesturing at the area around herself. Because even wild horses wouldnt be enough to get her to go anywhere near the ancient king. *** Dietrich It was wrong, he knew it was wrong, but he was nevertheless relieved to hear that he had a task that involved him personally engaging an enemy, rather than being stuck behind an arrowslit. Mia was more than qualified to handle his previous job. He ran through the narrow corridors of the mountain until he reached the breach. Though it looked strange. Not enough rubble inside the corridor, too much rubble in the cave. Had someone broken the wall from the fortress, not from the cave? But all became clear when he stepped into the cave properly, and saw how much had been torn apart from the other end, it made sense. Dietrich turned right, as Charlemagne had instructed, and hurried that way, feeling the corpses underfoot squelch wetly. Clearly, Ogier had already done quite a lot of work here. He followed the trail until he met up with the other man in a cavern that stunk to high heaven, and they proceeded to rip through everything else in the caves until they found themselves outside. He blinked up into the slowly darkening evening sky, then returned his gaze to the ground. It was covered in dead bodies, but very few of them were still moving. Ill guard the entrance, Ogier announced. Thank you, Dietrich replied and started running towards the main entrance, hoping things hadnt gone badly while hed been gone. The handful of monsters still standing werent able to slow him in the least, they literally provided so little resistance to Mimung that he couldnt tell whether it was cutting flesh or being waved through empty air. And then, the entrance came into view, engulfed in fire, with the doors beyond having been smashed in. And beyond that was a giant zombie fighting something. He couldnt see. But his main concern was the Fractal Skeleton, which had already lurched into motion and was making its way towards the entrance. The people still there simply werent set up to fight something like that. So he charged, and before he even struck it, the monster turned to face him, hollow eye sockets staring at him. If it had been a piece of art, it would have been a masterpiece, a perfectly replicated human skeleton made up of smaller sculptures of regular-sized bones, each carved in intricate detail. But it wasnt art, just a sick joke from an inhuman system. [Sword Art: Giantsplitter] A simple power, but a good one. Mimung came in low and swept high, unleashing a wave of energy to bisect the monster in one swift move. The monster fell apart in two halves, both of which hit the ground with a loud clatter, never to rise again. Being able to see the animating skull made this far too easy. But, this being a so-called Raid Boss,this monster wasnt nearly so easy to put down. Creaking and clattering, the two pieces began to rebuild themselves into smaller parts while the random assortment of bones spread about the place began to form seemingly random collections of odds and ends that somehow managed to keep moving even though there was no skull to move them. [Slayer of Myths] activated, helpfully highlighting that these enemies werent actually animated themselves, but existed as an extension of the entire Fractal Skeleton, and would keep moving as long as any part of the Boss was still alive. Dietrich glared at the mess, then threw himself at the closer enemy while summoning a copy of Balmung using [A Sword Borrowed] to hurl at the other one. It carved clean through the monster and, more importantly, the animating skull while he fell upon his main target, leaping at it and hammering Mimung through its chest, riding it to the ground as it collapsed, and began to hack, slash, and stomp on any skull that might potentially become the animation core of the next iteration of this monster. Until his target was down, and broke apart into countless smaller minions. [A Brush With Death] triggered right on cue, the world around him slowing to a crawl while everything around him became illuminated in stark relief even though most of it was outside his line of sight, granting him all the time he needed to plan and all the information he needed to make said plan a good one. So he took full advantage, feeling his plans settle into his muscles and bones, preparing to perfectly carry out his intentions, before reality snapped back into place. Dietrich bent out of the way of the giant monsters fist like a willow in a storm, bringing up Mimung in an arc to hack off a limb he couldnt even see, then continued that move into a leap onto a nearby rock off which he then kicked off. A [Titan Strike] boosted the force and he hammered into the monsters chest with enough force to send it to the ground. And then, he began to hack it apart until it stopped animating itself. [King of Adventure Lv. 51-> King of Adventure Lv. 53] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Furious Power] So that was what that looked like. Dietrich rose to his feet, scanned the area around him for immediate concerns, and then hurried towards the entrance. The zombie giant was gone, but that didnt necessarily mean that things were fine. But as it turned out, he neednt have worried. Mia had ripped that thing to pieces. Though it looked like she needed to get a stronger stomach, she was looking a little green though then why was she looking at him like that? And telling him to stay outside? Dietrich glanced down at himself and sniffed. Phew. Yeah, he couldnt blame her, he wouldnt want to be around himself either. That horde in the cave had been re-pug-nant. *** Tristan I turned to Reinhart and asked Can you contact your direct superiors and ask about the current state of affairs? And if they need help, tell them to contact me. Whatll you be doing? he asked. Getting my ducks in a row for when I need to act as an ambassador, I replied, gesturing to the papers scattered across the picnic table Id had brought in since the main table was currently in use by Charlemagne. Good luck with that, Reinhart snorted. Better you than me. I raised an eyebrow. Any jokes youve ever heard or made about the German bureaucracy, its a thousand times worse when youre actually interacting with the government on its own level. I groaned. Id rather clean up the rotting flesh outside with my bare hands than put myself through that. But that wasnt my job and, quite frankly, even if it were, [Restoration of the Old] would clean more in a minute than I could in a week if I used my hands. Anyway, I needed to find out who was still good to go, hopefully, Dietrich, Mia, and Ogier would still be ready and then, they could hopefully go help the Bundeswehr punch out a few of the nastier enemies. And I also needed to do a ton of other stuff. I was in the middle of trying to figure out the best place to put the mass grave wed be burying the re-killed undead in when my phone rang. Yes? I answered, my standard reply for when the number calling was neither in my contacts nor one I recognized. No sense in giving potential scammers information they didnt already have. This is Polizeidirektor Hoffmann, Mr. Vogt. Or maybe, someone I knew was calling me from a different number. Right, what do you need? I asked. Weve still got undead in most of Germany and that includes a Raid Boss in the middle of Cologne we cant really go after with heavy weaponry. Mr. Reinhart said you offered to help? I can offer you Dietrich von Bern, Ogier Danske, and Mia Vogt in terms of help, most of us are either recovering or cleaning up down here, I replied. But is that the only Raid Boss you know about? Yes? Theres probably at least one more. We had three at the mountain, and were pulling from an area slightly larger than Germany, of which we barely cover a third. Chances are, we grabbed one from your area of responsibility, leaving two. And were missing one, Hofmann sighed. Any tips for finding it? Look at anything really big, or any unusually cohesive swarms. Checking the nameplate is the only way to be certain, I said. So, do you want reinforcements, and if yes, when can you send a helicopter to pick them up? Ten minutes. That was short. Had the chopper already been on the way? Either way, that was enough time to wrangle the reinforcements Id promised. *** Charlemagne As things calmed down, the voice of the System spoke into his mind, awarding him the just rewards for the entire mess. [Emperor of Order Lv. 49 -> Emperor of Order Lv. 50] [Class Evolution:Emperor of Order Lv. 50 -> Legendary Emperor of Renaissance Lv. 51] [Ascendant Capstone Skill gained: Soul of the Empire] [Skill gained: Nexus of Knowledge] Karl der Gro?e grinned as he read the description of this Ascendant Capstone.
Ascendant Capstone: Soul of the Empire The Soul of the Empire cannot be slain by anything other than a direct, face-to-face confrontation. However, the Soul cannot survive for very long without an empire to be bound to. They do not need to be in charge, and they can switch between empires, but they do need to be bound to one in more ways than merely being a citizen.
His life might be bound to his empire, but his empire would last for a thousand years. Chapter 22: Arthur/Fionn/Joseph Arthur This was the grand Second Challenge, the countless monsters that were supposed to be able to crush the strongest this modern world had to offer? A few thousand simple undead that the company of soldiers hed been assigned would have been able to mow them down with ease. All on their own. The whole thing was less a story of one mythical warrior against the horde and more akin to a child kicking over an anthill. A single [Grand Slash] had cratered the center of the enemy horde, and hed leaped into said crater, standing there, waiting, watching the zombies and skeletons try to rush him and wind up falling down the surprisingly steep sides of the hole. Also, with him being at the bottom of a crater, the soldiers on the surface had had clear lines of fire, and their bullets had ripped clean through the monsters up there. Like a reapers scythe through wheat. Of course, hed annihilated twice as many undead all on his own, and was now reduced to a position he absolutely hated. Specifically, that of someone waiting for news, for more to happen. In his mind, it was part of what had led to the civil war that had ruined Camelot. He couldnt stand sitting on his throne, waiting for news about how a situation resolved itself, he had to fix it himself. That was a damn good thing when it came to monsters, be they titanic boars or malicious witches, few people other than him could have beaten them. But being away had nevertheless weakened his position as king. And the current situation was the worst of both worlds. He was away from the action, wherever it might be taking place, left to do little but await word on the goings on. But he was also not in charge, able to direct matters and win through tactics rather than personal power. He was truly useless in the fight against the Second Challenge, without him having done anything to deserve it, and it was driving him up the wall. *** Fionn Just how large an area had they summoned the monsters from? There were five of them, five warriors of ancient times present, and apparently, theyd drawn the ire of what felt like half the beasts in Europe to square off against the five members of the Fianna in their little fortress of mud and sticks. It would have taken a single second to draw on the Thumb of Wisdom, and a handful more to lock down the location of system monsters he couldnt find or search for directly but was able to see indirectly. Yet even that seemingly infinitesimal amount of time hadnt been available. He literally had not been able to stop using his dominant right hand to fight long enough that he could scry the surrounding world. The very instant the clock had hit zero, an army had appeared around them, surrounding the heavily reinforced and enchanted encampment at a steady distance of five hundred meters. And then, theyd charged. Conn, Goll, and Ossian had opened fire with their bows, Caoilte had started hurling javelins at superhuman speeds, and Fionn had started to cast spells. Grand workings that had been beyond even the Tuatha de Dannan in his first lifetime, his magic boosted by the System and his Levels, yet also shaped by the strangely invisible construct, forced into molds with specific real-world expressions. A name, a tier, a set effect. [Flame Walls] erupted around their camp, incinerating countless monsters, but they were soon overwhelmed, quite literally smothered beneath the press of bodies. Fionn triggered [Flight] and rose a few meters above the ground, then began to use whatever spells that might be useful. Hed tried them all out before, of course, but there was something very different about using them in combat. [Chain Lightning] tore through the ranks of the undead, striking the primary target and obliterating that ones skull only to jump from monster to monster, igniting flesh and superheating whatever liquids were still present to instantly flash into steam and spray barely-intact body parts across the battlefield. But it didnt do much otherwise. Wrong spell for this particular enemy, then. Half a dozen [Fireballs] manifested around him and shot away in different directions, a circle of explosions surrounding the camp for a brief instant, adding to the already nauseating stench of burnt pork. That simply wouldnt work. Spells were fantastic at annihilating countless foes at once, but his magic wouldnt be enough to beat even a small fraction of the enemies assembled here. So he cast [Earthen Spire] over and over again. Nothing tripped up armies better than forcing them to march through a forest, and this was as close as he could make with his current restrictions. Dozens of meter-thick stone pillars burst from the ground, shredding several undead in the process, but raw damage hadnt been the point, slowing them had. The dead might not shove and tussle as the living might as they were forced through the artificially narrowed passages. Fionn canceled [Flight] and dropped down onto the ground, and a javelin flew into his hand all on his own, [Eternal Amrament] ensuring that he always had a weapon to hand if he wanted it. A single moment to zero in on the biggest foe and he hurled the weapon, a shockwave rending the air as it flashed through the intervening space and hammered into the Field Boss head, and it exploded like a rotten apple after a boot stomped on it. That worked, but not good enough, and the undead were already within ten meters of the encampment. Too close. [Fire Boon] made his next javelin glow orange before Fionn hurled it, causing it to punch through half a dozen before igniting, flames lighting up the impaled monsters from the inside. He turned, and repeated the action, a slight nudge with [Push] causing the spear and its cargo to wedge itself between two [Earthen Spires], functioning as a cheaper and more effective [Fire Wall] on about ten percent of the perimeter. A skeleton lunged at him, and his fist caught it under the chin, shattering the skull in a single smooth skull before he opened his hand to manifest his sword and spun, decapitating everything within his swords reach, but they were filled in for in an instant. The rest were doing better, thankfully. Ossian had wrapped himself in a sphere of flame out of which a burning spear flicked out repeatedly, punching through skulls or igniting bodies. Conn was too large and physically massive to bring down just yet, and Goll had managed to clamber up a spire and was shooting arrows from there, triggering every active Skill he had as soon as they came off cooldown. This was a disgrace. The Fianna had been overwhelmed in a matter of minutes. The overwhelming enemy force barely mattered, theyd still been pushed into a corner. Wait, where was Caoilte mac Rnin suddenly blasted through the swarm at ridiculous speeds, twin blades flashing out and extending into shimmering bars of light that cut undead flesh just like the weapons themselves, clearing out the entirety of the fortification in an instant. Fionn recognized that particular power as his [Limitbreaking Speed] Skill which, as the name implied, let Caoilte briefly surpass his limits and shred the undead that had overrun them but also took him out for the next few minutes. Breathing room. Not much, but enough for Fionn to pull out his final trump card. A Spell at the 7th Tier. Out of 9. [Lightning Cataclysm] Itd cost him his ability to cast magic likely for the rest of the fight, but it really did seem like the best option. Unlike the previous spells, including most of those hed seen in his first life, this one was not instantly cast but slowly built up, starting with piercing blue orbs of energy crackling in each palm. Arcs of energy arced between them, rapidly bending skywards into a massive u shape that extended higher and higher with each discharge, until the top end vanished into the clouds that had suddenly appeared overhead. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Then, the energy winked out. That whatever derisive comment Fionn had been about to make in his mind was blanked out by more simultaneous flashes of lighting than hed ever seen at once, in fact, more than hed ever seen in his life, combined, turning the entire field white, followed by a wave of thunder that promptly bled into the next, which had originated from the lighting bolts that had struck just slightly further out. And the next, and the next, until all Fionn could hear was the incessant roar of air displaced by one of natures most mesmerizing spectacles, stemming from a decidedly unnatural origin. And yet, it was only a drop in the bucket, and a waste of magic to boot. Damnit. Hed been overconfident, he could see that now. He simply wasnt used to acting on this scale, for fucks sake! Ireland was a tiny nation in the grand scheme of things, and it was all hed really had to focus on in his first life. But now that he was taking advantage of the brief pause in enemy operations to scry the area around him, and find that they had, in fact, attracted every monster within five hundred kilometers. Slightly more than that, in fact. All of Ireland, most of Great Britain, and a large chunk of the ocean around them. They should have run. Used their presence to concentrate the enemy, then left the area and attacked together with the army, using modern explosive weaponry to lay corpses back to rest by the thousands. Hed decided that they could handle it, though. Hed wanted to give the army a chance to bring itself up to full war footing. And now, he might wind up having to eat those words. Because, quite frankly, as badly as theyd handled themselves so far, they were still not quite at the point where they were in real danger. Were staying for another ten minutes and retreating unless something changes, Fionn decided, barely managing to use [Warband Awareness] to make himself heard over the incessant thundering. In fact, he was the weakest of the Fianna right now. Simply put, where the others hand dozens of Skills that either fundamentally strengthened them or could be triggered to cause overwhelmingly powerful effects. Fionn had ten and a list of Spells that would fill several dictionaries if written out, but unlike with Skills, which ran on a cooldown basis, Spell usage was limited by magical reserves, and deep as they were, they were very far from infinite. All around him, the [Lightning Cataclysm] was dying down, having ripped apart the undead by the hundreds of thousands, though considering how tightly theyd been packed, that wasnt quite as big of an achievement as it sounded. Out of the corner of his eye, Fionn saw something rapidly close the distance, a giant grey cloud that somehow conveyed the impression of being utterly furious approaching.
Ashborn Wraith (raised humans) Lv. 35 Raid Boss
Yeah, that thing would have to go before they fell back. The military would have the devils time killing that thing. That thing had to have a weak point, didnt it? Because hed just burned through the magic, hed otherwise need to take it down. A cloud of ash formed into a tendril that was tipped with a lethal-looking spike on the end and tried to impale him but bounced off his shield while Fionns retaliatory spear strike whiffed straight through it. Oh, this was going to be just as annoying as hed expected. In the distance, the horde was starting to gather again, but they still had time. Plenty of it. The Ashborn Wraith began to swirl around into a new form, gathering into a multi-limbed ball of spikes and razor-sharp clouds, but there was no way in hell theyd let it get that far. In fact, they barely even needed to communicate the plan beyond tiny shifts in posture and weight distribution to indicate their intentions. A flick of Ossians wrist unleashed a blast of wind that disrupted the enemys form, and Caoilte blasted through the gap, further blasting apart its form while his swords flashed through empty air, not striking any physical object, merely sending eddies of ash swirling through the air. Conn leaped into the air and came down onto the monsters central mass, triggering another one of his Skills to increase the force of the impact. But more and more of the monster swirled skywards to catch the bulky man and succeeded. An immense shield of condensed ash formed under him, and while it did sag, it stayed aloft. Seemingly, Conns efforts had been thwarted, but hed achieved something very different. Hed managed to get the monster to focus most of its mass to stop him. And the only solid object in that monster had been revealed. A skull, human, having long since lost its lower jaw along with any trace of muscles, skin, and all other tissues, instead being coated in several layers of soot, sat there, blue flames glowing in its eyesockets as it glared skywards. A chance. A small, tiny, window of opportunity for him to attack in. And that was all he needed. Fionn lunged, triggering [Final Strike]. It made him faster, stronger, more accurate, and overall deadlier for one attack. If it landed, and the enemy died, well, hed have to wait six hours before he could use it again. If it didnt, well, it might not kill him, but it would leave him in a bad enough state that his foe would have no trouble finishing the job. Like a bolt of lightning, he flashed through the intervening space and blasted through the narrow curtain of ash that was still present. and barely felt himself slow, but the effect was present and growing the deeper her penetrated, more and more ash spiraling back down to block him and then he thrust the spear forward, its head glowing with golden light. The weapon flashed onwards, seemingly about to fall short, but then the very tip of it brushed against the monsters bony heart. And the ancient skull exploded. A curtain of ash fell around Fionn, and he barely managed to take a step back to catch Conn instead of having the man outright fall onto him. Fionn sneezed as he set his comrade down. Lets go! he announced from the crook of his elbow, as he was only now covering his mouth to avoid inhaling any more of the bone dust swirling through the air. They ran, smashing through the weakest point of the undead ranks, where some had already been distracted and drawn away by the military, then reached the army soon enough. The Fianna stopped their retreat just in front of the firing lines, and Fionn expanded [Warband Awareness] to include the army. It didnt just make him aware of what the others were doing if he focussed on it; also excelled in warning everyone touched when an ally was about to wind up in the line of fire. Like when a member of the Fianna dove into the fray to take down a Boss before it hit the militarys lines. From then on, things went fairly well, all things considered. Barely a hundred casualties in the military, and none in the Fianna. Any deaths were bad, of course, but practically unavoidable considering the circumstances. Next time, theyd have a much better idea of what theyd be facing, and a hell of a lot more time to prepare. Which just left one more question: how many monsters would they be drawing in the next time? So he began to scry. Because it had actually been slightly more than five hundred kilometers. Simple enough, a one-hundred-kilometer radius increase per ancient on one spot, right? But that wasnt how it had worked in the German enclave. Hed checked. Their radius was a little under three hundred kilometers. Two hundred and seventy-five kilometers, to be precise. That indicated an what was it called again? Right, exponential increase. What was the rate of increase, though? Where was the nearest mathematician? Or did the modern times have an easier method of doing high-order maths something called a pocket calculator. Where was one on a phone, any phone, and hed made sure to get his hands on one. Fionns hand went to the pocket he kept it in, only to find said pocket torn open and empty. He didnt bother to go look for it, though, since scrying revealed that it was currently not exactly in working order, having been crushed under the feet of the undead at some point during the battle. So he borrowed a phone and figured out that for every single ancient in one spot, the radius at which they drew in monsters increased by little less than half again the previous range. The five of them had almost gotten themselves killed by staying in one place at the beginning of a challenge, how bad would it be if every single European was in one spot when the next one started? Or maybe, how much of an opportunity was it? *** Joseph The knowledge of how his presence attracted his foes had been helpful. Very helpful. But the Second Challenge the supposedly apocalyptic System had thrown at him had been rather lacking. Empty. A handful of regular undead, a couple of larger Field Bosses, that was it. Hed been ready for the fight of his life, hed walked five kilometers south of the city and triggered his [Fortress of the Six-Pointed Star], then layered [Armageddon Ward] over the city itself to further ensure that anything that showed up thirsty for blood would find him instead of helpless civilians. However, that hadnt happened, not really. A handful of creatures had appeared; hed stopped them, and that had largely been the extent of it. Though he could tell there were monsters out there, in fact, hed been able to sense a massive concentration to the southwest, though it had rapidly dwindled away into almost nothing. That was where the fortress of the other Ancients had been, right? Apparently, they had succeeded in attracting almost all the monsters. So if that fortress summons all monsters in the area, including the ones that might have otherwise gone after him and his city, didnt that mean that he could do more there? Indirectly protecting the city? It sounded idiotic, but honestly, it seemed like the right thing to do. Because if that mountain fell to the next Challenge, thered be an immense horde of monsters spreading out from it, and Prague was far too close to it. So yes, that was how it would work. Joseph marched into the city center, waited until people were pointing those cell phones of theirs at him, and announced that he would be fighting for them elsewhere going forward. In the location the young man whod given him his voice had called Europes Lightning Rod. Chapter 23: Aftermath Today had been a new day, and that did not make a lick of difference to my mood. Actually, no, that was a lie. I felt worse. Yesterday had been a matter of alternating between using Skills, watching and waiting with bated breath as the matters outside went on, and praying to a deity I was pretty sure I didnt even believe in. Today, Id been vital for about five seconds, when Id used [Restoration of the Old] to fully remove all formerly undead bodies and anything theyd left behind from the fortress. Beyond that, Id almost completely been superfluous until the evening. That wasnt to say that Id done nothing, outside of lunch, Id basically never sat still, but I hadnt achieved much, that was the point. Id felt superfluous. Today had been clean-up. That meant digging graves, gathering corpses, and organizing memorials. Because there had been losses on the side of the mountains defenders. Sixteen of them. Sixteen people had died, all without me knowing or even having met them. Literally. Not only had I not recognized a single name when Id learned them, but when their portraits had been lined up against one wall, veiled in black, Id also come to realize that I hadnt so much as crossed paths with a single one of them. I didnt know them, and was barely touched by their deaths. And somehow, that was worse. No, not somehow, it was actually pretty clear why it did, in fact, make me feel even worse. People were dead, I didnt feel bad because I hadnt known them, but people had died. I should feel horrible about that, and the fact that I didnt had set off an annoying little voice of self-doubt and doomsaying that was now constantly calling me a sociopath. It was wrong, of course, but I couldnt rationalize that voice into silence. Id tried and failed for, honestly, more times than I could count. The least I could do was shut up and not mess around in a memorial. Because that was all we could really do. Hold a memorial. Because where there were bodies, theyd been so thoroughly contaminated by rot and disease that they needed to be considered an active biohazard and were kept in an NCBR containment unit Reinhart had arranged for. Charlemagne was the first one to hold a speech, a generic duty, honor and ultimate sacrifice, one I knew from countless books and movies, but coming from him, it somehow sounded more than just genuine, it was actually moving. Or maybe, it was the fact that Id been involved in the events that had led to the deaths. Probably a combination of the two. Once the emperor was done, individual eulogies were given by those whod actually known the dead. I barely heard either. I was tired. So damn tired. Physically, mentally, emotionally. After the last eulogy had been held, an unseen Mandl carved the names of the dead into the wall using magic, to be remembered as long as this fortress stood. It was one of the walls of the absolutely gigantic main entrance corridor, written in a fairly small font; I could cover a capital letter with my thumb if I wanted to. And yet, honestly wed probably wind up covering the full length of the corridor, both sides, before all was said and done. Then we had dinner, which had been turned into a wake. For the duration of the memorial, I also suspended my other big task for today. Practicing [Piercing Gaze]. It was a Skill that allowed me to see where someones loyalties lay. A semi-vital skill for a diplomat like myself. Itd let me identify enemy agents in my own ranks and people with skewed priorities amongst whichever group was across the table from me. And using it had been incredibly interesting. People were weird. Paradoxical. It was hard to put into words what the Skill told me. Most of the individuals I scanned were, in many ways, selfish, yet also not. Simply put, their primary drive, their motivation, their everything was something that was simultaneously themselves, yet beyond that. Something along the lines of Im the most important thing to me, but my family is a part of me. A lot of the cops and military reservists had primary loyalties that surrounded their immediate colleagues, their squad, their precinct, and so on, with family and friends their secondary concern, then, finally, justice and/or patriotism beyond that. Which was slightly weird since they were here, in the eye of the storm. Actually, no, eye of the storm was exactly the wrong thing to call this. Because this wasnt the sole safe point in a storm but the most dangerous point in it by any measure. The point was that theyd chosen to come here, where all hell was guaranteed to break loose at least five more times as the Systems Challenges came around. Id expected them to be paragons of humanity, selfless heroes to at least a certain degree, not people this normal. Although I had no earthly idea whether these people were normal, the population of the mountain was hardly a good sample group. People were still really freaking weird. Reinhart, in particular, was not what I expected. His core motivation seemed to be Im number one for me, but I have to be able to live with myself. Basically, when push came to shove, hed not abandon us; hed do what was needed of him, and hed certainly never run off and leave someone to die. Which, fair enough, was a perfectly reasonable yardstick to measure your decisions by, but definitely not what Id imagined Id see when scanning him. Id also, of course, used [Piercing Gaze] on the emperor. He loved three things equally. His personal legend, his empire, and his God. No surprises there. During the wake, I stayed in a corner, trying not to get in peoples way. I hadnt really been in danger; it felt wrong to rub shoulders with those who had risked everything and actually known those who had died. Eventually, Mia and Dietrich stumbled into the dining hall, finally back from hunting monsters that would have been troublesome for the Bundeswehr to handle. I quite deliberately avoided scanning Mia. I didnt actually want to know, but I did check on Dietrich. First priority, staying true to himself and his self-image. Be regal, be a hero, save people, basically. Second, not betraying the memory of his friends. Not unexpected. And thirdly, us. Meaning, me and my sister. That was suddenly, I wanted to be able to see into my own heart, see what was going on. Because in that moment, it had clicked, at least I thought it had. The way I saw him. A new father, a parent, the first person Id truly felt safe with since, well, me and Mia had become orphans. Fuck. Did his loyalty mean that he felt the same, er, the opposite, uh, no the, um honestly, I wasnt entirely sure how to phrase it, it was simply that I wanted to know if his loyalty to us was about simply seeing us as companions like the friends hed lost, or were we becoming the children hed never had? How would I know? I sure as shit couldnt ask. Or even ... honestly, any slip-ups here could do so much damage. What about Mia, how did she feel? This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I honestly, I checked. To her, the two of us were the most important thing, us against the world, followed by Dietrich and her ambitions. Primarily, matching Dietrich in swordsmanship. I glared down at my own hand, willing the Skill to activate, trying to force it to trigger. I was no stranger to tying my train of thought into knots when I confused myself, but right now, I was more frazzled than Id ever been. Or seen. I didnt know what to do, I didnt know what to say, and my inner voice was oh so helpfully providing me with seemingly infinite suggestions for how to make this whole affair a thousand times worse. So I did what any reasonable person would have done in my position. Ran like all the demons of hell were chasing me, returning to my room to hyperventilate, if it came down to it. Though it didnt. I just wound up almost punching the wall, redirecting my fist to plow into my pillow at the last second before I began to run in circles, muttering fuck on a loop. Eventually, I managed to calm down and parked my ass at the large table and chair Id gotten this morning, so I could work somewhere in private. There were reports I still needed to review because it took time for them to reach me. The ones Id had this morning had been entirely too little to go on. As for what they were about, it was simply about how the undead were being dealt with elsewhere. It was bad, but nowhere near as nasty as Id expected. Basically, the exact same things Id learned this morning, except Id dismissed the information then, assuming it to be incorrect. Modern media portrayed zombies and undead in general as the ultimate apex predator, capable of killing and thereby reproducing with a simple bite or scratch. Put one zombie in a crowd, and the infection would ripple out like some bizarrely fucked up Mexican wave, and so on. However, they were also so slow that a brisk walk could outpace them, should slow down in cold weather, rot and/or mummify in hotter climates, and just overall die to the elements in short order. And even when they were superhumanly strong, base undead were just plain terrible fighters. Zombies being unstoppable was a trope, nothing more, and most of the undead todays humanity was facing were a lot weaker than even that since they were not infectious. Well actually, they were, but only in the sense that any injuries they inflicted were filthy as fuck and would require professional treatment, not in the if they kill you, you become them sense. Throw in the fact that you only needed a sledgehammer, any one of a dozen power tools, a car, or even a reasonably heavy piece of furniture to kill one, and, well, regular undead were perfectly beatable. The people who lived near graveyards were screwed, as was anyone who found themselves face to face with any kind of boss, or those who got swarmed, but otherwise not apocalyptic in terms of raw numbers. A ton of people had died, in Germany, those were 1 million dead and counting, but a third of the nation was already clear thanks to the mountain, and all known bosses had to be dead for Dietrich and Mia to be back. It had certainly felt like the world was ending here, seeing those millions of walking corpses, and I doubted there were many civilians who felt safe, but we were still here, still kicking, and based on the reports I probably shouldnt have but Hofmann had sent me anyway, the infrastructure damage wasnt too terrible either. Overall, global casualties Id have to make a guess. I mean, Germany had lost one-eightieth of its population, that same fraction of the current world population came out to roughly a hundred million, twenty million more than the Second World War had killed if one counted even indirect civilian deaths through famine and disease. A staggering number by any reconning. Yet Id expected to wake up to an Earth whose population had been cut in half. Though I had no real numbers outside of the nation on whose soil I currently resided. There were plenty of cultures whose burial rituals did not leave behind bodies to be reanimated, and what about active war zones? Had they gotten worse as the innumerable dead rose from the grave, or had the sheer number of guns shredded the zombies the instant the first rotting finger so much as twitched? Both, probably. Lesser undead got obliterated; Bosses tore through anything short of tanks with ease, and aircraft reigned supreme. I sighed. The idiom not my circus, not my monkeys fit, though its flippancy sure as shit didnt feel appropriate. The point was, I couldnt really do much to influence anything, though I might wind up loaning out Dietrich, Mia, and Ogier to clean up if they were willing. Either way, there was very little I could still do today, so I got ready to go to sleep. Today had been rough; tomorrow would be an entirely different kind of challenging, and even though, objectively, I had done my part, I still felt like Id achieved nothing at all. Though based on the voice I heard when I let myself fall into my bed, the System disagreed. [Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 17 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 19] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Diplomatic Immunity] What had I done to earn that? Based on the fact that Id gotten the Levels as I turned in for the day, I assumed it was a reward for everything that Id done today, with the thing I was gaining Levels for only having ended when I went to bed. But I didnt know, because the timing of Level gains was still a Book with Sevel Seals, as far as I was concerned. So what had I done today? Id prepared for tomorrow, which would be a diplomatic mess, and Id practiced with a Skill that would be essential for a diplomatic meeting, [Piercing Gaze]. Aaaaand I was awake again. Fully awake. I groaned and dragged my palm down my face. I guessed that tomorrow, itd have to be coffee propping me up, rather than the good nights sleep Id planned on getting. Still, my choices were A. lie in bed and stare at the ceiling until I fell asleep or B. do something productive until I felt tired again. I chose B, especially since not dealing with the Level up would just keep me up longer. So, step one, find out what the new Skill actually did. [Diplomatic Immunity]. The basic idea behind it was pretty self-explanatory, but there were a ton of different ways that idea could manifest, so reading the description was pretty much mandatory if I didnt want to get myself killed by accident.
Diplomatic Immunity You gain extreme resistance to unprovoked attacks, and complete immunity to the first lethal attack in a fight you did not initiate (deliberate provocation for a fight counts as innitiation). The resistance persists for the rest of the fight but falls off over time. Retaliating beyond the bounds of self-defense will void this protection
So basically what it said on the tin. If I didnt pick a fight, Id be heavily insulated from damage and even get one get out of jail free card in the form of negating a single lethal blow. I could even fight my way out of trouble without losing that protection, but I wouldnt be able to drive the boot in if I started winning. A duty to retreat, then. The German law on self-defense didnt have something like that; it relied instead on a rule that self-defense needed to be proportional to the severity of the situation, but Id watched enough American TV shows to be familiar with the concept. Which just left the question of what precisely constituted deliberate provocation. A simple disagreement at the negotiating table didnt; I was sure about that, and something like hit me if you dare definitely did, but what about the things between those two extremes? An insult or cussword slipping out, would that be enough to potentially get me killed? I sighed. Something to try out, I guessed. Maybe I could find something to tease Mia about until she elbowed me and see what happened. Either way, I didnt intend to be rude during negotiations, and this new information just reinforced that need for politeness. As for the Skill Boost, the decision came down to a choice between three options. [Knowledge Transfer], which still formed the core of my utility here, [Diplomatic Immunity] for obvious reasons, and [Piercing Gaze] for its sheer utility. I had no idea what the upgrade would be for any of those, but they were sure to be good. After a few minutes, though, I settled on [Piercing Gaze]. Whatever its upgrade would be, Id need it tomorrow. So I applied the Boost and immediately read the upgrade.
Your gaze may also pierce the veil of veracity, differentiating truth from lie, although self-delusion may result in false positives
Perfect. Truth-telling would be the real MVP in tomorrow. Speaking of the meeting would actually be today, judging by the clock on the bedside table. It was after midnight and I was still wide awake. Scheibenkleister. I groaned, flipped my pillow, and tried to get back to sleep. Unsuccessfully. But eventually, something must have worked, because I did wake up the next morning, instead of shuffling through the corridors like a bleary-eyed zombie operating on zero sleep. No pun intended. Chapter 24: Learning Lessons Yesterday, and the day before that, had sucked. It had been an awful combination of depressing, disgusting, and exhausting that would likely stay with me until the day I died. This morning, Id woken up feeling terrible, tired and with a headache, hungover without ever having touched a drop of booze. Not that I was generally a big drinker, I was perfectly able to come up with plenty of dumb shit without the help of the bad idea juice, but Id made a point of avoiding alcohol entirely these last few days. It was too easy to distract myself with it and never manage to crawl back out of the bottle in the current mess, not to mention that probably wasnt the best move to make myself unavailable while acting as the mountains chief diplomat. Granted, I might be asleep or not have cell service on occasion, but both of those things could be fixed relatively easily if I was informed of the need. Being drunk, on the other hand, would render me useless for hours. However, that had been hours ago, and I was feeling much better now. For starters, getting out of the mountain had put a spring back in my step. The ancient fortress coolness factor was literally off the scale, but it had already been a teensy bit claustrophobic before Id spent an entire day cowering in its heart, hoping the undead wouldnt overcome the defenders. Also, at breakfast, a slightly abashed-looking Charlemagne had gotten around to using one of his boosting Skills on me, one that gave me the training needed to act as a Missus Dominicus or envoy of the ruler. As far as I could tell, hed had the Skill the entire time; hed just neglected to apply it. Though the only reason I knew that was that [Will of the Sovereign] was warning me just how much he didnt want me to ask about when hed gotten that ability, or even comment in general. I also sure as shit wouldnt have picked up on his embarrassment without that extra bit of information. [Trait gained: Missus Dominicus Training] So yeah, a whole bunch of legalese had been stuffed into my head, along with a ton of incidental information on the Holy Roman Empire and, generally, some extra training on personal conduct. I trusted that [Innate Etiquette] and [Will of the Sovereign] would have covered almost completely for my rather lacking formal training, but it was still great to have the upgrade. And finally, Id simply gotten the chance to play with my Skills again. Not use them, not experiment to find their limits, play. Id gotten the chance to mess with [Modern Makeover] to make myself the perfect outfit for the meetings I was about to attend, and Id grasped onto that excuse with both hands. At first, Id created a custom three-piece suit with a deep black jacket, pure white shirt, and crimson tie and then Id actually looked at myself in the mirror. Aside from the fact that I had hair, I looked like Agent 47. Maybe that was a mental association only someone in my generation would make, but I still didnt like the idea, so I changed. The jacket wound up a deep blue instead with a light gray, almost metallic, shirt under that, and the tie stayed the same bright red my original had been. Hm almost. Still not quite the image I wanted to display. So I further darkened the jacket and lightened the shirt. A slightly unusual color combination for a formal suit, but that was also kinda what I needed right now. Because I was neither a traditional diplomat, nor was I acting on behalf of an ordinary government. And the whole thing certainly wasnt necessitated by ordinary circumstances. Id also managed to borrow Reinharts leather briefcase, to put the documents in, which I then shouldered. Damn, now I felt like a lawyer. Or, as Id once heard the job be described, an attack librarian. Actually, there were a lot of jokes about lawyers, but most of them were pretty mean-spirited. Like Civil Lawyer is an oxymoron and so on. I wound up shoving the briefcase into my [Diplomatic Pouch], where I could retrieve either it or the individual papers at will. With that done, I headed out to the newly made helipad. Using magic, it was ridiculously easy to reshape stone and forge new, albeit basic, structures. The helipad was above the entrance and slightly to the side, with the staircase that led there having been squeezed between the stairs to the murder holes and the cafeteria. Thankfully, some slight reshaping of the fortress structure allowed the staircase to be wide enough that we could even carry stuff through when that was needed. Though I was pretty sure this entire passageway was going to be sealed in advance of the next Challenge, simply because it was a rather large weak point in the defenses. I stepped out through the meter-wide gate that led inside and saw the helipad for the first time. It looked like something youd see in a steampunk world. Smooth stone, but very clearly just stone, formed the reinforced platform, and differently colored rocks outlined a yellow H in its middle, as well as drawing a circle around the landing point. There were also multiple stone benches sitting against the mountains face, thirty meters away from where the helicopter would land. Reinhart was sitting on one of them, clearly waiting for me, so I joined him. Feeling nervous? he asked, grinding out his cigarette in a stone ashtray that had been forged into the bench directly. Id be a moron not to, I shrugged. Good poker face, though, he grunted and hauled himself into a proper sitting position. I shrugged again. Im more worried about saying something stupid. Let me guess, your imaginations running wild, constantly suggesting the absolutely worst thing to say? Reinhart asked. I nodded mutely. Let me let you in on a little secret, everyones imagination does. The real trick is forgetting the suggestions instead of dwelling on it, he said. I guess honestly, that part should be fine. Its the negotiations that Im worried about. Did you figure out what you want to ask for? Obviously. Did you figure out what you need? Yes? Have you settled on some concessions you can make to let whoever you talk to feel like they got a partial win? Yeah, I grinned. Then youll be fine, Reinhart slapped me on the back. Now, go get em. At that point, I could hear the sound of helicopter blades in the distance as my method of transport arrived. It was a military helicopter, not of a kind I could identify at a glance, but definitely not a proper transport chopper. Though, based on what I knew, a gunship didnt have the space for passengers. A hybrid design? Either way, this was a thing that could handle itself if it got attacked, which was sadly a necessity under the circumstances. I waited until the choppers blades stopped spinning, then headed over to where a soldier was already waiting in the now-open door. Ambassador Vogt? she asked. I nodded. She took a couple of minutes to get me properly strapped in and set up with one of those helicopter headphones. Am I going to be taking the helicopter the entire way, or is there going to be a transfer to a plane? I asked. Choppers were barely faster than cars in terms of top speed, but they could travel from place to place much more rapidly since they flew in a straight line and could keep up their maximum speed basically the entire time. Ill be taking you the entire way, itll be about two hours, the pilot responded, not bothering to elaborate. Though it made sense. Any transport needed defenses, and switching to a private jet at the airport in Munich would require them to draw multiple fighters away from combat operations to provide adequate protection. Thank you, I replied, and then spent the rest of the flight trying to avoid looking like a little kid staring out the window. Hopefully, I managed it. Id certainly avoided pressing my nose against the small window and considered that to have been a major victory. But being on a helicopter was an entirely different experience than flying on a plane. With the latter, you had two minutes of being able to see the stuff on the ground grow smaller and smaller, and then you could basically see nothing even if there wasnt a cloud cover. But choppers flew much lower, and granted a much better view of the ground. From above, Germany looked surprisingly undamaged by and large, but the scars were there. Tank columns driving on the Autobahn, huge burned patches of forests, fields, or even towns that had either been caused by monsters or someone attempting to get creative against said monsters, and just in general, things looked wrong. There should have been people out, driving cars or living their lives, not this. Not cowering at home, likely clutching loved ones or makeshift weapons. It was understandable, anyone trying to blame them was a heartless asshole, but it did add a certain layer of eerieness to this world. And how long was this situation sustainable? How long could society continue with people staying inside, how long would infrastructure continue to work, how long until the plants on the fields died to something? These were questions above my pay grade, but not by anywhere near as much as it should have been. Even if my job as an ambassador wasnt entirely and fully official, I did work directly for two of the most powerful people in the world, magically speaking, and I had their ears. I was involved, no matter my official job description. But the helicopter flight came to an end soon enough as Berlin came into sight. *** The chopper did a low overflight of the city before landing, leaving the Bundestag behind since this meeting would be happening in the foreign ministry, though even during that brief moment, Id seen the massive military presence on the plaza in front of it. I was glad I didnt have to get anywhere near that. Though it was very telling that Id be meeting the foreign minister. Not the chancellor, not the president, ceremonial as the latter office might have been, not the minister of defense, whod be getting the most use out of the treaty, but the guy whose job was dealing with foreign affairs. Was that a sign of respect, an acknowledgment of my status as an ambassador, or a clear line in the sand, drawn to empathize that they no longer saw the Untersberg as a part of Germany? And then, I had another idea. Was he a sacrifice? Something to protect the majority of the government in case I was a malicious actor? I shivered. That was a scary thought, but hardly one I could prove one way or the other. The helicopter touched down on the helipad, and the copilot opened the door to let me out. I staggered slightly for the first few steps before I found my footing again and headed towards a young man standing near a door that clearly led deeper into the building. Ambassador Vogt? he asked with a tone of formality that made it clear that he already knew who I was, he just needed to check for protocols sake. I nodded. If youll follow me, please, he said and led me through the building on a surprisingly short and direct path. My experience with German government buildings was showing up half an hour early and still getting to your meeting late, after getting lost half a dozen times and having sworn an oath to murder the architect at least twice that often. Though maybe this was just an exception made to avoid pissing off foreign dignitaries. Using [Innate Etiquette], I schooled my face into a calm, even expression even as every part of my mind tried to convince me to stare every which way and gape like an idiot. Thankfully, I managed to resist the urge. So, after barely two minutes, the aide and I reached a slightly fancier pair of double doors that were guarded by two rather large gentlemen in suits. A sign on the wall proclaimed this to be the office of Jonas Funke, Au?enminister. The door was opened by one of the bodyguards, and I was let in just like that. Id expected to be searched, though when I thought about it for more than two seconds, I realized just how rude that would have been, considering that I was being acknowledged as a proper ambassador. Thank you, I told the aide as I entered, then faced the man whod stood up behind his desk. He was in his mid-fifties, reasonably fit for his age, white, and had graying brown hair. What you pictured when you thought politician, in other words. But there were more things to see than what the eyes saw. [Piercing Gaze] triggered as I looked at the man. His priorities were, in order, his career, himself, and his legacy. I could work with that. All of those were linked to his image in some way, and if he fucked this up, hed lose that. Tristan Vogt, Ambassador for Karl der Gro?e and Dietrich von Bern, I introduced myself, already offering my hand. Jonas Funke, foreign minister for the Federal Republic of Germany, he said, already mirroring my motion. The handshake that followed was bizarrely simple. Grasp the other persons hand, one pump up and down, release the other persons hand, neither of us initiating the movement, both of us moving simultaneously. [Innate Etiquette] was what had allowed that to happen, I think. Take a seat, please, Funke offered as he sat back down, and I immediately took him up on the offer. Thank you, I said, pulling a piece of paper from my storage and placing it on the table between us, turned so that the text was right-side-up for him. My superiors want to help beat the monsters and ensure that humanity survives whats coming.However, they would prefer to be working with the governments of the modern day, not around or even against them, I said in a perfectly even tone. There are some basic things that would facilitate that, and some others that would speed up our efforts at the Untersberg and allow us to support efforts elsewhere much more quickly. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. First, in the name of the German people, Id like to thank your superiors for their efforts, Funke replied. While some proprieties need to be observed, we definitely intend to help. Translation: we wont be giving up any power. And as for the thanks, words were cheap. [Piercing Gazes] new upgrade told me he meant it, but not how grateful he was, and there was a very big difference between being grateful and being willing to make major concessions. Even so, it was a good starting point. Oh, let me make one thing clear: my superiors respect the German governments power. Im here to make sure our existence in the modern day causes as little disruption as possible. In other words, youre still the boss. A big concession that wasnt a concession at all, not really. If the government made it through this intact, then that was great because yay stability, and if it failed, Charlemagne could always step in to fill the void. Fighting the democratically elected government for control would not end well under any circumstances. He still wanted to regain control of his empire, [Will of the Sovereign] let me sense that quite clearly, but I could also tell that he knew better than to pick that fight. And as for Dietrich, well, he was plenty happy with how things were. His instructions, both those gained via the feelings the Skill passed to me and his talking to me directly, basically boiled down to dont start a war, and I want to keep going like things are, fighting monsters. It was what hed done for most of his life, surrounded by friends and allies, and hed have zero problems continuing on that path. Funke gave me a warm yet slightly patronizing smile. Thats very good to hear. Did he think I was as naive as my age might indicate? Good. That meant he underestimated me. Im glad, I responded with a fully sincere smile. Though we do need to settle a few matters before someone decides to twist them into something troublesome. Oh? Funke asked. Karl der Gro?e would like to buy the German portion of the Untersberg. Seeing as its located in a national park, its under the direct ownership of the Bavarian federal government, which should make facilitating the purchase rather simple. We, meaning Charlemagne, had actually already been gifted the Austrian portion by Salzburgs city government, whod controlled the mountain, but it was quite a bit smaller than Germanys part. Its not quite that easy, Funke told me. Lie. Nothing ever is. However, this is rather important, I replied, not revealing that I knew he was full of shit on this particular topic. His whole attempt to make it look harder than it was to earn some brownie points would fail to garner him any goodwill, and I couldnt call him out on it to speed things along without revealing my abilities. We offer payment in gold, ancient manuscripts, historical artifacts, services, or resources. Services? Funke asked, likely assuming that I was threatening to charge him for military help. Not the kind youre thinking, I assured him. The military services, if we are in a position to provide them, will be given on the basis of mutual aid. Im referring to the other abilities the mountain possesses. For example, do you know Czech, Minister Funke? He shook his head. I could teach you, here and now, all it would take is a single second. Or I could teach you sign language. Im currently learning Mongolian; Ill be good enough to teach it too in about a week. After that, Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin, and so on. If youre interested. And thats just something I can do; Im just one of many. If the price is reasonable, we can pay it in ways you cant find anywhere else, I offered. After that, it was only a matter of nailing down the price, and I used [Knowledge Trade] to shove my knowledge of the Czech language Funkes way before he realized the Skill was demanding payment in return, even if I wasnt asking for it. Wed basically pay in information on monsters, tips, and tricks other than the ones Id already made public, as well as insight into the System. There was still information Id keep a lid on, Ascendant Capstones and the fact that they basically nixed any and all attempts at government control through force chief amongst them, but overall, it was surprisingly cheap. Then again, maybe he hadnt realized how easily information was gained and spread in the mountain? Either way, we soon reached the second point. There is also one big thing that should be morally okay but could be turned into a legal ball and chain if someone wanted to make it an issue, I replied. Oh? Funke raised an eyebrow. Tell me, does the German legal code have any provisions that state that killing a zombie does not count as corpse desecration? An argument can be made that falls under self-defense, but considering it was never meant to apply to a situation like the current one, there are gaps in the law, I asked. That would never happen, Funke responded, and I didnt even need my Skill to tell that was a bald-faced lie, simply put, I had proof, very recent proof, in fact, for something that stupid happening in the German legal system. Morally indefensible prosecutions being caused by legal technicalities sadly happen all the time. There was a case involving a schoolteacher that got resolved only two months ago ... Fine, Funke sighed. He clearly knew what I was referring to. It had truly been the stupidest and most ridiculous prosecution Id ever heard about, not to mention easily the most offensive one. that hadnt occurred due to corruption. Corruption could result in something worse, but that wasnt what I was talking about here. Basically, a high school teacher had learned that a female underage student was being blackmailed by classmates who had a sex tape of her, so the teacher got her hands on the tape for the sole reason of preserving evidence, which she immediately handed over to the police and was promptly arrested. Because thered been a recent change to the law that stated that anyone in possession of child pornography needed to be prosecuted, and the minimum sentence was one year in jail. Now, the teacher had gotten off, almost one year later, but the way that had happened illustrated the issue with the prosecution more clearly than everything else combined. Simply put, everyone involved, including the judge and even the prosecution, had known how wrong the trial was and delayed, stalled, and generally made the proceedings move at a snails pace while the law at the root of the issue was being reworded to fix the problem. Which did end up happening two months ago, because that teacher wasnt the only one who got arrested for providing evidence like that. Things might have worked out semi-okay in the end, but the fact that the issue had occurred at all was utterly indefensible. Well also need a second official pardon for how we disposed of the bodies. They were buried with as much dignity as we could manage, and improper disposal of bodies isnt necessarily that serious a crime, but several million cases add up. Funke paused, briefly, and I flashed a long glance into the corner, towards the stenographer. He flinched. Slightly, almost imperceptibly, but I still caught it. Checkmate probably. We should probably make an addendum to the law to cover that, but for now, an executive order for the duration of the crisis is necessary to protect you, your people, our military, and anyone who was forced to act in self-defense against a monster of the Second Challenge. Thank you for pointing that out. Funke didnt glance over to the stenographer, though it was very clear who that statement had been directed at. A propaganda statement, but one that had gotten the point across. And then weve got one final big issue. Im sure you already know, but we got multiple reinforcements during the buildup to the Second Challenge, and in case there are some who were meant to be elsewhere, like active military or police Youre trying to cover desertion, Funke pointed out. If thats how you want to phrase it I replied slowly. This is an issue of people stepping up and risking their lives in a spot where they could do an order of magnitude more good than in their assigned areas. That doesnt really matter, Funke said. Desertion has been a real problem since the System arrived, and we would have been much more able to defend ourselves without it. Partial lie. Germany was surrounded by strong military allies, which werent overly able to help since everyone was under attack simultaneously, and had let its own military atrophy. Deserting, be it to protect ones own family or actual cowardice, wasnt what had damaged the defenders efforts. I sighed. How bad would the fallout be for them? Not overly punitive, Funke replied. Some concessions will be made, considering the circumstances, but this is a situation where we cant simply set aside the rule of law. Truth, surprisingly. Im guessing theres nothing I can do to change that? I asked, using [Innate Etiquette] to project an impression of being worried but hiding it somewhat badly. Funke shook his head. I sighed, pulled back the list Id put on the table, and made it vanish into my pocket dimension. Could you draw up a treaty based on what we discussed? I asked, pretending like I didnt have something just like that already stored in [Diplomatic Pouch], along with almost a hundred other variations, to be brought out if needed. Though right now, I needed to give him a win. Yes, I was screwing over anyone whod abandoned a post to help us, but the thing was, no one had deserted. Id made sure to check, and the people at the mountain knew Id checked. So I was actually screwing over a ghost, a possibility, a road not traveled. A concession without consequence. But that wasnt something that Funke could have possibly known, not yet. The situation was way too chaotic, and there had to be hundreds of people whod not shown up to their jobs for one reason or other. Checking for the overlap between the mountains population and those missing would require more information than they could have already gathered. We spent a few more minutes discussing minor issues, like the environmental issues caused by major construction in a national park, our continued draw on the Technisches Hilfswerk, and the like. And in exchange, were offering to draw in all monsters that would show up in southern Germany, and once anything that attacks us is dead, anyone available will be sent out to support the Bundeswehrs effort, I finished. What kind of help? Funke asked. Unless theyre literally on their deathbed, Dietrich von Bern and Ogier Danske at the very least, I said. Each of them can take out a Raid Boss on their own, and all you need to transport them is a helicopter for each of them. But we need certain kinds of support to make that realistic. A defense that we threw together in three days took most of the day to beat just the second wave; the third one will bog us down for much longer. Logistical help and military reinforcements. Were already stretched thin, Funke replied, and I didnt even my Skill to know that was true. I know, I replied. But were facing over a third of all of Germanys monsters in the Untersberg, and we need barely a twentieth of that to adequately defend the fortress. Barely noticeable elsewhere, but itll take a huge burden of Germanys defenders elsewhere. Maybe he responded, letting the statement hang in the air, clearly dangling bait for me to offer more. Of course, we could always turtle up in the mountain and create a series of killing rooms to crush all our enemies slowly but surely. But that would take forever, I replied evenly. Maybe you could figure out how to funnel the rest of the monsters our way so that we can take them out? This really isnt a matter of if we can win, its a matter of how long that will take. Obviously, that was probably not true, not forever. Eventually, thered be a Challenge that was beyond us, but by that point, the Bundeswehr would likely no longer be in a position to help. This wasnt about whether or not wed get reinforcements; it was about what wed have to pay for them, even though we were the ones offering something much more valuable. There are limits to even the governments means, Funke tried to backpedal. Priorities have to be set, I understand, I assured him in such an earnestly curious tone that was so obviously a shift from my previous expression that it should convey that I was merely acting. But now Id like to know, what are the governments current priorities? Funke had expected to be dealing with a naive boy of not even twenty-five, and not gotten one over on me, not even once. And now, I was allowing him a glimpse at what I could actually do and let his mind fill in the blanks. Whatever he was imagining would inevitably be worse than the me he was actually facing. Between my Skills and the knowledge gained from Charlemagne, I was better than I had been by several orders of magnitude, but Funke could still have soundly beaten me. However, I could tell he was rattled now. And capitalizing on it was simple. Freak him out with an even, eerily perfect smile as I rattled off what we actually needed. Because he was freaked out, and trying to cut off reinforcements from the lynchpin of Germanys defenses without a damn good reason or, at the very least, a solid fig leaf, was career suicide, and he was too distracted to come up with either. So eventually, wed nailed down our terms, and the treaty was signed. Will you be needing transport back? Funke asked me. No, Ill be teleporting back, I replied as we shook hands once again, enjoying the look of surprise on his face. The aide led me out, down onto street level. I crossed the road before turning around to look at his office window and gave a single wave before stepping into the portal as it manifested, not even bothering to watch the wonder of magic as it appeared. Id been tempted to run around Berlin a little to get some more good points to teleport to next time, however, I felt like making this point was more important. *** Once back in the mountain, I returned to my room for an hour to calm down, rest, and watch some cartoons. But that last part was not just leisure, but me learning Mongolian. Cartoons were simple, provided plenty of context clues to what was being talked about, and [Burgeoning Omniglot] was rapidly letting me pick up on the meaning of the things that were said while constantly expanding my vocabulary with new words that it simply plucked from the ether. After the hour had passed, I wouldnt trust myself to order food at a Mongolian restaurant, let alone talk with anyone of import, but it was a solid start. I also didnt have the time to do anything else since I had a meeting. So I got up, cleaned and un-rumpled my clothing with a thought, and headed towards the throne room. It was strange seeing the cavernous room so empty, just the three Ancients, Mia, Kittel, and Reinhart, sitting around a table. The bosses, one of their apprentices, the castellan who was partially in charge of logistics, and our military liaison. The model of the mountain slash battle plan had been moved to the opposite side of the room, and the original meeting table replaced by an oval table made from solid polished rock, with Charlemagne sitting at one end, staring expectantly. Fuck, was I late? I glanced at the clock on the wall. No, I was just on time. A minute early, to be overly correct. So I sat down in my chair, retrieved my copies of the various bits of paperwork from my storage, and reported what had happened. Five thousand soldiers would trickle in over the next five days, leaving us with seventy-two hours to integrate them into the chain of command. Wed also be getting better technical support, military-grade communications, military rations and other forms of shelf-stable foods, and finally weapons. Weapons that should not have landed in civilian hands in a million years were getting handed out like candy, including several sets of lighter artillery pieces. No smart weaponry, sadly, but that was fine. Guided missiles and the like were in short supply, and we werent in a position to be using them to their fullest potential. Thank you, Mr. Vogt. Ill be sending the payment in gold after this meeting. Good job, Charlemagne said. Now, this brings me to the main topic of this meeting. The upgrading of the Untersberg Fortress. As Ive already told some of you, [Instant Improvement] is a Skill that allows me to instantly upgrade my holdings according to any plan I have, as long as I also have the required resources. However, this Skill has a cooldown of one year. In other words, wed only be able to use it once. Do the materials in the ground count? Do they need to be processed, or can raw iron ore and coal stand in for steel? I asked immediately. If the unprocessed resources are in the same location as the upgrade, they work, Charlemagne told me, immediately setting Mia off. In a good way. So the plants around should count as a source of carbon, and there should be at least traces of iron the stone, which means that no matter what changes we make, you should be able to add rebar to the outer layers of stone, she began. Rebar? Dietrich asked. Steel reinforcements inside large concrete structures that prevents them from cracking, Mia explained. An interconnected network of steel rods on the surface is going to keep things holding together even if were struck by a giant. Its not practical to set up normally when building a bunker, but weve got magic, dont we? What about technology? I asked. How complex a machine could you make? What about modern AA defenses, or a munitions plant? If I can get the plans, Charlemagne nodded. That could have been useful to know this morning, though I doubted Id have gotten away with asking for all that from Funke, so it wasnt nearly as bad as it could have been. In fact that was probably why he hadnt told me. He didnt want me to push my luck in an attempt to impress him and/or Dietrich. Smart, but it didnt feel too good to be on the receiving end of. We might be able to negotiate for them from the manufacturers, I suggested. I Thats when my fucking phone rang. It was the primary contact point between the mountain and the outside world, so it needed to stay on, but this oh, I was in so much trouble if this wasnt of vital importance. Yes? I asked even as Reinharts phone likewise rang, though even through the noise of the older mans death metal ringtone, I could hear Hofmanns voice on the other end, feeling my heart sink with every word uttered. A new monster had spawned, smack in the middle of Paris. Something classified as a Nation Boss. And so far, even artillery hadnt been enough to scratch it. Schei?e. Chapter 25: True Boss Tristan
Bones of the Forgotten (raised ossuary), Level 35 Nation Boss
Well, that was gonna be a problem. I shivered as I slowly pulled my nose back It was just Level 35, which seemed to be the limit for the second Challenge, but it wasnt weak. Definitely not. This beast that had risen from the famous catacombs of Paris, no, it was them, the innumerable bones of quite literally millions of people risen from the grounds to form that monstrosity. It was massive. Not just big, like an undead giant or one of the lesser bone golems wed faced back at the mountain. As in, Godzilla huge. A quadripedal monster that generally resembled a large, knuckle-walking ape, with a long tail that had a hefty-looking spiked club on the end, and a massive grinning skull for a head. Not just the usual blank skull that appeared to be smiling due to the curve of the jaw being exposed but a warped facsimile that displayed cruel mirth while streaks of black something trailing like tears from eyesockets that were not merely empty but black voids that seemed to draw in more than just light. I glanced at them for just a moment before I forced myself to tear my gaze away. It was also surrounded by a halo of explosions that I was pretty sure should have been far closer to it, as in, striking it, not detonating uselessly dozens of meters away. And finally, it wasnt visible, but I knew it had an even nastier ability up its proverbial sleeve. It fucked with communications, but only certain kinds. Calling for reinforcements, as the French military had done, was a-okay. As was telling the people inside that reinforcements were coming. And controlling stuff outside the bubble from the inside. But coordinating from afar, in any way, that wouldnt fly. Anyone outside of maybe fifty kilometers trying to direct troop movements, let alone guide in smart weaponry, would have more luck beaming messages into outer space to convince omnipotent aliens to solve all problems for us than they would affecting even the slightest change in the battle. That included Charlemagnes Skills, which was why he was coming as well, leaving the mountain for the first time. Id be joining him in the command post that had been set up nearby while the others went at that thing directly. Though I doubted there was a single safe spot on the entire battlefield, even on the back lines. *** Dietrich Helicopters were unbearable. The sound, the shaking, the inability to even hear oneself think they felt like someone had been trying to invent a machine to break a mans sanity and wound up switching to making a transportation machine halfway through. And yet they were also, apparently, a vital part of short- and mid-range military transportation. Can these doors be opened while in flight? Dietrich asked as the monster came into view, an immense accumulation of bones that surpassed every boss hed fought so far combined in terms of power. And on top of that, it came close to equalling the force that had attacked the Untersberg in volume. It was larger than anything hed ever seen, short of immovable natural objects such as mountains or entire forests. You want to jump? the pilot asked, utterly shocked. Do you want to land in front of that thing? Dietrich replied. The pilot paused to think for a couple of seconds before she simply responded with a Where, and how high? Dietrich directed her to head above the monster while he pressed his nose to the window, activating all three analysis Skills. [Conquerer of Legends], unsurprisingly, did absolutely nothing, this pure engine of destruction being beyond anyones ability to subdue. [Equalizer] was equally useless, informing him of the fact that the only thing to stop that thing was to kill it. As long as it was alive, it had the power to annihilate nations. But [Slayer of Myths] told him exactly how to put an end to this beast. Skulls were the weak points, as with all undead, but not in the usual way. This monster had six nexi of power made up of hundreds of individual skulls, several meters in diameter, that controlled it from the depths of its body. One in each shoulder, one at the base of the neck, one in its center, and a final one in the tail club, with numerous regular skulls spread throughout the body to conduct animating energy and instructions from the nexi to anything that needed them. Break the individual skulls to slightly weaken the area around them, break one nexus to weaken the related body part, and break all nexi to kill the bastard. So he pulled out the radio hed been given and passed on the information after a couple of false starts. And once that was done, they were already in position. Mia and Ogier were sharing a helicopter that would land in front of the monster and try to attack it from there, Ogier acting as Dietrichs apprentices shield, while Dietrich himself would be going for the kill directly. Heres fine, he announced, and the demonic flying machine held its position while he unbuckled himself and stumbled over to the door that was being opened for him by a man strapped in next to it. Keep your head down, fall straight to the ground, do not jump up in any way unless you want to get minced by the blades, the man warned. Actually, Dietrich was pretty sure that the blades would come off for the worse if they came into contact with his magical helmet Hildegrim, but destroying them would kill everyone in the helicopter, so hed be avoiding that regardless. So he leaned forward, out of the flying deathtrap, and simply let go of the railing. The wind whistled past him, and the distant sound of explosions was rapidly coming closer, but he only had eyes for one thing. The Forgotten. Mimung slid from its sheath with nary a whisper, and he brought it over and stretched it behind himself, to allow him to put the greatest amount of momentum into the swing as it came back down as he swung his arm in a great arc until his sword arm was resting against his chest and the blade pointing behind him on the other side of his body. The mere passage of the blade had been enough to cause a shockwave to erupt, but the real damage was being done by the wave of silver light that had been projected from its tip and was now washing over the monster. [Sword Art: Giantsplitter] The Sword Art gifted in recognition of his ability to cleave giant monsters in twain with a single strike. A feat crystalized into a Skill that he could use at any time, capable of cleaving any titanic foe, logic be damned. A giant wedge of energy cleaved clean through the monsters flesh, the line of silver energy carving through bone with ease until, from one moment to the next, it simply winked out. Gone. Poof. Kaput. The Forgotten seemed to stutter at that moment, right front leg buckling as Dietrich fell past, landing amidst an explosion of dirt as [Master of the Wilderness] prevented any part of the natural world from hurting him. It straightened again, ambling onwards at a slightly slower pace while he rose to his feet. Huh? What the hell? What had he hit? A nexus? For a brief moment, all Dietrich could do was stare after it, craning his head to stare at the shallow cut. He hadnt aimed anywhere near any of the nexi, that was for sure, it had been rather apparent that the loss of one nexus would be less crippling than literally being cut in two. Dietrich frowned at the monster, once more triggering [Slayer of Myths] and focussing on its weak points. A nexus was gone, specifically the one at the right front leg, the one that had buckled. The closest one to the strike, but still over a hundred meters away from the location of the cut. It should have been completely undamaged. That was when the information that Skill, as well as [Equalizer], were feeding him seemed to update, as a modern human would put it. If a single attack was on the verge of utterly crippling the Forgotten, it would be able to negate the attack at the cost of one of those nexi, which would be sacrificed. Now, that changed things. He didnt even need to land enough solid strikes anymore; he just needed to use this Skill six more times, and if the attack was destructive enough, such as an attempted bisection, the beast would be forced to sacrifice one of the orbs of power that kept it alive. Suddenly, the entire paradigm of the battle had shifted, they didnt need to destroy the thing with raw power anymore, the new win condition was surviving for sixty minutes, enough for him to use his Skill six more tim- An expected feeling of dread suddenly rose from the depths of his gut, and not the kind caused by the sixth sense all seasoned warriors inevitably developed. No, this was the System-given instinct, the one that let him learn about its workings without having to look at the windows. Instead of charging at the monsters leg to start carving into it with Mimung, he pulled up the cooldown tab Tristan had told him about.
Skills on Cooldown Sword Art: Giantsplitter 59:41 (forcefully extended)
Somehow, things had managed to get even worse, but a dire outlook had never stopped him before, and it sure as hell wouldnt stop him this time. Dietrich picked up Mimung, having dropped the sword a moment before impact to avoid impaling himself, and charged at the leg that had lost its nexus. The sword whistled through the air as he swung it, hacking at the monster as though it were a tree. This monster might be huge, but that also worked against it in some small ways, it was simply not in a position to directly target a single human, or maybe it was ignoring him, focusing on whatever was ahead of it instead. He didnt even need to be fancy. Just a simple, almost horizontal, slash at a slight angle to the ground so that he could keep taking out chunks, removing large wedges rather than merely leaving behind shallow cuts. Almost a dozen strikes landed before the monster lifted its leg to take another step, forcing Dietrich to start to run after it until he realized the ground around him was moving. Everywhere, the chunks of bone that had come loose under his strikes had begun reforming into individually mobile forms, each with a boxy body, four legs, and a tail that curved over their backs like a scorpions and ended in a series of long, sharp, spikes. Of the closest three, one stank like a poorly dug mass grave, black rot dripped from its stingers, the second caught fire the instant it had finished assembling itself, and the third simply looked like it had been bathed in blood. He briefly took a glance at their nameplates.
Bones of the Diseased (fragment), Level 30 Minion
Bones of the Burned (fragment), Level 30 Minion
Bones of the Murdered (fragment), Level 30 Minion
What did that damnit! He threw himself to the side to avoid the burning spike that the monster hurled his way with a simple flick of its tail. Somehow, Dietrich was certain that however bad he thought things could get, this thing would manage to prove him wrong. *** Mia Normally, shed have preferred to go into battle with Dietrich, but this monster was capable of turning her into a grease stain without even noticing. Having Ogier to hide behind had been a seriously good idea on her teachers part. She craned her neck, staring up into the face of the enemy, dizzyingly high overhead. This monsters head stood higher than practically all buildings shed ever seen, well beyond anything she could reach. It didnt even look at them as it advanced, though it did shift its massive paw around as it returned to the ground to land on their position instead of right in front of where it had been lifted off from. Shit! Mia was already sprinting away from the danger zone when Ogiers booming voice rang out behind her. Ill block, then we start hacking away at it. I focus on ripping it open, and you kill the minions that spawn! Every fiber of her body screamed at her to run, that no mortal man could stop the indomitable force of the incoming attack, her mind recalling every rule of force translation shed ever learned, Newtons laws and reminding her of the simple fact that even if Ogier could withstand the blow, all that force would just then get applied to the ground at his feet and hed get planted like a tent pole. And yet, she stopped, turned, and ran over to where he was standing, Cortain glittering in his right hand while a humble little buckler sat strapped to his left forearm, defiantly thrust towards the sky. The bony palm impacted with a deafening crash that made thunder sound like the detonation of a wet firecracker, and dust was flung everywhere, briefly blinding her, but once the wave of debris had passed and she could open her eyes again, Mia was treated to an awe-inspiring sight. A single man, clad in heavy armor, standing beneath a palm that could cover a main battle tank in its entirety, barely straining as he held up the beast with one arm while he rammed his blade home with the other. Ogier twisted his weapon, forcing it to cause countless shards of bone to splinter away before he withdrew the sword and attacked again. Could she do any less, especially with him having taken over the task of holding up the sky? Balmung hit the bone above her as she stepped up to the plate, taking out a decently large chunk. She raised the sword again for another attack, but saw something moving behind Ogier, a dripping-red scorpion thing formed from the bone fragments that littered the ground, ready to strike. Mia acted. [Sword Art: A Blade Across Time and Space] The wave of energy washed harmlessly over Ogier, but the monster simply fell apart, not even split in twain, the Skill having only affected the core of the monster. Ogier gave her a nod in acknowledgment, then went back to attacking the monster until the foot was raised again. Had he just stood there, supporting the beasts entire weight, as it had walked over him, putting its full weight on his still very human body holy whatever fuck. Now that was power! She could also see Dietrich running in their direction from where hed left a massive crater in the ground. Use this sword with your new art! he yelled as he closed and threw something in her direction, but past her in an obviously deliberate motion. Mia ran over and saw his sword lying there, sunken into the ground up to the hilt. Mimung, the legendary blade, the one he was supposed to be wielding. But when she glanced up, he was still armed, and even at this distance, she could tell it couldnt be his backup sword, the seax was unmistakeably distinctive. He could borrow any blade hed ever held for a single attack, shed known that, he just never used it anymore since the strongest blade he knew was the one he wielded. But copying it for her to attack with Mia grinned. That was a cool trick. She grasped the hilt of the weapon and tried to pull it out, but wound up carving through the ground without even meaning to, its supernatural sharpness rendering the ground incapable of holding it. Though she was just glad that this didnt count as using the weapon. This sword, even if Dietrich hadnt told her what he wanted her to do, shed have known what to do. So Mia activated her new favorite Skill, and the world split up into a shattered mirror of possibilities. [Sword Art: Crows Peck the Eagle] showed her everything she could do, attacking every single weak point she could see and/or imagine, even when she had to lunge at the monster or even have Ogier fling her skywards in an attack that might harm the torso but also cost her life in exchange for whatever damage she managed to dish out. But that didnt matter, not now, and especially not after shed boosted the Skill. Twice. It hadnt just expanded to include a vastly greater range of possible strikes, it would also strike even harder the greater the power difference was between her and her foe. The world split apart into countless possibilities, potential attacks that she could approve as they were or modify, which she did. This thing might not be animated by the various individual skulls, but breaking them should do something, so she shifted her targetting to include those whenever possible. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. And then, the infinite sea of potential collapsed back down into a singular point, the real world, with Mias arms and legs burning from exertion and her hand empty from where the summoned sword had vanished, but the monster was looking like it had lost a fight with an alley cat, with hundreds of bones raining down from the various cuts like macabre raindrops. Amazing result, but more exhausting than shed expected? Can you run? Dietrich asked, and when she didnt immediately answer, he just slung her over his shoulder and started sprinting in the direction the monster had been walking, leaving her facing backwards, watching the area they were abandoning. And the reason they were abandoning it. Shed destroyed dozens of skulls, but clearly, thered been enough of them in the chunks shed cut free to animate a ludicrous number of those scorpion things that were now chasing them. Though based on how quickly they were collapsing back into piles of bones, it felt like the soldiers all around were ecstatic to have targets they could actually bring down with handheld weaponry. Even so, clearing the area was a damn good idea. Grab your radio and pass along the following message: the monster can sacrifice its nexi to block attacks that threaten it, and it can forcefully put Skills on a longer cooldown. Also *** Tristan Id been fearing having to try and muddle through communications with English and German, but as it turned out, Charlemagne spoke fluent French. It made sense in hindsight, after all, Dietrich had not only gained mastery of the English language as it was so widespread, but his German had also been updated into something a modern person could understand. Of course Charlemagnes fluent Latin had been turned into knowledge of French, he almost certainly spoke Spanish and Italian too. Which left me in the somewhat frustrating position of having to imagine what was being said, rather than being able to follow along. [Burgeoning Omniglot] was helping me catch up, though, at the moment, it just served to make me feel even more confused. Now, instead of being able to fully guess what was happening, I was having to mold those guesses to the maybe one in twenty words the Skill had already taught me. Damn, I should have let him teach me that instead of a single charge of strategy and logistics. Knowing the languages of two of Germanys neighbors (that didnt have German as their own national language, or one of them, in Switzerlands case), would have been so much more useful for me as a diplomat. We walked into the tent set up to allow for coordination ahead of the monster but off to the side of its expected path, to keep the distance under 50 kilometers for as long as possible. That was the real issue with this monster. It looked slow, but that was purely down to its size. Every step the forgotten took covered a hundred meters, easy, allowing it to move at a good clip even when it wasnt sprinting to crush tanks or stomp flat defensive positions before their inhabitants fled. Over here, a young lieutenant guided Charlemagne into a spot right behind General Renard, the woman in charge of this whole affair. At least I thought our guide was a lieutenant; Id studied the rank insignia of the various militaries I expected to be here on the way over but was in no way certain of my ability to make accurate identifications. Charlemagne wasnt in charge, obviously, but he was here, and as I saw it, that was a major victory on my part. Civilian leaders had no place on the battlefield in the modern day, and Charlemagnes exact status was very much up in the air. and part of the reason he was here was that France had asked for help, and Germany had agreed, sending over not just military assets but also passing the call to me, thereby having put the wheels in motion before Id ever even heard of the incident But still, Id helped. And now, we were here, sitting in the command center of this part of the battle, coordinating efforts between France, Germany, and, based on the languages I was hearing, Belgium and England too? At least I was hearing enough English that I could follow along. [Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 19 -> Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 20] [Capstone Skill gained: Ambassadors Instinct] I immediately pulled up the Skill description.
Ambassadors Instinct (Global Ambassador of Myth Capstone) You automatically gain an understanding of where you are needed, how you can get there the fastest, and what you need to do when you get there. Efforts to reach the area will be faster and easier, costing half as much fuel/mana/other resource. Ambassadors Instinct can be used to target portals, teleportation abilities, and scrying spells. Your range starts out at 100 km and doubles with every 10 Levels gained (current range: 200 km)
So, that was why every fiber of my body had suddenly started screaming at me that I needed to get to the position at the center of a political shitstorm, the one which I was already occupying something the Skill was apparently unable to acknowledge until I told it to shut its proverbial pie hole. Cool Skill otherwise, though. I could tell where something was going wrong; it made portals cheaper if I needed to respond to something, and it largely negated any issues involving me having to go somewhere I hadnt been before. Which reminded me, now that I was Level 20, [Guides Shortcut] would have gained a second daily portal. Though both those things did very little to help me with the current situation. Is the Boss still moving towards Brussels, and is the arrival still estimated at 16:45? I asked our guide. Those were the numbers Id been told in the beginning, but over two hours had passed since then, and I hadnt heard anything else during that time. Correct. And its not changed direction at all, not towards the command center or the people behind it? I pressed. No. Damnit. I spent a couple of seconds considering diplomatic ways to voice how annoying that was before deciding against saying anything. The people here were professionals, they knew the issue. But Charlemagne had no such compunctions. So this monster is unwilling to target Ancients, he surmised. That makes things more difficult, but it means its path wont be shifted by anything. Exactly. Being able to lead the Forgotten around by the nose simply by dangling Dietrich and Ogier in front of it as tempting targets would have been great, but knowing where it would go had some value too. But Brussels, why? What was it about that city that drew it in? Was it the population? Because Paris had been pretty much trashed during and after the monsters emergence, and there werent many other big targets available nearby. According to Google, the Lille region of France actually had more people, but not by much. So, was it the citys political importance as the capital of the European Union? Did that somehow rank above Ancients in the list of priority targets? No, that wasnt right, otherwise, Brussel would have been overrun. The way I saw it, there were two options. First, the priority lists for spawning and targetting could be different ones, with Ancients being high enough on the list to shift spawn locations but not to alter targetting over a major political center. Or, second, Nation Bosses had different priorities. It was probably the second one; it was right there in the name. Nation Boss. If FIeld Bosses were meant to dominate a given area or field, and Raid Bosses existed to challenge Raid parties, then Nation Bosses existed to fight nations. And what was more important to a nation than its very own nexus of political and economic power? Frances was pretty much gone, so it was time to go after Belgiums. I pulled out my phone and found a map. Luxemburg would be next, then, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Berlin, Prague past that, it wouldnt really matter. If we didnt manage to bring the monster down before that, wed likely never bring it down. Well, I said we, but as per usual, I was largely useless when the chips were down. I think Nation Bosses might be prioritizing tra- destroying capital cities over everything else, I cautiously suggested. Luxembourg City and Amsterdam should probably be evacuated once Brussels population has been saved. The Brussels evacuation has barely started, Renard replied, clearly having heard me, her voice carrying despite her speaking at a normal volume in a rather noisy environment. Would you like me to take care of that? Charlemagne offered. If youll allow it, I can have that done in the two hours we have remaining. Hed spent most of the time here sitting and staring, though I knew that mind of his had been churning the entire time, taking full advantage of all the boosting skills he had, planning. Renard hesitated briefly before nodding, Go ahead. Not even a good luck or a polite equivalent of dont fuck up. The current situation had to be truly dire for her to give a command like that. And for her to be able to give it. Normally, an international monster fight would have likely involved a lot more dick-measuring contests, but apparently, the appearance of the big monster had concentrated a few minds. The emperor didnt even hesitate for a single second, he grabbed a nearby laptop that hadnt seemed to have been claimed by anyone, started sending our guide all over the tent, and began to activate Skills. [Automatic Logistics], [Information Osmosis], and [Optimized Transportation] were ones I recognized, but there were a hell of a lot more besides. I stopped really listening, as I wouldnt be able to do anything to help. Instead, I focussed on my surroundings, trying to figure out whether there were any other things I could maybe use to uncover any big secrets. I doubted it, though. Sometimes, there was no silver bullet, no big glowing weak spot, no kryptonite. Sometimes, the big scary motherfucker was just a big scary motherfucker that needed to be punched in the face until he stopped moving. I watched, I waited, and I learned. Cusswords, mostly. No one was swearing particularly loudly or openly, and most people limited themselves to a simple merde, but since the most common language used for actual communications was English, the new phrases [Burgeoning Omniglot] translated for me tended to be on the unacceptable in polite society side. Also, it turned out that the thing preventing artillery or missiles from landing true was the monster directly destroying them, the uppermost layers of bone automatically exploding outwards like some bizarrely overeager reactive armor, sending thin needles of bone out to meet the projectiles and then, well, the projectiles blew up. Somehow. Modern weapons should not be blowing up like that, though destructively intercepting enemy attacks was a suitable power for a boss monster like that to have. Something to rob humanity of its best technological tools, or rather, the advantage they gave. I didnt even want to know what would happen if someone tried to nuke it. Maybe something like a Casaba Howitzer would work? A nuclear shaped charge, a weapon that could detonate at a distance and send out a lance of plasma and radiation? No, those were designed for use in space. Besides, who the hell would have one? That concept had last been visited in the 1980s and discarded due to a lack of viability, based on what I knew. France and Britain both had nuclear arsenals, but I doubted they had random experimental warheads lying around at all, let alone in a deployable form. Airburst detonation of regular explosives? Nope. Not only had that definitely been tried before, but it was also unlikely to be very effective. Shrapnel was an anti-infantry weapon, not the anti-armor weapon that was needed to take down what was essentially an overgrown tank. And regular explosives lost most of their force when they blew out in the open. Armor-piercing shells that could get through the uppermost layers and then blow would likely dismantle that thing in short order, but, once again, nothing like that could touch the monster. Thermobaric weaponry? The explosive vapor could be spread from a safe distance maybe. I suggested it, and the message was sent up the chain of command. They didnt have any thermobaric explosives on hand, but apparently, they were being sent along with some future reinforcements. Though I had a feeling that was me being humored as part of a kitchen sink approach. And then I went right back to watching and waiting. Mia, Dietrich, and Ogier were ripping into the monsters legs, regular soldiers tore apart the smaller monsters that spawned from any skulls that got knocked loose, and whenever they fell behind, a chopper would let the trio leapfrog ahead once more. Not even ninety minutes left until the monster reached the outskirts of Brussels. Dietrich would be able to force it to sacrifice one nexus, maybe two, but that was all. Mia was periodically shredding the monsters surface using her Sword Art whenever it came off cooldown. And Ogier hit the monster like a runaway train whenever he could. But it wasnt enough. Then, I overheard a radio transmission that was very interesting to me. King Arthur was being flown in from the UK. Does he have a radio? I asked. I have a question I need to ask him! Apparently, either my or Charlemagnes pull was enough to earn me the privilege of contacting King Arthur directly. Your majesty, can I ask if Excalibur has any special abilities that could be useful here? I asked. It might be crossing some kind of personal line he had, but [Innate Etiquette] at least assured me that I wasnt shoving my foot in my mouth under the circumstances in a situation where I had a chance to know better. But knowing could make a huge difference because Excalibur was magical, I just didnt know in what way. Its sheath made it impossible for its bearer to die in battle, but he didnt have it anymore. It had either been stolen by or at the behest of Morgan la Fay in the story, and the sheath he now kept his sword in was clearly mundane. So, what could the sword do? The original myths didnt have much to say, and modern media had filled my head with all kinds of ideas. Id seen it be everything from a magical sword that shot lasers to a blade burnished in the fire of a dragon that caused wounds that were almost impossible to heal and could kill even the undead. Itd also been a crystal wand that could beat back eldritch beings from before the beginning of the universe, and a flying sword that could fight autonomously, break magical artifacts as well and, once again, cause wounds that were almost impossible to fix. And those were just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Point was, I was hoping for something good. The radio was silent for a long moment, long enough that I feared hed thrown his radio across the cabin or otherwise broken it in anger, but after maybe ten seconds, a reply came forth. You may, a gravely voice said.Excalibur is a sword made to let a mortal man bridge the gap between him and the supernatural. I glared at the radio, mentally screaming at it to continue. It did, after an uncomfortably long pause, which only served to give me enough time to formulate plenty of my own ideas. For example, did it deactivate superpowers on contact? Or did it strengthen the wearer based on the power difference between them and their foe? But both of those turned out to be wrong. It does not allow for situations with no way out. Immortality ceases to exist when I slay a being that has it using Excalibur, absolute barriers fold like parchment when struck, and even spells that can be cut apart with ease. That last one was likely because he couldnt normally affect raw magic, thereby rendering the situation a no way out issue, therefore, Excalibur could strike and destroy incoming spells. At least as long as he could strike the spell itself, rather than the effect. Kinda hard, not to mention pointless, to destroy a fireball after it had already set the house on fire. Or so I assumed. But asking the specifics of what spells he could intercept might also tread into the territory of asking how to kill him, which I didnt even need [Innate Etiquette] to tell me was rude. Therefore, I didnt mention it. So if that thing has overpowered trump cards, that actually makes it more vulnerable to you, I observed and nodded, even though he couldnt see that. Thank you. And with that, I returned to my previous position next to Charlemagne, staring at the banks of monitors and radios, waiting. Then, my phone rang and I picked up. Frau Kittel, I hope this is good news, I greeted the Untersbergs castellan. There is a gentleman here at the door, made out of rock, and apparently, hes asking to speak to you using sign language? the elderly woman told me. Put me on speaker, I asked. Youre on, she said. Theres a very dangerous monster here destroying cities, can you help? I asked in my now-fluent Czech. Im afraid no one will be able to return to the mountain anytime soon. I dont know what you said, but hes saying, Where do I have to go?, Kittel translated. Please wait where you are right now, I replied in Czech before switching to German. Where are you? Uh, throne room. Good, Ill open a portal in a sec, I replied before repeating the same thing in Czech. Then, I marched out of the tent and used [Guides Shortcut]. The portal wound up opening on the opposite side of the cavernous chamber, but that was no issue for Joseph, the Golem of Prague. I had no clue why he was here, well, there, but I was very glad he was. Of course, the guards, who had already been a little alarmed by the portal, jumped at his sight, so I tried to reassure them. This is the Golem of Prague; hes here to help. I dont think that worked. But at least they hadnt opened fire. That thing is a monster meant to face a nation, I said both with Czech and my hands. It just felt more comfortable to also use sign language when speaking to someone using it, even if it wasnt strictly speaking necessary. Can I ask what you wanted at the Untersberg? You almost drew in all the monsters threatening Prague, and according to you, the more of us are in one spot, the more monsters get drawn there. So if Im with you when the next challenge appears, then Prague will be completely safe. Oh, that was a good argument, one Id have loved to have made if Id known exactly at what distance we stopped drawing monsters in from. Having Joseph in the Untersberg would make things more dangerous in a few days, but if he was even half as strong as I thought he was, hed be an absolute beast. Well, thank you for helping with this, too, I told him. Joseph nodded, gave me a thumbs up, and started running straight at the Forgotten. With every step he took, he grew, armor manifesting around him as motes of dust swirled up to meet him, adding more and more mass until he impacted the monsters leg with an echoing boom. Apparently, getting him here was sufficiently down to my effort that the System rewarded me for it. And this was a very important Level, apparently. [Class Evolution: Global Ambassador of Myth Lv. 20 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 21] [Skill gained: Objective Recordkeeping] [Skill gained: Shifting Point of View] So, that was my new Class. A pun of sorts. The Myth part was clear: a [Myth Mediator] would basically be a mediator for myths, while the ical in brackets turned the whole thing into a mediator of mythical proportions, as I understood things. Therefore, the combination had to be, well, both. An impressive mediator who would be in the middle of fights between the likes of my current bosses. Granted, they understood the principle of if you shoot the messenger, all youll get is less mail, so they were unlikely to come down on me like a ton of bricks if I upset them, but if I had to do this around the likes of Genghis Khan Id honestly be safer trying to fistfight the Forgotten out there than trying to mediate with him. I shivered. Then again, my previous Class had put him on the list of people I needed to visit anyway, and this new one didnt make things that much worse. Objectively speaking. Subjectively it was a damn good thing I wasnt required to do anything in this battle because I wasnt sure Id be able to do much of anything. Of course, I also looked up what my Skills did.
Objective Recordkeeping You gain a perfect memory from this point onwards and are able to display your objective recollection to others in whatever way is necessary. Unpleasant memories that would normally be forgotten/repressed can be excluded from this effect.
Shifting Point of View You gain access to a mental construct that has the ability to see and consider anything you want from a second point of view, it can either take up the position of a different individual, or a purely neutral one. You are able to argue or debate with this construct to gain a better understanding of both your and the entitys perspective.
So basically, the Skills I needed to do the job I feared the Class was designed for. Settle arguments over facts and easily see other points of view. Which left just one question: could I get any other uses out of those Skills? [Objective Recordkeeping] was obvious. A perfect memory that came without any of the issues that normally accompanied that kind of ability and hologram powers. But could I make it more useful? Not that I could think of at the moment. As for [Shifting Point of View] I could know what another person would do, sort of. Combat prediction? Glancing around, I tried predicting how random people in the tent would act by seeing their point of view and failed miserably. Maybe not. How about seeing the world through the eyes of a really smart person? What were Einsteins thoughts on general relativity? How did Charlemagne see the battlefield? Both, abysmal failures. I could see what they did, but it was filtered through my own knowledge of the topics and my own intelligence, further limited by my imagination. Useless, mostly. Basically, it was a programmable version of my mind that I could bounce ideas off when I wasnt trying to empathize with a specific persons opinion. It could think, right? So, what was, say, twenty-five times one hundred and twenty? More than possible to calculate in ones mind, but it would take a while, and I wasnt doing it. But a few seconds later, the construct created by the Skill spat out an answer. 3,000. I pulled out my phone, opened the calculator app, and, well, it was correct. Cool. A neutral, unbiased mind that I could have crunch numbers for me. As long as I was smart enough to figure it out, I could automate the process. As for how to use that to its greatest effect *** Joseph Originally, hed planned on fighting this thing as a matter of course. Hed heard of a monster that could tie-up Ancients like himself, and that meant that it was a huge threat. Huge threats destroyed cities, and while Jews were rare, any major cities likely had a few Jewish inhabitants. Therefore, fighting something that powerful fell under the umbrella of protecting the Jewish people. But now that hed lain eyes on the beast, he knew one thing for certain: it was more than capable of reaching and attacking Prague directly. It was a threat, a stain upon this world that needed to die! [Armor of Gaia] flowed over him, [Might of the Earth] flowed through him, [Avalanche Charge] carried him forward with the inexorable, inevitable, unstoppable power of a mountains crushing might, and he was already activating[Titans Fist], energy flowing into his right arm and concentrating there, building ever higher. By the time he reached the people whod been ripping into the monster so far, he was so fast he flashed past in less than a second, and finally, he leaped. Josephs fist crashed into the monsters most intact leg, the back left one, aiming straight at its knee. This would be his greatest strike, and he didnt want to waste its power on something that he could have been broken by a lesser attack. He could feel bones crack under his fist, and the leg began to bend backwards as the monster came ever-closer to literally reversing the knee, utterly shattering the limb, ruining it beyond repair, when he suddenly slammed into a solid wall. A human being would have doubtlessly ruptured organs in his place, but he merely flattened against the leg like one of those pancakes some humans liked to eat. However, despite its sudden resistance, the leg seemed to have taken much more fundamentaldamage than what hed actually inflicted himself. Slowly, gravity peeled him off the monsters leg, and he plunged downwards until he hammered into the ground like a cannonball. And the leg was once again moving. More slowly and more mechanically, but moving nonetheless. It was going to come down on him, wasnt it? Hed probably survive, but A flash of silver, and the monsters leg was knocked backwards, replaced by a human who was almost as large as Joseph himself. Then, two more showed up: a man whose impossibly sharp blade took chunks out of the beast and a younger woman who wasnt doing quite as much, but had clearly earned her place on this battlefield. If hed had a voice, hed have grunted as he straightened back into a sitting position, then rose to his feet and joined the attack, arms stretching to grapple the monster, legs fusing with the very ground itself. Good luck moving now, beast! Chapter 26: Legendary Deed Charlemagne A second nexus had been destroyed. But once again, it hadnt been human power tearing deep enough into their foe to destroy the source of the beasts power; it had been the beasts own power breaking it to protect itself from being crippled. They needed to find out how to hurt the Forgotten more reliably. The British king was mere minutes from being able to enter the battle, and yet another message informed him that the Irish omniscient lord would be here half an hour after that, but could they be enough to beat this beast? Especially before it reached Brussels in little over an hour? Granted, the evacuation was going well now that hed taken over, but there were still one point two million people to deal with, over a tenth of his empires population crammed into a single city. Just getting them out of the city wasnt enough to get them out of the monsters likely paths after it had destroyed the capital of the Netherlands. No one had anything that could break the enemys unbreachable defenses long enough for salvos to land unbreachable. A perfect defense rendered landing a good hit impossible, and young Tristan had just uncovered a way to destroy impossibilities. So, how to make this happen in an optimal way? Using something like [Knowledge Transfer] would have made this easy enough to arrange, but he didnt. He had [Diplomatic Missive] to hand out smaller packets of information to people not under his command, and [Information Osmosis] would put everyone on the same page given enough time, but the former Skill didnt have enough bandwidth, and the latter fell short in rapidly developing situations such as active war zones. [Knowledge Transfer] should have been a part of his powerset too, damnit! Then he could have just sent the information to General Renard, and things would have worked out. But that wasnt what his Class was meant to do. An Emperor led his subjects; he gave orders, he didnt teach them individually. He got information from them, either from their [Knowledge Transfers], or using [Nexus of Information] to passively pick up important snippets of knowledge and store them until they were no longer needed. Of course, as a proper Emperor, he would also have been able to give orders and expect them to be followed, this entire situation would have fallen under his command. Instead, he was forced to negotiate. Not something that he was generally opposed to, it was just that it was severely inconvenient when lives were on the line. Excalibur should be able to knock down its defense, according to what you were told, correct? he asked Tristan after thinking about it for a couple of seconds. It made sense to him, but honestly, the current situation was highly unusual, and doing what modern people called a sanity check seemed like a good idea. In theory, but the important question is how it does that. Would King Arthur have to know what we need Excalibur to do for it to have an effect? And how long would it last? So Tristan immediately understood what he was going for. Not bad. Ill ask him to target the front left shoulder, Charlemagne announced and sent off a [Diplomatic Missive] to that effect before continuing to talk to Tristan. We should assume the effect is localized and temporary. Any modern military tactics that could exploit something like that? Theyd been sharing information about the modern world the whole time, and Tristan was by no means a professional soldier or military scholar, but he did know plenty about a lot of random topics that interested him. Maybe there was something useable. A time-on-target salvo should be what we need, the young man replied. Missiles and/or artillery shells launched at varying angles and velocities to land on the target simultaneously. Which meant they needed to know where the monster would be at that point if they were using artillery so that they could properly coordinate, though missiles should be able to bypass that. As far as he could tell, modern smart weaponry had been adapted to the new reality of combat using temporary solutions at the very least, though there were doubtlessly some that had been properly overhauled. Please inform General Renard of the plan; Ill coordinate with the newcomers. And then, Charlemagne proceeded to do just that, while simultaneously continuing to coordinate the evacuation of Brussels and even beginning the process of clearing Amsterdam of civilians in case the monster was able to keep going despite all their efforts. *** Arthur This had better be a Skill issue. Because if this Karl der Gro?e, or Charlemagne, as he was referred to by most of Arthurs countrymen, really talked like this in the middle of a warzone, then he had no business being within a thousand miles of anything more dangerous than a tea party. The letter that had appeared in his lap had been something. Using Highly honored as the initial greeting was a good start for something sent to a king, but everything else was insanely inappropriate. For the situation, that was. Half a novel to get through until the letter conveyed any useable information, then, that information was stretched across the second half of said novel, and a final chapter prior to the end. Signed, Carolus Magnus Rex, Emperor, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation And that man couldnt even keep his name straight. Skills could be weird, Arthur knew that, after all, his [Royal Constitution] had left him suffering from a cold while preventing it from affecting his voice and appearance in any way, but could they be that weird? His gauntlets tightened around the parchment that had been teleported into his hands, if it had even a remotely normal missive, it would have been reduced to shreds in a matter of seconds, but it remained stubbornly intact. Yes, a Skill. But simply blaming the Skill was letting his fellow monarch off too easy. At least the plan made sense. Use Excalibur to breach the enemys defenses on a specific point after calling it out ahead of time, then remove himself from the situation to avoid getting caught up in the artillery barrage that was meant to take advantage of the gap he opened. Simple, logical, doable. But did Arthur really want to trust a plan drawn up by such a shallow fop? One minute, the pilot warned. Honestly, Arthur could not give a single solitary fuck about how well the plan would work in the end. Hed hit the enemy, and dodge because that was the smart thing to do when facing a giant, giving a warning would barely be an inconvenience. How well the plan worked after that it would be out of his hands, hed just keep himself busy working out his frustrations on the single biggest punching bag hed ever seen or even just heard about. He might not have been the only person in this helicopter, but he was certainly the only one who was in any position to fight that beast. No one to interfere other than those who were already there. The helicopter stopped in midair, a few meters above the earth, and the door was opened, finally granting Arthur his first direct look at the monster. It was a gigantic beast, larger than most castles, taller than most towers, and yet, he didnt feel the smallest whisper of doubt whether or not hed be able to beat it. Sooner or later, this monster would fall, it wasnt invulnerable. Someone had already carved a massive gash into the monsters side, and someone else had repeatedly covered the beast in shallow cuts that left it looking like that weird modern cheese, full of holes. Arthur launched himself out of the helicopter, barely bothering to restrain his power, only limiting himself enough that the recoil wouldnt damage the conveyance. His every step propelled him across the ground with superhuman force, letting him cross the ground several meters at a time as he charged. Excalibur leaped from its sheath, practically vibrating with eagerness, the silverly blue metal of its blade gleaming in dusks light. Youre going to die today! he roared as he brought his sword back, ready to strike. [Royal Proclamation], activated. [Army of One] he was neither the only one fighting this monster, nor was he without support, but this was his charge, so its power flowed through him as well. And, reluctantly, he thumbed down the transmit button on his radio and announced, Im going for the right shoulder. Then, he leaped, slamming into the monsters elbow, Excalibur sinking through the monsters limb as though it were mere parchment, then dug his hand into an already existing crack and used that as a launching point, to the next crack he could spot. Grab it there, then hack off another massive chunk so he could place his legs there, and then, he jumped again, flinging himself over the beast, hanging in the air for a brief second before gravity reasserted itself. [Moment of Glory] activated as he fell, Arthur grasped Excaliburs hilt with both hands as he brought it down, and triggered [Grand Slash]! A wave of energy erupted from the sword as he attacked and hammered into the monsters shoulder with enough force to make the entire beast buckle for a brief moment before he landed on the monster and slipped, crushed and powdered bone not exactly being a surface that was easy to stand on. Bollocks! He fell, but hed long since figured out that he could use [Royal Road] to create a path for him to walk literally anywhere, not just in the wilderness. The spectral pavestones only stayed physical for a split second, but that was enough for him to kick himself against the monsters leg, Excalibur leading the way. It sank in up to its hilt, and he hung from it for a long second before the combination of his weight and his swords sharpness made it cut and thereby slip through the bone as though it were wet clay. And the monster was raising its left hand to crush him like an annoying bug. Oh dear. There was an obvious solution: he could just jump, but that was a little bit too easy. So Arthur reached out and grabbed yet another crack he could see sheathed Excalibur, and grabbed the crack with both hands. And then, he pulled, knees pressed against his chest, feet pushing against the monsters leg. Yes, he was leaving, but he was not retreating without another chunk of his foe. The giant palm of the Forgotten was closing in, and hed rather dodge than get smacked by that, but he really didnt want to and then, he heard the crack. No, he felt it. A bone-deep crunch that traveled from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head and was followed up by a series of lesser cracking noises before he was launched away, clutching a chunk of leg that weighed at least three times what he did, and when the monsters attack smashed into its own leg, several more bits went flying. Arthur let go of the chunk and braced for impact before he hammered into the ground. Dirt exploded around him as he landed, force distributed across both feet and the right fist hed planted into the soil, then he rose to his feet and glared at his foe. Hed done severe damage, ripped into the monster, but from down here, it didnt seem all that hurt. Maybe he should That was when the world before him exploded into a storm of fire and fury. *** Charlemagne Now, this was how you felled a foe. Excalibur had opened the doors, then his own [Expounded Advantages] had taken that chink in his enemys armor and ripped it open until it was practically an invitation to punch the beast straight into the ahem, unmentionables. Proverbially speaking. Modern weaponry truly was a marvel when it wasnt being negated by magic. And when it was actually available. But when things did all fall into place, they surpassed everything that Charlemagne had ever seen, in either lifetime. A ragged salvo of artillery shells led the way, having been fired last simply due to the fact that it wasnt possible to redirect them after they had been fired and the monster was still moving. Some weapons unleashed streams of plasma into the monsters limb upon impact, others punched into the upper layers of bone before detonating, spraying bony shrapnel all over the place, and others still were simply powerful bombs that rattled the beast. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. For a brief moment, the monster was obscured from sight in its entirety, but as the plumes of fire began to clear, the missiles hammered home. All of them. This time on target was a principle hed have to remember. The information network hed built up told him that theyd cracked a third nexus, the first one that had been directly destroyed, before the same message arrived via radio. He grinned, but as the smoke cleared again, this time for good, he seemed to be the only one satisfied with the result. Granted, the monsters defense seemed to have been reactivated, but the damage had already been done, and it seemed to be sticking. Merde. That had been the General herself, losing control. Not by much; the novel cussword had been spoken so softly that most people had likely missed it, but unless he was very much misreading the situation, military commanders were supposed to show more composure than that. Whats the problem? he asked Tristan, eyes still fixed on the wall of screens. The massive monster was still there, still moving, but its left front leg had been reduced to a ragged collection of loosely held-together bone shards, clearly barely capable of supporting its leg. Even if King Arthur was no longer in a position to fully repeat the initial strike, the fundamental principle of the plan was still intact. That monster should have been dust after a hit like that. At the very least, it should have been down a leg, Tristan whispered back. This is the first time theyve seen modern weapons fail even when deployed properly, isnt it? Charlemagne mused, then continued that line of thought in his mind. Well have to try and see if we can hire people with high levels. And figure out how to reliably tell peoples Levels and Classes, preferably without having to ask them individually. We can get our hands on these weapons and recruits, but power in the Systems world is tied to something else. Ogier and his allies were now returning to the field of battle, having retreated when the missiles had come in, the perfect example of just what kind of power the Untersberg needed. And once again, the radios crackled to life, announcing that another important personage was incoming. Fionn Mac Cumail, Ancient of Ireland, a master magic caster based on what Tristan had told him previously. *** Fionn There were few things more annoying to someone used to functional omniscience than blindspots, but hed learned to work around them by now. He hadnt noticed the monster, hed found it based on altered patrol routes and how the military had responded. He didnt know whose Skills controlled the battlefield, but he could scry for which Ancient was present but off the actual field of battle. And while he couldnt magically find out his foes weakest points, he could use his head and employ logic. Just because he rarely had to do so hardly meant he couldnt, after all. I hereby accept Carolus Magnus Rex as the operational commander of this incident and place the Fianna under his command for its duration, he muttered, and in an instant, he could feel a connection establish between him and the former emperor. So, his guess had been correct: Charlemagne was in charge, and using a commanders Skills required someone to be, well, the commander. He might have been observing the fight via radio communications and scrying, but the direct information straight from the man on the ground was still better. Seven nexi, one per limb, and three in its central body axis, sitting in the head, heart, and tail, respectively. Only the back left leg still had an intact nexus, the other limbs were clearly badly impacted by the loss of their associated processing center. And in five minutes, Dietrich von Bern would be able to force the monster to sacrifice a fourth nexus to avoid being bisected. But otherwise, very little progress had been made to destroy the beast. The greatest achievement of the people fighting it had been evacuating Brussels, buying more time before a failure to stop the Forgotten would cost lives. Hed known modern weapons were powerful, and clearly, so were the Skills at play here, but it was magic that would turn the tide of battle here. The power to reshape the battlefield would stop this thing in its tracks. The helicopters door opened up, and Fionn leaped out and went to one knee, pressing his palm against the muddy, churned-up ground that had already seen countless vehicles and boots destroy it. [Quicksand Errosion] was a new spell, one of a whole slew of battlefield control spells hed been awarded after the Fiannas rather embarrassing start of the second Challenge. As his comrades charged past, he remained there, staring at his foe as it began to sink, its front limbs lower thirty meters or so disappearing into the ground. No comical expression of surprise from the grinning skull it had for a head, for obvious reasons, but that didnt matter. It. Had. Worked. Then, Fionn cast his second spell, a combination of battlefield control, offense, and mobility. [Century Storm] It took less than sixty seconds for the skies to become overcast and existing winds to become fierce gales that lifted him into the air, granting him the power of flight. More and more energy built in the clouds as he closed in, flashes of lightning illuminating the battlefield in brief bursts until he started to unleash the full fury of the storm. Fat raindrops began to fall to earth, rapidly turning the monsters path and only the monsters path to mud, while forks of lightning crossed the intervening space amidst deafening peals of thunder, hammering into the already shredded limb until it collapsed. Victory! Well, not really, but it was a good first step. Getting its one front leg out of the quicksand would be hell. When it had still had two, it could have braced one against the bottom of the pit to pull out the second, then planted that on solid ground to pull out the first. That wouldnt work now. And then, in an immense flash of silver light, Dietrich von Bern unleashed his most powerful attack once more. And, again, the monster sacrificed a nexus to prevent from being rent apart, the last limb-nexus, to be precise. Two seconds later, Fionn learned that things werent quite that clean. For one, the Skills cooldown had been bumped up to six hours now. By the time they could resort to that ability again, things would have already ended, one way or another. For maybe a quarter of an hour, the monster stayed put, desperately struggling to retrieve its arm, back legs unable to gain proper purchase on the rain-slick earth, turning the ground into a muddy mess that made it even harder to stay on its feet. Eventually, [Century Storm] ran out of steam, and Fionn returned to the ground, but that just meant he could join the others in attacking the Forgottens back legs and tail, while the former King of England used the monster like his own personal jungle gym, hacking open the beasts defenses for artillery to strike. And then, they managed to break the nexus at the base of the skull, and all hell broke loose. A powerful shockwave picked up everyone and flung them away, well clear of the monster, while a wall of white energy rose up around the beast, hiding it from sight. And based on how missiles and other projectiles splattered against it, damage as well. Its a second-stage transformation, please tell Arthur to strike the barrier with Excalibur, Charlemagnes voice rang in Fionns ears. So, the king had put himself outside the chain of command. Interesting, but not particularly relevant. Its transforming, Your Majesty, please break its protections with Excalibur, Fionn announced, and Arthur moved in a flash, a sword that shimmered like the surface of a lake cutting through it as though it were less than air. With a sound like tearing cloth, the shield vanishing in an instant to reveal utter chaos. The monster had clearly been moving inside but frozen as it became exposed, its body language greatly reminding Fionn of someone whod unexpectedly found themselves naked in public, but that moment of shocked surprise did not last long enough for anyone to act. All the bones it had already shed formed into a wave of smaller monsters that charged at him and his fellows, while the main body continued its transformation. Barely five seconds later, the monster blasted past him, less than half its original size, a six-legged beast whose body was reminiscent of a big cat and a smaller skull that now had an open mouth with a black void within. A loud whistling sounded out, and barely a second later, several artillery pieces in the distance exploded, torn apart by projectiles. Smaller, faster, with a longer tail that would make its tail club deadlier, and it could spit projectiles. Itd be easier to destroy, but it was infinitely faster and deadlier. And it was already too far for them to engage. Shit. *** Brussels was on fire. The Forgottens new form was running through it back and forth, crushing buildings under its bulk as its tail whipped from side to side, pulverizing anything it struck, all the while spitting bone spears at anything that moved. How much longer before it moves on? Dietrich asked from next to Fionn. Theyd outrun the command post, it would be a while before it, and Charlemagne got close enough to bypass the monsters anti-communications effect. It left Paris after it destroyed around twenty percent of the city, but that was the city center, with a high density of historical or important targets. To do a similar level of damage maybe half an hour, Fionn mused, rubbing his chin. The armored giant Fionn now knew to be Ogier Danske cracked his knuckles, the sound as loud as gunshots. Way I see it, the city has been evacuated, and Tristan can fix anything we break. We can take our time, and set up a trap. That that was actually a good point. First, they needed to stop it. Conn was good at that, and the same went for Ogier. Second We need to block those projectiles. Fionn muttered. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, the living statue having approached him from behind without him so much as noticing. It tapped its chest, then pointed at his mouth, and finally gestured at the monster. Fionn just hoped that wasnt an offer from the golem to sacrifice himself because having him jam the attack was the best option they had. And third, they needed to actually kill the monster. *** The Forgotten had already ripped its way through most of Brussels, being far more destructive than Fionn had expected, but now, one hour after theyd gotten ready, it charged northeast towards Amsterdam. Its grinning skull was turning side to side, blasting apart random things as it advanced, until suddenly, it found its mouth blocked by the Golem of Prague, whod launched himself right into it. And as it started to try and shake the new blockage loose, two more fearless individuals stepped into its path. One was wholly clad in metal, the other wrapped in cloth armor, but both held up their shields, and the monster impacted them before it could ever react. A tremendous shockwave burst out from there, shattering the surroundings as the force of its charge was dispersed. Dietrich von Bern burst out of hiding behind the monster and hacked off its tail with a series of incredibly quick slashes. Everyone else just went straight at the monster. Fionn was vaguely aware of the detached tail forming into a separate monster, only for it to collapse back into a pile of bone as the young woman Dietrich von Bern had trained slashed it apart with some kind of armor-bypassing attack. Which just left the big sucker itself. The Forgotten reared up, front legs free to attack, while the remaining four granted it stability. Fionn lunged in, spear flashing out to the center of its form, but was forced to dodge a claw swipe. Ogiers Cortain took a chunk out of that paw before he was backhanded into the nearest wall. Conn took that as his chance to pounce, wrapping both his arms around the limb so that Arthur could slash through it, getting close enough to severing it that Conn could fully yank it off. Caoilte activated every boosting Skill he had remaining and carved into one of the rear legs while Ossian made the other sink into a patch of quicksand. And Fionn once again launched himself at the monsters chest, spear about to run it through. It had already sunk in a meter when the monster twisted its torso, snapping the weapon in half and sending him flying across the street, but at the same time, the motion put it off balance, letting Ogier and Conn push it over. Swords flashed, spears stabbed, and bone shards flew through the air as they attacked, desperately trying to destroy the nexus, but it rolled over, crushing Ogier into the ground with enough force to leave a him-shaped imprint in the asphalt, and rose to the stumps of its back feet then its head exploded, replaced by the still-expanding form of the Golem of Prague. The sudden shift in weight distribution sent the monster right back to the ground, trapped under a mass of very angry earth. Fionn lunged yet again, this time triggering [Final Strike] only for a freshly risen minion to knock into his legs. The spear still hit, ripping through bone with ease but missing the nexus. He collapsed to his knees, spitting blood as the backlash impacted his chest, but merely having stopped him would not be enough to stop him. [Second Wind] flowed through him as he rose to his feet, still injured, still hurt, but slowed for barely a second. [Force Punch] hammered into the area his spear had damaged, sending further cracks radiating across the monsters body. Still not enough but a solid start, and an overwhelmingly powerful strike from Ogier increased the damage. The Forgotten thrashed under the Golem, flailing sometimes, landing dangerously precise hits on other occasions, spitting out minions at the most inconvenient times possible, but at some point, it died, and they just kept on attacking, kept on tearing it apart, until eventually, the Guardian of Prague reformed into his standard humanoid configuration and stepped away from the shattered remains of their enemy. It was also then that the System saw fit to acknowledge the victory. [Warlord of Magic and Legend Lv. 59 -> Warlord of Magic and Legend Lv. 62] [Physical Boost gained] [Skill gained: Combat Precognition] [Skill Boost gained] Fionn stared around at his destroyed surroundings. He sincerely hoped Ogier had been right about Mr. Vogt being able to provide an easy fix because whether it was the 3rd century or the 21st, we broke your city to save it was not an excuse that would be accepted. *** Gnral de brigade Renard Danielle Renard had been born into the tail end of the post-World War 2 chaos. The European Coal and Steel community had been created a couple of decades before that, starting the process of tying France and Germany economically together until any war would be ruinous for both parties and would eventually form the basis for the European Union, but the aftershocks of that war had still been felt. As shed grown up and joined the military, the Cold War had flared up repeatedly, incidents occurring that seemed to have the world teetering on the edge of annihilation. Eventually, shed reached her current rank, and by then, the world situation had largely calmed down. Wars still raged elsewhere, but it looked like Europe was peaceful, by and large. Shed spent her entire life preparing to defend her country and somehow wound up never having to do so, the conflicts had always been elsewhere. In fact, shed been less than a year from retirement, after a career of competent service, unmarred by major or impactful mistakes. A good one, shed felt. Then, the world had completely lost its mind, and shed barely been able to do anything. Bringing down lesser monsters had been easy, but other than picking the placement of her soldiers, she hadnt really contributed directly to that. However, the Nation Boss it had been untouchable, completely beyond her or her peoples ability to fight. She hadnt been able to do anything. For about two seconds after the fight had ended and the cleanup had been completed to the point where she was no longer needed, shed teeterrdon the edge of a total collapse, now that she was no longer needed to hold up the efforts. And then, shed been reminded of the fact that as insane as the world had gotten, as powerful as her foes had become, it wasnt just the ancient legends who could gain the power to reshape the world. [Gnral de brigade Lv. 17 -> Gnral de brigade Lv. 20] [Class Evolution: Gnral de brigade Lv. 20 -> The General Who Conquered Calamity Lv. 21] [The General Who Conquered Calamity Lv. 21 -> The General Who Conquered Calamity Lv. 22] [Skill gained: Coordinated Salvo] [Skill Boost Gained] [Skill gained: Like A Well-Oiled Machine] [Capstone Skill gained: Supreme Commander] [Skill gained: Unshakeable Faith] [Skill gained: Force of Will] And another two seconds after that, she started to ponder the potential issues that would stem from literally everyone becoming superhumans over time. Yeah, no way in hell shed be retiring any time soon, even if her government let her. Even if they survived the Systems challenges, humanity could still easily tear itself apart. Chapter 27: Lessons Learned Walking through a warzone hit differently when that warzone used to be peoples homes. And apparently, Ogier had touted me as being capable of fixing everything, which was definitely a teensy bit of a stretch. [Restoration of the Old] was strong, and only got stronger when applied to something as ancient as the Untersberg fortress, but it wasnt this strong. But Charlemagne had asked me to make a good-faith effort, one application of the Skill to see what it could do, so I was here to do just that. As for the when and where, Id settled on right now and the European Parliament. The center of European power, risen from disaster, the last and only intact part of central Brussels. Because Id been right. The damn Nation Boss had gone straight for it, then ripped its way through the Chamber of Representatives, a part of the Belgian government apparatus, and finally flattened the Belgian Federal Parliament before proceeding to wreck the rest of the city. If I could, Id make sure to fix other government buildings, but my priority was the center of the European government. The various fighters, Dietrich and Mia, included, were still zonked out somewhere in one of the countless makeshift camps that surrounded the city, but Id been removed enough from the main effort that Id woken at 7 am and been more than ready to head out to try and use the Skill. Id asked General Renard to provide an escort, and less than five minutes later, I was being driven through the city in a Humvee. Or at least a vehicle that fulfilled the same general purpose as one, being a troop transporter capable of handling the rough terrain the city had been turned into. Now, here I was, watching the devastation pass by the windows and trying not to project an image that would make me look like an ass. Like gawking, or the opposite extreme, casual indifference. I mean, my Skills helped, letting me control my facial expression and letting me see things from the perspective of the soldiers to properly judge how I should be presenting myself, making the whole thing practically effortless, but the situation still felt precarious. So you can fix all this? the soldier sitting on my right asked. Some of it, Ill have to see how much I can do in one shot, I replied, leaving unspoken that I could have offered and delivered the same thing last night but forgotten. I might have still been functioning, but that didnt mean I hadnt been tired. Thats cool, the man replied. I Then, he stopped talking again, likely having swallowed a grumbled I can only do x. [Piercing Gaze] activated and I scanned him and saw something entirely new, a state of complete chaos that was nevertheless fairly easy to interpret. This was a man whod just had his entire world turned upside down, I could tell that he had enough of an attachment to the city that he had either lived or been born here, part of him wanted to cling to the old paradigm, another part told him to move on, and a third screamed at him to run like hell because otherwise, there was no way in hell hed survive this. And even with all that, he was putting up just as good a facade as I was. Without my Skill, I wouldnt have been able to tell how shaken he truly was. That was the point when I stopped engaging, or scanning anyone, and just started out of the window. It took the car almost an hour to reach our destination, and it had to stop more than five hundred meters away due to a preponderance of rubble surrounding the remains of the European Parliament. Are you okay with walking? I asked, earning a soft round of chuckles. Shouldnt we be asking you that? one of the soldiers replied. Well, Im the one who dragged you out here, the area hadnt been declared clear of monsters yet, and youre the experts in military protocol. So, is this a reason to turn around and head back? I genuinely wanted to know. Id be fine walking out there, but then again, I doubted my knowledge of the realities of war was anywhere close to theirs. At best, I had secondhand wisdom from Charlemagne. Valuable, but still secondhand. Were going, the sergeant in charge of the team declared, and led the way out through the door, with everyone else following soon after. Several small chunks of rubble crunched under my boots as I stepped out onto the pavement, and the smokey smell on the air was suddenly a thousand times more intense, now that I was breathing the open air. Most of the fires that had been caused by the Forgottens attack had been put out, but the smell lingered. It was a harsh scent, chemical, with only hints of woodsmoke. Like the worst kind of barbeque imaginable. This hadnt been a wildfire, or older construction, but the modern world burning down, furniture, wiring, and carpeting having ignited, leaving behind the hollowed-out skeletons of office buildings and their like. I froze, and stopped to stare. My escorts had spread out around me, but once they were in position, they too seemed to freeze, likewise overwhelmed by the enormity of the disaster. Or maybe, they were waiting on me to move on. I took another step, rubble once more crunching underfoot, and that seemed to jolt everyone into action. Or, once again, they were taking their cues from me. It was a journey of only five hundred meters, but it felt like a ten-kilometer hike through a fever dream. The sound of broken concrete or metal rebar under our boots, the distant crunching rubble shifting, the haze of smoke hanging in the air, and just everything else if it hadnt been for the lack of bloodstains, this could have been the setting of a disaster movie. Or maybe something like a zombie apocalypse, which was a little closer to what was actually happening, but movies about those tended to focus more on atmospheric horror, of the old world empty of regular people, either entirely devoid of life, or filled with dumb, mute, zombies, dead but still an overwhelming threat, ready to tear apart anyone who got too close. I was just glad that we wouldnt have to deal with any of that in the real world. Real zombies were just too darn aggressive, and as long as there were people around, the undead would impale themselves on humanitys defenses until they were all gone. After ten minutes of walking, I tripped over a metal pole. And as I pushed myself back to my feet, I saw my hands had brushed away a layer of dust covering the German flag. Looking around, I spotted several other objects that looked like very dirty and dusty flags, at the end of more metal poles that I now recognized as being the flagpoles that used to line the road to the parliament. This was as good a spot as any to activate my Skill. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I closed my eyes and focussed on [Restoration of the Old], spreading out the effect of my Skill, feeling the energy flow out of me until I reached my limit. I wanted to restore part of the city perfectly, and not have the Skill fail halfway through like it had when Id tried to clean the Untersberg. Deep breaths. In, out, in, out. The longer I focussed on the Skill, the more I could feel its energy suffusing the pile of rubble before me and spreading out from there until, from one moment to the next, everything else slammed into place, and before I could react, the Skill triggered on its own. My eyes flew open involuntarily, and I stared, watching the building before me un-demolish itself, rebar floating into the air to form a rough outline first before all the concrete covering the ground disintegrated, the dust flying skywards and reforming into its old shape, soon followed by a glittering display as countless glass shards slowly reassembled themselves in their now-restored frames. All in all, it had taken less than a minute for the building to be fully restored. It was a rather modern construct, all glass and steel with barely an ounce of personality, but there it was. The center of European power, standing against adversity. I should have filmed it. But when I turned, I saw a couple of soldiers with their cellphones out. Though based on the fact that the sergeant wasnt ripping their heads off, that had been planned. Lets get out of here, I announced and began to walk, with the others following suit. The way back was, once again, eerie as fuck. Where the walk here had been defined by destruction, the return journey was made across pristine streets, surrounded by buildings that looked like theyd been built yesterday, and there wasnt a single piece of trash in sight. I shivered. It looked like something straight out of an alien abduction and experiment movie. Things were just too perfect, too clean, too sterile. Not something that would last for more than a couple of days once people returned, but it was still something that grated on my nerves, putting me on edge. Only when I was safely back in the Humvee was I able to focus on my Level up. [Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 21 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 22] [Skill Boost gained] This was tough, really tough. I got plenty of Skill Boosts, at every other Level save the ones that were multiples of ten. Or maybe, it was the Levels that were gained just prior to a Class Evolution that gave Capstones instead of Skill Boosts, and the Class Evolutions didnt happen every ten Levels. They happened at Levels 10 and 20, I knew that from personal experience, and Charlemagne had told me that so was 50, but everything else was up in the air. Yeah, I got plenty of boosts, but also a metric fuckton of Skills to spend them on, and, in fact, I gained more Skills than opportunities to boost them. If the pattern held, then Id have to grow ever more cautious about where I applied them. So where the fuck should I stick this one? [Knowledge Trade] was still one of my most impactful Skills, the highest-upgraded one I had so far, and who knew where I could take it? Would it grow to the point where it didnt just transfer knowledge, but also wisdom and muscle memory? [Piercing Gaze] already did plenty to cut through the confusion of the modern world, and might grow to be able to do more than I could ever imagine. And [Innate Etiquette] was practically overpowered, however, it was already at the point where I needed it to. A better, larger, more useful [Diplomatic Pouch] could make an immeasurable difference, and how about my two self-defense Skills, [Polite Rebuke] and [Diplomatic Immunity]? Didnt they deserve some upgrades too? But in the end, I settled on [Restoration of the Old]. Because as far as gathering the badly needed goodwill went, nothing I could do beat fixing cities and restoring monuments with a wave of my hand. And it was even a combat Skill to boot. Kinda. Instantly repairing our little fortress in the mountains from within its walls in a matter of seconds would be incredibly useful. Constantly regenerating the fortress could also serve as a stopgap until Charlemagnes overhaul Skill could be applied and turn it into the strongest defensive position possible. So I applied the Boost to [Restoration of the Old] and immediately read the upgrade.
Maximum affected area increased, maximum cooldown reduced to ten hours, Skill treats important constructions as ancient for the purposes of calculating efficacy.
Hol up. Did actions taken with a Skill influence the upgrade path it took? Because upgrading it to fix buildings that were new but of monumental importance was pretty much exactly what I needed, and new but important was basically the perfect description for the building Id just fixed. I shrugged. That would be hard to prove one way or the other, and I certainly wouldnt be investing my Skill Boosts in ways that might support either hypothesis, they were too valuable for that. Maybe I could conduct a survey in a few weeks, perhaps comparing how identical Skills were upgraded by the different people, and if there was a difference based on lifestyle, or if there were differences when the same Skill had been gained from a different Class yeesh, this was gonna be a pain. Id probably have to fob that off on someone else. Either way, in the here and now, I had stuff to do. For one, upgrading the Skill had reset its cooldown, so I used it again and fixed a much larger chunk of the city, restoring the path the humvee was taking through Brussels. *** Everyone, thank you for coming, Fionn Mac Cumail greeted the entire assembled listeners, all seven of us. Six, if you excluded Drake, who was only present via video conference. We were in the main chamber of the European Parliament, where hed invited us to share something. An unseen projector activated, throwing a map of Europe against the wall behind him, with multiple circles drawn across the continent, centered on the southeastern edge of Germany, right where the Untersberg was. One went right up to the edge of Prague, that had to be the area wed covered at the start of the current Challenge. The second covered Prague and extended maybe a hundred kilometers further. That had to be the area if Joseph joined us as hed offered. And the last one covered basically the entire map, including the entire continent, extending all the way past the northernmost tip of Norway, and some rough mental math let me know it would extend quite aways into Russia and northern Africa, though neither was on the graphic shown. That had to be Have you managed to calculate the rate of expansion based on how many ancients are in one spot? Charlemagne said. Fionn nodded solemnly. How many are needed for the greatest possible expansion? Charlemagne asked. All of us, Fionn said and waved his hand at the projected image. For a brief moment, I thought that had been the cue for an unseen helper to flip to the next slide, but then I realized the image bulged up out of the screen, meaning it was clearly the product of his magic and so was the initial image, obviously. The new projection was of the Untersberg, side by side with another map, which had a new circle that barely covered the northernmost tip of Scotland. If you would be so gracious as to host us, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the Fianna is ready to defend your mountain fortress against the monsters that would normally endanger the entire continent, Fionn declared. The area that would be covered is the one being displayed right now? Charlemagne asked, stroked his chin for a few seconds, then added, The rate of expansion is around forty percent for each one of us, starting from a basis of one hundred kilometers, correct? Holy shit, had he just figured that out from just those maps? Not bad. But, of course, I kept my trap shut. Fionn nodded. Well, King of Bern, I believe we can handle that, cant we? Charlemagne grinned, turning to face Dietrich, who nodded. Obviously. Then, he turned to Arthur and the laptop Drake was using to listen in. And will our British compatriots be joining us? Sounds like there wont be any monsters in Britain no matter what, so I might as well be where the action is, Arthur immediately announced from his position spread out across two seats, legs up on the table in front of him. But Drake stayed silent for a long moment before finally replying. I think Ill stay where I am. My Skills are largely useless without a navy to command, and my task is hunting the beasts in the ocean before they can hit various coastlines. Unfortunate. But understandable. Vice Admiral, may I make a suggestion? I asked before I could stop myself. Yes? he replied cautiously, slightly distracted. I have a portal Skill. Itll require some preparations, but I can instantly transport you to your fleet a second after the Challenge has begun. That way, your presence can redirect monsters to the Untersberg while still enabling you to complete your main goal. What kinds of preparations? he asked. I have to have been in a location before I open a portal there, I told him, already knowing I had him hooked, thereby cinching the final Ancients support for the plan. And from that point onwards, it was a matter of hammering out the details. This would be awesome! And ridiculously dangerous. Insanely so. The amount of wrath we were calling down on ourselves could annihilate nations. But the people around me were, well, themselves. They were quite capable. Chapter 28: A New World The past five days had been a whirlwind of activity, but somehow also perfectly calm compared to everything that had happened previously. No more Nation Bosses had risen, all the little fuckers had spawned in the first second of the Challenge and were slowly being ground to dust by military or armed citizens, and there was enough spare man- and firepower available to come down on the occasional freshly appeared Raid Boss like a ton of bricks. As for me, Id been traveling. London, Edinburgh, and Dublin first so I could zap the Fianna and Arthur over there if it became necessary, then spent some time in all the places the Royal Navy might gather so that I could relocate Drake, and then hit all of Europes other capitals. Showing the flag, garnering support, and so on. I also restored some of Paris most impressive buildings in passing. Wed also finally done some tests about how my portals worked in general, and how they interacted with vehicles. The general testing had been pretty simple; the portals could admit a group of people as long as it was not excessively large, such as anything over a platoon. It could also stay open for up to a single hour if no one used it, but while one could go back and forth through an open portal, doing so would rapidly degrade its stability, reducing both the number of potential passengers and the time it would stay open. And repeatedly teleporting in and out of a slowly-moving pickup truck had been incredibly eye-opening. My teleportation points were calculated relative to the Earth, not my surroundings, so I couldnt step into a plane, leave it, and then teleport to it once it had arrived at its destination. Also, teleporting Vice Admiral Drake onto an aircraft carrier would be a pain, since the elevation of the deck was decidedly not static, shifting based on weather, waves, and even the tides. Wed settled on flying me around on a helicopter so that I could open the portal above the deck and just let him fall a few meters. However, thankfully, portaling out of a moving vehicle was much simpler and more streamlined. The portal would conform to the shape of the vehicle and move with it, meaning I could easily evacuate, say, an airplane, even when it was in the middle of crashing, which made air travel a thousand times safer as long as the plane wasnt too crowded. A passenger plane wouldnt work, not that they were flying anyway, but the diplomatic planes I was able to borrow worked a-okay. Of course, I also gained a few Levels in the process. [Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 22 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 25] A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. [Skill gained: Walking Encyclopedia] [Skill Boosted] [Skill gained: Sensitive Discussions]
Walking Encyclopedia Rapidly gain knowledge of topics being discussed and put the information at hand into the correct context with the rest of your knowledge.
Sensitive Discussions Automatically destroy listening devices within the current room and obfuscate long-range means of observation.
[Walking Encyclopedia] would further boost my learning capability and make mediating a technical discussion far easier, while [Sensitive Discussions] would provide some much-needed privacy. As for the Boost, I decided to slap it onto [Arcane Core] because Fionn had started to share some magic so I could spread that knowledge far and wide, or at least to those who would use that knowledge for good. It wasnt anything to write home about yet, but it would get there, and the flat boost to my mana pool should be useful for most of the things I decided to do. I dug through my status sheet a little, checked my various cooldowns, even did a gut check on my various plans it was a waste of time. A complete one. Id done all this a thousand times before, but I needed to do something to distract myself with something because we were in the final hour before the Third Challenge, and if I didnt stay out of my own head, Id drive everyone else crazy. As though they werent nervous enough already. And then, the clock finally hit zero and reset, giving us fifty days to prepare for the next Challenge assuming we survived this one.
The Third Challenge, [The Waking of the Unliving], has now begun, giving life to objects that never should have had it. The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], has concluded, and the dead will no longer rise. However, existing undead will continue to exist until they are slain. The Fourth Challenge, [The Wrath of Natural World], will begin in fifty days. Time remaining: 49:23:59:51
Fifty days of fighting what sounded like animated statues. Id been half-right about that, it was inorganic objects given form, but it seemed like elementals would be the Challenge after this one. Storm elementals, living tsunamis, and earthquakes that actually wanted to hurt people, by the sounds of it. Fifty days. By then, I hoped to be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these legends around me. Because those were fifty days of leveling, of acquiring a seemingly limitless number of skills via [Knowledge Transfer], and breaking the intended limits of all my System Skills until reality itself cried uncle. Id be someone who could shape the future of this world. Or, at the very least, do my part. Because some of those things out there
Bavaria (animated monument), Level 45 Raid Boss
Yeah, that thing was terrifying. Chapter 29: Buried Evil (Alternative Title: Diabolus ex Machina) (Start of Book 2)
The Third Challenge, [The Waking of the Unliving], has now begun, giving life to objects that never should have had it. The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], has concluded, and the dead will no longer rise. However, existing undead will continue to exist until they are slain. The Fourth Challenge, [The Wrath of Natural World], will begin in fifty days. Time remaining: 49:23:59:59
The world continued to move above his tomb, his prison, the only thing indicating that today was not yesterday, last week, or, hell, the last century, being the messages from that damn System. Hed been hoping, praying that this Breaking of Graves would destroy his prison as well, given that it was, in fact, also his tomb, but no such luck. No, instead, there was the voice of this arcane meddler informing him of more powers being gained, powers that he could not use with this damn yew sword that still impaled his heart. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. His clothing, the empty sheath of his dagger, even the casket hed been inside during a previous burial attempt, all had rotted away. Countless iron weapons that had been thrust through his body when hed finally been brought down, and now, they were nothing but dust, his body long since having healed the injuries. But that damnable sword was still there, fresh and vibrant as if it hadnt simply been carved from fresh wood but outright grown from a living tree, and nothing he could do was able to affect it. Not now, but that situation would likely not last forever. Not with the rate at which he was gaining power. [Origin Vampire Lv. 24 -> Origin Vampire Lv. 25] [Skill gained: Bloodthirst Orignator] Then, a few hours afterwards. [Origin Vampire Lv. 25 -> Origin Vampire Lv. 26] [Skill Boost gained] And, going by the clock on the System messages, the next day, he gained another Level. [Origin Vampire Lv. 26 -> Origin VampireLv. 27] [Skill gained: Automatic Blood Absorbtion] Hed started out at a seemingly lowly Level 11, but kept going, kept growing, and with every passing day, he gained more power, growing ever closer to escape. [Skill gained: Finishing Bite] [Skill gained: Auto-hemokinesis] [Class Evolution: Origin Vampire Lv. 35 -> Origin of Bloodthirst Lv. 36] And even the second change of his Class, whatever that was, was not the end of this. [Skill gained: Original Sin of Blood] [Skill gained: Sanguinem Infernalis] Bit by bit, he was gaining power, and with every passing day, that yew sword was looking ever more fragile. Chapter 30: Last Chance 10 am, the Day Before The Third Challenge Begins, the Untersberg Ive said it before, Ill say it again, and Ill likely never stop saying it. My. Life. Is. A. Fever. Dream. And my current surroundings, the throne room of the Untersberg fortress certainly didnt help things. Between the original, old-fashioned architecture, the magical map and model of the mountain made by Charlemagnes Skills, and the various modern devices the room had been upgraded with, it looked like some mad game designer had carelessly mashed together a wizards tower with the bridge of a starship. I mean, everything worked just fine, but it looked sort of ridiculous which was part of the reason why Charlemagne was unlikely to be receiving diplomats in here for a while, and why I was always going out to visit people in my capacity as an ambassador. But the outside of the fortress had been massively changed as well, in ways that had resulted in quite a few facepalms on our part, with our referring mainly to Charlemagne and Mia, both of whom had missed one of the most obvious tricks available. Basically, the magic held by both Fionn and the mountain spirits responsible for the mountains upkeep made reshaping the outside trivially easy and making fat, short pillars took mere minutes. As for what those pillars were for, it was simple. Disruption. In the same way a stone in a stream disturbed its flow, a pillar inside, say, a train station or outside a football stadium would disrupt crowds and slow down the movement of a teeming sea of humanity, setting a more sedate, civilized pace. Now, there was nothing particularly civilized, or human, for that matter, about the beings who assailed the mountain, but the same principle applied. If wed done this against the zombie horde, wed have massively slowed them down. Against a modern army, all the pillars would have done was provide cover, but while we still couldnt shoot past the stone towers, wed not run out of targets even with them. However, a big question remained. How effective this defense would be against the golems and elementals that were likely going to make up the next wave? Either way, it wasnt really my job to worry about defenses. I came up with the occasional good idea and passed it along, and in the unlikely event that I should spot a glaring oversight Id obviously share that information, but in general, I had other tasks. And right now, I had nothing to do, which was why I was lurking here, waiting for a suitable task to crop up. Because the only alternatives were either lounging around lazily, or bugging people who already had things well in hand for a task. The former was not an option for me, and the latter would only serve to make me feel better while bothering the hell out of everyone else. Mr. Vogt, do you have time to do some reading? The speaker was a tall, fair-haired, handsome, man who represented the other half of the bizzarity that had taken over my life. Fionn Mac Cumail, or as hed sometimes been called in modern times before hed returned and set the record straight, Finn MacCool. National hero of Ireland, an ancient, nigh-omniscient warrior, mage, and warlord whod already lived for almost two millennia. Id acclimated to the presence of Dietrich von Bern, the ancient Germanic king, pretty quickly, Ogier Danskes towering presence hadnt been intimidating beyond the first couple of days, and even Emperor Charlemagne had transformed into just another authority figure pretty quickly. But our new arrivals were a whole other kettle of fish. Fionn looked like and was functionally heroically personified and he could find out your darkest secrets in a matter of seconds if only he cared to look. As for Arthur Pendragon, whod come along with him that man had a perpetual thundercloud hovering over his head, and quite frankly, merely being in the same room with him put me and just about everyone else on edge. I wasnt entirely sure what was eating at him and at this point, I was too afraid to ask. Ive got time for whatever you need, I replied. There arent any more demands on my time for today. Of course, he probably already knew that and hed just been asking out of politeness, but I still had to answer, likewise out of politeness. Follow me, please, he announced and led the way towards the library. As usual, the room was depressingly empty. It held ancient books, originals that were either only available as the copy of a copy of a copy or lost to time entirely. A metaphorical and literal goldmine for anyone interested in not only Germanys history but also the Greek and Roman literature that Charlemagne had had his scribes copy. But we were at war, and I half suspected no one outside of this mountain even knew this was here. Or the various academics who had to be interested in this place were understandably unwilling to go to a fortress that was perpetually under siege by supernatural forces. The only one I knew had been in here was me, and that had been during my initial cleaning frenzy with [Restoration of the Old]. Which was why it would have been weird to see an entire stack of manuscripts sitting on the central table even if they hadnt been entirely made from modern, white, paper, rather than parchment. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It was pretty obvious that was why we were here even before Fionn came to a stop next to it and turned around to me. So, I recently learned that you have a Skill called [Knowledge Trade], that lets you grant knowledge you have to anyone you want to have it, and gain whatever someone is willing to teach you, he said. I nodded. What information do you need spread, to whom, and is there any way you can give it to me directly? It was pretty obvious that was where this was heading. Though why had it taken so long for him, of all people, to use this capability? Knowledge of spells, Fionn said, dropping a literal bombshell without batting an eyelid. Ive been looking for people with the potential to use magic, but as far as I can tell, the only source of magical knowledge is me, and I dont have the time to teach everyone. That made sense but hadnt answered everything. Fionn gestured to the table. You can gain the basics using your Skill, then expand on that by studying these papers so that you have the maximum number of uses available for future mages. And what are those papers, exactly? I wondered aloud. The basics, magically transcribed, some information meant to build on them. And some more that is meant to build on what I can teach you. I marked which are which. Ill be gathering the students I found when the first wave of the Third Challenge has been beaten, Fionn explained. I nodded. Does that mean you have to scry for magic potential? Now, the important question was if I wanted to tell him about the fact that I had a Skill that let me learn from the old legends my first Class was designed to guide, even if the things they taught were magical in nature. Based on what hed said, I was pretty sure he hadnt intended to have me learn spells too. And honesty might result in losing that chance, while keeping my trap shut would let me access literal magic. But settling on the latter would inevitably result in losing Fionns trust at the very least. So, what to do? Magic and hell to pay, honesty and potentially no magic the choice was obvious, wasnt it? Honesty was the best policy, unless the dealing you were dealing with was something like whether or not to come out as gay in a country that criminalized it. Zero upside, major downside. So yes, honesty. Because I can use magic thanks to a Skill called [Arcane Core] and I paused, having already reached a conclusion, one I really didnt want to voice. But I felt like Fionn already knew what Id figured out, staying mum would just make me look ridiculous. Or weak. Or both. And while Id just figured out a major weakness of one of the most powerful people on the planet, the kind of information that people would kill for, I dont think Fionn would fly off the handle. He certainly wasnt Arthur. That man he was angrier than I expected. Id have called the expression a Resting Bitch Face if I werent damn sure he was actually perpetually pissed off. But that was a can of worms for another day. So, get yourself together, and talk. You cant see the System, can you? With your scrying, I mean. No, Fionn said, sighing. Its something decidedly unearthly, and as I suspect you know, my knowledge is limited to the wisdom of the Earth and humanity. Schei?e, I breathed before I could stop myself. Pretty much, he agreed. Thank you for your honesty. Fionn paused again, looking around, gaze sweeping across the countless tomes in the library before it came back to rest squarely on me. The System might be a black box to me, I believe that is the modern term, but humanity isnt. I know enough about you to trust your judgment. Teach the students I find, but feel free to teach anyone you feel is worthy as well. But Id appreciate it if you kept the knowledge of my limitations to yourself. I dont think anyone else is fully aware of how much you should be able to see, I said. Theyre certainly not relying on your sight to warn of problems. And I dont think youd lie about your abilities to avoid embarrassment. If it needed to be known, youd make it so. Fionn laughed. Thats a very interesting way of putting it. But I think weve tarried enough. Please, use your Skill. I have to send something your way, too, I explained. What would you like to know? I genuinely had no idea what I could teach him. Anything I could share, he could learn himself, scrying for the information in a matter of seconds. Except where the System was concerned, but it wasnt like I had any deep insight there, just a handful of deductions Id already shared. A bit of a what to give the man who has everything kind of problem. Your perspective. Not raw knowledge, nothing about the current state of the world, but how you experienced life in this modern era, Fionn said, almost making me facepalm. It was kinda obvious, wasnt it? Knowledge was easy for him to acquire, but what about emotion? He wasnt a mind reader, as far as I knew so I activated my Skill and transferred what I thought he wanted. The ease of many aspects of modern life. The perverse combination of detesting school yet dimly being aware of the sheer privilege it was to get such an education. And yet, at the same time, the darkness that had to feel so incredibly petty to Fionn. The frustration with politics, of scandals and broken promises, that had to be borderline pointless compared to what had happened in his time, when a scandal involved a lord outright rebelling, or simply deciding to needle his rivals by literally raiding their lands, of a world where anyone save him took weeks or months to get even the most basic information from afar, and any tiny wound could kill if it got infected. But wasnt that the exact kind of thing he was looking for? The modern point of view, at least one of the countless perspectives from which objective fact became subjective opinion. And he did the same, sending back the fundamental basics of magic, of how to access magic, how to tell raw energy to make something extraordinary happen, and warp reality itself at its highest levels. Suddenly, [Arcane Core] wasnt just a Skill I was vaguely aware of the same way I was aware of all of them, it was a source of power that was pumping throughout my body without a clear location, existing everywhere and nowhere, and so did the energy it exuded. Then, the System got involved. [Spell gained: Spark] [Spell gained: Lesser Telekinetic Pull] But as soon its voice began to speak, so did the headache. Oww. Fuck. So it was at least partially about the volume, complexity, and newness of information transferred, but what a way to find that out. Suddenly gaining knowledge can be painful, but it gets better, Fionn said. I know, I sighed, sat down at the table, and started rubbing my temples. Ill start reading later. Thank you, Fionn said and strode out through the door to go do something more immediately helpful. And soon enough, I was immersing myself in his writings. Until eventually, I fell asleep right there at the table, only to get woken by Mia the following morning, an hour before utter carnage was going to occur. Chapter 31: Statuesque Army
The Third Challenge, [The Waking of the Unliving], has now begun, giving life to objects that never should have had it. The Second Challenge, [The Breaking of Graves], has concluded, and the dead will no longer rise. However, existing undead will continue to exist until they are slain. The Fourth Challenge, [The Wrath of Natural World], will begin in fifty days. Time remaining: 49:23:59:51
Yep, called it. Golems. But it was actually less bad than expected, what Id thought everyone would be facing was random bits of inanimate matter morphed into monsters. Instead, it was just a metric crapton of statues and other living creature-shaped objects given life. And the Fourth Challenge, that would either be what Id actually expected the third one to be or animated natural disasters. The second one, if I had to pick one, it was much more of a step up in danger level than just dirt and water monsters. I suppressed a yawn as I made a mental note to write that down for later. Id stayed up way too late last night. Id managed to learn [Ember], a simple fire spell, and [Lesser Telekinetic Push], the inverse of the [Lesser Telekinetic Pull] Fionn had taught me. But the only reason that had been an okay thing to do was because I was fairly superfluous in a fight. Outside of the random event of me catching something that everyone else, the veterans and experts, somehow missed, I had one job. I used my [Guides Shortcut] Skill, opening a portal to the HMS Queen Elizabeth, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for one Vice Admiral Francis Drake, whod been in the fortress with us only to draw in more monsters, but had an actual job that lay elsewhere. The portal opened a couple of meters above the carrier, however. I couldnt tell the ships elevation from waves and the tide without being present, so I needed to put the point of transport high enough that it would clear the deck no matter what. Either way, the Ancient was above Level 50 to my knowledge, and even if he was below that, he was still damn durable. Thank you, Drake said and marched through, the portal automatically snapping shut behind him. And then, it was just me and Charlemagne sitting in the throne room, watching the screens on the wall. The fortress had been rebuilt yet again in preparation for the wave. There were now several massive corridors present that Dietrich, Ogier, Fionn and all the rest of the melee focussed ancients could stand in and fight, then retreat up a ladder or through one of my portals when the need arose. That allowed them to engageunder circumstances that actually suited their skillsets, rather than being stuck on the other side of arrowslits, reduced only being able to use a fraction of their abilities. The main entrance had also been entirely reworked. The doors had been moved deeper into the mountain, creating a long corridor with free lines of fire from the gates and no chance of monsters approaching from outside the field of fire. The original section with the murder holes was still there, set against the roof halfway down the corridor, ready to drop all manner of unpleasantness onto the invaders. And, of course, the entire thing was set up so that someone could get to the corridor from the inside with minimal risk of said paths being used to invade, and one could also collapse the various paths into the mountain if required. After all, with the various magical rock-shaping abilities of the people in the mountain, it would have been quite doable to just seal and reopen the entrances as needed. But that wasnt why the paths were there. They were traps, the paths of least resistance the enemies were bound to use and could be planned for. If they hadnt been there, the enemy would just have started digging and probably succeeded. I certainly wouldnt have trusted the rock to keep out any Raid, let alone Nation Bosses. *** Dietrich He stared out at the sea of enemies, scanning them, applying his usual battery of sensory Skills. As per usual, [Conqueror of Legends] told him the enemies were indomitable and would not submit to anything, they would have to be killed, while [Equalizer] obviously said that there was no way to turn these walking statues mundane. Their power and their very life was one and the same, as long as they lived, they had their abilities. But [Slayer of Myths] was telling him some interesting tidbits. The regular monsters would last until they were broken to the point where they no longer resembled living beings. Knock off the head, break the torso in half, and so on. Limbs could be lost, but a good strike at their center would instantly destroy them. Field Bosses needed to be broken a little more thoroughly, and finally, the Raid Boss he could see in the distance had to be torn into tiny pieces to kill it.
Hermann (animated monument), Level 44 Raid Boss
Though it was important to note that even though these statues were moving, they were still made of rock or metal and even parts in the middle of a motion still had all the properties of the material they consisted off in its rigid form. In other words, pushing over a stone statue would inevitably see it shatter. Though his current enemy was made of metal, which had at least a little give to it. At least there were no Nation Bosses around, as far as hed been told. Which meant if there was one around, it had somehow gone unnoticed. Now wasnt that a fun thought. As for the monument he was facing, he actually knew about it, it had been a part of one of Tristans magical lessons. The son of an ancient Germanic tribal leader given to Rome as a hostage, who eventually returned to Germany as a Roman military officer and led three legions into a trap that permanently ended Romes northward expansion. And when Germany had unified in the 19th century, a symbol of that unity had been needed, so that man had been settled on, except no one had known his German name anymore, this legendary military leader had only been remembered as Arminius, which was what hed been called by the Romans. So, he was given a new, entirely fictional, German man that could be translated as army man, albeit with a weird spelling. All in all, the history of the monument was a tad strange, though the idea of a symbol for a nation to unite behind had more than a little merit. A problem for after the fight had been concluded. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Mimung leaped out of its sheath as he settled into a combat stance. The nearest walking stone approached so he lashed out, cleaving it in twain with ease. Regardless of how sharp his sword was, cutting through solid rock still slowed it down a little, but hed earned a new Skill after helping defeat the Nation Boss. [Endless Cut]. Simply put, if he could keep moving after a strike, he could accelerate his blade up to the necessary speed for another strike in an instant and then chain these strikes together. So even as the first statue, some kind of mostly naked marble creation, fell apart in two pieces, his sword had already in motion once more, leaping to carve apart the next one. It sounded like a minor boon, and in a one-on-one battle it would have been, but it was invaluable in a fight like this. The fight of one man against an army was no longer a matter of striking down his foes one by one, then working hard to have his blade back in position to attack his next foe. Unless his enemies managed to strike him while his blade was still in the process of bisecting one of their fellows, he was freely able to hack and slash his way through them in a single, long, continuous motion. Dietrich practically flowed through the initial crowd of foes, leaving behind piles of rubble from where bisected statues had shattered as they hit the ground. Until Hermann moved. It was a single motion, far faster than anything that large should have been able to move, Hermann hurled his immense spear. And Dietrich was still in the middle of taking down another monster. Oh the only thing that could make this worse if the reason the Raid Boss had waited so long was that h ad been working to learn his moves. Of all the various giants and monsters hed faced, those that had known to use their heads had ranked even above those that had magic in terms of power. Internally cursing his luck, he released Mimungs hilt and threw himself backwards, [A Brush with Death Triggering] as the gigantic spear scraped across his chestplate. In an instant, the world froze, granting him the chance to think, re-evaluate and plan, but he didnt need it. Dietrich already knew what to do. [A Blade Borrowed] let him summon a copy of any weapon hed ever held into his hand, in this case, a of the giant cleaver once wielded by one of the giants hed slain. The massive weapon manifested in his hand and was flung through the air as time resumed and Dietrich fell backwards, completing the motion that had carried him out of the path of the attack. He landed painfully on his rear but lunged straight back to his feet, hurling himself towards the towering Raid Boss as it stumbled backwards from the impact of the flung sword. Urgh, in his youth, he would have been able to do that without winding up on the floor. However many supernatural abilities he might have gained, he was an old man, and it felt like universe was taking a perverse pleasure in reminding him of that fact as often as it could. His sword reappeared in his hand as he got within range of his foe and he swung towards the giant monster, triggering his most powerful offensive Skill. [Sword Art: Giantsplitter]. It did exactly what it was supposed to. Cleave giants in twain. Right down the middle. No cutting it at the waist, where the legs might be willing to walk and the torso would still be able to throw stuff, no diagonal slash across the torso which might leave behind a large, mostly intact, piece that could still strike, a proper vertical bisection. Top of the head all the way down to the pelvis. Dietrich only heard the tremendous clattering of both halves falling to the ground as hed already turned around, spinning around with Mimung outstretched, carving apart every monster within two meters of him until he was right back to facing his foe as it was pulling itself back together. In two pieces. Two perfect copies, each half the size of the original, each with their own spears. He whirled around to stare at where the originals spear was still stuck in the ground, unchanged, then spun back to face the two miniature Bosses. At least it was just those two, this conglomerate could not outflank him by hurling weapons past him. Small mercies, he supposed. Now he just had to figure out just how small pieces he had to cut these things into before they stopped regenerating. Even with his big Skill on cooldown, he could keep slashing through them merely on the strength of his arm and the keenness of his blade, especially now that they were smaller. It would simply take a long time. *** Fionn Statues. Ancient monuments to the triumphs of man and testaments to humanitys failures, depending on the reason for their creation. And now, they were about to obliterate it all. At least in the modern age, there was enough documentation that they could all be recreated. A loss, but not the absolute tragedy it would have been a few centuries ago. The fact that they were all statues also made this quite easy. Creatures made from heavy, dense, stone were vulnerable to mud and unstable ground. They hadnt created a moat for fear of it giving birth to water elementals that could slither in through the arrowslits, but now that there were clearly only dealing with statues Fionn cast [Century Storm]. Fat drops began to fall from the sky after a few seconds, the sound rising into a neverending staccato of water pounding against the mountain above barely a minute after that. But by that point, he was already pressing his palm to the ground and triggering [Disintegrating Resonance,] even as the first enemy had come within ten meters of him. A statue, some kind of naked marble creation with a fig leaf over its crotch, had already raised its fist to strike him when the floor beneath it turned to sand. It was a simple thing to jerk his head back as the monster fell flat on its face before him and promptly broke into several pieces. The voice of the German emperor spoke into his ear at that point, sharing the information that had already been gathered about the enemies weaknesses. Thank you, Fionn announced into the empty air as he straightened, staring out at his advancing enemies, staggering and stumbling as they reached the sand the floor had been reduced to by his spell. Fighting on sand was a nightmare. Footing was precarious, the ground shifting underfoot robbed any movements of some of their power, and that was only in the event one managed to avoid fully winding up on the ground. Not something hed ever do if he could avoid it. But these issues grew worse and worse the heavier you were. In other words, he could, quite literally, dance around his foes in this environment. Fionn dodged backwards again, stone fist swishing past his face, used the tip of his boot to flip the flanged mace hed prepared off the sand, allowing him to snatch it out of the air and bring it down on the nearest stone head. He normally preferred to use a sword or spear, something more mobile he could use to target weak spots, but these were solid blocks of metal or stone he was facing. He needed something with a little heft. So Fionn sidestepped another attack, smashed the mace against the statues chest to bring it down, then used that thing as a platform. And for the next half a minute or so, that was what he was doing. A sober man dancing through a crowd of drunkards, the only one able to properly stay on his feet, smashing anything that came within reach. Until the water started soaking into the sand, making footing even more precarious. It wasnt quicksand yet, but it was getting there. Phase two. [Hydrokinesis] was one of those spells that could either devour his magical energy in a matter of seconds or be kept active for hours, depending on how much water he was trying to control at any one point in time. Right now, he just needed to keep a hold of around a single liter at any one point in time. Specifically, a tiny portion of liquid underneath his boots, which he hardened to become stable ground, while his foes became increasingly bogged down as the water from the thunderstorm outside flowed into the sand. With each passing second, things became easier, his foes becoming more and more bogged down as the ground became ever more like quicksand, while his footing was always perfect. And his mace had, in fact, been the correct choice for this enemy. A sword or spear would have long since broken, but this heavy, metal shod, club could crush stone and dent metal all day long. Until eventually, the challenge shifted from attacking enemies to figuring out how to destroy living statues that had entirely been swallowed up by the ground, and figuring out where to plant his feet. There was so much stone in the sand that he actually had to actually search for spots that had water he could harden, rather than randomly-angled stone he was liable to trip over. Then, finally, he cast [Message]. This is Fionn, Im done here. Where do you need me? He could have scried for it, but there were so many System-based effects flying around that he doubted it would have been very effective. And it didnt take long for him to receive an answer, so he reached out to the storm still raging outside and called upon its winds to carry him towards his next target. Chapter 32: Interlude Temujin Normally, Temujin was not a fan of intricate or overly complicated plans. The more moving parts a stratagem had, the more likely it was that something unexpected would be enough to disrupt it, and the easier it was for someone else to stuff it up. Simple plans were the way to go, plans that would be effective if they worked but ones whose consequences for failure were minimal. Defeat in detail, overwhelming an enemys smaller detachments rather than facing their main strength head-on. Feigned retreats, followed by a charge into the enemys disorganized formation as they gave chase. Just ambushes in general. Simple, straightforward, easy to convey via subordinates who were often illiterate and had to memorize the orders in rhyme to make it easier to spot mistakes. But that was under the normal set of circumstances. When he did not have several days to plan, zero enemy interference, and an abundance of information to work with. So maybe, perhaps, hed gotten slightly carried away, taking advantage of the situation to make small tweaks whenever he came up with an improvement until the final plan was a beautiful monstrosity that might have looked good on paper, but if hed actually tried to go through with it, itd only ever have been talked about as an example of what not to do, of how trying to be clever could easily be very, very stupid. Therefore, he had scrapped the plan wholesale and started again, two days before the System would drop another mess in his lap. It wound up similar to his first plan, just slimmed down and having the necessary allowances for something going wrong or improvisation when an unexpected opportunity presented itself. And alterations for whether theyd be facing elementals thrown together from the environment or animated effigies. Or just outright statues coming to life. Either way, hed have at least something prepared, no matter what showed up. Though, fighting any of those enemies would be tricky. Trying to kill the unliving wasnt easy, even if it was as easy as, once again, smashing heads. Several of his subordinates had gained the Skill [True Striking] after the undead battle, which allowed them to do a degree of damage even to foes immune to regular attacks, and would come in useful no matter what, but those were few and far between. However, thankfully, modern technology covered for much of that weakness, which just left the waiting. Because somehow, knowing that the thing they were waiting for was coming, without a single lick of uncertainty as to whether or not it was truly coming, waiting with little to do but fret was unpleasant. Then, eventually, the world finally announced what was actually happening.
The Third Challenge, [The Waking of the Unliving], has now begun, giving life to objects that never should have had it.
Temujin stopped reading after the first couple of paragraphs. The challenges description didnt help clarify; the line about no new undead rising wasnt particularly helpful either, not in there here and now, and the countdown to the fourth challenge would only have mattered if it had been less than twenty-four hours. Which it wasnt. Plenty of time to beat all these statues back into scrap metal and rock dust. Starting with the biggest one.
Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue (animated monument) Level 45 Raid Boss
Well, wasnt this going to make for a historic battle? Temujin grinned. Hed make it one. But also that settled the question of what this challenge was comprised of. Animated statues, no loose dirt would turn into deadly dust devils, no living sandstorms would haunt them, no mudslides that actively hated them would attempt to smother and pulverize his people. Good to know. Put away the flamethrowers, and make sure theyre safe, Temujin ordered. He was no stranger to weaponizing fire, but he also had great respect for how easily it could spread or go out of control. Hed once burned down a city simply by having his men capture the birds that nested within when they flew out to gather food and released them all again with burning fuses tied to them. A few hundred tiny fires had rapidly transformed into a titanic blaze and utterly obliterated the city. So the idea of having multiple, rather exposed, tanks of some of the highest energy-density fuel humanity had ever found in the middle of his formation was rather concerning though not as concerning as the foes he was facing. Once again, in the middle of the steppe, they were surrounded, all the newly spawned monsters having been attracted by his presence, and placed around them in a circle. However, hed refined the strategy from last time. An instant win button, functionally, for the first section of the battle, called high explosives and ridiculous Skills. Temujin started barking orders, which spread out all but at the speed of light, rippling through the horde of cars, tanks, and horses in an instant, warning everyone before one of the numerous sections of prepared ground detonated, huge gouts of flame and dirt exploding skywards before cascading back down to the ground, annihilating most of the regular walking statues that blocked their escape in that area. And with some help from the Mongolian air force and the bombs they dropped, they had a path out an inferno filled with craters. No problem. Temujin activated [Inevitable Conclusion]. Despite the dramatic name, the Skill could only really instantly shuffle around formations while preventing any damage or deaths in the process. Good for a surprise moment or for sending his army through the fiery breach the bombs had carved into his enemy. Inevitably, most of his group would get through; the breach was large enough, and the vast majority of the casualties they likely would take would stem from the environment. But the Skill didnt care about any of this. Reality stuttered for a brief moment, and suddenly, the formations had separated, with the horde retreating at the fastest sustainable speed while the statues slowly trudged after them. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. From here, the plan was actually rather simple. The formation of the horde came apart, separating out into true military vehicles, the regular cars holding people armed with rifles, the horsemen, and Temujin himself. From that point, they tore the enemy to pieces. Some tried to isolate individual statues to identify weaknesses by catching them with uurgas, Mongolian lasso-equivalents, to be picked apart in a reasonably safe distance. It was an action that should have torn the riders from their saddles and likely harmed the horses to boot, but these were no longer the beings bound by the limits of flesh and blood from his ancient conquests. They could haul around slabs or rock that weighed as much as horse and rider put together on relatively normal cord without ill effect. Though they neednt have bothered. The statues broke when they fell and stayed that way, proving that smashing them was a perfectly valid path to victory without providing any information on weaknesses and the such. At the same time, the heavier military vehicles were used to shell the walking statues, drawing attention, while the more mobile forces did quick hit-and-run attacks, tearing into the mass of foes like a wolfpack nipping at a bison until it finally fell. That would take care of the mundane enemies in due time. They were slow, and while they were tough, they werent durable enough to be immune to attacks. In the meanwhile, Field Bosses and regular monsters with more exotic abilities would be taken down later once the chaff was gone. And as for Temujin himself, well, he had something of a mirror match to fight. A forty-meter-tall homage to his conquests, built barely two decades before, turned into a deadly threat. A fight for the history books. His horse began cantering forward as he jabbed his heels into its sides, then accelerated to a gallop as he drew his sword and roared a battle cry. A lesser statue threw itself at him but a simple yerk of the reins made his horse dance out of the way while his sword easily pulverized its head leaving him staring down at a bent piece of metal that could no longer fulfill the function of sword. He hurled the destroyed blade at a statue that looked like itd get in the way soon enough, then drew a spare sword from his saddlebag. One of several. And then, he continued charging through the scant few foes who still stood in his way. Wandering statues. If hed had to face them with his horde from centuries ago, theyd have had to run. And itd have worked, too. Powerful and durable these things might be, they couldnt catch up to horses even if said horses were traveling at a slow, sustainable pace. From there, itd have been a matter of winding roundabout ways to target them because melee combat would have been a losing proposition. Pitfalls, artificially triggered avalanches, hell, a swinging log would have done the trick. Well-aimed cannons or catapults whenever there was enough time to set up siege engines, and it should have been doable. Except with modern weaponry, all it took was someone with a weapon taking one second to aim, a second to make sure there was no one behind the weapon to be hurt by the exhaust, and then, the statues would be blown sky high. Amazing. But what was more amazing was the fact that Temujin himself could cause just as much damage with his hands alone. His sword crushed the head of another monster, only bending this time, so he hacked it through the chest of a second before hurling it into the torso a third after it became too damaged to use. And with that, he was through, facing his statue, the grand equestrian construct that looked nothing like him yet showcased just how venerated he still was, all these centuries later. A circle was slowly forming around them, even unfeeling statues recognizing the gravity of the impending clash. Two men charged at each other astride their steeds. One, an elderly Mongolian atop a horse of flesh and blood, a long-handled sword in his hand. The other, a forty-meter-tall mountain of forged steel, holding a massive weapon that looked like it could cleave mountains. Temujins metallic counterpart brought his sword down in an overhead strike, aiming to crush both him and his steed into the ground, but he jerked on the reins of his horse, and it lurched between the massive columns that were the legs of the monuments steed. He lashed out at the nearest leg and landed a strike, carving deep, but before he and his horse could get free, the metal monsters leg clipped him. It was a brief instant of him going airborne, a whinny of pain followed by a series of ugly crunches signaling the demise of his faithful steed, and then, Temujin hit the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. He leaped to his feet and whirled around to glare at the monster, just in time to watch it hit the ground amidst a thunderous wave of noise. Temujin grinned. It seemed like the damage hed done to the leg had been enough. But then, the statue of the rider rose to its feet to glare down at him. And lunged at him. Temujin threw himself out of the way of another slash of the giant sword, then lashed out at the statues leg.His sword cut maybe a meter deep, then the blade snapped off, and a kick from the monster set him airborne once more. Clutching his ribs, he got to his feet again and dodged the follow-up sword strike, swearing. Maybe he should have triggered [Moment of Glory] before attacking, and some more spare weapons carried on his person would likely not have gone amiss either. Yet the past was the past, and couldnt be changed by any force known to man, and the future came whether you wanted it to or not. Temujin charged at the statue, aiming for its leg, as if about to make a futile effort to knock it over, and it responded just like he would have in its place, by shifting into a more stable stance. So it was a damn good thing he was aiming between the legs. He shifted his course at the last possible second to avoid an attack, and the few seconds it took the monster to realize he wasnt going after its rear, hed already reached the dead steel horse and the leg hed hacked into earlier. The one that had completely broken off under its own weight and was now almost completely severed. Behind him, he could already hear the pounding, earth-shaking, footsteps of the statue as it charged, but it was a little too slow. Temujin had already grabbed the metallic limb, and even as it was transforming under the effect of his [I Claim This Weapon], he whirled, triggering [Moment of Glory] as he did so. No matter how great his physical strength was, ordinarily, attempting to wield a weapon this massive would have ended with him toppling over, it was simply too heavy for him to be able to keep his balance while throwing it around. Simple logic dictated that. But [Moment of Glory] temporarily put him above his limits. All his limits. The giant statue was caught in the chest while it was in mid-stride, its momentum suddenly reversed, causing its feet to fly out from under it before it crashed to the ground, chest caved it, one leg bending the wrong way. Temujins weapon had snapped in half in the process, leaving him clutching a stump that was rapidly transforming into a smaller cleaver that was still as long as he was tall. And with that, he began to carve into his foe, dodging giant fists while aiming at the damaged leg until hed managed to fully sever it, then started to remove the other limbs. It took a long time, any other living being would have died ten minutes after hed started rather than continuing to futilely struggle for almost an hour, but it died all the same. By then, the rest had already been taken care of. Things had worked out, by and large. Minimal casualties, units that were going to become the elites of his horde, had been given the chance to duel Field Bosses to strengthen themselves, and hed proven himself, but Temujin had to admit that fighting the Raid Boss himself had been a big mistake. He should have been coordinating the fight while taking out the strongest enemies on the frontlines himself, not dueling the biggest enemy on the field. But the idea of dueling, well, himself had been too damn alluring, and hed let himself be impulsive. Something hed thought hed outgrown decades ago, ignoring his long nap, that was. It hadnt cost him this time, and it rarely had in the past either, but he still shouldnt have indulged himself. Temujin leaned back and stared up at the sky, chuckling softly. That just went to show, just like you were never too young to gain wisdom, you never outgrew stupidity. Or impulsivity. Or any of the other foibles of youth. With a sigh, he went back to staring straight ahead and started to walk over to where his horde was gathering again, listening to the voice of the System. [Legendary Khan of Duality Lv. 65 -> Legendary Khan of Duality Lv. 67] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Dogs of War] Chapter 33: Difficult Enemies Dietrich Every time he cut an enemy, he came face to face with a second one. It didnt matter if he bisected them or merely lopped off an arm, all he needed to do was separate one piece from the rest and hed immediately have yet another walking statue to worry about. It didnt even feel like a victory anymore when he managed to split a giant slab of metal in twain. It felt like failure, like hed taken one step closer to being overwhelmed by the horde. Another use of his [Sword Art] took apart the largest remaining statue before the effigy of the ancient general could hurl its spear, and yet, once again, all it managed to achieve was put him in even more danger. A strike with his elbow, enhanced by [Titan Strike], sent another one of the ogre-sized monsters flying, knocking over a dozen statues behind it, buying him just enough breathing room to cleave apart two more enemies ... while a fourth managed to land a punch straight to his nose. Dietrich fell backwards, sword flying around to hack apart the monster. The moment his rear hit the hard stone floor with a loud clatter of armor, he leaped straight back to his feet, ready to strike down the next two even smaller enemies, only to be confronted by two inert chunks. Unmoving. Properly destroyed. That was the limit. The point where the monster could no longer animate itself and stayed dead. He launched himself at the closest small monster and slashed it apart from the top of its head to its pelvis, and once again, both halves stayed down. Those were no, wiping out the small ones wasnt the correct choice here, despite it being a sensible knee-jerk reaction. [Swort Art: Giantsplitter] bisected the largest remaining foe, and while drawing on [Endless Cut] to take apart smaller statues, he passed, until he was on the reforming not-quite-giant-anymore statue. Small metal fists thudded into his armor like an unceasing hail all the while, but he was able to ignore them. For now. Because while hacking at the monsters repeatedly was an arduous process, he suddenly managed to get [Endless Edge] to work again, and hed won. As numerous as his foes still were, they were tiny. Well, not tiny, but small enough that he could carve through them with ease. Dietrich spun, his sword cleaving through every nearby monster, snapping back to full speed after it had left each monster, leaving him surrounded by scrap metal only for him to go to the ground with yet another tiny beast having leaped into his face, even managing to land yet another clean punch to his nose before he tore it off and slashed it apart before it hit the ground. Feeling blood trickle across his lip, he stood again, glaring at his gathering foes and spat bloody phlegm onto the ground. This is the part where you run, he growled. No one took him up on his offer. They were like sheep, in a way. Just as dumb, just as incapable of making choices, just blindly aggressive instead of passive and prone to getting stuck on their backs. His foes charged, and he met them halfway, every strike reaping lives until he was the only one left standing. So, that was the end of the fight. Monster dead, adventurer looking like hed thrown himself into the blades of one of those infernal helicopters Damnit! Dietrich pressed shut one of his nostrils with his thumb and exhaled to clear his other nostril of blood, the resulting mess splattering across the ground. Between [Martial Constitution] and [Royal Visage], hed be combat-capable and reasonably healthy-looking in due time, but this fight had been a far cry from his previous easy wins in duels against anything short of that Nation Boss. Maybe trying to beat a Raid Boss at near Level-parity hadnt been the best idea hed ever had. Though, the next time, the gap wouldnt be quite as small. After all, this fight had brought him another two Levels. [King of Adventure Lv. 53-> King of Adventure Lv. 55] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Grand Slash] Dietrich didnt even have to look at his status to find out what [Grand Slash] did, he was already familiar with it since the British monarch Arthur used it. But the boost would go elsewhere. [Skill boosted: Endless Cut] He had three big attacks for dealing with powerful foes, but crowds of lesser enemies could prove tricky. *** Mia There were a lot of monsters out there, but she only had eyes for a very specific foe. Twenty meters tall, made from bronze, though one wouldnt be able to tell looking at it from the outside, and looking more than capable of ripping open the gates with casual ease. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Bavaria (animated monument), Level 45 Raid Boss
Yeah, that thing would be a pain in the ass to take down. A bronze woman, tall to the point where her head practically scraped the ceiling. An anti-materiel rifle barked, and with a loud thud, a hole appeared in the front of the walking statue. Then, suddenly, a massive gash was carved into the side of the wall as a thin stream of liquid blasted out of the monster. Mia muttered several unflattering things under her breath as she noticed that. That statue was hollow; she knew that from having been inside it. Nice view, but a great way to hit your head half a dozen times in under ten minutes if you werent careful. And the stream didnt seem to be abating, which meant that thing was either larger on the inside, or its liquid stores regenerated. If every crack they carved into that thing led to water blasting out with enough force to carve stone they were fucked. That was when she noticed the smell, and sniffed the air a couple of times. Yeah, that wasnt water. That was the smell of college parties and drunken morons who thought that their slurred cliches were real panty droppers and wound up utterly confused when she ignored them. The embodiment of Bavaria bled beer. That felt vaguely racist. But was racist the correct term when referring to a small part of a nation, rather than an ethnicity? Though she had figured out a way to probably make that less dangerous. Make the hole larger, increase the flow, reduce the pressure. Turn it from a water jet cutter into a fire hose. Unless the pressure magically stayed equal regardless of the size of the hole. That would be bad. Very bad. Though letting that thing advance unchallenged for fear of the consequences of injuring it would inevitably be worse than any consequences attacking it could ever be. Balmung swept around, [Sword Art: A Blade Across Time and Space] triggering to project the cut through the intervening space to carve a massive gash into the statues chest, through the original injury. And in an instant, the frothing flood of beer redoubled, flowing out like a waterfall, but the sheer pressure behind it abating to simply cover the stone floor. Abating slightly, that was. It wasnt a full-power waterjet anymore, but it still had more than enough force behind it to cause serious injury. And the floor was rapidly becoming a small lake of alcoholic liquid. Doing that outside would have actually helped, the beer turning the ground into mud that the statues could get bogged down in. In here it would just make the fortress smell like the aftermath of a frat party until Tristan could apply his cleaning ability. Mia grabbed the first grenade from the utility belt shed borrowed from the military, took a couple of seconds to judge the distance, pulled the pin, and triggered the [Lesser Telekinetic Push] Tristan had taught her this morning. After all, her [Legends Apprentice] Class had given her the same previously useless [Arcane Core]. The enemy was still far enough away that there was no chance of blowback, so she felt safe throwing it. It bounced off the armored shell, hit the ground, was submerged, and detonated into a geysir of frothing alcohol. The Raid Boss, to absolutely no ones surprise, was entirely fine. If she could have gotten it through the hole in the armor, on the other hand the overpressure from the explosion would only have been magnified by the liquid the statue contained, potentially even cracking the damn thing open completely. Either way, that thing had to go, and orders to that effect were already coming down from the very top. All heavy weapons, focus on Bavaria. Ms. Vogt, take position in front of the main gates and deal with the minions. Lord Mac Cumail, please attack the Raid Boss from the rear. Simple, really. There were very few who could reliably beat the statues in melee combat who werent also ancients, with her being one of this mere handful. And there were also not many ranged weapons that were good at destroying them. Stone, even marble, was brittle enough that assault rifles could shatter them with enough bullets; the higher caliber, the better, but the statues were harder to kill than even zombies. Anit-material rifles were better but rarer, and as for the rocket launchers, who on earth stockpiled enough of them for constant and sustained fire? Not Germany, certainly. And finally, the grenades werent exactly easy to deploy, nor were they usually designed against targets as tough as, well, walking stone statues. So by focussing their limited firepower on the Raid Boss, they were leaving a massive hole in their defenses. Mia turned away from the murder hole, exited through the side door, and sprinted towards the main gates along the roof-corridor. There were multiple ways of getting down there, all of them collapsible if needed, but she didnt want to emerge where the enemies already were, nor did she have to. And then, she found herself standing before the advancing horde. Ragged from countless bullets, missiles and grenades, with many more projectiles flying over her head, but she was still facing them. Plus, the murderholes overhead were more than a little terrifying, even though she knew no one would be hurling down grenades this close to the gates. Balmung slid from its sheath as she readied herself, but before she had to attack her first foe, she noticed something more. Another smell in the air, in addition to smoke, dust, cordite and the overwhelming stench of beer. Where those candied nuts? Even with all the local craziness, that could not possibly be normal. It was only then that she realized that the shadows around Bavaria were shifting, distorting, becoming twisted into now still-ethereal metal beams and . And now she knew what it was, and now everything else made a hell of a lot more sense. The statue overlooking the Oktoberfest bled beer that would, eventually, transform its surroundings into that, well, some demented demon version, at any rate, which explained the smell of burning sugar and also made that thing even more dangerous. Its terraforming the area, she yelled, on the off chance that someone had actually heard her and slashed at the nearest statue. She was bashing a sword into solid stone, it obviously didnt do overly much, but still managed a hell of a lot more than it should have in an even remotely sane world, her blade sinking almost ten centimeters into her targets torso and sending cracks radiating across it only for the damn thing to practically fall apart as she yanked her sword back, worsening the damage. And when two seconds later the next enemy came in range, she went at it too. For all the good it did. If Bavaria got anywhere near her, she was done for yet even as that thought flashed through her head, lightning exploded around the Raid Boss. Fionn had arrived. Chapter 34: Magic and Might Fionn The trick of disintegrating the floor would obviously not work this time around. Not with his enemy transforming the area like that. Even if all it had done was make the ground metal, which was a lot less vulnerable to vibrations, his spell would fail. But it was quite clear that the liquid currently masquerading as beer was doing far more than that, slowly warping the surroundings into something that smelled odd and had practically alien-looking metal constructs emerging all over the place. So Fionn let the winds from the already dying [Century Storm] carry him as far into the corridor as they could while he dragged lighting down from the skies and flung almost a dozen bolts into the big statues back. It was made of metal, allowing it to direct most of the electricity into the ground, but all that did was direct the energy into its half-finished constructs. The statue was already turning to face him, but he let himself drop into an empty spot on the floor, sliding along the slick rock and avoiding a hasty punch from a nearby statue. One which he did not retaliate against with his mace as that would have inevitably unbalanced him and ended with him landing on his rear end. Instead, a [Force Punch] bowled the monster over with enough force to shatter it against the ground. This would get ugly. He could likely beat the main monster the rest of the statues currently in the corridor as well, possibly, but achieving either with the constant stream of reinforcements was very far from doable. The main entrance had been designed to be attractive to monsters, built to grant hundreds of lesser beasts entrance while having a low enough ceiling to keep out the bosses if possible. But his current foe was the exact kind of monster they did not want in here. At least Ms. Vogt was taking a stand in front of the gates, as long as he managed to defeat Bavaria, things would work out Fionn sighed. It had been such a good plan, such a fine design, and now, hed have to break it. [Shatter] was a spell clearly designed for sieges, something that took a long time to cast and only really worked against stationary targets, but hed started casting the instant hed finished analyzing the situation, a couple of seconds after entering the corridor. With sounds reminiscent of the artillery shells hed seen used against the Nation Boss, the entrance burst apart. First, a massive crack was smashed into the ceiling by an invisible hammer, and less than a second later, hundreds more spiderwebbed off the main crack, ripping apart the incredibly durable construction and sending hundreds of tons of stone cascading to the floor. By the time the dust settled, the entrance wasnt completely blocked, but enough debris had piled up to slow the flood of new foes to a trickle. And the monsters that were already inside were being cut down by the heavy weaponry in the hands of his allies. Leaving him free to face his main foe. Hed have to do this quickly. Every hole, every gash, every injury he opened would cause the monster to bleed more, causing more warping of the environment and making the environment a lot messier. Until the monster died. But making that happen required him to damage it, making the situation worse in the process. Which meant that every second of combat was a second he was too slow. A brief second of scrying later and Fionn leaped at the monster, while fusing fire and heat into his mace while gravity below it quintupled as he cast [Gravitys Fury]. With the sound almost as loud as the entrance collapsing, his weapon crashed into the wall of metal that functioned as the monuments chest, broke through, and snapped in half, sending the superheated head flying into the depths of the monsters hollow torso. Fionn threw himself back again ahead of the huge gout of steam that erupted as a result, the sheer pressure ripping open the hole further until it was liquid that splattered across the ragged, glowing edges of the damage and cooling them in an instant. Superheated metal cooling that quickly was something that needed to be done carefully if one wanted to avoid warping it, though, of course, that was exactly what Fionn was intending to happen. And [Gift of Flame] was still connecting him to the head of his mace, allowing him to gather another massive glob of his magic and shove it into it, causing a second explosion while he retreated further, watching the ragged hole hed opened. Fionn was readying himself for the next attack when something struck the back of his legs and catapulted himself into the air as it swept past. It was some kind of tiny car? No, it wasnt. After a couple of seconds of thought, he dimly remembered the concept of a fairground, something people went to enjoy themselves. Specifically, that thing belonged to a roller coaster. And people rode those for fun? Modern humans really did have far too much time on their hands, and were starved for adventure to boot. Not that he could blame them. Fionn began to cast [Message] to tell the people above to throw him down some things he needed, but was forced to dodge three more carts while Bavaria strode towards him, somehow looking furious despite still wearing an impassive expression. Not great. Not great at all, but not overly terrible either. [Gift of Flame] poured into multiple metal chunks of smaller statues lying about the place, and judicious application of [Telekineis] hurled the now-liquid projectiles into the hole, causing another explosion of steam while also knocking the monster back as it impacted the back of the monster from the inside. He did have to call [Rock Pillar] to pull himself above the standard attacks, though he could see the warping effect crawl up his perch at an alarming pace. That was when he could finally finish casting [Message], and after a long pause, which he interpreted as confusion, the needed materials were hurled down. High explosives that contained their own source of oxygen, meaning they could be detonated without air. It was something meant as a weapon of last resort, capable of clearing the corridor at the cost of the fortress structural integrity. Something they would never want to use but would likely have to. It punched through the curtain of liquid that was spewing from the open hole, sank, and detonated against the bottom of the statue. Internal explosions were always devastating, but liquid had a bad habit of near-perfectly translating shockwaves, ripping open Bavaria from the inside and making the entire corridor stink like a tavern. Fionn sagged atop his perch, only for him to have to hurl himself away as the converted stone at its base crumbled away. From here, he had three more tasks: find a new mace, find a place to make himself useful, and then, smash statues until his magic regenerated. *** Arthur
Damnation and Salvation (animated monument) Level 39 Raid Boss
Wasnt that thing just the perfect metaphor for his current state? What it felt like to wade onto the field of battle? A chance to forget the past, to block out the politics and scheming, to imagine, just for a second, that things were like they had always been, with him the heroic knight-errant whod left his perfectly peaceful castle and court to slay a fearsome beast.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Yet he could feel it eroding away at him, taking his poise, his regal bearing, the ability to navigate politics and polite society as that nest of vipers preferred to be known by, and replacing it with ever more war. And he didnt care. Slaying monsters and hunting villains, those monsters in human skin, had been what had made him feel alive, and it had transformed the world for the better. Trying to create tenuous alliances and other such nonsense without true loyalty was one of those things that had eventually led to the annihilation of everything hed worked for, the downfall of Camelot, and even his death. This was about as simple as it could possibly be. Monsters were trying to kill people, he killed monsters, then he could go eating, drinking, or sleeping until the next monster showed up. Like now. As far as Raid Bosses went, his current opponents were about as non-threatening as they could possibly be. Four angels roughly the size of a six-year-old, one with a spear, three with swords, and four similarly sized beasts. A lion, a snake, and two serpentine dragons, one of which Arthur decided to mentally refer to as Basilisk, since it looked a lot like a rooster. But they were the only enemies present, and Arthur just knew they would be no pushovers. He charged into the fray with Excalibur held high, and brought his [Grand Slash] down on the lion, flattening it into the ground, but before he could capitalize on it, the others were already sweeping over him. His sword deflected a spear aimed at his neck and he fed the lunging dragon his fist, then, while it was biting down on him, used it as a bludgeon to beat back the next two assaults that came from the left until it let go while guarding his right with his sword. Another strike came for his head, which Arthur ducked under, then took a few steps back to buy himself the space to counterattack. But he wasnt facing one enemy, he was facing eight. Seven now, with the lion limping after the rest, but seven were still far too many. Arthurs world became narrowed down to nothing but blades and metal fangs trying to, and thankfully failing, tear into him. Attacks came from every angle, and while he managed to deflect most of them, most was not all, and every time he had to intercept an enemy attack with his sword was another opportunity to attack lost. And with every passing moment, a new scratch appeared in his armor, if not a new wound on his body. An angelic lance was deflected to the side and this time around, Arthur was able to continue the attack, carving a shallow cut into its wielders chest but that didnt slow his enemy in the slightest as he was forced to retreat once more. And then, he finally reached the lion hed ever so slowly been circling around to and slashed into it, repeatedly, until it died, accepting several wounds. None were serious, none except one. The spear that an angel had thrust into his gut through a hole in his armor just as the lion stilled for good. He found himself staring into the eyes of the angel as it tried to draw its spear back but failed as hed grabbed its weapon and was holding it fast. It was hard to tell on the metallic-frozen face of his foe, but Arthur just knew the fucker was grinning. That little angelic shit felt like it had won, hadnt it? But he still had another card to play. [Resurgent Strike] Supposedly, it was just as much of a double-edged sword as, well, a sword. If it worked, it granted victory, if it failed, well, its use would functionally have been suicide. Without any input on his part, his arm slashed through the air in front of his torso with inhuman strength, Excalibur an extension of his body, and hacked the impossibly durable foe apart in a single smooth motion. But his foe didnt merely fly apart in two halves. Instead it was hurled away fully, jerking its spear out of his gut without somehow causing more damage, quite the opposite. Instead, the wound closed with supernatural speed, almost going away in its entirety, leaving Arthur facing the remaining six enemies largely intact. Yet that was a far greater advantage than a novice in the art of combat might have realized. A coordinated assault was incredibly powerful, splitting the targets focus and requiring them to strike and/or defend many places at once. Therefore, a groups power increased exponentially with every additional member, and that very same power would die with each foe he slew. [Grand Slash] was once again available, and as utterly ridiculous as the idea of his abilities being limited by time was, Arthur had to admit that that his new abilities were incredible. Excalibur swept through the air, smacked into a second angel and sent it careening into the nearest wall, badly dented. Alive, but out of the fight long enough for him to launch himself at the snake. It met his attack, wrapping around his legs in an attempt to hold him down, something that might have worked if all seven of its allies had still been in a position to attack him. Instead, it had just put itself in a position to hack down at it, striking the exact same point three times in a single second, splitting it in half, allowing him to pull himself out. Of course, both halves were still moving, but slow enough for him to leave it in the dust as he went at the rest of the group, parrying one sword, duking under a second, kicking the basilisk away and finally falling onto the third angel as it was pulling itself out of the wall. And hacked it to pieces. When Arthur turned, he was faced with all five of his remaining enemies, six if you counted both halves of the snake as separate entities. Though as damaged as that damned serpent was, it basically counted for nothing at all. The first angel swooped at his face, while the dragon and basilisk went for a leg each, and the second angel was coming at the opposite side from the first one almost simultaneously. Arthur swayed out of the path of the second angel, accepting a shallow cut across his back in exchange for being able to hack a wing of the first, grounding it. When he retreated, he left behind several chunks of flesh in the fangs of the creatures biting at his legs, but there was only a single intact foe left, a single angel that went after him at top speed, leaving all its allies in the dust. Excalibur clashed with its sword once, twice, and then, it sheared through the wing, dropping the beast onto the floor. And its allies were too far to help, too far to stop Arthur from hacking it to pieces. So thats what he did. The dragon and basilisk were the next to arrive, but a little footwork placed the tiny dragon between him and its nearest ally, letting him carve through them one after the other, then continue on to the last angel and finally, destroy both halves of the snake, slashing it to ribbons until it stopped moving. Breathing heavily, Arthur sheathed Excalibur and listened to the voice of the System, talking about how hed gained power in the most unnatural way possible once again. [King of Unity Lv.49 -> King of Unity Lv. 50] [Class Evolution: King of Unity Lv. 50 -> Albions (Last) Vengeful Sword Lv. 51] [Ascendant Capstone gained: Heart of Fury] [Skill gained: One Against the World] [Skill gained: The Lonely Road] While he had three new abilities to look at, it was only his Capstone he was truly interested in. The thing that the two Germans and that Irishman had already obtained. Something that could put him above the ultimate weapons of this new world, the Atom Bomb.
Heart of Fury (Ascendant Capstone) In your chest burns an endless flame, powered by fury. So long as this flame does not die and you continue your march onwards, anyone who tries to stop you has to do so face-to-face, or at least through personal effort. The more removed their actions are, the more they will fail against the indomitable inferno that is your heart.
Arthur bit his lip and, with a great deal of effort, resisted the urge to punch the wall. It wouldnt do for him to defeat his foes only to die by bringing the ceiling down on his head. The System was either daft, or it was mocking him. Again. First, it had declared him, the man whod died to a fatal wound sustained in a civil war against a man who was both his son and nephew, the ruler of unity. And now, it had given him not only a Class whose very name rubbed it all in once again, but also seemed to be attempting to ensure he would be alone forever. And to top it all off, it had chosen to define him solely by his rightful anger. Arthur closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. Wasnt that how it had always been, though? Power came at a cost. His fury would become his sword, his loneliness his shield his past repeating itself. And with those two, he would destroy the darkness in this new world. If he was still standing when it was all expunged, well, hed figure out something new to do. *** Charlemagne When Mr. Vogt had insisted on getting an executive from the EUs governing body that determined that destroying an animated corpse or work of art was not something that one could be sued or prosecuted over, Karl had thought he was being paranoid, his thinking shaped by modern media to immediately overdramatize. But every time [Empire Sense] told him that another priceless monument from a foreign nation had been destroyed on the lands that had recently become his in truth, he was quite glad not to have commented on those efforts. Modern laws, in general, were quite messy and could easily run contrary to morality, which was rather perverse, considering that at their very core, laws were crystalized morality, moral ideas put to paper and becoming rules to live by. But at the same time, becoming written down settled them into a specific form, unchanging, safe for full overhauls, with meanings that could only be changed so far from the exact wording by interpretation. Without a king or an emperor to have the final word, to settle things in the event of chaos or correct and injustice created by the laws exact wording, all one had to go on was the word of law itself. Therefore, the law had to cover functionally every eventuality, but that same omnipresence of law meant that there were a lot of situations where laws could be twisted to become contrary to the intentions of their creators. Or ones where anyone with even an ounce of common sense could tell the spirit of a law had not been broken but extensive legal proceedings were required to formally establish that. In other words, the modern world was a mess. Though it was a testament to how well things were going at the moment that potential legal chicanery was his biggest concern right now. Chapter 35: Go Forth And Kick Ass Joseph There were many things in this new world that were strange to him, things that had changed, things that seemed outright wrong. The various machines, for one. Not to mention the System and the Skills it provided, though that was clearly strange to modern people as well. But his current slate of opponents was downright unnatural, an affront to everything divine. Possibly even other profane things as well. At first, the silent statues had seemed like lesser golems, beings like Joseph himself, likewise made out of stone and lacking a voice, but with every passing second, it was becoming ever clearer just how wrong this was. The Systems statues were empty, in a way words failed to adequately convey. Lacking not just what many considered to be the divine spark of creation that drove humans, but the human-made act of life-giving that sat at Josephs core. These beings were more unnatural than even the undead that had attacked a few days ago. Perversions of the glorious magic that was the creation of golems by the learned men of the Jewish faith. Yet this fundamental difference showed. His foes, distasteful as they were, had swiftly been reduced to nothing more than punching bags. Or rather, training dummies, as the modern humans would phrase it. Joseph had started to learn how to reshape his limbs in combat, and decided to take this as a chance to use them with minimal risk. [Armory of Gaia] hardened the outer layers of his body and reshaped his knuckles into not the usual blades but rather short, stubby, spikes designed to focus the force of his punches into a single point without snapping. And then, he began to tear into his enemies. At first, it was merely individual, powerful, punches that tore through walking slabs of stone or metal with ease, but soon, he graduated to drawing fully on his abilities, his arms elongating slightly to increase his reach, armor shifting around to add more mass to his fists and just in general, doing anything and everything he could to make him hit as hard as possible. A massive stone bear, larger than he was, rose to its back feet in his path, a Field Boss that might actually have been able to slow him for a couple of seconds if the [System] had not granted him the ability to surpass his limits. [Titans Fist] threw his right fist forward with immense and inexorable force, blasting through the monsters chest with such force that its fragments blew apart nearby statues as well. And that was largely how the fight kept going. There were stronger enemies around, the so-called Raid Bosses, but none that had gone after him, nor were there any that lasted long enough for him to go help. Eventually, night fell, and the battle continued, but even as the people within the fortress started sleeping in shifts, Joseph kept going, the power Rabbi Loew had imbued into him granting him nigh-limitless endurance.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. So he continued to fight until the Germanic Emperor finally announced that the battle was over, and Joseph began the return march to Prague. While being here had protected his home (and most of the continent as well), it wasnt his home. Besides, Tristan knew where to find him, and would fetch him if he was needed. Or rather, when, because the next wave would hit with the same certainty as the sun rising in the morning. The humans could and, according to the Emperor, would deal with all the tiny statuettes that had snuck inside during the fight. Something called a Lego? *** Tristan Murderous Legos no joke. That was seriously what we were facing after almost a day of continuous fighting. Nothing overly dramatic by todays standards. Murderous monsters were a daily occurrence. But still Legos. Apparently, there had been far more statues animated than just the big ones, tiny toys gained the ability to walk, and that was about it. The most they could do was try to get underfoot, or stuff themselves down someones throat. It was devastatingly dangerous to the vast majority of the worlds population as all the little tchotchkes in their homes unexpectedly came to life, but thankfully, Europe was mostly fine, since we had taken all the heat on that front. Millions of tiny little critters that had gone completely unnoticed amidst the larger statues and then gone to ground, hiding, even going so far as burying themselves. And when wed started resting, theyd attacked by slowly creeping in. With even Charlemagne asleep, those damn legos had managed to kill someone whod decided to sleep too close to an arrowslit. Literally climbing down the soldiers throat, a thought that made me cringe just by thinking about it even though I hadnt even seen the body. And sure as shit didnt want to. Which meant that everyone had to sleep in either the throne room or mess hall, with a constant watch making sure nothing snuck up on us while others went hunting. Flamethrowers worked, but so did simply stomping on them or, in the case of legos, simply dismantling them. Of course, I didnt participate in any of that, at best, Id waste everyones time due to needing too much instruction, at worst, Id just get in the way. So while that went on, and Charlemagne directed people with his [Empire Sense], I studied magic. Though I had a feeling hed be upgrading that Skill every chance he got until it kept working even when he was asleep after this debacle. *** Two days after the third wave had started, the Untersberg was officially monster free, most people were ready to sleep for a week, and so many had left for other tasks that the fortress felt like university dorms in the off-season. Id already used portals to send Fionn to Dublin, and Arthur to Greece. They still had a big ass leonine Raid Boss, the Nemean Lion, roaming around and the British King had wanted to bring it down. Joseph had also marched off, but hed left behind a message requesting to be recalled for the next new challenge, and any Nation Boss fights too. And Continent Boss. And World Boss. And whatever came after that. I had some thoughts on the power scale I really hadnt wanted to finish but sadly had, and now I had trouble sleeping. My own fault, obviously, but that didnt change the issue. Anyway, I was staying here for the next few days, studying and doing research, while Dietrich took Mia hunting. As for the other Ancients, Genghis Khan had apparently won his fight, and Francis Drake had been utterly bored, since there were no statues to be seen in the sea. So hed gone off on a humanitarian mission to the nearest coastline, which happened to western Africa. Near as I could tell, it basically boiled down to shoot any enemies far enough from anyone and anything else that the chance for collateral damage was functionally zero. So yeah, everyone had spread out doing what felt like completely random stuff, but what the hell. We still had forty-seven days and a bit left to prepare, and said preparation would largely fall to Charlemagne, Fionn, and, in a small part, myself. Should be doable. Chapter 36: Slaghtaverty Dolmen Fionn The modern world had a lot of sayings, metaphors, idioms, and quotes that nearly everyone seemed to know, often without being aware of who had originated them, or thinking someone other than their original creator had come up with them. Right now, there was one specific sentence that perfectly summed up his current circumstances. When it rains, it pours. Oh, and as for the strength of the rain, even the rather nonsensical phrase raining cats and dogs fell far short of the current deluge of chaos he was currently faced with. Hed been busily finding people with magical potential, evaluating them to figure out whether it was a good idea to give them, specifically, access to the full power of the arcane, and about to invite Mr. Vogt to Ireland to use his abilities to directly transfer magical knowledge when an alert reached him. It had taken a long while for this warning to travel down half of Ireland by modern standards, but it was blisteringly fast compared to what had been available in his day. Something had emerged from the ground somewhere up North, slaughtered a whole lot of people, and was currently on its way down to Dublin. And somehow, it had taken far too long for the message to be accepted as true and sent his way. It had still gotten to him faster than his hourly scrying would have, given the timing, but even so. The delay was frustrating, painful, had cost lives. And it stopped now. Fionn rose to his feet, grabbed his sword, which had been leaning against a wall nearby, and buckled it as he ran, then snatched his spear as he headed northwards. Finding his target via direct scrying failed miserably, as expected, but he could easily find it by looking for where the various police and military reports put it. [Flight] flung him skywards, carrying him towards his foe, hair fluttering in the wind, while fighter jets tore past in the distance, soon followed by distant explosions. After several minutes, Fionn saw the target. It was a figure, barely one and a half meters tall but covered in blood-red armor, standing in a blood-red puddle that was swiftly growing to a size where it might be considered a pond, and with scything blades of the exact same color ripping apart anything that came too close. A foe, one that was almost certainly using blood magic. A monster, likely, considering what else hed been fighting these days. The lack of a nameplate, however, indicated something else. That this was not a System monster, and therefore, this issue might be something terrestrial, something he could gain at least some insight into. So Fionn stopped in midair, stuck his thumb in his mouth, and began to draw in knowledge. Location information was still unavailable even with him being able to see it with his own two eyes, something else was blocking that, but other things became clear to him as Fionn launched himself at his foe. And with every passing millisecond, he grew progressively more worried. This wasnt just not a monster, but another Ancient. Almost as old as him, in fact. A vampire called Abhartach who was functionally immortal. No, as far as history was concerned, literally immortal. Killed several times by everything from farmers to assassins, only stopped by being sealed his tomb with an enchanted sword stuck in his heart. Abhartach had escaped, clearly had access to the exact same System that every other human did, and become ridiculously more powerful. Whether or not he had reached the same heights that Fionn had that remained to be seen. A hurled spear took the vampire through the heart, nailing him to the ground, then a [Lightning Bolt] slammed into the butt end of said spear and coursed through him, until Abhartach collapsed to the ground as a scorched pile of coal. So, was Abhartach on Fionns level? Apparently not. The real question was whether the new firepower the Fionn of the System era brought to the table would be enough to do what the sixth-century Irish druids and wise men could not. Fionn glared down at the pile of coal as he landed, drawing his sword, wary of a surprise attack. Could that already have been enou- no, the pile was moving. A [Force Punch] reduced the coal to powder, then a followup [Gust] scattered Abhartachs remains all around only for them to come back together several meters away, the vicious grin on the vampires face readily apparent even before the powder started to turn back into flesh and blood. Fionn paused for a second, waiting for his foe to get solid enough again for his strike to not just futilely disperse his ashes again. Abhartach solidified, his heart becoming a blood-red, wetly glistening, organ floating in the middle of a cloud of black dust, rapidly becoming covered in swiftly-growing flesh and cartilage but Fionn didnt wait past getting a solid look at the core of his foe. Flinging himself forward, blade leading the movement, he impaled Abhartach through the heart, skewering it, then driving the sword downwards, planting it in the ground.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. A single cast of [Shape Earth] caused the rock to open up and swallow the blade, sealing his foes heart and the sword piercing it in solid stone. He kept up the spell, flipping the heart so that if the vampire regenerated, hed do so upside down. Not only had that been a part of the original sealing, but it was also part of how one generally kept the living dead, well, dead. Fionn glared down at the spot Abhartach had vanished, all the while casting [Message] to contact the rest of the Fianna. If this was over, hed send them back with apologies, but if this was as bad as he strongly suspected it was, hed need them. And the sword hed asked them to bring, since his spear was currently ash, and his sword buried in the ground. He extended his hand at a twisted strut of metal that poked out of the ground nearby, likely a part of a destroyed tank, and used [Telekinesis] to yank it into his hand, ready to crush the vampire if he showed himself. Is he gone? one of the soldiers whod been fighting the vampire thus far called out from a safe distance. I dont know, Fionn replied, his magically amplified voice ringing across the field of battle. Stay vigilant. Granted, the ash was staying put rather than swirling towards the site of Abhartachs burial, yet The ground exploded and Abhartach leaped out of the new hole, his normal form visible for the first time since Fionn had arrived. He was a mere one and a half meters tall, with hair the color of spilled blood, combined with eyes that had black irises and crimson eyeballs while his skin was white as bone. Yet none of it was as disturbing as the unnaturally wide smile the man was sporting, making it appear as though his head were about to split in half. So, who are you? A man in this world of fire-stick-wielding cowards who runs around with a sword, a spear, and magic, youre not normal, Abhartach asked, his grin barely moving even when speaking. He opened his mouth to ask something else, but Fionn didnt even give him the chance. He just flung the piece of metal, [Gravity Fury] massively increasing the impact of the strike, flinging the vampire into a [Gravity Field] hed set up behind him. The field pulling from below and the metal chunk crushing from above made for a truly effective trap, keeping the vampire pinned for all of five seconds. Because it had been a little too effective, pulverizing Abhartachs chest and allowing him to rise with a massive hole where his heart and most of his ribcage used to be, the rictus grin still on his face while bloody claws formed around his right hand. He swept the claws through his left wrist, the spray forming into crimson needles that tore open his right wrist as well, filling the air with red mist, filling Fionns field of view. But he could still see it, that damn grin, floating in the mist. Well, that was rude, the vampire laughed as the mist began to spread, surrounding Fionn and creeping in from all sides. Fionn didnt even bother turning around. He would not give Abhartach the satisfaction of frantically looking from side to side, or otherwise losing his head. Besides, he only needed to keep this up for more than a few seconds, and Abhartach was unlikely to attack when there were still several meters between Fionn and the clouds. So, he waited, anticipated, and then, cast the strongest [Gust] he could, dispersing the mists a split-second before Goll mac Morna crested the horizon. Not only did Abhartach fail to notice Fionns ally, but he was also caught sufficiently off-guard that another [Force Punch] was able to fling the vampire straight into the path of Golls sword. The vampires head went flying and Fionn snatched the sword Goll threw to him out of the air, preparing for combat to renew. His ally continued to slash at Abhartach, slicing him into ever-smaller chunks, but the moment any piece was no longer being actively hacked apart, the pieces began clicking back together just like those damn legos had done far too many times in the Untersberg. Fionn needed a strategy, and he decided to take a few moments to watch, observe, and think while watching the other arrive and start piling on. Swords cut, spears pierced, and spells burned, and Abhartach healed through literally everything. Some things kept him down for longer, some things healed the moment their cause was no longer physically in the way of recovery. And the rate of recovery didnt seem to be slowing. Abhartach was hacked and slashed and torn to bits while he fought back with tooth and claw, occasionally hurling around blades of blood or raising the bloodstained earth into spears or barriers. Fionn managed to impale the vampire through the heart once again, a sharpened earthen spire punching through the spine and coming out the front, continuing to rise with the ancient warlord trapped like a bug in a museum display case, still alive, still squirming, though this time around, he was swearing up a storm. It seemed Abhartach was no longer having fun, no longer grinning. Yet it didnt seem like hed been holding back any, hed been fighting, dying, and reborn at his full strength the entire time, he wasnt cutting loose his true potential. Nothing had changed save the fact that the Fianna had finally managed to wipe Abhartachs damn smirk off his face. A victory, but not one that really got them anywhere. What now? This bloodsucker was not only functionally unkillable, he was entirely immune to the normal ways of putting down beings like him. Tying them to the Earth, placing a stake through their heart to keep them pinned, one made of either metal or enchanted wood, placing blades across their necks so that they would decapitate themselves when they tried to rise, or simply burying them upside down that was how one stopped the immortal. How one killed the unkillable. But Fionn had tried all that, and it hadnt worked. The entire Fianna had tried all that, and it hadnt worked. The modern military had dropped enough ordinance on Abhartach that everything should have happened by pure happenstance at least once, and, something that surprised absolutely no one by this point, that was about as successful as just politely asking the vampire to stay dead. Diarmuid would have made quick work of this foe, with one of his spears able to inflict wounds that never healed, but Diarmuid was dead, and it had been Fionns fault to boot. And as for Diarmuids weapons, well, they had never been found. The other man didnt like to use them to hunt, so hed left them behind on that fateful hunting trip and when Fionn had gone looking for them so he could burry them with his friend, theyd been gone completely, having vanished into nothingness. Something else that might have worked was Gae Bulg, weapon of Cu Chulainn, a man whod been legendary even during Fionns first lifetime. The spear of mortality, a weapon whose use had been inevitably fatal. And even if it failed to put down Abhartach, the fact that the spear would grow barbs through every tiny facet of the targets body should, at the very least, contain the vampire. But that weapon was lost as Diarmuids armament, and hed tried scrying for both, not only in his first lifetime but also his second one. Which left him fighting the vampire with just his magic and his sword, hoping that Dietrich von Berns analysis Skills might be able to expose a critical weakness that Fionns more grounded scrying was unable to see. At any rate, he had two choices. Continue to fight, trying out new things, until something worked or surrender. Give up. Lay down and die. And that was unacceptable. So Fionn cast [Message], targeting Emperor Charlemagne, to be passed along to anyone who could even remotely be considered powerful. This was an all-hands emergency, and while declaring that he couldnt fix it himself stuck in his craw, Fionn wasnt too proud to ask for help when he needed it. Even if it did feel like admitting defeat. Chapter 37: Forces United Tristan So, Fionn had found an immortal vampire buried in the ground and the fucker was apparently impossible to kill. I hadnt even needed him to pass on his opponents name, Id figured it out the moment Id heard the terms buried, blood magic, and short. It was Abhartach, quite possibly the oldest vampire. Definitely among the oldest beings that wasnt a spirit or demon with a hundred different variations to their myth who could feed on everything from blood to souls, depending on who you asked. Fionn had messaged Charlemagne, and the emperor had magically passed that message along to me, along with a little extra information about how Mia and Dietrich were currently in the fortress, back from their first expedition, so I could wait for them with the portal. Should, really, and I should also go meet them halfway to minimize the amount of time it took before I zapped us to Ireland. As I ran, I took my sword, Nagelring, out of [Diplomatic Pouch] and tried to strap it to my belt, failed miserably, then used [Modern Makeover] to recreate my outfit exactly as it was right now, except this time, my belt was threaded through the loop of the blades sheath. I also heard the System finally confirm that I had learned some more spells, these ones more utility-focused. [Spell gained: Lesser Visual Illusion] [Spell gained: Lesser Auditory Illusion] [Spell gained: Light] [Spell gained: Mend] That last one was utterly superfluous for me, but since I was mostly learning to teach others, Id still picked up the object-repairing ability. As for the others, it was simple. Lighting up the dark was useful, the auditory illusion would be nice as a white noise machine, and the visual illusions would give me some privacy whenever I wanted. And I could make holograms with it. [Objective Recordkeeping] already let me display my memories in visual form, but nowhere near as well, or as impressively, as three-dimensional models of light would. But none of those were even remotely useful right now, which was semi-frustrating. I ran straight into Dietrich and Mia as I ran through the corridors, slid to an immediate stop, and emerged into the northmost location in Ireland Id ever been. It was just a random spot Id passed through when Id been running all over Europe to optimize my portals during the tail end of the Second Challenge, but there was nevertheless an Irish army helicopter standing there in the middle of the road, blades already spun up right to the point where it could take off in a matter of seconds, just far enough away that there was no risk of someone leaving a portal walking into the rotor. There was even a soldier standing right there, close enough that, if he shouted, I could hear him even over the noise of the chopper. Barely. It took a few seconds of shouting back and forth, but the gist of the matter was that Fionn had sent the chopper to ferry reinforcements to the battle. So I joined Dietrich and Mia on the chopper, not because I intended to help fight, but because if we needed more reinforcements, having been there would let me teleport people straight there. The helicopter ride was noisy and brief, and we were let out a couple of hundred meters from where the Fianna was currently clashing with the ancient vampire. It didnt look quite as bad on the ground, but from above, from the air, Id been able to see a long scar carved into the ground. Bloody mud, spires of stone, small embering fires, what looked like lightning strikes the landscape had been devastated, but the lone figure dueling the Fianna was largely intact, while his opponents were looking wary. Healthy, but inching ever closer to a state of exhaustion. Abhartach was a chump, all things considered. Hed died to heroes, assassins, and even farmers with pitchforks, repeatedly, but therein lay precisely the problem. He could die repeatedly and pop right back up like one of those dolls that always stood up straight the moment you stopped holding them down. Dietrich had killed a dragon using just a magical sword, alone, and even before that, hed fought it to a standstill without a single enchanted piece of gear, only wielding his hunting equipment. Fionn had slain countless foes, including the fire-breathing giant Aillen, prince of the Tuatha de Dannan. After repeatedly stabbing himself with his spear to stay awake through the monsters somnolent song. Ogier had killed countless Saracens, won wars on Charlemagnes behalf, killed the Giant King Brehus, and defeated Cath Palug, a monstrous giant cat that haunted Wales. Though in some stories, that last one was a part of Arthurs legend, I hadnt asked for clarification. Any one of them was practically able to turn Abhartach into paste with a sneeze, and they had likely killed him a dozen more times just while Id been here, watching. But getting him dead wasnt the problem, making him stay dead was. And there was no known way to do this, not in his legend, not in anyone elses legend. It was impossible which meant that I suddenly knew two things. One, we all had, collectively, forgotten to inform Fionn of the fact that Excalibur could destroy impossibility and that was a major oversight. Two, I knew how to kill Abhartach. And actually, there was a third piece of information Id realized just now. Excalibur had somehow resisted Fionns scrying. Was it a matter of it being fundamentally resistant, it countering Fionns absolute ability to gather information, or it being not of this world, thereby being beyond the earthly domain that Fionns knowledge was centered around? I grabbed my phone as I scrambled to open up the distance again, hoping against all odds that Arthur was even remotely close to a place Id been so I could teleport him straight here. *** Dietrich That thing was literally immortal. [Equalizer] insisted its powers were baked in, a part of the vampires fundamental being, with no runes to cut, items to steal, and utterly lacking in clear weak points. And [Slayer of Myth] was sliding off like water from a ducks back, completely unable to advise him how to kill the unkillable in any meaningful way. Disintegration, complete destruction, mixing the ashes with something else nothing would work. Nothing save a vague sense that destroying the source of his power, the being who had granted Abhartach his abilities would cause him to slowly lose his immortality.Stolen story; please report. Yet that was as much as he could gather, with him having no real threads to pull on with how to find that being. Of course, that also led Dietrich to an entirely new idea, the blade that could overcome all kinds of impossibilities and no-win situations, but Tristan had clearly realized that Excalibur would fix this situation at the same time he had. So Dietrich decided to ignore that part of the battle and chose to instead focus on relieving the beleaguered Fianna, who had been fighting this unwinnable fight for a long time. He charged, whipping Mimung out of its sheath, and the warriors currently holding back the vampire understood his intentions without him even having to speak. Theyd been fighting for a long time, trying to hold down an unstoppable, immortal, foe had to be draining. Dietrich, on the other hand, was entirely fresh. So the members of Fianna retreated just as he arrived, a final sword stroke hacking off Abhartachs legs to keep him in place for the few seconds Dietrich needed to set up his attack. The vampires head flew off as Mimung hacked through his neck but [Endless Cut] carried the blade back around, chopping off the right arm beneath the shoulder, carving through the chest, then out the other side before coming back from the opposite direction, weaving back and forth half a dozen times until the Abhartach was reduced to nothing but cubes of meat falling towards the ground. Then, Dietrich punched the mess, [Titan Strike] utterly blasting apart the pile of cubed meat and spreading it over several dozen square meters, a gory mess of blood and bone that began to pull itself together again almost immediately, all flying towards a single point, a single chunk lying there in the distance. Thats the heart! he yelled, pointing, while he ran towards it. But before he reached it, and before Abhartach could fully pull himself together again, the single chunk things to be flying towards came rocketing towards him, though it clearly wasnt the vampires doing, not with how the rest of the pieces were suddenly looking like the swarm from a kicked beehive. A [Grand Slash] slammed into the heart and reduced it to a bloody mist that went absolutely everywhere, painting even the relatively clean parts of the stone floor red. Dietrich turned and flashed his squire a grateful grin. She might have only learned magic mere days ago, but her use of [Lesser Telekinetic Pull] had been beyond perfect. And even that hadnt been enough to put down their enemy. Though this time, regeneration did seem a little slower. Slower in the sense that instead of putting himself back together across several minutes, instead of a mere handful. And reaching that point had practically required the heart to be atomized and spread out across a huge area. He and Mia could work with that, always striking at Abhartach the moment any part of their foe was solid enough to target, but based on all the ash and scorch marks, that same trick had been tried before, just with magic rather than physical force. And they had also failed. As the vampire began to slowly take a new form, Mia charged in, using one of her Sword Arts to hack into him almost a hundred times in under a second, causing the regeneration to stutter briefly before resuming his inexorable return. So they continued to fight, the tide of battle eternally against the vampire, but it was never to the point where he was in any danger of losing. The greatest attack Abhartach ever landed was a wave of blood and crimson spikes that made Dietrich lurch back, but that only served to make him use another big attack. [Sword Art: Giantsplitter] cleaved not just the magical construct but also the vampire, making him pause just barely long enough for Dietrich to hack him apart again. And again. And then, Fionn took over once again, tearing apart that immortal pest with magic and what had to be his dozenth sword. Hed broken a lot, based on some of the comments Dietrich had overheard. *** Arthur Just what the hell had those idiots gotten into? An issue that had half a dozen Ancients piling on and still needed him to help? Really, what had they gotten themselves into? At least hed already been finished with what he was doing in Greece. Thered been a massive lion with impenetrable fur running around since the first wave of monster which hed set out to beat, and hed managed it handily. Fur that was impenetrable to anything save the beasts own claws parted like cheap parchment under Excalibur, and with that in mind, all he had left to face was a giant lion. Hardly the first overly-large animal hed slain, in this lifetime or the last. Hed barely finished skinning the thing when that infernal device known as a cellular phone had gone off, making a ridiculous amount of racket. Though whatever faults the young man on the other end had, he could give good directions. Arthur should head to the Acropolis, the large mountain in the middle of the city the plane had dropped him off at, and call back once he was at what used to be the front gate. So that was what he did, with the still-bloody lion pelt slung over one shoulder. He ran. People stared whenever they saw him, and by the time he entered the city proper, his mere presence was all but causing traffic accidents, and some of the citizens even tried to talk to him for something. But he wasnt here to do any of that, and besides, he didnt even speak Greek. And after half an hour, he was standing on the mountaintop, and calling the portal mage back. It took a while to make the phones screen work, it had some trouble detecting his fingers while they still had blood on them. Damn technology! Levers, wheels, and gears might be nowhere near as capable as these phones, but they did what they did regardless of such trivialities as someone not having clean hands. But he managed it, and a portal flashed open around fifty meters away. Arthur strode towards it. So, what exactly is the issue, and why couldnt you handle it? he growled. Literally immortal vampire, the young man said. Excalibur should be able to destroy him, though you might have to destroy the heart for it to work. Arthur nodded, tossed him the lion pelt, and began to stride towards where he could see the battle unfolding. Excalibur slid from its sheath with a low but deliberate scraping sound, announcing his entrance into the battle. Im your opponent now! Arthur bellowed, triggering [Royal Proclamation], making everyone who hadnt already noticed him jump, including the vampire. Though the main point had been to warn off everyone. Between [Army of One] and [The Lonely Road] much of his power depended on him being alone in the fight, so it really would be nice if everyone could just. Take. The. Hint. They could, as it turned out. The vampire glared at him as the others backed off, crimson armor forming around his form, before lunging for Arthurs throat as blood-red claws sprang up on his knuckles. It was abundantly clear how much this guy had learned to lean on his immortality to win. Arthur swayed out of the path of the strike and swept Excalibur around, the blood armor barely enough to stop his sword, and the flesh and bone underneath was even less of a hindrance. Spinning around, Arthur was already facing the vampire as a cry of utter pain and fury rang across the battlefield, clearly having realized that that leg was staying it was supposed to stay off. The vampire was suddenly standing again, leg re-attached, but it wasnt quite the same. It was there, connected to the stump, but a crimson line remained where the limb had been amputated. Blood magic gluing that abomination back together? So, that was how it was the Germans adjutant had been right. He probably would have to destroy the heart to end this. A single [Grand Slash] simultaneously flattened the vampire and bisected him. He was still moving and managed to reinflate himself somewhat, so the heart hadnt been destroyed, but the vampire was nevertheless too injured to defend himself from the follow-up attack. It was a simple diagonal cleave, entering the torso above the left shoulder and exiting at the right hip, and the vampire simply fell apart as he hit the ground. Every single fix the monster in human skin had made also collapsed, resulting in Arthur standing in a massive lake of mess. He wrinkled his nose, then turned around and headed to where the others were waiting, and the adjutant was saying something. I think the real takeaway is that there could be a whole lot more buried. We should probably start searching. Maybe well even find Merlin in his tree The young man trailed off as he noticed Arthurs expression. How do you know what happened to Merlin? Arthur growled. Chapter 38: Treasure Hunting Apparently, even though I hadnt done much other than play taxi, the System considered my contribution as having been considerable. [Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 25 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 27] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Traceless Communion] I still couldnt tell how gaining Levels was supposed to work. What did and did not count. How did all this fit together? Two Levels, at my current power level, for two portals and a bit of running back and forth seemed like a lot. And as far as I could tell, the System didnt really award much for cheesing difficult tasks. There was no set reward for killing an enemy, it was based on the effort put in or so Id thought. Perhaps it was some kind of delayed reward for all the efforts that had gone into this? Flitting all over Europe, visiting all the capital cities, finding spots that I could easily direct others to, and walking all over those areas to make sure Id have somewhere to teleport to even if things got crowded that had barely earned me much of anything because it hadnt been particularly difficult. Helping end Abhartach, however, had retroactively transformed those efforts from potential waste of time to prescient preparation with tangible results. And that shift might have been the source for the Levels. But I still didnt know for sure. Even so, I liked the Levels, and they were useful.
Traceless Communion If you are in a position to convey information to someone else, you may do so without being noticed or overheard, and the target may give a short reply. Available every 30 seconds to 1 hour, depending on importance of information
Basically, I could shout information across the battlefield without actually shouting, or risking the bad guy overhearing. That would have been beyond useful five minutes ago, well, half an hour ago when Id run off to fetch Arthur, but I had it now. I also boosted [Arcane Core], all my spells ran off this Skill so that choice gave me a wide scope of improvement.
Your mana pool is deepened, you may select a single spell whose casting speed will be quintupled and cost reduced by a quarter. Chosen spell can be reselected once a week.
As for the improvement itself, it was pretty basic. Even more mana to throw around, especially once I knew suitably destructive spells, and I could focus on a given spell to be able to use it even more quickly. Once I knew it, Id pick Fionns storm spell, which Id recently learned was called [Century Storm], because that was absolutely insane and surprisingly flexible, but for now, I stuck with [Lesser Telekinetic Push]. It could deflect enemies to a degree whenever [Polite Rebuke] was off cooldown and even be used to launch attacks, though it was relatively weak compared to the strength Id seen the others throw around. Even Mia had been able to help with that fight, Id just played taxi. I could block a few attacks with [Diplomatic Immunity], then deflect one more with [Polite Rebuke], and that was about the full extent of my combat power. Then again, I specialized in soft power. The kind that might not be overly helpful when someone was actively trying to punch me in the face and was in a position to do so, but could be overwhelming when I was sufficiently removed from the fight. Now if only the world werent stuffed to the gills with monsters, suffering from a dire lack of safe areas but that wasnt my problem to solve, not directly. No, my job was support, diplomacy, and playing advocatus diaboli if there were any flaws in plans. On the off chance that I was the only one to notice them, at any rate. Considering who was around me, that happened rarely enough. But it did happen. Like now. We might have won this fight, but I think the real takeaway is that there could be a whole lot more buried. We should probably start searching. Maybe well even find Merlin in his tree I trailed off when I noticed Arthur glaring at me. How do you know what happened to Merlin? he growled as he stalked over here. He looked just about ready to rip my head off. Uh-oh. I mean, Dietrich would probably protect me, and potentially even win, but this was still a really bad situation Its the myth your myth. Merlin is said to have been sealed in a tree by Nimue and remains there to this I trailed off as I looked at Arthur, really looked. He wasnt furious, near as I could tell, just, well, I wouldnt go quite as far as calling it desperate, but it had gotten to the point where [Innate Etiquette] was telling me the entire concept of regular etiquette had gone out the window. I swallowed. Its said that Merlin remains there to this day. I brought him up as an example of other Ancients that should still be around, just sealed. And where. Is. This. Tree? he slowly ground out, clearly holding himself back with great difficulty, though I could see the fact that he was upset even more clearly. Hed grown up under Merlins watchful eyes in many versions of his myth, guided from childhood, and while I didnt know what had truly happened, chances were the sorcerer was at partially a surrogate parent of some kind. A surrogate parent whod vanished and subsequently, everything had gone to shit. He wasnt anywhere near my personal space just yet, but Arthur was practically a larger-than-life presence, even now. It didnt matter how far we were apart physically, it still felt like he was still way too close, too present. It was like I was standing in front of a raging bull, or maybe a ticked-off lion. Uncomfortable, and borderline terrifying, but despite that, I resisted the almost overwhelming urge to back up, to retreat, to flee. We dont know, Dietrich announced, stepping between me and the former British monarch. But we can find out. Thank you, I said, and took a couple of steps to the side so that I could once again look Arthur in the face. I was grateful for the help, but hiding behind Dietrichs broad back felt plain wrong. Also, it was wrong; I couldnt endlessly hide behind him when confronted. And then, I continued. How about we head somewhere that isnt a warzone, start figuring out how to best find the tree, maybe figure out who else is likely still around? I suggested. Either way, we shouldnt have this discussion here, Fionn interjected. Our camp is well set up, and Im sure accommodations will be made available to you soon. Arthurs anger seemed to vanish in an instant, wiped away like something. Grease in a cleaning product commercial, maybe.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Point was, it seemed like the situation had been defused to the point where it wasnt going to blow up anytime soon. Arthur spun on his heels and turned in the direction of Dublin, then stopped after a few steps. I dont suppose there is a transport available? he asked, then threw an uncomfortable look towards where the main army contingent was. Something that isnt a helicopter? There, was, in fact, an alternative, a troop transport truck. It seemed like there was not a single ancient who liked choppers. Even Dietrich had looked highly uncomfortable on the ride here from the portal, now that I thought about it. And on the way back, once the truck was driving on a proper road and no longer shaking like the inside of a rattle wielded by a toddler on a sugar high, we started talking. So, how do we locate the master mage? Fionn asked. I already tried scrying for his location and found nothing. We could start searching for records of forestry departments or ancient trees that became local landmarks. Would it be possible for you to mark Camelots location on modern maps, your majesty? I asked Arthur. Maybe, he said. But modern maps look very different than what Im used to, I dont think they even have the right shape for the British Isles. Well, that was probably because the maps of his days had been absolute crap, but I wasnt going to tell him that to his face. So I just shrugged instead. I have a Skill for finding treasure. Did Merlin have anything on him that I might be able to track? Dietrich threw in, derailing the burgeoning argument. He left in a simple cloak, with basic supplies from the kitchen and armory, Arthur sighed. Which brings us back to the records and local guides, Fionn announced. A tree which is over a thousand years old should be findable. Cant you scry for something like that? I asked. I did, he said. But there were no obvious candidates. Well have to ask around. Something for tomorrow, Goll grumbled. Everyone is tired, filthy, and in no state to properly study anything. The dour-faced man was one of Fionns comrades and rarely spoke, though when he did, it was worth listening to. How about we come up with other treasures we could search for? Fionn suggested. Personally, I can think of three magical spears lost in Ireland alone. One is Gae Bolg, Im guessing? I asked. The spear of Cu Chullain was an incredibly lethal weapon that might have been able to stop Abhartach in his tracks. What are the other two? Gae Buidhe and Gae Dearg, Fionn said. They belonged to Diarmuid, and leave wounds that cannot be healed. In other words, another pair of weapons that would have trivialized the fight wed just finished with such incredible difficulty. Well, theyd finished. Id stuck to coming up with ideas and playing taxi. Dietrich sighed deeply next to me. In hindsight, I should have searched for the treasure of the Niebelungs the first chance I got. Is it still cursed? I asked. We should be careful, depending on which I stopped talking, facepalmed, and sighed while slowly dragging my hand down my face. Then, I looked straight at Dietrich. Siegfried got his treasure from a dwarven kingdom, correct? Id been about to say depending on which version of the myth is correct, which was beyond stupid since I could just, you know, ask. If the treasure hoard had been won from the dragon Fafnir, as it had happened in the Norse version of the myth, then it was cursed, Andvaris ring in particular. If the treasure had been won from a dwarven kingdom, on the other hand, then, well, it was fine. Stained with literal rivers, no, oceans of blood, but free of curses. Dietrich shrugged. I believe so. But I only met the man once, during a duel, we didnt exactly have long conversations. Oh, who won? Mia asked. I did, Dietrich laughed, before tapping on the hilt of Mimung, the magical sword that never left his side. But only after I was able to borrow this beauty. Siegfried was a great fighter, most people with invulnerability and inhuman strength would probably have relied on them and spent less time training, but, well, Im better. The hidden message was obvious: overly relying on magic and superpowers over skills was bound to end badly the moment someone figured out a way around ones preternatural abilities. So, if we find the treasures, lets just leave any rings there until we can check them for enchantments, and be done with it, I suggested. Or I can just check them for enchantments and throw out anything I dont recognize, Fionn threw in. If were hunting for treasure, theres a lance Im missing, Arthur added. Its called Rhongomyniad. Yeah, I wasnt even going to try to pronounce that without first gaining some degree of mastery over the Welsh language, which I was pretty sure was the language the name stemmed from. What about other works of Wayland? Mia asked, gesturing to Mimung. I know thats his greatest creation, but couldnt he make a knife that can cut all the way through a table in a single evening? Dietrich nodded. What about I trailed off and pulled out my phone, making a few Google searches before continuing. Hrungnirs whetstone. He was a giant who fought Thor, using a giant whetstone as a weapon, but that whetstone was destroyed in the battle. One of those fragments then continued on to injure the god. But the rest should still be lying on the ground somewhere, right? We kept going, coming up with a list of cool stuff, even looping in Charlemagne via my cellphone. He only had a single suggestion: the Ring of Solomon, otherwise known as the Seal of Solomon, a magical artifact capable of controlling seventy-two immensely powerful beings. Be they ancient pagan deities or demons of the highest caliber, they were strong. And all one needed to harness that strength was that ring. Dietrich used his [Nose for Treasure] Skill on each of these relics, as well as a whole lot more we came up with later, and one thing became apparent. Well, two things. No, three things. One, all the Ancients had gotten so many Skills upfront that they didnt really use them all optimally. Two, not using the Skill before had been a big mistake. And three, nothing divine could be found. No item belonging to a god, no item given by a god, no item that only existed because of a god in general. So no whetstone, no magic ring, not even the Silver Hand of Nuada which Fionn had suggested, a prosthetic for the Irish king of the gods that had become superfluous when hed regained his original limb. And Merlin couldnt be found either, most likely since he wasnt a piece of treasure. But wed be able to pick up the various Irish spears tomorrow, and go dredging up the treasures of the Niebelungs from various riverbeds. Tomorrow. I had no desire to go running all over Ireland, let alone Europe, and no one else looked like they were in the mood either. The truck let us out on the outskirts of Dublin, into an area that was half military base, half boy scout encampment. The Fiannas home base, into which Fionn vanished for a minute before coming out clutching a bottle of whiskey and with a whole bunch of glasses floating along behind him, which he passed out and filled. I barely got anything, which was how I liked it, at least considering the current gravity of the situation. I wanted a clear head. Thank you for your help, everyone, Fionn announced, raising his glass. Heres to cheating, stealing, and drinking. If you cheat, may you cheat death. If you steal, may you steal a maidens heart. And if you drink, may you drink with friends. Slainte agus saol agat. Then, he tipped back his glass, the rest of the Fianna following suit almost simultaneously, while everyone else was somewhat slower. That had been a nice toast, the part Id understood at least. German toasts were kinda meh. There was the one where everyone shouted Prost and clinked glasses together, something that had sprung from a medieval tradition of smashing tankards against each other so the beer spilled out and mixed to make poisonings harder. Or the hundreds of little idiotic phrases Id heard while at university. The only one I knew of any witt was delirium, delarium, full like an aquarium. Or maybe I had mostly been exposed to the lesser end of the spectrum. Either way, Fionns toast had been downright poetic. But the little interplay in the camp didnt last very long, it had gotten late. We did end up staying the night in Dublin, in a swanky hotel, paid for by the government. I was out of portal uses for the day and given a choice between either getting on a plane and then taking a helicopter from Munich airport or just waiting ten hours in a luxury hotel, the decision was obvious. I eventually bade everyone goodnight and went to bed, finding complimentary pajamas that I strongly suspected were made of silk neatly folded on the blanket. Ooh, Id be keeping those if at all possible. *** My night in the hotel was an absolute, uh nightmare? The pajamas were nice, the bed was nicer, but I spent the entire time tossing and turning. Blood, crushing weight and being buried, fire, and demonic visages. I never even made it into proper, well, what Id consider sleep, no idea how it was considered scientifically, I was stuck in a seemingly endless series of flashing images, shifting from one to the next, until I woke then Id go back to sleep only to wake once more a short while later. That wasnt the first time it had happened, I occasionally found myself in this situation after doing something particularly intense right before bed, or drinking, not that Id drunk enough to blame the alcohol tonight. But that didnt mean I was happy waking up bleary-eyed and grouchy. Why had I even been dreaming of demons? Abhartach had been a va- it hadnt been about him, had it? Hed been over and done with, the problem Id been grappling with had been an entirely different one. And suddenly, I knew how to find Merlin. Chapter 39: The Man in the Tree Id been out of my room for almost a full minute by the time I realized that I was still wearing my pajamas and flip-flops. I came to a stop and stood there in the middle of the corridor for a couple of seconds before shrugging and taking off again while using [Modern Makeover] to make myself presentable. Considering how thin my clothing was, I didnt have much material to work with, but by painting it all a deep, dark black, I robbed it of all sense of depth, thereby making it hard to see how whispy and insubstantial the end result was, as well as removing the silky sheen that might have otherwise made me look like a gigolo. The simple shirt and pants I was now wearing brought to mind a ninja, but honestly, cringy fashion dont was superior to pajamas in my mind. I reached Dietrichs door a few seconds later and knocked, then knocked again after thirty seconds, harder this time. No answer. Sighing, I turned around and decided to go look in the dining room, which I considered to be his most likely location. If hed left, hed have let me know or written a note. Of course, I promptly got lost for a few minutes before finally deciding to start using [Ambassadors Instinct] to search for him. See if I could use it for that purpose, at any rate. The Capstone Skill for my previous [Global Ambassador of Myth] Class let me know whenever I was needed in a location, any location, within an ever-expanding radius of myself and even use that to target my portals. Of course, his location wasnt the site of a diplomatic disaster, well, it shouldnt be, at any rate, but Dietrich was a former monarch with diplomatic gravitas and wherever he was, that was the location I needed to be right now, because I wanted to be there, because I had information I needed to share. So come on, System it took a little while, but after a few seconds, slowly, achingly so, the information trickled in. Like internet search results on a computer so ancient it might as well be a brick, and with about as much clarity. I got a sense that an actual emergency would have gotten me something more useful and informative, but what Id gotten now was enough nevertheless. Soon enough, I reached the dining room and found not only Dietrich but also Mia there, digging into what Id have called an English Breakfast though considering where we were, it seemed like it was something found all across the British Isles. Eggs, bacon, mushrooms, sausages, a couple of tomato halves, and what seemed like blood pudding, all fried to perfection, served alongside toast and tea. Good morning, I said cheerfully and sat down in the chair that was already pulled out, as if waiting for me. Mia immediately responded by protectively pulling her plate out of my reach, as I would have done in her place, but that trick was slightly outdated. A simple [Lesser Telekinetic Pull] stole a crispy strip of bacon with ease, but I was a little too slow pulling my leg back, and Mias kick to my shin landed. Thankfully, we could both be adults about this and call it a draw right then and there. I think I know how to find Merlin, I announced, turning to face Dietrich. How exactly does your [Nose for Treasure] work? It lets me find treasures that are valuable or unique, preferably both. But Merlin isnt a treasure, so I couldnt find him, Dietrich said. I grinned. Mindset could affect Skills. For example, I was able to use [Ambassadorial Authoritys] ability to contact the person I was an ambassador to via scrying to prove my authority, but Id also managed to use it free-hand, calling any time I wanted to. I still preferred to use my phone, but I could use it. And Id used [Ambassadors Instinct] in an unintended way to find my way here. But cant people be valuable too? I asked. Are you suggesting slavery? Mia gave me a side-eye. Im suggesting that awareness of the fact that a monetary value could be attached to a person might make it easier for the Skill to latch on, I said. Dietrich stopped eating, stared into the distance for a few seconds, then looked back at me. It was a good idea, but its not enough. But what if he werent just valuable, but also unique? I suggested. A baptized Cambion, the child of a mortal woman and a demon, his infernal heritage removed while the power remains, making him a wizard of unparalleled potential. I mean, that was only one version of the myth, this trick would fall flat if any other versions were correct; lets see what happens before self-flagellating, right? Once again, Dietrich stared off into the distance until he finally broke out into a large grin. I think searching for a Cambion would have been enough on its own. Why didnt Arthur tell us about that? I I dont think he knew, I carefully said. He didnt know about the tree either. A lot of that only became public knowledge centuries after his death. We should be very careful about telling him how we found his wizard, then, Dietrich replied. Lets eat breakfast first, then fetch him and go find Merlin. *** It had been a long time since hed paid attention to the outside. Since hed tried to see anything beyond that wall of roots and later dirt, tried to do anything in the mere handful of seconds at a time that he was awake in between long naps he had no idea. He didnt know how long. Nor did he know how long each nap lasted, or how long hed been down here at all. It had to be decades at the very least, but deep down, he knew it was likely centuries. Hed been forgotten, hadnt he? Had Arthur and his knights truly forgotten him, or had Camelot fallen in its entirety? Just how badly had things gotten? Merlin sighed as he stared at the ceiling, some of the thick layers of dust lying atop him swirling into the air. He knew hed be asleep again when it landed, Nimues curses wouldnt allow him to stay awake for even that long. Scrape. What had that been? A new sound? Hed memorized every single source of noise he could possibly notice, and that wasnt one of them. Scrape. There it was again! Suddenly, the siren song of the spells ensnaring him was pushed away. He could still hear it and knew he could not keep this up, but for now, he was able to keep sleep away From one moment to the next, he was wide awake again. Was someone trying to dig out the tree? Would they be able to break the enchantments as well? Or SCRAPE! It was louder, this time, much louder, and a blade suddenly punched through the nearest root wall. A strangely familiar blade. Reminiscent of Excalibur, but far slimmer and infinitely sharper, carving through the wood as though it were barely more than air. It even felt like it was derived from the blade hed known before his imprisonment.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The weapons were decidedly different, both in their form and magic, but there was a connection between them. Suddenly, his magic surged back to life, an arcane star igniting in his heart, a flood of power flowing from him for the first time in what felt like forever. A blade of force, potent but controlled burst from him, attempting to help the blade carve open the tree. And then, everything went to absolute hell as a voice started practically yelling in his ears, and his power leaped well beyond what hed ever known, or expected to have to control when hed started casting. [Class gained: Legendary Courtmage of Foresight] [Legendary Courtmage of Foresight Lv. 1] [Legendary Courtmage of Foresight Lv. 1 -> Legendary Courtmage of Foresight Lv. 50] [Skill gained: Warmage] [Skill gained: National Precognition] [Skill gained: Judge of Righteousness] [Skill gained: Font of Arcana] [Skill gained: Writer of History] [Skill gained: Seer of Disasters] [Ascendant Capstone gained: Arcane Soul] [Spell Awarded: Force Blade] [Spell Awarded: Spectacle of Lights] [Spell Awarded: Illusionary Theatre] [Spell Awarded: Lighting Bolt] The wood shrapnel that used to constitute his prison rapidly settled down but the dust that had covered him like a blanket continued to billow through the air, causing a bout of coughing on the part of not only the people outside but also him, for the first time ever. Hed always been immune before. He briefly considered trying to clear it up with a spell but ruthlessly squashed that idea in the face of the clear and present evidence of how his last attempt to help had gone. The sound of someone snapping their fingers rang out from deep within the clouds and instantly, the billowing plumes were sucked into a single point, a marble lying in the palm of a young man with blond hair staring at him with wide eyes. There was a second youngster present, looking to be the firsts sister, potentially even a twin. Unlike her brother, she was wearing cloth armor rather than what seemed to be formal clothing. But they practically faded into the background compared to the others. There was a tall man with hair that was palest blond hed ever seen, the one who seemed to have wielded the sword, except it was nowhere to be seen, instead, a second man, silver-haired and quite old, was holding a slim, sharp, blade, and Excalibur, well it lay in the hands of the only familiar face. Merlin practically fainted right then and there. Arthur was still alive. Alive and honestly, far too young. He might not have known how long hed been trapped, but it had to have been longer than a few years and his king looked practically unchanged. I Merlin tried to say something, then trailed off, swallowing several times in an utterly futile attempt to moisten his dry-as-a-desert throat. Im using an ability to teach you all the information you need, the bo- no, the young man announced. Itll ask you to send information back, just ignore that. Merlin was about to respond, to say something, torn between agreeing, asking about what this ability was or even unleashing an entire stream of consciousness about the unnatural power that had flooded him, when the young man already did what hed proposed. It was, well, exactly what had been promised. All the information hed need. He could feel it. Not the full information that hung there, tantalizing, but the basic ideas behind it. The length of his sleep, the state of the world, potentially even the reason his ability to predict the future was failing so badly, but above all, knowledge of the threat that was about to annihilate humanity. It also contained the information on what the weird voice was doing. However, the mental tether was practically holding out a hand, almost like a merchant awaiting payment. He had been told to ignore that, but then again, it was abundantly obvious that he would not lose any information he sent in return. And not only did paying the young man back feel right, he also seemed like a good person. Arthur had certainly accepted him. So Merlin decided to send him back some basic information on the world he used to live in, that should remain useful even millennia in the future. Knowledge on politics, advice on guiding rulers, and general, non-specific etiquette on how to be a courtly mage, since that was what he seemed to be It worked, but even as Merlin felt a fleeting ghost of a headache, the young man fainted. Oh dear. *** Carving open the tree had been incredibly difficult, for a number of reasons. Enchanted to the nines, but with enough vulnerabilities that Excaliburs ability to annihilate absolutes would fail against it. It had also been warded against scrying, which not only explained why Fionn had been unable to locate it, but also meant that he couldnt simply analyze the spell and pick it apart in no time flat. But hed been able to do something else. Hed leveled after Abhartach and gained a Skill called [Arcane Superimposition], which let him slap together two similar artifacts to create something that had the abilities of both, either separate or in some sort of combination. Temporarily or permanently. So, what happened if you combined the abilities of a blade that could cut through functionally anything physical and a blade that could cut through conceptual impossibilities? Apparently, it was a blade that could cut magic itself. A very brute-force technique, but I was a big believer in the principle of it aint stupid if it works. Of course, no one had expected the tree to explode like that. Ironically, Id handled it the best, [Diplomatic Immunity] having tanked the blast in its entirety, though at the same time, that meant that the blow would have been lethal otherwise. After all, only lethal attacks were met with such a level of magical power. Two quick steps placed me behind Fionn, who didnt seem anxious in the least which, in turn, made me calm down too while he split the swords back into two and gave them back to their owners. I mean, this was a heavily warded tree that Dietrichs Skill had led us to, it had to be the right one, but all this dust wasnt letting us see anything. So I snapped my fingers and used [Restoration of the Old] to clean everything. As the clouds were swept away, we all saw an elderly man, younger than Dietrich visually but still far more frail, stumble out, looking utterly lost. I he started to say something before trailing off, looking confused and torn. Im using an ability to teach you all the information you need, I announced. Itll ask you to send information back, just ignore that. The worst that could happen was that he refused, wasnt it? Yeah, turns out, I was very wrong about that. *** Tristan I woke up with a pounding headache and a realization that apparently, a sufficiently powerful and capable mage could still send an overwhelming amount of information through [Knowledge Trade] and that, well, if the information was too much by a sufficient margin, it could actually fully knock me on my ass. How I was about to say but Mia was already speaking. You okay? I mean, you got right back up but I didnt expect you to faint like that Im fine, I grunted, trying to sort through everything Id just learned. One, Merlin apparently believed me to be his modern equivalent. Two, he had a lot of knowledge locked away in that head of his, not only did I know what hed sent me but I could also see echoes of what he hadnt. And three, the world was complicated, had always been complicated and would eternally continue to be so. I gave him a slight bow, something that [Innate Etiquette] would have let me know to do even if Merlins teachings hadnt also taught me it. I believe you and the king have a lot to talk about. Afterwards, can teleport you to any place you wish, as long as it is known to me. And with that, I retreated a few steps back, giving them their space. Id already been enough of a disruption to that long-awaited reunification, what with me fainting and all. Those two needed time, and Id obviously give it to them. Think youd be okay on your own if we went treasure hunting? Mia asked. If it had just been the two of us, Id have likely made a big deal of her abandoning me, but I liked to think I still had at least a few shreds of dignity in the eyes of Fionn and Dietrich. Sure, I nodded. Have fun; Ill just wait here till I can play taxi. And while those three started walking over to where the army truck that had transported us here was waiting, I sat down on the forest floor, leaned against a tree, and started properly digging through the information Id learned. Hints of what was possible with magic, some vague idea of what Merlin could teach me if only I could convince him, and true knowledge of what he brought to the table if Arthur stayed allied with us. It might be selfish, but the idea of learning from him was what appealed to me the most. Id learned some basics from Fionn; hed taught me so that I could eventually trade that knowledge to magically endowed individuals he was gathering, but this, this seemed like something so far beyond that *** Merlin That that had perhaps not been his best idea, in hindsight. Which was not something he normally had to deal with. Hindsight, that was. Ordinarily, his ability to observe the future was sufficiently broad to avoid such gaffes. That wasnt to say he didnt make mistakes, but with the exception of a handful of truly disastrous decisions, usually made the right choice in a given situation. But then again, it seemed like no ones ability to see with more than just their eyes was working quite right. Not his, and not Fionn MacCumails. Hed heard of the man, of course, hed been a famous warrior a handful of centuries before his lifetime, and even he was restrained. And the modern world was strange beyond belief. Leadership by the masses in many parts of the world, the collected knowledge of humanity at the fingertips of almost everyone, and magic had transformed in a truly ridiculous way. Though now, at the very least, it was clear what had happened with the tree. Yet none of that was what he was concerned with right at that moment, not really. No, that dubious honor went to the man currently standing before him. Outwardly, Arthur Pendragon was the same as hed always been: confident and regal. But Merlin had watched him grow up, knew him almost better than he did himself. His king was untethered, directionless, lost. And his behavior, the things Merlin had learned from his modern counterpart, demonstrated his current inner turmoil far more definitively than his mannerisms ever could. Not to mention the countless disasters that had unfolded in the wake of Merlins own departure but how to heal a wounded soul? Chapter 40: Pointy Treasures Fionn liked cars, he finally decided. It had taken him a while to reach this place, but despite everything, they were clearly the superior method of transportation. Sure, unlike the constant but steady up-and-down of being in a horses saddle, when riding in a car, you felt each and every bump and unevenness in the ground beneath the tires. However, cars didnt get tired, and were much less prone to getting sick, insofar as that applied to machinery, and unlike horses, they could normally be repaired after being damaged. So yes, cars were amazing. Planes were also incredible, if a little loud. And helicopters were still terrible, the only good thing about them was that he could easily fly the kinds of distances they were normally employed for. Oh, and one more advantage cars had was that he couldnt use them. Therefore, he could always pass on that responsibility to another person and not even feel bad about it or be faced with criticism. On the other hand, it seemed quite insane to let people this young control what basically amounted to a metal battering ram. Granted, Ms. Vogt seemed rather responsible, and the same went for her brother, but all it took was one idiot to cause horrendous damage. And when he thought back to all the things people whod just become adults had done in his first lifetime either modern humans were very grown up, or there were a lot of preventable accidents. And he wasnt entirely sure whether he wanted to find out. But whatever might happen in general, this car ride was perfectly safe and deposited them right at their first target. Theyd been asked to find a certain lance by one Arthur Pendragon, and if they hadnt gone to unearth the mans Courtmage, they could have actually already retrieved it. The weapon known as Rhongomyniad did not have any particularly special properties as far as they knew, and King Pendragon had not corrected this impression. It was simply a supernatural weapon, well made, sharper than natural and hard to break, but with no particularly overpowered attributes compared to regular weaponry. Granted, it would be able to injure creatures immune to mundane weaponry, rare as they were, but overall, this all likely had as much to do with sentimentality as it had with gaining a powerful weapon. Dietrichs nose, literally, if one went by the Skills name, [Nose for Treassure], had led them to a small random forest in Wales, and there, all the way to a pile of boulders. Its in there, around five meters in, slightly below us, the former monarch announced, gesturing in the direction. Any traps to worry about? Fionn asked, even as he scried the area himself. He was still easily the most knowledgeable person in the world, but recent events had done a fantastic job disabusing him of the notion that he was anywhere near omniscient. Not that I can tell. So, they were as certain as they could be that things were safe, and Fionn cast [Geokinesis], holding the boulders on top where they were while shifting the lower ones, reforming the pile into a doorway and promptly put everything back again as the stench of death wafted out. Very old corpses, rust, and mildew. But the few seconds the doorway had been open had been for all three of them to see what was inside. A figure, clad in armor, kneeling with its hands on the hilt of a sword planted in the ground, staring at where the entryway had been created with empty eyesockets. Not an undead, not a monster, just a corpse. A man who had stayed in that cave until his death, never even moving from that position. And behind him, the lance had sat, planted in yet another pile of rocks, head gleaming even all these centuries later. I Fionn broke off, swallowed, and sighed. That man has stood vigil for all this time so that his king might retrieve his weapon once he returns. I believe it should be his king who disturbs his rest. Dietrich nodded grimly, and Ms. Vogt followed suit slowly. She clearly didnt understand this the same way they did; she was too new to all this, but she was trying. Her brother would likely have been the same, had he been here. Those two theyd either grow up to become great figures mentioned in the legends the current world situation would inevitably spawn, or theyd break. He sincerely hoped it was the former. So, where to next? he asked after a long moment of silence. *** Well that just happened, Fionn muttered as he stared at the two swords resting against the back of the drivers seat as they headed towards the airport. Theyd simply been found in the ground, one buried beneath several meters of muck, the other beneath ancient rubble. Clarent, the sword that had slain King Arthur was yet another entry on the list of well made and magical but not special and had likely lain where Mordred had fallen, while Galataine was, well, interesting. Theyd found it in what seemed to have been a random armory, whoever had put it there seemed to not even have known what theyd had. Using his [Arcane Analysis], hed uncovered just what its ability was. Empowerment through sunlight. Not quite to the point of actual invulnerability, as some legends implied or outright stated, but whoever wound up with this weapon would be a very lucky person indeed. And, of course, hed made sure that Dietrich had handled each weapon for a few seconds so that they qualified for his [A Blade Borrowed] Skill which would, in turn, be useable in conjunction with Fionns own [Arcane Superimposition]. The copy would only last for a single attack, but if it was subsumed in whatever Fionn happened to be wielding at the time, plenty of ways that could be exploited. And off they were, heading to Ireland for a few spears. *** You know, I think I know where we are, Fionn announced as they came to a stop in the middle of an empty field. We lived here when Diarmuid died. Are you telling me his spears have been here the entire time? Because if they had, hed be feeling quite stupid right about now. Not burying a warrior with his weapons because theyd missed them when theyd gone searching, potentially even lying in plain sight granted, now, it was now an advantage, not having to retrieve them from an actual grave. But it still ground his gears, if he understood that expression correctly. They might have been moved here after you went to sleep, Mia suggested, apparently having realized what he was worried about.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Possibly, he admitted. It was still a strange coincidence. There they are, Dietrich pointed into the air, at an empty patch of sky. Two meters above us, and I have absolutely no idea why we cant see them. He paused for a second, then took a couple of hasty steps back so that he was no longer directly underneath the spot. Walking under spears dubiously mounted above you was dangerous and stupid. Doing the same with magical spears where even the tiniest scratch would bleed eternally was solidly suicidal. Fionn, meanwhile just stared into the nothingness for a long moment, then proceeded to spend the next several minutes unleashing his entire repertoire of curse words. Under his breath, of course, but he used them nevertheless. I take it that means you know what were dealing with? Dietrich asked once he was done. Unfortunately, Fionn sighed. Theyre right where they used to be, where they always were, just elsewhere. They slipped into the Otherworld, the realm of many names, and He sighed again. We cant get at them? Mia suggested. We can, but it might be dangerous. Very dangerous, he admitted. I can open the veil, however, I have rarely done so as there are many, many, convenient and natural paths between worlds. And we have no idea what is on the other side. It may simply be a random patch of wilderness, or, well, or it might be a court of the Fair Folk. Should we be really unlucky, it may even be a court of whom I have killed a member. And the Fair Folk are dangerous. Their magic is immense, can twist human minds, bodies, even fortune itself. If I open a gate and we come face to face with the Fae, even immediately closing it again could leave you eternally changed. That drew winces from both his traveling companions. So, prepare, and if it becomes necessary, unleash the full power of your attacks on the other side of the gate while I close it, if it becomes necessary. As he spoke, he cast a wide [Stone Pillar] at the ground beneath their feet, raising them a couple of meters skywards, right in front of the soon-to-be tear in the fabric of reality itself. Fionn raised his arm, slowly, deliberately, palm facing towards the currently empty air. It wasnt so much a spell as it was an exertion of pure will, magic pouring out of him and soaking into the world until it practically glowed to his senses, a beacon of supernatural power that promised both infinity and infinite power. But he did not stop, kept continuing, until he finally curled his fingers into a vague approximation of a claw, wrenched his hand sideways, and reality followed. The artificial place of power became a ring, a gateway, already being eroded as the veil between worlds attempted to heal itself. And while it would have stayed open long enough for them to retrieve the spears, the weapons had instead decided to fall right out, simply toppling over, spear-tip first at him. Shit! Fionn cursed as he leaped backwards, escaping not only the spears range but also the confines of the column, only a hastily cast [Gust] making his tumble back to earth somewhat dignified. You good? Mia shouted down at him, and he responded with a grunted yes as he walked around the column to where the spears clattered to the ground. They were, well, exactly like they had been when hed known them in his first lifetime. Two spears, one red, one yellow, leather wrapping the shafts in a simple diamond pattern, and elegant leaf-shaped spearheads that belied the sheer threat they hid. But thankfully, as dangerous as their edges were, they werent overly sharp, at least as far as supernatural weapons went. So he wrapped them in the cloth hed brought for just such a purpose. Trying that with, say, Mimung, would have ended terribly, but it did work here. And after a final layer comprised of the strangely named ballistic cloth had been added, he hefted both over his shoulder and leaped back atop the pillar to stare into the still open, albeit barely, rift. It was Is it supposed to look like that? Dietrich asked, pointing at the white wall that was on the other side. There was no sign of the otherworld, no people, no plants, nothing even remotely distinct from any other point on the featureless blank canvas. Definitely not, Fionn said. Its like honestly, with how much magic I brought to bear, even if the other side had been the inside of a mountain, I should have been able to open a real gate. That is not the otherworld, it is merely something in between. Outside this world, but not in any other world either. Like a Pocket dimension? Extradimensional pocket? Mia suggested, throwing around the terms as though she were familiar with them. Strange, he thought she was an engineer by trade, firmly rooted in the rules of mechanical motion. Those sounds like apt descriptions, Fionn nodded. But I was not trying to rip into a pocket of some kind, I was trying to step into another world, This is concerning. A mystery for when the world is no longer in immediate danger of ending, Dietrich interjected. It could be important, but unless there is a direct link between this and the System, I think we have bigger problems. Like when we do this to find Gae Bolg and it actually falls on someone, Fionn suggested darkly. Lets go. *** Another long and bumpy car ride later, they reached the site where the worlds deadliest weapon had lain for almost two millennia. Arguably deadliest weapon. Theyd spent hours debating the topic in the car. Modern nuclear weaponry could annihilate cities in an instant, easily handing them the title of most raw destructive power even if the various [Ascendant Capstone] Skills gained at Level 50 seemed to all protect from such indiscriminate and indirect attacks. Gae Buidhe and Gae Daerg, the spears that they had just retrieved, would cause wounds that would trouble the victim for the rest of their life, be it measured in seconds or decades. Mimung and Excalibur were both swords that could not be blocked by the physical and metaphysical, respectively, protecting oneself from them was functionally impossible. Gae Bolg, and the two other spears, could be blocked, but if they hit, they ended lives. A barbed spear formed from the bones of an ancient sea beast, one that, once thrust into someones body, would grow, barbs ripping through the victims flesh until the entirety of their body was shot through with bone spikes, every muscle and organ ripped apart. If one could land a clean hit, it would end the battle. And would then have the supremely unenviable task of cutting the spear free of the corpse. It was a trump card, to use modern parlance, an ultimate move that could finish fights in an instant but also cost its wielder the fight if employed at the wrong moment, against the wrong target. Though there was one big advantage it had over all the other weapons that had already been retrieved. He wouldnt have to carry them around, hed just have to summon it because the weapon was, well, summonable. Once it had been handed over, it could be summoned at will unless it was stuck in someone. As far as he could tell, it had to be retrieved manually. And much like the previous weapons, Gae Bolg was located in another pocket dimension, seemingly having slipped just barely outside the world, not truly a part of Earth, but not having wound up in the Otherworld either. Fionn didnt even have to summon a [Stone Pillar] this time around, the weapon was located just above the ground. A wave of magic, a mental wrenching of the saturated section of space, and the barbed crimson spear came tumbling out. This time, he was ready however, snatching it out of the air with ease, grasping it below the head while making sure to avoid even coming near the spikes. He held it for one second, then two, and then, it simply vanished, just as the voice of the System spoke into his mind. [Trait Registered: Bond with the Spear of Mortal Pain] Fionn closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as he felt the presence of the weapon settle in his chest, calm, waiting. Calm, patient, full of lethal intent. He suppressed a shiver. So, that should be everything in Great Britan, he said, hoping he was hiding it as well as he he thought he was. Will you be fine collecting the German tressures on your own? Should be. If there are more pocket worlds, we do have available to cellular phones, Dietrich responded, patting his pocket. While he and his squire drove off in the car, Fionn flew back to Dublin. He had gotten oh so very distracted in recent times, and while he had had a very good reason to divert from his intentions each and every time, the delay had only grown longer. So, time to knuckle down and get it done. Find people with magical potential, build a school for them, then use Tristan Vogts ability to transfer knowledge to get them up to speed in record time. And use them to, hopefully, obliterate the next wave. And all those that followed after, until he was finally free to go chasing the new mystery he had uncovered. Chapter 41: Academy Tristan The camp of the Fianna seemed to change even more rapidly than the Unterberg did, and that was considering how comparatively mundane it was. Mundane in the sense that the place itself lacked inherent magic, not in the sense that it was ordinary, which it decidedly wasnt. It was just that the Untersberg was flooded with magical energy and supernatural effects, with the illumination that came from nowhere lighting every nook and yet vanishing mysteriously whenever you wanted to sleep just being part of it. What really defined it in my mind though was the mountain spirits that constantly reshaped and/or expanded it, creating what would hopefully, in due time, become the ultimate fortress. This place, on the other hand, had been reshaped purely by human hands granted, oftentimes, those hands were wielding spells or advanced power tools that might as well be magic if you compared them to baseline human capabilities, but still, human hands. Id actually managed to find a picture of what the camp had looked like on day one online, it had been a simple, well, camp. Wood palisade and cloth tents and all. Serviceable, but a few centuries out of date. What Id teleported to after leaving behind Merlin and Arthur could not be further from that. A combination of trees grown into unnatural yet flowing shapes, acting as columns and supports for the concrete walls that seemed to have poured themselves into their final shape without ever having required any kind of mold. The end result was a three-storey construct that was half fantasy elf architecture, half 20th-century brutalism. It was a statement, that much was certain, though not an intentional one, I suspected. Impressive, isnt it? a barely accented but familiar voice rang out from behind me. I turned around, coming face to face with Fionns son, Ossian. Wed met for like two seconds while setting up for the third Challenge and never talked again. And had this been a few weeks ago, I definitely wouldnt have remembered his name, but [Objective Recordkeeping] was useful in basically everything I did. Very, I nodded. How did you build it? Magic, Ossian told me with a mischievous grin, then relented after a couple of seconds, without requiring further prompting. I have plant growth Skills to shape trees, and earth-shaping abilities can hold liquid concrete in the shape of walls while water and heat spells dry it. Okay, that was a really cool trick. I nodded, impressed. How long did that take? A week, Ossian said. Apparently, the Mandln in the Untersberg were still faster, but they were supernatural beings who worked without rest or pause, and they couldnt be used anywhere else. How about amenities? I asked. Do you have spells for that? Ossian chuckled. We dont live there; we moved into a hotel a while ago. Thats going to be our new magic school. Oh now the brutalism design aspect made more sense. So did the complete and utter lack of windows. If the whole affair wasnt reinforced to the nines, the first time someone miscast a spell, thered be considerable collateral damage. Speaking of school, do you have students? I wondered. Just a few, Ossian admitted. Magical potential is rare, and weak, in this day. Yours and your sisters might have been granted by a Skill, but it was potent even before you started boosting it. But it seems like Classes that grant it are hard to get. Hmm I guess that meant that legions of warmages were out of the question. But there had to be tricks we could still pull. And Id had some other ideas. What would you think about creating specialists, then? I asked. We could go through my list of spells, and pick specific combinations I can pass along to the students to form the basis for what theyre going to do later. We should go through mine and Fathers spell lists as well, Ossian added. And if theres something you need to teach, we can delay the lessons so you can use your [Knowledge Trade] to acquire the spells. That should work nicely. I hadnt even thought of that but yeah, we could craft custom sets of spells within the bounds of what I could transfer in a single use of [Knowledge Trade]. As we talked, we eventually migrated to the lobby of the school building, which was basically just the reception room of any doctors office Id ever been in, just, you know, with the same bizarre elven wood shaping and brutalism aesthetic as the outside, with the former being mostly confined to the furniture. What the two of us came up with wasnt anything world-shaking, or even particularly creative, but having it written down was a step in the right direction. The basic idea had been to find the maximum combination of spells I could transfer at once, and then create packets of information that took advantage of as much of that space as possible. It was simple, and wouldnt do much right now, but if it shaped the recipients future Classes, it could be the start of something great. The first packet was also pretty easy to come up with, it was just the spells that had been needed to create the building we were currently in. Throwing one of these up in a matter of days would be a crucial skill in the coming months, and the needed spells would do just as well repairing buildings as they would putting them up. There was one small issue, though I didnt have any of those spells. Id learn, next time I used [Knowledge Trade], which would happen once Fionn showed up from wherever he was currently. That way, I could gain one set of spells from him, and another from his son. The only question was which spells Id be getting from him. Simple spells I could easily pass along would be better, obviously, but to be honest, I really wanted that big storm summoner he liked to use. Change the weather, hurl lightning, ground flying attackers, and gain the ability to fly myself. Powerful, but simple. I liked abilities I could get tricky with, and if I was honest with myself, I loved the idea of soft power, the ability to, eventually, change the world without even having to raise my voice but actual strength was great too, far more widely applicable, and something I was currently sorely lacking.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Granted, throwing a few more Skill Boosts into [Arcane Core] would likely be needed before I could cast that spell, but unless the gains from Levels changed drastically in the near future, Id be getting those Boosts. As for the other spell-sets, there were three. The first one was based around enhancing combat in general, using [Lesser Telekinetic Push], [Lesser Telekinetic Pull], [Lesser Telekinetic Shield] and [Light]. The second was another utility spread, meant to promote information security and/or general showing off, also having [Light] but also both illusion spells, meant to fuck with people outside the spells area of effect trying to look in. And the final set was, simply put, combat. [Ember] should lead to the ability to throw fireballs, [Spark] was a baby lightning bolt, and the telekinetic push and pull abilities were something one could do all sorts of stuff with. Now we just needed Fionn to show up. So, is this what its always like? I finally asked. Whats like? Ossian replied, sounding sleepy. I couldnt blame him, though, it was getting pretty late by now. You know I shrugged. Everything. Magic and adventures. Is this what its always going to be like? He mirrored my shrug. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isnt. When its peaceful, its grand, but magic makes war worse than it already is. Then, he sighed. But Ive seen some of your weapons. Your wars are at least as bad. Probably worse, I said. Has anyone ever told you about the Geneva Convention? Is that some kind of compact for summoning demons? Ossian raised an eyebrow, and I had to smother a laugh. His eyes narrowed as he noticed, I grimaced. Obviously, I didnt find the idea of war crimes funny, nor was I laughing at him, exactly, just the question had been so far from what Id expected him to say that the sheer incredulity was threatening to crack me up. Sorry, you caught me off guard, I finally said, after using [Innate Etiquette] to put up my best approximation of the stiff upper lip. Of course, now that the pressure was gone, the Skill separating my emotions from what showed on my face, I did start laughing despite myself, entirely on the inside. Inappropriate, but at least he didnt know. The Geneva Convention is an international treaty that gives rules for war. It bans horrific weapons, people mistreating civilians and innocents, all the ugly stuff that never makes it into the stories. But if you read between the lines, it can also be taken as a list of all the worst things you could do. Do they? Some people joke about it being the Geneva Checklist, but people usually dont do evil shit just for the sake of it, they do it because it gets them something. Like what? Expediency. There once was a man named Fritz Haber, who suggested the use of chlorine gas to viciously murder the French and British soldiers because it was cheaper. Bullets were too expensive for how many it took to actually kill an enemy, when you count misses, but poison gas, that gave enough value to be nice and useful in his eyes. Dying from chlorine is unpleasant, I assume? Ossian asked. I nodded grimly. It burns the inside of the lungs, and fluid starts to build up inside until the victim drowns on dry land. Not quite the full, scientific, description of the consequences of chlorine exposure, but it was the long and short of it. We sat there in silence for a long moment. Can I ask you about something else? Ossian asked, and I suppressed the urge to respond with a you just did. It might be a reasonably common joke, Id certainly read it quite a few times, but both [Innate Etiquette] and general common sense told me it wouldnt be received well in the here and now, so I just nodded. What exactly is a Hogwarts? A lot of people want to call the school that. Its from a popular series about young witches and wizards going to a magical school with that name, I said. I mean, it is popular, but its also full of immense logical gaffes and plotholes that you could drive a truck through. Plenty of ideas thrown in for the sake of quirkiness that utterly break the world if you think about them for more than five seconds and so on. Lets name it after literally anything else. Is it really that bad? Ossian raised an eyebrow. I sighed. I loved it as a kid, but its one of those series where you really need to turn your brain off to enjoy it. Nowadays, there are better alternatives. And people hate the author now, even if the series held up, youd be making a political statement you really dont want to make. What about something that represents the Fianna? Oaken Glade Academy? Ossian suggested after a long moment. Oak after the acorns that the Salmon of Wisdom had eaten and, in turn, become the source for Fionns magic, glade because, well, the general aesthetic, and academy because that was what this place was going to become. I nodded. Good idea. And Ossian just waved his hand in the general direction of the door. I heard some soft grinding noises, like wood rubbing over concrete, and I just knew that newly grown vines or branches spelled out the new name. I wound up staying in the entrance hall, reading, while Ossian headed off to do something else until eventually, he came back, following Fionn. So, Mr. Vogt, Ive heard you had an interesting idea about teaching spells in packets. But you need to learn these spells yourself? Yeah, Ossian and I came up with some good stuff, I said. I can learn the spells I need from him, but I was wondering if you could teach me your storm spell, since I can trade knowledge with two people at once Ah, what the hell, I could learn something else in six hours anyway. So I used the spell. [Spell gained: Terrakinesis] [Spell gained: Directed Growth] [Spell gained: Warmth] [Spell gained: Century Storm] Aaaaannd theres the headache. Welcome back, old friend. It wasnt quite to the point of fainting, but it was unpleasant. Ow. Fuck! But Id just learned everything I needed, including the utility spell Id been too proud to prioritize. [Warmth] could stave off the cold bite of the Irish weather, dry clothing affected by the same and more besides yet Id grabbed it for its potential for quick-drying concrete. As I massaged my temples, Ossian asked I wonder what would happen to our abilities if the System went away. Or if we were to leave the space affected by it. Oh, that would be bad, Fionn said. Anything improved by the System would be ripped away in an instant. Can that be survived? Ossian asked, sounding like he very much regretted asking. I could already imagine what Fionn was about to say. It depended on what the System did. Anyone kept alive by it, via, say, a magical pacemaker and the like would drop dead instantly, while others would simply be crippled. However it would be a huge issue no matter how it played out. Suddenly having to adapt to a massive loss in abilities. Not by anyone with physical improvements, I believe, Fionn admitted. Yeah that wasnt terrifying at all. Dietrich would definitely die, Mia would probably die while Id be fine with what I currently had but Id likely get something that qualified no one knew why the System was here and where it had come from, it might go away as suddenly and unexpectedly as it had come. What would happen then, well, Id just learned what would happen. Nothing good. But the whole thing also solidly fell under the umbrella of might happen, might not happen, either way, there aint a damn thing I can do about it, so I decided to try and shove it into the drawer already containing my knowledge of underground supervolcanoes, apocalyptic meteors and the fact that humanity had enough nuclear weaponry parked to blow up the earth several times over. It wasnt a particularly good solution, but it was the only one I had. Either way, I doubted Id be sleeping particularly well tonight. Even if, contrary to expectations, someone had prepared a nice bed for me. *** The next morning, I stayed in the entrance room, waiting. As the students filtered in, I started using my [Piercing Gaze] on them. Not for its truth-telling ability, but because it could tell where someones loyalty lay. Now, I wasnt entirely sure what I could see that was disqualifying, but I felt this was an Ill know it when I see it kind of situation. If there was someones main goal in life was to, I dont know, become an infamous mass murderer, thatd obviously be an issue, but there had to be lesser things that would still be troublesome. Obviously, Fionn had done a background check too, and he had far more capabilities than I did on that front, but my job right now was literally sit and wait and dont give a terrible first impression, so why not do one of the few useful things I could do right now? Having my head buried in a book like Id have liked to would certainly have qualified as not a good look and I was trying to make a good first impression. Chapter 42: Swimming in Gold Dietrich After underground vaults, long-sealed monsters and weapons that had somehow slipped outside of the very world itself, finding the treasure of the Niebelungs felt almost mundane. Simple and easy. Tons, literal tons, of valuables ranging from gold to gemstones to metals he hadnt even known were considered precious until Mia had started naming them, such as platinum or iridium, had been hurled into the Rhine river and swept away, never to be seen again, by Hagen, murderer of Siegfried. Murder in general, murder out of greed, murder purely to work out his emotions stealing from a widow and then causing the treasure to be lost would barely have even registered by comparison if it hadnt been for the sheer value of the treasure. Hagen had been a deeply unpleasant person in general, and the only thing Dietrich regretted about the mans death was how many others had died in the battle that had killed him. In fact, if Dietrich had just killed him on the spot, involved himself before things had ever started going terribly wrong, the whole fight at Etzels castle might have remained a mere embarrassment and flaunting of the rules of hospitality, rather than the utter disaster it had become. So as he broke through the thin wall that had formed from a series of dripstones and entered the cavern all the valuables had been swept into, one of the only thoughts in his mind was just how furious that bastard would have been if hed been aware of it. These were the kinds of treasures that one could buy and then run a kingdom with. These were the treasures that would finance their fight against the otherworldly monstrous hordes that threatened them. Not to mention that according to Mia, a lot of the things hed have dismissed as useless were, in fact, vital components of the wonderous technology of the modern day. Oh, did you know you actually have a connection to this place? Dietrich asked after a good fifteen minutes of learning. Well, he probably wouldnt retain much beyond these things are valuable, but it had been interesting nevertheless. No? she said, uncertainly. There were three swords, forged by a dwarf named Alberich, a smith second only to Wayland. Nagelring, my first magical blade, which I gave to your brother even if he rarely uses it. Eckesachs, my second magical blade, for whom I have not found a suitable bearer for, and finally, a third blade. His finest, one that remained the property of the dwarven kingdom of his birth, the crowning jewel of their treasury. Time passed, things happened, and eventually, the dwarves and Siegfried came to blows, leaving him in possession not only of their treasures, but also the blade. When he died, his murderer Hagen took it, only to eventually be executed with it, and the blade went to my mentor, Hildebrand. When he passed on from old age, the blade was stored, never to be retrieved until the modern day. And I gave it to you. Your blade, Balmung. Mia smiled slightly and began staring around once again, occasionally glancing down at the arming sword in her belt. She was actually in a position to just leave that lying around wherever shed last used it since she could instantly teleport it into her hand, and usually did that rather than drawing it directly from its sheath, but she carried it around anyway. Proper discipline was always nice to see in ones apprentice. Though for now, it was time to figure out how to get this treasure out of here. Thankfully, thanks to one particular occurrence, getting the treasures elsewhere wouldnt be as much of an issue as it might otherwise have been, though it would still be a pain. [King of Adventure Lv. 56 -> King of Adventure Lv. 57] [Skill gained: Artifact Hoarder] His second Level gained merely from going treasure hunting. And the Skill was a useful one, though after Mia informed him of the modern implications of the term hoarder, he wished Skill names werent set in stone. It was a spatial storage ability, which let him store a small amount of whatever he wanted, but also a far, far, larger amount of artifacts he found. It was more than enough space to carry all this off, but this hoard had been here for over a thousand years. Stones and soil had settled on them over time, meaning much of what he wished to carry off was at least somewhat load bearing, as Mia put it. Bringing down the roof wouldnt necessarily be fatal, but even if they survived completely unhurt, being buried would be an issue regardless of the exact circumstances. Mias knowledge of engineering was helpful, true, but there was a wide gulf between that knowledge and the ability to glance at a section of cave and know exactly whether or not and how it would have to be propped up after the treasure was removed. Hed considered going to look for these particular lost riches before, in his first lifetime, however, hed never ended up doing so. And now that hed found it, well, it was little more than a logistical issue, but one they solved. Eventually. And while enough dirt and small rocks cascaded down in the process that they were banged up and utterly filthy by the end, they managed everything without even a single true cave-in. Just one more treasure to retrieve, then they would be done. For now. The lance of a dragonslayer. *** Mia The more things changed, the more things changed the same. Some things might be different, the circumstances may not be the same, but ultimately, shed somehow found herself back in the same exact spot, marching through the woods to find a scenic spot to spar. Of course, ironically, sparring was safer right now despite the fact that they were wielding not just sharp weapons, but magical weapons. The kind that could cut plate armor like tissue paper and fell trees by accident if they werent careful with them. Because when shed hit Level 20 in her [Legends Squire] Class, shed gained the Capstone [Mentors Inheritance], which, in turn, allowed her to copy an attribute of one of her mentors magical items, making her sword just as sharp as Mimung. That was magic for you. And not the kind of magic Tristan was passing onto her using his [Knowledge Trade], which was really cool even though she rarely used it. No, this was her magic. Her sword, her skill with the sword, and the supernatural powers the System had tacked onto that. And shed never felt more alive than when using it. So when Dietrich had decided that the log bridge theyd found on the path to picking up the weapon of Saint George was the perfect spot for a spar, why, shed jumped at the chance and promptly taken a tumble into the safety net below, five times in a row. These kinds of setups were actually pretty common in German hiking trails. A regular bridge, railing and all, for the parents and a log bridge plus a safety net for the kids (and any adults who still had a sense of adventure) to run across. With a frustrated growl, Mia pulled herself back onto her side of the creek. Of course, Dietrich was better, hed been learning the sword for five times as long as shed been alive, but he was bigger, wider, and a hell of a lot heavier even before he strapped on that armor of his. How was he that steady while fighting on a bridge that narrow, even after shed actually managed to hit him? But she had a few tries left before they needed to continue onwards. So she climbed back onto the log and advanced, slowly, carefully, blade drawn. Until she crossed some imaginary line that Dietrich saw as putting her close enough, and he lunged. She parried, the thrust having come from a predictable direction, and counterattacked only for her blade to come to an abrupt stop against Mimung, the force traveling through Dietrichs body until the log underfoot trembled. Briefly. Back and forth they went, sometimes taking a couple of steps back, sometimes advancing a little, always keeping to small, tight, movements that were unlikely to throw their balance off. Until she decided to try something. The trick of summoning her sword into her off-hand an instant before their weapons clashed and then returning it into her actual sword hand just in time to smack her sparring partner was known, but it still worked sometimes. In this case it didnt. The weight of her sword suddenly vanished shifting position, teleporting into her other hand, threw off her balance in that brief instant, and in an instant, she was floundering, arms flailing, trying to save her position at the top of this log at the cost of proper form. In an actual fight, shed have died right in that moment. But right now, all she had to save herself from was another trip into the net. After a long moment, Dietrich grabbed onto her wrist and gave her the chance to stabilize herself. Would you like some advice? he asked. For a brief moment, Mia considered saying no, choosing to try to do it all on her own, to fall off this damn log as many times as was needed, but wasnt this what training was for? Plus, they had a time limit. A self-imposed limit, but a limit nonetheless. Yes, she said. Whats the secret? Dietrich shrugged. Keep your center of gravity low, dont try any big maneuvers, and anticipate. Mia winced. That last one had definitely been aimed at her most recent attempt. But once you can do that, you just need practice. Your footwork is perfect anywhere you have the space to change your stance as the need arises, but when you cant do that, you need a different approach.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Hence, the impromptu duel. That made sense. Five more falls, then we continue, he informed her, took a few steps back to open the distance, and drew his sword while she teleported hers back into her right hand. And after a quarter of an hour, they were done. Shed lasted longer each time, but didnt win a single bout. She didnt even want to consider the improvement a victory; shed gotten trounced that badly by someone holding back most of their power. They kept going, heading deeper into this part of the Black Forest, following a hiking path to where various signs announced the ruins of a small church lay. It had been a surprise that when Tristan had put Ascalon, lance of Saint George on the list of things they might want to look for, it had turned out to be found right here in Germany. What, with him having been born in Turkey, killed the dragon in Libya, and buried either there or in Great Britain. But that was where the Skill had led them, so this was where theyd gone. The ruins themselves came into view soon enough: a collection of stones on the ground, actual rubble, broken walls, and, of course, the usual amount of trash one could find in destinations people visited but not the street cleaners. Now, we dig, Dietrich announced, pulling a couple of shovels out of his storage space and dropping them onto the ground. Then, he drew Mimung and slashed a large X into the dirt. How deep? she sighed. Four meters. Some of that is hopefully the height chamber housing the lance, but ... Yeah, that was going to be a pain, superpowers or not. But it needed to be done. They started digging, occasionally sweeping their ludicrously sharp swords through the ground to soften up the hard-packed dirt. Of course, if their shovels were as sharp, it would be a hell of a lot easier, and Mia even attempted to transfer the sharpness bonus from her sword to her shovel before remembering that her Capstones were a matched set. The boost needed to be applied to her soulbound gear, which in this case, constituted of the legendary Balmung and a random helmet shed taken from the arsenal (with permission) and empowered with the functional indestructibility of the one Dietrich wore. She sighed, and went back to digging. Then, she did some more digging. And some more after that. The two of them were able to move the earth faster than two people should have been able to with anything short of a backhoe, but it was still slow going. Especially when they started having to be careful and go slow for fear of whatever room the lance was in collapsing beneath them. Maybe in, they sure didnt know, but they had to take precautions nevertheless. You know what? Dietrich finally said. Were going to try something. Out of the hole, please. And once they were clear, he brought his sword up before swinging it back down as an aurora of energy streamed off it. She recognized that ability, it was the [Grand Slash] that Arthur had been using since the start of this entire mess. At full power, it would have blasted apart the entirety of the ruins and possibly hammered the spear even deeper into the mountain, but Dietrich was holding back. A lot. The force necessary to make a mortar shell look like a firecracker was unleashed yet reduced to the bare minimum, slowly but inexorably striking the bottom of the pit and breaking through, a loud crunch ringing out, followed by a sound like an avalanche. But it was over as quickly as it started, leaving them standing over a deeper crater, filled with large stone chunks. Now, we dont have to be careful, and all we have to do is chop up those bocks and carry them out. Sure, it had been a little destructive, but damn if it hadnt saved them a ton of time. From that point on, it was a simple job of jumping down, grabbing rocks, and clambering out with them again, leading to a dusty and grimy but clear room barely half an hour later. Well, that explains why the lance is here, Mia said, pointing at a shield sitting against the far wall. It had likely been white when it had been made, though it was yellow-grey now, and had five crosses it. A large one in the center, and four smaller crosses in the corners. I have no idea what that thing is called, but it was the symbol used by crusaders. They probably ran off with it. Though when the Crusaders had gone to Lybia was uncertain. Maybe Saint George had been buried with his weapon in his birthplace, in what was modern-day Turkey, which was a place the Crusaders had marauded through several times and theyd just run off with it? A question for someone who actually cared. Tristan probably would, but he wasnt exactly in a position to look. None of them was. And where is the lance? she asked. Dietrich just pointed at the ground at her feet. If whoever built this thing were here, hed probably call that cheating, Mia commented as she stepped back and they both started sweeping at the dust covering the ground. No obvious seams to be found, so Dietrich once again settled on violence as a solution, hacking apart the stone with Mimung. Once the fragments had been removed, they were both staring down into a small nook carved into the ground, holding a spear. It was simple. A shaft, entirely made of metal, with a three lines spiraling down it from the base of the spearhead to its butt end. As for the head itself, it was a slim yet sturdy-looking leaf-shaped blade, polished to a mirror sheen, gleaming in the sunlight. So, what does it do? Mia wondered. Its a spear. You use the pointy end to poke your enemy until theyre dead, Dietrich replied dryly. Mia gave him a flat stare. He knew what shed meant. But Dietrich ignored her, bent over, picked up the weapon and made it vanish into his storage. They were all the way back at the car when he finally relented. Fionn can probably figure out what it does, he admitted. I hope its something good, but even if Ascalon is merely a supernaturally durable weapon, it will still be a boon. But honestly, Mia couldnt think of a single thing that lance could possibly do that made it more powerful than the monetary worth of the legendary Treasure of the Niebelungs. Because now, they had money. Not just the gold that Dietrich and Charlemagne had found themselves in possession of after waking up in the modern day and whatever money the people currently manning the Untersberg fortress had been willing to donate, but they were flush with cash and able to lay their hands on the best stuff money could buy. Emphasis on could, since there was plenty of stuff that couldnt be sold to civilians by law, but tht was a problem for Tristan to handle. Thankfully. *** Arthur The modern world claimed that there was a a kind of grace in admitting ones failures, ones mistakes, ones poor behavior. And it might even be correct, for the most part. No one liked a person who behaved like an absolute arsehole and then didnt even have the good grace to apologize. However. However. There was a difference between him and, well, everyone else. Historians and playwrights had turned him into a hero beyond compare, a symbol for England and royalty, a story about the power of unity and determination. Then he had returned amidst the absolute chaos of the current situation and becoming something of a guiding star despite the fact that he had not given a single interview, directly stepped in front of a single camera, or generally doing anything other than hunting down beasts. Stepping out into the spotlight and listing off the missteps of the last few weeks if that was even remotely the first public action he took, it would destroy not only his image, but also anything his symbolic presence had supported. Yet he still felt terrible. Well, not that terrible compared to the state hed been in after Lancelot and Guinevere had gone behind his back, but after the return of his mentor, a lot of things had come into perspective. Mostly bad things. His attitude, for one. Yet for all the merit the idea of admitting ones mistakes had, it was also not something he could afford to do. So he would stand tall and behave as he should, with the dignity befitting of the crown he no longer wore, and never behave like that again. He gritted his teeth and marched towards where he had been told his lance lay. Guarded by one of his men. And as the mans sovereign, it was his duty to acknowledge his sacrifice and dedication. So after a long talk with Merlin, young Mr. Vogt had teleported them to London before heading off towards Dublin while Arthur himself had stayed for a brief chat with the current government. Nothing grand, nothing binding, merely a simple and basic agreement to continue his actions of fighting monsters. And maybe, perhaps, in the future, give some vocal support. But hed left that situation as quickly as he could without outright fleeing. He had hardly been fond of politics in his first lifetime, but the modern version of it was a few thousand times more unpleasant. So now he was here. Walking through the woods from a borrowed military vehicle to what was apparently a sealed cave, with Merlin slowly striding after him, moving with slow dignity more suitable to the halls of a castle than the wilderness. If theyd had any further to walk, they might have gotten very apart and things would have ended with him waiting for quite some time, but thankfully, it wasnt very far. As for the rock itself, it looked like any of a thousand other rocks like it, and any one of dozens in this very forest. However due to the miracles of modern technology, he was able to return here without difficulty or any risk of him getting lost. They had even gone through the trouble of closing the hole back up behind them. Polite, and minimized the risk of robbery or intrusion by the forests denizens, but troublesome for him. Merlin, would you be so kind as to open the way? Arthur asked and the ancient magus did so with nary and effort, he did not even have to move his hand. A simple thought had apparently sufficed. Clearly, despite all the devastation the System had wrought, it was also handing out significant gifts to all and sundry. He lurched back into motion, slowly striding towards the new opening. As much as he wanted to see what was inside, part of him was also afraid. Terrified, practically, but he would never admit that out loud, not even to Merlin. For this was the last piece of his old kingdom, the last loyal soul who had spent whatever was left of his life to Arthur froze as he caught sight of the kneeling figure. He knew that armor. The flesh below it may have long since rotted away and the body was hidden beneath metal regardless, yet he was as certain as he could be that it was the original owner of this regalia who had died inside it. Lancelot du Lac. His greatest knight, his best friend, and his worst enemy. For a time. This was the man who had chosen to stand vigil, to guard his weapon potentially for the rest of time Arthur could feel the strength leaving his knees and barely managed to avoid collapsing to his knees. He swallowed thickly. Well, I suppose Ill never know why you did what you did, he sighed, right hand unconsciously clenching into a fist while he resisted the urge to lash out and pulverize the body before him. To desecrate it. But whats done is done. What you have done here I appreciate it, no matter happened in the past. He hung his head and closed his eyes, attempting to think of a suitable prayer, a statement, something, anything for his once-friends soul, but the rage once again simmering in his heart made it difficult. After a long moment, he stepped past the body and up to the lance behind it. Rhongomyniad looked just it always had, a glorious silver spear with an oversized head that made the weapon more like a halberd rather than a proper spear, similarly good at stabbing and cutting. Even now, after all this time, it was free from dust, gleaming in the sunlight that came in from the entrance. The head had been razor-sharp, remained so from the time hed gotten it to the time hed died and likely still was. Slowly, Arthur reached out and grasped the weapon, pulling. It came free in an instant, easily sliding out the rocks it had been wedged between. But there was a small clink that made him glance down. A small ring had sat on next to the lance, an intricate little thing made of he honestly wasnt sure. Metal, certainly, but as to what kind, he had no idea. However, he recognized it. It had belonged to Lancelot; he had called it his Ring of Dispel. A magical artifact that protected him from illusions and allowed him to break spells outright. He had always worn it yet he had put it next to the weapon hed chosen to guard for the king hed once served and, eventually, betrayed. A gift? That was certainly what it looked to be, yet if there had been a note attached, it had long since collapsed into dust. Arthur picked up the trinket and slipped it into his left middle finger, sighing again, not even turning to look at the body of the dubiously loyal knight. I doubt I will ever forgive you, I dont think anyone in my situation would ever forgive you, but I can see you tried. And Ill see to it that you are buried with honor. As for where a modern military graveyard sounded about right. Because even if Arthur were able to find the crypts of Camelot in the modern day, he would not suffer that mans presence there. One could forgive and forget, forgive without forgetting, or move on without forgiving. He chose the last option. The destruction that man had wrought would not be fixed and had led to so much more devastation, and as such, he could not forgive. Chapter 43: Teaching Everyone, please head upstairs, Fionn directed the various individuals hed managed to find with magical potential. There couldnt be more than twenty, which was honestly nothing. Compared to the sheer number of people in the world, it was a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent. And even just contrasted against the number of people hed met personally, it was still practically nothing. I didnt know the exact mechanism he used to find magical potential, depending on how complicated it was, the ability to use magic could be a lot more common than the numbers I was seeing might indicate, but Fionn was the next best thing to omniscient. Sure, I knew that had limits, and I knew it almost certainly had further limits I didnt know, but it was still an incredibly potent ability. All of which brought me straight back to a very specific and unpleasant conclusion. Magic. Was. Extinct. For the most part, at least. It was something Id been thinking about for a while. Of all the supernatural shit we knew had gone down via direct eyewitnesses or material proof, the older stuff was usually a hell of a lot more dangerous and powerful. Fionn, the oldest, had dealt with an entire menagerie of supernatural shit, magic, spellcasters, and catching a simple fish had granted him a magical gift that would have allowed a more coldly ambitious man the ability to conquer the world. Abhartach, asshole as he had been, had also had access to immense magic, which hed then used to gain incredible power and near-immortality, and hed lived shortly after Fionn. Arthur and Dietrich had practically been contemporaries, and had fought more regular stuff. Hostile human armies, and the occasional smattering of supernatural critters. The odd dragon, sure, but mostly giant animals and actual giants. Not to mention that most artifacts had originated in a time before theirs, with the major exception of Mimung, the sword Dietrich now used. But Excalibur, Nagelring, Eckesachs, the whole lot were older. Charlemagne, living in a period a couple of centuries after them, had lived a life basically free of magic. Sure, several of his knights had had magic weapons, but those had been relics found or won in battle, not forged. Sure, Ogier had fought a couple of giants, but that was nothing compared to the numbers Dietrich had encountered only a short time earlier, in the grand scheme of things. And then, you had Genghis Khan and Francis Drake, whod lived lives entirely free of magic, as far as I knew. Other than, you know, the fact that they were here. Some supernatural shenanigans had to have been going on to make that happen during their lifetimes, but that was all. Granted, Francis Drakes intuition had often been referred to as having originated from a deal with the devil, but that was hardly proven or conclusive. Point was, I didnt know how much magic theyd seen, but Id ask if I ever got the chance. Which just left Joseph, the Golem of Prague. That was the real sticking point. In the real world, exceptions did not prove the rule and he was one hell of an exception well, to be entirely honest, he completely threw the entire theory about the decline of magic out of the window. Although I did have one idea that could explain that away. Hed been born in the 16th century, but he was the one and only golem that had been created in the centuries before and since, despite all the shit the Jewish population had gone through in that time. There were barely 16 million Jews alive in the world nowadays. Judaism might still be listed as one of the big world religions, but theyd almost been wiped out. If Golems of Josephs strength were easy to create, hell, possible, to create, why had only one ever been made? This had then led me to another idea: what if hed actually been created based on something older? An artifact, a spellbook that had been destroyed in the process, or perhaps the earth and clay hed been made off had been prepared millennia prior, when magic had been plentiful? I mean, it made sense, didnt it? But there was also a distinct possibility that the whole idea was just, well, me trying to force my theory to work, creating proof to fit my conclusion rather than a conclusion to fit my proof. Maybe, maybe not, Id have to try and see if I could prove things one way or the other. Still, the crux of the matter was that magic seemed to have vanished almost entirely, even if those twenty students over there were highly unlikely to be the only ones in existence. Granted, I was self-aware enough to know that at least some of that belief came from a simple unwillingness to accept that reality. Magic was, well, magical, and wed almost certainly need it to win. Guns and artillery could take down regular monsters well enough, but the bigger ones either required ungodly amounts of munitions to kill or even ludicrously powerful bombs. Then there were Nation Bosses, who were functionally immune to most mundane weapons. And given that the first had shown up in just the second challenge, no one thought that those were the peak of the power scale. But I did have an actual reason to suspect there to be more people with potential out there. Fifteen of the twenty students were Caucasian, which would be incredibly weird if these were all there were. Twenty out of several billion was hardly the most representative sample size, but even so, it would be a pretty extreme case of statistical variance for things to work out like that. On the other hand, do you know what did make sense? Ease of transportation and contact. Fionn was based in Ireland, if hed only contacted the nearest people with potential, theyd obviously be mostly, well, European. Though ultimately, the smart thing would have been to just bloody ask when I had the chance. I still planned to, but would wait until after the first round of teaching was done. Because interrupting his introductory speech right now to satiate my own curiosity thatd need a far better explanation than it took me this long to figure out I should ask. And while Id been deep in thought, Fionn had continued to explain what the point of this all was. Give people magic, let them loose on the world so they could level and gain magic Classes. Simple, straightforward, and hopefully, it would pay off. Over there in the corner we have Mr. Tristan Vogt, he can directly give you knowledge, hell be using that ability to teach you the basics whenever the ability comes off its cooldown. I raised a hand in greeting and gave a little wave, while a cast of [Light] created a small, illuminating, orb hovering over my shoulder, then I banished the spell the instant I dropped my hand back to my side. You will be learning the most basic forms of every spell, youll likely be gaining the more advanced versions on your own as you grow. As he spoke, Fionn was casting several small spells to demonstrate. A gust of wind playing around his hand, a small orb of flame I recognized as the [Ember] spell I also knew floated above that, a [Spark] of lighting jumped from fingertip to fingertip and finally, several small knick-nacks had started floating nearby.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Honestly, I was jealous. If Id tried that with just [Ember], Id have likely lit the house on fire in five seconds flat, under a second if Id had to control multiple spells simultaneously. And he wasnt even a full caster. Then again, I was comparing myself to an ancient here. Dietrich could fight a battalion of modern troops and come out the other side with only cosmetic damage, Charlemagne could do the work of an entire logistics corps on his own while simultaneously holding multiple conversations, and if even half the stories out of Mongolia were true, Genghis Khan could do all of the above. Though the idea that that kind of power could be achieved, that tickled me pink. Fionn continued to explain, not just what spells could be taught, but also how wed grouped them. Construction, combat utility, illusion, attack spells. Then, he led them all upstairs, into the studiously enchanted, warded and reinforced rooms up there. I wasnt entirely sure whether or not they could tank an artillery shell, but I was damn sure that none of the new guys could muster up that kind of firepower. So the academy was safe for now. I got up once everyone had gone upstairs and followed, entering the classroom last, and leaned against the far wall while observing the goings on trying to, at any rate, since I was simultaneously reading the spellbook Fionn had given me a couple of weeks ago. After all, Id already read about the basics he was explaining weeks ago, but I also wanted to make sure I paid some kind of attention to what he was saying in case hed figured out something new that hadnt been included in the books. Also, I was slightly curious about the trainees. *** An hour later, I was mostly just bored. The students might have been perfectly interesting individuals generally, but right now, they were too thrown and intimidated by the current situation to show that. They just listened, nodded along, and didnt ask questions. But Fionn was also done, he ended it by handing out copies of the same book Id received, though how effective that would be remained to be seen. [Arcane Core] was a Skill built around absorbing the teachings of ancient legends. He headed towards the back of the room, where I was, with two of his students while everyone else started reading. So, Im guessing Im teaching you two? I asked. Both, and Fionn too, nodded. Hjalmar Andresen, a brown haired young man perhaps five years older than me introduced himself, forcing me to take control of my expression. Id have expected that name to belong to some giant Norseman who looked like he could arm-wrestle Ogier, not a relatively normal guy I wouldnt have noticed if Id passed him on the street. He was from Denmark, judging by his accent, and to my knowledge, Danish people werent, well, stereotypical Vikings. It was kind of sad how popular media could shape ones perception, wasnt it? But while relying on [Innate Etiquette] might eventually cause me to unlearn my un-assisted poker face, it really did help in the here and now. Tristan Vogt, I replied, shaking the offered hand. So, what kind of magic do you want to learn? Attack spells, he said. So, how does this work? Ill just send the information to you, but I have to do this simultaneously, I said, turning to the other student Fionn had brought. My name is Antoinette Chagon and Id like to learn how to reshape the world and grow buildings with my mind, she introduced herself. She was the only one whod actually stood out in the earlier lesson even slightly, having asked several questions. Mostly by having kept the most confidence out of everyone else. Alright, I said. My Skill is called [Knowledge Trade], it lets me send knowledge to you, and you can send me knowledge back, but you dont have to. But if you want to, Id appreciate learning the basics of your native languages. My [Burgeoning Omniglot] did help me passively learn new languages just by being around people as they spoke them, but it was a hell of a lot easier to just borrow that knowledge directly when I was trading with someone fluent in one I didnt know yet. So, you guys ready? They both nodded, so I activated the Skill and suddenly I knew how to make my way through Paris or Copenhagen without having to resort to muddling my way through with English. I wasnt anywhere near the level of a native speaker, but what knowledge I did have was more than enough. And despite the sheer amount of information transferred, I was fine. Hjalmar and Antoinette not so much. Youll be fine soon, I assured them before turning to Fionn. So, apparently learning magic via the Skill is what causes the headaches. We should probably put up a warning placard somewhere. Maybe one that also explains how your Skill works too? he suggested. I nodded. That way, I wouldnt have to keep explaining the mechanism and asking for linguistic donations over and over again. While the students headed over to where the others already were, Fionn gestured for me to follow and left. I, of course, followed him onto the roof, where he cast some kind of magic that I assumed would prevent us from being overheard. How long can you stay? he asked. Long enough for everyone here, I think, I said. Some quick napkin math 18 people left, nine pairs, six-hour cooldown little over two days. But we should probably make a schedule to minimize how long the Skill is unused and off cooldown. Itd probably play merry hell with my sleep schedule, seeing as Id have to be awake for that and, therefore, wouldnt get to sleep for more than six hours at a time. But it should be worth it. And if I bring more people? Fionn asked. I do have to make head off to do a few other things, I told him. But I should be back in a week at the latest. How many others are there? Fionn sighed. I have no idea. Magic potential is hard to find in individuals, I have to see them in person to notice it. But can you sense the total number of people with the potential in the world? I asked. I know there are more than the people in this room, he said after a long moment of silence, then stared off into the distance. He sighed, then turned back to me. You havent tried out [Century Storm] yet, have you? I shook my head. Then what are you waiting for? he asked with a wry grin on his face. Go, have some fun, gods only know when youll next have the chance. Feel free to borrow a car from the army base. I knew exactly what he was talking about: a small platoon-sized contingent camping near the Fiannas encampment, there to provide support that required modern knowledge and skills. And both he and I knew that casting a spell that was functionally a natural disaster anywhere near Dublin was a terrible idea. *** Magic sparked around my fingers as I tried to cast [Century Storm], emphasis on try. Energy flared, began to expand and then, simply, collapsed in on itself. I sighed and let my arms drop back to my side. I mean, at least I didnt explode but Id also been looking forward to using this spell. Id even found a nice hill to go to to practice, a scenic location, though that had primarily been so that no one would get caught by any misfires, and there was a large tree on said hill that should attract the majority of lightning strikes. Of course, I also made sure to stay plenty far from the tree to ensure that lightning wouldnt jump to me as it traveled down the trunk. Id seen that demonstrated on TV. Once. More than enough to convince me to stay the hell out of the forest anytime the weather was worse than a light rainfall. I sighed. Yeah, should have expected that outcome, but I had to try. Besides, I already knew how to change my current situation. Upgrade myself. After all, the whole act of learning and teaching had earned me two Levels. [Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 27 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 29] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Legal Grounding] The Skill was interesting, and what to boost was obvious. [Skill boosted: Arcane Core]
Your mana pool is deepened, and repeated casting of the same spell increases learning speed exponentially
I could feel that I was almost at the point where I could cast it. I had the mana now, barely, but only if I cast it perfectly, with zero waste which I was obviously unlikely to manage since it would be my first time going fully through with the cast. The ability gained by the previous time Id boosted the Skill let me pick a single specific spell to be able to cast faster and cheaper would have been perfect right now, buuuut Id already selected [Lesser Telekinetic Push] for that. It had been the right choice at the time, I stood by that even now, but it was still biting me in the ass now. Granted, I could change my selection once a week, and I only had a few days left before I could switch, but it was still mildly frustrating. On the other hand, the Skill Id gotten was useless right now.
Legal Grounding You gain an innate understanding of the rules, regulations, and treaties surrounding the current issue.
The way I read that description, and that seemed to be how it actually worked, the Skill would tell me what I needed to know at any given moment, when I was mediating, negotiating, planning and the like, but it did not download the full legal rulebook from any nation I found myself in into my head. And while nothing in the Skill said itd erase what knowledge I did get, I doubted Id retain much. In my mind, I pictured it as being similar to studying for a test, where you crammed a bunch of information into your brain, then used it, and finally forgot ninety-nine percent five seconds after youd put your pen down. Still, it would be damn useful. Chapter 44: Arsenal I was sitting in the middle of a concrete box, crosslegged, while three small orbs of fire floated around me, flitting back and forth, until one came way too close to my sleeve. In an instant, the flames were flung away from me, acting like fish startled by a rock thrown at them. Though in this case, the being startled was me. [Ember] might not have been a particularly powerful spell, to the point where it was barely even useable in combat, but it could still easily set my clothing on fire. I still needed to practice with these, though. Learn how to move things with my mind and avoid stray thoughts igniting things I would very much like to remain unburnt. That would make learning and using the next few flame spells easier, and it was safer experimenting with these than, well, [Fireball]. Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths before holding out my right hand, palm-up, and cast [Ember]. And again. And one more time. The three balls of flame bumped into each other and bounded away slightly before returning to their original position above my palm, a constant cycle of jumping and returning, to a constant background of low cracking sounds, as though wood in a fireplace were breaking. I could have stared at the spectacle for hours, but I wouldnt be making that mistake again. My eyebrows were still growing back from the first, last, and final time Id let it run. So I mentally grasped the first flame and gently pulled it to the right, keeping a tether on it to guide it past my back so that it would eventually appear to the left of me. Then, I sent the second one on its way, and then, finally, the third one, trying to keep them stable, keep them moving, and keep me intact, while reading the few pages strewn on the floor before me. Copies of the pages containing the exact flame spell I was trying to learn, separated from the book to ensure that if I accidentally lit the whole thing on fire, it would be easier to replace. [Spell gained: Flamebolt] And there went my concentration. At least Id gotten the reflexive pushing away off spells when something went wrong down pat, adding a few more scorch marks to the multitude that already littered the reinforced walls that surrounded me. most of those were also my fault. Across the last three days, Id been focused on killing time in between teaching people using [Knowledge Trade]. Sure, Id spent some of that time sleeping, taking random catnaps across the day because my circadian rhythms were already shot to hell, and trained with whichever members of the Fioanna were around a couple of times, getting my ass kicked in a matter of seconds each time. But most of my time was spent in this specific room. I raised my hand off my lap, palm facing towards the wall, and cast [Flamebolt], a tongue of flame leaping away and striking the concrete in an instant, creating a noticeably larger and darker scorch mark. Nothing that got even remotely close to causing actual damage, but nevertheless a very impressive showing compared to what Id achieved previously. A couple more [Flamebolts] splashed off the wall before I calmed down and tried doing the last exercise again, just with an entirely new difficulty level. First, make the larger orb of flame, second, have it floating above my palm until I have it under a small degree of control, then then avoid accidentally frying Mia when she bursts in unexpectedly. The [Flamebolt] managed to avoid flying out the now-open door by mere centimeters, but my sister still yelped, ducked, and dropped into a defensive posture while her helmet and sword manifested on her head and hand, respectively, making it look as though she were about to hack me to pieces. We both stared at each other for a couple of seconds before she finally straightened while banishing her gear, giving me a flat look. Really? Procedure is to knock before going into a training room, I replied, equally flatly, before chucking another [Flamebolt] into the wall behind me. Yeah Mia sighed. So, new spell? I nodded and got to my feet. Wanna learn it? She nodded enthusiastically and I sent it her way using [Knowledge Trade]. Itd been off cooldown for almost an hour by now, but all the students had already been taught and Fionn wasnt around for me to mooch more spells from. In exchange for me giving her the stronger flame spell, as well as some of the others Id learned, she sent back some of the training shed received while going treasure hunting, and a rundown of what our armory now contained. Theyd found one of the most famous missing legendary treasures in German history, and it was barely even a big deal anymore. And that, on its own, was very, very impressive. So, whyd you come here? I wondered. We were hoping Fionn could make sure that nothing about the treasure is cursed, and figure out what the lance of Saint George actually does, Mia shrugged. Oh, hes off holding a speech at an army base, I think. Something like magic is real, magic is powerful, heres how you beat it. I dont know. I shrugged. How have you two been? She mirrored my shrug. Same as always, anytime I think I know what Im doing, Dietrich shows me that I really dont. I grimaced as I led the way back towards the lobby, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Unfortunately. Sure, when being taught something by another person, that person was obviously better than you at the thing you were being taught, but normally, it wasnt that obvious. Teachers in school knew what they were talking about, they were supposed to, at least, but it wasnt like they introduced themselves to their students by taking a quiz with everyone about the things that would be covered over the course of the school year and then comparing their answers to the predictably abysmal scores belonging to the kids. But when being around ancients, most interactions tended to show just how insurmountably wide the gap was between them and us, and that wasnt exactly a pleasant experience. Eventually, we reached the lobby, where Dietrich was already waiting, sitting on a chair, a gorgeous and obviously magical spear resting across his legs. Ascalon, obviously. I had no idea whod forged that thing, though, to be fair, I hadnt looked any more deeply into it than a couple of cursory Google searches. But the much bigger question was, well, what could it do?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I mean, there were some attributes it absolutely had to have: supernatural sharpness to pierce a dragons scales, supernatural durability to ensure that it didnt snap at any point in the fight then what? What powers would have helped him kill a dragon? Something that instantly killed the target after a solid strike, something that allowed it to hit harder or maintain momentum when attacking I dont know. Plenty of options, but it would be kinda hard to figure out what it could do experimentally unless we had specific power to check for. Which we didnt. Whos going to be using that thing? I wondered. Depends on what it can do, Dietrich announced. I think most of us have weapons we are comfortable with; someone would only be wielding it if its ability, what is the word ah, right, synergizes with it. I just nodded, without commenting. Wasnt much to say there. And I knew exactly what he and Mia had been doing while Id been studying, so the conversation became more generic small talk than anything else, though the topics there soon dried up too, simply because wed spent so much time around each other than even the generic stuff had been talked about to death. Really, it reminded me of family dinners when Mia and I had been young. Quiet, but a companionable sort of silence at least when mom hadnt tried to get an actual conversation going again. I shook my head a little as if that could somehow banish the intrusive thoughts. Thankfully, it was at this point that Fionn walked in through the door, presenting an incredibly strange sight in the suit hed apparently chosen to wear for the occasion. It would have looked good on him if it hadnt clashed so utterly terribly with the usual image he presented. Good afternoon, Dietrich, Ms. Vogt, he greeted as he approached, then pointed at Ascalon. Could I see that for a second? Thats why we brought it, Dietrich announced as he rose to his feet and handed it over. So, what does this weapon do? Fionn turned to me. Tristan, what is the strongest attack spell you have? [Flamebolt]. Cast it on me, please. So thats what I did. I not only trusted that he knew what he was doing, but I also believed he was capable of preventing a disaster even if things went even more terribly than I ever could have imagined. The tongue of flame leaped from my palm, and looked to be on the perfect trajectory to ruin that nice outfit of his, when it simply winked out the instant it came within an arms reach of him. No, literally an arms reach. Id have bet money that the point where it vanished was the exact precise point where it could have struck him, had he had his hand outstretched. Yeah, the dragon-slaying lance hard-counters a dragons elemental attacks. Who could have guessed that? Not me, obviously but everyone else, probably Does that work on everything, just magic, or elemental effects only? Mia asked. Elemental attacks, regardless of the type or source, Fionn explained. Does that include thrown rocks? I wondered. Momentum is retained when the attack cannot be dispersed entirely, Fionn replied. The four of us went back and forth for a while, asking and answering about specific use cases, but the general point stood: most elemental attacks that didnt involve physical projectiles that had existed prior to the attack could be completely nullified. Though Fionn got the fright of his life when Mia projected her blade through the defensive orb. Apparently, he had expected space-bending to count as elemental. Overall, the consensus seemed to be if youre not sure, experiment by generating a near-miss. Mia and Dietrich wound up heading off with Fionn to do something; Id already retreated back upstairs to finish what Id started. *** [Spell gained: Fireball] Oh, fucking finally. I sighed, and let myself slump backwarks onto the ground. [Fireball] was the magical equivalent of a Molotov Cocktail with a dash of grenade. Big flash, small shockwave, fire everywhere. Now, catching on fire was far from the instant death many movies or video games portrayed it as, especially when dealing with the supernatural beasties that were my primary concern right now, but a lot of living beings rightfully feared it. Plus, it was my first serious ranged magic attack that didnt involve me maneuvering myself into a position where I could open a portal above someone and dropping something on their head. And finally, the shockwave should be able to do at least some damage against statues. Assuming they were made of rock, which was fairly brittle and should take damage from the concussive impact. Metal metal would be trickier, but Id figure out a way to deal with that, too. And then Id figure out something that wasnt me going Mia, could you handle this please and then running in the opposite direction. Im done, I announced as I stepped out into the corridor, my voice loud enough to be heard inside the other personal training rooms, causing two of their inhabitants to join me. Hjalmar and Antoinette had continued to prove that they were indeed the best of the current crop of magic students, so wed each learned a seriously advanced spell. Then, Id learn theirs, teach them mine, and then wed go our separate ways until someone learned something the others didnt. So I used [Knowledge Trade] and we wound up pulling off an incredible performance of synchronized wincing. Ow. I mean, I loved the Skill, but its usage on this particular trick too useful to not use, but that didnt mean I didnt hate it. [Spell gained: Lightning Lance] [Spell gained: Telekinesis] But my newly enhanced abilities definitely soothed my aching skull. As did the next, unexpected, upgrade. [Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 29 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 30] And the even more unexpected gain for that. [Physical Overhaul gained] So, what the actual fuck did that I froze, literally froze, arms and legs seizing up as I stood in the middle of the road. It was what I imagined the result of sticking a fork in a toaster felt like. I just stood there, unable to move, stuck in place like a startled cartoon villain whod discovered the hero in his lair. One second, two seconds and suddenly I was freed again, the motion Id been about to make before the overhaul had struck happening without any input on my part, sending me careening into the nearest wall. Ow, I deadpanned as I landed on my ass, rubbing my forehead. So, what had that gotten me other than the lost respect of my peers? As I waved off the various concerned stares, I got to my feet and pulled up the System window for the overhaul
Physical Overhaul (universally gained at Level 30) Level 30 is the first threshold for a general boost, overhauling the users physique, correcting most generic genetic damage, enhancing the immune system, strengthening all bones, muscles, organs, etc, lengthening lifespan and improving long-term memory to match. Caution: movement may be difficult to control for a few minutes. (This upgrade is not given if the user is expected to fight during that time)
Yeah awesome. No, seriously, zero sarcasm here, this was fucking amazing! I turned to the side so I was no longer staring at the wall, then looked down at my hand as I opened and closed it a few times until clenghing it into a fist. I could feel the strength in even those muscles. It wasnt to the point of being able to compete with an actual physical Class holder like Mia even if they didnt have the overhaul, but what I imagined athletes to be able to do. An overall upgrade, the first of multiple if I was reading that correctly, and it was amazing. Very amazing, beyond helpful. Potentially even more so than the third Capstone Id expected to get at Level 30. But if Level 30 wasnt the last one in my third Class, when would I get the next Capstone? I hoped it was soon, because those were ridiculously good. And speaking of Capstones, they grew stronger not every time I hit max Level in another Class, but got a boost anytime I hit a Level that was a multiple of 10. Just like that, my number of daily portals had increased from two to four. More potential travel, more abilities for troop movement, and a general gain in utility. For example, I could risk being utterly outside of everyone elses reach, spending one portal to return to Europe, then use a second, directed by my other Capstone, [Ambassadors Instinct] to reach whoever I needed to transport, then to go where they were needed to be with a third one, and then even have a fourth one left over. Sure, I could have left with just the two portals, hell, Id left with only one daily portal, but that was how things worked, wasnt it? You could do something perfectly well with what you had, but once you got used to having a slight buffer, the thought of suddenly not having access to said buffer anymore and things coming down to the wire again that was more than a little terrifying. So, no more excuses, no more actual reasons to not do this. Time to introduce myself to some more people with the power to change the fucking world. s Time to go east. Time to go to Mongolia. Chapter 45: Interlude Civilian Life There were few jobs as conducive to being remembered long after ones death as the office of the President of the United States of America. Yet there were also few jobs as likely to put you in an early grave. Not only had over a sixth of the people to hold this office died while doing so, it was also extraordinarily stressful even in the most peaceful of times. No one left this office without having quintupled their number of grey hairs and those were merely the external signs. Today today was not a peaceful time. Nor had any point in the past month been even remotely calm either. The monsters were bad enough, but there were people who made him want to break down and cry in frustration. And other things that society had deemed too immature for full-grown adults, so he wouldnt do any of them, but the temptation was there. People. People so dense it was a miracle they didnt cause earthquakes every time they took a step. Sure, the government did some shady things, regardless of who the president was and which party they came from, but they werent Bond villains, the source of every ill that plagued the American people. And it certainly wasnt in a position to create something as immensely powerful as the System that had infected the world. But if he had been able to make something like that happen why would he use that kind of power on that, specifically? Why not do literally anything else with it? What really made him want to bash his forehead against his desk until he either passed out or the antique piece of furniture broke was the fact that people had tried to shoot him over that theory. He was used to all the other stuff. How anything that happened while you were in office was your fault, even if it had started under your predecessor, or had been a knock-on effect of a disaster that had affected the entire globe. How people assumed screaming do better at politicians would magically allow complicated issues that made the Gordian Knot look like a simple bow tie to be solved in minutes. How any time he dared look into what the populous thought he got yet another close look at proof of the Dunning-Krueger effect. But as much of a nightmare as this job had become, it was his nightmare, the one he had chosen to apply for, won, and now needed to take to the very end. To win.By any means possible.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Any means remaining, to be precise. The United States still existed as an entity, which was better than the projections hed seen at the start of it all, but things were still dire. Civilians with firearms had managed to take out quite a few monsters in the first couple of waves, but only the most militant and/or paranoid of them had stockpiled sufficient munitions to last until now. Obviously, the military was in a much better position, supply-wise, but the production lines had been under attack from day one. Not any more than the rest of the nation was, but they were taking damage nevertheless, slowing down the rate at which muntions stockpiles could be replenished even as the monsters were requiring more and more bullets to take down. Instead, they were starting to have to lean on the System, specifically, those with engineering Classes and abilities. Supernatural engineering could be used to create magnificent machines, from sub-par parts and materials, but only on a limited scale. The stereotypical redneck engineering was reaching the mythical heights often ascribed to it online, for example. Ammo plants made from scrap iron and duct tape, landmines from superglue and cans of beans, and more besides. However, that particular subset of the population was also one that was less likely to listen to him than, say, the army. Not to mention the fact that, helpful as it seemed to be, the System was hardly what hed consider reliable or even guaranteed to be non-hostile. That was an issue. It had given them all this power, but who was to say it wouldnt be yanked right back when it was least convenient? But hed chosen to embrace it nevertheless. President Jackson Lane, [Commander in Chief], Level 21. Even thinking that line felt weird. But it represented immense power. Supernatural knowledge of the United States current disposition, near-indestructible lines of communication, a slight but ever-present upgrade to every asset the government of US had these abilities should have ushered in a new age of prosperity. Instead, they were just barely staving off disaster. They had two things that might realistically give them a leg up. An influx of Levels, either in the form of high-Level reinforcements or existing defenders leveling up, or technological advancements. Lane had people working on all options, but they werent getting anywhere fast. The easist thing would just be to cajole one of the so-called ancients to travel across the Atlantic or Pacific, but he doubted that would happen. Europe had a solid defense thanks to them, but sadly, they had an even better excuse for not helping. The abilities of their defenders strengthened each other, covering an exponentially larger area with each addition to their number. And as for Mongolia Lane doubted even offering Genghis Khan the office of president would manage to convince the warlord to change his base of opperations. Not that he ever would do that. And even if hed been inclined to do so, hed be thrown out of his office so fast hed leave a friction burn on the carpet. No, he knew what he had to do. Keep on top of things, keep making sure to do everything he could do and leaving what he couldnt to the experts, and for the love of all that was holy, prevent the country from spiraling. Because hed already seen what happened when things got really bad. Someone would start to distinguish themselves, get Levels, grow strong, get drunk off that power, and eventually get themselves killed along with whoever followed them trying to fight a monster that was far beyond them. Chapter 46: Monstrous Talent Mia Her balance had long since reached the levels of what a professional athlete could achieve, practice and Dietrichs training regimen, boosted by [Knowledge Sponge], had made sure of that. Especially after their duels on that damn log. Then, shed figured out how to use [Preternatural Periocognition] to watch where she was putting her feet, bringing her footwork to an entirely supernatural level. She wasnt just trained at staying upright come hell or high water, if there was a safe and stable place to plant her feet within reach, she knew where it was. But the moment Dietrich had realized that regular footwork drills were absolutely witzlos by now, hed come up with something else. A fairly steep, that wasnt too sheer, cliff face that only mountain goats and crazy people walked, was the site of their latest duel. And she was getting her ass handed to her. Because apparently, Dietrich didnt just have experience, he had a damn [Skill] that let him jump around like one of the aforementioned mountain goats, hed just never used in an obvious way. [Master of Wilderness] let him move in all environments, and ignore basically all damage from such environments, even if that damage came in the form of falling off a mountain and landing on his face. And yet, after landing in the lake below for the tenth time, all Mia could think about how satisfying it would be to finally land a solid blow. Eventually. It would take a while. [Combat Analysis] had been churning away in the back of her mind, and it always gave the same answer as to why she was losing always amounted to stop picking fights with people twice your level, dumbass. As for the upgrade gained by boosting it, where it actually gave her ways to win and allowed her to swiftly adapt, that was only working so-so for a very obvious reason. Even though she always fought the same person, Dietrich, the various exercises they did had him using vastly different fighting styles, ergo, the analysis from one fight didnt help much for the next. Their swords clashed once, twice, then Dietrich lunged at her. She was able to deflect the sword, but not his empty left hand. It wasnt even a hard push, just a soft tap on her shoulder, a slight shove, and suddenly she had to drop Balmung and start waving her hands in a vain attempt to steady herself. She failed. Obviously, Dietrich didnt keep his balance after that maneuver either, but hed barely fallen a single meter before arresting his momentum by thrusting his sword into the rockface and planting his feet on a small ledge below. Mia, on the other hand, splashed into the water three meters below. With how precarious both their situations had been, a suicide attack was near guaranteed to work, simply lunging at the other person while giving no thoughts as to how youd stay up the clifface yourself was pretty effective. But Dietrich could do that and stay up. She couldnt. The whole situation reminded her of an old Bruce Lee quote. She didnt remember the exact wording, but it basically boiled down to if theres a man willing to die to bite off my nose, it doesnt matter how good I am, that man is going to get my nose. Before, in the beginning, landing any hits, even if they left her utterly open, was an achievement. But it wasnt enough now. Not for him, and definitely not for her. She wanted to reach the point where she could land a clean attack. At least one. Mia surfaced, spluttering, grabbed the nearest rock and started pulling herself back up while channeling [Warmth] to dry herself off somewhat. Utility spells were a lot more useful than shed have expected.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. But the thing that threatened to crack her facade of utter concentration was the fact that, apparently, ending up in the water counted as enough of a lull in combat for her to gain a Level. [Monsterbane Knight Lv. 28 -> Monsterbane Knight Lv. 29] [Skill gained: Unnatural Ballance] Mia grinned. Now, that was exactly what she needed. Her third Class was almost exclusively focused on fighting monsters for some reason, clearly counting her training as a valid way for getting Levels while dismissing it as an ingredient for her new Class. But it really was an amazing Class, giving her Skills like [Bane], which let her ignore various only so-and-so can harm me attributes monsters might have, and after a couple of boosts, it even enchanted her sword with an element that exploited weaknesses. That was easily her favorite Skill from her new Class, though [The Harder They Fall] was a close second. Basically, if she managed to unbalance a larger or stronger enemy in any way, be it tripping them up or removing limbs, theyd further be unbalanced to the point where only an honest-to-God miracle could have prevented them from hitting the proverbial mat. Up until now, at least. [Unnatural Ballance] was a strong contender for her new favorite, though that might just have been how much it would change things in the current duel. As she climbed, she skim-read the description. It did exactly what it said on the tin, let her keep her balance by forcefully recentering her into a, well, balanced stance, up to a certain limit. Nothing insurmountable, but as long as she put in at least some effort into staying on her feet and wasnt hit, shed stay standing. It was likely meant to allow her to climb larger monsters like the Nation Boss shed fought near the end of the second challenge, but it worked plenty well for other applications. After half a minute or so, Mia was dry and standing on the largest outcropping available, ready for the next bout. Ready? Dietrich asked. She nodded, and both of them tiptoed into battle, carefully stepping from outcropping to outcropping, always as cautious of the drop as they were of each other. Their sword clashed several times before she managed to deflect Mimung into the cliff and closed the distance, stepping onto a closer rock and resumed her sword into her left hand. Dietrich could have still blocked an attack aimed at his body, in all likelihood, but she was aiming at the stone under his feet. He couldnt, not in time. Balmung smashed into the stone with all the force Mia could muster, an effort that would have cost her her balance entirely even a single minute ago, but not anymore. It carved into it, then sent cracks spiraling across his foothold, and it exploded under his weight in an instant. Sure, he could have still caught himself, but she managed to kick him. Not hard, and she almost fell herself, but enough that he couldnt stabilize his fall before hed already wound up in the water. Quite possibly the cleanest win shed ever managed against him, and the System seemed to agree. [Monsterbane Knight Lv. 29 -> Monsterbane Knight Lv. 30] [Physical Overhaul gained] And her limbs promptly locked up, causing her to pitch backward. She could feel [Unnatural Balance] try to catch her, and if shed been able to move, she could have stayed standing, but the upgrade process was not obliging. By the time it ended, a bare couple of seconds later, she was already well past the point where she could return to her original perch. What she could do was jump to a lower ledge, a tiny stone she barely could set one of her big toes on. Enough, with her Skills if it hadnt broken clean out of the cliff when she accidentally kicked it as she put her foot on it, with just a little too much force. Good plan, solid execution, but we should work on the finish, Dietrich told her dryly the moment shed gotten her head back above the water. Then, he cracked a grin. All jokes aside, that was very well done. If the Physical Boost were without side effects, this would have been a proper victory. Congratulations for hitting Level 30. He paused for a long moment before darkly adding, Now the real training can begin. Mia just laughed. She knew Dietrich well enough by now to know that was nonsense. Sure, he was taking it progressively less easy on her, tapping into an ever-growing part of his actual strength and speed during their spars, but constantly fighting against a superior enemy was doing plenty for her growth. Anything more would likely be actual torture, and Dietrich didnt do that sort of thing. And it wasnt quite his sense of humor to boot. Let me guess, Tristan told you to say that? Dietrich snorted, shrugged, and beckoned her to follow him in the direction of the Untersbergs main gate. Come on, lets dry off, then well see how well you fare against Ogier now. Mia winced. The gap between her and the ancients was rapidly closing, but it was still miles wide. Yet if she didnt come out of that duel with another Level or two, shed eat a broom. Chapter 47: Ulaanbaatar Tristan On one hand, Genghis Khan was a man whod annihilated an empire for harming his emissaries. He should be a supporter of diplomatic immunity as long as the ambassador behaved, right? Yes, he was a man whod keep ambassadors safe, and insisted that killing ambassadors was very bad form. But he was also a man whod killed four million people to make that very point. I shivered. Id started out trying to cheer myself up, but just wound up psyching myself out instead. At least Id made sure to learn Mongolian well ahead of time, so I was now pretty much fluent. Itd started with watching childrens cartoons until [Burgeoning Omniglot] had started making sense of the language, then Id dropped by the Mongolian Embassy in London after dropping off Arthur and Merlin in the city. There, Id just used [Knowledge Trade] with the first guy I met, sign language basics for a not quite as basic grasp of his mother tongue. Id also kept up my learning via cartoons when I had the time, so now, I should be perfectly capable of holding conversations with native speakers. Dialects and unknown sayings would still trip me up, obviously, but for the most part, I was ready. And, of course, Id have over eight hours in the air to calm back down, on a private jet, no less, paid for by a tiny fraction of the fortune Mia and Dietrich had found. Ladies and Gentlemen, I know that the skies are very dangerous right now, the monster birds still arent all cleared away, but if something happens, I can make a portal to let us all escape and return back here, I announced as I entered the cabin. In actuality, the danger was minimal on that front even though most civilian airliners were still being escorted by fighter jets. The few planes that still flew, that was. The chaos the System had brought to this world had destroyed many, and many more had been grounded by understandably worried companies. But knowing that it was mostly safe did fuck all to make me any less nervous as the small metal climbed heavenwards, to take me to meet one of historys most notorious rulers. *** Ulaanbaatar was exactly what Id expected, yet somehow also the exact opposite. A beautiful capital city with countless skyscrapers forming the center of downtown, surrounded by an expanse of smaller buildings, eventually reaching the suburbs which Google said were where some of those who still lived a nomadic lifestyle spent the winter. And while Winter was still a month or two out, after all, it was only the beginning of October, those areas were already filled to bursting. Likely people clustering together for safetys sake. But despite everything Id known about the city, and googled on the flight over, a small, distant, part of me had expected something worthy wasnt the right word, but it was something similar. Something that matched the ... The idea of Genghis Khan. History had had plenty of impressive rulers, some well-known, some not. Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known world and done so while fighting at the front lines the entire time and survived. Thoros the Second of Armenia had reconquered his nation from the Byzantines, beat the Seljuks, then trounced the Byzantines again and then, simply, retired. Peacefully. Considering how often even triumphant rulers ended up coming to horrible ends, I considered actually enjoying ones final days to be almost the ultimate victory. Hannibal Barca of Carthage had kicked the ass of the Roman Empire six ways to Sunday through tactical brilliance and sheer gumption, though then beyond the first few incredible victories, hed failed to take Rome itself and slowly been driven out of Italy over the following sixteen years. Then there was Jan Zizka. Hed been a first one-eyed, then fully blind general who never lost a battle despite almost always being at a disadvantage, leading peasants and revolutionaries against nobles and knightly orders. And when hed died, hed had his skin turned into drums for his soldiers to beat, so that his spirit would always be with them. Or what about William Marshal, the legendary British Knight, whod fought his way up from a wandering knight errant to a member of the nobility through duels and tournaments, purely through strength and skill at arms? Not to mention that hed been legendarily loyal to the crown, eternally following his oath, even when it definitely was to his detriment. Even when hed been in his seventies, hed won the crown back for the deposed Henry the Third. No one could have faulted him for not fighting against most of the countrys nobility for the sake of a literal child, but thats what he did. Hed sworn an oath, and hed kept it. Actually, come to think of it, why wasnt he back? Was it because, unlike one Sir Francis Drake, he hadnt sworn to come back from even beyond the veil of death? But that wasnt the point I was trying to make. There were many successful conquerors in history, many brilliant statesmen and leaders, but Genghis Khan was in a class of his own. First, hed started from literally nothing. Second, the loyalty and discipline hed instilled in his troops, forging a truly terrifying and indomitable force from a disparate group of nomads. Thirdly, the fact that his empire had stuck together quite a bit better than most empires created by a single man. Sure, it had fragmented over and over again until eventually, it had been reduced to just present-day Mongolia, but compare that to, say, the empire of Alexander Magnus yeah, the great Khan wins. Not to mention that the last descendant of Genghis Khan had only been deposed in 1920. Granted, Alim Khan hadnt ruled Mongolia; hed been the Emir of Bukhara, but it was still impressive how long the official bloodline had stayed in prominence. And finally, fourthly, everything Genghis Khan had done hed done on a greater scale than almost anyone else in history. He wasnt the first man to turn a small nation that was just like its neighbors into an empire, but hed gone further than anyone else, almost quintupling the previous record, set by Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire. Which brought me back to Ulaanbaatar. The father of this nation had returned, to bring it back to its old glory. He couldnt have realistically already reshaped the city, and quite frankly, he was too much of a pragmatist to do that in the middle of the goddamn apocalypse, but a small, distant, part of my mind had insisted that someone like him, someone whose title literally translated as universal ruler and was so widely know that few people even realized that it wasnt his actual name, had to have changed the city somehow. As though his mere presence would elevate his center of power.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Still, it was a city of almost two million in the middle of the apocalypse. That it was still fully intact was damn impressive. We sure as shit hadnt managed that with the Untersberg even when thered been nine ancients defending it. Granted, we, and by that, I mostly meant the mountain spirits under Charlemagnes command, fixed that damage in a matter of hours, but it had still happened. And Genghis Khan had kept the city looking pretty without a magical means of undoing damage, not as far I knew, anyway. I continued to stare out across the city, only my determination to maintain my dignity preventing me from literally pressing my nose against the window, until the plane finally touched down with nary a bump, then proceeded to reach the terminal at a speed that felt like that of a formula one car compared to the glacial pace I was used to from planes on the runway. The same went for my passage through the terminal. No labyrinthian pathway through the airport so complicated that I practically expected a minotaur to jump out from somewhere, just a simple, straightforward, path from the plane to immigration to baggage claim. Technically, I could have probably sidestepped immigration using my status as an ambassador, but I didnt represent an actual country with proper, existing, connections to other nations and this really wasnt something I wanted to make a stink over. If sending word of my arrival ahead via the Mongolian embassy in Prague wasnt sufficient arrangements, Id be fine. But as I approached the end of the line, already pulling my passport from my [Diplomatic Pouch], a man in a security uniform approached me. Ambassador Vogt? he asked in English. I nodded. Tristan Vogt, Ambassador of the Untersberg, envoy for his majesty, Dietrich von Bern and his imperial majesty, Karl der Gro?e. The brief flash of surprise that flashed across the guards face at my fluent Mongolian was quite gratifying to see. Sure, I might not have Mias ass-kicking ability, and my knowledge would do a hell of a lot less than my magic when I actually wound up in a fight, but it was really nice to be able to learn things so quickly. The guard looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on the insignia [Ambassadors Authority] so helpfully provided, then briefly comparing my face to a picture he surreptitiously pulled from his pocket. Apparently satisfied, he gestured towards a currently-closed gate in the fence barrier that blocked me off from the baggage claim. Follow me, please. Do you have any baggage we need to wait on? No, I shook my head. Everything I need, Im carrying with me. He nodded, and kept going, until we reached a limousine outside. Not the regular parking lot, but a private section clearly meant for, well, people like me. I also took this opportunity to scan everyone nearby with [Piercing Gaze], checking for deception or red-flag-raising loyalties. After all, we were isolated enough for something unpleasant to happen. But as it turned out, things were fine, near as I could tell. My guide hadnt lied to me, no one around me was lying in the sense that they were pretending to be something they were not, and everyone had Mongolia or Genghis Khan among one of their scannable loyalties. They werent quite fanatics, at least as far as I could tell, never having seen someone Id actually label as one, but they were loyal, following their new rulers direction not because they had to or because they were being paid, but because they genuinely wanted to do so. My guide opened one of the limousines doors and gestured for me to get in. Ambassador Vogt, this vehicle will be at your disposal for the duration of your stay. Thank you, I replied as I entered, not even having the time to close the door behind me as he did it for me. Would you like to visit your hotel before your meeting? the driver asked, but I shook my head. Or book a room? I shook my head. Ill be teleporting back home after my meeting with the Genghis Khan, I informed him, my mind tripping over the grammar. I knew it was a title, not his name, but that didnt change the fact that for most of my life, Id been unaware of that fact, and that was how Genghis Khan had lodged in my brain. One normally didnt use the in front of a name, and while that wasnt what I was doing, my brain seemed determined to regard it as such. Damn, Id have to watch myself there. The whole affair really reminded me of a Pint of Science event Id visited several years ago. Well, not so much visited as gone to a bar the day after my 18th birthday and an event was happening, but that was beside the point. Thered been a talk about how the brain is the stupidest organ in the human body. Sure, it was a biological supercomputer that even modern artificial intelligence could not match, but it had a bad tendency of internalizing certain things and refusing to let them go even in the face of empirical evidence. In fact, being proven wrong actually activated some of the same areas of the brain as physical pain did. That said everything, didnt it? My point was, I needed to remember that while I was meeting with a legendary figure, he wasnt his legend. He was a person who might differ from the mental image I had of him, and I needed to deal with the person who was in the room with me, not the person Id imagined him to be. yeah, Id be in the same room as Genghis-freaking-Khan. Sure, even if I did badly enough to actually piss him off, [Diplomatic Immunity] would probably save me and [Polite Rebuke] could potentially deflect a second attack, but then I mean, I knew he didnt attack ambassadors and was a pragmatist at heart, knowing exactly why one left ambassadors alone yet, well, it was Genghis-freaking-Khan. Knowing that, objectively, I was probably in more danger from random monster attacks even in the city than from him didnt change the fact that I was barely able to keep my knees from shaking, obsessively straightening my tie, or the like. No, I simply did my best to look dignified as the limo took a circuitous route to the Government Palace. Near as I could tell, the intention was to arrive right on time for the pre-arranged meeting, and since I wasnt getting a hotel room for later or freshening up in one, that meant the drive would be taking longer. But I didnt mind getting a better impression of the city. Eventually, we reached our goal, and I used [Modern Makeover], once, sending a slight change rippling down my outfit, re-straightening my tie, and removing the handful of creases that had worked their way into my outfit. Then, I used [Restoration of the Old] to clean myself, removing any dust or dirt that may or may not have found its way onto my clothing since Id stepped onto that plane back in Germany. To my surprise, I was greeted by quite a few cameras and reporters on the entrance steps of the building. Not a Hollywood celebrity kind of reception, but even one would have been more than Id expected. At least no one was shouting questions at me. So I just put on my best neutral expression and continued forward, until I vanished into the building, where a young woman wearing a very expensive and well-tailored power suit greeted me. My name is Sarangerel, aide to the Genghis Khan, she introduced herself. Follow me please. And off we went, straight through the building to our final destination. It was kinda weird how unusual actually being able to go directly to ones destination in a government building actually was. I certainly wasnt used to it. Though that might just be because I was used to German buildings, not because I wasnt used to being an ambassador Either way, two guards that were not only impressive, but also likely quite strong, stood before a final pair of double doors, and opened them as we approached. And suddenly, I was standing in the same room as Genghis Khan. Alone. Only a desk, which was suddenly looking exceedingly fragile, and five meters, an easily crossed distance, separated us. I had to force myself to take the final step that would allow the doors to be closed behind me. the look in the legendary rulers eyes told me hed noticed the small hitch, though I got the impression he was willing to overlook it. My name is Tristan Vogt, I represent the ancients currently transforming the Untersberg into a fortress to weather the end of times, I introduced myself, inclining my head. Not enough to be considered a full-on bow, but sufficient to acknowledge the power dynamic. Greetings, Ambassador Vogt, Genghis Khan replied. If my use of Mongolian had surprised him in any way, I sure as shit didnt notice. I believe we already have a treaty, dont we? Chapter 48: The Legend I I wasnt sure why that sounded like, er, not quite a good thing. Perhaps perhaps maybe the issue was that he thought I was trying to change the terms of the agreement? Even go back on my word? I mean, he was nowhere near angry, Id barely even call him mildly annoyed, but even his mild annoyance could have dire consequences. In the end, after thinking for a few seconds, I just nodded slowly. Yes. Id like to clarify the vague terms of the agreement, and come to an agreement with regards to some new options that have opened up. Such as my teleportation capabilities. Very well, Genghis Khan announced and gestured at the chair opposite to his. Sit, please. I did that, obviously. Now that we were closer and both seated, I realized that he was actually slightly taller than me. Huh. Id expected the height difference to be in the opposite direction, considering how people in the past were said to have been smaller in general, but I guess he wasnt average in any way. And quite frankly, even if he were, I dare anyone to tell him that to his face. Steepling his fingers, he met my eyes properly for the first time. The action was smooth, but in a way that spoke of repeated practice, rather than a lifetime of using it. I wasnt entirely sure how I could tell, I just knew thats what it was. But obviously, hed done this to look more modern. The specter of history looming over anyone he dealt with should give him a solid advantage in negotiations, yet at the same, if someone decided to assume the worst instead, and assume he was the savage Western history liked to paint him as, theyd just nod along, not agree to anything, and then, run like hell. So hed learned to give the impression of someone born in the last century, rather than a man nearly a millennium earlier. But if it was needed, I sincerely doubted he wouldnt be able to become the most intimidating individual on the planet at the drop of a hat. I wasnt entirely sure how long Id just sat there, hoping that [Innate Etiquette] would make the fact that I was staring even slightly less obvious, but eventually, the corners of his lips quirked up, and he spoke. Well, I believe when you were talking to Ambassador Altan, Raid Bosses were your biggest concern. And while they are powerful, I find that I am more than capable of dealing with them myself. Do the ancients you work for have any trouble them? No, I shook my head. But we didnt know about Nation Bosses back then. And near as I can tell, there isnt any individual force on the planet that can take one down, possibly not even an entire nations nuclear arsenal. That last part was mostly speculation based on what Id seen from the defensive ability of the Bones of the Forgotten, the Nation Boss conjured from Paris catacombs. Its passive defenses blocked all modern projectiles, be they missiles, artillery shells, or even simple grenades, and there was absolutely no reason to believe that nuclear weaponry would be exempt. And it wasnt like you could keep chucking nukes at the monster even if you had them and didnt care about the radiation, trusting that the projectiles intercepting the missiles would detonate the warheads. Except nukes, quite simply, did not work that way. A nuclear detonation was a runaway chain reaction of nuclear fission as atoms split, unleashing multiple neutrons that would, in turn, crack other atoms, until you unleashed all the stored energy of the supernova that had forged the fissionable material all those billions of years ago. Triggering something like that required precision, a precisely calculated detonation of conventional explosives compressing the radioactive portion of the bomb while increasing its heat by several thousand degrees Celsius in an instant, not only ensuring that at least a few atoms split, but also making sure that when that happened, everything was so tightly clustered that the unleashed neutrons were bound to strike something else and kick off the reaction. Therefore, anything that broke a nuke and wasnt the explosives meant to trigger it, well, it simply wouldnt do much. You could drop nukes, you could shoot them, hell, you could even blow them up using grenades or artillery shells and in all likelihood, very little would happen. Sure, youd wind up spreading radioactive materials all over the place, and any explosives you used would, in effect, become dirty bombs, but what you wouldnt get is a big bang and a mushroom cloud. All of which was a very roundabout way of saying that in order for a nuke to detonate as intended, that detonation had to be triggered by the person controlling the weapon, or whatever onboard computers it had. I supposed that one could use regular artillery to determine the range of a Nation Boss defensive ability and then detonate nukes just outside that, using a litany of near misses to destroy it, but that wouldnt work anywhere near as well as it might seem at first glance. All monsters were supernaturally tough, bosses even more so, and Nation Bosses, being at the top of the heap, took that to utterly ridiculous heights. At the same time, all explosions rapidly lost power the further you got from their epicenter, and they were overall much less effective out in the open compared to being in an enclosed area. In other words, only a fraction of their power would even reach the monster. Killing one with nuclear weapons would be easier than gathering enough ancients to kill one outside of Europe or Central Asia, but not by much, and it would make one hell of a mess. In other words, you would like to amend the initial terms, removing the need to provide support against Raid Bosses, while requiring it against Nation Bosses? Genghis Khan suggested. Barring extraordinary circumstances, I said. Its always possible something goes wrong. Obviously. He nodded again. However, if help is required, and you, specifically, are in a position to speed up travel using your portals, you will do so. As long as the same applies, should we need your help, I replied, switching to a more formal and old-fashioned tone without even thinking about it. How would that work? I gestured at my surroundings. I can portal to where Ive been in the past. If you are somewhere Ive visited, I can be there in an instant.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. And you will return me, once the issue has been resolved. I nodded. Assuming I still have any uses for the day left. If you dont, I receive priority once they recharge. I nodded, again. It was possibly a bit much, though honestly, with four portals a day, I could afford to have one spoken for and besides, it wasnt very different from the arrangement with Vice Admiral Drake. He stayed in the Untersberg when the next challenge appeared, attracting all the monsters along with the others, and then Id immediately send him on his way. The two of us went back and forth for a bit longer, but it wasnt overly complicated. If a monster of such titanic power as a Nation Boss showed up, and only one party to the treaty had something like that to deal with, the other person had to come help as quickly as possible, using my help. As per usual, Id be playing taxi, and to help with that, some of his people would be ferrying me around Ulaanbaatar and its surroundings later, so I could more easily fetch or reinforce his forces as needed. And what if its something greater than a Nation Boss? Genghis Khan asked. Then wed better help because something that strong is coming for us once it has torn a bloody swathe through Asia, I replied, flatly. Actually, I was pretty sure that had been a trap, to see whether Id hedge my bets, considering how dangerous a beast like that would be, so Id chosen the coldly logical answer. I figured hed prefer that over a sappy we keep our promises. What makes you think Mongolia would lose? he asked, tone still even, though I doubted Id have been able to sense any darker intent if he didnt want me to. Yet I had a feeling that he wasnt upset. And [Piercing Gaze] certainly wasnt throwing up any red flags either. The new magic of this world is based on video games. You have regular monsters, Field Bosses to dominate whatever area they cover but can be taken down by small groups, Raid Bosses that require large, organized, raids to take down barring the presence of someone of your power. And then, normally, you have World Bosses, which are the strongest monsters in the game. But weve seen Nation Bosses instead, and they can fight an entire continents military on their own. Granted, the System empowers traditional fighting styles more than modern firearms, but even if that werent the case, a Nation Boss could fight off a literal army. I paused briefly for a moment, but he motioned for me to continue. At the same time, we know that more powerful monsters show up in the latter challenges, and I sincerely doubt something weve already seen in the second challenge is the be-all, end-all, of what the System can throw at us. Therefore, I submit that we have, at the very least, World Bosses to look forward to, though theres probably a stage in-between that and Nation Bosses. Continental Boss, Genghis Khan suggested, rubbing his beard with his right hand. I can see how that would get ugly. What would your plan be to fight something like that? Keeping in mind that Im not the Untersbergs strategist and only represent three of the ancients in the alliance, our approach would be a few probing strikes to see what kinds of abilities a monster like that would have, then make a plan based on that. A simple plan, he noted. But one that can be applied in all situations. Something more complicated would likely fail in most situations. Yes. However, flexibility in the chain of command is likewise important. It does not matter how capable the ultimate leader is; they cannot control every facet of combat. Subordinates need to be able to make decisions on their own. Well, he was right about that, and hed used that to conquer an empire. First, hed forged a highly disciplined, mobile, and overall capable army. Second, hed established a meritocracy and promoted the most promising candidates to positions of leadership regardless of their social standing. And thirdly, hed torn through anyone who dared stand against him with said army, using hit-and-run tactics, feigned retreats, psychological warfare and generally wielding his army in whatever way was needed to win. And even when Genghis Khan himself hadnt been present, his generals, sometimes referred to as his Four Dogs of War, had done so in his stead. But I just shrugged. Im not a military leader, Im a diplomat with a few spells. More than a few, but still, I felt like bragging about my power might come across as a threat. Not that I actually had the power to be a danger to him, but I decided to er on the side of caution. Genghis Khan just gave me a flat, almost disappointed stare. Apparently, he disagreed. Can I ask you something? I asked after a couple of seconds. He shrugged. How much and what kinds of magic have you seen in your old life? Im assuming youre not asking about shamanism or ceremonies, but rather the modern magic, with immediate and apparent results and clear chains of cause-and-effect? he nodded slowly. Other than the fact that I am present here, in this time, I cant say Ive seen anything. Why do you ask? So I shared with him my hypothesis about how the magic had been leaving this world, including my suspicion that the Golem of Prague had been built far earlier,but only unleashed in the 16th century. How could you prove it? he finally asked. I dont know, I admitted. Id likely have to find some archeological evidence of when he was made. And what would it mean if you were correct? I shrugged, helplessly. It would be interesting, and might help explain other phenomena as we find them? What about the implications it has for the System itself? What if it is what has been siphoning off the worlds magic, burning it over the course of this year to create disasters the likes of which the world has never seen, and will burn itself out once the year is over? He suggested, making me stiffen in my seat as I recalled the discussion Id had with Fionn on this subject. Anyone reinforced by the [Physical Overhaul] would likely be screwed, to start with. Then there is not a damn thing we can do about it as things stand right now, I confessed after thinking about it for a long moment. But you are willing to try, and so are those you represent. That is what matters. Genghis Khan grinned. Therefore, I, Temujin, Genghis Khan of all Mongolia, promise you that barring a betrayal of our pact or an attack by another nation, I will put my entire effort into ensuring that humanity endures past the end of this year. Assuming you and yours do the same. The oath was clear, and so was the implication: anyone who attacked him would be annihilated. In that case, in the name of those I represent, I swear the same, I replied. That that had gone just about as well as I could have possibly expected. And I now had a basis for any future treaties. No picking fights, no attacking other nations, do whatever you can to keep humanity alive. A common-sense basis for deals in the current situation, but with politics, that wouldnt necessarily be enough. That being said, anyone wanting more could get slapped down with some line about how they seemed to value themselves above even Genghis Khan. Barely even an implication of a threat, but the subject of the threat was Genghis-freaking-Khan. Nuff said. I was soon dismissed and then returned outside, where I was not greeted by a limousine, but a jeep with the same driver whod brought me here. Ambassador Vogt, Ive been ordered to drive you to several places for the purposes of magical transportation. He sounded a little unsure as to what driving me around had to do with portals, apparently, that information hadnt been fully been passed along, but hed be driving me around nevertheless. Thank you, I nodded, and got the back, catching sight of the front of my suit in the process, and the third sigil there, next to Dietrichs and Charlemagnes. An emerald salmon before a golden oak on a black base. Id never seen it before, but it was rather obvious as to whom it belonged. And then, the System belatedly confirmed it. [Trait registered: Ambassadorial Authority: Fionn Mac Cumail] So, Fionn was letting me run around making promises in his name, but hadnt told me why exactly? Honestly, I had the distinct feeling hed just forgotten, then noticed that I was in Mongolia and given his okay, trusting my [Ambassadorial Authority] to inform me. Still, hed already given me magic, and was working hand-in-hand with everyone else to fight the Challenges. In all likelihood, hed been intending to make it fully formal, and just messed up the timing slightly. Being nigh-omniscient was an entirely different thing from being on top of literally everything your powers told you about. And then, of course, came the level-ups for having and surviving a meeting with Genghis Khan. Chapter 49: Ruminations Fionn Things really were reaching the point where even he had trouble staying on top of things. There was simply too much to do, too many things demanding his attention, and even among the topics he could directly find out about, it still took him a small amount of time and effort to reach that information. It all added up. Finding issues that needed the help of the Fianna, dispatching them, ensuring that World War III wasnt about to break out, between humans that was, searching for promising allies, training others, training himself, gathering general information, staying on top of the general issues bothering humanity as a whole Oh, and then there was the fact that he liked to keep on top of what the worlds nuclear arsenal was doing. Granted, the only close call there had been North Korea, and the missile had broken down before even leaving the silo, but that had been a wake-up call. How many others would believe that the worlds general state of utter chaos would spare them the full displeasure of the international community? So yes, hed forgotten to give the mental okay so that Tristan could represent him, and hed certainly neglected to inform the man himself of that fact, but it wasnt like representing a larger portion of Europe would make much of a difference. Hopefully. It would give him a significantly stronger negotiation position, yet at the same time, was throwing around ones strength a good tactic against the likes of Genghis Khan? Doing so would set up a fundamentally adversarial relationship, and what had that one paper called him again? Ah, yes, a pragmatic universalist. Dealing with them was the right choice for Mongolia, and unless irrational or ridiculous demands were made, a deal would be struck. Either way, there wasnt much to be done about it now, so he did his best to put the issue out of his mind so that he could, at the very least, do his current self-imposed task right. He sat, cross-legged, on on a cliff overlooking the sea, weapons spread out across the rock before him. Gae Buidhe and Gae Dearg, a copy of Mimung conjured by Dietrich von Bern, and Ascalon, which hed buried from the same. Then, finally, he raised his hand, palm down, and summoned Gae Bolg, the barbed crimson spear manifesting and dropping to the ground with a soft clatter that nevertheless nearly made him jump to his feet. That weapon, it scared him. It barely even existed as a weapon, being bonded with its chosen user, only being present in the real world when its user desired it to be, and it radiated malice. One cut, and youd be picking bone spikes out of your finger even if you immediately pulled back. A deeper injury would likely necessitate the amputation of a limb. And if one landed a solid strike to the heart, or the torso in general, not even an immortal would be able to free themselves, and bony spines were grown through every part of the body. Being in the presence of the weapon was enough to make him uncomfortable, but he had it out for a reason. He wanted to explore the full capabilities of [Arcane Superimposition]. He had several Skills, but this particular one seemed to have the most potential. Two weapons, any weapons, could be combined according to the description, but just how far did that stretch? Fionn reached out and picked up the copied weapon, the sharpest sword in the world, only useable for a single attack before it would vanish. Could he stretch that usage window? After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided to use Ascalon for the combination. If this exploded in his face, at least the resultant injuries would be able to heal normally. Because if he tried that with any of the others and it went badly it would not be pleasant. But he was able to touch both together, activated [Arcane Superimposition], and they slid smoothly into each other, transforming into something not quite greater than the sum of its parts, but a weapon that had all the strongest attributes of both. The end result was a slightly shorter polearm, a glaive, to be precise, with a nigh-unbreakable shaft and a blade that cut through rock like butter when Fionn touched the tip to the ground while radiating a field of protective energy capable of deflecting almost any elemental attacks. Of course, that same effect hindered him as well, but that simply meant someone else would have to wield Ascalon or its fusions into combat. After considering it for a long moment, Fionn pulled the two weapons apart again, only for the copy to splinter apart and crumble into nothingness the moment it had been separated from the real spear. Hm, hed have to continue experiments with temporary weapons in the vicinity of the former Germanic ruler. However, that experiment had just gone to prove just how potent [Arcane Superimposition] could be, especially considering the sheer number of artifacts in their combined armory, and the synergistic abilities they likewise possessed. Fionn rose to his feet, turned around, and started pulling a few other magical items from the bag he had brought. The collection of gear the Fianna had acquired over the years wasnt quite as potent as what their combined efforts had recently uncovered, but it was nothing to sneeze at either. And not only was [Arcane Superimposition] still in its base form, he had not spent a single [Skill Boost] since all this madness had begun *** Tristan [Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 30 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 34] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill Boost gained] So that was weird. Normally, the pattern of gains was Skill boosts for even Levels, unless they were multiples of ten, because those had been the final ones for a Class or when people got their [Physical Overhaul], and Skills for odd levels, with the first Level in a new Class giving two Skills instead of one. Well, that clearly had changed, hadnt it? My guess was that Id gain a ton of boosts until I got my next Class, giving me the chance to upgrade some Skills that hadnt quite gotten the love they deserved. After all, Id gotten more Skills than boosts up until this point, and anytime I doubled down on one Skill, that meant I had to keep another at its baseline. Yet even if I hadnt gained all those extra Boosts, Id still have doubled down on [Knowledge Trade] a few more times. Now, with magic around, it was even more busted than it had already been. Also, four Levels? That seemed just a tad excessive. Unless meeting Genghis Khan had been a hell of a lot more dangerous than I ever could have imagined, and I hadnt even realized? Although, now that I thought about it, the simple fact that it had gone smoothly might have been how Id earned those Levels. Anywho, I had Skills to boost. So [Skill boosted: Knowledge Trade]
You may also, alternatively, grant a smaller amount of knowledge to everyone within ten meters of yourself, this doubles the cooldown and prevents you from receiving any payment. In addition, your regular range is increased to ten meters.
That was useful, inordinately so. A regular data pack likely wouldnt fly, but what about a plan, a complex plan, that could likely be very neatly, very fully, given to everyone who needed to know. And one could cram a lot of people into a twenty-meter diameter circle. On the other hand, it wouldnt do much for the thing I currently used [Knowledge Trade] for, which was transferring spells. There werent enough magic users in Fionns school for me to need the alternative mode, and said mode didnt have enough bandwidth to be very good at that task either. Therefore, I used my second Skill Boost.
In addition, you may grant or receive muscle memory and reflexes.
Okay, that wasnt just huge, it was ridiculously overpowered. Even lacking actual physical Skills, and a superhuman body, for that matter, I should be able to make good use of borrowed sword fighting skill. Or parkour. Or whatever else I could snag. Borrowing Dietrichs academic knowledge of sword fighting had been useful, but this would boost that to a whole other Level. And yet as much as the previous two upgrades were already game-changers, I still wanted something to enhance my spell-teaching potential. Ergo
Your maximum number of targets is increased to five.
And that was exactly what Id needed. A 250% increase in what I could teach and learn with each application, allowing me to benefit doubly from the previous boost. I paused for a moment, then pulled up the entire Skill description, just to get a full overview.
Knowledge Trade (sextuple boosted; evolved) You can teach knowledge, reflex, or proficiency you possess to up to five targets within ten meters, every six hours. The recipients are able to likewise choose knowledge they possess to teach you, if they so wish. All parties will be aware of what the other is offering, and will be given a chance to cancel the process if the knowledge is not suitable. If all parties involved agree, the transfer will proceed. Transferred knowledge must be limited to a single subject, and large topics, such as an entire field of study, may not be possible to transfer in a single burst. In such cases, the basics will be taught first. You may also, alternatively, grant a smaller amount of knowledge to everyone within ten meters of yourself, this doubles the cooldown and prevents you from receiving any payment.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
So, the formal name for a sixfold increase was actually, it was entirely beside the point, even if it was interesting. [Knowledge Transfer] had been one of my first Skills, and one that had always remained useful, constantly letting me teach others the things I knew, and while I might have been a little young to have much life experience, raw knowledge was something I did have. In spades, nowadays, given how often I used the evolved version, and that [Burgeoning Omniglot] was constantly vacuuming up any language spoken within earshot. There were actually several languages I didnt even know the names of despite the fact that I knew enough to get by in whichever place they were spoken in. Simply put, no one had spoken their name where I could hear, and the natural expansion of my vocabulary through the Skill hadnt included it either. It was a pretty funny feeling, to be honest. And anyway, I still had one final boost left. Where to put it, where to put it there were just so many Skills that could use an upgrade. Even if they were fine at the moment. For example, my temporary knowledge acquisition abilities, [Walking Encyclopedia] and [Legal Grounding] gave me the scientific and legal basics of what I was dealing with at a given moment, did exactly what they said on the tin, and did so well, though Id never consciously used them. Yet if they were already that good to start with, how good could they be if they were stronger? But in general, I had Skills I actually used or relied on to save me if push came to shove. [Diplomatic Immunity] for defense, [Arcane Core] for offense, [Piercing Gaze] for information gathering. Of these three, I could only upgrade one. Which to pick, which to pick yeah, you know what, lets make this simple. [Diplomatic Immunity] was good, solid and generally useful pick, but honestly, if I needed to fall back on it, being able to ignore two hits instead of one, or whatever the upgrade would be, certainly wouldnt save me. [Arcane Core], meanwhile, let me cast everything except the ludicrously powerful [Century Storm] Id finagled out of Fionn, and I had a way to be able to cast that, I just needed to wait for a certain cooldown to be up. That Skill would doubtlessly need to be upgraded in the future, but not yet. In the meantime, information was power, and [Piercing Gaze] gave me that power. It was fine as it was, being able to tell peoples allegiances and see lies, and off the top of my head, I didnt know what more I needed from it, but I also felt like it could only be useful. Ergo, that was my choice. [Skill boosted: Piercing Gaze]
You may also discern truth from lie in the visual medium
Uh what? I could already do that. Granted, I hadnt realized that until Id landed in Ulanbaataar and noticed I could tell everyone was wearing uniforms theyd actually earned and were supposed to be there, but Id done it before. Had the System glitched? Had I just wasted a Skill Boost? Urgh I sighed and leaned back against the cars seat. Just a couple of hours, then Id be back at the airport and flying home. Sure, I could have just teleported, but Id promised to fly back to ensure I could evacuate the crew if worst came to worst. That had been the only way theyd fly me here. And while Id still be in a vehicle for several more hours, then, itd be a vehicle I could move around in. *** You know what? A private jet in flight wasnt the worst place to ruminate on things. It was a little loud, thanks to the engines, and I lacked the amenities of my room and the Untersberg in general, but honestly, I had a place to sit, I had the space to move, and unlike a regular passenger liner, there were no kids kicking the back of my chair, or restless neighbors incessantly jabbing me with their elbows. Would I have preferred being able to zap straight back home and wear a grove in the stone floor of the fortress as I paced? Yes, obviously. But I could do it here as well. So, why had certain people returned, and others hadnt? I mean, granted, outside of certain truly incredible individuals like Genghis Khan, my knowledge was mostly centered on Europe, but I did know there were plenty of incredible rulers and warriors everywhere, plenty with their own legends and magic ascribed to them. For example, Sundjata Keita, founder of the Malian Empire in Africa, who had been born a cripple and was said to have overcome his disability through sheer force of will. It was practically mind over matter, and only the start of everything. In the Epic of Sundjata, he displayed the ability to command nature, having outright supernatural charisma, and being near-immune to hostile sorcery. That seemed like the kind of legend who should return, right? It couldnt be as simple as there not being a concrete once and future king kind of legend surrounding him right? Or the person whom Id thought of when Id started questioning why certain people returned, William Marshal. Arguably one of the greatest knights of all history. Francis Drake had sealed his fate to return when shit hit the fan by swearing to do so on his deathbed, and while I obviously had no idea whether or not Marshal had done something similar, a knight all but defined by loyalty to the British crown easily could have said something to that effect. So what had happened there? I likely wouldnt find out the answer to that particular question, ever. But there likely was a findable answer for why everyone seemed to be European; I just had no idea how to go about it. It wasnt like there was a unified way theyd returned. Genghis Khan had simply woken up in his tomb in the steppes of Mongolia, as the legend went. Fionn and Arthur had been sealed in the otherworld of the British Isles, and slept away the centuries there. Dietrich had been abducted by that weird horse of his. Drake had simply appeared standing on the water, as word had it, with the sound of the drum that was supposed to be used to summon him sounding without any input and despite the fact that it was located on the other side of the planet. And Charlemagne, well, hed slept the time away under a mountain, watched over by the only non-System magical beings Id met so far, with Ogier having been in a similar position in Denmark. Gone to sleep centuries in the past and woken up when shit had hit the fan It was too disparate, too honestly, just plain weird. The only normal ones had been Abhartach and Merlin, whod lived normal lives, been sealed using the magic of the era, and broken free in the modern day. Been broken free, in the case of the latter. Genuinely, it made no appreciable sense. It seemed as random as as magical affinity, maybe? Was that what it was? Arthur and the Fianna had been given the chance to guard the planet by the beings of the otherworld, and everyone else had, what, had some innate magic and used that to ensure they would return later, but Nah, that didnt track either, if there had been any ancients other than Fionn with the capacity to sling spells, hed already have been teaching them. Besides, whileI could buy that happening in Dietrichs time, Id literally just confirmed that grand acts of magic had stopped being possible as early as the 13th century, never mind the 16th, when Drake had died. And, once again, why was all the nonsense seemingly focused on Europe? Or rather, the British Isles? Because think about it: the five Irishmen of the Fianna, for a total of six ancients if one counted Abhartach, three Brits, Dietrich, and Charlemagne from Central Europe, Joseph from Eastern Europe. Well, either that, or the Middle East, if he was as old as I suspected him to be. Also, Not to mention that, well, the single most powerful magical artifact I knew for a fact to existed was the well of wisdom, whose power had been concentrated into the salmon Fionn had eaten to, in turn, gain his power. And it lay somewhere in Ireland. No clue where, not even Fionn knew since hed gotten his hands on its power in a very roundabout way, but it had to be somewhere up there, right? Also also, the first, and currently only, Nation Boss had shown up in Europe too. Granted, that could have come down to the simple fact that this was also where most of the Ancients were, yet it could also be unrelated, considering how the Bones of the Forgotten didnt seem to be attracted to them. Still, all of it was just plain weird. Ergo something funky was going on, but I had no idea what. All Id managed to prove to myself was that there was something very weird going on up there. Actually, you know what? I was starting to dislike where these mental exercises went. I never reached an actual goal, all I managed to do was make myself aware of some unseen mess of immense power to lose even more sleep over. Sighing, I slumped back in my chair. Id pass the issue along to Fionn next time we met, or rather, Id head over there the first chance I got, and then tell him. I wouldnt drop everything, of course, but Id be relieved to not have the question resting on my shoulders. Assuming, of course, there even was an answer to be found beyond divine providence, dont worry your pretty little head about it. Either way, there wasnt much for me personally to do right now beyond read some stuff on Wikipedia, so I pulled out my phone and did just that, starting with an article about the Well of Wisdom, the Irish version, to be specific. Only to come face to face with something that practically screamed wrong. As in, I could tell at a glance that it was almost entirely incorrect, somehow. I had no idea what the correct version of the information was, yet I also knew that what I was seeing here wasnt right either, so how I facepalmed. So thats what visual medium meant in the description of [Piercing Gazes] upgrade. Yep, that was some real nice phrasing, and certainly not what I would have gotten out of that description. Visual medium meant photos and movies to me, not just things I looked at. Seriously, System, thats some real bad phrasing do you take feedback? I hung my head and started reading through various other Wikipedia articles. That upgrade was going to come in real handy overall, especially when it came to signing treaties, or evaluating written offers. But that didnt mean the idiotic phrasing didnt bug me. Eventually, though, the jet landed in Berlin and I headed off into the depths of the airport so I could portal there later, then left via one of the same, heading straight to Dublin. As chaotic and blood-soaked as my life was nowadays, the magic really was incredible. A single step to cross half a continent the smallest one, granted, but a continent nonetheless. The lobby of the academy was mostly empty, but an official-looking man I was yet to meet was sitting behind the reception desk, where Id sat a few days ago. Good afternoon, Ambassador Vogt, he greeted me. Are you here to teach the new crop of mages? I didnt know there was a new crop, I replied. I can do that, but Im actually looking for Fionn. Is he around? No, and I dont know when hell be back. Hes off training, I believe. He should be back tonight, I guessed. I knew which hotel he stayed in, so Id drop by there later, ask the front desk if he was around, and so on. Simple enough, and him not being here right now wasnt exactly unexpected either. So, are the future mages around right now? *** Long story short, I walked upstairs, taught five mages while receiving athletics skills such as parkour and simplistic martial arts in turn, the new ability to learn muscle memory coming in very handy, and then, planned my ass in one of the training rooms to play around with lighting a little, in the hope that that would eventually make using [Century Storm] easier. Then, my phone rang and vibrated, making one hell of a racket as it shook the pot Id placed it in. Id borrowed that from the kitchen, along with its lid and a rubber coaster, so that it would function as a makeshift Faraday cage and make sure I didnt accidentally fry my cell. Way too many people had that number right now, and most of them needed to be able to contact me. On the other hand, if this was a robocall, someone was going to die toda- I broke off that line of thought when I lifted the lid and saw that it was Arthur calling. Still not a cause for celebration, but hopefully not one for despair either. Mr. Vogt, have you ever been to Glastonbury Tor? He sounded winded. That usually required him to fight a Raid Boss or the like; this couldnt be good. No, I admitted as I put him on speaker and googled it. It was quite far from anywhere Id ever been, over a hundred and fifty kilometers from London. On the other hand, unlike London, Glastonbury Tor was close enough to Dublin for me to target it via [Ambassadors Instinct], seeing as my second Capstone had been automatically upgraded as Id hit thirty. It was meant to let me know when I was needed in a location within its range, which was now 400 kilometers, and it let me target such locations with my portals even if I hadnt been there previously. But I can portal there anyway, if thats where you are right now. I need to get to Dublin and meet with Fionn, Arthur ordered. Can you do that? Yeah, I could. [Ambassadorial Authority] let me reach out to those whod made me their proxy, so I poked Fionn with that while I opened a portal in front of Arthur. He needed a portal at his location, and that was a diplomatic issue when seen from a certain viewpoint, so it worked out rather nicely. Then, I opened a second portal in front of Fionn, using the same method, trusting that my attempt at contacting him ensured he wouldnt be overly startled. Thats when I noticed him staring, over my shoulder, where Id opened the portal to London. I turned my head as well, and if I hadnt already set down my phone, Id have dropped it at that point. Arthur. Looked. Terrible. He was covered in a nearly black liquid that seemed to be blood, blonde hair matted to his scalp, and though he did not seem injured, he was holding Excalibur in his hand rather than in its sheath, for a very obvious reason. It wouldnt fit, being bent to the point where it looked more like a banana than a sword. What. The. Fuck. Had. Happened. And more importantly, how on Earth had no one, cough, Fionn, cough, noticed this going on and called it in? It wasnt like a battle involving ancients could be quiet, let alone something that had resulted in, well, that. Chapter 50: The Other Worlds Arthur, yesterday As wonderous as this modern world was, and as much of a relief as it was to have Merlin back, he still had questions. Many questions. Some could be answered simply through the research the internet made oh-so-easy, for others, he needed to find someone knowledgeable. He was currently in the process of doing the latter. His mentors return had thrown up certain issues, starting with his return. Merlin had been manually sealed and manually retrieved in that tree. The others had been sealed and unsealed through mysterious means. Yet he, he was caught in between both those versions of a century-long sleep, sealed by a known force, by the fae of Avalon, yet unsealed in a thoroughly mysterious manner. Why hed woken was simple. The apocalypse had started on that day and was continuing to happen even now, growing worse with every passing month. Yet it should have been the Lady of the Lake who woke him, who sent him out, at the very least, he should have been able to see someone, rather than waking up already walking up the stairs that led back into the world of man. Granted, his dealings with the fae and the other ancient beings in the otherworld had often been contentious, outright adversarial at times, but that had been incorrect. Whatever his position might have been among his fellow humans, the fae rarely acknowledged those titles. Yet what had happened was not simply a lack of ceremony, but an outright aggressive dismissal. When hed come to that realization, the paranoia had started. Had they simply thrown him out to face the apocalypse and then sealed themselves off from the world? Considering what had happened in Ireland, the barrier sealing off the otherworld there it was entirely possible that it had been created from the other side. And that had then set off another array of dark ideas. What if that had been the plan from the start? The Fae were long-lived, they made plans that spanned decades the same way humans decided what to have for supper. Create a champion, wait until he was badly injured, then keep him on ice, as the modern people phrased it, until a problem arises, then throw the champion at that problem. The more hed thought about it, the more it made sense. A disturbing amount. So hed armored up and gone here. Arthur glanced down at the unfamiliar armor wrapping his body. Hed just gotten it two days ago, and only replaced his old chainmail with it an hour ago. It was the creation of the finest smiths of the modern age, made from the most expensive materials, a gift from the England of today to the king of the England of yesterday, or so it had been said. Fabrics that would blunt any blade that lacked the power of Excalibur, armor plates that could stop those ridiculously noisy firearms of the modern day, an open visor that was supposedly adequately protected despite being made from glass yet had stopped a bullet in the demonstration hed been shown. A gift worthy of a king. On his left hip, Excalibur hung, ready to be drawn, and in the small of his back, he felt Carnwennan hang. He hadnt had a use for his dagger and its ability to cloak him in shadow since his return, but it had never left his side. And beneath his left glove, on his middle finger, the Ring of Dispel Lancelot had gifted him sat, ready to rip apart any spell the fae sent his way. Only Rhongomyniad had been left behind in the London dwelling he had been gifted, being too large for the tunnel. Thank you, he finally told the pilot of the noise machine that had carried him to where it had all begun, rose to his feet, and walked open to the doors. Hed learned how to open them himself pretty quickly, and people had learned to let him, he wasnt an invalid or someone too good to open his own doors. Then, he leaped out, landing on the ground ten meters below while the helicopter was already turning and flying away, likely fearing something would blow up. The hill had changed very little since hed emerged from it. The hole was still there, as was the crater his very first use of [Grand Slash] had left behind, and the entire area had been sealed off with red tape, which was apparently not as proverbial as he had been led to believe. And the trash had modern humans somehow unlearned the use of rubbish heaps? Why was there plastic litter everywhere? Even so, that was not his issue to deal with, and the guards left here didnt bother him as he headed into the tunnel. Still there, still made of dirt, still leading into the very bowels of the Earth. Arthur clenched his fists and stepped inside, walking deeper and deeper until, several minutes later, he came to a a a wall. Not even a stone slab that might have indicated it having been put there after the fact, nor the same hard-packed earth that made up everything hed seen so far, but a simple mound of, well, dirt. And not in a way that would have indicated a collapse, no, it just ended. He raised his fist, ready to slam it into the obstacle, before he stopped himself. It wouldnt do to cause an actual cave-in. Instead, he stepped forward and started digging, handfuls of dirt creating a mound at his feet. He might have been forced to stop at some point as the debris piled too high there, but thankfully, that didnt happen. Instead, he came face to face with a white, opaque, slab of energy. But as he yanked his hand away, he made a half-turn that pushed Excaliburs hilt into the dirt. And into where the barrier was, beneath that dirt. There was a sound, unlike any other, one that spoke of disaster and catastrophe, a cacophony of noise. Like glass shattering, like mountains breaking, like castles collapsing in on themselves. The wall before him collapsed into a previously unseen pit as that barrier went away, falling away into a newly opened tear in reality even as he went flying the other way, Excalibur having rebounded off the wall and then torn its way free from its sheath as it yanked him back, landing with a loud clattering sound a few meters up the stairs from where he was. Arthur glanced at his sword, briefly considering lunging for it, but even beyond the damage he could already see, he could hear something behind him. Something large. Not in range of his unenhanced ears, but a Skill that allowed one to hear a whisper on the other side of a castles grand hall in the middle of a grand feast also allowed him to notice many things that existed at an even greater distance in a less noisy environment. Carnwennan was in his hand in a flash, while he left Rhongomyniad in his apartment in London, not taking advantage of the fact that his weapons were bound to him by magic now. It still wouldnt have fit, even given Excaliburs unavailability. Though even if he had summoned the lance, Arthur was half-afraid hed have dropped it in shock, considering what he was facing. It was a it was what hed always imagined Avalon to be, even if he hadnt seen very much of it, considering his state of injury during arrival. And only at first glance A verdant garden as far as the eye could see, but with more dwellings than hed have expected, large ones too, luscious green grass that seemed to have grown more than a little out of control, healthy trees that should have been covered in plump fruit but were somehow lacking it, crystal clear yet somehow hollow. Shallow. As though someone had found a paradise, found it wanting, and used its resources to reshape it, though perhaps this was more a case of his expectations not matching reality.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Although hed never expected to see a giant in Avalon, let alone such an ugly one. The creature whose footsteps had alerted him wasnt quite a giant giant, perhaps a hair over nine feet tall at the most, but it decidedly gave off that same kind of feeling as one, of a being that was larger than it really should have been able to while maintaining its proportions, with half his mind believing it was about to fall while the other half reminded him of the fact that not only was the creature still standing, it had done so for the past well, however long it had been within eyeshot. Though height alone was not where the strangeness stopped. Grey skin, rough, cracked like a dry creekbed in places, and far too much of it was on display, only a large and strangely wet-looking loincloth covering where Arthur suspected its unmentionables to be located, though considering its clear supernaturality, he may unexpectedly catch an eyeful of something hed rather not have seen anyway. Again. Although judging by the water dripping from the giants body in general, the beast had been bathing in one of the many ponds. Either that, or it was a disgusting primitive that did not even wear armor. It roared something, sounding oddly happy, as it continued its approach straight at him. There went any chance that his mistake was not the reason behind the beasts approach. As for the language it used, it was oddly familiar. Similar to Gaelic, which hed had scant encounters within his first life and in his second life, hed only ever heard it from Fionn when he muttered profanity when he thought no one could hear him, but it seemed, well, primitive, compared to what little he knew. Simpler. Older. The only silver lining was that the tear hed caused seemed to be healing, as the opaque wall of energy was creeping back into the entrance he had unwittingly created, but the giant would likely reach him first and it did. A titanic leap flung the creature straight at him, and Arthur lept backwards while hurling Carnwennan at it, straight at the entirely unguarded and unarmored throat. In mid-air, it should have been unable to dodge even if it reacted in time, and its only resort should have been to sacrifice an arm to block. Should have been. It did not move, did not react, yet instead of taking a lethal strike to one of the most vulnerable spots in any creatures body, the dagger simply bounced off in a flare of light. Running would have been the correct choice at this point except well, for one,his beast that had taken up residence in Avalon would be released onto Earth if he stepped aside and it would be his fault. Also, he only had to guard this point for a few minutes at most, even if this one beast stayed here, no more would come through if he had anything to say about it. And besides, he really didnt have the time to run even if hed found it within himself to make that decision. Arthur sidestepped the monsters fist, pressing his back against the wall of the tunnel while summoning Carnwennan into his hand and drawing upon its power to cloak himself in shadow. How much use that would be in a corridor this narrow would remain to be seen, but it was his best option here and now. The giant said something and laughed, Arthur still didnt understand but he caught a few words, something he thought meant small, an insult of some sort, and finally Fomorian. He had no idea what it meant, but if distant memories of his childhood and the myths hed been told then held true, it wasnt a word. It was a name. Then, the beast slammed its hands together and a tremendous shockwave washed out, far more than mere physical force should have allowed, not only crushing him into the wall but also causing the entire tunnel to crumble. Dust cascaded down, then entire sheets of dirt, and after barely a second, the world had gone dark. Entirely dark. All light blotted out, all sensation suppressed by the crushing pressure of the dirt, seemingly nothing existed anymore save this tiny hollow in this this universe of dirt. Except then, he heard a sound. Thump. It was simultaneously an entirely new sound, and one he had known since before he had ever even been born. His own heartbeat, amplified a thousandfold, and resonating with his growing rage at the current situation. How dare this beast attack him? How dare this beast invade England? How dare this goddamned hill collapse onto his head and bury him? Thump. It felt as though each heartbeat pumped not blood but liquid flame through his body, building a heat that leaked out into his surroundings, forming the first seed of a titanic explosion when he finally realized what was happening, so much time had passed that it was downright embarassing. So that was how Ascendant Capstones worked, what they did when their holder was struck down by something the Skill deemed as beneath them. Arthur coughed, spitting up a few bits of dust that he had somehow managed to inhale even from inside his helmet. Ignominiously and entirely accidentally buried in a mountain, without even having a real chance to fight back. What a monumentally shitty way to die. The heat continued to build and build yet before anything could happen, the dirt vanished, pushed past him and compacted into a new, and hopefully stable, wall, forming a massive sphere in the bowels of the Earth, surrounding a nearly fully-closed portal. And as suddenly as it had arrived, the buildup of the [Heart of Fury] vanished, no longer needed. But Arthur only had eyes for a single thing, and that was the giant and the waves of magic that surrounded it, forming the new chamber. It looked terrible, but not in a way a collapsing cavern would have explained. Not bruises, broken bones, or general crush injuries, but burst blood vessels filling the monsters eyes with blood, twin trails of blood leaking from its still-intact nose, and seemingly every blood vessel in its body bulged and stood out in stark relief against its skin, as though about to burst. The first two would not have been unusual to see on a being whod gone through what that thing had; they could easily have been simple injuries caused by a collapsing cave, but as the only signs of damage? He didnt buy it. Something else was going on, he didnt even need to see the desperation in what he now suspected to be a Fomorians eyes to realize that. It lunged towards the portal, and Arthur intercepted it, launching himself at it and swung Carnwennan at its side while activating [Grand Slash]. The titanic silver blade manifested for only a split-second before it burst against the monsters side and hurled it against the far wall, thankfully not causing another cave-in. With a snarl that was more beast than man, the monster rose to its feet, clutching a bleeding side as it advanced. But it was only bleeding, from a strike that could have cut a castle in half. Now that he had the space, Rhongomyniad manifested in Arthurs right while his left slipped Carnwennan back into its sheath on his back. And then, he launched himself at the monster. The tip of his lance sank into its gut, just below the arm covering the wound with the beast not even bothering to block, then, the world spun around him for a split second before he impacted the wall, bounced off, and bellyflopped onto the ground. What on earth had hit him? Suppressing a groan, Arthur dragged himself to his feet. It took mere seconds, yet he knew that if the monster had wanted to take this as its chance to finish him off, it likely would have. Yet when hed finally risen and was facing it once more, he saw it shoving an arm through the rapidly shrinking gap in the barrier, its bearing practically radiating utter panic while its body, well, it looked worse. Much worse. Flesh that seemed bloodless while its veins seemed to be on the verge of erupting like like something. Earth wasnt agreeing with this monster, thankfully. Arthur grinned and resummoned Rhongomyniad into his hands, having dropped it when hed been hit. Unfortunately, that was when the monster realized that it would not fit inside the remaining hole, turned to face him, and lunged with murder in its eyes. It was fast. So damn fast. He barely managed to get out of the way, he wouldnt have managed to land a counterattack even if hed attempted one, and by the time hed managed to turn around, it was already too close. All he could do was turn with the blow and blunt the impact, again and again, only his armor, System-granted enhancements, and sheer dumb luck keeping him alive. That was when Arthur finally activated [Resurgent Strike], a Skill capable of completely reversing the flow of combat used on the brink of death, causing his lance to slip past the next fist entirely on its own, dragging him out of the path of a giant fist in the process, smoothing striking a point between two of the Formorians ribs and sliding deep into its body. It should have been a fatal blow. But Arthur did not get the chance to learn the true effect of his attack as a split second after the strike had landed, the monster simply dropped dead. Keeled over. Fell amidst a spray of blood from exploded eyeballs and ruptured blood vessels, painting the walls, the floor, and even him black with its gore. Arthur could feel his gorge rise at both the sight and stench, but while he had not seen worse, hed seen enough that came close to control himself. He threw a long look at the portal, making sure it was fully sealed once more, and began the long march to the surface while pulling his (thankfully intact) cell phone from its pocket. Was it possible that the entire affair had not been related to what was happening on Earth right now? Granted, that was a possiblity. But an apocalypse striking the world while otherworldly planes were sealed off and monstrous beast invaded an otherworldly paradise anyone who dismissed those things as being unrelated for the sake being able to sleep at night did not deserve to wear a crown, or call themselves a king. And while Arthur had neither a crown nor held a throne right at the moment, that did not mean he would ever be derelict in his duties. Chapter 51: Face of Evil Fionn, now Fomorians. Now, there was a term he hadnt heard in a long time. It was an old story, much older than even himself. One that even he had believed to only exist in the realm of myth and legend, despite having lived in an age of wonders, and himself having been considered similarly fictional up until quite recently. An idea so old, it had passed out of living memory even for the Fae, remaining the distant darkness looming in their own legends. At least as far as he had been able to glean in the few times hed encountered them, and it hadnt escalated to a fight to the death. That that was very, very bad. The Tuatha de Dannan, the oldest and most powerful beings to ever walk the soil of Ireland, had left the Four Fabulous Cities of Falias, Gorias, Murias, and Finias, bringing their great treasures with them and very nearly lost. On the other hand, it seemed as though at least the Fomorian Arthur had encountered had been within his ability to defeat sort of. Something about Earth had finished it off, something about stepping through that breach in the barrier had killed it, but before that, it had been hurt. Not by much, not to the point where the English ancient was likely to have won, but at least it was not some unstoppable juggernaut possessing absolute might and an indomitable constitution. And that was something to take heart from. If it can bleed, it can die. Even gods have fallen. Arthur might have gone to Glastonbury Tor with a head full of steam, ready to pick a fight with the entirety of the Fae army if that was necessary, but hed come back with vital information. A metallic grinding sound rang out for the third time since theyd sat down in the hotels conference room, shielded by both his own spells and Tristans Skills from eavesdropping. The first time that had happened, theyd all jumped to their feet and prepared to face whatever was coming, but as it turned out, nothing was wrong. Well, other than the fact that that table would have to be replaced now Still, that sound had a now-known and entirely benign source. It was simply Excalibur straightening itself out. By now, it had already largely reclaimed its former shape, still too bent to fit in its sheath but at least it no longer looked like it would fall apart if it was used to cut so much as a single blade of grass. I still want to know why that thing died, Arthur insisted. Is it a weakness to be exploited, or luck I should not count on repeating itself? Fionn noticed Tristan throw him a knowing look, clearly having recalled their earlier conversation. I think even if another Fomorian somehow manages to get through that barrier, it will meet the same fate, Fionn said, after a couple of seconds. The one you encountered used Skills, didnt it? Arthur shrugged. Didnt think about that at the time, but those powers could have been Skills, I suppose. Why? Because as far as I know, anything empowered by the System will lose all abilities in an area without it, and if any of those abilities are intrinsically linked to your bodys normal function, that could be fatal. Correct me if Im wrong, but dont we use the System? Arthur replied, testily. Were still in the initialization phase, Tristan broke into the conversation. And we will only be opened to the enlightened universe after that. The barrier might be a form of initial protection, or Or it could be there to prevent the monsters outside from walking into areas that kill them simply because they entered, Arthur noted. Were safe for now, but we need to get stronger before this year of chaos comes to an end. He stroked his chin for a couple of seconds, then fixed Tristan with a curious, perhaps? look. Allies wouldnt go amiss either. Then, he finally looked at Fionn. And I believe we should start training properly. Not just hunting monsters, but against each other.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Well, if you do, then make sure to write were just training in the dirt nearby, big enough that surveillance satellites can see it, Tristan commented as he rose to his feet. The last thing we need is people thinking their defenders are busier killing each other than protecting them. Anyway, Im off to tell everyone else about what we have to look forward to if we survive the Systems challenges. Need anything else before I go? No, thank you, Fionn said as the young man summoned a portal and vanished through it. Then, he turned back to Arthur and fixed him with a measuring look. So, a spar. Where are we going to set the limits? *** Fionns spear deflected his opponents sword into the ground, then whipped around to slam into the side of Arthurs head, but the former monarch launched himself backwards with enough force to crater the dirt underfoot, but in the place where hed land, an [Earthen Spire] was already rising only to be obliterated by a [Grand Slash], along with a substantial portion of the ground. The very spot Arthur had meant to land on. Fionn sent a [Powerful Gust] after him, turning a salvageable misstep into an awkward tumble that ended with his opponent on his rear, unable to defend himself for a split second, and that was all that was needed. He launched himself after Arthur, rotating the spear so the blunt end was aiming at his chest, only for the mans sword to slam into his spear with even greater power than before shear through, slam into a stone in the dirt and break. Shatter, actually. A second wind spell ensured Fionn didnt land, feet first, on Arthur and then asked Break so we can replace our weapons? Arthur nodded as he rose to his feet, powdery dirt shifting underfoot. Together, the pair of them walked over to the crate theyd set off to the side before they ever started fighting. It had been filled to the brim with the strongest weapons they could find that lacked overly dangerous enchantments and werent irreplaceable. Had. Been. Theyd broken almost half the weapons theyd arrived with already, and barring something happening, they wouldnt be leaving until there wasnt a single weapon remaining. This time, Fionn grabbed a simple sword and a tower shield, a defensive combination he was unlikely to use in a real fight but one he figured hed try, so he could see how well hiding behind a shield to unleash as many spells as possible would work. Because wasnt that why they were here? To train? Arthur, meanwhile, had picked out yet another arming sword that looked to be comparable to Excalibur in length, weight, and all other attributes save sheer deadliness. Fionn decided not to comment, however, if he were in the kings place, he doubted he would be using anything other than a functionally indestructible, near-unstoppable, sword of legend. Though this time, Arthur seemed to have decided to try wielding a dagger comparable to his magical one in his offhand. That would be interesting. *** Arthur The world around him vanished in a blaze of magic, only for his [Resergent Strike] to blast all of it apart. Sadly, his opponent hadnt been close enough to be reached and Fionnd also accounted for his Skill being able to rip apart the first wave of spells, because a second wave of spells came crashing down at just that moment. Between him restricting the power boost from [One Man Army] and his other strengthening Skills and Fionn limiting himself to his weaker spells, Arthur was coming up short, he felt. At full power, he might, at least theoretically, have been able to blast his way even through the Irishmans stronger spells, but as it was, the barrage of lesser attacks was still enough to tie him down. For every step he managed to advance, the wind managed to push him back two, heels digging through the grass now slick with all the water spells that had been a part of that barrage. Not even the Skills hed gained for his new Class were particularly useful. [The Lonely Road] was barely helping, the Skill that was supposed to let him advance in the face of all adversity through sheer force of will, as long as his will didnt falter, he could keep going, yet going wasnt the problem, going forward was. And [One Against the World], well, it told him all about what surrounded him, and warned him off attacks outside his field of view, even when they originated from outside the area he was directly shown by the Skill. But its raining on you, and theres a strong wind blowing from the front wasnt something he needed magic to tell him. His big attacks were on cooldown, using his boosting Skills to a higher degree would have just proven that he could only win with raw power. No, there had to be a way around that That was when [One Against the World] did start helping. Stop, he yelled at Fionn while sheathing his own weapons, which the Irishman immediately did, though before Arthur could explain, he noticed what was wrong on his own. Theyd attracted spectators. They were still at a safe distance, but getting closer. Arthur sighed, and started walking in their direction, with Fionn falling into step with him. Gentlemen, this a dangerous area, please stay back, he announced in his best royal order voice. Hey, we were fine over here, the man in the front replied. You were getting closer, Arthur pointed out. No, we werent, the first man claimed even as a second immediately contradicted him with We couldnt get a good video from back there. Arthur could tell Fionn wasnt being smug or grinning beside him, but he definitely got the impression the mage was quite glad not to be the one dealing with the group of, in modern parlance, looky-loos. Five minutes later, there were even more people there, and the area they could fight in without risking lives was ever shrinking. In the end, they wound up leaving. These modern folks no respect for danger or authority, none at all! Were those stupid phones of theirs actually damaging their users intelligence? Chapter 52: Negotiations I suppose that just means we have more enemies than we thought, Charlemagne finally replied, once I was finished reporting what Id learned. Im guessing you will head off to find more allies? I shrugged and made a so-so gesture with my hand. First, Im going to find the blueprints for some modern defensive technologies, so we can incorporate them into the Untersbergs defenses when you upgrade the fortress. But Ill also be taking that travel as an opportunity to meet with potential allies. Wise decision, Charlemagne nodded. Will you be contacting our ally in the East regarding this issue? Tomorrow, once I have full use of my portals again, I said. He nodded, again, and dismissed me to continue his conversation with Frau Kittel, the castellan, which Id inadvertently interrupted with my presence, so I made my way towards the library. It was a long shot, but I was hoping Id locate something on the Fomorians in there that wasnt easily found on the internet. Sure, the Carolingian Renaissance had focussed on rescuing and replicating classical Greek and Roman texts, not ancient Irish myths that were apparently not quite as mythological as it had first appeared, but it was big. I needed proper information, and neither Fionn nor Arthur had known much beyond theyre big evil giants. Making deductions based on wrong or incomplete information was a fools gambit. Granted, sometimes, it was rather funny what conclusions people drew, like back when Id been five and thought that TV shows were made by the power companies to trick the consumers into using up more electricity. I knew that was stupid, now, but Id been five, and known jack squat about stuff like paid commercials, product placement, and, may it burn in hell, the Rundfunkbeitrag. So, information. Lets find some. *** As it turned out, the ancient magical library did not, in fact, magically contain the exact information I needed. Also, surprise surprise, falling asleep with my face on an ancient book was good for neither the book nor my back. At least [Restoration of the Old] meant I did not have to confess to Charlemagne that Id drooled on a literally irreplaceable manuscript in my sleep and pretty much ruined it. Of course, the book now looked like it had been made yesterday, which made it abundantly clear something had happened to it, but at least it wouldnt be something Id get in trouble over. I hoped. Also, Id slept straight through breakfast, so I wound up portalling straight to Ulaanbaatar, which was several hours ahead of Germany. Which meant that getting breakfast here was unlikely to happen, but I didnt really mind eating food normally meant for lunch or dinner earlier. Though I first dropped by the Government Palace, announced that I had information, asked to be put on the meeting schedule, and got a few phone numbers so I could contact Genghis Khans aide, or some of his secretaries, without having to use a portal charge. The line likely wouldnt be secure, my regular phone certainly lacked the encryptions regular government communications devices had, but [Traceless Communion] let me make any communication not just private, but unnoticeable. Wed actually played around with it to test it, and it worked both in person and over the phone. In person, it was basically a short telepathic message that no one could notice or overhear, which made it perfect for making plans during negotiations without the other party realizing. Letters, meanwhile, teleported, and could not be opened or even seen by anyone save the intended recipient. And finally, phone calls, emails, and the like were impossible to notice, track, or generally know the contents of. But the big restriction for that [Skill] was that I needed to be able to actually contact the person I was trying to talk to for it to work, which meant that I had to get a few phone numbers. Id do so anytime I made diplomatic connections going forward, I really should have been doing so the entire time but hadnt really thought of it thus far. After breakfast, I headed back to the Government Palace since Id been told I might be able to get in at that point, but was sadly met with the dreaded hes not available yet. And the next theoretical slot was a couple of hours from now, so time to find something else to do. Such as visiting the American embassy. Id been, hopefully understandably, fixated on the returning legends. Magic, monsters, ancients. It had been a little overwhelming. But now that this was a long-term issue, one that looked to involve organized warfare, who could I possibly talk to, except the nation with the worlds strongest military, sitting on Earths biggest stockpile of nukes? So I hailed a cab, had it drive me to the embassy, cleaned and repaired my suit one final time, and marched inside. Well, marched was a bit of an over-exaggeration. I walked in with purpose, back straight and hopefully not giving off the impression of being lost, or helpless. I usually managed to pull off the confident look, so far at least, but I still felt nervous every time I did something like this. A guard stationed near the entrance gave me an appraising look, then returned his gaze to the door, apparently having deemed me harmless, for the most part. It was an interesting feeling, normally, I was used to American institutions being secured to the nines, complete with bag checks and metal detectors. Either protocols were more relaxed here, or Skills had replaced the need for technological detectors. Either way, I was glad for it as I walked straight to the reception desk. Ambassador Tristan Vogt, Im hoping to meet Ambassador Smith, sometime today, I introduced myself. Ive met the German ambassador, the receptionist replied flatly. Well, he was right about the fact that I wasnt the German ambassador, but wasnt he being a little bit blunt about this? Not to mention that Id never claimed to represent Germany, was my accent really bad enough to not only mark me as German, but do so with zero margin for error? I sighed. A man whom Ive never claimed to be. So, who are you, then? Like I said, my name is Tristan Vogt, I represent several of the ancients in Europe, I informed the man. Then why arent you visiting an embassy there? I was in the area, I have a meeting with the Genghis Khan later today, I said. Oh, do you know? Okay, now I was starting to get annoyed. Either state what you need me to do to prove my identity, just google my name, or outright accuse me of something. This little skeptic routine was getting on my nerves, even if I wasnt showing it. I can have Charlemagne on a magical video conference right here and now, would that be enough to prove who I say I am? I asked. Granted, I could have done that from the start, but I figured marching in here and immediately whipping out some magic might have been taken the wrong way. Politely introducing myself and providing whatever form of identification was subsequently asked for had worked out just fine so far but it seemed that streak of what apparently just been good luck seemed to have come to an end. At least based on the mans exaggerated eye-roll, loud sigh, and generally hostile attitude. Because I had a sinking feeling that the man before had already made up his mind. Not the first time Id seen that in people who doubtlessly dealt with entitled jackasses all day. Like that one time, ten years ago, at the airport when our plane had been delayed, so wed sprinted for the connecting flight, a domestic one, and reached passport control very early. Before the announcement had gone out that people with our flight would be let ahead in consideration of the delay and that we needed to reach follow-up planes. But when wed backtracked, the lady controlling the line had literally screamed Step back, Sir at Dad, then repeated the line at the same earsplitting volume when hed tried to explain, and again when he tried to show our boarding passes. I understood that people in such a position dealt with individuals who insisted on receiving things they were absolutely not entitled to could be frustrated, and might have a bit of a short fuse after the dozenth, let alone hundredth, such exchange but they still had a job to do. And customers who were yet to earn themselves a tongue-lashing. Understandable, but not excuseable. I even scanned the man with [Piercing Gaze], on the off chance that he was some corrupt official meant to keep out certain people his superiors did not want the US to deal with. But no, as far as I could tell, he was simply in fight mode the very instant he saw an excuse. Oh, the temptation to summon a fireball, not even throw it, just hold it and show the man who he was messing with Yet blowing up would get me precisely nowhere either, it would just prove this guy right and make him stonewall me even harder. I believe your ID would suffice for now, a voice from behind me stated, and I turned to see a woman in a formal, expensive-looking, pantsuit standing there. Her nametag said Jones. And a statement that you arent pretending to be anyone else, of course, she added. I can do that, I replied, reaching into the empty air and withdrawing my wallet, then retrieving my Personalausweis. Then, as I handed it over, I made several statements. My name is Tristan Vogt. That is my ID, officially created and given to me by the Federal Republic of Germany. I do not claim any office of authority not granted to me by those in a moral and legal position to do so. Im not shapeshifting or in disguise. And I am here in an official capacity. I hesitated for a couple of seconds before adding Do you need anything else? If me simply saying Im me was enough for her, Jones had to have some degree of truth-telling ability. Granted, I had no idea how it worked, but I guessed that blunt statements, clearly separated, would likely give the least opportunity for double-speak or general misunderstandings. I was also rather surprised at the fact that such a fantastical ability was so readily used, but then again, it was likely only used to counter the equally fantastical risk of shapeshifting or the like. Jones stifled a chuckle as she handed back my ID. Apparently, Id overdone it. Follow me, please, she said. Ambassador Smith will see you in around fifteen minutes, Im afraid your visit caught us by surprise. Well, that is my fault, I didnt call ahead. I didnt even know Id be visiting the embassy in Ulaanbaatar up until half an hour ago. Why are you here? Jones wondered. This particular embassy, I mean. We were hoping youd contact us in Berlin, maybe Prague or Vienna, they are the ones set to conduct talks with the Ancients The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Time and new information, I shrugged. Thats why Im in Mongolia, and the limitations on my travel Skill make it so that its easier to visit the embassy here. Here we are, Jones said, gesturing to a large door at the end of a long corridor, with a single chair on the side, opposite a window, for visitors to sit on. The Ambassador will be with you in fifteen minutes. Thank you, I said, sat down, and pulled a book from the empty air. Honestly, if this meeting was important enough that the embassies that I was expected to have shown up in had gotten briefings, I doubted the ambassador was busy, it was far more likely that he was getting a last-minute emergency briefing. Or making me wait was a power play, but that was less likely. As for why this was the first I was hearing of this, considering chances were overtures had been made, well, that was only partially my fault. Charlemagne handled all logistics, which included the mail, and whatever had reached him clearly hadnt been deemed necessary enough to pass along. If it was the latter, jokes on them. Because the book Id pulled out wasnt just a spellbook, but a part of a little magic trick in and of itself, as I cast [Lesser Visual Illusion] to create a veil of blurriness and Futhark runes that made the whole affair look far more impressive than a simple set of bound pages that Fionn had thrown ink on. You wanna show me that you can keep me waiting for a quarter of an hour? Well, I have magic. And if there was a legitimate reason? Well, I still have magic, and demonstrating that power should strengthen my negotiating position. Eh not strengthen, but rather demonstrate and drive home the position I already had as the representative of Dietrich, Charlemagne, and the Fianna. Besides, learning magic was as good a way as any to pass the time. Specifically, I was attempting to master [Gust], to gain control of the wind so Id eventually be able to better control [Century Storm], when I could finally cast it. *** I did wind up having to wait around fifteen for my meeting, which put another check in the actually busy column, which was nice. Because petty power games would not have been a good start to what would hopefully be a fruitful, or at the very least amicable, relationship. So when Jones returned, I rose, carefully timing that, the removal of the illusion and the storage of the book to coincide neatly, making it look smooth and natural so the illusion wasnt revealed. Ambassador Vogt, Ambassador Smith is available now, she said and gestured at the now-open door. So I entered to a sight that was honestly quite familiar to me by now, the office of a high-ranking official. They never looked the same in terms of actual, well, appearance, but they were always variations on a theme. An I love me wall of diplomas and certifications, pictures of spouses, children, or families in general, some kind of national paraphernalia as a reminder of where they came from/were, and so on. As for the man himself, well, Smith was a white guy, average height, dark brown hair, as fit as someone with a demanding desk job could be. Not exactly what Id imagine based on career bureaucrat, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary either. Welcome, Ambassador, he said, stepping out from behind his desk. You know, you caught us all by surprise by showing up here, he added as we shook hands. I tried making a proper schedule a few times. Havent had one survive past lunch, I responded with a wry grin. I guess you have to be pretty busy, Jones commented as he sat back down in a chair next to a low tea table, while gesturing at me to take the other one. And only a few seconds later, a side door opened to let in a man carrying a tray with what looked to be coffee, tea, and a few biscuits. Or were those cookies? I knew there was a difference between American and British English there, I just had no earthly idea what. Coffee, tea? the man offered. I just wound up taking a black coffee, which would likely wind up staying on the table until it got cold beyond my first sip, while Jones got a very specific mixture of tea, sugar, and milk that spoke of long-practiced ritual,something he drank often, perhaps even every day. So, may I ask what prompted this meeting? Jones finally asked. We, and by that I mean, Arthur Pendragon, figured out the likely meaning behind opening this world to the enlightened universe part of the Systems first message. At least one other intelligent species is out there, and its first reaction to seeing a human was aggression. Obviously, that doesnt have to be representative of the species as a whole, but Jones sighed. The Council of Ancients is afraid that this might not end after a year. The Council? I asked. Id literally heard the capital letters there. Jones blanched ever so slightly. Thats not what you call yourselves, is it? I shook my head, having succeeded in keeping the smirk off my face. Regardless, I represent Charlemagne, the Fianna, and Dietrich von Bern, though Arthur Pendragon and Joseph, the Golem of Prague will usually assist in major disasters alongside them. And Im here to lay the basis for defending ourselves against potential otherworldly invasions. Because at the end of the day, thats an issue that transcends nationality. Of course, Jones nodded. So, what exactly are you offering, and asking for. Nation Bosses have ways to counter modern weapons, potentially including nuclear attacks, I said. Should one appear in the United States, I am offering help dealing with that, unless there is not a second one rampaging through Europe or Mongolia. And would you like in return, in general terms? Jones asked. Generally? Three things, mainly. Overall support, export licenses for certain military goods that neither I nor Emperor Charlemagne is authorized to purchase at the moment, and, if possible, some kind of legal statement that I can use my teleportation to enter the United States, rather than having to go through customs every time. I mean, I could just ignore customs the way I did in Mongolia but I figured since I had the chance to do it right, Id do that. Asking for permission was a small concession in the grand scheme of things, and might put us in a more amiable relationship. After a long moment, I added Actually, I do have a current travel authorization, I just doubt that randomly teleporting into an airports immigration area would be taken particularly well. Jones sniggered. Yes that would likely cause quite the mess. It should be easy enough to arrange for some kind of waiver to be created for you, and, perhaps, any ancients you might wish to take along? I nodded. That would be appreciated. And what kinds of military hardware would you like to buy? Jones asked. Information, actually, I replied. Blueprints, to be specific. There is a Skill in play that could make great use of them, and were preparing to face the fourth challenge. Jones winced. Once again, that should be possible, though I doubt youll have much luck convincing anyone to part with proprietary information. Thats my problem, I shrugged. What I cant do is make those purchases legally, yet. Thats when things got down to the nitty gritty, the meat of the matter. It was a rather novel experience, normally, I dealt in handshake deals. This was my first complete and complex modern treaty, though between [Legal Grounding] telling me about all relevant laws and [Walking Encyclopedia] ensuring I had the general background surrounding all this, including a surprisingly in-depth look at the American military-industrial complex, and what they offered. I knew I wouldnt retain that wealth of information once this conversation ended, but hopefully, mental notes on which companies I should talk to would stick with me. Also, I could tell that Jones was a little thrown by the fact that I was as comfortable with the legal side of things as I was, and to be honest, the same went for me. But I had a Skill enforcing my poker face. Of course, relying on magical crutches likely wouldnt build me up too well in the long term, someone like Jones, who had most of that information properly memorized and internally would be better, but right now, I had the magic, he didnt. I had every treaty, every precedent, every law memorized, he didnt. And I had [Shifting Point of View] to let me easily know what he was going for, and what he was thinking, while he just had experience to judge me with. Which was useful too, of course, but I still had my magic. So things went decently well, overall, until we reached the topic of spellbooks. And what would it take to receive access to your magical teachings? Jones finally asked. Yeah, I didnt even need [Will of the Sovereign] to know that Fionn wouldnt be cool with that. Hed want to meet each and every person whod be receiving that information. Though it was all besides the point, as hed told me to check in with him before handing out magic anyway. Im afraid that is not within my authority to grant, I said. You would have to take that up with Fionn Mac Cumail. I Jones paused for a moment, clearly unsure, before he finally finished. How would we address him? There are multiple conflicting reports. Fionn is a title, so its acceptable to use as a form of address, though the full Fionn Mac Cumail should be used for the initial introduction, I replied, then kept going through a list of all other ancients and their official forms of address. Like Charlemagne, whose most commonly used name was very much a bastardization of what he was actually called, Karl der Gro?e, Emperor of the Untersberg, at least for now. Eventually, we were done, a treaty was signed, and I headed out to get some food before my next shot at a meeting with Mongolias leader. *** I wound up back outside the Governmental Palace just in time to get a call on my phone informing me that Genghis Khan, being a head of state, was still busy. But my patience was appreciated By now, I was seriously regretting having told Sarangeral that this wasnt urgent, that I just needed to see Genghis Khan today, but had time to spare. Id been trying to be polite, to avoid throwing everyone elses plans and schedules out of whack, but this was taking so much longer than Id expected. And at some point, the time spent waiting here was starting to eat into the time Id been planning to spend in America. Well, actually, Washington DC was thirteen hours behind Ulaanbaatar, so I could leave here at midnight and still arrive at a reasonable hour for meetings, however, at that point, the limiting factor wasnt the local time, but me and my ability to stay awake. After all, my back still hurt from falling asleep in the library, and my sleep schedule in general was completely out of whack. Adding actual sleep deprivation on top of that sure as shit wouldnt be an improvement. I was also seriously debating just teleporting back to the Untersberg and only returning to Mongolia when I had a confirmed meeting, but decided against it. Because it would have used up all four of my teleport charges for the day, including the one Id need to turn in for the night, and that would simply be too much of a waste, all things considered. In the end, though, I just asked for a chair to plant my ass in, and pulled my spellbook back out. Though this time, I relied on [Sensitive Discussions] to obfuscate the writings within, rather than resorting to pageantry. After all, I had promised Fionn not to share it without his permission. Though eventually, the doors opened and Genghis Khan himself walked out, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Have you been out here the entire day? he wondered. I shook my head. I dropped in a couple of times, but I spent the day productively. Come in, he announced, then marched back into his office without even waiting to see if I followed, which I, of course, did. Inside, I gave him a far more thorough explanation of what Arthur had found, the history of Fomorians as Fionn had passed it along, and so on. In the end, he just shrugged. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, but it does not change anything. We have an alliance, and when the Fomorians prove themselves troublesome, we will handle them, simple as that. Now, unless you have anything more you wish to discuss No, thank you, have a nice evening, I said, inclining my head briefly, then I turned and left. [Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 34 -> Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 35] [Capstone Skill gained: Binding Agreement] Wait, that had earned me a Level? I didnt even do anything actually, in hindsight, the Jones negotiation had likely gotten me most of the way there. Anyway, new Skill, was it as good as it sounded?
Capstone Skill: Binding Agreement You gain the ability to forge binding agreements, all agreements must benefit all involved parties and must be fully understood in order to take effect. The spirit of the agreement will be what counts, if it is understood by both. This Skill gains one of the following every 10 Levels: - Ability to trade an intangible - Ability to define a single specific idea so that it will be understood what you mean by it by all parties in all future negotiations (ex: shared understanding of politeness, full definition of the meaning and limits of mutual aid, etc.)
Of course, it failed to say how it would be binding, but it should be provable via experimentation. As for the additions, I actually had a few ideas. First, there was the idea of being able to trade magic. It would remain to be seen how that would actually work in practice, but I hoped it might allow for the transference of magical potential between people. For example, if we could transfer the potential from someone who didnt want to or couldnt stand on the frontlines to someone who would, that could revolutionize things for us. And if we could divide someones potential, and give a bunch of people a small spark of magic they could grow by leveling up the right Class oh, game-changer. My next two choices were much more basic, I chose to fully define Peaceful Coexistence and Good Faith. Being able to encapsulate those ideas in words without having to write multiple-page definitions would make things much easier. It was a bit lazy, perhaps, but it was the choice I made. And once that was done, my first impulse was to turn around, march into Genghis Khans office and ask him to make our deal official, but I squashed that idea almost as soon as I had it. Because he might actually kill me if I did that, seeing as magically prove youll keep your word was just another way of saying I dont trust you to keep your word normally. Sure, if Id had that Skill during the first negotiations, hed likely have been alright with me using it, but walking back in there after the fact not a good idea. I also had the impulse to go back to Jones, but honestly, I had a full, legal, treaty with the US. If someone decided to mess with me, I could eviscerate them in the legal arena unless this happened at some point in the far future, where everyone else had had a chance to catch up in levels. Besides, Id gotten most of what I needed already, that being a free pass to teleport in and walk back out with purchases no regular civilian, certainly not a foreign civilian, should be able to make. So, teleport to the Untersberg, check in with Charlemagne to get a final list of what I needed to buy in America, schedule some actual meetings, and then teleport to Washington DC for said meetings once they rolled around. And between all of that, properly make alliances with anyone I could. Russia and China might not work, considering with how Id already aligned us with America, but wed been aligned with Mongolia before that, which would likely not have been compatible with allying with China, and if China wasnt available, then the US was definitely a better choice than Russia. Anyway, I had plenty to do, and plenty more things that could easily crop up and pile even more onto my plate. But Id deal, just as I had so far. Chapter 53: Washington DC Our treaty might not technically be binding just yet, as the senate was yet to vote to ratify it, however, both the export licenses and my being free and clear to teleport into the country for non-nefarious reasons had wound up being given not as a part of the treaty, but as part of a direct executive order. Which meant that the treaty was just that much more likely to go through, since the biggest sticking point had already been dealt with, and at this point, it was basically pure profit. From that point onwards, it had been a relatively simple matter of teleporting into Dulles International Airport, which Id visited as part of the grand lets shove Tristan onto a plane and fly him around so he can be a better taxi tour that Fionn had sent me off on all those weeks ago. Then, from the airport, I took the metro into the city itself, had a bunch of meetings, and bought all the blueprints we needed. A ton of money, some lesser magical stuff from the treasure of the Niebelungs, and a [Binding Agreement] that their proprietary blueprints would not wind up in the hands of anyone other than Charlemagne made everything rather doable. As for the Skill itself, Mia and I had had a lot of fun exploring its intricacies. It said binding, and the contracts and agreements made with it were that, but only to a degree. They werent truly absolute, sadly. Youd know when you were about to break them, the other contract partner would know if you broke them or even got close, and you were prevented from directly breaking them, gross violations physically impossible, you just couldnt move. But the more indirect a sabotage was, the easier it was to do. Something we hadnt actually tried, for obvious reasons, but was likely to work was deliberately injuring oneself to be unable to complete a time-limited task. And it wasnt like the Skill could interfere overly much there, since many, many, motions allowed one to injure oneself. There were limits to the Skill, after all. It might have said it prevented going against the spirit of an agreement, as well as the letter, but that only functioned as advertised against truly egregious chicanery. In other words, thered been a lot of other stuff wed been able to play around with. Mia and I had simply made a bunch of deals to each make a sandwich for the other, then done our damndest to sabotage them. Outright ruining them by putting laxatives in one, pouring gasoline over the whole affair or similar levels of ridiculous nonsense were simply not possible. Even picking up the offending ingredient wasnt possible when we were in the kitchen, nor could we enter while carrying something like that. Putting stuff on the sandwich we knew the other didnt like, on the other hand, was possible, even when it was specified that it had to be a good sandwich. On the other hand, if it had to be a sandwich meant to be enjoyed by the other person, that wouldnt fly. Also, taking a spiteful bite out of a sandwich prior to handing it over was possible, just very much pushing some boundaries, and the Skill had let me know that. Imagine your very own Jimminy Cricket, if Jimminy Cricket were a horrifying combination of everything youd ever found annoying about anyone else ever, and was harder to ignore than a horror movie scream queen. On the other hand, cutting a sandwich in half and eating one of said halves was perfectly alright, even though it was taking away a much larger part than a simple bite would have. Because, well, while no one wanted a sandwich someone else had already eaten from, everyone liked a good sandwich, right? Even if you only got half? Retroactively, all that experimentation seemed to justify my choices on what to have fundamentally defined within the Skill itself. It said it enforced the spirit of the agreement, but that spirit needed to be shared understanding. Which created a big problem. Because when one party was a sneaky fuck used to seeking loopholes and the other party was more than happy to settle things with a simple handshake deal, someone was going to get taken advantage of But with my selection of Good Faith as something that would automatically be equally understood by everyone involved in a deal, that covered most loopholes. Not all, but plenty. And beyond that, there was one final trick Id only now figured out. The intangibles I could choose instead of clarifying something were transferred by the Skill, directly and immediately, without requiring any input on anyones part. Which meant I could add penalty clauses, something along the lines of if the above stipulations are deliberately undermined and broken, x will be transferred to the injured party. Right now, the worst I could do with that was rip out a magical potential that most people didnt even have, but I could pick something nastier in five more Levels. Another possible penalty clause I could add was something that would permanently put the ultra annoying Jimminy Cricket in someones head permanently, a soft urge to do something they wouldnt want to do. Even if someone managed to outwit the contract, theyd earn themselves a lifetime of maddening reminders of what theyd done. In time, Id likely start brokering deals between and for other parties, after all, my current Class was literally for mediating, but right now, I still played ambassador. And businessman, to a degree. Anyway, right now, I was running around with a contract that had simple monetary consequences as the penalty clause, with [Legal Grounding] making it something to satisfy any lawyer who had to look it over. That approach didnt work all the time, in fact, only worked very occasionally, but between today and the previous two days that had seen me zap around Europe, we had everything we needed. After that, well, my plan had been to take one of the few still-flying planes to head as far west as I could possibly go to unlock a new portal target, but the only available flight had been in the evening which left me with several hours to kill. And while doing so should have been easy in Washington DC of all places, Id failed to account for the monster attack. Anything that could be considered a statue of effigy of sorts had been guaranteed to be animated by the third challenge, which meant that a city full of monuments was near guaranteed to become a city of the dead in short order It hadnt gone quite that badly, but things had still been pretty bad. The Lincoln statue from his memorial in particular had turned out to be a [Raid Boss], with predictable results. The zoological building of the Smithsonian had likewise been utterly gutted, and so on. You know what? I actually had an idea. One I probably should have had much earlier, but that shouldnt matter too much right now.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I fished my phone out, dialed a number, paused to make sure I wasnt calling at an overly ungodly hour, and then, finally, made the call. Jones? Oh, he sounded sleepy, very sleepy. Oh, Id miscalculated that by quite a lot. Its Tristan Vogt, I said. Im in Washington DC at the moment and realized that my reconstruction Skill could fix a lot of this. I was wondering if you could tell me whos in charge of the cleanup effort and maybe speed things up as far as an introduction goes? I only have a few more hours here. I hoped that explaining the time crunch would make him forgive me for waking him. There was a soft sound from the other end of the line that might have either been a yawn or him covering the microphone as he muttered something uncomplimentary. But after that, he sighed and announced Ill make some calls. And while he did that, I slowly walked across the National Mall, starting from Congress and heading towards the collapsed building that used to house the Lincoln statue that was responsible for most of the damage. Incidentally, there was nothing left of the United States Capitol but a pile of rubble. Someone had had the good sense to ensure there werent sessions, meetings, or any other kind of event that would have multiple members of the government in one spot, so the loss of life from that destruction had been minimal, but it was a bad sign. And probably what Id be asked to fix first because right now, a mess of police tape and hazard signs was about as far as the reconstruction had gotten. Heading down from the hill, I walked between the line of museums on either side of the broad grass strip, many of whom were a part of the Smithsonian, and likewise in various states of disrepair, fenced off by construction barriers, police tape both intact and not, and in some places, memorial shrines for those who had been out here on that day, and failed to return home. The Washington Monument did still stand, entirely intact, a vast pillar of seemingly immovable stone reaching for the sky in defiance of the devastation that surrounded it. In its day, it had been the tallest building in the world. Today, it was dwarfed by many, many others, yet it held onto another record, being the tallest structure held together by gravity alone, no mortar on concrete having been required to support it. It had been an awe-inspiring creation in its day and remained as such, but today, it just made me sad. I wasnt sure why, but something about it there, unblemished, surrounded by so much loss I could have stood there for a minute or an hour, I wasnt entirely sure, but eventually, my phone did ring. And as expected, the first question was if I could fix an entire building as big as the random example of the Capitol. So I spun on my heels and turned back the way Id come. *** It was only when I was finished walking up the hill and turned the corner to see an official-looking man waiting with several police officers that I realized I was still wearing my usual t-shirt and jeans, having switched to something more comfortable once the last meeting was done. A quick cast of [Modern Makeover] gave me back my suit and tie, but this time, its use was noticed. That line in the original Jurassic Park it cant see you if you dont move line might have been widely mocked, but its inverse of it can definitely see you if you do move applied to a whole host of species, humans included. Nothing was more attention-grabbing than movement, and having someones outfit completely change in your field of view was so eye-catching I might as well have triggered a road flare. The clear use of magic also made the cops jump, which made me grimace. Why were they here, exactly? Ambassador Vogt? the official-looking man asked. He was an elderly black man, though he still looked perfectly fine. I nodded. Thats me. Sorry about startling you, everyone. No worries, he chuckled softly, looking me up and down. If I could put on a clean and pressed suit at the drop of a hat instead of having to spend the whole day having to avoid crinkling or spilling something on mi- He paused, chuckled, and slowly shook his head. Anyway, my name is Winston Anderson, and Im in charge of the reconstruction efforts. As you can see, theyre taking a while. I decided not to comment as I shook his hand. Instead, I asked him about the cops. All monsters in the area are supposed to be dead, but no ones supposed to be out here without a police escort, he told me. Oh, that made sense. And would have been good to know this morning Then again, I assumed there were warnings somewhere, and Id just missed them. So I just nodded and moved the conversation along. My Skill is called [Restoration of the Old], it can clean, fix, or restore what I use it on, it works better on stuff thats old and/or important. Ive also got references, if youre interested. I used it after the first Nation Boss wrecked Paris and Brussels, to fix the worst of the damage, including putting the European Parliament back together. Anything that was up to code before it got torn down will be up to code after I fix it, I explained. Oh, I was wondering how they managed to keep it intact, Anderson responded. I sighed. No one knows it got trampled, do they? Im guessing a valorous defense was a better story. Probably, I admitted. Charlemagne had been the one to deal with the outside world at the time, Id been on my becoming a better taxi tour. So, is there anything else you need to know or tell me, or do you just want to point me at something to fix? Anderson chuckled. I think Ive heard enough. Its not like me interrogating you is going to make things any better. Youre the one wholl be fixing stuff. And catching the blame if it all collapsed on someones head. At least so went the subtext I thought I heard. I also realized that one of the men Id assumed to be police officers was just wearing a similar outfit, not an actual uniform, and had brought out a camera on a tripod. Ah, Id been wondering why this seemed to have been done in such an off the books kind of manner. Anderson glanced at the camera, saw it was ready, and turned back to me. Um so how does this work? Wave of my hand, I explained. Anderson gestured at the ruins of the Capitol. Can you fix that? I nodded. I was surprised I was allowed to do anything to it, but then again, it could hardly get any more broken than it already was. The Lincoln Raid Boss, whatever its name had wound up being, had torn straight through it and seen the whole thing collapse into what just as easily have been the aftermath of a tornado. Briefly, I gave a glance to the camera, suddenly feeling the gravity of the situation slam into me. Id raised the European Parliament, restored Notre Dame, and negotiated with Genghis Khan. Twice. This shouldnt be as big as it was. Yet, well, it was. I swallowed, stared at the building, slowly raised my right hand, and snapped my fingers. I didnt have to do that, but it was how Id always triggered it. The sound that rang out was crisp, loud, and seemed to echo off the rubble before me as it began to move, the larger chunks of the roof, that had collapsed down after the Raid Boss had torn through the foundation, floating skywards and forming the brilliant white dome that was recognized well beyond the borders of this nation, hovering there as the rest of the Capitol constructed itself beneath it. For a long moment, I was mesmerized by the sight, and out of the corner of my eyes, I could see the others in a similar state and thats when a gunshot shocked me out of my trance. The first gunshot, that was, as an entire barrage followed. I stared at the monster now marching towards us, a statue. Scuffed, cracks running across it, but nevertheless intact enough to still carry the spark of life, a Level 17 fodder enemy that was slowly coming apart under a hail of lead, even as it advanced slightly faster than walking pace. Oh shit. How long had it been under there? I leaped into the air and waved my hand upwards, making sure Id reached as far from the ground as possible. Then, I summoned a portal while taking a couple of steps to the side. The entrance sat flush to the floor, right under the monsters foot. And the exit portal? Well, the bottom edge was little over three meters above the floor. Predictably, the statue pitched forward, vanished into the ground before reappearing overhead before smashing into the ground next to me. That was one less portal I could use today, but I still had two left. One to reach whoever required transporting, a second to bring them to where they needed to be. Sure, I could have opened the other end of the portal over the Atlantic, anywhere the plane that had taken me here the first time had been, but I figured there was a half-decent chance theyd want to be able to put that statue back onto the Capitol once they fixed it up. Well, I guess thats one way to do that, one of the police officers sniggered. But I just stared at the rubble. I had done that. A cheap shot using a full quarter of my daily portals, against a foe not even half my level, but that had been a clean kill of a monster. Not a fight Id barely survived, not one I had to be rescued after, not me dropping napalm onto a monster from behind the walls of the Untersberg. Id had a lot of time to think these past few weeks, and come up with plenty of tricks I could theoretically pull off, but theory wasnt practice. Yet I had managed to translate my idea into reality and and thats when more gunshots started ringing out. There were more, werent there? Chapter 54: Feuertaufe A hurled chunk of rock bounced off my shoulder, a dull pain shooting through me, showing that [Diplomatic Immunity] had only taken the worst edge off. Meaning it hadnt been outright lethal, and that I could tank a couple more hits with the Skill before it stopped working for a time. I whirled around to see that another group of statues had risen from the ground, and was rapidly closing the distance, and seemed to have an unfortunate focus on me, which also meant that pretty soon, Id be between the cops and the monsters. Now there were six enemies bearing down on us, and I only had two portals left, and [Polite Rebuke] hit pretty hard when retaliating against lethal damage, so it might also let me take one down any way I sliced it, the math wasnt mathing. Shit. But I didnt retreat, instead doing a simple sidestep that failed to open the distance even slightly. Then I stayed there, and the nearest statue lunged. So I bitch-slapped it backwards, sending it crashing into one of its fellows that Id made sure to put right behind my target. [Polite Rebuke] really was broken. It was a Skill meant for pushing through crowds, gently brushing aside others, but both its power and cooldown scaled to the level of offense given and you couldnt get more impolite than trying to kill someone. And given that Id hit the monster as it swung for my face yeah, get fucked was an apt summation of what had just happened. Granted, if Id hit a human like that, let alone one with a physical Class, they likely could have still gotten back up. But as tough as stone was, it was also brittle, cracking rather than bending, and those two statues went to the ground in enough pieces that even a higher-tier version would have lost its animating spirit. If this had been a movie, that achievement would likely have been followed by a long silence, but this was real life. If the cops stopped firing in a situation like that just because someone did something impressive that could have ended badly. Someone may or may not have shouted something or sworn, but if they did, I didnt hear. Guns were loud. I turned to the target they were concentrating on, [Fireball] already manifesting in my palm, but it was already falling over like a felled tree, head finally having come apart under the hail of bullets. Instead, I flicked it at two statues that were standing too close to each other even as they began swiftly walking in my direction, where it detonated with a dull boom, sending them stumbling but not achieving too much besides that. A few more cracks ran across them, but that was all and between having to cast the spell and paying attention to where I was standing relative to the people with teh guns, Id overlooked the third and final remaining statue which grabbed onto my wrist and began to squeeze. And pull. Heh. If it had just squeezed, Id have been screwed, but now now, I could get out of it, using the most unlikely of spells. [Modern Makeover]. My wristwatch, one Id made sure to be made completely of metal, switched wrists and turned into a band beneath the monsters grip, flush to my skin, forming a barrier there. And above that, the cloth was piled high, leaving me in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts while there was suddenly a mass of cloth between my wrist and the living statues hand, which it suddenly found itself pulling on instead of, well, me. So I yanked my hand free, took two steps back, and used my third portal charge to dump it onto the remains of the first one Id wrecked with this trick. It, of course, shattered into a dozen different pieces while I restored my clothing into something slightly more dignified, which wound up looking like regular everyday clothing. Which left me with the last two, which were already running at me, which made them quite a bit faster than walking speed but well below how quickly I could move at a dead sprint. But there were others closer. They were fixated on me. So I did the obvious. I ran. Not to the cops to hide behind them, not in the opposite direction of the statues to get as far from them as possible, but towards a very specific target. The trail of devastation the Lincoln Raid Boss had torn included a series of deep footsteps in the space before the Capitol, and I ran along them, occasionally glancing over my shoulder to make sure they were still following. Perfect. Thats when I cast [Lesser Visual Illusion] at the floor, covering the entire area of foot-shaped craters. I couldnt cover an area like that with anything realistic, but I didnt have to, considering that a flat, grey expanse flush with the undamaged ground would. I didnt need a perfect illusion, I just needed something to make the holes impossible to see. The statues might be smart enough to not step in the hole when they were visible, but as far as I knew, they would be as likely to stumble into the invisible craters as humans were, now. If Id been in place of the statues, Id have gone around the area, but the statues apparently thought otherwise. One [Fireball] manifested in my left hand while I extended my right at the nearest chunk of rubble and telekinetically pulled on it, causing it to start sliding towards me at slowly increasing speeds as the fire grew. The orb of flame was flicked into the nearest monsters face, making it stumble, but still not managing to do much damage. Then, its foot went through the floor and went sprawling, so I flicked my hand left and dropped the pulling spell, causing my projectile to fall and slam into it.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. My initial idea had been to pull that chunk over and then throw it while enhancing it with [Lesser Telekinetic Push], which was still boosted for being my favored spell, but this worked too, even better than expected. Since the fall had damaged the statue enough that the next impact made it break apart. Thats when I saw one of the cops waving, and ran to the side so that they wouldnt hit me if they missed the statue while summoning a [Fireball] in each hand. The spell had some concussive power to it, but not much, and besides, explosions hit harder in enclosed spaces, something them splashing off the surface of the statues was the exact opposite off. Still, I flicked them at the monster, resolving to learn [Force Punch] the next time I had the time. But the next time, I only summoned one ball of flame while using the telekinetic spells to push or pull at the monster, trying to unbalance it, making it as hard as possible to rapidly advance while we were peppering it with fireballs and bullets. Though in the end, it was the statue itself that dealt the final blow as it tripped over the edge of another crater, fell, and broke in half. Well that was a little anti-climatic. But Id won. Heh. Id actually won. With help, obviously, but that help hadnt come in the form of an ancient legend made flesh capable of obliterating my foes with their pinkie, but ordinary people. People like me. I started to laugh. It wasnt anything normal, neither a chuckle a belly laugh, or anything in between, but a wheezing, incredulous sound that I hoped no one heard. Which was likely what actually happened, given how far apart we were standing. From their perspective, I was probably just standing there with a wide grin on my face, vibrating slightly. Until I eventually managed to get myself back under control [Class Evolution: Myth(ical) Mediator Lv. 35 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 36] [Skill Boost gained] only to immediately lose said control when the System announced that Id reached my fourth Class, which turned out to be the first one that didnt come with two Skills right out of the gate. Though a Boost was always welcome, and improving my spellcasting might make the next fight so much easier. So [Arcane Core] was where it went.
Your mana pool is deepened, dual-casting of complex spells is streamlined, two separate well-known spells of high complexity may be cast at the same time.
And with that done, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm myself back down. You alright? Anderson called out. Fine, I shouted back before I opened my eyes and walked back to where Id been when the mess had all started had it really only been a minute or so ago? It had felt longer. Much longer. But when I went through it all in my mind, replaying it a couple of times, yeah, it had been a minute, maybe two, since the second group of statues had revealed itself. Still, danger messing with your perception of time was nothing new, unlike the fact that I had, apparently, become a monster magnet. Hey, Im trying to figure out why they went right for me. Is anyone elses Level over twenty? I asked. If someone was, I could always ask if anyone was over thirty, and if no one had reached that point yet, it would give me a useful glimpse of the levels of those who didnt flit from flashpoint to flashpoint, poking their noses into the greatest of disasters even if their actual contribution to solving them was small. No one did. Which threw up another question: was it the level difference that had caused the statues to focus on me, or had I crossed some invisible threshold that the ancients had been enough when they emerged into the modern world, and that hadnt been obvious because these were the first monsters Id run into since that point without someone stronger around? So that was the difference in advancement between a professional who often had to fight when monsters showed up, vs someone who was always involved in a fight but only peripherally. In other words, fighting beget power even when one could gain Levels otherwise. Oh that was not going to end well. If conflict gave levels, then deescalation was against everyones interest from a power point of view, creating a, well, conflict of interest. Because conflicts of interest were more than just something that led people who were already evil astray. No one was above them, sadly. The conflict would always remain in the back of your mind, reminding you of what you could gain if you made an otherwise wrong choice, and even those who resisted temptation might hesitate for just long enough for something to horribly wrong. No, I did not expect cities to become the Wild West, where cops never tried the peaceful route and always wished things to escalate to the greatest possible degree so they would give the greatest rewards after being resolved. Most people, in most situations, wouldnt go anywhere near that far. But some would. And that would make the world a worse place. Well, that escalated quickly, one of the police officers commented, staring at the remains of the wrecked statues. Im guessing thats the first and only time youll be fixing something? Anderson asked. Im on cooldown, I told him. It was shorter than Id expected, at little over seven hours, but still too long for me to wait out and still expect to catch my flight, especially now that I was hoping to hoard my final portal in case of emergency, the general gist of which I passed along to Anderson. But if Im about to visit again, Ill give you a call, and you can tell me if theres something in need of an instant fix. I left for the airport via the nearby Union Station soon after that, but not without gathering several phone numbers and contacts for the future, which meant Id likely be able to avoid bothering in a whole other timezone again. After a fairly long metro ride, and an even longer journey through the airport, I finally found myself on the plane only to be told that we had a technical issue that had to be resolved. Which then turned out to be unfixable an hour later, and so on and so forth. Blech. Still, I counted today as an absolute win. Earned some brownie points, proved to myself that I was, at the very least, not totally useless in a fight, and had gained a Level. And it had given me another good idea, one I really should have had earlier, though I wasnt sure when Id have had found the time to execute it. Offer to rebuild vital infrastructure in exchange for a meeting with some high authority or other. Once again, Id have to actually take the time to do so, but if I found myself with the ability to execute this plan and there was a place where I represent three Ancients wouldnt get my foot in the door, maybe this would. Then again, if my status failed, my abilities were unlikely to make much of a difference either. Anyway, Id show up in California in the morning, make my way into LA, and walk around it right before the point where daily Skills reset and use my final portal to return to the Untersberg. Or maybe the magic academy. Somewhere with friends and allies. Chapter 55: Rising Lintong District, China Magic was mysterious, magics return had been unexpected, no one could predict what magic would do. Mostly. Because sometimes, it was abundantly obvious what would happen. Such as when a world-famous collection of statues remained mere statues when anything else that even remotely resembled a living being came to life. At that point, one did not need the power of prophecy to foresee what would happen in the near future. Yet the precautionary destruction of these priceless heirlooms would have been troublesome, at the very least. Which was why precautions had been taken. Countless lines of mines and shaped charges of the antimaterial variety, artillery batteries stationed at the very edges of their effective ranges, eternally dialed in to ensure that if one of those statues so much as twitched, it would be reduced to powder in a heartbeat. An entire battalion specially equipped with antimateriel rifles and powerful grenades stood guard. And finally, flight paths for missiles carrying a nuclear payload had already been calculated. If something went wrong, it wouldnt stay that way for long. It would simply cease to exist. At least that was the plan yet when the Earths second Nation Boss rose, it proved to be far beyond the first one.
Tomb of the God Emperor (animated tomb), Level 45 Nation Boss
Even as explosives shattered the statues nearest to the outside, clay spears began to fly at speeds that nearly matched bullets, only to detonate into lethally sharp shrapnel at the moment before impact, ripping apart the defending soldiers or intercepting incoming artillery shells. Fifteen minutes after the tomb had awoken, there were no living guards remaining, the survivors having evacuated.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. And twenty minutes after the emergence, the first nuclear missile was on final approach, only for a lance of quicksilver to lash up from the ground, ripping clean through from well over a mile away, annihilating not just the guidance system, but also the engine and the warhead itself. Then, it retracted, leaving a ruined and useless radiation-spewing slab of metal to come crashing down into the countryside. A second missile met the same fate a quarter of an hour later, then a third. But the fourth detonated overhead, a tremendous wave of fire and fury washing over the uncaring army below, shattering many that had already been damaged, and cracking some that had previously been intact. A more effective attack than any of the previous had been, more than all of them put together, in fact. Some mushroom clouds rose at a distance of a few miles, warheads having detonated against the ground, other missiles were used as devastating airburst rounds yet the unfeeling, uncaring, unliving army continued to march in spite of the ceaseless bombardment. *** Temujin It seemed that Chinese historians had turned him into some kind of horrifying monster, a beast that slaughtered pregnant women to bathe in the blood of their unborn babies or something equally pointlessly horrifying, with a dash of primordial evil to boot. Which was why he was quite understanding that his proffered hand had been slapped away, they were simply too scared of him to accept his help. Even though whatever he could do, were he inclined to go back on his word, would be infinitely less damaging than what their little Nation had already been doing for the better part of twelve hours. He just shrugged, bade the Mongolian ambassador to Beijing goodbye and hung up the phone. Their loss. Theyd eventually wind up in such a terrible state that theyd accept his help, or theyd be destroyed to the point where they could no longer object to the international community asking him to help, bleeding hearts that they were. Or the monster would march onto Mongolian soil of its own volition. Either way, hed just gather his horde on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar and when that time came, [Instant March] would transport them to the intended field of battle. Until then, hed spend this time watching the Nation Boss, observing, learning. *** President Lane When the Nation Boss rose, it wasnt a message that warned him, a panicked aide running into the situation room he was pretty much living in nowadays, or one of his Skills informing him of a disaster hundreds or thousands of miles away. No, he knew something big had happened because the ground shook, and cracks began to spread across walls that should have survived an A-bomb going off above him. But all the other ways he could have found the same information blared to life a couple of seconds later, letting him know just what had happened. Most of the National Mall had become a monster. Chapter 56: Keeping Promises The call came at a rather inconvenient time, as Id only just managed to get in a position where I could talk to Merlin, ask for advice on what my new Class might mean for me, perhaps even share some experiences. Hed taught me much of his etiquette knowledge in the past, but beyond that hed been the power behind Arthurs throne, powerful and influential without becoming a threat, or even being perceived as the faintest shadow of one. And maybe, just maybe, I could lay my hands on some more spells? But then, my phone rang and I looked down at it, seeing that it was a known caller while [Piercing Gaze] informed me of the fact that the displayed contact was real, meaning the number wasnt being spoofed. The American Embassy in Berlin, the entity Id been advised to contact for future dealings. Probably so that the next time I popped up in an embassy, it wouldnt be a completely random one, or maybe to spare Ambassador Jones sleep, considering how far ahead Ulaanbaatar was in terms of time zones. Tristan Vogt, Ambassador to the Untersberg, I announced as I accepted the call. The National Mall has turned into a Nation Boss, I have been asked to formally request your aid, especially considering the high density of civilians would prevent most countermeasures even if the monsters defenses do not neutralize them. In addition, well, he trailed off. I sighed internally. Breathe in, breathe out, dont be snarky. youre trying to ascertain whether the lack of ratification can be looked over since its going to be hard to have the senate sit in session with a Nation Boss less than a hundred meters away? I finished for him, managing to keep my tone even. I heard a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line, followed by a sigh. We will help, however, there will be a certain expectation of the treaty going through after this is over. If it isnt well, thatll be our loss, and lessons will be drawn from that. Translation: youve got the opportunity to screw us, but if you do, going forward, we wouldnt piss on you if you were on fire. Though if he hadnt hinted at the issue, I wouldnt have mentioned or even referred to it. Help for fellow human beings in a situation where we needed to hang together or hang separately wasnt contingent on getting anything back. Aside from maybe an absence of backstabbing, though that was more of a generally expected societal norm. But with us being on the verge of signing a treaty that would guarantee the thing we were already doing the potential for BS was there. Thank you, the ambassador replied. So, where do you need reinforcements? What about a command center? And is Union Station clear? Unio- I believe so, why? Because it was nearby, it was a place I had been, and I could teleport there. Something I sincerely doubted went for whatever wound up being the command center. A place I could retreat from to go look for where I needed to be for the sake of coordination but everyone else could jump straight into combat from was probably the optimal choice, in that case. Because we need somewhere safe to travel to. Find out, please. A particularly cynical part of my mind warned me that telling us it would be fine when it definitely wasnt would seem to be a great idea to get us all killed to anyone unaware of the particulars of my teleportation, but I ruthlessly squashed that idea. Wed be careful, and take a couple of seconds to look through the portal before marching through as a general precaution, but diving down the rabbit hole of paranoia right here, on the eve of battle was just plain dumb. My phone buzzed with a another caller is attempting to reach you, would you like to hang up your current call warning, accompanied by Fionns caller ID, but I pressed that away, then contacted him via [Ambassadorial Authoritys] face time function. Nation Boss in Washington, on the phone with the American authorities now, Ill portal you here when youre ready, I rattled off while covering my phones microphone. Please open the portal in the schools lobby in five minutes, he replied. Though theres a second Nation Boss in China that we may be invited to deal with. Then he turned away from the screen to keep doing whatever he was doing. He couldnt hang up from his end, but that was about it. We should be ready to make the jump in ten minutes, I spoke into my phone. Ill call you in nine minutes, I need to know if Union Station is still standing by then. I can do that. And with that, the ambassador hung up, leaving me free to dial up Merlin while contacting Dietrich via my Skill, warning him that I was about to teleport him and Mia back while using [Ambassadors Instinct] to guide the portal. Nation Boss, Washington DC, we are reinforcing, Merlin announced the instant he picked up. Can you open a portal to the base of Big Ben? I can to the fence just outside it, I replied. Do that in eight minutes please, I will call when I am there with the others, Merlin announced and hung up. Well, that was easy. And had, ironically, given me the perfect reason to make sightseeing a productive and potentially even necessary activity, since guiding people outside the range of [Ambassadors Instinct] to landmarks so I could teleport them would make things so much easier. Of course, I still needed to find the time to do so but if I did, Id be doing that while learning magic in the back of taxis and the like. Mia and Dietrich marched through their portal, which Id opened next to me, while I was busy armoring up, which basically boiled down to strapping on as much armor as I could, then using [Modern Makeover] to shift everything into something I could actually move in. So, Nation Boss? Mia asked. How bad is it? I shrugged but pulled up the first breaking news story Id found, then showed it to her. Holy shit, she commented, then ran off in the direction of the armory with a cry of Be right back! Let us hope the same strategy as last time works, Dietrich commented, looking over my shoulder. Lets, I said. Dietrichs [Sword Art: Titansplitter] had reliably been able to force the previous Nation Boss to sacrifice one of its cores to prevent itself from being cut apart. If this thing had cores too, then hed instantly be able to destroy the first, and another one every half an hour after that, since the sacrifice also artificially extended the offending Skills cooldown. Then, he turned towards the throne where Charlemagne was sitting, for once, illusionary pages and battleplans floating around him. His [Focus of Power] was a new Skill, and it had let him empower his throne so that it boosted the range of his abilities when he sat on it. Normally, he preferred to stay on his feet, walking around the planning table with whatever aides were helping him that day, or running around with one earphone in while doing something that did not require his full concentration yeah, since hed discovered all the various texts that were available on audiobook nowadays, hed basically been lost to us when he was off the clock, or at least as off the clock as he ever got. Will you be coming? Charlemagne shook his head. I shall remain here, there is no help I could offer there that I could not also offer from here. Yeah that new Skill was bordering on the overpowered. His strength may lie in logistics and discipline, not direct attack power, but that did not change the fact that he was devastatingly strong. I just went back to scrolling through my phone, trying to find out as much as I could about the Nation Boss, then opened a portal to Fionns academy at the allotted time to let in him, the Fianna, and half the student roster. Tristan, could you teach your strongest attack spells to ever- Fionn began, but I cut him off. I can teach a smaller number of spells to everyone in ten meters. After all, I knew he couldnt read the System the same way he could everything else, and that Skill upgrade was new. Do that, then, he said. Tele- and terrakinetic spells. [Lesser Telekinesis] and [Terrakineis], then. The former was a new acquisition, which allowed me to freely use telekinesis at low power, and the latter was one Id gotten a while ago for building purposes. Id also learned the stronger spell [Telekinetic Push], which hit harder but, much like the weaker [Lesser Telekinetic Push], only worked in one direction, away from me. Id like to wait until Mias back, I said, and he nodded, then went over to Charlemagne to talk. Three minutes after that, I opened a portal to the street outside the Palace of Westminster and was surprised to not only see Merlin and Arthur march through, but also Vice Admiral Drake. It must have shown, because he took a second to state some of my skills work with the military in general before looking around the room. Were about to rebuild this entire place from the ground up, I told him, feeling a little defensive about the fact that we were basically still living in a magical medieval castle with the occasional bit of technology lying around, as though this were a movie set and some dopey intern had left their phone lying in full view of the camera. In fact, the only thing that was left to do before Charlemagne reshaped the mountain was to get some more resources, metals not found in the Untersberg and various plastics and the like for electrical insulation, as well as crossing some I-s and dotting some T-s on the blueprints.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Wed meet the fourth challenge guns blazing, even if things were only a tenth as effective and the enemies twice as powerful as expected, wed still fuck them up in short order. Mia showed up at that point, and I used [Knowledge Transfer] before making a call to ensure that Union Station was still standing. I only had one portal left today. That was also why the Golem of Prague couldnt join us, but it meant that if this portal didnt work, wed be hours late to the party since we had to take a plane. Apparently, it was. So I opened a portal, took two seconds to make sure it was clear, and walked out behind everyone else, obviously. I wasnt an idiot. The iconic train station was still mostly intact, somehow, but what damage there was had taken the form of cracks in the walls, floor, and columns, as well as chunks of rubble that had fallen at some point. Something more commonly associated with earthquakes, rather than monster attacks. You have the directions for the command center? Drake asked. I nodded, and started to walk off. Normally, this would have all been coordinated through the Pentagon, at least near as I could tell, but that particular building was less than two kilometers from the site of the battle, and based on the single historical example currently available, that put it very much in the line of fire. A problem that went doubly for the White House, which was even closer. Instead, the directions wed been given were towards a nearby jeep which was supposed to transport me, and now Drake too, I supposed, to the actual command center. The Capitol, which had somehow escaped completely intact so far, blocked our view of the boss itself, but I still caught sight of a thrashing tentacle of grass and dirt as it rose above the buildings, allowing me to see its name.
Rebellions Legacy (animated parkland), Level 45 Nation Boss
Well it seemed the System had taken a very dim view of American independence, based on that name. Not that bad, considering all the monsters it had hurled at us thus far, but still adding insult to injury. A crimson streak came shooting down from the sky, hammering into the ground with an impact I could feel from here, followed by a weird cracking and tearing sound that had been Gae Bolg, hadnt it? The barbed spear which grew countless spines through its victims body? Oh, that would be a pain to get out, since each and every spine needed to be dug out before the weapon could be retrieved. Well, knowing Fionn, hed help if not outright do it himself. But seeing the legendary weapon used this early was a sign of just how serious this was. And how far I still had to go. *** Fionn Carried skywards by the wind, he hung above the battlefield, where a two-kilometer stretch of parkland lined by old buildings had transformed into a roiling mass of fury and lethal intent, while ghostly soldiers from half a dozen different eras marched from the churning Earth, from spots that Charlemagne was already highlighting via his Skills as holding cores, identified by Dietrich. There were six. Five of them were mobile, constantly in motion, and near-impossible to accurately strike, but the sixth, the final, lay beneath a white spire that rose in a circle of undisturbed grass. So he made a choice One likely would not fix things completely, but should help massively. A mental nudge in the direction of the communications Skill connecting them directed Charlemagne to initiate one of their plans. Down below, a sword manifested in Dietrichs hands, flashed through the air and a line of energy sprang from its tip, carving through the ground as though it were mere air, threatening to split the Nation Boss in half. But before it had gone even a third of the way through, the blade of light splintered, coming apart at the same time as a part of the monster seemed to still. So sacrificing the once-daily ability to copy a weapon to use Excalibur for this had been a good idea. Bisecting a dirt monster would likely not have done much, and the cores likely would have been able to dodge the [Sword Art] as it was right now. But now, at least a tenth of the monster was fully immobilized, only dragged along by the rest of its body. A crimson lance manifested in Fionns hand, malevolent energy already tinging the air as he scanned the area below. He needed to get Gae Bolg in a spot where it would pin the monster in place, and also restrict the movement of cores. So, where to put it the wound struck by Excalibur remained open, and when the monster had sacrificed the core, the area closest to it had been completely paralyzed. That sword, it might not have been overly damaging, not beyond a normal supernatural sword, at any rate, but its ability let it do damage to anything and everything, regardless of what logic and the laws of nature said. Which meant that the monster was quite narrow in that spot, and if the bone tree Gae Bold turned into was planted there The ancient cursed spear flashed downwards like a streak of lightning, pushed onwards at ever-growing speeds as Fionns Skills and magic until it hammered through the ground like a hot knife through butter. For a brief moment, nothing happened. And then, the very Earth itself seemed to go berserk. Any building within a couple of hundred meters that had still been intact up until this point crumbled, destroyed from the quakes alone, and a dust storm was starting to rise around it but it was not simply the result of the destruction, no, that would have been too simple, too ordinary. No, this dust was rising into the air under the force of the monsters sheer fury, creating a storm that blocked sight, deflected vision, and tore the flesh from anyone who so much as touched it. Not that it would overly threaten the likes of Dietrich, Arthur, or Ogier, but the lower-levelled soldiers now needed to keep their distance or die horrific deaths in a matter of seconds. *** Tristan Drake and I stepped into the command post in the middle of a I honestly wasnt entirely sure what to call it, but an extremely stressed general was obviously struggling with the impulse to punch something as he glared at the screens and his underlings were trying to figure out a way around the sandstorm that intercepted what attacks managed to bypass the anti-artillery protections. Apparently, hand-thrown grenades, grenade launchers, plastic explosives attached to rocks it was all dashed to pieces or, worse, hurled back at those who threw them. And things werent looking much better for the small, lightweight, artillery that had been set up either. According to Charlemagne, they were beneath the notice of the defenses, but that also left their shells vulnerable to the sandstorm. The sandstorm What would be worse, that sandstorm, or a torrential rainfall trapping all that soil and opening the field of fire? In hindsight, I should have made a choice here, either kept it to myself, or asked it out loud and with confidence. Not this quavery suggestion. And beside me, I could feel Drake practically radiate disapproval. Though the general was the one whose reaction I dreaded the most. As he turned towards us, I could see the name visible on the front of his uniform. General Collins. Somehow, his name had failed to come up in the rushed conversations across the last few minutes. Is that supposed to mean anything? he asked in an even tone, though I got the feeling that hed much rather have yelled that. Are you asking a hypothetical? Because this is not the place for idle conversation. I swallowed. Yep, that was exactly the reaction Id been afraid of. Deep breath in, deep breath out, speak with confidence No, that was a genuine offer. Say the word, and Ill create a localized thunderstorm with enough rain to ground the sand. How quickly can you disperse it? the general asked. Completely disperse? A couple of minutes. But I can stop the lighting much more quickly, I replied after a brief moment of consideration. He nodded. Good. Do it. And with a grin that I wasnt able to fully wipe off my face even with [Innate Etiquette], I cast [Century Storm]. An immense, overwhelming, inexorable power burst forth from my [Arcane Core], tearing its way free and blasting off towards the sky, with the only reason the building was still standing being that they remained metaphorical until they took their rightful place in the heavens, solidifying, becoming real. Black clouds began to gather, and if one did not look at the surrounding sky, one might imagine that day had turned to night. And even if one did see the clear patches of sky, those clouds seemed to ooze malevolence, being harbingers of not merely bad weather but a storm of downright apocalyptic proportions. Then, the first raindrops began to fall, each the size of a marble and with enough force behind it that anyone they fell one would wonder whether it had truly been water that struck them, or if it had in actuality been a nut or something similarly hefty that had fallen from a nearby tree or roof. And finally, the first lightning bolt struck, a jagged white line of pure energy that split the world as it tore its way down from the heavens and hammering into the tip of the white stone obelisk that sat in the center of the Nation Boss. The sandstorm writhed beneath the hammer blows of falling rain as though in pain, as though it were a living creature being drenched in acid. As Id guessed, the sand and dust wasnt actually a part of the monster, but rather, a spell effect, and the muddy mess currently falling back down to earth was clearly beyond its ability to levitate. It was an idea Id had when Id remembered passing construction sites who were spraying water on something they were working on so they wouldnt choke everyone nearby with dust. Of course, Id also warned my allies before Id even started casting. And while Fionn could obviously have done it too, and had a much larger mana pool to boot, it was still finite. And [Century Storm] was something that could be cast at a distance, so if it could be established that it would not interfere with whatever the military was planning, then it would fall to me to cast the spell. Not bad, the general said, then started barking orders. An aide ran into the room at that, looking more than a little shell-shocked. China just launched the fourth nuclear strike at their Nation Boss, she reported. And? General Collins asked, suddenly extremely apprehensive. It also failed, the aide reported. The weapon has to be detonated at so great a distance that the monster can easily weather the impact. Collins dismissed her, turned back to the wall of screens, and leaned on the table, and hung his head. Oh thank God he sighed. I wasnt sure if anyone else heard him, but I did. And I couldnt blame him. Having the nuclear option be off the table when the fight was taking place in a major metropolitan area Major General Collins, can I introduce you to Vice Admiral Drake, Royal British Navy? I asked, taking the lull in the chaos to announce who my companion was, who had just been standing there awkwardly. Well, not awkwardly, hed practically radiated calm competence and endless patience, but we were still standing in the middle of the room, fairly uselessly. I am not here to take command or otherwise interfere, this is your arena and these are your men, I am only here because there are certain boosting Skills I can provide that require my presence to take effect. All I need is a chair somewhere out of the way, Drake added. Thank you, Collins said, then gestured at an empty chair sitting against the wall. We also have information on the monsters weaknesses, I said as I stepped up next to the general and began sharing the information, though I was still more than aware of the Vice Admirals presence. That had been weird. Id barely spent an hour with the man, all told, and that was across multiple days, but between the impression Id gotten and what Id read in the history books, I hadnt pictured him as the kind of man content to sit in the corner while others fought. Yeah, something was going on, I just wasnt sure what. *** Drake Oh, the kid had seen right through him. Ah, who cared? It wasnt like what he was doing was bad, nor would interfere it with what everyone else was doing. They had a saying nowadays, better lucky than good. And Drake didnt disagree, fortune could deliver victories even the greatest displays of power and strategic brilliance couldnt hope to reliably bring about. Yet luck was a fickle mistress, as likely to help you succeed as she was to doom you to a miserable death from sickness on the tail end of a miserably unsuccessful raid against the Spanish holdings in South America. Which made his ability to subtly tip the scales all the more valuable, if not downright overpowered, as one might say. Being named the [Reckless Admiral of Fortune] was quite the condemnation, as far as most people were concerned, but he wore it proudly, and used his powers for all they were worth. [Shared Fortune] to ensure luck would always be on the side of those fighting on the frontlines, [Sling of David] to empower everyone struggling against an overwhelmingly powerful foe, [Current Sense] to understand what was happening despite the distance to the battlefield, and finally, [The Hand of Lord Fortune] to directly intervene. The System had, quite literally, made him the arbiter of luck itself after he had heaped every Skill Boost hed ever earned onto [Directed Fortune]. All of his Skills were powerful, yet this one could change the course of history and never be noticed, not even once. Also, enemies dying due to actual bad luck was never not funny. Francis Drake just leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and smiled as the Nation Boss day went from bad to oh so very much worse. Chapter 57: Sundered Fionn Luck. It could fell the greatest warrior, or allow the most untalented dunce to rise to glory. And it was a fickle force one could never rely on. Yet in this battle, and this battle only, it seemed to be entirely on their side. Soldiers tripping out of the way of attacks, the phantoms unleashed by the Nation Boss stumbling straight into bullets, the not quite 100% controllable lightning bolts from Tristans storm suddenly and obviously a lot more accurate, far more abruptly than simply practice would have explained. And the same effect seemed to extend to every other situation that came down to fortune, rather than skill. Though was it really luck when an intelligence was guiding it? Either way, the battle was currently in something of a holding pattern. The Nation Boss earthen limbs were lashing out in a never-ending staccato of blows that caused the ground to tremble. Yet many were blocked, Ogier and Conn were mostly responsible for that, though Ossians magic likewise helped. Though at the same time, they werent making much headway either. Gae Bolg might have pinned the monster in place, like a butterfly in a collection case, but killing the beast was a whole other issue. And there were still buildings collapsing from the shockwaves of the never-ending impacts of the boss attacks. Dietrich threatening to cut the monster in half was unlikely to work again, considering how it could repair injuries, which meant hed have to strike a core directly to make it stick. The only one who was managing to do more than disrupt the monsters form was Arthur, obviously. A [Grand Slash] with Excalibur had left behind a crater that remained even minutes later, but other than that they were fighting dirt. They needed to they needed to stop it from moving. Dirt could freely flow around and reform, but a solid block could not. Melt it? No, it was raining, and even if it werent raining, theyd have a dust storm to deal with, and using fire to turn the ground into volcanic glass would result in a titanic explosion. Hm how about a little alchemy? He hung there in the air for a long moment, mana pool spiraling slowly but steadily down to fuel the winds keeping him aloft, Gae Dearg clutched in his left hand, ready to be hurled at any target that presented itself, while hed stuck his right thumb into the corner of his mouth. Could he turn the dirt into concrete and then rapidly harden it using fire magic? Apparently not. So, what did modern people use to harden the earth? Polyurethane foam stuck together rocks in some places, quicklime or fly ash could stabilize the ground in places there were options. Not ones that would be quick or easy, and far from all would be useable here, but they existed. Tristan, use all the lightning left in the storm, then cut off the rain, Fionn ordered, knowing the message would get passed along, then let himself fall down to the ground to search for what he needed. Nothing hed found out about would normally work in conditions like this, but then again, he had magic. And hed heard its dominance of the laws of physics and logic, in general, be described rather creatively. *** Dietrich Mimung ripped through another spectral soldier with ease, as though it provided less resistance than even air, vanishing as though it were a mere mirage. It could have been the dozenth, or the hundredth, he genuinely no longer knew. Nor did he really know how long he had been here. His entire world had shrunken down into a narrow field of false ghosts and churning earth, an endless force to hack and slash into pieces, and the ground he was making his stand on. [Endless Cut] allowed his blade to flash from target to target even when they did provide a measure of resistance. Mimung had never rested for even a second in in a long time. A very long time. Dietrich took a brief second to check the list of Skills on cooldown.
Skills on Cooldown A Blade Borrowed 23:00:08 Sword Art: Giantsplitter 00:09 (forcefully extended) A Brush With Death 11:42 Grand Slash 08:53 Titan Strike 00:26
An hour. Hed been at this for almost an hour, judging by the fact that his [Sword Art] was almost off cooldown. [A Brush With Death] had triggered a little over three minutes ago and therefore remained unavailable, he was likewise unable to draw upon [Grand Slash] for now, and despite its minuscule cooldown, even [Titan Strike] was on cooldown. However, none of that mattered at the moment, because his strongest [Skill] was almost off cooldown. So, where are those cores he asked, the fact that he said that out loud likely not being the best of signs, and was rewarded with the information he sought a moment later as [Slayer of Legends] activated. As always, the Skill that told him how to kill his foes was the only one of his analysis abilities worth a damn, monsters could not be subdued, could not be conquered, could not be stripped of their abilities by anything short of death. The Nation Boss had five cores left. One immobile underneath the obelisk, a second trapped on the far side of its body by Gae Bolg, and three freely mobile ones. Two were easy targets that could be reached by others, the others would be harder to reach but more easily by him than by the others no, he couldnt risk missing this shot and no one was anywhere close to reaching the more difficult targets. Dietrich leaped back to avoid a tree-trunk-sized earthen limb that slammed into the ground with enough force that if there had still been any building standing in a hundred meters, well, it wouldnt have been standing anymore. As he flew through the air, he set both hands on the hilt of Mimung, focussed on his target, and the instant his boots hit the floor, swung. His [Sword Art] unleashed a ray of light that provided no illumination, a cutting force without a blade, a strike without an impact. The Nation Boss body simply slopped back together behind its passage, but even this monster could take wounds. And when it was injured, that fact was impossible to miss. For a brief moment, the Rebellions Legacy stiffened, freezing, almost long enough for anyone who could not see its cores or the flow of its magic to imagine that it had truly died and then it went berserk. Dietrich ran, but before hed managed to get more than a couple of steps away, the ground beneath bucked and launched him skywards with such force that the ground underneath seemed to vanish in a heartbeat. He went spinning through the air, sky, and ground alternating in his vision a dozen times in the span of a few seconds until he eventually managed to stabilize his fall. Oh he was high. As high as hed been the last time hed flown in one of those damn helicopters. At least he would not be injured by the impact. In the distance, he could see Ogier angling his fall to land atop the monster, clearly aiming to take full advantage of his momentum and Skills to turn this situation back on the beast. Ossian Mac Cumail was collecting Arthur and the Fianna atop a cushion of wind that slowed their descent into something much more survivable. Which just left Mia she might only be the weakest of those who had met the monster in melee combat by a small margin, but she was still the weakest. And he knew enough of her abilities to be aware of the fact that she was in real danger from the fall. But what he really hoped was that she wasnt somewhere among the debris that had been hurled much further away than the fighters, set to come down kilometers distant, devastating areas that had, thus far, survived entirely unharmed. *** Mia Okay, okay, okay, she was falling through the sky at speeds that were probably below terminal velocity, but in all likelihood more than high enough to be lethal, or at least crippling. Fuck. Okay, think, Mia, think. Theres got to be a way out of this, a trick, any trick, that can solve this people have survived falling out of planes without parachutes before, and youre literally superhuman by now It was strange how much time she had to think. It almost felt as though she had all the time in the world, yet she knew that she only had several seconds at most. Not to mention that the longer she fell, the higher she was, the harder the impact would be unless she was high enough to hit actual terminal velocity, aka the point where air resistance was equal to the pull of gravity, but one needed to jump from truly ridiculous heights to reach that point. Also, it was entirely beside the point. People had survived high falls before, including the record holder, whod passed out prior to landing, allowing her to absorb the impact far more easily than she would have had she been awake and tensed up. The same thing also allowed drunk people to walk off quite a lot, their reflexes were so slow that they never tensed up prior to getting hit, and in that relaxed state, they suffered only negligible injuries. So, use [Mastery of the Self] to relax as much as possible and pray that was enough? Well, yes, and then Her next realization came when she remembered one of her earlier serious engineering experiments, a tiny little cardboard rocket launched skywards by what was functionally just a more specialized firecracker, then would pop the top when it started falling again so that a ribbon could unfurl and slow the rocket as it fell. One did not need a full parachute to slow ones descent. Internally cursing herself for not remembering that little trick earlier, Mia shimmied out of her gambeson and held it behind herself, the reinforced jacket that had started life as a bulletproof vest before the Untersbergs handful of magical crafters had gotten their hands on it. Then, she just held it behind herself and immediately, she could feel the rush of wind past her face slacken. Not by much, but a little. Enough that she could tell it was working. Now just wait and pray Mia had already resigned herself to that outcome when she saw Ogier, only [Preternatural Pericognition] alerting her to his presence, the steel-clad titan of a man seemingly angling himself to come down with as much momentum as humanly possible, he was, in fact, diving headfirst like some lunatic skydiver attempting to set an airspeed record. Right, he had that Skill that cut his momentum to zero to create a massive shockwave. And a shockwave coming from below, assuming it didnt kill her outright, would also slow her. Granted, the Mythbusters hadnt been able to prove the myth that claimed a bombs shockwave had saved a pilot falling without a parachute in WW2, but the logic was at least slightly, well, logical.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. So she angled herself in his direction, trusting that the blast caused by his Skill wouldnt be too great hoo boy, she turned out to be wrong about that. Shed also clearly been unaware of the fact that he had something to prevent friendly fire, because if he hadnt, Mia would be dead. Ogier Danske struck the ground like a literal meteor, yet another shockwave not only toppling over further buildings in the distance, but also shattering buildings all over the city. For a brief instant, Mia only saw the impact, then the shockwave reached her position and struck like the fist of an angry god, sending her tumbling once again, except this time, her ears were ringing, and her face was feeling like that time shed decided to bodycheck a wave twice as tall as she was, at eight years old. Not her brightest decision, then. Though now, her position was far more fortunate. Because once she was falling straight again, she could not only see Ogier climbing off the shattered remains of a third core, but also a fully intact and exposed fourth core. Less than a hundred meters beneath her. [Sword Art: Crows Peck the Eagle]. One second, Mia Vogt was falling to, if not her death, then a long hospital stay. The next, she was in front of the core, having flashed down to the one singular exposed weak point she could reach, guided by her power, Balmung cleaving the beasts vital organ in twain. And then, she was back in her original spot, falling, heading straight into the lethargically thrashing dirt beneath. Logically, Mia knew she only had a second or two left to go, yet those seconds stretched off into infinity, an involuntary blink seeming to transform into her closing her eyes for so long it was more akin to a meditation session, yet when they opened again, she had barely move The impact itself was over in a flash. She slammed into the monsters body, [Mastery of the Self] allowing her to relax as much as possible, [Impact Absorbtion] to further reduce the damage while [Physical Boosts] general enhancement of her body allowed her to take harder hits, all contributed and together, somehow, they saved her. It still knocked the wind out of her, leaving her struggling to breathe even before the monsters body beneath her bucked, flinging her off into the ruins of the city. She then lay there for a bit, could have been a second, could have been an hour, she honestly could not tell at that point, just staring into the sky, gasping like a fish in an attempt to suck in air, trying to will her body to move again, praying that it could, in fact, move. When Mia did finally manage to sit up again, and was about to stand, she saw a sight that was both entirely unexpected yet entirely in line with what she knew of the man. Fionn was back, and pouring something onto the monster. *** Fionn Three more cores destroyed. One using the tried and true method of Dietrichs Sword Art, but two more using something more creative. If not to say lucky break. But he had a plan to deal with the rest. One core was trapped, isolated in the smaller section of the boss body by Gae Bolg, the other freely moving around in the main part. He decided to go for the weaker target, with less wiggle-room, began dumping the sacks of material hed have to later compensate that hardware for onto the monster, and then started casting his spells. [Catalyze] was one of those spells that sounded like it did one thing, but could really do hundreds of things, one just needed the right knowledge. Though in his case, the real issue had come in the form of needing to have figured out that he needed to look for said knowledge. It really would have been so much easier to build the academy if hed used that instead of manually drying the concrete with fire magic. Instead, theyd spent hours putting that thing together, back together in a couple of spots. Now though, now hed looked even deeper into the endless void of raw information hed eaten all those centuries, nearly two millennia, ago, and found a better way. The ground was still more than wet enough, the combination of Tristans [Century Storm] and the Boss endless churning of the earth had turned the former park into a mud pit of tremendous proportions, and hurling in bags of concrete and ripping them open just before impact using a simple application of telekinesis. The grey dust vanished in an instant, sucked away into the hungry maelstrom that was the monster attempting to reform itself. Only to emerge barely thirty seconds later as a huge slab of brown-grew stone several times the size of a car. But it was already breaking back apart. Conan, Goll, grab that, then take it as far away as you can, Fionn ordered, not needing Charlemagne to pass orders along to his own men. The monster had too much mass to solidify and rip out bit by bit, not possible even if hed actually brought enough material. Which hed decidedly not. Alright, next try. Two huge gallons of chemicals that, when mixed would start bubbling and frothing and expanding into a huge mass of rapidly solidifying foam that was used to hold together some dikes in the Netherlands. The foam expanded, swallowed up earth only to be promptly ejected by the monster who simply lacked the information to know that the foam wasnt some voracious, all-consuming, all-destroying malevolent force that could rip it apart completely. Granted, it was doing some real work, expanding at a visible pace without ever needing the [Catalyst] spell, a truly impressive creation of modern chemistry, but it wasnt anywhere near enough to stop a monster like that. Not unless it panicked and started ejecting massive slabs of itself as it was now doing, until it finally flashed him its core. And now that it was exposed to the open air, it was vulnerable. Not for long, because Caoilte was there in a flash, hacking it apart with a single strike. Caoilte mac Rnin hadnt had many chances to shine thus far, raw speed was vulnerable to mobs of enemies, nor had it helped him reach the deep-seated cores of the previous Nation Boss, but when it came to exploiting clear weaknesses, nothing beat him. The core shattered in an instant, and the monster started thrashing. Again. Though this time around, it was nothing particularly impressive, not anymore. Theyd ripped apart five out of its six cores, its power had been whittled down to nearly nothing. And it wasnt like there was anything left to destroy because, well, anything that could be broken had broken, hours ago. They might not have won yet, but they were close, a lot closer than a mere sixth of the way left to go because the monster theyd have to fight through was so much weaker than it had been in the beginning. And then the final core pulled itself free from Gae Bolg along with a generous helping of regular dirt. As it turned out, when the spear wasnt between two cores, teh beast could and would just sacrifice a massive chunk of its body to regain its mobility wonderful. *** Mia The Nation Boss was loose. Not just rampaging, but rampaging and moving. Aw, come on Mia groaned as she pulled herself to her feet by grabbing a large chunk of nearby rubble. Everything hurt. Only one of her ribs felt broken, everything else seemed more bruised than anything else and in general, she felt bad enough that it was unlikely there was shock preventing her from noticing outright fatal wounds, near as she could tell, she didnt have a concussion either, but Mia knew she was also damn far from okay. Balmung swept through the air as she activated her big ranged attack, [Sword Art: A Blade Across Time and Space], an ethereal projection slashing into the monsters body, entirely bypassing its armor. If she hit the core, itd be the end of the line for the boss. she didnt hit. Would have been too much of a coincidence if it had worked, though, even with how luck seemed to have been on their side so far. Or maybe theyd used it all up already. Between how effective Ogiers human bomb technique had been and the fact that shed survived the fall as well as she had, as a group, theyd likely blown through several lifetimes worth of good fortune. So she started lazily tossing fireballs in the monsters direction, the grand culmination of everything she had left in the tank. Well, it wasnt lazy, it just looked that way because moving her arm too abruptly hurt something fierce. Maam, are you alright? The voice had come from behind her, but with [Preternatural Pericognition], she should have seen the man anyway. The fact that she hadnt it was hardly surprising anymore. Yet another sign of her being in bad shape, she guessed. Ill live, but Im out of this fight mostly, Mia replied, glancing at the cooldown for her [Sword Art]. Nine minutes, twenty-three seconds left. She actually had a Skill called [Martial Artisan] that shortened her cooldowns based on any active Skills that werent currently on cooldown, but she had a grand total of abilities that could, in fact, be on cooldown and shed used them both. Do you need a ride? the soldier asked. When its over, she replied, glaring across the crater the monsters body had left behind. The battle had shifted more into a traditional Raid Boss fight, with seven Ancients fighting the monster, ripping it to pieces except the final core was apparently rather squirrely. And then, a massive bolt of lightning struck the monster and wiped it from existence. Completely, entirely, and utterly. It was only when the Systems voice informed her of her power gains that she realized it was over. Wha What in the blue blazes just happened? Why didnt they do that before? the soldier next to her asked, voicing exactly what shed been thinking until she saw the old man striding across the battlefield, looking far cleaner than he had any right to, considering the state of his surroundings. Mia shrugged. Merlin being Merlin. Gotta ask him. Wow. Yep, she nodded. So, could you drive me to wherever my brother is? He should be in the main command center, and hes playing taxi. This way, the soldier gestured at a jeep, or at least a military vehicle that looked like one, a hundred meters or so distant. Then, he frowned at her. Taxi? He can teleport, Mia said as she picked her way across the debris field until she finally managed to reach and sit down in the jeep. Now, she could finally look at her gains. And just what gains they were. Six levels in her new Class, which was as powerful as its name was ominous. [Unforgiving Blade Lv. 38 -> Unforgiving Blade Lv. 44] [Skill gained: Undying Fortitude] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Sword Art: Foebreaker] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Memento Mori] [Skill Boost gained] Skimming the Skill descriptions let her know these Skills were as powerful as their names indicate. [Undying Fortitude] let her go well beyond human limits in matters of both endurance and surviving with injuries, her new [Sword Art] could outright break parts of her enemy when she struck, not just their physical bodies but also their magic and techniques, temporarily sealing them if her attack broke through mystical defenses or bashed aside arcane attacks. And finally, [Memento Mori], or, in English, remember you must die. Though it was usually translated as something more poetic such as remember that you, too, are mortal, or something else along those lines. It was a Skill that essentially boiled down to being a much, much weaker version of Excalibur. Basically, it let her hurt things not made of flesh and blood, such as elementals, and it could disrupt the regeneration of more classical monsters. In other words, it was the exact kind of thing shed needed to bring down the Nation Boss. As it was so often the case with the System, the rewards it gave out after a battle were the exact things you really could have used before the fight. *** Tristan [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 36 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 41] [Skill gained: Oath of Neutrality] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Courtly Omniscience] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Magisters Mind] Well, I certainly couldnt say that hadnt been profitable. I guess finally helping myself had improved things.
Oath of Neutrality You are neutral, unbiased to any particular party in a discussion you may be in the middle of, if you swear this oath. It warns its user if they are edging towards biases, and will inform all others involved when the oath is active/inactive. Current status: inactive in all respects
Courtly Omniscience As the Courtmage, you are castellan, spymaster, civil planner, and living siege weapon in one. For most of these tasks, you require information, which this Skill provides, keeping you abreast of the current logistical, social, and economic situation of your lieges lands.
Magisters Mind You are the man with the plan, the man who keeps a hundred different plans, projects, and other goings-on on track. And as such, your mind is increased to handle the load, allowing you to easily and truly multitask, in addition, you are granted a near-perfect sense of timing, and will only deliberately miss meetings and appointments, forgetting and only later remembering will be a thing of the past.
So, [Oath of Neutrality] was cool, though I dreaded having to use it. I could already imagine how it would feel to have that Skill looking over my shoulder, an unceasing reminder to remain impartial. While I felt I could stay neutral between Fionn, Dietrich, and Charlemagne, that was simply a part of how my current position worked, however, this Skill seemed like the kind of thing that would also work when I was acting as a mediator between them and someone else. Meanwhile, [Courtly Omniscience] was an extremely powerful knowledge and logistics Skill which was also made entirely redundant by Charlemagnes existence. I could have thrown every single Skill Boost Id ever earned at this Skill and still not matched up to him. Which left me with the final Skill. It combined nicely with [Courtly Omniscience], it would let me more easily use my other knowledge- and thought-heavy Skills like [Shifting Point of View], [Legal Grounding] and [Walking Encyclopedia]. But it was also the first power that, even if only slightly, strengthened my spell casting. A better-working mind meant I could more easily hold spell patterns, and it would be far easier to do so when something seriously distracting was going on. Seeing as it was the most generally useful, that was where my first Skill Boost went.
Your enhanced sense of timing is now applicable in combat, your multitasking ability is streamlined to work with your spell casting.
I grinned once I was done reading through the description. Not only would I become a much more powerful spellcaster, but enhanced timing in combat meant better, well, everything. Perfectly timed parries, enemy attacks disrupted at just the right moment, a tiny telekinetic nudge at the precisely right moment it would take a lot of combat experience to pull it off, but whereas I hadnt had the time to acquire too much muscle memory via [Knowledge Trade], memories of fights were not something I was short of. As for the second Skill boost, I threw that into [Restoration of the Old]. Not only could it earn us some serious brownie points here and now, but further down the line, it would let me restore fortifications or vital infrastructure at the drop of a hat. A boring utility power, yes, but nowadays, most of my direct combat power came from spells.
You may now target two separate objects, buildings or areas, as long as both are within five kilometers of your current position.
Yeah, a solid upgrade. Now just to find a civilian authority and ask what theyd like fixed first Chapter 58: The Cleanup Okay, this was just embarrassing. And I wasnt even directly involved. Gae Bolg was still stuck in the ground, and everyones attempts at getting it out werent exactly what Id call dignified. Which made this the absolute last circumstance under which Id want the press showing up. My [Sensitive Discussions] was preventing cell phone videos and the like, but once the actual news crews showed up, keeping that up would become politically dicey. Not impossible, just something people could and would give me shit over and have at least some influence to back it up. Alright, Ill desiccate the ground, Arthur and Dietrich, you pull when I say so, Ogier, you prevent it from backsliding, Mia, does your multi-strike sword artwork on the ground Yeah, Fionns plans were always intelligent and well thought-out, but that damn spear was apparently rather stubborn. In fact, it seemed to be actively preventing itself from being retrieved. The ground was also not helping, being soft, wet, and muddy all the while containing more than enough large bits of debris, courtesy of Fionns pouring in of concrete, and based on what Id heard, Gae Bolg was, in fact, anchored in the bedrock beneath that. And everyone was attempting to hold back as much as possible, not unleashing tremendous explosions or mountain-breaking melee abilities. They were changing these issues bit by bit, removing the moisture, hiking up the spear bit by bit while filling in the void left behind, continuing to advance bit by bit but it was still a bit of a clown show. Again, the fact that this was still a complete and utter disaster zone was limiting the exposure, but that artifact was being a real son of a bitch. Or just a bitch. I wasnt too sure what applied, and was too nervous to focus on it either way. I glanced off to the right, where the Washington Monument stood tall and proud amidst a circle of pristine lawngrass. Id repaired it earlier so that it could serve as a backdrop for the eventual press conference if we were ready when the camera crew actually showed up. I mean, it wasnt like the whole affair wouldnt have been entertaining under other circumstances, it was just that, well, the current situation was the current situation. And it did not afford me the privilege of amusement. Once again, I looked around worriedly. Drake was still standing next to me in his full dress uniform, just like he had been since this whole thing had started, watching. As far as clothing went, Id gone with normal formal clothing, though Id gone with a black outer jacket, deep blue shirt, and as for the tie, it was in a nice shade of violet. Id recently gone down quite the rabbit hole on the meaning of certain colors and made aesthetic choices based on that. An outfit that, at least in theory, represented wisdom, intelligence, and spirituality. There was also the usual array of cleanup teams and soldiers guarding said teams, which had been roaming the disaster area since yesterday. The only thing that had changed was the constant array of people taking out their phones, pointing them at Gae Bolg, looking puzzled, then frustrated, then finally angry before putting their phones back into their pockets. I mean, I couldnt blame them, Id have done the exact same thing in their positions, but my position made it so that I had to spoil their fun. It was strangely mesmerizing, in a way. The same people whod fought off a monster that had flattened an area ten kilometers across in a mere hour through raw strength alone and without ever moving more than a couple of hundred meters from its original spawning site struggling so much with a damn bit of bone stuck in the ground and all the magic I intellectually knew to be involved did not make it overly less funny to watch. Yet even with that, I noticed when a group approached from the direction of where the White House would once again stand in an hour or so. So it was not a surprise when a man in his late fifties stepped up next to me. No, the surprise was just who the man was. Mr. President, I greeted him. Once Id managed to get my mouth working again, that was. I really should have been used to meeting powerful people by now, but I usually had a little time to psych myself up before first-time encounters. Ambassador Vogt, President Lane replied, then continued with a question. I take it you wouldnt be standing so close if what theyre doing were dangerous? Just a first-century artifact forged from the bones of a primordial sea beast being a tad stroppy, I replied. Shouldnt be much longer. That thing withstood the full force of a Nation Boss, didnt it? Lane mused. Would anything speak against just evacuating the area and using explosives? I grimaced. We might have to take you up on that offer if this carries on much longer. Let me know when we reach that point. Thats really not my call to make, I said as I watched Mia seemingly duplicate as she slashed into the ground in countless places. Woof, that wasnt good. After all, the activation requirements for that Skill were that not only did she haveto have an opponent, but that that opponent be significantly stronger than her. Drake, myself, Lane, and the entirety of Lanes security detail continued to watch as the mystical spear was removed from the ground, every inch brought in blood, sweat, and tears of frustrations and annoyance. A couple of minutes in, one of the secret servicemen leaned over and whispered something in Lanes ear, who promptly turned to me and asked There seems to be an effect interfering with cameras around here. Is that He trailed off, I sighed. Ill turn it off in a few minutes. But I really dont want that to wind up on YouTube. Most of the videos wouldnt have the context in the description, and most people wouldnt read it anyway. Lane nodded slowly. I wish I could afford to just shut off the cameras when Im in public, but I doubted I could get away with it. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of sayings about the trustworthiness, or rather, lack of it, in all politicians in the world, all that had ever existed, and would ever exist. But right at that moment, there was not a single doubt in my mind that he was being a hundred percent honest. Finally, I turned to face him fully. We might be standing in the open, but I can assure you, we are harder to overhear than in your most secure meeting room. Alright, Lane replied. Whats the problem? No problem, just a concern, I said, in a perfectly even tone. Considering that this will likely only get worse, everyone will need to do their parts. Hang together or hang separately, and all the other quotes that talk about the value of cooperation. Therefore, I was hoping that the treaty is going to be ratified sooner, rather than later. Political backing, financial support, the kind of military actions that require modern weaponry rather than magic. In exchange for magical support, of course, including the rebuilding of the entire National Mall over the next couple of days. Itll be the first thing on the docket, first session once the Capitol is rebuilt, Lane promised, then sighed. Im going to say again it later, in front of the cameras, but Ill say it now anyway. Thank you, all of you. I know you did not have to come, but you did it anyway. And I plan to do my best that this will all be amiable. Like you said, we all need allies, and its better if things go well. I shrugged, then replied with another quote, Churchill, this time. Better fight with your allies than without them. Lets hope it doesnt get quite that bad, Lane said and went right back to staring at the chaos still unfolding on the lawn. If you already know about something specific you need, feel free to pass it along. I have a list. And just as I said that, Gae Bold popped free from the ground, and went flying. Aw shit. If that thing started falling back to the ground, I was opening a portal, walking through, and staying there until the damn thing got collected. I braced myself. It wasnt flying in our general direction, but that weapon was as nasty as could be. As it turned out, I neednt have worried, Fionn leaped, grabbed the shaft, and the weapon vanished in a crimson flash. But damn, if that hadnt been scary. *** An hour later, everything was finally ready. The stage, lectern included, had been built, news crews had set up, and Id retreated to the furthest end of the area that would be captured by the camera. [Sensitive Discussions] was, of course, off, it would have been seriously embarrassing for this historic meeting to occur, only for absolutely no record of it to exist obviously, someone would have noticed that, it would have been obvious to anyone currently using a camera, and Id have been told to knock it off, but the mere thought made me cringe. My job wasnt even to stand there and look pretty, at least the look pretty part wasnt a part of my task, I just needed to be present and use [Restoration of the Old] to fix as big of an area as I could, with two targets, one centered on the Capitol, one centered on the White House. I hadnt used the Skill like this before, not at full blast since the upgrade, at least, but it should be fine. I knew I could fix the Capitol, the White House was smaller, and anything that got fixed in addition to those two was just a bonus, wasnt it? It had been decided that Fionn would be the one standing the closest to President Lane, followed by Arthur, Dietrich, Drake, and then the rest of us were clustered in a group on the far right of the stage. On the other side of Lane stood several Ministers, military delegates including General Collins, and a few more people whose exact position I was unaware of but had to be important since they were here. The overall choreography was pretty, well, pretty. Fionn and Lane in the center, directly in front of the Washington Monument, important people on either side of them at a respectful distance, and slightly less important people such as myself clustered on the far end, leaving those in the center free and standing out in the crowd while also making sure everyone wound up in the footage or photos. At least those that werent zoomed in.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Yesterday, this nation faced a threat of cataclysmic proportions. Yesterday, the United States of America preserved. Through the valor of our brave men and women in uniform, as well as our allies abroad, the worlds second Nation Boss was felled within two hours of its creation, and rebuilding has already begun. Well, technically, we werent allies yet, and even if we had been, the ancients had done most of the work, between the limitations of handheld armament and issues of using most heavy weapons in the city the army really hadnt been able to do very much, but no one was going to complain. As long as they didnt get shafted, everyone involved had agreed to let the US save some face. After all, the appearance of something often mattered more than hard facts when it came to politics. The fact that the entire situation had been the exact opposite of conducive to military operations would be ignored, as would the fact that no one could predict or prevent monster spawning, while political pundits and commentators dragged the administration through the mud over the fact that a bunch of foreigners had needed to intervene. Instead, by letting Lane come of this with his head held high, a powerful ally would be made. And he was more than aware of the fact that it was a matter of let. We had the power, the footage, the proof to show what had really happened. The speech continued, but it was a mercifully short one. Id never been particularly opposed to speeches, but they had to be interesting. Unlike, say, my principals speech at my graduation, which had dragged on for over an hour, said nothing important and nearly been a one-to-one repeat of her speech the evening before, at the graduation dinner. It had been a legal issue of when we could get the venues and when the graduation certificates could actually be issued just as much of a mess as most of mine and Mias school time had been. Lane wrapped it up, turned to Fionn, and the two shook hands amidst a shower of camera flashes. They really did make quite the pair. One, a man in his fifties, hair rapidly greying from the stress, dressed in a white shirt, blue jacket, and red tie. The other of seemingly indeterminate age, timeless, with pale, nearly white, hair and piercing eyes, wearing a completely black and white three-piece suit, reinforced with dark leather and metal plates. Oh, that picture was going to wind up in a history book, I could just tell assuming there were any humans left to write it, that was. # It was also the signal for me to do my thing, aka, activate the Skill with a single thought and then become useless in that particular respect for the next ten hours. The effect was immediate and pronounced, chunks of rubble either lifting themselves out of the ground or putting themselves back together from dust before stacking together and melding together. Though, unlike the first time, many chunks had flown very far, making me very glad the area had been evacuated as a precaution. Things were safe, normally, but normally, the bits and pieces were concentrated in one spot. And for thirty seconds, most people seemed very unsure where they were supposed to be looking, heads jerking from side to side, looking alternatively at the hill or the smaller house at the opposite end of the former park, with very few having the stoicism to stay focussed. Except the camera operators, that was, if they took their eyes off the proverbial ball, thered be hell to pay. Then, the two buildings were standing there, good as new, alongside several of their neighbors, clean and solid, as though nothing had ever happened. Oh this was going to spark all sorts of conspiracy theories, wasnt it? I mean, right now, it was still pretty obvious that something terrible had occurred, you just had to look literally anywhere else, but in general it was either going to be highly entertaining or frustratingly rage-inducing to see how that would develop. Things wrapped up soon afterwards and I opened three portals, one to London, one to Dublin, and the final one to the Untersberg. Though I did promise to come back every time the cooldown on [Restoration of the Old] was up. In exchange for one of the Americans experimental railguns as soon as it could be packaged up, which should be in a few days. They were incredibly power-hungry and could only fire a few shots before they straight-up broke, but I figured itd be interesting to play around with. In the scientific sense. Power it with magic, use the less wear and tear Skill I was near certain Charlemagne had I was sure we could do something impressive with it. And the munition should be easier to source than that for most other artillery, anything made from conductive metal in the correct shape would theoretically do, though obviously, some would be better than others. Instead, the largest issue would be powering the gun and keeping it intact for more than a couple of minutes. Difficult, but theoretically doable. Besides, making an experimental and heretofore unusable high-tech weapon would be quite the propaganda coup, also showing that we were not a bunch of fossils, well, they, werent, at any rate. As for the constant portalling across the Atlantic, that would be perfectly doable now that I was above Level 40. I had 8 daily portals, and could target them via [Ambassadors Instinct] at a range of 800 km. Now, testing had revealed said that targetting worked only for diplomat reasons, such as dropping off or picking up allies and foreign dignitaries, no amount of self-deception had been able to convince me that teleporting to a Malorcan beach was a diplomatic action, but it was still a lot more flexible than my initial assumption of emergencies only. I eventually made my way to a newly excavated and reinforced magic training room, while Dietrich and Ogier went to talk to Charlemagne and Mia went for a walk outside. Straight up the rock wall, if her previous recreational activities were anything to go by. Also [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 41 -> Courtmage of Neutrality 42] [Skill boost gained] *** President Lane So, that was over and done with. For once, without issues. Buildings repaired, confidence in the government as repaired as it could be, ancients not offended. Which he was extra glad of, considering just how powerful theyd proven themselves to be, even the non-combat powers were impressive beyond belief. The White House had been repaired so thoroughly that Lane and his people had returned to the very coffee cups theyd abandoned when theyd evacuated. The coffee was cold now, granted, but it had been there. They could just go right back to the way they were. Endless meetings, briefings, and strategy discussions. This, in particular, was a briefing. As we all know, two days ago, a Nation Boss spawned in the National Mall, forming from the dirt in the parkland, this time. It held six cores, reinforced objects that act as a combination of both the creatures heart and brain, while all need to be destroyed to achieve victory, each destroyed core will reduce the monsters physical abilities. The Rebellions Legacy was approximately We know what happened, Lane interrupted. Some kind of supernatural force has decided to hand out superpowers while generating monsters, there are going to be more Nation Bosses in the next wave in a week, might be three, might be four, depending on if the pattern is doubling the previous number or increasing it by one, we dont have enough information on it. And unless something major has changed in the last five minutes, we cant predict where the next set of Nation Bosses will show up. Lane paused to look around. Is that an accurate summation of what you think the future holds? He was greeted by several seconds of silence. We might have to face World Bosses down the line, maybe one or two stages in between, a younger analyst finally spoke up, then added But we cant predict how strong those are going to be either. Lane grimaced and nodded. So there was that. What I need from you right now is not a complete analysis of what happened. I need to know what could have happened. How could we have defeated that Nation Boss without help, what could we have changed in the situation that occurred, and what could we have changed at the start of this to change what we ended up with? So, how long do you need? What he needed was a plan, or plans, that could be put into action, not an incredibly broad knowledgebase that nevertheless paled in comparison to the experts. Besides, hed read the reports already, weight, weaknesses, mass, size, reach unfortunately, he simply did not have the luxury of unlimited time to have the exact same information relayed verbally, only in a slightly more detailed fashion. There was simply too much to do as was promptly proven, when it took a mere five seconds for yet another issue that required his attention to be revealed. For the President of the United States, cutting a meeting short rarely resulted in free time. *** The next day, for once, Lane wasnt the most exhausted person in the situation room. Granted, most people around him rarely got much sleep either, but it was still more than him. Today, however, he was the only one whod gotten more than four hours of sleep, excluding perhaps the secret service agents guarding the door. They had enough colleagues to cycle through, which allowed individual members to get their rest. Oh, two presidents in times of crisis, wouldnt that be nice? One to always get a full nights sleep while the other could deal with the crisis, and when one got too tired to make rational decisions, the other could take over. You know what? That was actually a good idea it was only when Lane had already opened his mouth to make the suggestion that he realized that was the sleep deprivation talking. Instead, he simply spoke a single word. Coffee. Though hed nearly asked if anyone could find the recipe for and make some original Coca-Cola instead. You know, when the lemonade had still contained cocaine. Hed never done any, but right now, in his still sleep-addled mind, that also sounded like a good idea. He sighed. After this meeting, Im going to take a nap, Lane finally declared, then turned to the cadre of analysts, the closest thing to System experts the world had, to report their findings. He wasnt going to be any less useless for being asleep, rather than present and dead tired, emphasis on dead. The new report wound up not being substantially more interesting than the previous one, still rehashing the same points of Nation Bosses are strong, cores are weak points, and we couldnt do much, but there was one thing that really drew his attention. Are you saying that our standard tactics are actually hurting the leveling process? Lane asked, just to reassure himself that hed heard correctly. Yes, Mr. President, the analyst confirmed. Everyone eighteen years of age or older has access to the System, and gained at least some Levels. Nationally, we have an average Level of 13, and not counting those who only just became adults, a minimum Level of 4. However, based on the information that Level 35 is a Class Evolution threshold, at least one ancient has reached it. However, based on the number of suspected and confirmed Skills, we believe them to be substantially higher than that. The thing that separates them from others is the fact that they stood out in history, their stories resonating across centuries or millennia. The things that made them impressive werent being a part of a group of people which achieved something grand, but doing something grand. Either by themselves, or as leaders. In addition, we have data on who we believe to be the most powerful present-day humans. Tristan and Mia Vogt. They have been very much in the center of the action since day one, and reached a considerable degree of power. We have much more data on her combat power than her brothers, but is, at the bare minimum, capable of reshaping several city blocks worth of buildings in less than a second. Conversely, our soldiers fight as units, engaging with sufficient force to bring down a foe without risk whenever possible, using heavy or guided weaponry. In addition, it is always the closest sufficiently equipped unit that engages, which spreads out the victories and therefore Levels even further. This minimizes the risk of injury or death, but also Basically, by playing it safe, theyd sacrificed power gains. Well, that was unfortunate. And your suggestion is to send people to, what, fight monsters with their bare hands so that the survivors can gain their superpowers? General Collins asked, rather acerbically. I believe we could create special units, drawing from existing special forces, and attempt to have them engage as many foes as possible without risking burnout. Perhaps withdrawing and leaving enemies for them in areas clear of civilians and important infrastructure could aid that? Lane suggested after a long moment. If the people could bear it, sending them into the proverbial crucible until they came out as diamonds wasnt quite as inhumane as it sounded yeah he was mixing his metaphors. It seemed the coffee had stopped working. We know for a fact that there is a teachable component to magic another analyst suggested. Ill ask our ambassador in Berlin to ask about that, Lane announced after stifling a yawn. Once this entire affair was done, he might wind up owing the Europeans his firstborn, but the United States would still be here. That was what mattered. He yawned again, this time utterly failing to cover it. He did move his hand to cover his mouth a full five seconds after hed already closed his mouth again. Yes, bed, important, go to it urgh, still another twenty minutes of meeting to go, based on glancing at the clock on the wall. Oh, balls Chapter 59: The Other Promise Temujin Oh they would pay for this! Not accepting his offer of help with their little Nation Boss issue was alright, that was their prerogative. They were allowed to make those kinds of choices. He even understood why they would have tried and eventually succeeded in guiding the monster towards the Mongolian border. However, that did not change the fact that they were dumping a nigh-apocalyptic foe in his lap after having grandiosely proclaimed themselves capable of dealing with the issue themselves. Even taking the reports as to how much theyd weakened their foe at face value, it would still not be easy to deal with a Nation Boss. Still, revenge would have to wait, sadly. A large-scale inter-nation war amidst the seemingly endless flood of monsters was highly unlikely to lead to a desirable outcome, let alone when one of the involved nations had access to nuclear weapons. He would not forgive or forget, he would delay. For now, he had a different question to answer: Did he want to summon help for this? Chances were he did not need to, but he still would, for two reasons. The first was simple, risking this confrontation on his own for pride alone would be more than foolish. As for the second, well, he wanted to know the true character of his allies. They had gone to help their allies in America, true, but would they do the same for him, a man they likely considered a future danger? And how thorough would their response be? A token force, a full deployment, or something in between? These were the questions he would receive answers for. They may not be definitive, but they were answers nonetheless. *** Tristan Alright, this is officially insane, I announced after taking a few seconds to think about what Id just been given. Fionn had just asked me to give him a [Knowledge Trade] of all the current negotiations and treaties I had going on to get him up to speed, and as per usual, hed sent more new spells my way. The usual procedure. Any knowledge I had was a single meeting and Skill activation away from being passed onto anyone he wanted taught or shared. Except this time, Id gotten a pair of spells that were designed to work in conjunction with [Century Storm] to turn me into a walking war crime. And yet, I trust you to keep this trick to yourself and only use it when strictly necessary, Fionn replied, gesturing around at the rather barren plain. This is the site of an illegal chemical dumping ground, there is very little you could do that hasnt already been inflicted upon the area. So, would you like to try out your new spells? Ill summon the rain. Technically, [Restoration of the Old] could fix material damage like that, but it would be highly ineffective on a comparatively unimportant patch of soil, making its use a bit of a waste. I nodded slowly. Which one, [Acid Rain] or [Devouring Rain]? Two spells that transformed falling rainwater into a kind of corrosive, but I had no idea what the difference was. [Devouring Rain], Fionn said. It unleashes a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide designed to devastate organic material, a modification of the original spell. Wait that sounded familiar. Piranha solution, right? I asked. Id watched several videos on YouTube of people melting chicken legs in the stuff and the like. It was horrific stuff, heating up as the target carbonized, then rapidly disintegrated into nothing. Well, it became Carbon dioxide, but nothing visible. Anything it struck would not only suffer chemical burns but also severe heat as the corrosive liquid burning through their body began to boil functionally of its own accord. Fionn nodded. Thats the non-systematic name. And [Acid Rain]? I asked. Pure sulfuric acid, meant for eating through metal and stone, Fionn replied. It does not produce toxic fumes, is fairly stable, all things considered, and unlike several more exotic chemicals, the spell accepted it. Uh and [Devouring Rain] does produce fumes? Youll want to protect yourself, especially if the substance reaches its boiling point, Fionn said, not needing to say anything else. I already knew [Purify Air] and how to hold it in an area around me to create a constant shield against airborne irritants, and worse. But after a long moment, he added This is very much a weapon of last resort. It will, at the bare minimum, devastate an entire area, melt everything aboveground, destroy all life down to even the microorganisms in the soil, and should any heavy metals be dissolved, they will leach into the groundwater and contaminate it. Yeah a highly effective fuck that entire area technique. Hard to control, near guaranteed to cause collateral damage of the material sort at the very least, and just in general a fairly nasty capability to wield but by God was I glad to have it. After use, dragging up rocks from below, pulverizing them and throwing dust on the acid puddles can speed up the neutralization. Limestone in particular can render it harmless, though the effectiveness of that technique will vary wildly based on the grounds mineral composition. Even so, simply putting more material onto the ground puts another layer between the newly-formed acid swamp and the world above. Also, I was impressed with Fionns grasp of the chemistry of the situation. It might have seemed like I found a new blindspot of his omniscience every time I talked to him, ranging from the limitation to this world to the fact that he couldnt see the System, not to mention how he needed to be aware that he needed to look for something to, well, look. But it was at times like this that it became readily apparent just how much knowledge he eternally had at his fingertips. So, would you like to try out the spell? Fionn offered. And I was about to say yes when my damn phone rang, with the Mongolian national anthem, no less. A couple of days ago, Id gone through all my contacts and granted all professional ones specific and memetic ringtones that would let me instantly identify a caller, or at the very least, their general affiliation. The Mongolian national anthem was, obviously, for all things related to Genghis Khan. A cursory check with [Piercing Gaze] revealed that the number wasnt being spoofed, though I conducted it in the same motion that I put the phone to my ear. Tristan Vogt speaking, I answered the call, immediately recognizing the voice on the other end. Genghis Khans assistant, giving me a calm but rapid-fire explanation. The Chinese Nation Boss had gotten guided onto Mongolian land, Genghis Khan was riding out to confront it and had called upon us to follow through on the treaty obligations. I can be outside the governmental palace with Fionn Mac Cumail in two seconds, I offered, while using [Will of the Sovereign] to see who had the time to go help. Dietrich von Bern and my sister will take another minute, anything beyond that will take longer. As I spoke, the portal to Mongolia was already opening, right on the steps of the building Id indicated. And in front of Genghis Khan, whod apparently been waiting. I dont believe that will be necessary, he announced. We wont need to go quite that far. I require some reinforcements, not a full mobilization. The Chinese devastated the monster already, we just need to finish the job. Well, it hadnt sounded like that on the phone ... not to mention that Sarangerel could have cut me off the moment Id offered to bring Fionn Which, I realized, might have been the entire point. Request reinforcements for an existing problem, then see what we, well, I, did. Immediate full helpfulness, or a half-assed response that fulfilled the letter of our agreement, and maybe even, in some vague, distant, way, the spirit, but definitely showed a certain lack of enthusiasm, maybe? Either way, I hoped what Id done had surpassed whatever bar hed set. I mean, it was as fast a response as I could muster, but did he know that? And it wasnt like I could ask, if he knew I knew it had been a test, hed disregard whatever conclusion hed drawn from what had happened, positive or negative. Irrespective of the fact that Id figured everything out after the fact. Though considering how hed announced he didnt need any more reinforcements, maybe Id full-on passed, no games required? Either way, it seemed like it was time to stop falling so deep in thought because he was switching his attention back onto me after a brief discussion with Fionn. Will you be joining us, ambassador? he asked. Yes, I nodded. Ill be able to summon reinforcements directly to the battlefield if necessary, and I do know a few spells. Such as? Genghis Khan asked, already turning towards the street.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Summoning and controlling storms. Can you ensure that only the monster is struck by lightning? Yes, I said. Then do that. [Instant March]. In an instant, the world around me vanished into a blur, the landscape flashing past too quickly for me to see much of anything, the blue of the sky and drab green of the steppe turning into streaks above and below, until they were once again replaced by yet another image, an army camp of sorts. Id describe it as the result of some bored deity bashing together a modern-day army base with a hordes camp from sever centuries ago. Horses drinking from buckets next to tanks, men with bows sitting in the backs of pickup trucks, seemingly preparing to use them as their way into battle. I mean, it looked weird, but this was an age of magic. I could blow stuff up by looking at it and thinking, just for example. With a few of the right Skills, be they in the hands of the archers of Genghis Khan himself, those normally archaic weapons could hit like an anti-tank rifle at the very least. Fionn and Genghis Khan continued to talk in low voices, and while I wasnt deliberately eavesdropping, they were standing rather close and had made no moves to increase the distance. Based on what I overheard, they seemed to want to fight the Boss on their own. There it is, Genghis Khan announced, pointing, then glanced my way. Cast your spell, then stand clear. So I did, and stuck to following them with my eyes, until I saw the monster itself, a four-meter tall figure of shining silver that rippled with every step it took, six arms wrapped in armor that had to be either stone or, more likely, System-hardened terracotta, and a head that was not atop its neck, but staring at us from the center of its check. Cree-py. And its nameplate.
Mercurial Heart of the God Emperors Irradiated Legacy (animated tomb), Level 45 Sundered Nation Boss
Now, wasnt that a mouthful? Also, now I knew what it took to end a Nation Boss without access to powerhouses with Levels in the 50s, 60s, and maybe 70s. I wasnt too sure of Fionns Level. But the damn thing was still alive, and all the nuclear weapons thrown at it had even given it a new ability, or at the very least, affected it enough to change the name. Yeesh. Also, once again, the System seemed to have a rather twisted sense of humor. *** Temujin The monster was both more and less than what hed expected. Small, for a Nation Boss, nothing like even the massive statue of himself that had become a Raid Boss in the beginning of this challenge, but there was immense power packed into that frame. And [Battlefield Analysis] was practically shouting in his ear that there was danger afoot, an invisible field of deadly light? Invisible light? That destroyed the body of all those that got close, and poisoned the land in countless ways that would take literal decades to fade. Salting the earth sounded like a childs prank in comparison. Granted, the second layer of physical enhancement should insulate him and his fellow ancient from the consequences of combatting this creature, but even its remains would remain dangerous for how long? That either hed found the first outright inaccuracy in the System, or hed have to have a serious talk with his advisors. If something his Skill had quantified as walking nuclear waste, surely that meant that there was actual nuclear waste lying around somewhere? It was at this point that lightning began striking the monster, half a dozen bolts in the first second alone. One of its swords, raised towards the sky and acting as the highest point, detonated in an instant, and liquid quicksilver exploded from its body with every strike, though it was likely that by the time this attack was able to bring down the monster, it would be halfway to Ulaanbaatar, with all the damage to the land that entailed. [Remote Administration] connected Temujin to his ally, focussed down onto a single fellow human, granting him complete oversight and communications ability. They split apart, Fionn running one way, Temujin the other, with two suddenly extending arms cracking into the soil in the spot theyd just vacated a split second afterwards. A golden spear appeared in the Irishmans hands and hacked them off, with the wound somehow not sliding back together despite it being an obvious ability for such a monster to have, while Temujin went straight for the monsters torso. The grinning skull in the center of its chest was the obvious target. The Nation Boss responded by sweeping his leg with its own, complete with an unnatural elongation. So Temujin activated [Moment of Glory], braced himself against the ground, grabbed the limb, and yanked. Instead of tearing off the limb as might have happened on a normal being, however, it simply elongated, got thinner, more vulnerable. So when he kicked it, his foot went straight through, severing the leg, and in the same motion, he threw it away, too far to reconnect. Hopefully. Three of its four remaining arms struck down at him and he parried, the boost from [Moment of Glory] still active, sending the blades into the ground, which promptly flowed over them as though it were water, trapping them. And then, Temujin charged. The Skill ran out before he was halfway there, but it got him close. And then, he punched the skull, which gave away rather easily no, it did not give away at all, it simply slid away, deeper into its body until it went flying out the other side, where it splattered amidst a small puddle of quicksilver while the body it had left behind fell on it. Temujin forced his eyes and mouth shut as liquid, toxic, irradiated metal flowed past him, entirely inanimate. Apparently, it was no longer under control. And [Remote Administration] showed that the other ancient had obliterated the spot the skull had landed with enough telekinetic force to shatter several modern tanks. So he sat up through the mass of quicksilver, wondering how he was going to clean this all up. Do you need the body in any way? Fionn asked, walking up to him. Temujin shook his head. I need it gone. So you would be alright with it all going away? Yes, damnit, he growled. This toxic mess might not do too much to him, but hed likely have to throw his armor away for fear of fatally poisoning or irradiating anyone he dealt with. He before he could finish that thought, the entire mess did, indeed, just go away. Only the dead grass did not grow back. *** Tristan [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 42 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 43] [Skill gained: Catastrophe Sense] Oh, Level! Though I could have done without the ominous Skill or, more likely, when something catastrophic did happen, really really couldnt have. As in, itd be the only reason I was still alive. So, what did actually do? No sense in putting off reading the description, at any rate.
Catastrophe Sense As the advisor to multiple rulers, you must be aware of all dangers that face them, not merely ones that can be detected or deduced by mundane courtiers, but also those that strike without warning and leave entire nations sundered. This is Danger Sense on the largest of scales, detecting not threats to your person but threats to the realm as a whole.
Hmm, not as bad as I thought. The realization that I truly needed it was ever so slightly horrifying, but, well, that was the world I lived in and the path Id chosen to walk. I had a thought, Genghis Khan announced as he walked back over to the camp, entirely clean. You can provide reinforcements to any place youve been, from wherever you are, yes? Would you have the time for a short tour of Mongolia, and the battlefields we confront the first wave of each challenge on? He grinned. I hear youre quite the scholar, Ambassador Vogt. How would you like to learn more about the first army to truly integrate magic and modern technology? Well, the answer was obvious, hell to the yes! though I phrased that more diplomatically. So I used a portal to send Fionn back and was shown to what Id call a luxury limousine crossed with an APC, complete with food, a map table, and basicalyl everything else one needed to stay. One of several. Oh, Ambassador, Genghis Khan called after me, causing me to freeze, one leg already in the car. I dont know how useful this will be in your diplomatic endeavors, but I believe youll get a kick out of it, as people say nowadays. [Instantaneous Training: Mangudai]. Whoa, that was actually really useful. But it was mostly just cool. Proper Mongolian horsemanship, expert archery while on horseback, and knowledge of many standard tactics of the greatest horde to ever grace the face of the planet were nothing to sneeze at. Granted, the knowledge would have been more useful in the hands of a strategist, rather than a diplomat, but knowledge given to me didnt have to stay with me. Thank you, I inclined my head. I wish you good luck in the fourth Challenge. Then, I fully pulled myself into the luxury APC, where I was soon joined by a trio of experts on the topics Id been promised knowledge on. It was all rather fascinating. Id been half-right, it was Genghis Khans Skills that allowed his peoples horses to match cars, and it was the same instantaneous training hed granted me which allowed everyone to work together near-seamlessly. But most of the offensive power came from the people themselves, granting his army a vast array of varied and flexible firepower. It was all incredibly interesting, though I was careful to take note of how the information was being passed along. There was a heavy focus on academic information and what would be needed to work alongside the Mongolian armed forces, while minimizing the information that could be used against them, or would expose weaknesses. Granted, there was a ton of overlap there, information on tactics was inherently exploitable, but obviously, providing immediate help, even if hadnt really been needed, had earned a tremendous amount of goodwill. I also got to use [Knowledge Transfer], becoming fluent in Russian and proficient in the handling and usage of firearms, in exchange for sign language and an economics degree Id traded for weeks ago and never used. Also, on a whim, I fixed the Genghis Khan monument that the man himself had trashed when it had become a Raid Boss. *** And, eventually, I found myself back on that hill in Ireland. Ready? Ready! I grinned savagely, cast [Devouring Rain] on the little downpour Fionn had summoned, and the world. Went. Nuts. The clear liquid that hit the ground stayed clear for about no time at all. It hit the ground and ripped into the grass like a malevolent force, hissing like a million snakes while it began to burn. Anything living began to carbonize in an instant, turning coal-black before being vaporized into nothingness, while the all-obliterating liquid began to boil, a sea of roiling piranha solution stripping the land bare. A barn or storage shed of some sort that had been standing in the targetted area and while, like Fionn had said, [Devouring Rain] was not specialized against metal and concrete, it was still part sulfuric acid. The layer of rust covering the whole thing vanished near-instantly, and then, the surface slowly began to pit. The effect vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving me and Fionn standing in the middle of a wasteland that wouldnt have looked out of place in a nuclear apocalypse movie. Well, it seemed my earlier description of fuck that entire area hadnt been far off. In fact, if anything, itd undersold things. Though other than giving me a renewed respect for the sheer devastation magic could cause, this little experiment gave me an extra bit of information. I did not have enough magic to cast both the rain transformation spells and [Century Storm]. I could weaponize regular rain, or have another mage summon it, but not both. And without using my ability to choose a favored spell that was not only easier to cast but also cheaper by a quarter, Id have trouble casting [Century Storm] on its own. Well, I did have a Skill Boost left
Your mana pool is deepened, you may set commands under which linger spells will opperate without requiring focus on your part.
This was my fifth upgrade of [Arcane Core], officially making it my second-most upgraded Skill behind [Knowledge Trade]. Also, that was a neat little upgrade. Not that big of a game changer under normal circumstances, when I cast [Century Storm], I was usually behind someone a lot more powerful than myself and in a position to directly control the spell. But in a situation where that wasnt the case, itd be damn useful. Less than a week to practice, well, everything,before the next Challenge showed up. Chapter 60: Bring It! If there was something Id neglected since this whole thing had started, it was my sword. Nagelring. A legendary blade, forged by the dwarven master craftsman Alberich, wielded by Dietrich von Bern, passed along and so on, and so forth, until eventually, it had wound up in my possession, at the start of the current mess, before mine and Mias diverging roles had become apparent. Because her Balmung had probably doubled its number of monster kills in the last two, almost three, months. So when we dueled, well, the only active Skill she used was limited to one that prevented injuries, while I was free to use actually, wed banned magic and anything that couldnt be used repeatedly, which took most of my arsenal off the board. But that was fine, we were mostly just testing the timing aspect of [Magisters Mind]. Supernaturally perfect timing was something that could theoretically be an entire superpower on its own, Id certainly seen at least a couple of novels where it served to make its wielder a powerful and memorable character, but just how good it was remained to be seen. However, that was just the concept of timing as a superpower, hardly proof of its real-world capabilities. It almost certainly wouldnt put me on par with Mia despite our even more massive than before skill gap, a single normal Skill with a single upgrade was highly unlikely to be potent enough to bridge that kind of divide. Still, wed have to try it to find out the complete truth. Two legendary swords clashed, Nagelring in my hands, Balmung in Mias. Anytime I swung, she intercepted easily, but when she attacked well, I also blocked, but it was a hell of a lot easier. All the combat experience, all the memories of countless fights Id gained via [Knowledge Trade] combining with [Magistes Mind] to not just figure out I needed to block, but when, allowing me to strike at the exactly the right, well, wrong time, from Mias perspective, striking the side of her sword when it was as extended as it could be, while still being far enough away from me that the impact would cause it to miss. And then stop the strike the instant her sword did miss, not a movement wasted, leaving me with enough time to counterattack Mia just leaped back and raised Balmung to counter any potential follow-up. Incidentally, she used the exact same counter the second time I tried that, and the third, it just straight up stopped working. She tried to sweep my leg, I raised my foot at the last possible second and kicked her in the knee, trusting her training Skill to prevent permanent or even temporary damage. And the kick did land simultaneously with her sword poking me in the chest. Once again, it was a matter of me being able to catch her off balance once, landing a half-decent blow a second time, and being useless anytime after that. After half an hour, I was black and blue, and Mia sheathed Balmung. I think that settles it, doesnt it? she announced as she helped me up. I mean, its a cool trick, but If I have the spare time to play with swords, I have time to study magic instead, I replied. Becoming a master swordsman would be cool and all, and given an infinite amount of time, Id likely get around to it sooner or later, but currently, our time was limited, extremely so. Oh, speaking of, I heard about your little city killer spell Mia trailed off suggestively. I chuckled softly. Only partially. Youd only be able to use it when its actually raining. Then, I shoved the spell over to her, while learning a few sword tricks in turn. And then, we went off for lunch in Washington DC. I hadnt used a single portal all day, so far at least, and we hadnt really spent too much time together, and I had been slightly delinquent on fixing stuff there. Well, not delinquent, exactly, but not as focused as I could have been due to general issues of business. Random diner with good reviews, Mia dipped her fires in her milkshake like the godless heathen she was, and then dropped by the Smithsonians Air and Space Museum afterwards. About as normal a day as wed had since, honestly, what felt like forever. *** Francis Drake What a gorgeous ship. Up until a few years ago, it might have been a relict of a bygone age, a vessel only considered for recommissioning as a cost-saving measure, shells being cheaper for shore bombardment and general fire support than modern missiles. There had simply been no place for battleships in modern combat, with missiles and fighter jets capable of ripping them apart with ease, relegating the big vessels as little other than target practice until they got close enough to use their big guns, which simply wasnt very likely. However, with the System, the paradigm had changed once again. Monsters didnt launch missiles from well beyond the horizon, monsters didnt launch a flying mosquito swarm that could spit explosives that could rip through even the heaviest armor. No, they got up close and personal, and the popguns that even escort ships were reduced to were not up to the task of fending them off. Well, technically, the Royal Navy did have a ship of the line still in active service, the flagship, in fact, but the HMS Victory was 247 years old and even with his retrofitting Skill, he would not feel comfortable taking the old girl into combat. Which left the current RN with aircraft carriers, which were vulnerable to monsters, and escorts not designed to fend them off. Granted, hed have been more than happy to take a single modern destroyer sans missiles against the entirety of the Spanish Armada, more than capable of ripping it apart from well outside their effective range. In fact, he doubted hed even have had to move overly much to keep the range open. But unfortunately, the task hed woken up to a couple of months ago wasnt swatting away flies on the right side of a vast technological advantage. It was fighting monsters using ships from a navy designed to fight similar ships. Not monsters. There were also the small issues of logistics. Missiles werent just expensive, they took time to build, complex supply chains, and and required a much larger part of an industrial base that was steadily being eroded by random monsters. This might be a war, but it was unlike any war that had ever been fought. The enemy could show up anywhere, at any time, without warning or any real way to prevent in their enti- Drake might have focussed on naval history in his studies, but he had branched out enough to recognize how similar this was to being on the general wrong end of guerilla tactics. Maybe hed been wrong on the idea that this kind of fight was new, but the scope of the current conflict had never even close been reached. In total. Even the World Wars had had nations that were uninvolved, areas that were away from the front lines. This war it simply didnt. Even the presence of an ancient only did so much. So hed started making inquiries, checking which battleships were still intact, either as museum ships or relatively intact wrecks, then begun sending out gentle diplomatic inquiries and somewhat bugging Admiral Chambers too. Though it wasnt until Washington DC that the wheels actually started turning. Because the Americans did have four battleships left. Iowa Class, built during the Second World War, and endlessly flip-flopping between retirement and active duty until they finally became museum ships, one and all. Bringing them up to active duty would have still taken too long by mundane means. Roughly a year, according to historical precedent, involving this specific class of ship no less. Even accounting for likely increases in speed from the yard crews Levels and resultant Skills, it was unlikely that the ship would be made ready using ordinary means in any reasonable amount of time. buuut he had means at hand that were about as far from ordinary as they could possibly get. Besides, the United States had three sister ships to work on, giving away one wouldnt cost them too many options. Now hed just taken a stroll across the deck of the battleship until hed found himself on its bow, staring back across its deck and at its bridge. Yes, this was the vessel hed be flying his flag from. Take care of the old girl, will you? Big Whiskey heres seen some shit, wouldnt do to have her go down over something pointless. Drake glanced over at Lieutenant Commander Contreras, who was approaching from the gangplank. The elderly man had long since retired from active duty, but had still been heavily involved in creating and maintaining the museum. I plan to, Drake said. Youre not going to rename her, are you? Mate, renaming ships is bad luck, Drake said solemnly. Shell be the HMS Wisconsin when shes officially commissioned as a vessel of the Royal Navy, but shell stay the Wisconsin. If only I were a few decades younger Contreras sighed wistfully. Would you like to join me on the new Wisconsins maiden voyage? Drake offered, and the old man nodded. Heh, old man. Drake was several centuries his senior, yet of the two of them, it wasnt Drake who looked like he had one foot in the grave. He stared down the length of the old warship for another long moment, then cast [Full Restoration]. The wave of energy that rippled down the length of the Wisconsin might have been invisible, but what it did sure as shit wasnt. Flecks of rust that would have had most Bosuns livid with rage were wiped away in an instant, decades of bird crap in places not immediately accessible to the public vaporized in the blink of an eye, while all the things that had been added as a part of the museum were obliterated rather more slowly, visibly, as though the Skill were trying to show how much they did not belong on any warship worth its salt. At the same time, while it might not have been visible, deep inside the vessel, all munitions storages were filled, fuel tanks topped up, gears and cranks greased, hinges oiled, and everything else that would have normally taken hundreds of people days or weeks to achieve happened in a matter of seconds. Barely any time had passed by the time the Skill had finished, but the Wisconsin gleamed like new, as though she had just left the yard. Actually, Drake sincerely doubted shed ever looked this good, wear and tear affected ships even in the dry dock. No, this was a vessel that seemed to have rolled straight out off of a television screen, a prettier than life creation more suited to a museum than the battlefield. And he hadnt even upgraded her yet. Lieutenant Commander Contreras, would you join me on the bridge? Drake asked as he started walking towards the ships central tower. Wheres the crew? the old man asked as he followed. Magic, Drake replied. I can take her out myself, the crew is waiting on the escorts and cargo ships off Virginia Beach, with all the things needed to bring this beautiful old girl into the twenty-first century. Contreras raised a skeptical eyebrow at the Englishman. Drake laughed. I doubt I would believe someone claiming to be able to control a ship this large on their own either. He managed to reach the bridge while maintaining his dignity, not stumbling over a single one of those tiny bulkheads and their lower edges that seemed to have been designed to be at the perfect height to bang your shins into. It had been a painful lesson to learn, but hed learned it nevertheless. The bridge of any warship, let alone a capital ship designed with the intention of acting as flagship as needed, was large, with several stations and a dozen different screens, gauges, and other devices to inform the bridge crew what the ship was doing. However, Drake had gotten to the point where [One With the Ship] could tell him everything that was going on, down to even the smallest detail he actually needed to be aware of outside of combat. Or similarly stressful situations. In addition, he had [Remote Override] to remotely work several stations from the captains chair, which he was currently occupying. Not simultaneously, but this was a fairly low-stress, low-danger situation, without anything overly unpredictable. And if something did happen, well, the Wisconsin now had a full load of munitions, including a set of rounds ready to be fired, and [Remote Retargetting] required very little attention to use. He just decided on what he wanted blown away, and theyd aim themselves. At that point, he just had to fire and that wasnt particularly complicated either. Continuing the fight the warship would be tricky beyond that point, but there were escorts out in the open ocean. And the only things that could take a 2,700-pound shell to the face and keep going while not being so large as to be entirely incapable of stealth were other ancients, and they were unlikely to be attacking him.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Drake grinned as the throttle moved forward, guided by invisible hands, the tremendous engines in the depths of the ancient vessel slowly but steadily coming to life, a low rumbling audible even from the bridge. Meanwhile, the gangplank detached itself in a similarly automatic manner, vanishing onto the pier. The USS Wisconsin was off to sail the high seas once again! Drake suppressed his grin down into a dignified smile as he sat on the captains chair and began maneuvering the battleship across the Elizabeth River, and out into the open ocean. In many spots on the shore, where one could reach it without breaking into private property, to be specific, he could see people watching, taking pictures with both professional-looking cameras and those cell phone cameras of theirs. They were incredible pieces of technology, and Drake liked to think hed mastered his, though that was likely just hubris talking. Though they could be annoying when someone stuck them in your face to ask for a quote, a selfie, or the like. It rarely happened, but when it did, it frustrated him. But even the memory of that incident failed to dampen his mood. And as the ship started leaving the shore behind, Drake allowed his thoughts to drift. Once the Wisconsin reached the fleet that would be escorting it to Portsmouth, all the materials the accompanying cargo ships had brought would be in range for his Skill, and Drake would transform the entire warship. He just hoped that the plans worked as advertised, and took real-world conditions into account. Because there was absolutely no shortage of horror stories as far as engineering miscalculations went. From a new sailing ship meant to act as a platform for heavy weaponry outright rolling over, over battleships designed to punch through waves having been so prone to having their bow flooded that they actually had their forwardmost run battery pointed backwards anytime the weather was a little rough, to destroyers so unbalanced that their keels had to be filled with fifty tons of cement as a permanent counterweight before they were allowed on the high seas. Ultimately, none of that was likely to happen here, the Iowa class of battleships was a solid design and all the retrofits had been planned with the explicit intention to maintain the current weight distribution. Then again, their conviction that things would be alright had blinded many a man to the point where they marched straight into their deaths, be they their actual demise or merely the complete loss of their social standing. And beyond the design and retrofit of the Wisconsin herself, the rest of the Navy also needed consideration. For starters, even battleships still needed escorts. Firstly, regardless of the extent of the modifications, one could only depress the barrels of the main guns so far, leaving a significant area around the base of the ship that could not be defended. So escorts, especially ones with non-missile armament, were needed to cover that dead zone. In addition, there was the issue of the superhumans the System created. That Vogt girl could slash as far as she could see, near as he could tell, and based on what hed overheard, she could bypass armor. That was a terrifying enough power even if it had limitations that prevented it from outright slashing open a reactor from kilometers away. But as far as Drake knew, there was no such limit. Heck, even injured, almost a kilometer away, and working off of time-delayed information on the location of the Nation Boss final core, shed still come within a literal meter of landing the final blow. And if hed still been able to use his luck manipulation, shed have likely done it. That kind of ability, a spotter who didnt need to send the information along through intermediaries, and another person to improve targetting through some kind of magic the biggest danger to capital ships since the invention of the torpedo. And her brother could summon storms. Yes, modern warships were designed to survive harsh weather, but there was a big difference between a regular, natural, storm, and a magically created thunderhead that could unleash a near-endless barrage of of guided lightning that actively sought out the most vulnerable targets. The Royal Navy should likely have been seeking someone with weather manipulation abilities for far longer. Now, obviously, Drakes fellow ancients were terrifying figures as well, but they were like him, singular existences who ran around in a limited number that was highly unlikely to continue to increase. The Vogt siblings, on the other hand, they were regular inhabitants of the modern age, whod grown to their current level of strength in barely over two months. Thankfully, designing ships to fight new threats was someone elses task, though hed gotten a look at their creations nevertheless. Generally, the planned armament for the new ships in general was still fairly missile-heavy, but had a much greater emphasis on shorter-range battles and sustainable fire, rather than the cumbersome nature of large-scale missile reloads. There was also an idea of creating a new class of ship based on battlecruiser design principles, the speed to run away from anything that posed a threat, and the firepower to rip apart anything that didnt. That had made them terrifyingly effective cruiser killers, but their speed had come at the cost of armor, and you rarely knew how much armor you could afford to lose without exceedingly painful lessons. Specifically, the Battle of Jutland had proven that a tiny difference in armor thickness could change a lot. The British had won a strategic victory in that battle, but only after rapidly losing three battlecruisers to comparatively minor hits, performing so badly that the fleets commander remarked on it. When an admiral turned to his flag captain and, in front of the crew, no less, remarked there seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today, then you knew that something extremely bad had happened. Drake doubted the boffins could create something adequate. Monsters didnt have the same relationship between speed, durability, and offensive power that ships did, managing to come up with a vessel that was reliably capable of escaping anything it needed to run from might not even be possible. It was as he thought this that he Wisconsin slid into place in the flotilla that would be escorting it across the Atlantic, and came into range of the supply ships that had faithfully carried her future parts. So he activated his Skill. [Instant Overhaul]. The general design of the Wisconsin didnt change. Nine 16-inch guns spread across three turrets, two in front of and one behind the bridge, designed to fire shells that, depending on the purpose of the projectile in question, clocked in around a ton in mass. Each. Launchers for both cruise and anti-ship missiles, four each And four anti-aircraft guns, Phalanx CWISs, nicknamed R2D2 for some inexplicable reason, every single one capable of unleashing four and a half thousand rounds a minute. Those all stayed. However, the Wisconsins secondary guns were further reduced down to a mere three twin-barreled turrets in favor of tripling the number of CWIS units aboard, the automatically-tracking defensive guns capable of easily shooting missiles out of the air or harassing monsters by shooting at their eyes or other vulnerable spots. The Iowa-class might have had some of the heaviest anti-air defenses of any battleship, if not the heaviest, but considering the way the modern battlefield worked, both against humans and monsters, he felt that enhancing the air defense was the correct choice. The main draw of a battleship was its heaviest armament, which had merely been slightly enhanced by stronger materials in spots and otherwise been left alone, while the secondary guns equivalents were found on the destroyers the Wisconsin would always be accompanied by. And speaking of destroyers, they were currently in the process of being retrofitted with more actual guns. Cruisers, too, Drake supposed, but the Royal Navy didnt have any of those. The Wisconsin simply would never be without destroyers, no battleship realistically could be since the invention of the torpedo, and that statement had only grown more true as aircraft and missile technology grew in power, range, and precision. In fact, that was where the term destroyer came from, it was simply a short version of torpedo boat destroyer. On the other hand, the CWIS system could fire continuously, capable of constantly striking and distracting enemies while the 16-inch guns were either being brought to bear or reloading. It didnt matter that the old 5-inch secondaries hit harder, the lighter weapons were expected to able to more effectively feed enemies to the Wisconsins primary armament. If a battleship was needed to fight an enemy, it was the big guns, no pun intended, which were required. Her escorts could in a way, serve as her secondaries. In fact, a similar thought had been behind the design of another truly impressive ship, the HMS Dreadnought, whose design had been so revolutionary it had sparked a global arms race. In addition, the anti-air guns were sufficiently light to be hung over the side of the vessel, and sweep the hull clear, though there were still plenty of foes that could easily weather their smaller projectiles. Speaking of getting monsters off the hull, both electrical and sonic deterrents had been installed by the upgrade, though Drake was rather skeptical as to how effective they would truly be. Would anything that could be chased away by something like that even truly be a threat? In truth, the thing that he was truly puttin his trust in was the depth charges that had replaced the decoy torpedoes and a couple of other electronic warfare systems that were much better at countering manmade foes, not monsters. And finally, there were the general upgrades. New radar, new screens, modern satellite communications equipment, reactor powered by the remnants of ancient supernovae the idea of nuclear power generation had terrified him, when hed first heard of the concept. But once hed been convinced of their safety, hed all but fallen in love with the idea. Incidentally, the same went for the railguns such a reactor could power. Hed been promised theyd be viable before the end of the year, and while he wasnt certain that theyd be ready in time, being prepared to use them could be valuable. And just in general, a nuclear reactor could and would power anything they, the brass, or the boffins decided to stick onto the Wisconsin, though any such additions would have to be installed manually. The Wisconsin did not look excessively changed from the outside, and there were many parts of its interior that were entirely unaltered, but the bridge was almost impossible to recognize as the same one theyd been sitting in a few seconds previously. Please tell me all those screens are reliable, Contreras commented from the side, eyeing the modernized room with distaste. It was what, as far as Drake knew, was often described as looking like the bridge of a starship. Everything here has been chosen with reliability in mind, Drake replied, having had the same reaction. Hed dropped his phone a while back, been unpleasantly surprised to see how badly damaged it had been, and outright horrified when hed learned how downright fragile electronics in general could be. Granted, one might not throw around books either, but those could generally handle being dropped, and they were far less vital to shipboard operations than its computers were. He held out his hand to the elderly Hispanic man. Its been a pleasure, Lieutenant Commander Contreras, Drake said. Likewise, Vice Admiral, Contreras replied, sounding happy, though he was still giving the screens the side-eye. A helicopter will take you back to the mainland, Drake said as he led the way to the deck, where the first crew members were already being transferred aboard. Because while they could spare a helicopter which would not be in use during the crew embarkment, there was not much time left. After all, they only had six days left to cross the Atlantic and return to Britain, he did not want to get caught out in the middle of the ocean at the start of the fourth challenge while his presence attracted every beasty within sixty miles. Not again. *** Charlemagne Tristan had called him the Emperor of Logistics when he thought he wasnt listening, though Karl wasnt offended. It was only a part of what hed achieved in his first life, a tiny portion of what hed strived to achieve, but that didnt make it inaccurate, per se. Karl himself might have preferred the title of Emperor of Renaissance, as in, his Class name [Legendary Emperor of Renaissance], which covered all his deeds, from the creation of a largely stable empire during his lifetime to the new focus on scholarly efforts, but logistics was nevertheless a large part of what had allowed his military victories. An army marches on its stomach was more than just a setup for the how about you walk with your feet instead joke, funny as it may be. No, it was the fundamental core of warfare, which had remained true from the first group of cavemen whod set off to pick a fight with another group of equally primitive individuals, to today. Germanys railway lines and meticulous planning had kept it in the First World War for years, fighting most of the world, while poor access to oil and insufficient compensation for that fact had played a large part in dooming the Third Reich. Overextension into Russia had cost Napoleon everything. Lacking one thing or another had resulted in many Crusades falling far short of their goal of conquering Jerusalem. And so on, and so forth. An endless parade of lost wars and shattered dreams, too long to list them all even if he had the entire day. And there was likely a far greater number of endeavors that had failed so thoroughly that no one had ever even realized a military action had ever even been attempted. Which was why hed been spending the last eighty-three days working on perfecting the Untersbergs redesign, leaving two days for people to get used to the changes. The Mandln had dug out huge underground chambers to fill with raw materials to feed the change as well as general supplies to last for years while talented engineers had drawn up plans with and for him. Then, Karl had made some changes, which were subsequently either accepted or rejected with a proper explanation as to why they wouldnt work. Oh, he loved working with these modern folks. In his day, while hed had many competent underlings, there were many more whod never reached the point of being able to actually stand up to him and warn him before he did something stupid. Or even just non-optimal. And then, hed run it past a few of the younger people in the mountain, self-proclaimed munchkins despite being of entirely normal size. To see if there were any exploits hed overlooked. As it turned out, he had. A rather big one. He could, once a year, transform a fortress using a Skill, using any provided raw materials, which included furniture and the like. So theyd added extra storage rooms, purely for complex spare parts and munitions of every stripe. They did not have anything to put in there, only the blueprints, but that was all he needed, now that he had the component materials. Not only could he cover the mountain in weapon emplacements, he would magically create enough parts to rebuild everything twice over. Plus literal tons of spares and munitions for all military gear whose blueprints they had, to support their allies. Everything had been accounted for, both in terms of magically created parts, and design of the defensive emplacements, capable of staring down the remaining four challenges even in their worst-case scenarios came to pass within reason, at least. Modern technology did have its limits. Four separate launch shafts for short, medium, and even long-range missiles capable of targetting any monster spotted by one of the thousands of exterior cameras he was planning to install, or the six radars that could simultaneously track over ten thousand individual objects the size of a pea, which would be equidistantly spread around the perimeter of the mountain. Not only would all that information pass through him via his upgraded [Nexus of Knowledge], but also feed into a state-of-the-art supercomputer, or its backups, should that become necessary. A custom-designed program would allow the direct feed of information to be used to guide the missiles so even monsters the modern weapons were not designed to track could be targeted. However, missiles werent all the mountain would have to defend itself with. Five-inch naval guns, would cover the exterior like a hedgehogs spikes, with the occasional sixteen-inch heavy turret strategically placed, as well as defensive weaponry, as much of an oxymoron as that term was. Automatically tracking, rapid-firing turrets modern warships used to shoot down missiles and aircraft did, in fact, outnumber the five-inch turrets. And finally, as though the rest wasnt enough, four launch sites for modern, US-designed, drones breached the exterior, allowing for the lethal devices to easily target enemies that found their way into blindspots, or cover areas in which the sensors were damaged or otherwise lacking. Defensively, meanwhile, the redesign hadnt been quite as complicated, but still rather extreme. Metal beams that were functionally just modern rebar would thread the entire mountain, though much more corrosion- and rust-resistant than regular steel. Pockets of sand and gravel would dot the areas vulnerable to tunneling. Layers of earth and metal to cover the outside to absorb shockwaves and explosives while stopping ground-penetrating ordinance well short of the true exterior. Heavy plating that was functionally high-tech, high-durability ceramics would cover the most important sections, layered with metal, concrete, and even ballistic cloth that could, somehow, stop bullets. Speaking off, hard-to-acquire materials like spiderweb cloth also graced the storerooms, though there were limits as to how much could be mined out before the whole thing collapsing became a real threat. Attention, all inhabitants of the Untersberg, Karl der Gro?e announced, his voice ringing throughout the entire mountain. I will be altering the mountains layout, please remain in your current location until the process has finished. The Skill said instant, however, he had a nagging feeling it wouldnt be quite that fast. Still [Instant Improvement], he intoned, and the world was drowned out by a sound as though the entire mountain were collapsing. Nothing visibly changed for him, the grand hall wouldnt be changed, but it was meant to move deeper down, and he could feel it drop into the bowels of the Earth. So, not instant. But barely twenty seconds later, the rumbling stopped, and through his Skills, Karl could see that he was sitting at the heart of an entirely changed mountain. It might be hubris, it might be overconfidence, but he had a good feeling about the next Challenge. Chapter 61: Whoops … Calling the current situation normal was accurate to a certain degree, though it also showed just how warped my perception of that word was. Normal. What did that even mean? Well, Ill tell you what: It sure as shit didnt mean waking up in the bowels of a magically transformed mountain, that magically supplied oxygen and light as was needed without ever being wrong, magically transforming my fairly regular clothing into a sharp suit, running into King friggin Arthur on the way to grab breakfast, then walking past the founding father of my nation who should have died over a millennium ago, then magically pull my breakfast from the pocket dimension Id transported it in to eat at the same table currently occupied by a four-hundred-year-old admiral speaking to whom I presumed to be his naval superior via a magical video conference, whose screen hung in the air without any means of support or even, well, a screen. Yet that was my world. Morning, I announced as I sat at the planning table with my toast and eggs, as well as a cup of tea. Morning, Drake responded, briefly glancing back before returning to his conversation with right, Admiral Chambers, First Sea Lord, commander of the Royal Navy. Id started memorizing the faces of people like him, but the picture on the internet had been slightly out of date. The discussion basically boiled down to various plans against the potential forms the fourth Challenge could take. Well, theoretical last-minute adjustments to the plans, at any rate. If they were still busy with actual plan creation, thirty minutes before go time, they werent a tenth as good as people in their respective positions should have been. Hell, I should probably have finished eating a while ago if Id had any real task to accomplish in the upcoming battle, but I didnt. There was one portal I had to open to deposit Drake on his ship, after that, I was just on standby duty as a taxi. Also, I was basically ready to go in an instant, I was already dressed, I could clean myself off with a thought if I managed to get something on my clothes, I could shove my cutlery into storage in a matter of seconds and honestly, I was being ridiculous, justifying myself like this. We all knew exactly when the carnage was going to start, down to the second. In fact, I had the countdown present in the corner of my vision sort of. Instead of anchoring its location relative to where I was looking, Id made it stationary relative to my head. It was always in the corner of my eye when looking straight, and if I wanted a clearer view, I just needed to glance up and to the right.
Time remaining: 00:00:28:01
Yeah to be honest, I might have shown up here too early. All that was left for me to do was wait, though I was hardly the only one who was in that unenviable position. Everyone else was also already at their post. Mia and Dietrich, Arthur and Merlin, Fionn and the Fianna, Ogier, all the people whod come to help despite lacking the overwhelming strength of an ancient it was the calm before the storm. A storm we all knew was coming, one that was near-guaranteed to be worse than anything wed faced so far. And I was busy spending my time driving myself crazy by focussing on potential bad outcomes. Blech. Not helpful. Instead, I forced myself to pull out my phone, and start working. Looking over my plans. Reach out to as many nations as I could and secure, at the very least, basic right of passage and the like. Also, I needed to complete my tour of the globe, create an intricate network of portal waypoints and landmarks I could guide others to You know, every single time I had an idea, it was accompanied by a flood of guilt and/or recrimination, and whenever I got around to doing something Id previously only planned, never executed. Always. Not necessarily instantly, but eventually, it always came. The idea, the certainty, that doing something sooner would have saved lives With an annoyed growl, I put my phone back in my pocket, pulled my now-empty plate into my [Diplomatic Pouch], popped in my earphones, and marched off. Not far, just a walk around the outside of the throne room, through corridors that were functionally deserted, only really populated by those heading into the throne room, few as they were. The castellan, a couple of people to help with the tech but they were gone soon, vanished into the throne room.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Just me and the music pounding in my ears. Just thinking and listening. Of course, the playlist naturally picked up where Id stopped listening the last time, and as awesome of a song Sabatons The Last Stand was, it wasnt exactly appropriate for the situation so I just clicked it over to the next one. Primo Victoria. Yeah, that felt better. Less defeatist. I came back into the throne room with five minutes to spare, though thankfully managed to avoid falling into the trap of psyching myself out. Not again. Also, Id wound up focussing on [Catastrophe Sense] and the fact that it wasnt giving off so much as a single peep. It, at least, did not see any reason for concern. So I just sat there. Until, eventually, a new message popped up.
The Fourth Challenge, [The Wrath of Natural World], has now begun, giving life to objects that never should have had it. The Third Challenge, [The Waking of the Unliving], has concluded, all still animated objects will lose their unnatural life. The Fifth Challenge, [The Darkness of History], will begin in seventy-five days. Time remaining: 74:23:59:58
So, salient detail there, we would not have to deal with any of the Third Challenges leftovers, because there were none. Veeeery nice. That was when the first explosion rang out, loud enough to be audible for me to hear even all the way down here. And a second one. And another one for good measure. Uh how screwed were we? Tristan, look at the monitors, Charlemagne ordered in his finest obey me right now, voice, but even his authoritative tone could not hide the mirth that was inexplicably carried along in the order. He had self-control. I I mean, I also did, it just wasnt enough. Not even close. In fact, I was so caught off guard that I failed to use [Innate Etiquette] to cover my slipup. I started laughing. Wed broken the effing System. They were just plain tearing each other apart out there. The monsters, that was. I mean, stick a living wildfire right next to a walking waterfall, the water would instantly vaporize into an explosion of steam, tornados would blast apart mudslides, and so on it was glorious. Just glorious. The elementals outside were equally divided between the four classical elements, plus metal and wood, which covered both the Greek and Chinese ideas of what the universe was made up of, and a lot of those, quite simply, did not play nice with each other. There were just too many, crammed into too small a space. It might have been that the System calculated minimum distances between monsters based on the smaller beasts of the previous challenges, it might be the fact that we had an extra ancient in the form of Merlin, maybe me and Mia started attracting monsters as ancients did, which was a distinct possibility considering what had happened in my first diplomatic visit to Washington DC but that was something to unpick later. Right now fireworks. I couldnt help but stare, and so did everyone else I could see. Well, chaps, as fascinating as that is, I do have duties elsewhere, Drake interrupted my contemplations. Using [Ambassadors Instinct], I could target the Wisconsins flag bridge without issues such as tides, waves, or, it simply moving interfering. Simple, clean, and honestly anticlimactic, compared to the previous time Id done this. That had involved an hour-long helicopter flight the week before, back and forth above the area the target ship was expected to be, I could then drop him onto from as low a height as possible. This was positively boring much like the goings-on above had to be for the fighters. Granted, boring was good, boring was safe, but still, it. Was. Boring. Also sort of entertaining, but compared to combat, it was not exactly exciting. But everyone would survive, so that was good. I was in the process of pulling my phone out when Charlemagne gave the order to do what I was already in the process of doing. Offer help. Hi, Sarangerel, its Ambassador Vogt, I called Genghis Khans aide. Our monsters wound up blowing themselves up so we only really need enough people here to mop up stragglers. I know the Great Khan doesnt need help, youd have already called otherwise, but do you think hed want some reinforcements? And if the answers yes, which of the battlegrounds is he on Ill call you right back. She said and hung up, so I made the same offer to the US via their Berlin embassy, only briefly pausing the call to listen to the Khans reply, which was a hearty yes. I wound up sending the entire Fianna to Washington, while Arthur, Dietrich, Ogier, and Mia wound up fifty kilometers south of Ulaanbaatar. In the meantime, I joined Merlin up top to throw spells at whatever remained. I didnt contribute much compared to what he could do, but it was still fun. And then, my phone rang. It was Mia. If she was calling already, it could only be an emergency So, I have no idea how that happened, but as it turns out, Genghis Khan has this Skill called [Inevitable Conclusion], and when he used it, all the elementals wound up in one spot and they blew each other up. Or that could have happened. No wonder [Catastrophe Sense] hadnt been apprehensive. Thered been nothing to be apprehensive about. Twelve hours later, I was out of portals, had gained a single Level, and was sincerely hoping that an easy victory in this Challenge did not signify a massive danger in the next one. [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 43 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 44] [Skill Boost gained] Finding a good home for that boost would probably be the only productive thing Id done all day. Chapter 62: Eternal Serpent There was something extremely wrong with this wave. It was too easy, in a way that was entirely separate from the opening days fireworks. People we knew how to deal with natural disasters. Rarely well, most nations had enough disastrous disaster relief efforts in their past to fill entire history books, but there were plans in place to deal with them. Water to dump on fire via specialized planes or helicopters, storm shelters, flood barriers, pesticides, not necessarily useable against monsters, but at least partially useable. Also, it seemed like these things were uniquely vulnerable to modern weapons. Well, perhaps not uniquely, but still, they were a lot easier to take down using modern tech than Id have assumed at this stage in the game. It hadnt really been obvious in the first hours, considering the highly entertaining yet impersonal nature of the first few thousand kills, but elementals had cores, one each, though Nation Bosses would likely have extra, just as the previous ones had had. And that was their big weakness because those cores were rather fragile. You had to rip your way through a lot of mass to reach them, but once you were there, you won. Which meant that if you found a way to easily strike at them without going through the intervening space, well, that fight was yours to win. Wind monsters might be able to knock bullets and artillery shells off target, constantly shifting to render direct strikes ineffective, but it had taken perhaps a day at most for anyone with the means at hand to introduce the monster to the miracle of proximity detonations. And water monsters, well water was a liquid and, as such, could not compress when hit by, say, an explosion, transferring shockwaves, and sound too, for that matter, far more easily than air. Get a bomb of sufficient strength anywhere near the core and boom, that was the game right there. Wood/plant was countered by fire, while the usual anti-wildfire techniques applied in sufficient access killed fire elementals. Metal and earth were trickier, much trickier, usually having to be brought down by concentrated artillery, just like the previous set of enemies, but still, the Earths militaries had had fifty days of practice. It showed. Bosses were still a problem, though those were bosses, and therefore a bit of a different animal. But even they could be dealt with. Throw more ammo at it, call in help and have them pile on, if all else fails, call in an ancient, assuming one was in the area. The world was finding its footing. Infrastructure, military included, was slowly being eroded by a constant flood of attacks, casualty numbers could only ever go up, and trained personnel were becoming scarce but magic and the System were being accepted and integrated into the military, people had gotten as used to fighting inhuman monstrosities as they were ever going to, and, well, Levels were really coming into effect. We were winning and poor Joseph had gotten shot at so many times hed started wearing a sign around his neck that said I am the Golem of Prague, and if you shoot me, Ill hang you from the nearest clocktower by your underwear. Apparently, it had been provided by a well-meaning but somewhat immature Czechian police officer, but it had been kept because it worked. Someone had also gotten him one of those text-to-speech computers because sign language wasnt a particularly widespread skill outside of the deaf community and people with deaf relatives/spouses. Two weeks. It had been two weeks without major disasters, which had left me free to visit plenty of spots around the globe, secure a right of passage across most of the Earths landmass to make randomly teleporting into an area to fight a monster less of a diplomatic minefield. And from yesterday on, Id even settled on a new tradition for myself. If I woke up and still had more than one portal left prior to the 10 am reset, Id use one of these portals to take to the field myself. Nothing overly dangerous, but still something to provide some kind of challenge, a slight exercise of my magic. Just a little practice. With luck, I could settle things even before the return portal closed. Yesterday, Id drowned a wildfire with [Century Storm], and today, I was facing a walking patch of bamboo that was busy ripping stalks from the ground, magically sharpening them, and hurling them at anything that moved. [Century Storm], [Devouring Rain], watch the monster blacken and disintegrate, churn the earth to lessen the corrosive swamp that resulted from the attack, walk back into the Untersberg barely a minute after leaving it. There were hard limits as to how much I could learn by just opening and simultaneously finishing the battle with my strongest move, granted, but I was working my way up to something more creative. More complex. I was getting good with my best move, I could start to pull off something else at a later date. Oh, and Id also gotten a couple of Levels. [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 44 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 46] [Skill gained: Flows of Power] [Skill Boost gained]
Flows of Power Where does power lie? In the arena of politics, it lies where people believe it lies. Obligations and debts are social constructs, patron-client relationships are rarely to never backed by a threat of force, and just overall, it is quite complex in general. The one sitting atop the throne is not necessarily the one who wears the crown in truth. This Skill cuts through this veil of complexity and illusions, making it possible to see the complex web of power and control that threads through society in its purest form, entirely lacking the bias of any form of reporting by another individual inevitably incurs.
Another very useful Skill. Thered be no hidden puppet master with me around. Id be able to see who wore the pants in any relationship, identify the big cheese in any room I entered, and in any diplomatic situation, know who was worth talking to and who wasnt. As for the boost, it was obviously going into [Arcane Core]. I was the conduit for Fionns magical knowledge, my spell list was ever-growing, I wanted to be able to use them, not doing so would be depriving us of firepower later on.
Your mana pool is deepened, you may now choose two signature spells.
More mana, and itd be easier to cast my anti-area combo. Simple, but useful. As for the Skill Boost Id gotten on the first day of the current challenge, Id also, eventually, settled on where to put it. [Legal Grounding]. I had no earthly idea how you know everything you could possibly need about any legal situation you find yourself in could possibly be improved upon, but I figured it would come in handy anyway, which was why I improved the Skill.
In addition, you gain an understanding of the legality surrounding an issue in other jurisdictions where the same issue may be cleared up, how to transmigrate the issue there, and what the advantages would be to doing so. The same applies to situations, deals, or treaties that you may be planning to do elsewhere.
Yeah that made sense. To the point where me not having anticipated it was a smidge embarrassing. Basically, not only did the Skill now help pull the same judge-shopping shenanigans Id heard happening in the United States, it would also let me know what changes Id need to make when making the same deal or treaty multiple times not when I was about to do it, but ahead of time. It had been more than merely helpful in the last few weeks. So anyway, breakfast, then throne room to see if there was anything in particular that needed doing, if there wasnt, go write up some contracts for later, then meeting, then you know, the usual. It was kinda funny how even after all these months, my job description was still technically I dunno, just make yourself useful, be it by someone elses direction, or pursuing a goal Id deemed worthy. Still, food first. I headed down to the mess hall and started grabbing stuff. As always. my phone practically exploded with news alerts at the exact wrong time, causing me to drop the coffee pot in my haste to retrieve it from my phone, much to the displeasure of everyone around me. I groaned internally as I turned away from the chow line, lazily waving my hand in the general direction of the mess while casting [Restoration of the Old]. What had gone wrong this time oh. Oh. Shit. That wasnt good. Still unconfirmed, but nevertheless highly alarming. Someone had run into a hydra down in Greece. Someone, as in the media didnt know their name yet, rather than vague shadowy figure made a pronouncement and bounced, mind you, but that still didnt really mean it wasnt some manner of fabrication. Nor did it mean that it was, in fact, fake. Though I was leaning on the side of its real. Wed already seen that explicitly mythological monsters could appear in the first challenge, as seen in the Nemean Lion Arthur had killed, but this was the fourth challenge. If someone had run around claiming that the hydra had come back as a Level whatever Boss of one variety or other nowadays, my first question would have been why on Earth did it not get noticed up until now? A monster that strong would not have been possible to contain or get trapped so long not a System monster, at any rate. On the other hand, if this was an Abhartach situation, and the original hydra was back that would be bad. Bad to a degree never before seen, or at least not in the last few months. I had no idea how strong Hercules had been, beyond very. But if the seeming trend of older magic phenomena being stronger I was so focused on running over to fetch whoever was available from the training room while also wracking my brain onto which number was the best to call at right this second that when the news alert of hydra killed actually caused me to trip, going sprawling, only a last-second cast of [Lesser Telekinesis] allowing me to prevent my phone from shattering on the ground. Well, wasnt that great? More embarrassed than hurt, I pushed myself to my feet and looked at the alert that had caused my spill. So, initial panic aside, mine and whoever was writing all the articles causing my phones news alert to pop off, things seemed to have worked out. Granted, Id still have to go explore the area, or, more likely, ask someone better at investigative work to head out there, but the situation had resolved itself. I skim-read the first article that had shown up, a short piece that basically boiled down to military killed it. Incendiary rounds, most likely. Moving at a more reasonable pace, I continued into the training room. If Mia and Dietrich were in there, Id tell them about the whole affair.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Another round of Google alerts went off. More hydras. As, multiple. Alright, now I was pretty sure people were screwing with, well, not me specifically, but the world as a whole except I also couldnt exactly write this off as a prank just yet. I could, however, wait until more information came in from a source that wasnt the news. Or just get it in a way that only took a minute at most. I dialed the number for the Greek ambassador to Berlin, I figured shed either know something or, at the very least, be much more capable of directly picking her way through the mass of disorganized information currently available. The conversation was brief but interesting. Yes, there were hydras running, er, slithering around in the Greek region of Lerna, where the eponymous Lernean Hydra was said to have existed. Varying in size, capable of significant regeneration, etc, usual thing. They were being taken down, but help would be appreciated as their number didnt really seem to be going down. Hm. The way to kill the Hydra of Lerna permanently was easy, you cauterized every injury you caused until the beast was dead, but I couldnt be the only one who knew that. Everyone knew that, or at least enough people that there should have been someone in the chain of command who knew what to do. The odds of that not being the case were so close to zero that it wasnt worth putting an actual number to it. Especially in Greece, where the legend had originated. The ambassador hadnt specified how the hydras were being put down, but I didnt doubt people knew how to do it successfully. Therefore My blood ran cold. How many instances of everyone knows had proven false? You killed werewolves with silver except you didnt, you really didnt, that was a 20th-century evolution of the general silver as a sanctified metal myth, the traditional counter was Wolfsbane, Aconite, Monkshood, whatever you wanted to call that damn plant. You brought down vampires with stakes to the heart, fire, or sunlight, maybe silver if you were aware of the older methods yet Abhartach had shrugged off all of those. The original, older, myth about staking vampires to the ground, on the other hand, had held the key to holding Abhartach for centuries. What was the chance that the hydra myth had survived the multiple millennia since its inception entirely intact, hm? Maybe the truth of the matter was still buried in there? the immortal head. A version of the myth had the hydras final head be actually immortal, so Heracles had hacked it off and just left it buried under a rock. If that was true, then that head was what we needed to find it was just at that time that Charlemagne used his communications Skill to ask me to teleport Dietrich to Greece, as close to Lerna as I could get, because someone else had also figured out the whole immortal head angle. That little bit of information had already been spreading far and wide while Id been busy with my big oh shit moment. I sighed. Now I felt stupid. And like an arrogant ass because Id thought I was being smart about figuring things out, which made me feel even worse. But at least I could still do something to help, which did improve my mood. [Ambassadors Instinct], go! I needed to get two people to Greece, to open portals for them I needed to be with them, and to do that I needed to know how to reach them. So, it provided the path forward. Tons of information, without any risk of information overload, man I loved this Skill! Find Mia, tell Mia what was going on, shove Mia through a portal into the marshlands where things were going on, and then back away quickly enough to avoid any potential retaliation. *** Mia Six months ago, being dumped into a swamp would probably have resulted in her contemplating Tristans murder. Nowadays she really, really, didnt care. Especially since her literal superpowers made it so much less messy. [Stain Immunity] was a Skill that sounded like itd be the favorite ability of a vapid cheerleader who was the first to die in a horror movie. But just like with many other aspects of the System, there were layers to this ability. The obvious use, the not-so-obvious use, and the game-breaking use. Because [Stain Immunity] didnt just keep her clothing clean, it kept anything one could consider filthy off herself, including various forms of not-injected toxins, diseases, and just about everything else one would not want to touch. Shed be as clean swimming through a literal sewer as shed be in a sterilized surgery suite. And that power had then silenced that annoying little voice in the back of her mind known as disgust. Nothing in combat fazed her anymore, not blood, not guts, not the environment no matter how conventionally disgusting it was. Which, in turn, translated into making her an even more terrifying force on the battlefield, and while soldiers were trained to ignore such things as well, complete immunity still trumped training. It also synergized nicely with [Relentless Pursuit], her latest Skill which let her chase anything shed once spotted or fought once. Upgrading that Skill had then also granted her a decent healing factor if, or rather, while she went after an enemy. If a foe decided to retreat and managed to get more than a few steps away, by the time she caught up, shed be hale and hearty again. Now they just needed to figure out what was going on. Apparently, the general consensus was that either the issue was being called by an oft-overlooked part of the original myth about how the original hydras final head was immortal and had been buried by Heracles under a rock. How that was the source of the problem that was their issue to figure out. As for what to do with the head, on the other hand, that was simple. Shed let Dietrich handle that, by summoning a copy of Excalibur and killing the monster with that. He was here too, but he was following at a distance, letting her take the lead so he could see how shed handle herself. Mia was already wrapped in heavy armor of dwarven make, her usual fare, but by now, almost all of it was soulbound and empowered using her second capstone Skill with secondary effects copied from an ancients gear. Her helmet made her head all but immune to damage and her sword was Mimung, those two were her strongest upgrades, but even when nothing quite so spectacular was available, she could simply tac on a second layer of protection, copying the strongest bit armor she could and, well, layering it on the defense provided by what she was actually wearing. For that, she was borrowing from Ogier, seeing as the giant of a man walked into battle wearing enough metal to build several cars. Spat venom or spilled toxic blood would not injure her, her armor would hopefully block bites, and if she did get poisoned it would be bad. Really bad. Then again, it would be bad for anyone else too. She continued to march onwards, through the marshland, while Dietrich followed after, easily walking on top of the moss clumps and mud she was crashing straight through, staying as clean as she was not by virtue of magic but rather by never winding up in the swamp in the first place. Where were these damn snakes? Another explosion rang out in the distance at that point, so Mia started to head in that direction. That was where the military was fighting the monsters, almost certainly. Which meant the origin had to be somewhere in that direction. A minute or two walking later, she was finally attacked for the first time. It was some kind of viper, as far as she could tell with her limited zoological knowledge, two-headed, though in a much more natural-looking way than the usual look here, two-headed snake born YouTube thumbnails. Also, it was big, more like a king cobra than the little serpents shed previously seen in the wild. The monster had waited until shed gone past, hiding behind a rock, and lunged at her back, even taking the care to aim for the back of her knees, where her armor had to be thin to maintain mobility, showcasing far more intelligence than a dumb reptile had any right to and none of that mattered in the end. She had no such thing as a blindspot anymore, and as long as she was actually paying attention, she was almost impossible to catch by surprise. Balmung flashed through the air and decapitated it, twice, both heads flopping onto the ground while the body splattered against her legs, grass turning black as it died when the blood was repelled by her Skill. Now, onto the big question: would [Memento Mori] be enough to keep this thing down, or would she have to use the fireball floating over her hand? Mia continued to stare at the body, waiting for a couple of minutes before finally deciding that a complete lack of movement or regrowth in that span of time confirmed the kill. She continued her walk, marching through the marsh. Attacks became more and more frequent, but nothing past her defenses, or even really threatened her. Two heads, three heads, those things were big for venomous snakes, but not ludicrously so. They just died and tainted the water, which would have made them a lethal danger to almost anyone else, keeping that in mind, Mia could see why an explosion-only strategy was being used against them, they wanted to vaporize as much of the snakes bodies and cauterize the wounds to minimize how much blood leaked out while staying at a great distance. Then she ran into a four-head, the size of a very large constrictor, the kind that killed crocodiles or wild boar, but it too died. As did the next one. Until she ran into a five-headed one. The monster was another viper, heads held high enough to meet her gaze, its eyes somehow simultaneously emotionless and burning with rage. They both wound up looking at each other for a couple of seconds before lunging completely simultaneously by sheer coincidence. A slight twist of her torso caused two heads to miss entirely, two more bouncing off her chest with enough force to leave dents in her breastplate, and the last one, well, she introduced it to Balmung, the blade carving straight down the middle, leaving a half of the skull to flop onto either side. Not decapitated, but it didnt seem to be moving either. Mia surged past the monster, accidentally stepped on its tail, only [Unnatural Ballance] preventing her from faceplanting as the ground moved under her boot, then spun around once shed opened up the distance again, casting her blade projection [Sword Art] in the same motion, removing a second head from the snake that was already going right back at her. She tried to dodge the monsters attack, but this time, it wasnt going for a surgical strike with its venomous fangs, it was going for a straight-up collision. They went down in a tangle of limbs and her head went under the water as the snake carried them into a pond the last thing she saw before the muddy water turned her vision brown was the stump of the monsters head splitting in two. [Memento Mori] apparently hadnt carried along her [Sword Art]. A [Flamebolt] manifested in her palm, which she immediately used to start blindly slapping at the stump. Her gauntlet grew hot in an instant, the heat growing searingly so another second after that, but the snake reared back and let her rise far enough to get above water. Clean hit. Stump cauterized, palm feeling like shed put it on a hot stove. The monster did not retreat, however, instead starting to wind around her as though it were some kind of constrictor. A real, even a mundane, boa or python would likely have been more powerful in that respect, but it was still a really big snake. A head lunged at her from behind, while a second simply bodychecked her right forearm to prevent her from slashing behind her and the third was trapping her left arm, winding around it and squeezing with such force that she was afraid it was about to break. Her usual teleport into off-hand, teleport back into her main as a reversed grip would not work, so she instead slammed the pommel into the neck blocking her while she tried to throw herself to the left. The pommel struck, a triggered [Sword Art: Foebreaker] popping not only the point struck like a blood-filled balloon, but the entire neck all the way down to where the necks diverged, the Skill blocking regeneration even more strictly than [Memento Mori]. And the head trying to bite her glanced off her pauldron. But the third one, the third one it had already been crushing her arm something fierce, and when she threw herself at it, the pressure was applied in just the wrong way and something gave. Her forearm bracer crumpled inwards, first crushing her arm, then suddenly folding in half. And her arm folded with it. She stared down at her broken arm for a long moment and the gleeful serpent wrapped around it, the barest hint of a thought sending Balmung slashing at the other remaining head which swiftly retreated. Mia tried to lunge at it, but the motion caused the snakes other neck to sharply pull on her very broken bones, forcing her to abort the attack with a pained cry. Gah, shit! At the same time, something, be it a broken bone or sharp armor fragment, cut her skin and blood burst out from the wound as her cleansing Skill all but ejected it from the surface of her body. If it hadnt explicitly stated that it only cleansed her outside and did not inhibit clotting in a wound, that would have actually worried her. The snake keeping her trapped, though, its head jerked back as a couple of drops of her blood struck its eyes. Nothing dangerous, or even overly harmful, but it was a distraction. Enough of one for her to stab it through the head and yank her arm back despite the jolt of agony that shot through her at the movement. Mia turned to glare at the last remaining head, temporarily ruined arm hanging limply by her side, when the System spoke in the only way it would in the middle of a fight. She grinned. She already knew what was happening the moment she heard the first syllable. The [Blank Sword Art] shed gotten for Level 49 was becoming something useable. [Skill Evolution: Blank Sword Art -> The Bloody Rose] Shed have to look at the exact description later, but for now, it was instinct that guided her blade as she activated the Skill and lunged, swinging for its head, while the blood that had seeped from her wrecked armor formed into razor-sharp needles that flung themselves at the monster at ridiculous speeds and reducing its last intact head to ground meat even as her sword fell slightly short, only giving the snake a shaving cut. The regeneration started immediately, but was cut off just as swiftly when she hacked off the entire area. Her left arm, once again, protested, sending another bolt of pain shooting through her. Only for the armor that wrapped it to undent itself as [Automated Maintenance] kicked in. This time, the pain did drive her to her knees, the feeling of bone fragments grinding against each other and broken metal sliding out of flesh a rather unique experience she could have gone her whole life without. Mia looked around, then pulled up her new powers description.
Sword Art: The Bloody Rose When you bleed, your enemies die. Triggering this Sword Art will turn all your blood on the battlefield into a weapon that follows your attack, guided by your will as you strike, empowering your attack or striking like needles to rip apart any other spot you might have otherwise struck, matching your swords force and sharpness. Any enemy blood spilled by this attack will form thorny armor around you that lasts to the end of the battle or until dismissed. Available every ten minutes (This sword art is only useable when injured in such a way as to make you bleed)
Well, the fact that she needed to get injured was bad, but even if she couldnt use it always, [Martial Artisan] should still be able to use it to speed up other cooldowns if she hadnt used it. Now, where the hell was Dietrich? She understood if hed thought of this as some kind of sink-or-swim test, but shed have expected him to show up after it was done. If he wasnt here, something had happened to him or maybe hed run off to get some medics. There he was. Mia started to walk in their direction, though was nowhere near halfway when they met. After all, she was walking slowly to prevent from jostling her arm while Dietrich had had the medic slung over his shoulder and was running at full tilt. The ridiculous sight was almost enough to make her forget the pain in her arm. Almost. Chapter 63: Resurgence So, where were you? Mia asked while the medic was putting a cast on her arm. Normally, a complex break like this would have required a trip to the emergency room, X-ray, and potential surgery, but a few rather painful prods had forced all the shards back into place, magic had conjured the cast directly onto her arm, and some kind of diagnostic Skill had allowed the medic to keep track of the goings-on in her shattered limb. Itd heal in a couple of months normally, though certain Skills wielded by the Untersbergs chief physician could apparently speed that up by quite a bit. Shed thankfully never had the dubious pleasure of winding up in the infirmary back home. Do you want to head back to the fortress, go to the armys position, or head-on with me? Dietrich asked. I think I know whats going on here. Go with you, Mia replied. After we drop Mr. Papadopoulos off wherever you kidnapped him from. Papadopoulos laughed at that, apparently having understood her. It was only then that Mia realized that shed switched to the Greek Tristan had taught her while the medic had been taking care of her arm. Whoops. Wouldnt it be faster if we go straight to the source? he asked, looking at Dietrich. Assuming you can make sure neither of us gets hurt? Dietrich just nodded, and so did Mia. Even with one arm in a cast, a couple of Skills of hers could still be used. For example, a projected blade only required a tiny twitch of her right hand. Granted, Dietrich had to save his sword copying for the immortal head, wherever it may be, so hed have no real way of preventing regeneration himself, but she did. She only needed one hand to summon and throw fireballs. Come on, he announced and hurried ahead, only to slow down for the two people who couldnt treat the literal swamp they were getting into as solid ground. Two minutes and half a dozen dead hydras later, they were standing on a hill overlooking something. A reeking pool of sludge in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dozens of snakes. The ones heading towards it were normal, the ones heading out of it those had extra heads. Only one, usually, but there were several three-headed ones as well, and even a single one of the five-headed bastards. Like a tar pit, but infinitely worse. Not simply a sticky mess that lured in one victim after another, but a toxic lake of liquid death that somehow transformed regular snakes into monsters straight out of Ancient Greek legend. It was a black void, the only thing visible inside it was a large boulder that lay a the center of the pool, and only the top ten centimeters or so, because everything else was below the surface of the water. The instant it became submerged, it might as well have stopped existing. The boulder Heracles buried the hydras final head beneath Papadopoulos breathed with a mixture of fear, reverence, and disgust. Most likely, Dietrich replied. The only question is how we get at it. I can kill it if I hit it, but I cant see where Im throwing my sword. And we only have one shot at it. He glanced down at his watch, then glanced over at Mia. Can you lift that rock with one of your spells? Maybe she eyed the boulder. Depends on how big it is. What are you thinking? The Systems day resets at 10 in the morning, which is in two minutes. I can basically summon Excalibur twice. Then, he eyed the pond. That pit is around two meters deep. Assuming the boulder doesnt get unusually wide under the water, thats around somewhere in the neighborhood of ten tons. Too heavy, Mia immediately replied. But if you [Grand Slash] at it, I can keep the water back for a few seconds and youll have a clean shot at the head if its anywhere near the surface. That works, Dietrich said. Ready? Mia nodded, a vicious grin creeping onto her face. Ready. Mimung flashed from its sheath and unleashed a broad wedge of energy that slammed into the boulder like a meteor, not simply cutting but obliterating it and sending all the water bursting away from the center as though fleeing an explosion. And at the center of the crater left in the liquid as Mia strained to hold it back using [Hydrokinesis], there lay the head of an immense snake. There was nothing natural about this thing, not just in the sense of it being a creature of magic but in that all it took to tell it was a monster was a single look. A bullet-shaped head covered in forest green scales, venomous neon eyes that looked like the stereotypical radioactive sludge from a kids cartoon that glared up at them with hate, still alive after literal millennia, countless backwards-facing spines, spikes, or horns that somehow transitioned into some manner of fins halfway through It was a terrible sight. Majestic as well, but also one that would haunt her. That stare something lay in it that went beyond mere magic. Not just beyond what she could do, or what Tristan could, but beyond even what she thought Fionn was capable of, and he was, well, Fionn. She stared at it, only dimly aware of the strain of the water she was holding back, her mana pool dropping precipitously. A single moment stretching into eternity until it was abruptly cut off when Excalibur, or rather, a temporary copy, suddenly appeared in the hydras eye, sinking in up to the hilt. Mia sagged, and let the water collapse back over the now-dead skull. Do you think the water can still transform snakes? Papadopoulos asked. Dietrich shrugged. It wont matter after weve cleaned it all up. He was already pulling out his phone to presumably dial Tristan with his left hand while walking down the hill, towards the remaining snakes, sword still in his right. Mia, would you please cauterize the stumps? he called back before slashing the first snake apart. *** Merlin Barely six hours had passed since the hydras final head had been slain, but that was all the time hed needed to gather the others and get a handle on things. Or at least as much of a handle as he could possibly get, because the return of the hydras regeneration had merely been the herald of more chaos to come. It was impressive that all it took to gather people which had previously been scattered across the continent was six hours. What was more impressive was that this would have been possible even without magic. Modern technology to be honest, it might as well be magic, and it still left him baffled when modern humans marvelled at simple parlor tricks, simply because they did not come out of their little boxes of copper wires and glass screens.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. They all sat around the round table in the Untersbergs throne room. No one had made it that way, not Arthur and certainly not Merlin either, it had just come out that way, which he found somewhat amusing. Not everyone was here, the Fianna was currently battling its way through elementals in Brazil, though its leader was here, Ogier was somewhere in Iceland to put down a walking volcano, and Admiral Drake was rather hard to access with portals, but otherwise, all were present. The German emperor sat on the opposite side from Merlin, as close to sitting at the head of the table as he could get in the current setup, Dietrich von Bern on one side, with the Vogt twins next to him, while Arthur was sitting on the other side a table like this needed a certain number of people sitting at it, otherwise it just looked ridiculous, them all clustered on one side like that Fionn, meanwhile, stood next to him, to give his part of the presentation. Merlin waved his hand to conjure several images into the air between them. The globe, an image of a dragon, and a swirling ball of energy. A great danger is comi- He broke off as young Tristan let out a snort of laughter. Merlin glared. sorry. In the modern world, dramatic declarations like that are seen as cliche and dont carry much weight anymore, Fionn explained. Merlin sighed. As I was trying to say, were all likely going to be in even more danger, going forward. It was not obvious in the previous waves, at least not overly so, but magic is returning to this world beyond what is granted by the System. Tristan raised a hand when Merlin paused. Yes? Thats why Mia and Dietrich found themselves fighting the hydras descendants earlier? Merlin nodded. Exactly. Ancient artifacts activate on their own and monsters that are yet to be entirely slain may manage to rise once more. It should be possible to predict much of this, but not everything. Do you predict more people gaining or being born with magical potential? Tristan asked, again. Most likely, Merlin replied. Being free-thinking and intelligent was a good thing in a court mage, as well as magic users in general. And while insatiable curiosity was normally good because it allowed on to gather all kinds of beyond useful information, right now, it was getting on his nerves which Tristan seemed to have realized, considering how he was now shrinking in his seat. The world has changed and will continue to change well after this year has ended, whether that change is for good or ill is up to us to decide! This time, it was Tristans sister who sniggered. She caught herself after less than a second, but still, apparently, no one respected grand declarations anymore. Right now, so far, Ive found four points of interest, Fionn announced. One under Glastonbury Tor, which is the portal that Arthur found. It is still securely sealed and will stay that way, barring another accident, but becoming more stable every month. The second is in the center of the Atlantic, which we will have extreme difficulty exploring as things stand at the moment. The third is some manner of spatial anomaly in western Africa, somewhere in the desert. Nothing has truly happened yet, but it will. And finally, something is happening on Americas West Coast. I dont know what, and I dont know when it will end, but it is happening. Somehow, that, no one laughed at. There arent very many other myths surrounding people returning in their nations greatest hour of need that might be triggered by this returning magic, but they do exist, Merlin added. For example, we believe that the goings-on in Africa may be related to a mythical city by the name of Zerzura. *** Adrar Plateau, Mauritania The lost metropolis, the white city, the oasis of little birds. Zerzura. It was nothing like the bustling trade center hed known from centuries ago. No, it was quiet as a tomb, not a single other human to be seen. And the birds were gone too. Friendly parrots that could practically hold conversations, adorable sparrows that were as tame as any pet, even the magpies had been polite, returning dropped coins to their owners rather than flying off with them. And where previously hed seen the white marble used in the construction as a sign of prosperity, a glorious construction from marble said to have been quarried from the far North, sold by Phonecian traders thousands of years ago, said to possess magical properties. Yet the only magic the stone seemed to possess was trapping him here, in this city, doomed never to leave. Now, the buildings reminded him of old bones, the fleshless carcass of some titanic beast that had succumbed to age or illness and slowly been consumed by the desert. It had just been him and the desert winds in this town for for three months. At least. Attempting to leave had, quite simply, failed, once hed gotten far enough, he simply found himself walking back towards the city, turning away once more at that point simply resulted in an endless game of spinning in place, every other step taking him back towards his point of origin. The only way to avoid that? Just standing there, stopping in place. Three months without food or water had been rough, but not unbearable. Pure force of will had allowed him to literally uncripple himself as a child, and the magic of the voice had chosen to empower him in ways that let him use his innate ability to even greater heights. He could keep going for quite some time, but was slowly losing the will to continue. What was even the point? Waking up in this bubble and wandering around until he starved to death? No. Nothing would stop him, nothing would contain him, nothing would prevent him from doing what he had gone into stasis in this city of magic for. Or so hed claimed on the very first day. Months of attempting to leave and failing had tempered that fire. He was trapped. Until today, when he awoke to a sky that held clouds for the very first time since he had ended his centuries-long vigil. Something had clearly gone horribly wrong, some manner of unspeakable disaster had struck his beloved Mali, if not the world as a whole. Hed fought warlords, evil sorcerers, even his own body had betrayed him at first. Whatever was out there today, he would face it head on. *** United States of America A young man was sleeping fitfully, twisting and turning in his bed, the blanket long since shed onto the ground, now he was some how starting to tear into the mattress below as his mind was flooded by images of long-past battles. He was a man clad in furs, hands wrapped around a wooden shaft topped with a flintstone spearhead while snow fell from the sky, facing off against a titanic beast towering above him, curved tusks longer than he was tall threatening to sweep him off his feet with crush force, a trunk the size of many a tree trumpeting out the beasts fury. Even partially fallen into a pitfall trap, hindlegs trapped, a dozen spears already sticking up from its back, it remained a threat so he lunged but the scene shifted, transforming, placing him atop the deck of a ship, a trireme though he had no earthly idea how he knew that term, landing ashore while a city was being sieged in the distance, a fortified island towards which a bridge was ceaselessly being built under constant fire And then it was gone. Again. Replaced. Then it was snowing once more, more heavily this time, but he was somewhere in the mountains, surrounded by soldiers clad in armor just like him, more tusked beasts milling around. Elephants, not mammoths, looking more than a little unhappy at the cold. And at the front stood a man, tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in impressive armor, staring at the cliff face theyd have to somehow pass through, if they wanted to proceed. If we cannot find a way, well make one, the man growled, glaring ahead, then turned back to face his men. Build fires, and fetch vinegar from the supply train. This mountain will submit to us! As to how that went he had a distant memory of learning about the outcome in history class, however, the vision changed again, leaving him in a muddy field, in solid armor plating, a massive shield on his left arm, an identical shield hefted by every one of his fellows, while a man with a crimson cape held a speech from atop a white horse, beneath a golden eagle held aloft by the standard bearer. And so, men of Rome, will you follow me into this battle? Cowards may die many times before their deaths, the brave die but once! Onwards It was a different language than the first one hed heard, but one he somehow clearly understood nevertheless. The next couple of visions arrived and vanished in an instant, a brief flash of him stabbing a crucified man, swiftly followed by him crossing swords with another man in a grassy field, both of them clad in heavy armor. In an instant, the world around him was replaced by a series of thunderous explosions he only belatedly recognized as cannon fire while he was screaming himself hoarse, shouting profanity at the approaching blue-coated cavalry. Come and see how a Marshal of France dies! As always, he did not find out how it ended. Another change in scenery, a new environment. A military camp, rain drizzling down, making the already miserable conditions worse. He was standing atop a crate, staring down at the soldiers as this time, it was him holding a speech. And if you put the letter S in front of Hitler, then youll know what I think of the man! A round of chuckles followed that, but that scene too was swept away, replaced by the beige walls and ceiling of the barracks as the young man launched himself across the room as he woke, strength he had not possessed when hed gone to sleep turning what was meant to be him simply sitting up in his bed into a wild leap across the room. [Class Shift: Born Soldier Lv. 27 -> Specter of War] [Specter of War Lv. 27 -> Specter of War Lv. 78] [Skill gained: Thunderous Glare] [Skill gained: Lead by Example] [Skill gained: Offensive Momentum] [Skill gained: I Live Until I Die] [Skill gained: Chapter 64: The Eternal Are you sure hes not crazy? Hes got the Levels Id have expected and the temper. Lane sighed. Hed been dealing with that issue for the last hour. And yes, it was an issue. A much bigger opportunity, a boon, than a problem, but one that could still cause some trouble. For all the chaos that had filled the last three months, no one, and that meant no one, had expected a random First Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps to wake up from a nightmare so violently that he accidentally threw himself through the barracks drywall, then calmly stand up, dust himself off, and go wake his superior officer to declare himself the reincarnation of General George S. Patton, war hero of the Second World War. Now, that wasnt quite as ridiculous as it sounded at first glance, Patton had been an ardent believer in the idea of reincarnation and, according to himself, existed as a warrior in one incarnation or other since the dawn of mankind. The idea of his return was only partially in question. What to do with him, on the other hand that had been the subject of many, many discussions. First with advisors, then the defense minister, then a brief talk with a particularly enthusiastic member of the White Houses press corps, and now, finally, hed roped General Collins into it, the man in charge of Washingtons defenses having had the misfortune of passing by just as the previous conversation had wrapped up. What exactly do you mean by he has the temper? Lane finally asked. There was a difference between a commanding officer who took a city and sent the radio transmission of have taken Trier with two divisions, what do you want me to do, give it back when ordered to bypass said city after hed already conquered it, and the man whod beaten the tar out of a G.I. in a field hospital after said G.I. had admitted to only being hospitalized due to shellshock. Patton, unfortunately, had done both. The former was going to be a lot of fun to deal with, but ultimately could be worked with. The latter was a problem in everything from discipline, to morale, to public relations. An absolute nightmare, to be exact. More passive-aggressive than aggressive, but I dont know how much that is down to him not being one of the highest-ranked, if not the highest, in any room he walks into, Collins replied. Hold on The general pulled out his phone, tapped at its screen a couple of times, then turned it around for Lane to see. It was a video, clearly taken from a camera in the corner of a room, grainy and low quality in general, but it was still easy to tell what was going on. One of the men, with his back to the camera, was a USMC captain, based on the insignia visible on his shoulder. The other was someone Lane would not have known yesterday, but as of an hour ago, most people in the upper echelons of the United States government could recognize him on sight. First Lieutenant Johnathan Miller, the one whod, in all likelihood, become an ancient. Im genuinely not too sure what to do here, the captain said, sounding, well, unsure. Understandable, given the situation, and giving the impression this clip was only the tail end of a much longer conversation. Well, Sir, regardless of who I was, today, I am a lieutenant and that makes it your prerogative to figure this out, Patton replied. Pass it up the chain, then someone will get back to us in three to five business days, until then, Ill do my job and fry the monsters. The tone was largely polite, with just the barest hint of underlying snark, which was nowhere near enough for even the most zealous guardian of military protocol to punish him for. Why fry? Lane asked. Its a Skill called [Thunderous Gaze], Collins explained. Supposedly, when he gets mad, his eyes start sparking and he can even hurl lightning bolts. After the video was taken, Miller headed to the shooting range and obliterated a few targets. Thats what sold everyone on the fact that, at the very least, he wasnt the same Lieutenant Miller who went to bed the previous evening. Lane really should have grabbed the military officer for a meeting well before everything else. What about his rank? Im not sure I want to set a precedent for reincarnations being given what their previous selves earned, be it rank or property. He wasnt too against it in the here and now, but precedents were dangerous things. And, quite frankly, he was a little worried about people faking reincarnations, simply by gaining power and coming up with a plausible story. Just look at the Vogt siblings. Those who cared to find out could easily discern that their power stemmed from a combination of tutoring by literal legends and being able to take part in battles well above what they should be able to contend with thanks to the protection of the ancients. Which, in turn, lead to massive power growth. But if theyd just popped onto the world stage last week, with their strength as it was right now? Granted, their accents would have made maintaining the ruse tricky, but if theyd claimed to be, say, Joan of Arc and Nicolo Machiavelli, it wouldnt have been something he could have dismissed out of hand. George S. Patton was Army, Johnathan Miller is Marines, Collins announced. All other things considered, that is a very solid reason to keep Millers rank as-is. And it wont even be a fig leaf justification. He is still calling himself Miller, right? Lane asked. That was the latest as he knew it, but he wanted to make sure he had it correct. Collins nodded. He says he is who he was born as, and that is Johnathan Miller. In this life, at least. Another point in the keep him as a lieutenant column. Sanity check: Lane finally announced, providing the plan hed been cooking up since hed found out about everything. We pull Miller from his current posting, keeping him at his current rank, and put him on one of the squads were power leveling against Bosses in isolated areas. He does well, we bump him up a rank, then reassess. Meanwhile, we look at what Skills he has, and whether theyd be better used in the field or at the planning table and decide future postings from there.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Would that work? Mostly, Collins replied. It lets him earn his rank while wiping out as much doubt as we can but Patton, rather famously, led from the front. Regardless of how his powerset shakes out, hell be best placed in whatever area is under contention, and then, hell stand on the front lines as a berserker or glass-cannon mage, whatever his true power winds up being. Thank you, General Collins, Lane said, one of his Skills prodding him into action because a new issue apparently needed dealing with Can I pass the suggestion along to the Marine Corps? Collins offered, realizing that Lane was being dragged away. Thank you. And just like that, Lane ran off to put out yet another fire. *** Miller/Patton, two weeks later Magic was wonderful. Truly wonderful. Granted, the eggheads classified Skills granted directly separately from spells with the former being only accessible via leveling while the latter was learnable. Though that was an even more academic distinction than it already was until the United States actually got full access to the Europeans magical knowledge. However, in the privacy of his own head, he could consider his miraculous abilities to be as magical as they were, and by God, [Offensive Momentum] was overpowered. Not good, not strong, it had breezed straight past borderline to comfortably settle in the literally game-changing. Yes, there was something incredibly satisfying in blowing stuff up just by looking at it, and [Thunderous Glare] was one of his favorites not only for its offensive applications but also for how effectively it could communicate his displeasure. However, Miller and his group of Force Recon Marines had been going strong for twenty-eight hours by now, and were showing no signs of slowing. Mind you, this wasnt twenty-eight hours of deployment, or even twenty-eight hours in enemy territory, but twenty-eight hours of near-constant combat against boss-class monsters, with perhaps twenty minutes being the longest break between engagements. [Offensive Momentum] did exactly what it said on the tin, and did it well. It allowed him to maintain his momentum when continuously attacking, banishing tiredness, alleviating fatigue, and granting slowly but steadily escalating power, their strength ever-growing as the Skill continued to work at full blast. Not to mention that their vehicles and movement speed, in general, benefitted from the effect as well, allowing them to flit from place to place, while using the truly miraculous modern communications systems that let Miller arrange for supplies to be placed en-route, as well as replacements for any weapons or gear that wound up unusable after a fight, which had happened more than a few times. It was strange, attempting to reconcile all the various sets of memories. This time around, that was. Previously, hed just started remembering things bit by bit, growing up as himself, regaining mental maturity as he reached an appropriate age. This time around, the awakening had been rather sudden. Very sudden. Funnily enough, not knowing had failed to change the direction of his life one iota, hed still been entirely himself to the point where the System had given him [Born Soldier] as his Class. A good temporary set of powers until he regained his true power. Another thing that was rather amusing was that up until two weeks ago, he hadnt considered his phone to be anyhting special. Yes, a smartphone was miles better than the flip phone hed started with, but having the world at his fingertips was nothing new to him. However, from even his previous lifes perspective, let alone anything even earlier, it was a bonafide miracle. Whos next? Miller asked the Sergeant in the drivers seat. Theyd just gotten redirected to a new target, and it was the driver whod gotten that information. Despite the fact that the rights and responsibilities hed been given were well above what his rank would account for, he was not a four-star general in this life.Most orders came from so far on high that the only information he got on the goings-on came in the form of orders, as they were issued. His life in the twentieth century had inarguably been his most successful one, filled with the greatest achievements. His previous crack at command as a Marshal of France under Napoleon hadnt been too bad exactly, however, hed been too inexperienced in command, being aggressive while in the hot seat required a very different approach than going for broke as a lone soldier. Every life, every death, all was a lesson to be learned in one way or another. Living dust devil, Field Boss, Level 39, westernmost edge of California, came the report. Thank you, Miller said and pulled out his phone to check the route hed planned. The eggheads had set up quite the interesting website for the purpose of tracking monsters, where reports triggered certain automated responses that would eventually escalate to the point of surveillance satellites checking the area. That was the one positive of the fact that the monster invasion was a global issue. Everyone was busy, and needed their troops at home. Cutting loose a few special forces units to screw with an enemy was perfectly possible, true. But large-scale, hard, or even impossible, to hide from satellites actions had to be inevitably postponed. And when the satellites were less needed to guard against enemy fuck-fuck games, those with the appropriate orbits could be used to feed the hunt for monsters. So, Field Boss to kill here, air monster, best stay in the humvee cause it was too heavy to throw around easily, combined use of grenade launchers and [Remote Detonation] or anti-tank rifles and [Guided Shot] to break the core, then turn the cactus monster that actually supposed to come next into fertilizer. From then on, go pick a fight with the metal refinery that had grown legs and started stomping on shit, hed likely have to step in there as while this current situation wasnt helping level much, there was also a certain degree of safety and expediency to consider. One humvee of Marines wasnt going to do much against a building-sized Raid Boss, they simply werent carrying enough ammo for that. The dust devil came into view soon enough, but a moment before the first shots were fired, his phone rang. While an emergency alert popped up and blocked his ability to pick up the damn phone. And the radio also crackled to life, yet it couldnt be heard over the painfully loud combination of his ringtone and the unmissable buzz of shits going down. Muttering profanity under his breath, Miller tossed his phone into the back so that even if it had somehow glitched into making that infernal racket until its battery ran dry, it was far enough away for him to hear what was being said on the radio. And at the soonest opportunity, hed find a way to remove that emergency alert from his phone. It was not doing him any good at the moment, in fact, it seemed to very much be working against him. Transmission unclear, please repeat, he announced into the radio. Nation Boss sighted in San Francisco, the radio replied. You are ordered to take your group there in all due haste, and place yourself under the command of General Greer. Miller bit back a curse as he replied Understood, over and out, then replaced the radio in its holder. Swing past these Field Bosses on the way, he ordered, indicating several points on the map sprawled across his lap. A little bit of mental math let him know that they were around an hour away. By the time they reached the City by the Bay, [Offensive Momentum] would have well and truly run its course. The specter of sleep was already looming in the distance, and while using the Skill didnt incur some kind of debt theyd have to pay off later, a simple eight hours would be enough, it would hit almost immediately once magic was no longer propping them up. Yes, Sir. And while the Humvee blasted off in a new direction, Miller rolled down the window, removed his seatbelt, hung most of his torso out of the car to get a direct line of sight on the living dust devil that didnt have anything he wanted to keep intact in the way, and unleashed [Thunderous Glare]. Sparks flashed in his eyes, rapidly coalescing into a pure orb of power that left two eye-searingly-bright spheres sitting in the center of his face. The discharge came and went so quickly that any observers could easily have missed it, his eyes were suddenly back to normal, Miller pulled himself back into the car, and buckled back in while in the distance, the monster fell apart. And three seconds later, the roaring boom of thunder rolled over them all, as the noise of the impact finally reached the humvee. Three more Field Bosses along the way should let them maintain their boost with a comfortable cushion until they got their orders and engaged the Nation Boss. Miller had also made sure to plan the engagements so that the offensive portion of [Thunderous Glare] would be available for every single Field Boss, minimizing the delay. Simple. All very simple. Chapter 65: The Lion of Mali So this was different. More different than it should be if any even remotely reasonable span of time had passed. He didnt know how long it took for the environment to reshape itself like that, just that it was far longer than not only a humans lifetime, but also the lifespan of the written word. Long enough that Sundiata had no idea if it took a thousand, five thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand years, just that it was a ludicrously large number. Deserts could not transform into mountains in any reasonable amount of time. Not even remotely. Had it truly been this long? Had Zerzura truly kept him past the entire lifespan of Mali, perhaps even past the end of humanity? Sundiata doubted that there was any situation where the world had survived but humans hadnt. Humans could live through anything. Someone would remain. Where to go from here? Return to where Mali had been, then look for something else to do, he supposed. His [Internal Compass] said that was south, straight south. Which that was the wrong way. Yes, hed be approaching Mali from the north, but that was after journeying west above the Sahara to ensure the shortest possible path through the desert. At present, it should be in a south-western direction. How much had the world changed? Could the world change like that? Or maybe, just maybe, it wasnt Mali that had changed places, but Zerzura. Which would also explain why his surroundings were so radically different. After all, if the city could trap him in an impassable sphere of warped reality, throwing him around like a ball in a childrens game to ensure he stayed within, who was to say it could not change locations as well? It was a relief, compared to what else could have been happening, but trouble nevertheless. Mali had already been far from Zerzura before. How distant was it now, assuming his empire still existed? Yet it would take more than a few dark thoughts, starvation, and two months worth of dehydration to stop him. He could keep going even in his current state. Something to eat and something to drink would eventually cross his path. And thus, Sundiata Keita set off on his journey through unknown lands, across an unknown distance, in a time that was utterly alien to him. *** Creatures. Beasts. Monsters. That was new. Not the existence of monstrous creatures, mind you, but to have them exist in such numbers, such variety now it was obvious as to why it was now, of all times, that hed woken, even if Zerzura had kept him for an uncomfortably long time. A large snake, massive and strong like a constrictor despite clearly being a viper of some variety, lunged at him and his grab was slightly too slow. Instead of grasping it directly behind its head, which would have trapped it, hed only caught it half a meter further down its body, leaving it with more than enough free movement to bite him. The venom burned as it entered his blood, but what should have been the serpents victory instead turned into defeat as he took this as his chance to grip its skull directly, using [Mind over Matter] to weaken the bone while [Spirit over Flesh] made his muscles bulge, reducing the creatures head to a fine paste in an instant. Then, he simply pulled his hand back, wiped it off on the ground, then did his best to remove the gore clinging to his biceps. As he did so, the same two Skills began to work in concert to repair the damage. [Mind over Matter] to pull out the venom, [Spirit over Flesh] to stitch his flesh back together. They were powerful, yes, but always made quite the mess. A suitable weapon was needed, some tools, perhaps even followers. But for now, he would settle for a nice and sturdy stick. One much like the one hed used to force himself to stand for the first time. And then, the magic would do the rest, something called [Worthy Weapon] would ensure that something suitable would be able to withstand the kind of battles that seemed to be annoyingly commonplace nowadays. As he continued his journey, the voice of magic informed him of how his Level had increased. Why it was called that, he didnt know, but then again, as long as he knew what it meant, it didnt really matter what its name was. [Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 43 -> Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 44] [Skill Boost gained] Once again, the verbiage was strange, but self-explanatory. He strengthened [Spirit over Flesh], figuring that despite the name of his Class indicating that he was meant to build empires, in his current situation, personal power seemed to be the most important. Maybe once hed found something to drink first, his throat being dry as the desert he was trudging through got old after a few months. Very old. He continued to walk in the direction of where Mali was, or at least used to be until eventually, finally, he reached something approximating an oasis, which, at the very least, had a pool of water which promptly exploded out of the ground to form into a vaguely humanoid shape, elongated limbs already lashing out towards Sundiata like some kind of bladed whip.
Vengeful Oasis (manifested pond), Level 45 Field Boss
Just one more obstacle to overcome, he supposed as he flung himself back to avoid the strike. For something made up from water, it hit quite hard, ripping clean through the ground as though it were an ox plow, leaving a furrow big enough for Sundiata to lie down in before snapping back into its body. Which meant that water wasnt used up when attacking, he needed to kill it. How? How did one kill a living mass of water? An arrow tipped with a roosters talon could break many a magical barrier and disrupt a sorcerers working, however, this was neither a barrier, nor a sorcerer. Which meant hed just have to rip it apart, piece by piece, until it stopped regenerating. Itd take a while, a day, maybe two, possibly as much as a week, until it finally died. He supposed that was how itd have to go. Reinforcing the back of his palm, he smashed his hand through the next water lash, breaking the link and letting the liquid spatter across the ground. Where it did stay. For about five seconds, before flying back into the monster to regenerate its form. Back and forth they went, ripping into each other, It was only then that [Bane of the Supernatural] finally chose to inform him of the fact that it was, in fact, functional, and that ending an elemental was as easy as crushing its core where was its core? Slowly, he retreated in the direction of the now-empty pool, and the single sorry tree that stood there, a baobab that looked like it could fall down at any time. It was a miracle an intact one was in a place this dry and inhospitable, but it would do. The monster hauled itself after him, arms rending the ground, thicker watery tentacles leaving massive craters as he dodged, until a direct strike to the tree outright cut it in half, obliterating the tree in its entirety. Sundiata grinned and leaped, grabbing at a falling branch and ripping it clean off with his sheer momentum, [Mind over Matter] reducing its durability at the breaking point to almost nothing, allowing him to remove it with ease. The branch of a baobab tree. An ordinary piece of wood, yet it wasnt the first of its kind that hed used, far from it. In fact, it had been a stick just like that which hed used to learn to walk, as he made his useless legs function through sheer determination. And that decisively made it a [Worthy Weapon]. A perfect weapon. Power flowed from him into the staff, changing nothing on the outside but warping its insides, transforming it into a tool worthy of royalty, an eternal, nigh-indestructible weapon, unparalleled in durability and toughness. Another watery limb came down from above and Sundiata met it with his staff, blasting it apart and sending the liquid spraying further than ever before. [Spirit over Flesh] strengthened his body, [Mind over Matter] flowed into his weapon, both Skills fusing to ensure that whatever else happened, by the end of this fight, it would be the human still standing, not the monster. This time, the regeneration was slower, each strike dispersing the water further than before, until suddenly, he finally spotted a single point on the monsters body which was not clear liquid. In any other situation, hed have thought it to be some kind of dirt, but he was searching for a core, the one thing in his liquid menace that was different. Sundiata launched himself straight at it, leading with his staff and creating a massive crater in its chest as he dispersed it, only for it to surge back at him in an attempt to engulf him. He let it. Because as flexible as the monster was, attempting that particular attack while that thin and dispersed failed to leave very much space for the core to move. Even as the living oasis covered his mouth and nose, Sundiatas hand closed around its core and a single powerful jump powered by everything he had flung the pair straight into the empty pool the monster had been born from. Killing it on the desert sands would waste almost all of the water. The pool, on the other hand? Something in there had been keeping the water aboveground. His hand flexed and the core crumbled like wet clay, coming apart and dissolving into nothing while the monster around him lost all cohesion, just in time for his knees to painfully slam into the bottom of the hole. And then, the entire mass of the monster crashed down on him like an angry elephant.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Sundiata emerged from the top of the oasis spluttering, then started to swim over to the side soaked to the bone, dragging his new staff with one hand while pulling himself forward with the other. After a couple of seconds, he dipped his head lower to take his first drink in months, the water seeming to burn as it hit the dry and cracked inside of his mouth, but he simply couldnt stop. Wouldnt stop. By the time Sundiata flopped onto the bank, he was surprised the water level hadnt noticeably dipped. In fact, it felt like a genuine miracle that there was any water left. Hed drunk to the point where he was starting to feel genuinely ill, and as much as he might have wanted to stay there, lying in the wet sand, enjoying a lack of thirst for the first time in what felt like forever, he had a journey to continue. So he got up, pushing himself to his feet with his new weapon, though hed now demoted it to the rank of walking stick and resumed his march while the voice of the System informed him of the fact that this fight had brought more rewards than mere water. [Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 44 -> Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 46] [Skill gained: Imperial Waypoint] [Skill Boost gained] Another chance to strengthen himself, and the ability to mark waypoints that not just he but also his subjects could find from very far away, allowing for easy navigation. Sundiata turned around the way hed come, marked the oasis with a thought, then resumed his march. Now that he was no longer in need of water, some food would be appreciated. He felt like he could eat an elephant, but that was hardly realistic. Cactus figs, perhaps, would be easier. *** Either humanity truly had died out in this day, leaving the world to the monsters, or something about him was attracting every single monster within a hundred miles.
The Deserts Due (raised caravan), Level 42 Raid Boss
Lower-level than the first monster it might be, but what had to be an accumulation of at least a dozen doomed caravans, fallen to the final stretch of the journey to Mali, the most treacherous part of desert on the entire continent. It was a wide, barren, dry stretch of land that no caravan could ever possibly carry enough water to make it across, which necessitated the sending ahead of someone to the other side, to buy water and bring it back to meet the caravan, four days of travel before the end of the sands. This alone would be troublesome in most situations, if this patch of desert werent also said to be haunted. Now, was unaware of the veracity of those rumors, however, he also knew that a lot of people had died here over the years. And now, he was facing all of them, returned from the grave, bone-dry skin cracking with every movement as they began to close the distance. Clearly, much as the Field Boss was stronger than a monster devoid of a title, the Raid Boss surpassed the Field Boss to a nigh-immesurable degree. Even at a lower Level, this monster was a true threat. Sundiata glanced to the left, then right, then past the horde. Could he run around them? Yes. But he shouldnt. Unless whichever humans lived today used entirely different methods for transportation, caravans would be moving through here, encountering this mass of the deserts victims, and be wiped out. Sundiata launched himself at his enemy, reducing the first shambling monstrosity to powder with a downward strike with his staff, then flicked it to the left to crush the next ones knee, and as it fell, yanking the staff up obliterated its head. All without any empowering Skills. These creatures were weak. Very weak. But they were numerous, indomitable, and most likely, untiring. He leaped back to avoid being swarmed, then ran away for a few meters before turning back to face them, and started to tear into them once again. They thought the undead were untiring, eternal threats likely capable of taking on entire kingdoms by their sheer endurance. Against any other person, they might have won. Anyone else, theyd likely have been able to hound and drive back and make retreat until they were too tired to play the keep-away game. They were facing Sundiata Keita, not anyone else. So he tore them apart. An hour passed, then a second, and all that had changed was that he was becoming more economical with his strikes, targetting heads exclusively. Then, another one of his Skills announced that its activation conditions had been met. After all, how could one declare oneself the [King of Lions] without any lions present? As to why there were lions this far north, this far into the desert that was a question for another time. Actually using the Skill was simple. He commanded to attack, and empowered them to the full extent his ability allowed. And they tore the undead apart, one by one. And then they got tired, so he told them to rest behind him while he kept fighting. Until eventually, the last monster fell. [Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 46 -> Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 49] [Skill gained: Loyal Empowerment] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Empire Sense] The power to strengthen his followers, and the ability to instinctively sense what his realm was doing. Which, at the moment, wasnt anything. Unless the sense also extended to his lions, all seven of them, but [King of Lions] also informed him of what they were doing. A lack of information on Mali was nothing that would keep him down, there were plenty of reasons that could be, ranging from distance to him having stepped down to go to Zerzura to him needing a certain understanding of what the Mali of today was like to ensure this Skill would work Sundiata would find out. So he kept walking, kept going, obliterating whatever monsters he encountered, until one day, he met people. *** Im assuming thats a weapon? Sundiata asked, as the man pointed some kind of contraption at him. It was mostly metal, with a wooden end and a leather strap across the shoulder that kept it in place, with a hole at the end which was aimed at him. A projectile weapon, then. Of course, the man and his comrades were entirely focusing on him, having completely missed the lions that had long since melted into the grass and surrounded them, more than capable of tearing them to shreds the instant he gave the order, regardless of the power of this new-fangled weapon. Idiot, the man spat, in a language that Sundiata somehow recognized as French despite only knowing it because it was one of the languages the System had taught him, alongside English and Spanish, two equally mysterious languages, and a dialect of Mande which, most likely, was what the people of today used as his mother tongue had changed over time. Its called a gun and will turn you into a sive the moment I press the trigger. So, drop the stick. Sundiata shrugged and dropped his weapon. At this distance, retrieving it would barely take any time at all. My name is Sundiata Keita, he declared. I have returned from the city of Zerzura to protect the people of Mali from the monsters scouring the world. Who are you? Im the guy with the gun. Oh, it seemed like that man truly did believe that weapon to be powerful. But how strong was it truly? Sundiata stepped out of the path of the gun while digging the dip of his foot under his staff to flick it back into his hand and then, he swung it at the weapon. Only to slow down at the last possible second, rather than striking with bone-breaking force, he simply nudged it to the side so that it was no longer aimed at him. That was when it began to roar, a sound like a dozen thunderclaps in sequence almost startling him enough to drop his staff, while something tore apart the ground behind him. This weapon it would not have been pleasant to be struck by its projectiles, though most likely survivable. In this lifetime, at least. In his first, a few of those impacts would probably have been lethal. Nowadays, however The comrades of the man whod done the speaking thus far grabbed their own weapons far tighter and started attacking but Sundiata wove between them, slight nudges with the tip of his staff throwing off their aim, ensuring that no one here, not him, not them, wound up hit. Eventually, they stopped trying, after the leader gasped youre an ancient! Im very old, Sundiata admitted. But that sounds like a title. Youre Sundiata Keita, another man finally added, speaking for the first time. I believe I introduced myself, Sundiata replied, frowning. There are multiple people who came back from the dead, who are supposed to have died centuries ago, the leader explained, though it wasnt overly helpful as hed just contradicted himself. Were they dead, and had been resurrected, or only falsely been believed to have passed on? Sundiata raised an eyebrow. They attract monsters with their mere presence and keep the land around themselves safe, and train others to Silence! Sundiata ordered, raising a hand to cut the man off as he scanned their surroundings. Something was coming. Fast, powerful, functionally invisible. Where was it, where was i- The instant the monster got too close to one of the lions, he was able to pinpoint it and his right hand snapped forward, hurling his staff with enough force to blast the air elemental apart in its entirety, then continuing on into the distance while the monster simply came apart with a moderately powerful shockwave now that its core had been shattered. That may have been slightly too much force. Just a little. I apologize for cutting you off, Sundiata said, with slight contrition. Well continue this conversation once Ive retrieved my weapon. Once he returned, staff in hand, he received a brief but surprisingly informative report on what status he had apparently gained with his return, how long hed been asleep, and what advancements humanity had made in that time. Until eventually, he chose to make his offer. I am giving you a choice. Join me, and I will protect you from all that could threaten me. Dont dont and my standing between you and the monsters once more will only ever be a happy accident, a side effect of me guarding those who are on my side. Truly on my side. Join me, and I will forge a nation, a true union of people, for our prosperity, for our safety, for our children. Join me, and live! They joined him. *** The further south they got, the more grass grew, the lusher the plantlife became, the more people they met. Sundiatas procession grew and grew, even picking up cars and trucks. The promise of safety and stability was a truly fantastic recruitment tool, however, it was truly sad just how well it worked. The fact that what he promised had previously been a pipe dream this world had grown ugly. Monsters attacked, of course, but nothing truly dangerous. Not to him. In fact, it didnt take too long for him to only be needed against the truly exotic elementals of the flame and metal varieties, the various lions that joined them took care of everything else. With [Loyal Empowerment] working on them as well, he was actually starting to have to hold them back so that everyone else could get some practice in as well. And, of course, in due time, the voice of the System announced another increase in his power. [Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 49 -> Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 50] [Capstone Skill gained: Will Eternal]
Capstone Skill: Will Eternal Your life is as eternal as your will. As long as your mind can keep going, so can you, restoring you even from death however, if you are slain, your return will clash against that of your slayer, with the power of this pushback massively increasing the more intimate the nature of your death. Falling in melee combat against another warrior will see resurrection be difficult and repeatedly denying the reaper nearly impossible, while being obliterated by bombs or artillery can easily be returned from as long as you have the will to continue.
Sundiata grinned. Even death was nothing in the face of his magic. *** Here they were. Niani. His hometown, capital of the Mali Empire, long gone. Disappeared beneath the Savanah. Perhaps a few of those large rocks had once been buildings, perhaps if he were to dive into that pool over there, hed find old timber down there. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. That was not why he was here, however. No, hed known there would be nothing left from when hed first started meeting people. He was here for a different reason. Sundiata had been feeling the connection since hed left Zerzura. At first, it had not been obvious what it was, or even that it was there in the first place, however, time had wiped away all doubts. Hed left the far behind himself, yet at the same time, it was still there, around him, at all times. [Trait gained: Bond with the Transient Metropolis] And, it seemed, the System finally agreed. At the head of the procession, he stopped, turned, and began to speak. Our world is one of chaos and uncertainty, filled with monsters and humans who take equally monstrous actions. You all chose to follow me so that I might grant you stability, give you a home, create a new kingdom in this land torn apart by war. Here is where we will I give you ZERZURA! And with that, he pulled on his now fully-forged connection to the phantom city and manifested it around them, buildings manifesting wherever they fit, clicking into place, forming a grand realm, the capital of whatever nation he would create, smaller buildings fusing together to form a grand wall to shield the population, while a grand tower took its rightful position in the center. Sundiata hadnt even realized what the tower was capable of until hed connected to the city, how it bent space and warped reality to simultaneously be a mere hundred meters tall while also reaching all the way into the sky, ten meters across yet being able to contain thousands on a single floor It would get cramped, but if they were attacked, keeping the civilians safe would be easy. In fact, that was the only part of this that would be easy. But the difficulty just meant that this task was worth doing, didnt it? *** The next day, six Nation Bosses manifested on the planet. Sadly, one was of special concern to him, since the metal elemental had apparently chosen Zerzura as its target. It would not be anywhere near as easy a target as the monster might expect, butNation Bosses were a force onto themselves Chapter 66: Calm before the Storm Tristan I woke up feeling to be honest, it felt like I was walking to my execution. For some reason. Normally, I could at least figure out what was wrong. Waking up feeling like crap might lead to a few seconds of confusion, but it never lasted, whether it was a hangover, an imminent test back when Id been in school, or, more recently, a meeting with someone powerful enough to splatter me like a bug whom I wasnt already on good terms with there was always something. And quite frankly, feeling like this it didnt feel like I was down, and as far as I knew, you didnt just wake up depressed from one day to the next. Not only that, but when I was feeling this far from okay, wondering why was the furthest thing from my mind. No, this had to be something external, right? Which shouldnt be able to affect me, Charlemagne shielded the fortress from that sort of crap. Chemical weapons, engineered plagues, mental manipulation, it all bounced off like bugs did on a windshield or at least they all should, wed only really had the chance to test the chemical weapons part. Chlorine gas was actually possible for us to acquire without any real trouble, unlike everything else, could be controlled with wind magic, and put back into the not-even-remotely-proverbial bottle fairly easily. But the Skill had worked, so it should cover everything else it indicated in the description as well right? So, what the fuck was up? Why did the thought of the woods to the north, the national park known as the Bayrischer Wald, fill me with so much dread and why had it even popped into my mind? Why was I so afraid that something would happen in maybe a wee- Gott verdammt. Okay, I officially hated [Catastrophe Sense]. Yes, the Skill was awesome. Yes, knowing the likely position of the next Nation Boss was beyond useful. No, getting slapped with a level of negative feelings almost on par with losing my parents was so far from okay that the two didnt even share the same fucking solar system. I sighed, sat up in my bed, and hung my legs off the side. Better feeling like Id lost someone than actually losing them, I guess. However, while I did feel better for having figured the problem out, knowing what it was trying to convey removing the active warning, I didnt feel back to full form yet. Oh God was there something else? Couldnt the dread be just a little more specific? I reached out with telekinesis, yanked my phone into my hand, and pulled up Pocket Earth. Which area was I afraid of? Which area made me want to curl up into a ball? Okay, Asia was giving me a bad feeling shit, was Genghis Khan going to nope, further south. Way south. Leaving the continent, okay, somewhere in the Indonesia region. Zooming in on the capital of Jakarta, the dread slowly disappeared. Not there, then. Good. Anything that felt threatening all the way across the globe would be able to make a real mess of a city, if it appeared inside one. Scrolling around a little, I finally found the thing giving me the urge to piss my pants, and recognizing the name of the mountain a few hundred kilometers east of Jakarta, I almost fainted on the spot. Mount Tambora. A volcano whose eruption had screwed up weather patterns on a global scale, resulting in the year without summer, the last time it had erupted. So that was what our first World Boss would be fuck. At least now, I knew. Local Nation Boss soon, international World Boss a little while after that. Though then again, the only time wed seen more than one Nation Boss, theyd been summoned simultaneously, which meant there were likely others, ones that were simply too far from the kingdom I served to register. Unlike the walking natural disaster, which threatened us with destruction from basically the opposite end of the world. What a Skill, painful and useful in equal measure. Now all I had to do was walk down into the throne room and give the prophecy of doom. Although wouldnt it just be perfect if the Skill turned out to be wrong? If I wound up getting everyone all worked up for nothing? actually, thatd be perfectly in line with how the day had started. Urgh. I threw my pajamas onto the bed, pulled my everyday wear out of my [Diplomatic Pouch], put it on, and transformed it into a more professional outfit. Right now, I was just wearing it around home base, so it was a nice, clean, shirt that looked freshly ironed, tucked into nice pants, black leather belt, subtle but good-looking wristwatch. Nothing branded, nothing specific, just the clothing Id actually put on transformed into my mental image of what I wanted to wear by superimposing said image onto myself using [Modern Makeover]. Same thing with the shoes. Regular sneakers that had been worn down by a couple of years of normal use before Id taken to wearing them on the battlefield. So Id added rubber onto the bottom, glued leather on the top, and then molded the Frankensteinian creation into something I could actually use. It was simple, really, I kept the worn-in nature of the footwear while adding completely new, perfectly intact, profiling to the bottom every time I put them on. And the extra material never got worn down either. Whenever I went to bed, or woke up in the middle of the night, with [Restoration of the Old] off-cooldown, I just blasted both my room and the neighboring one, Mias, with it, cleaning and fixing not just the room itself but also all the dirty clothes neatly collected in one of the wardrobes. Or at least thats what I did. Knowing Mia, she either had all her clothing folded and put somewhere it wouldnt get her clean outfits dirty the instant she changed out of it or she just stuffed it all in a sack and kept it there until I cleaned everything. Although that was how it used to be, since the moment shed figured out I could easily extend the cleaning radius to include her room. I wasnt too sure if her clothes even needed cleaning anymore since she could literally dive into a sewer and come out smelling like roses nowadays. Speaking of Mia, when I left my room, she was standing outside, arm still in a cast. Can you get it off? she asked, holding out the offending appendage. Our dear emperor forgot to include the cast saw in the infirmary. Ui not great. The reason you needed a cast saw, specifically, was that it couldnt cut human skin. Unlike a regular circular saw, it did not fully turn, but rather moved back and forth by a tiny amount, measured in millimeters. Human skin was sufficiently elastic that rather than being cut, it just moved back and forth harmlessly if it came in contact with flesh. A cast, on the other hand, was fully rigid and could be cut like butter. Granted, in the entire Untersberg, there had to be a way to get a cast off without a saw, heck, Dietrich could probably just cut it to ribbons with his sword and not leave a single mark on her, but as far as I knew, shed had to keep it on until today. As for why she was here well, there were two options I could see: either I was the first person shed run into since waking up, or she wanted to give me a chance to feel useful. Either way, [Modern Makeover] let me turn her cast into a straight and far too wide sleeve she could simply slide out of. You okay? she asked as we started heading in the direction of the throne room. About as okay as I can be, considering were about to fight a World Boss, I replied, casually dropping that particular bomb and causing Mia to miss a step, though by how smoothly she recovered, I wouldnt have realized if I hadnt been paying attention. Please tell me that was another one of your terrible jokes, she hissed at me in a low voice. One, I know better than to say terrible jokes out loud, two, no one can overhear us, and three, unfortunately, Im not joking. Remember that prophecy Skill I told you about? It was so kind as to let me know the world could end in the next couple of weeks, I gave her my best fake cheery smile. So, Im off to share the happy news. Howre you going to spend the day? Mia rolled her eyes, scoffed, and turned down a different tunnel while I continued onto the throne room. Charlemagne had moved since last night, I noticed, from one side of the table to the other. And probably not slept, considering that he looked like, well, someone who hadnt slept for a good long while. As for what hed been doing, well, that was pretty obvious too, considering the stack of files next to the half-dozen neatly put away books. Informative non-fiction books that nevertheless had very little to do with anything that he needed to know to rule, which told me hed grabbed them out of curiosity, rather than necessity. A break from the constant drudgery of bureaucracy. I lazily waved my hand and cast [Restoration of the Old] to put him in a more presentable state. Not that hed been wearing his clothes long enough to actually start to smell or anything, it was just better like this. Wed been playing this game long enough that I didnt even have to be asked. What good use of our superpowers we made, he used enhanced physiology to sleep even less than normal, and I used the power that could rebuild cities in seconds to spare him the need to take a shower. The next Nation Boss is going to be nearby, a couple of hundred kilometers north. And in a couple of weeks, were going to be facing the first World Boss I rattled off what I knew. Now hed either give advice, outright tell me to do something, or let me do what I felt was best. As for what hed actually do, well, that depended on the exact situation, but I could never predict it. Charlemagne nodded. Good. Well gather everyone to defeat the local threat, then disperse to fight the other Nation Bosses that will likely appear simultaneously, I will spread the word. Monsters of that caliber go after cities, not ancients, which would make its target he trailed off and tapped his chin a couple of times Regensburg. I dont believe the city can be easily fortified, and if you are planning on using that acid rain spell, we will have to ensure proper distance from the Danube River. In addition, we will have to make variants on our plan based on whether or not Genghis Khan will be available for support, or if we will have to send support to deal with a Mongolia-based Boss. I will coordinate on that with the others. He quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper, likely a reminder for himself, before he went back to speaking at full volume, having slowly gotten more and more quiet as he spoke largely to himself. Now, however, he was addressing me. This should be good. Id like you to head to Indonesia soon, and secure a property around a hundred kilometers from the volcano to create a supply base on, I will take care of that once the land is secured. As dragged-out as Nation Boss fights tend to get, I believe a World Boss will require significant logistical support over an extended period. Yep, made sense. I wouldnt have thought of it, which left me glad I wasnt in charge of the whole affair. Very glad. Not for the first time. Then, I want you and Merlin to put your heads together, prepare to drum up some international support while I prepare to make the announcement of when the next wave of Nation Bosses will emerge, and the information on the World Boss as well. Mostly, however, we need to move the Royal Navy, or at last Vice Admiral Drakes command into position well before the World Boss appears. A battleship is the only ancient powerhouse that cannot be easily moved through portals. That was when he fixed his eyes on me. Not that he hadnt been looking at me before, but the sudden burst of intensity was a tad intimidating, I had to admit Unless there are any more dire declarations you would like to make? Not today, I shook my head. Alright. If that changes, please, come to me, Charlemagne declared as he went back to doing stuff on the table, beginning to create an entirely new pile of paperwork. I left him to it, teleported to Jakartas airport and entered the country past a very confused officer at passport control with a weeks-old boarding pass. From there, it took me another eight hours or so to figure out who to talk to, actually get a meeting, and finally negotiate the price for almost a square kilometer of empty land. Skills were fucking cheating. [Flows of Power] to locate the big cheese, or cheeses, as it were, [Legal Grounding] to make sure I had every scrap of the surprisingly small pile of paperwork I needed to be prepared well ahead of time, [Piercing Gaze] to figure out where the sellers loyalties lay and go for someone who was loyal to money but not actually corrupt. Simple. Then, I opened a portal to London, having found myself with a little time to kill before the meeting Id arranged via the phone would take place, so I took that as an opportunity to inform Charlemagne about the completion of my task via the phone, in addition to the email Id sent him the instant Id finalized the purchase. So I decided to go for a walk. London was an interesting city. Huge, for starters. Terrible cell service that was apparently ubiquitous in its center. Something of historic importance was basically around every corner. And apparently, traffic lights were more of a suggestion here, the streets were crossed when a sufficient mass of impatient pedestrians had built up, not when the lights indicated it was clear. Until eventually, I found my way to the Tower Bridge, paid the entry fee, and headed up into the footbridge, the two struts connecting the bridges eponymous towers, built to be used by pedestrians while the bridge below was open to allow ships to pass. It wasnt quite as high as, say, the London Eye, but the view was nevertheless incredible. Windows to the left, windows to the right, windows in the floor intellectually, I knew that the glass parts of the floor were actually tougher than the surrounding wood, but I still made sure to avoid stepping on it. Something about standing on a clear pane of a material synonymous with fragility in most peoples minds while tiny cars whizzed by down below disturbed me on a deep level. Soon enough, I decided to just stop looking and instead focussed on the HMS Belfast, which sat moored on the River Thames. It looked impressive as all get out, bristling with weapons that ranged from light AA guns to four massive, triple-barreled turrets that could likely bring down this bridge with a single salvo. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But the Belfast was a light cruiser, a regular cruiser that sacrificed armor for speed, built for patrolling the high seas. Drakes flagship, the Wisconsin, was a battleship, a ship of the line, meant to dish out and take massive damage. Id looked up their relative stats online. The Wisconsin was half again the length and five times the mass of the light cruiser, and while both had triple-barreled turrets, in fact, the Wisconsin had one fewer turret than the cruiser, and the battleships gun barrels were almost three times the diameter. And a larger caliber meant a shell that grew in all directions, allowing for an exponentially heavier and stronger impact. The Belfasts six-inch turrets launched shells that weighed slightly more than fifty kilograms. The Wisconsins sixteen-inch turrets, on the other hand well, the mass varied based on whether the projectiles were of the high explosive or armor-piercing variety, but both clocked in at around a ton. I hadnt even laid eyes on the battleship yet, other than a brief glimpse of the bridge when dropping Drake off there, and I was already enamored with the idea of that ship going into battle. He hadnt come out and said it, but wed all figured out that he was behind our luck during the Washington Nation Boss battle anyway. That had been Drake at his weakest, with all of his strongest abilities linked to a navy that hadnt been present at the time. But eventually, the time for the meeting approached and I made my way to the hotel wed be meeting at, and the attached three Michelin-star restaurant. Merlins choice, I never would have dared go to something like this to spend Dietrich or Charlemagnes money without dire need, or getting the okay way ahead of time. But hed chosen the place, now my job was simply to avoid embarrassing myself or my superiors. A thought was all it took to wrap myself in a neat three-piece suit, but not one of a design Id worn before. Sure, the whole world, or at least anyone who cared to look, knew that I could shapeshift my clothes, but this was a matter of appearances. Fancy setting and famous meeting partner equaled attention, sadly. I entered through the main door and stopped at the maitre d station right behind them, getting promptly greeted by the very picture of an upscale host. Which the man before me clearly was, so it shouldnt really be a surprise, though despite all the places Id been on my travels, a restaurant this upscale was a first. Tristan Vogt, Im meeting Merlin here, I introduced myself, surreptitiously glancing around to see if he was already here, which would make things a lot easier. Because while hed stuck with just Merlin, no last name, was there a family name he might have booked the table under but I neednt have worried, thankfully. Ah, Mr. Vogt, the maitre d replied, apparently not even having to look up my name in the big book of reservations on the stand. Merlin is not here yet, however, he has reserved our best table and left instructions to have you seated as soon as you arrive. With that, he led me to what was, apparently, the best table. Would you like the wine menu? No thank you, just sparkling water, please, I replied. Yes, I could probably have a glass or two before it actually started affecting me, but why risk it? There was a reason as to why Id decided to quit the bad idea juice cold turkey when everything had started. Although, come to think of it, wouldnt something that let me indulge without losing my mental faculties have been the perfect Skill for an ambassador? Match the other guy drink for drink without losing so much as a single iota of intelligence or impulse control? Eh, hadnt happened, though, and that was unlikely to change. Very well, sir, the maitre d said before returning back to the entrance. A waiter arrived with the water and a menu soon afterwards. Well, it was a very fancy place. So fancy, in fact, that there were no prices anywhere. Very much an if you have to ask, you cant afford it kind of place. I mean, technically, I could draw upon that kind of wealth, but I didnt have that much money myself. Actually, did I even have a salary? Now that I thought about it, I didnt, just an entirely unmonitored nigh-unlimited discretionary budget I, of course, never took advantage of. Aside from the moral implications, stealing would be exceptionally stupid. Though Id have to bring it up with someone later on I doubted it would take more than a couple of minutes to discuss. Especially as I wasnt planning to make a big stink about it. It wasnt like Id spent any of my own money in months, I was gaining more power by the week, and quite frankly, for once the excuse of something more important to deal with was 100% true. As for the food, I ended up settling on a basic steak, mashed potatoes and greens, closing the menu and setting it to the side while I looked around for Merlin. And there he was, finally. I mean obviously, he was as busy or, more likely, even more busy than me so that was most likely not a snub. Still late, though. Good evening, Mr. Vogt, thank you for waiting, he said as he sat down, then gestured at my menu. Did you already choose a dish? I nodded, at which point Merlin immediately waved the waiter over to make his own order. Apparently, he ate here enough to already know. I asked for the steak as well, then an anti-eavesdropping ability activated. Not mine, and dont ask me how I knew it had been used in the first place, because I didnt know. Though to make an educated guess, the assurance that we wouldnt be overheard was a part of Merlins Skill. I am glad we have this time to ourselves, he announced before I could say something. People in our respective positions should be coordinating more, though I have to say, you have been performing more than admirably thus far. Thank you. I mean, what else was there to say? My understanding is that youve uncovered the spawn site of the next Nation Boss, and the potential identity of the first World Boss? I nodded. I dont know what the Nation Boss is, but what the World Boss is going to be was pretty clear from context. My own sight is clouded by the System, and so is Fionns, I believe, Merlin replied. Would I be correct in guessing that your own foresight is a Skill, rather than being innate? Yes. The World Boss is actually what I wanted to talk to you about, I said. Its obviously going to be a hell of a lot stronger than anything weve seen before, and were going to need everything we have to fight them, including Francis Drake at full strength, with his flagship. And you would like me to help you convince the government and admiralty to send away the only functional battleship in the world, alongside adequate escort ships, which will doubtlessly constitute a sizeable chunk of the Royal Navys total tonnage? Actually, I was hoping you would take point on that I admitted. Our treaty with the British government only covers borrowing the good Vice Admiral for an hour at the start of every challenge and was never expanded upon since, well, that was all that was required at the time. And thered been a billion things requiring everyones attention at the time. Figuratively, that was, the actual number was somewhere in the thousands, which was still plenty. What will you be doing in the meantime? Merlin raised an eyebrow. Helping prepare the logistics, creating a base in Indonesia to support the battle against the World Boss, learning and sharing spells and other magical knowledge all the things I do normally, but more focussed on things with an immediate combat application. You are planning on telling the rest of the world about the prophecies, correct? Merlin inquired. Charlemagne plans to do that, I said. Alongside revealing the preparations hes been making since the start. An entire arsenal of modern weaponry, complete with spare parts and enough munitions to bury the world in corpses if turned upon humans, trainers to make these weapons useable, logistics pipelines that reach the furthest expanse of human civilization complete with alternate pathways and accounting for local production my point is that soon, the Untersberg will throw open the vaults and unleash everything it has. Because the situation is going to be that dire. When you say the vaults, that means this is material that cannot be easily replaced? Merlin asked. My grimace was all the answer he needed. Reaching the end of the fourth challenge before truly burning supplies is an achievement, I suppose, Merlin finally said, just as the food arrived. The hope is that well be able to rebuild much of the stockpile before the big bosses of challenges five through seven arrive, I told him before taking my first bite of steak, so distracted by the juicy, flavorful, perfection of my meal that I almost missed his reply. Hope hope can drive a man to surpass himself a thousandfold, but once lost will plunge that same man into the inescapable depths of despair. Sadly, I not only had to agree, but also mentally add that the Untersberg was mostly storage, not production. It was not an oversight, mind you, while getting blueprints for munitions had been easy, doing the same for production facilities and processes was near impossible, but do you know what it actually was? A problem. Granted, it was a problem that was being rectified, Charlemagne and scholars under him were working on it and [Imperial Renaissance] was massively accelerating the process, but would it be fast enough? I will ensure that the Royal Navy will send as much firepower as possible to the Pacific. Will you make the same request of the Americans? Merlin asked. Obviously, I told him, though it should be much easier, since the United States had a separate Pacific fleet that could be sent out without compromising their homeward defense, and it would be much easier to recall those ships should that be required. Good. We both paused the conversation at that so we could eat, by silent agreement. The food was good, no, great, but as my steak slowly disappeared, more and more dark thoughts began to creep in. This could get really bad Merlin sat down his knife and fork with a clink, a split-second after I did the same. You and I, we are not kings, we are not warriors, we are advisors. However, that is a word with a lot of meanings, wouldnt you agree? Scheeming weasel, power behind the throne, incorruptible moral compass, only one who will speak the truth to power I started listing the tropes. And which one are you? Merlin asked. Im not the only one who speaks the truth to power, I replied. And your rulers are the better for it, Merlin broke out the barest hint of a smile. But you need to remember your place, you need to live up to the burdens of yourposition, but not reach beyond your station. Id actually started bristling when hed started speaking, but thankfully, it had become clear that it was just a matter of poorly-chosen, old-fashioned, phrasing. How about I just use [Knowledge Trade] to tell you about as many phrases as possible that are easy to misunderstand? I offered, and for the first time, Merlin actually looked a little sheepish. And in exchange, you would like I shrugged. Dealers choice. The information I was giving him was functionally worthless, the only thing that gave it any value at all was the speed of transmission. I trusted him to play fair by me, if he didnt, well, knowing that would be useful as well, albeit slightly depressing. I believe I have something suitable, Merlin said, I activated [Knowledge Trade], and the voice of the System spoke into my mind. [Spell gained: Grand Morality Play] New spell here comes the headache. It took a few minutes of suffering in silence, rubbing my temples, before my brain started working again. In that time, the waiter had already shown up, been sent to fetch the bill, returned with it, and seen it paid. Now Merlin was just waiting on me to recover. As unpleasant as gaining magical knowledge was, there was no debating that it was worth it. [Grand Morality Play] wasnt a direct combat spell, but it could be used in a myriad of ways. Put simply, it was one part illusion, one part mental attack that could be used to show people things. For those I liked, or wanted to support, it would recreate a play or theater performance entirely out of illusions to demonstrate whatever moral point I wanted to make. For those I didnt, I could instead make them face the weight of their sins, trapping them in a haunted realm forged from their own misdeeds, which the spell would pull from the depths of their memory. It would likely not be too powerful against monsters, let alone mindless elementals, but in general, yeah, that was an awesome spell.And I told Merlin that. Slowly, we walked through the streets of London, strategizing under the aegis of anti-eavesdropping spells. Eventually, we bade each other goodnight and went our separate ways. [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 46 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 47] [Skill gained: Phantom Courtier]
Phantom Courtier The tasks a Courtmage needs to do are varied and without end, and sometimes, they need someone else to deal with the easier tasks so that they may focus on the important tasks. Obviously, an advisor or assistant of some sort is needed, optimally one which cannot be swayed by outside parties, considering the myriad directions a neutral mediator may be pulled. As such, you are provided with a phantom that can take care of all minor tasks, such as carrying messages (the target needs to have been reachable by other means), taking care of the laundry, preparing food, keeping a calendar (it has a perfect memory, an internal clock and knowledge of all relevant factors such as travel time and time zones). And most importantly, their loyalty is absolute. This phantoms shape and personality will be determined by your mental image of how such an assistant looks.
Oh that was neat. I mean, I could do most of that myself, between the System clock, a perfect memory, the ability to magically transform my outfits, clean and repair my clothes, and so on, and so forth. It wasnt like there was no reason as to why I hadnt grabbed an assistant up until now. But it was still awesome! Also, he, or she, depending on how the courtier ended up looking, could take messages to anyone I could contact by other means, a classy way of contacting people. Id have to check how quickly it traveled, but based purely on how that was written, I didnt think the Skill had been designed with cell phones in mind Anyway, time to try it out. I activated [Phantom Courtier] and immediately, the air in front of me started to waver, began to shimmer like a heat haze before rapidly coalescing into a, well, a butler. A middle-aged white guy in a fancy suit, clean-shaven, salt-and-pepper hair, the very picture of, well, a British butler. Thank. God. If my assistant had turned out to be some hot secretary straight out of a porno, Mia would never have let me forget it. But thankfully, deep down, I clearly wasnt that kind of person. The ghost butler gave a slight bow as he introduced himself. Good evening Sir, I, Mr. Deeds, am at your service. What is it you require? Are you a real person or the creation of my Skill? I asked. In hindsight, it was insensitive as hell, but that was the first thing that popped into my head. The latter, I believe, Mr. Deeds replied. But regardless, I am happy with my current situation. Kay At least I didnt seem to have kidnapped someone from the afterlife. Okay, next question. How much time off do you want? None, Sir. Yeah, that was badly phrased. Take two. How much do you need? None, Sir. So I could theoretically keep you working every second of every day? I cautiously asked. Yes, Sir, and I would not mind. Okay weird. I mean, Id still be polite and treat him with respect even though he didnt seem to value himself at all. Id like to try something, can you write and deliver a message to my sister, asking her if I should bring her something for dinner from London? And keep track of how long it takes to reach her in the Untersberg? Yes, Sir, Mr. Deeds replied in the affirmative, then vanished into nothingness. Twenty seconds later, my phone rang, I picked up, and nearly had my eardrums blown. Apparently, Mia had been in the shower, in her locked room, and while my ghost butler hadnt popped into the shower, someone knocking on the door no one was supposed to be able to reach since her rooms door was locked, that had scared the hell out of her. Which she would likely be taking out on me for the next few hours or days. Yeah that might have been a mistake, but some bribes would still be in order. Using [Phantom Courtier] again recalled the butler. Mr. Deeds, you wouldnt happen to know where I could find a place that makes soul food and offers takeaway? Thankfully, he did, the bribes were accepted, and asking Deeds to make his presence known at the nearest accessible door, rather than the nearest door in general should help avoid a repeat performance. Should. *** A few days later Fuck thats cold, I hissed as I joined Mia atop the Untersberg, where shed texted me to meet. Apparently, she wanted to show me something. She stared flatly at me. Its almost December, and were on top of a mountain. That that was a good point. I pulled a fluffy bathrobe out of my spatial storage and wrapped it around myself, transforming it into something approximating winter gear as I did so. Thin, and not overly warm, winter gear, considering there wasnt too much extra fabric to cover me. Mia giggled. How longs it been since you left the mountain without your portals? Uh was my eloquent answer, which just made her laugh harder. So, why did you ask me to come up here? I finally asked. I wanted to show the view to you, Mia said. Yeah I trailed off. I just have to make sure to stare off into the distance and pay no attention to whats going on at my feet. I mean, we did need the defenses, she corrected, causing me to shrug. The exterior of the mountain was more fortress than cliff-face after the refit, natural stone having given way to concrete and metal, weapons, radar systems, and cameras, but mostly just guns. A brutalist nightmare of military architecture, all looming over a thick road that had replaced the small hiking path Mia, Dietrich, and I had taken up here the first time. Yeah I repeated myself. It was an awe-inspiring sight, but I could also see how that might be seen as a promise of future problems to most of the world. A fortress of evil and ancient ideas in a clean and beautiful modern world. Which wouldnt be entirely incorrect. Charlemagne had been a fairly good ruler, especially for the time, but not to non-Christians and those who he was at war with. Yes, the phrase it aint a war crime the first time came to mind but did that really undo the deeds? I kept staring down the mountain, thinking. That was the very definition of well cross that bridge when we come to it, however. How things would go very much came down to how much of the world was intact at the end of the year of initialization. And wasnt that a cheery thought? The announcements had gone out, the world had somehow managed to ramp up military production even more, and in general, everyone had managed to get worked up even further. There was a tenseness in the world, and if there werent roaming monsters for people to take their rage out on, I had no doubt that the rates of murder and assault would have gone up even higher. Somehow, knowing when the Nation Boss would show up was almost more of a problem than it helped. Yesterday, a city had appeared in the middle of sub-Saharan Africa, an obviously magical creation that was apparently tied to the appearance of yet another ancient. Id wanted to go, but Charlemagne had shut that down on the spot, and Dietrich had agreed. Something for after the Nation Bosses were all dead. I mean, I got it, but honestly, I could barely wait till I was free to go visit. I would, but I didnt like it. *** The day of reckoning came just as predicted, yet somehow, when the monsters did spawn, it still felt like a complete surprise. Living Earthquake in San Francisco, Living Wildfire in the Amazon Rainforest, big metal monster near where some kind of magical city had popped into existence yesterday, and locally, we had the embodiment of all invasive flora everywhere. Chances were, wed see Bosses for Water and Air as well, but no one had located those yet. Just as planned, kill the local monster first, then reinforce our allies in America, Charlemagne summed up the plan while I opened a portal to where Genghis Khans army had been gathering in case Mongolia was threatened. It wasnt, and this time, it was us who needed the help. At the same time, I opened a portal to just north of Regensburg so we could intercept the monster before it reached the city. This would be a rough one. Chapter 67: Hell on Earth We had a plan, I had to remember that. The most terrifying monster Id ever seen might be bearing down on us, complete with an unmatched level of size and destructive power that would only grow if we failed today.
Transplanted Horror (manifested invasion), Level 65 Nation Boss
An immense mass of plant matter, made up of all the various invasive plants that had been plaguing Europe for years, and it had minions.
Heavenly Kudzu (manifested invasion), Level 65 Minion
Knotted Hogweed (manifested invasion), Level 65 Minion
Hogweed Balsam (manifested invasion), Level 65 Minion
Himalayan Kudzu (manifested invasion), Level 65 Minion
Knotted Balsam (manifested invasion), Level 65 Minion
It was all the same pattern, all a part of the exact same brand-new classification. The names were weird, all being made up of two parts that did not seem to make very much sense at first glance, though Fionn had managed to figure it out in a matter of seconds, explaining around the thumb sitting in the corner of his mouth. All minions are made up of two of the plants that make up the boss, borrowing core abilities from each. Kudzu for rapid growth, Giant Hogweed for filling the air with a caustic and toxic substance, Himalayan Balsam for launching seeds that can likely grow into new minions, Japanese Knotweed for the ability to regenerate from individual root fragments, Tree of Heaven for poisoning the soil and growing through solid stone. He sounded like Columbo. It had been driving me up the wall, trying to figure out what he reminded me of, but now, in the most unsuitable of situations, Id finally had a lightbulb moment. Fionn and the detective from that old TV show, they could not have been more different, with vastly differing accents and appearances, but Fionn talking with his thumb in his mouth, and Columbo expositing around his cigar, it was the exact same flavor of mumbling. And now, despite everything, I could not get that thought out of my head. It was wedged in there good. Until what hed just said properly sank in. These things would fill the earth and sky with poison, grow rapidly and spread freely, and when they were killed but not obliterated, theyd be able to regenerate from whatever was left. Not only that, but logic dictated that the boss would have the exact same powers. All of them. Poison the air to fuck with us now, poison the ground to inflict damage that would linger well after it was dead, launch seeds to grow either minions or more of itself, spread like wildfire, and even when we did do damage, recover at an equally ludicrous pace. This thing wouldnt move in to reach us, it would simply grow over us. And the city behind us. And everything else in the state, if not the nation. After all, wasnt it a Nation Boss? But no, we had a plan, I had to remember that. Dietrich and Genghis Khan had put their heads together to make a proper plan for every elemental type, including properly utilizing synergies between Skills. We might not have actually known what the bosses would be, but for this wave, it had been eminently predictable that theyd be elemental-themed. Fire could be extinguished, air could generally be fired through, water was a pain in the ass but conducted shockwaves extremely well, earth required high explosives, metal was the biggest problem, and wood well, thankfully, Fionn had figured out the ultimate anti-organic weapon weeks ago. When wed stepped out of the portal, the sky had been clear and sunny, it couldnt have been any more different than my mood. Id practically been marching around with my own personal thundercloud orbiting my head. After not even a minute, the skies had begun to darken as clouds drifted in or outright appeared from nowhere. Then, a deluge of downright biblical proportions began to pour upon the monster as every single magical student cast whatever rain spells they could power, while both Fionn and I used [Century Storm]. And finally, Fionn cast [Devouring Rain]. For a brief second, nothing seemed to have changed, clear liquid continued falling from the sky until the first transmuted drop hit living plant matter. In an instant, the forest before us transformed into a scene straight out of hell as the rainwater began to boil, burning the trees and obliterating even the monsters themselves in seconds, the liquid turning black as the carbon it ripped from the beasts flesh intermixed. Only for it soon to become clear once more as it, too, was burned away into nothingness. Or invisible carbon dioxide, at least. Were we standing too close? Yeah we should probably get back. A couple of seconds later, that point was made moot as a wave of energy swept across everyone as Genghis Khan applied [Elemental Protection]. It protected the recipients from weather, and, well, this technically was still a weather phenomenon. Or so had the thinking been at the planning stage. Were clear, he announced after looking at the slowly blackening battlefield, his [Battlefield Analysis] allowing him to see it would work without having to stick his hand in. Wait until all minions are done, so we can see if that changes anyhting, Dietrich ordered/suggested. The chain of command was, as per usual, a titanic mess. Dietrich had largely subordinated himself under Charlemagne despite maintaining his own position of king and normally took the role of local leader, unless Fionn was there, because Fionn was usually the man with the plan, or at the very least, the man with the most information. But Charlemagne usually took over coordination and that almost always turned into actually taking charge even if that had never been explicitly stated, while Fionn still had knowledge that the old emperor might not have, and Dietrich was a very experienced monster hunter with an entirely different skillset and basis of knowledge and Arthur was Arthur. Point was, things had already been beyond complicated before Genghis Khan had stepped onto the field. In Mongolia, it had been easy, his house, his rules, but that wasnt how it was set up right now. And so on. An endless loop of competing priorities between a bunch of very strong personalities who would never actually subordinate themselves to someone of nominally the same rank. Which left us very much in a lets debate whats best kind of situation, in circumstances that absolutely did not allow for that. However, in this case, Genghis Khan just nodded, said Good idea and started directing his own people to prepare to intercept anything that made it out from under the deluge. He hadnt been able to bring too many of his people through the portal, that was a limit of my Skill and it would be for the best if he commanded them. After all, he was the best living cavalry commander, and it was his Skills that boosted his forces specifically. So we just stood there, staring into the increasingly intransparent wall of liquid falling from the sky and geysers of boiling acid occasionally erupting up as if to greet it, until it eventually calmed down. As piranha solution always did, when it had devoured all organic compounds it had come into contact with. Move ou- ... Genghis Khan was halfway through ordering the start of an advance when the corrosive swamp before us detonated as something hauled itself out of the ground. What Id first assumed to be the monster itself, a fairly sizeable clump of unmoving vegetation, turned out to only have been a tiny fragment of the true beast, which had been buried beneath in the ground, revealing a titanic beast at least the size of, well, the fucking Titanic. Oh, it was currently melting, falling apart, small bits of plant matter that might have been minions disintegrating as they launched themselves off it. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Seven cores, evenly distributed, Dietrich announced before swiping his sword through the air, his Sword Art unleashing a ray of light that appeared set to bisect the giant before winking out of existence just as the Nation Boss stuttered. Six, now. A solid beam of lightning leaped from Merlins chest at that, hammering into the Nation Boss chest like the wrath of the heavens, burning clean through it and coming out the other side. Yep, as long as the casting time was, I had to learn that spell. Five cor- Dietrich began to comment, only for Fionn to interrupt him. Core exposed, [Light]! Instantly, it was as though someone had rammed a road flare into the monsters flesh, perfectly illuminating a smooth, dark green marble which promptly exploded under Mias [Sword Art: A Blade Across Time and Space]. Four cores, Dietrich corrected with a grin. Nicely done. The monster was continuing to move towards us, however, and its movements were starting to splash more acid our way. As it turned out, even with the protections we had in place, it wasnt exactly pleasant. Granted, even the chlorine-infused water of a swimming pool was more painful than the piranha solution, so the Skill was working, but that hardly made this pleasant so I hurriedly took a few steps backwards, using [Polite Rebuke] to bat a particularly big glob back at the monster, just to see if it would do anything, considering the technical lethality of the attack. It didnt. But it also didnt slam me with a monstrous cooldown either, so that was nice. Arthur and Dietrich charged in then, with Joseph lumbering in front of them, the golems rocky body growing with every step as he activated some kind of Skill, allowing him to grow until he was able to reach the monsters knee. Still tiny, but more than heavy enough to trip up the monster when he flung himself at its leg, causing it to fall straight towards the two kings, who met it with twin [Grand Slashes], blasting a titanic hole through it, the combination of gravity, the boss own weight and the ludicrous power of the Skills combining to core the monster like an apple. Anything else would be dead. This thing, it just rose back onto its feet. I just hoped theyd gotten a core. Mia flashed forward in an instant, blurring around the monster as she activated one of her [Sword Arts], tearing off an entire layer of its exterior. Bit by bit, they were tearing this thing apart. Dietrich and Arthur had retreated several steps while Joseph had leaped into the hole theyd made, ripping into the monster from the inside. Mimung cut through the monsters vines with contemptuous ease, and anything Excalibur hacked off, stayed hacked off. Merlin, Fionn, and all the various magic students, myself included, just lumped on whatever we could. Stone bullets, acid bolts that did only negligible damage compared to the ongoing deluge, and, of course, refreshing the spells that made up the acid rain whenever they ran their course. The only thing I did differently, really, was using [Century Storm] to its fullest extent by pulling down lighting as well. As for Gae Buidhe and Gae Dearg, the two spears which left wounds that could not be healed, theyd been handed out to Fionns son and second in command, respectively, and together, they were pruning that walking horticultural abomination. By the time the monster fell, half an hour later, it was practically anticlimactic. It had stopped moving several minutes earlier, and I only realized that it had been entirely finished off when everyone started walking back towards us while its corpse was dissolving in its entirety. I dispelled [Century Storm], Fionn did the same, and the lesser rain spells followed soon after. So, where am I transporting everyone? I asked, using [Ambassadors Autority] to open a magical video conference back to the Untersberg. The Skill might have been meant to prove my bona fides, but if it let me use it in other ways, Id be happy to take advantage. We need to reinforce San Franciso as per our treaty with the United States, the Royal Navy found the Water boss in the middle of the Atlantic and requires magical assistance. In addition, the rainforest burning down would be highly problematic. And we should reinforce the African ancient as soon as possible. Its unlikely that they, whoever they may be, will be able to defeat a Nation Boss on their own. Yeah, that one had really bitten us in the ass. The knowledge of an imminent Nation Boss attack had been deemed more important to address than contacting them, and now, we might never get the chance. On the other hand, we needed to reinforce the efforts at San Francisco and the Atlantic to meet existing treaty negotiations, and heading over to deal with the wildfire was likewise absolutely vital, seeing as that could get out of hand very easily. If it caused a fire that continued to burn until after it was dead I mean, it hadnt set off [Catastrophe Sense] so it wouldnt be completely apocalyptic, but chances were, itd still make a bad situation infinitely worse. Which left precious little for Mr. Vogt, can you send me and my people to Africa? Genghis Khan asked. Yes, give me a minute, I replied. That would neatly solve the problem, though the offer had come very quickly. Which indicated to me that hed likely thought it through well enough to realize what an opportunity he had here, becoming the first to greet this new ancient as a true equal and granting the opportunity for an alliance. He wouldnt start anything until the issue of the System had been solved, I trusted in that, but Id be lying if I claimed that he didnt still make me uneasy. Whod going where? I asked into the group. If possible, transport myself and Merlin onto Vice Admiral Drakes ships, Fionn asked. Dietrich, Ogier, Joseph, and I will head to San Fransico, Arthur declared, only for Joseph to rapidly sign that he wanted to fight the fire monster instead. Which made sense, unless that thing was very hot, hed be a hard counter to it. Or at least largely immune. Take my students, Fionn told the golem. Their rain spells should help ameliorate the situation. Im going with Dietrich, Mia announced, stepping up next to her mentor. Final decision? I asked. Everyone either nodded or, at the very least, didnt shake their heads. Final decision, I confirmed, opened a portal to Yamoussoukro airport, the capital of the Ivory Coast, which was close enough to the phantom city to target a second portal using [Ambassadors Instinct], which I promptly did, making it sit flush to the first and stepping through, only to return an instant later. Having been there, I could now target it directly. As close to the African ancient as I could get it, I announced. Then, I opened a portal onto the Azores, and from there, the Wisconsin. This time, there was no point to stepping through, as the target moved and having the ability to directly portal to a random spot above the ocean wouldnt help in the slightest. Next, I pulled the same trick to reach the fire boss, the first portal appearing in Brasilia and the second at a safe distance from the big bad. This time, once again, I briefly hopped through. Amazon rainforest, I announced, not having had to introduce the inside of a battleship, that one had been kinda obvious. And then, I opened a final portal directly to San Francisco, which Id actually visited before. Dietrich, Arthur, and Mia headed through that one, leaving me alone. Considering how this had been an actual emergency, any portals targetted through [Ambassadors Instinct] had only used up half a charge, which left me with one and a half charges for the day. Enough to teleport somewhere and make a second, emergency, portal to a point within [Ambassadors Instincts] eight-hundred-kilometer range, or let the people in the target area return through the portal so I could transport them to a necessary spot within the same distance of myself. Which meant that for once, I couldnt spare a portal to remove myself from the middle of nowhere. Maybe someone in Regensburg had a helicopter I could bum? Perhaps the police department? Either way, I had something I needed to do first. Now that it had stopped raining, the full extent of the devastation wed wrought became apparent, a scorched hole in the middle of the forest. Yeesh. Now I kinda felt like a bad guy. If that shit wound up in the groundwater I waved my hand and triggered [Restoration of the Old], removing the contamination from the old forest, though the hole remained, a perfectly round area of flat dirt, scoured clean of life. Sadly, there were things even I couldnt fix. I stood there for a few minutes, silently staring, before finally turning in the direction of the city while fishing my phone out of my pocket and dialing the most influential police officer whose number I had. Polizeidirektor Friedrich Hofmann. Good morning, director, I greeted. Its Tristan Vogt, I was hoping I could ask for a favor After what I just saw, I think its fair to say youll get anything short of the moon, Hofmann replied immediately, not even bothering with niceties. So, Im still at the site of the battle, and need a ride, I said. What kind? And I thought you could teleport? Helicopter, I just need to get back to the Untersberg without using up any more portal charges, I told him. How quickly? Hofmann asked. Its not urgent, but I need to get there faster than public transport will. That should be easy enough to arrange, he said. Do you want to wait where you are, or do you want to walk part of the way? I think Ill just wait in the new clearing, I replied. Thank you. No worries, Hofmann replied and hung up. An instant later, however, the voice of the System informed me of two new Levels. [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 47 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 49] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Inspect] Holy. Shit. The ability to see other peoples Classes, even with limits, was going to change everything.
Inspect As the Courtmage, it is your task to evaluate all comers, be they lords or beggars. You gain the following information based on someones Level relative to yours: From anyone more than five Levels above you, you get nothing. From anyone less than five Levels above you, down to Level parity, you get a general sense of their Class purpose. On anyone who is at a lower Level than you, you can see their Class name. If they are more than fifteen Levels below you, you also receive the name of their three most boosted Skills At more than twenty, you also receive descriptions of these Skills. More than twenty-five, complete list of all Classes and Skills And finally, for anyone more than thirty Levels below you, you have the same ability to see their character sheet as they do, including active effects and cooldowns.
I mean, I was unlikely to be peeking at any ancient character sheets, but everything else it would give me a far better overview of what the people around me would be able to do, while also allowing me to swiftly pinpoint potential threats in a crowd. Just look for the strongest guy. And considering how high my Level was, relative to the average person, due to all the crazy shit Id been involved in since the start of this mess, the Skill would be extra effective. As for the boost, as much as I hated the Skill, [Catastrophe Sense] really had come in clutch today. So it got the boost.
In addition, you receive some information on the threat in question, including such things as its general theme.
And yeah, that was going to be super helpful too. Then, I just stood there, waiting for my ride. Chapter 68: The Earth’s Revenge Miller
Eternal Quake (manifested disaster), Level 65 Nation Boss
The titanic nameplate was hovering above the center of the city, granting no indication as to where the monster itself was located, or what its true form looked like. His eyes were perpetually sparking with electricity, [Thunderous Glare] perpetually communicating his roiling fury to anyone who saw him while also letting them know his anger was not directed at them. Incidentally, when he was irritated with a subordinate, the Skill could likewise inform the target of the fact that theyd live through the inevitable dressing down, though they might wish they hadnt. Highly effective at communicating in many situations, though right now, it was his weapon of choice as he leaned out of the doorway of a helicopter above it all, unleashing a stream of electricity at anything that looked to be a part of the monster. At least as long as it was far from any civilians. Because they still had no idea where its true body lay, just that it was affecting the entire city, bringing down buildings and shattering roads into fields of rubble that were functionally impassable for civilian cars. This had reduced the entire battle down to being more of an evacuation under fire, except that rather than enemies that could be struck at directly, they were facing a living natural disaster that actively targeted the most inconvenient areas,further complicating things. The best plan they currently had essentially amounted to carpeting the city with bunker-busters once it was fully evacuated until the monsters body was unearthed, which wasnt exactly feasible, from neither a political nor a supply point of view. In addition, Miller himself was on a rather strict time limit. [Offensive Momentum] had let him and his squad rip their way through the various bosses scattered across the western US without requiring rest while constantly growing in strength and speed. But it was also starting to peak, reaching the point where it would leave them as strong as theyd get and shut off, which would leave them, and especially him, useless for the next eight hours. They needed to finish this now, but all he was doing was destroying the odd rubble golem that rose from the ground. It was at this point that his radio crackled to life with new orders. Lieutenant Miller, return to base. Thatd better important. Miller pulled himself back into the helicopter, slid the door shut behind him, sat down, and strapped in while the chopper banked left to return to the current base camp. And why couldnt they do this over the ra- theyd gotten reinforcements, Miller realized. An old man standing back straight, an incredibly thin blade sitting at his side. A true giant was next to him, wrapped in heavy metal plates that likely meant he weighed as much as a car, potentially even a truck. A third man Miller immediately recognized as King Arthur. And finally, a girl who couldnt be much older than twenty but was wrapped in armor, had a sword by her side, and meeting his gaze coldly. Dietrich von Bern, his protege Mia Vogt, and the armored giant had to be Ogier Danske. Proper reinforcements in the form of three ancients and someone who was as close to an ancient as anyone else had gotten. Von Bern, you can see monster weaknesses, correct? Miller called out as he marched out of the chopper. How the hell do we kill that thing? Somehow, that question provoked amusement in the girl, and even the ancients seemed slightly bemused for some reason. Its the same as all Nation Bosses, multiple cores need to be destroyed, but theyre immobile this time. And? Miller asked, his tone right on the edge of where it could be considered as snapping at the man. I dont know where they are, specifically, theyre somewhere in a five? kilometer radius. General Greer has a map with it marked. Miller could feel himself deflate slightly. Yes, ultimately, at the moment, he was of too low a rank to be making command-level decisions, he just had the power to turn those decisions into reality far better than almost anyone else. It was just that it felt like he should have been informed earlier. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Do you folks have a way to dig it out that I dont know of? Miller asked. He had numerous tactical and strategic Skills, hed mastered every weapon a man could carry and many he couldnt, and sizing up any natural enemy was as easy as breathing, but sadly, there were limits to his abilities. Such as the fact that he only knew what his subordinates could do, not his allies. Depends, the mountain of a man rumbled, gesturing towards the helicopter. Can I borrow that, how high can it go, and have you already evacuated the area with the monster? *** There were two things that were absolutely insane about the current situation. One, there was the fact that this plan had been approved the instant Dietrich von Bern had contacted General Greer with a borrowed radio. And two, there was the plan itself It sounded like something he would come up with, and then hurriedly put into action before he got orders to the contrary. These people, on the other hand, theyd just said theyd do it, and immediately gotten the go-ahead. It was almost funny how hed have likely had that level of authority, or at least independence if hed come into this as a civilian, rather than regaining his memories while already a member of the armed forces, because then, the brass would have had to fight to recruit him. Now, now they just had to keep him. And while a lesser man might have taken advantage of the situation to wrangle out concessions, hed sworn an oath. The same oath, in spirit at least, which hed sworn countless times before, one in each lifetime. It was rarely twice to the same master, to the same nation, but it was his oath to make, his oath to keep. And he did. Always. Are you sure you want to do this? he asked. Ogier Danske nodded. This isnt the first time Ive fallen onto a Nation Boss from up high, just the first time it was on purpose. There was clearly a story there. Are things clear down there? Miller carefully leaned out of the helicopter and scanned the target area using [Battlefield Eye]. Downtown San Francisco was a complete mess, largely reduced to rubble and then having walked away in the form of golems, though the devastation was so widespread that it had been hard to pinpoint the monsters location without magical assistance. There were no civilians left there. Many had been evacuated and many more were dead. But there was not a single living soul that would suffer from what they were about to do, save the monster itself. Clear. And just like that, Ogier Danske leaned out of the helicopters open door, letting himself pitch forward, and at the last possible second he could reach the man, Miller reached out and gave him a hard push, triggering [Surge of Power] as he did so. The helicopter was flung backwards from the force, while the armored giant was hurled downwards with tremendous speed as though hed already been falling for several kilometers. Using an ally as a living bomb, hurling him at the monster in place of an inert hunk of explosives from kilometers up, and expecting him to walk away from it the world had gone crazy. And he loved every minute of it! Down below, Ogier streamlined his body, accelerating further and further, until he hammered into the ground, face-first. But he stopped in an instant, decelerating from what had to be near-terminal velocity to a dead stop and rolling into a proper stance while the ground around him erupted as though a volcano had suddenly unearthed itself in the middle of the city by the bay. Rubble and powdered concrete washed in every direction, successfully exposing one, two four cores. A bolt of lighting leaped from Millers eyes to shatter one, even as down below, another sizeable chunk of ground was ripped open as King Arthur unleashed one of his big attack Skills to obliterate a second along with a sizeable area around it, von Bern destroyed a third and Vogt neatly bisected the fourth with her far striking Skill. Four of seven. And then, they ran. Because every single manmade structure that had been destroyed by the impact had grown legs and was now coming after them. The new golem army was met by artillery shells, tanks, and shoulder-fired rocket launchers, but fighting them in melee from within was a Bad Idea with a capital B. So theyd run until theyd no longer be encircled the second they stopped, just as they reached the fortifications the group of Irishmen known as the Fianna had set up, ripping the onrushing horde to shreds. Then, the helicopters radio crackled to life. Return to base, they want to do that again. Miller snorted. Crazy bastards, one and all. He might be in love. So they did it again. And a third time. And once more for good measure after heavy bombardment from artillery and magical users had loosened up the soil so it could more effectively be blown away when that lunatic Dutchman decided to compete with Fat Man for who could leave the bigger crater. And fourth time turned out to be the charm, as it unearthed the ninth and final core, which Miller himself wound up destroying. [Specter of War Lv. 73 -> Specter of War Lv. 75] [Skill Boost gained] [Capstone Skill gained: Domain of Wars Truth] The first two Levels hed earned since regaining his memories. Boost [Thunderous Glare], obviously, and as for the Capstone it allowed him to transform his surroundings, suppress all Skills including his own as long as they were beneath a certain threshold of power, though he could artificially lower that threshold if that was what he needed, and he even had the ability to interfere with advanced technology. As he grew in power, the Skill would be able to reach further, suppress more, and cause greater environmental transformations. Create the perfect battlefield while ensuring that his enemies, regardless of who they were, would have to fight him down in the mud without magic or tech as long as he abided by the same restrictions. Oh hed have loved to be able to use that five fucking minutes ago! Chapter 69: London Bridge is Burning Down, Burning Down … Joseph The rainforest was a surprisingly dry place, more akin to the inside of a kiln than anything else. Of course, that was only due to the titanic monster looming overhead, but there was still something vaguely irritating about the titles lack of accuracy. Though the name of the monster that loomed overhead was equally strange.
Accelerated Deforestation (manifested wildfire), Level 65 Nation Boss of Flame
A hundred meters tall being of pure flame towered over everything, even the giant trees of the primordial forest barely reaching up to its hips when they still stood, that was. Because anything within half a kilometer of it started to dry out, and anything within a hundred meters simply ignited, even if had somehow managed to avoid catching fire up until that point. There was only a single part of his body that was not made of earth and stone, the scrap of paper that gave him life, acting as his brain, heart, and in a certain interpretation, soul, but that was [Fireproof]. And everything else, well, his foe would have to be a whole lot hotter before his body ignited. Another flaming fist slammed into him, causing Joseph to crash through another massive tree, embers clinging to his skin igniting it while he climbed back to his feet and started to charge at his foe. They really werent all that different, all things considered. Magical beings, forged from the elements, neither able to truly hurt the other. But unlike him, the fiery giant attempting to crush and/or burn him was stupid. And about to die. Because just like all the other fire monsters in this particular challenge, the Nation Boss of Flame was vulnerable to being extinguished. So when several dozen student mages had been sent through the portal to the rainforest with him, all they had to do was take shelter behind him and start casting rain spells. The clouds had already covered the sky, but he was yet to feel a single drop of water fall upon him, all of it was simply evaporating as it struck the Nation Boss shroud of heat, forming a vast fogbank, but bit by bit, slowly, the water was coming lower. It was only now that the monster seemed to realize that repeatedly beating him into the ground was getting it nowhere and attempted to simply kick him out of the way, but the [Roots of the Mountain] tethered Joseph to the ground and caused the fiery titan to stumble and lose its balance, which he took as his chance to leap onto its chest, [Armory of Gaia] manifesting a massive warhammer in his hands which, backed by [Titans Fist], allowed him to hurl it onto its back with such force that it left a deep crater and caused a massive explosion when all the dust that had been hurled into the air by the crash ignited. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Anyone else in his position, save another ancient or maybe Tristan, if it was the first hit he took in the fight and he still had his [Diplomatic Immunity], would likely have been taken straight out of the fight. Joseph simply picked himself off the ground, drew even more deeply upon the [Might of the Earth], and [Avalanche Charge]ed straight back at the monster, leaping onto its chest and starting to rip into it, grasping the solid fire that lay beneath its flickering exterior just as the first raindrops began to fall, instantly flashing into steam as touched the flames. Yet the flames werent untouched either. Fire and water clashed, filling the air with steam that would boil any human that touched it alive in an instant, but Joseph merely tightened his body around his animating core, keeping the moisture out, and continued to tear into the monster. Until it rolled over on top of him and started to focus all its heat onto what would be the stomach on a human. Once again, while both of them might be golems, at least in a certain defintion of the word, only one of the pair was stupid. Joseph stopped trying to rip bits out of the monsters body and instead found himself some handholds while he planted his feet on the ground and channeled [Roots of the Mountain] as strongly as he could, trying to hold the monster down. And it let him. They stayed like that, the steam growing thicker and thicker around them, the one golem trying to incinerate the other, and getting nowhere as it was slowly extinguished, being reduced to a black, porous substance that crumbled beneath his hands, merely a skeleton. When it chose to pull back, there was nothing Joseph could do to stop it, trying to keep a hold of it caused the rock to fall apart, even his fingers ripping through the substance as though it were soft bread. The monsters sheer fury was palpable as it stood straight, ready to launch itself at the mages. [Defenders Mind] not only told him that was going to happen, but also how it would come to pass. As big as the monster was, fast wasnt an attribute that could easily be applied to it. So he started clambering up its leg, pulling himself up too quickly for his handholds to disintegrate under his weight and by the time it realized it needed to do something about him, hed reached the hole hed dug earlier, planted his feet at the bottom and pressed his hands across the top, swelling in size as he channeled [Eartshaping Body] and drew so deeply upon the [Might of the Earth]that it would actually go entirely dormant in a few seconds and remain that way for hours afterwards. The Nation Boss began to paw at its own torso, furiously attempting to dig him out but before it could get anywhere, it tore in half. The bit with the legs hit the ground and broke further apart, while the top was practically reduced to powder when it slammed into the dirt from a considerably higher point. And finally, finally, there were cores, exposed to the world and ready for him to smash. Fist by fist, blow by blow, he wiped the Nation Boss of Fire from the face of the Earth. It was funny, in a way. He might have nearly been on the other side of the planet, but even so, here he was, protecting the people of Prague, and its Jewish inhabitants in particular. How were the other doing, at any rate? It had been hours, shouldnt some of them have also won? Small Delay Announcement While I was hoping to have finished this book last month, I decided to make a few too many Nation Bosses, then the fights got a little long, and then I got sick. Just a nasty cold, but it still made it hard to concentrate on writing, and now, well, I''m going to visit an old friend who moved away for the next five days and only now learned that I won''t have internet there ... This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. So yeah, I''m taking a small "break," but once that''s done, I''ll get straight back to finishing this novel, the final boss has me really excited (it''s not one of the Nation Bosses). And after that, I''ll write one or two more books of Museum Core, go back to Outrage of the Ancients, until both are finished. Chapter 70: Colonial Greed Sundiata
Consequence of Greed (manifested contamination), Level 65 Nation Boss of Metal
A Nation Boss. It wasnt what hed expected the next tier of monster to be called, but hed known about that fact before today due to one of his new subjects having managed to link to something called the internet. The young man had then claimed to simply be a hobbyist, an ordinary man with rather ordinary knowledge of Information Technology, but that wasnt how Sundiata saw it. Even if there were others who could have done the same, even if every other person present, save Sundiata himself, could have created this connection to all the worlds knowledge, they had failed to do so. One specific person had made this achievement, and regardless of how many others could have done the same, it had nevertheless been his. And therefore, so was the reward. A [Courtly Promotion], specifically to the [Keeper of Wisdom], which granted a handful of innate Traits related to knowledge, memory, and learning while also, supposedly, improving the quality of future Classes. A grand boon, with the only downsides being whatever duties Sundiata himself chose to impose. Which were none, in this case. None, save the fact that the internet connection had to be maintained, which hed clearly already been planning to do anyway. In hindsight, the reward had been far too small. The forewarning Zerzuras new connection had provided had saved the lives of everyone outside the walls of the city, both the humans and the almost a thousand lions his [King of Lions] Skill had drawn to him, all pulled back inside for shelter. However, simply knowing that the monster was done did very little to ensure it wound up dead. The Nation Boss loomed on the horizon, its nameplate taller than the city walls and wider than several buildings put together to remain legible at this distance, a one hundred and fifty meters tall beast made of a silvery-grey metal streaked with gold and the occasional crystal that could either be salt or diamond, he genuinely could not tell at this distance. [Resource Survey] triggered as he observed the monster, and Sundiata could feel his heart drop as he received more information. It wasnt just any kind of metal, but lead. Lead. In his first lifetime, hed rarely seen it used, it was too soft for most applications. In his second, however in his second hed learned just how dangerous it truly was, a toxin that would stain the ground forever and doom generations to come to suffer numerous illnesses. Even in death, this monster would never cease to be a threat. And even before that, he had to kill it. According to information he wasnt entirely sure he was glad to have informed him of the fact that no one had brought down its like alone, every previous Nation Boss had been brought down by an entire group of people just like him. And they normally had had a higher level than their foe. He could win. But even in victory, he would likely have to sacrifice most of the city and his people. How could he defeat this beast [Bane of the Supernatural] confirmed what the internet had already said, the monster had multiple cores that had to be destroyed, and they were deeply rooted in its flesh, where he would be hard-pressed to reach them. Modern heavy weapons were unlikely to work, and he didnt even have access to them in the first place. He was the strongest person here, fifteen Levels below the highest-tier monster anyone had ever seen. And as far as he knew, the city had no tricks available either. Yet none of that would stop him. Ever. Man the walls, spread out, ensure you have multiple routes to reach street level in case of damage, he ordered. Aim for the joints, use rifles to check their durability, then use explosives. [Royal Guard], protect those who hold the explosives. His [Royal Guard] could employ a defensive shield to protect his subjects or property once a week, and considering that heavy weapons would be their best chance, they would have to be protected. And anyone who cannot fight, take cover in the anomalous tower. With a thought, he sent the lions along as well. Even empowered by his Skill, they would not be able to hurt the monster bearing down on them, and these noble creatures had become too rare to hurl into this kind of battle without even the remotest chance of it achieving anything. Sundiata leaped down off the wall and slowly began to stride towards the distant monster, his staff in hand, as above him, the guns began to roar, accompanied by the occasional flash of magic as Skills were used, pockmarking the monsters flesh with small craters. The beast did not even deign to acknowledge him, simply continuing to stride towards Zerzura. It was tall enough to get across the wall in a single step, he had to be like an ant in its sight. It would regret not paying attention to him. It had to be an almost comical sight, a human with a stick marching to face a monster so immense he didnt even reach its ankle. Yet when he struck its leg, it absolutely noticed him, raising the now-dented limb above Sundiata and stomping down so he let it, reinforcing his body using [Spirit over Flesh] while weakening the soil below with [Mind Over Matter]. All the force the monster could exert through its sheer weight alone passed onto him and planted Malis emperor in the ground like a tent pole. Yet when its foot slammed into the ground a split-second later, it was spread out across a vastly larger area, completely unable to reach him. Well, the monster weighed hundreds of tons, it did sink in quite a bit, but however deep it went, it pushed him deeper. And then, the foot lifted again and Sundiata exploded from the ground, staff swinging, adding another dent to the monsters leg. It froze, briefly, then whirled around with shocking speed for something too huge and slammed its fist into the spot where hed been standing a split second earlier. So he smacked the misshapen lump it called a hand, leaving a crater the size of a barrel on a monster that made most buildings look tiny. This was going to take a long time. Sundiata ran between the monsters legs while striking out at the same ankle hed already been attacking once more. If he could just rip off one leg, he could unbalance the beast, and then then, things would get marginally easier as the monster tried to balance itself with legs of different lengths. Hours from now. And his body was already aching. A human would have had to turn around at this point to be able to target him again, but the monster simply leaned the other way and continued pounding the ground like a man possessed, leaving behind craters that would become literal lakes the next time it rained. Craters, much like what he was leaving in its leg. Yet after the ground had been reduced to powder and the air filled with dust, the Boss seemed to lose interest and began striding back in the direction of Zerzura. Sundiata glared after it. Was it really disregarding him as a threat so entirely? He exerted his will upon the quicksand-like ground ahead, solidifying it, and started to run after the monster, which was now coming under fire from the city itself. Guns were achieving very little, as far as he could tell. The monster wasnt absorbing the lead, which had been a possibility thrown around earlier, but the fact that it wasnt outright counterproductive was hardly a ringing endorsement of this tactic. Though if it had been a bad thing, [Bane of the Supernatural] would have warned him. Sundiata finally reached the monster and resumed his attack upon the leg, which now had a wedge almost two meters deep taken out of it. A good start, but nowhere near enough. Their duel resumed after he struck it twice, but after the ground had once more been obliterated, reduced to powder, the monster once again began to march towards the city. What would it take to hold this monsters attention? This time, however, it was moving far more quickly than before, and would likely reach the walls of Zerzura before he could engage it once more That was when a titanic spear flew past Sundiata and hammered into the beasts shoulder with enough force that it staggered slightly. Moving almost in sync, both he and his foe stared out into the desert, where another dust cloud was rising into the air, at the heels of a small group of riders, shooting across the desert on oddly small horses at speeds Sundiata was only used to seeing from the few cars hed encountered in the modern times. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Who still had cavalry in a world of steel and electricity? Someone with the Skills to make it work anyway. The group might be too far to identify by sight alone, but Sundiata was fairly certain he knew who they were regardless. After all, while the sheer amount of information held by the internet might be more than a man could absorb in a thousand lifetimes, focussing on a specific topic such as his fellow ancients had made things far more manageable. Which would make his new, potentially temporary, ally Genghis Khan. Or at least some of his men. Armed with bows and arrows in an age of bullets and bombs, though unless he was mistaken, several of them also had rocket launchers strapped to their saddles. For a brief moment, the monster froze, then began marching the other way, not even bothering to turn around, its legs nauseatingly twisted to face the other way and it began to march towards the reinforcements. This time, Sundiata saw how Genghis Khan attacked, the man simply leaned over in his saddle until his hand brushed the ground, causing dirt to coalesce into a massive spear. Then, the old conqueror yanked himself upright by the rains of his steed, an action that somehow neither harmed nor toppled over the horse, and unleashed the projectile in the same motion, blasting a small but noticeable chunk out of the monsters shoulder. The same shoulder hed targetted with his first attack. Ripping apart that monster bit by bit seemed to be how this would have to go. The horsemen charged past, unleashing missiles, glowing bullets that left trails in the air, shining arrows from bows that shone like the sun, and then, they were off, opening the distance once again, heading for Sundiata himself. Id advise you disengage, Genghis Khan announced and pulled back on the reins as he closed with Sundiata. Once at a sufficient distance, you will receive an appropriate reward from the System to wield against this beast. But Sundiata couldnt afford to be seen running, even if the power gained was beyond his imagination, it could not possibly outweigh the loss of morale his retreat would cause. That had been his promise, that we would protect his new subjects, and running, even for a good reason, would make it look as though he were breaking it. So he shook his head. I understand, Genghis Khan replied, and suddenly, the world flickered. In an instant, Zerzura had moved from nearly a kilometer away to him practically touching its walls, the monster changed poses as it attempted to smash the little horsemen harrying it. And the voice of the System rang out, informing him of a new Level. [Class Evolution: Indomitable Empire Builder Lv. 50 -> Emperor of the Dimensional City Lv. 51] [Skill gained: Dimensional Shift] *** Genghis Khan That had been exceedingly close. Nation Bosses targetted cities, not ancients, but as near as he could tell, the African Emperors bond with the phantom oasis allowed him to take its place as far as targetting priorities went. But Temujins own [Striking Figure] had managed to pick up the slack when [Inevitable Conclusion] sent the man away. It was simple, the emperor couldnt be perceived as fleeing, it would shatter morale, however, covering it with a Skill would only make a hash of the Malian formation as though it had been broken. Unacceptable, if theyd been directly engaged in combat at the moment, but as it stood, them suddenly finding themselves on the streets rather than the walls had a minimal impact. They simply had nothing on Temujins own elite fighting force. With Levels around forty, they werent quite on par with the twins, whom his [Appraisal] pegged as being close to or even at fifty, however, that put them at nearly double most of the worlds population. Speaking of, [Appraisal] might be fantastic at judging groups of people, but it was limited against individuals such as Sundiata Keita. All Temujin had been able to tell was that he was around fifty, maybe slightly higher than that, though as per usual, as an ancient, his Class appeared to be absurdly powerful. Though for now, all Temujin had to do was duel this damn metal behemoth until his fellow ancient returned. *** Sundiata, one hour later The monsters immense fist came out once again, more on-target this time, and Sundiatas dodge only carried him to the edge of the impact zone, until [Dimensional Shift] engaged, warping space the way Zerzura did to make itself fit to put himself next to the immense metal fist, positioning himself so that the shockwave flung him straight at the leg theyd been hammering at the entire time. His baobab branch, the improvised weapon that had taken him so incredibly far, slammed home and blasted straight through, gouging a huge chunk of the limb. Yet that was not where it ended, as with a terrible, ear-piercing metallic screech, the remaining breadth of the leg proved itself incapable of holding up the immense weight of the being attached to it. The Consequences of Greed, Nation Boss of Metal, fell, toppling over and gathering momentum with every passing second. Sundiata ran as behind him, it sounded as though the world were ending in a thunderous clangor of breaking rock and torn metal. And in an instant, he spun on his heels, charging in the direction of the fallen monster. Well, more specifically, the one, single, point that his [Bane of Sorcerers] was all but screaming at him to hit right that second. The monster was spread out across the ground before him like a misshapen lump of bread, dropped onto the dirt by a careless baker, metallic body deformed and melded into the ground. And one of its cores was exposed until Sundiatas staff came down it and the orb shattered like glass. Then, he immediately began an assault on the damaged shoulder, only for the beast to begin to rise. Perhaps now was a good time to level again? Before it was back on its feet, so he might attack it with fresh power? But this time, the misshapen metal titan began to totter its way toward the city, completely ignoring the ancients that ripped into its side. Can you use your Skill again? Sundiata called out, but the horse lord shook his head. All it would achieve is nullifying the damage we could do on the way. Wait here if you want your Levels. That directly explained very little beyond revealing that the Skill that had appeared to be some manner of time-consuming teleport was, in fact, something entirely else. So Sundiata stopped where he was, reached out towards Zerzura, and exerted his will. Suddenly, the wall began to sink back, deeper into the perimeter, while other buildings, small and uninhabited, were thrown into the monsters path, and the tower containing the civilians was banished to the furthest reaches of the city. His people were out of the way, the horses would have space to maneuver, and the monster had targets that would not cost lives should they be destroyed. And if his people assumed the reason he was not advancing just was because of exhaustion, rather than something more dangerous to their morale, then all the better. The System seemed to finally regard him as being out of combat as the first building exploded into a shower of dust and gravel beneath the monsters foot. [Emperor of the Dimensional City Lv. 51 -> Emperor of the Dimensional City Lv. 53] [Skill Boost gained] [Skill gained: Weight of Responsibility] A Skill that allowed him to create a gravity field around himself, or imbue the effect into a weapon, with its power scaling to the burden on his shoulders. A raw increase in his ability to hurt his foes, one that would only grow stronger as time passed. It made for a suitable target for the new Boost. *** Night had fallen, and the Mongolians had begun to rest in shifts and his men were all but useless by now, yet Sundiata was continuing the fight. In this case, he was scaling the beasts cratered hide to finish the arm that had been mauled earlier. Half the cores were already shattered, but while one arm was being used to freely attack with, the monster had apparently realized that the second one was too badly damaged, a few dozen more punches, and it would tear right off. So it was covering the two cores theyd somehow managed to unearth earlier. Hammering away at the cleft with one arm while holding tight with the second was difficult, both in terms of balance and ensuring that the metal did not deform beneath his fingers to the point where he lost his grip. With every impact, metal deformed, lead shards flew through the sky, and the ground below trembled simply from the monster walking. The only reason its every step was not causing significant damage was the citys malleability, Sundiata taking advantage of his bond to shuffle around houses and make as many stomps as possible landed on already destroyed houses. Or at least inhabited ones. Yet only half his mind could be devoted to this task, he had a limb to remove. Until he finally tore through and even as the massive limb began to fall, reality flashed once more, leaving Sundiata standing in the middle of a reshuffled city, the Nation Boss a few hundred meters distant and being engaged by the Mongolian emperor. And the voice of the System made its proclamation. [Emperor of the Dimensional City Lv. 53 -> Emperor of the Dimensional City Lv. 54] [Skill Boost gained] A simple Boost, destined for a foundational Skill. [Spirit over Flesh]. And with that, he once again charged at his foe, staff swinging. *** They had been tearing at the monsters leg for hours, to the point where the sun was already rising again in the east. Targeting the limb at the top, just below the tip, rather than going for the much lower ankle, had been costly. Yet it had worked, and as the beast toppled onto the ground, crushing half a district beneath its bulk and shattering twice that through quakes and flying debris, it proved to have been the correct choice. It flattened even more than it had after the first impact, and this time, it struggled to get up. Two cores left, one exposed, the second the second was somewhere under its body. BOOM! A hurled spear by Genghis Khan blew apart the target, and the nameplate hovering above the living slab of toxic metal vanished. Apparently, the impact had shattered the other one. [Emperor of the Dimensional City Lv. 54 -> Emperor of the Dimensional City Lv. 56] [Skill gained: Extradimensional Gardens] [Skill Boost gained] A Skill that would, in time, fix their food situation, and a Skill Boost destined for that very same ability. With his likely allies, alleviating it in the short term should be doable, but in the long term? Zerzura, and whatever it grew into, would need its own source. More than one, preferably. Sundiata gazed around the city. Or rather, what was left of it. With the constant reshuffling, hed managed to limit the damage to the smaller buildings, which would be easy to repair or, if necessary, replace, but a good third of Zerzura was now rubble. More than he could have realistically hoped to save, but it was much, much worse than hed expected to lose to his first real challenge. He turned as he heard footsteps behind himself and saw his erstwhile ally approach, helmet cradled under one arm, horse calmly trotting behind the man. Do you know why I came? Genghis Khan asked, tone even, expression neutral. Sundiata eyed him with a mixture of gratitude and well-hidden distrust. Was that a genuine question? It sounded like a veiled request for payment, however, that sort of thing required said payment to be obvious, and he couldnt see anyhting that fit the bill save the city itself, which he would not give up, even if hed been in a position to transfer the link. However, before he could come up with a suitable reply, the Mongolian ruler continued. Its because we have a common enemy. All of humanity. Territory gain, political influence, religious disagreements none of that matters if we fail to survive this year. I am a part of an alliance to fight the strongest that the System can produce.I believe you are more than aware of why cooperation is necessary there. What happens after we have conquered the challenges, that remains to be seen. However, in the future, Mongolia will likely be focussing on helping its allies before anyone else. The unspoken question of will you be one of them hung in the air for a long moment, before Sundiata sighed internally. Most of the time, diplomacy was required, but sometimes, a blunt delivery of the facts was more effective than all the pretty arguments in the world. What are the terms? They turned out to be rather reasonable, in fact until Genghis Khan revealed that a World Boss would rise soon, according to the alliances prophet. And as a new ally, Sundiata would be required to participate. Chapter 71: Battleship! Drake It had been by pure happenstance that the Royal Navy had been able to intercept the Water Nation Boss before it attacked any shipping, let alone the coast, but could the privilege of fighting a monster this potent quite literally in its own element really be considered fortunate?
Titanic(s) Doom (manifested winter), Level 65 Nation Boss of Water
A giant mass of ice shards, connected by limbs of water, rose above the waves, ready to crush them all with its bulk. Even just the part of it that was above the water was easily the size of the Tower Bridge, but there had to be much more below as well otherwise, the beast would have lost its balance in an instant, it was simply too top-heavy for that, a humanoid, headless, torso that was all one chunk, with three softly glowing cores embedded in it, as well as two more in each of its three arms, one at the elbow and the other in the hand, though this thing had no hands as such, but rather massive wrecking balls of compact ice that was likely harder than steel, if the other Nation Bosses were anything to go by. As for the response, it was both immediate and obvious. The entire Royal Navy detachment had been traveling as a unit, keeping the Wisconsin close to the two carriers, the Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales, since they had absolutely no business being on the frontlines, or anywhere near any fighting at all. Only something like five percent of all carriers that had ever sunk had been destroyed by other surface ships, all others had gone down to airplanes or submarines, but when a carrier did let itself get engaged directly, that carrier usually died. If a monster showed up on radar or was detected by any other method, the battleship needed to be able to swiftly interpose itself between them and the enemy. But when their foe was more distant, the carriers fell back while their battleship escort moved ahead, ensuring that even when an enemy managed to move past it, theyd have a long way to go before they reached the carriers, being under the Wisconsins guns the entire time. Unless the battleship got sunk first, of course. Also, theyd called for help because of course they had. They were discovering ways to at least partially get around Nation Bosss anti-technology defenses, but help from more ancients would definitely be needed, which was why the request for help had already been sent out. Behind him, the first fighter jets were already being launched, but it was the goings-on of his flagship that truly made his heart beat faster. The old girls guns were about to speak in anger for the first time since her revival, turrets grinding to life and leveling straight at the towering monstrosity ahead of them. Then, the world outside the flag bridges windows seemed to go white for an instant, as fire and smoke burst from each of her guns barrels, hurling one-ton high explosive shells at the distant monster which connected. A clean hit, one that did shockingly little damage. Sizeable the craters might be, but they were nothing compared to the sheer bulk of the boss. Now it made sense why there was no ability interdicting modern weaponry, these things had reached the point where either they or the System, didnt bother. Also, perhaps high explosive shells had been the wrong choice against this particular enemy, armor-piercing munitions might not have vulnerable internals to target in the current configuration? [Shared Intelligence] passed that suggestion onto Captain Smith, who was technically in charge of this ship, not Drake, but this ship was ninety percent of Drakes command and his Skills were too thoroughly enmeshed with it, necessitating some degree of overstepping on his part when you considered that certain actions would have to be taken to get the most out of his abilities. At the same time, he passed along the information his [Current Sense] was giving him, making it easier for efficient courses to be plotted. The Wisconsin banked slightly to starboard at that point, allowing the rear turret to finally be brought to bear on the beast, blowing another chunk out of its chest. Just a hundred or so more salvos, just like that one, and theyd have won this assuming they lived long enough to do so. Which was looking less and less likely by the second. The Nation manifested watery fingers around one of its hands, then slapped it against the roiling surface of the ocean and swept it towards the Wisconsin, like a child bathing in a lake splashing a friend as the opening salvo of a water fight. Sadly, their foe was considerably bigger than a mere child. A tidal wave of water was blasted towards the battleship, with several large droplets that likely weighed more than many a car flying overhead. Should he dodge? Could the ship dodge without using the upgraded [Instantaneous Relocation] on the very first attack that was thrown their way? The answers were yes and no, respectively. In the ships bridge above, Smith had clearly come to the same realization and was taking the attack bow-on, the reinforcements there having been meant to work with Drakes [Ramming Speed] also being perfect for enduring such an impact. Before the windows, the turrets were rotating to face backwards at all possible speed, clearly boosted by one of the Captains Skills, and they made it, Barely. The seawater did not strike the turrets head-on and blast down the barrels, or side-on and bent said barrels, but washed over the solid, heavy, armor plates on the back of the Wisconsins heaviest guns. However, the wave was not the only threat, as several titanic blobs of water smashed into the battleships superstructure, breaking off a radar dish and shattering a CWIS unit, from what Drake could see, but the worst was yet to come, as another drop was on-course to smash into the bridges windows. Breace! he snapped, throwing up his arms to cover his face before closing his eyes to protect them. Then, the world was drowned out by a thunderous crash, followed by a loud splash and water soaking into his boots and trousers. Drake lowered his arms, only to see a metal shard the size of his lower arm sticking out of his chair, half a centimeter from his head. That, his luck applied to, but not the ruin his bridge had become? All the front windows had been smashed, obliterated despite having been made of some very tough stuff, post-refit, but theyd taken the brunt of the impact, the bridge itself was mostly fine, just flooded. In fact, the fragment that had nearly impaled Drake had been the biggest hit. [Batten Down The Hatches], Drake sighed the name of the Skill, causing the windows to be sealed up once more, with the same glass that had failed so miserably mere seconds ago, but that was the full extent of what the Skill could do. Close up all the holes and little breaches that attack had rent to the exact same standards theyd been orignially built to. And someone get a bucket, he belatedly added. As far as he could see, all the electronics were still intact and no one had been or was about to be electrocuted, but there were still nearly five centimeters of water on the ground throughout the bridge. That couldnt be good long-term. Outside the windows, however, the turrets were simply rotated back to face the monster, and fired the next salvo. And the next. And the one after that. A steady metronome of one-ton shells began to hammer into the monster, punching several meters into its body before detonating, causing large sheets of ice to break loose and cascade down into the ocean, further adding to the shaking of the deck. Drake had his [Sea Legs], and as far as he knew, everyone else had their own variant, allowing them to not only avoid seasickness, assuming anyone still suffered from it, but also compensate near-perfectly for any reasonable and most unreasonable tilts of the deck. But for the guns they had a big target, but even this monster wasnt so big that hits were guaranteed. He triggered [Stabilize Platform], which allowed the aiming and firing of guns as though the sea were far calmer, though it did very little otherwise. Including preventing someones coffee cup from going flying, dumping hot liquid all over the floor. Normally, that might have even been a small issue, but with the presently flooded state of the bridge, it just made things look rather dirty. Fighter jets screamed overhead, followed shortly by heavier bombers, unleashing streams of heavy projectiles and missiles at the beast while it attempted to swat them like mosquitoes. As it turned out, they were too high for its hands until one of the beasts massive limbs dipped beneath the waves. Drake felt his heart sink. What came next it would be as inevitable as it was predictable. The pilots, of course, had come to the same conclusion, scattering like a startled swarm of mosquitoes, but it was too late. No one could have expected the sheer range of the Boss counterattack. Rather than simply emerging with a few watery fingers, this arm seemed to pull up the entire surface of the ocean, a sheet of water weighing hundreds of tons being hurled skywards as though it were nothing, rapidly coming apart into thousands of individual droplets that flashed through the air. Now, modern planes had been designed to handle a little rough weather, some rain, some wind, a not-insignificant amount of turbulence all of that was fine. What was about to hit the planes launched by the Royal Navys twin carriers was decidedly not, going well beyond what theyd been designed to handle. Even when they werent outright smashed out of the sky, there was practically half an ocean flying through the air, and that was simply too much water. Radar went fuzzy, and targetting disruptions became commonplace though that didnt exactly matter considering that most munitions had already been expended. But the largest issue was how it affected the engines. That much water sucked into one that was that. Whether the engines gave up the ghost or the aircraft were outright smashed out of the sky, the airwing of their task force suffered greatly, losing a third of its numbers. Many parachutes unfolding overhead gave hope for recovery, but even so the first exchange likely went to the monster. The screen displaying the radars findings suddenly lit up as hundreds of new icons appeared, manifesting around the carrier fleet and flashing towards their shared foe with suicidal abandon. Missiles. Lots of them. Potentially even every single one that had been able to be fired, right at that moment. Which meant that next A screen appeared in midair before him, directly passing along the will and orders of the woman in charge of this entire affair. That would happen. Vice Admiral Drake, use of experimental munitions is authorized. You are hereby in command of this task force for the next fifteen seconds, Admiral Porter ordered. Shed been promoted last week, most likely to clear up any confusion regarding the fact that she was his superior in all practical respects despite him having literal centuries of seniority on her. The two of them, at the same rank, on deployment together it was a recipe for chaos. Now, while Drake did buck off the chain of command on occasion, he only did so to exploit opportunities, not outright overthrow his superiors, hed been on the receiving end of that kind of nonsense too often to start something himself. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. However, that wasnt something that the Admiralty as a whole had been willing to trust in, so theyd promoted Porter slightly earlier than scheduled, though shed more than proven herself worthy of her new rank. A good solution. And so was the workaround of briefly passing along command to allow for the use of command-level Skills by people other than the regular commanding Admiral. Drake triggered [Instantaneous Reload]. It was the sole reason hed been promoted for the short period of time. A Skill that could instantly reload everything under his command, planes included, saving them an entire rearming cycle. Now, the impact of something like that varied greatly depending on what was affected. The Wisconsins guns had been able to fire once every thirty seconds initially, that time had been cut down to twenty-five after the overhaul, then further reduced to just a hair under twenty. Not that being able to double tap a target with nine one-ton shells couldnt come in handy in certain circumstances, but to be entirely honest, the battleship was the most inefficient target for that Skill in the fleet. Hell, flushing the rocket batteries of a modern destroyer might make for one hell of an opening salvo, but reloading was a complete bitch, and a time-consuming one at that. So he made sure that even as the overwhelming force of missiles bearing down on their foe shot through the sky, theyd be able to follow it up with an identical attack, right now. And as for the planes, he loaded them up with a mixture of armor-piercing missiles and for their guns, magnesium rounds. Burning hot enough to melt most metals on touch, unable to be extinguished by water, and most importantly, embedded within the body of their foe. Assuming they hit. It took a few seconds for the regular rounds to be fired off, then the sky lit up as though every single shot fired had become a tracer round as the freshly loaded incendiary projectiles ignited mid-flight, punched deep into the ice, and continued to burn while missiles peppered the surface, blowing off even more chunks. Yet the monster was still there, still kicking, still in posession of almost eighty percent of its mass and all its cores after having taken their strongest attacks on the nose. Even forced by arcane providence or its own lack of intelligence to keep its torso and vitals above the waterline, this thing was a menace the likes of which hed never seen before. The monster began to chase after the retreating planes, giving Drake and his [All Eyes On Me] the cold shoulder, so he triggered [Numbers dont Matter], forcing a solo duel between him and his foe at least until someone else managed to hit the damn thing. Meaning itd be free by the time the planes returned with fresh armaments. As for how the Wisconsin was supposed to survive until then . The answer to that question had just marched through a portal at the back end of the battleships flag bridge. Fionn Mac Cumail, lord of magic and foresight, strode straight into the still-flooded compartment, a wave of his left hand lifting the water and depositing it in the buckets that had been brought but were yet to be used. As for his right hand, it was at his head, thumb clamped into the corner of his mouth in a pose that might have provoked ridicule, had the explanation for this action not been widely known and available. He was drawing on all the knowledge of this world, using it to appraise the situation and come up with some manner of plan he apparently had no intention of sharing. His actions, however, were clear as day. A fresh wind, one that could not have gone unnoticed save for the fact that it had been born of sorcery rather than meteorology, blew through the sky and began to carry the parachutes of the downed pilots to safety while the man took up position next to Drakes command chair. And behind him, well, behind him, Merlin stepped out onto the bridge of the Wisconsin. Merlin. King Arthur had already been a lot, and Drake had met both his fellow British ancients before, but Merlin. It was still a surreal experience to meet the man even now. How will we need to adjust our plans? Drake asked after a long moment, having had to work surprisingly hard to find a way to phrase that which did not come across as annoyed or accusatory. You wont, Fionn replied. Ill inform you in a timely matter, should that change. For now, well be adding our firepower to yours from the deck of this ship. And just like that, the Irishman spun on his heels and marched out, easily navigating his way in the direction of the nearest door leading outside before vanishing around a corner. Merlin, meanwhile, took one look around the bridge, waved his hand towards the now-full buckets, and made to follow the other mage, only to turn around at the last second. Vice Admiral Drake, if you require any specific manner of help, do not hesitate to ask. And with that, he, too, vanished around the corner. As that happened, the Wisconsin finally crossed the invisible boundary that finally put her close enough to unleash her weakest and shortest-ranged weaponry. Every single point defense weapon opened up, painting the air with shimmering trails of tracer rounds, every hit chipping away a handful of shards of frozen water, gouging long lines into the crystalline body of their foe. Beginning to build faultlines. Preparing the beasts fall. And Drakes next thought was cut off as a beam of pure heat flashed from the deck right outside the bridge, hammering into the monsters chest and melting a hole large enough to place a car inside. Oh. He had an idea Do we have speakers on the deck, near the casters? Drake asked. Yes, Sir No, he did not like that tone. Especially aimed at him. If there was a problem, he expected to be informed of it directly, the only news-related punishments he doled out were those regarding him not receiving important information. And do they work? Maybe, theyre meant to be waterproof but we did get doused pretty good earlier. Try them, ask Merlin and Lord Mac Cumail to focus on melting a hole deep into the monsters center, if they dont respond, send someone out there to tell them in person. Also, use the CWIS to create a faultline right down the center, perpendicular to the ocean, Drake rattled off his orders. And He paused as he saw the monster hurl another sheet of water at them, fingers digging into the ocean and ripping skywards, as though the beast were attempting to rug pull them. Drake sighed. [Instantaneous Relocation] carried them out of the path, but left them far too close to the monster itself, which promptly attempted to grab the Wisconsin. Imediately triggering [Escape] allowed them to slip from the watery tentacle like a greased egg while [Flank Speed] drove them forward beyond its reach, but somehow, that cowardly escape wound up breaking [Numbers Dont Matter], freeing the monster up to go after the carriers. Drat! The Wisconsin immediately skewed to the side as she turned hard to port, beginning to, in fact, chase after the titan, whose two forward-facing limbs began hurling water balls at planes overhead and anything else that caught its attention, while its third arm began sending massive waves at the battleship. Thankfully, however, it seemed as though the massive waves were restricted in one manner or other, and unable to be spammed, as the modern man would say. As for the lesser waves they just took it on the nose. The battleship normally followed at a bit of an angle to allow her rearmost turret to be used, which was situated behind the bridge and could therefore not target anything directly in front of the ship. But whenever a wave came, Captain Smith turned the old girl and faced the wrath of the ocean head-on, smashing through amidst a spray of water and a trembling of the decks, though Drake wound up being forced to use [Ramming Speed] to blast through a particularly violent one. Bit by bit, they wore each other down. The monster was losing more and more mass, the ships systems began to take damage from what effectively amounted minor but endlessly repeated collisions while water flooded the decks, finding cracks or making new ones, windows breaking, seals bursting, bit by bit, the ship was losing its edge. And the comparatively helpless carriers were all too close already, cruisers and destroyers desperately maneuvering to draw the monsters attention away from the largest vessels in the fleet. But before the titan could do anything with its new position, the hole in its chest had been finished, melted to a size that Drake regarded as sufficient, and he barked an order. A single gun fired. A single shell flashed into the hole melted by the arcane forces of ancient humans wielding the power of magic. And the world. Went. White. Drake was busy blinking spots out of his eyes while the next set of reports came in. Theyd cracked the monster clean down the middle, the two halves further breaking apart as they slammed into the surface of the ocean for several hundred meters up, leaving hundreds of tiny pieces bobbing around amidst a misshapen but reforming body as the beast attempted to pull itself back together. So that was a nuke, then? The handful of nuclear shells, designated W25s, hed added to the ships armaments had been meant as a weapon of last resort. In fact, theyd been a redesigned version of the W23s the ship used to carry before nuclear weaponry had started to be curtailed, and their yield had been stepped down from somewhere between fifteen to twenty kilotons to just under five, also massively reducing the amount of radioactive material that would wind up in the ocean upon use. Yet even this weapon, deployed on the inside, had been enough. Now all there was to do was clean up this mess. Porter was faster than him, giving the order to target anyhting that held one of the Nation Boss cores. Those that hadnt already been obliterated by the previous bombardments. The Wisconsins guns continued to thunder, planes continued to fly overhead, bombs continued to fall. And eventually, the nameplate vanished, and the System spoke. [Reckless Admiral of Fortune Lv. 73 -> Reckless Admiral of Fortune Lv. 75] [Skill Boost gained] [Capstone Skill gained: Grand Fleet, Fortunas Favored] Drake grinned. A Skill to empower the Royal Navys ships, blessing them with luck while also allowing them to benefit from his command-level Skills without him needing to actually be in command, he merely needed to mark them. Handy, that. But that should have been the last Nation Boss. So, what had everyone else gotten? *** Mia Holy. Shit. Shed likely been staring at the System window for well, it couldnt possibly have been days, Tristan or Dietrich would have long since checked in on her if shed been here for that long, but it had been a long time. Because it was almost as unbelievable as the fact that she was now Level 50.
Ascendant Capstone: The Way of the Warrior You are a warrior, down to your very bones. You have acquired a level of skill with the sword normally only seen in the heroes of old, much like your mentor, and will not fall to anyone lacking a similar level of dedication to mastering their craft. The less skilled, the less directly involved in facilitating your potential death, the person attacking you is, the less damage they will do. Even a nuclear strike can be nullified by this Skill. At closer range, or in more personal means of attacks, a difference in skill will have much less of an effect. However, any underhanded or hands-off attacker will have to be a true savant in every aspect of whatever method is employed.
An Ascendant Capstone. The true separation of a powerhouse from a normal human. Yes, the ancients had long since shot past this point, but shed still reached it, likely before any other member of todays humanity. Anyone who tried to kill her would have to fight her face to face, or be one of the very best in whatever methods they used to attack her. As far as she could tell, unless the person pressing the button to launch a nuke at her was called Einstein or Oppenheimer, shed survive even that. Sniper rifle maybe. Simo Heya could obviously kill her, as could anyone of his legendary skill, but the sheer ease with which guns could be bought in many parts of the world would no longer bother her. At all. Guns were easy to use, but at the same time, that same ease of use meant that they were likely mostly or even completely useless against her unless she was facing off against Wyatt Earp or Doc Holiday. Or someone like that. She sure as shit wouldnt let someone shoot her without a response, that was for certain. Now, how to best rub this in Tristans face because she just knew he hadnt gotten here yet. If he had, he would be the one teasing her about falling behind. *** Tristan Six Nation Bosses, all in one day, all dead. Eventually. Wood had been reduced to a smoking, acid-scarred crater in the landscape by concentrated fire, something I had at least cleaned up afterwards. Water had been largely pointless, an immense golem made from ocean water and drift ice manifesting in the center of the Atlantic, where it encountered the Royal Navy and soundly trounced. Eventually. With Help. Metal, meanwhile, had blighted a stretch of landscape so vast and wide wed never be able to fix it in a reasonable amount of time, not unless it became the focus of most of the worlds disaster relief capability tomorrow. Though magic obviously changed that paradigm. Earth had thankfully run straight into General Pattons reincarnation and been soundly spanked one the reinforcements arrived. Fire fire had been bad, from what Id heard, though thankfully, its damage was the easiest to mitigate once it had been brought down via a judicious application of water magic while Joseph played tank. Regrowing the rainforest, on the other hand, had been left to those present. Thered already been quite a few people down in the rainforest attempting to grow it back while using their floral manipulation Skills to create defenses. Combined with the fertility of the ash-covered ground, Id be surprised if there wasnt regular restored rainforest everywhere the Boss had been in a month, and itd be completely indistinguishable from everything else in half a year. Despite what alarmists claimed, in the madhouse of a world we currently lived in, our oxygen supply was safe. Air Air had been allowed to run rampant for far too long, resembling a normal hurricane for far too long. By the time Katrina 2.0 had been correctly identified, all the manpower that should have met it had already been sent to face the others. To the point where pulling them would have cost countless lives while the tactics were adjusted to compensate for the sudden loss. However, having to face a Nation Boss without heavy magical support or the ability to prepare ahead of time it had gotten ugly. Very ugly. Thankfully, out of all the bosses in this wave, the air one had been the most vulnerable to modern weaponry, with free-floating cores easily targettable using guided or proximity-detonated munitions. Oh, because apparently, we were reaching the point where the Nation Bosses no longer automatically blocked large-scale modern weaponry. Or maybe, it was simply that theyd grown so strong that humanitys best tools were now beneath their notice. Either way, I doubted that was a good thing. But even though it had been brought down without ancient help, before it had fallen, the Nation Boss had wiped New Orleans off the map. Completely. And we hadnt even seen the World Boss yet. Chapter 72: Continental Chaos Today was a day Id truly dreaded. The World Boss would arrive, the first of what would likely be many. Wed grown, wed networked, wed leveled. That much was true. Mia had hit Level 50, I was just one behind, and most of the Ancients were either at, or closing in on, Level 75, which gave another Capstone. The only one I actually knew about was Dietrichs, it was called [Adventurers Royal Keepsake] and allowed him to create a magical effect based on one of his past adventures, once per day, per ten Levels. So basically, seven extra magic powers per day, picked from a ludicrously long list of crazy shit hed pulled off in the past. And Genghis Khan had recruited Sundiata Keita and his New Malian Empire almost casually, though Id barely met the man, only stepping through the portal long enough to remove all the lead that had already leeched into the groundwater, greet the newly re-minted emperor, and then it had been right back to the Untersberg for me. Also And then, of course, the fucking alarms went off. Because why wouldnt the world-destroying monster be early? Thankfully, there was very little to do on my part now, both Charlemagne and I had already relocated to the supply dump, and most of the others had gathered in the Untersberg, which left me with just four portals to open. The aforementioned mountain, the staging area at Ulaanbaatar, Zerzuras new parade ground, and the impromptu military camp outside of San Francisco. And while all of those portals spat out their users into the supply depots own staging area, I hurried into the command room, where Charlemagne had been sitting for the past eight hours, continuing to arrange things just the way he liked them, refining things with nary a break. It was at this point that one of the wall screens flickered to life, and Francis Drake appeared, looking far more put together than Id have expected from a man currently engaging a world-level threat. Were about to engage the monster, its a Continent Boss by the name of Volcanic Hellmouth, and some support would be appreciated, he reported. Yeah, that was already in motion, but had he really just said that Continent Boss? Not World? I asked, praying against all odds that Id merely misheard him. Continent, Drake confirmed. I could feel my legs going weak, leaving me very happy that I was already sitting, and a near-silent Schei?e slipped from between my lips. Whats the problem? Drake asked. It means theres something worse coming, I whispered. A World Boss if that damn volcano could set me off from the other side of the planet, how terrible does that mean an even higher tier of monster would have to be? Youre sure World Bosses are a thing, then? Drake asked. Unfortunately. Well, at least well have a warning if theyre that strong, he replied. And with that, the call ended. Somehow, that little exchange had managed to hit me harder than anything else Id encountered thus far. I couldnt have sat there for very long, someone, Mia especially, would have given me a smack upside the head otherwise, yet yet the news had still set my mind spinning off into a void of hopelessness, depression, and despair. If a monster that could threaten the mountain with destruction from the middle of the Pacific was only considered continent-level, then what the actual fuck could a world-ranked monster do? Would its very presence obliterate the land around it, could it erase countries with a thought and obliterate continents with a tiny amount of attention and effort? Or would a beast that strong be able to threaten the very planet under my feet? Not threaten to depopulate, most monsters could theoretically do that given enough time, but actually break the Earth? I Sir. The voice was even, not particularly loud, angry, or otherwise attention-grabbing. It was simply an even delivery of my name, with the barest hint of reproach. Yet I dont think Mr. Deeds could have snapped me out of my thoughts any more effectively even if hed lowered himself to bringing out the firehose. My ghost butler, a phantom conjured by one of my Skills, was rarely physically present, usually either being off on a mission, or unsummoned as he had been when Id been having my little existential crisis. It seemed like hed either summoned himself, or been called into existence by the fact that Id needed him. Though regardless of what the answer would wind up being, the fact that there was no time for existential crises had already been established. Sorry, sorry, I hurriedly replied as extended my [Ambassadors Instinct] until I located the place I needed to be sort of. I wasnt sure I had any place on the flag bridge of the HMS Wisconsin, but that was where the Skill led me to as expected. Drake had okayed the use of his flagship as our local base of operations, and the temporary intrusion that may be required to get there. God, portalling to ships was always such a production. I could teleport to specific points Id been to before, not places. Ships moved, and kept moving, it didnt take much for the spot I was aiming at to be overlapping with a wall, blocking the portal. And since [Ambassadors Instinct] had a limited range, Id even had had to waste a portal to get close enough that I could sense Drake. Vice Admiral, I greeted him. Ambassador Vogt, Midshipman Fletcher here will be escorting you to where you can set up, he replied, gesturing to a man standing near the door. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I followed him, swiftly getting confused and lost. Id memorized the path wed taken, System-induced perfect memory was handy like that, but there was a big difference between that and actually figuring out how to navigate the ship on my own so I made Fletcher an offer that he could hardly refuse. Any language of his choice in exchange for knowledge on how to make my way around ships like this one, provided I was fluent in the language he requested. Of course, by now, that covered Czech, Mongolian, Mandarin, French, Japanese, Cantonese, Spanish, ASL, Portuguese, Hindi, Korean, Gaelic, and Arabic. Plus English and German, obviously. And on top of that, there were several languages I didnt outright speak but had at least picked up the basics. You know, having the vocabulary to order coffee and knowing enough insults to start a bar fight. Between using [Knowlege Trade] at every opportunity when it wasnt strictly needed elsewhere and [Burgeoning Omniglot] endlessly passively accumulating knowledge, learning languages was a breeze for me now. After the trade, getting the compartments number was all I needed to find my way there myself, and open a portal back to where everyone was waiting in the Untersberg. Opening a portal to a moving vehicle wasnt possible unless I was using [Ambassadors Instinct] for directions. But from a moving vehicle? Easy. After all, it moved with the surroundings. So I opened a new portal straight into the staging area. I really should have done this earlier, and teleported them straight here, but in my defense, my cooldowns would reset in less than an hour and if the monster had shown up the next day as the System counted things, this process would already have been done by then. As it was, I took this time to hurry back into the supply depot, opened a new portal to teh base of the mountain for those who would be directly engaging the monster, and finally, returned to the control room with Charlemagne. *** Drake The damage dealt to the fleet, and the Wisconsin in particular, had largely been repaired on the way here, and even though they had used up a lot of their expendable munitions in that battle, the Germanic emperor had easily been able to replace them, taking full advantage of Mr. Vogts portals to get them here ahead of the fleet. As to how hed figured out what they needed ... Drake didnt know, but it had been eerily accurate. At least they werent jumping straight to fighting a walking volcano after getting battered around by an ocean that actively hated them. As it was, that thing was going to present quite the problem.
Volcanic Hellmouth (manifested natural disaster), Level 65 Continent Boss
Though having magical assistance from the outset, as well as the support of many nearby nations and an entire American fleet incoming should also make a considerable difference. Yet would it make enough of a difference in the face of this beast? Mount Tambora was over two kilometers tall and it had considerable mass belowground as well, all of which it had ripped out of the Earth to form a massive, ape-like, body that stood at least four kilometers tall as it knuckle-walked across the land, its heart glowing so brightly that it could be seen from the outside despite the fact that a minimum of several dozen layers of overlapping obsidian glass prevented any kind of deep cracks or seams from forming. The whole affair was topped with an immense misshapen head, with a face consisting of a two practically rectangular eyes that were really just lava-filled holes in the facade that somehow, unlike the wide slash that it had for a mouth, did not ceaselessly drool lava. As for the apes limbs, their glow was lesser, but not by much, and rivers of molten rock ran down them in twisted paths, making ridges and grooves stand out in stark relief while whatever plantmatter had survived the monster tearing its way from the ground was rapidly reduced to ash. The source of the lava wasnt visible, the monsters height prevented him from seeing, but Drake managed to deduce that it was somewhere up near its back, likely around the area that was now starting to spew smoke skywards, already turning the sky black. Were in range, Sir. The Wisconsins guns thundered to life immediately, immediately followed by a string of explosions walking across the monsters body, almost twenty kilometers distant, sending obsidian shards tumbling into the ground below. A scratch. A mere scratch. At least theyd confirmed that of all the munition types they had aboard, the armor-piercing shells were superior and this particular salvo had already been mostly made up of those. Though Drake was sorely missing the one and only nuclear shell hed made during the overhaul, now that he was seeing the Continent Boss in the flesh, it felt somewhat wasted on a mere Nation Boss. The airplanes began trickling in at that point, unleashing coordinated streams of bullets interspersed with missiles and even bombs, their foe being large enough to be directly targeted with them. Yet a new problem was already manifesting. The ash. It had always been obvious that a volcano monster would unleash vast plumes of it, and that this would have a highly deleterious effect on civilian aircrafts engines, but this it was already proving problematic even for jet engines. Keeping abreast of the back-and-forth between Porter and the commanders of the local air force informed Drake of the fact that a countermeasure was already being considered, it should be possible to conduct attack runs below the shroud of ash for the time being, but that would put the planes in the firing line of all the various pieces of artillery that were likewise attacking the monster. If the ash were just a little higher Ask Merlin and Lord Mac Cumail to lift the curtain of ash slightly, if possible, Drake requested, turning to the sailor waiting at the door, ready to carry a message to the ancients just outside. Sadly, the PA system had not survived the battle with the Nation Boss, and the damage had been too deep to be easily remedy without sacrificing the repair of more vital systems. At the feet of the giant, light flickered and flashed as the forces there engaged, yet somehow remained utterly beneath the beasts notice. Even the warships seemed to fall into that category, the monster was simply orienting itself. Yet hundreds were likely already dead, killed by the quakes or the toxic gasses steaming off the monsters skin like lethal body odor. It was at this point that he realized that one of the American ships was heading towards his current position. No carrier should be getting this close to the front lines, cruisers and destroyers were not only meant to escort them but also didnt have to get this close to be effective, which would make that another battleship? The Iowas couldnt be reactivated in a timely enough manner, which was the entire reason why the Royal Navy had even gotten its hands on the Wisconsin. Identify that ship, Drake ordered. IFF designates her as the USS Missouri. The battleship museum berthed in Hawaii, if memory served. And as the Wisconsins guns thundered, fighter jets screamed overhead, and missiles hammered into the titanic volcano, the Missouri came into view. She looked rough. Not in the sense of damage, but that she lacked much of the polish a normal ship being taken into combat should have had. Hasty welds, runny paint, patchwork repairs, all speaking of this being a rush job. Not to mention that the remains of welding equipment, ladders, scaffolding, and the like remaining on deck indicated that the ship had been worked on practically until the moment it had entered combat. Barring the appearance of a second naval ancient, the Missouri and any other Iowas that were reactivated could not hope to match the complete and magical overhaul of the Wisconsin, but Drake sadly doubted the newcomer would be able to compete at even that level. Nevertheless, he was happy to see her. Once split apart by politics and treaties, the two Iowas were now reunited, sister ships heading into battle once more. One new, a nuclear fire burning at her core, the other an ancient juggernaut, half repaired, yet together, they would teach this jumped-up rock just why battleships had once been the truest measure of a nations naval might! Chapter 73: The Year Without Summer Dietrich Giants were a threat because they made a mess merely by existing, their every step causing the ground to quake and destroying buildings even when they werent directly stepped on. This new rank of boss was no giant. It was a true monster larger than many a mountain, a titan that made giants look like ants in comparison, a wandering natural disaster which had leveled buildings, crushed streets, and pulverized many of the brave men and women attempting to stop it simply by walking around. It had never attacked any of them directly, hell, he wasnt sure if it even knew they existed. He, Mia, Genghis Khan, the Golem of Prague, the entire Fianna without the man himself, Ogier, Arthur, and the African Emperor Sundiata Keita were here, facing the Continent Boss on land along with the Indonesian army and all of Fionns magic students. On the water, they had the entirety of the British Royal Navy, and the Americans Pacific Fleet throwing everything they had at this monster. And so far all theyd achieved was cause debris to rain down, debris those on the ground then had to dodge. As far as he knew, obsidian wasnt actually what volcanoes were made up of, but this thing was built almost entirely from a stone that had a bad habit of shattering into razor-sharp shards that flew absolutely everywhere, causing nearly as many injuries as the quakes did. As per usual, this beast had cores, six, to be specific. On on each foot, one in the head, and one in the ash-spewing hellmouth he could not see yet knew had to be located on its back. Though Dietrich could also tell that this time, separating the cores from the main body was as good as destroying them, they could amputate the limbs anywhere and still win. And he proceeded the exact way he always did, the line of energy belonging to [Sword Art: Giantsplitter] flashing from Mimungs tip to carve a long line across the closest limb, obsidian chunks on either side of it beginning to fall towards the ground as it flashed past until the line of power reached the shoulder and finally cut contact before shutting off before it could flash into the sky. Hed known powerful monsters could directly counter his supposedly absolute bisection Skill. But ordinarily, that required the sacrifice of a core. This beast it had just blocked it. Were going to make it fall in the ocean, Genghis Khan declared. We can cut away cliff-face there, I believe Miss Vogt has a Skill that guarantees a fall when removing a leg, so if she strikes the amputating blow. Emperor Sundiata, you can weaken the ground, everyone else, help me rip through the ankle! And with that, he hauled his horse around and galloped towards the leg that was currently positioned right next to the ocean, blobs of lava already striking the water and unleashing huge gouts of steam. Bow in one hand, glowing arrow already nocked, ready to unleash hell. It was a good plan, but also the Mongolian emperor had just steamrolled a whole bunch of people who did not take well to being ordered around. Arthur, in particular, unleashed his [Grand Slash] at the closer leg, leaving a huge crater, then began to dig. It was at this point that the monster attacked for the first time, jerking its head in the direction of the fleet, sending a glob of lava flying from its mouth. Then then, it turned down to glare at the gnats slashing at its legs and started to stomp. Dietrich, meanwhile, simply whistled, calling upon his horse and leaped onto the back of the supernatural steed as it materialized from the empty air, riding straight after Genghis Khan, only briefly slowing down to lean over, grab Mias forearm, and haul her onto the saddle behind him. The ground trembled with the force of the monsters He triggered the first charge of [Adventurers Royal Keepsake] the instant they reached their target. His latest Capstone was interesting, giving him a new way to use it every time he achieved a heroic deed, any he could use any seven of them every single day, or the same one seven different times. At its most basic, his hacking the giant Hilde in half with a single strike had given him the option of using the Skill as a replacement for his Giantsplitter [Sword Art], seven times in a row, with no regard for cooldown or the like. But that was the basic use. There were so many more. Hed started the twins on their path to being able to stand with ancients in the line of battle, so he could boost his allies. Hed defeated Siegfried, an invulnerable man, so he could break through even the most ludicrously powerful defenses. Hed brought the battle of Etzels hall to a screeching halt when hed stepped in, so he could freeze his opponent regardless of its power, even for a short burst. Dragons had fallen, enemies turned into friends, armies routed, kingdoms conquered in a day. And hed killed giants. So. Many. Giants. So many options. And he used them all. Everyone immediately knew what he wanted them to do, without Charlemagne needing to play intermediary, the target was clear, everyone who was involved and needed it had been strengthened, the monster briefly froze in place, and then, the final four charges of the Skill were burned to unleash every the most powerful giant-splitting attack hed ever launched, crashing into monsters leg, followed by every other active Skill that could reach the target. Until finally, Mia struck the coup de grace. *** Mia [Sword Art: A Blade Across Time and Space] to carry the attack, [Sword Art: Foebreaker] to add an extra component of physical force while piling on every passive Skill she had. Including [The Harder They Fall]. Removing a limb guaranteed a hard fall, and since Dietrich arranged it so that shed land the last hit that would sever the leg Yes, the monster did fall. It was louder than any explosion, larger than any avalanche, more devastating than any storm. Simply a titanic walking mass of lava and obsidian, pushed over by the force of her Skill, toppling into the sea what happened next should have been eminently predictable, yet somehow, it caught them all off-guard. When you threw a stone into the sea, you got ripples. If you threw a mountain, you got a fucking tsunami. The site of the impact was too close to the coast for them to be much water between the monster and the coast, so they were fairly safe but they had allies out there on the ocean, and the wave that rippled out was far larger than any tidal wave shed ever even heard about. At least a hundred meters high, moving faster than even Dietrichs horse could gallop it slammed into the battleships like the boot of an angry god, making them vanish from view while she struggled to stay on her feet atop ground that shook as though they were going through an actual earthquake. The Wisconsin and Missouri came back into view after a second, the former bursting through the titanic wall of water, having punched clean through as though it were nothing there. The latter, on the other hand only the Missouris bottom hull was visible, the entire battleship having been flipped upside down like a toddlers bath toy. But the monster, it was already rising once again, cooled lava exploding off it with every movement until it stood as tall as it had ever had, glaring down at them with still-glowing eyes. Yet theyd achieved more than just a minor victory. Because its right arm was gone. Not just the hand theyd hacked off, but the entire arm. Oh yeah, it looked pissed! *** Miller From one moment to the next, ashen skies were replaced by the deep ocean abyss as a goddamn battleship was flipped onto its head like a bloody childrens toy. Being on the deck of the Missouri with the guns thundering less than thirty meters from his head had hardly been a prime placement, but obviously, being anywhere on deck when the ship capsized like a motherfucking kayak. The impact had been sudden, and knocked all the breath out of him, leaving streams of bubbles to flash past him towards a sky covered by the deck of the battleship. He could feel his chest growing tight and vision go dim while his hands threatened to release their death grip on the railing until suddenly, everything snapped into sharp relief. [I Live Until I Die] might have the dumbest, most unimaginative, and nonsensical name of all his Skills, but it was powerful nevertheless. It did nothing to stop him from dying, but if death was imminent, he was granted the power to fight at full power until he was all the way dead. And now, it was burning in his very core, pushing away the pain, the emptiness, the craving for air, all replaced with a furious desire to bash that beasts face in! [Lead by Example] was the next Skill to activate, triggering almost on its own, his strength flowing into his men, the crew of this ship practically doubling in strength despite the fact that not even a single iota of his own power was lost. Could he launch himself past the deck and reach the surface? Could he channel [Thunderous Glare] into the water to boil it and cause an explosion that flipped the ship without killing himself or electrocuting the crew? Or Suddenly, an invisible force grasped the Missouri and, almost gently, turned it right side up again. Who oh, who cared. Hed find out who to buy a drink after the fact. Right now, [Bloody Retribution] was boiling under his skin and he forced all the energy into his eyes, and he fuelled [Surge of Power] after it, his entire face heating up as electricity began to arc across the front of his head. Then, [Reciprocal Boost] activated on top of everything else, the power hed been sent out returning to him now that the crew no longer needed to be able to escape a sinking ship, sending his power shooting into the stratosphere. For a few seconds, he held it there, building and building, until finally, he unleashed [Thunderous Glare]. Ordinarily, Miller did not see the lightning he shot from his eyes, otherwise, hed have blinded himself. But this time, the world before him was replaced with a single, utterly overwhelming blast of white light while thunder washed out all other sounds at such volume that even while he was still blinded, he lifted one hand to touch the side of his head and make sure he wasnt bleeding from his ears. After several seconds, he could hear were the aftershocks of the blast, however, hed somehow managed to graduate from complete blindness to blinking spots out of eyes. Yet even between the still-flickering spots and constant blinks, he was able to catch sight of what kind of hell hed just unleashed upon his foe. The water in front of the Missouri had been blasted back, the remnants of the shockwave still clearly outlined even now. And the monster, it had taken a direct hit to the face, possibly even the eye, though there was no way to tell, not now. Because said eye was gone now, along with the right side of its head, all the way down to the side of its mouth, which had been cracked open and was now perpetually leaking mana. It had all been pulverized, reduced to dust, and sent rocketing over the horizon. Dozens or hundreds of tons of material, annihilated. And yet, it was a surface-level, minor, bit of damage. Less than a single percent of its mass. Also, in what universe was that kind of injury not immediately fatal? Water splattered Millers back as the Missouris guns fired for the first time since their involuntary bath, clearing their barrels of liquid with their initial salvo. No, the monster wasnt dead yet. But theyd already hit it hard and now, it was time to drive the boot in! *** Drake Hed never expected [Uncapsize] to come in handy. Ever. They were fighting in metal-forged behemoths of fire and steel, not dinky little one-man sailing boats. No modern warship should capsize, let alone outright flip the way the Missouri had done. Even the absurdly top-heavy, gun-covered HMS Agincourt in the first World War had managed to stay upright. But as hed had to remind himself so many times before, logic had loooong since gone out the window. As for the Wisconsin, it had actually been fairly easy to get through the wave, [Ramming Speed] had allowed her to go straight through while even protecting the mages on deck. And his latest Capstone was already coming in handy. Getting put in a point on the chain of command where he could help the American battleship would have taken hours otherwise, if not days. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Though it had also helped in general. With just the battleships in range of the monster, hed easily been able to extend the passive lucks protection to every vessel threatened by its long-range attacks, and regardless of how powerful it was, the hurled globs of lava were slow and moved in predictable arcs. Throw a little luck on top of the helmsmens skill and they were effectively untouchable, as long as they kept the range open. Aaaaaand there wasnt another incident like the last one. There was no dodging a wave like that. As for the the end result of his rescue well, something had clearly triggered several conditional Skills held by the reincarnator and the results spoke for themselves. Though it might have worked a little too well, as the monster had turned around and was now making its way over to where the logistics base was located. Oh, shite. *** Charlemagne The monster was coming his way. Perfect. Thus far, everyone had known him as the logistics guy. But it wasnt wholly inaccurate. When he wasnt diving into religious texts or ancient knowledge, he was making sure that all the materials needed to fight a war against the new rules of reality, collectively known as The System, were always available. Tristan had once summed up his military strategy as turning his army into the most powerful hammer in existence and then treating the enemy as a nail. A vast oversimplification, but once again, not wholly inaccurate. Armies marched on their stomach, and when army clashed against army, equipment made a huge difference. Eternally growing the Untersbergs supply of weapons, munition, food, and spare parts was just as important as Tristans efforts at making allies, and everyone elses killing monsters. Yet he could do some good on the field of battle, it was just that many of his battlefield skills were also logistics-flavored, geared towards protecting the supplies while army fought, and they could not function well when his logistics base was an active part of the conflict the way the Untersberg was. Every. Single. Time. Oh, this would be good. Using a combination of [Automated Logistics] and [Optimized Transportation] to continuously resupply the military with whatever they used up, be it missiles, entire artillery pieces, or even just something as simple as water, that helped. But today, he would cripple the beast. Tristan shot him an alarmed look, tearing his eyes off the screen showing the storm he was summoning so he could control it. Karl der Gro?e just gave him a reassuring expression in reply, then announced No need to worry, I will handle this. Even as he spoke, the monster was already rearing back, raising its one remaining arm before bringing it back down with enough force to flatten a city. The lava-wreathed fist came down like a meteor, an apocalyptic force of destruction, only to slam into [Secured Logistics] barrier as it flared into existence at the last possible second and stopped dead, entirely blocked, all the force reflected up into its arm, sending cracks radiating up it. But Karl did not stop there. The instant the fist made contact, he slammed [Righteous Fury] into the limb, all the energy stored in the Skill chasing the reflected impact up into the Continent Boss body. An entire arm had been reduced to powder in an instant, all of which was raining down as a shower of razor shards. And the entire monsters torso was following suit, millions of tons of rock about to crush the base in its entirety. Karl triggered [Mobile Fortress], and just teleported fifty kilometers east. Sadly, the Skll had a mass limit the Untersberg had overshot by a couple of orders of magnitude, but it was rather useful in situations like that. People around his throne gave him awed looks, which he studiously ignored in favor of continuing the rearrangement of forces, passing along information, sending munitions, and preparing a rather nasty trap to be built if the monster looked like it wanted to follow them further. It didnt, sadly, but that was fine. Removing the second limb was more than enough for him. Throw in the first arm, and Miller destroying the core in the head, and they were already halfway to victory. *** Drake If there had ever been any doubt that this monster was something entirely unnatural, then the sight of an armless ape-beast walking by moving its back legs while pushing its face through the dirt like some demented wheelbarrow. It should have been funny but it wasnt. It really, really, wasnt. I can recharge your reloading Skill, if you need it, the German emperor suggested via his communications Skill. Drake grinned. Capital idea. I think we should be able to hit the monster with three entire salvos of missiles and everything else the planes can carry if we coordinate this correctly. Obviously, the battleships would be able to pull off a triple-tap as well, but that would pale in comparison to what all the countless aircraft flying around out there could do. It did not take long to coordinate everything, and ten minutes later, the Continent Boss back right leg was swallowed up in magical attacks to weaken it, followed by a titanic explosion that sent chunks the size of the Wisconsin flying. Then the next hit. And after that, a third wave of missiles swept across an obsidian limb that looked to be mere seconds from shattering on its own. Entirely unsurprisingly, the leg snapped like a toothpick, causing the torso to tip sideways and hit the ground with an earthshaking thump. Even this beast should be unable to move now right? Drake sagged in his command chair. It. Had. Worked. Wait, what was it doing now? The monster was suddenly starting to glow cherry-red, not just the lines of orange light that crisscrossed its torso, but the very obsidian itself, as though energy were building up within it, until oh. That tracked. Of course, the volcano beast would erupt when near death. Full retreat, Drake snapped, projecting the orders both to the bridge and through the joint command channel. Flank speed, directly away from the monster, its going to blow. Seal all hatches, and brace for impact! But it was likely already too late. If anyone lived through this, it would be through luck alone. *** Temujin [Inevitable Conclusion] triggered at the last possible second, scattering the joint army to the winds. Some would escape, there would inevitably be people around with Skills specialized in that, and therefore everyone would escape. The world blinked, his surroundings shifted, and suddenly, he was in an entirely different area, alone and hopelessly lost. Just how far would he have had to run to escape the blast? But, buuuut, he now lived in the information age. Cell phones were a miracle except when he pulled out his phone, it turned out to have shattered into pieces at some point during the battle. Temujin sighed. Back to the old-fashioned way of navigating, go find a local and ask them for directions, if they refused, make them an offer they could not say no to. *** Tristan One second, wed been in the logistics center. The next, I, and everyone else, was suddenly standing in the Untersbergs throne room. What had just happened? The monster had been about to explode, Id opened the portal to a place I knew was safe, and then, then oh, right, that Skill of Genghis Khans. I just hoped that meant that everyone else had made it out safe too. My hand shot towards my phone, but even as I pulled it out, it already dinged with a message from Mia. Safe, in boonies, idk where exactly. Which hopefully meant everyone else had also managed to get away. I sighed in relief, only to be jerked back to attention by the Systems voice. [Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 49 -> Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 50] [Capstone Skill gained: In The Eye of the Storm] I started to cackle, earning myself a stern look from Charlemagne. And while I tried to curtail the inappropriate expression of joy, Id just gotten my got nothing to fear from nukes no more Skill probably. I should probably check what it actually said.
Ascendant Capstone: In The Eye of the Storm You are the man who is eternally next to the center of historical events and/or disasters, never the beginning, never the end, always present. You have no defenses of your own, but are able to draw on those of your monarchs, borrowing their Ascendant Capstones to shield yourself while you continue your work or are on standby, awaiting the need for action. If you go on holiday, the defenses will begin to decay until you return to action. However, once you retire for good, you will retain very low-level defenses (Should you return to work, your retirement gift will be overridden, replaced by whatever applicable capstones Currently borrowed: Heart of History (fully applicable, gain overall resistance to injury, especially indirect attacks, while remaining relevant, borrowed from Dietrich von Bern) Soul of the Empire (partially applicable, gain increased resistance while the empire exists, borrowed from Karl der Gro?e) Arcane Paragon (fully applicable, extreme resistance to non-magical attacks, borrowed from Fionn Mac Cumail)
Holy talk about overpowered. An Ascendant Capstone that could keep growing stronger. As long as I remained useful, at least. When that stopped and I got kicked to the curb, or I just plain retired and/or quit well, I guess I just had to hope I hadnt made too many enemies by that point. It was an absurd power to be sure, but one that was borrowed, and therefore had strings attached. The same strings that bound, or maybe just guided, me the entire time, but the strings were there nevertheless. so bloody what? I straight-up didnt care, to be entirely honest. Outside of a small twinge of obligatory disappointment that the power was borrowed, it was in no way different from the position Id put myself in quite voluntarily and deliberately. As for the specific Ascendant Capstones I was borrowing, Dietrichs was obvious. A big consequence had to have a big cause when his Skill was involved, so as long as one was sufficiently important, no impersonal attack like a missile from the other side of the globe would threaten my life. Meanwhile, I didnt know the exact terms of Charlemagnes main defense, but between my pre-existing awareness and what my own Ascendant Capstone let slip, I could get a good grasp on what it did and didnt do. Mainly, the fact that he could keep living for a damn long time, and was nearly unkillable, while his empire existed. And while I might share the Skill, I didnt share the empire, because it belonged to him and even if there had been space for more than one emperor, I still wasnt someone of that rank, so it had less of an effect on me. Meanwhile, Id had no idea what Fionns Ascendant Capstone was, until now, but it was simple, suitable for him, and helped me to. All very, very, nice. I waved the window away with the intention of going to look for Mia to tell her about my new superpower, but it was instantly replaced by another one, which was new in more ways than one.
You have hit Level 50, however, your specific Class progression forks here, splitting into several paths that you can take all the way to Level 100. However, each will give you varied and distinct Skills as you progress, resulting in a vastly different powerset. You have the following options: Ambassadorial Archmage - An Ambassador with all the power of magic at his fingertips, equally helpful in negotiations and conflict Polymath of Conflict - Become knowledgeable of all aspects of combat, be it personal or at the scale of an army, ranging from the fighting itself to all supporting logistics and other background skills. Master all weapons, fighting styles, and other skills related to war Erudite Ambassador - Explore the world, gather knowledge and allies in equal measure Mender of Wars Scars - Repair the scars war leaves on the flesh and soul of both man and Earth Arcane Wanderer - Wander throughout this world, gaining and using both knowledge and magic, making contact with other nations and cultures, trading and creating bonds of friendship and treaties Warmage - level cities with a thought, level nations in a day, use spells to devastate your enemies while shielding your allies, gain countless spells and new ways to apply them
So, first up, the Level scale went all the way up to 100, which was good to know. Plenty of growth left, plenty of ways for humans to be able to scale all the way up to the state or even nation-wrecking level of power which would be a ton of fun when there were no more monsters to act as the common enemy. I was already leery of both Charlemagne, Sundiata, and Genghis Khan existing on the planet at the same time, the possibilities of what could happen when the current issue was solved kept me up at night. Or maybe it was all the other shit too but if it ever reached the point where I needed to talk to someone about it, Id find someone. Until then, Id do my actual job. So, what exactly would I do now? Which Class would I pick? I mean, [Warmage] just sounded dope. But also slightly useless, because thanks to Fionn, I had access to all the spells I could ever possibly want. Also, joining the ranks of pure mages would not increase our magic offensive potential by much while taking an axe to our diplomatic arm. So, no [Warmage] for me. [Erudite Ambassador], meanwhile, sounded good. No magical component, but then again, my magic hadnt really been the tipping point in any fight so far. It had helped, but not to the point where it had should be the core of my next Class. And [Ambassadorial Archmage] was basically a combination of my past classes, making me both an ambassador and an archmage. Magic and deals. Nice, but also kinda boring. Though boring and straightforward werent strictly bad either, it was all a matter of context. [Polymath of Conflict], meanwhile, was one I was very surprised to see, Id have expected it to be held by someone more worthy, such as literally any ancient, but it made sense the more I thought about it. After all, Id been learning from those people, be it through their teaching Skills, my own [Knowledge Trade], and general conversations. After all, the Class didnt say I had that knowledge, it simply said I would gain it. At the same time, I knew exactly how Id gotten [Mender of Wars Scars]. Id been fixing the messes combat left behind since forever, really. Though at the same time, [Restoration of the Old] worked just fine for the material, we had healers for the flesh, and for mental health honestly, rearranging minds using Skills made me feel highly uncomfortable. Even if Id wanted to become a healer, this Class likely wasnt for me. On the other hand, [Arcane Wanderer] tickled something deep within me. The idea of going wherever I wanted, soaking up any information I wanted to learn like a sponge while also being able to do my job and it even had a magical component Gain knowledge, make deals, live life, what more could I want? Not just for now, but for the future, once this was done, the inevitable infighting/civil wars were over, when I had time to be myself again, this was still what I wanted to do. Who I wanted to be. Magic, knowledge, alliances. Everything I had been doing and wanted to keep doing, all in one Class. Yes, individual aspects might, no, would be weaker than a Class that focussed on them, but at the same time, a focused Class wouldnt give me anything else So, what should I choose? My knee-jerk reaction was away from [Mender of Wars Scars] and towards [Arcane Wanderer]. And while I knew the accuracy of first impressions, I also knew that a little thought going into making a major decision was also a good thing. [Warmage], nope. [Polymath of Conflict], already had people with that skillset and they were better than Id get within the next decade, let alone just the time left on the initialization. [Erudite Ambassador] and [Ambassadorial Archmage] serviceable but nothing that had me jumping with joy. Which just left me with the Class that did make me feel things, the one that would almost certainly fit me like a glove. [Arcane Wanderer]. Yeah I could have just stuck with this one from the start. [Class Evolution: Courtmage of Neutrality Lv. 50 -> Arcane Wanderer Lv. 51] [Skill gained: Magical Traditions] Ooh, it even gave me the first Skill of this new Class, I didnt have to go out and earn an extra Level for it?
Magical Traditions As you wander the cosmos and encounter new cultures, you can learn local magical traditions, adapted into the Systems methodology if necessary, by sheer proximity. In addition, it will be easy to find teachers to support your learning endeavors.
Hell yes. Obviously, Fionns memory was the most comprehensive collection of magical knowledge in existence, but with this Skill, I could go fishing in literally all the ponds, so to speak. Also, how much magic was there to find out there? Something to think about once the cleanup was done, I supposed and the fifth Challenge was swiftly approaching too. Did you get anything good? Charlemagne asked. I nodded. And is there anything you would like to do with your new Skill? No, I replied. Then open us a portal to Indonesia, because I believe there is some cleanup to do. *** As it turned out, cleanup was putting it mildly. However, it was still done fairly swiftly. Rain spells bound the ash and made it drop back down to the earth before it could spread, and with Charlemagne coordinating, disaster relief efforts were scarily effective. The area around Mount Tambora had been obliterated, but combined efforts had at least managed to turn it into a flat plain. In addition, everything damaged by the tsunami had been unfucked to at least the point where it was livable, though the imminent fifth Challenge had ensured that the amount of time that could be spent on helping was limited. One monster, not even a World Boss, had killed nearly a hundred thousand people just by falling over and dying. Yes, that was actually rather low, but the fight had been nowhere near any cities. If there had been, the casualties could have easily spiraled into the millions. And things were guaranteed to only get worse from here.