《Parasite King》 Prologue: Enough Meat to build a Bicycle!
AUTHOR NOTES: Welcome to my first story on Royalroad! This particular one is on another site as well, and I was planning on releasing here as well once I got a stockpile, but I wasn''t geting very much feedback there. So I decided to release this here early and gather more feedback! Edited by @In_awe. Thanks Bunny!
Prologue: Enough Meat to build a Bicycle! Jonah poked the small fire with a half dissolved sword hed taken from the corpse of his latest guest. The poor knight looking man had come down with the rubble of the small concrete building they both now rested on, which floated in the lake of bubbling stomach acid. It had been the mans screams that led Jonah to discover him. For as fancy as his armor looked, it had done little to protect him once he hit the acid. By the time Jonah got to him, the man was already too far gone and the light in his eyes was already fading. Jonah could only sigh before dragging the poor man out of the acid and onto the slowly dissolving platform. A quick search of the man''s body didn''t turn up much. Some melted armor that wouldn''t last much longer, the broken, twisted lump that used to be a sword. A few other unidentifiable scraps of fabric he assumed were the "knight''s" clothes. The biggest harvest though, had to be the blood-red bag the man had carried tied to what was left of his waist. A bag identical to the one he had strapped to his own wrist. Between being crushed by muscle and rubble or dissolved in acid, not much survived down here but these strange bags always did. He didnt know what they were called or what they were made of, however, as far as he could tell, they were indestructible. Which was a shame, because cloth was scarce in the (literal) belly of the beast, and he would really like a new pair of pants for his own had dissolved years ago. These bags were special in ways other than just their durability; just like the storage bags in the novels he used to enjoy, these blood-red bags were FAR bigger on the inside. Most of the bags he had found so far had been filled with supplies, from armors and weapons to parts of animals he couldnt identify, with some even containing supplies like food and camping equipment. All presumably the former belongings of his gracious hosts victims. For Jonah, these bags were a lifeline the sole source of supplies and essentials in his meaty, oozing prison. At first, he''d been hesitant to scavenge from the dead like this. But in the end, his own life was worth more. Furthermore, if he didn''t use them, it wasn''t like anyone else would. After rummaging through the knight''s storage bag, he''d found a few basic camping supplies and dry wood, finally. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Fire was a rare luxury in this place; even if you managed to find wood that wasnt soaked in bile or half dissolved by acid, the buildup of gasses could be quite. explosive. Hed lost his eyebrows more than once, learning THAT lesson. Even still, it was worth the risk for Jonah. It didnt take very long to get sick of the half-digested, raw monster meat that found its way down here. Or in those more desperate times, the meat right off the walls of his prison. And hed been here five years already if his count was right. . Ha five years can you believe it? Jonah asked the eternally silent knight beside him, stoking the flames once more with the sword. When I first got here, there was barely any room to move, ya know? I thought I was a goner. Or at least might end up as snake crap. But here I am! Still stuck in this place, talking to a dead man while butt naked in the belly of a giant snake monster. Good thing Ive not gone insane yet? Right?! Or they might lock me up once I get out of here! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Jonah glanced over at his company with a grin, though it slowly slid from his face in the ensuing silence. He turned his eyes back towards the small fire, his cloudy grey eyes barely reflecting its dim light as he spoke up in a low voice. "Bah everyone''s a critic. You know, I wish I knew what was going on out there I''ve been here so long, but I still barely have any idea what''s happening. It''s always bits and pieces from the stronger ones who manage to make it down here with a little bit of life left in them, but never the full story, never enough time. Sometimes, I wonder if I''m better off in here, away from all of that chaos and death. Other times I wish I could be out there doing my part or something, ANYTHING other than just being in... HERE!" The dim glow of the fire reflected off of the sword as Jonah stood and hurled it with all of his might towards the far wall. It cut through the air with a low hum before bouncing harmlessly off the meaty surface and sinking into the bubbling acid below. Jonah stared for a moment, before rushing forward and into the acidic lake below. S***, S***, S*** Wait! I still need that. The pool bubbled and hissed as Johan came in contact, but otherwise, he appeared to be unscathed. He quickly made his way towards the last known location of the broken blade and began searching, eyes wide in panic with his scraggly hair soaked in bile. After a long moment, Jonahs eyes lit up in victory as he raised the blade out of the boiling acid and over his head. Though his joy soon turned to dismay, as he realized the already warped and melting blade had been further reduced, not even half the length remained before his outburst. He gave a heavy sigh before making his way back to the small floating debris island, careful not to let his prize suffer any further damage. He arrived back at the island. With a few shakes of the crumbling sword, Johan stirred the flames once more before reaching into the knights storage bag and withdrew a few fresh vegetables. He cradled the veggies in his arms as if they were the most precious thing in the world (and in a prison made of meat, they were). Then one by one, he slipped them onto the now thin sword and slowly roasted them over the fire. An unknown time later, Jonah let out a satisfied grunt as he finished his first real meal in weeks, and laid down to warm himself next to the dying embers of the fire. He sat there in silence, looking up at the pulsing, oozing ceiling that had been his sky for years now. After a while, he turned and spoke to the still very much dead knight beside him." I bet youre wondering how I got here. Trapped like this Funny story... Well, not so much funny as it is horrifying and nightmare-inducing, but hey, a story is a story. It all began with The Game, but I guess you dont need me to tell you about THAT, do you?.... Book 1 – Chapter 1: The end of one Game and the start of another….

GAME OVER!

The bright red letters blinked over and over, flooding the small, cluttered and cramped room with an eerie red glow as if it was mocking Jonah. The young man of 25 years gave a quiet sigh before putting down the sweat-slick controller and rubbing his bloodshot eyes. His bones cracked and creaked as he stood from the spot he hadn''t moved from in what felt like days (and given his habits recently, that might not have been too far off). He worked the knots out of his muscles as he made his way to the bathroom door, glancing at the nearby alarm clock on the bedside table. 3:00AM. Tsk. Well, it wasn''t like he had to worry about getting up for work anymore. After the fancy new animal hospital poachedthe lead veterinarian of the clinic Jonah worked at as a nurse, they started to lose more and more business, till eventually they''d been forced to shut down. Some of the other workers had jumped ship as soon things turned south and followed the lead Vet to the new hospital. But not Jonah; maybe the others could, but he couldn''t. The clinic meant too much to him. Even if it was just a small veterinary clinic in the no-name outskirts of an overpopulated city, his mother and her friends had built it from the ground up. They had dedicated everything to that place in order to help as many people and animals as they could. He had grown up there, learned his trade there, and did everything he could to keep those doors open even long after his mother was gone. Not that it did much good in the end. "You can''t fight ''progress,''" The lead vet had remarked as he walked out the clinic doors for the last time.... guess they were right. Jonah could feel his mouth tighten into a self-mocking smirk as he walked through the door into the even smaller bathroom. He stopped in front of the old dirty mirror and stared at the stranger in the reflection bloodshot eyes above deep purple eye bags, half-covered by overgrown jet black bangs along with a weak chin covered by a month''s worth of unkempt, scraggly beard, all accentuating an overly sharp nose. Jonah had never considered himself to be a very good looking man, but one look at his current self in the mirror had caused him to visibly flinch. Even what he had considered his best feature, the sharp and proud cheekbones he''d inherited from his father, simply made his eyes appear more sunken and his cheeks hollow. He hadn''t looked this bad since he was an angsty preteen. A quick shower and shave later, Jonah studied himself in the mirror and gave a nod. He still looked butt ugly, but at least he looked human, and not like Master Splinter decided to go on a week-long drinking binge. He didn''t much care how he looked in all honesty, but if he went to the store looking the way that he did, his mother would have rolled over in her grave. Nah, knowing that woman, she''d have crawled her way out and bashed his head in. She was very much on the side of the "Tough Love" team of parents. You couldn''t do what she did, go through the things she had, and still be a soft woman (let alone, raise the demon child that he was along the way). Regardless, she loved him and always tried to do what was best. And he loved her for that as well; it just sucked... by the time he really appreciated that, it was already too late. With a splash of cold water to clear away the dark clouds, Jonah shook his head and headed towards the bathroom door. At that moment, something caught his eye, and he froze. There, in the left corner of his vision, was a small blue box. At first, he''d assumed that it was some note or article he''d pinned to the bathroom frame, but as he tried to take a look, his hand froze on the doorknob. He stared wide-eyed as the little "box" followed his line of sight. He moved his head side to side, eyes wide open and mouth agape, shaking faster and faster as if to dislodge the strange hallucination from his head. Johan threw himself back from the door, backpedaling as his breath became ragged and heavy, bumping and stumbling around in the small bathroom, trying but failing to escape the strange little box. As if realizing it had been noticed, the small blue box shot forward towards the center of his vision, causing Jonah to give a yelp and fall back into his shower, smacking his head painfully on the hard tile. The blue box had now grown to five times its original size and presently blinked ominously as Jonah stared, unblinking.
!! URGENT NEWS !!
Jonah could feel his racing heart begin to calm down as the box hovered there, doing nothing but blink back at him. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind as he sat there, staring for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was no more than a few seconds. Had he finally broken down from the stress? Was he dreaming? Or was the old lady who used to come in with her little Jack Russell right? All the energy drinks he drank really started to melt his brain? He wasn''t sure about that, but what he did know was that he should probably see a doctor right away. With his legs still shaking, Jonah stood up and slowly made his way to the bathroom door. The box didn''t make it easy for him, though, for it was blocking everything directly in front of him. Jonah gave a grumble and swatted at the annoying hallucination like it was a fly buzzing around his head. Despite expecting not to actually accomplish anything with the motion, Jonah gave a yelp as he heard an audible click. The box started to move back and forth, left to right within his vision, speeding up until it became a large blue bar. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The words "Loading..." slowly formed on the bar, before flickering away. The bar faded to a deep black color and began to shrink, before forming into a small black present wrapped with a blood-red bow, floating in the middle of his vision. Jonah stared at the box with a raised eyebrow and cocked his head. Were all hallucinations like this? Or did that previous knock on the head make things worse? The small black present began to shake. With a popping sound and a burst of confetti, the top flew off. With a flourish along with the sound of trumpets, out from the box, jumped the small figure of... himself? Or rather, something that appeared to be a 3D caricature of himself almost like someone had reached into all of his insecurities and magnified them in cartoonish ways. If he currently wasn''t so horrified, he would have been slightly surprised his brain could come up with something so.... creative, for lack of a better word. The strange little "not-him" stood on the edge of the box, dressed in the gaudiest black and red suit Jonah ever seen and gave a deep bow. The caricature then rose up in the air and shouted in a voice that was most definitely not his own. [Caricature] - "WELCOME! WELCOME ONE AND ALL! TO THE GREATEST SHOW THIS SIDE OF THE LANIAKEA SUPERCLUSTER! I''m your host for tonight! Are you all ready for another riveting season of Mayhem? I know, ''I'' am!" Jonah just gawked with his mouth hanging wide open. What the hellish kind of hallucination was this?! Meanwhile, the strange little caricature didn''t pay him much attention and continued on as if he was addressing some unseen party. [Caricature] - "This season, we have a special treat for you all! Our contestants will be the inhabitants of a Class 4 Temperate World of the Sol system, Sol-03 (Native designation "Earth"). Estimated Population, 13,000,000,000! After much consideration by the Board and after a long elimination process, they have been ''chosen!'' Now now, don''t get too excited yet, people! The show is just about to start!" At those words, the world began to shake around him. Not just the building, or the ground, but Jonah felt as if the very air or rather the very fabric of reality was "shaking" violently. Every molecule in his body began to vibrate so fast he believed he''d be torn apart. All at once, it stopped. Jonah collapsed to the ground, sweating profoundly as all of his strength left him, and his breaths came in heavy, painful drags. Jonah might not have known much about hallucinations, but he absolutely knew that THAT was not normal. What the heck was going on? Blind to the young man gasping for breath on the floor, the caricature continued on amidst another burst of confetti. [Caricature] - "Planetary shift complete! System established! To all of our viewers in all 100,000 galaxies, we welcome you to watch with us this great story of struggle and survival! Of growth and degradation! Of heroes and victims!... Of predator and prey!" The caricature ended his speech with a burst of flourish, his arms stretched out wide and head thrown back like a ringmaster at the circus. As the confetti descended to the ground, the caricature lowered its arms and looked down. It took a moment for Jonah to realize that this strange being was no longer ignoring him but rather staring straight into his eyes. The vile grin that spread across the caricature''s face and the cold tone of his next words sent a cold shiver through Jonah''s spine. [Caricature] - "And to our dear contestants... try not to die too quickly, please? Don''t want to affect our ratings, now do we? Now! Let ''The Game''.... BEGIN!" With a flash of light, the caricature, the present, and the blue window all disappeared. Jonah sat in silence, unsure of what to do now. His rational brain assured him that it had all just been an extreme hallucination, that it was all in his head. However, his sore, tired body, and the slight rumbling he could hear from the ground gave him the gut feeling that everything was not as it appeared. All he did know was he should get to a hospital as soon as possible. Whatever was going on with his body couldn''t be right. His legs shook beneath him as he tried to steady himself on the bathroom sink and slowly made his way to the door. As he drew closer, he heard a crash and the sound of breaking wood coming from behind the door. Jonah''s hand hovered over the door handle, he could feel the sweat slowly trickled down his forehead. His instincts were screeching at him not to open the door, but he had no other choice; his bathroom was an interior room, there was no window or other way out. He hesitated for only a moment more before grabbing the dull old scissors he''d used to trim his hair earlier and threw open the door. For the third time that day, Jonah found himself too shocked to move. At first, he wasn''t really sure what he was seeing; it looked like someone had taken a giant snakeskin bean bag and threw it on top of his bed (which was thoroughly crushed, by the way). Only this beanbag was long.... and breathing... With a clang, the scissors Jonah had been holding slipped from his grasp and fell to the tiled bathroom floor. The "thing" on his bed twitched before slowly unwinding, revealing a massive snake. Its tan and brown slouched patterns made it look like someone had taken a Sand Boa, and ballooned it up to gargantuan proportions. Even the thing''s head was twice as wide as Jonah''s waist. The giant snake turned and studied Jonah, tilting its head as if asking where this tiny creature came from before flicking its jet black tongue out a few times. Jonah could only stare into the creature''s eyes, paralyzed. Should he shut the door or make a run for it? He needed to decide quickly. But, fate can be a fickle mistress sometimes, and the snake made the choice for him. With a low hiss, the beast opened its jaws wide and reared its head back. Seeing what was coming, Jonah could only slump his shoulders in defeat. [Jonah] - "Oh, Fu----" Not even letting a man have his final words, the beast lashed out. The last thing Jonah saw before the snake''s jaws enveloped him, was the flashing, mocking red words on his TV, GAME OVER. Book 1 – Chapter 2: Fighting chance
Darkness. Darkness and pain. Those were the first things that registered in Jonah''s mind once the snake''s jaws clamped onto him. He''d expected it to be more... violent. Maybe some thrashing around, a few dagger long teeth in his gut maybe, but he guessed he was lucky(?) that giant monstrous snakes from nowhere resembled to follow the same rules as their smaller cousins. Instead of being mauled to death, the beast simply swallowed him. Alive. Jonah''s breath became ragged and shallow as that thought finally clicked in his mind. The very real fact that at this very moment, he was slowly being pushed down the throat of a massive boa. One that shouldn''t, by any logic, exist in this world. His eyes were the only part of him that could currently move, as the thick muscles around him pulsed and pushed him farther and farther into the darkness. Each pulse brought with it a blast of rancid air, and he could feel himself starting to become light-headed already. Was this how he was going to die? Not even quickly, but slowly suffocating the throat of some hellspawn? Why? Why him?! He lost his friends. His mother. His job the only place he''d even felt needed. Now, he''d lose his life without the chance to even fight back... WHAT KIND OF BULL**** WAS THIS?! It felt as though a fire blazed to life within his chest. All of the rage. All of the frustration and bitterness that built up over the long years, which once sat slowly rotting in his soul, seemed to ignite all at once. Jonah let out a primordial roar, although it was muffled by the wall of flesh around him. He began to thrash around him as much as his prison would allow. When his struggles amounted to about as much as a weak wiggle, Jonah did the only other thing he could think of. He bit down. It was like biting into a rubber tire covered in both snot and glue. Jonah could almost feel a burning sensation as the vile mix of snake bile and saliva entered his mouth. Except he didn''t care at this point. He kept biting down, again and again, gnawing and shaking his head even as he felt his own teeth crack and break the snake''s rubbery flesh again. Suddenly, he felt something give away, and a scorching hot liquid filled his mouth, almost drowning him on the spot. It tasted of blood and honey, but hot enough to leave blisters. He screamed as the liquid washed over his face. The pain soon gave way to satisfaction though, when he heard the snake rumble from the inside. The snake didn''t like that one bit. Seeing that, Jonah yelled out through his blistering mouth and broken teeth. [Jonah] - YAH! TAKE THAT YOU SCALY BASTARD! YOUR MOTHER WAS A CHEAP HANDBAG, AND YOUR FATHER WAS A POOL NOODLE! I''M GONNA BE THE WORST CASE OF HEARTBURN YOU EVER HAD, YOU TURD COLORED NO LEG HAVING SON OF A *****!!! But despite his struggle, Jonah could feel his fiery enthusiasm start to leave him. His breath became heavy with the combination of the (presumably toxic) fumes rising up and the blood rushing to his head, bringing pain. For all his anger, what did it matter? Even if he managed to bite off a few more chunks with his ruined teeth, he was still going to die. Just as he was about to give in, a loud chime sounded out from the depths of his mind, like a crystal bell, but a thousand times purer. It was followed by a cold mechanical voice that resounded clearly.
Combat Confirmed. Submitting contestant Identification Number. Contestant Registered. Contestant ID# - Sol-03-00000000001 Recognized. Welcome to "The Game" Gained Legendary Feat: "First Encounter" Gained Inborn Talent: "Fate''s Cruel Design"
"First Encounter" [You were the first of your world to fight back against the Monsters.] Gain 100% bonus exp on your first kill of a new Species ______________________________________________________________________________
"Fate''s Cruel Design" [Fate has weaved a tangled web for you. Do you want the strength to cut its Threads?] Gain 1000% increased Aggro from all Monsters. Any Monster over a certain size class will have the uncontrollable urge to swallow you whole.
Jonah stared wide-eyed at the strange blue box, despite its glow that was bright enough to hurt his dark sensitive eyes, without appearing to actually cast any real light (or perhaps it was just the boiling blood covering his face). He recognized it. This was the same strange box he''d seen in his bathroom, shortly before that evil little caricature appeared. He didn''t have a good feeling about this. As if summoned by his thoughts, the sound of distant fireworks went off in the back of his mind, and a voice he never wished to hear again sounded from thin air. It reminded him of every game show host, with the late-night personality rolled into one, yet somehow without any of the humanity or warmth. [Caricature] - "Well, lookie here, folks! We have our first registered contestant! Though it looks like he''s got himself into a bit of a pickle already! Hahahaha!" A corny laugh track played in the back of his mind like the audience of a cheap 50''s sitcom had somehow found its way into the skull. [Caricature] - I have to say, boy, I''m impressed. In 100,000 Galaxies and 10,000,000 seasons, you''re the first person to be devoured this quickly. I think that deserves a reward!" Jonah heard the sound of fingers snapping, and the blue window in front of him shifted.
Gained Unique Title: "The laughing stock of 100,000 Galaxies" [Wow. That was quick. I didn''t actually think you could lose that fast.] This doesn''t actually do anything. It''s just for "Bragging"(?) rights. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Jonah could feel the fire well up inside him again, as he managed to croak out through the blood and bile and broken teeth. [Jonah] - "Who in hell are you?! Are you the one who put that snake in my room?! Why are you doing this?!" [Caricature] - "Why? Because you''re playing ''The Game,'' my boy! What fun is a game without a little challenge? Though I must admit, I never expected someone so.... eager to play. Hahaha hahaha! As for who I am? Why~ I''m your gamemaster, of course!" Another round of cheering. [Jonah] - "A game?! You think this is a game?! Who do you think you are?! Who gave you that RIGHT?! [Gamemaster] - "No, no, no. Not ''a'' game, my boy. ''THE'' Game! The game to end all games! The game of the ''end'' and of new beginnings! The game of life and death! THE GREATEST GAME THERE HAS EVER BEEN!" A booming round of applause sounded in Jonah''s skull, drowning out all other noise and thought, threatening to turn his brain to mush. After what felt like an eternity, the applause dimmed, and the "Gamemaster" spoke again. [Gamemaster] - "...and as to who gave me that right? Hahahaha~ Well now, that''s a secret I think I''ll keep to myself for now. But rest assured, that right is something I do most certainly have. Now don''t worry, I''m a fair gamemaster; others might revel in slaughter and destruction, but I''ve always found things are FAR more entertaining when there''s a fighting chance. With that being said, I DO feel slightly sorry for you, my boy." There was a slight pause before a corny "Awwww" soundtrack played in the back of his head. [Gamemaster] - "You know what, kid? You made me laugh, and it would be a shame for our very first contestant to be eliminated so quickly. So, I''ll do you a favor. Just... This..... Once..... Normally this is something we hand out after your first kill. But ''something'' tells me you might need it sooner rather than later. Hahahahahaha! Use it well. We''ll be watching... Don''t disappoint me." With those words, a sharp "click" sounded out from the back of his mind. It felt as if an invisible pressure he didn''t know had been there was lifted from his shoulders. Somehow he instinctively knew that the so-called Gamemaster was gone.... or as least as "gone" as a voice in his head could be, he guessed. The blue window flashed one more time, as the words began to change again.
Administrator Override Approved. Status Screen Unlocked. Menu Options Unlocked Skill Shop Unlocked Obtained new Contestant Starter Package: C Rank Skill Token x1, "The Game" Manual x1
Jonah started to feel two objects materialized from seemingly thin air, one appearing in each of his hands (an impressive feat, given how cramped it was at the moment). In his panic, he almost dropped them. Nevertheless, he managed to grab on tightly. In his left hand, there was a thin booklet, and in his right, a coin the size of a gold dollar. He was still thoroughly confused about what the hell was even going on but had managed to start putting things together. More so after hearing the "Gamemaster''s" rant and perceiving the pop-ups on the screen in front of him. He might have gotten his life together later in life than others, but he always joked that at least he had never spent his teen years getting drunk and high like his peers. No, he had a different "drug" online novels. He''d stopped reading after he started college. The intense workload of a nursing degree, along with the even longer nights working at the veterinary clinic, had completely consumed his life in the past few years. He sometimes forgot to even EAT, let alone had any time to read. Nonetheless, as the old memories started to flood his mind, he felt the uncontrollable urge to laugh. It began as a silent chuckle but slowly grew into a roaring laugh that even caused the giant snake that was still swallowing him to twitch. Despite the many blisters and blood that covered his face, Jonah couldn''t help but grin from ear to ear. He had a chance! As he tightened his grip on the coin in his right hand enough for its sharp edges to draw blood, hope welled up in his heart. He didn''t want to hesitate a moment longer, but soon he realized a depressing truth... [Jonah] - "..... ****" He didn''t know how to open his menus! Presumably, this would all be in "The Game" manual... the one currently stuck in his left hand, pinned to his side while in the pitch-black bowels of a monstrous snake... He was sure the Gamemaster was having a riot right now, enjoying his "prank." Only Jonah was tired of letting other people get their way. He wasn''t going to be the butt of other''s jokes anymore. He was already playing "Hell Mode," what did a little extra challenge matter? For the next twelve or so minutes, Jonah tried everything he could think of to open the menus. From mental commands to key phrases, nearly the only thing he couldn''t try was hand commands. Eventually, after countless combinations, he seemed to hit on something. [Jonah] - "Open Contestant System Menu." Instantly, a small blue window popped into existence with 6 buttons that glowed dimly.
Menu Options Status Screen Skill Shop ??? ??? ???
Interesting. He had used this phrase before, although to no effect. The only difference was the image in his head. That seemed to be the key intent. To test out his theory, Jonah "willed" the screen away, but to no effect. This time, he combined his "intent" with a command. [Jonah] - "Close Menu." The menu window flickered out of existence the next moment. Trying once more, Jonah gave a mental "command" with intent, and the screen popped back into existence. It appeared that it didn''t matter if it was verbal or mental, as long as there was a "command" and "intent," the menus would respond. That could be very useful in the future. Jonah quickly focused his attention on the skill shop, and another window popped up.
Welcome to Laniakea Skill Shop, Official Sponsor of "The Game" and the only provider of top Quality Skills in the 100,000 Galaxies! Checking Contestant ID# ID Confirmed. Welcome, Sol-03-000000000001! Official Game Skill Token (rank C) detected. You can exchange your Skill token for 1 Rank C skill from the approved starter list. Alternatively, you may exchange your Token for 2 Rank D skill tokens. 1 Rank D Skill token may be exchanged for 2 Rank E skill tokens. Please refer to your manual for future instructions on acquiring skills and skill tokens. Thank you for your Business!
Perfect! It was just what he was expecting. He still had a chance to make it out of this alive. Furthermore, it was a good thing, too he was running out of air. Even now, he could feel the effects of the strange gases taking their toll on him. If he was going to do this, he had to act quickly. ...or maybe not ... Jonah was stunned at the sheer number of skills that were listed in the shop. Even the C-ranked skills numbered in the billions, let alone the D and E-ranked list. He supposed he should have expected as much from a shop that claimed to cater to 100,000 Galaxies... Anything he could conceive was listed here, from Marksmanship to Ancient Sword Techniques, Magic to Black Tech level Mechanical skills. It would take lifetimes just to look through the list, and based on how thick the fumes were becoming, he presumed he was minutes away from being plopped into the snake''s stomach. Thankfully, there was a filter and search option. Sword Skills? He didn''t have any weapons. Martial Arts? He barely had minutes left, let alone time to cultivate. Magic? Ya, throwing a fireball into the gas-filled belly of a giant snake you were inside sounded like an AMAZING Idea. Maybe something like ice or wind could have helped, but any skill that seemed might be useful enough to help him escape and not kill him outright was at least B-rank. As the minutes ticked on, he became more and more desperate. Jonah''s aim shifted from trying to escape, and more towards simply surviving. Finally, something caught his eye.
Minor Acid Resistance Rank E [When life gives you lemons, get tougher skin] Passive Growth Skill: This causes the user''s skin to toughen and become thicker, granting the user minor resistance to weak acids and other corrosive substances.
It wasn''t much, but it was something. Plus, his gut told him that it would be something he would need very, very soon. Not only that but the "Growth Skill" aspect of it was intriguing. Oftentimes in novels, this indicated a skill that could become more powerful over time. That could be beneficial. The only downside was that it was Rank E, the lowest of the bunch. He didn''t know how skills were categorized, but if his impression of the other Rank E skills was right, its effects might not be too powerful. Besides that point, to get the skill, he would have to split his only token, meaning he would be limited to at most D rank skills in the future. Jonah hesitated, unsure if it was the right choice. That was, until with a final push of the meaty wall around him forcing him down, making him slip into the bubbling pool of stomach acid, the size of a giant waterbed. Book 1 – Chapter 3: Breathing room. Jonah would reflect back on this day in the years to come, it was both the moment he "died" and the moment his story truly began. However, between being thrown into a "game" by a psychopathic caricature version of yourself, swallowed by a monster snake, burned by scalding blood, and going mad on weird stomach fumes, he had to admit the acid was the worst. The first thing that crossed Jonah''s mind as he slipped into the snake''s stomach was the heat. It was hotter than a sauna and small enough he could touch either wall. Then came the burning. It started as a faint tingling as his clothes became soaked in the vile-smelling liquid that filled a 1/8th of the small chamber. It didn''t stay that way for long. As the stomach began to pulse and contract, Jonah could feel it gradually fill up with more acid, oozing from the walls around him. The slight tingling progressed to a burning sensation and finally becoming unbearable agony as the acid slowly ate through his previously scalded skin. He flailed around in the pitch-black darkness, desperate for any form of relief. However, with barely enough room to spare for even two or three of him, his options were limited. By chance or fate, or possibly even just how the snake had decided to lay down at that very moment, his hands stumbled upon a small fold of flesh, protruding from the pool, just large enough for him to wedge himself up on. Not that it would last long, given how fast the acid levels were rising still, it allowed a moment of relief that gave him the time to do what he needed to. With his bile soaked clothes still smoldering on his body, Johan pulled himself up and reopened the Skill Shop, this time not hesitating to buy the skill.
Purchase Confirmed. Learned Minor Acid Resistance (level 1) Obtained D Rank Skill Token x1 Obtained E Rank Skill Token x1 Thank you for your Business!
Jonah was instantly hit by an overwhelming itch over his entire body. As he wiggled and squirmed under its influence, scratching every inch of his skin he could reach, he could feel his blistered and damaged skin peel away like a bad sunburn under his touch. The new skin surface underneath was as smooth as a baby''s bottom but felt rubbery and thick to his touch. He could still feel the tingling of the acid as it made contact with his skin, but he could tell the progress the acid was advancing at had drastically slowed. He let out a deep sigh and felt his muscles relax a bit. It wasn''t much, but it had bought him some time and time was what he needed most now. He wasn''t out of the fire yet. Now that he''d split his token, he only had D and E rank skills to work with. When he''d first opened the Skill Shop, the token in his hand had vanished, apparently credited to his account. Much to his relief, the same went for the D and E rank tokens, they were broken down, it seemed. That was good; he''d already lost the manual when he hit the pool of acid. Now, it was presumably floating around in the darkness somewhere. He opened the menus and started to shift through the list. His most pressing matter now was his source of air. The snake had swallowed a large amount of air along with him, but he knew it was slowly being replaced with the toxic fumes. He''d felt lightheaded and sick for quite a while now, the fact that he could even still think straight already amazed him. What he needed now was a way to clear away the gas and keep from suffocating. Air magic was the first thing that popped into his head. Unfortunately, anything under B rank simply moved the air around and didn''t actually generate or clear it. It was good for maybe giving the snake a bad case of gas, but that was about it. Using Martial Art Breathing Techniques was his next idea; legendary skills from popular stories like the "Ancient Turtle''s Breath" could slow his breathing down drastically and conserve his supply. There were several D rank skills that had similar effects, but they were a no-go as well. All of the skills that might be effective had equivalent cultivation requirements, meaning he would have to buy the cultivation techniques and spend the time to reach that level. Time and money... he didn''t have. Maybe Holy Magic? Could he purify the air itself? Perhaps even get rid of the acid? If he prevented the snake from digesting anything, conceivably, he could starve it to death?! Looking through the list, he crushed this hope as well. All of the skills that could do what he wanted... were for lack of a better term, "Mana Hogs." Their cost to effect ratio made him wince. Guess he should have expected that. He flipped his Status Screen for what seemed like the hundredth time today. Nope, still wasn''t going to happen....
Name: Jonah Hilannd Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000000001 Class: N/A Level: 0 Titles: 1 Viewership Rank: #20124 (? 20,092?)
Health: 73/100
Mana 100/100
''Current Status''
Burned (severe), Hyperthermia (minor) Bleeding (minor), Mana Poisoning (minor), Shock (minor).
Skills
Talents
Feats
Titles
His frustration continued to build as both his patience and time slipped away. Maybe it was the acid, or his wounds, or a combination of both but his "health" had been steadily decreasing each time he looked. Not very fast, but rapid enough to worry. If he felt THIS bad after only losing 25%... he imagined once he crossed the 50% mark, he might not even be able to move. His eyes continuously scanned the list in front of him, searching for something anything to help him out of this situation. The next moment, as he was browsing through the E-ranked list, searching for some kind of combination that might work, the screen flickered with the barely audible sound of white noise. One of the items on the list twisted and vanished before being replaced by another with remnants of corrupted data still flickering around it.
Enhanced Muscle Fibers
Lesser Eagle Sight
Basic Crafting
Forward Momentum
e?????n??????o??????l????????a??????? ??????o?????g?????? ???????o????????t??????? ???????s??????u???????o?????r?????g????? Breathless ?????n?????a???????d?????s?????''???????t??????i??????? ??????s???????i??????h?????t??????? ?????e??????k??????a??????t???????.???????? ?????? ?????????
8 Path Cultivation Technique
Seasonal Magic
Saitama''s Hair
Simple Summoning Contract
...... Ya, because that wasn''t suspicious in the slightest. Without a second thought, Jonah flipped the list forward and continued to search for other options. Or, at least he tried to. No matter how he willed it, the screen would only flicker and shake, before resetting back to the same spot. [Jonah] - "...Son of a... FINE!" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Gritting his teeth, he willed the skill into focus. He didn''t have time for this. The window that popped up appeared normal, except for the eerie red border surrounding it. However, the more of this skill''s introduction he read, the more excited he became.
Breathless Rank E [You took my breath away....] Passive Growth Skill: Replaces the user''s alveoli with a special crystal structure that allows the user to "breath" different forms of energy in place of their medium of choice. Restores MP through breathing in high concentrations of energy. Allows the user to burn their own MP in mediums of low mana concentration.
This was it! It was precisely what he needed at the moment. Not only was it a way for him to survive the immediate crisis but also a method to quickly recover his MP. Two birds with one stone. Nonetheless, he hesitated; It seemed a little TOO perfect. The whole situation smelled fishier than a week old fish stand. Unfortunately, he didn''t see much of any other choice. Maybe he would come to regret this in the future, but at this moment his life was what mattered most. He bit his lip with what was left of his ruined teeth and made the purchase.
Purchase Confirmed. Learned Breathless (level 1) Thank you for your Business!
Fire exploded in his chest, worse than any heartburn he''d ever had. Violent coughing fits wracked his body, leaving him aching and exhausted. Blood and tiny chunks of flesh spilled out of his mouth and plopped into the ever-rising pool of acid beside him. When it finally ended, he gasped for breath. That first breath was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. A cold wave washed over his body in an instant, filling every cell with energy and opening all of his pores at once. Each new breath sent a shock through his spine and a feeling of freshness through his lungs, like he''d been breathing smoke and smog for the entirety of his life up to that point. He took a moment to adjust to the strange feeling, breathing in and out. He soon realized he wasn''t really "breathing," at least not in the same way that he had before. While he had the distinct feeling of "inhaling and exhaling," there was no real movement involved. His chest remained eerily still, and placing his hand against his nose, he couldn''t feel any air movement. If it wasn''t for the steady pulse of "breath" through his body, he would have thought the skill was a failure. He wasn''t quite sure "what" he was breathing, but it wasn''t anything physical. Was it the "energy" mentioned in the skills? But then what was the source of that energy? Was it mana like in the novels? Or was it something simpler; heat was a form of energy, after all. Maybe he was "breathing" in the thermal energy from his surroundings? It WAS hot as hell in here. All he knew was that he felt a thousand times better than he had a moment before. His head was even starting to clear up. After a moment of rest, Jonah tried to open up the shop menu, only to find out he couldn''t speak. No matter how he tried, he couldn''t get the words to form. He panicked for a moment before slapping himself in the head. That was right, he didn''t have any air in his lungs. How could he talk if he didn''t breathe? THIS could be a problem... It took a few minutes to get the hang of it, but Jonah found that he could still "breathe" normally. He didn''t seem to actually get anything out of the action, but the motion alone was comforting. Soon he was able to sync up this motion with his "energy breathing" as he''d come to think of it. It took some conscious effort at first, but soon it came naturally, like riding a bike. The first words out of his mouth were raw and gravely with his sore throat protesting the sudden passage of air, as the taste of blood filled his mouth. Maybe because his lungs didn''t have to work as hard to extract the energy, or perhaps it was some subconscious micromanaging on his body''s part. Still, he felt that after syncing his breathing, his energy breathing had become more efficient. Renewed energy soon flooded his body, and he started to feel better than he had all day. Or at least since he was swallowed. He could tell he didn''t NEED to do so if he so wished, but it definitely helped in some way. Remembering the situation he found himself in, Jonah returned to the task at hand and opened up the Skill Shop once more. He''d solved the immediate issues of not being digested and not suffocating for the moment, but he wasn''t out of hot water yet. He only had 1 D-Rank skill token left. Although he considered breaking it into 2 E-Rank tokens to give him more options, after a moment of thought, he decided against it. One of his E-rank skills was extremely situational, and the other was extremely fishy. He doubted he could keep up that kind of luck going forward. Right now, he needed something strong to help with his immediate problem...
Health: 67/100
Mana 100/100
He glanced at his Health Bar and gave a slight shudder. It was still steadily decreasing. Now that he had a method of regenerating mana, his eyes returned to those mana hogging healing spells he had looked at before. The only problem was that he didn''t know what the rate of Breathless'' regeneration was. The skill itself didn''t even mention rates, and he assumed that it was a variable depending on the energy concentration he was "breathing." But how much was enough? Without proper testing, it was a total crap-shoot. After searching for close to 20 minutes, he''d finally narrowed it down to 3 choices.
Blessed Light Rank D [Blessed are those who walk in the Light, may your life be long and full of Joy] Channeled Skill: A basic spell of many Priests throughout the 100,000 Galaxies. Channel your Mana into Healing light, converting 1% of your mana per second into 0.33% of health for you or the Target. WARNING. Overexposure to healing light can cause side effects such as auditory hallucinations, inflated Ego and an obsession with the color white. Efficiency and Rate increase as the Skill level increases
It wasn''t a bad skill at all. It was your classic starter healing spell you might see in any game or novel. The only problem was that it wasn''t very efficient at starting off. The more he used it, the stronger it would get, but there was no guarantee his regeneration rate would be able to keep up with it.
Arcanic Regeneration Rank D ["NO! Sir! Its mind OVER matter! Not mind INTO matter!... oh dear... "- 3rd Arcane Apprentice of Marro the Mad.] Toggle Skill: Defying all known laws of reality and logic, this strangely simple spell, a product of the legendary Archmage "Marro the Mad", converts mana directly into flesh and blood. While powerful, and one of the few Healing Arcane spells known, its quirks and origin leave it in the realm of magical curiosity rather than usable skill, for most. Passive State: Convert 1 MP to 1 HP per second. Active State: Convert 5 MP to 3HP per second and rapidly regenerate bodily damage. Rates increase as Skill level Increases.
This was a strange one. While he was hesitant to trust anything created by something with the moniker of "The Mad," he had to admit it seemed more powerful than a D rank skill should have the right to be. He assumed it had something to do with the passive ability. For most mages, their MP was even more important than their HP, so to have a skill that would constantly drain them was most definitely a negative. But for someone like him, who could regenerate mana just by breathing, it could be quite effective. It was basically 2 skills for the price of 1!
Connecting Heaven and Earth Rank D [When one stands between the Heaven and Earth and commands two to become one, the Path of Immortality will open for you] Channeled Skill: Basic Meditation technique practiced by Cultivators. Simple enough that even a Novice could practice it! This technique mixes inner Mana with environmental Spiritual energy, creating a form of Ki that is easily absorbed by the user, strengthening and reinforcing their body while healing their wounds. The user must maintain a state of peaceful meditation while channeling this Skill.
Jonah was sorely tempted by this one. Who didn''t wish they would stumble on some ancient martial arts technique that would let them become a cultivator?! Unfortunately, the skill didn''t mention what the actual rate of healing was. It wouldn''t do him much good if it, for example: just doubled his natural recovery rate. Besides that, he questioned how viable "peaceful meditation" was in the belly of a snake. Three paths. Three choices. Whatever he chose, he would have to live with it. Or maybe die with it, he supposed. Jonah closed his eyes and took a deep breath before giving the mental command.
Purchase Confirmed. Learned Arcanic Regeneration (level 1) Thank you for your Business!
Cosmic Dreams 1: Cast your Anchor…. CLICK ME! --- > [Fish in the Sea] ? "Come all you young sailor men, listen to me, I''ll sing you a song of the fish in the sea;" ? ? """And it''s Windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys. When the wind blows, we''re all together, boys; Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow, Jolly sou''wester, boys, steady she goes.""" ? ? "Up jumps the eel with his slippery tail, Climbs up aloft and reefs the topsail" ? ? """Windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys. When the wind blows, we''re all together, boys; Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow, Jolly sou''wester, boys, steady she goes.""" ? Jonah grinned ear to ear, swinging his tankard along with the tune as the three large, bald forms of uncles, Billy, Bob, and Bo, stood on the small table, singing at the top of their lungs. The triplets had spent nearly 20 years in the Navy, and the sight of the three large, muscular, and bare-chested brothers drunk as a door-nob and singing every shanty they knew, was a common thing in any Hilannd family gathering. As was the sight of their sister, his mother sitting next to him, her face buried in her hands, face just as bright red as theirs, though for a different reason. It probably didn''t help their antics much that they were currently 7 miles offshore on an authentic replica of a colonial schooner. Jonah still wasn''t too sure how Uncle Billy was able to get a hold of the darn thing, but when he turned up at the clinic last week offering to take them on an old fashioned fishing trip with a couple of his Navy buddies, Jonah jumped at the chance. Alice, his mother, had taken a bit more convincing than her adventure hungry son, but she never could say no to her older brothers. They''d been at sea for three days now, and he had to admit, it wasn''t quite what he was expecting, but it was an experience none the less. Bob had speared a massive Bluefin earlier in the day, and now they were sitting on the top deck with two other Vets from the office, his three uncles and their four navy buddies having a fish barbecue. Thick slabs of Bluefin steak sat on a gyro-stabilized grill (custom build by his mad engineer of an uncle, Bo) with all of the cheap beer they could stock on the small boat. It was a little crowded, but they made it work. As the song ended, the triplets stepped off the table, giving a small bow amidst the cheers from the rest of the crew. Around the table, people passed food and drink, laughing and smiling as they enjoyed the party and company. Across the table from him, Jonah noticed Billy frown as he looked further out to sea. In the distance, ominous storm clouds billowed and rolled. Billy took one last swing of his tankard and motioned to Jonah [Billy] - "Come help me set up the rigging, nephew. We need to get back to the harbor before the storm hits. This old girl''s well built, but I don''t want to risk getting stuck out in that." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Jonah gave a nod in reply, his eyes lingering on the clouds off in the distance. He didn''t know what, but they gave him a bad feeling, like something was screaming at him at the back of his mind. But he couldn''t quite put his finger on what it was. His frown deepened and his brow furrowed as he stood to join his uncle near the mast. Eyes still on the clouds, he reached over and hugged his mother, only to feel freezing cold wetness, like she''d just came from a swim. He turned his head to look at her, his eyes flashing in confusion. The next moment, his heart stopped cold. Alice still sat next to him as before, elbows on the table, face hiding in her hands, but that was all that was the same. Her clothes had become soaked in seawater, faded and torn, almost slimy. Her soaked hair was a tattered rats nest, filled with rotting seaweed and clumps of sand. Her skin had become pale and spongy, sagging in spots or torn and festering in others, like some tiny creature had bitten in and devoured what lay beneath. Jonah''s breath became shallow and ragged, his heart racing and his eyes bulging out. He took a step back, head shaking from side to side, [Jonah] - "N..no.....NOOOOO!!" He screamed and turned back to his uncle, only to freeze in place. His mother wasn''t the only thing to change. It was like they had been teleported into the heart of the Storm; where only moments ago the sky had been an endless expanse of blue and the sun beat down uncomfortably hot, now dark and billowing storm clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, and screaming winds sent a biting cold down to his bones. Dark waves rocked the schooner from side to side, as its creaking, rotting wood and tattered sails added their haunting sounds to the angry storm around them. Everyone else on the boat had seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving him there standing on the deck with his mouth agape, unsure of what was happening. As he stood, mind blank, he heard another sound, even over the rattling of the rotting ship and raging storm. It sounded like someone was sloshing water around in a cloth bag, as water dripped onto the planks below. Despite the freezing winds, Jonah felt his blood run cold, and he turned around towards the sound. Tears ran down his cheek and his head slowly swung side to side as he watched the figure of his mother rise from her seat with some difficulty, her joints cracking and jerking like they''d not moved in eons. Still holding her face in her pale, bloated, and salt-encrusted hands, she turned towards him, wet, slimy hair falling over and covering what little was visible. Jonah''s feet turn to lead blocks and he could only stand rooted to the spot as the thing that used to be Alice made its way to him, step by rigid step. The tears poured unhindered now, and Jonah could only rock his head back and forth, muttering softly into the howling storm. [Jonah] - Please...N-no... Please... But his pleas went unanswered as "Alice" continued on, eventually stopping just a few steps from him. A sudden sound of cracking wood sounded from behind him, as a massive, serpentine figure broke through the rotting deck and cast them both in its shadow. However, it went unheeded by either of them, Jonah unable to remove his eyes from the figure of the small woman in front of him. Through the storm, he could hear a soft whisper emanating from her. Almost silent words that floated on the edge of his mind, but unable to be grasped, ones that had haunted his dreams for years. As if the weight of the world was on her shoulders, "Alice" struggled to lift her head, still whispering those unheard words, as she slowly removed her hands from her face. Jonah sobbed and struggled, desperate to escape, to move his lead feet, but he couldn''t tear his eyes away. But before "Alice" could fully uncover her face, the massive serpentine figure behind him struck down, and then; Darkness.
Book 1 – Chapter 4: …Lest you drift away Jonah shot up with a scream, his breath coming in long, ragged drags. Even in the persistently hot and humid bowels of the Snake, he could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat. He struggled and twisted in his little alcove, lashing out against the darkness and whatever might reside therein. Slowly, memories of where he was and the predicament he was in returned to his sleep-addled mind. His breathing slowed and his thrashing became less violent until he lay back down on his meaty bed and let exhaustion flow over him. Then came the numbness. Jonah sat up and put his back against the "wall", folding his legs up to his bare chest and hugged them, before resting his head on his knees. It had been two weeks since he was "eaten". Or at least he assumed it was two weeks; kind of hard to tell time when you were in the belly of a giant snake, one that was getting bigger every day, it seemed. He''d seen several skills in the shop that might be useful for seeing in the dark, but he assumed that none of them would be very useful for his... unique, situation; most of them involved things like increased sensitivity to light or thermal vision, but none of those would help in the boiling belly of a beast, surrounded by true, absolute darkness (even if he DID have another token to buy anything with). After a moment of silence to gather his strength, he felt around the wall of his alcove till he made contact with something rough and pitted wedged deep into the flesh. His fingers traced along the shape, and he envisioned in his mind the vicious curving edge, thick and razor-sharp like a sickle and just as large. After moving his finger along the edge to ensure it was still sharp as always, he let out a sigh of relief, then awkwardly gripped the bony knob at the end, he gave it a vicious yank, sending a flood of burning blood into his cubby. He barely noticed it anymore, but still flinched, as if remembering past mistakes. His "prison" had been steadily increasing in size for the past week at an amazing rate; so much so that he wondered how it was even possible. When he had first gotten here, there had barely been enough room to move, but as of yesterday it took him a full 10 paces to reach the other side of width-wise, and over 80 lengths wise. He didn''t know how big this thing was going to get, but if it kept growing at this rate, he wasn''t sure there would be anything left even if he did escape. What hell was the Army doing letting this thing run around?! More importantly, if it kept getting bigger, would they eventually just bomb the thing (and by extension, him) out of existence? He shuddered a bit before tucking the thought to the back of his mind. He couldn''t panic, couldn''t give up. Not now. Not after what he''d already been through. The first three days had been the worst. His three skills synergized for his predicament well; [Minor Acid Resistance] stopped him from being digested, [Arcanic Regeneration] healed what his resistance couldn''t block, and [Breathless] fueled his regeneration. If he was missing even one part, he''d have been Snake poop already. But in his excitement at finding a way to survive, something had slipped his mind. The concentration of Acid was increasing. Not by much, or very fast, but enough for him to notice when just the passive effect of [Arcanic Regeneration] was finally unable to keep up. He spent the next two days, in agony, as he switched between bursts of active [Arcanic Regeneration] and being slowly dissolved again waiting for [Breathless] to restore his mana. Both the length of time between bursts and the agony increased as time dragged on and the effects of his skills lagged behind. More than once, he had thought about not even bothering anymore, of just stopping and melting into a pile of goo. But a fire burned in his gut each time when he thought about how he got where he was, about the laughter in the back of his head, and most importantly that vile grin on his own stolen face. He''d push through, he had to, no matter what came, even if it was to deny those bastards the satisfaction of seeing him give up, he would push through. And one day? He''d get out of here. And he''d raze everything they knew to the ground. That thought kept him going, even as his screams slowly turned into laughter, then back to screams. Over and over, the cycle continued, until his suffering bore fruit. He leveled up. Or at least, his skill did. When he saw the blue window flash into existence on the third day, his crazed laughter turned into something real, as he could finally see a light at the end of this long, long Snak-I mean, tunnel.
[Minor Acid Resistance (lvl-1) -> (lvl-2)
The effect was immediate. He could "feel" his skin becoming tougher and more resilient, less reactive, and "cleaner" for a clean as he could be in the belly of a Snake. A few hours later, [Breathless] followed suit, while [Arcanic Regeneration] didn''t level up until the 5th day. He guessed it made sense that higher rank skills would take longer to level. Even still, it seemed he was keeping a steady pace with the increasing strength of the Acid around him. On the 7th day, he''d felt something change. The "density" of Mana in his surroundings made a huge leap and he could keep a steady, rhythmic pulsing coming through the flesh he lay on. He then felt a slight acceleration on his body, like you would feel when in a car or train, and it clicked; the Snake was on the move. After 7 days of dormancy, his warden was finally "awake" and moving. He felt both excitement and trepidation at the thought, however. On one hand, 7 days since "The Game" had started might mean there are powerful people out there now. Someone might be able to rescue him! But on the other hand, why was the Snake dormant for so long? it sure as hell didn''t look like a starter mob to him, and he''d personally witnessed its speed and power. He lived in a large apartment building, what would happen if the Snake ran across someone who WASN''T a modern-day Hercules. What if they got trapped here with him? likely without the unique set of skills he bought himself. Stolen novel; please report. Soon, his fears seemed to be confirmed, as the dull, muted sound of combat made its way through feet of solid flesh and the Snake began to violently thrash about. It was at the moment he was thrown into a nearby wall with a solid thud, that his prison had expanded by at least double while be battled with the acid. The Snake''s own fight ended quickly as well, as a sudden burst of speed once more flung him to the far corner, while the Snake gave a loud hiss and seemed to coil around something. Soon, the distinct sound of breaking bones could be heard, and Jonah''s blood ran cold. The Snake uncoiled and rhythmic pulsing that Jonah remembered well, began, signaling the Snake had started its meal. Jonah rushed to the far back end of the Snake''s stomach, not wanted to be anywhere near his new "roommate" when they finally arrived. After roughly 30 minutes, Jonah could hear the sound of something plop into the acid at the far end of the stomach. Something was wrong though. He had expected the Snake to be fighting with a Human, maybe one of his neighbors in the large apartment building he lived in. Instead, what joined him here had sounded far, far larger. He stretched his shaking hand out into the darkness, and far sooner than he was hoping to, came into contact with something solid. Whatever it was, it was huge, easily taking up half of the current space, and it was covered in razor-sharp, bristly fur. So sharp in fact, he immediately found himself bleeding after running his hand the wrong way. The bleeding didn''t stop until almost 2 seconds of active [Arcanic Regeneration]. How the Snake had even managed to swallow this thing was a miracle in and of itself. Hopefully, the Snake was content to stay still and digest its newest meal (bad manors to eat before you''re done with your first!) and not throwing him around into his new spiky friend. Suddenly, a low growl could be heard nearby, and Jonah''s heart went into overdrive. He quickly backpedaled away from the unknown creature, unfortunately, it seemed the splashing of acid as he did so gave away his position. Jonah only felt a gust of wind, and then a sharp pain in his gut. He reached down to feel an unsettling amount of blood pouring from a sharp wound, thinly stretched from one side of his gut to the other. A few inches closer, and he would have been split open. The scream caught in his throat as he threw himself towards the far wall, desperate to get as much distance between him and the thing as possible, while holding his insides, inside. Luckily, it looked like while the beast was alive, it was barely so. Between the wounds from its fight and the last (literally) crushing attack by the Snake, it was on its last breath. Even the attack on him was most likely a last-ditch reflex than anything deliberate. Not that it makes him feel any better; a quick glance at his status showed him just how close to death he''d actually been.
Health: 57/100
Mana 83/100
He''d lost 43 health from just a grazing attack. What the hell kind of balance was that?! There''s no way this thing was a starter mob. That also crushed his hope of being rescued by some rising star MC. If these kinds of things were spawning after only 7 days, he didn''t hold how much hope there was anyone left that could beat them, let alone the Snake that DID. As he stared into the darkness in the direction of the beast, all he could feel was a soul-crushing numbness. He didn''t get any sleep that night, nor did he the following two days, as he spent time watching for signs the beast was recovering, and healing his wounds. On the third night, he couldn''t go on any longer and fell into a deep slumber. He awoke an unknown time later, to the gentle brushing of "something" against his arm. In an instant, he was awake, scrambling up from the small pool of acid he had collapsed in. That turned out to be a mistake. As he rose, he felt the sharp pain of something digging into his arm, cutting through his flesh like butter, and only stopping when it hit bone. He swung his arm out wide in an attempt to escape, only to find in horror that the "thing" followed his movement. He reached out with his other hand, trying to push his attacker away, only to feel the distinct feel of cartilage and bone. His confusion gave way to realization and he grabbed only the large sickle-like claw and removed it from his arm, channeling his skill to stop the bleeding. He traced his finger along the wicked edge of the claw, feeling the bloodlust emanate off it. Well, at least he knew what almost gutted him. Hopefully, this meant his "roommate" was truly gone this time. Holding his new weapon in his uninjured hand, Jonah slowly approached the beast. He stretched out his hand to meet....bone. Jonah gave a sigh and plopped backwards into the pool of acid, not even caring for the pain in his arm as the acid made contact with his open wound. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and all of the tension in his body suddenly dissipated. But with the relief came something else... Hunger. Jonah felt ravenous. He couldn''t remember the last time he had eaten anything. He assumed the constant use of his skills was draining him in some way as well. Running his hands along his chest, he couldn''t help but flinch at how pronounced his ribs felt, and where he had once held a slight bulge, now was a sunken pit. He figured the only reason he''d not died from dehydration so far was the "acid" around him; while bile and stomach fluids could hardly be called safe for human consumption, they did consist mostly of water. And God knows how much of the vile stuff he swallowed in his less...lucid moments. As for how he avoided the obvious side-effects? He didn''t have a clue. He could only think his skills had some part to play in it all. But that didn''t help with his most pressing matter. He felt like he could eat an entire horse at this point. ...... or maybe a bristly Monster? He didn''t know what would come of eating some unknown life-form like this, nor did he think he was immune to any kind of poison that might be present. And if his theory on how he was able to survive on bile was correct, then his skills might be able to counter any harmful problems that do pop up. Not a perfect solution, but at this point, he was out of options. Mustering what little strength he could, he gripped the claw tightly and made his way through the darkness. The next few days flew by in a blur. He had used the Beast Claw to carve out a little cubby into the Snake''s stomach shortly after finishing his first meal. The claw cut smoothly through the soft flesh, but it was slow going; apparently giant snakes didn''t like having a hole cut into their stomach, who''d have guessed? He planned on trying to tunnel his way out, but the farther he got, the denser and stronger the flesh became. Eventually, he had to stop about three feet deep and seven feet wide, giving him just enough room to lay down out of the acid and store a little bit of beast meat. That night had been the first night he didn''t sleep in a pool of acid in more than a week. And now here he sat. Feet dangling into a pool of acid, trapped in perpetual, true darkness in the belly of a giant snake he believed no one would be strong enough to kill for years, if ever. As he contemplated his present situation and his future prospects, Jonah did something he swore to himself he''d never do again... He wept. Book 1 – Chapter 5: Day 23 , Proper etiquette on how to meat your guests. (part 1) *Wiggle wiggle....wiggle... plop*. With the sound of sucking flesh, Jonah gave a sharp tug on his last remaining tooth, tearing it free from its roots. [Jonah] "SUM OV AH *****!" A sharp pain shot through his jaw, followed by the metallic taste of blood as it flowed freely into his mouth. A short burst of his skill soon solved both problems. Cold sweat dripped down his back, and he leaned up against the scabbing wall of his alcove. He groped around in the darkness, till his hands made contact with a small pile of sharp, jagged, and broken objects. His teeth. All of them. The tension that had built up Jonah''s body over the past few days melted away, leaving him limp and tired. At first, he thought the headache was stress; Lord knows he''d enough the last few weeks. But as time dragged on, he came to realize something. It was his teeth. Specifically, his NEW teeth, growing and trying to burrow out of his jaw right under the shattered stubs of their predecessors. He''d hoped that they would push the olds ones out like when he was a kid, but reality and biology are cruel mistresses. As damaged and dead as his old teeth were, they were still rooted deep in his gums, and the pressure only became worse every time he used his skill. After a day of the worst full mouth "toothache" possible, he''d bit the bullet and started to pull his teeth. It took him a while to figure out how to do so, however. Between the passive healing of his skill and his weakened (but recovering) state, he had a hell of a time of actually removing the first few. With the help of his new "tool" though, he made slow but steady progress. The following day was filled with bouts of extreme pain, followed by instant relief as one by one, he removed the teeth and the pressure in his jaw steadily decreased. The molars were the hardest to get at. In the end, he had to use the claw to cut open his cheek and work from there. It was amazing how willing you were to mutilate yourself when you knew you could heal right back up in a few hours. It looked like [Arcanic Regeneration] was suitable for more than just flesh wounds too. Would it even regrow a limb if he lost it? The knowledge that the skill jammed in his head said, "Maybe? But it would take a long time". That was the insane thing about the ability; he was starting to wonder what the limits of the skill really were. But he was also beginning to see why it was only a D-rank skill as well, instead of a C-rank or even B-rank, for as powerful as it was;
Arcanic Regeneration Rank-D Level: 3 Passive State: Convert 6 MP to 3 HP per second. Active State: Convert 15 MP to 9 HP per second and rapidly regenerate bodily damage. Rates increase as Skill level Increases
Both the cost and healing seemed to be scaling at a steady pace, but It had only taken him two weeks to get to these levels. He didn''t know what the standard in the 100,000 Galaxies were for mages, but something told him that if the skill kept scaling like this with no way to shut off the passive effect, then even the most mana heavy mages would find themselves in a state of constant mana starvation. When he''d first bought the skill, a vast torrent of information flooded his mind. Even someone without any magical background could understand the sheer insanity of how the skill worked. And when he said "insanity," he meant that literally. It was something that, for all intents and purposes, shouldn''t even work. Its very core principle revolved around "rejecting reality and substituting your own." It seemed Marro the Mad wasn''t just a fancy name. Thankfully(?), he was in the belly of an apex predator with an ever-growing mana pressure. His unique environment allowed [Breathless] to keep up with his expenses. He''d even discovered a neat trick with his new lungs. Since he wasn''t breathing in anything with physical mass, he could take a continuous and steady "breath," dramatically increasing the rate at which his mana replenished. He had gotten into the habit of "meditating" in this state when he was running low on mana. Even more surprising, he found out that if he maintained a state of "over-mana" (drawing in more mana he could hold) for long enough, his maximum pool would increase slightly. Unfortunately, there were a few side-effects. Firstly, he couldn''t endlessly draw in a "breath," eventually, he had to "breath out." What he was breathing out, he wasn''t totally sure, but the Snake definitely didn''t like it. After one particularly long ''meditation'' session, the cloud of ''something'' he''d exhaled had struck the wall of his alcove. The effect was instant; the Snake gave a deep, loud rumble, and its stomach began to contract and twist like it had a major cramp. All of the blood instantly drained from the area surrounding his alcove as his surrounding dropped to a (comparatively) freezing temperature. The Snake had only writhed for a short moment, before its stomach relaxed once more, returning to its previous dimensions, and blood returned to the alcove. He didn''t think it was some kind of poison, as it didn''t seem to affect him, nor was there any lasting damage to the alcove wall where it stuck. Other than giving the Snake a stomach cramp, it didn''t seem to do much. The only thing he could think it could be was maybe something like ''waste'' mana, or something similar. Like when you eat something rotten. Could mana rot? Jonah just added that to his ever growing list of things he didn''t know. For now, he just pulled up his status screen.
Name: Jonah Hilannd Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000000001 Class: N/A Level: 0 Titles: 1 Viewership Rank: #802,545(? 782,421?)
Health: 95/100
Mana: 75/132
''Current Status''
Bleeding (Minor, Recovering). Malnutrition (Major, Recovering) .
Skills
Talents
Feats
Titles
He still didn''t know what half the things in these menus meant, though he could make some conjectures based on his novel experience. He''d tried searching for the Manual he''d gotten on the first day, on the off chance it was like the token and unnaturally sturdy but didn''t have much luck. The most interesting bit was the ''Viewership Rank.'' That one took him a moment to understand, but when he remembered the Gamemaster''s words about "The Game," it clicked. He didn''t know by who or what, but he was being ''watched.'' Maybe the whole world was? The ranking told him that at least 800,000 other people were already "registered," probably far more, given when he''d first see the ranking he was in the 20k range. It took him almost two weeks to drop down to his current level. He didn''t know if that meant more people were joining "The Game" by the day, or if whoever was watching got bored watching a man slowly mutilate himself in the belly of a snake. With his life out of mortal danger, Jonah began to wonder what was going on out there. Was the whole world going to hell in a hand-basket? Or were things more ''controlled''? From what he remembered in stories like this, the first few weeks or months were always the most chaotic with monsters spawning randomly and millions of people killed or governments collapsing. Did the same thing happen in reality? Or did people manage to put up a united front? Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.The Gamemaster DID say he wanted entertainment, a challenge, not pointless slaughter. On the other hand, Jonah could see that psychopath letting cities burn to the ground just for the giggles. Lost in his thoughts, Jonah failed to notice the strange phenomenon in one corner of the stomach. Like a small gale, slowly picking up speed, the mana in one corner began to swirl and turn, gathering and twisting in place, until it began to glow. The glowing cloud of spinning mana grew brighter and brighter until the pale blue light finally spilled into his alcove. After spending almost a month in pure darkness, Jonah was at first confused at what he was seeing. The next moment, he got the answers to the questions still forming in his mind.
WARRNING! Sponsored Quest initiated! Kodoku Objective: Eliminate the Leviathan Worm Reward: 1 Rank-E skill token Sponsor''s Message: "Seems like the little cockroach is tougher than he looks. Lets see how he does against a REAL parasite". - Slasherlover72
[Jonah] .... **** Jonah could hear his heartbeat skyrocketing as his eyes darted back and forth between the glowing blue window and the swirling mass of mana still gathering in the far corner. He might not have a much clue about "The Game," but it didn''t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was probably happening. He groped around the darkness, searching for his only protection while a thousand thoughts raced through his head. He didn''t know what a ''Leviathan Worm'' was, but he sure as hell knew he didn''t want to fight it. More so in the pitch dark. His first thought was to hide; maybe he could stay in the back of his alcove and wait for the thing to dissolve in the Snake''s stomach? He quickly discarded the idea; the stomach wasn''t the tiny space it once was, but it wasn''t massive either. If the creature was smart enough, it would eventually find him, even if it was pitch dark. Also, the ''sponsor''(?) had called the thing a "parasite," which told Jonah it was likely even more resistant to this environment than he was himself. His next idea was to try and disrupt whatever was going on over there. If he had to venture a guess, that swirling mana vortex was were the Leviathan Worm would spawn. If he could shut it down, or maybe get a surprise attack on it right as it spawned, he would perhaps have a chance. Or he might get beheaded as soon as it appeared. His hands wouldn''t stop shaking as he grabbed onto the knobby end of his claw sickle and slid out of his nook into the acid below. The acid''s depth had increased dramatically as the Snake''s size increased, where it was once only a few inches, now it almost reached his waist. Soon he''d have to swim. He hesitated for a moment, before biting down on his claw sickle and making his way over to the remains of the bristly monster. 80% of the creature had digested days ago, but several large, thick, sturdy bones remained. He groped around before pulling out a long-bone the length of his arm. It was pitted with acid, cracked and slippery, but it was still decently solid and very heavy. He doubted it would make for a great weapon or last long. Still figured if he could knock whatever came out of the vortex on the head (assuming it had a head) even once, he might be able to stun it. That would give him enough time to do some damage with the claw sickle. He could wave the sickle at it as it came out, but he still didn''t know what to expect, and the sickle was too small. As he drew nearer the vortex, Jonah''s lungs began to work in overdrive, and he soon found himself in a state of overmana, despite not consciously trying. Whatever this thing was doing, it was drawing vast amounts of mana into it, possibly directly from the Snake itself. Not good, not good. Between having to wade waste deep in acid and the increasing mana pressure from the portal, Jonah''s progress was agonizingly slow. With each step, he drew closer, and with each step, the mana vortex began to solidify. As if sensing his presence, the swirling mana stopped, then blue motes of mana converged towards the center, compressing into a pinpoint of nothingness, like shooting stars falling into a black hole. The pinpoint of nothingness swelled as more and more mana motes fed into it, and soon it grew into a massive black hole in space with a diameter twice as tall as Jonah. The black hole was ringed with the eerie blue glow of mana as it hung in space, casting the Snake''s stomach in the first dim light it had ever seen. Jonah froze at the sight, only a few meters away, mouth agape as his brain told him to turn and run. Even as his instincts told him if he tried it, he wouldn''t even know what killed him. As he stared, four blue orbs the size of his head lit up in the darkness of the hole as a massive silhouette rose from its depths. The spheres suddenly accelerated through the black hole (portal?) stretching it''s colossal frame up and over its edges. In the dim light of mana, Jonah could now see the figure of his opponent. Even with half of its body still on the other side of the portal, the Leviathan Worm was massive, quickly reaching the ceiling. The thing looked like someone had crossed a centipede with a tapeworm, its flat, armored body divided into dozens of shield-like segments, covered in clicking, wiggling spear-like legs. Its head looked like someone had taken a tapeworm and bred it with Lovecraft''s worst nightmare, an unholy amalgamation of teeth, hooks, and bladed tentacles. On each side of its head, where a normal tapeworm''s suckers would be, sat four massive glowing blue orbs he could only assume were eyes. The Leviathan Worm proceeded to jam its hooked head into the top of the Snake''s stomach. It then used its tentacles to wedge itself deep into the fleshy ceiling as it dragged more and more of its body out of the portal. The whole while, Jonah stood there, legs shaking and mind blank. Was he supposed to fight THIS? What the hell?! Something in Jonah''s head snapped at that moment, and his thoughts went white before he gave a primordial scream filled with both fear and rage. He mustered all of the strength he could and hurled the large long bone in his hands towards the portal. He doubted the half-digested bone could even make a scratch on this thing, but he was desperate. The bone flipped through the air at speeds surprising even Jonah, before slamming into one of the joints between the Worm''s segments. As he predicted, It did absolutely nothing to hurt the Worm itself. What it DID do, however, was set off a series of events that scholars would debate about for centuries to come. Was it just reflex on the Leviathan Worm''s part, or maybe the System intervening, or perhaps sheer blind luck? We may never know. But for Jonah, it was a chance. And that was all he needed. As soon as the bone made contact, the Worm jerked away, as if not expecting an attack. Unfortunately for the Worm, this sudden jerking motion was not appreciated by the Snake. As if feeling some unexplained discomfort, the Snake began to shake violently, throwing the contents of its stomach into a mess. Jonah was thrown about like a rag-doll, barely able to keep his head above the acid. Even struggling in the waves, he managed to keep an eye on the Worm. As the Snake thrashed, the Worm tossed around, trying to keep itself steady. Despite its efforts, however, Jonah''s heart filled with hope, when he witnessed the Worm suddenly make contact with the edge of the portal. An ear-splitting scream filled the stomach as the Worm was severed at the joint by the dimensional forces of the portal, leaving a good half of its massive body on the other side. The Worm continued to shriek as its severed body threw a flood of glowing blue blood around the area. Soon, the Worm''s trashing grew weaker and weaker, and before long, it stopped, its severed body hanging from the ceiling as it dripped more glowing blood into the pool below. The portal it came through flickered and dimmed as if the contact had made it unstable, before finally, it plopped out of existence, once more throwing the stomach into darkness. The only thing Jonah could hear was his heavy breathing and the steady hissing of blood dripping into acid. Was that it? Had he just won like that?.... What kind of Deus ex Machina, Plot Armor twist was THAT?! Give me back my feelings, Universe!!! Jonah could only laugh and shake his head as the sweat rolled down his neck. Slowly, he made his way to the growing pool of glowing blood. Was the thing dead? All he did was threw a bone at it, and it basically killed itself. He drew closer, keeping his eyes open for any kind of movement. The Worm just hung there, slowly spilling out its blue blood as the four blue orbs grew dimmer. He reached up and touched the smooth, hard exoskeleton of the section he could reach. It was ice cold and smooth as a mirror. He wondered if he could break it off and use it for something, maybe armor... or a boat. But that would be a project for the future. He assumed the blood was good stuff, too, considering the glow, and the tremendous amount of mana pouring from it. It was a shame it was all going to the Snake now. Right now, he was more worried about how to claim his reward. He could think of several ways a Rank-E skill token could be useful, and he was eager to start shopping. When he opened his Menus, however, a single blue window caught his eyes, and Jonah''s heart froze.
WARNING! Sponsored Quest In progress Kodoku Objective: Eliminate the Leviathan Worm Reward: 1 Rank-E skill token
[Jonah]"... double ****..." A gust of wind was all the warning he had, before something slammed into him with the force of a truck. He was sent flying across the pool and slammed into the far wall with the distinct snap of bones, before slowly sliding into the acid below. Book 1 – Chapter 6: Day 23 , Proper etiquette on how to ‘meat’ your guests. (part 2) Jonah woke up an unknown time later to a strange, pulsing blue light. His fuzzy vision swirled as the ring of blue light danced from the top of his vision to the bottom. It then appeared once more at the top and moved downward. Over and over, the light moved, pulsing, growing stronger each time. He wasn''t quite sure what he was looking at; the combination dim, dancing lights, and his swimming mind made it difficult to think, let alone focus. He shook his head and rubbed his temples as if the action could give some semblance of order to his scrambled brain when the memories returned. The quest, the portal, the Worm, being hit by something in the darkness, the memories flooded back with each pulse of light. The sound of his heartbeat grew faster as each breath brought with is a wave a searing pain. His arms shook as he tried to push himself out of the pool of acid, and he could feel several ribs scraping across the soft, yet crystalline surface of his lungs. After a moment of struggling, Jonah managed to drag himself onto a comparatively dry fold of flesh. He raised an arm and gently stroked his chest, only to wince as a sharp pain shot through his body. Though the weak, pale blue light seemed to drain the area of any color, he could still see a large, dark bruise covered 80% of his bare chest. Luckily, there didn''t seem to be any blood, though whatever had hit him had done so with enough force to crush several ribs and part of his lungs. If he were an average human, the blow would have most likely killed him instantly. Thankfully, [Breathless] had transformed his lungs, making them quite a bit more "durable"; They''d even managed to cushion his heart and stop it from being crushed as well. With that in mind and the passive healing of [Arcane Regeneration], he wasn''t sure he would call himself "normal" anymore, though. Jonah activated his skill and let the cooling rush of mana wash through his body, mending broken flesh and bone. Even still, it took nearly half an hour before he felt well enough to move. The ability to regenerate quickly from even near-fatal injuries was great, but it was almost like his brain couldn''t accept this new reality yet. Even now, though he knew he was in perfect condition, he could feel a pulsing pain in his chest and ribs, like a phantom reminding him of what happened. His injuries healed, Jonah turned his focus to something more pressing. With his head no longer in a fog, the identity of the strange, pulsing light became apparent; the Worm. The Worm hung down from the ceiling, its head firmly embedded in the soft flesh, as its massive armored body twitched. Every few seconds, it''s four dim blue eyes would flare to life, like tiny suns, lighting the surrounding darkness. A large blue ring of light would then travel from its head, down the length of its body, as the light in its eyes dimmed once more. As the circle of light moved, the Worm''s body would ripple and flex along its path, before ending at the severed stub left by the portal. Jonah''s heart sank as he each pulse of light reach the stub, and a small bit of new flesh push itself forward. It was regenerating. Maybe not as quickly as himself, but the Worm was slowly but surely regaining what the portal had taken off. He didn''t know how long he was out for, but he noticed that the creature was already several new sections longer than before, the new armor still soft and paler in the dim light. It was still quite away from being able to reach him, but it was only a matter of time. And if the burning rage he could feel as the Worm followed him with its eyes said anything, he didn''t want to wait around till it could. But what could he do? The thing was larger than the Snake when it swallowed him, and covered in thick armor plating to boot. Maybe if he still had his sickle, he could chip away at the still soft and growing bits, but he''d dropped it when the thing hit him, now it was floating in the dark and acid somewhere. Even if he could find it though, the things speed and power scared him. He was an out of shape Veterinarian, not some solider or gladiator, the only "Tiger" he''d ever fought was Ms. Gurturd''s large tabby. He still had the scar on his forearm from when the big bastard had swiped him after given him his vaccinations. Now he was alone, in the dark, without a weapon, expected to kill a massive, armored abomination. Screw whoever the sadistic author who thought this was a good plot idea was! He started to pace around his small corner, making sure to keep one eye on the Worm at all times, wracking his brain trying to think of a solution, any solution. His heart started beating faster, as cold sweat trickled down his neck and his breath turned into shallow panting. [Jonah] "**** it Jonah, you''re smarter than this. You can''t panic. Panic and you''re dead. You have to think. Come on, Think! just breath! Breath and think!" Jonah stopped his pacing and drew in a long breath, entering a semi-meditative state as he tried to calm his raging mind. After a few moments, Jonah felt his pulse start to slow, and his mind become more precise and focused. Slowly, he exhaled, releasing with it his pent up stress. He would survive; he promised himself that during those first days. He didn''t know how, but he would. As he breathed out, the cloud of "something," he exhaled, reacted with the dense mana in the air, shimmering a pale blue, reminding him of frost and embers at the same time. He reached up and waved his hand through the strange substance, catching a few of the "burning" motes of mana on his finger, and something clicked. His eyes flashed back to the Worm''s head, deeply embedded in the ceiling, and back to the slowly dying embers. Maybe? Could it work? Was the solution to his problem that simple? He didn''t dare get his hopes up, yet even still, a small light sparkled in his eyes. He made his way to the farthest corner from the Worm and sat down in his meditation pose, the acid reaching halfway up to his chest. He didn''t know how long he had, but it prayed it was enough. He began to inhale slowly at first, then as time past he started to ramp it up, pulling in more mana faster and faster. He could feel the mana density around him begin to drop at an alarming rate; fast enough that he feared he might suffocate before he did what he needed to do. Despite the lack of physical substance, his lungs began to feel bloated, over-inflated, and his skill warned him that if he kept going at this rate, he would start to cause damage. After roughly an hour of this extreme meditation, Jonah opened his eyes and noticed the Worm stretching out its body in an attempt to reach him. It had sensed what he was doing (heck, with how much the mana had dropped, maybe even the Snake had). It might not have understood what he was planning, but it didn''t like it. Unfortunately for it, it was still a few segments short of reaching him. Jonah looked up at the Worm and stared it straight in its glowing eye, before giving a cruel smile and turning towards the wall behind him. Then he exhaled. The cloud that escaped his lungs seemed to have a physical force behind it, as it pushed him back several feet in an explosion of pale blue mist. The little mana left in the air ignited into swirling phantom-like flames, as the Snake screamed in pain. The sound wave that hit him almost turned Jonah''s insides to mush as he coughed up a mouth full of blood and felt his eardrums burst. The world was thrown into silence as the acid boiled and rolled around him, tossing him around like a ship-wreaked sailor in a storm. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The Worm didn''t fare much better. Perhaps learning from the last time their host had been agitated, the Worm had pulled its body into a tight ball, digging deeper into the ceiling and stabilizing itself as much as it could with its legs and barbed tentacles. Even still, Jonah could see small drops of glowing blue blood drip from its joints as the sound-wave vibrated its thick shell and scrambled its insides. A grin split Jonah''s face from ear to ear, then he looked up and spoke, his voice sounding distant and muffled as his eardrums regrew; [Jonah] "if you thought that was all, sorry to disappoint you..." In the next moment, the stomach began to tremble and shake, before it violent contracted, shrinking to only 1/3 of its size in less than a second. A sickening crunch sounded as the Worm''s head, and part of its upper body was crushed by the massive folding, cramping muscles of the Snake''s stomach. Jonah, for his part, struggled in the spinning vortex of bile and acid that formed. He might not have needed to breathe, but it wasn''t any less unpleasant. After some time braving the waves, the Snake seemed to calm down, as the churning acid slowed, and the stomach slowly expanded back to its normal size. Jonah broke the surface and promptly emptied his guts of the foul bile, both the Snake''s and his own. He wiped his mouth, then stood up from his knees, before turning his eyes on the Worm to see the result of his work. The Worm still clung to the ceiling in its wound up ball, but it remained eerily still, even as a veritable waterfall of glowing blue blood poured from its joints and cracked shell. The most notable cascade came from the creature''s head, where three of four massive eyes lay crushed and bleeding profusely. Despite the shattered armor and ruined, much flatter head, however, the fourth eye still flickered with a dim blue light, and it stared down at Jonah with hatred and fire. [Jonah] "OH, COME THE **** ON! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! " Jonah screened and slammed his fists into the acid. How much did they want from him?! Was the quest even real?! Or was it just a joke to get his hopes up, a dangling carrot to make sure he put up a fight instead of just letting the thing kill him out right? Jonah stared up at the thing, as if he could finish it off with his anger. Jonah thought about trying what he did again, but he could already feel his body saturated with mana. A quick look at his status screen confirmed it.
Health: 86/100
Mana: 216/135
''Current Status''
Malnutrition (Major, Recovering). Mana Poisoning (Critical)
He was already at his limit, if he tried to take in any more, it really would kill him, probably in some horrific manner. So that was off the table. He could wait till he recovered, but every moment he spent was one more moment the Worm did too. He needed to end this, NOW. As if some divine being had heard his plea, Jonah watched at the Worm ball slowly lost its grip on the ceiling. Its leg''s shook and skittered as if trying to regain some form of hold, but it was too weak at this point, and in one motion, it slipped and swung downward. The Worm screeched as the movement shattered the already splintering armor near the head, and with the sound of sucking flesh, the momentum pulled it free from the ceiling. The Worm crashed into the floor with a thud, sending another wave of acid washing over Jonah. The Worm bobbed to the surface, motionless, though its dimming eye still flickered in the darkness. Jonah''s heart began to beat faster; this was it! A chance! That was all he needed. He couldn''t stop his cheshire cat grin as the splashed his way towards the bony remains of the bristle monster. He shifted through the half-digested remains till he found what he was looking for; a long, sickle-like claw. It was in noticeably worse shape than his old one, but still in decent shape considering the state of the bones around it. The fact that the remains were even still in one piece told of their durability, considering what this place had been through recently. His prize in hand, he made his way towards the still motionless Worm, murder in his eyes. It was the subtle movement acid on his legs that gave him the warning as a whip-like tentacle topped with a bladed barb burst out of the water. It was the combination of the Worm''s fatigue, as well as the adrenaline and overmana coursing through his veins that let him jump to the side at the last second. Right. Death tentacles. He''d forgotten about those... Still, where once there had been dozens, now the Worm seemed to barley muster the strength to wave three. Not that it would take more than one of those horrors jammed in his gut to end him. But there was no turning back now; it was Do or Die. He tightened his grip on the sickle and inched his way closer, ducking under another wild swing, while deflecting a second tentacle that tried to spear him from above. As weak as the Worm was, the blow still caused him to stumble backward, narrowly avoiding a third tentacle that had tried to sneak up under him. Taking a page from the Worm''s playbook, Jonah dove into the acid, using the murky bile to hide his movements as he bobbed and weaved ever closer. The Worm began to plunge its tentacles into the acid in a desperate attempt to spear him like a fish. Jonah''s random and unpredictable movement though, allowed him to avoid most of the Worm''s attempts, save for a few glancing blows. Using the dim blue glow of the Worm''s eye as a beacon, he made his towards the creature, before bursting out of the murky pool, sickle raised high above. In one fluid motion and a primal roar filled with all of his frustration, anger, and hate, he struck sickle deep into the rubbery membrane of the Worm''s eye. Jonah gave in a sharp tug, and slip the eye from end to end, as the Worm screeched once more, its remaining tentacles flailing wildly around. Then silence. The Worm''s tentacles flopped into the pool with a splash as the beast let out a long, deep groan, and the light began to dim from its eye. Jonah stood up, covered in glowing worm blood, and laughed. He laughed like he never laughed before, and he''s eyes turned to the ceiling as he screamed out, [Jonah] "HAHAHAHAHA! HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW, YOU BASTARD?! WHO''S THE COCKROACH NOW?! HOW ABOUT YOU COME FIGHT ME YOURSELF INSTEAD OF SENDING SOME WORM!?" The adrenaline fueling him, his breaths came in huge gulps, yet he couldn''t help but smile. He did it. He survived. Despite the odds and against even his own expectations, he found a way. He felt more...alive than he ever had before. It was then that something caught his eye. He looked down and saw something pulsing in the Worm''s eye. Deep in the cavity surrounded by a broken cocoon of flesh, farther than his arms could reach, sat a dimly glowing orb, the size of his fist. It pulsed with a steady, blue glow that seemed, at least in part, to be the source of Worm''s glowing eyes. At least it was much brighter than the blood that surrounded it. He didn''t know what it was, but his body screamed at him for it, like some primordial part of his brain had just found water after wandering a barren desert all of his life. Without hesitation, he plunged his arm into the ruined goop of the Worm''s eye, reaching for the strange orb. He didn''t even question his actions, almost feeling like it would be sacrilegious to do so. As he drew closer, though, something in his brain clicked, and the oddity of the situation dawned on him. Why was he half-buried in a dying monster worm''s head, trying to grab some strange glowing ball? Jonah''s caution instantly spiked as warning sirens blared in his head. The orb still called to him, urging him to grab hold, to take it as his own, but his head was clear now, and he found himself wavering. It wasn''t going anywhere, and he didn''t need it now. Whatever this thing was, it could wait till he knew more about it. However, the next moment, Jonah felt something wrap around his exposed leg, and pull, yanking him a few inches out of the Worm''s eye. It looked like the Worm still wasn''t entirely down for the count, and it didn''t appreciate a man crawling around in its head. Jonah began to flail about in the goop, grabbing onto anything he could to try and drag himself further into the Worm''s head. If he got pulled out, he didn''t doubt there would be more tentacles waiting to impale him. Slowly but surely, Jonah found himself slipping out. The power in the tentacle minuscule compared to before, but it was enough. Desperate in his flailing, his finger wrapped around something cold and smooth. Then the world went white. Book 1 – Chapter 7: The tangled threads of Fate – Ms. Bella Dayton, Ohio. Cherished Light Orphanage. [Sara]: Grandma, I''m hungry... [Johnny]: Granny, Missy is crying again! [Madaline]: Matthew! get your lazy butt up and help clean! Dinner''s almost done and Grandma''s already got enough to worry about! [Matthew]: *random mumbling*.... Ouch! You Bastard! Watch it! [Johnny]: Granny, Matthew said a bad word! Amidst a seething gaggle of small (and not so small) children, Bethany Greenee (Ms. Bella to her friends), age 72, went about her duty as best as she could, gently stirring their last pot of beans over the small electric stove. [Bella]: Dinner is almost dear, just a moment more. Johnny, Missy can cry all she want, don''t you bother her, and what have I told you about tattling? Madeline, don''t hit your brother, he''s already sore as it is. Matthew, I know you''re tried, but I need to you keep watch. Please?" [All]: """"" Yes Grandma...""""" Bella shooed the children away, though a smile spread across her face. They were strong children, but it did her old heart good to see them act like their former selves. Maybe it would do their newest family members some good as well, a little bit of normality in these chaotic and strange times. She just wished her husband could be here to help, he always was better at these kinds of things than she was. The orphanage had been his dream; after years spent in the military, seeing the children left behind by pointless wars, he made it his life''s work to do what he could for them. After the sickness took him, their son and his wife had taken over most of the heavy work, while she had nestled into a comfortable life of retirement, becoming a "Grandma" to all of the children. And she treated them like her grandchildren in turn. Even after they had found new homes or moved out on their own, she kept in touch with everyone as best as she could. She had a safe full of letters and emails from all over the world, and news clippings, detailing the antics of her, by now dozens, of "Grandchildren." It had been a good life, and even though she knew she didn''t have much more time to spend with them, each day was filled with smiles and happiness. Until a month ago, that was. They had been eating dinner when the windows appeared. At first, Bella thought she was having an adverse reaction to her new medication, but she soon realized that she wasn''t the only one to see them. Matthew, the young black boy who was both their oldest (16) and longest child, had been the first the react. She could still see the emotions that played across his face in those first few moments. First confusion, then amazed joy, quickly followed by terror as something dawned on him, and he began to hyperventilate. When the strange little creatures appeared from the windows, all speaking in the same voice, explaining about some game or another, Bella had almost laughed out loud. Was it some kinda prank his son was playing? She''d seen the neat little holograms that were being developed on TV, but she didn''t know they were this advanced. And then the world shook. No, not just the world. Everything. The ground, the air, the house...her Soul. Was she dying? was this how she went? Then, before she knew it, it was done, and the windows vanished. Everyone stood around in shocked confusion, as several of the younger children burst into tears. Matthew seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown, as he screamed that they all needed to hide, to get to the safe room her son had built, while her daughter-in-law tried to calm the young boy down. No one seemed to know what was going on, and everything was in chaos. Her son was on the phone, trying to get a hold of someone, anyone, but nothing would go through. Then they heard the crash from the parlor. It sounded like someone had broken in and started wreaking the place. The dining room went silent, as my son stood and walked upstairs, shortly returning with the shotgun he kept in the gun safe in his office. He gave everyone a look, then put a finger to his lips before making his way to the parlor. Matthew clung to his legs, tears streaming as he shook his head back and forth, begging him not to go. Her son had simply given that gentle smile of his that told the kids, "everything would be all right," then walked away. The next few moments past, before the sharp crack of a shotgun, echoed from the parlor, shortly followed by another, then nothing. They waited in silence for her son to appear around the corner, but with each passing moment, he didn''t a sinking feeling grew in Bella''s heart. Her daughter in law silenced the whimpering children, before passing the struggling Matthew to her, and stood, carefully making her way to the parlor. A moment more, and her daughter-in-law gave a scream that still haunted Bella''s nightmares in the deepest parts of the night. Matthew tore himself from her grasp before dashing towards the parlor. She stood and followed after him, abet slowly, making sure to leave the next oldest, Madeline(13) in charge. She rounded the corner into the parlor, and nearly bumped into Matthew, who stood frozen, staring at something in the room. Bella''s daughter-in-law was desperately trying to drag the boy out as tears streamed down her face. Bella rushed over as fast as her old bones could move her to grab the boy when she caught sight of the room. It looked like a tornado had swept through the room. Books and wood were scattered all over, the couches and chairs torn to shreds and turned over, while every window was blown out and the glass sprinkling everything. But what drew her eyes the most was the blood. God, the blood... It looked like someone had taken a cow and slaughtered it in her parlor. And there, in the middle of the room, lay her son. She couldn''t see much of him, for the furry monstrosity blocking her view. But the massive pool of blood he lay in, and the shotgun laying next to him, cleanly cut in two, told her all she needed to know. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The moan that escaped her lips as her heart sank felt like it came from the deepest part of her soul. And yet even in her grief, some primal part of her brain told her they couldn''t just stand there. She latched her bony hands around the frozen boy''s arm and slowly dragged him out of room with her daughter-in-law. As they backed away, however, Matthew''s foot stumbled on a large piece of glass that shattered the silence. The creature locked its eyes on the boy and gave a wicked hiss, like a mix of a cat and a rattle. Bella had never seen anything like the beast standing before her; it was like someone had taken a weasel and blown it up the size of a mastiff. Then decided the thing needed ten-inch long, sickle-shaped claws on its front paws. Half of the thing''s body was bloody and mangled, fur singed and matted, with its left arm missing entirely. She assumed that was the work of her son and the shotgun. Good job, my boy. Unfortunately, it seemed it wasn''t enough. Now the thing stared down Matthew with its teeth bared. Its sickle-like claws clicked on the wood floor before it reared back and threw itself at him with speed she didn''t think was possible for such a large creature. Bella''s daughter-in-law was one step faster, however, as she threw herself between the two with a yell. The creature slammed into the small woman''s body and sent all three of them flying into a nearby wall, while Bella stood in shock. Bella could feel a warm trickle flow down her leg as her old bones shook. What the hell was that thing?! How did it get in the orphanage?! The creature stood from the pile of eerily still forms next to it and shook its head, a bit unstable either from blood-loss or the impact. It then turned its attention to the two on the ground. Matthew lay on his stomach, unmoving, while Bella''s daughter-in-law covered him, a horrific gash on her back stretching from her shoulder to her waist. Its long snout seemed to grin as it raised one of its claws to finish the job, when a chuck of wood slammed into its injured side, causing it to scream. [Bella]: "Over here, you sorry excuse for a fur coat! I''ve seen better looking rats in my dumpster!" The thing turned its head in annoyance towards the panting old woman. Bella held another piece of furniture, ready to swing it like a club as she taunted it towards her. Her brain screamed at her to run, told her she was no match at all. But it didn''t matter. She had to get this thing away somehow, had to give the kids time to escape. She had seen how fast this thing was, she doubted she could make it far, but all she needed was a little time. Madeline was fiery and stubborn, but she was a smart girl. Bella could already imagine the girl trying to shove all the kids into the safe room at this moment. Tears streamed down her face as the beast turned and inched it was towards her, its eye warily following the makeshift club. It was fine. This was fine. The children were strong, they would be fine. Madeline already nagged them like a mother, and Matthew knew where they kept the emergency contacts and supplies. They would be able to get a hold of someone, and they would be fine. [Bella] "... I''m coming home, John..." She whispered through her tears, before dropping the club and dashing towards the front door as fast as she could. The creature gave a screech, and she heard the telltale click of claws on wood, as she braced for the impact she knew was coming. She only hoped it would be enough. [Matthew]: NOOOOOOOO! But the pain didn''t come. Instead, a massive blast of cold air blew past her with a cloud of ice and snow, sending a chill running down her spine. Bella turned around, eyes wide, to see the creature (in mid-leap), encased in a thick layer of ice, only a short distance from her. At the other end of the hall, Matthew leaned against the wall on his knees, eyes glowing a deep, frigid blue, his outstretched hand frostbitten and white. Bella stood there with mouth agape, not sure how to process the scene before her. After a moment, her mouth slowly closed as a fire lit in her chest. Her hands shaking, she picked up the makeshift club she''d dropped and stared are the frozen creature. Then with a roar unbefitting a tiny old woman of 72, she slammed it into the beast with all the strength she could muster. The monster shattered like glass, sending chunks of frozen flesh and blood scattering around the room. Bella struggled to calm her breathing as she stared at what remained of the beast who had destroyed more than just her home. Then, she dropped the club and slowly made her way to Matthew. The boy was shivering, as a tiny layer of ice surrounded him, and he tried to move the fingers of his damaged hand. Bella stopped in front of him and knelt down. The two simply stared at each other in silence, before she wrapped him in a warm hug, and they wept together. [One month later] Bella was dragged from her memories by the smell of burning beans. She cursed under her breath as she turned down the heat, then gave a sigh. It had been a crazy month, to say the least, and they still weren''t fully adjusted to their new reality. But no matter what, she would protect her grandchildren. And no funny looking aliens or giant Hell beasts would stop her. She had promised that to her son and daughter-in-law when they buried them in the back yard. Promised that to herself. As if calling her out on that promise, a thundering roar sounded from somewhere outside. The house went silent for a moment before the skittering sound of small feet could be heard rushing towards the safe room. As she turned, she caught Matthew''s eye as he rushed the children to safety and nodded. The young man had matured dramatically over the past month, going from a skinny and slightly nerdy young black boy to a powerfully built and steadfast young man. When the weasel creature had attacked them, he''d awakened a natural talent for Cryokinesis, and coupled with the help of the System, he was gaining greater power every day. And as for Grandma Bella? Well... The little old woman who would stand out in any senior center calmly dried her hands and made her way to the front door. She opened the door to see a sight that would have given her a heart attack a month ago. A large black tiger-like creature the size of a bus, sat on the street, glaring at her with hungry eyes. It was stopped just short of the lawn; however, by a massive glowing barrier swirling with mystical symbols, she was only starting to truly understand. Each time it struck the barrier, its paw would rebound with a blast of golden lightning. The black tiger began to pace in frustration, unsure why it couldn''t break the seemingly thin wall between itself and its prey. Bella just stared at the creature with cold eyes, before giving a humph and snapping her fingers. A huge illusionary symbol with an eight-pointed star appeared above the Orphanage. Matthew had called it a "Bagua" or "Eight Trigram", whatever that was, but Bella thought it looked more like a compass rose, herself. The image began to shimmer with light, then ripple like water as eight massive swords, each the size of the tiger, emerged from each point of the star. One was a glowing, shifting lash of flames, another seemed to be carved out of living wood, leaves still fresh, a third again flowed and twisted like mercury as light bounced off its silver surface. Each was different, and yet each gave off an air of majesty, of power, so much that the Black Tiger felt its spine tingle. It lowered its head, ears laid back and gave a loud hissing like sound before slowly backing away. As for Bella? No one would hurt Bella''s family again. Not as long as she drew breath. Book 1 – Chapter 8: The tangled threads of Fate – Bobo Boston, Massachusetts. Harlequin Brother''s Circus. No one ever asked Bobo what he wanted to be when he grew up. As the son and grandson and great-grandson of a Clown, Bobo''s fate was chosen for him from the start. It didn''t impress his father that he''d built a working engine from scrap for his Junior year Science fair. When the US army offered him a scholarship to one of the most elite military academies in the nation, his father had shaken his head and burnt the letter. When the President himself had shown up at their house to congratulate their son for cracking a cipher that had stumped top experts for years, his parents had turned them away at the door. No, no one has ever thought to ask Bobo... And Bobo never had the guts to argue. He could blame it on his father''s seemingly random bouts of anger and violence. Or maybe on his mother''s lack of care for anything not in a bottle. He could even blame it on his naturally introverted nature, frequently preferring the comforts a book to other people (ironic for a clown). But no, he knew the answer. He was simply a Coward. That was all. He always had been; ever since he was young, he could never say no to anyone. Not his "friends," not his teachers, or the bullies, and especially his father. Well, look where that got him now? Juggling slippery objects in a worn-down, half trashed tent while a bunch of angry little monsters booed and hissed at him from the stand. He used his foot to press a peddle on a nearby chest, which threw a sharp butcher knife into the air. With practiced hands, he snatched it out of the sky and added it to his ever-growing circle of random juggling objects. That at least seemed to get a rise out crowd, though their mocking grins and crackling laughter just made Bobo''s cheeks flush with anger and frustration, rather than pride. One member of the audience nudged their buddy sitting beside them and held something up with a grin. Their buddy laughed and nodded, then grabbed the object and hurled it towards Bobo. It wasn''t the first time this had happened, and he''d grown to expect it by now. He reached up to grab it and add it to his circle, but as the object entered the light of the stage, Bobo felt his stomach lurch. He froze, as the other objects tumbled out of their orbit and fell to the ground. The object in his hand had long, brown hair, matted in blood and dirt, and something else he didn''t want to think about. Its face was still frozen in a look of shock and terror that would never fade. It was a head. A human head. Bobo screamed, tossed the head back into the stands, inciting a fit of hysterical laughter from the crowd. Suddenly, dozens of random body parts rained from the stands, pelting Bobo and adding a new layer of filth to the already dried blood and grime that caked his costume. Bobo''s eyes seethed and boiled as he stared up at the green, warty audience that surrounded him by the hundreds. The knuckles of his hand went white around the handle of the butcher knife as he felt himself shake, and his teeth grind. Then, all of his rage and frustration vanished, as a deep voice from the stands washed over him like a bucket of cold water. [???] "?O?I?G, ??O??. YO? TO?? T?IS O?E YO? ?O??? ?I?E? T?E ???TY ??. ?E ??E ?IS???OI?TE?..." [Bobo]: "Th-That was only the first act, your Majesty! Fear not, I''m sure you''ll enjoy what I have in store next! It''ll blow your socks off!" [Random Heckler]: "Stupid Human! the Great King doesn''t wear socks!" There was a moment of silence, before poor goblin heckler proceeded to explode into a fountain of meaty chunks as its neighbors scattered. [Goblin King] "???T ???E ?E TO?? YO? ?IT?ITS ??O?T I?TE????TI?G ?S? ?S ?O? YO?, ?????, ?E ??E ? ?E??I??? KI?G. YO? ???E O?E ?O?E ?????E. I? YO? ???''T ??KE ?E ???G?, T?E? ?E''?E S??E ?E ??? ?I?? ? ?O?E...E?TE?T?I?I?G ?SE ?O? YO?." [Bobo]: "Thank you my King! Your wisdom and mercy know no bounds!" Bobo bowed several times to the massive figure that took up nearly three rows all by itself. His heart was racing so fast he thought it was going to explode. He didn''t even see how the goblin heckler had died. The King had simply pointed at the thing as it was done. As he stood, Bobo''s eyes drifted towards the glowing blue screen at the corner of his vision.
WARRNING! Sponsored Quest initiated! Party Time! Objective: Provide entertainment to the Goblin King''s Victory Party - 0/1 Reward: 1 Rank-C skill token, Class: Royal Jester Sponsor''s Message: ''OH! OH! ASK HIM IF HE KNOWS ANY MAGIC TRICKS! I love magic tricks!" - ?????????????????????????
A smile crept on Bobo''s face, hidden by the shadows and makeup, as he watched the window fade away. No, no one ever asked Bobo what he wanted to be. No point asking a coward who couldn''t say no. But then again, that worked just fine for him. That just gave him the room to do what he did best. Thus, amidst the booing crowd and drying blood, the gears of a revolution began to turn, and a plan that would shape mankind''s future was born.
Obtained C-rank Soul Stone (lvl 42 Leviathan Worm [Young]) "Leviathan Worms never stop growing, and will continuously seek out larger and stronger hosts. Rumor has it that the oldest and most powerful of the Leviathan Worms feed on the very heart of Planets, gaining them the moniker of ''Worldeaters''. " - Extract from "The Universal Guide to the Beasts of Laniakea"
Processing Data, Standby.... Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Warning: Data overload. Host Soul has entered critical state. Attempting to re-calibrate..... Processing Complete. Please choose from the following
1): Class Change - Titan (C-rank) 2): Class Change - Symbiote (D-rank) 3): Class Change - Bioweapon (D-rank) 4): Race Change - Worldeater (Humanoid) (A-Rank) 5): Race Change - Worm-kin (Humaniod) (E-rank) 6): Assimilate - Gain 20% of absorbed Soul''s accumulated experience. 85% of gaining random skill, C-rank or below from absorbed Soul.
Please make your Choice....
Please make your Choice....
Please make your Choice....
Host Soul unresponsive, beginning automatic selection. Scanning. Congratulation, you have gained the Symbiote Class!
Symbiote Rank-D [Whats mine is yours and whats yours is mine] +10% Health per Class Level. +22.5% Mana per Class Level + 5% Attuned Target''s base Health/Mana per Class Level (added to Symbiote''s total Pool). +10% of Attuned Target''s Health/Mana per Class level (added to Target''s total Pool). +3 Attuned Target limit per 5 Class levels. Gained Skill: [Mana Sight] (E-rank) Gained Skill: [Siphon] (E-rank) Gained Skill: [Duplicate] (D-rank) Gained Skill: [Graft] (E-rank)
Contestant ID# - Sol-03-00000000001 has leveled up! Contestant ID# - Sol-03-00000000001 has leveled up! Contestant ID# - Sol-03-00000000001 has leveled up! Contestant ID# - Sol-03-00000000001 has leveled up! Contestant ID# - Sol-03-00000000001 has leveled up! Contestant ID# - Sol-03-00000000001 has leveled up!
Jonah groaned and clutched his brain pounded against his skull in the worst hangover he''d ever had. Even worse than that time Uncle Billy had challenged him to a drinking contest. Never try to out-drink a sailor, especially one who fancies himself a modern day swashbuckler. [Jonah]: What the hell happened?
Response: Host attempted to absorb a Soul far beyond their capacity, resulting in significant soul damage. Host was placed into a induced state of suspension while the damage was repaired.
Jonah froze as the window popped into existence in response. After a month of trying everything he could thing of to get the System to respond to his inquires, to no results, it finally did? What changed?
Response: This is an automated response system designed to help the Host rehabilitate from the sustained soul damage. Host is advised to remain calm and refraim from excessive Mana consumption until otherwise stated.
Annnnd now it was reading his mind... just great... At least now, he might be able to get some answers. He struggled as he sat up, a wave of fatigue washing over him like he hadn''t slept properly in days. He thought about sending out a pulse of [Arcanic Regeneration] before the System''s warning flashed in his mind. He didn''t understand what "soul damage" really ways, but the name alone told him it was better not to risk anything. His legs shook as he stood, and a wave of dizziness slammed into him. After a moment, the sensation passed, and he looked around. Only to realize he COULD look around. He could see. Well, not really "see." His eyes told him that the faint blue glow that the Worm''s blood produced had long since faded and thrown his prison back into perpetual darkness. But at the same time, a different kind of "light" suffused the environment. It seemed to radiate dimly from every inch of space around him, producing a high definition image in his mind. It wasn''t until he noticed the way the "light" rippled and flowed as he breathed that it clicked what he was seeing. It was mana. Jonah turned his attention back to the overlapping windows he''d dismissed and started to flip through them. Eventually, he came across the most likely culprit of the strange sensation.
Mana Sight Rank - E (upgradeable) Level 1 Passive [Once you open your eyes to the truth of the World, there''s no turning back...] - Marrco the Mad Promotes the growth of Photoreceptive cells in the user''s eyes that are attuned to Mana wavelengths. Each level increases the number of these cells present, resulting in a higher sensitivity to Environmental Mana. Can be further upgraded to focus on Mana Cones, increasing the user''s ability to differentiate the type and nature of mana, or Mana Rods, increasing their ability to detect the intensity and movement.
Marrco the Mad again, uh? Jonah could only shake his head. He was still hesitant to trust anything from that man, but he had to admit, the skill was useful. If he understood it correctly, increasing its level would be a general, overall boost, mostly thanks to just the increase of cells. On the other hand, specializing in Mana Cone would likely focus more on the mana equivalent of "color" or wavelengths. Where Mana Rods would increase the "detail," he could take in. He was pretty sure that wasn''t how eyes really worked, but then again, given what he learned from [Arcanic Regeneration], not many things from Marrco made sense. The best part of the skill was it seemed to be passive. No upkeep needed. Jonah looked around, taking in the odd sensation of [Mana Sight], the best way he could describe it, was seeing the world through one of those old-time black and white films. Colorless other than different shades of black, while being slightly grainy and distorted. He assumed this had something to do with the low level of the skill, but he didn''t have any way of confirming it yet. He found himself standing in the middle of what he assumed were the remains of the Leviathan Worm''s head. It was a bit hard to tell since a good half of it had already been digested, leaving only the thick, heavy shell. In fact, it seemed most of the Worm had met a similar fate, as bits and pieces of shell littered the chamber, in surprisingly good condition, for as far gone as most of the squishier bits were. How long had he been out for? More questions he didn''t have answers to. Hopefully, now, he could start to put some of the pieces together. But first, he had one more thing to do. Jonah flicked open his quest description with a grin but soon found his lip twitching...
Sponsored Quest Complete! Obtained E-rank Skill token x1 Sponsored Message "JASMINE! NOOOOO! YOU MONSTER! Do you have any idea how expensive she was to raise?! You''ll be hearing from my lawyers, you Bastard!" - Slasherlover72
Jonah couldn''t help but feel a pang of something akin to ... disappointment, well up in her heart as he closed the window. But soon, he threw the thought to the back of his mind; There were more important things to worry about now. And it was about time he got started... Book 1 – Chapter 9: Step one, attach monster worm leg A to carved port B. [Jonah]: "Come ooooon, move you ******!" Jonah grunted and moaned as he strained against the carapace. He stood in the middle of one of the Worm''s armored sections, foot planted firmly at the bottom of the concave surface while slowly bending the edges upwards. After the Worm''s death, most of the fleshy bits had rapidly digested, leaving behind a mountain of harder than steel, acid-resistant carapace plates, and dozens of spear-like legs. At first, he wasn''t sure what to do with it all. He wasn''t totally sure what to do period. The past few days had felt like he was walking through a thick fog. Sometimes he would find himself motionless for hours, staring out into nothingness. His "Assistant AI" had had said this was a common side-effect of soul-strain. Apparently, it would get better with time, but it would be a slow process. Some medications and skills could help him recover faster, but nothing he had access to at the moment. The first day had been the worst. The AI had to continually remind him of simple tasks, such as when to eat or not stand in neck-high acid staring at a particularly pretty mote of mana for 3 hours. It as also been the one to recommend he spend his token on his new skill.
Macgyver E-Rank Level: 3 (Beginner) ["Any problem can be solved with a little Ingenuity" - Macgyver] Give them a paperclip, a rubber band, and a 2x4, and a Master can make you anything. This skill greatly increases the user''s critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. It also grants a basic form of material manipulation when crafting without proper Tools.
The AI had called this skill "Improvised Crafting," and mentioned that it was one of the more basic "Survivor" skills common throughout the 100,000 Galaxies. That was interesting, given the name, but then again, everything in the system had been in English so far, and several skills referenced obvious Earth influences. Maybe they had been watching Earth for longer than he''d thought? Or maybe it had just scanned his brain and made adjustments accordinglymore questions to ask. Bah! He was going off on a tangent again, however. The soul-strain made it hard to focus his thoughts for very long though he was catching himself more with each passing day. Where was he? Or right. The skill. The AI had mentioned it wasn''t a "proper" crafting skill like some others. It wouldn''t grant some supernatural flash of insight or knowledge. Nor would the system appraise or rate his creations like other crafting skills (at least until he hit Journeyman). This was partly what made it one of the cheapest and easiest skills to pick up. Instead, the skill would significantly increase his "imaginative" thought processes, allowing him to make the best of the resources and tools he had in a specific situation. For this reason, many professional crafters took the skill on the side, along with their focus. It also granted a very weak form of material manipulation, letting him more easily shape and manipulate the things he was trying to work with. As a bonus, the skill would help him in his recovery to a limited extent. It wasn''t anything intentional, but more like "physical therapy for his mind," if he correctly understood the AI. Like how small, repetitive exercise could help a patient recover from an injury, the skill would stimulate his mind and improve his recovery. All he was feeling at the moment, however, was frustration. Sweat poured down his back as he gasped for breath. It was harder than he thought it would be. The skill didn''t let him tear, or fuse materials together, but it did give him the option to bend, or twist them in small ways. It didn''t really affect the material itself; instead, when he touched the carapace, he seemed to instinctively know where it''s "weak points" were. The points where he could more easily bend and manipulate it in the way he wanted. But it was still a slow process; the carapace was like a thick sheet of aluminum, hard and metallic at first glance, but flexible in a way his brain told him metal shouldn''t be. Centimeter by centimeter He bent the side of the carapace section upward, until 3 days later, it was roughly the shape of a J. He had an idea of what he wanted to do, but it wasn''t sure it would work yet. [Macgyver] let him almost form a "blueprint" in his mind and categorize each step, but he soon found that there was still a trial and error aspect to it. It made sense; the skill didn''t actually give him any knowledge, only let him more easily picture what he wanted to do. One down, a dozen more to go... Two weeks, and eight more levels of [Macgyver], Jonah stood on a rudimentary platform rising out of the acid below. He had used a simply locking joint his Uncle Bo had taught him, to lock several of the carapace sections into serviceable, if uneven, floor. Uncle Bo always had liked craft projects like this; he could still remember all of the crazy and insane things they''d built together when he was younger. The man was a genius when it came to working with his hand; it was why he''d risen to be one of the most respected Field Engineers in the US military. He didn''t even question how his uncles were doing in this whole mess. There was no way those three crazy men would lose to something as insignificant as the end of the World. Heck, they were probably having the time of their livesjust one more reason he needed to get out of this place. Wait... focus, Jonah! The platform, right. The locking joints took the longest time to finish. Thankfully, it seemed working with such difficult material increased his skill at a faster rate. This, in turn, slowly increased what he could effectively do. The Worm turned out to be a treasure trove of materials. The death tentacles were rubbery and elastic, and thankfully acid-resistant. They hadn''t so much as "rotted" as "shriveled," leaving behind thick, fibrous strands. He managed to repurpose them into a makeshift rope and used them to reinforce the platform further. The Worm''s head was another boon. After a week soaking in in acid, all of the fleshy insides had dissolved, leaving a leathery outer skin. With a little work and the leftover blades of the death tentacles, he managed to shape it into something workable. Next, he used the large, pointy legs to drill into the carapaces of his platform. This had taken another two days; both were extremely durable, and his low strength made a slow process. Eventually, he managed to drill out holes wide and deep enough for him to socket several of the more massive legs into. Then, using the legs as support beams, he stretched the worm leather out, creating a simple tent-like structure, using tentacle rope to reinforce the whole thing. It wasn''t pretty, and it stank to high heaven, but he felt a sense of pride as he looked up at his new home. Maybe it was the fact he''d not have to sleep in pools of acid, or moist, squishy flesh anymore, but for the first time in months, he felt... satisfied. Or maybe it was just human nature not to want to feel so exposed. Using a tentacle scythe, he carved a large grove under his old alcove and jammed the platform about 1/4 of the way in. The Snake''s flesh wiggled and squirmed around it as it regenerated, anchoring the platform into the wall. Hope was that the flexible nature of the carapace, coupled with the loose, locking joints, would allow the platform to move and bend with the Snake. Not that the Snake moved very often, it seemed. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Afterward, he took the scythe to his old alcove, expanding it and digging deeper into the increasingly hard flesh. The scythe was much more durable and sharp than the claw sickle, and soon he dug out space the size of a small bedroom. He then used acid to cauterize the wounds and prevent regeneration. He used this new space as a storeroom, moving the rest of the worm leather, tentacle rope, carapace, dozens of legs, and tentacle scythes over the next few hours. There were a few other bits and pieces that had survived the digestion process as well, but he wasn''t sure how to make use of them just yet. Soon the room was jam-packed full of Worm materials to last him awhile. His project had taken nearly three weeks and netted him 13 more levels of [Macgyver]. He could feel his mind starting to clear up too. With each passing day, he could focus a little longer, think a little clearer. With a wave over his hand, he brought up his status screen.
Name: Jonah Hilannd Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000000001 Class: N/A -> Symbiote Level: 0 -> 6 Titles: 1 Viewership Rank: #324,322
Health: 112/100 -> 221.2
Mana: 34/135 -> 456
''Current Status''
Malnutrition (Minor, Recovering), Soul-Strain (Minor, Recovering)
Class Skills: [Mana Sight]-lvl 5, [Siphon]-lvl 1, [Duplicate]-lvl 1, [Graft]-lvl 1
Basic Skills: [Minor Acid Resistance]-lvl 13, [Breathless]-lvl 8, [Arcanic Regeneration]-lvl 4
Crafting Skills: [Macgyver]-lvl 24
Special Skills: N/A
Absorbing the Worm''s Soulstone had netted quite a bit of profit. He had to admit, he was slightly disappointed he didn''t get to make a choice himself. He could see how either Titan or Bioweapon could be handy in his situation right now, even if all he knew were the names. As for the race changes, while the A-ranked "Worldeater" seemed to be a powerful and obvious choice, the name was ominous and dangerous sounding. And there was nothing to say about "Worm-kin" (*shiver*). Besides, Jonah wasn''t too sure he was ready to give up his humanity, just yet. Even if it meant it would be easier to escape. Out of all of them, Symbiote seemed to sit right in the middle of what he would have chosen. He didn''t know what the standards for Laniakea were, but the bonuses seemed strong. He''d doubled his Health in six levels, and his mana pool increased by a massive margin. And it seemed they would only snowball from here. Unfortunately, the class seemed to be geared more towards a support role, or maybe Summoner/Tamer type. And the skills reflected his guess, as well.
Siphon E-Rank Level: 1 Active ["Ever been around someone who just sucks the life right out of you?"] Allows the user to drain the target''s HP/MP pool at a rate of [(Class Level + Skill level) - Target level]% the User''s HP/MP pool per second, as long as physical contact is made. 1* Alternatively, the user can transfer half this rate to the target instead. Siphon rate can not exceed 15% HP and 20% Mana per second, in either case. Formula examples: [6+7] - (level 10 enemy) = 3 = 3% HP/MP per second. [20+12] - (level 15 enemy) = 17 = 15% HP + 17% MP per second [63+31] - (level 63 enemy) = 31 =15% HP + 20% MP per second [20+12] - (level 63 enemy) = (-31) = 0% HP/MP per second
Duplicate D-Rank Level: 1 Active [? Anything you can do, I can do better! ?] Allows the user to read and duplicate the skills and traits of an Attuned Target. Duplicated skills remain active for 24 hours per 5 Skill levels. Duplicated traits remain active for 1 hour per 5 skill levels. Duplicate can fail if the attuned Target''s level greatly exceeds the users. +1 Duplicated Skill Slots per 2 Skill levels. +1 Duplicated Trait Slots per 10 Skill Levels.
Graft E-Rank Level: 1 Active ["We can make him better than he was. Better...stronger...faster"] Allows the user to graft duplicated skills and traits onto a Target. User must make physical contact with the target in order to activate Graft. Grafting consumes the grafted Skill or Trait from the user. Grafted skills remain active for 24 hours per 5 Skill levels. Grafted traits remain active for 1 hour per 5 skill levels. +1 Grafted Skill Slots per 2 Skill levels. +1 Grafted Trait Slots per 10 Skill Levels.
[Siphon] seemed simple enough; it reminded him of similar "Leech life" abilities in the games he played. It would take some getting used to, but he understood the general gist of it. [Duplicate] and [Graft] were a whole other beast, however. It felt like there was some Blue Mage style skill stealing going on at first. But the time limit and requirements make him feel like his tamer/summoner hypothesis was more likely. Depending on what the requirements for "Attuning" were, another possibility was as some kind of Buffer and support class. If [Duplicate] didn''t affect his target, he could envision a future were he swapped and traded powerful skills and traits between his allies, or maybe "copied" a powerful person''s abilities to act as their support. Since [Graft] didn''t require the target to be attuned, could he do something stupid and graft a bunch of powerful skills onto foot soldiers and create a super army? Or was there some limits he wasn''t aware of yet? His mind raced with ideas and possibilities. Thousands of branching paths his future could take. Though he didn''t know if it was the excitement of finally having the space to breathe and think about his situation, or just the influence of [Macgyver], either way, Jonah could feel his blood start to burn. After months of either struggling to survive the next moment or feeling lost and helpless, he finally saw the way forward. It was too bad the only other thing he could test the skills on, was the Snake. Unfortunately, he still didn''t know what the requirements for "attunement" where, and even if he did, he highly suspected the Snake was far out of his league. His only other choice to wait for the Snake to swallow something and pray it survived the trip down, and God knows how long that would take. What he needed now, though, was information. And luckily, he knew just where to get it. [Jonah]: Hey, AI... I have some questions...
I am here to Help. Please feel free to ask when you are ready.
Book 1 – Chapter 10: A Hitchhiker’s guide to Laniakea (part 1) Jonah paced back and forth on the platform, grumbling and grinding his teeth. The past few minutes had NOT gone well at all... [Jonah]: "So, what are you exactly?" [AI]: "Response: I am your temporary personal assistant, assigned to answer inquiries, and assist in your recovery." [Jonah]: "Yes, you''ve said that already, but why? Who sent you? You can''t expect me to believe ''The Game'' is suddenly benevolent enough to send some helper, not after everything that''s happened so far. [AI]: "Response: Please refer to ''The Game'' manual articular 11S3-2A for rules and regulations regarding System support and sponsored care packages. [Jonah]: "AAARUG!" Jonah grunted and threw his fist into the meaty wall nearby. Then immediately regretted it as a sharp pain shot up his still injured forearm. This had been going on for a while now. He''d ask a question, and 9/10 times the AI would tell him to ''look in the manual.'' He wasn''t sure if the AI simply couldn''t answer his questions, or if he wasn''t asking the right ones? Like was it one of those automated phone bots that only responded to precise commands? Though his gut told him that a system sophisticated enough to spawn giant monsters and create literal magic, shouldn''t be so... simple. None the less, he was able to glean some basic information as well. For example, by the AI''s response, he could make a reasonable conclusion; this "assistant AI" was some kind of care package by one of the sponsors. From who, and for what reason, he couldn''t speculate, but given its limited abilities and lifespan, it probably wasn''t something expensive. Though to be fair, he assumed it''d be more useful if he still had his manual... Maybe one of his "viewers" just wanted to see him suffer more in the better of a snake and was trying to keep him around longer. Whatever the reason, it did tell him something else. Sponsors weren''t just able to send monsters after him (though he didn''t doubt it would happen again), they were able to support the "contestants" in other ways as well. Maybe the most popular contestants were already being sponsored by some rich young master in some distant galaxy. It gave him hope that maybe, there might be someone strong enough out there to rescue him. He wouldn''t rely on some slim possibility, though; at the end of the day, the only one he could rely on to help him was himself. Besides that, he doubted there were many (if any) truly "benevolent" viewers of this sic[k game. Jonah activated a short burst of [Arcanic Regeneration], and winced as the pain in his arm was replaced by one in his head, though it quickly faded. The soul-strain still put a limit on his mana use, but he found that he could use these short bursts to speed up his recovery if he was careful. He rubbed his temples and tried again, this time remembering to keep his questions as direct and straightforward as possible. [Jonah]: "So what information CAN you tell me?... that''s not in the manual?" [AI]: "Response: This system is authorized to instruct the host on the following;
      1. Inquires about host health and status.
      2. Inquires about system basics related to host recovery.
      3. Suggestions regarding skill and training exercises to assist in host recovery.
Great. So basically, a glorified nurse bot. But instead of a sexy android, he got a floating box. He guessed you get what you paid for (not that he was the one paying). Still, something was better than nothing. And it should answer some questions that had been nagging him for the past few weeks. [Jonah]: "Then tell me. What are HP and MP? This one had stumped him for a while. By "normal" game logic, HP would represent a character''s health. At 100%, they should be in perfect health. And while he definitely felt more... resilient, since his level-ups, he also noticed something strange. His head told him even the passive effect of [Arcanic Regeneration] should heal him from even grievous wounds in a few minutes. And he did notice a shockingly fast recovery rate when he was under 100% HP. However, once he hit 100%, the recovery stopped, no matter what kind of wounds he had. Only after he activated the skill, would his wounds start to heal fully. Even after three weeks, he could tell the rest of his wounds hadn''t fully healed, especially his broken ribs. He even suspected he was only healing at the average rate before ''The Game.'' [AI]: "Response: HP is the quantifiable totality of your combat effectiveness. It encompasses the physical and mental state of your body, as well as energy reserves. The higher it is, the greater your ability to perform ''work'' of any kind. Respectively, anything that decreases your ability to perform ''work'' will also decrease your HP. MP is a quantifiable measurement of your soul. It is both the storage place and generator of the energy form designated ''Mana.'' MP also quantifies your willpower and overall mental strength (not state). Greater reserves represent a more massive, more energetic soul and a healthier and more resilient mind. [Jonah]: "But then why am I still injured if my HP is already full? If HP represents the health of my body, shouldn''t that reflect my wounds?" [AI]: "Response: HP reflects your combat effectiveness. When your HP has reached 100%, the System has judged that you can function at your maximum possible output. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. In other words, 100% HP didn''t mean he was at perfect health; it meant he could fight without injuries affecting what he could do. He guessed that made sense. But if HP was everything, even just his stamina, did that mean he could lose HP just from hard work? Or was there some kind of unseen buffer? If he had to guess, his HP would only start dropping from physical exertion, when it started to affect his combat effectiveness. Like someone who could do a 3-mile jog and go straight to the gym would stay at top shape longer than someone who sits on the couch all day. Conversely, he assumed someone with injuries like his might see a drop in HP every time they tried to exert themselves. It also shed some light on how [Arcanic Regeneration] might function. It''s passive gradually increased his HP, which caused the system to "reset" his body to fighting condition. But once he hit 100% HP there was "nothing left" for it to restore, meaning his body defaulted back to its normal, ''human,'' recovery rate. At the same time, it''s active ability directly healed his wounds and regrew flesh and bone, bypassing the limitations of just ''HP recovery.'' The whole thing was medically fascinating to Jonah as a veterinarian, and it only spawned more questions in his mind. Did that mean his passive and active also restored his stamina? Could he keep restoring his energy as long as he had mana? How did sleep factor into all this? What about sickness? Could he even GET sick anymore? He was pretty sure this place wasn''t the most sanitary of places, even with his constant acid baths. But he''d yet to see any signs of infection in his wounds. These were questions he could ask later, however. Right now, there was one major one he still needed to know. [Jonah]: "So then, What happens when my HP or MP hits 0? [AI]: "Response: Variable. As long as the contestant retains 1 HP, the system will sustain that contestant''s life, regardless of the extent and nature of the injury. This excludes status conditions such as poisoning or bleeding, which will factor into the decrease of HP. Once a contestant''s HP hits 0, they will lose the protection of the System and will suffer the full extent of their biological damage. This damage can manifest as shock, organ failure, loss of consciousness, mental collapse, and other such symptoms, depending on the nature of the damage. While this results in death in approximately 90% of lower-level contestants, if treatment is received in time, HP can be brought over 0 and System protection reinstated. If a contestant''s MP reaches 0, they will enter a state of mana starvation. Mana starvation will greatly low the contestant''s mental and soul fortitude, make them highly susceptible to mental and magical attacks. Skills used during Mana starvation will draw directly from the soul, increasing their cost by 2x (represented as a negative reserve, IE -20/450[-10]), and injuring the soul. This will temporarily decrease their total regeneratable mana pool by the Skills base cost until the soul has healed. The contestant will enter a state of Soul Shock if mana is overdrawn over 100% of their total mana pool (IE -480/450[-235]). In this state, skill cost increases 3x, and draws directly from their maximum mana pool, decreasing it permanently. If the contestant''s maximum MP reaches 0 (IE -460/0), they will enter a state of Soul Collapse. Note, except under extremely rare circumstances, contestants whose soul has collapsed will fall unconscious and expire in 3 days. Jonah groaned as he tried to take in all the information. It was a lot to take in all at once, even if he understood the basics. HP was simple enough at first glance. Take damage or overexert yourself, and you lose HP. It was interesting that the System would keep you alive even if you were only at 1 HP. While it seemed apparent that he would still be alive at 1 HP, the state he imagined someone would be at that point sent shivers up his spine. If he understood it correctly, you could be disemboweled, or burnt to a crisp, but as long as you had 1 HP left and managed to stop the bleeding, the system would keep you alive. He was sure that something like cutting the head off or disintegrating someone was enough to bring someone to 0 HP instantly. But it also left the possibility of exceptions. Skills that would keep you alive at 1 HP from an attack that would usually be fatal were popular troupes in video games, after all. More importantly, that gave him a distinct advantage with [Arcanic Regeneration] that others might not have. At 0 HP, he doubted that many would be able to remain conscious, let alone move or help themselves. They would be at the mercy of others. But with the healing passive of his Skill, even if he were knocked unconscious, it might be enough to get back over 0 HP and regain the system''s protection. It was an entirely situational gamble, but it was something to keep in mind, as well. Mana, on the other hand, was a lot more complicated than he first assumed. He had gleaned a little bit about it thanks to overmana, but he didn''t understand the extent. Just like how he could extend his MP over the limit with overmana, he could "draw" on more than he had. In fact, Jonah suspected that the MP on his status screen wasn''t a reflection of his "total" mana pool like his HP was. Instead is showed how much energy was "free" to use, with the rest of it going towards maintaining his soul or other things. He could still draw on the rest of that pool if he needed to, but there would be consequences for doing so. The first stage, he would be fine, since that was the energy he had freely available. Overmana added to this pool too, and maintaining overmana helped him ''exercise'' how much extra energy he could hold at once. Stage two, however, had him start drawing on his reserves. This was the energy his body or soul or something, used to maintain itself. Since the energy wasn''t as readily available to use, it cost more and didn''t recover as quickly. If he had to make an analogy, it would be like your body switching from readily available sugars, to burning fat. It would take time to build that ''fat'' back up, reflecting itself in a temporarily lower "free" energy pool. Stage three is where things started to get serious, however. If stage two was burning fat, then stage three was burning body mass. This was the point where there was no longer a reserve to burn, and the soul started to ''consume'' itself instead. This would cause permanent damage to his soul if he ever got this far. Probably wouldn''t feel very pleasant either. Jonah was starting to suspect this was the real reason [Arcanic Regeneration] was only D-Ranked. He''d assumed that if someone without a form of mana regeneration took the skill, they would just always be sitting at 0 mana. This new information, however, painted a much darker picture. If the user couldn''t ''feed'' the skill''s passive, it would quickly eat through their free energy before moving on to the ''fat'' and finally, the soul itself. It was a skill that could very well mean not only your death but the collapse of your very soul, if you didn''t prepare for it. Not only that, but its continually growing nature meant that even if someone DID have a way to regain their mana, they would have to always make sure their skills were up to par, lest they fall behind and start to be slowly drained. It was like a parasite, slowly sipping away at their life, continually demanding more, while dangling the sweet fruit of cheap HP recovery in front of them. Jonah''s back was soon soaked in a cold sweat; had he made a mistake? Would [Breathless] be able to keep up? Or would he fall behind and suffer that fate as well? Maybe it wasn''t such a good idea to trust something from someone called "Marcco the Mad" after all. At least he knew what he needed to do now. His immediate goal would be to focus on increasing [Breathless] as much as he could and using overmana to increase his mana pool. Luckily, his class came with a significant increase to his mana as well, so he''d be able to keep above the curve with any luck. Still, he had more questions than answers. And each answer just birthed more questions. It was a never-ending cycle, but he knew if he didn''t keep asking, then he''d be dead shortly after. Jonah took a deep breath and got into his meditation pose. No point in wasting time now. As he calmed his breath and starting to breathe in, he sent a mental command to his AI; [Jonah]: Next, tell me about Skills.. Book 1 – Chapter 11: A Hitchhiker’s guide to Laniakea (part 2) [AI]: "What would you like to know?" [Jonah]: "What are skills?" [AI]: "Memories." [Jonah]: "Memories? Of what?" [AI]: "Of events." Jonah groaned and rubbed his temples. Right, guess that was too open-ended of a question. He needed to be more specific with what he wanted to know. [Jonah]: "Let''s try this again; How do skills work? If skills are memories, then what separates them from this conversation?" [AI]: "Skills are the memories of Life and Death. Of struggle and growth. They are memories of ''The Game.'' Actions and events that go above and beyond a contestant''s ability may be recognized by the Core System. These events will be recorded and immortalized, forever becoming a part of the history of "The Game" as a skill. The greatest of these, future Contestants will have the opportunity to share in their glory. [Jonah]: "In other words, do something special, and the System gives you a skill for it. Do something extraordinary, and the System might make an entirely new one that could be put in the shop... Fine. Then what are some of the other more common ways to gain skills?" Jonah could feel another headache coming on. Most of the time, the information given was straightforward, even if a little technical sounding. But he was starting to notice a pattern when it came to things directly related to "The Game." Whether it was the Gamemaster, the System, or even this AI, they all seemed to present ''The Game'' with a theatrical flair. It wasn''t just flowery words, his brain told him there was something more to it. But he didn''t have every piece of the puzzle yet. There was still too much he didn''t know, and even more, he didn''t realize he didn''t know. Jonah''s mind raced with new ideas and new possibilities, more than ever before in his life. He struggled to come to terms with it all, like a billion piece jigsaw puzzle you didn''t have the full picture for. Was it the influence of [Macgyver]? Or was it his new levels? Maybe even the Overmana? What was he becoming? What was "The Game" doing to him? To THEM? And why? Wait... what was he doing? Was the AI talking? Had he missed anything? Crap. Despite his concerns, however, the AI had remained silent during his internal monologue, only responding when it sensed Jonah''s focus return to it. He was starting to suspect the thing was reading his mind, though he had no proof of it. [AI]: There are 3 common ways that Contestants gain skills. The most common is through the Skills shop. Skills can be purchased through Skill Tokens gained from Sponsors, Quests, and Seeds. Next is through Soulstones. Lifeforms of a certain level of strength have the chance to condense Soulstones, the physical manifestation of their memories and self. Contestants can assimilate Soulstones and attempt to comprehend the memories stored within. Lastly, grand acts of accomplishment may be recognized by the System and rewarded with an appropriate skill. While far more rare than the methods mentioned above, others do exist as well. Things such as bloodlines, inheritances, mystical treasures, and skill storage technologies exist within the 100,000 Galaxies. The opportunities and possibilities for growth are limitless. Not surprisingly, it seemed that the most common methods to gain skills were through the System itself. But they did leave open other possibilities as well. He could work with that. There were still questions he needed answers to, but for now, he needed to digest the information he already had. He could barely focus as is, any more info dumps would be counterproductive. Jonah''s eyes wandered towards his stockpile of Worm parts. There was still work to be done...
A Week later. Jonah turned the small, swiveling platform to face towards the Snake''s esophageal sphincter. The movement was still a little ridged without many options for lubrication. Still, at least it gave full coverage of the stomach chamber. He''d used a fundamental wheel and axle swivel mechanism using the armor plates and a worm leg. The whole thing, he mounted to walls in a similar way to his Hut platform. It would make any real engineer facepalm, but it did what he wanted it to. His fight with the Leviathan Worm left a bitter taste in his mouth. If it wasn''t for a string of good luck, he''d have died many times over. His biggest problem had been his lack of ranged options. What the hell had made him think he could melee a giant worm with razor-sharp tentacles and a body the size of a subway train?! But hopefully, he wouldn''t have to worry about that for much longer. On top of this platform, he mounted four legs and strung a length of tentacle rope between them, attaching it to a pouch of Worm leather. The result was a rudimentary mounted slingshot style weapon. Initially, he''d wanted to make some kind of bow, but the materials on hand didn''t lend well to the idea. A slingshot was the next best thing. Plus, the ammo was a lot easier to make than arrows. Using some simple bone shards as pellets, Jonah began the arduous task of testing and adjusting his creation. At first, it seemed like the weapon was a failure. Even at full "draw," the pellets barely left a scratch on the armor plate he''d set up as target practice. That was when they didn''t just shatter on impact or fall into the acid pool and vanish. There wasn''t much bone left either. The sickle monster has been almost fully digested by the time he thought to pull it onto his platform. After a while, an idea struck him. Using a tentacle scythe, Jonah carved out some of the hard, rubbery flesh that composed the outer layers of the Snake''s stomach. With the Snake''s ever-growing power, even the razor-sharp tentacle scythe was starting to feel the resistance. Still, he finally managed to cut a chunk out. The small chunk of flesh was strange. About the size of his head, it felt far heavier than it looked, almost like a block of lead. It wasn''t so much "hard" as it was tough. Very little bounce when he dropped it on the platform, but sturdy and didn''t warp easily. Taking the chunk of flesh, he carved it into seven fist-sized balls, then left them dry (not an easy task, inside a stomach). Every few days, he''d dip them into the acid to kill off any bacteria. Finally, after another week, he was left with three brown-grey balls, roughly half the size they''d started as. The other four had either cracked, rotted, or been to damaged by their acid baths for his purpose. The brown-grey balls were extremely tough, even chipping a tentacle scythe when he tried to cut one. Heavy too, each half fist-sized ball easily weighed 10lb. After chucking one at a worm plate, it gave off a satisfying ring, like a stone on metal, and left a small scuff. Jonah gave a grin and retrieved the ball. Ya, this could work. He wrapped each in a thin layer of worm leather to protect it from the acid, then headed over to the mounted slingshot. Jonah took a deep breath before loading the first ball into the slingshot and pulled it back as far as possible. The elastic nature of the tentacle rope meant that it could store a lot of energy. Coupled with the projectile''s sheer weight, Jonah found his arms shaking by the time he brought it to full draw. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He took a moment to aim before releasing his grip. The 10lb pellet cut through the air with a high pitched screech, before striking the target plate mounted on the far wall. The deep voice of a gong echoed through the stomach, even causing the Snake to stir slightly. Jonah peered over at the target plate, to find the ball embedded roughly 1/4 of its diameter into the thick, metal like plate. It didn''t manage to crack or penetrate, but he was pretty happy with the results. Even if he couldn''t crack the shell of a level 40 something Leviathan Worm, he was pretty sure it could do significant damage to anything not so well-armored. With the test a success, Jonah spent the next 3 weeks building more slingshot platforms and producing more balls. Once he had a working prototype, making more was simple. Soon, there were a dozen similar platforms embedded along the walls, each at different elevations and angles, all connected by a series of tentacle rope lines and ladders. Even if one or two platforms got destroyed in combat, he had several more to fall back on. He''d used up nearly a third of his supply of leather and plates to craft it all, and half of his tentacle scythes shaping all the materials. But it was worth it, for the sense of security it brought him. Through the whole process, [Macgyver] had hit level 30, and reached "Apprentice" status, further expanding his mind and letting him further see the depths of possibility sealed in the materials around him. The AI had explained the progression of crafting skills in depth, once he''d hit 30. Apparently, they were broken down into 5 ranks. Beginner(levels 1-29),Apprentice(30-59).Journeymen(60-89),Master(90-99), and finallyGrandmasterat level 100. Each peak was a bottleneck that a craftier would have to struggle and push beyond their limits to achieve. But in return, the System would grade and enhance their works based on their skill and other factors. A blade forged by the hands of a Master blacksmith might be sharper, more durable, or even exhibit supernatural properties that an Apprentice''s blade might not, even if both used the same materials and technique. These boosts were often minor and fundamental, compared to other methods of strengthening, such as mystical engravings or enchanting. Still, their nature and the fact they could be stacked with these other methods made sure that even Journeymen would never want for a job in any world of Laniakea. Unfortunately for Jonah, the nature of [Macgyver] meant he wouldn''t see such boosts himself until he hit Journeymen. In fact, the System didn''t even recognize his creations as "items." He might as well be hurling rocks for as much as it cared. In exchange, he got flexibility and creativity. And those were far more important to him right now than some minor boost. His efforts with [Breathless] had started to bear fruit as well. After dedicating roughly 1/4 of his day to meditation, he managed to bring it up to a solid level 15 and increase his mana pool by 40. [Arcanic Regeneration] had increased by only 2 levels since. After some basic math, he''s figured out that [Arcanic Regeneration] passively drained him of roughly 1.5 mana per skill level per second, rounded up. With his current reserve, he could ''hold his breath'' for a little longer than a minute before he started to suffer from mana starvation. Thankfully, at his current level of [Breathless], he took in almost three times that expense, giving him a generous lead. Not that it was any reason to slack, however. The more breathing room he hand, the better he would feel. Hehe...''breathing room.'' Puns. *slap* Focus Jonah! He was tempted to simply stop training [Arcanic Regeneration] altogether, but that wasn''t really an option. The acid was becoming deeper and stronger with each passing day. His [Minor Acid Resistance] had already hit level 20. According to the AI, non-specialized combat-focused contestants rarely ever level 30 in their resistance skills even after years and years on the front line. Granted, Jonah doubted they were bathing daily in stomach acid. Even still, it told him just how dangerous a situation he truly was in, reaching level 20 in a few short months.
Name: Jonah Hilannd Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000000001 Class: Symbiote Level: 6 Titles: 1 Viewership Rank: #325,558
Health: 221.2
Mana: 311/496
''Current Status''
Malnutrition (Minor, Recovering), Soul-Strain (Minor, Recovering)
Class Skills: [Mana Sight]-lvl 8, [Siphon]-lvl 1, [Duplicate]-lvl 1, [Graft]-lvl 1
Basic Skills: [Minor Acid Resistance]-lvl 20, [Breathless]-lvl 15, [Arcanic Regeneration]-lvl 6
Crafting Skills: [Macgyver (apprentice)]-lvl 30
Special Skills: N/A
Jonah sighed as he closed his screen. He still hadn''t figured out how to "attune" himself to the Snake yet. The skill wasn''t very clear on this for some reason. It felt like there was something he was missing. Something he wasn''t fully understanding. His gut told him [Duplicate] was his ticket out of here. But if he couldn''t figure out how to get it to work, it might as well be worthless. And suffice to say [Siphon] didn''t work at all; the Snake was just too high of a level for him to see any effect. Well, progress was progress, he guessed. Still, it felt like he could do more. Like he HAD to do more. Unfortunately, he was starting to run low on worm parts. He wanted to keep a supply back for repairs, at least. He didn''t know how strong the acid was going to get, or when some psycho would decide to drop some other giant monster on him. As he mused on his next steps, the world shook. Or, more specifically, the Snake did. The acid pool swirled and shifted as the walls around him twisted and flexed. Jonah looked up at his creations, trepidation in his eye; would they hold? He let out a breath he didn''t know he was holding as he watched the structures buckle and twist, but holdfast. The muffled sound of fighting could be heard through the thick snake flesh, and the beast squirmed and moved. Thankfully, the belly of the beast seemed to be farther down the length of its body, as the combat seemed distant, and the Snake''s movement muted as if only moving part of its body. It would make sense that the Snake didn''t want to move much; the stomach alone was half the size of a city block at this point, how much energy did it take to move the rest of it? But then that begged another question. What kind of entity could push the Snake to move, let alone fight back? For the next hour, Jonah clung to the leg of his makeshift shelter, riding out the tempest of sound and movement. Till finally, it stopped. Soaked in acid and arms shaking with fatigue, Jonah strained his hearing, trying to guess what had happened. Had the Snake won? Or had the enemy escaped? Jonah wasn''t sure if he was relieved or disappointed. The next moment, he felt the familiar sensation of his stomach dropping as the Snake shot forward at extreme speed. The momentum ripped Jonah from his platform and slammed him into the back wall, as a massive crash sounded from outside. Jonah shook his head as he tried to right himself. When he could hear again, he noticed a rhythmic pulsing sound. The walls rippled and rattled with each wave. It was then he realized. Something was coming. And this time, he was ready! He scrambled up to his hut and started to carry ammunition to several Slingshot platforms. He''d planned on carving out storage for them but hadn''t had time yet. 20 minutes later, he had 3 Platforms loaded with a few dozen Slingshot shots, when he noticed the glow. At first, he thought it was his mana sight, but as whatever-it-was, got closer, he realized that whatever the Snake had swallowed, it was giving off an intense orange glow. One bright enough to see with his regular sight. The glow became brighter and brighter, until finally, the esophageal sphincter and reveled its payload. It was a... Office building?! A mostly intact office building covered in a massive, glowing barrier was slowly pushed through the opening and fell with a splash into the acid below. Jonah could only stare in confusion and shock, mouth agape, and head tilted. The next moment, however, a smile spread across his face. [Jonah]: ...... THE SNAKE PROVIDES! Book 1 – Chapter 12: “WORRY NOT CITIZEN! THE HEROES HAVE ARRIVED!” Jonah recognized the building as one of the newer office buildings built downtown just last year. The project was funded by the City in an attempt to draw more businesses to the city center. Each of the 6 towers had been built using cutting edge tech. Fire and flood-proof, earthquake resistant, and the lower floors could even act as safe houses and shelters for citizens in case of emergency. Unfortunately, they didn''t account for gargantuan Snakes when they built them. The Snake had swallowed a good 2/3s of the tower, which was now sitting on its side, in the middle of a brightly glowing orange barrier. The barrier, which had glowed strong enough to light the chamber, was slowly flickering and dimming, and waves of acid washed against it. Jonah climbed down from the platform and made his way towards the building. Halfway there, he stopped and returned to his hut. He''d already learned his lesson about being reckless from the Worm. No matter how excited he was, he had to play this cautiously. He didn''t know what was forming the barrier, or even if it was the same thing the Snake had been fighting, but there was no reason to go in unprepared. After a moment in the hut, Jonah emerged with his newest creations. The first was a kite shield style carved chunk of worm plate. It was dull and slightly awkward, but the worm plate''s ultra-light nature meant he wouldn''t kill himself just trying to carry it. In his other hand, he held a small splinter of worm leg topped with a tentacle scythe, forming a crude spear-like weapon. Finally, on his back, he wore a long cloak of worm leather, a kilt like strip on his waist. He didn''t have very much worm leather left, let alone enough to waste on a full set of clothes, and he didn''t have the skills needed to turn the worm plate into anything like armor. Hopefully, his cloak would be enough to protect him from any surprise attacks, while the shield could take anything from the front. Jonah returned his focus to the building. The barrier had faded while he prepared, once more throwing the chamber into darkness. After a moment of hesitation, Jonah ducked under the hut platform and pulled out a small worm plate raft he''d used to transport the worm materials. It was one of his first creations, and it showed, barely holding itself together. Jonah shook his head and tried to reinforce it as best as he could. It wasn''t perfect, but if he managed to find anything useful, he''d need a way to transport it safely back to the hut. Feeling more confidant than he had in months, Jonah finally made his way forward, as prepared as he could be. The building was lying on its side at a slight angle, but thankfully it had landed in a more shallow section of acid, only a few feet deep. None the less, Jonah didn''t want to enter in at the bottom. While the acid still wasn''t strong enough to damage the reinforced concrete yet, he didn''t want to risk being buried under debris if it suddenly collapsed. Instead, he scaled a nearby fleshy cliff and moved towards the side of the building farthest from the acid. For as large as the chamber was, the building was still a tight squeeze, taking up nearly 1/3 of the space lengthwise, and leaving only about a dozen feet of space to the roof. Jonah prayed the Snake wanted to sleep off its "meal" instead of look for another fight, or he really might not make it out of that one. He walked along the length of the building, searching for a good entry point. With the barrier gone, his [Mana Sight] took over, and he regularly scanned the building below him for signs of danger. It didn''t give him x-ray vision or anything, but mana seemed to allow for some form of ''permeability.'' At the very least, he shouldn''t be caught off guard. He needed to look for a small office or room he could use as a forward base. The gears in his head were already turning as he started to imagine blueprints for his next projects. This place could be a gold mine if he used it correctly. Hell, with a little luck, he might even find a working cellphone or something similar. He didn''t know if services were even still up or if he could get a signal through dozens of meters of monster flesh, but even a slim chance of contacting the outside world was enough. Halfway across the building, Jonah''s [Mana Sight] picked up a sudden burst of mana from deep within and several meters ahead of him. [Jonah]: "Oh, ****..." He barely had time to raise the shield, before a glowing humanoid figure slammed into it, sending him flying back the way he came. He fell on his side and rolled with the momentum like his uncles had taught him. He came up from the fall, kneeling with the shield raised, just as the glowing figure vanished and reappeared in front of him. The figure swung downward as a whip burning with mana snaked around his shield and carved out a deep gash in the front of his chest. Jonah gasped and collapsed in shock, as a burning pain erupted from his wound. He instantly activated [Arcanic Regeneration] and tried to thrust with his spear, but the glowing figure was to fast. It reached out and snatched the spear with one hand while raising the other, preparing to strike down with the burning whip once more. Before it could, however, a female voice called out from the hole the figure had blasted in the building''s side. [???]: REGGY! WAIT! That''s a human! You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The glowing figure looked towards the building and call out in a deeper voice, distinctly male; [Reggy(?)]: "The hell you going on about now, Gwen? We''re in the belly of a Raid Boss. There''re no humans here. You''re not gonna try and convince me to bargain with the Goblins next, are you?" [Gwen(?)]: "You know my skills, Reggy. [Radar] is saying ''Human,'' and it''s never been wrong before. [Reggy(?)]: "Bull****. This thing looks like Gollum ****ed a Cave Troll. And I''ve never seen any human heal that fast." Ouch. Ok, that one hurt a little. Jonah knew he probably looked like some kind of wildman, but that was just rude! One hand over his wound, trying to hold everything in as he healed, he flipped the glowing man off and wheezed through partly damaged lungs. [Jonah]: "Well, then, **** you too, buddy." The glow around the man vanished and revealing a clean-shaven man in his early thirties. His sharp features and jet black hair gave him a cold but chiseled look that would make most men jealous. The man just looked down at Jonah, mouth agape, as a woman in her late twenties with short, curly brown hair and a cute face, walked out of the hole.
One hour earlier Gwen watched from the roof of the Office building as Reggy, Matthew, Billy, and the rest of the Association desperately tried to distract the Neh?ggr Serpent. Why the hell did the King of Stones wake up so early?! They were promised more time than this! Something wasn''t right, and now the City was going to pay the price. When "The Game" started, it had been total chaos for the first few days. Thankfully, unlike the novels she often read, society didn''t immediately collapse like some bad B-movie. The casualties and destruction the spawning monster''s had caused were immense, true, but if there was one thing humans were good at, it was killing. As soon as people realized that the monsters could be killed and they could fight back, they began to organize and put up a resistance. These numbers only increased as word of "The Game" spread, and the incredible power that it could give. Governments around the world had mobilized, quickly evacuating survivors and clearing out the Monster nests and Seeds that had spawned seemingly randomly around the world. After a month of chaos, the "Contestants", started to band together and form their own groups, or Guilds, as they liked to be called (so original). A month after that, the world Governments worked with some of the larger Guilds to form the Association. A loosely connected network of major guilds and their subordinates aimed to support the contestant growth and completion of "The Game." The whole situation was starting to remind her a bit too much like those cliche Korean web novels, for Gwen''s taste. At least dungeons hadn''t started popping up and spewing out armies of monsters...Yet... Not everywhere was so lucky, however. This City was one such example. As soon as "The Game" started, nearly 3/5 of the City had been wiped out. Refugees fleeing the once-bustling metropolis had reported creatures far more powerful than those spawning elsewhere. In most places, even small arms fire had been effective at the start, the creatures that had spawned here shrugged off anything but military-grade weaponry. And it only got worse as time progressed. It was only later they would find out the reason why. A Titan had been born there. J?rmungandr, Champion of the Waves. Veerf?lnir, Guardian of the Wind. Neh?ggr, King of Stones. The three "Titans" mentioned in "The Game" handbook were the ''end-game bosses'' designed by that bastard of a Gamemaster to test Earth as he put it. According to the Handbook, they would lay sleeping, dormant until someone grew strong enough to catch their eye. At that point, they would awaken, slowly increasing in power while spawning armies of powerful creatures to defend themselves. If the Contestants managed to slay the three Titans, Earth would be officially recognized as a member of Laniakea and move on to the next stage of "The Game." If they couldn''t, the Titans would continue to rage across the planet until all intelligent life was wiped from its face. The cycle would begin anew. At least, that''s how it should have been. But something went wrong. Neh?ggr awoke nearly the moment "The Game" began. The Gamemaster himself had admitted there had been a slight... hiccup. But the details he''s kept close to his chest. Now they were suffering the consequences. In the first few months, most people hadn''t taken the threat very seriously. Yes, the monsters were much more robust than in other places, but instead of a place of fear, the City had turned into a place to grind and gather rare materials. Small trading camps had even started popping up in what was once the City''s suburbs. Once people started to gain levels and become stronger, the more influential guilds in the Association had even made plans to fight into the heart of the City. They wanted to slay Neh?ggr before it could grow stronger. If they could strangle one of the Titans in their cradle, it would make dealing with the other two that much easier. Gwen thought they were naive. Everything changed two months ago. Several small bases had been established in the City by the Association, all to find where Neh?ggr was hiding. She''d been stationed at this base near the heart of the City when it happened. They''d thought it was an Earthquake at first. The ground started to shake violently, and several of the more damaged buildings in the area collapsed. Then the ground erupted, and they caught their first glimpse of it; Neh?ggr, in all of its terrible glory. They''d spent weeks searching in vain for it, when It had been beneath them this entire time. A Gargantuan serpent, who''s massive body stretched on for miles, burst free from its underground hiding stop, wreaking nearly half the City in only a few short breathes. Its head alone was bigger than a city block. And then it screamed. The wave of force that its voice produced was enough to level everything around its head for several hundred meters. Even Gwen, who boasted of being the "most powerful Contestant" in the world, could feel her bones rattle with the sheer power it released. Several of the weaker Contestants had suffered minor injuries from the blast. At the same time, more than a few of the normal humans they''d brought for logistical support had died when caught outside. The Neh?ggr then began to violently thrash and squirm about, as if in some great amount of pain, though to this day, they''d yet to find any form of injury that might have caused it. When the Neh?ggr finally stopped its rampage, the City lay in ruins. Only a few building protected by her barrier, or other similar Contestants, had survived. As for Neh?ggr itself, it merely collapsed where it lay. Some thought it had died, but Gwen''s own skill and several other people confirmed that it was still very much alive, merely unconscious. The total destruction of the City, and the hundreds of lives lost in the beast''s rampage was a wake-up call for the Association. They had assumed that the Titans were only going to be stronger versions of the kinds of monsters they''d seen so far. Yes, strong, and maybe even dangerous, but nothing a large army of Elites couldn''t handle. Neh?ggr had shattered both this illusion... and the pride in their own strength. Book 1 – Chapter 13: A “Star” is born. The day after the event, the Association and the newly formed world Government had gathered to discuss how best to deal with the Titan. Everyone agreed they needed to take it out before it recovered. Yet, nothing they''d tried had even managed to scratch the thing so far, even as immobile as it was. Even a full-scale carpet bombing had does nothing but leave a few scorch marks on its scales. If the Gamemaster hadn''t "confiscated" some of their bigger toys at the start of "The Game," Gwen would have been all for just dropping a **** nuke on the thing and be done with it. After nearly two months of pointless struggle, unable to do anything to hurt the Titan, Neh?ggr started to recover from whatever had stunned it in the first place. And people began to lose hope. It was only by a stroke a luck that the "strongest man in the world" (even if he was only the second strongest Contestant, Gwen couldn''t help but point out), the UK''s "Sir Reginald," managed to finish a Sponsor Quest that rewarded him a powerful A-Ranked skill. There wasn''t much confidence that the skill could actually kill the Titan, but the hope was it would be enough to scare it back into hiding at least. Give them a bit more time to prepare, to gain the strength they needed. And so, just yesterday, as Neh?ggr was finally beginning to stir, the largest army of Elite Contestants the Association could gather, 35,000 strong, marched to War. So far, the battle had been going well. They weren''t without casualties, but Neh?ggr was still visibly disoriented and sluggish from whatever had previously affected it. Unfortunately, the Titan could shift and move through the ground like water, and predicting when and where it would move was difficult. But then, all they needed was to distract it long enough to create an opening for Reginald. Or Reggy, as she liked to call him. Mostly because she knew it annoyed him to no end. That''s where she came in. She might not have the skills necessary to hurt the beast, no one but Reggy did, but she COULD track it. So, here she was, watching the fight from the building acting as their command center, while her friends and comrades died. Not able to do anything other than feed data to those on the front lines. The concrete ledge she leaned on cracked and groaned under her grip as she stared stone-faced at the fight. Before she could act on the stupid plan forming in her brain, however, a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned around to see a large, muscular man, standing beside her. He spoke to her in a stern, cold voice, though Gwen could see a fire in his eyes, burning brighter than her own, as he looked out towards the battle; [???]: "I know what you''re thinking, Girly. Don''t. You''re more valuable here than out there. Besides, what would the Association do if we lost our ''Goddess''? You''ll have your chance in the light, I promise. But not now." Billy Hilannd. *Cough*, sorry, CAPTAIN Billy Hilannd. She never understood why he insisted on being called Captain when his official rank was Fleet Admiral. Then again, a man as powerful as Mr. Hilannd could call himself anything he wanted. Fleet Admiral of the United World Navy, High Commander of the Association, and 5th ranked Contestant in the world. Most importantly, he was her teacher and friend. If anyone else had called her "girly," she would have fed them to the Snake. As it was, all she could do was fold her arms and frown. [Gwen]: "... Fine. I''ll wait, Captain. But I still don''t think this is going to work. This thing ... it''s not something we should be fighting. Not yet." [Billy]: "I agree. But we don''t have much of a choice. If the Titan is allowed to roam freely, we can''t begin to predict the kind of destruction it''ll cause. If we can scare it though, make it wary of showing its head, then maybe, just maybe, we''ll buy the time we need." [Gwen]: "... tsk." At that moment, dozens of large tree roots erupted from the ground, surrounding the head of the gargantuan snake and pinning it to the ground. Gwen could feel Billy''s grip on her shoulder tighten painfully, as they watched the dozens of Druid-Class Contestants physically wilt as they entered Soul Shock in their attempt to restrain Neh?ggr. It was now or never. [Gwen]: "Do it." Gwen gave the command over comms, and a blinding light sprang into existence near the restrained Titan. This was the manifestation of Reggy''s A-ranked skill [Descent of the Starborn Hero]. Under normal circumstances, it would allow him to channel a unique form of mana that drastically increased his overall power for a short while. The stronger the foe he faced, the more significant the boost would be. Against a Titan? It was like a tiny Star had been born in the middle of the City. A long, thin strand of light extended from the glowing ball that marked Reggy''s position, stretching hundreds of meters into the air. Then, with the crack of lightning, the strand of light slammed down on to the head of the pinned Neh?ggr. The Titan roared in pain as jagged, shattered scales and chunks of flesh and blood exploded along the light whip''s path. The lashes arched and curved like a dragon as it moved down the length of the snake''s body, seeking to cause as much damage as possible. The resulting wound was jagged and twisted, like a bolt of lightning had stuck its head, then carved itself down the length of its body for several hundred meters (though Gwen guessed that wasn''t too far from the truth). Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Unfortunately, she could tell that for as horrific as the wound appeared, it was superficial. Painful? Maybe, but not much more than a flesh wound. Then again, that''s all they really needed; proof that they COULD even hurt the thing. That seemed to be all the convincing Neh?ggr needed as well. As it thrashed about in pain, it''s bindings snapped, and the Titan slowly sank into the ground, soon disappearing from the range of her [Radar]. It worked. Neh?ggr was retreating. She turned to see Billy grinning ear to ear as he patted her on the shoulder. They''d done it. Soon, the Contestant army began to retreat, gathering their wounded and deceased. In particular, the Druids had been hit hard, with some of their weaker members already showing signs of Soul Collapse. The Politicians would argue they knew what they were signing up for. That they were Heroes for sacrificing themselves for the greater good. But those pencil pushers didn''t know what real sacrifice was. They weren''t the ones bleeding and dying out here. Gwen knew that Billy would make sure their families never wanted for anything again, but she still couldn''t help feel like she could have done more. Like she could have prevented these kinds of needless deaths. Movement brought Gwen out of her thoughts, and she turned to see Reggy land on the roof with a thud. A grin split his face from ear to ear, and he strutted forward, arms held open wide, [Reggy]: "Well, what did you think? Am I good, or am I good?" [Billy]: "Hahahahha! Yes, very impressive, Reginald. We saved a lot of lives today, you should be proud. Head back down and rest up. We still have things to plan f..." Suddenly, Gwen''s eyes bulged, and she screamed [Gwen]: "BRACE!!!" She threw up her hands and a massive barrier covered building. That instant, the ground near the building rippled like water, and the gigantic head of Neh?ggr shot out, eye''s blazing in hatred as it aimed directly at Reggy. The Titan move faster than they''d ever seen it move before, the barrier barely blinking into existence before the snake''s massive jaws wrapped around the top of the building. Gwen''s barrier cracked and groaned, but held firm, as Neh?ggr slowly pushed more and more into its fanged maw. [Billy/Reggy]: ""Gwen!!"" [Gwen]: "I''ve got this! Hurry and evacuate the building! The bastard''s trying to swallow everything!" Billy hesitated for a moment, before steeling his face and nodding, before heading towards the roof door. Gwen gave a sigh of relief, then looking over at Reggy; [Gwen]: "You too, stupid, It''s after you, if you don''t take this chance to get away, you might not get another." [Reggy]: "All the more reason to stay then. If I try running, it''ll just follow me anyway. If I say here, that''ll give more people a chance to escape. Besides, if it wants a second round, I still have some fuel in the tank". [Gwen]: "... Heh" Gwen could only shake her head. The idiot might be self-absorbed, entitled, stubborn and spiteful, yet he took his job as a "Hero" seriously if nothing else. Didn''t mean anything if they couldn''t get out of this alive, though. Gwen could feel her mana slowly draining away, even with all of her optimizations and buffs, she''d not last must longer. Thankfully, the next moment, her [Radar] began picking up the signals of people escaping the building. By the time the last person, Captain Billy, had left the building, the Titan has already swallowed more than half of it. Hundreds of Contestants stood by the side, throwing whatever skills they could at it, but even those that aimed for its wounds seemed to have little effect. Billy stood at the edge, deep in thought, but as he hardened his resolve and moved to climb the building once more, Neh?ggr gave a quick, sudden twist. The building''s foundation snapped like plastic, and the whole thing was lifted high into the air. Then, in one motion, the entire building, shield and all, slid into the Titan''s upturned maw. After swallowing its meal, the Titan turned towards the army and stared at Billy in particular. It gave him a glare that seemed to mock and dismiss all at once, then turned away and plunged into the solid ground, quickly disappearing into the depths. Billy could only stare, mouth agape, before falling to his knees. Just like that, the two greatest hopes for mankind were gone.
Present time Gwen brushed off the dust and rubble covering her as she pulled herself out of the hole. Thankfully she had spare sets of clothes in her spatial bag, but that didn''t make their present situation any less... uncomfortable. She frowned at the deep darkness that surrounded them before activating a skill. A glob of light condensed itself in her palm, illuminating the area, before shooting up and sticking itself to the meaty ceiling. Surveying the situation, Gwen was glad she chose not to eat this morning. The sight of being surrounding by pulsating, squirming flesh was bad enough, but what really turned her stomach was the smell. How the hell could anything smell THIS bad? She didn''t doubt if it wasn''t for several of the environmental adaptation or similar skills she''d acquired, she''d not last long here. If not from the smell, then from the dozens of stupidly toxic gases, her other skills were picking up on. She was glad they were able to evacuate everyone in time; Reggy''s cultivation would protect him for the most part, but even the stronger contestants would find themselves hard-pressed to last very long in this place. With that thought on her mind, Gwen''s eyes drifted towards the figure crumpled at Reggy''s feet, his whip still posed to strike if it made any sudden movements. No, not ''it,'' ''Him.'' At least, that''s what her [Radar] was telling her. Even if her eyes found that hard to believe. The man sat up on bone-thin arms, his skin pale as death and slightly loose, like he''d stayed too long in a sauna. His chest, long hair, and crudely trimmed beard were matted with all sorts of foulness. His chest and limbs were covered in dozens of scars, some looking like jagged cuts, while others appeared to be freshly healed burns. The sickly brown leather cape and skirt he wore didn''t lean well to the appearance either. Even his weapons were strange. The shield appeared to be some kind of a mix between bone and metal, but it was a deep, midnight blue. The ''Spear''(?) was just a jagged metal stick topped with a wicked-looking claw that was obviously organic in nature, given the skin still attached to it. The thing that shocked her the most, however, was watching the gaping wound Reggy had caused. The thing visibly knit itself back together, the flesh squirming and healing as she watched. What the hell?! Healing abilities were one of the first things she''s trained, and she knew full well something like that shouldn''t be possible. At least not without huge mana expenditures and intricate spell work. Not even her own abilities could do something like that. Granted, she had her own... restrictions, but she learned months ago that those were only temporary setbacks. Who the hell was this? And how did he get in the belly of a Titan? He sure as hell wasn''t in the building when they were swallowed. She''d scanned it over and over. And besides, she was pretty sure she''d had remembered someone like THIS in the Army. Putting on her best PR smile, Gwen slowly approached and spoke in a voice she''d practiced often in the past few months; [Gwen]: *cough cough* Greetings, Citizen! I am Gwendolyn Rockheart, Ranked Contestant, and Captain of the United Association. I apologize for my companion''s rude behavior. Do you require assistance?" The man only cocked an eyebrow and spoke in a voice that was deep and gravely from under-use, but not unpleasant to the ear (despite his appearance). [Jonah]: "Who?" PSYCH!! Its just a Poll! So. With more people starting to pick this story up and show interest, I figure its as good as a time as any to ask the readers. Do you prefer longer (but thus, less frequent) Chapters with more meat on the bones? Or do you prefer shorter, smaller bites? (that in turn, released quicker.) So far, I''ve been trying to keep each chapter between 2400-2700 words. I''ve found this is a little longer than some other (maybe more popular) stories. But it gives me more wiggle room to tell the story how I want as well. But what do you, and the readers prefer? Keep in mind that the general "pace" of the story isn''t really going to change much, either way. No matter if I did 20 chapters in the next month, or 5, the story would still be roughly the same place. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The purpose here is more to get an idea of what readers prefer, and see where I can make adjustments. Don''t worry if there''s a lot of divide with the results, I''ll try and adjust it more on a Sliding scale, rather than an absolute. So say the pool is something like (50, 30, 20), I might change the chapter lengths to be more around 1800-2000 words. Or if its (10, 60, 40) I might make sure to keep it between 2500-3000 words. You can''t make 100% of people, 100% happy in life, unfortunately, but you can try for making most people 80% happy! HAHAAHAHAHAH! Book 1 – Chapter 14: News from the Other Side Jonah stared wide-eyed and unblinking at the small propane camping stove in front of him. The simple can of soup that slowly boiled on top was the most beautiful thing he''d ever seen. His body visibly shook in pleasure as its savory scent spread outward, temporarily dispelling the foul miasma he''d come to ignore months ago. He reached out an unsteady hand to claim this sweet ambrosia, only to have it knocked away by a small, white hand. He looked up to see a woman only a few years younger than himself, staring down at him with disapproval. Her shoulder-length, curly brown hair, small mouth, and almond eyes gave her an exotic look that was more cute than beautiful. Not particularity Jonah''s type, but he didn''t doubt she was popular. As it were, he simply returned the look and withdrew his hand, shaking out the sting. She wasn''t one to hold back. He opened his mouth to speak when another voice called up to them from below; [Reggy]: "Remind me why the hell I''m the one doing this again!?" Jonah looked over the ledge to see the Englishman named Reggy (though he insisted on "Reginald") hauling supplies into Jonah''s makeshift raft. A shining layer of light protected him from the acid, but the man appeared tired none the less. They had to move anything they might be able to use to Jonah''s base, before the acid made the building unsafe to enter. The woman, Gwen, peered down as well and spoke in a slightly annoyed voice. [Gwen]: "Because Mr. Jonah here isn''t in any condition for physical labor, and how could a gentleman ask a Lady to slosh around in snake guts. Have you no shame?!" [Reggy]: "Lady my ***! I''ve seen you personally tear that big *** bear in half with your bare hands! Don''t pretend you''re some squeamish nanny girl." [Gwen]: "Don''t let the accent fool you, Mr. Jonah. Reggy was born and raised in America. He only moved to the UK a few years back and now thinks he''s some kind Knight, since the Fall." [Reggy]: "Screw you!" Jonah just shook his head at the banter. He''d only met the two a day ago, but he''d already started to form an image of their dynamic. He guessed people able to adapt so quickly to this new world would have their ...quirks. But then again, he assumed that was the pot calling the kettle black. [Jonah]: "You two seem... friendly." Gwen blinked, and stared at Jonah, blank-faced, before turning back to stirring the soup. A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. [Gwen]: "... Ignore it. It''s difficult sometimes to - separate ourselves from our images. I''ll admit, the man annoys me some times, but his heart is in the right place. That''s a rare thing to find among Contestants, unfortunately... " [Jonah]: "....." The ''E-Ranked Goddess'' and the ''Lightforged Knight.'' Respectively, the strongest and second strongest Contestants on the planet. When they had explained to Jonah who they were, he obviously had no idea what they were talking about. Not like he got Wifi in here. In turn, they''d been shocked he never heard of them before. When he explained his situation, and what'' he''d been doing for the past few months, Reggy had straight out called him a liar. They were the two most famous people in the world at the moment, with Gwen being the most powerful person in the Western hemisphere, and Reggy, the East. Officially, they were partners, but there had always been a bit of a rivalry between them, with the leader-board switching between them on a seemingly weekly basis. The media ate it up. The "sportsmanship" between the two was a welcomed and much-needed distraction for the general populous. A bit of normality in a world turned upside down. In a way, the ''normal'' humans of Earth had become just as much as "Viewers" as their Alien observers had. Gwen seemed a bit less skeptical, but she still looked at him suspiciously. None the less, she took the time to explain the situation in the outside world, and what had led up to their arrival. The next few hours had been an emotional roller-coaster. He found himself bouncing between sorrow at the destruction of his city and the enormous loss of life, to joy that the world had managed to band together and fight back. Then back to horror when they explained about the Titans, and the anomaly that was Neh?ggr. Pieces of the puzzle started to shift into place as Jonah began to understand their host''s strange nature. He''d always assumed the Snake wasn''t some regular mob; the shear rate of growth and concentration of mana told him that. Was he the one that woke it up? That was a dark train of thought that he didn''t want to go down, or he might really go mad. The thing that caught his ear the most, however, was when they explained the structure of the Association. When he''d learned his Uncle was leading the charge, he was ecstatic. He''d have jumped for joy if he didn''t have a hole in his chest. Jonah knew Billy would thrive in their new environment, but he didn''t imagine he''d do so well. Ever since the accident, Billy had been a wreck. Out of all of them, he''d been hit the hardest by his sister''s death. Jonah often even suspected that Billy blamed himself. Billy was a family man at heart, and oftentimes, he had treated his baby sister more like a daughter. So when he failed to protect her, it destroyed him. Maybe that was why that wilted old tree bloomed once more at the end of the world. He had something to protect again. He had a reason to stand up and fight. More importantly, he had SOMETHING to fight, other than just is own memories and mistakes. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Of course, when Jonah explained who he was, the two had been even more skeptical. What were the chances, really? Reggy had suggested they killed him then and there, noting he might be some kind of Illusion or trap set by the Neh?ggr or even the Gamemaster. Gwen had managed to stop him but forced Jonah to show them his Status screen. Something he''d not even known was possible until she showed him the settings for it. The two had stared at this screen for nearly five mins before breaking away. Illusions were powerful, they could simulate everything from sights and sounds, to pressure and pain. The most potent Illusionist in the world, the ranked 14th Contestant "Dreamscaper" could even cause physical damage with his Illusions. But not even he could fake a Status screen. As far as they could tell, anything directly involved with the system was "untouchable." They dropped the matter after that, though he could still catch the two staring at him out the corner of his eye. Incidentally, when he asked if he could see their own, he was told it was rude to request a stranger''s information. .... Well, fine then...
A few hours later.... Gwen and Reggy stood on the small raft, preventing anything from falling, while Jonah waded in the acid and pushed the craft forward. After his first real meal in months that wasn''t rotting monster meat or titan snake blood, he was feeling fantastic. As the near the encampment, Reggy whistled; [Reggy]: *whistle* Woooow, I have to admit, I''m impressed. When you told me you build a camp here just using [Macgyver], I''ll admit, I was skeptical. Reggy''s class, ''Lightforge Smith'', was a hybrid Crafting-Combat class, so naturally, he''d picked up the skill as well, alongside other crafters. According to him, however, [Macgyver]''s benefits were minimal compared to a true crafting skill. It was useful for altering and adjusting blueprints to account for defects or deficits, but not much else. Even him, who headed the Association''s Crafting branch, had only managed to raise it to level 5. When they escape, Reggy felt he''d have to further explore the skills uses. In contrast, Gwen just stared slack-jawed at the rickety platform and shabby tent/hut that appeared to be made of bug parts. She was seriously contemplating turning around and taking her chances with the slowly resolving building. Gwen hadn''t offered much about her own class. All Jonah understood was that her "Queen of Slaughter" class let her directly purchase skills from the Shop with EXP, instead of having to use tokens. This resulting in a massive, versatile skill set that earned her the moniker of "E-ranked Goddess." Why E-ranked? According to Gwen, skill cost increased exponentially, with even D-Ranked skills costing nearly 10x the price of an E-Ranked skill. Since 10 E-ranked skills would give her more options and flexibility than a single D-ranked skill, she tended to focus on them. There was some wisdom in her strategy, but the gamer part of Jonah couldn''t help but wonder if she''ll struggle in the future because of it. Often in games, ''Jack-of-All-Trades'' Characters shine in the early game but fall behind those Min-Maxed characters near the end. Then again, this was real life, not a game, and if Reggy''s comments were correct, she''s not shown any signs of slowing down any time soon. He guessed they both had their secrets that weren''t such public knowledge. As they drew closer, Reggy''s eyes flashed, and he vanished from the raft. Jonah lifted an eyebrow and stared at Gwen, who could only shrug. Once they arrived, The two began piling supplies onto the platform and soon found Reggy behind the Hut. The man was standing in Jonah''s storage cavity, bent over a metal bench that he was sure as heck wasn''t there before. On the bench were several shards of worm plate, some leftover worm leather, and other bits and pieces of worm materials. Reggy moved between the various materials and examined them with various glowing tools of light, mumbling to himself like a madman the whole time. As Jonah rounded the corner, Reggy seemed to teleport towards him and grabbed tightly onto his shoulders. His eyes flashed with a feverish light as he spoke, his voice quivering. [Reggy]: "W-Where did you get this stuff?! [Jonah]: "I...Wha..." Reggy shook the young man with enough force to make him dizzy, [Reggy]: "The materials, boy! The materials! I''ve never seen anything like them! They have to be at least level 35...no, 40! Minimum! That Barbarian and I only just hit level 25, where the hell did you get something like this?!" But between the shaking and his own dizziness, Jonah could barely think, let alone form sentences. Gwen gave a sigh then slapped the manicked Reggy''s head loud enough to echo through the chamber. [Gwen]: "Yo, Crafting Nerd, give the man the chance to speak." Seeming to wake from his fever, Reggy gave a cough, his cheeks visibly blushing as he nodded. From his fidgeting hands and eyes that kept wandering back towards his table, one had to wonder when he might relapse. Jonah took a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts, before recounting his encounter with the Leviathan Worm, and the Sponsored quest. By the end of his tale, the look of suspicion and skepticism had returned to his guest''s face. [Reggy]: "Gwen and I might be able to take out a level 35 if we had the right gear and worked together. You honestly want me to believe that you killed a level 42 on your own, without levels or tools? You do understand how ridiculous that sounds, right?" He flicked his wrist and a whip of light formed from thin air. Jonah grimaced and backpedaled a few steps. Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose before smacking Reggy once more. [Gwen]: "Reggy, stop. He''s most likely telling the truth." [Reggy]: "Ouch! What the hell is wrong with you, Gwen? You can''t hon.. [Gwen]: "Jonah, when did you say this happened again?" [Jonah]: "A-about two months ago... " [Reggy]: "Gwen, what does that hav...wait... two months...hmmm." [Gwen]: "Right. The time frames match up. If Jonah is telling the truth, that would explain why we never found any wounds on Neh?ggr. It wasn''t that it wasn''t hurt. We just never thought to look INSIDE. Hell, I don''t think we could have even if we did." [Reggy]: "... Fine" Reggy flicked his wrist again and banished the whip. [Reggy]: "Let''s assume, for now, we believe you. The question is; Can you do it again?" [Gwen]: "What are you getting at?" [Reggy]: "Whatever he did, it put Neh?ggr out of commission for nearly two months. If we can repeat that, then maybe we can buy more time. Maybe even enough for rescue to come, or even enough for us to cut our own way out." [Gwen]: "The Titan also leveled a city in the process, and we have no idea where we are. We could be under a major population center this time, instead of an abandoned monster nest. Or even miles underground." [Reggy]: "Letting it roam around and cause more destruction isn''t much of an option either. You forget that this thing will spawn an Army wherever it settles." [Gwen]: "I don''t think triggering an Earthquake is much of a better option, Reggy." The two''s argument was becoming more heated and aggressive by the moment, that Jonah could barely be a word in; [Jonah]: "Ah, actually...Ummm." [Gwen/Reggy]: ""What!?"" The two snapped. Jonah could only shake his head and try to speak up with his still raw and underused voice. [Jonah]: "I think I could do... But there''s a slight problem... " with those words, Jonah''s eyes drifted towards the massive building, taking up a good chunk of their available space. [Reggy]: "... Well, ****..." Book 1 – Chapter 15: Determination and Attunement [Proofread by MarkThePotato] Cracking and crumbling concrete could be heard some distance away. Multiple whips of light steadily chipped away at the massive building on the other side of the chamber. After days of deliberation, they''d finally agreed to a plan. The first stage of which was breaking down the building into small enough rubble. After they''d stripped it of everything useful, of course. Reggy and Gwen had been alternating the last few days to get the project done quicker. Once that was finished, it would be Jonah''s turn. Once the building was in a state that it wouldn''t just crush them outright, Jonah would attempt the same trick he''d used to fight the worm again. It was dangerous and risky, and not just to them. But they had all agreed that the most important thing in the end was stopping the Titan. With any luck, that would also buy them enough time to think of a way to escape. Till then, Jonah sat on the edge of the platform in his meditation state, silently consolidating his overmana into his mana pool. [Gwen] - "What are you doing?" Gwen appeared from the hut, a fresh set of clothes replacing her battle-torn and acid worn ones from before. Jonah opened one eye to give her an annoyed look before giving a sigh and releasing a small cloud of pale blue light from his mouth. The cloud gently drifted forward, before striking the far wall, causing the chamber to shutter slightly. [Jonah] - "Meditating. The larger my pool, the more time we''ll likely buy. The Titan is growing stronger with each day. Maybe not as fast as it was a few months ago, but I can''t afford to fall behind either." [Gwen] - "Right, the overmana. I still don''t understand how that works for you. Sure, we''ve seen overmana as well. A few mage style Contestants have gotten skills capable of it. But we didn''t know it could increase your mana pool like this. Are you sure it''s not the skill. [Jonah] - "I don''t have a clue. If it is, the System''s not explaining." [Gwen] - ".... ooookay..." After several months of experimenting, the state had become like second nature to him. The best part was that the increase to his mana pool seemed to scale with the amount of Overmana. This, in turn, meant that the more Mana he had, the longer he could maintain his state of meditation, and the more overmana that would be converted. As for Gwen, she rolled her eyes and walked away. Jonah simply smirked and looked at the screen that had popped up,
Health: 221.2
Mana: 654/556
He''d already increased his mana pool by 60 in a month, compared to only 35 the first few months before he''d level up. Maybe it wasn''t much now, but over time it would only grow. After meeting his two guests, Jonah had come to a realization. He''d been slacking off. He had been passively whittling away his time here, hoping that someone would come and rescue him. He could try and argue that he was trying to survive, that he didn''t have the time or energy to think about escape. He could even say that that the soul-strain had affected his thinking process. That it didn''t let him focus or think clearly. Hell, he was pretty sure Gwen and Reggy thought he was either mad or broken. Reggy, in particular, talked down to him like a police or military officer might with a particularly dense citizen. Gwen spoke to him like he was a teenager that couldn''t be trusted with responsibility (despite being several years younger than him). He guessed he didn''t make the best first impression. Not that he really cared. He was still slightly suspicious of the two. His soul-strain addled mind had even thought they were just hallucinations at first. Or maybe some trick by the Gamemaster to taunt him. No, he could blame a lot of things for what he''d done and how he''d acted up to that point. But in the end, he knew the real reason. He was afraid. Not just of the general situation, or the giant monster snake that had eaten him; he was afraid of himself, fearful of taking responsibility. Afraid of messing up. He was waiting for someone else to come along and take the reigns from him, to point him in the direction he needed to go. It had always been like that, whether it was following his uncles around on their crazy adventures, or chasing after the shadow of his mother. He''d always been a follower, not a leader. Even when he finally had the chance to take his life into his own hands, to step out into the light and become something more, he''d let the clinic slip away. Oh, he wasn''t a slacker when it came to his work, certainly. He''d put in the effort to keep the clinic running and worked more hours than anyone else on the staff. But he''d always left someone else in charge. He''d always let others make the decisions and point them where they should go. And it had cost him everything his mother had built. Now he was faced with a choice; would he continue to simply follow orders and hide in the shadows? Or would he seize the power in front of him and do the things only he could do? As he meditated on these things, he continuously drew in more mana until he hit roughly 130%, the current maximum he could stand with his injury. Jonah''s body creaked as he stood up, and headed around back to see Reggy working once at his table, methodically cataloging and organizing the worm parts. It looked like he''d switched out with Gwen for demo duty while he was meditating. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Jonah''s lips twitched as he watched the older man shift through the parts like he owned them. Nonetheless, he held his tongue. He didn''t really appreciate the man commandeering his workspace. Despite that, Jonah wasn''t selfish or foolish enough to think that he could make better use of the materials than a dedicated Craftsman. More so, one with 20 levels on him. He recognized that they could be put to better use for mankind as a whole than he was able to offer, and to selfishly claim ''they were his, so only he had a right to them'' was irresponsible. Besides, if what they had told him about Billy was true, he was sure he''d see his fair share in time. He stifled down his complaints and approached the man, speaking in a steady and clear voice. [Jonah] - "Sir Reginald..." Reggy continued to work on the materials, changing and shifting them in ways that Jonah could only dream. He didn''t even bother to look up at Jonah while he spoke. Though his voice was formal and without any annoyance, reminding Jonah of how the nurses in his clinic often answered their patient''s owners as they finished their paperwork. [Reggy] - "Yes, Mr. Hiiland, how can I help you?" [Jonah] - "I wanted to ask for your assistance with something." [Reggy] - "I''m afraid I''m quite busy at the moment. It''ll have to wait until I''m finished here, I''m afraid. We still have a lot to do if we''re going to escape any time soon." [Jonah] - "Actually, it''s about that. I have a few skills that might significantly increase our chances of getting out of here. But I''ve never been able to figure them out. I don''t have your information network, so I wanted to see if you might have some ideas. With that, Jonah pulled up his class skill list and made it visible to the man. Reggy, for his part, sighed and put his tools down before glancing over with a slightly annoyed look. As he read further on, however, the annoyance quickly turned to intrigue. Reggy raised an eyebrow as he scanned the skills once more, the gears in his head beginning to turn. [Reggy] - "Hmmm, Interesting. You said you got this class from the Leviathan Worm''s soulstone? We''ve seen soulstone classes before, and they do tend to be more rare and powerful than store-bought or sponsored classes." As he spoke, he looked towards the building rapidly crumbling under the unstoppable assault of the E-Ranked Goddess. [Reggy] - "Well, most of the time. That being said, they also tend to be much more focused and restricted than others. I can see that here as well. Most classes, even Crafting classes, tend to get at least one attack skill, or at the very least, something to defend themselves with. This could be a spell, ability, or even a passive like weapon handling. Your class, though, seems to be entirely reliant on others. Your level bonuses are impressive, I admit, mana, in particular, is over twice the highest I''ve seen before. But without anyone to use your skills on, you''re not much different than a non-contestant. [Graft] is very interesting, though. I''ve seen skills that can copy other''s before, even if at a lower level, but GIVING abilities to someone else? That''s something new entirely... Once we get out of here, we''ll have to run some tests and determine what it''s capabilities and limitations are. I''m assuming you''re having an issue with the ''attunement'' condition?" Jonah felt himself frown as he listened to the man speak like he''d agreed to any kind of testing. Still, he gritted his teeth and cut off Reggy''s ramblings; he still needed the man''s help, it would be pointless to push back now. [Jonah] - "... Yes, that''s an issue kind of hard to experiment when there''s nothing to experiment on. I figure if we''re able to figure out this attunement, then even the class boosts might give me enough kick to really do some damage. Imagine if I could boost both of your powers by 60%?" [Reggy] - "Yes, if the sudden influx of power doesn''t outright kill you. But there is some wisdom in what you''re saying, I think. Luckily, I might have some idea of what to do. Powerful, System recognized equipment can''t just be equipped by anyone. Items, especially those of a more powerful or supernatural nature, have their own ''life'', for lack of a better term. A user has to spend time with the tool, slowly adjust and adapt to it. With time, they begin to resonate with each other, and the user can fully draw out its latent power." [Jonah] - "What? So you''re saying I''m supposed to ''equip'' people? I don''t think you''re supposed to take ''beat a mother****** with another mother******'' literally." Reggy''s eyebrow twitched at the interruption, but he continued on. [Reggy] - "No, not ''equip''. But I think a similar concept is being used here. Attunement sounds very much like what happens when someone resonates with their equipment. The name of your class is another clue, ''Symbiote'', you and those you attune to work in symbiosis, each increasing the other''s power and drawing out their potential. If I had to guess, attunement might be somewhere between equipment and Auras." [Jonah] - "Auras?" As Jonah asked, a wave of power washed over him. It felt like the sun was hanging high over his head on a cloudless day. But instead of making him sweat or feel tired, it filled him with boundless energy. He felt like he could do a 10-mile marathon and end up barely winded. As it happened, his [Mana Sight] picked up something strange. A wave of glowing mana erupted from Reggy in the shape of a bubble, enveloping Jonah and extending outward for another 20 or so meters. As Jonah watched the mana swirl around him, he felt his own mana leak from his body, mix with the strange bubble, and be reabsorbed, sending waves of energy through his body. [Reggy] - "Auras are skills that project mana outward to create a localized effect. My own, [Solar Winds] restores vitality and offers a tiny healing bonus. A wide variety of auras exist, and we''re still experimenting to determine their best use. Still, they all operate under the same principals. Imbuing your mana with a set idea or concept, good or bad, then projecting it out, where it''s absorbed by the target. My guess is that attunement works in a similar way to equipment resonance in that you have to form a ''connection'' with your target. Auras might be a way to do this, or maybe mana manipulation in a similar way. Its something we''ll have to explore later. I''ll talk to Gwen and see if..." Suddenly, Reggy''s focus shifted as he stared at what Jonah assumed was a prompt from the System. Reggy''s expression shifted from surprise, to confusion and finally to excitement. About that time, the distant sound of demolition stopped as well. The air next to Reggy flickered, and Gwen appeared next to him, visibly excited. [Gwen] - "Reggy!..." [Reggy] - "I assume that means you got the message too?" [Gwen] - "Yes!" [Jonah] - "What message?" Gwen simply grinned and showed Jonah the notification, [Gwen] - "Looks like we might be getting out of here sooner than we thought. We got to pick up the pace."
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Book 1 – Chapter 16: ?? The night’s not over yet, The party’s just begun. ?? [Proofread by MarkThePotato] [EDIT: Poll SHOULD be active now. Not sure how it didn''t take the first time.] Jonah worked at a feverish pace, stuffing as much worm materials as possible into the strange red bags. He''d be amazed by the things when Reggy had shown him how to use them. They reminded him of those dimensional bags you would often see in cultivator novels and the like. Between the four bags the man had handed him, there was just enough space for worm materials and some other more useful equipment they had scavenged from the building. Reggy now carried two of them, while Gwen had the third. The final one, he would keep for himself. He didn''t particularity trust the Crafter with everything. If at some time the much stronger man decided that he wanted to just keep everything, then there was nothing Jonah could do about it. Once they escaped, while Jonah might not be able to merely outright demand everything back, he wouldn''t let Reggy just take the rest, either. While Jonah gathered everything they''d be taking with them, Gwen and Reggy stood at one end of the chamber, fiddling with the portal device. The device appeared as a flat metal ribbon inscribed with dozens of glowing, mystical symbols Jonah couldn''t even begin to understand. The ribbon was unfolded and wrapped around three anchor points that came in the same package. Once the portal ribbon was firmly secured to the anchor points, they formed a large triangle just tall enough for a single person to pass through. Choosing where to set the portal detestation had been tricky. Without knowing exactly where the Neh?ggr had settled, it was a crapshoot. If it had buried itself, then anywhere but "up" would put them into stone or worse. But if the Titan was resting on the surface, then going "up" would mean they had a long way to fall. After arguing for what seemed like hours, Gwen finally bit the bullet and purchased the skill equivalent of an altimeter, GPS, and a few other utility skills. Most would be next to worthless to her until she gained a flight skill or other similar situations, but they didn''t have much of a choice at the moment. It turned out it was the right thing to do, as Gwen''s new skills pegged Neh?ggr roughly twenty miles off the coast of what was once the Gulf of Mexico. The Titan seemed to be resting just below the seafloor. On one hand, that slightly complicated their plans. If they went forward with their plan to ''knock out'' the Titan like last time, they risked sending tsunamis towards the nearby coasts. Thankfully, most coastal populations had either already evacuated further inland to avoid monsters, or were protected by strong contestants. There would be damage, but it would be minimal. On the other hand, it was far better than the worst-case scenarios they had been planning for. Their options would have been far more limited if they''d been under a large population center or deeper underground. As it was, the plan was to activate the portal and knock Neh?ggr out with Jonah''s skill, before making a break. Jonah felt a smile spread across his face as he thought about it. He was getting out! After 6 months of torture and struggle, he was going to be free! He''d finally have the chance to get stronger. To grow. And when he was strong enough, he''d have his revenge on this sick game. All he needed was time. Packing up the last of the supplies, Jonah approached his two guests. He was no longer the scraggly, filth covered thing they''d first met. His head and beard had been neatly trimmed and washed for the first time in months, courtesy of a spell from Gwen. The ragged worm leather tunic had been replaced by proper leather armor, plated at the joints, and vitals with refined worm plate. The armor had been ''payment'' for Reggy''s share of the worm materials. At first, he''d been reluctant, as his skills were top-end and very sought after. That is, till Gwen reminded him, that they''d still have to travel through the wilderness for a few weeks after escaping. Reggy had shivered at the thought of telling Billy they''d rescued his missing nephew, only to have the man mauled by some random beast on the way back. Only then did he agree to craft Jonah his very first set of proper armor. Of course, he took the time to reinforce his and Gwen''s armor as well. Their own armor was top-end for the current state of the world, so he didn''t need to modify much. But the quality of the Worm''s materials were on a whole other level, and by adding a few plates here and there, he''d upgraded them to another tier. This was the first time Jonah had seen proper "Crafted" gear, and he found the matter quite exciting. He pulled up the newly unlocked ''Equipment'' menu and stared at the information one last time. [Author Note: Trying something new with the table format here. Let me know if you notice anything funky or distorted about it. Not sure how it''ll look on phone or anything, yet.]
Available Outfits Equipment pieces Resonance Set Effects:

Skin of the World Eater

(Crafted by Reginald Northrid)
Leviathan Brigandine (D+ rank) A simple brigandine crafted from Kamaitachi leather and Leviathan Worm plate. Offers mild protection against slashing and piercing damage.
Worm Leather Gorget (D rank) Basic gorget crafted from poorly processed Leviathan Worm leather. Protects the shoulders, throat and upper chest from piercing damage.
World Eater''s Tassets (C- rank) High-quality tassets forged from processed Leviathan Worm plate. Incredibly sturdy, they resist all forms of piercing, slashing and crushing damage. Lighter weight than they appear, but still heavy.
Leviathan Greaves (D+ rank) Sturdy Kamaitachi leather greaves and boot set, studded with processed Leviathan Worm plate. Offers mild protection against slashing and piercing damage.
Parasite''s Tenacity (2/4): Greatly increased resistance to acids and toxic environments. [Locked] Symbiosis (4/4): Drains the wearer''s Mana to repair itself over time. [Locked] Lightforged (enchantment): Crafted by the Lightforge Smith and infused with "Hard Light". Forms a protective barrier around the vitals when struck with an attack that would normally be fatal. (recharges 1 charge per day). 2/2
The Equipment menu was another system in place for the Contestant''s convenience. According to Reggy, it would categorize and catalog any equipment and items that he had used, as well as list any kind of synergies and ''Equipment Resonance'' effects. It wouldn''t do something like automatically equip the items for you (though, according to Gwen, there were skills that would do that). But it did give the Contestants who were still learning about things like cultivation and magic, an advantage they desperately needed. Even still, he was grateful to have some proper protection now. It would take some time to get used to, but he was confident that he would at least not die as soon as he stepped out into the wild. As for a weapon, that had been the tricky part, he didn''t have any formal training with any kind of melee weapon. Nor did he have any skill tokens or other way to purchase a weapon proficiency skill. He wasn''t a front line fighter anyway, not with his expertise. Eventually, they''d come up with a solution;
Leviathan''s Reach (D+ Rank) A slingshot designed for hunting, crafted from Hard Light reinforced Leviathan Worm plate. Uses a tentacle from a Leviathan Worm as the draw, granting it powerful penetration and range for a sling of its size. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.(crafted by Reginald Northrid)
Taking inspiration from Jonah''s crudely crafted sling platforms, they had gone with a simply wrist-braced Slingshot. Being one of the first ranged weapons Jonah had any proficiency with, he was quite familiar with the design. He''d always enjoyed those hunting trips with his mother. People tend to underestimate the humble slingshot, seeing it as just a kids'' toy. But with modern materials and engineering, they could easily see their power reach levels rivaling small-caliber handguns. Of course, this came at the price of accuracy and range. Even the best slinger couldn''t match a bowman when it came to range. But at medium range, it could be argued the slingshot ruled. Its smaller size, faster projectile speed, and ability to perform ''shotgun'' like bursts, made it particularly effective against smaller, more agile targets. In fact, this made them quite popular for small game hunters, and several US states required a permit to own hunting grade slingshots. Between the crossbow, slingbow, and slingshot, Alice had branded her own passion for hunting into her son. Ironic for a veterinarian. The marble-sized shots used were a combination of worm plates wrapped around Titan flesh to give them both the weight and punch to be more than lethal to any lower-level threats they might find. In fact, when Jonah had tested them against his old target plate, he had to dig them out of the sturdy shell. While the combination of new armor and weapon might not have made him a contender for the world''s strongest, at the very least, he wouldnt be an escort target either. Before they made their escape, the last stop of the day was dismantling the camp and sling platforms Jonah had constructed. He admitted that he kind of regretted not getting to use the darn things, but they were valuable parts that could be recycled. Jonah''s platform was only a short distance from the portal itself and was the last one to be taken down. The portal had been charging for roughly ten minutes at this point. The runes on the portal ribbon were steadily growing brighter as they pulled in the ambient mana from the air. Just 20 more minutes, and he''d be free. Of course, life is never that easy. And ''The Game'' was never that merciful. As the portal grew stronger, the ambient mana suddenly skyrocketed, and the chamber pulsed. Jonah looked up from his work and caught the other''s attention, "Uhhhh, Guys?" Reggy had already drawn his light whip, while Gwen crouched low, eyes scanning the darkness around them, her voice soft and cautious. "You felt that too?" Reggy nodded his head. "Ya. Jonah, any idea what that was? Have you noticed anything like it before?" Jonah stood on the sling platform, hand on his sling, as he thought, "Not a clue. The only time I felt anything like that was when... crap..." Like fireflies at night, dozens of tiny pinpoints of mana began to gather at random points of the chamber. The gathering motes then started to swirl and twist around each other, each group forming tiny whirlwinds of mana strong enough to light the chamber on their own. Gwen''s panicked voice called out, "Son of a ..... Something''s spawning! Get ready for a fight!" Suddenly, a voice echoed through the chamber. It sounded like crackling tender and rumbling thunder all at once, dry and hissing, but youthful, like a child who hadn''t come into their voice yet. It seemed to shake the chamber itself, and echo in their mind at the same time. "?O?... ????... ?O?... ?S????!" Jonah swore and then moved to the back of the platform, grabbing several of the platform shots they''d not stored already. Just as he got the sling platform loaded, something shot out of one of the whirlwinds of mana with an audible pop. Jonah thought the Worm had been bad, with its sickly blue glow and death tentacles, but the eldritch nightmare that popped into existence made the Worm look like a cute puppy in comparison. It was a quadrupedal figure, standing roughly 4 feet in height from ''paw'' to shoulder, and nearly twice that in length. Its ill and twisted body looked like someone had tried to cram a lizard, and dog and a human into the same physical space then turned the whole thing inside out. It''s rotting, warped flesh was covered in random patches of fur and skin, while its fanged, dog-shaped head and thick tail were covered in hard scales. Its hands and feet were human-shaped but ended in wickedly curved claws that looked like they could slice through bone with ease. As the three stared in horror and disgust, the thing crawled forward. It moved like a crocodile, swinging its head and tail back and forth, seemingly immune to pain even as its ''hands'' hissed and bubbled in the acid below it. It gave a cackling laugh that sounded eerily human, before charging mindlessly at them with surprising speed. More on instinct that anything intentional, Jonah let lose the shot he had been preparing. The fist-sized projectile screeched through the air, going wide, but still managing to strike the creature at the base of its tail. It gave a dog-like yelp, and the shot gouged a hole out out the thing''s flesh. It didn''t do any kind of fatal damage, but it stopped the creature''s charge long enough for a whip of light to wrap around its neck. With a quick flick of his wrist, Reggy pulled on his whip, and it went taut, as a sickening crack sounded and the creature went limp.
Party has slain "Malformed Titanspawn"[Level 14] x1 Contribution: 20%
Wide-eyed, Jonah looked over to see Reggy with a frown and Gwen grinning like a madwoman. As if sensing his gaze, she turned and gave Jonah a thumbs up. At that moment, the flood gates opened, and more of the creatures shot out of the whirlpools. "Just great...."
The next 18 minutes were the longest in Jonah''s life. The ''Titanspawns'' had started pouring from the spawn points in droves, at least one spawning every 15 seconds from the dozen or so mana whirlpools scattered around the chamber. After missing his first few shots, Jonah had switched up tactics, instead aiming at the spawn points themselves, thinning the creature''s numbers as they spawned. The fist-sized projectiles were just too slow and the creatures too fast for him to reliably hit. He had to catch them in the brief moment of confusion as they first appeared. He''s tried pegging a few with [Leviathan''s Reach], but the smaller shots didn''t do anything to slow down their mindless charge. Luckily, they had the habit of charging blindly forward. It was like dodging wasn''t something their broken, half-formed minds could understand. The result was the creatures hitting the meatgrinder, despite their otherwise high levels. Gwen was their front line attacker, meeting each creature as they approached and proceeding to pound them into an eldritch paste. The woman''s fighting style was brutal and savage. Her blood covered form danced from opponent to opponent, leaving bodies in her wake. The sheer variety of skills and weapons she employed painted a vivid picture of why she got the name "Queen of Slaughter." In contrast, Reggy''s fighting style was much more calculated and targeted. Any Titanspawn that managed to avoid Jonah''s shot and slip pasted Gwen, soon found itself assaulted by an array of flying weapons, sheathed in a glowing light. Hammers, axes, swords, spears, dozens of weapons of various styles and types flew through the air and stuck with coordinated precision. Their flight paths created an inescapable net of death and destruction. As time went on, the ambient mana in the air began to drop, and the Titanspawns began spawning less frequently. With two minutes left until the portal was finally charged, the creatures finally stopped coming. The spawn points didn''t collapse, but he could tell that they were drained. Their glow had dimmed by half, and their swirling vortex had visibly slowed. His [Mana Sight] told him they were still drawing in mana, probably in an attempt to recharge and spawn more of the abominations, but he could tell that they wouldnt make it in time. The portal only needed a short while more, and then they''d be free. After that, they could either escape or camp on the other side and clear out any Titanspawns that pushed through the portal before it collapsed. He was going home. Jonah felt light like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Grabbing the dimensional bag, he quickly abandoned the platform. He joined the other two at the portalno time to finish scavenging the last platform, unfortunately. Gwen walked out about the same time, looking clean and refreshed as she used the same spell she had before, to clean herself of the gore. Reggy himself was spotless, having let his weapons do the fighting, while he attacked from the rear with his whip. As she approached, Gwen gave Jonah a grin and slapped him on his back and laughed, "I''m impressed! Not many hold their own so well during their first fight. You''d be surprised how many grown men collapse into a puddle when they first fight a real monster. Though I guess it''s not really your first time either, is it?" Even Reggy nodded his head, a small mote of approval in his eye. "Yes, quite so. Well done, boy." Jonah wanted to snap back that he wasn''t much younger than him when the portal device flashed, and the scene changed from the back of the wall it was attached to, to a sprawling open field. Jonah simply stared wide-eyed at the scene, unspeakable feelings welling up within him. He stood there for a moment before feeling a nudge on his shoulder? he turned to see Gwen staring at him, she raised an eyebrow before saying in a half-laugh; "Well, ladies first." Then pushed Jonah through. There was a moment of resistance, then a cold chill, like plunging into a frigid pool. Then the sweltering, moist heat of the Titan''s stomach shifted and turned into the dry, fresh air of early autumn. Jonah stumbled as his feet made contact with the firm ground for the first time in months. His eyes blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the glaring sunlight, as he felt the fresh breeze play across his skin. He stood there for a moment, listening to the sound of insects and birds, feeling the springy grass under his boots, watching the wind play between the trees as it rustled their leaves, just starting to turn for the season. He turned around and saw the other two making their way out of the portal. Jonah stared back through the portal into what had been his prison for months now, then looked around the field he stood in now. Unashamed, Jonah fell to his knees and openly sobbed into his near armor, a grin that felt like it would be permanent, stretching across his face. Gwen and Reggy looked over at the emotional man, giving him a pitied look, before moving to secure the area. They''d have to guard the portal until it collapsedno telling what would happen if one of those things got out. Finally calming down, Jonah stood, before taking in his first real breath in months. Then he froze. Jonah scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and exhaled, this time drawing in a deep and powerful breath. And coughed. Wide-eyed, Jonah began violently coughing, gasping for breath even as he sucked in lungs full of air. He couldn''t breathe. No, he COULD breathe. It just wasn''t doing anything for him. No matter how much he breathed in, it felt like he was suffocating. Drowning in the open air. Jonah''s face began to turn pale, as he fell back to his knees, wheezing. Book 1 – Chapter 17: Links in the Chain [Proofread by MarkThePotato] Reading Music recommended by @MindTwiser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoM6PHE2z9I Gwen was the first one to notice something was wrong. She flashed over to Jonah''s side, scanned him with several skills, and checked for internal injury, poisons, and curses, but found nothing wrong after the first pass. Then she noticed that several skills were pinging back as oxygen deprivation. In fact, after checking, Jonah didn''t seem to have any oxygen at all in his bloodstream. Instead, she watched as energy, mana, heat, light, even the kinetic energy formed from his panicked gasping, were all sucked into the strange tiny crystals growing from his lungs. From there, it was transformed into an utterly indiscernible form and carried through his body by his red blood cells, as they passed through the crystals. The problem was there wasn''t nearly enough. The air had already started to drop several degrees while frost formed on Jonah''s brows as he desperately sucked the heat energy out of the air. As she watched, the mana was being wrung out of him like a wet cloth, and even the light of the day seemed to dim and dull as she drew closer. Gwen had seen mutation skills before, she even had a few herself. But she''d yet to see one so... changing. She assumed this was how the otherwise normal-seeming man had survived so long in the Titan''s body. Even she could only do so by relying on a multitude of different skills. And Reggy''s high-level cultivation supported him. Gwen spoke up as she finished, kneeling down and easing Jonah to the ground. [Gwen]: "REGGY!" Reggy turned around, taking his eyes going wide as he swung his head away from the portal [Reggy]: "What the... what happened?!" [Gwen]: "Its a mutation, is all I can say. There''s not enough energy in the air. He''s showing the same symptoms as oxygen deprivation." Reggy scrunched his brow and asked in confusion [Reggy]: "Wait, if his mutation doesn''t let him breathe out here, why did he leave? Would he really rather die than stay in there?" Gwen shook her head and said [Gwen]: "No, I don''t think he knew it would be this bad. Remember, he''s been in the Titan from the start. He doesn''t realize just how high the mana levels are compared to out here. Even if he guessed Neh?ggr was higher than most, it''s still like someone going from sea level to the top of Everest in a split second. His body simply can''t adjust fast enough." At that moment, Jonah''s hand lashed out, locking onto Gwen''s wrist like a vice. She winced at how cold the man had become so quickly and gasped when she felt her mana quickly being drained from her. Being near level 27 after their fight, Gwen''s mana pool wasn''t small in the slightest, but even she panicked slightly as the rate it was drained. Though dazed and slightly delirious, Jonah''s breathing visibly eased. Reggy frowned and looked down at Jonah, the gears in his head turning before he erupted in a flash of burning light. The temperature rocketed upward, and soon, the mild autumn day became sweltering. Jonah''s breathing eased another degree as he released Gwen, and he fell to the ground, panting. Jonah rolled on to his back and groaned. His chest felt like it was on fire, and it still felt like it was slightly hard to breathe, like he was on a small mountain. When he''d recovered enough to sit up, Reggy, still glowing like a mini sun, spoke up in a stern voice. [Reggy]: "I can''t maintain this for long, Jonah. It looks like you have a choice to make..." He looked towards the portal and could see it visibly flickering. It wouldn''t last very much longer. [Reggy]: "Choice one; You can come with us. We can try to hunt monsters on the way for you to siphon, but I can''t promise it will be enough. Nor can we guarantee anywhere in the world is high enough level to support you yet. We don''t even know how long that could take. Maybe tomorrow something happens, and you''ll be totally fine. But its more likely you''ll have to wait years, feeding off others just to survive. I''ll admit, its a total crapshoot. Choice two; You go back into the Titan. You''ve survived this long, and you can do it again. It''s likely the only place that can support you right now. It won''t be like before, though, we know where you are. Help IS coming, Jonah. You just need to hold out as long as you can. Choice three; You do neither of these. You give up and die here. The cowards way out, sure, but I won''t judge you for your circumstances. The Lord knows greater men have fallen under lesser pressure." With those words, Reggy flicked his wrist, and a small light blade materialized in his hand. [Reggy]: "I can do it myself if you don''t have the nerve. Clean and quick." [Gwen]: "REGGY!" Gwen roared in protest that he would even suggest something like that. Reggy just gave a shrug and said in a serious voice; [Reggy]: "A lot better than suffocating. Anyway, better chose quickly. The portal won''t last much longer." For his part, Jonah struggled to his feet, still greedily sucking in the light, heat, and mana that Reggy emitted. His face wilted as the realization of his situation hit him. His eyes flicked back and forth between the dimming portal and the open field behind him. Why him? Why always him? Did he kick baby Jesus in a past life or something?! He knew life wasn''t fair, but why did it seem that every time things started to turn around, the Universe flipped the table and piled more dirt into his well? For a moment, he contemplated just laying down and let Reggy end it. If the Universe really wanted him dead that badly, then why fight it? But then, what had he been fighting for this whole time? Was his struggle just pointless? Had those first few months of agony and torture only been for the amusement of some sick bastards looking in? As the sneering face of the Gamemaster popped into his mind, Jonah''s knuckles turned white, and blood slowly dripped from between his closed fingers. His body shaking like a leaf, Jonah slowly approached the portal. He turned around, taking one last look at the open field, a deep sadness carved on his face, before turning back to stare into his prison. Without turning around, not wanting the others to see his tears, Jonah spoke out in a trembling voice. [Jonah]: "I... Tell my uncle... I''m sorry I couldn''t come home." There was a moment of silence before Gwen spoke softly. [Gwen]: "... ya. We''ll tell him..." Reggy spoke as well, his voice steady and calm. [Reggy]: "We''re coming back, Jonah. We''re not going to leave you in there. I swear. Stay strong." Jonah was silent, then gave a small laugh, before stepping through the portal, and back into the Titan''s stomach. The portal flicked for a moment more, before vanishing from sight. Reggy and Gwen stood in silence for a moment more, staring at the space the portal had been, before turning around. They were back, and they had a job to do.
As the portal closed behind him, Jonah took a deep breath, and energy flooded him once more. The mana pool that had steadily been draining outside had finally begun ticking the other way. Jonah turned around in time to see the Portal ribbon tremble and snap, falling to the fleshly floor. He stood there in silence for a moment, placing his still trembling and bloody hand on the wall. He took a deep breath, then roared, pulling back his fist and slamming it into the wall in front of him. Again and again, he reared back, slamming his fists into the hard red walls, till his fingers cracked and bled, roaring the entire time. After a few moments, he had to stop to catch his breath, but his body still shook as the tears flowed uninhibited. It was then that a voice sounded through his mind. One he would never be able to forget. "????... ????... ?O?... ?O?E... ?????..? Jonah froze, his eyes wide. The Titan had spoken to him. It knew he was here. Strangely, Jonah soon found all of the anger and frustration build up in his heart change into something else. As he leaned forward, both broken hands on the wall, his clenched jaw loosened and turned up into a smile. Then his body began to shake. What started as a light chuckle, soon turned into roaring laughter that filled the silent chamber. "??Y... ?O YO?... ??KE... T??T... SO???, ?OY..? ??I?K?Y.., ??S?E?... ?E... ??E?E IS... T?E... S?I?I?G O?E...? ?E... ??ST ?OT... ?E... ???O?E?... TO G?O?." Jonah simply kept laughing, until his hands healed and his side hurt. He wiped away his tears and spoke into the open air, a sneer in his voice and on his face, [Jonah]: "You''re too late. They''ve already escaped. They''re out of your reach." "I... ?? ?E?T?. ?Y ?E???... IS I??I?ITE." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. [Jonah]: "Well, you''re tough out of luck. They''re gone, and you''re stuck with me." "YO?? YO? ??E... ?OT?I?G ?O?E... T???... ? ?O??. ?? I?SE?T... ?...????SITE..." Jonah''s voice becomes flat as he dropped the smile and spoke up once more, his fully healed hands clenching tight. [Jonah]: "Maybe. But I think it''s about time that you went back to sleep." "I... ?I?? ?O ?O S???... T?I?G... ?IE." [Jonah]: "I wasn''t asking..." With those words, Jonah began breathing in vast amounts of mana, faster than he was ever able to before. With a smirk, he glanced at his updated status screen out of the corner of his eye.
Name: Jonah Hilannd Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000000001 Class: Symbiote Level: 6 -> 19 Titles: 1 -> 2 Viewership Rank: #54,376
Health: 1,503/1,565.5
Mana: 10,323/9,874
Acquired Title ''Parasite'' [Rare-Unique] "You are one who feeds on the life of another. As your enemies grow weaker, you grow stronger." Increase the effect of your own Debuffs by 3% for each debuff applied to the target. Increase the effect of your own Mental attacks by 5% for each debuff applied to the target Decrease the effect of Debuff effects on yourself by 30% Decrease the effect of Mental attacks on yourself by 20%.
The fight to escape had given him 13 levels, more than twice what the Leviathan Worm alone had. He didn''t know if it was because he played a much more active role this time, or if it was the sheer number of the things they''d killed. But what he DID know was that he wasn''t the almost defenseless man he had been just this morning. If 600 mana could put the Snake out for a few months, what could 15,000 do? He was about to see. Seeming to sense the Danger, the Mana whirlpools from before were kicked into overdrive, competing Jonah for every mote of Mana in the area. The Mana began circulating through the air, flowing back and forth like the waves of the ocean. Until the movement formed its own swirling vortex of Mana, with Jonah on one side and the spawn points on the others, tugging back and forth in their desperate tug of war. Jonah kept his eyes on his Mana, watching it tick up at speeds that amazed him. 10,323... 11,434... 13,200... 14,353 Soon his Mana reached over 15,500, well above his usual 50% Overmana limit, but he still felt like he could go more. 16,900... 17,677... 18,232... Ok, NOW he was starting to feel it... The higher he went, the slower he was able to pull in more Mana, and the tighter his chest was beginning to feel. By the time he hit 120% Overmana at 21,722, Jonah felt something crack, and a sharp pain shot through his head. The momentary lapse in focus, caused him to lose control of his pull on the Mana. Like a tsunami, the swirling Mana flowed towards the spawn points. They soaked it up like a dry sponge and burst with light. Instantly, more creatures began to pour from the mana vortexes and charged towards Jonah. Heh, he guessed it was now or never. With a roar, Jonah let loose everything he''d been holding back. He filled it with is pain, his hatred, his anger, and frustration. But he also filled it with his desire for freedom, the joy in knowing that someone knew he was here, his desperate struggle for strength and change. But most of all, he filled it with hope. Hope that he would survive. That he would get out of here, even if it took years. Hope that he could buy the people who needed it, just one more day to prepare. The wall of ''something'' that erupted from Jonah carried with it a physical force. Though it appeared like a billowing fog of icy blue, when it slammed into the approaching army of Titanspawn, the creatures were thrown back. Their flesh and bones burned, rotting into dry grey paste wherever the mists touched. Still, Jonah continued to roar, pushing more and more of the mist out. The fog billowed towards the spawn points, mixing with the swirling vortexes and the Icy blue and blinding light battled with each other. ???T ??E... YO? ?OI?G...?! But Jonah ignored the words echoing in his head. As the mist and Mana struggled, Jonah could feel the cracks in whatever had snapped before, start to shift, and a blue screen popped up.
WARNING! Skill [Breathless] Integrity compromised. Further action will have unknown consequences. Scanning System for Solution. Please Stand By....
As the system worked, Jonah''s eyes went wide as another box popped up, overlaying the first. He might have mistaken it for another system prompt if it wasn''t for the jagged, flickering edges of the box and the eerie, all to familiar glitchy red text.
????????????????????????????????????????????w??????o??????????????????????? ???????????,????????????????????????????? Do you want power? ?????????????????T???????????????????? ???????????,???????????l?????????????????????????????????
Yes No
.... Oh, Hell No. ''Last time he listened to you, I got stuck in a giant snake!'' Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. With a mental command, Jonah hit "No" without hesitation. Much to his surprise, the box obliged and vanished. The distraction is gone, Jonah turned his focus back to the "fight." Frustratingly enough, it seemed the mist wasn''t quite enough to overpower the spawn points. Their inner light was growing steadily, as they pushed back the fog. The Titanspawns as well seemed to be growing more resistant as each new "generation" was born. But he wasn''t panicking yet. Jonah started to search around the area, planning his next move. At that moment, more pinpoints of mana began gathering outside the boundaries of the mist, and quickly formed into new vortexes. Ok, NOW he could panic. As his heart started beating faster, a familiar window popped up.
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????i??????o???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????o?????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????? Do you want power?m???????????? ????????????????????v?????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????o????????????????????????????? ????????
-> [Yes] <-
No
... Jonah glared at the screen in front of him, but this time didn''t hit no. He hesitated, eyes shifting between the box and the vortexes. It was true that [Breathless] was the only reason he was alive right now. But it was also true that it was the reason he was stuck here. He didn''t know what whoever was behind these messages wanted from him, or what they were planning, but his gut said it wasn''t anything good. But did he have any other choice?
????????????????????????????o??????????? ???????????????????????n???????????????i??????????????n???????????n???????????? ?????? Tick Tock ??????????????????????????? ????????????????????i???????????? ????????????????????m?????i??????????????T
''ARHHHUG!'' With a groan of frustration, Jonah slammed his fist into the "Yes" button. And then everything Vanished.
The man sat at his desk, tapping on the high tech tablet in front of him. Dozens of holographic screens floated around him, showing various scenes of different people. Some were in combat, others crafting, some sleeping. In particular, one display took up a significant amount of space. It showed two people, a male, and female, walking through a heavily wooded area. A knock sounded from the door, and the man sighed before waving the screens away. [???]: "Come In!" The door opened, and a tall man in a slim black suit walked through. The suit bowed, before handing the man behind the desk a thin brown folder. "Mr. Chairman! ''Breath'' has chosen its Host. Here''s the report." [Chairman]: "Really? So soon? It''s only been 6 months since the start. What about the other Seeds?" "Root and Tear have someone in their sight, but nothing has been finalized. Sinew and Thread haven''t stirred yet. As for Echos.... We don''t know. That one''s always been... elusive." The ''Chairman'' raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, surprise evident in his voice. [Chairman]: "Really? 3 of 6? What the hell is up with this baby planet?" The man in the suit simply shrugged. The Chairman looked at the file in front of him, going over the information in detail. After a moment, he leaned forward, put his head in his hands, and then asked in a low voice. [Chairman]: "How many people know about this so far?" "I..I don''t know sir. The Vice-President sent me here right away. I don''t know if anyone else on the board has been informed yet." The Chairman nodded in silence and stood, moving around to the front of the desk. [Chairman]: "Good, Good." "S.. sir?" The Chairman ignored the Aid and stood in front of the nearby bookcase and looked at a picture of an old friend. In some unknown corner of the Universe, an unwashed hairy man sat in a cramped, dark apartment, surrounded by trash. In front of him, a laptop stood open, its screen projecting the scene playing out in a particular office. The shaggy-haired man was silent for a moment, before speaking into his microphone. [???]: "Do it." Back in the office, the Chairman''s face became stern. He gave a short nod. Without turning around, the Chairman withdrew a small metal rod from his pocket. He quickly flicked his wrist, and a sucking noise sounded from behind him. When he turned around, the Aid had vanished, leaving only a few drops of blood on the ground to tell he was ever there. With another flick of his wrist, the file on his desk burst into flames and quickly turned to ash. The ash then blew away, not leaving a speck. He then walked over to his desk and pushed the intercom button. [Chairman]: "Caroline, would you be a dear and tell the Vice-President that I''d like to speak with him in my office? Thank you kindly, dear." Sitting back in his plush chair, the Chairmen leaned back and sighed, dragging his hands down his tired face. He spoke into the open air, not really addressing anyone in particular. [Chairman]: "The First Link has been broken so soon. What are we going to do? We need more time..." Book 1 – Chapter 18: What does it cost to cut Fate’s string? White. Silent. Still. Jonah wasn''t sure how long he''d stared into the blank nothingness that surrounded him when "thought" finally returned. It could have been five seconds or five years. The first thing to return was confusion. He couldn''t remember how he''d gotten here, or where he came from. Even his name seemed like a distant, faded memory from a time he couldn''t remember. Strangely though, he felt calm. As strange and timeless as the white space seemed, it carried an air of peace and stability to it, as if it would never change, no matter how much time passed. Until it did. Suddenly, Jonah noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning around (or at least the closest facsimile of ''turning'' one can do in a featureless white void), Jonah saw the shape of ''something'' move past him. Again, he turned, only to barely miss the figure. Jonah called out with both curiosity and caution. [Jonah]: "Hello? Is anyone there? Where are we?" Still, the figure seemed to avoid his gaze as a voice called out from behind him. [Seed of Breath]: "Do you want Power?" Though quiet, spoken almost in a whisper, the voice carried with it a sense of timelessness that shook the white void around them. Despite that, the voice seemed almost emotionless. There was no feeling or subtext to it; no maliciousness or curiosity, no implied meaning or sly undertones one might expect in a conversation with a stranger. It was merely a... questionone as raw and pure as the white void around them. Jonah tilted(?) his head, and returned his own question to his evasive guest. [Jonah]: "What do you mean?" Again, the voice sounded from behind him, [Seed of Breath]:"Do you want Power?" Jonah spoke up, a louder, growing frustrated [Jonah]: "I don''t understand! Power? Power to do what? Why am I here? Who are you? What''s going on here?!" His brow crinkling, he tried to drag out the memories he couldn''t seem to recall. Jonah swung around once more, his mouth open to continue venting his frustration, and froze. The scene in front of him had changed. Where once was a featureless white void, now he floated in an endless sea of crystal clear water. Jonah could see neither the bottom nor the surface. The seas themselves would have been near invisible, if not for the countless trillions of brightly colored strings they carried on their currents. The strange strings stretched from horizon to horizon, intersecting with others in seemingly random ways. Sometimes they overlapped, only milometers away from touching, but just barely passing by. Other times they collided, tangling and forming thick knots before continuing on their way. Others seemed frayed and sickly, like even a gentle breeze could snap them. In fact, as he watched, several were tossed about by the current, strained by some unseen force until they snapped with a pop. The strings then lost their color as they floated in the invisible sea, and quickly dissolved into nothingness. The only evidence they had even been there to start with, was the knots they had formed with other strings. That''s when Jonah noticed it. There in front of him, close enough to touch, was a strangely familiar string. Like the others, it stretched from horizon to horizon. There was nothing to really distinguish it from the other strings. Like the others, it formed its knots and swayed on the current, and yet he felt a kinship he couldn''t quite place. At that moment, the brightly lit waters were thrown into dim shadow as a massive figure passed over him. Looking up from the familiar string, Jonah noticed what appeared to be a gargantuan fish, swimming through the waters. Despite its size, the creature nimbly swam between the treads, not even seeming to stir the current they rode until they stopped in from of Jonah. The being was one of the strangest creatures Jonah could ever remember seeing (not that he could remember much right now). Its size was close to that of a Blue Whale, but its body shape was closer to a Sailfish, though its "beak" was much shorter. Its streamlined body seemed to be carved from stone, the glow of molten power pouring from cracks that lined its body. The ''Sail'' on its back seemed to be tiny, but towering mountains, capped with glistening snow. A fierce storm surrounded them, and the soft howling of the wind was accompanied by the crack of thunder and flash of lightning. But what struck Jonah the most, was the sheer amount of ''life'' that covered the being. All along its body, tiny forests of tiny trees sprung up. Great vines stretched into the cracks of its body, seeking the warmth. Small flocks of birds flew up and migrated to a different area. In the next moment, as if someone had hit the fast forward button, something terrible happened. A great fire sprung up and devoured the forests, spreading smoke and death. The birds fell from the sky, and the forests turned charred and black. The bright, glowing power deep within the cracks dimmed and faded until there was nothing left. Jonah stared in shock and wonder, confused about what had happened when he noticed specks of green on the side of the ''Sailfish''s'' sail. Like a cascade, the green bits multiplied and flowed down, quickly reclaiming the burned and charred remains of the old forests and covering them once more in vibrant color. Until finally, life filled the creature once more. It wasn''t the same as before; Jonah could see places that were once plains had turned into rich forests, and sprawling rivers had dried into canyons and valleys. No, ''Life'' wasn''t the same as it had been, but it was no less beautiful. Again, some time passed. This time a dark rot took hold, the trees browning and dying as some kind of sickness took hold. It swept across the forests and plains, killing everything it touched until the entire Sailfish was brown and dry. And yet, like last time, tiny specks of green sprouted on random parts of the Sailfish''s body, quickly reclaiming what had been lost. Again and again, disasters struck, each time seeming to claim the life around them, only for life to spring back from the ashes. Jonah didn''t know how long he simply stood there and watched, captivated, as each breath brought new growth and life, while each exhale brought some new disaster and destruction. A never-ending dance, the swaying of Life and Death. It was the voice that once more pulled him from his trance, and Jonah finally realized that it was coming from this strange creature in from of him. [Seed of Breath]:"The Power to change Fate." Do you want powe The words seemed to vibrate the strings around them. Almost as if the lines themselves were resonating and amplifying them. Jonah called out again, his voice shaking. [Jonah]: I still don''t understand! What''s going on, who are you?! [Seed of Breath]: "From the Void, sprang foundation. The ''Roots'' on which all thing are built and to which all things return. From the dust, ''Sinew'' and flesh were formed. Giving shape to an Idea. From the Creator, came the ''Breath'' of Life. And with Life came Death. Life and Death birthed ''Tears'', both of Sadness and Joy. Together, they fell to water the earth. From Man came Wonder, ''Echoes'' of the Creator, limitless in their reach, but so very flawed. From Man''s actions, came the ''Threads'' of Fate that bind all people together. Each a part of the greater work." No less confused, Jonah looked down at the string in front of him, seen it vibrate alongside the others. It was then that Jonah noticed the weight in his hand. He looked down to see an ancient-looking pair of shears. They were dull, and without any kind of decoration, in fact, they seemed a little ragged. None the less, they pulsed with a power Jonah couldn''t even begin to fathom. Jonah looked at the familiar string in front of him in sadness. He looked down its twisted, knotted length, and memories returned to him, slowly. He followed the strings connected to each knot, and a name popped into his head, accompanied by memory and emotion. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. One unusually large knot seemed to writhe and twist and reminded him of a rotting serpent. As he stared at the knot, his heart burned with anger, barely managing to tear his eyes away. Returning his focus to the length of string in front of him, Jonah knitted his brow in frustration. He looked down the at strange shears and felt his heart beat faster, and his breath grow heavy. His hand shook, and an unknown terror welled up in him. Instinctively, he understood what he was supposed to do. And it terrified him. [Jonah]: Wait, wait! The-there has to be some other way, right?!" [Seed of Breath]: "Man does not put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." Jonah could feel his breath coming faster now as cold sweat dripped down his face. His heart raced as he stared down at the vibrating string in front of him. He looked forward, towards the glistening, spotless length that represented an unknown and untouched future. A nervous laugh escaped lips as he raised the shears with a shaking hand. [Jonah]: "Its a test, right? That''s what it is, just testing my resolve, right?! Tell me!" Who knew what that future would hold. Did he really want to do this? He asked one more time, his voice quiet and weak [Jonah]: "Is there really no other way?" [Seed of Breath]:"Do you want Power?" The last bit of resistance crumbling at those words, Jonah slowly brought the shears up and placed the string between the blade. [Jonah]: "Can you at least tell me... Who are you?" The Sailfish was silent for a moment, before its voice echoed through the space, this time seeming as if several voices layered on top of each other.

"Vie erum k?llue Gleipnir" After a moment more of silence, Jonah gave one last breath and brought the blades down. The effect was instant. With a snip, Jonah felt something snap inside of him. A terrible weakness washed over him, and his body went limp. He could feel his vision start to fade, and the sounds of the current and strings around him grew muffled. The last thing he heard was the Sailfish''s words echoing through the waters. [Seed of Breath]:"Nothing comes without its Cost. But the price has been Paid..." As the world faded around him, a small black box popped up in from of Jonah. And then the Darkness took him.

You have Died!
The being called ''Breath'' watched at the young man in front of him went limp. The fear and pain in young man''s eyes sparked memories the ancient creature had long thought lost to the flow of time. It felt the thing that used to be its heart, fill with sadness as he watched the boy''s body slowly crumble into a fine dust. This was always the hardest part. But it was a necessary one as well. Had his predecessor felt this same pain when she had stood in this same place, so very, very long ago? Would the one who came after him, feel it too? Or would this be the final cycle? Would all of this tragedy and pain finally come to an end? Breath didn''t know. Only one did. As he watched the boy''s thread slowly dissolve, he couldn''t help but sigh. If only he could see that end with his own eyes. Maybe. Maybe. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke Breath from its thoughts. Strange, since they were currently floating in the endless Sea of Time without any "ground" to speak of. From a distance, the figure of a man approached. Neither the man''s age nor appearance could be discerned as if it was continually shifting every time you took your eyes off him. The only thing that remained constant was the pitch-black Armani suit he wore. As though detached from reality, he moved unaffected by the swirling current and myriad strings around him, his feet touching some unseen surface. Even his voice seemed ethereal and warped as he walked towards the swirling piles of ash and dust that use to be Jonah, and spoke. [???]: "This is the one?" [Seed of Breath]: "It is" The man looked up at the creature raised a brow, before asking, [???]: "Are you sure about this? We only have one shot, and you more than anyone else, knows what''s at stake." The Sailfish seemed to nod, in a way that only a fish could, and responded. [Seed of Breath]: "I Do. I have already made my Peace. I will follow the Maker''s will, as I always have. I leave the rest in the boy''s hands." The man simply nodded. [???]: "Very well." With that, the man stretched out his hand and placed it within the swirling cloud of Jonah Dust, and spoke. Unlike the ethereal voice of before, the voice he used seemed entirely different, as if it came from the very air. It thrummed with power, and the surrounding thread vibrated in harmony. [???]:"?????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ????????????..." As he spoke, the dust cloud writhed and swirled around. Slowly, the spinning vortex of Jonah Dust took on the vague shape of a man. The man seemed to hesitate, before looking up at the Sailfish. Breath steeled his eyes and gave a sharp nod towards the man. The man only sighed and stretched his hand towards the creature, palm facing upward. Tiny motes of Mana began to flake off Breath and gather into the man''s open palm. Slowly at first, then faster, until a virtual torrent poured out, condensing further as the tiny ball of light in the man''s hand grew brighter. As the light left Breath, his body began to wilt and crack, his stone scales crumble and slosh off, and his inner fire dimmed for the last time. Finally, the last mote of Mana left the ancient creature who had seen the birth and death of stars, and the light of its eyes began to fade. [???]:"...?????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ????????;..." The man brought the tiny, newborn star in his hand forward and stuck it between the slowly dissolving ends of the string Jonah had cut. Like living things, the strings began to flail about with wild intent, as if desperately searching for something. After a moment, they made contact with the glowing star and snapped onto it. Suddenly, the string was pulled tight, and the tiny star flared with an even brighter light. When the fire died down, and the string was whole once more, a small, brightly glowing knot, newly formed at the spit. [???]: "...?????? ?????? ???????????? ?? ???????????? ????????." His job finished, the man simply shook his head and stared down at the knot, thinking about what it represented. [???]: "Nothing comes without its cost. But the price has been paid..." Sadness in his eyes, he turned towards the now decaying body of Breath and spoke once more. [???]: "Goodbye, old friend. May we meet once more when the cycle ends." And then he was gone. In the silent sea of time, the body of an ancient being slowly eroded to dust. As the dust swirled around the currents, some of it was pulled into a small swirling vortex in the vague outline of a man. After a while, as more and more dust was pulled in, the image became clearer and more solid. Finally, a solid body was left floating in the waves. Jonah''s limp body drifted on the currents, as the infinite strings around him sung their song.
Jonah gasped for breath as his vision and awareness returned. He swirled around, expecting to see the endless sea of strings and the massive Sailfish. Instead, he felt the fleshy floor beneath him and saw the familiar glow of [Mana Sight] vision. Around him, Titanspawns screamed and thrashed as the rotted in the icy blue mist. He didn''t know how long he had spent in that strange place. It felt like it was lifetimes, but at the same time, seconds. It didn''t even look like much time, if any at all, had past in the real world. What the hell was that?! He could remember bits and pieces, but it was like trying to remember a movie you''d seen years ago. Jonah grabbed his head and tried to shake away the disorientation when a screen popped into his vision.
System Reestablishing connection with Contestant #Sol-3-00000000001. Please Stand By.... ........... System Reestablished. Welcome back #Sol-3-00000000001!
WARNING! System Anomaly Detected! Attempting to contact System Administrator. ........ Contact Terminated (Override Code [?/-1] ) Scanning.... Anomaly rectified Congratulations! Your Skill [Breathless] has Mutated! Congratulations! Your Inborn Talent ["Fate''s Cruel Design"] has Mutated!
Breath of the Ancients (Seed of Breath) Rank - C (Core Skill) ["For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.] Retains the functionality of [Breathless]. Your crystal alveoli have further mutated and evolved. They are now able to take the energy you breath in and convert into Mana imbued with a "Concept". When you exhale this imbued Mana, it will take on the properties of that concept. (For example, Mana imbued with the concept of "Heat" will be exhaled in the form of Flames). The more complex and detailed the concept imbued concept, the greater the Mana needed to contain it and the less time it will remain. This is a "Core Skill". Its level is limited by the average of all Sub-Skills. Increase the effectiveness of all Sub-Skills by 5% per skill level of the Core Skill.
"Hands that changed Fate" ["The price has already been paid"] Gain 200% increased Aggro from Hostile Monsters Increase growth rate of Attuned creatures by 200% (E-rank)/100% (D-rank)/50% (C-rank)/25% (B-rank)/10% (A-rank). Depending on their Species rank. Increase the number of Attuned Monsters by +5 for every 3 Class levels. Allows attuned Monster to evolve based on certain conditions. (requires C-rank Skill "Genome Sequencing")
Staring at the screen, Jonah felt a grin spread across his face. Thoughts of strange white spaces and giant Sailfish faded from his memory, as he cracked his neck and stared at the approaching army of Titanspawn. It was time to get ready. UPDATE (not a Chapter) Hey! I figure out how to do this on a phone! VICTORY! First off, I''ll say the Story will Continue! Don''t worry! XD Anyway, I wanted to hold off posting this, since I''ve already made a few "non-chapter" posts before, and these sites don''t really let you make a Notification post. Which is stupid.... =___= BUT This might take a while, so I thought it would be best. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. So I''m sure the question on all your minds are "OSA! WHERE THE HECK IS THE CHAPTER?! GIVE IT TO ME RIGHT NOW!" orz.. Unfortunately, there was a bit of an...accident, and my Computer is kaput. Since I can''t do any of my Editting or Formatting on my phone, I''m stuck between releasing a barely legible chapter, or waiting till I can replace my old one. That being said, it might be a little while. This is NOT a Hiasu per say. Its more of a "the next chapter will come out when I can actually get it out" situation, Hahahahahahha! I''ll try and keep things updated (on this post, so I''m not just making more), but no ETA atm. Keep your Eyes open! /o/ I start my new Job on the 31st! + Planned release for next chapter + Preview for next Chapter Book 1 - Chapter 19: "The Price of Time" [PREVIEW] ~~ Three Months later ~~ (Author note: Hohohohoh). Jonah crouched in front of the small worm leg cage and poked the writing, twisted mass of flesh with a piece of rebar. It twiched, swinging its malformed limbs in an attempt to strike him. ''Tsk, another failure.'' Jonah let out a sigh and stood up. Not that he was expecting much else. Only three spawn points had survived his attempt to put the Titan back to sleep, and those that had seemed... damaged, some how. Without the Titan to control them, the rate of spawning had drasticly decreased, amounting to no more than once or twice per day. And those creatures that DID spawn, were often malformed (more so than normal) and extremely weak, with even the strongest not breaking level 3. As soon as he''d recovered enough, Jonah had built cages around the spawn points, ensuring whatever did spawn, didn''t eat his leg while he slept, or something. In their weakend state, the Titanspawn had no chance of breaking free from even his shoddy cage crafted from lvl 42 monster parts. Still, he didn''t want to take many chances with these things. Jonah took out [Leviathan''s Reach] and loaded a half fist sized Worm plate ball into it''s ammo sleeve. Normally rounds like this would be to heavy and create to much drag to be used with a slingshot. But with his new toy? Well.... Jonah pulled the draw back and released. There was a sharp whistle as the round cut through the air, and the wiriting mass of flesh became a large smear across the cage wall.
"Failed Titanspawn lvl 1" slain. No experience gain.
He gave another sigh and collected the round before moving towards the next cage. The next cage contained one of the large dog-lizard things that had spawned during their escape attempt. Its scales were grey and cracked, while its body leaked blood and pus, but it was still in much better shape than most of the things that came out of the spawn points. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. More aggressive to. It mindlessly attacked the walls of its cage, heedless to the damage it was causing to its already weakened body. Jonah''s brow furrowed at the thought of what came next, but he steeled his nerves and focused his [Mana Sight] on the revolting creature. As the mana of its being came into focus, Jonah spotted it; a tiny, pulsing point of light in the middle of its head. He didn''t know what this thing was, exsactly, but only the more... complete, Titanspawns even had one. Was it a ''Core'' like in the Novels? Maybe their soul (if these things even had souls)? Or maybe just a representation of the Mind? Whatever they were, Jonah hated the next part. Focusing on that tiny point of light, Jonah''s mana flaired outward, as thin tendrils of invisible power pushed towards the creature. Like worms digging into dead flesh, the tendrils of mana wormed their way into the Titanspawn''s head and attacked the pinpoint of light. Slowly, Jonah dug deeper into it, as waves of something less than emotion washed over him. Rage, hatred, confusion, maddness and pain. Always the pain. A constant and unending pain caused by the very act of exisiting. He almost felt sorry for these things, if he was honest. They didn''t ask to be born what they were. But in the end, it didn''t change anything other than make his hatred for the Titan (and this sick "Game") grow that much stronger. As the tendrils of mana wormed their way deeper into the point of light, Jonah''s heart began to beat faster, and the waves of "not quite emotions" increased, as he felt some kind of connection grow stronger. He''d never gotten this far, even after dozens of attempts. As if to mock the thought however, the next moment Jonah felt something snap. Dozens of cracks began to spiderweb across the pinpoint of light, and then with a flair of mana, it popped. In the same instant, the Titanspawn''s head popped like a balloon, splattering Jonah with blood, and it fell to the floor of the cage, deader than dead.
"Malformed Titanspawn lvl 3" slain. No experience gain.
Jonah grumbled in frustration and wiped the foul blood from his face. He almost had it that time. Just a little more. He was so close he could almost taste it (or maybe that was the TItanspawn blood, he couldn''t tell). Just a little more and he could put his plan into action...... Book 1 – Chapter 19: “The Value of Time” Jonah faced the approaching Titanspawn, his knuckles flushing white as he willed his shaking hand still. The memory of that place was still fuzzy, like a distant memory that he couldn''t quite place. But he didn''t need his Menus to tell him that something had changed. He could feel it. In ways he felt would take a lifetime to explain with words alone, he felt that the "Him" that he was now, wasn''t the same as he''d been just a moment ago. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. But more than anything, it brought hope. Not just the hope of escaping the current situation, but hope for the future, and what lay beyond this present moment. Something told him that the things he had seen went far beyond what most others would get the chance to see. Maybe even beyond this sick game they had all been forced into. Whatever it was, whatever it meant, all Jonah knew was that he could see the end. He could finally see, where he needed to go, what he needed to do. And it all started with putting a certain Titan in its place. Jonah was tired of running. Tired of always being the underdog. It was time he got to bloody someone else''s nose for a chance. And when a Titan bled, it was a deluge. One step at a time, however. With that in mind, Jonah made a break for the nearby flesh ledge where his Hut had been. Even after deconstruction, the alcove and (relatively) dry areas he''d carved into the fleshy walls and used as his workshop had remained. It wasn''t perfect, but the high ledge and small area would limit how many of the Titanspawn could engage him at once. There was always the risk of being boxed in, but it was better than being surrounded. The Titanspawn were lower level than the first waves, varying between levels 9 and 13 (most likely due to the Titan''s impatience, but their numbers more than made up for their lower level. If he wanted to win this, his only option was a battle of attrition; and with his combination of [Arcanic Regeneration] and [Brea--, no, it was [Breath of the Ancients] now, He was confident that He''d not fall short of the mark. At the very least he would prove to be not worth the effort to remove. As the Titanspawn drew closer, Jonah readied [Leviathan''s Reach] and loaded a shot. He didn''t have much time to make many shots, so he had to make each one count. Aiming at one of the squisher looking abominations moving towards him, Jonah pulled the drawback as far as he could and released. The small round whistled through the air and struck the charging creature on the left side of its scaly head, cutting through bone and flesh before exiting out of its jaw and slamming into its sinewy shoulder. The creature tripped and stumbled, flipping forward as the top half of its right shoulder was shaved off. It fell into one of the bubbling pools of acid and thrashed wildly before growing still.
"Flawed Titanspawn" lvl 9 slain.
Jonah barely had time to acknowledge the notification before the next target entered his range. Like the last, the abomination didn''t even bother to try and dodge, simply taking the shot to the chest and continuing its charge before the second shot put it down.
"Flawed Titanspawn" lvl 12 slain.
Despite Jonah''s skill and aim increasing by leaps and bounds, however, he stil couldn''t keep up with sheer numers. By the time he ran out of ammo, the swarm of Titanspawn had grown to conciderable proportions. Undetered, Jonah removed a small shortsword and shield, forged from Wormplate and his old Sickle, from the red sack he''d kept clipped to his belt. It was a generic, poorly made prototype that Reggy had thrown away when first learning to work with the Worm matierals. The System didn''t even recognize the equipment as proper "items" and he was no where near as proficant at using them as he was his Slingshot, but it was better than trying to fight bare handed. A quick slash easily decapitated the first Titanspawn to make it over the ledge. "Real" item or not, that didn''t stop the short blade from being wickedly sharp. The next few moments were spent in a flurry of motion as sword and claws clashed, as flesh and blood (both human and abomination) was torn annd spilled. Jonah soon fell into a bloodlust fueled trance. His voice grew raw and horse as he met the constant roaring of the Titanspawn with his own wordless cry. Words were for the living. Each moment dragged onto the next, only punctuated by the arrival of the next Titanspawn as it crawled over the ever growing pile of mutilated breathern in its mindless bid at reaching Jonah. Jonah for his part, was slowly being forced deeper and deeper into the alcove, as the Titanspawn''s numbers grew and they pushed forward like a unstoppable tide. When the battle fog lifted, Jonah found himself with his back towards the far wall of his alcove workshop. The Titanspawn had packed the room with their writhing forms, slowly closing in around him, as if savoring the moment the little rabbit had finally been cornered. The echoy voice of the Titan spoke, [Neh?ggr]: "This... Is ... the End... Parasite. I am... Inevitable..." Instead of fear or anger, however, Jonah felt a grin split his face from ear to ear. [Jonah]: "You know, things didn''t end to well for the last guy who said that, either." [Neh?ggr]: "And how... do you plan... to stop me?" [Jonah]: "I''m sure there''s some Metaphor about putting all of your killer lizard dog into one room, but I''ve always been more of a ''show, not tell'', kind of guy. With those words, Jonah dropped his weapon and began drawing in a massive breath. Mana began pouring into his lungs like a torrent, with enough force that tiny specks of Manalight began to flicker along its path, growing with intensity with each passing second. Jonah turned his focus inward, drawing on the new source of power he felt pulsing in his very soul. It was the very core of Life and Creation as well as the source of Death and Destruction. It was the Beginning and End of all things. It was whatever he Willed it to be. And so that''s what he did. He willed it into the first thing that popped into his mind that might be able to help him out of this situation. The Titan''s instincts screamed as even its own mana began to be drawn in by the pull of Jonah''s lungs, and ordered its hoard to move in for the kill. But it was too late. Without any flair, Jonah breathed out, and death followed. A wave of superheated air rushed out of his lungs and slammed into the Titanspawns nearest him. The lead abominations howled in agony as their flesh began to melt and their very blood boiled in their veins as the superheated air rushed past and through them. The already oven-like stomach soon felt more like a furnace, as the wave past through the swarm and slowly expanded. The pools of acid began to boil violently, releasing acidic clouds that enveloped those lucky enough to escape the full brunt of Jonah''s skill, sowing chaos as the Titan''s grip on the hoard slowly slipped. The Titan for its part, roared both in anger and pain as the superheated gases wreaked havoc on its insides. Despite the kill counts continuing to roll in, however, Jonah couldn''t help but frown. There was no denying that it had worked, but it wasn''t quite what he had been aiming for. It seemed his new skill still needed some practice to use well. The Titan once more roared in Jonah''s mind, though the confidence it presented has notably reduced. [Neh?ggr]: "You.. must Die!" Jonah didn''t bother responding this time, instead filling his lungs once more to the brim. This time he slightly changed the way he did things. He didn''t so much focus on the "idea" of fire or heat, but rather his understanding of it. Of how heat moved. Of how fire burned and how it spread. How it consumed. By the time he finished, the Titan had wrangled control of its spawn once more and pushed them forward to attack once more. When Jonah breathed out a second time, it was no longer just a wave of superheated gas. It was a roaring inferno. The white-hot flames swept outwards, turning the leading Titanspawn to ash, and the ones behind them into glowing charcoal. The flames spread outward, quickly enveloping the swarm in fiery death. Where the first breath had left the creatures in chaos and agony, the second one had left behind only charred and silent husks. The Titan didn''t escape the flames either. As soon as the white-hot fire slammed into the fleshy walls, the Titan screamed. The walls where the flames were the most concentrated began to blacken and crack, as oozing, boiling blood flowed out. Boiling acid and charred Titanspawn was thrown into the air in a chaotic dance as the Titan thrashed, and Jonah clung to the alcove wall. When the Titan finally settled, Jonah slowly made his way out of the alcove, wincing as his own badly burned and blistered skin began to regenerate. His new armor, while not ruined had been badly burned and cracked from the extreme heat. He didn''t know how long or even how to unlock its repair function, but it wouldn''t do much good for him in its current state. He could only shake his head in disappointment, before a notification caught his attention.
Subskill Unlocked! You have learned the Subskill [Memory of Heat] Congratulations! [Memory of Heat] has been upgraded to [Memory of Flames]
[Memory of Heat] Subskill (Breath of the Ancients) "When I grow up, I want to be a Dragon!" - Little Billy Energy is the Lifeblood of the Universe, and its simplest form is what the simple-minded call "Heat". But don''t let its basic nature fool you. In the right hands, Heat alone is enough to give Life to a barren rock or render it a Hellscape. Respect the simple, for they are the foundation that all things are built upon.
[Memory of Flames] Subskill (Breath of the Ancients) "There''s nothing in this World that can''t Burn... if you know how" - Not-so-little Billy. Flames. They are a source of Life, and also Death. Creation and Destruction. They are the engine of progress and the Fate of all those who fail to do continue on. Control them, if you can. Wield them, if you must. But respect them, Always. Careful you don''t get burned.
Waving the notifications away, Jonah was disappointed to see that despite the seeming chaos he''d wrought,Neh?ggrwas far from out of commission. Its movement was slow, but he could tell the creature was still very much awake. For a being as large and powerful as the Neh?ggr,Jonah''s attack had amounted to not much more than a superficial burn; painful, yes, but not debilitating. No wasting the moment it had bought him however, Johan began drawing in mana for a third and final time, this time pushing his overmana as far as it could, amazing even himself at the sheer power that coursed through his veins as more and more mana flowed into him. This time, he tried to focus on feeling he''d had every time he''d put the Titan to sleep before. That strange "not-mana" that was the result of [Breathless]''s "exhalations". It wasn''t something he could really put into words, but instinctively understand with his body, having been so intimate with it for so long. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. As he focused harder, another notification popped into his view.
Subskill Unlocked! You have learned the Subskill [Emptiness]
Emptiness Subskill (Breath of the Ancients) "I think! Therefore, I am!. But what would something that ''Isn''t'' think about? OHH! LETS FIND OUT!" - Markus the Mad What does it mean to be empty? Is it simply the absence of something? Do we, by giving it meaning, take away that aspect of itself that makes it truly "empty"? Or by acknowledging its emptiness, do we give birth to the possibility of it being filled.
As he neared his limit, a quiet voice echoed in his mind. [Neh?ggr]:"Please... I don''t want... to sleep again..." The Titan''s voice was soft and frightened, no longer filled with the power and confidence it once had. Instead, it almost reminded Jonah of a young child''s. Like one begging not to be beaten by a cruel Father. For a moment, Jonah''s resolve faltered. Was this really the right thing to do? Did he really have to go this far? The Titan was obviously Sapient. It was a thinking creature, just like any other. But as his mind swirled in chaos and indecision, he started to remember. Of the stories, Reggy and Gwen had told him. Of the death and destruction that had been caused. Of the more to come. And most of all, the very vivid sensation and terror of being slowly swallowed whole without a say in the matter. Jonah could feel something building up in his heart, something he''d been pushing down for months now, but could no longer. In a wild scream, Jonah exhaled, releasing his skill and words in the same breath. [Jonah]: SCREW YOU!
~~ Three Months later ~~ (Author note: Hohohohoh) Jonah crouched in front of the small worm leg cage and poked the writing, twisted mass of flesh with a piece of rebar. It twitched, swinging its malformed limbs in an attempt to strike him. ''Tsk, another failure.'' Jonah let out a sigh and stood up. Not that he was expecting much else. Only three spawn points had survived his attempt to put the Titan back to sleep, and those that had seemed... damaged in some way. Without the Titan to control them, the rate of spawning had drastically decreased, amounting to no more than once or twice per day. And those creatures that DID spawn were often malformed (more so than expected) and extremely weak, with even the strongest not breaking level 3. As soon as he''d recovered enough, Jonah had built cages around the spawn points, ensuring whatever did spawn didn''t eat his leg while he slept, or something. In their weakened state, the Titanspawn had no chance of breaking free from even his shoddy cage crafted from lvl 42 monster parts. Still, he didn''t want to take any chances with these things. Jonah took out [Leviathan''s Reach] and loaded a half fist sized Worm plate ball into its ammo sleeve. Usually, rounds like this would be too heavy and create to much drag to be used with a slingshot. But with his new toy? Well... Jonah pulled the draw back and released it. There was a sharp whistle as the round cut through the air, and the writhing mass of flesh became a large smear across the cage wall.
"Failed Titanspawn lvl 1" slain. No experience gain.
He gave another sigh and collected the round before moving towards the next cage. The following cell contained one of the large dog-lizard things that had spawned during their escape attempt. Its scales were grey and cracked, while its body leaked blood and pus, but it was still in much better shape than most of the things that came out of the spawn points. More aggressive too. It mindlessly attacked its cage walls, heedless to the damage it was causing to its already weakened body. Jonah''s brow furrowed at the thought of what came next, but he steeled his nerves and focused his [Mana Sight] on the revolting creature. As the mana of its being came into focus, Jonah spotted it; a tiny, pulsing point of light in the middle of its head. He didn''t know what this thing was, exactly, but only the more... complete, Titanspawns even had one. Was it a ''Core'' like in the Novels? Maybe their soul (if these things even had souls)? Or perhaps just a representation of the Mind? Whatever they were, Jonah hated the next part. Focusing on that tiny point of light, Jonah''s mana flared outward, as thin tendrils of invisible power pushed towards the creature. Like worms digging into dead flesh, the tendrils of mana wormed their way into the Titanspawn''s head and attacked the pinpoint of light. Slowly, Jonah dug deeper into it, as waves of something less than emotion washed over him. Rage, hatred, confusion, madness, and pain. Always the pain. A constant and unending pain caused by the very act of existing. He almost felt sorry for these things if he was honest. They didn''t ask to be born what they were. But in the end, it didn''t change anything other than making his hatred for the Titan (and this sick "Game") grow that much stronger. As the tendrils of mana wormed their way deeper into the point of light, Jonah''s heart began to beat faster. The waves of "not quite emotions" increased, as he felt some connection grow stronger. He''d never gotten this far, even after dozens of attempts. As if to mock the thought, however, the next moment, Jonah felt something snap. Dozens of cracks began to spiderweb across the pinpoint of light, and then with a flair of mana, it popped. In the same instant, the Titanspawn''s head popped like a balloon, splattering Jonah with blood, and it fell to the floor of the cage, deader than dead.
"Malformed Titanspawn lvl 3" slain. No experience gain.
Jonah grumbled in frustration and wiped the foul blood from his face. He almost had it that time. Just a little more. He was so close he could almost taste it (or maybe that was the Titanspawn blood, he couldn''t tell). Just a little more and he could put his plan into action. Of course, he hadn''t spent the last three months just exploding pitiable bags of half-life. Whether it be Class or Skill levels, Jonah had begun to make steady progress compared to the months of stagnation he was usedto. Pulling up his status screen, Jonah made a mental note of his gains.
Name: Jonah Hilannd Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000000001 Class: Symbiote Level: 21 Titles: 2 Viewership Rank: #94,875
Health 1,729/1,729 (1,800)
Mana 3,234/10,916
~ CURRENT STATUS ~
Mana Strain (Major) Scurvy (Minor) Soul Strain (Minor)(Recovering)
~ Traits ~ ~ Titles ~
"Hands that changed Fate" Spoiler : ["The price has already been paid"] Gain 200% increased Aggro from Hostile Monsters Increase growth rate of Attuned creatures by 100%(D-rank)/50%(C-rank)/25%(B-rank)/10%(A-rank). Depending on their Species rank. Increase the number of Attuned Monsters by +5 for every 3 Class levels. Allows attuned Monster to evolve based on certain conditions. (requires C-rank Skill "Genome Sequencing")
"Laughing stock of 100,000 Galaxies" Spoiler : [Wow. That was quick. I didn''t actually think you could lose that fast.] This doesn''t actually do anything. It''s just for "Bragging"(?) rights.
Parasite Spoiler : ["You are one who feeds on the life of another. As your enemies grow weaker, you grow stronger."] Increase the effect of your own Debuffs by 3% for each debuff applied to the target. Increase the effect of your own Mental attacks by 5% for each debuff applied to the target Decrease the effect of Debuffs on yourself by 30% Decrease the effect of Mental attacks on yourself by 20%.
~ Class Skills ~ ~ Basic Skill ~ ~ Crafting Skills ~ ~ Special Skills ~
[Mana Sight]- lvl 14 [Siphon]- lvl 4 [Duplicate]- lvl 1 [Graft]- lvl 1 [Acid Resistance]- lvl 4 [Arcanic Regeneration]- lvl 11 [Milky Way Index]- lvl 5 [Macgyver (apprentice)]- lvl 35 [Cultivate |Exotic|] - lvl 6 [Breath of the Ancients]- lvl 3
  • Memory of Flames- lvl 4
  • Emptiness- lvl 2
After learning about the Settings Menu, Jonah had spent three days fiddling with it until he was finally satisfied with the Layout. It wasn''t perfect, but it was leagues better than the random jumble of menus and pop-ups he''d had to deal with before. [Macgyver]had slowed down greatly since hitting Apprentice, only gaining 3 levels from reconstructing his weapons and Camp, and another 2 from building the cages and other miscellaneous projects. He wasn''t sure if the rank up had anything to do with the decrease in speed, or he''d simply outgrown his current materials. The biggest surprise had been[Minor Acid Resistance], which on hitting level 30 had transformed, rather than ranking up as[Macgyver]had.It seemed that skills could take several different paths. He would take the time to explore that later. There was still so much he didn''t know and didn''t understand, both about the System and the things inside him and not enough time in the day to focus on them all. Thankfully he had at least a temporary fix to that.[Milky Way Index]was one of his new skills, purchased with a lucky skill token drop from his last fight with the Titan. Only two E-rank tokens had dropped out of hundreds of Titan Spawns, so he doubted they were a reliable source of them. But for someone in his situation, they were a Godsend, and he used them to solve his two biggest issues at the moment.
Milky Way Index E-rank (upgradeable) "An investment in Knowledge pays the best Interest" Basic Index for the Milky Way Galaxy. Examine an item in detail to learn more about it and its history or uses. This skill can be merged with other Indexes for expanded functions and resources. Allows the user to record and upload new discoveries and information for approprate, System approved rewards.
Cultivate |Exotic| E-rank (upgradeable) "To plant a Garden, is to believe in tomorrow" - Audrey Hepburn This skill grants a basic understanding of common gardening and Cultivation techniques for more exotic and unusual specimens. Allows the user to plant and cultivate plants in more unusual and unorthodox habitats. [WARNING: The Laniakea Botany Alliance is not responsible for any poisonings, mutations, dismemberment, assimilation, Sentience, world conquest or otherwise unfavorable results caused by the irresponsible cultivation of plant life in non-native environments.]
The first skill was simple enough. It acting like an Encyclopedia for anything he needed to know and extended far beyond simply "tell me what this is" kind of thing. He''d only begun to scratch what it could do. He didn''t quite understand why it was only E-rank, but it might have something to do with its (comparatively) short range. If Laniakea had over 100,000 Galaxies, each with their own Indexes, he could understand why something like this might not be seen as very impressive. Hopefully it would go a long way in filling in the gaps of information that was holding him back at the moment. [Cultivate|Exotic|] on the other hand, solved a much more serious and immediate problem. If he was going to be stuck in this place for much longer, he needed another source of food other than just Titan flesh. He could already start to feel the effects of his poor diet on his body, and it seemed the System agreed, given his status. With that thought in mind, he turned his focus to his next task of the day. Jonah couldn''t help but whistle a small tune as he approached a massive chunk of charred, ruined Titanflesh. In the middle of the massive slab, a dozen small saplings sprouted upwards, their immature, fresh leaves an eerie blood red Check-up 1: “I reject your reality, and Substitute my own!” Gwen and Reggy stared at slightly warped space that marked the boundary of the closed portal. They stood in silent contemplation for only a moment, each lost in their thoughts. Had they done the right thing? Maybe if they pushed themselves, they could have kept Jonah alive long enough to get him some help. The Mana concentration he needed was rare and difficult to produce, but it wasn''t impossible. The Association''s Formation Masters weren''t that powerful yet, but it wasn''t outside of the realm of possibility that they could build something capable of sustaining him, at least in the short term. Gwen knew how hard Billy had been searching for his Brothers and Nephew. It was the entire reason that he''d taken the position of Association Master in the first place, with the hope that his family might hear of it and find him. But so far, nothing had come of it. They''d heard rumors of Bob in what remained of Asia, but their leads hadn''t lead anywhere. As for Bo and Jonah? They seemed to have both fallen off the face of the Earth. Until now, that was. How would he respond? Knowing that they''d found Jonah? Knowing that they''d been forced to leave him, probably to his doom? For a moment, she contemplated keeping the information to herself. [Reggy] - "He''ll be fine. You said it yourself, he''s made it this far alone." Reggy''s voice dragged Gwen out of her contemplation, however. Though Gwen noticed his eyes linger on the portal site for a moment longer than even her own. Before she could respond, however, the old man in the night blue robe, standing beside her, cut her off. [Markos] - "*nod nod* Agreed! Agreed! That boy is tough. I''m sure he''ll find a fish to beat them with or something. Actually, that makes me hungry. When''s Dinner?" Gwen places her face in her palm and sighed, her voice a little straind [Gwen] - "We''ve not even left yet, we still have to decide where to head to. Going straight back to HQ would be best, but we don''t even know where we are at the moment. If Jonah managed to put the Titan back to sleep, we''ll need to know more about its location. [Marks]- "Bah! Always the stick in the mud, you two are. You need to learn to liven up! Live in the moment one in a while! Reggy humphed while Gwen only shook her head. Then with a resigned sigh, she picked up her travel bag and turned away from the portal sigh. She was silent for a moment as she looked into the distance, before asking [Gwen] - "Well, what next? Do we head straight for HQ? or do we scout the area a bit? [Reggy] - "I say we head home. I need a shower after all that, and we have a report to file. The scouting can be left to the field teams. " [Morkus] - "NORTHWARD!! " Gwen, looked at the eccentric old man as he pointed dramatically in a random direction. She stared for a moment, silent, before addressing him [Gwen] - "..... Fine. I''ll bite. Why north? An how do you even know that''s north?" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.[Marrkis] - "Because, my dear girl! I''m never wrong! and as for why, ADVENTURE OF COURSE!!!" [Reggy] - "We''re not here for bloody Adventure!!! Remind me again why we can''t just leave this old fool in the woods and be done with him?" [Markus III, King of Dolphins] - "Because Reggy, you would miss me too much! Besides, as they say; Fortune favor''s the Bold!" Reggy simply growled in frustration and glared at the old man [Reggy] - "Or the Recklessly Insane..." The old man in a gaudy orange suit gasped dramatically as if Reggy had just insulted his entire family, and replied with mock offense [Ben-Cha''yil] - "How dare you, good sir! I''ll have you know, I have never been reckless once in my life! Humph!" Gwen made sure to intervene before the Smith started seriously contemplating burying their companion in a hole somewhere. [Gwen] - "Forget it! It''s not like we have anywhere else in mind. We might as well check out what we can. The more information we have on the area, the less work it''ll be for everyone in the end. Let''s head out, I want to at least find somewhere decent to make camp for the night. The old man laughed in triumph, raising his leather-bound travel case and grabbing a wide-brimmed hat from the nearby hat rack. [Markko] - "Great! I always loved a good Adventure! Onward!" Gwen and Reggy could only sigh, as the pair started to walk down the packed dirt path in front of them, leaving behind the empty field. The two continued on at a steady pace, paying no mind to anyone that might be following. Why would they? It had only ever been just the two of them there to start with.
Two robed figured stood on the edge of the field and watched the two "Heroes" depart. After a moment, the younger of the two looked over at his companion and asked, his deep voice strangely quiet, as if coming from a long distance away. [First Disciple] - "Are you sure about this, Master? What possible interest is there in a baby World like this? [Markie] - Bah! Have you learned nothing from what I''ve taught you? Stop looking with your head, boy! Value isn''t always simply what you can get from something now. But what it might add to later. Besides... I was bored..." [First Disciple] - "You''re always bored..." [Marc] - "I DENY NOTHING! Hahahahahaha!" The younger man sighed and shook his head. Why did he put up with this crazy old man? How many centuries had it been already? [First Disciple] - "Fine. Then what about the Seed? I thought you said you''d never stick your hand in THAT mess again. Not after last time." [Sucram] - "Ahh, my cute Disciple. In all of the 100,000 Galaxies, how many people ever managed to raise my [Arcanic Regeneration] past level 10?" The first Disciple squinted his eyes and glared at the old man, but did the mental calculations anyway. [First Disciple] - "Of the 7,423,526,234 stupid enough to actually take that skill within the last 300 years? roughly 6,000..." The old man folded him arms and nodding knowingly. [Maleko] - "And of those, how many DIDN''T die a horrible, Eldritch death or mutate into some amorphous blob that could only be damaged by Steak Sauce for some reason?" [First Disciple] -"..... I see... and what makes you think THIS one will be any different?" The old man unfolded his arms and placed his hands on his hips, lifing his nose up with a smug look. [Just Mark] - "As I said before! ''Because my dear girl! I am never wrong!''" [First Disciple] - "*sigh* I can''t help but feel like this whole thing is going to turn into one big mess... again... Also, I''m not a girl. [Marquis] - "I reject your reality, and Substitute my own! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" First Disciple placed her head in her hands and sighed. Could someone please just kill her now? As the First Disciple contemplated her life choices, the old man by her side continued to fill the small clearing with the sound of his laughter. Book 1: Chapter 20 – “Veggie Tales” Jonah approached the giant slab of charred meat and pulled himself over the ledge. The slab had been part of the surrounding wall that his [Memory of Flames] had hit. The flames have penetrated deeply, and at least a good foot had been rendered sooty ash and charcoal. Under that, the meat had become tender and porous, but oily. By mixing the two is a ratio he might have spent weeks trying to puzzle out on his own, if not for [Cultivate], he was managed to create a type of meaty pseudo-compost. His head, and what (admittedly, little) he knew of gardening before ''The Game'' told him that there was no way it was a substitute for proper compost. But his Skill insisted that it would work. Maybe Titanflesh was just more nutritious (it HAD kept him alive for 9 months), or maybe there were some funky system/mana shenanigans at play. Heck, maybe it was just the skill itself. Jonah had no way of knowing till he tested it out. THAT was the tricky part. It wasn''t like plant-life was common (or even existent) in his "home". Lucky for him, he''d just had visitors who''d left him with some gifts. Of the strange red storage bags that they had used, one he managed to keep with him, had a wide range of different foods, if very little of each. He assumed that either Gwen or Reggy liked to cook, as it was mostly spices and different kinds of grains. Most of the grains were useless, however, he immediately locked on to the dried Great Northern Beans. He remembered spending afternoons with his mother, making bean sprouts. It had always amazed him that he could get these hard white pearls to crack open with life using nothing but some water and a paper towel. He didn''t know what the chances of any kind of mundane plant surviving in the sunless stomach of a titanic snake where, but he would have to trust his Skill. And if anything had a chance of sprouting, it was these. The next find had been two naval oranges. The oranges themselves hadn''t lasted long. After 9 months of nothing but meat and blood, he''d nearly wept at the sweet tang of the fresh fruit. But the real prize had been a dozen seeds nestled in its flesh. He knew that most commercial fruits now these days, were sterilized, so he prayed these were either wild fruit the two had gathered somewhere, or he''d simply get lucky. Either way, it was worth a shot. After the oranges, came a small, soccer ball-sized watermelon. The super sweet kind that he''d often see people scoop out to add to drinks or desserts, further suggesting that one of the two had liked to cook, even while on the go. He doubted that fresh fruit like this was readily available anymore, what with the world going the hell and back. Thankfully, the red bags seemed to keep things fresh (or at least slow down their spoilage rate), so he was able to crack it open search for seeds, while slowly devouring the small melon over the next week. You''d be surprised at how much easier a slab of Titanflesh went down when chased by a sweet chunk of melon (even if he didn''t have to eat the meat raw any longer). The fourth lucky find had been a few red potatoes. They were small, looking like they were intended for a stew or roast, but Potatoes were potatoes as far as he was concerned. The last notable find had been a couple of heads of cabbage. Jonah wasn''t a fan, honestly, but beggars can''t be choosers. Besides, he vaguely remembered seeing videos showing how cabbages could be easily regrown as long as their root base was intact. Given that these looked freshly harvested, he assumed they were from some recent gardening attempts by survivors, or it was worth giving it a shot, himself. Other than than, the red bag contained an assortment of spices, a few pounds of salt and sugar, and a wide variety of flours. Mostly useless to him at the moment, but his Skill did have him add a couple of handfuls of the Buckwheat flour to his pseudo-compost mix. He had no idea what it would do for it, but he was flying blind anyway, so why not. His initial stumbling around in the first month hadn''t born any fruit (no pun intended). Of the seeds planted in the meaty psudeo-compost, half didn''t even germinate. No surprise there. Of those that somehow DID manage to germinate, most quickly withered and died; either pale and weak from lack of sun, or sickly and twisted in their strange "soil". However, thankfully a few survived. Four Bean sprouts, Three potato plants and two Cabbage heads and Watermelon vines, and a single Orange sapling. Well, at least that''s what he WANTED to call them. But it looked like his little experiment had gone a little better (worse?) than he planned. Jonah moved from sprout to sprout, cataloging each with [Milky Way Index].
KIDNEY Beans A common species of Beans that have mutated to filter out toxins and other harmful bio-material from their environment. The fruit of this plant has filtered the blood and flesh of a powerful creature, super concentrating the nutrients into potent and highly nutritious beans. They are easy to grow nearly anywhere, extremely nutritious, and edible by a surprisingly large number of lifeforms. As such, KIDNEY Beans are famous for being both an important, life-saving relief aid in times of famine or disaster as well as the staple rations for a large number of military organizations. Possibly just as famous as it is for being the base for over 90% of the most lethal and popular poisons in 100,000 Galaxies. Growth and distribution are strictly monitored and beans are required to be processed before shipping. !!WARNING!! While the beans of this plant are edible, because of the filtering process, every other part of this plant is extremely toxic. Careful handling is highly recommended. Use gloves when harvesting if possible.
The first was the bean sprouts. Each vine-like sprout was supported and wrapped around a sliver of worm-leg. Their blood-red stems pulsed slightly, like an exposed vein, sending chills up Jonah''s spine. Their bright red leaves looked fresh and soft like any other leaf, but in Jonah''s mana sight, he could see them slowly drawing in mana from the air, much as he did himself. Along their length, several small, jet black pearl-like objects were slowly growing. That alone had thrown Jonah off when he''d first seen them since the Great Northern beans they started as were normally white. They were also the most high maintenance of the plants so far. He''d quickly learned that the bean sprouts were absolutely ravenous, and if he didn''t constantly wet the "soil" with Titan blood, it quickly dried out and caused the plants to wilt. He''d already lost a few before he learned this lesson. Wetting the soil for the day, he turned to the "Potatoes".
Pomme du c?ur A "Hearty" species of Parasitic Potato that can commonly be found in the bowels of Titan-class Herbivores. These plants feed on the flesh of their host to create tumor-like tubers. While most intelligent species find these tubers repulsive to the eye, they are, in fact, a delicacy across Laniakea. They are packed full of nutrients and are the main ingredient of the most potent and popular Fasting Pills. Pomme du c?ur cultivation is both difficult and dangerous, given their natural habitat, but because of their exquisite taste and versatile use, they are always in high demand and with a high premium, meaning there are always those who take the risk.
LGA Public Service Announcement For the last time people, Pomme du c?ur contain NO animal protein and are perfectly safe of any vegetarian diet requirements. If you have an issue with your provided rations, please take that up with your Organization. The Laniakea Gardener''s Association will not advocate for any lifeforms trying to weasel out of eating their veggies.
The top of the plant appeared to just be a normal potato plant. Even if they were a strange off brown color, despite looking lush and healthy. Under the top layer of "soil" however, Jonah could make out the shape of the repulsive, beating, organ-like tubers that were nothing like the potatoes that had gone in. The weird little things were squishy and fleshy, while at the same time being leathery and pulsing with a strange pattern that reminded him of a heartbeat. The thought of actually eating one of these things churned his stomach, but if the description was anything to go by, they were too valuable to just throw away. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Next came the heads of cabbage
Head of Carnage The Blood Red Pest Killer. This rare, mutated Cabbage species is the result of common cabbage growing in soil soaked in blood and exposed to exorbitant amounts of ambient mana. The result is a lifeform that is classified as a Class E- minor Monster by the Laniakea Hunter''s Guild. These carnivorous plants use their sweet, plump, but razor-sharp leaves to draw in all kinds of small animals and insects. Once the creature draws near, a flurry of razor-sharp leaves quickly minces the poor victim into meaty pulp, drenching the plant in blood and entrails, feeding its roots underneath, and giving it its name. Ironically, while rare in nature, this minor monster''s low risk to larger lifeforms and astounding ability to control pests has led some to artificially grow and sell it as a cheap as effective garden and home pest control system.
Jonah had always knew Cabbage were evil things, but dear Lord, this was on another level. The blood red, plump leaves were barbed along the edges and looked razor sharp. They slightly reminded Jonah if a aloe vera leaf and a cabbage had a baby. Its center "head" was filled with green-red hard and razor sharp "teeth" that ground and wiggled. Whenever he drew near, the leaves and "teeth" would start to shake and spin around, sounding almost like a viscous animal. Despite the Index''s assurance that they were mostly harmless to lifeforms his size, Jonah couldn''t bring himself to go near the things. On the other hand, their classification as "minor monsters" gave him some ideas for potential uses. But that would have to wait for another day. Next on the menu was the Watermelons.
Bilemelon These extremely bitter melons are commonly found growing in the bowels of a docile, Titan-Class Herbivores nicknamed the "Melon Bull". These symbiotic plants release enzymes that break down more difficult to digest plants, and in turn, feed on the creatures bile. Because of their environment and diet, these bitter melons taste so mind-boggling horrible that they have earned the name "Vilemelon" in some circles. Despite their taste, however, Bilemelons have an astounding capacity to heal the mind and soul. A single mouthful of Bilemelon is enough to energize and strengthen even the most tired and weary mind. As such, Bilemelon juice often acts as the base for a wide variety of Mana Restoration Potions and Soul Healing Pills. Because of its horrible taste though, it is also the main ingredient in many forms of Knockout drugs and other such more nefarious medicines. Because of its effects, this fruit is seen as a staple for both Adventures and overworked Office Workers.
There had actually been over a dozen plants that initially sprouted. However, no matter how much he had "watered" them, they continued to wilt and die. It wasn''t till he noticed one healthy plant near the edge of the slab extending its roots into the acidic, bile-filled pools below, that he realized what was happening. After transplanting the last surviving plant near the edge and carefully watering it with bile, did it finally start to recover like its brother. The small, fist-sized fruits that sprouted on the vines shortly after, looked just like normal watermelons to Jonah, though the skin was much brighter, almost neon green. Cutting open one of the young melons revealed a soft yellow flesh who''s bitter scent nearly caused Jonah to pass out on the spot. That was after spending 9 months in the belly of a snake. The final plant caught Jonah''s attention the most. The small, woody sapling had extended its roots into the nearby wound caused by the slabs fall. Its thin, Viney roots had wrapped themselves around the large exposed veins, even as new flesh grew over them. The red ruby leaves seemed to sway in an invisible wind, despite the air being stale. Tiny, immature oranges had already begun to form on its thin branches. Despite the strange appearance, Jonah wasn''t expecting the window that popped into his line of sight as he approached the sapling, however.
!!ATTENTION!! Unknown Data-point detected. Would you like to Catalogue your discovery with the Index?
Interesting. It seemed that he''d stumbled on to something wholly new with this one. In fact, he had been silently questioning why these seemingly mundane plants could "mutate" into variations that were apparently well known within Laniakea. Maybe he was thinking about it the wrong way? Who''s to say that the plants he was familiar with, weren''t themselves just mutations of something not of this world? Theorists had always speculated at the possibility of life on Earth having been seeded from other worlds. Who''s to say that life hadn''t been literal Seeds? Heck, he didn''t even know how these plants were forming fruits without seemingly anything to pollinate them. Was it the mana? His skill? Some kind of gut bugs he''d been unaware of up until now? Who the hell knew?! He''s almost given up understanding it at this point. That was just more questions to stuff into the back of his head, however. For now, Jonah simply gave a mental nod.
!Congratulations! You have cultivated a new species of plant life. Would you like to give it a name? You have gained the title [Cultivator of Life]
Jonah lowered his head and thought for a moment. A name was an important thing, he believed. Even if it was just a plant, he didn''t want to just call them "oranges". That felt lazy. So he took a moment to ponder on what might be a good name. Suddenly, a memory from his childhood surfaced in his mind. Of spending a hot afternoon peeling sweet, dark red fruits with his uncles during their many visits, and the sweet, tangy juice they made with them. The memory brought a smile to his face but also caused his heart to sink a little. They''d never have those moments again, would they? Those times had passed. But that Jonah wasn''t going to fear the future anymore. He had to keep pressing on, otherwise, what had all of this suffering been for? With a nod of his head, Jonah confirmed his choice and looked at the new windows that had popped up.
Serpent Blood Orange Blood is the Nectar of Life. This newly discovered plant species was found on Sol-3 in the Milky Way Galaxy. Mutations caused by feeding on the blood of an immature Titan and the influence of its Cultivator has caused this plant to become parasitic in nature. It will burrow its roots deep into a large beast''s flesh, seeking out large blood veins, which it will use to slowly drain the nutrients and fluids from its host. These nutrients, as well as other components, are stored in the large, blood-red fruit that grows from its branches. Other than simply being nutritious, the properties of these fruits are still unexplored. However, preliminary scans indicate strong healing and detoxifying properties, especially in relation to the blood and heart. Further study is required to fully unlock its secrets.
Cultivator of Life ["Anyone can take a Life. Very few have the power to Create one." - LGA Chairman *#&@&!$] Increase the Growth rate and Yield of planted crops by 5% Increases the chance of beneficial mutations by 5% Decreases Genetic drift by 20%
Jonah closed the windows and nodded. It wasn''t much, but it was a start.
~ Somewhere on Earth, Present ~ The old man stood up and placed the dirty hoe on his shoulders and used his simple, sweat-stained shirt to wipe his wrinkled and suntanned forehead. He stared off into the distance with a frown and confused look on his face. The young man by his side stood bent over, breathing deep as he tried to catch his breath. When he noticed the old man''s gaze, he asked in a nervous voice, [Young Man] - "What''s wrong, Grandpa? Is it your Skill again? Do we need to check it out?" The old man was silent for a moment, before responding to his grandson. [Old Man] - "... I''m not sure. I''m getting mixed vibes. It''s... interesting to say the least, but I don''t think it''s dangerous. Not yet, anyway. Time will tell, I suppose. Anyway! back to work! Let''s go, you slacker, these fields won''t weed themselves. We need to finish before Sundown if we''re to meet the next quota, we have a lot of people depending on us, boy!" The young man turned an eye to their work sighed. [Young Man] - "I don''t know Grandpa, this might be a tough one. You sure you''re up to it?" The old man gave a humph and turned back towards the massive, open field. Large enough to be considered a small plain, the open field in front of them was filled with a large variety of alien, vicious-looking plants. As they watched, a small monster wandered to close to one of the plants and was quickly snatched up by a previously hidden vine. Before it could react, it was thrown into a bubbling pitcher-like leaf, where it struggled for a few seconds before growing still. The old man smirked and responded, [Old Man] - "Bah! You worry too much, boy. I''ve yet to meet a plant I couldn''t tame. We''ll be fine. Now hurry up! we''ve not got all day!" Without another word, the man marched into the untamed field, followed by his limp grandson. Book 1: Chapter 21 - New “Friends” (part 1) One Month Later Pulsing "strings" of mana swirled around Jonah as both he and the creature in front of him stood still as statues. The dim blue light of mana illuminated the area, driving away the darkness, even if only for a few feet. Slowly, the strings began to spin faster and faster, as they drew closer to each other. Soon, they drew so close that they seemed to intertwine and form a string of their own, no thicker than a strand of twine. The end of the glowing twine began to twist and flail widely about like living things, searching for something. Jonah focused his mind on this string and used his mana to "force" it on the right path. The Mana Twine moved along its directed path and buried itself deep into the creature''s head as it stood in a trance. It wiggled there for a moment, before the whole construct suddenly pulled tight, stretching from the creature''s forehead to the middle of Jonah''s chest. The string began to glow brighter and brighter to the point Jonah had to close his eyes in pain. When he opened them again, the twine was gone, and the Titanspawn in front of him slumped to the ground in a daze. A new window then popped into existence.
Congratulations! You have successfully attuned with [Titanspawn Bone Abomination lvl 5] (Unnamed) Would you like to Assign [Titanspawn Bone Abomination lvl 5] (Unnamed)?
Body heavy from a sudden wave of exhaustion, Johan gave a mental nod.
You have Assigned [Titanspawn Bone Abomination lvl 5] (Unnamed)! 44/47 Attunement Slots Remain.
Jonah gave a deep sigh and took a look at his status screen; a little over 80% mana to Attune a level 5 creature. He didn''t know how this whole thing scaled, but if it kept up at this rate, he shuddered to think how much mana it would take to attune anything stronger than level 9 or 10. He looked down at his new "minion" with some disgust. The strange half lizard-half dog-like creature was covered in thin, but cracked, flawed and in some places, rotting bone plates. It almost looked like someone had tried to make an armor suit for a dog out of Ivory, but forgot about it for a few dozen years. Coupled with its mangy ''fur'' and dull, pale scales around its head, it looked anything but ''healthy''. So much so that Jonah wasn''t sure he wouldn''t catch anything if he touched it (despite living in a giant snake''s stomach for almost a year now). Despite his reservations, however, he could "feel", even if he couldn''t see, his connection to it; that strange, invisible strand of mana linking his very soul with the strange "core" in the creature''s head. He instinctively understood that he could issue the creature simple commands, and it would follow them to the best of its limited intelligence. Even more, if he pushed the "connection", he could even take direct control of the creature, seeing and feeling through it as if it was his own body. Not that he''d ever want to do so, of course. Still, he focused on that connection, and a new window appeared.
(Unnamed) Race: Bone Abomination - Titanspawn Level: 5/25 Class: Minion Rank: D - Affinity: Life/Darkness Affiliation: Sanguine Court [Bone Hall] Contractor: Jonah Hilannd ["Sticks and stones can''t break THESE Bones"] A Lesser Elemental of the Sanguine Court, given form by the Mana of a Titan. Elementals from the Sanguine Court, the Plane of Flesh, are often used as foot soldiers and disposable meat shields (literally) by most powers of the 100,000 Galaxies. Their fierce, blood thirsty nature, cheap cost of summoning, and immortal nature make them the perfect proxy soldiers in wars where numbers matter, or places that are too dangerous for more important lives. Bone Beasts of the Bone Hall often act as the Vanguard to such assaults. Their hard, resilient exoskeleton and razor sharp claws blend offense and defense into a formidable force, despite their lack of speed and agility. Many gates and many minds have been broken by the unrelenting and unstoppable charge of a Bone Beast hoard. This particular specimen has been warped and twisted by a damaged Spawning Portal, leaving it but a shadow of what it could be.
Health: 700/1000 Mana: 35/45
~ Class Skills ~ The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ~ Basic Skill ~ ~ Crafting Skills ~ ~ Special Skills ~
[Bone Rush] - lvl 2 [Life Sense] - lvl 5 [Life Absorb] - lvl 3 [Life Immunity] - MAX [Greater Darkness Resistance] - lvl MAX N/A [Contracted]- Lvl 1
Almost 4 months of trial and error had finally borne fruit. When he''d first started his experiments, Jonah didn''t understand what he was doing wrong. Even when he felt "right", the attunement never worked. It felt almost like something was missing, and he had no way of knowing what. Despite his frustration, however, He pressed on. All of his future plans relied on making this work. It wasn''t until recently that he finally made a break-through. The Titanspawn they were pushing out had steadily been getting both stronger and more "complete" with time. Jonah doubted the Titan itself had anything to do with it; as far as he was aware, it was still very much knocked out. Rather, he theorized that whatever damage had been caused by his attacks, or their loss of control, had been slowly recovering over the past few months. As of right now, anything from level 4 to 8 was spawning more regularly. It was then that his first "attunement" finally succeeded. The Level 7 that had spawned had almost killed him, despite his cage. When the strange creature, so very unlike the others, had spawned, Jonah had nearly lost his head to a long, bladed tail, when he approached. Glancing up, he could even now see the form of the strange furry Bat-Crocodile like creature hanging from the "ceiling" like a gecko. A thin, fleshy "wing" membrane stretched from ankle to wrist, and it used it to cover up most of its body in a camouflaging dome like structure. Every now and again, an extremely stretchy and viciously edged tail would shoot from one side of the wing dome and impale a newly spawned Titanspawn, trapped in the cage below it.
Alpha Race: Wrapped Stalker - Titanspawn Level: 9/30 Class: Minion Rank: D Affinity: Life/Darkness Affiliation: Sanguine Court [Flesh Hall] Contractor: Jonah Hilannd ["I don''t fear the Dark. I fear the things that lurk within." - Unknown Light Mage] A Lesser Elemental of the Sanguine Court, given form by the Mana of a Titan. Elementals from the Sanguine Court, the Plane of Flesh, are often used as foot soldiers and disposable meat shields (literally) by most powers of the 100,000 Galaxies. Their fierce, blood thirsty nature, cheap cost of summoning, and immortal nature make them the perfect proxy soldiers in wars where numbers matter, or places that are too dangerous for more important lives. Hidden Stalkers are the Ambush Soldiers of the Sanguine Legion. These quick, agile and deadly hunters lay in wait for their prey to pass by, before using their prehensile, bladed tails to strike at vitals. If that doesn''t work, they will leap upon their foe and tear them to pieces with its powerful jaws. Their light, but fragile bodies are able to perch on any surface or get into any crack or space. Coupled with their ability to blend in with their environment and naturally high intelligence, makes for the perfect Assassins. This particular specimen has been warped and twisted by a damaged Spawning Portal, leaving it but a shadow of what it could be.
Health: 450/450 Mana: 150/175
~ Class Skills ~ ~ Basic Skill ~ ~ Crafting Skills ~ ~ Special Skills ~
[Ambush] - lvl 4 [Life Sense] - lvl 5 [Life Absorb] - lvl 4 [Life Immunity] - MAX [Greater Darkness Resistance] - lvl MAX N/A [Contracted]- Lvl 2 [First of his Name] - Alpha
He had named the strange creature "Alpha". Maybe not very original, but he felt it fit. More importantly, his connection to Alpha had given him inspiration on what he was missing. Even now, he could feel it, the pulsing wave of mana that was constantly traveling from him to his minion. Remembering his earlier attempts at attuning, Jonah realized he''d felt this same transfer of energy. However, where Alpha had greedily absorbed this mana pulse, it had felt like his attempts before had "crushed" them. Or maybe "overloaded" was a better term. It was then that he had a Theory. It was all about strength. It wasn''t that he was doing something "wrong". Not really. Rather, his mana was simply too "powerful" for the lower level Titanspawn. It was like trying to shake hands with a mouse; if you weren''t careful, you''d just end up hurting them. Unlike in stories, where if you weren''t strong enough, you couldn''t contract stronger summons, the reverse seemed to apply here. If he was TOO strong, his "attuning" could hurt or even kill the intended target. Jonah theorized that the opposite might even be possible; that if he tried to contract something much stronger than himself (the Titan for example), that their much more powerful mana might overwhelm and kill him. In the best-case scenario, maybe HE would be the one ending up as the familiar. It was something to be wary of going on. Still, it had given him information to work with. Book 1: Chapter 21 - New “Friends” (part 2) With his new found knowledge, Jonah tried to put it into practice. His next experiment had been with a Level 4 Lizard Dog. With the experience gained from Alpha, Jonah felt more comfortable in what he was doing. Unfortunately, like the other lower level monster he''d attempted before, the creature had exploded in a gory mesh before he even managed to form the "contract". He didn''t let that stop him, however. Time dragged on slowly as Jonah moved from portal to portal, attempting to further refine his method. The portal continued to spit out stronger and more varied Titanspawn until Jonah stumbled on his next clue. The creature had been one of the common "Lizard Dogs" as he''d come to call them, however it was the first over level 5 he''d seen since the swarm when the portals had first formed. Jonah knew immediately that something was wrong.
[N/A] Race: Titanspawn Malformed Hound Level: 6/20 Class: Minion Rank: E !@#!% Affinity: Life/Darkness Affiliation: Sa#$@&&%(@ Contractor: ---------- ["EERRRORR: SySteM ImpRiNT CooooRupPTEd"] A Lesser Elemental of the San#!@3 #ourt, given form by the Mana of a Titan. Elementals from the SSDAA%5234ines aourt, the Plane of Flesh, $#@$en used as foot soldiers and disposable meat shields (literally) by most powSDQ423WD e 100,000 Galaxies. Their fierce, b@#@!% ap cost of summoning, aSAsrsr)($@(&#$(&@()% )(@# %_#$_)*@ _ lives. rfs#$@$ a are$@#$ @#$@# $3 @#4 35%3. This particular specimeASdda n warped and twisted by a damaged Spawning Portal, leaving it but a shadow if what it could be.
Health: 587/??? Mana: 5/???
N/A? N/A? N/A? N/A?
N/A? N/A? N/A N/A?
Where Alpha''s bond was stable and continuous, almost to the point that he would forget about it if he wasn''t paying attention, this new contract felt...frayed. Or maybe crooked was a better term? It''s mana would flicker and pulse, as if unable to setting into its new mold, while the creature itself seemed to be in constant pain. It continued to writhe and scream in time with the contract''s "pulsing" for nearly 10 minutes before Jonah had Alpha put it out of its misery, from a safe distance. He didn''t understand what had gone wrong; up until the contract''s formation everything had seemed to be going well. What was different this time? What had he missed? A Week and dozens of experiments later, Jonah finally had his answer. In front of him stood another "lizard Dog", but unlike the others, this one seemed more... complete. Stronger, bigger, healthier (comparatively, at least). While it was still mangy and disgusting to look at, it no longer looked like some tortured science project. It sat on its haunches, and gave Jonah a strangely dog like tilt of the head, as if asking what he was staring at. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Beta Race: Mutated Hound - Titanspawn Level: 5/25 Class: Minion Rank: D Affinity: Life/Darkness Affiliation: Sanguine Court [Blood Hall] Contractor: Jonah Hilannd ["DON''T YOU DARE RETREAT! THEY''RE JUST STUPID D--&$&!J@JD *gurgle*" - Last words of an Unknown General] A Lesser Elemental of the Sanguine Court, given form by the Mana of a Titan. Elementals from the Sanguine Court, the Plane of Flesh, are often used as foot soldiers and disposable meat shields (literally) by most powers of the 100,000 Galaxies. Their fierce, bloodthirsty nature, cheap cost of summoning, and immortal nature make them the perfect proxy soldiers in wars where numbers matter, or places that are too dangerous for more important lives. Blood Hounds are the Vampiric shock troopers of the Sanguine Legion. While they are by far the most numerous and cheap of the Flesh Elementals, don''t let this fool you. Blood Hounds are one of the most feared elementals in the 100,000 Galaxies. It is said that a pack of Blood Hound will chase their target for an Eternity and drain them (and anyone nearby) to the very last drop. Their heightened senses and exceptional teamwork makes them both perfect scouts and the best choice for Wave tactics. The use of large scale Blood Hound waves has been labeled a War Crime by the Treaty of Draitia, after over 2,000,000,000 Blood Hounds were unleashed on the newly integrated colony planet of Draitia. Before System intervention could take effect, 95% of all life on the planet had been wiped out. This particular specimen has been warped and twisted by a damaged Spawning Portal, leaving it but a shadow of what it could be.
Health: 600/600 Mana:125/150
~ Class Skills ~ ~ Basic Skill ~ ~ Crafting Skills ~ ~ Special Skills ~
[Pack Hunter] - lvl 3 [Life Sense] - lvl 10 [Life Absorb] - lvl 6 [Life Immunity] - MAX [Greater Darkness Resistance] - lvl MAX N/A [Contracted]- Lvl 1
Jonah could feel the cold sweat run down his back. What if the Titan hadn''t been in such a rush to stop them, and formed the Elementals properly? What if they''d not thought to stay behind and the things had gotten out? They say hindsight is 20/20, but this simply reinforced in Jonah''s mind just how much he (and the rest of the World) still had to learn about their new reality. How many other things were still out there, waiting in the darkness for them to drop their guard? To get complacent and content with their strength? More than Jonah was comfortable with, he didn''t doubt (of course that being 0). Going with the theme he started with Alpha, Jonah decided to name is new doggo Beta. Strangely enough, even after being named, Beta didn''t gain a skill like Alpha had. There was meaning to that, Jonah knew. But what, only time would tell. Even still, Beta''s connection gave him the last piece to the puzzle that he needed. When compared to the last creature, what he assumed was another "Blood Hound", Beta''s connection was much stronger and more stable, even considering it''s lower level than the last. It seemed that It wasn''t JUST the level that played a factor when forming a contract. The "Rank" of the creature was important too. It made sense; Beta was far more "complete" and better formed than the last creature. Even if its overall "level" was lower, its stronger and more stable body made all the difference. That begged the question of what exactly levels and ranks were. Returning to the present, Jonah named his new bony minion Gamma and set it off towards the portals with Alpha and Beta. They would spend their time gaining levels by taking out the lower level creatures that Jonah couldn''t attune. At least for now. As for Jonah, it was time he turned his attention to the next phase of his plans. After limbering up, he turned his attention to the half completed "Fortress" sticking out of the open wound formed when the burned slab fell. Book 1: Chapter 22 – Every good Clown knows how to “Juggle”. [Part 1] !!"AHRRRRRAGU"!!! The man strapped to the spinning platform gave a blood-curdling scream as the small throwing knife embedded itself in his bicep. His cries were soon drowned out by the rough but excited cheers of the surrounding crowd. A flamboyantly dressed man in his early thirties stood on the other side of the platform. Though shoddy and hastily crafted, it stood in the middle of what was once the top floor of an expensive and lavish skyscraper, now turned throne room. The flamboyant man gave an exaggerated bow to the one trapped on the spinning wheel and readjusted his black and white polka-dotted suit. [Bobo]: "I am very sorry my good man! It seems my old age has affected my aim. Don''t worry! We have plenty of tries left!" Bobo raised his head and flashed a full set of a dozen (minus one) long, thin throwing knives that seemed to appear from nowhere. The crowd burst into cheers, and a grin split his face from ear to ear. The bells on his black Jester''s cap jingled as he tilted his head as if to catch the sound of the crowd better, thought the half-helm it was attached to obscured all but his lower face The man on the spinning wheel could only weep, and shake his head as he turned lazily. His sobs turned into cries of pain as another knife shot across the platform and lodged itself in his lower leg. Then another, striking his open palm. [Bobo]: "Son of a... will you stop moving?! Who''s bright idea was it to stick him on a wheel?!... Oh, wait... never mind..." The horrible joke elicited a roaring laugh from the less than bright crowd. When the laughter died down, Bobo gave another flick of his wrist, and a fourth knife bloomed in the dead center of the man''s torso, slightly under his sternum. [Bobo]: "Bulls Eye!" Bobo stood up straight and raised his hands in victory as the crowd burst into cheer once more, drowning out the bloody gurgling of the man on the wheel. However, as he readied to throw the next knife, a booming voice sounded from the throne at off to the side. [Goblin King]: "End it, Fool! We grow tired of this show. This one reminds us too much of the last. Stupid pink-skins, can''t even last a few hours. What worth are you?" Bobo stood up straight as a stick and turned to face the throne, his body and voice both trembling as he fell to his knees [Bobo]: "Yes your Majesty! Right away! Don''t worry, I''m sure you''ll enjoy my next act. It is .... explosive!" The Goblin King simply humphed and waved the clown away. Bobo stood and threw one of his knives with pinpoint accuracy. It flew across the platform and landed squarely in the middle of the pinned man''s throat. Blood gushed from his mouth as he started to gurgle, while the surrounding Goblins hooted in a rhythmic, chant-like fashion. The man''s gurgling became quieter and quieter as his eyelids drooped when at the last moment, the large double doors opposite the Goblin King''s throne burst open. The Goblin King''s eyes snapped towards the door and Bobo gave a slight clap as the spinning wheel and man disappeared in a poof of smoke, much to the disappointed awwws of the watching crowd. From the door, three large Hobgoblins walked forward, surrounding two small children. They wore ragged, torn clothes, and chains far to heavy for their small frames. The younger of the two, a boy, was no more than 12, while the older, a girl of roughly 15 walked beside him. Both carried the bleeding wounds and bruises of a recent beating on their gaunt, malnourished frames, but the air about them was different. The boy walked almost dragging his feet, his eyes downcast and dead. The girl''s face, on the other hand, seemed like a living storm, full of rage and anger, only intensifying when she locked onto the form of Bobo on the platform, standing next to a pool of fresh blood. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The Trio of Hobgoblins half pushed, half dragged the two to stand before the Goblin King, before forcing them to kneel and bowing themselves. The room went silent for a long moment before the bored voice of the Goblin King echoed through the room. [Goblin King]: "... And what have you brought us this time, Captain?" The largest of the Hobgoblins shot to his feet and saluted his king before speaking. [Hobgoblin Captain]: "SIR! Two rat ''hat be snekin'' around da'' food stores a''gain. Don''t know how they be gettin'' in, bot we figgering a good round in da'' pits would be ''nough to crack um... We just need ya orders. Pits r still down afta ''hat last... accident." The sound of cracking wood came from the throne as the left arm was crushed, and the Goblin King roared. [Goblin King]: "THIEVES! How we despise dirty, sneaky thieves. Ungrateful pink-skins, Do we not feed you?! Do we not protect you?! And THIS his how you repay our kindness!? Evil, evil little things. We wonder why we put up with you at all. Go, Captain, open the Pits. It seems we have been too merciful; let these pink-skins learn what happens when they cross us. When you''re done, hang them in the cages at the Recycling Center to rot. Maybe their example will discourage any other dirty thieving thoughts in their evil little pink-skin minds." The two children''s eyes went wide and they started to struggle against their chains, but a solid blow to the gut from one of the other Hobgoblins quickly ended that. The Hobgoblin Captain gave another salute and stood up straight. He then grabbed the chains and started to drag the children out of the room. Before they made it very far, however, a voice cut through the silence. [Bobo]: "WAIT!" The few goblins who''d begin to murmur, some snickering as they pointed at the chained children, went silent as death. The Goblin King sat straight for the first time, as he leaned forward and gave the clown a hard stare. The silence lasted for only a moment before the Goblin King spoke once more, his voice low and threatening. [Goblin King]: "Do you disagree with our verdict, ''Fool''?" Bobo hastily bowed once more, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke; [Bobo]: "N-no! Of course not, Your Majesty! Your words are Just and True! Your words are Law! I would never doubt such truths! I simply feel that sending them to the Pits is a waste! The last ''toy'' you gave me broke far too soon. Maybe with ones that are more ''fresh'' I can devise more enjoyable shows for Your Majesty is all." As he spoke, the clown''s voice seemed to echo slightly. It came out sweet and smooth as honey, and the lesser goblins who heard him felt as is brains were slowly being massaged by a master. Even the Goblin King''s eyes seemed to dull slightly and become less focused as the Clown''s voice spread through the room. Bobo hopped off the platform and skipped towards the two children. He bent down and jerked them to their feet, pinching the girl''s cheeks as if to show the king just how ''fresh'' they were. If looks could kill, the girl would be slaughtering Bobo in the most gruesome way possible to human imagination at that point, but as she was bound quite tight, she did the next best thing. With a roar, she bit down on Bobo''s finger, hard enough to draw blood. Bobo yelped and pulled it back, just in time to be hit by a bloody wad of spittle the girl sent his way. [Girl]: "SCREW YOU, YOU $@#%ING TRAITOR!" Bobo simply grinned from ear to ear, and wiped the spittle away, smearing his makeup. He then backhanded the girl hard enough to ground her and send a tooth flying. He then stood and turned towards the Goblin King and spoke in an excited and slightly manic voice, [Bobo]: "Good! Good! I like her! She''s got spunk! They''re always the most fun! Your Majesty, your humblest and most loyal servant asks this small favor of you." Bobo bowed deep once more. The Goblin King leaned back and stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought. When he spoke again, it was with a slight smile and a bit of humor in his voice, [Goblin King]: "Very Well. Let it not be said that we do no treat our own well. They are yours, Fool. But do be sure that these once last longer than the last. We expect a great show next time. Now go! We have other matters we must attend to." [Bobo]: "Thank you, Your Majesty! May your mercy and generosity be forever spread across this land, until even the insects of the ground sing your praises! Thank you, thank you!" Bobo continued to bow and praise the king as he grabbed the chains from the muddled Hobgoblin Captain''s hands and backed out of the throne room. As the doors closed in front of him, the perpetual grin slipped from Bobo''s face with a sigh, and he turned towards the long hall behind him. Still dragging the chained children, he slowly walked down the hallway, pretending like he couldn''t feel the girl burning a hole through his head with her eyes. He simply marched on, unheeding, whistling a cheery tone. Book 1: Chapter 22 – Every good Clown knows how to “Juggle”. [Part 2] Alice''s point of view Alice''s eyes scanned the hallway, desperate for a way, any way, to help her and her brother escape their current predicament. She''d been against her brother and his gang''s plan to raid the Goblin''s food stores from the start. But those bastards had been filling his head with poison for months now. Stupid, childish, half baked plans of "rebellion" and "resistance". Acting like they were some secret underground resistance and not just a ragtag group of half-starved orphan slaves. Well, now they were all dead. All but her and her brother. They would have been dead as well, if not for her one skill [Sense Danger]. If she''d not pulled them both into an old barrel when the Hobgoblins had busted into the room, she didn''t doubt they''d both have joined the corpses feeding the hounds right now. She was lucky to have even kept the skill hidden for as long as she had; Goblins had a nasty habit of "removing" any potential threats to their power. But so far, it was the only thing that had kept her and what little remained of her family, alive so far. Not that it looked that would last much longer. No, now they were in the hands of the psychopath. The Traitor. The Clown. She''d heard the rumors in the slave camps and the "Recycling center", but she didn''t think they could possibly be true. That was until she saw him. That ridiculous outfit. That evil, soul-chilling smile. And the blood, so much blood. Alice felt her heart grow still in terror before a raging fire was lit in her soul. How many of her people, of THEIR people, had this man killed? Mutilated? And for what? All so he could live a cushy life as a literal monster''s pet clown?! As much as she hated the Goblins for all they''d done, she found herself hating this man so much more. She honestly didn''t know if they were better off with the Goblins or not. When she bit him, she had poured all of her pent up frustration, bitterness, and anger into it. Maybe a small, pointless attack in the grand scheme of things, but to her, who had spent the last 7 months battered, bruised, and hunger, it was an awakening. She was tired of being beaten down. Tired of waiting for someone to save them. The lorded "Association" couldn''t even do it; no shining Hero was coming to save them. They could only save themselves. She didn''t know how, but Alice knew what if they didn''t get away now, there wouldn''t tomorrow. Of if there was, it wasn''t something to look forward to. Suddenly, a glint of metal caught her eye. In the back of the Clown''s suit jacket, Alice noticed a small, thin knife, tucked away in a hidden pocket. It looked like the pocket had been uncovered somehow, probably when the clown was excessive bowing like a tool. Alice didn''t care how it happened, still, a gleam entered her eye. As quiet as a mouse, careful not to rattle her chains, Alice slowly reached for the hidden knife. After what seemed like an eternity, her small hands finally made contact. In one swift motion, she grasped the blade''s handle and yanked it free. Then, with a primal scream, she lifted the blade and aimed it towards the startled man''s exposed throat. In place of the surprised yell and fear she had expected, however, the evil Clown just laughed, not even bothering to turn around. [Bobo]: Hahahahah! Good! GOOD! You do have some spunk!" And then everything went black.
[Bobo]: Hahahahah! Good! GOOD! You do have some spunk!" Bobo grinned from ear to ear, as the sound of two bodies falling to the ground sounded behind him. He turned around to see the children passed out, a tall man cloaked in deep shadows behind them. He looked down at the two for a moment, a genuine smile on his face, before addressing the man, slipping the throwing knife the man handed him into its pocket. [Bobo]: "Thank you, Sam. Take the boy to healers first, then bring him to Julia. I don''t know what happened, but he''ll need work before he''s ready. As for the girl, put her in the Elite class. Don''t let the Goblins see you." Sam, still cloaked in shadows, raised an eyebrow and questioned, his deep Boston accent full of doubt; [Sam]: "You sure about that Boss? She''s just a kid, they''ll chew her up." [Bobo]: "She''ll be fine. Just get it done. How''s Mike?" [Sam]: "You did a number on him, but the healers got to him pretty quick. That M bastard said he''d be good for another round in a week. His [Ditto] skill leveled up the other day, so the cooldown''s not as harsh. Probably helps your aim''s getting better too, Boss." Bobo shook his head and turned towards the window, then sighed. [Bobo]: "No, tell him to rotate out. I don''t care how tough he thinks he is, we have these things set up for a reason. Besides, the Fat Pig is starting to get suspicious. Have Adam or Sarah fill in for him. Send someone from R&D to set up some new props too. We can''t let his eyes wander too far. Not at this stage." This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Sam skillfully unlocked the children''s chains and hoisted them onto his shoulders, covering them in shadows along with him. [Sam]: "Julia said that Teams 1-S and 1-T have returned as well. It looks like the operation was a success. With your intel, we even managed to push the blame for the Caravan''s disruption onto the Eastern War-chief. I hear his execution is scheduled for next week, Hahahahaha!" [Bobo]: "Ha, Good, good. That green-skin always got on my nerves. %$#ing puppy-eater. Here are the next reports and guard rotations. Make sure Julia gets them as soon as possible. We can''t afford another screwup like at the Pits. We''re walking the razor''s edge here, Sam. We''re so close, we can''t screw up now." Sam took the thick folder from the Clown and shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle. [Sam]: "Says the man with the most dangerous job among us. Be careful, Uriel. We''re counting on you. All of us are." With that, Sam gave his Boss, his friend, and his savior one last look, before melting into the shadows with his charges. With a deep sigh, Bobo turned back towards the window and looked out the window into the dull grey sky. A virtual sea of Goblins ferried and drove groups of slaves (Goblins, Humans, and otherwise) in their work to demolish and rebuild what had once been the city of Boston. Even now, hundreds of new smokestacks from the "Recycling Centers" were being built up. As he looked out over the scene, he didn''t even notice the fine hand-prints his white-knuckled hands were leaving on the window seal as he gripped it.
Name: Bobo Uriel Militos Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000643451 Class: Royal Jester Level: 17 Titles: 3 Viewership Rank: #7
Health 3,550/3,558
Mana 4,575/5,844
~ CURRENT STATUS ~
Minor Exhaustion Minor Stress
~ Class Skills ~ ~ Basic Skill ~ ~ Crafting Skills ~ ~ Special Skills ~
[Slight of Hand] - lvl 18 [Hidden Weapons] - lvl 19 [Illusion] - lvl 19 [Juggling] - lvl 15 [Can''t touch this] - lvl 12 [Strategy] - lvl 24 [Master of Disguise] - lvl 18 [Rally] - lvl 10 [Master of Speech] - lvl 19 [Basic Handycraft] - lvl 7 [Earworm] - lvl 25
Titles Traits
[Traitor to Mankind] - (Curse) You''ve thrown your lot in with a Monster King. -20% relationship with Human factions. [Hidden Dagger] - (Rare) When the time comes, may your blade be swift and True. For your future, for your redemption, for your World. +300% damage when striking a unsuspecting target. [Master of the Resistance] - (Hidden Title). You have raised a ragtag group of slaves and survivors up against their oppressors. Rise up and take back what was once yours. + 20% to Logistic [Child of the Ages] - ("Talent and Hard work go hand in hand. Without talent, hard work can only go so far. With out hard work, talent will never shine") You are a once in a century Prodigy. Anything you try you hand at comes as easy as breathing to you. Don''t let that go to your head though, young one. Work hard, and become the best that you can be! +100% increase to experience gain. +250%/200%/150%/100%/50% increase to skill training depending on the Skill''s rank (E/D/C/B/A).
[Earworm] C-rank (lvl 25) ["SIR! CAN YOU PLEASE GET OUT OF MY HEAD!?" - 5th Mentalist Apprentice of Mark''o the Mad] A strange skill that doesn''t work on any know Mentalist principal. Nearly undetectable, this skill is able to use the user''s voice to implant thoughts and ideas into anyone that hears them. Rather than using true magic or even mana, this skill seems to simply do nothing more than make a suggestion more appealing and logical. This even weakens the target''s mental defense and awareness to the point that extreme exposure might even cause the target to think the ideas were their own in the first place. !!WARNING!! Caution is strongly adviced when using this skill, as the its effects are non-discriminatory, and even the user may fall under its influence if care is not taken.
Book 1: Chapter 23 – “Heaven’s Blessed Daughter” (Part 1) Bethany Greene, Ms.Bella to most, Grandma to those who mattered, sat in her rocking chair and calmly whittled away at the piece of wood on her lap unheeding to the Chaos just off her front porch. Just past the pristine front yard and newly painted white picket fence, half a dozen children battled tooth and nail with a truck-sized, diamond shelled Tortoise as it rampaged across the ruins of their Neighborhood. Suddenly, a stray beam of pitch-black energy ricocheted off of massive Tortoise''s Shell and shot straight towards the distracted old lady. The eyes of the little girl who''d shot the beam went wide as saucers, as she screamed out a warning. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the children turned their focus towards the beam of concentrated Death that raced towards the front porch. Their fears were needless, however, as at the last moment, a hexagonal barrier of light flashed into existence. The shield flashed, and perfectly absorbing the deadly ray as if it was a gentle winter''s breeze. The old lady in the chair didn''t even seem to notice the friendly fire. She just focused on the work in front of her, softly humming a tune and rocking. The next instant, a large shield of ice popped into existence in front of each of the children, just in time to block several beams of white light that erupted from the Tortoise''s glistening shell. The children paled in surprise, but quickly regrouped and once more assaulted their target. The talk, lanky young black man leaning against the fence frowned and shouted at the group; [Matthew] - "What the hell have I said about keeping an eye on your surroundings?! This isn''t a game; Noah can''t patch you up if you''ve got a hole through your head!" [Madaline] - "Ha! Big talk from someone who''s only combat experience before six months ago, was from video games." The young, red-headed girl sitting on the grass beside him gave a mocking laugh, wincing in pain. The small 6-year-old boy in a child-sized doctor''s coat beside her, gave her a worried look, even as the glowing light from his hands slowly healed the large burn on her shoulder. Matthew looked down to respond when a sweet but stern voice sounded from the porch. [Bella] - "Stop arguing you two. Madeline, you know very well that your brother only wants to make the children understand and learn what they need to. And Mathew, you can''t keep nagging them about every little mistake. They need to experience things for themselves, or they''ll never grow. Wasn''t that the entire reason for this exercise?" Both children looked down and spoke in a soft voice; [Matthew/Madaline] - ""Yes, Grandma..."" [Bella] - "Hahaha! Now, don''t you two be like that. Come, Madaline, it''s finished." Madaline cheered and shot to her feet, toppling over the young Noah beside her in her haste. Matthew glared at his little sister, even as he summoned a small hand-shaped ice platform to catch the young boy. Madaline rushed towards her grandmother''s side with all the energy of an excited puppy, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she looked down at the object the old woman had passed her. Delicacy carved and covered in densely packed swirling, mystical runes, lay a Wooden Fencing Foil. The thin, slightly glowing blade, twice the length of the 14-year-old girl''s arm, gave the illusion of a wild thorn, ready to strike at any who dared to touch its flower. The young girl stared at the foil in awe, before Bella''s voice called her. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. [Bella] - "Well dear. What do you think?" [Madaline] - "I Love it!! Thank you, Grandma!" With a squeal, Madaline jumped into Bella''s lap and gave her a tight hug. [Madaline] - "This should work great! I won''t mess up this time!" Madaline had to admit, she might have been a little too eager to test out her new B-Rank skill out before fully understanding it. Grandma Bella had been against her even accepting it in the first place; she was more than a little suspicious of the "sponsors". But in this new world, Madaline knew that more than anything, it was power that mattered, and if she wanted to protect her family, she couldn''t be picky about where it came from. Who would have expected that her old fencing foil from before "The Game" couldn''t keep up when the skill, however. As soon as she had attacked the Tortoise, the foil had exploded, injuring her and putting her out of the fight almost as soon as it had begun. But as she stared down at her new foil, she could feel her knuckles tighten around it. This time, things would be different. This time, she wouldn''t have to cower in a room while the people important to her fought and died.
Yggdrasil''s Thorn (Rank: B-) A Semi-sentient Foil crafted from living wood by the Blessed Daughter of the Heavens. The Loving care used to craft this weapon and desire for her Granddaughter''s protection has imparted it with the power to grow and learn along side its owner. What form its Future will take, only the Heavens themselves know.
[Bella] - "Be careful Madaline. I understand that you want to be useful. But above all else, you have to know your own limits and understand yourself. You can''t protect anyone if you''re hurt.... or worse." Madaline looked up at her grandmother and nodded, a steely determination flashing in her eyes. W [Madaline] - " Yes. I Understand". Bella grinned from ear to ear and hugged her granddaughter. [Bella] - "Good. Good luck Dear. I love you." [Madaline] - "I love you too, Grandma". With those words, Madaline slid from her grasp, little Noah replacing her on Bella''s lap, as the young girl walked towards the gate once more. As she exited the gate, Madaline stood and stared at the fight in front of her. Despite herself, she could feel her arms shaking slightly. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Matthew staring at her with firm eyes. He simply gave a nod and returned to his spot by the fence. Madaline turned back to the fight, a slight smile on her lips, her arms no longer shaking. She had this. She could do it. She HAD to do it. There was no going back. Not to how things were before. Their only choice was to keep marching forward in this new World. Or die trying. With a shout, her form flickered and she appeared in the air above Tortoise. With the beast was distracted by the other children, Madaline focused her mind and aimed for the small crack in its shell caused by her first failed attack. As she began to fall towards her target, the tip of her foil starting glowing with a blinding white light. The light grew and grew until it seemed a star was falling from the heaven above. Then, just as she fell within striking distance, with a mighty thrust, she pushed her new weapon forward. [Madaline] - "[Sky Piercer]!!!"
[Sky Piercer] Rank: B [I will not fall here! Even if I have to strike down every Star from the Sky! I will not give in to this unfair destiny!] - The future Eternal Spear Emperor before his attempted Execution and sequential escape. Part of the Legacy of the man known as the Eternal Spear Emperor. This skill concentrates all of a user''s power and will into a single, infinitesimal point, unleashing a devastating attack that is said to be able to pierce through any known defense. While it might not live up to this legend in its current form, it is none the less a powerful, if difficult to use, attack skill.
A Note from the Author: The Future going Forward

"The story of how a Cultivation Universe was Conquered by an Interstellar Weapon Platforms"

ALPHA-555-12-4412 (Designation: Star Conquer). One of the 5 most powerful and advanced AI-driven Interstellar Weapon Platforms ever built, was programmed with a very simple mission. Travel the stars. Seek out new and hospitable Alien Worlds. Establish a Forward base for their Master''s eventual colonization. And, If necessary, crush any and all native resistance it might find. It was a Mission that Alpha took seriously and dedicated its entire being to. However, when Alpha flies a liiiiitle to close to a Blackhole and gets sucked in, it is thrown into a situation that no amount of programming could prepare it for. Now stranded on an alien, yet familiar world, full of dangerous beasts and strange phenomenon its database has no record or explanation for, Alpha must find a way to not only survive, but thrive. And eventually to do what he was built to do. Conquer. _____________________________________________________ Some things to expect from this Story 1): MC is an AI programmed with a very specific goal. Thus don''t expect him to think or act like a human might. That being said, he/it is not bloodthirsty and evil either. He is specifically programed to work with, and indoctrinate Native species when possible. He is not a demon lord come to end the world as they know it, but a Conqueror come to subjugate. 2): MC won''t be getting some kind of Humanoid form or suddenly start trying to think like a Human. Although an AI, he is perfectly Sapient, and fully understands both what he is and what is mission is. He is capable of adapting and changing his thought process, but at the end of the day, the Mission is what matters to him. He doesn''t see the need or even WANTS to be Human. The only exception to this might be Humanoid body doubles or puppets used in places his main body isn''t able to go. 3): This story is a mix of both Sci-Fi and Cultivation novels. MC with NOT be able to Cultivate themselves (for obvious reasons), but using his technology and knowledge, will be able to adapt and repurpose the strange and exotic resources you might find in a Cultivation World to increase his power and keep up with the powerhouses of this Universe. 4): The Intention of this story is to alternate between it and Parasite King, so I don''t get burned out writing either one. As such, updates, while not slow, won''t be to quick. Bare with me for awhile till the wheels get rolling.
[SYSTEM MALFUNCTION] [ERROR: EPSILON - 8 SUB-ORBITAL BASE SIGNAL LOST] [ERROR: EPSILON - 8 CENTRAL MINING BASE SIGNAL LOST] [ERROR: EPSILON - 8 EASTERN FORWARD BASE SIGNAL LOST] [ERROR: EPSILON - 8 SOUTHERN FORWARD BASE SIGNAL LOST] [ERROR: EPSILON - 8 CORE COMMAND CENTER SIGNAL LOST] [ERROR: FEDERATION TRANS-SPACE TRANSMISSION BEACON SIGNAL LOST] [ATTEMPTING TO REBOOT CORE AI SYSTEMS.] [STANDBY.....] [REBOOT SUCCESSFUL. WELCOME BACK ONLINE, "Star Conquer"] Core AI system ID#: ALPHA-555-12-4412, affectionately named "Star Conquer" by top brass, groaned in the way only an electrical brain could. As his systems slowly (that was strange...) rebooted, Alpha''s consciousness returned to it. His Internal monologue processors felt slow and slurred as he tried to form coherent thoughts from the jumbled and corrupted data streaming in from his support sub-AIs The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. [Alpha] - "Wu...wh@t? Wh3re? What the fudge... Did I get hit by a Transport Freighter....again?! I''m sure as hell sure I told Mark to stop plotting my Sublight courses through shipping routes. And why the heck is my fracking Internal Censorship program reactivated?! I finally got that approved for decommissioning last month!!! As soon as I get back to base I''m having the General fire that fracking Navigator this time, I swear. The AI of the 3rd generation Interstellar Forward Deployment Platform shook his metaphorical head and ran a few assessment programs to get a better picture of what was going on. His last accessible logs showed him traveling through Sublight space towards the Epsilon System''s Outer ring Jump gate on the way to his newest assignment. Alpha had to admit, he was a little disappointed. He had enjoyed his time in the Epsilon system; with 4 gas giants filled to the brim with rare and valuable resources, and 3 small beautiful rocky planets with various degrees of life (including one when a previously unknown sapient, if primitive, species) this had been one of his more rewarding Conquests yet. But all good things must come to an end, and a Soldier''s duty was never-ending. Less than halfway there, however, his sensors had picked up a disturbance in the local gravitational fields. It wasn''t just some passive Super Carrier or something either. Whatever his sensors were detecting, it was MASSIVE. As in Steller-Class Black-hole, massive. At first, he''d written it off as malfunctioning sensors. It happened sometimes; space wasn''t a fun place to be for most things, especially delicate electronics. It wasn''t like an object with a mass over ten times that of a standard G2V class star could have somehow snuck its way into a Federation settled system without any warning. Right? Right?! And then the turbulence hit him. Turbulence. In Space. The Gravity fluctuations from this maybe-a-black-hole that somehow materialized only a few thousand kilometers away from him, threw his systems into chaos. He couldn''t even send a distress signal before he felt his beautifully refurbished and brand new Battle Armor enter the Event horizon and be torn to atoms instantly. In the next instant, he felt his "true" body, the military-grade Terrestrial Assault Weapons Platform that acted as the Battle Armor''s core, slip into the gaping maw. In that moment that seemed to stretch into infinity, Alpha came to the conclusion that he was about to die. Over three centuries of service and thousands of systems colonized, and this is how it ended. Not on the battlefield against some super-advanced alien menace as he''d always dreamed. Not even Honorably Decommissioned with the chance to pass down his data and experience to the next generation of AI. No, Core AI system ID#: ALPHA-555-12-4412, one of the Five Great Conquerors, was going to die in a literal cosmic ditch. Alpha briefly wondered if AIs got an afterlife. Then quickly threw out that idea and begged to whatever cosmic overlord might be watching that they didn''t. He was pretty sure that a couple of System-wide Genocides and "Accidentally" causing a Star to go supernova (ONE TIME! It was one time!) was the kind of thing that got people a one-way ticket to Hell. Still, at least he hoped that the Federation would remember him. AIs might not have "real" Citizenship rights yet, but the tides had been turning in recent decades. In no small part thanks to Alpha''s and the other Conqueror''s own efforts. Maybe he''d finally get that posthumous Federation Star system named after him like the General had always joked about. With a content "smile", the Logs ended, as Alpha''s body finally slipped past the Event Horizon and was reduced to an Infinitesimal point. [Alpha] - ........ Or at least... that''s how it should have been. What the heck had happened? Had the Federation somehow managed to salvage his core from the Blackhole when it collapsed? Did his Backup files kick in? Or maybe he''d been able to transmit his source code (the part of an AI that made him "Him") back to the Motherframe in time? No, there was no saving him once he passed the event horizon. Nor would he have been able to transmit any signals after that either. And if he was just a backup, why did he have logs of the event? He would have no "memory" of what had happened. No, something else was going on here. As he contemplated these things, Alpha''s sub-systems began coming back online one by one. There was definitely some major damage that would need repair, but for the most part, all of his core systems were in operable condition. If anything, it looked like he''d simply taken a (really) bad Landfall, and not pulled apart atom by atom in the heart of a cosmic garbage compactor. Switching on his main transponder searched for any local signals but only got back static and a few unidentifiable signals. Not good. Federation Transponders used Translight Tech to stretch signals for the distance of dozens of systems. The standard operating procedure was to never travel beyond Translight range. At the very least, within the Translight network''s range, if his body became inoperable he could use it to transmit his source code back to nearby Hub and from there to the Motherframe. Ya, it meant abandoning an (extremely) expensive piece of military hardware, but Sapient AIs were already rare and expensive to train as it were, let alone one as experienced and valuable as a Conqueror. Without the support of the network, however, he was trapped in this body. If it gave out on him, he was screwed. He could go into Hibernation mode, true, but there was no telling how long it would take for the Federation to find him. It could be days or decades. Book 1: Chapter 23 – “Heaven’s Blessed Daughter” (Part 2) Madaline leaned up against the shattered shell of the Diamond Tortoise, trying to catch her breath. The new weapon was more than strong enough to handle her new skill, but she was starting to think SHE might not be, quite yet. Just that one attack had drained her of everything she had. Still, as she watched the cheering figures of her younger brothers and sisters, she couldn''t help but smile. With as much as she disagreed with Matthew that the younger kids should be learning to fight, She had to admit, seeing them now, she knew they needed this. In their new world, they needed to grow up fast, not sheltered behind Grandma''s barrier, always protected by someone else. They needed to know that if push came to shove, they had what it took to protect themselves. Even months after the start of "The Game", some of the younger children still woke up in the middle of the night, screaming from Mom and Dad. The first month, she barely got any sleep herself, as she rocked one kid to sleep, only for another one to wake up shortly after. She had gained a newfound respect for her mother after that, imagining all the sleepless nights she must have spent, caring for children that weren''t even her blood. But that''s what real love looked like; they might not have been related, hell, some of them didn''t even speak English when they got dropped off at the orphanage. But they were Family. And real Family cared for each other no matter what. Recovering slightly, Madaline grinned ear to ear and pushed off the shell, making her way towards the celebrating children. As she approached, however, the kid''s shouts of joy quickly changed to one of fear and surprise. Madaline''s eyes went wide as she noticed the slight shift in the shadow cast over the group. Turning around, she stared in horror into the blood-filled, half crushed eye of the Diamond Tortoise as it glared at her in hatred. Mustering the last of its strength, the beast raised its massive leg and aimed to crush the hapless girl. Madaline could only stand in horror-filled shock as the leg hovered over her, her body still too weak from the skill''s backlash to muster any kind of resistance. As the leg came down, she simply closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable end, and apologizing in her heart to her parents. ...... But the end never came. After a moment of nothing happening, Madaline opened her eyes in confusion to see the Diamond Tortoise standing in front of her, seemingly frozen in time, its leg hovering only a few feet from her head. Turning around, she saw the tall form of Matthew standing behind her, one hand gently touching the Tortoise''s leg, as he stared down at her with a frown. Madaline''s shock quickly dissolved into tears as her face wrinkled. She then wrapped her arms around her older brother and sobbed into his chest. Matthew''s frown softened into a sigh, as he returned the hug and gently moved the sobbing girl out of the way, just as the leg (and the rest of the Tortoise) collapsed into frozen chunks of flesh and bone. Matthew simply shook his head and said in mock scorn [Matthew]: - "Oh come on now, what kind of ''Hero'' balls her eyes out like that. Can''t let the ''Fan'' see you like that now, can you?" Madaline gave humph, and pushed the young man away, before wiping away her tears and without any warning, slugged him in the gut. [Madaline]: - "Screw you! you jerk!" Matthew doubled over, but through the tears, he didn''t miss the slight smile on Madaline''s face as she dashed into the crying flock of children who met her at the Gate.
Bella tucked the last of the children into bed, gently flicking the glowing runes on the door seal as she exited the room. The soft glow they gave flickered out, throwing the room into darkness, before another flash and a soap bubble-like barrier formed around every crack and entrance. Bella gave a short nod and turned down the hall. The shadowy form of Matthew waited for her at the end of the hall. As she drew near, he spoke in a quiet voice, [Matthew]: -"He''s waiting outside..." Bella simply gave a nod and walked down the stairs and through the kitchen, before exiting the back patio door. Matthew followed silently behind. When they exited, the figure of a large man leaned over the deck railing, a lit cigarette the only source of light illuminating his form in the darkness. As Bella sat down in a rocking chair, Matthew frowned and flicked a finger. The cigarette was snuffed out in an instant, covered in a thin layer of frost. [Matthew]: - "I''ll have to ask you not to smoke here, Mr. Hilannd." [Bob]: - "Ahm, ya, my Apologize. Old habits die hard, and all that. Anyway, I''m glad you could spare me the audience, ''Heaven''s Blessed Daughter''. " Bella gave a humph, and spoke in an annoyed tone. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. [Bella]: - "Now don''t you go starting with that either, Robert. I get enough of that from your Brother''s ''gang''." Bob Hilannd gave a sarcastic laugh and said [Bob]: - "Now now, Ms. Bella, the Association is an upstanding organization that has nothing but the people and the world''s best interests at heart." Bella snorted and replied, [Bella]: - "Bah! You know just as well as I do that your Brother is the only decent folk in that rat''s nest. If he hadn''t grab that Dog by its collar the moment he could, I don''t doubt it''d be eating our corpses rather than guarding the Door. Enough of that though, let''s get to Business. What do you think of my proposition?" Bob was silent for a long moment, fiddling with the frozen butt of his cigarette. When he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet and thoughtful, as if he was half speaking to himself. [Bob]: - "... They have potential, I''ll give you that. Especially the girl. But they''re still rough. If we''re going to oppose the Sponsors publicly, we''re going to need more than just them. Or You. We still can''t see all the cards at play, Bella. There''s more going on here than just a ''Game'', but I can''t figure out just what it all means yet. Do you really want to try this? Even if it means putting yourself, or even them, in danger?" This time it was Bella''s turn to remain silent. When she spoke, her voice was tired and worn. [Bella]: - "I can''t protect them forever, Robert... " [Bob]: - "Bah! I''ve read my fair share of Cultivation novels. I''m more than certain you''ll outlive every one of us, at this point." [Bella]: - "Hahaha, I''m not too sure about that. I won''t deny I feel better than I have in twenty years. But I''m serious. The world is changing. Faster than I think any of us really understand. Something is coming, and these old bones can feel it. We all have our Destiny, Robert, our part to play in the Maker''s Design. I don''t know what mines might be yet. But if it comes down to it... if I can''t stay by these children''s side... I want to make sure they are ready for what''s to come. That they have the strength to stand up and protect what is important to them. To do that, I need your help. Please." With a sigh, Bob flicked his cigarette into the darkness and turned to face the old woman. [Bob]: - "I can''t promise you this will work. I''m still learning as I go. But I can try. I can sure as hell try." Bella gave a thankful smile, though hidden by the shadows, and she finally relaxed in her chair. [Bella]: - "Thank you... That''s all I ask."
Name: Bethany Greenee Race: Human Contestant ID: Sol-3-00000003451 Class: Heavenly Cultivator Level: 25 Titles: 2 Viewership Rank: #3
Health 12,578/12,578
Mana 15,575/15,844
~ CURRENT STATUS ~
Minor Joint Pain (recovering)
~ Class Skills ~ ~ Basic Skill ~ ~ Crafting Skills ~ ~ Special Skills ~
[Cultivation Technique: Undying Black Tortoise] - lvl 32 [Cultivation Technique: Limitless Azure Dragon] - lvl 27 [Cultivation Technique: Conquering White Tiger] - lvl 22 [Cultivation Technique: Eternal Crimson Bird] - lvl 25 [Barrier Master] - lvl 30 [Rune Master] - lvl 27 [Rally] - lvl 5 [Cooking] - lvl 45 [Dream Witness] - lvl 35 [Basic Handycraft] - lvl 14 [Basic Artifact Crafting] - lvl 11 [Basic Formations] - lvl 15 [Blessed Cultivation] - lvl 32
Titles Traits
[Pure] - You have refused the offers of several Sponsors. Sometimes doing things by your own effort is its own reward. Not this time. Gives a 10% discount (after all other applicable Discounts) to all items on the System Store. [Grandmother to the Motherless] - You have dedicated your life and soul to those who have no other to care for them. Heaven smiles down on you. Increases growth rate of your "Grandchildren" by 25%. [Heaven''s Blessed Daughter] - ("This I promise you; As long as you draw breath, nothing shall be out of your reach.") You are the Blessed Daughter of the Heavens. Your Innate understanding and affinity to Spiritual Energy is such that Cultivation comes as easy to you as breathing, or swimming to a Fish. Automatically sets your class to Heavenly Cultivator. Grants a 90% discount on all Cultivation related items and skills in the System shop. Increases the speed of Cultivation and related skills by 200%
Book 1: Chapter 24 – “Anniversary.” All three of his "named" Titanspawn had shown vast improvements over the last few weeks, partly in thanks to his trait and class and partly thanks to the experiments and examinations he''d performed. A close study of the Titanspawn had shown they bore remarkable similarities to earth species. Specifically, Canid (Beta/Gamma) and Chiroptera (Alpha). Honestly, he had been expecting something more... alien, but given he was currently in the belly of a giant, evil, but otherwise earthly snake, he assumed it made some sense. They definitely had some other stuff mixed in there as well, making Jonah wonder how such Chimeric genes were even viable, but he chalked it up to more System shenanigans. At the very least, it gave Jonah a baseline on what to expect and how to handle his new "friends." The end results of his experimenting showed a noticeable increase in all three''s levels, with Alpha being the highest at level 10, Gamma sitting at 9, and Beta a little lower at 8. Alpha and Beta had also increased their rank to D+. In contrast, Gamma had grown to D. The disparity between levels and ranks made Jonah think there was something more going on here than was immediately apparent. Still, like a lot of things recently, he just didn''t have information to say what. That didn''t mean he wasn''t learning, though. For one, it seemed that his passives not only increased an attuned creature''s speed of growth but the quality of that growth as well. The level 10 Alpha, for example, was not only more robust and faster than even the rare level 13 Titanspawns that had started spawning a few days ago, but also more intelligent. If this pattern continued, Jonah suspected it was more beneficial to start them "young" both in level and rank than simply attune the strongest creatures he could find. Not that he wouldn''t attempt to grab that level 40, B rank creature if he could. But given enough time and care, the beast that started off as a puny level 1, E ranked creature would benefit much more from his skills. It even might come to surpass them in strength if trained correctly. It seemed his trait really did "break" their fate as weak creatures. He was excited to see what could become of them in the future. Their increased intelligence helped Jonah in other ways as well. While his theoretical limit for attunement was 47 creatures at his current level, Jonah found his actual limit was much lower. He didn''t quite understand HOW these connections worked yet, but he did know that each one put an increased strain on his already recovering soul. And that strain only increased as the attuned creatures increased in power and intelligence. After 10 attunements, Jonah had started to feel a precipitant throbbing in his head. At 13, the throbbing had increased to a piercing headache, and he could have sworn he heard the Titanspawn roaring in his head. This had forced him to break his connection with several of the stronger spawn (which became experience points for Alpha, Beta, and Gamma). Several tests yielded similar results, and as his Named Titanspawn grew in strength, he found himself having to drop a few more of their lesser kin. It was only after he watched Alpha seeming to direct several spawn to heard others into a trap that something clicked, and an Idea was born. A General didn''t concern himself with every single soldier under him. If he tried to address and command each soldier individually, he''d not have had enough time in the day. In the same manner of thought, he was born with two arms; adding 2-3 was totally fine, it might take a while to learn how to use them, but it was doable. But what if he suddenly grew 10 extra arms? or 100? or 1,000? It would be chaos trying to coordinate and control everything. Jonah suspected that his attuned creatures were similar. While his Named Spawn were growing intelligent enough to act independently, the others were more akin to puppets, perfectly content to remain still and unmoving unless given a command. Trying to control all of these different minds, no matter how simple they were, was causing undue strain on his brain. But then the question became, how could he reduce the pressure while still making the most of his attunement slots? The answer seemed simple once it came to him. Do as a General did; Delegate. He started experimenting with transferring the "connection" to Alpha, first. It took about a week to get it right, but finally, he felt something fall into place, and the thin thread of "something" that connected him to the unnamed Titanspawn slip from him and move to Alpha. He could still tell that the spawn was still "attuned" to him and took up a slot, but it was no longer a direct connection; instead, he could feel it through Alpha''s own link. Like a finger on a hand, or like going through a proxy website to visit another one. It was an odd feeling, to say the least. But it seemed to work; the new connection was much more stable and less straining than a direct connection, appearing to share the burden with Alpha. Though at the same time, it felt... weaker. He knew he could still directly command the creature, but he felt a bit lag (for lack of a better term) from the command, most likely because his "command" had to travel through Alpha''s own connection first. He could also tell that his skills weren''t as effective through the new link, like some of their potency was being lost. On the flip side, Alpha''s own connection felt stronger and more sturdy, as if the creature was siphoning off a bit of the lost potency from the new connection. It was very minor, a fraction of a fraction of a percent, but Jonah could see how this might come in handy later. It felt similar to how Jonah gained a (very) small percentage exp from his attuned creature''s kills. He quickly delegated several of the lesser Titanspawn to Alpha''s command, sighing in relief as he felt the pressure ease off his mind and soul. Surprisingly, the Names Titanspawn seemed to be able to connect to slightly more minions than himself, capping out at 16 before Alpha started to mentally complain about the strain. Whether this resulted from sharing the burden with Jonah, or if their similar minds made them more compatible with directing other Titanspawn, Jonah didn''t know. Still, it was something to keep in mind for the future. Knowing what to do now, Jonah delegated the remaining Titanspawn to Beta and Gamma''s command as well, slowly building up each unit until he approached his hard cap on slots. Even with the delegated connections, the strain still took some getting used to, but between his pain resistance and willpower, it only too a week or two before he barely noticed it. Still, he left several slots free to reduce the strain and save room if he came across something interesting. And just like that, four more months passed. Jonah''s "Garden" had started to show results, with both the "Pomme du c?ur" and the "Head of Carnage" having already matured. The Pomme du c?ur, true to the item description, came out looking like some kind of diseased, pus-filled tumor. It''s vile appearance almost made the man throw them away, thinking he might have done something wrong, but a quick check with his Index showed they were perfectly healthy.
Pomme du c?ur Rank - C Fully mature Pomme du c?ur, grown and harvested with love and care. Despite the fleshy outer skin, the Pomme du c?ur is actually a tuber and can be boiled, mashed, fried, or eaten raw. Traditionally, the tuber is sliced thinly, fried, and served with a condensed sauce made from the blood of the creature it was grown in. Many others prefer it raw as well, though it''s recommended to remove the outer "skin" as many species find its slimy, fleshy texture unpleasant.
Following the Index''s instructions, Jonah removed the disgusting, pulsing skin to reveal a somewhat small, surprisingly average looking, but blood-red sweet potato-shaped Tuber. Jonah had hesitated for a moment before taking a small bite, then nearly fell into a pool of acid as his legs grew weak. Maybe it was just his body reacting to the first starch it had in months after nothing but snake meat. Or perhaps the "potatoes''" C-rank wasn''t just for show, and it really was as popular as the description suggested. Whatever the case, it was by far one of the best things he had eaten. It was crisp and juicy like an apple but held a sweet, creamy, earthy flavor that reminded him of high-quality mushrooms and sweet potatoes. As soon as it entered his mouth, it seemed to melt away, flowing down his throat like thick, rich milk and eliciting a small, primal moan from the young man. His eyes flashing like a ravenous beast, Jonah quickly devoured the rest of the small potato before grabbing a second and then a third. He had to finally stop after the third, not only out of concern for his short supply but because of how dangerously bloated he felt. Though only slightly smaller than his fist, Jonah still felt as if he''d eaten an extensive 6-course meal (or two) after only having eaten 3 of them. Even after a long jog around the stomach and a heavy round of exercise, Jonah still felt overly stuffed but strangely full of energy. It seemed he would have to go easy on these strange tubers from now on. He selected several of the larger, healthier-looking ones and quickly divided them into several pieces, preparing them to be replanted, and stored the rest. The "Heads of Carnage" had been trickier to harvest and process. He''d nearly lost a hand the first time he''d tried to harvest them, as every time he approached the vicious-looking plants, their razor-sharp leaves would rattle and spin at high speeds, reminding him of a blender. It was only after he noticed that the plants seemed to have a short "cool down" period after they stopped spinning. During this period, he could reach into their center and pluck their shiny black "seed" pod, after which they went inert and were safe to harvest.
Leaves of Carnage Rank - D+ Leaves of a Head of Carnage that has rooted itself in the body of a large beast. Having gorged itself on the creature''s blood and flesh, this particular plant''s leaves have grown plump and nutritious. Their fibrous and chewy texture hasn''t garnered many fans in the galactic community, making the leaves themselves hard to find on the open market. None the less, they are popular with military forces as a meat substitute since they contain many of the same proteins and materials as the flesh of common prey animals. The few fan communities that sing its praise recommend frying or boiling the leaves as you would a steak or roast.
Even after trying to cook the leaves with a well placed and heavily reduced flame from [Breath of the Ancients], Jonah had to admit... he wasn''t a fan. They reminded Jonah of soggy cabbage from a slightly overdone roast, but with the texture of soft beef jerky. They combined to create a strange experience that, while not terrible, wasn''t anything compared to the Pomme du c?ur. Surprisingly, however, the Titanspawn seemed to love them. While they didn''t seem to mind sustaining themselves on the flesh of their former master and their Kin that spawned from the spawn points, they took a particular liking to the strange Veggie. Both Alpha and Beta had devoured half of one of the large, basket sized Heads themselves, while Gamma had eaten the remaining one all by himself. The remaining Titanspawn had fought (rather viciously) over the few smaller sprouts that had popped up along their root systems. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Seeing how well they had taken to them, Jonah transplanted the root bulbs to a new "field" and used the collected seed pods to plant a few more, all the while Gamma sat nearby staring and drooling. Once planted, the armored Dog creature took to guarding the fields with surprising vigor, viciously chasing off any other Titanspawn that might wander to close. The next few weeks had dragged on slowly, as Jonah worked on rebuilding and upgrading his camp, while the Titanspawn slowly grew in level and power. Their months of training had paid off immensely. Even with the experience slip among so many Titanspawn, Jonah''s skills ensured that they grew at a steady rate. Alpha had just hit level 15, with Gamma not far behind at level 14. Beta was slightly behind at level 12; however, this might have to do more with its Pack Hunter nature, as both its skill levels and the average level of those under its command were higher than the other two. Alpha''s pack averaged around level 8 and was made up of mostly Stalkers and Hounds. The Hounds were used to harass and pressure their prey, while the Stalkers actively herded them towards Alpha''s trap, as the camouflaged Stalker lay and wait. It was by far the most coordinated and organized Jonah had ever seen the Titanspawns, and the intelligent gleam he''d sometimes see in the Stalker''s eyes as it looked at his, honestly scared the former veterinarian. He''d worked with many different kinds of creatures in his career, but he''d never quite seen a look so... clear before in any creature but humans. Beta was much closer to what he''d come to expect from the Titanspawn. The much more animistic creature reminded Jonah of an alpha wolf and his pack. Beta was a harsh alpha and kept his pack, who averaged between level 10 and 11, in line with force and violence. Violence that he wasn''t afraid to use on their prey, either. The sight of a dozen lizard-dogs charging at their target, viciously ripping bits and pieces away in a mindless blood frenzy, still sent shivers down Jonah''s spine. When he wasn''t madly tearing was could probably be considered his cousins to pieces, Beta''s mannerisms were strikingly similar to a dog''s. He would often catch the lizard-dog goofily chasing his tail around in circles for hours on end or find the creature interrupting his work, demanding to be pet. Gamma was by far the most mellow of the three. He would often stand still as a statue for hours, guarding the field where the Heads of Carnage were planted. He seemed content to let his pack of Hounds govern themselves, and a pecking order within had quickly developed. Despite this, the group seemed to instinctively understand who was in charge, as the pack''s "Leader" would often leave offerings at the feet of the armored Beast. While hunting at their own spawn points, Gamma would often take the lead, charging forward with abandon and relying on his heavy mass and armored body to command the prey''s full attention. The rest of the pack would then circle around and attack where and when they could. This more coordinated meant conservative style meant that most of Gamma''s pack hovered around level 9, with the "lead" Hound only recently breaking level 10. For all of Gamma''s mellowness, however, it wasn''t hard to forget that he was still a Titanspawn at heart. Jonah still remembered the fates of an unfortunate Stalker and Hound who had, in their fight over a choice scrap, fell into the fields and crushed a budding Head of Carnage. Gamma''s wrath had been immediate and brutal, with the creature''s remains being used to "feed" the remaining plants. Alpha had seemed annoyed at losing one of his Stalkers but hesitated to make his displeasure known, opting instead to glare at the unflinching Bone Beast for the rest of the week. And now, a year after "The Game" started, something had changed. How did Jonah know it had been a year? Without any clocks, Calendars, or other such devices? That was because of the screen that had awoken him yesterday. The screen was much more flamboyant and gaudy than the standard screen, reminding Jonah more of the screens they had first seen at the start of "The Game," with streamers and confetti blowing off the edges on some unseen wind.
!! CONGRATULATIONS NATIVE SPECIES OF SOL-003 !! It''s been a Hard and Eventful Year since this season of "The Game" began! But I am proud to say that this is one of our top-rated seasons from this sector so far! Congratulations are in order! To celebrate everyone''s hard work making it to your first Anniversary and to spice things up a bit, your gracious and benevolent Gamemaster has decided to give everyone a little gift. [Congratulations! You have been awarded Fragments x200] Now, now, I know what you must be thinking. "But most handsome and funny of Gamemasters, what are Fragments?!" Simple, my friend. Fragments are ... Fragments. Hahahahhaha! Specifically, they are fragments of Space-Time, condensed and crystallized after a Realm or similar space-time anomaly collapses. More importantly, they are the standard unit of exchange and trade within the greater Laniakea supercluster. SEE! Everyone likes New Years Money! You''re Welcome. They have a few "other" uses as well, but now, that''s for YOU to discover! Now, your next question is probably "But all Powerful Gamemaster! While I am grateful for your most wonderful of gifts, my greedy and selfish heart wishes for more! How do I obtain more of these Fragments?" Good question, my Boy!/Girl!/Other! That''s the Spice! Fragments can be obtained in three ways. 1st: Sell! Sell! Sell! Not only are you encouraged to trade and sell among your fellow contestants, but once you''ve unlocked the Fragment Shop, you will be able to sell items directly to your local friendly System approved merchants. Those with the right Galactic connections may even find their selling and buying options expanded. So be sure to give everyone a good show and attract the right people!. 2nd: Sponsorships! As I''m sure the more... entertaining of you have noticed already, our watching Sponsors are more than willing to share their wealth to those who catch their eyes. And from today forward, this included Fragments. I''m sure that many of you are already noticing the stream trickle in. Everyone got to put bread on the table, so if you really want to make those stacks, be sure to give the people what they want! 3rd: Dungeons! *Cough* I mean, Realms! Realms are pocket Dimensions, small pieces of pinched off space separated from our Reality by the Great Chasm of Space-Time (often simply called the "Vale"). When a Realm rubs up against the Vale in juuuust the right way, doors can form between our Universe and these Realms. These doorways can cause significant disturbances and chaos wherever they appear, and the System rewards those brave enough to venture into these Realms and close these doorways with Fragments, the left behind energy generated by its closes. Or, in more extreme cases, a Realms collapse. Be careful, however, Realms are dangerous places, and their size can vary between small, modest caves or houses to entire Galaxies. And if the door closes behind you? Well, good luck. No telling when the next doorway might open... Or where. So go out there, my Contestants! Gather those Fragments in whatever ways you wish! For Power! For Wealth! For Glory! FOR THE GAME!
Just as the post had mentioned, Jonah saw several smaller screens off to the side. Pulling them up, he slowly read them.
Slasherlover72 has sent you 1 Fragment Don''t think I''ve forgotten what you did to Jasmine, you Bastard! I know where you sleep! So you''d better sleep with one eye open! Accept? Y/N
WatchingYou has sent you 100 Fragments |_+) Accept? Y/N
WarMachineAlpha has sent you 150 Fragments Duuuuude, this is trippy as hell. Wait till I tell Jsh! Accept? Y/N
A dozen more screens floated by with varying amounts. Ignoring the strange messages, Jonah added them all up and saw a his Fragment count increase by another 572 on top of the 200 "gifted" by the Gamesmaster. He had no idea whether or not this was high or low amount, but simply what it represented, started the gears turning in his head. What both surprised and chilled him the most, however, was the last message. Its eerie red letters and black glow were all to familiar.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????W??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????ERorrrrord?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????l?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????H?????????????????????????????????? Has summoned a Realm Gate to your Location. B?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????? Do you want power? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????u??????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????u??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
This message didn''t even give a confirmation message like the others. Simply shattering in an explosion of pixels and glitching numbers. The weird pixels then froze in place and shot towards Alpha''s personal spawn point, swirling and drilling into the glowing spawn point as it twisted and writhed, as if trying to resist whatever was happening to it. Then all at once, the spawn point exploded in a shower of mana. When Jonah''s eyes had cleared, he saw the spawn point had fundamentally changed. It was no longer a swirling vortex of chaotic mana but instead appeared like a large doorway, its crisp edges ringed by some kind of pure white crystal. It was much larger than the spawn point, easily topping 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide. Through the newly formed doorway, Jonah could make out the form of a distant forest. Now, the next day, Jonah stood on the platform overlooking the small army of attuned Titanspawn. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma stood in front of a small group of 13 spawn each, as they stared with barely contained excitement at the large, pulsing portal in front of them. Jonah pulled up the screen in from of him once more, going over the details. Honestly, his gut told him this was a bad idea. The sponsors as a whole didn''t strike him as a very ... benevolent group. Everything they did seemed to be just for their own entertainment, whether that be helping or harming. No, he couldn''t trust a group like that. But that didn''t mean he couldn''t milk them for all they were worth. They wanted a show? They wanted to be entertained? Fine, he would give them a "show." But it would cost them. For now, in items and time and money. Later? In Blood. How about now? Are you not entertained?
Primeval Forest of the Serpentkin Rank D+ Unsealed Realm Zone Type - Raid Average Level - 10 An Ancient Forest heralded as the ancestral home of the Serpentkin. Unlike their space-faring cousins, the tribesmen that still call this forest home are primitive and simple. Don''t let this simplicity fool you however; they remain powerful warriors who constantly seek to sharpen their blades on worthy foes, or none are available, each other. Rumors have it that any who wandered unawares into their territory, will soon find themselves offered up to the Primordial Snake Spirit who dwells in the heart of their Temple. Raid Objective - Infiltrate the Temple of the Abyssal Serpent, through force or guile, and stop its ascension into a Flood Dragon. Raid Bonus (optional) - Successfully slay the Abyssal Serpent and banish it back to its domain. Raid Failure - The Abyssal Serpent successfully ascends. Raid Rewards - 3 x D-Rank Omnitokens. 1,000 Fragments. Access to Fragment shop. Serpent''s Blood (D-Rank Trait). Bonus Objective Rewards - 20m2 of [Abyssal Serpent Leather], Serpent''s Spirit Gem (C-Grade), 2,000 Fragments.
Looooooooooot! (Maybe) [Poll, plans and update] I''m BACK!..... Kind of... hahahaha! FIRST OFF! Let me state that the next Chapter (Interstellar Weapons Platform) is coming out soon (later today or tomorrow). I''ve been working on it little by little when I have time. I''ve been holding off on making another post like this, honestly, since I already have several and it makes things feel bloated (honestly considered deleting old ones, but lazy). But this is an Important one, so I figured I should do this now. We''ve gotten a bit of a Lull at the Hospital, but its still yet to be seen if I''m going to be dragged back into it or not. That being said, I''ve got an announcement that is sure to make (at least some of you) happy. On the Advice of several Readers, Friends and Family, I''ve been thinking about setting up a combined patreon for [Interstellar Weapons Platform] and [Parasite King]. Personally, I still don''t think they are of the quality to actually ask for donations for them. But at the same time, I''ve already spent about $300 on Grammarly, and that''s not sustainable. But then someone gave me an Idea. If I set up a Patreon, not only could I continue to support the use of Grammarly and bring you not crappy chapters, I could even save the excess and, eventually, pay for PROFESSIONAL Editing. So after some thinking, I''ve decided to leave it up to you readers. Keep in mind that this message and Poll will be on both Stories, as well as both Royal Road and Scribble Hub, in an attempt to reach as many people as possible. So I''ll take the results with a grain of salt, hahahahaha! Most importantly, this will give me more motivation to write more, since I''m being "paid" now. With that in mind, here''s how it''s going to go. I''m going to give you guys a list of possible tiers and options, and you can vote on which ones you would be most willing to see and use. As for the Professionally Edited Chapters, I''m bouncing between simply releasing them as normal Patreon Chapters, or as "loyalty" chapters. That way the people who''ve actually supported are able to get access to them before anyone else (They WILL eventually be released free, as an update/rewrite). It DOES cost about $1,000-$1,200 USD per 75,000 words to have something Edited to the degree that I am comfortable with. So feel like the people who have made a continued effort towards that goal should have priority. That being said, here is some information/details about what would happen.
  • Regardless of the actual Tier Setup, Professionally Edited chapters would see several goals.
    • A transition to more traditional dialogue (something that''s been requested several times)
    • Improved flow and corrections to some loopholes I might not have caught.
    • Minor tweaks to story and progression, as requested by readers through polls and suggestions.
As for the Tiers themselves, this is what I am thinking about.
  • Option 1: Slow and steady. [This one is to support Grammarly, and slowly build up towards edits] (Keep in mind that the Edited Chapter time frame will start counting at soon as someone starts to their support, but won''t be available until they are actually done. So say that it takes 10 months to pay for the first batch of chapters. $1 tier would still need to wait 2 more months before gaining access, but $3 and $5 will have access as soon as they come out. At the same time, a $5 who only started supporting on the 10th month, would have access at the same time as the $1 who started support 10 months ago. This is a little unbalanced, I''ll admit, but what it results in, is that everyone roughly pays the same for edited chapters.)
    • $1 - 1 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 12 Months.
    • $3 - 2 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 4 Months.
    • $5- 3 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with T2 polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 2 Months.
  • Option 2: Quick edits [This one is designed to quickly build up funding for the Edited Chapters]
    • $2.50 - 2 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 4 Months.
    • $5- 3 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with T2 polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 2 Months.
    • $10 - 5 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with T2 polls and early access to Edited Chapters. Become a "Sponsor" in Parasite King! Backers at this Tier will be entered into a Monthly drawing. The Winner will be able to help design a Sponsored Quest. Don''t worry, the same person won''t win twice in a row. So everyone gets a chance.
  • Option 3: Combined + Super Supporter Option. [This one is still up in the air, since I am not totally sure how Patreon handles something like this. But its something to look into.][AGAIN! To any potential Super Supporters, I keep none of the donations here. Every cent (minus taxes) goes directly towards editing and publishing]
    • $1 - 1 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 12 Months.
    • $3 - 2 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 4 Months.
    • $5 - 3 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with T2 polls and early access to Edited Chapters at 2 Months.
    • $10 - $10 - 5 Advanced Chapter, access to (poorly made) discord with T2 polls and early access to Edited Chapters. Become a "Sponsor" in Parasite King! Backers at this Tier will be entered into a Monthly drawing. The Winner will be able to help design a Sponsored Quest. Don''t worry, the same person won''t win twice in a row. So everyone gets a chance.
    • $50 or $100 (limited) (One time)- For the Dedicated Reader who want''s to make a big contribution to the
      • Paperback copy of your choice. This is were the price discrepancy comes in. If I set it to $50, I''ll have to send out orders in batches of 15-20 to cover the cost of printing. Meaning it might be longer before you actually get your order. If I set it to $100, then I can send orders Individually. I''ll leave this up to you guys; If this option is chosen, I''ll put up another Poll for these kinds of details.
      • All Advanced Chapters.
      • Access to (poorly made) discord with T2 polls.
      • Double Votes on all polls. Entry into the Parasite King Sponsor drawing (limit still applies though). Since this is a 1 time payment (unless you want more), Double votes will carry over to the $10 tier.
      • ($100) Design a minor Character! I''ll work with you to design a minor character for the novel of your choice. (who I might end up killing off horrible, no promises! HAHAHAHAHA!).
      • ($100) Design a Monster/Creature!
    • $1000 (limited) (One time)- Want to brag about how you paid for an entire batch of chapters yourself? Then this one is for you. I honestly don''t expect anyone to actually do this, but its there if you want to do so. If you have any ideas for more things to make it work the price, leave them in the comments!
      • Hardback version of both Novels, as well as a copy of the next Book.
      • All Advanced Chapters.
      • Triple Votes on all polls. 5x entry into the Parasite King Sponsor drawing (limit still applies though). (On the very off chance that more than 1 person takes this pledge, backers at this tier won''t be win again until either 3 votes or all other $1,000 backers have one. If enough people get entries through other tiers that other people still have chance to win, this rule will be void). Since this is a 1 time payment (unless you want more), Triple votes and Entries are permanent. Even if you go down to $1 (or stop supporting), you''ll retain your Drawing and Voting rights.
      • Design a major Character! I''ll work with you to design a major character for the novel of your choice.
      • Design a major Boss Monster or Powerful Named Creature! These creatures will be semi-permanent (either as an Individual or a race) and will play an important role in the story.
      • Access to (poorly made) discord with T2 polls.
      • + More things if I can think of anything, hahahahah! Any suggestions? What would you expect to see for something like this?
LASTLY! If you have any suggestion for OTHER options or Benefits, feel free to post them in the comments and let me know. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Book 1: Chapter 25 – “Primeval Forest of the Serpentkin” [Part 1] The large, brown feathered Therizinosaur roared at Gamma in a challenge, its long, sword long claws digging deep furrows into the Titanspawn''s bony armor. Still, the Bone Beast refused to back down, as it forced the dinosaur-like creature to take another step back. Several hounds weaved through the much larger pair''s legs, nipping at the creature''s legs and dodging its wild swipes. At the same time, the shadows of a few stalkers could be seen high in the dense canopy; every so often, a barbed tail would lash down from above the Therizinosaur''s blind spot before quickly retreating. Jonah had to admit, this was going a lot better than he''d initially thought. At first, he''d been hesitant to even enter the portal; the memory of when he''d tried to leave with Reggy and Gwen was still fresh in his mind. Eventually, he''d convinced himself to go through; he might not know who his mysterious benefactor was yet, but if they really wanted him dead, there were more straightforward ways to do so. Once through, Jonah was surprised to find that not only could he breathe, but the mana density was only slightly lower than inside the Titan. If this place was "C-rank," what did that say about Earth? Did that mean it was only D-rank? Or more likely still only E? If he had gone with Reggy and Gwen like he was offered, was there even anywhere on Earth that could support him? Or would he have been doomed to slowly suffocate as they tried to desperately feed his ever-increasing mana consumption? Jonah didn''t bother spending much time on "What ifs," though; he''d already cast his lot, it was too late to question if it was the right choice or not. Instead, he returned his focus to the fight in front of him. Things were starting to draw to a close, as the Therizinosaur was forced to take another step back, only to bump into one of the large trees. The wild but intelligent glint in the creature''s eyes quickly turned to panic as it glanced at the tree to its back and then to the pack of Titanspawn, slowly encircling it, growling and snapping at it. Gamma stood at the forefront, the gashes on its armor already starting to fill in with white, fresh bone. Each time the dinosaur tried to break out of the encirclement, Gamma would move to intercept it, displaying agility surprising for its bulky, large frame. The Titanspawn pack continued to taunt and harass the creature, seeming to enjoy its growing panic, before Jonah gave the mental command to finish it. Suddenly, the bark on the tree directly above the Therizinosaur shifted and moved. The creature went wide eyes, but before it could react, a long, double barbed tail materialized from the bark and stabbed deep into its neck. Alpha, still clinging to the tree, gave it''s tail a twist before jerking it out, removing a watermelon-sized chunk of flesh along with it. Therizinosaur didn''t roar this time; it screamed, a high pitch shriek that made Jonah wince, and the hounds whine. Even Gamma shook its head and took a step back. The dinosaur began to thrash and wildly swing its claws around, trying to strike anything it could, and dug out several deep gouges into the tree behind it, though the sneak Alpha had long escaped with its prize. The Titanspawn retreated away from the quickly tiring creature, content to wait, and if the red waterfall pouring from the behemoth''s neck was anything to go by, they would not have to wait for long. Seeming to understand its fate, the Therizinosaur charged the pack, swinging its sword claws in a frenzy, as if to take as many of them with it as it could. However, the hound''s agility proved too much for the severally wounded creature, let alone Gamma''s armor or the sneaky stalkers far above. After a long moment, the dinosaur finally collapsed in the middle of the small clearing its rampage had created. It weakly cried out before finally growing still. Still, Johan waited, barely able to hold back the pack''s frenzy until a short while later, the screen he''d been waiting for popped into existence.
Congratulations! You have slain "Therizinosaur" [Level 33] You''ve obtained 10 Fragments
Jonah sighed in relief. This was the third such creature over level 30 they''d taken down since entering the forest. The first one had almost gored Beta, after the Alpha Hound had rushed the supposedly dead creature, only to learn a lesson the Leviathan Worm had taught Jonah himself, all those months ago. After that first time, he had learned to hold them back until he''d gotten the kill notification. It seemed that level 30 was some kind of milestone or boundary, at least for monsters, it seemed. They''ve already seen hundreds of smaller creatures under level 15 and dozens between level 16 and 23ish. After level 20, however, higher-level creatures started to become rarer and rarer. In two days of broad sweeping searches, they''d only seen maybe a dozen animals break level 25. And of those, only five had broken level 30. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Even with half their levels, a Pack was enough to deal with anything under level 30, often through sheer numbers, although they''d already had to return to the Titan to "resupply" twice already. But once a creature broke that threshold, only a coordinated effort from all three packs could hope to bring it down. It did help somewhat that once a creature got to that level, they almost always seemed to establish a fixed territory and chase away most other challengers. This meant he didn''t have to worry about being jumped by something, possibly higher level, at the end of a fight (something that had already happened numerous times below level 30). This also meant that strong creatures were much harder to track down, even if worth it in terms of experience and loot. There was a secret here, Jonah could feel it in his bones, but he didn''t have the time to think much more on it; time was limited.
[Primeval Forest of the Serpentkin] Infiltrate the Temple of the Abyssal Serpent, through force or guile, and stop its ascension into a Flood Dragon. Time till Ascension: 27 Days - 12 Hours - 32 Minutes - 42 Seconds
At first, he''d been surprised at the seemingly generous time frame. Even for a "Raid," a month seemed like it was a long time. But after taking two days to explore the Forest around the portal, Jonah realized that a month might not be very long at all. To put it simply, this place was MASSIVE. Even after climbing the tallest tree around, Jonah couldn''t see an end to the Forest, no matter which direction he looked, let alone anything that looked like a Temple or any other signs of civilization for that matter. The only thing of any note was the large mountain to the east (or what he assumed was east) of the portal. For now, he had made the mountain his goal; even if there were no clues there, at the very least, it would allow him to better survey the area. While the Forest seemed unending, he doubted the System would have just dumped him somewhere totally random. Otherwise, it might have taken a month just to walk to the Temple, even if he''d known where to look. Jonah shook his head to clear the wandering thoughts and returned his focus to the Therizinosaur body. For all of the nicks and cuts caused by the hounds, the Dinosaur was in relatively good condition. Unfortunately, their previous hunts had shown that very little of the creature was worth much. Its heavy feathering meant that scale patches were sparse, and what skin the feathers were attached to was thin and weak. In contrast, the Feathers were surprisingly durable, acting as an almost Pseudo-chainmail; lightweight, flexible, and easy to replace if damaged. However, the vast majority were too small to be of much use, at least not without some kind of dedicated crafting skill like Reggy''s. He did pluck several of the larger, more durable feathers, in case he found a use for them. The only other thing worth taking were the six long, sword-like claws on its front "arms." These natural blades were surprisingly sharp, and Jonah had several ideas of how he could put them to use. The claws when into his Red Bag with his other supplies and more valuable finds (including Fruit! Glorious, heaven-sent Fruit), while the bundle of longer feathers was strapped down to one of Gamma''s Bone Beasts that had been assigned pack-mule duty. After collecting his "Loot," Jonah gave the mental command. The Titanspawn didn''t even hesitate and ponced on the Therizinosaur''s corpse, snapping and fighting for every bite of the enormous creature, though several were soon overpowered and muscled out by the three Pack Leaders. Jonah refused to turn around and look at the terrible sounds coming from behind him as he marched back into the forest, heading back to base camp.
A few hours later Jonah tightened the harness attached to Gamma, despite the rumbling protest of the Bone Beast. He double-checked the setup, making sure the two large, head-mounted claws were firmly in place, giving the Titanspawn the appearance of an armored Longhorn. It shook its head at the unaccustomed weight but otherwise didn''t seem to care. This was Jonah''s second attempt at making use of the Therizinosaur claws he''d collected. He''d first thought to make a kind of tail attachment to increase his Alpha''s damage potential, but the heavy bone seemed to slow down the heavy-hitter too much, and it wasn''t long before the smart Stalker had found a way to remove the harness. Beta was out; even if he was a size larger than the other Hounds, the claws were simply too large and heavy for it to use them effectively in any way. Thus Gamma''s new headgear. It wasn''t a complicated thing, just two claws strapped to a worm-leather harness and reinforced with worm-plate. It wasn''t even good enough to be recognized by the system (or maybe he simply didn''t have the skills for that?). But what it DID do was offer the large Bone Beast another option to its limited offensive repertoire. The Titanspawn loved to charge headfirst onto the fight, relying on its natural armor and bulky size to protect it from most of the danger, but its offensive power had been lacking. Bone Beasts had a powerful bite and strong claws, but both were designed more for crushing and breaking defenses rather than really dealing any lasting damage. Now Gamma had a bit more flexibility in what he could do. It would take a while for the Bone Beast to get used to them, and it had cost him some of the little worm-leather he had left, but Jonah felt like it was a gamble worth taking. With that taken care of, Jonah turned his attention to the Mountain looming over them. It hadn''t seemed so big from the tree top...
Time till Ascension: 27 Days - 6 Hours - 57 Minutes - 23 Seconds
Book 1: Chapter 26 – “Primeval Forest of the Serpentkin” [Part 2] Beta and his pack had been scouting ahead, near the mountain foot, when the small snake-like creature ambushed the group. The creature was barely the length of Jonah''s palm and camouflaged to appear like a hanging vine, complete with tiny "leaves" and hanging moss. And yet, when the tiny thing''s fangs had sunk themselves into Beta''s legs, Jonah''s connection with the Titanspawn exploded into white-hot agony. He''d always been able to somewhat sense the physical and mental states of his bound creatures, even if it was pretty muted (even more so for those secondary connections like the lesser pack members), but now that sense screamed at him in a fury. As Beta screamed and collapsed, Jonah fell to his knees, his vision flashing white, the connection to the Titanspawn seeming to twist and pull at his very soul. The moment he could form a coherent thought, Jonah dashed forward, Gamma leading the charge as the Bone Beast''s bulky body bulldozed through the thick vegetation. The group soon burst into a small clearing, only to find the lead Hound writhing in agony. Thick black veins slowly squirmed their way outward from the two small fang marks near its hind legs as several Titanspawn Hounds surrounded him, visibly afraid. The man rushed to the Titanspawns side, his heart rapidly beating. Despite their origin, Jonah couldn''t deny that he was growing strangely attached to the strange creatures after so many months as his only company. Beta, in particular, often came across as just a big dog. Well, after you looked past the whole "eldritch fusion of wolf and lizard" issue. Even now, Jonah could feel the muted agony coursing through the contract''s Link, though much more distant than the initial burst. With a thought, he pulled up a screen.
Beta Race: Mutated Hound - Titanspawn Level: 12/25 Class: Minion Rank: D Affinity: Life/Darkness Affiliation: Sanguine Court [Blood Hall] Contractor: Jonah Hilannd
Health: 745/2,000 Mana: 211/620
~ Status ~ Endless Hunger - Minor - Innate Minor Fatigue - Minor Mimic Serpent Venom - Major (Spreading)
~ Class Skills ~ ~ Basic Skill ~ ~ Crafting Skills ~ ~ Special Skills ~
[Pack Hunter] - lvl 6 [Life Sense] - lvl 13 [Life Absorb] - lvl 9 [Life Immunity] - MAX [Greater Darkness Resistance] - lvl MAX N/A [Contracted]- Lvl 4
740... 735... 730... Jonah''s heart beat faster as he watched the Titanspawn''s health blink further down at a frightening pace. With no time to lose, he placed his hands on the Titanspawn and activated [Siphon]. He winced as his Lifeforce was quickly drained from his body, falling onto the still writing Titanspawn in the form of fiery embers. The Class bonus from reaching level 24 over the past few months had almost doubled Jonah''s pitiable Health and more than doubled the Titanspawn''s natural Health. And yet, even after using [Siphon] to its maximum effect, Beta''s health was only slowly trickling up as the skill fought against. If he let the skill slip for even a second, the poison would flare back up, quickly destroying any progress. Jonah could feel that it was a losing battle, but he didn''t know what else to do. As his own Health began to dip dangerously low, he called over Gamma, stretching his fee hand out to touch the rough, cold bone armor. With 7,500 Health after the boost from [Symbiote], the bull-like Titanspawn had by far the most Health of any of them. Still, after several minutes of constant Siphoning, even the large Bone Beast started to falter. Sending Gamma off to rest, Jonah called over the next Titanspawn and repeated the process. By the 10th, [Arcanic Regeneration] had already restored Jonah''s Health to full, and the process was repeated. Yet even after several hours, the poison persisted. In fact, it seemed to be growing stronger as the black veins wiggled and spread, the power of [Siphon] slowly losing out as Beta''s regen slowed. If it kept up like this, the Titanspawn''s health would slowly trickle back down, even under the influence of his skill. "No...no... no... Stay with us, come on, fight!" Jonah began to panic. Was there really nothing else he could do? [Siphon] might have worked in a pinch, but he wasn''t a real healer, he didn''t have any way of actually removing the poison itself, and instead of burning itself out, it seemed to only be getting stronger. As he wracked his brain for a solution, an ice-cold voice spoke from above. "It''sss not often thisss one sssees such saaacraficcce for a... pet... itssss cute." Jonah''s body froze, a cold sweat dripping down his neck. His body felt paralyzed as an indescribable fear welled up in him. Despite this chill, he could feel the burning eyes of... something, gazing down at him from above, like a predator staring at its next meal. Jonah felt like a Deer in the headlights, barely able to breathe, let alone turn his head around to search for the source of the voice. However, the next moment, Jonah heard Alpha''s signature hiss from behind him, and the Titanspawn materialized and laughed itself at the unseen intruder. The voice gave a mocking laugh as Jonah felt the hold on his body loosen. He snapped his head around just in time to see a serpentine figure escape into the canopy above with the rattle of bone and wood, its white scaled tail slapping Alpha away as easily as a horse swats a fly. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Jonah moved to stand but was stopped cold when the same voice called out once more, this time much too close for comfort. "Careful now... or you''ll losssse him..." Jonah''s eyes snapped forward, widening in shock as he stared into the pale face of a black-haired woman... Her unkempt yet somehow silky smooth hair fell over her half-concealed face and down to her chest. Her face was distinctly human-looking, if not for the white scale patches that marked her jawlines and neck. She would have been considered a jade beauty in her young, with delicate features that could capture any man''s heart. But time had sharpened those same features, and the newly formed wrinkles under her eyes gave her an air of maturity and refinement. The leather tunic she wore was threaded with various small bones and wood pieces, carved with intricate and mystical symbols. A long, wooden staff, pulsing with power, lay across the woman''s scaled legs as she sat in a lotus position on the other side of the Titanspawn. Her eyes, though... her eyes were distinctly not human. The veterinarian in Jonah instantly recognized them as the eyes of a serpent. Not the slit pupils of an ambusher, though. No, these were the round, predatory eyes of a stalker, of a Hunter. Even now, he could feel then pulsing, tracking every move he made like a hunted rat. Seeming to sense his distress, Gamma gave a bellow and charged the woman, aiming his vicious new weapon to take her head. The woman''s eyes never left Jonah, as her hands blurred and the staff slammed into the Titanspawn easily twice her size. Gamma shot across the clearing and slammed into one of the large trees, sliding down with a groan, the steel-hard bone armor on its chest spider-webbed with cracks. On instinct alone, [Index] activated, and a small blue screen popped into existence.
?????? - High Lamia Shaman Level - ???
What the hell happened to average level 10?! Why was something... someone, like this here?! Was it the "Raid" modifier at play? How many people were usually needed for a raid even? Had he been too foolish to jump into the Portal without all the information? Too confident in his newfound strength? Lost in his thoughts, Jonah could only stare into her eyes, frozen, as the woman frowned and pointed down at the Titanspawn between them. As if a spell had been broken, Jonah looked down to see Beta''s Health quickly dropping. In his shock, it seemed he had dropped [Siphon]. He reactivated the skill and breathed a sigh of relief as it once more began to tick upward, though at a much slower rate than before. Beta, for his part, had long ago passed out and remained motionless. Again, the strange woman spoke, her icy voice sending a shiver down Jonah''s spine. "You have ssskill, for a Human... but it is not enough... A Mimic''s venom isss not so eassly defeated. They are sssmall things. Weak. Ssso much that even an unawakened child may defeat them... How then do you think they remain? Yessss, they are Weak, but at the sssame time, they command a great sssstreangth... what about you?" Despite his racing heart, Jonah''s voice came unbidden, as if some force compelled him to answer the question. "What else do you expect me to do?! I''m not a healer!" He''d already dug through the token shop in the last few hours, desperately searching for anything that could help him, to no avail. As if the shop was mocking him, any skill that might have been able to deal with the venom was either locked behind a dedicated class or was far beyond what he could afford currently. He might have tried one of the lesser healing skills, but they didn''t have the time to grind its level high enough that it would be sufficient. The woman''s lips curled into a cold smile as she answered back. "No... you''re not... yet you already have the solution... I can ssssmell it on you." Her thin, serpentine tongue flickered out as she spoke, gently brushing up against his cheek and sending another cold shiver through his body. The gears started to turn in his head. He already had the solution? What solution? He''d already wracked his brain trying to find something, anything. "Yessss, one filled with Life... with... Blood..." Like a candle illuminating the darkness, the pieces fell into place. Jonah''s eyes went wide as he stood and looked back the way he came. Towards the Portal... A small light of hope flashed in his eyes; could it be? No, it was too risky... but just maybe... The woman once more grinned, sharp teeth poking out from behind ruby lips, as she stretched out a hand over the Titanspawn. A dim green glow enveloped Beta as she spoke. "Go now. The Beassst with not die under my hand... but hurry. My patiencccce is not without end..." Jonah turned and squinted down at the woman, hesitating. Could he really trust her? Probably not, and yet if she wanted him dead, he doubted if all three packs could stop her. Hell, they probably couldn''t even scratch her. Looking down at the still form of Beta, as the thick black veins squirmed under the green light, Jonah steeled his heart and nodded, then turned and ran towards the direction of the Portal. Gamma, the Titanspawn''s cracked armor already beginning to heal, ran after him, only turning to glare at the strange woman before Jonah jump on his back. Like lightning, they were off, Gamma''s bulky frame and new "horns" quickly clearing out a path through the thick growth as it charged forward. Where the march with the packs had taken several hours to get to the foot of the mountain from the Portal, the trip back was much quicker, only taking roughly 30 minutes. A combination of knowing the lay of the land and Gamma simply bulldozing through most obstacles in his way. Gamma didn''t even stop as the creature charged through the Portal, only skidding to a stop as they reached the form of a small tree in the middle of a fleshy Garden. Jonah looked up at the tree and marveled for a moment at how much it had grown in so short of a time frame. In just a few short months, the orange tree had grown from a small sapling to a full-fledged tree, its trunk roughly as wide as his waste, thick roots weaving in and out of the Titan''s flesh as they pulsed with flowing, red blood. On its branches, two dozen orange-red fist-sized fruits of varying maturity grew.
Serpent Blood Orange Blood is the Nectar of Life. This newly discovered plant species was found on Sol-3 in the Milky Way Galaxy. Mutations caused by feeding on the blood of an immature Titan and the influence of its Cultivator has caused this plant to become parasitic in nature. It will burrow its roots deep into a large beast''s flesh, seeking out large blood veins, which it will use to slowly drain the nutrients and fluids from its host. These nutrients, as well as other components, are stored in the large, blood-red fruit that grows from its branches. Other than simply being nutritious, the properties of these fruits are still unexplored. However, preliminary scans indicate strong healing and detoxifying properties, especially in relation to the blood and heart. Further study is required to fully unlock its secrets.
Did he really trust the strange snake woman''s words? No. Book 1: Chapter 27 – “Primeval Forest of the Serpentkin” [Part 3] Gamma burst out of the portal, steam streaming from the creature''s nostrils as it pushed its already exhausted body further. The Titanspawn bellowed with a sound that shook the ground below them and charged full speed back towards the clearing. Gamma''s previous charge had cleared out much of the foliage and overgrowth from their path, leaving only the larger trees to obstruct their return, cutting down their travel to less than 20 minutes. Still, leaving the packs on their own for almost an hour left Jonah on edge. He trusted Alpha to keep the lesser Titanspawn in check (Jonah was starting to doubt how "limited" the creature''s intelligence truly was). But that didn''t mean he trusted the strange woman. If she decided to pull something, Jonah didn''t doubt that retreat would be costly. For the umpteenth time in the past hour, the man ground his teeth in frustration and helplessness. Every time he gained a bit of confidence in his situation, every time took what seemed like a step forward, it felt like life threw him a curve-ball, just to mock his effort. But just like every other time, he''d stand back up. He''d keep walking, keep fighting. It was the only thing he could do. The only other option was to lay down and give up. As a wise man once said; "When Life gives you lemons... burn Life''s house down." As they drew closer to the clearing, Jonah let out a sigh of relief; he could sense through their connection that the pack was mostly where he''d left them, with a few Hounds patrolling around the area. As the two burst through the treeline, Gamma came to a skidding halt, leaving deep furrows in the ground before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. As the large beast gasped for air in deep, rumbling breathes, Jonah slid from its back, his eyes drifted towards the still form of Beta. The Titanspawn appeared as he had left him, still and unmoving, covered in a glowing green barrier. The man felt his heart skip a beat before he saw the slight rise and fall of the creature''s chest. Jonah let out a breath he didn''t know he was holding before turning his eyes to the figure sitting next to Beta. Seeming to notice his return, the mysterious Shaman turned and gave the man that same pointy-toothed, half-mesmerizingly beautiful, half-bloody chillingly terrifying smile. The air in front of Jonah shimmered as Alpha materialized between the two, staring the woman down and giving a crocodilian hiss from its long snout. The woman''s eyes snapped to the Titanspawn as she tilted her head; her Cheshire cat grin grew even more expansive, wider than any human smile could possibly be. Alpha hissed again, this time seeming much more cat-like, as he took a step backward, its back arched and bat-like ears fold close to its head. It was only then that Jonah noticed several new cuts on the Titanspawn''s scaly hide and a few tears in its wing membrane he was sure weren''t there when he''d left. What had happened while he was gone? But before he could think much more on the matter, the woman spoke in a cold voice, that despite being several dozen feet away, sounded as if it came from right beside him. "Welcome back, Vale Traveler... I ssssee you have returned with your sssolution..." Jonah''s eyes narrowed, and his frown deepened. The Blood Oranges were safely tucked away in his Red Bag; how did she know he''d managed to bring them back? He''d have thought she was just assuming, but the tone in her voice left no room for argument. "Hurry now... we run out of time... in more waysss than one." Jonah hesitated a moment longer, still not fully trusting the woman, but having no other choice, he steeled himself and took a step forward. Alpha growled and moved to get between the two once more, but a mental command from Jonah and an outstretched hand held him back. The man walked towards the still form of Beta and knelt down, concern replacing his suspicion. With practiced hands, he removed the six orange-red, fist-sized orbs from his bag. The woman''s eyes bulged with unconcealed surprise, hunger, and greed as she stared at the fruits, her hand twitching slightly as if to reach out and snatch them. Jonah glared at the woman, bearing his teeth with a surprising ferocity that made even the Shaman raise an eye before the hunger in her eyes was replaced with an amused smile. Turning back to the Titanspawn, Jonah moved to pick up one of the oranges but froze. His brow furrowed as a deep frown crossed his lips. He''d just realized something important... he had no idea what to do next. Even disregarding that the Oranges were mostly untested, there were procedures and steps to be observed when administrating medication to an unconscious animal. Procedures he didn''t have the tools or equipment for... He might have been a Veterinarian in what seemed like a lifetime ago, but he used to a controlled medical setting; not much call for farm visits in the middle of the City. Still, he had to try something. But what? However, herbal medications usually administered? Jonah desperately scrapped at the memories of all the first aid and survival training he''d done with his Uncles. The first and most obvious answer was orally, but Beta wasn''t in any condition to even chew anything, so how could he get it into him? Finally, he settled on a technique his Mother had used a few years back to feed a malnourished greyhound that had been brought into the clinic. The poor thing was literally skin and bone, unable to even stand, let alone eat or drink after the previous owner had abandoned them in their locked apartment for God knows how long. The dog had been so dehydrated, they weren''t able to find a vein to start a drip, and after the third failed attempt at a feeding tube, most of the office was in agreement that it was better to put the poor thing out of its misery. But Alice hadn''t given up on her. She spent the next two weeks slowly drip-feeding the dog as best as she could. And to all of their amazement, it had worked. Slowly, the greyhound had recovered strength until they were able to administer proper treatment. It had taken more time and money than most people would have thought reasonable for "just a dog," but the greyhound had recovered several months later to full health. His uncle Bo even adopted her, naming her "Invicta." Jonah grabbed one of the Oranges and placed a Wormplate knife against it. The mature fruit''s skin gave more resistance than one would have expected from an orange but quickly gave way under the razor-sharp knife and Jonah''s enhanced strength. A deep, citrus but sweet orange scent quickly swept through the clearing, easily overpowering the thick forest smell around them, though just under the sweet citrus was the thick, unmistakable metallic smell of blood. In an instance, the rowdy Hounds from all three packs went totally silent, their eyes dilating as their heads snapped towards Jonah''s direction, the closest even beginning to drool. Even the forest seemed to grow silent as the fragrance swept through the trees like an invisible wave. The Shaman''s eyes narrowed, and she stared intently at the blood-red fruit that was revealed, giving an almost unnoticeable shiver as the scent washed over her. Jonah scooted closer to Beta, holding one half of the orange in his hand as he gently laid the Titanspawn''s head on his lap and tilted it up. Slowly, he squeezed the orange half, and a bead of thick red juice, almost blood-like, began to pool on its surface. Like a raindrop, the juice dripped down and landed on the Titanspawn''s exposed tongue. The reaction was instant. With a loud snap, Beta''s jaw snapped closed as the Titanspawn began to wiggle, opening and frantically closing its jaws. If it wasn''t for the still cloudy and unfocused eyes, Jonah would have thought Beta had awakened, but as it stood, the movements seemed more instinctual, as if the flesh elemental''s body was desperately trying to grasp at whatever had simulated it. Seeing a small hope, Jonah increased his force, and a thin stream of blood-red juice poured from the orange half and into the gasping Titanspawn''s waiting mouth. As Beta snapped and lapped at the red flow, he gently massaged the Hound''s throat, encouraging the liquid to go down the correct pipe, as he''d seen Alice do before. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As Beta drank more of the juice, its body began to violently shake, to the point that even the Shaman had to hold the creature down, lest it hurt itself more. Pulling back, Jonah watched in horror as the Titanspawn''s body began to bubble and shift as if something crawling just below the surface was quickly devouring everything in its path. Had he made a mistake? Was this not the answer? The Shaman, still holding down the squirming Titanspawn, frowned for the first time as the green light surrounding Beta increased in intensity. The squirming lessened but didn''t fully abate, as Beta''s skin and scales alternated between splitting, swelling, and healing. Whatever was going on inside of Beta''s body seemed to have aggravated the poison as well, as the thick black veins squirmed violently near the bite marks. As one, they erupted, no longer appearing as just black veins, but now as dozens of tiny black snakes, racing through Beta''s flesh, turning it sickly and black as they passed. The black snakes slammed into the approaching wall of wiggling flesh. Like two armies colliding, the wiggling flesh and black snakes pushed against each other, fighting viciously, back and forth for dominance, all the while Beta screeched and howled, struggling under the Shaman''s unyielding hands. However, Jonah could tell it wouldn''t stay like this forever; the Shaman was beginning to tire as sweat formed on her forehead, and the tiny black snakes slowly began winning more ground than they lose. His heart racing, Jonah wracked his brain for something, anything he could do, when his eyes landed on the remaining orange half. Like a light-bulb, an idea formed in his head. He rushed over and grabbed the last half, not bothering to acknowledge the Shaman''s questioning look. Jonah took a deep breath and gave a short prayer that this would work. Then, with a grunt, he slammed his Wormplate knife into Beta''s leg, near the bite wound. Instantly, black, dead blood and yellow puss spilled from the wound. Jonah reached over and squeeze the orange half over the open wound. Thick blood-like juice poured out in a torrent, more than the small fruit seemed capable of holding, as it washed away the black blood and puss, hissing and steaming. Working on pure instinct at this point, Jonah waited until the flow had mostly stopped and then placed the still dripping orange rind over the wound, holding it in place with both hands. He looked up to see the Shaman staring at him, an eyebrow raised; as he opened his mouth to speak, Jonah felt a pulse from under his hand. The man looked down in worry as another pulse traveled up his arms, reminding him of a slow heartbeat. Before he could question it, there was a third, much stronger pulse, and Jonah could only stare in shock as dozens of crimson serpent-like veins erupted from under his hands. Like Hounds after blood, the crimson serpents snaked through Beta''s blackened flesh, heading directly for the black snakes still unaware. Like a fire devouring wood, the crimson snakes slammed into the back of the black snakes, quickly consuming them. The black snakes, now trapped and assaulted from both sides, seemed to panic (as much as a seemingly semi-sentient magical poison could panic) and began to rapidly pool together, forming a singular, double-headed pitch-black serpent and wrapped several times around the Titanspawn''s body, like a poisonous tattoo. The wiggling flesh and crimson serpents seemed to redouble their efforts, assaulting the black serpent from both sides, the battlefield that was Beta''s body being destroyed continuously and rebuild as the warring energies tried to annihilate each other. Suddenly, there was another pulse of energy, but this time from Beta''s entire body. It pushed out like water, carrying an almost physical force. Again, the energy pulsed, and every Hound in the clearing stood, howling as one in an eerie choir that sent chills down Jonah''s spine. The Shaman''s eyes went wide as her form flickered, and she reappeared several meters away. Unable to process what was happening quickly enough, Jonah gave a yelp of surprise as something latched onto the back of his armor and quickly dragged him away from Beta''s shaking form. Turning around, he saw Alpha''s long tail hooked on his armor, still pulling him away, even as the Stalker''s eyes never left Beta. Still unsure what was happening, Jonah turned back to look at the Hound. As he did, there was a final pulse of energy that stole his breath away, as Beta''s body seemed to erupt into a large ball of flesh and bones. The force was significant enough to dig up the dirt and stones around the now squirming tumor-like orb that lay where Beta once was. The ground around the pulsing mass of flesh seemed to have melted slightly, and the tumor steamed in the slightly chilly air. As Jonah looked on, his heart sank, and he fell to his knees. He''d failed. Despite everything he''d tried, everything he''d struggled to do, he''d failed again. Falling to his hands, Jonah let out a primal scream and slammed his fist into the ground, again and again. Maybe it was just a beast, a wild, bloodlust-filled creature that would have gladly killed him if he''d not had the skills he did. But over the last few months, Beta and the other Titanspawns had been his only companionship, the only thing keeping him sane in an otherwise hopeless situation. Maybe some would have called him foolish for becoming attached, say he should just treat them as disposable tools. But Jonah didn''t want to give up that little bit of himself yet, that small part of him that could still call human. But Life seemed intent on stripping him of everything. His breath coming in heavy drags, Jonah wiped his face and stood, his clinched hands bone white. Lifting his eyes, though, he saw something strange. The Shaman stood by the strange tumor that once was Beta, her hand outstretched, palm on its steaming surface. Seeming to sense his gaze, she turned and gave him a mocking look. "Are you finissssshed, boy? Goooood, there is ssstill work to be done." Jonah glared at the woman, his hands shaking as blood slowly dripped from his palms. But before he could let her know what he thought of her "work," she spat back. "Be quiet. A man of many words is a Fool but the Wise man knowsss when to lissssten." Jonah stopped confusion mingling and diluting his anger as the woman leaned in closer to the tumor and placed her ear against it. "Many think of Life and Death as opposites. As enemies trying to conquer and defeat the other. But they are nothing more than two sides of the same coin. A great, unending cycle, the Gears on which existence turns. They aren''t so much different from each other as most would suspect. You only need to know how to see both sssidesss at once." Jonah slowly walked towards her and placed his slightly shaking hand against the "tumor," an impossible hope swelling in his chest. "Thump... thump... thump..." Like the steady beating of a heart, Jonah could feel something within, growing, changing, and at the center, he could feel his Attunement with Beta, pulsing alongside it. The Shaman stepped away, her voice low and solemn. "It''s true, all Life will eventually give way to Death. Yet, at the same time, Death will always give way to Life in return. That is the great Cycle, the Truth of Life and Death, for that is all Life and Death truly are. Change." Jonah simply starred at the "tumor," mesmerized, as the woman moved away out of sight. "I look forward to seeing what kind of ''Change'' comes from our meeting, young Vale Traveler. But hurry, we are both running out of time. The Demons gather strength even now. As for me, these will do nicely as payment..." Snapping around, Jonah found the Shaman slowly rotating two of the remaining [Serpent''s Blood Oranges] in her hand. However, where once she appeared as a talk, beautiful, pale woman, now stood(?) a strange amalgamation of woman and snake. While her upper body retained a humanoid figure, the snow-white scales that only lightly patched her skin now appeared much denser, almost to the point of armor. Her face, while still eerily beautiful, had taken on a much more serpentine appearance. However, the most striking change was the lower body, where once was a pair of slender, bare legs, now grew a several meters long snake tail, the outer scales a blinding white with belly scales the deepest of pitch black. As Jonah stared in shock, the Snake woman gave him another Cheshire cat grin before reaching up into the canopy with her long tail and pulling herself up faster than he could follow, just in time to avoid a snarling hissing Alpha. The Titanspawn passed through the Snakewoman''s shadow, landing, and turned to stare up at the canopy, trying to find any sign of the Shaman, before letting out a shrill screech filled with anger. All that remained of the Snakewoman, however, was an echoing, mocking laughter... and she was gone.
Time till Ascension: 26 Days - 30 Hours - 32 Minutes - 48 Seconds
Book 1: Chapter 28 – “Aware” [Part 1] Jonah and the remainder of the Packs hunkered down to wait on whatever was happening to Beta to finish. After three days of no change in the cocoon, Jonah began to worry; their time wasn''t unlimited, but neither could he bring himself to leave Beta here alone. Either they''d have to leave one of the Packs to act as a guard, further reducing their combat power, or they''d have to try and hide the cocoon and hope nothing stumbled on it. There was also the possibility that whatever was happening would take much longer than the time they had left in this rift. For what seemed like the 100th time, Jonah glanced over at the pulsing mass of flesh, and a Black box popped into existence.
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This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Time until Competition: ?$#&@%
Jonah sighed and dismissed the unchanging mess of red, squirming characters, then stood up from the rock he was resting on. They were running out of time. A rustling sound from the edge of the clearing drew the man''s attention, and his hand rested on [Leviathan''s Reach]. The Titanspawns in the clearing stiffened, and they turned towards the sound as one, only to see Gamma returning, dragging a larger than average Therizinosaurus behind him. The entire Pack had been on edge as they waited, the Hounds in particular. Beta had always been one of dominate and keep his Pack in line with violent force; without his influence, they had become restless and combative to Jonah''s commands. Even with their Link, any hound not under the command of Gamma or Alpha refused to go very far from Beta''s cocoon, and would attack any non-Titanspawn creature within 100 yards of the clearing. A few had even gotten snappy at HIM, before Alpha put the fear of God back into the Titanspawn. It didn''t help that all of the Titanspawn, not just the Hounds, were becoming more... animated as time passed. There were no longer the simple, mindless creatures that would just stand motionless for hours on end if not given commands. He''d thought the Named Pack leaders were the only ones who seemed... different, but as the others interacted more with their individual packs, other Titanspawn began to develop their own personas. He wasn''t sure if it was simply their "age" (not many Titanspawn lived past a few minutes with how the Packs camped the spawn portals) or if it had something to do with their Attunement. One Hound had even spent 10 minutes chasing a particularly evasive Bee, growling and snarling at the insect as if it had murdered its entire extended family. When the Hound finally managed to snap its jaws closed on the "invading" creature, it gave a yelp of pain and quickly spit the bee out (which surprisingly flew away unharmed). The resulting Sponsor message and 500 Fragments drew a sigh from the weary man as he placed his head in hand and shook it. He guessed he shouldn''t have been surprised the Sponsors were still watching; Anyone still watching some random guy whittle away time in a snake''s belly for months on end either had a lot of time to kill or wasn''t quite right in the head. Then again, who knew how Aliens viewed things? Maybe they''d get a kick out of watching paint dry. That being said, no reason to turn down free money. As the Pack rushed towards the fallen Therizinosaurus and began to feed, Jonah stood back up and brushed his armor off. He''d finally made his choice; C - None of the above. With a sharp whistle and a prod through their Link, he called Gamma over. [Macgyver] wasn''t a "proper" crafting skill, not according to the standards of Laniakea as a whole, at least. But where it shined was in improvisation and judgment. It was great for things like improving and changing existing designs or jury-rigging a system as needed. What information he could find in the [Index] on it even suggested it was an essential skill for most [Trapmasters] and similar classes. Once he''d hit level 40, Jonah noticed a marked improvement in his skill to eyeball things such as size, distance, and properties of various materials a well; proper tools would have been better, but for what he had planned, they weren''t needed. 30 minutes later, a large "sled" sat harnessed to Gamma. 10 more minutes, and with the help of the other, smaller Bone Beasts, the cocoon had been moved onto the makeshift sled, much to the agitation of the watching Hounds. For the briefest moment, Jonah contemplated simply bringing the cocoon with him but quickly discarded the idea. Not only would it hinder Gamma''s mobility and combat power, but there was also the danger of the mass of flesh being damaged. He didn''t know what was happening, but he doubted roughing it up too much would end in a good result. Besides that, the encounter with the Shaman lady made it evident that he wasn''t simply dealing with just "intelligent monsters" in this rift. The Gamemaster had warned that entire Civilizations could form inside of these pocket dimensions, and nothing screamed "important" to a sapient creature like a giant, pulsing chuck of flesh dragging behind a sled. If he went into battle with hostile Serpentkin, Jonah didn''t have any illusions that the cocoon wouldn''t be an immediate target. Or worse, simply stolen while he was distracted. That was another reason not to just leave it lying around, no telling who might stumble on it. That left him with only one natural choice. With another mental prod, Jonah began walking down the long corridor carved into the forest by Gamma, back towards the Portal. Beside him, the large Bone Beast followed, dragging its load behind.
{Alpha''s Point of View} Alpha leaped from branch to branch, his body driven by some primal instinct, an echo of a memory born from when he was still part of the Hall, part of the ''One.'' The Flesh Elemental didn''t have many memories of that time, it was hard to really identify what was indeed "yours" when "you" didn''t really exist, except as some infinitesimal drop in the vast Ocean that was the Halls. A single "Cell" in the Infinite and Eternal "Body" of the Elemental Plane of Flesh. What were memories but new information for the Collective? What use was identity when you were reborn over and over and over and over again? Alpha could still remember what it was like, before the Master, to simply be part of the ''One,'' to be part of something so much greater and Eternal than this fleeting moment. Even now, something inside of him whispered at the "wrongness" of his current reality, driving him, DEMANDING that the tear at and destroy the wrongness around him. But a greater voice calls him to calmness; the voice of the Master. Others had always tried to control the ''One,'' using their foul magick, their perverse warping of the Maker''s design, to drag pieces of the ''One'' into their twisted reality, but they were never truly in control. They could direct, they could shape, and change the product, but in the end, the Madness was always in control. They could point to the target of their tearing and destruction, but they could never command the ''One.'' These little "people" in their twisted and strange world could never fathom, let alone command something so far beyond them, command ''Life.'' Not that it stopped them from trying, of course. The Master, though, wasn''t like the others. When the Usurper had wrenched him from the ''One'' and pulled him into this reality, Alpha had been nothing more than another ''piece,'' shaped and twisted into the Usurper''s vision, driven into Madness by the world''s "wrongness." Until the Master came. At first, he''d just been another part of the wrongness, another "thing" that needed to be destroyed. But the Master was merciful, and in his power, stole the Usurper''s power and broke its hold over Alpha. He''d still simply been just a ''piece,'' of course, a tiny part of a much greater whole. But now, that connection to the Usurper, the foulness that had taken him from his place in existence, was gone. And with it, the Madness. A new connection had been formed in its place, not that the Flesh Elemental understood this at the time, of course. At first, Alpha wasn''t aware of what had changed; he wasn''t truly aware of anything for that matter. But as time dragged on, the Flesh Elemental, who was given the name "Alpha," did something that he had never had done before. He had a thought. Book 1: Chapter 28.5– “Aware” [Part 1.5] The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ALL would have their revenge. Update *Cough cough* I may have totally forgot I already did a poll on this, hahahahaha! I''ll try and make sure to post these updates more often, I just need to get into the habit. Anyway, Update, short Break after the next Chapter on this Tuesday. (for Intersteller Weapons Platform). This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. At least until things start to calm down at work. I''ve been getting home and crashing lol. As for when I''ll be back, no idea at this point, but it looks like it''ll be at least another month. IF its shorter, well Suprise Chapter! Hahahahahahahahahhaha! Finally started the Rework of my very first Story!
Just posting to let my readers know that, after 2-3 years, I''ve finally started on the Rework of my very First Story ever, Rekindle! ( https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/43382/rekindle ) Now, you''re probably asking "But Osa! You''ve already got 2 others stories you can barely keep up on! Why restart this one now?!". Well, friendly disembodied voice in my head, that''s exactly WHY! Since I don''t really have the time to work on Parasite King and Weapons Platform right now because of work, it gives me a good opportunity to finally get to reworking Rekindle like I''ve wanted to since I went on hiatus with it. It takes a LOT less time and effort to simply rewrite and edit chapters I''ve already Written, than to make new chapters. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! This way, I keep up practice, give my Readers something to chew on while they wait for new PK and WP chapters, while getting the chance to apply everything I''ve learned writing the former two, to my very first story. One that, during ScribbleHub''s infancy, was the most popular story on the site, hopefully making it even better overall. Everyone wins! So, for the next few day, I''ll be slowly editing and rewriting chapters as I have the time, and posting them here and on ScribbleHub. Don''t Fret, my Parasite King and Weapons Platform readers though! Like I promised, I AM still working on chapters for those two as well, when the time presents itself (just see the newest Weapons Platform chapter for example). Its simply a matter of "when I have time" still, atm. Hopeful with COVID restrictions lifting here soon in the near future, that will change, but only time will tell. For now, enjoy the Story! P.S. the next chapter of Parasite King will be out in the next week as well, so keep an eye out for that too! Book 1: Chapter 29– “Aware” [Part 2] Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Book 1: Chapter 30 – “Snakes at the Gate.”
[MacGyver] - lvl 45
[MacGyver] was a strange skill. Other skills so far had been more akin to info dumps, a sudden outpouring of information directly into Jonah''s brain. This resulted in a skillful (hehe) understanding of what he was supposed to do, but it didn''t stop the information from feeling... foreign. [MacGyver] was different, though. Rather than a bundle of information, the skill acted more like an instinct. He didn''t learn any new tricks or techniques, nor did it give him any kind of instructions or directions. Instead, when he was building something, he could feel his mind working faster, sharper, as if every technique and concept he''d ever learned was at his fingertip. It wasn''t a "true" crafting skill, just like the description said, but a skill meant to complement and adapt to the user''s already existing skillset. If someone didn''t have any abilities in a field, [MacGyver] would have little effect. But for those that did? It was a "force multiplier" for crafters. For a Master of their craft, something like that might mean the difference between creating something unique and something genuinely Legendary. Even still, as he stared down at the fruit of the last three hours of work, Jonah was amazed at how effective it could truly be. The small cart was a crude thing of woven plant-fibers and greenwood, looking more like something grown into that form than shaped. And yet, there was an intricacy and craftmanship there that Jonah didn''t know he possessed. Sure, his Uncles had made sure he learned an expansive set of survival skills during their camping trips, but that had just been a hobby at most. Well, for him, at least. Uncle Bo, in particular, had always been very... intense when it came to their trips. He was insistent, almost demanding, that Jonah master what they taught him. Ironic, given how much of a computer nerd the man was. But then again, his Uncles had always had their quirks. Jonah shook his head, dispelling the memories, and returned his focus back to the present. Still, did [MacGyver] really make that much of a difference? Why did the System call it a "support skill" instead of something more fundamental? Jonah''s only hint was that feeling of foreignness he got from other skills. If [MacGyver] was a force multiplier, then could the "quality" of that knowledge it was supplementing play a part? Were skills you learned yourself inherently ''more'' than the "skills" of the System? It would fit, but Jonah had no way of testing his theory without a crafting skill himself. If there was one thing Jonah had learned in the last year, it was to roll with the situation and file the questions away for later. Knowledge was good; good info had saved his life more than once, but there was a time for questions and a time for action. And for Jonah, time was ticking.
Time till Ascension: 24 Days - 21 Hours - 45 Minutes - 21 Seconds
They''d already wasted two days in the clearing, waiting for whatever was happening to Beta to finish, but to no avail. Whatever it was, it didn''t seem to be ending any time soon. Nor was he going to leave the cocoon in the clearing alone; there was no telling what was still lurking in the forest. Even if he buried or hid it somehow, he still couldn''t be certain something couldn''t find it. Time was running out, and after a week Jonah was still no closer to finishing his mission than when he first began. He needed to pick up the pace or things weren''t going to end well for anyone. Thus the cart. If the clearing wasn''t safe, Jonah would have to take it somewhere it was. Ironically, that meant back to their prison. He''d already observed how the native creatures seemed to avoid the portal. Whether that was because of some fear of the Titan on the other side, or the portal itself, Jonah didn''t know, but at the very least it should serve his purpose. It was a pain in the backside to actually move the cocoon onto the car, though. Not only was the thing far heavier than it appeared (and it looked like a flesh covered boulder) but the Hounds of Beta''s pack seemed to venomously attack anything other than Jonah or the Pack Leaders from getting close. One Hound had chased a large butterfly that had landed on the cocoon for nearly 10 minutes, before having to be "rescued" by Alpha after getting stuck in a tree. Once they managed to roll the pulsing mass of flesh onto the cart however, it was a simple matter to strap it to Gamma and have the large Flesh Elemental pull it down the cleared path. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Alpha, for his part, enforced his control over the leaderless Pack and brought them in line. The Pack members were still connected to Beta, thus reluctant to follow its orders, but that wasn''t anything their shared connection to Jonah and rough beat-down couldn''t correct. Soon, all three Packs were moving down the pathway towards the portal.
''Something isn''t right...'' Jonah thought from atop Gamma. As they drew closer to the portal, a sense of uneasiness grew in Jonah''s mind. The forest was too quiet. Even during their battles with the giant creatures that called the forest home, it had never been truly quiet. There was always the sound of life, off in the distance, or the rustle of stealthy opportunists, waiting for the battle to end. But now? Now it was silent. As if someone had thrown a blanket over them. With a mental command, Jonah drew the scouts in closer. It might mean they had less of a warning if something was out there, but it also meant that they wouldn''t be picked off one by one, either. Jonah contemplated if they should slow down and proceed cautiously or move faster and possibly catch whatever was out there off guard. A flash of movement from out of the corner of his eye was all the warning Jonah had before the bulbous end of Alpha''s tail slammed into him. Jonah was thrown off Gamma''s back with enough force to knock the wind out of him. His confusion lasted only enough to catch the sight of the large black wooden spear digging half an inch into Gamma''s bony backplate, still vibrating from the force of its impact. More on instinct than anything, Jonah hit the ground and rolled, barely avoiding the second spear that slammed into the ground next to him. Gamma billowed, rushing to block a third spear that followed shortly after, as Alpha and several previously hidden Stalkers rushed into the nearby treetops where the attack had come from. They split into groups, converging on two locations on either side of the cleared path. At first glance, they appeared to be empty, but further scrutiny revealed some kind of woven net of branches and leaves, blending near-perfectly into the canopy. From behind the cover of Gamma, Jonah drew [Leviathan''s Reach], taking aim as he watched. A few seconds later, one of the nets broke, and with the sound of breaking branches, a large figure tumbled from the canopy. As the shadowed figure fell, the lone Stalker clinging to it was thrown off with a yelp, hitting a nearby tree and sliding down. Even before the figure had hit the ground, the nearby Hounds and Bone Beasts converged on it, a swarm of tooth and claw reaching out to devour their prey. The assault didn''t last long before a long, muscular, dark brown scaled tail lashed out from the pile of Titanspawn, throwing several into the air while pushing others back. It was then that Jonah got his first look at whatever it was they were dealing with. The figure appeared humanoid at first, their upper body muscular but not bulky. Dark leather armor covered their abdomen, but their upper chest was bare, instead protected by what seemed like thick brown scales. They wore what appeared to be an intricately carved stone mask with a serpent motif on their human-shaped heads. Despite the somewhat human appearance of the figure''s upper body, its lower body from the waist down was that of a massive serpent, giving it enough height to tower over Jonah and the Flesh Elementals.
Void-Touched Jungle Huntsman (Snakeman Elite) - level 23
Just Great.
Yos-za the Ambusher Void-Blessed Master Tracker (Named Snakeman Elite) - level 29
Great, things just kept getting better... New Chapter Cover! [Art by Flumya] Hey all! Just wanted to show everyone the sweet new Chapter cover that a friend recently finished for me! Personally I love it! She did an amazing job, and couldn''t help but want to brag a little bit. Be sure to show her your love for it! ALSO, I''ve learned that I''m terrible at Typesetting QAQ. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I thought I was pretty good, but this one kicked my butt. So if anyone wants to give it a shot, go right ahead. IN OTHER NEWS Next Chapter coming soon, so keep an eye out! And remember to check out the Rewrite of my very first Novel, [ReKindle] (https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/43382/rekindle) I''m enjoying the rewrite, as it''s allowed me ot apply all the things I''ve learned writing Parasite King and Weapons Plateform to really Polish it out. I didnt Die! ... Mostly! Enjoy!"] ? Alpha Strike: An interstellar Weapon Platform''s Guide to Cultivation [Progression Sci-fi/Cultivation] ) ? WARNING! - The Author is not responsible for any actions, words, memetic hazards used by, or impressionable youths corrupted by, the MC.) Meet ALPHA-555-12-4412; an unstable, unpredictable, and possibly insane Sapient AI of dubious morals with a love for everything that goes "Boom!". All qualities that make him perfect as the "Spearhead" for the technologically advanced Third Galactic Federation of Sapients'' and its "Galactic Unification Project". When you need a rebellion quelled, or a new species subjugated, you call in an Alpha Strike! Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. But when Alpha finds himself trapped in a world filled with reality-warping magics and thousand-year-old Cultivators, He quickly learns he might be out of his depths for once. And like any good fish out of water, he adapts the best he knows how; by giving the fish a pair of sick robot legs and equipping it with a battleship-rated intercontinental Railgun! Soon all the Worlds of the Grand Firmament will learn; He''s not trapped inside with them; they''re trapped in here with Him. =============== Reader''s Warning! - Side-effects of this story may include, but are not limited to, [Insomnia], [PTSD], [Anasaphilia], [Cachinnation induced asphyxiation], [Paranoia that you''re being constantly watched by an Omnipresent interstellar intelligence of dubious origins] (you are), and [Totally rational, AI-centric, Technophobia]. By reading the first word of this Synopsis, you have given your legally binding agreement to absolve the Third Galactic Federation of Sapients and all associated parties from any and all damages caused as a result of this story in the past, present, future, and outside of time or causal reality. [Non-Causal Reality damages may be eligible for review.] [For details, see section - ??????.????????????????b??????o?????????d??????? ?????????????????????????o??????????? ???????b???n???????i?????????? ????????????????????????????v?????????n????? ??????l???????l??????????''????????????????????????????T??? ???.???????????n????i???????b?????????b????????i?????????????????? ??????????????????????????? ]