《Gaia's little Gamer》 Mozart Due to populist reasons, I decided to jump in the Gamer wagon. Through cheats and exploits, I gain Victory! Gaia''s Little Helper, By Pef. Chapter One: Music can be dangerous. Pef was strolling back home, happily humming his preferred song,Sabaton version of the "Twilight of the Thunder God", his left hand keeping pace with the rapid drumming. Luckily the side walk was rather empty, so public opprobrium was at a minimum today. His headphones were also blaring the song at maximum volume, and thus he never heard the yell warnings, and the tell-tale sounds of an object reaching terminal velocity while scraping the side of the building. Then again, it was his own fault. Never leave your home if your Luck is only 1. ******* *You have slept in a hospital bed. HP and MP restored. *You have been hit by a falling piano. You gain the perk: Mozart. *Regeneration tree unlocked. Regeneration has reached level 4. *Gamer''s Mind prevents you from experiencing panic and anxiety. Gamer''s Mind has reached lvl 2. "Mozart ?!?" Pef muttered in disbelief. The window screen shifted to print the new information. *The perk Mozart grants those lucky enough to trigger it the following boons: Luck increases by 1. Charisma increases by 9. All seduction rolls gain +10 percent bonus while playing a piano, and 10 seconds after. *Piano playing skill has reached level 9. Music theory has reached lvl 2. ''Hmmm. A VR interface. Skills and stats like in a game. But all games have a win condition...'' Pef thought in silence, while glancing around the hospital room. High class hospital, going by the luxurious apparatus and furniture. "Location?" he asked in a whisper. *The Gamer has been relocated to Saint George Reconstructive Hospital-4th floor, Valletta, Malta. *The Gamer has received a new quest: SERE. Primary objective: Escape the facility and the island. -??? -??? -??? -??? -??? -??? Rewards: Allies, Money, Skills, Enemies. Do you choose to: - Accept quest. - Die right now. - Die under constant torture, 900 days from now. - Humanity ends. Game over. Pef read the quest in disbelief. Who in the right mind wrote those choices? Why was he in Malta? Who were these enemies? Still, in less than a second his mind focused back on the task. A flick of his finger and the quest was accepted. "Bond. Pef Bond." he muttered softly while he searched the room for clothes or weapons. Sadly, there were no clothes anywhere. With a sigh, Pef begun dismantling the bed covers for a makeshift Roman toga. Malta was a former Roman Province, right? And when in Rome, do as Romans do. A few minutes later, he gently tapped the room''s door. A sturdy steel door and locked. Perhaps escaping this torture facility wasn''t that easy, after all. He drew the thick velvet curtains. Armored glass window, with no joints or handle for opening. A prison room then, and rather well-made. He glanced up, searching for a convenient air vent. Only an air conditioning machine. Escape seemed a bit more impossible now. He looked around the room, now a dozen times more careful. Dying under torture wasn''t a pleasant prospect. *Ding! You have unlocked Observe! *You have found a medical electrode. You have found a medical suction cup. You have found a magnetized iron needle. Attempt to combine into an electromagnetic lockpick? Yes/Later Pef piled the loot on the bed, and sighed a bit at the too obvious clue. It seemed the only way out was with this lockpick. With the new Observe skill, every object in the room gained a tiny explanation window, telling him the name of the object. This was promising. If the skill could be leveled up, to gain more information, perhaps even about people... *Ding. You have flexed your brain muscles and increased your common sense. Mind gains +1 attribute. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. An eyebrow rose at the news. Flexing muscles...this game was actually trying to give him clues? He dropped to the floor and began pumping push-ups. 40 push-ups! He should have been sweating by now. 45, 50, 60! Not even tired. Pef kept going. 100, 150, 200. Almost no strain, even after breaking all his personal bests. 300, 400, 500. Still nothing! What was the highest recorded number of push-ups? 6000 or so? He had a goal in mind now. Pef sped up, flexing those muscles. 4000, 5000, 6000! *Gamer''s Body has prevented muscle fatigue. Gamer''s Body has reached level 2. *Ding. You have consumed all available Stamina. Strength gains +1 attribute. Constitution gains +1 attribute. Stretching gently, Pef rose up and slowly rotated his shoulders. 6000 push-ups and he only felt tired. That Gamer Body was certainly a cheat. Pef didn''t need a menu to explain what a Gamer''s Body was. He had played thousands of hours, of many games. But a game over here was not the same, the stakes were too high. Also, the stats and skills could be grown by repetition and exercise. That tingled a gamer streak in his mind, urging him to grind and exploit, and become a mountain shattering god. "Perhaps later. Right now, SERE. Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. The first goal is always to survive. Escape is only the last part. Let''s make sure I do survive." he muttered inward, while appraising and discarding dozens of objects in the room. He ultimately decided on a small table bolted to the floor. With brusque pushes, he began shaking the table leg. The metal bolts groaned in pain. Pef kept flexing the metal joints a thousand times, until metal fatigue and heat sheared the bolts, clean off the floor. *You have crafted an Improvised steel mace(Common quality). Useful to bash cultists over the head. *Agility has gain + 1 Attribute due to first time crafting. Next time, use the forge Pef! Pef smiled at the familiar description. Crafting seemed a great skill to get. He returned to the hospital bed and began assembling an electromagnet from various medical machines. About an hour later he heard the familiar Ding! *Crafting successful! You have crafted a Primitive electromagnetic lockpick(Uncommon quality). Still no forge? Pef sighed in annoyance. The snarking interface wasn''t as funny as it thought it was. Well. It was a bit funny, just not when under pressure of getting caught and tortured to death. He placed the steel table leg next to the door and plugged in the lockpick. A steady hum of electronics was heard as the device began to charge. Pef placed the suction cup on the metal door, and waited. A minute later, the hum reached a high pitch, and the suction cup began flaring with magnetic pulses. The door''s lock started rattling on the inside. Then, Pef slid the machine back, along the door. The door''s lock clicked open as the magnet dragged the mechanism backwards. With a cautious glance, Pef peered into the corridor. A dozen similar metal doors lined the hallway. ''Allies. Or maybe enemies. Can''t be certain anyone I rescue will not stab me in the back...'' Pef thought while thinking at his quest. Voices and footsteps could be heard down the corridor. A young female and several men. "Subject 4078 has been delivered into the custody, room 478. Standard lead and cold iron manacles will suffice as containment. These Chinese mystics are too easy." the man said in a derisive voice, then a metal door slammed closed. Another voice commented in sad tone. "Poor girl. They''ll drain her dry of mana, then use her blood for another ritual." His interlocutor hummed in response. " She''s lucky. If she got to the breeding pens, we could have known her a lot better." "Oh yes. Too bad her traits do no pass onto children..." the first voice said in a sad tone, as he walked away. Pef clenched his fist, and drew a deep breath. Somehow survival wasn''t the first objective anymore. Escape Naked feet slapping on the cold tiles, Pef sprinted towards the men he had just heard. With each step his speed increased as his hand gripped the metal mace with white-clenched fingers. A tight curve forced him to run on the side of the corridor for a second, before landing back. A group of three men came into view, one of them already drawing out a weapon. Pef jumped and kicked, catching one man into the back of his neck. A crunchy sound followed. *First kill, using a Yoko Tobi Geri foot strike. *Martial arts gains 1 level. Pef ducked low, as a black pistol was pointed at his face, and struck with his metal mace. Blinding pain followed an explosion of noise. His target was down, hands covering the crushed knee. Pef followed up, bashing the cultist in the head. His head snapped back, as another bullet hit his forehead. Pef dove back, and threw his mace like a spear at the shooter. A muffled cry let him know he had caused some damage. A few more gunshots followed, and everything went dark. *Regeneration has reached level 5. You have stopped leaking grey matter. *You have been shot in the head 7 times, in less than 7 minutes. Do to being lucky enough to trigger it, you have gained the perk Headshot: You gain 7 Kharma. Your headshots with any weapon have 10 percent chance more for a critical strike. Pef read the new messages with the beginning of a headache. He looked around, taking note of his victims, lying dead around him. The last guy was still leaking guts and undigested food through the empty pipe embedded in his belly. Then he patted his head, plucking out the few bullets stuck into his skull. He had so many questions, but it wasn''t yet the time to ask them. Dragging the bodies after him, he reached the room marked 478. One guard had a metal ring with many plastic keycards on it. Pef just waved the ring over the door''s scanner till one key fit and the door clicked open. He dragged the bodies inside, and smiled a bit shyly at the asian woman handcuffed to the bed. "Nice place you have here." he said politely. The woman grinned sagely and muttered something sounding like ''Ni hao''. *You have learned Chinese. You don''t need to focus your attention to speak it. ''Huh, that''s really convenient game'' Pef whispered to himself. "I am Pef, your neighbor from across the hall. Wanna join forces and murder a few cultists with me?" he asked in a pleasant tone. "Ah, I thought you were a barbarian...but that must have been all that blood and brains you wear." the chinese woman replied, possibly sarcastically. Pef measured her naked body with a frown. Her crouched stance implied internal injuries. Observe! *Miya Chen Sung, age 19. Ectomancer lvl 4, Spiritist lvl 1, Martial artist lvl 1 Status: 2 broken ribs, thirsty, in pain. HIs eyes darted back to the dead men he had dragged into the room, and he began stripping them of uniforms and weapons, then other personal belongings. A flagon of ibuprofen and a can of Red bull stood out. "Here, painkillers and an energizant drink." he offered with a warm tone. A shaky hand took the flagon and strained to open it. Pef grit his teeth. If she was too weak to even medicate herself...he might have to leave her behind. With a sigh, he opened the can and helped her drink some juice, then swallow a few painkillers. Then he focused on the metallic wrist manacles. *Standard Abyss restraints. Their main purpose is to block Magic and make magicians easy to subdue as weak humans. Problem was, there were no keyholes or joints. The whole thing was one piece of metal. "How do you take them off?" he asked a bit confused. "You speak the magic password." the injured woman replied with a sad voice. Pef sighed and nodded sagely. Of course his first quest wouldn''t be that easy. Not even a tutorial level or an acclimation period. Directly into magic puzzles and end of the world quests. *Observe has leveled up! Observe has reached level 2. *The password for this particular pair of restraints is Fus Ro Dah. "Fus Ro Dah?" Pef said with incredulity. The manacles split apart and fell to the floor. The woman flared with a blue gaseous light for a second, before measuring Pef with confused eyes. A pair of ectoplasmic hands flew out from her armpits and picked out a few clothing items from the floor. "Great idea. We should get dressed..." Pef muttered a bit unhappy. The woman was rather nice to look at. He drew on a pair of black pants with only a few blood stains on them. Then he began arming himself with looted firearms and a taser. "Pistol? You don''t need guns, Mister Pef. Not while I''m here." the woman said confidently. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, then towards the open manacles. The woman grimaced visibly, then flared into blue light again. "My magic is back now. Name is Chen." Pef measured her again, using his Observe skill. The ribs were only cracked now. A few more blue flares and she would be completely healed. "Take it easy Miss Chen. You''re not fully healed." he said gently while practicing with the new weapons, loading and unloading the magazine, flicking the safety and so on. Sadly, no skill for using firearms appeared. "So, you have Mystic eyes?" she asked with a curious stare at his face. "Yes, some kind of special eyes" Pef answered with a shrug. Or something like that anyway. She measured him from head to toe, in an appraising manner. "You can have a harem, of beautiful women from any sect you want. Mystic eyes are passed onto children." the woman said with a wistful voice. "That''s...not a bad idea, in fact. Sounds really pleasant." He admitted with a smile. Chen smiled awkwardly. "Stupid man." she muttered as she finished dressing herself. Another blue flare and she began poking her sides without winching. Pef opened the door and peered out. The hallway was still empty. He ran towards the next door and began testing keycards. A minute later, the metal door opened and Pef peeked into the room. The bed held a desiccated woman, while tubes stuck into her veins led to a few glass containers. He moved towards the next room, where he found a similar sight. Another room, then another. Only dead people, sucked dry of blood. At the end of the corridor, Pef stopped to observe the city through another armored window. Old medieval houses and forts, now serving as tourist attractions instead of critical defense structures. The EU flag flew above some taller buildings. The harbor extended all around, full of thousands of small boats and yachts. Leaving the island wouldn''t be much of problem. Chen patted his arm. "We are in Europe?" she asked a bit amazed. Medieval European towns were kinda easy to recognize though. "Malta. Near Italy." Pef explained curtly. "Saint John Templars! We have to run." she exclaimed in a fit of panic. "Go then. I''m not leaving yet. More people to kill and others to liberate." he replied with a sterner voice, while patting his holster. "Your gun won''t be of any use! They have magic barriers. And water elementals." Chen said with a shudder. Pef punched the window in reply. The armored glass cracked a bit. Then alarms blared with loud sirens. He sped up, running towards the stair well. The keyring opened the metal door of the stairs too. Chen arrived at his shoulder. "They''ll have many guards near the entrance." she advised him. Pef nodded and ran up the stairs, and opened the roof''s armored door. As Chen ran onto the roof, he close the door and kicked off the handle, snapping it at the hilt. That should slow down pursuit. Pef looked down, over the hospital''s roof edge. He could jump and survive the fall, especially if he hit a house roof, but the woman couldn''t. "Here!" she yelled from another corner of the roof. Pef ran towards her and looked down. Some 20 meters away from the base of the hospital, there was a water channel with a few small boats. "Don''t leave directly from Valletta. Swim to another port first." Pef whispered to her as he spun Chen around, then threw her over the edge. A small splash announced her escape. Pef ran towards the opposite edge and jumped off, just as the steel door of the roof bulged and exploded under a torrent of water. Pef flipped around to look back. A mage dressed in a long duster with golden crosses stared after him. He drew a pistol and fired 8 shots at the mage, only to see the bullets stop in midair, held by water drops. Two guards near the entrance glanced up at the flying man. Pef shot them in the face, before crashing into a wooden roof below. *Firearms skill acquired. Firearms has reached level 2. *Acrobatics has reached level 2. *Athletics has reached level 2. *Jumping has reached level 2. *Landing skill has been acquired. *Damage mitigation has been acquired. Damage mitigation has reached level 2. *Regeneration has reached level 6. *You have Adapted to Pain. Adaptation level 1. * SERE quest update: *The Gamer has escaped the Saint George hospital. Reward: 10 000 exp. *The Gamer gains 5 levels. The Gamer has reached level 6. *The Gamer has allied with Chen Sung. She will reward you herself. *Relationships mode open. Chen Sung sees you as a charming hero. +34 points (Honored). *You have killed 5 Templar guards. Status with all Templar Orders set as Enemy. -55 points (Hated). Pef waved off the window screen and ran off, still plucking out bits of wood and tile from his side. A minute later, he dove into the nearest canal. Dungeon *Swimming has reached lvl 5. *Adapted to cold water. Adapted to lack of air. Adaptation has reached lvl 2. Pef drew a deep breath and dove under water again. So far, the quest to evade recapture by these Templar cultists was going great. Also, his efforts at staying mostly under water forced him to adapt and thus benefit even more. The sun was about to set soon. He could start crossing the island during night, and head towards a distant village, outside the Templar surveillance. It was certain they would keep the capital under watch, and perhaps all the bigger towns. But they couldn''t watch every single village and boat. Or so Pef hoped. In truth, these Templar guys were here in Malta for 500 years. Time enough to build contacts and spy networks in every village. He drew under a wooden boat and placed his ear on the hull. "The Grand Master has ordered everyone on the lookout for a blonde guy and some asian girl. If you see them, call the Knights or the Hunters..." the voices spoke in a distant tone. "... We''ll not get involved in another Hunt, husband. Remember those burned boats two years ago?" a woman voice berated someone. "But, the Master..." Pef dove away, and climbed onto the rocky shore just as the dark covered the sky. He began running, his new body making all effort seem simple and graceful. One hour later, he arrived at the other side of the island, and took in the sight of Mediterranean under moonlight. A flutter of fabric in the sea breeze, drew his attention towards a huge tent. He began walking when a cold sensation enveloped him. *You have entered an Instant Dungeon. This Dungeon is called Megalithic Mnajdra. *You have learned ID create. Empty Dungeons cost 100 MP to create. Cannot Create when in combat. *You have learned ID dispel. Dispelling Dungeons cost 100 MP. Cannot Dispel when in combat. Pef looked up, where the moon had changed and looked blood-red and twice as close. A moan alerted him of a closing enemy. Then a shambling zombie, still wearing a bronze helmet and breastplate began heading towards him. "Observe!" Pef muttered. *?gantija zombie -Level 5. - Status: slow, poisoned, infectious. "ID Dispel!" Pef yelled with some worry. *Your MP is not sufficient. Command failed. "What? Why not?" he asked while shooting the zombie in the head. *Magic attribute too low. *Zombie killed. 15 Exp. Drop: 1 lesser soul fragment. Pef drew back a little, while keeping a wary eye for more zombies. He didn''t have unlimited ammo. "Tell me about all the attributes" he asked his game. "Attributes are how the Gamer interacts with the world: Strength: - Muscle lifting or pulling power. Also, punching power. - Endurance : how many repetitions, or days the body can go on without rest. - Resilience : so your bones and tendons or skin do not break when you flex those muscles. Also, punching through concrete is less fun if you pulverize your hand. Constitution - how your body reacts to stressors. Regeneration - natural healing, regrowing limbs, eyes or even your brain. Immunities - pain, microbes, toxins and poisons, radiation. Adaptations - to lack of: heat, air, water, sleep, food, company. Damage mitigation ability(telekinetic field) Agility - movement speed. Also, attack speed. - Dexterity : learned movements that become automatic. Acrobatics, sword skills, blacksmithing etc. - Reflexes: moving too fast won''t make you crash into trees or buildings. Dodging too. - Perception : see fast moving objects, or farther away, infrared etc. Also, danger senses. Magic - magic strength. Also, spell power. - mana reserves. - mana control and shaping speed. - Magic Intellect : how fast you can learn/create new magic - Affinities and magic trees. (Fire, Ice, Holy etc) Mind - wisdom and common sense - memory and recall - thinking speed and deduction/inference. - willpower and mind resist. Charisma - social presence, how you interact with people. - charm abilities. (pheromones, also body shape and beauty) - leadership and management. - diplomacy and negotiation. - Fame, influence, respect, fear, intimidation. Kharma - includes your luck. Also, critical hits and better drops - fated encounters or events. - ancient artifact bound to you (can also be spirit, old cultivator, imprisoned dragon) - prophecy or warning dreams - a god''s blessing or quest - reincarnation, resurrection, planewalker or other outside help. Pef read through the attribute descriptions at speed. They made more sense than using Intelligence for magic, and then having super genius magi obliterate the planet at their whim. "Can I see my own status?" he asked with some trepidation. *Pef the Gamer Level 6, HP 140, MP 10 Attributes: Str: 11 Con: 11 Agi: 11 Magic: 1 Mind: 15 Charisma: 11 Kharma: 9 Pef read his status with concern. "You mean to say my Luck was 1 before I got this new gig?" *Indeed. If a million pianos fell from the sky one day, at least a thousand would have hit you. And one did." a soft woman''s voice replied instead. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "And getting shot in the head?" Pef asked a bit amused. "Same. You brought a metal table leg to a gunfight. What did you expect would happen?" the woman said with a giggle. "Right. And stumbling into an ancient dungeon that I have no means to escape from?" Pef asked rhetorically. *Attribute points not distributed: 15 *The Gamer receives 3 attribute points per lvl up. *The Gamer has received the Blessing of a Goddess. Seduction rolls gain +10 percent chances. *Kharma gains +1 attribute. Pef rolled his eyes at the blatant display of favoritism. "Send 10 points to Magic and 5 to Agility." he spoke out loud. *Magic attribute increased by +10 *Agility attribute increased by +5 "Okay, you can leave now. But I advise you to stay. You''ll need to loot that drops here." the Goddess spoke with a breathy voice. "I will need bullets. Tonnes of bullets." Pef whispered to himself. A Dacian two-handed falx fell from the sky and embedded itself into the ground, next to his leg. Pef poked the weapon curious. *The Gamer has acquired a rare weapon. Bloody Dacian Falx (Rare quality). Special attribute: Repairs itself with the blood of your enemies. Durability 90/100 With a grin on his face, Pef grabbed the polearm and ran ahead, demolishing bronze age zombies with ease. "Set your Inventory to auto-loot." the goddess advised him as he spun among zombies, cutting three at once. "Auto-loot" Pef said, while bashing a zombie''s head with the iron pommel on the other end. *Loot set to auto. *The Gamer has learned Polearm skill. *Martial arts has reached level 3. Hours passed, while Pef haunted the old dungeon, hunting zombies and collecting soul fragments. Without getting tired, the fighting was actually pleasant, not to mention raising his skills. Alas, it was not meant to last. *You have killed 1000 zombies. You gained Gravedigger perk: +1 Constitution. Adapted to zombie virus. *The zombies are not happy at being crushed. The name ?gantija, means ''Giants'' tower. And you''ll now find out why. To Pef''s surprise, the remaining zombies in the field began coalescing into a pulsating mass of organs and limbs. With moans and squelching sounds, the dead biomass rose, like a towering super zombie, at least 50 meters tall. Pef sped up, and slashed at the giant zombie''s leg. There was a cut, but much shallower than expected. Then the giant stomped, and Pef had to flee or be crushed between two slabs of rock. He threw a look behind him, and dodged a huge rock thrown much too far. "Observe!" he yell, while diving in for another run. *Observe has reached level 3. *Zombie Giant Level 50. 25000 HP, 0MP. Status: slow, diseased, angry. Pef began strafing and slashing at a leg, trying to create a deep enough cut to hobble the giant. But as fast as he was with the polearm, the Giant was also regenerating. Then a mighty hand descended and slapped Pef away, sending him flying into the distance. -100 HP *Damage mitigation has reached level 3. *Regeneration has reached level 7. Pef glanced at his own status with a frown. A single hit almost killed him. *Danger sense acquired. With a snort, Pef returned to the fight, this time more careful. Two falx slashes, then change location, three more hits, dodge again. Slowly, the hits began piling up, overwhelming the zombie regeneration. An hour later, the leg fell off and the giant had to kneel in order to keep fighting. Pef switched targets to the other leg, and after a long fight managed to chop it off as well. The giant zombie fell on his chin, arms slashing left and right in desperation. Pef shrugged, running away and coming from behind. A few jumps placed him on the giants back. He started slashing at a shoulder. A few hours later, the zombie lay dismembered under his feet. "Can I store the falx in inventory?" Pef asked curious. *BDF stored. It was here that Pef wanted to reach. Flexing his magic muscles, Pef aimed his palm at the zombie''s head. "Shoot lightning!" he yelled heroically. "Fireball!" he tried again. "Turn Undead?" he tried in desperation. It didn''t work. Angrily, Pef punched downwards with his magic held in his fist. *You have created Aura Fist. Costs 10MP per use. You grab your precious soul in your fist and punch the enemy in his dirty soul. Most magicians would die at first try. I wonder how many times it will take you. *Your Aura Fist inflicts 900 damage on the Giant Zombie. Its soul crumbles. Gain 5000 Exp. *You have defeated the Megalithic Mnajdra Dungeon. You gain 10000 Exp. *You have killed 1000 zombies. Gain 15000 Exp. *You have received Drain Life Manual. You have received Greater soul fragment. You have received Bronze Breastplate(Uncommon quality), You have received Bronze Helmet(Rare quality). *You killed an enemy of level 50. You gain the perk Five-O: +50 HP *The Gamer has reached level 8. *Free attribute points: 6 Pef pocked the manual with curiosity. *Learn Drain Life? Yes/Later. With a smile, Pef pressed Yes, igniting the manual and imprinting the details of this spell into his Magic. *Drain Life acquired. Range 5 meters. Cause target to lose 10 HP and transfer it to the caster. Cost 10 MP. Can damage immaterial or dead enemies. Giants Pef looked up as the false sky exploded into shards. The world returned to normalcy, if magic and evil cults could be considered normal. Not to mention the literal goddess. He walked along the shore, keeping a lookout for an easy to steal boat. It was a bit difficult, although the light of the moon helped him navigate easier. Til he felt the familiar cold engulf him again. *You have entered an Instant Dungeon. This dungeon is called Hagar Qim. *The Gamer gained +1 Kharma. "Eh? Another dungeon, and I entered it by accident, again?" he exclaimed in a pretty reasonable manner. *Do you wish to enter all dungeons automatically? Yes/No/Ask first. Pef slapped his face rather dramatically. "Tell me about these menus first!" *You have selected ''Ask first'' method. *Gamer''s Mind has resisted your attempt to burst into maniacal rage. Pef clenched his fist, teeth biting down on his lip. Then, he dove flat, as a fist sized rock flew at head height. With a frown, he turned to Observe the attacker. A fat stone statue, somehow able to move. *Maltese Venus Golem Lvl 10 HP 200, MP 190/200. Status: slow, stoned, petrified. Under his eyes, the ground rose into the statue''s hand, then it threw another projectile at him. Pef rolled to his left, dodging the neolithic attack. "Give me my falx!" he demanded holding his palm out. A few slashes chopped the attacking statue into lifeless bits. *Warning, statues have no blood. The BDF will lose all durability shortly. "Hmmm. You have a point here. Stone, paper, scissors. I''ll need something like paper." Pef muttered to himself, while examining the new dungeon. Old stone walls, sometimes pillars and altars. He pointed a finger at a stone pillar. "Water ball!", "Water bullet", "Water hand". Nothing. "Aqua", "Aquaticum leviosum!". A faint giggle could be heard in his ear. "Wave!" he tried in desperation. *You have failed casting Wave, not enough MP. "Oh. How much MP for the smallest Wave?" he asked curious. "The smallest Wave would cost 1000 MP." the familiar female voice replied. Pef mused on that for a while. At least 100 Magic stats, to cast Wave. He would need to reach lvl 40 and use all the attributes only on Magic. At that level, his Waves would likely sweep away tiny mobs like this with no effort. "Any advice?" he asked politely. The woman waited for a while. "Find a spell manual, or an elemental summon. Perhaps get a big rifle..." "What is your name, Goddess?" he asked on a hunch. A soft giggle resounded in his ear. "I thought you''ll never ask, my new servant... Gaia." Pef sputtered in disbelief. "What? The goddess of Earth? Of Life and Plants? Of oaths and ..." "You can also call me Terra, like the Romans did, my dear Pef. You terrans are all my children after all." the woman said in a softer voice. Another statue drew closer, and Pef decided to punch it to death. -20 -20 In a dozen hits the statue shattered into dust. *Golem dies. 20 Exp gained. Drop: small earth element. With a nod to himself, Pef stored the damaged falx and rushed into melee combat. It took many hours, til the familiar notifications began. *You have killed 1000 Venus Golems. You gain the perk Art Critic: + 1 to Strength, 10 percent extra damage to all golems and artists. *You have gained 20000 Exp. *You have reached level 9. Pef chuckled at the amusing perk, while a feeling of wellness and vigor rushed through him. The ground began to tremble as a gigantic golem rose from all the pillars and walls combined, about 100 meters tall and wide. "Observe!" *Venusian Giant Golem. Lvl 100, HP 50000, MP 50000. Status: slow, petrified, determined. Pef ran away, not waiting to be attacked by the large boss. "Don''t just run, or you''ll never gain that juicy loot." "It''s a level 100 Boss!" he yelled in despair, as he failed to think of any way to escape the situation. *Gamer''s Mind has prevented you from becoming despaired. Gamer''s Mind has reached lvl 3. Logic thoughts may occur during combat now. "Right, logic, logic!" he mumbled as he ran. With his new speed he could keep away from the big golem with ease. "Oh, I have some extra attributes to use." he realized after a minute. *Due to thinking logically under pressure, your Mind gains +1 attribute. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Hahaha. That''s right! I''m a genius now!" Pef exulted as he ran like a rabbit from the stomping giant. "Send all points to Magic!" he decided after a bit of high speed ruminating. *You have reached 20 attributes in Magic. You may select a Magic Affinity. "For real? Hahaha. Thunder God!" he yelled as he dodged an incoming boulder. *You have selected Lighting affinity. All Lighting spells gain 10 percent extra damage. You gain three of the beginner Lighting spells. *You have learned Taze. Costs 10 MP. Range 10 meters. Shock someone unconscious. 50 percent success rate. *You have learned Charged Armor. Costs 100 MP. Cover yourself with Lightning. Metal will still ground you. *You have learned Volt. Costs 200 MP. Range 200 meters. Throw your magic around, 1 million volts per throw. Pef jumped and pointed with a pistol hand at the stone giant. "Deus...Volt!" A thunderbolt crashed from the black sky, hitting the Venusian Giant in the crown of its head. A powerful smell of fresh ozone filled the air, as the thunder arrived as well, booming with power. "Observe!" *Venusian Giant Golem. Lvl 100, HP 44500/50000, MP 48000/50000. Status: slow, petrified, dazed. Pef sped towards the dazed boss and began punching its stone ankle with a flurry of fists. A dozen seconds later, he felt the Danger Sense kick in, so he sped away, leaving a meter of ruble to fall out the ruined ankle. The giant punched the ground behind him, but it was too slow. Pef shook of the numbness in his hands, and checked his mana reserves. Climbing slowly. He turned around and attacked the damaged ankle again. As long as he was careful, he could hobble this boss as well. A few minutes later, his MP reached 100, and Pef grinned genially. "Charged Armor!" A feeling of power and invincibility covered him, and he began ripping through stone like cardboard. With fingers out like claws, he just scooped out the soft material, leaving melted and dripping lava in his wake. The armor didn''t last very long, perhaps a minute. But in that minute he demolished both giant''s ankles and half of an elbow. With a joyous face, Pef ran away, leaving the golem to scramble and crawl on the ground. "I''ll be back!" he told it memetically. And he did. Just had to wait for mana to recover. Next run he jumped directly onto its back and burrowed through the neck, til the head fell off. *You have killed the Venusian Giant Golem. Gain 10000 Exp. *You have defeated the Hagar Qim dungeon. Gain 15000 Exp. *You have received Drain Mana Manual. You have received 3 Greater soul fragments. You have received Bronze Vambraces(Uncommon quality), You have received Bronze Greaves(Uncommon quality). *You killed an enemy of level 100. Well done Mister Bond. You gain the perk Double-O: +100 HP *The Gamer has reached level 10. *Free attribute points: 3 *You can select a trait. Fast, Strong, Durable, Clever or Sparkly. Pef glanced at his status, and added the free points to his Constitution. Then selected the Sparkly trait, since it was surely related to his new magical powers. *Pef the Gamer Level 10, HP 350, MP 200 Attributes: free = 0 Str: 12 Con: 15 Agi: 16 Magic: 20 Mind: 16 Charisma: 11 Kharma: 11 *You are now Sparkly. You have always been Sparkly. Your Lightning spells cost 10 percent less MP. Also, you may choose to glow in the dark, and save on electricity bills. "Oh well. How else could I prove my new divine nature, other than glowing in the dark?" he asked himself with rightful pride. "You''re a long, long way from divinity, my page. Also, you do not need a boat anymore, Pef. You can swim anywhere." Terra whispered in his ear as the dungeon imploded into sky shards. With a long jump, carrying him far into the sea, Pef left the islands of Malta and began swimming the 80 kilometers towards Italy. *The Gamer has completed the quest: SERE. Primary objective: Escape the facility and the island. 10000 Exp. -Ally with Chen Song- Done. -Avoid Chen Song being seen when escaping. - Done -Kill all mundane guards - Failed 5/50 -Kill all mundane hospital personnel- Failed 0/50 -Kill all resident Templars - Failed 0/10 -Rescue all the Templar victims -Failed 1/100 Rewards: - Ally with Chen Song. You always know her faint location. - You gain 10000 Euros. - You gain Escapist perk. Reading fiction or escaping Alcatraz, it''s all the same for you. Gain +1 Agility. - The Templar Orders marked you as an Enemy and shared your picture with all their agents. When in Rome With trembling hands and gasping breaths, Pef climbed onto the shore, and promptly drifted to sleep. A few kicks woke him up. *You have slept on a rocky beach. HP and MP recovered anyway. This time. *You have gained the perk Shipwrecked: +1 Constitution. You look like you''ve been lost at sea. *Swimming has reached level 9. *You have been awakened by a Carabinieri kicking your ribs. Damage mitigation has reached lvl 4. *Gamer''s Body has prevented your ribs snapping off and piercing your lungs. Gamer''s Body has reached level 3. You can ignore most injuries during combat. "Filio de cazzo!" a rough voice yelled and Pef got kicked again. Something about a drowned cat? *You have learned Italian. Mamma Mia! "Why are you so angry officer?" He asked in a pleasant voice(and perfect Italian). "... Errr. I thought you were another scumbag illegal immigrant, Mister. Did you fall from a ship?" the nice policeman asked him with real concern. "Yes, we partied so hard last night... Now I have to take the bus to Bari...." Pef complained while drawing a few 100 Euro notes from his inventory, and looking around for the nearest bus station. The Policeman''s eyes glinted with altruism. "I think I can take an hour and drive you to the town. Always nice to help a fellow man, right?" Pef nodded sagely and followed the nice policeman to his car. On the road, Pef explored the menus of his new Gamer power, trying to figure out if there were any easy exploits. Then suddenly a new notification popped up. *You may enter an Instant Dungeon. This dungeon is called the "Madera citt¨¤ sotterranea" ''These dungeons are everywhere, right?'' he asked in his mind. The goddess didn''t answer, but the question was rhetorical anyways. His entire was life was a game now, and obviously there would be dungeons and perhaps even dragons. Pef made a note to return here soon, and explore the dungeon. But not without preparation. Some time later, he arrived in Bari and bribed the good Samaritan with 500 euros for the ride. And 20 minutes later, he sat down at a restaurant table and began wolfing down 5 adult menus. He wasn''t hungry, but he also didn''t feel much pain anymore. Better be safe. *The Gamer has eaten. Adaptation for lack of food has been delayed. Okay, he could save the money for food from now on. Probably drinks as well. Stopping by a store, he purchased a dozen various items, from cleaning chemicals to cigarettes and whiskey. Then he noticed a nearby hotel and rented a room, with soft, warm cash. *You have tried smoking. You have Adapted to nicotine dependency, 700 various cancerigens, carbon monoxide poisoning, and smoke inhalation. *You have tried getting drunk. You have Adapted to alcohol poisoning, 100 various cancerigens, and sugar dependency. *You have drank industrial grade cleaning fluid. You have fainted. *You have slept on a soft carpet, in your own room. HP and MP restored. Your bed feels neglected. *Gamer''s Body has prevented your stomach from dissolving into sludge. Gamer''s Body has reached level 4. Poisons and toxins will not affect you that much. Outside, it was beginning to turn dark. Pef grinned and opened the room''s window, looking for a route to climb down and then up. Not that difficult on the second floor anyway. "Inventory!" he asked after that. A yellow screen, with multiple tabs and columns appeared instead of the familiar blue note-screen. "Time to test the limits then" he spoke to himself, and began trying various combinations and sizes. The bed was the limit at first, bouncing off the screen, until Pef held it aloft with his strength, and pushed it into the inventory window. "So, I need to be able to hold the object I want to store. Makes sense..." he whispered to himself. Then he poked a finger into a storage box and said "Taze!" while channeling Lightning into his hand. The electric shock coursed along his arm and splashed into the inventory window like it was made of metal. "Damn it! Can''t store spells and free them later. And it was such an easy cheat..." Pef complained while pouring lighter fluid into the next storage box. "Now...how to ignite it, safely..." Pef mused while glancing around the room. Perhaps setting fire to his hotel room wasn''t a good idea. Not by accident. He decided to try this one a bit later. A tall lamp entered his inventory, but the bulb didn''t stay lit. Another failure. Free electricity would have been nice. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The same with a lit candle. The fire winked out when the candle was in storage. However, ice cubes remained iced, which was great. It implied something about molecular vibration... Perhaps he should try to buy some radioactive metals. If the inventory screen worked as intended, then the half-life time would be extended at least a million times. Without isotope decay, he could actually construct neutron beam weapons, connecting the power source of the gun to his inventory. Pef tapped the yellow screen while mumbling. "It should work, but the materials and technology would cost a lot of money..." *Update 1.024. Inventory screen will not allow radioactive materials to emit radiation during storage. "Hey! If it was a bug, then I should get paid for finding the flaw!" Pef yelled in outrage. *Ding! You have been granted 10000 euros, for your help. If you run, you may find an open pharmacy 200 meters westwards. Pef shook his head in dismay. Buying the medication and everything else he needed would flag him in the system, somewhere. Stealing was safer. He placed a long handled lighter in the box next to the fluid. This type of lighter was meant to light bonfires safely. Tonight, it will play a different role. Well, identical, but also different. With an elegant flip, he vaulted the window and began climbing down. Much too easy. Another jump, and he climbed the building next door, taking care not to smash any roof tiles. Then he jumped onto the next house. *You have learned Parkour. Running on roofs without tripping. He focused on the courtyard below, where the deposit of a store selling sport gear was located. One jump in, a few swipes and jumped up, back to the roof. *You have stolen 49 types of clothes, 31 pairs of shoes, and a competition carbon bow. Pef tapped the inventory, changing his outfit with a scuba diver suit, the material all black and soft. It even came with a hood, finger-less gloves and socks. *Diver suit equipped. Neoprene allows for increased resistance to cold water or weather. Also, it doubles as an improvised stealth suit. Gain +1 Sneak while equipped. *You have equipped tennis shoes. Gain +1 Athletics while equipped. Pef smiled and took off, heading towards a nearby pharmacy. "Volt" he cast after taking a look at the security system. A blast of electricity blasted and melted most of the cameras and wires. For a minute, Pef was a whirlwind, emptying out the entire pharmacy, from soap to aspirin and including computers or other measuring apparatus. Lastly, he tried the inventory trick, making the lighter fluid pour onto walls and furniture or carpets, and then firing it up with the lighter. A furious fire combined with smoke and crackling of plastic and wood began. Pef jumped up and ran to the roofs, while taking care not to attract attention. *The Gamer has raided a sports store. +100 Exp. *You have looted a pharmacy and set it on fire. +200 Exp. *You have learned Stealing. You have learned Arson. *You have used your Lightning Affinity to disable electronics, very inefficiently. You have learned a new spell, Hexa. Radius 50 meters. Costs 100 MP. Any non-hardened electronics in that radius are disabled. Avoid using it in hospitals. Pef grimaced at the new spell. Basically a small range EMP. Sure, it would be useful, against civilians and another mundane targets. But serious opponents, such as those Templars, would certainly have hardened devices. A few minutes later, Pef arrived at another important location, a public library. "Hexa" proved to be invisible to the naked eye, but quite effective. He sneaked inside and began looting all the books marked as a manual, by his Observe skill. This raid took longer than expected, but with an inventory instead of a robber sack, carrying off the loot was still easy. Another run over the rooftops, and Pef returned to his hotel room, and began digesting the new lessons. *You have learned Algebra. *You have learned Geometry. *You have learned Chemistry. *You have learned Biology. * * *You have learned Advanced Engineering. * * * *You have learned Ancient Aboriginal Rites and Rituals. *You have learned The feeding habits of unladen swallows. "Perhaps that last one wasn''t really necessary..." Pef muttered while massaging his temples, feeling an incoming headache. *Gamer''s Mind has prevented you from getting a headache. Gamer''s Mind has reached level 4. Minor traumas and mind afflictions are prevented. You have studied 974 disciplines while in Italy, and achieved a new perk. Renaissance Man: +1 Mind attributes. + 1 to all attributes. +10 percent to seduction rolls. *Pef the Gamer Level 10, HP 370, MP 210 Strength: 13 Constitution: 17 Agility: 18 Magic: 21 Mind: 18 Charisma: 12 Kharma: 12 All plans fail at contact with the enemy. *You have become immune to mood altering drugs. Gamer''s Mind has reached level 8. *You have ingested 50 doses of Ebola Vaccine, intended for intravenous injection. You have infected your stomach flora with a weak Ebola version. You have gained ulcer. Your stomach flora has died. *Gamer''s Body has prevented you from vomiting and contaminating your floor and the country of Italy with a new Ebola variant. You have become immune to the Ebola virus. You have become immune to the ulcer virus. Gamer''s Body has reached level 9. Pef wiped his forehead as he glanced at the last vaccine box. Luckily, progressing steadily with stronger vaccines had worked, allowing him to boost his resistance to medication and disease. The carpet was still soaked in blood, but he had plenty chemicals left. "Damn game. Could have given me a better version of these perks. Gamer''s Body in particular. Puking my guts out to level it out wasn''t fun at all..." Pef muttered with a grimace. *Update 1.027. Gamer''s Body will start at level 3, next time. *Gamer''s Mind has prevented you from going berserk and kicking the hotel''s table out the window. Pef tapped the bloody carpet and sent it into inventory. On return, it was perfectly clean. With a sigh, Pef dropped into the bed and fell asleep. +++++++++ A green fog, and sounds of water drops in the distance. The smell of blood, and fear. A blur of a black axe, a horned monster, cold blue marble walls, going forever. "Help! I can''t last long now..." a desperate voice calling. +++++++++ Pef jumped awake, scanning the room for dangers before calming down. *You have slept in a luxurious bed. HP and MP restored. +10 Percent Exp bonus for 10 hours. *You have experienced a prophetic dream. You gain +1 Kharma attribute. "Hmmm. Today I had planned to visit that dungeon...I wonder who will I meet." Pef whispered while checking around the room, storing everything he owned and cleaning every item provided by the hotel. He passed by the reception, and asked for the bus route for Rome. Fake trails always helped. Then Pef left, taking a city cab towards the town of Madera. Shorts and tennis shoes worked well enough for now, but he made a note to visit a few more renowned clothes makers. Prada, Armani, Versace and many others. Not to mention a few famous car makers. A minute of finding a secluded alley later... *You have entered the Underworld City Dungeon. You are now on Floor 1. *You have equipped a sportbiker suit. All physical damage is reduced by 3. *You have armored yourself with a Bronze armor set. All physical damage is reduced by 7. *Due to wearing a Bronze helmet, and having reduced Perception, you lose -1 Agility. "That''s okay. I hope to use my brains, not my legs today." Pef muttered at the screen. *For making a promise you cannot keep, you gain... *Nope, can''t think of anything yet. Pef drew his polearm and stepped inside the stone corridors, every step careful and cautious. A pair of red eyes watched him from a hidden nook in a wall. Pef kept walking, senses tingling in the back of his mind. He eyed a choke point, where the walls drew closer. A good point for an ambush, or for a fortified stand. With a loud cry sounding closely like " Leeeeroyyy!" Pef ran towards the bend in the wall and struck with the Dacian falx. *You have killed a Brown Kobold. 20 Exp gained. Drop: Iron dagger. A mob of chest-high rodents followed, but were easily dispatched, as Pef only had to defend a meter wide passage. The kobold blood flowed like a river, repairing the falx and providing a stream of Exp for the Gamer. After an hour, the familiar Ding arrived. *You have killed 1000 Brown Kobolds. You have gained the Perk: Pack Rat. + 1 Agility. *You gained 20000 Exp. *You have reached level 11. With a smile, Pef ran forward, searching for the boss of this floor. It took him a bit, as the walls formed an improvised labyrinth. "Observe" Brown Kobold King Lvl50: 20000 HP, 2000 MP Status: weak, starved, furious. Pef launched his newest attempt at a magic spell. "Lightning spear!" A magic weapon appeared in his hand and Pef rapidly threw it at the boss. -1100 dmg. Seeing the MP consumption was only 9 MP, Pef began rapidly casting more and more spears. In 10 seconds, the Kobold King dropped dead. *You have defeated the Boss of Floor 1. You gain 5000 Exp. *You have found the Lightning arrow manual. You have found 3 Medium mana potions. You have found 1 Greater health potion. *Descend to Floor 2? Yes/No/In a minute. Pef elbowed the ''In a minute'' tab while groaning in his head. Sitting down, he took out the new manual and clicked Yes to learn it. The entire method of gathering mana, forming and shaping mana into Lightning, then casting it into arrows... It was similar to the spell he himself had made for the Lightning spear, yet completely different. These arrows would float in the air around the caster, and aimed with your mind. And you could cast hundreds of them, at once! Much faster too. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. *You have gained Magic Intellect. Understanding and creating new spells will be easier now. *You gain +1 Magic. "Well, that''s certainly something nice. Perhaps I could have my arrows drill into the target, like a bullet is spinning..." *You have created Mana arrow. *You have created Mana spinning arrow. *You have created Lightning spinning arrow. *For creating a pure mana spell, you gain the Shaper perk. Mana manipulation is 5 percent faster. Magic +1. "Huh? If only I had access to a magic library... I could gain so more perks and ideas for spells..." Pef muttered out loud. *The Gamer has gained a new quest: Repository. *Loot the Saint John Templars'' Magic Repository. *Primary objective: Steal 10 Magic Spell Manuals. ??? ??? ??? ??? Rewards: Spells, Money, Exp, Enemies. *Do you choose to: Accept quest now/Later/Much later/Die. Our hero sighed and tapped Accept. He did ask for a magic library, after all. Nobody said anything about the visiting hours though. *You have attempted to Meditate. Confirm? Yes/Later. Pef''s eyebrow twitched as he clicked Yes. *Mana will regenerate at 200% percent speed while you Meditate. Your planning and thinking abilities gain 20 percent bonus. Moving your limbs will dispel the effects. Perhaps if he floated his body while meditating? *You have attempted to create a new spell: Levitation. Is this truly what you wanted? Yes/What?/No!/Die. "Yes"he muttered with an angry tone. *You have learned Levitation. You have used Levitation while Meditating. You have created a new spell: Floating Meditation. Is this truly what you wanted? Yes/What?/No!/Die. "Yes!" Pef yelled and punched high in joy. A second later he crashed onto the labyrinth stone floor. *You have moved a limb while Meditating. Action interrupted. Pef facepalmed and dismissed the silly windows. "One day ... One day the game will be finished, and all these bugs solved. Ah, I need to study some game theory and more programming." He said while strolling forward into the dungeon. -30 *You have stepped on a trap. The metal jaws deal 30 dmg. "Damn it!" *A Red Kobold shot you with a Flaming arrow. You receive 10 dmg. "This is stupid..." he muttered while racking his brain for something to block magic attacks. His Magic Intellect came in handy now. "Mana Shield?" *You have created a new spell: Mana Shield. Is this truly what you wanted? Yes/What? "... Yes" Pef said with a sad voice. "A lot of programming..." *Mana Shield level 1, costs 20 MP. Blocks 20 damage, reduces incoming damage by 1. Pef thought for a minute. "Mana Shield","Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield" "Mana Shield". Now covered by a layer of shields, all transparent, Pef proceeded forwards, copying the spells he encountered, and grinding the levels of his own skills and spells. *You have killed 1000 Red Kobolds. You gained the perk Roasted. +1 Constitution. *You have gained 25000 Exp. *Mana Shield has reached level 4. Blocks 24 damage, reduces incoming damage by 4. "Nice! Everything is working just as planned..." Pef proclaimed loudly. *The Red Kobold King hits you for 346 dmg. *Your legs are broken. Movement speed reduced by 90 percent. "What?" Pef exclaimed in panic. *Gamer''s Mind prevents you from experiencing panic. Logical thoughts save the day. "Levitation" Pef ordered, while pushing with his hands off the ground. A spiked morning star passed just under his (crushed) legs. Soon, he bounced off the ceiling, and managed to see the boss of the Floor 2. "Observe" *Red Kobold King(Elite) Lvl 100: 60000 HP, 3000 MP Status: fast, cursed, annoyed. "Meditate" *You have begun Floating Meditation. MP regen +200%. "Spinning Lightning Arrow." "Spinning Lightning Arrow.""Spinning Lightning Arrow.""Spinning Lightning Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow." ************ ************ "Spinning Lightning Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lighting Arrow.""Spinning Lightning Arrow.""Spinning Lightning Arrow.""Spinning Lightning Arrow.""Spinning Lightning Arrow." *You have killed Red Kobold King. Gained 15000 Exp. *You have cleared Floor 2. Descend to Floor 3? No/Later/Die. Frosty *You have slept in a dungeon. HP and MP restored. *Regeneration has reached level 8. Your legs are no longer crushed. *Levitation has reached level 2. Pef blinked at the screens, and waved them away, searching for older notices. *You have killed a lvl 100 boss. Gained 100 HP. *You have killed an elite monster. Gained + 1 Kharma. *You have gained an Aura Body manual. You have gained an Agility Ring. You have gained a Shaman wand. *You have found a Greater MP potion. You have found 5 Medium HP potions. With a smile, he took out the manual and promptly tried to learn it. *You cannot learn Aura Body. You need minimum 20 Constitution. Pef''s eyebrow twitched, then he opened the stats menu and added the points. *You have reached 20 Constitution. You may select a new skill. A list of 5 various skills appeared, including the Aura Body. Pef selected the Bronze Skin, which was at least sounding more protective. Then he learned Aura Body as well. *Damage mitigation has fused with Aura Body. Your soul becomes tangible and can block incoming damage(passive). *Aura Body has reached level 4. Your soul blocks 40 damage and reduces incoming damage by 4 percent. The Agility Ring granted +2 Agility, which was nice, but didn''t prompt a skill. The Shaman wand added +10 percent magic damage and + 1 Magic. Nothing special, but better than nothing. *You have activated Bronze Skin. Incoming damage reduced by 5. 20 MP cost per minute. He nodded in response. The cost will go down as the skill leveled up, and will provide even more defense. Still, he was becoming more aware that he lacked important spells and skills to insure his survival. Sure, the regular mobs were easy to farm, but dungeon bosses could be very dangerous. And if he wanted to go after those Templars, they wouldn''t be autistic monsters with a tiny range of skills. "Cloak" "Vanish" "Invisibility" "Hide". The last spell worked, draining some mana points and making him see as through a haze of distortion. *You have created a spell. Hide blocks visible and thermal detection as long as you don''t enter combat. 50 MP cost per minute. "Speed" "Charge" "Swift" *You have created a spell. Swift adds +3 Agility for combat purposes. 30 MP cost per minute. With a grin, Pef continued to try making new spells, with some success, as the words had to reflect a clear intent. *You have created a spell. Wisp sends a spark of light, allowing vision in a 5 meters radius. 5 MP cost per minute. *You have created a spell. Flare sends a burst of light, allowing vision in a 50 meters radius. 50 MP cost per minute. *You have created a spell. Howl adds -1 Mind debuff to all enemies in 20 meters radius. Cost 20 MP. Lasts 12 seconds. *You have created a spell. Wail adds -3 Mind debuff to all enemies in 100 meters radius. Cost 200 MP. Lasts 30 seconds. *You have created a spell. Stomp sends a tremor through the ground, dazing all enemies in a 5 meters radius. Cost 20 MP. Lasts 3 seconds. *You have created a spell. Quake sends a potent tremor through the ground, dazing all enemies in a 50 meters radius and inflicting minor damage. Cost 200 MP. Lasts 5 seconds. *You have created a spell. Wall raises a barrier from the ground, blocking 50 damage. Cost 50 MP. *You have created a spell. Firewall raises a barrier of fire, burning enemies for 10 damage per second. Cost 100 MP. *You have created a spell. Fist adds +3 strength for combat purposes. 30 MP per minute. *You have created a spell. Nice Guy adds + 3 Charisma for seduction purposes. 30 MP per minute. *You have created a spell. Dare adds +3 Kharma for combat purposes. 30 MP per minute. After a few hours of testing, Pef resumed his Floating Meditation, and wrapped himself with the new buffs, then descended into the dungeon again, to the 3rd Floor. With the increased mana regeneration, he could almost sustain all the buffs, as long as he flew above the Black Kobolds and didn''t need to spend mana to attack. First thing, he cruised for a few hours, leveling his spells to reduce costs while mapping out the dungeon maze. Then, as his MP started to trickle up again, he began shooting Lightning arrows or laying Firewalls on corridors with large numbers of kobolds. Some hours later, he received the dreaded notification. *You have killed 1000 Black Kobolds. You have gained the Perk Blackheart. + 1 Charisma. *You have received 30000 Exp. The boss of the 3rd Floor was another elite, wearing a Samurai armor and a pair of katana swords. Although, the short one was not a katana. However, the swords were of little use against a hovering magician. Pef let go off the debuffs, going for DPS now. A wall of Lightning arrows soon condemned the Black Kobold King to explode into motes of light. *You have killed the Black Kobold King(elite). Gained 20000 Exp. *You have killed a lvl 100 boss. Gained +100 HP. *You have killed an elite monster. Gained +1 free attribute. *You have completed the 3rd Floor. Gained 30000 Exp. *You have gained a Dual Swords manual. You have gained a Bodybuilder manual. You have gained a Black Leather belt. *You have found 2 Greater Mana potions. You have found 1 Greater HP potion. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. *The Gamer has reached level 13. Pef tried to learn the new manuals but found out they were locked for now. *You have tried learning Dual Swords. You need Swords at minimum level 20. *You have tried to learn Bodybuilder. You need minimum 20 Strength. Pef glanced at his stats, trying to figure out a path. *Pef the Gamer Level 13, HP 600, MP 220 Attributes: free = 7 Str: 13 Con: 20 Agi: 18+2 Magic: 21+1 Mind: 18 Charisma: 13 Kharma: 13 Sadly, it would be a waste to use all those points for Strength. Perhaps purchasing a gym card would have the same benefits. It did say bodybuilder after all. Pef added 2 in Agility and Mind, to bring them into the superpowered zone. *You have reached 20 Agility attributes. *You have selected the Bullet time ability. Time slows down for you in combat, by 20 percent. *You have reached 20 Mind attributes. *You have selected the Invictus ability. Your mind and willpower are harder to shake or disrupt. "Now, how do I train my Magic?" Pef asked himself, glancing doubtfully at the next Floor entrance. "I advise you to follow the quest. The last dungeon floor might be harder than you expect" a soft female voice whispered in his ear. Pef scratched his cheek in thought. Decisions, decisions. He still had the lingering vision of his dream, someone was trapped or something. *You have equipped the Black Leather belt. All damage reduced by 3. Twirling his Shaman wand, Pef began laying down his buffs again. ''Perhaps another level and perk will be enough...'' In a minute, he began floating towards the 4th and last Floor. -20 *You have been hit by a Snowball. *You have Adapted to cold snow. Adaptation has reached level 5. -5 -5 -5 "Figures. Blue Kobolds have Ice spells..." Pef muttered as he began his massacre routine. It took a dozen hours, as spellslinger kobolds were much harder to farm, necessitating kiting and other gaming tactics. *You have killed 1000 Blue Kobolds. Gained 50000 Exp. You have received the Perk Frosty: + 1 Strength, +10 percent damage vs artists. Pef rapidly cancelled all buffs except Swift, as movement speed and reflexes were always of help. A fog of snow and ice crystals parted for second, almost to fast to notice. Almost. He managed an "Observe" and rapidly scanned the boss. *Madera King(Immortal) lvl 100, 100000 HP, 1000 MP Status:cold, miserable, wrathful. *Gamer''s Mind has prevented you from crying out loud. "Really? An Immortal?" Pef yelled at the frosty ceiling of the dungeon. "Yes, it will be hard for you to defeat him. But that word means something else, not what you believe." the goddess replied with a voice full of mirth. ''Right! This is a game. In games, monsters can respawn, or be summoned or many other things.'' Pef mused inward as he began pelting the boss with arrows. Its health barely decreased, and regenerating faster than his mana did. "Volt" "Firewall" Forced into a daze, and burned by the firewall, the boss finally began slowly losing his HP. A sudden feeling of danger made Pef dodge away, as a cone of ice and shards passed by. "Damn it. Of course, he knows long range spells too." he muttered in his chin. Back and forth, Pef and the Madera King battled for hours and hours, til eventually the boss finally died. *You have killed the Madera King. Gained 100000 Exp. *You have killed an Immortal. Gained the perk Mortician: +1000 HP. *You have defeated the Madera Underworld Dungeon. Next Floor allows access to Hell. Abandon all hope, those who enter. *The Madera King will re-appear once you leave this Floor. *The Gamer has reached level 15. *You have gained a Magician Apprentice manual. You have gained the Freeze Cone spell manual. You have gained a Snowflake necklace(Unique). *You have found 30000 gold, in Roman denarii. *You have found 3 Greater HP potions. *You have found 1 Elixir potion. Pef poked the manuals with curiosity. *Do you wish to gain a class? Magician Yes/Later/Kill me now. With a chuckle, Pef tapped Yes. *You have gained a class. Magicians gain 5 attributes per level, but 3 of them are always sent to Magic. *You have learned Freeze Cone. In a cone of 10 meters in front of you, everything will freeze and receive substantial damage. Costs 100 MP. *You have equipped the Snowflake necklace(Unique). Gain +10 Magic, Magic resistance increased by 10 percent. Cannot be stolen or damaged. Pef looked suspiciously at the black void shaped as a door. "Will I die if I enter this Hell?" he asked cautiously. "Please don''t make me find another Gamer. Hell and Heaven should not be an issue for a few years." the goddess said in a sterner tone. "I see. Not rush going to Hell, eh?" "I can trade you 30000 Euros for those coins. They''re from an older version..." Gaia added helpfully. *Update 1.034. Financial prizes will be paid in current local currency. "Haha. Yeah, the Roman Empire is gone for 1500 years." Pef replied with a chuckle. "So you agree?" she asked hopefully. "Nah. Old coins would be worth a few millions now. But thanks for the offer." Pef said politely. "Get on with your quest, my servant." she said in a colder voice. Via Appia After leaving the dungeon, Pef remembered his promise to ''visit'' some famous stores, and ''test'' their products for free. However, driving a vehicle was skill that took time to learn. And a few crashes. *You have stolen a Ducati Panigale. +300 Exp. *Your Jumping skill has reached lvl 3. *Aura Body has reached level 5. *You have stolen a Ducati SuperSport +500 Exp *Your Landing skill has reached lvl 2. *You have learned the skill Motorcycling. *You have stolen a Bugatti Veyron. +2000 Exp. *Your Regeneration has reached level 10. *Aura Body has reached level 6. You have adapted to Fire. You have stolen a Ferrari SF90. +3000 Exp. You have learning the skill Driving *Aura Body has reached lvl 7. *Your Regeneration has reached level 11. *You have stolen a Lamborghini Aventador.+3000 Exp. *Your Driving skill has reached level 3. *You have stolen 38 Armani suits. You have stolen 22 Versace suits. You have stolen 14 sets of body armor. *You have stolen 787 pairs of Prada shoes. *You have stolen 1337 types of perfume. Your Stealing skill has reached level 8. *You have become immune to perfume. K9 units can still find you, even invisible. Pef waved off the annoying notifications. "So I never driven a car before... But I learned!" he muttered with a grin. It wasn''t so hard, if you kept the speedometer under 400. Who even designed those cars to reach 500 KPH? ''Still, I should do something about the smell. Who knew original brand perfumes were so strong?'' Pef muttered inward. Then, he proceeded to buy himself a house, using the helpful gold forgotten by some forgetful Roman landlord in a dungeon. *You have purchased a modern villa on the Via Apia. You have paid 20000 gold, in Roman Denarii. *You have bribed a lawyer. You have paid 11000 Euros in cash. *You have hired a lawyer. You have paid 1000 Euros in cash. *You have acquired a new legal name. Your lawyer has all the details. ''But where else would I find my own place, with a fitness hall, an underground garage and a pool?'' *You have marked your villa with a Heartstone. You may return to your home from anywhere, once per week. *You have showered 4 times in a row. *The Overly-perfumed debuff was cleansed. Teen spirits never smelled so strong. Ding! Ding! Dong. *That''s the door. "Oh, right! Interviews for a maid position." Pef exclaimed as he remembered telling the lawyer to recruit a few girls for his mansion. With a glance in the crystal mirror, and confirmed he looked the part of a rich playboy, Pef opened the door. Five pretty and soon hard working women waited in front of the villa. "Come in ladies" He said politely, and gestured at them to enter. Soon, they arrived in the enormous living room, still furnished by the former occupant. A retired footballer or such. With a glance, he could read their bios in their Observe window. Two of them stood out. *Sonia Tonero Age 25. 90-66-85 Status: eager, impressed, ready. *Lucia di Medici Age 39. Level 72 Witch. Status: paranoid, impressed, charmed. "Sonia, was it?" he asked pleasantly. "Yes, signore?" the girl said at once, her bountiful chest quivering with emotion. "You''re hired. Go explore the house, and learn where the things are. And pick a room for yourself." "Ah, already? I mean, that''s great!" the young brunette exclaimed happily and left to explore. With a blinding smile, Pef turned towards the rest of applicants. "Lucia, you''re not fit for a maid. But stay a moment, we may find something else for you." he said politely, then turned towards the other three women. "Here, 200 Euros for each of you. And don''t come back." Pef said more sternly, and ushered the hookers out the door. "So, you''re a mage, after all..." the witch commented aptly. Her black Gucci dress was rather well filled too. A bit too plump... "I''m just a Nice Guy. Sure, I have a few talents, but so do you, Miss Lucia." Pef argued in a gentle tone. *Seduction roll 51. Lucia is no longer paranoid. ''Really? I roll a 1?'' Pef yelled inward. The other 50 points came from his bonuses. "Indeed you do. But then, the Templars wouldn''t be looking for you for no reason." the witch mused while examining Pef from head(blonde) to suit(Armani) to shoes(Prada). "We had a few differences of opinion. They wanted to drain my blood, and I objected." Pef said with a shrug. "Hmmm. Your blood? Special properties in this blood of yours, perhaps?" Lucia asked curious. "I heal very fast. My magic powers are very new otherwise..." he explained with a smile, while inviting the woman to sit on a modern couch, in front of him. The witch tapped her full lips with a thinking pose. "Nothing else? Can you see through walls or clothes, perhaps?" she asked while breathing deeply, and attracting Pef''s eyes to her C sized bust. "When I''m in danger, I can see in slow motion." Pef offered with a raised eyebrow. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Hmmm. Not what I''m looking for, then. But Mystic eyes are rather rare..." she whispered to herself. "There was another woman in that hospital. She said I have these mystic eyes, before we parted..." Pef mused softly, eyes darting towards the pool. Sonia was already testing the water. Well, it was a rather hot day outside. "Ah yes. Asian girl, with magic hands. She is also on the wanted list..." Lucia remembered with a frown. "Anyways. You''re a capable magic user, right? Could I hire you for some lessons?" Pef asked with a winning smile. Lucia tilted her head, looking with new eyes at our hero. She twirled a lock of black hair in her hand. "Money isn''t of much use to me. Unless you''re secretly a billionaire?" she replied dismissively. "Not yet. But, I can obtain some rare magical artifacts, that aren''t even on the market." he explained politely. Lucia grinned affably. "Show me!" And so, Pef got the showcase some drops from the dungeons. Armor and swords were no use. "This Elixir. It can cure any illness!" Lucia almost yelled. She certainly seem to want it. A lot. "Worth your time?" Pef wondered calmly. Lucia sighed softly. "You''re too nice for the Abyss, Pef. This potion is worth 50 millions. But perhaps if I train you, you might live another decade. But I can only stay one month, I really need a job and cash..." *Lucia has become your Ally. *Relationship with Lucia is now 1. (Pity) *You have gained +1 Kharma. Lucky bastard. Pef smiled in ecstasy. "Excellent news, dear Lucia. Choose any room you want." "This maid of yours better know how to cook, my apprentice. I''ll have my familiar bring my things over." Lucia said in a commanding tone, as she left to explore the villa as well. ++++++++++ Pef woke up feeling in 9th heaven. *You have slept in your bed. HP, MP and Stamina restored. *Relationship with Sonia has reached 21 (Favored) Slurp! Slurp! Laying on his back, he grinned at new life. Then he lowered a hand to pat Sonia on her head. "Good morning, Sonia." "M-mmmm" she answered politely. A dozen minutes later, he offered his maid her daily bonus, in ambrosia. "Go and make breakfast now." "Of course, Master!" Sonia replied, licking her fingers. *You have gained +1 Charisma. +++++++++++++ "What I was thinking was, if I heal very fast, then my muscles will become much stronger with training." Pef explained as he began pilling hundreds of kilograms on the lift bar. *You have trained in the gym for 6 hours. You have consumed all available Stamina. *Strength gains +1 attribute. With a groan of tiredness, Pef leaned back on the work bench. "I''ll have to make new barbels. 900 Kilograms are too light now...." he muttered in disbelief. "Well. I know Druids are even stronger, but I never seen a human withstand so much effort." Lucia said while sipping some water and pedaling on the bicycle again. She had started training her body as well, after getting back in shape with the Elixir. And her body was starting slowly to shape up, getting more toned and muscled, although she wasn''t anywhere near as strong as Pef. "Well, if you become even more fit and beautiful, I might have to start courting you, my dear witch." "Ahhh. Stop it, you silly. What, is Sonia not enough for you?" Lucia exclaimed with a tinge of blushing. From all that effort. *Relationship with Lucia has reached 11 (Accepted) "I like Sonia a lot. But she is my meat steak. You could be the strawberry ice cream." Pef added playfully. "I see. So you want to train with Ice spells today." she answered with a grin. +++++++++ For a month, Pef trained his body and magic, getting used with his new powers. *You have gained +1 Strength. You have reached 20 Strength. *You have chosen ''In corpore sano'' skill. You gain +10 percent Strength and Stamina. *You have learned Bodybuilder skill. You gain +5 Strength. *You have gained Lesser Mana Affinity. You gain +10 percent Magic control and speed. *You have learned Silent casting. You no longer need to voice your spells out loud. *You have gained +1 Magic. The witch''s magic training added more spells to his inventory, although not the usual wizard spells. *You have learned Poison cloud. Radius 3 meters. Costs 30 MP. This poison does not affect you. *You have learned Acid fog. Radius 10 meters. Costs 100 MP. You have Adapted to acid. *You have learned Curse: Ugly skin. Range 5 meters. Costs 50 MP. Lasts 10 days. *You have learned Polymorph frog. Range 20 meters. Costs 200 MP, lasts 10 seconds. Dispels in combat. *You have learned Curse: Evil eye. Enemy gains -10 Mind. Range 50 meters. Costs 100 MP. *You have learned Curse: Silence. Enemy gains -10 Magic. Range 100 meters. Costs 200 MP. *You have learned Mana Veil. You will not be detected by magic means. Costs 50 MP per minute. *You have learned Pentagramic Field. Costs 100 MP. Your house has a boundary preventing entry. Not very strong yet. ''Soon I''ll be ready for my run at the Templars.'' Pef mused while measuring his character screen. Having a strong body would serve as backup in case magic wasn''t enough. Plus MP were not infinite. Dealing with guards would be more efficient with brute force. He has a few robberies to plan, before attacking the Templar monastery. Raid, bloody raid. *You have entered an Instant Dungeon. This dungeon is named Saint John''s Holy Repository. *Your stats are suppressed by 20 percent, due to tresspasing in a consecrated place. *You take 100 HP damage per minute due to entering a hostile mana environment. *You mana regeneration is reduced by 30% due to being an enemy of the Order. *You have been detected. *Mana Veil hides your exact position, until combat. Pef peered over the roof''s edge, taking count of the defenses and guards. For a simple monastery, it sure had too many guards. ''200 normal guards, 10 patrol dogs, and at least 10 magicians. And I should assume more enemies that I cannot see.'' he mused inward. Checking his buffs once more, he Jumped then shifted to Levitation in mid-air. "Equip M-60" A military grade machine-gun, formerly used by side gunners aboard Vietnam era helicopters, and highly effective for its main purpose. That purpose was low-altitude strafing, and it surely proved just as effective against dogs or unshielded humans. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. *You have killed a Templar Guard. 100 Exp. A stream of notifications made aiming annoying. "Notice off!" he muttered while equipping a new weapon, less hot. It didn''t work. "He''s in the air somewhere, take cover!" "Alarm!" "Raise the abjuration barrier!" Yells of panic resounded from the guards, soon silenced by the renewed bullet stream. Pef chose to ignore the magicians for a minute, thinning out the guards for the moment. As soon as the next ammo belt finished, he stored the hot machine gun and flew away. ''Now, let''s see how they react to an unexpected explosion...'' Raiding a NATO armory for weapons and armor sure came in handy now. "Equip Milan launcher" he demanded mentally. An anti-tank launcher appeared on his shoulder, and he fired at the emerging group of mages. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. *Templar novice killed. 1000 Exp. ''Huh? Those two guys are still alive?'' Pef wondered as he vanished under Hide and Veil again. "Initiates and Ordained have a variant of a holy aura. You''ll need more missiles or better spells." Gaia whispered in his ear, no doubt curious how the quest was progressing. ''You can only talk inside a dungeon?'' Pef wondered as he equipped the next launcher. A bell began sounding from a tower, an alarm of sorts. *Gamer''s Mind has prevented you from becoming dazed. * Your Invictus skill has resisted an exorcism. *You have fired a VX nerve gas warhead. You have gained the perk Odorless:You gain 1000 Intimidation. Gained +1 Charisma. *Templar Initiate killed. 6000 Exp. *Templar Ordained killed. 15000 Exp. *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp. *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *Guard dog killed. 20 Exp *All canine units killed. Bonus objective met. 10000 Exp. *The Gamer has reached level 16. Drawing another M-60 machine gun, Pef completed a round of the outer defense, finishing off the surviving guards. *You have killed all surface guards. 20000 Exp. *Firearms skill has reached level 5. With a sigh, Pef began descending towards the courtyard, now filled with bullet riddled guards or green faced corpses. Dealing with flesh and blood enemies was less pleasant than normal monsters, which simply dissipated into bits of light. The door into the monastery was glowing a little, and a few magic wards shone with gold and silver. Pef smiled a bit, trying to figure a way to open the barrier. Then he shrugged, and walked two meters to the side, and fired another missile at the stone wall, beside the enchanted door. A gaping hole opened into the old stone wall. With a kick, he cleared the rubble and entered unimpeded. ''Strong door, but anchored on mere stone walls...'' *You have entered a sacred place. 200 HP damage per minute. *Regeneration has reached level 12. Pef glanced at his HP bar, but so far it hadn''t decreased at all. "Well then. Guess I can stay awhile and grind my Regeneration for a while." "Very amusing, my servant. But they will have Knights incoming soon." the goddess advised him with a tiny snort. "Yeah. No free meals, are there?" Pef concluded, rhetorically. With a burst of speed, he ran deeper into the monastery, keeping an eye out for... -300 *You have been hit by a Solomon-class golem. "Observe" Pef whispered while dodging the next javelin. Solomon Golem Lvl 66. HP 66000, MP 0 Status: petrified, enchanted, ranged. A 3-meter tall humanoid with a javelin launcher, glowing just like the door had. With a flurry of mental commands, he changed his buffs from DPS and concealment to defensive and evasive. -120 *Bronze skin has reached level 19. *Aura Body has reached level 8. *Mana shield has reached level 17. ''Okay then, mister golem. Time to see how you deal with my Fist'' Pef thought while running towards the construct. -40 The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.-40 Pef canceled the Fist buff as it was rather useless. ''Note taken. Fists aren''t great against golems.'' Pef mused as he ran away and equipped another Milan launcher. His missile flew straight and impacted the golem in the chest. Most tanks would have been wasted in one shot... -3333 With a glance at his inventory, and concluding he didn''t have enough missiles, Pef decided it wasn''t worth dealing with the annoying golem. "Wall, Firewall. Hide, Veil" he commanded in quick succession, blocking direct line of sight with the golem and speeding past it. A couple of librarians and two guards were trying to barricade the next door, but it was only a wooden door. With a kick, Pef bust through the obstacle, and then drew a pistol and fired 6 bullets nonchalantly. The guards fired at him as well, but their own bullets just flatten themselves on his Aura. *You have entered the Repository. *Reinforcements arrive in 90 seconds. "Come on! There are a thousand magic tomes here!" Pef cried in despair. Luckily, the library had each row of shelves ordered by magic affinity or category. Running and grabbing, Pef begun shoving armfuls of books into his inventory, eager to grab as much knowledge as possible. -300 *You have been shot by a Solomon-class golem. "Not again!" our hero complained loudly at the injustice. *You have stolen 10 magic spells from the Repository. Primary objective complete. 100000 Exp. *The Gamer has reached level 17. Pef rushed towards the Lighting Bolt marked shelves and grabbed a few class-related tomes, then grimaced in pain, and collapsed to his knees, as an ominous aura locked him place. *A Templar Knight has used Holy Conviction on you. You have resisted for 2.5 seconds. *Gamer''s Mind has reached level 9. "Heartstone" Pef thought before fainting. *You have slept on a siberian tiger fur, in front of a fireplace, in your own house. HP and MP restored. *Heartstone ability has been used and won''t be available for 6 days and 18 hours. *The Gamer has completed a quest: Repository. *Loot the Saint John Templars'' Magic Repository in Rome. *Primary objective: Steal 10 Magic Spell Manuals - Done Kill all mundane guards -Done. Kill all Templar guards - Done. Kill the Solomon Golem - Failed. Loot 1000 magic spells - Failed. Rewards: - 16 new Spells - 50000 Euros - 50000 Exp. - Enemies: The Inquisition. Stretching his back, Pef glanced around the living room, then changed into a yellow silk shirt and Hawaiian shorts. ''Great, now I have the Inquisition to deal with as well.'' he thought to himself as he felt Lucia enter the room. "Pef, my wayward apprentice! I let you sleep, as you were still smelling of blood and gunpowder. But I gave Sonia a day off." she said with a curious glance at his eye-hurting clothes. "That''s fine, my dear witch. My raid on the Templars didn''t go quite as planned..." he replied with his head hung. "Eh, you braved the lion den, and escaped alive and whole. That''s good enough for a novice mage." Lucia said with an admiring look at her apprentice. *Relationship with Lucia has reached 16. (Accepted) "Yeah, didn''t get to steal much, as a Knight used some mental aura on me and had to flee." Pef complained in a low tone. "A Knight you say? Even more worthy then. The weakest Knight is at least as strong as me..." Lucia mused aloud, her eyes fixed in the distance. Pef lounged on a sofa and lit the TV. "I guess I''m not ready to deal with them yet." he admitted after a minute of pointless zapping though commercials. "As long as you remember this. Anyways, I contacted a guy I know, in Switzerland. If you still want to learn alchemy." Lucia added with a teasing tone. "Really? And they will teach me?" Pef exclaimed with joy. Lucia giggled from behind her palm, as she dropped in an armchair and planted her feet on the teatable. "You can go next month. And you''ll have to give them 100 of your magic potions." The witch took out an ice cream box and began eating it, alone. Pef licked his lips but didn''t comment. So what if she raided the fridge... "It''s okay. I can use this time to train a bit more, and learn telekinesis." he said with a fake shrug. Lucia glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "It took me a decade, and I can barely stir a spoon. But you will try regardless, aren''t you?" She concluded with a slow lick at her spoon. Pef nodded absently. A few days to learn the new magic spells, then grinding a few dungeons... He glanced at his character sheet, a bit upset with his achievements. Then he added 1 point to Kharma and all the free atributes into Magic. *Pef the Gamer Level 17 Mage, HP 1700, MP 550 Attributes: free = 0 Str: 25+2 Con: 20 Agi: 20+2 Magic: 40+10 Mind: 20 Charisma: 15 Kharma: 15 "My mana pool is kinda small..." he mused to himself. "Don''t worry, Pef. If you have valuable items to trade, the Paracelus Association can give you alchemic pills, and perhaps even rare plants that can increase you reserves." the witch said gently, while poking a strawberry into her ice cream. "Hmmm. You ever dive into dungeons, Lucia?" he asked curious. "I tried a few, but it''s risky and not really worth it. Bosses are a nightmare sometimes, so you have to keep count of your kills and leave before they appear. And the minions rarely drop anything." she complained while storing the ice cream away. Apparently all good magic users had a subspace pocket to keep things. "I killed a few bosses though." he said with a frown. "Heh, zombies and golems are easy. That''s why the Abyss Auction is full of zombie bones and bronze swords." "Wait! There''s an auction?" Pef exclaimed in wonder. Lucia twirled her hand producing a cellphone. "Like I said. You''re naive, my apprentice. You can buy anything, even spells or artifacts. Slaves as well." Pef grimaced at the news. "You''ll have to show me how to use this auction site." "Of course, my dear Pef. But first, let''s order some takeout and see what books you stole." Pef nodded sagely. The pretty witch had her priorities straight. Ghost With a smile, Pef glanced at Lucia who was busy going over the old tomes, her eyes glowing with some type of memorization spell. Aside the manuals, there were also dozens of theory books, all rare and precious. Then he closed his eyes and resumed his Floating Meditation, which allowed him to grind active buffs without needing to stop and recover, or drink expensive potions. *You have learned Nine Lightning Steps. User gains +30 Agi for combat purposes. Costs 300 MP per minute. The ancient cultivator skill was a perfect fit for his build, easy to grind and very effective at keeping him alive, next time. Plus, once you mastered it, you could run on air, three times faster than simply levitating. Already at level 2, it gave +31 Agi and only cost 260 MP per minute, with his affinity counted in. The reflexes were sped up as well, allowing him to dodge and react more efficiently. The next spell was also easy to grind, as an elemental summon only had to be kept summoned to level up. *You have made a pact with a Raiju elemental. You now have a pet made of electricity. Has its own spells and can evolve. Costs 100 MP per minute. Sadly the Lesser Lightning Elemental was a tiny wolf-like beast, so it wouldn''t be much use at opening doors or making emergency phone calls. At level 2, it had grown cute tiny fangs and claws, and was standing guard with admirable loyalty. The last spell was awesome, but too far ahead the magic tree. *You have tried learning Arc Lightning Staff. You need minimum 150 Magic. Simply reading the manual helped with his affinity, giving advice on better mana shaping methods, but he would need to absorb it for complete comprehension. Still, in the future it will act as a lightsaber, which wasn''t bad at all. There were a few other higher level spells which he lacked the attributes to learn, yet. *You have tried learning Dream of the Ash Tree. You need minimum 200 Magic and 100 Constitution. *You have tried learning Drain Magic knowledge. You need minimum 200 Magic and 100 Mind. *You have tried learning Mental Acceleration. You need minimum 500 Magic and 100 Mind. *You have tried learning Space-lock barrier. You need minimum 1000 Magic and 100 Mind. There were a few lower tier spells which were easier to learn, but not as great. Or perhaps he just had to use them in the right context. *You have learned Plant sense. You sense all plants and their true nature in 10 meter radius. Gaia approves. Cost 100 MP per minute. *You have learned Farmer''s Strength. You gain +20 Strength. When you need to plow deeper. Costs 300 MP per minute. *You have learned enhanced hearing. You hear more and better. Not always desired. Cost 500 MP per minute. *You have learned Dual Tantric Yoga. Practice with a partner for profit and pleasure. Cost 500 MP per minute. *You have learned Cloak of invisibility. Makes you invisible but you can still see clearly. Cost 500 MP per minute. *You have learned Banish spirits. Infuse your mana with pure thoughts and pulse it in a certain pattern. Exorcise ghosts and spirits in 50 meter radius. Channeling spell. Cost 500 MP over 5 seconds. *You have learned Flame barrage. Throw dozens of small flame orbs at the enemy. Slight homing chance. Costs 300 MP. *You have learned Incendiary Cone. A flamethrower of magical origin. Maximum range 30 meters. Not friendly fire. Cost 300 MP. *You have learned Blood Crystal. Drain a human of their blood and compress it into a magic crystal. Useful for many crafting recipes. Cost 500 MP. *Your Magic attribute has grown. +1 Magic. Pef sighed at the latest spell, which was something he had almost experienced on himself. "Blood crystals are valuable?" he asked to make sure. Lucia glanced at him, over her book. "Depends on the blood, I suppose. Magician blood crystals sell quite well. About a thousand times more than normal blood crystals. Skulls and other magic bones sell very well too." "The Abyss is rather ruthless, isn''t it?" Pef mused philosophically. "Well, that is a universal truth, my naive apprentice. Sheep eat grass, wolves eat sheep. But, humans do tend to cluster into guilds and clans for mutual defense. It''s mostly newbies and loners who get sacrificed. And defeated clan members, I assume." Lucia replied with a serious tone. "Ready for a spar, most wise teacher?" Pef asked as a reply. "Oh? Feeling brave already?" she said with a smirk, twisting her fingers into a spiral. The world grew cold on his skin. *You may enter an empty Instant Dungeon. Accept? Yes/Yes. ''Very droll Gaia'' Pef muttered while poking the Yes tab. A blast of acid fog hit him in the face, blocking vision and obscuring his attacker. -100 HP "That''s cheating! I wasn''t ready..." Pef complained while speeding away and layering buffs. *You have been Cursed. Silence. You lose 10 Magic. Magic Resistance reduces the loss by 1. *You have been Cursed. Evil Eye. You lose 10 Mind. Your Invictus skill has failed. *You have been Cursed. Wort. You lose 10 Charisma. *You have been Cursed. Jinx. You lose 10 Kharma. Your Headshot perk reduces the loss by 2. "Gahhh! Now I''m stupid too!" Pef yelled while launching a Wail of his own. *You fell into a pool of acid. -50 -50 -50 Pef jumped away and entered Levitation, while searching for the evil witch. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. *You flew into a poison cloud. You are immune to poison. ''Huh? She has to know I''m immune...'' *You have been showered by an Ice Blizzard. Movement speed reduced by 70 percent. "How?" Pef asked in wonder, while flinging mana arrows at random. One of them sparked off something. "Incendiary Cone!" he announced silently, pointing the spell at the invisible target. *You have been struck with an Ear Worm. Gamer''s Mind has resisted most affliction. You lose your sense of hearing. ''Bleh. I only have my eyes, but she''s invisible anyway...'' Pef concluded in defeat. A huge shadow rose from underneath. *A Giant frog has eaten you. -150 -150 *You will die in 14 seconds. ''Great, a giant frog now? Where does she find these things?'' Pef wondered while holding his hands up. *You have lost a training duel. *Your relationship with Lucia has decreased by 1. (Pity) "I didn''t get to hit you once..." Pef complained as he sat down to rest a bit. Lucia patted his shoulder in compassion. "I wouldn''t have escaped from Hell if hitting me was that easy. But your summon did scratch me." she explained while pointing at a faint burn mark on the back of her hand. "Huh. My Raiju is quite something for his tiny size..." he replied while petting the pet on its lighting mane. The wolf growled with pride. "I don''t have anything that blocks electric senses. It seems I need to do some research myself" Lucia said while leaving the room and heading towards the pool. Pef ogled her plump behind for a second, before slapping himself. "Training! Keep your eyes on the goal." he muttered inward. *The Gamer has received a new quest: Training montage. *Reach level 30 in one month. *Create a level 6 ID. *Complete 100 dungeons. ??? ??? ??? Rewards: Levels, stats, potions, artifacts, pleasure and profit. Accept? Yes/ Hell yes!/Die. Pef blinked at new quest. Gaia was giving him hints, and hope. Perhaps it would be wise to accept her training montage. He clinked on the ''hell yes'' button. *For making a wise choice, you gain +1 Mind. Pef smiled at the implied humor and stretched his arms a bit. "Floating Meditation" "Create ID!" "Dispel ID" "Create ID!" A dozen repetitions later, he got a new options on his ID list. *Create ID: - empty. 100MP. - zombie. 200 MP. "Create zombie ID" "Dispel ID" Some time later, a new monster appeared. *Create ID: - empty. 100MP. - zombie. 200 MP. -ghost. 300 MP. "Oh! Ghosts? Guess I could farm them for a while..." Pef said thoughtfully. Picking the ghost option created a ghastly dungeon, made of burned walls and dead trees, paired with scary wails and gusts of dust and ash. "Good job on the atmosphere, Gaia. 9 out of 10." Pef praised the goddess. "Oh? Anything missing, my servant?" Gaia asked with a worried tone. "Silver moon, flickers of lightning, dripping water drops..." Pef commented while searching for any ghost. *Version 1.042 Dungeon verisimilitude updated. *You have received 10000 Euros for your help. ''Sure beats a desk job.'' Pef mused as he located an incoming ghost. "Observe" Ghost Lvl 13. HP 130, MP 30 Status: Intangible, undead, sad. Pef drew a gun and tested the intangibility. Sure enough, bullets passed through the apparition without causing damage. Placing a palm on the ghost, he began Draining Life from it. In about a dozen seconds the ghost vanished. Its feeble attacks were harmlessly absorbed by his aura. *You have killed a ghost. Gain 30 Exp. Drop: spectral thread. Searching it in the inventory, Pef looked at the details. *Spectral thread. A filament of spiritual origin, left behind by a sad ghost. Crafting material. "Okay. A bit creepy, but still much better than zombie teeth or human blood..." Pef muttered with a shudder. Then he rushed ahead, trying to collect all the ghosts into a single pack and get them to chase him. "Incendiary Cone" he ordered as the ghosts pilled up into a tight bunch. They died rapidly. *You have killed 999 ghosts. You gain the perk Ghostbuster. +1 Magic. +10 percent damage vs ghosts and other intangible monsters. *You gain 30000 Exp. "Not bad!" Pef exclaimed as a loud wail filled the dungeon. *Killing so many ghosts have angered the guardian spirits. They sent a Banshee Ghost to deal with the intruder. "Observe" Banshee Ghost Level 40. HP 14000 MP 3000 Status: Intangible, undead, angry. -200 *You have been hit by a Spectral Claw. Your soul is shaken. *Aura Body has reached level 9. "That hurts!" Pef exclaimed in outrage. *Banshee Wail affects your Mind. You lose 5 attributes. "No!Not again! Lighting arrows." Pef said with a determined voice. A barrage of Lightning arrows ripped through the dungeon''s boss, leaving sparks behind. "Floating Meditation. Mana Shield." Pef demanded as his MP began depleting rapidly. Another Spectral Claw passed under him. "Banish Spirits" he ordered with a flash of inspiration. His mana became tangible and thick, like a cloud of mana particles. Seconds passed by as he kept channeling the spell and dodging the banshee''s attacks. *You have hit the Banshee Ghost for 9999 damage. *You have killed the Banshee Ghost. 14000 Exp. *You have defeated a level 3 ID. *You have found 5 Medium HP potions. You have found a Spectral Claw manual. Ring Three more ghost dungeons finally allowed Pef to reach level 18. Also, they produced a few surprised about his skills. *Bronze skin has maxed out at level 20. Blocks 25 incoming physical damage. Costs 10 MP per minute. *Mana Shield has maxed out at level 20. Blocks 200 Damage. Incoming damage reduced by 20. Cost 20 MP per minute. *Aura Body has reached level 10. Blocks 100 damage and 10 percent of any damage. *Lightning arrow has maxed out at level 20. Does 11 times Magic damage. Cost 1 MP. *Spinning lightning arrow has maxed out at level 20. Does 12 times Magic damage, with 20 percent extra Penetration. Cost 2 MP. *Lightning spear has reached level 5. Does 1000 damage plus modifiers. Costs 8MP. *Charged armor has reached level 11. Blocks 11 damage. Adds 110 Lightning damage to each of your melee attacks. *Volt has reached level 4. 1 million volts+4 percent Penetration. Cost 170 MP. *Incendiary cone has reached level 3. Hits all enemies in the cone. Costs 297 MP. *Freeze Cone has reached level 2. Hits all enemies in a cone. Cost 298 MP. *Swift has reached level 11. Gain+4 Agi during use. *Nine Steps has reached level 3. Gain +33 Agi during use. *Your overuse of magic spells and recovery methods has gained you +1 Magic. *You gained the Skill: Three Percenter. You gain +3 percent mana recovery. Combined with the attributes gained at his level up, it was a 10 percent increase in his Magic power and mana pool. Quite amazing for a few hours of work. Pef decided to call it a day, and relax in the pool till evening. "You''ve grown a bit!" Lucia remarked as he lowered himself into the pool. "I just finished four ghost dungeons. The things are only killable with magic." he explained with a tired voice. The witch stole a long glance at his chest. "Try not to overdo it. Three dungeons per day are the norm for training mages, unless you really want to burnout. " she advised him gently. "I''m sure doing four dungeons is okay. Don''t forget I also regenerate." he mused with his eyes closed. Lucia nodded in silence. "And you found potions again?" she asked after a minute. "Yes. 20 potions and a new spell manual called Spectral Claw." "From the first boss, but not from the others?" she asked curious. "Yep!" "Gaia must really love you, Pef. I got this ring in Hell, after killing a million imps and lesser devils." Lucia complained with a petulant voice. "Can you show me?" he demanded, holding a hand for hers. "Observe" he whispered, measuring the black and red ring. *Sarcosis. This ring was worn by once a Devil Lord and lost in a battle. Grants + 30 Magic and 1000 MP. Grants +30 Agi for combat purposes. Consumes 30 Kharma every decade. (Unique/Cursed) "What?" Lucia asked when seeing the horrified look on Pef''s face. "You''re 39 years old, Lucia. But you won''t reach 40, if you still wear this ring." he whispered in a low tone. "Oh? You mean the curse?" she asked with a shrug. "Yes. The curse. It eats the user''s fate. It would eat twice as much as mine, for example." Pef said with a shudder. "What if I stop one year?" Lucia asked a bit desperately. "Look, it''s a strong ring with magic and speed. But unless we find a way to remove the curse there is no point to wear it. You got a few years out of it, for free. Now take it off. I swear I''ll give you a nicer ring soon!" Pef begged with a shaky voice. "Huh? You mean it? A nicer ring?" Lucia asked cautiously. "I swear it!" Pef proclaimed stupidly. Lucia plucked the ring off and dropped in his palm. "And, I stay here for free, til I get my ring." *The Gamer has received a new quest. Lord of the Rings. Primary objective: Give Lucia a nice ring. ??? ??? Change her fate and remove the cursed ring.- Done. ??? ??? ??? ??? Rewards. Kharma, Rings, Skills, Profit and pleasure. *You have completed a secondary objective: +1 Kharma. "Don''t you have a home of your own?" Pef asked with a confused eye blink. Lucia wiped a few fake tears. "I had this situation, with the Inquisition burning my place for no reason at all. So, I''m kinda freelancing for a while..." she explained with a heartbreaking sob. "Lucia, sure you can stay. I mean you''re my teacher and a friend as well. I should pay you to stay..." Pef mused for himself. "Really? I mean... You did give me that Elixir already. But maybe some pocket money, like Sonia gets?" she asked gently. Pef raised an eyebrow. "Sonia works hard for those euros..." *Relationship with Lucia has increased to 19 (Accepted). With a flick of her fingers, a long flute glass appeared in her hand. Lucia sighed and sipped some champagne. "Yeah, I know. But, I could help to make dinner, maybe?" "We''ll try a month, okay? Sonia will be back soon, and you both can cooperate in the kitchen. Good?" Pef proposed in a pleasant tone. Lucia chugged the champagne as a vow. ''Well, I shouldn''t judge. The Inquisition is after me too.'' Pef mused to himself. ''Though probably it has something to do with Lucia visiting Hell.'' he concluded after a minute. "You should come to Geneva as well, Lucia." Pef proposed airly. "I really should not. Look, being a witch has made me a few enemies. I can escape them, but you''ll get killed just for being near me." she argued in a softer voice. Pef glanced at the notice and the many quest secondaries. She sure seemed to have a complicated life. Luckily, Sonia returned from her day into town, and life resumed the normal patterns. Just with a few more accidents in the kitchen, as Lucia tried her best to help. +++++++++++ Next morning, Pef awoke to the amazing wake up call of his maid. "Morning Sonia..." Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Mmmmm" "Good job!" he congratulated her for an exquisite service. "Master, are you going to marry Lucia?" she asked with a frown. "What, marry? I mean, she''s pretty and all, but we aren''t together..." Pef mused aloud. Sonia poked his forehead. "You promised to give Lucia a ring, and she helps now in the kitchen. Training to be a wife." Pef patted her hand while thinking. "I''m not good with women, Sonia. Help me here." he asked shyly. "I know how silly you are Master. You did not have back pains that needed relief. But you''re rich and good to me. So I''m good to you." Sonia whispered like a secret. "And about Lucia?" Sonia looked up, thinking. "Lucia is rich blood. She never made a meal in her life. Bad times now perhaps? But she teaches you history and latin and stuff. She is very learned. Powerful friends or relatives, I think." "So, why would she marry me? I''m not powerful, not learned..." Pef wondered aloud. Sonia kissed him on the cheek. "Don''t worry Master. You will always have me, if you want." +++++++++++++++++++ Another day, more dungeons and grinding. More and more spells reached their maxed levels, through constant use. His ID create reached level 4, which allowed a mix of ghosts and zombies. And of course, two bosses at the end, which made it worth it. He could use a Banish of the ghost, and the Dacian falx on the Giant Zombie. Slowly, he got used to the bosses'' peculiarities and stopped getting hit. And two weeks later, he opened the 5th layer in ID create, the Angry Ogres. *You have killed 1000 Ogres. You gain the perk Shrek: +1 Charisma. +10 percent damage vs ogres. These ogres were a pleasure to hunt and farm, as the dungeon was open and well lit, the monsters big and easy to hit with either physical or magic attacks. Simply hovering above them in Floating Meditation and pelting them with magic worked as well. Pef preferred to mix it up, using at least one dungeon to grind physical skills, like Martial arts, or Swords. Plus, gaining a few extra stats that way wasn''t bad at all. By the end of the month, he checked his stats with satisfaction. *Pef the Gamer Level 29 Mage, HP 2200, MP 1100 Attributes: free = 0 Str: 26+2 Con: 21 Agi: 21+2 Magic: 100+10 Mind: 22 Charisma: 19 Kharma: 17 *You have reached 100 Magic. You may select a trait. Telepathy, Telekinesis, Technopathy, Mana Reservoir or Advanced Affinity. Pef hovered over the screen, considering his options. Telekinesis still won, due to its pure versatility and utility, in combat or not. *You have selected Telekinesis. What gods use most of the times. Power of mind over matter, and magic. Use your mana directly, and shape it how you want. Shields, weapons, artifacts or summons. The sky is the limit. *Due to a wise decision, you gain +1 Mind. ''Yeah, I know. See that floating leaf? That''s me!'' Pef commented inward, while struggling to keep a single leaf in the air. It wasn''t easy at all. Letting the leaf fall, Pef called on the ID create again. Finally, the level 6 ID appeared, a mix of all three types of monsters. Pef rushed to collect the mobs into a throng, then lit them up with a couple of Incendiary Cones. *You have killed 100 zombies. *You have killed 200 Ghosts. *You have killed 700 Ogres. *You gain 800000 Exp. *You gain the perk Monster Hunter. +1 Charisma. +10 percent damage vs any dungeon monster. Three bosses spawned in retaliation, though staying floating proved sufficient as a safety measure. Pef targeted the Banshee first, to remove its annoying wails. *You have killed a Banshee Ghost (elite) *You gain +1 Kharma. Then he focused down the Zombie Giant. And lastly the Sylvie, the Ogre Boss. *You have killed Sylvie(elite). *You have found a diamond ring. *You gain +1 Kharma. *You have received 800000 Exp. The Gamer has leveled up. You have reached level 30. You gain +3 Magic and 2 free attributes. Pef poked the Kharma stat and added one point, to make it a round 20. *You can select a Charisma ability. *You have selected Prince Charming. You gain +10 percent Charisma. *You can select a Kharma ability. *You have selected Twice Critical. Gain an extra Kharma roll. *The Gamer has completed the quest: Training montage. *Reach level 30 in one month. -Done *Create a level 6 ID. -Done *Complete 100 dungeons. -Done *Reach 100 Magic. -Done *Find Ogre''s lady Magic lenjery. -Failed. *Find the Ogre lady wedding ring. -Done. Rewards: 100000 Euros. 1 million Exp. 1 Ogre Ring. 510 HP potions. 1 Ogre Hat of Invisibility -Offer Lucia the ring. With a curious glance at the screen, Pef located Lucia in the kitchen and went to offer her the Ogre''s diamond ring. "Hey Lucia!" "I''m busy! This pancake gloup is almost done..." she muttered with concentration. "I found a ring..." Pef said in a shy tone. The bowl with flour and eggs fell to the floor as Lucia froze in mid-swing. "Say again?" she asked with a short breath. "It''s a diamond ring with a bit of magic bonus..." Pef said awkwardly, and presented the ring for inspection. "Yes...I see. What finger do you think it should go to?" the witch asked with a wry smile. Pef took a step forward and placed the ring gently on her ring finger. "Here, if you like it..." he said with burning cheeks. "I do" Lucia said, while hugging Pef tightly. *Lucia joins your harem. *Relationship with Lucia has become 20(Favored) *You leave for Geneva in 9 hours and 20 minutes. Use the time wisely. Pef glared at the notifications, but proceeded to make good on them anyway. Lucia enjoyed being kissed and pampered as well, and much more later. By the time Pef got out the bed, Lucia was well and trully worn out, but sleeping with a blissful smile one her face. Geneva "Hello..." "You must be Pef. The picture they have on the wanted list must be old." a well-dressed man spoke politely, while examining Pef from head to toe. *You have learned French. And this time you don''t even butcher it. ''Two months old at most...'' Pef mused inward. Then again, he had trained his stats greatly since then, and his body and posture looked much better now. Also, the Versace suit gave him a special kind of presence. *Nicholas Kimmel Level 271 Alchemist Master, Age 344. Status: bored, busy, not impressed. "Very honored to meet you, Alchemist Kimmel. I hope we will both benefit greatly from our collaboration." Pef declared politely, and bowed a bit. The old man glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "You can perform telekinesis, I hope. Or any lessons would be useless." "Yes, sir. Not very well though..." "At least you know your limits. Miss Lucia has high hopes for you. Don''t disappoint me." the alchemist replied sternly, then turned around and climbed into a black Mercedes. Pef followed, a bit slower and meeker. In the car, the alchemist produced a large tome and handed it over. "Show me your book digestion trick." he ordered while his eyes glowed red, from some spell. Pef poked the book and it vanished into motes of light. *You have learned the Alchemy Basics. *Alchemy is now level 1. *Crafting skill is now level 1. "Hmmm. It is indeed a Natural ability. Perhaps you won''t waste my time..." the man mused while closing his eyes. He produced an even thicker tome, bound in brown leather and glowing with red runes. Pef picked it up curiously. *You have tried to learn Ancient Alchemy. You need minimum 1000 Magic and 200 Mind. He sighed at the huge numbers. About 200 levels, if he only spent point for this task. "It won''t work for at least one year, Master Kimmel. I need to train and grow more." Pef whispered in defeat. The alchemist snorted in dismissal. "If you do learn it in one year, I would have to bestow a worthy prize on you, young Pef. But know this, it takes a hundred years for most mages." "Then I promise I will." Pef answered confidently. *The Gamer has received a new quest. Philosopher''s Stone. *Primary objective: Learn Ancient Alchemy in one year or less. ??? ??? ??? ??? Rewards: Skills, Stats, Exp, Fame, ???, ???. Accept? Yes/Yes/Yes/Yes/Shame. Pef pressed Yes with telekinesis. Already the new skill was very useful. *For taking on a near-impossible task, you gain +1 Mind. Use it well. He stored the manual and took out the Sarcosis ring. "Master Kimmel, is there a way to break this curse?" Pef asked deferentially. The ring flew from his hand and into the alchemist''s palm. A red and violet spell enveloped it, full of geometric shapes and glowing runes. "Yes, of course. However, it won''t be worth my time or the reagents for the cleansing. It''s only a devil toy, useful for young mages only. Perhaps it could be a task for you, to show Miss Lucia how much you''ve learned?" Pef drew the ring back with telekinesis, almost dropping it in mid-way. Telekinesis was really hard. "I shall endeavor to break the curse then." he said with tight lips. "Hah. You have guts. I like that!" the alchemist said in a mocking voice. Pef nodded in silence. Compared to the 1000 Magic points needed for his quest, the +30 Magic bonus from the ring was indeed miser. Soon, the car passed though the boundary of an Instant Dungeon. *You have entered the Geneva Paracelsus Association Dungeon. *Your HP, MP and STA recovery is increased by 300 percent. *Plant based spells gain 50 percent potency. *Enemies are suppressed to 50 percent of their stats. "Wow, the mana quality here is amazing!" Pef exclaimed in wonder. The old alchemist chuckled amused. "I''m glad you think so. Now, let''s take you to the reception and have you registered. Then you can explore and try our famous training hall." Pef smiled awkwardly. Damn elder was too jaded. Trying to be polite or child-like didn''t matter. He''ll have to impress with his combat skills. ------------------ *You have entered the Philosopher Dungeon, Floor 1. Pef entered Floating Meditation, then flew up and began buffing himself. Soon a loud growl announced the first enemy. *Young bear. Lvl 55. HP 11000. MP 0. Status: hungry, famished, omnivorous. Pef raised an eyebrow. It seemed gaining experience won''t be an issue after all. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Poking the bear with a cheap arrow, he began collecting a large mob of bears, then froze and roasted them all at once. *You have killed 122 Young Bears. Gained 1.22 million Exp. *You have reached level 31. *You have found 84 bears claws, 12 bear fangs and 1 Mana crystal. With a wide grin full of greed, Pef yelled in joy and sped towards the next mob of bears. An hour later, all the monsters were killed. *You have gained the perk: Brown Bare +1 Magic. Gain +10 percent damage vs Bears or omnivorous enemies. Groooowwwlll. "Observe!" *Brown Mama Bear Lvl 105. HP 500000 MP 1000. Status: vengeful, hungry, omnivorous. -77 -77 *You have been hit by Phantom Claws. Deciding the boss wasn''t really a danger with its weak spells, Pef proceeded to unleash his own spells, which now had 500 percent mana recovery to fuel them. Although the bear regenerated a bit, it wasn''t enough and it soon fell down and died. *You have killed the Brown Mama Bear. Gain 500000 Exp. *You have defeated Floor 1. *You have found 3 Major HP potions. You have found 1 Greater Soul fragment. Pef smiled and flew towards the next Floor entrance. Killing bears of all kinds wasn''t hard for a flying mage However, on the 5th Floor, he encountered Bald Eagles. With a frown, Pef decided to call it a day and return. Perhaps it wasn''t wise to push his luck on the first day here. Plus he had gained 4 levels, which gave him 20 more Magic, or 20 percent more than he had. For a day''s work it wasn''t bad at all. "Young Pef, please proceed to the Administration." he heard directly in his head. Pef massaged his temple at the new message. It felt like Telepathy, but somehow loud and hurting his brain, unlike the smooth voice of Gaia, which was rather pleasant and soothing to hear. A small violet icon appeared on his screen, shaped like an eye inside a diamond. He flew towards it, and soon found Master Kimmel, flanked by three other alchemists. "This is your protegee, Kimmel? He''s only a boy!" A bearded man exclaimed in contempt. Pef scanned him preemptively. *Hans von Mackberg Lvl ??? Status: busy, ???, ???. Like any decent gamer, seeing question marks send shivers down his spine. How far did these levels go? Pef landed and bowed politely. "I am here, as you demanded." "Show us those special potions. One hundred of them." the only woman among them asked in a gentler voice. Pef arranged 90 Medium, 9 Greater and 1 Major potion for inspection. Soon the alchemists got busy inspecting the vials and forgot about him. Pef began tip-toeing away... "Stay! This deep red one. It can regrow limbs?" Master Kimmel asked with a frown. Pef nodded. "They all can, but you need more of them. 100 Mediums instead of a single Major one, I would guess." he explained with a shrug. Field testing wasn''t a priority til now. Perhaps someday, when he didn''t have to run from fights. "I see you''re already benefiting from our training fields. How far did you go?" Kimmel asked nonchalantly. "I made it til Floor 5. Fighting flying beasts would be a problem for now. I''ll try that floor next month." "Wise too. That Shiva Eagle would eat you whole." the woman said with a giggle. Her long robes didn''t hide the bountiful chest bouncing with her laughs. Pef stole a quick Observe of her. *Anne-Lise Siegmarinen Lvl 243 Alchemist Elder. Age 176 Status: charmed, amused, busy. "I''m too young to die, most wise lady. Perhaps never, Gaia willing." Pef replied with a smile and a bow. An amused giggle resounded in his head, no doubt from the very Gaia he spoke of. "Take him to the Garden for now, Lise. See that he truly knows the primer." Kimmel commanded sternly, then nodded at the bearded guy. "Yes, yes. Excellent potions, I admit. He can stay one year and learn." Mackberg said gruffly, then vanished into a shadow spell. "Come, young one. Everyone loves the Garden." the woman demanded, flying slowly towards a valley in the distance. Pef bowed again at Master Kimmel and flew after her. -------------------- Looking after him, the old alchemist sighed deeply. "Dealing with witches is not worth it, Master." he spoke with measured words. "Eh? But our new visitor is not a witch, is he? And Miss Lucia was expelled from the Golden Branch. We''re not in any trouble, I think." the fourth guy mused to himself. "Let''s hope so, Master Paracelsus. I don''t want to dive into Hell again." Kimmel replied with a shudder. Friends "Haha, no, you silly! Use telekinesis to collect the pollen." Lise advised him with a wonderful giggle. Pef strained himself not to look at her jiggling chest, but he failed. The damn traitorous Gamer''s Mind was no help. *You have Observed Anne-Lise Siegmarinen. Again. Slapping himself in encouragement, Pef returned to the task at hand, harvesting alchemical reagents, without contamination. After some 20 tries, and many failures, he finally managed to fill the glass container. *Gathering task complete. 200/200. *Telekinesis has reached level 3. Like a puppy, with clumsy hands. *Relationship with Lise opened. You roll a lucky 7! *Relationship with Lise now at 10. (Accepted) *Plant sense has reached level 4. Gaia approves. *Alchemy has reached level 2. A small step for Pef, a giant leap for anyone else. "I did good, right?" he asked with a small grin. She patted his head in approval. "For a single week, you did very good Pef. This primer task took me a whole year. You might be a genius in disguise!" "Haha. You must be kidding! Someone as talented as you, praising poor me?" he argued teasingly, holding a hand over his heart. "Okay, okay. Enough flattery, young man. You may go and massacre poor defenseless monsters in the dungeon." she replied with a snort. Pef sped away, cheering loudly. "Yay! Senseless killing!" Soon he vanished into the Training dungeon. --------------------- Space quivered and opened like a flower, and Master Kimmel emerged next to Lise. "Talented, right?" he asked with a frown. "Scarily so, Master. If he truly entered the Abyss three months ago..." Lise commented with a distant look. "You''re not far now, Lise. Five years, I would say. Then, you too may learn the ancient secrets." Lise nodded shyly. "Perhaps I could dive again into the dungeon? I never made it past Floor 61." Kimmel shook his head. "You''re royalty, Lise. There''s no point risking your soul that deep. One day you will regain your throne." "Not while von Mackberg supports my brother." Kimmel patted her shoulder. "That''s why you need your Mastery badge. Or perhaps, sooner... if you can charm our young visitor and ride his coat tails." Lise blushed fiercely. "I fear that won''t be a problem at all Master. However, my heart is not for sale." "As you say, dear Lise. Go back to your lab and concoct 300 Luminous Gems. We have a big order from Valhalla." "Yes, yes. I''m going!" she proclaimed with a sullen grin and vanished into a flare of golden light. ---------------- Pef arrived at Floor 4 and began farming the landlocked bears again. *You have killed 300 Polar cubs. *You gained 3 million Exp. *You have found 133 bear claws, 4 bear fangs and 2 Mana crystals. *The angry carebears arrive for revenge! *You have killed Polar Papa Bear. Gained 2 million Exp. *You have killed Polar Mama Bear. Gained 2.1 million Exp. *The Gamer has reached level 40. *You have found 7 Medium HP potions. You have found an Armored Arctic Cap. *You have found 2 Greater Soul fragments. "Oh? What''s this? An item drop after 100 boss kills? Amazing!" Pef declared in fake admiration. He then proceeded to inspect the new loot. *Armored Arctic Cap. Headgear. Blocks 10 damage. Adds +10 Magic Resistance. Also, keeps you warm during the long winter. "And also looks cool! Don''t forget that!" Pef mused aloud, examining the headgear looking like a white furred bear skull. *Update 1.058. Armored Arctic Cap now adds +1 Charisma, because it looks cool. Pef decided to wear the damn thing, because Magic Resistance was hard to find. ''Three more runs, and then I get to sleep. Great planning, Pef! Now back to grinding.'' His thoughts wandered back to his new loved ones, while reflexively butchering young animals for their bones and Exp. ''Lucia is probably missing me, right?'' "She spent 50000 Euros past week on various magic books. All low level ones, but related to elemental affinities." Gaia whispered in his ear. "That''s good. Lucia needs to grow too." Pef muttered to himself. "Miss Chen has reached level 9 as well. Farming old mummies in Egypt. A couple per day." Gaia added with a giggle. Pef smiled fondly. For someone without the Gamer cheats, the Abyss was slow and hard to climb. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Can I create parties with people? Help them grow faster?" he wondered wistfully. A long pause followed. "I could allow that. For those that join your harem." the goddess said in a thoughtful tone. *Update 1.059. The Gamer can create parties with Favored people or higher. *Party members will gain Gamer''s Mind and Body at level 3. Loot privileges restricted for same instance. "Many thanks, dear goddess. It won''t help right now, but once I leave the Alchemists I can level them up easily." The goddess just snorted amused. *You have killed 300 more bear cubs. You gain the perk Clubber. +1 Strength. +10 percent Exp from any cubs. *You gain 3 million Exp. *You have found 141 bear claws. You have found 15 bear fangs. You have found a bear skull. *The angry carebears arrive for revenge! *You have killed Polar Papa Bear. Gained 2 million Exp. *You have killed Polar Mama Bear. Gained 2.1 million Exp. *Your Incendiary Cone has reached level 5. *Your Levitation has reached level 5. *Your Floating Meditation has reached level 5. *Your Raiju elemental has maxed out at level 20. Evolve to next tier? Cost 1000 MP. Yes/Later. As soon as Pef pressed Yes, the Lesser Elemental was struck by a huge golden thunderbolt, and began glowing and growing. *Young Raiju has undergone Heavenly Tribulation. Young Raiju is now a level 1 Minor elemental and can use Nine Lightning Steps and Charged Armor spells. Cost 200 MP per minute. *Relationship with Raiju is now 80. (Loyal) "Come here, big guy! Who''s the bet pet ever? You are!" Pef cooed and patted the proud lightning wolf. "Woof. Hunt. Woof!" the elemental replied with a cute attempt at speech. "Yay! You can speak too?" "Woof. Hunt?" Raiju replied with a toothy grin. "Of course we hunt! Beware, puny monsters! Pef and Raiju are out for blood." Pef proclaimed dramatically while re-entering Floor 4. Farming the dungeon became a bit less straining, with the elemental wolf providing some comfort and distraction. *The Gamer has reached level 41. *Raiju has reached level 9. "Good hunt!" the wolf proclaimed. "Wooooooo!" "Yes. But now we go to sleep. Rest and we hunt again tomorrow." Pef replied with an affectionate pat. Leaving the dungeon, Pef headed towards the dormitory, where dozens of young and not so young alchemist resided for their studies. Curiously, there were only men living here, making his tutor, Anne-Lise the only woman Pef had seen in the Association. Next day, he decided to ask about this, during the study hours in the Garden. "Why aren''t there more women here?" Lise smiled teasingly. "Oh? Earning for some female companionship, are you?" Pef nodded shyly. "Yes. And I''m luckier than most, because I have you, Lise. But really, it must be hard to live many years alone." The woman nodded grimly. "Most women mages go to the Golden Branch, the witch club if you will. Well, at least here in Europe. Tradition is a hard thing to overcome, especially when old patriarchs are still around." "Hmmm. So, I''d guess Paracelsus himself is around here too?" Pef mused thoughtfully. Lise giggled charmingly. "Indeed he is. And you even met him, when you brought out the red potions." Pef thought back at the meeting, where he was dazzled by the ominous Mackberg and Lise''s charming presence. He slapped his forehead at the memory. "Right! The fourth guy! He looked so nondescript and grey I missed him completely." "Hahaha. That''s his style. Fades into the woodwork and you forget about him. But never disrespect him, Pef. He''s reached Demigod status, which means he''s crazy strong and even more learned." Lise advised him in a warning voice. Pef nodded back, looking around for a scary demigod. "I''d say so too. This dungeon is quite impressive, I can only make ogre dungeons myself." "Uh. Only ogres, he says. Took me a decade to reach that stage." Lise complained to herself, then opened the alchemy primer book for the next task. "Today, you must collect 100 pistils and 100 petals. Be careful not to touch them with anything but the container." "Yes, my beloved tutor. My mind is my hand. I shall become a gentle wind, and pluck these fragrant flowers for you." Pef replied poetically and got slapped on his shoulder. "More work and less silliness, Pef!" she said with a friendly snort. *Relationship with Lise has grown to 11(Accepted). Pef grinned and focused on telekinesis. Plucking flowers with your mind was actually very difficult. Kinks As days passed, Pef''s telekinesis became better and stronger, and the daily quests became somewhat easier to perform. *You have completed your daily task. 250/250 parts collected. *Telekinesis has reached level 5. *Alchemy has reached level 5. You may try to gain the Alchemist Novice rank. *Due to strenuous efforts, you have gained +1 Magic. *Through harshly exercising your Mind, you have gained +1Mind. *Quest update. You have 11 months left to reach your objective. "Ah! Is it me, or did I become a bit better at this?" Pef asked himself, while spinning two leaves in the air at once,with his mind powers alone. Training every day in the alchemist valley was exhausting, but also very rewarding. Lise measured him for a moment. "Very perceptive of you, Pef. I''d say you''re ready for your Novice exams." "Let''s wait for a week though. I''m about to begin my runs on the 5th Floor." he answered after a few moments. Lise patted his shoulder. "What?" "Nothing! I think you''re ready too. Just be careful and don''t die, okay?" she explained with a concerned tone. "Aha! You do like me, just admit it!" Pef exclaimed while running away towards the dungeon. ---------------- Lise stared after him with confused eyes. "Isn''t he too young?" A gruff voice laughed from behind. "So you like old men? I''m sure Mackberg will be delighted to hear!" "Master! S-shut up!" Lise yelled while blushing fiercely. "Anyways. A Novice already. At this rate he will get his Mastery in 6 months!" Kimmel exclaimed with a horrified voice. Lise just smiled politely. "You know it''s not possible. An Elder perhaps, if his Magic grows like this constantly. But the Mind is much harder to train..." Kimmel nodded too. "I know. But, unlike you he can learn books in an instant." he said teasingly and unveiled a case filled with old tomes and scrolls. The scripts were as diverse as the origins. Lise yelped in surprise, then began muttering as she took inventory. "Indian, Chinese, Arab, Jewish, Norse...all it''s missing is Druid and Christian mantras." Kimmel shrugged in defeat. "A billion euros are not enough for those. Even the Auction doesn''t sell Indexed works openly." "Damn Inquisition..." Lise muttered to herself. "By the way. Master has flown to Asgard for a while. Odin has another big order for us, but we''ll need a thousand Major potions. Try to see if there''s anything our young Pef needs in exchange." "A thousand Major potions? He wants to regrow his eye?" Lise exclaimed in surprise. Kimmel nodded in silence. "You still failed to duplicate them?" the woman asked in confusion. With a painful sigh, the Master Alchemist vanished in a gust of wind. ---------------------- "You''re ready Raiju?" Pef asked his loyal pet. "Chicken!" the wolf replied, eyeing the eagles prowling around. "That''s right! They taste like chicken." he yelled speeding towards the nearest eagle, Arc Staff in hand. *You have dealt 5000 damage. *You have dealt 5000 damage. *You have dealt 5000 damage. *You have killed a Bald Eagle. 15000 Exp. Drop: eagle feather. Raiju bit through the disappearing motes of light. "Miss" "Don''t worry boy! There''re thousands more." Pef exclaimed while pointing at the approaching cloud. Only it wasn''t a cloud. It was a huge flock of eagles, bearing down on our hero. "Chickens!" Raiju exclaimed and activated his Charged Armor. "Freeze Cone!" Incendiary Cone!" "Acid fog!" "Freeze Cone!" Incendiary Cone!" "Acid fog!" "Chicken!" Raiju concluded while biting down on the last eagle. *You have killed 1000 Bald Eagles. You gain the perk Patriot: +1 Con. +10 percent damage vs aerial targets. *You have gained 6 million Exp. *You have found 87 eagle feathers, 5 eagle talons and 1 Mana crystal. *You massacre of avians has summoned the Shiva Eagle. "Observe!" *Shiva Eagle(elite) *Lvl 111. HP 1 million. MP 50000 Status: aerial, fast, furious. -500 *You have been hit by a Shiva talon. *Aura Body has reached level 13. "Shit." "Hide, Veil" Pef fled while configuring his buffs for speed and maneuver. Then he returned and sliced his Lightning staff into the eagle''s back, just between the wings. -7000 *Detected. With his Charged Armor and Nine Steps, Pef could remain standing on the eagle and slice and dice at speed, until he managed to slice off a wing. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Shiva Eagle fell to the ground, most of HP intact but unable to fly anymore. "Floating Meditation" Pef declared with his mind at ease, and began bombarding the boss with penetrating magic arrows. A thousand arrows per salvo. *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow *Spinning Lighting Arrow An hour later, the boss finally succumbed. "Big chicken!" Raiju concluded and came to be petted. "A bit scary, but we beat him, right?" "Hunt?" "Of course, just wait a minute to read my notifications." Pef said gently, while reading his screens. *You have killed a Shiva Eagle. Gained 5 million Exp. *You have killed an elite monster +1 free attribute. *The Gamer has reached level 50. You have found the Winged Wind Boots. You have found 3 Major HP potions. You have found a Gale manual. Checking the boots, he read the description. *Winged Wind Boots(rare). These boots are not made for walking. Wearer can Fly for 100 MP per minute. Adds +10 Agi. Adds +10 percent dodge rate. "Quite nice, my new boots!" Pef said while equipping the rare artifact. With a quick check at his stats, and distributing the last points, he pumped himself for a few more runs. *Pef the Gamer Level 50 Mage, Alchemist level 5, HP 2500, MP 2100 Attributes: free = 0 Str: 28+2 Con: 23 Agi: 23+12 Magic: 200+10 Mind: 26 Cha: 22+1 Karma: 22 "I guess I should go for 100 Mind now. Might make telekinesis easier..." Pef said to himself. "Good choice, Pef. And remember to ask Lise for some books." Gaia added helpfully. *For making a good decision, you gain +1 Mind. ''Well then. Time to grind those stats!'' Pef whispered to his mind. After a few more dungeons, but no more artifacts, Pef returned to his dormitory. Lise was waiting in his room. "Hey Lise! I killed the Shiva Eagle. It was a bit hard, till I found a method." The woman patted the bed, and waited for Pef to take a seat next to her. "We need to talk" "Ah, you''re breaking up with me, so soon?" Pef exclaimed in fake anguish. She blushed a little but shook her head. "No jokes now. Can you obtain a thousand Major potions?" Pef searched his inventory, but he only had 6 Majors so far. "I have found these 6. I''ll get more, but I need stronger monsters I think." he said and dropped them in her lap. Lise glanced at him in wonder. "They''re worth millions. You can''t just give them away, Pef!" "Eh. Anything for a pretty lady. Although, I could use some books. Manuals for techniques or spells especially..." She pocketed the potions and took out a worn out scroll. "Taichi breathing. I''ve already read it." she explained with a shy smile. Pef poked the book. *You have tried to learn Taichi Breathing for Beginners. You need 25 Constitution. "What do they feed those kids in China? I would need to work on my body for a month just to learn this!" Lise patted his head. "Good. Learn this and I''ll give you another one next month." With swaying hips, she left his room with small steps. Pef stared a minute after her, mind a bit confused. Then he dropped down and began rapid pushups to spend all that pent upped energy. *You fell asleep on the floor. You do have a bed, remember? No Exp bonus today. With a groan, Pef rose and rotated his hips and shoulders. "You''re late for the Garden!" a gruff voice admonished him in the head. Pef took off at speed, using the new Fly option and jumping out the window. "Today, it''s 300 petals! And don''t keep me waiting again." Lise said sternly and glared at him for some reason. Pef decided to return the favor and flip it around. "Yes mistress. I''ve been a bad boy. Please punish me!" *Relationship with Lise has grown to 14(Accepted) *Stumbling on an unexpected finding grants you +1 Karma. Lise blushed fiercely, and poked him in the shoulder. "Work, now!" "Yes mistress!" Pef agreed at once. *Relationship with Lise has grown to 15(Accepted) Become more than human "Why do you need a really heavy weapon?" Lise asked him next week. Pef scratched his head in embarrassment. "This dungeon, I recover my stamina too fast. Can''t strain my body enough. Still no progress towards that Taichi manual." Lise giggled elegantly. "Too much energy, eh?" Pef nodded while blushing a bit. The elder alchemist closed her eyes in thought. "These might work. Norse pauldrons." she said holding out a pair of shoulder guards made of blue steel with glowing runes on them. Pef tried to hold them with a hand and failed. Two hands were barely enough not to drop them. *You have tried to equip the Midgardian Pauldrons. You need 50 Str. He stored them in inventory for now. "They''re perfect, Lise! Thanks." he exclaimed and kissed her cheek, then flew away towards more dungeon diving. Once he reached the 5th Floor, he turned on the Farmer''s Strength, and equipped the pauldrons. "Woof, Strong!" Raiju declared in an admiring tone. "Heh, I''m not a melee warrior, my dear pet. But they do provide plenty defense and training for my body." *Midgardian Pauldrons. Made by a secretive clan of Norse dwarves, these shoulder guards resist 20 incoming damage, and add +10 percent Magic Resistance. Requires 50 Str. Drawing the Arc Lightning Staff, Pef flew towards the eagle flock, determined to fight in melee for a change. By the 4th dungeon run, his skills had begun growing to aid in the new combat style. *Charged Armor has maxed out at level 20. Blocks 20 damage. Adds 220 damage to every melee strike. *Nine Lighting Steps has maxed out at level 20. Adds +50 Agi for combat. *Arc Lightning Staff has reached level 9. *Farmer''s Strength has reached level 9 and grants +29 Str. *You have learned the spell Fly, by using it constantly. You no longer need an artifact to provide support. *You have gained +1 Magic for constant use of buffs. *You have gained +1 Agi for constant melee combat. *You have gained +1 Con for fighting while under stress. "Yay! A new stat point for my body!" Pef proclaimed happily. "You deserve it, my servant. And be careful not to neglect the body. For a mind needs a house to live in" the goddess said softly. "Many thanks for the advice, goddess. So what''s the deal with the thousand potions?" Gaia remained silent for a bit. "Nothing that impacts you for now. Trade some Major potions if you want. Just don''t reach 1000. The last trade should be made in person and for something of true worth." "Gain twice for same price, you say? Devious indeed. Truly worthy of praise, my dear Gaia!" Pef proclaimed out loud. A soft hand ruffled his hair along with a chime of laughter. "Mistress kind!" Raiju added his voice. The pet''s mane was ruffled as well. "Wuuuuuuu" the wolf wailed to the sky. "Let''s go deeper Raiju. To the 6th floor!" Soon they arrived in a swamp, full of dead trees and murky waters. "Huh? What do you think Raiju. Is it fish?" "Legs. Fish." The pet declared smelling the water cautiously. A long tongue attacked from beneath the water. Raiju flashed to the side and bit on the tongue, dragging a frog out. *Brown swamp frog. Lvl 70. HP 20000 MP 100 status: murky, amphibian, tasty. Pef watched his pet maul the frog, and gain another level. *Raiju has reached level 19. "Legs. Tasty!" the pet proclaimed licking its fangs. "Okay then. I think I know what Lucia used to eat me before..." Pef mused inward, then jumped into the swamp. Soon he began sinking deeper and deeper. *You have Adapted to swamp water. You can breathe underwater. A school of swimming frogs formed up for an assault. Pef smiled and began launching his Lightning arrows, while slashing with his staff the ones who got too close. *You have killed 1000 frogs. Gained 7 million Exp. Gained the perk Gourmet +1 Str. +10 percent damage vs frogs. *You have found 56 newt eyes. You have found 12 frog hairs. You have found a frog tongue. A Swamp thing appears! *Swamp Monster(elite). Lvl 115. HP 2 million. MP 1000 Status:Amphibian, murky, hungry. -600 *You were hit by a sticky tongue. *Your Aura Body has reached level 14. ''Sick him'' Pef commanded to his pet, while he vanished under Hide and Veil. After retreating a bit and considering the situation, he concluded the frog had a small Mind and Magic. "Curse: Evil Eye." "Curse: Silence" The deformed frog stopped and looked around in confusion. ''Well, that was easy! Thanks Lucia, for that lesson.'' Pef thought inward as he began bombarding the boss from afar. After a long struggle to reduce its HP, the boss finally died. *You have killed the Swamp Monster. Gained 8 million Exp. *You have killed an elite monster + 1 free attribute. *You have found a Wave manual. You have found a Poseidon bracelet. You have found a Major MP potion. *You have reached level 53. Pef added the free points to his Mind, then checked the new bracelet. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.*Poseidon(Rare). This bracelet was made in Atlantis. Grants Water breathing. Grants +10 Charisma. Grants +100 MP. "Nice! Not useful for me, but I bet Lise will like it." *For thinking of others, you gain +1 Charisma. Pef smiled in amusement. The goddess surely had time to waste monitoring his thoughts. "I invented telepathy. Now I just can''t stop..." Gaia spoke in his head. Pef sighed and nodded. "No problem, my beloved goddess. You''re welcome in my life. Not that I have a choice..." *For inviting a goddess into your life you gain +1 Karma. Gaia approves. "Once more then. Let''s see what''s behind door number 7!" the Gamer whispered and dove through the next portal. A field of pure snow, with mountains blocking the horizon. "Great level!" Pef exclaimed as Raiju ran happily through the snow. A tiny rabbit fled at superspeed. "Fast!" Raiju complained. "Yeah. But they should be fun to hunt, right?" "They come!" the pet exclaimed, running on top of Pef''s shoulder. A wall of snow, like an implacable winter storm, was approaching at speed. "Don''t tell me...they hunt us?" Pef flew up, avoiding the stampede of rabbits. *Snow rabbit. Level 70. HP 10000. MP 1000 status: fast, carnivorous, omnivorous. The small wolf clung for his life to Pef''s pauldron. Pef opened up with his fire spells, as they fit the situation quite properly. After a few passes, the huge mob of rabbits was defeated. *You have killed 7777 Snow rabbits. Gained 17 million Exp. Gained the perk Carrot: +1 Agi. Gain +10 percent damage to herbivorous enemies. *You have found 777 buck teeth. You have found 34 rabbit pelts. You have found a Lucky Rabbit Foot. *The Gamer has reached level 55. *Winter is coming! "Observe!" *Mama Winter(immortal) LvL 117. Hp 7 million. MP 7000 status: immortal, herbivorous, omnivorous. "...Errr?" Pef said in confusion at the humongous rabbit, the size of a small mountain. "Food?" Raiju spoke with a trembling voice. "Yeah, I do think it wants to eat us." Pef replied while flying higher. A high pitch sound resounded from the mountain rabbit. *Winter Wail hits you for 10 damage. *You lose 10 Mind. "This is a well-made boss" Pef concluded while sighing inward, and compensating by adding the new free points to his Mind. "Floating Meditation" Aided by the various DPS buffs and the perks vs herbivorous, omnivorous, Arctic, dungeon, and so on, Pef began to slowly chip away at the rabbit boss, from a safe distance. A hundred salvos of Lightning arrows later, the immortal rabbit fell down and dissipated into snow flakes. *You have killed Mama Winter. Gained 17 million Exp. *The Gamer reached level 57. *You have killed an immortal. You gain 100 HP. *You have found 7 Major HP potions. You have found a Winter Wail manual. You have found an Elixir potion. *Raiju has reached maxed level and may evolve. 2000 MP. Accept? Yes/Later. "What do you say, boy? Want to ascend to the next tier?" "Wooof. Strong!" Pef clicked yes, and saw another cloud form above. Soon three lighting bolts fell from the sky and electrified the elemental, making it glow with crackles of power. *Raiju has undergone a Heavenly Tribulation and has become a Medium Elemental. It can use Volt and Shock Armor. Cost 300 MP per minute. "Really? Show me the new armor!" Pef exclaimed in wonder. The large wolf changed, its fur flattening into armor plates cracking with electricity. "Consumes a lot of mana, Master" the pet explained in almost normal speech. "But you hit harder and have more armor?" "Yes, harder!" "Enough to try the big rabbit again?" Pef asked jokingly. "Winter immortal, like me. Cannot beat." the pet replied while deactivating the armor. "So, you do not die if you get killed?" "I return to Mother Earth. Then you summon me back, next week!" the wolf said wisely. "Really?" "Yes, Pef. That''s why they''re called elemental." Gaia replied instead. "At no cost?" "They become level 1. But do not lose the ascensions, if they gained any." the goddess said in a gentle tone. Pef mused for a moment. "Can I get the same deal?" Gaia hummed to herself, no doubt deep in thought. "Easy to do for private dungeons. Let me think about the rest." *Update 1.070 Gamer''s Body allows resurrection with level 1, in private dungeons. Pef wiped some sweat from his face. A big fear was simply erased by his goddess. "This is amazing Gaia! Can humans attain ascension too?" "Indeed they can. You will soon achieve your first. Phantom-class they call it." she answered softly. *The Gamer has received a new quest: Ascension. Become more than human. ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? Rewards: Immortality, Skills, Stats, Fame, Status, profit and pleasure. *You have a Gamer''s Body. This is the first step to godhood. +1 Karma. Blinking confused at the new quest, which did not have an accept button, Pef returned to his dorm room, and fell into sleep. Favored In the end, it was a rather simple choice. Go deeper into the dungeon, or stay on Floor 7 and grind potions and levels, along with amazing Exp. He took the right choice, of course. The rabbits were weak individually, but numerous. Possibly breeding like rabbits. They also made his AOE spells level up rapidly. The boss, Mama Winter was an immortal, thus handing out 100 HP for every run. A week later Pef reached level 80, already stronger than his witch teacher. Of course, there would be real combat and other modifiers in play, but he also gained 40000 HP from all the kills, plus almost 300 Major Potions and 40 Elixirs. He was now truly rich, a billionaire, should he sell half the Elixirs. And such he asked Lise for advice. "Should I sell these elixirs, or trade them for items and books?" Lise examined the elixir slowly. "You have 20 of them? That''s about 1 billion euros..." "I checked the auction before, but there are too many options. I never thought too many was a bad thing." Pef added with a sigh. "Books are more valuable. Many of them cost more than 1 billion. But you aren''t strong enough to use most spells anyway. I''d say some accessories, like rings and earrings. Then a set of good armor, and a real weapon." she said after a few mental calculations. Pef handed over the 20 elixirs, and smiled widely. "You are most wise, Mistress. Please do as you say for your unworthy subject." *Relationship with Lise has reached 19. So close! "Hah, say that again, I dare you!" Lise growled threateningly, a finger glowing white in the air. "I obey Mistress. You are most wise, and beautiful and talented. Have mercy on your abject pupil." Pef said abjectly, but looking her in the eyes. "That''s it. Come here, scoundrel. Teasing me like that!" Lise exclaimed and crawled over him, making Pef fall on the bed. *Relationship with Lise has reached 20(Favored). *You may kiss the bride. Pef drew Lise close and kissed her fiercely, battling her tongue for a long minute. "You! What did you do..." Lise said with a gasp. "Kissing my mistress. Anything else I should do to please you, Mistress?" he asked teasingly. The woman growled and pounced on him, hands wandering up and down while trying to remove his clothes. Pef grinned and stored the clothes in inventory. "Just have to ask Mistress. My body is yours to command." he whispered teasingly, while his own hands climbed the two tall peaks. Slurp! With a deep trust, Lise gulped little Pef whole, and began milking it arduously. *You have unleashed a sexual predator. +1 Karma. *Dual Tantric Yoga restores Stamina for MP. *You will not die from too much sex. (except figuratively) After a few hours, Pef began to feel about to die, of too much pleasure. *Gamer''s Body has reached level 10. HP counts as Stamina. With huge reserves of HP, the battle became more even, despite Lise being much higher ranked. A couple of hours later, Lise had to slow down and grab a bottle of water and few potions. "That was incredible. I never sated myself before." she whispered with eyes glowy. Pef drew the alchemist to his chest, and patted her blonde hair. "You are amazing Lise. I shall marry you." he whispered softly, while basking in the afterglow. *Relationship with Lise has reached 21(Favored). *Relationship with Lise has reached 22(Favored). *Relationship with Lise has reached 23(Favored). "Ah, my lovely Pef. I want to marry you too. But, fate won''t less us. I am royalty, in a dynastic struggle with my brother. For the throne of Lichtenstein." Lise countered rather aptly. Pef flipped her over, and began kissing her peaks softly. "Together, we can achieve anything, my beloved mistress. I shall put you on that throne and sit right beside you." "Or on top of me..." Lise added playfully. "Stay tonight here. I want more of you. Can''t get enough of your beauty." he demanded with a heavy voice. Stolen story; please report. *Relationship with Lise has reached 24(Favored). The struggle resumed, for many hours. When Pef woke up, he was enveloped by two soft warm pillows, still a bit sweaty. *You have slept in your bed. HP, MP and STA restored. +20 Exp for the next 12 hours. *Relationship with Lise has reached 25(Favored). *For spending the whole night with Lise you gain +1 Constitution. Gaia approves. Pef removed his charisma bracelet and placed it on Lise''s wrist. "Hey Pef. Morning." she muttered, still bit groggy. "Got you a small gift. Should make you even prettier. Plus underwater sex is an option." he explained with a kind smile. "Still so silly. How would...oh! We do have to try that..." Lise realized after a minute. "Let''s go do our alchemy Garden task. Then we dive in the dungeon together. I want to show you my skills." Pef said while entering the tiny shower bound to his room. A pair of grabby hand came from behind and began helping him soap. Soon they were both soaping each other, with hungry eyes. "I think we''re calling sick today, mistress. I need someone to massage my tension." Pef whispered in her ear. Lise dropped to her knees and began relieving the tension. She could breathe underwater too. However, the next day they were both called to task by Master Kimmel and given double duties. Then the new items arrived, all bought as a set by Lise for him. *2 Rings of High Dexterity. Grant 10 Agility for any purpose. *2 Rings of High Vitality. Grant 10 Constitution. *2 Rings of High Intellect. Grant 10 Mind. *2 Rings of High Power. Grant 10 Magic. *Pair of Mana Earrings. Grant +10 percent Mana Recovery. The armor set was also quite amazing. *Enchanted Duke Sabatons. Blocks 15 damage. Adds +5 Magic resistance. *Enchanted Duke Greaves. Blocks 40 damage. Adds + 10 Magic resistance *Enchanted Duke Faulds. Blocks 20 damage. Adds + 10 Magic resistance *Enchanted Duke Breastplate. Blocks 40 damage. Adds + 20 Magic resistance *Enchanted Duke Vambraces. Blocks 20 damage. Adds + 10 Magic resistance *Enchanted Duke Gloves Blocks. 5 damage. Adds + 5 Magic resistance *Enchanted Duke Pauldrons. Blocks 40 damage. Adds + 10 Magic resistance *Enchanted Duke Helmet. Blocks 20 damage. Adds + 10 Magic resistance He wore it all, and glanced at his stats, which jumped high. *Set is missing the Enchanted Duke Gorget. *Set bonus not achieved. Yet. Pef smiled at the notifications, then turned towards Lise. "Not enough money for the neck piece?" "Ah. There aren''t any for sale. But if they were, they cost as much as the whole set. About 800 millions." He sighed and nodded. The set gave 80 Magic Resistance and 200 Damage Block, which was nearly equal to his Aura Body. With the last piece and the set bonus, it would be even more amazing. "It''s okay. Money will be easy to make soon." Pef answered after a minute. "And the last thing. A druid staff. Not the best, but still a lot better than your old wand." Lise said, presenting the staff. *Old Oak Staff. Used by Druids. Effect: Adds +70 percent Magic power. Effect: Adds +70 percent to plant based spells. Effect: Adds 10 percent Mana Recovery. Pef hugged the stuff like a newborn baby. "My baby! I missed you so much." "Hehe. I knew you''d like it. Now go to the dungeon and work, for your mistress. We need capital to gain our kingdom." Lise commanded regally. "At once, my royal mistress. I hear and obey." Pef declared grandly and ran towards the next levels. *Relationship with Lise has reached 26(Favored). Some time later, he arrived back at the Floor 7, the one with snow and rabbits. "Onwards, my brave pet." he proclaimed regally, chin high and staff pointing at the mountains. "Of course mistress!" Raiju replied wisely. "No! That''s Lise!" Pef yelled in despair. "As you say, mistress. Please punish this unworthy pet." the elemental said with a toothy grin. Our hero sighed and prepared for the next massacre. Scorpions With renewed vigor, and the hope of gaining a kingdom, Pef launched a flurry of attacks, druid staff in one hand and the Arc Staff spell in the other. Due to the Arc Staff not being an item, this didn''t require dual wielding, which Pef considered a successful exploit. *You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit.*You have killed a Snow Rabbit. A stream of notifications flew on his screen, but somewhat lower to the side. It was all he could do for a cleaner experience. Because Gaia wouldn''t turn them off, saying they were a feature of the game. Raiju fought by his side, getting a bit more proficient with his own spells. Sadly, the pet''s leveling had slowed down a thousand times, possibly due to the ascension thing. When the horde of rabbits was eventually exterminated, Pef got a few more rewards. *For fighting 7777 enemies and receiving 0 HP damage you gain the perk Graceful. Adds +1 Agility. *For wearing heavy plate armor for a long time, you gain +1 Constitution. *Farmer''s Strength has reached maximum level 20. Adds +40 Strength. You''re still not using it correctly. Pef glared at the last note. Was he expected to plant fields and grow plants? *Winter is coming. The Mama Winter rabbit appeared and Pef engaged it in melee this time. -200 -200 Pef nodded at the reduced damage from the boss. Since his HP and regeneration was so high now, he would remain in melee. -9000 -9000 His own staff strikes, aided by buffs and perks were dealing sufficient damage to the boss. In less than an hour the boss fell, and his own HP has barely decreased at all. *Your Aura Body has reached level 15. Blocks 150 damage and 15 percent of incoming damage. *You have killed an immortal. Gain 100 HP. *For killing an immortal in melee you gain the perk Brave: Adds +1 Str Adds +1 Cha. Adds +10 percent damage to any boss. *You have found 7 Major HP potions. You have found an Elixir. You have found the Winter Storm manual. Pef opened the inventory to check the new spell. *You have tried learning Winter Storm. You are too feeble. You need minimum 500 Magic, 100 Constitution. "Oh? This is a really potent spell then." he mused out loud. "Costs 5000 MP to cast, and takes a toll on the caster during the channelling period." the goddess explained with a soft tone. "Anyways, I guess grinding this boss was really inspired then!" Pef said celebrating his wisdom. *For farming an immortal boss multiple times, til it dropped the rare loot, The Gamer receives +1 Mind. Gaia approves. "Mistress is too good. Should punish Pef more..." Raiju interfered for no reason. The goddess laughed in a melodious voice and patted the pet on its head with a hand made of wind. "Your pet is learning from his master. Be careful what you teach him." Gaia whispered in an amused voice. Pef grinned and laughed as well. The game was too fun sometimes. "Alright, let''s see the Floor number 8." he said while flying towards the open portal. "New food, Wooooooo!" the lightning wolf yelled in joy, as it raced for the portal. They arrived at the base of a sand hill, surrounded on all sides by yellow and orange rocks, and plains of burning sand. A few green scorpions peeked from under the sand, and began to approach slowly. As they got close, they began spitting globes of green acid, and clouds of poison. "Well hello, my old friends. I already have these spells...and I can guess where Lucia learned them..." *This poison is too weak to damage you. *The acid is not potent enough to damage you. Pef advanced into melee and began his routine massacre. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Some time later, the scorpion attack ended. *You have killed 1000 Green Scorpions. Exp 3 millions. You gain the perk Staffer. Adds +10 percent damage to your staff damage. "Huh, and as all my damage is provided through a staff... I gain +10 percent damage!" our hero realized with a smile. *You have found 35 scorpion claws. You have found 3 scorpion tails. You have found a scorpion eye. The hill beside them shook and revealed to be yet another huge boss. *You are flying and have avoided an Acid Lake. "Strong armor." Raiju remarked as he tried to bite through the chitin plates. Pef slashed with his staff to check. -990 -990 "Yeah. It seems to have damage resistance. Back to spellpower then." Pef admitted with a sigh. He flew up and began bombarding the boss with magic arrows. -25 -25 Pef groaned. "Add magic resistance too." "Strong armor." Raiju concluded wisely. He tried all his spells, one at a time, but nothing did sufficient damage. So he entered Floating Meditation to try to invent something new. After a few hours, he came up with a few prototype spells. *You have created a Mana Torpedo. *You have created a Piercing Mana Torpedo. *You have created a Drilling Mana Torpedo. *You have created a Homing Mana Torpedo. *You have created Drill Lighting Torpedo, has 1000x Magic power and 300 percent Penetration. It also tries to home in to its target. Cost 3000 MP. *For creating a nearly godly spell, a Gungnir prototype, you gain +1 Magic. Gaia approves. "Yes! Now I have a powerful spell of my own." Pef exclaimed as he began firing his torpedoes at the huge Sand Rock Scorpius. -500000 "Well, the damage is not bad, considering the huge defense this guy has..." Pef mused out loud. Then again with all the perks had had pilled on top of the spell, from Lightning Affinity, the 70 percent from the staff, the rings, the necklace, the boss, dungeon and staff modifiers, plus 300 percent penetration, the prototype should have done over 1 million damage. "Master is strong too!" Raiju exclaimed after shooting his own Volt spells without much effect, just the daze effect...however... "He doesn''t regenerate under daze. Time your spells to keep him dazed, while my mana recovers." he ordered the wolf. "You got it master. You''re so clever!" the pet replied cheerfully. Ten torpedoes later, the boss fell and died. With 550 percent mana recovery due to various bonuses it didn''t take too long for recharge. *You have killed the Sand Rock Scorpius. Gained 6 million Exp. *You have found 5 Greater Mana Potions. "I think we''re going back to Floor 7,my dear Raiju. This level is not worth our time." Pef said with a sigh, and proceeded to fly back to the 7th Floor. The snow fields were rather familiar now, as were the throngs of murderous rabbits. *You have killed 7777 Snow Rabbits. *You have killed the Mama Winter. Gained 17 million Exp. *You have killed an immortal. Gain 100 HP. *You have found 7 Major HP potions. You have found an Elixir. *You have reached level 81. Gained +3 Magic stats and +2 free attributes. Pef took a glance at his character page, and adjusted the new free points. *Pef the Gamer Level 81 Magician Level 9 Alchemist Novice. HP 44900, MP 3190 Free attributes:0 Strength: 31+3 Agility: 28+20 Constitution: 29+20 Magic: 289+30 Mind: 85+20 Charisma: 26 Karma:29 It wasn''t bad, but still had more work to be done. The other stats mattered little right now, but Mind was really hard to raise. He needed 8 levels to reach his promised target of 100 Mind. Hopefully, there would be a trait or skill to aid him in the future. Plus there were spells that required 100 Mind just to learn. "What do you say Raiju? One more level today?" "Woof. Rabbits are easy now. We grow!" the pet replied smartly. Pef decided to follow the advice. Grinding for levels. Pretty much a Gamer''s job. Try both Towards the end of the next week, Pef gained enough Mind attributes for the goal and reached 100. Of the various traits, he selected Enlightenment, which was surely one of the requisites for the Ascension quest. *You have gained the trait Enlightenment. The mysteries of the Heavens are easier to comprehend. Cost 1000 MP. Accept? Yes/Wait a minute. Pef glared at the sky, then unequipped every item and buffed himself with the Charged Armor. Then he clicked Yes and grit his teeth. A storm cloud formed above him and a huge golden thunderbolt descended like the fist of a god. -8999 *You have fail to Adapt to the Heavenly Tribulation. *Regeneration reaches level 15. *Gamer''s Body reaches level 12. *Your Snowflake necklace is not destroyable. *You have resisted 10 percent of damage via Magic Resistance. *You have survived a Heavenly Tribulation and Ascended to Phantom-class. *Your MP pool doubles. *Due to having a Gamer''s Body, dying in a private dungeon now reverts you to level 89, the current level of your Ascension. *Maxed out spells can now evolve to the next tier. *Charged Armor has evolved to Shock Armor level 1. Blocks 30 damage and adds 300 damage to melee attacks. *Nine Lighting Steps has evolved to Nine Phantom Steps level 1. Adds 60 +Agi and +10 percent dodge. *Arc Lightning Staff has evolved to Arclance level 1. Range doubles and adds 10xMagic to melee attacks. *Volt has evolved to Arc Bolt level 1. 30 million volts and 30 percent penetration. Adds Daze and Confuse to target. *Bronze skin has evolved to Iron Skin level 1. Blocks 30 damage. "Yay! I have Ascended!" Pef exclaimed happily, then hugged Raiju and spun him around. "That''s great Master. But please put on some clothes..." the pet said with a toothy grin. Pef looked down at his naked body, and blinked in shame. Then he stepped back and re-equipped his cotton clothes and the armor, then added the accessories. "Sorry mate. You''re cute and everything, but no bestiality..." Pef muttered with a groan. "Master has Mistress, I understand. She eats Master every night." the pet nodded wisely. "That''s...correct, but let''s keep it to ourselves..." he said with a grin. "Indeed. It would be our secret." Gaia added from nowhere. "Goddess, you saw me? I tanked that tribulation no problem." Pef said proudly. "Good. The next one will be ten times stronger." she replied with a smirk. Pef frowned, a bit in distress. 90 thousand damage would kill him twice over. "Are there more immortals in the next Floors?" he asked to make sure. "Yes...at level 37 and 77. Not something that would concern you for the next months, I hope." Gaia said with a sigh. "Hmmm. Should I try for 200 Mind? Is there anything to gain?" he asked randomly. There would be benefits anyway, as he already had much improved memory and thinking speed. "I would advise that. Magic is rather simple to increase for you. Just level up and you gain Magic points." she answered after a minute. "All right then. Let me reach 100 thousand HP, and then I will climb the dungeon. Plus, that Alchemy book needs 200 Mind anyway." he decided after a bit of calculations. *For making a wise decision, you gain +1 Mind. "Let''s go Raiju! Once more into the breach." "As you say Mistress. Let''s punish those puny rabbits." the wolf replied smartly. Pef grit his teeth as he began the Floor 7 again. After he reached level 90, he left and returned to the dormitory. Lise was reading a book in bed, wearing only a thin shirt. "My lovely Mistress, your loyal husband has returned, a bit richer and wiser." he proclaimed elegantly. She glanced at him with a smile, then focused more intently. "Pef! You are Phantom-class now? So soon?" she asked a bit bewildered, coming over to pat his body for a disguise. "Yeah. A lighting bolt hit me, from the sky. And voila! Doubled my mana pool." "Uhhh. You lost all your items then? The armor had plenty magic resistance but items get vaporized..." she whispered with pity. "I am wearing the armor right now..." Pef pointed out with a raised eyebrow. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lise took a step back. "So you had warning and took it off. Clever man. But how did you survive then?" Pef shrugged at that. "I am really hard to kill, remember. Regeneration? Plus my resistance necklace is immune." And he did have a plan to raise his HP anyway. But normal people had no HP. "Be careful Pef. Next time it happens, and it will. Wear the armor, even if it breaks. A billion euros is not worth your life." "Yes, my dear queen. I will make sure to survive. So what you''re reading?" She gave him the book to see. *You may learn Aur Vedic Meditation. Needs 200 Magic and 100 Mind. "Is it any good?" he asked with a smile. More books would be possible to learn now, as a Phantom-class. "Twice as good as normal Meditation. Can you eat it?" "I could. But perhaps only a copy. No need to waste an original manuscript. They seem expensive." "Eh, about 50 millions...expensive, right? I''ll have one xeroxed for you." Pef removed his items, wearing only his Constitution rings. "Do I get a kiss or what?" he asked teasingly. The future queen growled and gulped him whole. With a flash on heavenly inspiration, Pef cast the Farmer''s Strength. Immediately, notable changes in muscle size emerged, including a particular muscle. "Ohhhh. This is so much better." Lise mumbled around his muscle. With renewed strength, he began plowing her fields and large tracts of land. *For figuring out the proper use of Farmer''s Strength, you gain +1 Cha and +1 Karma. Took you long enough. They farmed for a long time, as Pef''s body was really full of stamina and energy, and recovered fast. In the morning, he glanced at his soon to be wife in wonder. *Relationship with Lise has reached 30(Honored). *You have slept in your bed. HP, MP and STA recovered. +40 percent Exp for 24 hours. *You have satisfied Lise. Somehow. For this miracle you gain +1 Con. "You''re so beautiful, my queen." he whispered gently, while gliding his fingers over her soft skin. "We have lessons soon. Do not wake the beast." she muttered groggily. "As you say mistress. I shall go and warm up the shower, by myself." A minute later, the shower became steamy, and they were late for the Alchemy lessons, again. "Young Pef, your progress is admirable. Phantom-class so soon is unheard-of. However, don''t keep me waiting again." Kimmel said with a flat voice, not seeming impressed by his new class. Then again, most alchemists here already had this class, as they specialized in telekinesis and moving reagents with their minds. Pef wasn''t anything special, so far. He nodded and bowed in silence. "And you Lise...be professional, please." "Yes Master. Hormones, that''s it." Lise replied with a blush. Kimmel sighed. "A thousand red petals and pistils each, Pef. Three thousands for you, Lise." It took four hours for the task to be completed, but this time Pef had not dropped a single one. "You''re ready to become Alchemist Adept, young Pef. Ready to try?" Kimmel asked politely. "Now I get to stir things in cauldrons?" Pef asked with glinting eyes. Crafting skill awaited. "If you pass the tests, yes. But I do not see why not. You have polished your Mind, and your Magic has grown as well. Likely same strength as your Miss Lucia. And she passed those tests easily." Kimmel said with a grimace. Pef frowned at that. "I thought you were friends with Lucia, Master. That''s why she sent me here." "We escaped from Hell together. But it doesn''t make us friends. Not-enemies that rarely trade things." the alchemist explained in a stern tone. "I bet there''s a long story there." Lise added with a smile. "Stupid people who deal with devils. For power or knowledge. Hell is full of them." Kimmel said as a curse, then teleported away. "Uh. Let''s avoid Hell, okay?" Pef muttered with a grimace of his own. Lise patted his shoulder as a reply. "Sometimes, there is no choice. To Hell and back, as they say." Pef licked his lips, looking at her heaving chest. "What now? More farming or lunch?" "Why not both?" she said in a hungry growl. Pef gulped, then smiled. Lise was a beast...and he loved her. Hugs Grinding in the dungeon continued. *You have killed 7777 snow rabbits. Gained 17 mil Exp. *You have found 778 buck teeth, 6 rabbits tails and 2 Lucky Rabbit feet. "Huh? I should check what''s with these lucky feet." Pef muttered as he opened the inventory. *Lucky Rabbit foot. Rare crafting ingredient. Adds +50 percent to crafting success. *Winter is coming. With a smile, Pef dodge the charging boss and struck with the Arclance. -30000 A real pleasure this weapon. 4 meter long and deadly as hell. And it should level up soon. A few minutes of fast melee combat, and the boss fell. *You have killed the Mama Winter. Gained 17 million Exp. *You have killed an immortal. Gain 100 HP. *You have found 7 Major HP potions. You have found an Elixir. *You have reached level 99. Gained +3 Magic stats and +2 free attributes. "What do you say Raiju. One more level?" "Master strong. But Mistress stronger. We go back." the elemental advised him wisely. With a sigh, Pef nodded and returned to the dormitory. Grinding more levels was slower now, and took longer. Perhaps he should climb more Floors. But without the HP... No, he had promised to reach 100 thousands HP first. Keeping his word was important now, in a world of gods and quests. Lise was waiting as usual, reading some other book. "What''s that?" "Talmudic mantras. Heavy reading." she said with a grimace. Pef poked the book, hoping for another manual. *You have tried learning Talmud Magic Primer. You need 200 Mind. You need Crafting level 20. "What kind of things can you make with this? "Golems, enchantments...you know. Magic items." Lise said with a shrug. "I need a bit more for this book, but I want a copy too." he asked with a smile. Lise glanced at him with a frown. "It won''t be that easy. You need a lot of crafting experience." "I know. But I can make Lesser Healing vials already. Tomorrow I start the minor mana crystals too." Pef argued as he sat beside her and hugged Lise with one arm. "That''s beginner stuff, Pef. You should join the blacksmiths group. Should help you learn crafting skills even faster." Lise advised him with a wink. "Oh, we have stuff like that here? I thought only potions and pills." "Someone has to make cauldrons and vials and all the apparatus. Plus swords or rings. They sell too." she explained with a kind smile. Pef glanced around the room, sensing some changes. "New furniture?" "Yes, for my things. I don''t sleep in my room anyway..." she replied with cute dimples. Pef poked her peaks to test the firmness. "Not that much sleep either." "That is only your fault. Corrupting an innocent lady like me, to do such lewd things..." Lise said in a throaty tone. "What kind of things?" Pef whispered in her ear. She showed him. Those kinds of things. And that kind too. It took a few hours, and a few recovery potions to pacify the beast. *You have slept in your bed. HP, MP and STA recovered. Finally. *Relationship with Lise has grown to 33(Honored) *Lise has been satisfied. Gain +1 Con. He caressed Lise''s lips teasingly. "Wakey, wakey. Kimmel awaits." "Ugh. That''s a scary wake up call." she groaned. Pef nodded. But he couldn''t aggravate the Master Alchemist. Soon they met the Master in the Garden. And Lucia was there as well. Pef went and hugged the witch in silence. "Miss me so much?" he asked curious. Silence could wait. "The house burned down..." Lucia replied in a fake whisper. Pef''s eyebrow twitched, for no reason. "Pef, you must be truly lucky. Only two women in the Paracelsus Association, and they will both live in your room." Kimmel commented with a wry voice. Lise glared at Pef for no reason. Lucia shuffled her feet in shame. "Anyways. Lessons in Alchemy will be much easier now, with a study group." Pef proclaimed and sat down for his task. Kimmel nodded in respect. Resisting and working under stress was a true Alchemist''s power. "The nine months remaining will cost you 90 Major potions, for the extra student. We''re not a charity here." Master Kimmel announced in level voice, looking smug. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Pef grunted but agreed. "Sure. What task today?" "A thousand pine needles, and a thousand sweet grasses. And take care, as you will use them for your cauldron crafting later." Pef nodded and focused. Telekinetic fingers began picking and transporting the reagents from a distant tree and back to the container in front of him. Lucia sat beside him and worked even faster. Lise had triple the task, but finished first anyway. She was that much better. Working in tense silence was hard. But Pef had his goal, and a bit of friction would not deter him. Kimmel returned just as Pef finished last. "Good job, all of you. Come to the labs." Soon they arrived at the special building for crafting. A hundred alchemists worked here, each in private laboratories warded with glowing runes. Another larger lab was setup for trainees, and only Lucia and Pef entered this one, and Lise had better skills. "Aha, Miss Lucia is back. Welcome, welcome. Ladies are in short supply here." the proctor of the lab said with a wide grin. "What is the task, Master Proctor?" Pef asked with a frown. The guy might be a problem now. "A hundred lesser vials. Then we get to the wonderful crystal crafting. So marvelous use of telekinesis!" More telekinesis to add reagents and stir constantly. Then pour the greenish liquid into vials. Cap the vials, and seal them with wax. All without hand or instruments. *Telekinesis has reached level 11. For straining to use your Mind you gain +1 Mind. Finally! Another level in telekinesis. It grew so slow! Lucia had finished just before him, though her level was only 73. She must have lots of real experience. "Good, good. Now, come to this table. See those mana vials? Draw it out and compress it. Like clenching a fist. But without any leaks." the proctor explained sternly. Holding liquid with telekinesis was difficult but doable. But compressing it was not. Pef stole a glance at Lucia''s efforts. She had a different technique, but a bit more efficient. He copied her way and crushed the liquid into a singe point. The mana solidified and sparkled a little. *Crafting has reached level 5. *You have learned to make Minor mana crystals. *You gain +1 Magic for your efforts. "Excellent work, young Pef. Now do it again 99 more times." the proctor demanded harshly. That took another two hours. By the times the lesson was over, Pef was tired and nervous. He felt about to explode from the strenuous demands. *Gamer''s mind has grown and reached level 9. Strenuous tasks do not cause mental issues. "Well, that is something at least." he muttered to himself. "What?" Lucia asked beside him. "Hard work wore me down. Nothing much." he said with a pained smile. "Well Alchemy is really hard. But I see you''re doing great for such a short time." Lucia praised Pef while measuring him with her eyes. He drew her into a hug, then let go to fly towards the dorms. Soon they arrived to find Lise sitting on the bed with tears in her eyes. Pef rushed to hug her and kiss the tears away. "Hush, don''t cry my beloved queen. Where should I kiss you to make it better?" he asked teasingly. Lise poked him in the chest. Pef decided it was time to turn the cards. He unequipped his clothes and drew closer, poking her lips with a growing muscle. A few pokes and the lips opened in welcome. "Lucia, get naked too." he demanded with a command tone. Soon he had both women laid on top of each other, and getting plowed in turns. "Any other complaints?" he asked after an hour, as Lucia tapped out. "Not strong enough..." Lise muttered under her breath. With the Farmer''s Strength, he quickly solved that issue, and sated the beast after a couple more hours. He laid to rest, and hugged both ladies to his chest. "I love you both, and you must deal with it. And there will be more women one day. Get used to it." Pef explained while patting their bottoms. "I don''t have anything to comment. This is great." Lucia whispered in bliss. "Hmph. I don''t like it. But a king can have a harem I guess. They all do." Lise mumbled in a weaker voice. Pef drew her into a fierce kiss. "Exactly. I shall marry you, and put you on the throne one day. And you will love it." After a few hours...she did admit it. Grind Pef smiled as he woke up, a feeling of wellness spreading through his mind and body. *You have slept in your bed. HP, MP and STA recovered. +40 percent Exp for 24 hours. *You have sated both Lise and Lucia. Gain +1 Con. Gaia approves. *Relationship with Lise at 34. (Honored) *Relationship with Lucia at 23. (Favored) *For managing to create a harmonious harem you gain +1 Charisma and +1 Karma. (Add more for extra points) He hugged the lovely beauties to his chest, and molded their peaks with his hands. It was truly a wonderful life. Well, except the arduous training for Alchemy. The women stirred and woke up as well. "Lovely morning, isn''t it?" Pef mused out loud. Lucia moaned softly, while Lise simply dove to claim her morning reward. Slurp! Pef drew Lucia into a kiss, while pawing over her soft body. Then he drew back and tapped her nose. "My house burned down?" "It was an accident. Or rather, the Inquisition was looking for us. And noticed a few spells..." Lucia said in a weak voice. Pef grumbled but life wasn''t always fair. Plus, nobody expects the Inquisition! "And Sonia?" Pef asked a bit worried. Lucia shrugged carelessly. "They won''t hurt her, I think. She''s not in the Abyss. Perhaps read her memories, then wipe the encounter from her mind." Pef frowned. It did seem the polite thing to do, but politeness was the way humans avoided open conflict, and incurring unnecessary loses. You were not polite to chickens if you wanted to eat their eggs and legs. "Try to find out. If they hurt her, I''ll burn them to the ground." Pef said in a colder voice. He then leaned on the pillow, relaxing under Lise''s not too tender care. "The Inquisitors are all Saint-class at least. You won''t be burning anyone, my dear pupil." Lise advised him with a hungry growl. Then she returned to task and gulped her well-deserved morning ambrosia. "Not yet, my mistress." Pef whispered to himself. He felt like sinking into the bed and drift back to sleep. "Wake up! Today is a good day for training." Sadly, he had to listen and return to learning. But after lunch, he held the women''s hands and drew them close. "We''re going into the Dungeon now. All of us." And so they went, entering the 1st Floor. They all began layering armor and accessories, then buffs as well. "Send invite, Lucia and Lise." he said aloud. *You have invited Lucia to your Party. *You have invited Lise to your Party. The women stared at the notice screens with surprise. "Some kind of illusion magic?" Lise mused smartly. "Somewhat. An enhanced reality layer. Like a computer simulation. Click Yes" he explained with a grin. "Oh, you can touch the screens too!" Lucia exclaimed in wonder. "Now open up your Character page. Also, skills and spells and inventory" he told them with a knowing smile. "This is me! All my skills, even my stored books! How do you know what I keep in my subspace pocket?" Lise asked in wonder. "I don''t. This is all Gaia. I just use the ability that she gave me." Pef answered while unequipping and reequipping his armor. Lise soon copied his trick, binding her armor bits to a Combat saved state, and changing it with Casual wear. Lucia needed a bit of help, but she learned the interface as well. "So that''s how you get naked so quickly. Such a cheater, my pupil!" Lise said approvingly. Pef nodded proudly. "That is not cheating, just a feature. Cheating is not dying in this dungeon. You lose some levels, and return as you were when you last Ascended." "What? Immortality? So easy? I thought you needed to be a Demigod..." Lise yelled in outrage. "Is not immortality, my dear humans. Only in private dungeons. You will still die in global dungeons or the outer world." Gaia spoke out loud. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "This is Gaia, the goddess of Earth." Pef said respectfully. "Oh, my Goddess!" Lucia whispered and fell to her knees. It seemed meeting their goddess was rather big deal for witches. Lise just bowed a little. " I am honored to be visited by a goddess." "Enough, enough. You''re beloved by my servant, and thus favored by me as well. Now, go forth and prosper!" the goddess said as a parting shot. "She is kinda fun, right?" Pef said with a wide grin. "Somehow, you now begin to make more sense, Pef. Your growth speed is rather spectacular. But if Gaia aids you..." Lise mused to herself. Pef shook his head and drew taller. "It is still mostly my own efforts. She is not giving me levels or strength. I have to fight for it." "Well said, Pef. Now let''s go and make the goddess proud of us." Lucia added with a nod. *Relationship with Lucia has grown to 25. (Favored) They flew towards the portal, and began murdering their way higher into the dungeon. The drops were a surprise though. "Say Auto Loot. No point running around collecting potions or animal bits" Pef advised them after they kept yelling in joy at the smallest drop. "Oh. Loot set to auto. Directly into my storage. That is convenient." Lise remarked wryly. "My darlings. This is our secret. Only those in my harem can use it anyway, but I don''t need even more enemies right now." Pef pointed out in a sterner voice. "I did hear the goddess, Pef. We are favored because you love us." Lucia said in agreement. Lise hesitated for a second. "Okay. It will come out eventually Pef. But perhaps you''ll be strong enough by then." "That''s my hope too. Not many people have these abilities, I would guess." Pef mused out loud, as he killed the Mama Winter yet again. *You have killed the Mama Winter. Gained 17 million Exp. *You have killed an immortal. Gain 100 HP. *You have found 7 Major HP potions. You have found an Elixir. *You have reached level 100. Gained +3 Magic stats and +2 free attributes. *You have reached level 100 and can upgrade your class. Mage. Gain 6 attributes per level. 4 points set aside for Magic. Accept? Yes/Later/No. *You have reached level 100 and can select a new Trait. Fast, Strong, Durable, Clever, Shocking. "Gaia, any advice?" Pef asked with a frown. "Yes" the goddess replied with a snort. Pef chuckled and pressed Yes for class upgrade. An extra point per level wasn''t in any way bad. Then he stopped to consider the other traits. They wouldn''t be extraordinary, but 10 percent bonus of something would be helpful. He decided to pick Clever, because Thinkers were always the strongest. *For making a wise decision you gain +1 Mind. *You have selected Clever. Gain +20 Mind. "Uh. Not what I expected..." Pef muttered in confusion. The bonus would have been 100 percent when he was level 10. Now it was about 15 percent. Still good, but perhaps he cheated himself of an easier run. "Hey Pef. I reached level 75. What do I do with the points?" Lucia asked for advice. "Go for 200 Mind, like I do. So many books need 200 Mind just to learn them." Pef said with a glance at her screen. "And so your power grew again, about 15 percent at once. So unfair!" Lise said with envy in her tone. Pef hugged the queen and patted her bottom. "It was a bonus for gaining level 100. Otherwise, growing in strength is still slow." "Slow! Slow, he says. You''ll be my equal in a year!" she muttered with a pout. "And so it should be. For a king needs to be equal to his queen, and perhaps even more, to protect her from unhappiness." our hero proclaimed kingly, chin high and armor sparkling. "Let''s farm here for some time. This boss gives 100 HP and so many potions!" Lise decided after a minute. "And I gain Experience very fast. My spells are growing like mad!" Lucia added with a wide grin. "Wooooooo! Let''s punish the rabbits again! They have been bad!" Raiju yelled from nowhere. "Your pet is more fun than my familiar..." Lucia complained with envy. "Onwards, Mistresses!" Raiju yelled and jumped into the portal. Pef grinned and followed after his elemental. Its alchemy It took less than a month for Lucia to reach her own level 100, and take the Clever trait as well. Those 20 Mind points were worth 10 levels of grinding with 2 free attributes, so still 10 percent, of 100 levels. There were other gains, like Body aura for the two women, bought for 20 millions and making them pretty much immune to guns or other mundane threats, once the skill leveled up in constant melee vs the wabbits or the winter rabbits. Other accessories and the expensive armor also helped. The elixirs had to be sold for cash, and the Major potions paid or traded to the Association for more books. Climbing the Abyss was a very expensive business, and Pef didn''t have a kingdom or clan behind him, to provide riches. He was the provider for his new family. But he didn''t mind so much. Life was good right now, and he was getting close to 200 Mind and 100k HP. Even Lise benefited somewhat, gaining one level and a few more free points from combat in armor or daily plowing. She too prioritized Mind just now, since her Magic attribute was over 1000. Pef got even better at Crafting, reaching level 9. And at level 10 he should be able to promote again in Alchemy rank, from Adept to Proctor. That would come in handy, and get him rid off the annoying guy teasing Lucia. "Young Pef. I said fox hair, not fox fur. Just the parts from the head. Can''t be that hard, for a genius like you." The proctor chided him, yet again. Pef smiled politely. ''Prick''. Then he began mixing a new potion, using only hair from the head. Silly rules! "Miss Lucia, you are indeed a wonder! Your potion is perfect. So talented for a woman. Are you sure you won''t join the Association?" the proctor proclaimed towards the witch. "I serve the Goddess, Master Proctor. Even outside the Golden Branch, I can hear her voice." Lucia replied with a flat voice. And rather truthful, for a change. "Hmph. Superstition and legend. Mana comes from the sun, and filters through plants, then animals. Every theory and experiment proves this!" the proctor replied in contempt, and retreated to his desk. Pef blinked at the curious news and continued mixing his potion. After a few minutes, the liquid congealed and hardened. "Is it hard now? Good, you can learn. Now cover the cauldron in fire and light for minute." Pef obeyed, using his less potent spells, held packed by telekinesis. Then the gloup became liquid again, smelling of pine and burned hair. He grabbed the liquid and poured it in a jar. Jar lid on, and wax over it next. *Ding. Telekinesis reaches level 13. *Fox hair potion learned. Helps heal bone fractures 75 percent faster. Adds Mild Pain and Strong Fever to the user. "Decent work Adept. You know the drill now. 99 more potions and you may go." the proctor said with a grimace. Lucia smiled at him from across the table and the day got brighter a bit. Pef grit his teeth and proceeded to fleece the dead fox. Hours later, he escaped the prolonged torture and ran for the dorms. "Lise and Lucia! My most precious women..." He exclaimed, finding them naked and wet, for some strange reason. "Need us to relieve some stress, our king?" Lise asked teasingly, holding arm under her peaks and looking innocent, while fanning herself with a lock of blonde hair. Her white teeth were biting down on her lower lip, like she had seen a delicious food. Lucia blushed virginally and peeked from under her long black hair, with curious brown eyes. Her breath was ragged and hard, due to hot shower water perhaps. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. In a second, Pef got naked and began farming those fertile lands. He had a lot of stress to relieve. For a few hours, the happy triplet got to forget about the cruel world outside. "Inside!" Lise yelled in confirmation. "Of course, beloved mistress. Anywhere you want." Pef whispered in her ear as the field irrigation began. A minute later, Lucia began cleaning the plow, and Pef relaxed in his queen leather armchair. "We should go to the dungeon, my ladies. I''m close to the next Ascension." Slurp! Lucia was busy, but her tongue agreed. "We will, my love. Just let us rest a bit." Lise whispered in his ear. Pef drifted to sleep. ++++++++++++++++++++ Thunderbolts fell from the sky, the hill exploded in fire and shards of rock. A leathery wing flew by his head, and his soul hurt so bad... Screams, tears. Someone laughing in the distance. ++++++++++++++++++++ Pef woke with a start, finding everything the same, except a happily dreaming Lucia on his belly. *You have experienced a prophetic dream. +1 Karma. "Ugh. Damn dream. Probably nothing, just like the last one." Pef mumbled as his mind returned to full speed. "Dreams now? Dreaming of new girls perhaps?" Lise asked with a tinge of irony. "There is Miya Chen Sung, the girl I saved from the Templars. Could you go get her here? She is Egypt right now..." Pef asked in a pleading voice. "Sending your queen to recruit women for your harem. How shameless." Lise muttered and bit his ear. Pef smiled wryly. "You didn''t say no. And I am very grateful for this, my mistress." Lise bit harder on his ear. "You will be extremely grateful tonight. I am clear?" "As you wish, my royal mistress. Your king will satisfy your every whim." Pef said while patting Lucia''s hair. "To battle?" the witch asked groggily. "Of course, Lucia. To many battles, and better skills and spells. Just two of us though. Lise will bring Chen back to me." Pef said as explanation. "How would she know to trust me? Some unknown mage asking her to follow?" Lise asked quite wisely. Pef hummed as he considered that. "You speak Chinese, right?" "More or less, yes. I mostly read not speak it." "Then you tell her, Pef sent you. Hospital, Red Bull, Fus Ro Dah. Or just knock Chen out and kidnap her." he said in a pragmatic way. Lise poked his head with a finger and a snort. "Where in Egypt?" Pef smiled a bit. "Farming a mummy dungeon. There won''t be many Chinese girls there." "Up! If I leave now I''ll be back by morning." Lise demanded royally, and pushed Pef aside to reach the bath first. Lucia caressed his muscled abdomen with a hungry hand. "Quick farming before the battle?" she asked throatily. "Sure!" the hero agreed at once. Lucia climbed over the plow and held tight, as the bull buckled and thrust deeply. Pef powered up his Farmer''s Strength, and began planting at high speed. *Relationship with Lucia has reached 30. (Honored) *You gain +1 Charisma. By the time Lise had finished showering, Lucia was painted white and muttering prayers of thanks. "Hurry up, you two. Less playing and more work." Lise ordered as she threw a longing eye at the scene, then teleported away. Pef nodded in agreement. He would need all his strength tomorrow. "Come Lucia, quick shower first, and we bathe in rabbit blood after." he explained poetically while carrying the hot witch in his arms, towards the warm and hot shower. "Such bliss...my goddess..." she muttered in reply. Pef grinned to himself. He was blessed by the goddess, after all. Seduction Pef woke up early in the morning, as Lise returned with Miya in tow. Miya''s face lit up when she saw Pef smile at her. "I had hoped to meet you again, my savior. But to think you had grown so fast since then, you are ten times stronger now..." the girl said politely, and blushing as well. Pef glanced down, noticing Lucia sleeping on his farming tools. He grinned widely. "You told me to do this Miya, and I obeyed. It seemed wise at the time and still seems so." Miya glanced at her even stronger companion, who had just got naked and was eyeing Pef hungrily. Her face grew even redder. Pef rose to his feet, and went to hug the Chinese girl. "I would be extremely honored if you would agree to be my life partner. We are bound by fate, and I like you very, very much..." he whispered in her ear, and gently caressed her muscled bottom. *Seduction roll 6. *Naked body attraction +4 *Combined score is perfect 10. *Miya fails to resist. "Ah, this is a dream..." Miya mumbled in sweet confusion, just as Pef kissed her gently, then a bit stronger. Pef lowered her on the bed, and kissed her more and more, while Lise gulped his lower Pef and began working out some stress relief. About half an hour later, the new girl was naked and wet, having been kissed all over. She yelped a bit in surprise as the farming began, and then could only moan and gasp. Miya didn''t last very long, but for her first time it was quite normal. *You have plucked the flower and planted a new field. +1 Strength. *Miya joins your harem. You gain +2 Charisma and +2 Karma. *Relationship with Miya grows to 33(Honored) Setting down the girl to rest, Pef jumped on Lise and began farming her properly. Or at least he tried, as the time for new lessons arrived. "We''ll resume this later!" Pef promised with a firm nod. Lise scooped out a few of the seeds and tested them for ripeness, licking the finger for some reason. "And so we shall. And we need a bigger bed." Lucia woke up as well, and eyed the new girl curiously. "A bit young eh? But with these levels..." "Exactly my idea, dear witch. Why let Miya risk her life and health, when I could make sure she is safe, and grows strong very fast." "Well, Miya is a pretty girl, so her children will be pretty too." Lise allowed while measuring the new girl. "... Children?" the girl yelped in surprise. "Not right now. But sure. At least 20 per wife, I hope." Pef nodded wisely. The three women glanced at his baby maker and nodded in turn. It would be really pleasant making those babies. "Invite Miya to Party" Pef said pointing at his new future wife. "Oh...that''s your ability?" Miya wondered pressing Yes with a curious face. Pef glanced at Lise, who held a large inventory of low level items. "Let''s outfit her a bit." Soon Miya got to learn the new menus and get boosted by a few rings and items. "I knew Alchemists were strong, but you so easily tripled my power..." "This ability is my secret, so no telling anyone, Miya. Stay in the room till we return." The new girl nodded in acceptance. "Now let''s get to lessons!" Pef proclaimed heroically and flew out the window. Lucia and Lise followed after. --------------- Looking after them, Miya felt hope for the first time since she had to leave her home. The Abyss was a harsh place, a full of cruel people, but she had lucked out with a wonderful and kind lover and the protection of the Alchemists. She had dreamed and hoped to meet that man again, and now she did, and has become his life partner. But the greatest thing, and most amusing, it was herself who told Pef to start on this harem path! This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Well, now she was truly farmed! She copied the blonde mage, scooping out a bit and took a lick at the farmer''s seed, and it was alright. But how that woman, Lise, got into it, gulping him whole and milking the seed...she wondered if it felt good. Most likely it did. She seemed so hungry for it. She spent a few hours in reverie, mind still in bliss and afterglow. The red potion had healed her already and she felt much stronger. Then Lise returned first, and got naked, and into the shower. "Come Miya, let''s not waste water!" she called out. A bit hesitant, she followed inside and got promptly dragged in, soaped and washed by the blonde, no, by Lise. "Now you do me. Much faster that way." Lise commanded in a new language. *You have learned French. Well done Miya. "I can speak French now?" she asked in French. "Yes you are now. More soap. And shampoo on my hair." Lise ordered, speaking so fast. Pef and Lucia arrived together, and Pef promptly jumped and began to devour her wet skin! So good! ------------------ Ten minutes later, Miya was sated, and laid to rest on a pillow, body painted white. Pef turned and smiled at his other wives. "Both at once?" "Why not, our king. Please farm all the lands you want." Lucia answered first, and offered her fertile hills for deeper plowing. The plump flesh quivered in pleasure. Lise jumped into a deep kiss, and other teasing. Pef grabbed her peaks and mined them for gold. And when Lucia was sated, it was Lise''s turn, much longer and consuming. The queen had fertile lands to cultivate, and huge mountains to climb. *You have sated Miya, Lise and Lucia. Gain +1 Con. Pef gasped for air for a full minute, the effort more intense than a boss battle. *Gamer''s Body reaches level 13. Stamina doubles. "That''s really needed. Thanks, Gaia." Pef offered, as his breathing resumed calmer. After a quick lunch, they all arrived at the training dungeon and forcefully leveled up the weaker Miya. In one day, she jumped from level 10 to 20. In a week she reached level 66, and her first Ascension, much sooner than others, for not wasting points outside mind or magic. And Pef arrived at his second Ascension, same time with Lucia. Listening to Lise, they wasted a few items, but made Ascension much safer. A storm cloud formed above him and 3 huge golden thunderbolts descended like the fists of a god. -27000 -27000 -27000 *You have failed to Adapt to the Heavenly Tribulation. *Regeneration reaches level 17 *Gamer''s Body reaches level 14. *Your Snowflake necklace is not destroyable. *Your Arctic Armored Cap was destroyed. *You have resisted 20 percent of damage via Magic Resistance. *You have survived a Heavenly Tribulation and Ascended to Heroic-class. *Your MP pool doubles. *Due to having a Gamer''s Body, dying in a private dungeon now reverts you to level 128, the current level of your Ascension. *Maxed out spells can now evolve to the next tier. "Congratulations, my king. You''re growing so fast, but I''m also so glad. You''re much safer now." Lise told Pef, and kissed him deeply. Pef kissed Lucia and Miya as well, to be fair. *For sharing love equally with your harem, you gain +1 Charisma. "Thank you, Gaia you''re the best goddess!" Pef yelled at the sky. "Am I now? Perhaps I am..." the goddess replied with a charming laugh. "Oh, Gaia is real after all..." Miya exclaimed in wonder. "Yes my dear. Quite real. We might meet one day as well. If you keep growing." Gaia said gently and gave them all her Blessing. "Let''s go fast forward now. Till the next immortaaaaaal!" Pef declared confidently, and rushed for the portal. "Free fooood!" Raiju howled and followed. "They''re both the same..." Miya realized with a start. Reward Another month passed in relative peace, although the fellow alchemists were becoming more ironic or even hostile sometimes. Not only was Pef gaining power every day, he was also surrounded by pretty women, making the alchemists feel envious. He endured the teasing and the hurtful remarks, as people would be people anywhere. By the time Pef reached level 150, Miya, his youngest wife reached level 121 and Ascended to Heroic class as well. Constant training and combat had polished Pef''s stats quite decently. He glanced at his own character sheet and considered his next steps. *Pef the Gamer Heroic Class Level 150 Mage Level 14 Alchemist Adept. HP 102400, MP 13300 Free attributes: 32 Strength: 38+3 Agility: 35+20 Constitution: 49+20 Magic: 524+30 Mind: 230+20 Charisma: 31+3 Karma: 32 Euros: 2.43 Billion. Lise stepped next to his shoulder and observed his stats with a frown. "You''re close to becoming an Alchemist Elder, hubby. One more level in Alchemy..." she said in a thoughtful voice. Pef nodded. "But I''ve stopped making progress in Alchemy. For a week there''s been no growth. Either the proctor is sabotaging me, or I hit a block..." The older woman considered this for a minute. "The proctor doesn''t matter...we''ll try something else. I have a special dungeon with 3 times extra hours." Pef blinked, then measured his wife with new eyes. This was unexpected...and potentially very useful. Lucia and Miya landed beside Lise, having finished clearing the small Tundra Rams. It was time for the new boss to emerge. *Argo, the Golden Sheep has been summoned. Pef glanced at the incoming boss, running towards them over a field of green grass. *Argo (elite) Lvl 188. HP 1 million. MP 0 Status. Immunity, fearless, herbivore. Raiju ran ahead and sliced at the golden glowing boss, causing no damage. "Armor!" the elemental announced in surprise. Lise smiled and rose an eyebrow. "All yours." Pef sped forwards and sliced with his own Arc Lance. 0 damage. The boss smiled sheeply, then stomped the ground, causing fissures to erupt. -1300 "Volt" The electrical spell dazed the boss for a second, while Pef considered what to do. "Miya! Hands!" he yelled while dashing under the boss and powering his Levitation and Farmer Strength. Lifting the boss from the ground broke the immunity, although the sheep continued stomping on his shoulders and head with its hooves. The blue ectoplasmic hands of his wife managed to cause a bit of damage, but not enough. Thinking fast, Pef used his Telekinesis to block the mouth and nose of the golden sheep, while enduring the hurtful barrage of hooves. "Strangle it!" Pef muttered while drinking a HP potion. Between Miya''s ghostly hands and his telekinesis, they managed to subdue and choke to best, until it died. *You have killed Argo and gained 19 million Exp. *You have killed an elite boss and gained +1 free attribute. *You have found 2 Greater Mana potions. You have found a Golden Fleece. Pef hastily opened his inventory to check the new loot. *Golden Fleece. Legendary grade sheep skin. Crafting material. "Good job, Pef!" Miya exclaimed and rushed to hug him in elation. "It dropped a Golden Fleece!" he yelled in joy. Lucia and Lise eyed each other with a knowing look. "Guess we''re farming here for a week, that wool would be very valuable" Lise mused to herself. Pef agreed, and rushed to restart this Floor. After several more kills they found another Golden Fleece and called it a day, returning to their dormitory room. And here, Lise called in the previously unused dungeon, with 3 times extra hours. Pef and his wives got to enjoy the extra time for more farming and pleasure, then they got to sleep in contentment. *You have stated Lise, Lucia and Miya, 3 times in one day. Gained +1 Constitution. Our hero grinned to himself at the notice, knowing he could never do that in a single day, without cheats. "This extra time is amazing, my queen. We should use this every day!" he demanded with an appreciative voice. "And so we shall. I''ll even allow you to pamper your other wives as well, as long as half the time is spent with me..." Lise said with a superior voice. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Pef smiled widely and drew Lise into a long kiss. "Perhaps not just for farming, right? Reading and training as well..." he mused to himself. Lise glared at him for a second, before sighing. "Fine. The night lasts 24 hours in here. You can do whatever you want for 12 hours. But for the other 12 hours, you''re only mine!" she growled in a hungry tone, then climbed on top of him again. Pef gulped in slight terror. The monster was back! Luckily, he was getting stronger and more resilient from this as well. After a few more hours of sating the hungry beast, Lise feel asleep in with a blissful face. *Gamer''s body has reached level 15. Your seed taste like ambrosia. *Gamer''s mind has reached level 13. You do not get bored anymore. Smiling to himself, Pef fell asleep again. At this rate, only 3 wives will not be enough anymore. Perhaps he could find another witch? Much later, he woke up to find Miya slurping his seed with a blushing face. "Hey love...feeling rested now?" he asked to make sure. The girl nodded shyly but didn''t stop. Pef grunted and served her a dose of thick ambrosia, enjoying her amazed face at the new taste. "So goood!" Miya muttered in between gulps. Soon enough, his other wives woke up and tasted the new divine seed. "How can it taste so good?" Lucia muttered in confusion. Pef had a smug look on his face, and just patted her glossy black hair. "Let Lise have some too" Another hour of blissful farming followed, before they left the temporal dungeon and got ready for more lessons. But this time, Alchemy was not hard at all. Potions and reagent preparations came easily, and Pef finally reached his Alchemist Elder rank. He decided to take the test right then, and get rid of lessons with envious proctors. Master Kimmel agreed, and after a few long hours of tests, Pef got his new insignia. There were less than a hundred Alchemist Elders in the entire world, and now he was a proud member of this elite. "How far away are you from learning Ancient Alchemy?" the old Master asked after the test. "I need to double my Magic power. So...about 3 months I guess?" Pef answered after a few quick estimations. Master Kimmel frowned. "I see. Focus on that for now. Once you learn that book, we can start training you for Alchemist Mastery. And there are only 5 Masters in the whole world." Pef blinked. "There are 3 here, in Geneva, right?" "Exactly. There''s the Grand Witch of the Golden Branch. There''s also that water dragon in the east. There might be a few more in Heaven or Hell, and Freya in Asgard, but then these are not on this world. It''s a small club, and we have hopes Anne-Lise will eventually reach that stage as well." Master Kimmel muttered in a low voice. "Oh? The Holy Church has no Alchemists?" Pef asked with a smile. "They have a dozen Elders. Most big sects and religions have a few. Here, I brought you a small reward for your excellent results." the man said in a stern tone, and produced a wooden box. Pef accepted the box with a wide grin. *You have received a Profound Spirit Pill. *You have received a Duke''s Enchanted Gorget. *You have received a Yang Sunfire Glow Manual. *You have received a Yin Moonlight Glow Manual. *You have received a Yunmoon Soul Recovery Manual. With curious eyes, he examined the Profound Pill. *Profound Spirit Pill. Legendary rank pill, boosts all attributes by 10 percent. Can only be taken once. *Yang Sunfire Glow Manual. Saint rank cultivation. Grants +10 to all stats, passive. Grants + 50 Constitution and Strength, active. *Yin Moonlight Glow Manual. Saint rank cultivation. Grants +30 to Mind and Magic, passive. Grants 50 percent Mana recovery, active. *Yunmoon Soul Recovery Manual. Legendary healing skill. Without soul crystal, heals 10 HP per Magic point. With soul crystal, recover 10 HP and 10 MP per Magic point. Recover abnormal status. *Duke''s Enchanted Gorget. Heroic rank armor. 20 Defense rating. Grants +10 Block damage. Grants +5 percent Magic Resistance. "Oh! Can these cultivations be learned together?" Pef asked after poking the books for a minute. "Normally, they can''t be used together. All those foolish enough to try, have exploded into blood mist. But, perhaps you can." the Alchemist Master said with a curious tone. "These are originals, right? I''ll make copies first." Pef replied after thinking for a minute. "No. They are protected against copy. You''re not the only one in the world with these abilities, just the only one with all of them at once..." Kimmel said with a low tone. Nodding to himself, Pef learned the Yunmoon recovery manual first, then the Yang Sunfire Manual. However, when he tried to learn the Yin Moonlight Manual, a warning message appeared. Unending Grinding in the Paracelsus dungeon became the main activity now, and bosses became harder and harder to defeat, each having various special abilities to frustrate the adventurers. Another month passed, with difficult dungeon Floors all the way. Shadow teleportation, immunity to magic or physical damage or even both, like that Argo sheep. Of course, there was always a trick to defeat them, but Lise was keeping mum, letting Pef work hard for his victories. And then on Floor 37, they finally reached the next immortal type boss. *Cerberus, the Hound of Hell.(immortal) *Level 202. HP 6.66 million, MP 66000 *Status: Fire aura, ghost summoner, undead. "Not only it is immune to fire, it absorbs fire damage and heals itself!" Miya exclaimed with an upset voice. Pef glanced at Raiju and nodded. The Lightning summon grinned and ran in a circle, slashing the newly summoned ghost apparitions with his own lightning claws. Lucia''s fire imp was useless and could only run around as a distraction, its fireballs only healing this boss. She fired acid clouds from afar, mainly targeting the extra ghosts summoned by Cerberus. Her new ice spells were too weak to damage a boss for now, and will need to get upgraded. Then Pef had an idea and sped forward, punching the Cerberus with a glowing fist. "Yang Sunfire!" "Soul Recovery!" With the extra stats from the Yang Cultivation, and the Soul damage incurred for being undead, Cerberus wailed in agony and began loosing HP points fast. Miya added her blue ghostly hands, now able to damage even souls. That was the main ability of ectomancers after all, and with her 130 levels Miya was now a strong ectomancer. A flare of fire aura hit Pef in the face, but luckily his new Gorget amplified his Magic resistance yet again, reducing the incoming damage to tolerable levels. *Gamer''s body has reached level 16. *Regeneration has reached level 19. Punch after punch, Pef sapped the boss hit points until it collapsed and died. *You have defeated Cerberus. Gained 38 million Exp. *You have reached level 158. *You have defeated an immortal. Gained +100 HP. *You have slain the guardian of Hell. Gained +1 Karma. *You have found a Mental Resistance Manual. You have found 2 Elixirs. You have found 6 Major HP potions. *You have found a Sage Eye Ring. You have found a Hellhound Abyss Lance. Checking to see the new loot, Pef smiled wryly. *Sage Eye Ring(unique). Saint rank accessory. Grants all stats +5. Grants Magic Resistance +5. Grants all damage resist +5. Grants Mana Recovery +5 percent. Indestructible. *Hellhound Abyss Lance. Heroic class weapon. Damage bonus +1300. Adds + 20 Strength. Adds + 20 Agility. Adds +20 percent Penetration. Can damage ethereal enemies. Indestructible. *Mental Resistance. Saint ranked manual. Needs 300 Mind attributes to learn. Pef opened the character page, which had changed a bit with the new cultivation and the Profound Pill. *Pef the Gamer Heroic Class Level 158 Mage Level 15 Alchemist Elder. HP 106700, MP 14200 Free attributes: 48 Strength: 55+5 Agility: 50+20 Constitution: 67+20 Magic: 588+30 Mind: 266+20 Charisma: 45+4 Karma: 47 Euros: 0.87 Billion. Of course, in combat and with all the buffs his physical stats were much higher. Strength reached 150, with Farmer Strength and the Yang Sunfire active. Agility reached 130, with Nine Lighting Steps at level 14, it gave + 64 Agi points. Even Constitution went reached 130, 50 points from the Yang Sunfire cultivation. He nodded to himself, and raised the Mind stats with the free attributes. Spending 34 points, he reached the minimum level for the new manual. *You have learned Mental Resistance. All enemy auras and mental effects are reduced by 20 percent. This skill is absorbed by the Invictus ability. Your Mind and willpower become harder to shake and disrupt. "After 3 more levels, I can Ascend again. I will be a Saint rank!" Pef announced proudly. With the new Sage Eye ring, all his stats now passed the 50 point mark and the Magic Resist reached 90 percent. His wives rushed to read his stats page, and kissed him proudly. "Keep doing well, Pef. You''re getting there." Lise said with a half-envious voice. Pef gave Miya the new lance, so she could do some real damage now. She was originally trying to gain more Strength and Agility for her martial arts skills, but got deviated by the need to gain Mind and Magic points for Ascensions. Not that Miya was weaker with magic spells, but her old roots drew her towards more physical abilities. However, when Pef tried to buy her another Yang Sunfire Manual, there weren''t any on auction, just like the Duke Gorget. Some items were too rare, it seemed. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Pef had spent a lot of money to upgrade her armor and accessories to decent levels, and same for Lucia. And spell manuals were not cheap either. Luckily they had this dungeon to farm for Elixirs and potions, which sold like warm bread on the Abyss Auction. "The Saint Tribulation will have nine bolts, better be prepared, my dear Pef." a godly voice spoke from above. Raiju ran close and pawed at the air, almost like seeing someone invisible. Gaia laughed gently and patted the elemental with a warm wind. "Of course, my dear goddess. I''ll buy some magic resist items to reduce the damage." Pef said serious. "Indeed. Try to stay over 60 percent resistance. And always protect the head." Gaia said before vanishing yet again. Pef grinned at his wives. "Come on, my dear wives! Let''s farm this Cerberus now. A dozen times today!" he yelled in fervor. Lise sighed and flipped another page of her book. She was merely hovering there for support, as her level was still too high and would only reduce the Exp gain, for now. Lise only intervened when someone was in danger. "I want the next weapon, if I can use it!" Lucia demanded in a pleading tone. Pef poked her nose and ran off towards the portal. "I just bought you a Black Wyrm Wand!" Lucia sighed and flew after him. "Damn idiot. It''s the gesture that counts..." Soon enough, Pef and his wives began farming Cerberus and its nice supply of HP points, plus all the Elixirs and other potions and goodies. A week later, Pef was ready. A storm cloud formed above him and 9 gigantic golden thunderbolts descended like the angry fists of a Heaven. -12000 -12000 -12000 -12000 -12000 -12000 -12000 -12000 -12000 *You have failed to Adapt to the Heavenly Tribulation. *Regeneration reaches level 20 *Gamer''s Body reaches level 17. *Your Snowflake necklace is not destroyable. *Your Sage Eye ring is not destroyable. *Your Duke Enchanted Breastplate was destroyed. *Your Duke Enchanted Pauldrons were destroyed. *Your Duke Enchanted Helmet was destroyed. *Your Duke Enchanted Greaves were destroyed. *Your Duke Enchanted Vambraces were destroyed. *You have resisted 75 percent of damage via Magic Resistance. *You have survived a Heavenly Tribulation and Ascended to Saint-class. *Your MP pool doubles. *Due to having a Gamer''s Body, dying in a private dungeon now reverts you to level 161, the current level of your Ascension. *Maxed out spells can now evolve to the next tier. *Regeneration has reached level 20 and has evolved. Regrowth is now at level 1. As long as your head is intact, you can regrow everything else. HP recovers passively by 300 HP a minute. Back in their dormitory, Pef and his harem farmed just as hard, all of them gaining Strength and Constitution boosts from the extra time in the bed dungeon. Pef reached 100 Constitution just from loving his wives very much, and they in turn all passed 50 Constitution mark, for being loved that much. And at 100 Constitution, Pef received a strange choice of talents. Durable, Resilient and Unending. Curious, Pef clicked that button and has not regretted it ever since. *Unending. A special ability for those beloved by Gaia. Your refractory period is gone. You can go on forever. Sure enough, Lise put this to the test, farming her husband for 24 hours nonstop, until she fainted. Miya and Lucia could only watch in awe, as the never ending plow rose to fight again. "Next?" Pef asked with a smirk. Miya stepped forward, only to be plowed and defeated in an hour. Lucia lasted a bit longer, but it was still not enough. "You''re going to need a lot more wives, hubby..." the witch muttered in afterglow. Miya nodded in silence and guilt. She was the one to start Pef on this harem path. Now she could only follow, and hope everything will be okay, somehow. "Hmmm. A harem king...not a bad idea, my dear wife. Perhaps you can recommend a witch or two?" Pef wondered out loud. Lucia moaned in agreement. "Even three...we don''t get many men in the Golden Branch. A few lucky druids...sometimes." Pef rested on his pillow and drew his wives into his lap, then fell asleep. Life was good, for now. However, the message he received from the Yin cultivation still sounded in his mind. *You have attempted to fuse Yin and Yang without the prerequisite attributes. *Continue and die? No, hell no, Die. *You need 1000 Magic, 1000 Mind, 1000 Constitution and 200 Karma. He wondered what would happen when he did reach those stats. Sure, it would take some time, but he was only a month away from reaching 1000 Magic already. The alchemic pill with 10 percent to all attributes had given him 52 Magic points at once. Growing his Mind stats would be harder, but probably necessary anyway, if only for that Alchemy Master rank. Then, he could make such pills himself, and buff himself and his wives with crazy pills. However, to reach 1000 Constitution...he will need many more wives to sate. Luckily, there were billions of women to choose from, only here on Earth. And perhaps in other places too. Holy relic Checking his increased stats from the new ascension, Pef frowned. While his Mana pool did double, and reached nearly 29 thousands, it was barely big enough to fire his Drill Torpedo nine times without recharge. But Bosses were already over level 200. Much too hard to kill. "Is there a way to increase my mana pool more?" He asked with a glance at the resident Legendary wife. Lise smiled and nodded. "You did get a Spirit Pill not long ago, remember? Didn''t your mana pool grow from it?" she asked with a teasing voice. Pef smiled back, and nodded in acceptance. "So, there must be other pills. Even if not as strong as to give me 10 percent more stats, they might be stackable, unlike that Spirit Pill." Lucia raised a finger, then lowered it with a sigh. "The Golden Branch also has a special tea...but I''m not welcome there anymore..." she explained in a pained voice. Miya perked up for a second. "If we can travel to the East...we could visit the Water Dragon. He sells everything. Even stuff not on the Auction." Pef sighed. "And we will, someday. But first, we have an opportunity here. Learning Alchemy isn''t something I''m willing to drop. Plus there''s the amazing Paracelsus dungeon!" he added with a pumped up tone. Miya blinked and nodded back. "And we still have 7 months here. Maybe I can also learn Alchemy? At least til Adept level..." she mused, mostly to herself. She did reach Heroic class, and had 200 Mind attributes, more than enough to pluck herbs with telekinesis. Lise clapped her hands, drawing all eyes on her. "Yes, we better make most of our time left here. Pef might actually reach Mastery, or at least get all the prerequisites. Lucia is close to getting an Alchemy Elder status as well." And with that, she summoned her time expansion dungeon, and jumped on her husband. Lise was too willing to gain as much as she could from the time left here. With a happy grin, Pef activated his enhancement cultivation and spells, boosting his body with extra 90 Str and 50 Constitution, barely enough to withstand the hungry and horny monster. His blonde queen rode him for a dozen hours, without break before she was spent and fell asleep in afterglow and bliss. Pef fell asleep for a few hours too, then he woke up, farmed the other wives and returned to reading and studying. He did have a plethora of mystic books and manuals to learn from, even if they were not skill books. Then, the new day came, and Pef and his wives returned to the dungeon, to farm the next immortal for potions and health points. Another month passed like that, and his treasury recovered by selling Elixirs. Cure for any illness. Thee were always buyers, even at 50 million per one vial. Then, the cut off for Major healing potions was reached. At 900 potions donated to the alchemists, Pef stopped giving them out, and instead began placing them one at the time on the Abyss Auction. In a frenzy of bids, the price for a single Major potion climbed from 10 million to 70 millions. It seemed people were very willing to pay good money for a potion that could restore lost limbs. He sold 9 potions on the Auction, just making sure nobody could gain 1000 of them, without a direct trade with him. Then Master Kimmel arrived, not too pleased. "Mister Pef...congratulations for your new Saint rank class. I expect you''ll reach Legendary soon?" the old alchemist asked politely. "Sure. But passing the tribulations is expensive, Master Kimmel. And not just myself, but my wives as well..." Pef replied in a mercantile tone. Master Kimmel nodded wisely. "I figured it was something like that. I do have something to ease the cost, in exchange for another batch of Major potions. Perhaps 100 more?" the man asked while presenting a few gifts, mostly Magic Resistance items, as well as a few rare books and another pill in a jade bottle. Pef glanced at the offerings. "I admit, all these are tempting. But the price on the Auction is over 70 million now. I''m willing to trade 50 Major potions for these gifts." He explained gently and laid 50 potions on the side. Master Kimmel frowned and glared at Anne-Lise for some reason. "Hmph. Fine! Perhaps next month you''ll obtain another batch? I''ll try to find something worthwhile." the alchemist muttered not too pleased, then collected the potions and left, leaving his barter goods laid around. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "... Master is not fine. But then, that was your intention, correct?" Lise asked him with a thin smile. Pef smiled back. "I''m curious if Odin will come himself for the last potion." "Hah. You are kinda foolishly brave, my husband!" the blonde wife said in an admiring voice. Lucia and Miya nodded in concert and eyed each other with a secret look. Pef just shrugged. "It''s a seller''s market. And next month there will be only 10 potions to trade. Scarce stuff, these Major healing potions." Then he began going through the received gifts. *Mana growing pill. Heroic rank. Grows the mana pool by 5 percent. Can only be taken once. Pef grinned and gulped it at once. After circulating his Yang cultivation a few times, the mana pool expanded a little. 1500 extra MP wasn''t bad at all. Now he could cast his Drill Lightning Torpedo 10 times, without recharge. *Krishna Female silk shawl. Cape. Grants +10 Mind. Grants 5 percent Magic Resistance. Usable by women. *Krishna Male silk sash. Belt. Grants + 5 Charisma. Grants 5 percent Magic Resistance. Usable by men. *Ganesha ivory bone bracelet. Adds 10 Luck. Grants 10 percent Magic Resistance. *Yoruba lion mane headdress. Head gear. Adds 30 Block damage. Grants 5 percent Magic Resistance. *Tengri Eagle feathers wind catcher. Cape. Adds 10 percent Magic Resistance. *Shangri-La incense urn. Adds 20 Mind when lit. Grants 10 percent Magic Resistance. *Golgotha earth urn. Smells of old blood. Saint class relic. Grants Holy Shield spell. Adds 5 percent Magic Resistance. Immune to Heaven''s Tribulation. Worn on the back. Pef blinked at the last item, a tall urn made of red clay, with a leather strap tied to it. "It this for real?" Lucia grimaced at the holy relic, while Lise just shrugged. "They are all fakes, if you ask me. But like all religious items, belief makes them work anyway. So be warned. If you ever have to fight some Church knight with a sword glowing white, it might be Fidellius, the sacred sword with a rusted iron nail in the pommel." Pef gulped at the news. Religious relics might be a bit too hard to deal with, for now. "Don''t tell me. That holy sword can cut though any defense..." he mused out loud. "Not exactly, but close enough. Mostly versus demons or devils. Wiches too, for some reason." Lise replied with a smirk. Lucia sighed. "Suffer no witch to live. Old grudges, I guess." Pef collected all the items, but gave the Krishna shawl to Lucia. "Here, my dear witch. Your Saint rank tribulation is coming soon right?" The black haired witch smiled widely. "Thanks Pef! With this I''ll have 85 percent resistance on top of my enchanted armor. Should make tribulation easy to pass." Lise frowned. "It''s nine lightning bolts, dear sister. You need 5 percent more, to be completely safe." Pef grinned and offered the earth urn, which had the missing 5 percent resistance. "Take the relic urn, my dear. Use it to become stronger, in spite of your differences." Lucia grimaced, but took the holy urn anyway. "I guess, it would be kinda ironic. And the urn won''t even break..." Soon enough, they returned to grinding the Cerberus hellhound. Then they all got to see Holy Shield in action, as Lucia got to ascend herself to Saint rank. A glow of dense white and golden light enveloped Lucia just before the tribulation fell. "Pef! This Holy Shield blocks 20 percent of any damage, including the tribulation!" the witch exclaimed in a happy voice. "What? Isn''t that a bit overpowered?" he wondered out loud. Gaia snorted next to his ear, and Pef could almost sense her breath on his skin. "The White God''s relics are powerful indeed. A billion believers boost the relic potency much more than actually needed, or even possible." "So...can I learn that shield, from using it?" Pef wondered to himself. He was going to try anyway. "Oh, my clever servant. Trying to gain twice as much, for the same cost?" the goddess replied cryptically, but didn''t actually say yes. After the tribulation ended, Pef took back the earth urn and began using the Holy Shield from the item again and again, against Cerberus and his ghost summons. It took a thousand uses, but eventually it did work. *You have learned Holy Shield spell, by using it constantly. Holy Shield is now at level 1 and grants +1 percent defense against any damage or spell. Cost 1000 MP. Drains 100 MP per minute. Sorcerer By the next month, farming the Cerberus had become routine, and much easier. Pef glanced at his character page. *Pef the Gamer Saint Class Level 199 Mage Level 15 Alchemist Elder. HP 148700, MP 32900 Free attributes: 72 Strength: 57+10 Agility: 52+25 Constitution: 109+25 Magic: 778+35 Mind: 308+25 Charisma: 51+10 Karma: 53+5 Euros: 3.17 Billion. "Damn it. My Mana points are still the weakest link. I need to increase them somehow." Pef muttered in a low voice. Lise peered over his shoulder, and hugged him from behind. "The game will give you a new profession, right? At level 200? And if you Ascend to Legendary class, the mana pool will double yet again." "Well, I can spam Arc Darts non-stop now. And when they reach level 20...they should evolve again. Maybe Arc bullets or such. Just like my Nine Hero Steps evolved into Nine Saintly Steps...." Pef mused to himself. Constant use of spells, and a higher Ascension did allow for more evolutions. Even his basic Mana Shield had evolved into Charged Shield, Blocking 200 damage for merely 20 MP. "You are a cheater who cheats, husband. Stop complaining. 200 levels in 6 months is rather absurd, it took me a hundred years." Lise whispered in his ear. Pef nodded and gestured towards the Floor portal. "Ten more times...should be enough for the next level." And as predicted the tenth time the Floor 37 boss died, Pef reached level 200. *You have reached level 200. Gained 4 Magic point and 2 free attributes. You can select a new profession. Sorcerer, grants 4 Magic Attributes and 3 free attributes per level. Accept? Yes/No. Pef clicked rapidly on the Yes tab. Finally, 3 free attributes per level again, just like he had when he begun the game. *You have become a Sorcerer. All spells cost 10 percent less and cast 10 percent faster. You may now fuse various spells. "Hey! I can fuse spells? Like it happened with my Aura Body?" Pef asked at the sky. A soft touch carried by a warm breeze ruffled his hair. "Yes." Gaia whispered in agreement. Pef sat down and began choosing spells to fuse. *You have fused Steel skin with Aura Body. Steel Aura grants 300 Damage Block and reduces all incoming physical damage by 27 percent. Passive. *You have fused Nice Guy with Charm person. Charming Guy grants +50 Charisma and increases seduction rolls by 50. Cost 500 MP per minute. *You have fused Arc Lance with Phantom Staff. Arc Staff adds 2000xmelee damage imbued with Lightning. Can damage ethereal enemies. Cost 1000 MP per minute. *You have fused Fly and Levitation. Power Flight adds 50 percent flight speed. You may now carry extra weight or 2 additional persons. *You have fused Charged Shield and Holy Shield. *Holy Aura is now level 5, grants 300 Damage resist and Spell Block and reduces any damage by 5 percent. You may envelop allies with it, for extra cost. Cost 300 MP per minute. *You have fused Winter Wail with Evil Eye Curse. Winter Curse lowers all enemies Mind attributes by 50, in a 100-meter radius. Can stack 3 times. Cost 5000 MP. *You have fused the Talmudic Solomon Golem with Shamanic Phantasm Guard. The Solomon Guard can grow up to 50 meters tall and can damage ethereal enemies. Damage resistance set at 70 percent. Cost 3000 MP for one golem. *You have tried to fuse Drill Lightning Torpedo with Arc Torpedo. You need 400 Mind. *You have tried to fuse Yang Sunfire with Aur Vedic Meditation. You need 1000 Magic. *You have fused Hide and Mana Veil spells into Hide Veil. *You have fused Hide Veil with the Cloak of Invisibility. Cloaking Veil conceals your presence from anyone below Legendary rank. Cost 1000 MP per minute. *You have fused Yunmoon Soul Recovery with Druid Healing. Yunmoon Healing heals 300 HP without Soul crystal. Heals HP, MP and curses with Soul crystal. Cost 300 MP. *You have fused Wave and Gale into Tornado. Creates a whirlwind of water and wind dealing 300xMagic damage to all enemies in a 30-meter area. Penetration 5 percent. Cost 3000 MP. Pef went into a frenzy, combining most of his spells into better ones, and reducing the mental strain for casting many different spells in combat. And his wives could only watch in awe, as their husband was producing world-class spells from nothing. "How can I get this ability...is so cheating!" Miya muttered in a small voice. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Pef drew her into a tight hug. "Reach level 200 and select Sorceress." he explained in a light tone, while patting her bottom for comfort. Miya blushed fiercely and began breathing a bit too loud. "Time to go home and celebrate!" Lise announced loudly, and without any envy in her voice. Well, maybe a bit of envy... A dozen hours later, after serious session of matrimonial farming, Pef sated his wives and laid them to rest and recover. No more free Constitution points either. Probably Gaia wanted him to gain a bigger harem...not that Pef minded that, at all. ''Not bad, for 6 months of hard work...'' he mused inward. Still, he would need another month on Floor 37, to level up his wives to level 200. Miya''s ascension was due soon, for her own Saint class. Plus a bigger stash of Elixirs and potions wouldn''t be too bad. Even Master Alchemists couldn''t produce Major Healing potions, so he had a monopoly on that...and prices kept going higher on the Abyss Auction. They reached 100 million per potion now! Scarcity was a thing, even here. He kept reading more magic and mystical books, trying to find a way to get stronger even faster. But it seemed he did need to grind his way, from dungeon to dungeon and bigger and badder bosses. Perhaps Gaia''s global dungeons would give more Exp, but then they wouldn''t have the safety net of resurrection, in case of death. And then, there was the conflict with the Holy Church. If they also had Saints and holy relics, they could be a real problem when he left the safety of the Paracelsus Association. Not the lowly Maltese Templars. But, to be a world class power when other sects and cults had demigods...the Holy Church surely had their own secret weapons. Also, there was that ''world will end'' threat...that he vividly remembered from his first days in the Abyss. To become someone that might save the world, a mere level 200 wasn''t nearly enough. Even with a game system and his Sorcerer profession. ''So, about 50 more levels to reach enough attributes for a Legendary class Ascension. Okay. I can do it!'' Pef decided with an inward pep talk. Next day, Master Kimmel came to visit once more, bringing expensive gifts. Pef nodded at the Master Alchemist politely. "If you would accept my wife Miya Chen as an Alchemy student, I suppose I could be grateful and trade 100 Medium Healing potions." he said in a trader''s tone. Negotiations were a bit difficult, as he was a guest here. "Oh, the asian girl? She did reach Heroic Class rather fast. I assume she does have telekinesis, right?" Kimmel wondered rhetorically. Pef just nodded. "All right then. Medium potions, as you call them...they can still regrow organs. But the will be friction, and Master Paracelsus needs to approve of her. 200 Medium potions, 10 Elixirs and 10 Major potions seems a fair trade..." the Alchemist bartered while laying down his own gifts. A dozen new magic resistance items, including a pink ribbon that shined with inner light. "Agreed!" Pef decided and passed over the goods. He then stored the items and began checking his inventory. *Shinra Ether Shinto ribbon. Saint class accessory. Worn on neck. Grants +10 to all stats. Grants 10 percent Magic Resistance. Protects against curses. Immune to Heaven''s Tribulation. *Yang Sunfire manual. *Mana growth pill. *Vedic teleport talisman. Sanskrit knowledge required. Returns user to a saved location. *Aztec Quetzalcoatl snake feather ankle binding. Worn on ankle. Adds +20 Magic and 10 percent Lightning damage. Pef read the talisman, learning Sanskrit while doing so. It did seem similar to his own Heartstone ability, but stored on an old wooden tablet. *You have examined an ancient Sanskrit talisman. You have learning to craft talismans, due to having Crafting skill at level 16. With a wide grin, Pef sped away and returned to his dormitory room. Then he grabbed Miya and spun her around. "My dear, I have something for you!" He exclaimed happily and passed over the Yang Cultivation and the Mana pill. Then, as his young asian wife digested the pill and learned the new cultivation, he bound the pink ribbon on her neck, then kissed her pearly white neck skin. "Oh...a Saint relic?" Miya whispered in amazement, with a glance at her own page. "Ain''t I the best husband ever?" Pef asked and preened himself, standing tall and proud. "You sure are, hubby! And now I have to reward you, very very sweetly..." Miya whispered shyly, then jumped on him while storing her clothes in inventory, wearing only the glowing ribbon. Pef stored his own clothes, and enjoyed farming his wife. Lise and Lucia joined them a bit later, eager to participate in the fertility ritual. Valhalla While Miya and Lucia continued their training with the Alchemists, Pef focused instead on exploring the next levels of the dungeon, one Floor higher every day. Minotaurs, Liches, Vampires, Demons, Devils, Dragons (although young ones), Trolls...more and more varied and strong bosses emerged, each sporting dangerous abilities and skills. And also granting extra attributes the first time they were killed, like all Elite bosses. The loot wasn''t spectacular, but still it brought a nice revenue income, and once in a while a decent spell manual or some artifact. However, the dungeon was really dangerous, even for someone with a Gamer''s Body and a system. Without having Lise at his side, Pef might have died a few times, caught in vampiric mind snares or in a dragon''s fear aura. Luckily, only a tenth of all bosses were able to fly, thus reducing their effective range and danger. Another month passed this way, until Pef and Lise reached Floor 61, which was also the highest Floor the blonde queen had reached by herself. The Winged Python was rather strong, as could it use a sort of incendiary flamethrower. But it did grant him his 220 level so it wasn''t all bad. "From here on... I don''t know what might happen... I am a bit scared, Pef." Lise admitted in a timid voice. "Don''t worry, my love. I was just exploring. We''ll wait for Miya to become a Saint as well. Then we go as a party. Four people are much stronger than a single one, even if she''s a Legendary Queen." Pef said teasingly. Lise blushed and looked away. "I''m not a queen yet..." Pef smiled wryly. "You already are, in my heart." His lips were squashed at once, as his queen was very grateful for his words. They battled hand to hand and mouth-to-mouth for a while, until Raiju growled at them to get a room. Then they returned to their room, and finished they battle in a time expansion dungeon. Soon enough, Miya achieved her Novice Alchemist status, and began learning how to make potions and other magic ingredients, like mana crystals and healing tinctures. Pef and his family all celebrated by getting a bit drunk and naked, and showing Miya she was really loved, until she fainted in bliss. "Tomorrow is her ascension day." Lucia mused while patting Miya''s sleeping head. Pef nodded, then had a great idea. "I think we should exploit her ascension and ask Miya to scout ahead, free of risk. Send her to Floor 62." Lise sighed. "That''s kinda cruel...sending Miya to die like that." "She doesn''t have to die. Perhaps she can defeat the boss. Or retreat. Either way we gain important knowledge, and Miya gets to go where no man has gone before..." Pef replied with a smirk. "You''re a moron..." Lucia said with a grimace. "Pef does have a point though. We do need to know how resurrection actually works. And Raiju is too cute to sacrifice him, especially as he''s level 18 now. Soon he''ll evolve again." Lise added with a glance at the lightning wolf elemental. Raiju preened himself and pawed at the air. "Mistress is too kind" he said proudly, making everyone chuckle, even Lise who blushed a little. Pef lounged on his pillow and gestured Lucia to climb on. "Let''s farm some more, my beloved witch. Your body is getting nicer everyday..." he said with an approving voice. Lucia''s body has lost some of its plump form, and instead had become more like an athlete, with tones muscles under her soft skin. Lucia smiled shyly, then climbed her husband. "T-that''s because you farm me everyday. I keep getting Strength and Constitution points from all this. And I even got Agility a few times..." Next day, Miya achieved her Saint class rank, due to having 300 Mind and 600 Magic attributes filled into her character page. It was a much simpler and effective way to know yourself and your capability, with the help of the gaming system. Other people had done it by trial and error first, then by rote learning and following the steps laid out by their predecessors, but now, Pef and his harem could ascend by mere clever placement of status points. It was obviously much easier and less risky than unexpectedly being hit by a Heaven''s Tribulation, while doing something completely different, like researching occult magic or even meditating on top of some mountain. The nine bolts of lightning had a reduced effect, due to their target wearing an array of Magic Resistance items, including a few non-destructible ones. She looked a bit hot and naked like this, wearing only magic accessories right now. "It''s amazing...I''m a Saint class now, like the old Masters in my sect." Miya said while checking herself for damage, and dressing herself again, via her character menu. Lightning bolts did obliterate any clothing or armor not immune to magical damage. Pef grabbed her into a tight hug. "And it''s only going to get better. About 60 more levels for you, and you''ll be a Legendary housewife!" he said in a teasing tone, making Miya blush a little. "... We''ll have to visit home and introduce you to my family." his wife muttered in a shy tone. Pef patted her back. "In a few months we will, my love. But first, you and I need to become powerful. Never again will we be at the whim of some cult or Abyss group, trying to exploit us while we are weak." Miya nodded grimly. "I remember, Pef. We will have those Templars pay someday." she said with a bit of steel in her voice and a determined look in her black eyes.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Soon enough, Miya stepped forward into the next Floor portal, ready to die if needed. *Your party member Miya Chen has died in a private dungeon. *Resurrect her? Yes/Yes. Pef sighed and clicked Yes. As expected, exploring the dungeon was dangerous, especially with elite bosses immune to most types of harm. A naked Miya appeared in front of him, first in ghost form, then regrowing her body at high speed. "Damn it! I beat the underlings, some kind of sick elephants of purple skin. Then a huge mammoth appeared, and I couldn''t damage it at all..." his wife complained in a sad voice. "... How was dying, my dear? " Lucia asked with a worried voice. Miya blinked confused, then looked down at her body. "I don''t remember that. Just getting close to the ground as my mana ran out...then that Siberian Woolly Mammoth rushing at me." Gaia sighed audibly from above them. "I blocked those memories. No need to remember being trampled to death." "... Oh. I guess that''s a little better. Thank you, my goddess." Lucia whispered in a thankful voice. Lise glared at Pef for a moment then nodded to herself. "So now we know. No more rushing ahead, and dying foolishly." Pef grimaced a bit sheepishly. "Sorry Miya. But it''s better than going unprepared." Miya smiled a bit sadly. "There will always be stronger enemies. At least this time nothing was lost." she replied more philosophically. "All right. Back to Alchemy lessons both of you. I''ll think of something." Pef decided after a moment. Lucia and Miya entered the return portal, leaving only Lise and himself on the 61st Floor. Lise glanced at him with her piercing blue eyes. "And by thinking, you mean to go in and bludgeon that overgrown pachyderm to death?" she asked in a wry tone, while raising an eyebrow. Raiju ran next to Pef, and pawed at his leg. "Revenge is best served cold and drowned in blood, right?" Pef sighed and patted his elemental on its wolfish head. "One day, yes. But I think it''s time we finish that trade with Asgard. Then we''ll have a proper weapon to fight such bosses, by ourselves." "Ready to meet Odin then?" Gaia spoke with a calm voice, and formed a new portal in front of them, glowing like a rainbow at the edges. "That''s a Bifrost portal?" Lise realized with a start. "Not for you, dear Lise. This is something my emissary has to do by himself. And don''t worry. Asgard is only Odin''s private dungeon." Gaia added in a secretive voice, just as Pef walked through. *You have entered Asgard, the Ninth Level of Valhalla. Time flows at 100 to 1 differential, with positive bias. *All stats are reduced by 95 percent due to a God''s will suppression. *HP, MP and STA recovery rates are reduced by 500 percent, due to entering a God domain. *You have been detected and locked in a time-frozen containment spell. *Time flow slowed to 1 billion to 1, with negative bias. *You detect an ominous aura. *Danger sense levels up. *Danger sense levels up. *Danger sense levels up. *Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up.*Danger sense levels up. *Your Danger Sense has reached level 20 and has evolved to Phantom Sense. *Phantom Sense levels up. *Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up.*Phantom Sense levels up. *A powerful being is scanning you. *Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up. *Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up.*Mind Resistance levels up. *Your Holy Aura levels up. *Your Holy Aura levels up. *Your Holy Aura levels up. *Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up.*Your Holy Aura levels up. *The Time Freeze spell was dispelled. You gain a faint understanding of time manipulation due to prolonged exposure. A flurry of notifications blurred into Pef''s vision. Then he perceived a strangely armored guy waving his palm in front of his eyes. His other hand held a large sword, much too big to be of use against normal people. But then, most invaders daring to breach Asgard were not human sized. *Heimdall, Guardian of Asgard. *Demi-god, Level 476, ???, ??? Status: wary, ???, amused. Pef grinned inward. Prety much as expected, he was detected and captured instantly as he transgressed into Asgard. "Tell your boss I came to trade. An eye for an eye, as they say on Midgard." Pef muttered in a soft whisper. "Oh? We like brave people here. Our dungeons are full of them..." Hemidall replied with a snarky tone, while lowering his huge sword, and storing it back into some subspace pocket. Pef produced a Major Healing potion and held it in his hand. "I expect you know what this is, Guardian?" he asked with a calm voice. Heimdall glared at him for a moment, while his eyes turned violet. "I see. Someone will come to pick you up, mortal." the demigod said in a cold tone, and seeming not too pleased. Odin It didn''t take long for his escort to arrive, but it was still a bit awkward as Heimdall kept silent and just scanned the Bifrost portal for more intruders. A man and woman, both wearing heavy plate armor, the man looking a bit worn and tired, the woman looking fresh and rather pretty. *Tyr, Leader of Einherjar. Asgardian. Level 411. *Sif. Legendary warrior. Asgardian, level 268. Pef blinked at the armored Asgardians, but nodded politely anyway. The leader of the entire Asgardian army? "Lord Tyr, Lady Sif..." Pef muttered in a half daze. "Visitor from Midgard...and a Saint class Mage." Tyr replied with a frowning face. Pef nodded. "I am Pef. Nowadays, training to become a Master Alchemist, in Geneva." he explained politely. Lady Sif tilted her head to the side, now visibly interested. "Alchemist... I see now. Lady Freya might want to see you." she murmured with a glance at Heimdall for confirmation. "He smells like those Druids, though. I sense the Blessing of Gaia on him." the Guardian said without turning his head, still focused on his door guarding job. Tyr massaged his temple with a grimace. "Our King wants to see him first." he said turning to leave and gesturing with his palm over his shoulder. Soon enough, the party made their way across the Rainbow Bridge, which was some form of solid state or hard light, leading towards a large castle flanked by huge mountains and crossing over an endless waterfall. Pef tried to make sense of his surroundings but failed. Too much magic interference, coupled with his lowered stats, made discerning reality a chore. Which event, was possibly the whole intent of this Valhalla dungeon. They reached a great palace, all gold and shinny. *You have entered the Halls of Asgard, by invitation. Restrictions removed. Lady Sif glanced at Pef in surprise, as his power levels climbed rapidly, getting close to her own. "Our king has accepted your presence. It seems I''m no longer needed for security." the woman explained with a wry voice, and a tiny smile. "Eh, you should stay though. This meeting will be fun, and later we can go for a beer." Pef quipped with a smile of his own. Tyr turned to glare at him, before gesturing towards a far away, but rather big golden throne. "For your sake, you better not waste our king''s time. Or the meeting will not be fun at all." Pef checked himself, making sure his enchanted armor was clean, and all his buffs were still powered on. As expected, Charming Guy was already slightly working now, slowly raising social levels with Lady Sif, if only by a few percents. *Your Charisma rolls 3 with Lady Sif. Total roll 110. 100 resisted due to mental resistance and level difference. *Relationship with Lady Sif is now 10. (Accepted) Pef smiled kindly towards his new lady friend and walked forward. At the foot of the golden dais, a field of some kind blocked his progress. "Pef, emissary of Gaia. Welcome to Asgard." an old man with a single eye spoke from the throne, although there was nobody on it a second ago. "King Odin. We finally meet. I hear you like my potions quite a lot." Pef replied after a small bow. Odin raised a hand to stop Tyr from interfering. "Well met, young Pef. Indeed, I do admire your potions very much. Nothing like them in the whole Nine Realms." the old guy said and stepped down from his throne, reaching beside Pef in a single step. Odin, God of Valhalla. God, Lvl ???? Status: sickly, dying, crippled. Pef almost gasped as he observed the dying god. "I have brought a few potions, but I can''t see how they can help you now, King Odin." "Yes, that''s why it''s called twilight, young one. The sun has to set first, before a new day can arrive." Odin spoke with a wise but sad voice. "... Twilight of the gods, huh? I bet you are rather eager for Ragnar?k, aren''t you? At least you''ll die in battle..." Pef mused to himself, patting Odin on his forearm. The old god smiled wryly. "Indeed. However, I rather win this last war, even if it costs my life. And for that..." Pef produced an Elixir and a couple of Major healing potions. Odin raised an eyebrow, and collected the gifts into his inner subspace. "A worthy gift, eh? So what do you want in return, young Alchemist?" Pef thought for a moment. "Let''s visit the dungeon first. No need to ask for it, if I can''t use it." he said in a fake whisper, and raised his eyebrow. Space distorted for a second, and the surroundings changed. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. *You have entered Asgard''s Dungeon. *You have detected an ominous aura. Pef looked around, as there were now hundreds of cells and storage lockers lining a long hallway. "You may select anything you want from here. But be warned. I will not allow you to leave, if you overstep." Odin muttered, and he began chugging down the Elixir and the potions, seemingly lost in thought. Pef sighed. Gods were always flimsy and erratic, and Odin was rather a good one. He began examining the cells, until he found a white fire burning fiercely in a metal tray. "Observe." Pef whispered inward. *Eternal Flame. Elder God artifact. Cannot be extinguished. Able to resurrect anyone below God class. With a hesitant hand, he poked the fire, almost expecting his hand to vanish like in molten metal. *You have touched the Eternal Flame. Gain +50 Magic. Gain +20 Constitution. Gain +10 Karma. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has increased. *Your Adaptation to Fire has reached level 20 and has evolved. You gain Fire Resistance, passive. Your Magic Resistance increases by 10 percent. The flame felt cold, and not just cold, immensely cold, like freezing arctic ice. *You have tried to store the Eternal Flame. You need 3000 Magic attributes. "Damn it, I''m not strong enough to wield this." Pef complained in a low voice. "... Yes, you''re not that strong. And yet...you''re still alive. And even gained something from the attempt." Odin whispered from his side, having appeared there unnoticed. Pef turned, and saw Odin has regrown his lost eye. "... As have you, King Odin. Wisdom was supposed to cost you half the light of the world." he muttered in defeat. Odin snorted at that and patted his shoulder. "Still, the attempt should not cost you this much. Anything else you want?" the Asgardian god asked in a more relaxed voice. "Well... I will come back for some Eternal Flame later. It told me what I need to do to be worthy of it. But in the meantime..." Pef said while thinking out loud. "... Oh. That changes things, yes. All right." Pef summoned his Drill Torpedo and shot it at a nearby forcefield blocking a cell. "I''ve been trying to make a Lightning spell, but it''s not very good. Still has lots of trouble damaging resistant monsters." he explained with a shrug. Odin raised an eyebrow at his prowess. "I see. Slow, cumbersome, costs too much mana, and doesn''t follow targets?" the god asked to make sure. Pef just nodded sadly. "I need like 20 of them to kill an Ice Troll leader. Not to mention those Siberian Mammoths." Odin blinked as he tried to recall those particular monsters. "Right. Try to use this spear, it has an innate spell." he said and passed him a golden spear, brimming with energy. *Gungnir. God class artifact. Adds 10000xMagic damage. Never misses. Users can cast Holy Arcane Spear for 1000 MP. Has 1000 percent Penetration and 1000xMagic damage at ranges below 1 light second. Pef flung the new magic spell at the glowing forcefield 30 times in rapid succession, since his Mana pool was barely over 30 thousands. *You have learned Holy Arcane Spear spell, by casting it repeatedly. Holy Arcane Spear fuses with Drill Lightning Torpedo and Lightning Spear. *Holy Torpedo is now level 4 and does 1000xMagic damage with 400 percent Penetration. Chance to hit increase by 40 percent and homing to target is now at 80 percent. Cost 1800 MP. *You have learned a God class spell. Gain +10 Magic. Pef smiled grandly and passed the Gungnir spear back to the old Asgardian god. "Thanks a lot, King Odin. Learned the spell and it''s at least twice as good as before." he said with a large smile. Odin raised an eyebrow, and examined Pef with his new eyes. "A natural ability from Gaia..." Pef just shrugged. "Perhaps we can visit Lady Freya for a bit? We can brag about my potions healing your eye." Odin sighed and waved a hand in dismissal. *You have been expelled from Asgard. -100000 HP. *Left Eye destroyed. Regrow time - 120 minutes. *Regrow gains a level up. Pef looked around, finding himself in slight pain from his gouged out eye, and observing Geneva approaching rapidly as he fell among the clouds. The city was rather nice from high above, streets illuminated and the Geneva Lake sparkling in moonlight. It seemed the visit to Valhalla has lasted much longer than he knew. "Damn gods..." he muttered with a pained sigh. Perhaps he shouldn''t have joked about an eye for an eye. Sadly, only the wind heard him. Quest Passing rapidly through a grey cloud, Pef sought to find a silver lining for his misfortune. ''Being snarky with gods is not a healthy occupation.'' he mused inward, with a wry but somewhat wiser voice. *You have entered the Paracelsus Association Dungeon, via freefall. Gaia is amused. Pef''s eyebrow twitched a little at the notification. "Glad to have been amusing." he muttered in a low voice. However, there was a grey wearing person waiting for him as he came to land. "Mister Pef. Follow me." the Grandmaster Alchemist said in a rather stern tone. Pef nodded and sighed inward. Master Paracelsus knew of his adventure in Valhalla, no doubt about. A minute later, they entered his office, an old looking room, lined with ancient bronze and crystal alchemic utensils and leather-bound books on the shelves near the walls, looking more like a museum than a real office. "How was Asgard, Elder Pef?" Paracelsus asked with a polite and curious voice. Pef glanced up at his grey-blue eyes, searching for further meaning. Only, those eyes were calm and inscrutable, like the winter sky. "Well...some of it was magical and mythical. I even made a friend there, Lady Sif." Pef explained in a more relaxed tone. Paracelsus sighed audibly, and tapped his old oak table. Suddenly a pair of tea cups were steaming on the table, smelling positively holy. "Try this green mountain tea. I got it from my old days in Tibet." Pef obeyed and took a small sip. *You have tasted Shangri La green tea, prepared by a demigod. You gain +1 Mind. "... Good stuff." Pef whispered in his cup. The old alchemist shook his head. "Our negotiations for using the Eternal Flame to concoct the Philosopher''s Stone have been frozen. Odin himself said there''s no more need. And to ask you why." Pef blinked, first in confusion, then in realization. "... That''s...Erm. I did touch it. The Eternal Flame. But it told me to attain demigod status before I can use it." he said in a bit of ashamed tone. Paracelsus nodded to himself and sipped his tea. "I see. Perhaps you have gained some wisdom from this adventure, seeing as you lost your left eye in Asgard." the man said in a pained voice. "I had no idea you were trying to obtain access to the flame!" Pef replied in an apologetic tone, trying to make himself smaller, and not pawing at the gouged eye, at all. Despite the urge to poke it with a finger. "Yes. Perhaps a bit more communicating would have been more wise, from myself. No matter. Those Major potions were yours to begin with. And the Eternal Flame is sentient, in its own way. That you were allowed to touch it...perhaps it will work better this way." the old man mused in a softer voice, and twinkle in his eye. "... So, we''re good?" Pef asked to make sure, voice uncertain and a bit wary. Paracelsus finished his tea in silence, perhaps considering his answer. "The goal of Alchemy, and all alchemists, is to concoct the Philosopher Stone. I have personally been on this quest for 400 years, Mister Pef. Waiting a few more months or even years isn''t a problem. But you have incurred a debt. I expect you to repay it, when you become able." the Alchemist Grandmaster said after a long time to think. *The Gamer has received a new update on the Ascension quest. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.*Additional goals unveiled: *Reach Demigod class. *Obtain the Eternal Flame from Asgard''s dungeon. *Craft the Philosopher Stone, for the Alchemist Association or just yourself. Pef nodded in reply. "I am growing quite fast, with the aid of your training dungeon, Master Paracelsus. Even reached Floor 62, so I expect to become a Legendary class shortly. But...for a demigod status...that won''t be so easy." "We''ll talk again when your year is up, Elder. Try to avoid gods in the meantime. You got away easy, this time." the demigod said in a dismissive tone, and eyed his rune inscribed door. "... Agreed, Master Paracelsus. It kinda hurts, even so." Pef replied calmly, and didn''t fly away, instead walking out like a normal person. As he left the room, the corner of the room shimmered and condensed into a human shape. "Risky..." the man said a gruff tone. The demigod glanced at his fellow alchemist. "Not at all, my friend. Your hand took a whole month to grow back. And our young Alchemist Elder wasn''t even burned. Perhaps you should make other arrangements for your own protegee. Monaco perhaps or Andorra." Paracelsus decided with a tiny smirk. A king or queen, in the end it didn''t matter. He would win either way, only this way the gains might double. "... Damn it. I have already invested plenty for the runic defenses of Vaduz Castle." the bearded man replied while clenching his left hand in phantom pain. "It''s the same for us, my old friend. Lise will make a great queen, I think." Paracelsus said in a careless tone, and took out another batch of Tibetan tea. He should visit Dalai Lama again, before he had to die and reincarnate yet again. Perhaps time it to have a childhood together with the new Dalai Lama. Von Mackberg sighed and picked up his own cup of tea. "Monaco is too high profile, right now. Andorra it is. I''ll send an advance team to begin preparations." "You do that. I''m leaving for Nepal today." Paracelsus said in a level voice, and vanished as his cup touched the old table. Von Mackberg grit his teeth and held his left hand out in front of him. A black bone ring with a grinning skull decorated his index finger. "Yes, Master. It is the same for us." With a shimmer of shadow, he too vanished in a teleport spell, going back to his old boring job as a Swiss bank director. Someone had to keep an eye on all this money. ------------------ Meanwhile, Pef returned to his dorm room, and the loving embrace of his wives. "It''s been two weeks, Pef!" Lise exclaimed in outrage. Pef blinked and glanced at Lucia. "Time flows differently in Valhalla." he explained sheeply. Miya just grinned and hugged his side knowingly. "And there haven''t been any...female distractions?" "... Uh. I did meet Lady Sif. But only for a short time." he replied weakly. They all giggled at that. "Silly husband. Is she a goddess at least?" Lucia said teasingly, while slowly dragging a finger down his chest, and groping his balls fondly. "Lady Sif is Legendary class. Odin kicked me out when I tried to meet Goddess Freya." Pef said with a shrug. Lise growled in annoyance and summoned her own temporal dungeon. "Get naked, now!" she demanded in a horny voice, storing her own clothes in her inventory. Pef grinned and obeyed. His harem will need a bit of sweet loving to be sated, after two weeks of relativistic absence. Dungeons and Dragons With a screech and a thunder sound, the Holy Arcane Torpedo flew at light speed towards the Siberian Mammoth boss. -900000 -900000 *You have defeated the Siberian Mammoth. You gain 59 million Exp. *You have found the All-Element Resistance Manual. *You have cleared Floor 62. Repeat/wait/go forth? ''Wait.'' Pef glanced at his wives, then opened his inventory. He scrolled down til he found the new manual and poked it with a curious finger. *Learn All-Element Resistance? Yes/Yes. Pef pressed Yes, with a tired sigh. Sometimes, Gaia really gave him strange multiple choices. *You have learned All-Element Resistance. All-Element Resistance fuses with Holy Shield and Holy Aura. *You have obtained a Legendary Spell. Holy Barrier ignores 300 damage, blocks 300 damage and reduces all incoming damage by 30 percent. This includes Heaven''s Tribulations and God-class spells. Passive. Holy Barrier is now level 1. *Congratulations, you are now a Legend! "Uh, check this spell out..." he said in a rather confused voice. Lise stepped beside him and read the description of the new defensive spell with a serious frown. "Wow, can''t say I ever heard of anyone with that Legend. Holy Barrier...it''s already amazing at level 1. By the time it reaches level 20 it will be able to reduce any damage by 50 percent? Incredible." she whispered to herself. Pef hugged her with one arm, and gestured at her own character page. "Your Legend is called Luminous Craft, my love?" he wondered with a wry voice. "Yes. I am the only Alchemist able to craft Luminous Jewels. As their name says, the crystals glow with inner light. Forever." Lise explained proudly. He nodded to himself. It seemed a small ability, until you considered the consequences. Light was a finite resource. Especially within dungeons or other realms without electricity. You''d need to consume fuel or mana to keep a light going. But to keep a million lights going? For thousands of years? It would be expensive. "Well, I remember Achilles and Siegfried had damage reduction as well." Lucia added, while raising an eyebrow as a warning. Pef nodded. "Yes, you''re right. Not the same thing I have, but similar. Still, the barrier will help. Ascensions are becoming expensive, with the need to mitigate that tribulation lightning and losing the artifacts." Miya patted her neck and her pink ribbon. "Perhaps we can find or buy other relics like this. If we can obtain 50 percent Magic Resistance, from indestructible artifacts..." she said in a wistful tone. They all sighed. Relics were rare. That they even had a few was already a great help. Lise held a hand out. "In other news, I have been granted free rein to obtain the Queen of Lichtenstein title. It seems my dear brother is being sent to Andorra." Pef frowned at the news, considering the reasons why this would happen. "Von Mackberg. He wouldn''t just call it quits. Not before we even left this dungeon..." he mused to himself. "The Alchemists never lose, my husband. In war and peace, they always back both sides, while holding their money." Lise murmured with a suspicious glance at the dungeon''s sky. "You will be a great queen, my lovely Lise. And your castle, close to Geneva and your alchemist lab. Instead, it is your brother being sent to the Pyrenees, and tested by the world. If he fails, he was never a good king." Pef deduced after a few minutes of deep thinking. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Lise smiled sadly. "Good? No. My brother was always a degenerate, lazy noble. His first attempt at leading an army was smashed by Napoleon. Luckily I wasn''t born yet." Pef grinned wide. "Being beaten by Napoleon isn''t that bad. He kinda beat everyone." "My brother had three times more troops, plus his own magic senses. It was then that Von Mackberg found and recruited my brother. He tried to summon a demon to send after the small general, in revenge. Damn idiot!" Lise muttered with a disgusted tone, making everyone snicker. "Would that even work?" Pef wondered out loud. The wind began blowing hard and noisily around them. "I would have killed Otto Siegmarinen if his summoning was concluded. Interfering with politics directly with magic is not permitted. Of course, I won''t stop the attempts, but I do punish the transgressors." a goddess spoke with a stern voice. Pef blinked. "Really?" "Yes, my servant. Your own existence is proof of my words. More transgressors need to be punished, and you will be my instrument." Gaia replied in a somewhat warmer voice, but still cold and murderous. "... Errr. Pretty sure you could have a piano fall on any such transgressor, most vengeful goddess." Pef murmured to himself. "Indeed, I can and did. But, a piano or an anvil falling from clear sky is not the kind of punishment people fear. Bullets and nerve gas however...they do scare wrong doers. Fire and thunder. Plagues and floods. You know how it goes." Gaia said in a more relaxed tone. "Famine, Pestilence, War. All resulting in Death. How biblical of you, goddess." Lise muttered with a deep frown and seeming displeased. "Yes, well. All books have a tiny kernel of truth at their base. Especially religious books." Gaia said with a short laugh and vanished in wind. Pef snorted at her words, and slapped him own face. The pain felt real enough. "What?" Miya asked him with a curious tone. "You heard Gaia. I have become death, her personal angel of judgement. Plus, all religions are confirmed pretty much lies. With a tiny, tiny bit that''s still true." he said with a sigh. Lise glared at him. "You knew that already, husband. You have met a few gods." Pef grit his teeth and nodded. "Nearly got sacrificed by the priests of one. I''ve not forgotten, just never placed them in context." "The White one. The Bastard without a father. He impregnated his own mother." Miya added in a cold, revengeful voice. Pef nearly chocked at those words. "Umm. Pretty sure that story is metaphorical. Then again, we might meet him one day, and ask him." Lucia sighed and glanced at the portal towards the next Floor. "Revenge can wait, you two. Are we going further into the dungeon?" Pef glanced at Miya. "Up to you my dear." The Chinese girl bit her lips then flew into the portal. An hour passed in silence. Then another. Soon enough, Miya respawned naked beside them. A small sacrifice, but it paid off to know the opponent in advance. "Red dragon. Asian kind. Should be vulnerable to water and ice." she reported while going over her memories. Pef and his wives nodded and flew into the next portal. Dragons weren''t that scary anymore. A few minutes later, Pef regretted his bravery. Dragons were really scary. Carry the team Pef glared at the Floor 67 portal, while listening to his wife''s explanation. A golem, glowing with silver light. "I spent all my mana, husband, and barely did a little damage. Even my special ectoplasmic hands did nothing." Miya concluded and shivered. He eyed Lise for a second. She nodded at him. "As expected from my Master. A true Immortal placed as a barrier." Lise said in a calm voice. Lucia bounced up and down a bit on her toes. It made a mesmerizing view, but now it was not the time. Pef glanced at his character page. *Pef the Gamer Saint Class Level 225 Sorcerer Level 15 Alchemist Elder. HP 152500, MP 37500 Free attributes: 0 Strength: 60+11 Agility: 54+25 Constitution: 120+25 Magic: 900+35 Mind: 332+25 Charisma: 53+10 Karma: 53+5 Euros: 4.35 Billion. With all those bonuses placed in Magic, he was getting near the Legendary status, and only needed about 30 more levels to reach 400 Mind, where he expected the next Tribulation to occur. "We go in." he decided after a minute. He should be strong enough. He should. Now let''s test that theory. Pef and his wives entered the 67th Floor of the Paracelsus Dungeon, knowing they might die. But then, that was always been the case. At least this time, they had a backup option of being resurrected with a lower level. Not that much of a deal, in the grander scheme. The Floor was barren, land looking like burnt stone, with no features, no hills or mountains, no clouds in the air, just a silver sky, hiding the sun. A hand emerged from the ground and soon it drew the rest of the body upwards, revealing a golem minion. ''Observe'' Pef thought. *Earth Golem Advanced. Level 200. HP 20000,MP 200. Status: petrified, unyielding, stoned. Soon, more and more golems emerged from the ground, forming a silent army, staring up at the flying invaders. "Lucia, Miya." Pef ordered softly. His wives began unleashing their spells and abilities, slowly chipping away at the landlocked enemies, from the safety of their air position. "The minions are already this strong, huh?" Lise murmured to herself. "And they don''t die easily at all. Must have tons of Magic Resistance." Pef replied wisely, summoning his Arclance. He sped up, using his Nine Saintly Steps to engage the slow golems, and slashed with his white glowing Arc lance. -9999 -9999 "Area spells, please." he demanded as he moved to the next targets. -10 -10 -10 A shower of pebbles and stones battered him from the golem army. *Adapted the Earth element damage.*Adapted the Earth element damage.*Adapted the Earth element damage.*Adapted the Earth element damage.*Adapted the Earth element damage.*Adapted the Earth element damage.*Adapted the Earth element damage. *Earth resistance gained. Luckily, his Holy Barrier and his armor negated most of the damage. The smashing of golems continued for hours, until the last one crumbled to dust. *You have defeated 1000 Earth Golems. Gained 66 mil exp. *You have gained the Duster Perk. Gain +10 percent damage vs golems. Pef nodded at the notifications while flying up to regroup with his wives. As expected, the game system gave him a bonus against the incoming boss, making the next fight a bit more easy. A tiny bit. The huge silver golem that emerged next was quite different from the inexpressive clay monsters. It even had eyes, glowing with a silver and gold light. Pef had a bad feeling about this boss. *Lot, the last golem. Immortal. *Level 300, Saint class. HP 20 million. MP 3000. *Status: enchanted, enspelled, petrified. Then the boss open his mouth and a scream made the sky tremble. *Ash wail resisted. Another rumble and ash began falling from the sky like snow. Pef decided speed was the factor here. Letting the boss prepare the terrain would be foolish. He took out his druid staff and began launching Holy Torpedoes at the silvery golem. His wives began firing spells as well, with little to no effect. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. -40000 -40000 -40000 His torpedoes did somewhat more damage, but it was not enough. Damn golem boss probably had 99 percent Magic Resistance. -100 -100 Each flake of ash touching him was draining his hit points, like a Floor-wide area spell. "We''re on a timer here! Use CC on him. And do something about the ash!" Pef yelled while racking his brains for a new spell that could help. Fortunately, thousands of hours of playing games weren''t for nothing. ''I need to break his armor, or lower his resistances.'' Pef thought and began working on that, while still casting Holy Torpedoes at the boss and dodging stone spears ejected from the golem''s arms. *You have created a new spell. Lower Resistance lowers Magic Resistance of one target by 10 percent. Cost 100 MP. Pef cast that at once, noting the sharp increase in damage, both from his torpedoes, and the other spells raining down from his wives. An acid cloud covered the golem''s head, probably from Lucia. *You have created a new spell, Area Decay. Lowers all resistances in a 50-meter radius by 5 percent. Cost 500 MP. "Yes!" Pef yelled in joy. The boss wasn''t moving around, so casting the spell at his feet helped a bit more. He drank a MP potion and kept firing. A hundred torpedoes later, the Holy Torpedo finally leveled up. *Holy Torpedo reaches level 5. It has 1000x magic damage and 450 percent Penetration. Cost 1750 MP. Pef sighed in relief. His damage amount kept climbing while the MP consumption was getting reduced a little. Still, by the time the boss was withered to half-health, his wives had to retreat and heal themselves. They didn''t have the huge regeneration like he did, and the ash kept burning through their HPs. Pef kept going, soloing the boss from a hundred meters up, always careful to dodge the spears shot by the immortal golem. He didn''t want to test his luck with the potential damage of a level 300 boss. Mana potion after potion, his MP were restored and Pef kept shooting. The Holy Torpedo leveled up again a bit later, reaching 500 percent penetration. Entering Floating Meditation wasn''t an option while he had to dodge the spears, so only thing he could do was keep drinking more potions. Pef had thousands of Mana potions in his inventory, so it wasn''t that much of a problem. Finally, the boss Hit Points were depleted and it broke into silver shards, crashing to the ground and sinking into it. *You have defeated Lot. You gain 66 mil Exp. *You gain a level. *You have defeated a Saint Immortal and gained 100 HP and MP. *You have found an Elixir potion. You have found 2 Major Mana Potions. *You have found an Enchanted Silver Earring. Grants 30 Magic and 30 Percent MP recovery. *You have found the Torah Summon Golem Manual. Pef checked the spell book at once. *You need 400 Mind, to learn this spell. Checking the time, Pef found he had been in combat for nearly 19 hours. "Damn it, so tired." he muttered as Raiju ran to his side to support him. *Your Lightning elemental, Raiju has reached level 20 and can evolve. Cost 30000 MP. Agree? Yes/Wait. "What do you say, buddy? Wanna grow stronger?" he asked with concern. The elemental glanced at the sky then towards the place where the boss has just died. "Enemy was too strong, Master. Maybe next time, I can help more." Raiju replied after a few seconds. Pef nodded tiredly and pressed Yes with telekinesis. Soon enough, the sky above began churning and concentrating into a single huge cloud. Raiju ran a hundred meters away and opened his toothy mouth wide at the sky, just as a silver bolt crashed down on him, with enough power to shatter the earth under. Raiju glowed silver for a minute, before slowly eating and digesting the Heaven''s energy. *Your elemental Raiju has survived a Silver Tribulation and has evolved to a Major Lightning Elemental. *Raiju gains Chain Lightning, Thunder aura and Thunder armor. Raiju is now a Legendary class and will restore to life after death, after 24 hours of cool down. "Uh, no mention of private dungeons? Simply immortal?" Pef wondered. A tiny laugh sounded as Gaia ruffled Raiju''s fur. "Oh, my elementals are all immortal, my dear Pef. They do however have plenty of other disadvantages. Still, if you do become a Legendary class yourself, I might throw you a boon as well. Just in case." the goddess concluded with her usual cheerful voice and vanished into the wind. "...We beat the golem. Haha. Now we can farm him, for so much HP and MP!" Miya yelled as she came to land near Pef. Pef sighed as he fell asleep. Legend Grinding Lot, the silver golem became easier with each day. The next time took only 16 hours, and the next 14. Such is the ability of a broken game character, leveling himself and his spells with every fight. Continuous use of spells also reduced their cost, and after a month the Holy Torpedo reached level 20 and was able to rank up as well. And it all came to a peak, once he reached 1000 Magic attributes, 25 levels later. Fusing it with the older Arc Torpedo gave it Lightning attributes and increased its damage even more, due to Pef''s bonuses from his Lightning affinity. *Arcane Torpedo level 1 has 1100x Magic damage and 1100 percent penetration. Cost 900 MP. Can home in and chase targets in a 100-meter impact radius. *Legendary spell achieved. Reach 400 Mind for next Ascension. Pef rose an eyebrow at the notification. So, it wasn''t just simply placing status points now. He had to achieve something special to be recognized as Legendary. The latest boss run took less than 2 hours. Amazing DPS right now, if he could say so himself. It made sense somehow. When you thought of someone from legends, they all had a special thing, right? Like Hercules strength, or Achilles dodging or Siegfried''s bath in dragon blood. Reaching 1000 Magic also released his last obstacles into mastering Alchemy and a plethora of spells and spell fusions. *You have learned Ancient Alchemy. You may progress further on the Alchemy path. Pef sighed in relief. That was one obstacle that also needed 1000 Magic points, just to get started. Fusing the Yang cultivation with the Aur Vedic Mediation also increased his stats yet again, reaching 100 attributes bonus in Strength, Agility and Constitution, as well as gaining 100 percent extra MP recovery. The new Yang Vedic cultivation was something only a game system could have made, fusing two different cultures into something much better. And Pef knew it could go even higher, as that warning message from trying to fuse Yin and Yang cultivations showed. Luckily, the game system made MP as a universal energy recipient, so he didn''t have to worry about positive and negative qi or molding chakra energy. Just simple and easy to use mana points. Practicing Alchemy and crafting potions and talismans also helped him gain a few extra Mind attributes, and now Pef was only a level away from reaching his next Tribulation. It was going to be a big silver bolt, going from what he had seen with Raiju. And wasn''t his elemental pet a wonder now, almost able to go toe to toe with the silver golem on his own. Almost. Sure he was amazing fast and dealt constant damage with Thunder Aura and Chained spells, but Raiju was still fragile. But once Pef learned the new golem summon and fused it with his old one...then he would have a tank to stop enemies from rushing in. "One last time, my dear wives. Time to become legend, eh?" Pef asked rhetorically, making Lise sigh at him. Damn queen wasn''t that impressed, being a Legend herself, and after a century of hard work. "Just make sure your Magic Resistance is set to maximum. You already have 45 percent from your aura and items, just use some armor items, you can afford it now." Lise told him in a cautions voice. Pef agreed. Sure, it will cost him 500 millions to buy his armor items yet again. Somewhere, an armor crafter was making a fortune off him and his wives leveling up. Bu that was only 10 Elixirs. A day of hard work in the dungeon. Twelve hours farming an immortal golem. He was making more money in a day than most Fortune 100 companies, while also racking up levels and HP and MP free points. A last run at the boss. Then something unexpected happened. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.*You have defeated Lot. You gain 66 mil Exp. *You gain a level. *You have defeated a Saint Immortal and gained 100 HP and MP. *You have found an Elixir potion. You have found 6 Major Mana Potions. *You have farmed Lot until he dropped his special item. Gain +1 Karma. *You have found an Alchemic Mercuric Silver vial. Pour this over an owned golem to enchant it into Saint class. "Uh, what the...?" Pef muttered while staring at the vial in his inventory. Lise stepped beside him to reach the item''s description on the menu page. "This...this must be how Master actually crafted this golem boss. Huh. You must have devil''s luck, husband." Lise said in a half-envious voice. Lucia and Miya gathered as well to read the details. "So coool! If you survive the Ascension you can make yourself a boss class golem?" Miya said in awe. "Possibly. My crafting is only level 17 though. Not sure if that''s enough." Pef murmured to himself. Gaia didn''t intervene with advice, so probably it wasn''t enough. Glancing at the silver sky, Pef grit his teeth as he began preparing for his Silver Tribulation. Removing the items he didn''t want to lose, and setting his resistances at 100 percent. Lastly, Pef opened his character page, and added the final points into Mind, reaching 400. With a blink, the menu screen folded into a line then vanished. "Get away!" He yelled as the sky gathered into a huge tornado-like shape, just above. Then light and pain. -99999 *You have survived a Silver Tribulation and have Ascended to Legendary class. *Heavenly Silver Thunderbolt does 1 percent damage to you. You have adapted to Heaven''s Tribulation and gain 1 percent permanent Magic Resistance, due to your Holy Barrier. *Holy Barrier reaches level 2. Grants 400 damage absorption and 31 Magic resist, including Heavenly Tribulation and Silver Tribulation. *Your MP pool doubles. *Leveled up spells and abilities can evolve. *Gamer''s body has reached level 18. *Regrowth has reached level 3. *Your armor was destroyed. *Your Snowflake necklace is unbreakable. *Your Sage Eye ring is immune. Pef stared around with blind eyes, as the lighting flash was still pulsing in his damaged eyes. "Is that normal, Lise?" he heard someone ask, as his eardrums regrew. "...Uh. What about him seems normal to you?" a snarky voice replied. Lise then. "I won''t say I don''t like it though. Not sure it will fit anymore...." Lucia added with a somehow teasing voice. "...What''s going on?" Pef muttered confused. The wives giggled out loud and didn''t respond. "Well, well. This is quite a show, even for me." he heard Gaia''s voice add to the chorus and giggle a little. Suddenly, Pef realized. He was naked, right. Tribulations had that efect. Sighing in despair, Pef opened his menu and dressed himself in new clothes. "Owwww. He caught on. Too bad." Raiju laughed as well. Pef took out a Medium potion to hasten his recovery. Eye injuries took a bit of time to heal. *For putting up a good show you gain Gaia''s boon. *Gamer''s body allows resurrection in world dungeons, at maxed level. You will return to the last Ascension level. "Thank you goddess. This is really helpful." he said in a daze. Immortality was a true gift, even if only in dungeons. A warm hand caressed his face, then vanished as he opened his eyes, fully healed. Pef blinked, looking at his wives for help. "You''re so fucked..." Miya said as an explanation. True enough, soon enough Pef found himself in Lise''s temporal dungeon, getting farmed by his horny wives. With increased effort resistance from his boosted stats and able to fuel Dual cultivation for much longer, with the extra MP it took long hours to sate all three of them. But Pef was a legend now. And the beginning of a new legend began forming. Defiance *The Gamer has received a new quest: Harem King. *Obtain more wives, concubines, mistresses, lovers, maids or friends with benefits. *Cultivate your harem. *Become a king. *??? *??? *??? *??? *??? *??? Rewards: profit, pleasure, skills, abilities, fame, ???, ???, ???. -You have obtained the Unending ability:refractory period has been removed. -You have obtained Sonia Tonero as a maid. Rescue your maid before it''s too late: 23.59.59 *You have slept in your bed. HP, MP and Stamina restored. 40% Exp bonus for 12 hours. Pef stretched his arms, then looked down to find his wives snuggled around his body. A red marker on his holodisplay map pointed towards the latest quest. His cute Italian maid, Sonia. She seemed to be in some kind of trouble. "Wake up ladies. We have a mission!" Pef proclaimed out loud, as he shook his wives awake. Lucia groaned and hugged his side tighter. "What mission?" she mumbled half-asleep. "Sonia. She is in trouble." Lucia woke up and glanced at his quest screen, reading the newest quest. "I doubt our goddess would give us a timer if this wasn''t dangerous." Lise and Miya woke up as well, and gathered around their husband to read the quest. "Harem King, eh? And so many side options too." Lise said with a half-amused growl. Miya sighed and kissed Pef''s cheek. "It''s my fault, hubby. I asked you to gather a harem. Now I can only support you..." Pef started kissing them one by one. Then he took Anne-Lise''s hand and placed it on his chest. "My queen, this might get dangerous, so will you grant me your help?" The blonde queen nodded with a frown. "This might be related to the Church, or the Inquisition. And it''s very likely a trap, for Lucia or Miya or yourself. Possibly all three." "I think so as well. That''s why Miya and Lucia will stay. They need to become Legends before leaving the alchemists." he replied with a frown of his own. They still had a few months in the deal, and it would be wasteful to lose the protection and expose them to the Abyss, not when Pef and Lise were already Legends and quite strong. Miya untied her Saint ribbon and then passed it to Lise, as extra protection if it came to a big fight. Lucia also took out her Earth Urn, but Lise and Pef refused to take it. "A Church relic might make things worse. Hopefully we can rescue Sonia by stealth, and be back today." Pef explained with a head shake. After some more preparation, and giving Kimmel and Paracelsus a short account for their absence, Pef and Lise flew out from the Geneva dungeon, crossing the Alps and heading for Turin, the place where the quest marker pointed. Some time later, they both hovered at the edge of a Church Dungeon, marking the boundary to the St John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin, Italy. Even outside the boundary, Pef could feel the aura of a sacred relic emanating from deep under the ground. "Is that the Turin Shroud? I read it was a medieval fake." he wondered out loud. Lise patted his shoulder for comfort. "Does it matter? If a billion people believe it''s real, then it becomes real." Pef''s eyes glinted with a hidden desire. Then, he slipped inside the boundary, still under cloak. *You have entered a World Dungeon: The Turin Shroud Cathedral. *As a heretic, you receive 100 health damage per minute, from the holy aura. *As a heretic, you receive 100 mana burn per minute, from the holy aura. *Your Holy Barrier blocks 31 percent of damage. -69 On the ground, it was a whole army arrayed in defensive layers, from soldiers with machine guns and Ariette tanks to Centauro armored vehicles and anti-air missiles. Priests and monks formed another layer of magical defenses, then golems and formation arrays glowing with gold and silver runes. Pef turned the map on the side, locating the marker for Sonia a dozen floors underground. Lise glanced at his screen then towards the welcoming party. Then at once, Pef and Lise began spamming spells, while Raiju appeared to charge the armored vehicles with his own lightning spells and abilities. For a few seconds, the shock and awe worked wonders. Clouds of poison and acid, lightning bolts and jets fire and ice, even a few Arc Torpedoes rapidly reduced the defenders in strength and numbers. The regular soldiers and their armored vehicles were obliterated first and so were the novice priests. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. *You have killed a Church of Light soldier. 300 Exp. *You have destroyed an Ariette main battle tank. 5000 Exp. *You have destroyed a Centauro tank destroyer. 3000 Exp. *You have killed all novice priests in this dungeon. Bonus Exp 1 million. But soon after, the stronger magic users and the golems rallied behind their magic arrays, making the wide area attacks lose their power. And thus, a huge melee battle began. Raiju had its claws and shock armor, and with its fast movements was able to attack and then retreat at will. Pef switched to his Yang cultivation, powered up the Farmer Strength and began lashing with his Arclance, chopping off limbs and heads with near impunity. Lise took out her magic sword and swirled around, parrying golem javelins and lobbing exploding crystal where the enemies bunched up. In a few minutes, the remaining priests were cut down, and Pef flew away to launch a barrage of torpedoes at the golems, while also reducing their Magic resistance with his newly learned debuff spells. *Lower Resistance has increased in level. *Lower Resistance has increased in level. *Lower Resistance has increased in level. *You have killed a Solomon Golem. 50000 Exp. *You have killed a Solomon Golem. *You have killed a Solomon Golem. *You have killed an Elite Solomon Golem. 100 000 Exp. The last golem exploded into shards of metal and stone and silence fell in the courtyard, while dust and fires still lingered. Pef checked his mana bar, noticing it was nearly depleted and was too slow to recharge. He promptly drank a few mana potions and urged Lise to do the same. Pef then entered Floating Meditation to increase his recovery speed, while mentally reviewing the combat logs and the loot. Sadly, the outer defenders were quite poor and only a couple of Phantom-class artifacts had been found. A few more guns and other soldier equipment fell from the troops he had killed, including a portable minigun, nightvision goggles and kevlar bodyarmor. In his early days, this loot would have been valuable, but not anymore. Not even Consecrated incense urns or crucifixes were worth much in Pef''s eyes. "Did you loot anything nice?" Pef asked Lise without hope. "Not really. A Holy Book with 10 percent resistance and a pair of gold rings with 5 percent." Lise replied after scrolling through her own loot. Pef sighed and glanced at the Cathedral, then checked the timer. 18 hours left. Then he smiled and fired a torpedo down, creating a tunnel leading towards the catacombs, and thus avoiding the whole maze of traps and troops that was sure to await them in the Cathedral. Raiju sprinted ahead, descending into the tunnel and engaging the cultists at the end of the path. Pef and Lise followed, shields raised and weapons at ready. However, what they found was beyond expectations. Over a hundred girls chained to wooden beams forming an X, with tubes draining their veins of blood. In the middle, a sacrificial altar was nearly full, the blood bubbling joyously in anticipation. Sonia was there as well, barely alive and cut up badly. An Inquisitor in red robes stood beside her, with a bloody knife in his hand. He had a pig''s face, eyes small and buried in layers of fat. *You have entered the Rosarius Sacrifice private dungeon. *Your stats are suppressed by 50 percent, due to being a hated enemy. *Blood spells and rituals are 500 percent more effective. "Welcome to Turin. It took a great deal of preparation to set up this place, just for you." the Inquisitor announced and drew the knife over Sonia''s shoulder, cutting a deep gush and making the woman groan in more pain. Pef tilted his head while he observed the man, and then glanced around marking the victims. "You chose a strange way to suicide, priest. Tell me, will you cut your own throat and should I do it for you?" Pef asked in a glacial voice. "It is your death that awaits, Blood Vessel! Quick, open your veins and pour your blood into the sacred pool, or this woman will die." the priest replied menacingly, holding the knife at Sonia''s throat. Sonia opened a bruised eye and stared in confusion. "Stick your tongue out Sonia. Show the priest you''re not afraid." Lise said in a soft and calming voice. A second later, the Inquisitor sliced his knife and tore open Sonia''s throat, just as the young maid stuck out her tongue in defiance. Shroud Before Pef could even start to feel anything, a window screen popped up. *Your maid Sonia Tonero has died in a private dungeon. Respawn? Yes/Wait. He let out a sigh of relief and focused on the Inquisitor. "I see you''ve chosen option two." The priest waved a hand, forming a magical barrier made of blood around him. "Blood for the blood altar! Now you''re next! And the other witch as well." the priest mumbled in a fervent tone, eying Lise with crazed eyes. Pef fired his Arc Torpedo straight at the crazy priest, then jumped to the side as the priest clenched his fingers and three blades made of blood struck the ground that Pef had just been over. His torpedo seem to have little to no effect. "Take Sonia and retreat!" Pef told Lise as he drew his druid staff and launched forward, battering the priest and his bloody barrier. Strike after strike, empowered by his cultivation and other bonuses barely pushed his enemy back. But it was enough. Lise grabbed Sonia''s body and flew away. Pef pressed the respawn button just as his wife was leaving the underground dungeon. It was just in time, as the priest launched his own counter-attack, a blood spear crystallized in his hand and impaled Pef right through his Holy Barrier and then his stomach. *Steel Aura blocks 478 damage. 1200 damage resisted. *Holy Barrier blocks 31000 damage. 1000 damage resisted. *You have gain Blood Magic resistance at level 1. *Sacred Blood Lance hits the gamer for 69000 damage. Pef grunted in pain, as another blood spear began forming in the Inquisitor''s hand. -69000 *Cloaking Veil. *Lower Resistance. Lower Resistance. Lower Resistance. *Area Decay *Arc Torpedo. Arc Torpedo. Arc Torpedo. Arc Torpedo.Arc Torpedo. Arc Torpedo.Arc Torpedo. Arc Torpedo.Arc Torpedo. Arc Torpedo.Arc Torpedo. Arc Torpedo. -1000. -1000 -1000 -1000 -1000 -1000 -1000 -1000 -1000 Even with his resistances lowered, and even with the huge Penetration of his electrified torpedoes, the priest was barely wounded. Worse, the wounds started closing with visible speed, just as Pef''s own wounds closed up and began regenerating. "You''re surprisingly durable for a mere Saint." Pef observed with a grimace. "Only a flesh wound! Now give me all your blood, heretic!" the Inquisitor quipped in return, and began forming two more blood spears in his hands. He was also staring straight at Pef, despite him being invisible under cloak. *Tornado *Acid fog. *Winter Wail. *Evil Eye. *Winter Curse. Winter Curse. Winter Curse. Cursing the priest didn''t quite work, but at least he wasn''t tracking Pef anymore. Pef racked his brains to find a solution against the priest, his eyes darting around the Sacrifice dungeon. *Yunmoon healing. +10000 *Floating Meditation. Finally, Pef''s eyes fell on the blood pool, still bubbling happily. But the blood seemed to have decreased a little, red trails marking the previous surface level. ''The guy seems to cast his magic from the pool, instead of his own mana or blood.'' Pef concluded while waiting for his own MP to recharge. His mana pool wasn''t large enough to sustain a prolonged attack, one that would be sufficient to terminate this priest. But if he could remove the blood altar from... "Raiju, harass!" *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone *Incendiary cone Pef sent the pet to annoy the priest as himself was busy torching and evaporating the blood pool with his spells. "Nooooo! Leave the Sacred Rosarius alone!" the fat priest yelled as the lightning pet kept bombarding him with elemental spells and lightning fast claw attacks. *Blood volume in the Rosarius altar depleted by 20 percent. Blood spells now 400 percent more effective. *The gamer restrictions partially removed. Stats are suppressed by 40 percent. Pef grinned widely as his tactics seemed to work now. With every layer of blood evaporated, his own strength returned while the priest grew weaker. *Holy Conviction has been used against you. Status ailments incurred :dazed, confused, fear, terror, slow, mind retardation. *Your Gamer Mind has partially resisted Holy Conviction. *Gamer Mind levels up. "You have a strong conviction, priest! But it is not enough!" Pef yelled with a strain of willpower. "Damn you to hell, Blood Vessel! I cannot fail." the fat priest shouted with despair in his voice. Raiju flew back, at stream of blood darts pushing him back and pinning his body to the dungeon wall. Luckily the elemental didn''t have blood, thus the blood spells were less effective on him. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Anyway, Pef canceled the summon, to let Raiju recover in Gaia''s embrace. While the elemental was immortal, there was no point to let him die. The priest looked around in panic, failing to detect Pef under cloak. "Now I will have my revenge, crazy cultist! Your blood will serve me well." Pef proclaimed in a glorious voice, launching a final attack on the blood altar. The priest fell to his knees, eyes bloodshot and blood and drool spilling out from his mouth. "Never! My blood...final sacrifice!" His dagger plunged into his own heart, then flew out as a stream of blood gushed out like a fountain. In mid-air, the blood transformed into a humanoid shape while the priest fell on the floor, dead. ''Observe'' *Rosarius Blood Golem. Legendary rank. Level 350. *HP 3 million. MP 3 million. Status: Sanctified. Blood mist. Iron Maiden. Blood drain. A mist of blood emerged from under the blood golems arms, rapidly filling the altar room with magically imbued blood. *Consecrated blood mist suppresses the gamer stats by 70 percent. *Gamer Body levels up. Gamer body now level 19. *Blood mist partially resisted. Stats reduction at 60 percent. Pef glanced at his own character page and then back at the golem. It seemed there was no chance to defeat the last boss. Perhaps, if he had all his stats and 20 hours to grind down the golem. Not like this. But this was Turin, and the Church was sure to send strike teams and reinforcements soon. The golem turned towards Pef, mist serving as an effective detection device, not that Cloaking Veil would even work on a Legendary class enemy. A blood spear hit him in the back as he turned. The golem could cast blood magic as well, but it had an enormous mana pool. Or blood pool. -69000 *Blood Magic resistance at level 2. Pef sped away, and exited the private dungeon, leaving the boss behind. As he suspected, the golem couldn''t follow him outside, being bound by its creator to the Rosarius dungeon. Instantly, his strength returned, and he once again felt the holy aura from the Turin Shroud artifact. A faint smile passed on Pef''s face, as he flew towards the final objective. *Yunmoon healing. +10000 Still under cloak, Pef entered the Turin Cathedral and headed straight towards the artifact. He passed by hundreds of Church guards and priests, even a few nuns. Then he reached a sacristy chamber, with four elite golems disguised as statues in the corners. They appeared to detect his presence, opening their eyes but not tracking him. Pef flew towards the middle, where a wooden stand held a sheet of linen with bloody marks on it. *Shroud of Turin. Demigod level artifact. *Ominous presence detected. Thinking fast, Pef swiped a hand at the bloody cloth, while engaging his Heartstone ability. A flash of pain, in his mind and soul at once. Then nothing. *Stealing has reached level 10. Gaia''s favor protects you from soul obliteration. *You have died. Dying in a world dungeon has respawned the gamer in his own room in the Paracelsus Dungeon in Geneva. *You have acquired a Demigod level artifact. *Gamer''s Mind has reached level 13. You can now resist Legendary class mental attacks. *You gain minimal soul resistance. Charm and Karma based attacks will be reduced in strength against you. *Gamer''s Body is now Level MAX. You can live your life like a game. Any ailments of the body will be treated as status debuffs. *Dying in any closed instances like private or world dungeons will prompt a respawn screen, where you can choose the respawn point. Pef opened his eyes and looked around while waiting for phantom pains in his soul to disappear. Miya and Lucia were keeping watch over him, seeming a bit worried. "You died, hubby." Miya observed in a curious voice. "Yeah. Now let''s see if it was worth it." Pef added while opening the other screen tabs. *The Gamer has received a new quest: Harem King. *Obtain more wives, concubines, mistresses, lovers, maids or friends with benefits. *Cultivate your harem. *Become a king. *Rescue Sonia. Complete. *??? *??? *??? *??? *??? Rewards: profit, pleasure, skills, abilities, fame, undying enmity with the Holy Church, ???, ???. -You have obtained the Unending ability:refractory period has been removed. -You have obtained Sonia Tonero as a maid. Rescue your maid before it''s too late: Complete. *You have a maid. *Inquisitor Darius Rosarius defeated. *Blood altar destroyed. *Blood golem, still active. *You have a demigod tier artifact. Pef changed the quest page for his inventory, to stare at his new demigod artifact in wonder. "This is bullshit!" he heard Lucia mutter just as the door opened to allow Lise and Sonia to enter their dorm room. Pef nodded wisely. Demigods The women gathered around Pef to stare at the Shroud''s description in the inventory menu. *Shroud Of Turin. Demigod level artifact. Worn on cape slot. *Originally a fake created by St. John Templar Chapterhouse in the 11th century (1053 AC), this linen sheet has been subjected to 28 consecrations over the centuries, including being blessed by an Archangel and wrapped around a Holy Nail for 33 years. *This artifact is now charged with the faith of 1.32 billion believers, granting it the following abilities: -Karma based protection against damage or stealing. Archangel Uriel enforcing. (Suspended due to Gaia. Still, don''t bring out the scissors.) -Cure all heavy wounds, up to Demigod rank targets. Open wounds close 500 percent faster. Can apply to pets, familiars and elementals. -Cure all body illness, up to Mythical rank targets. Poisons and curses not included. Can apply to pets, familiars and elementals. -Revive dead person(human only). Requires 3 days of uninterrupted skin contact, up to Legendary rank targets. -Heal mental illness, up to Saint rank targets. Curses and demonic possessions not included. Can apply to pets, familiars and elementals. -Exorcise demons, up to Saint ranked demons. Requires 3 days of uninterrupted skin contact. Humans only. -Passive 100 percent bonus HP and MP regen. Can apply to pets, familiars and elementals. -Grants 5 percent Damage and Magic Resistance. Can apply to pets, familiars and elementals. -Immune to Lightning Tribulation. Immune to mundane weapons. Will not get dirty. *Grants +20 to all stats. *Grants Regeneration level 2(passive). Grants Soul Defense level 2 (passive). Grants Empathic healing level 1(active) "Uh...is that the real thing?" Sonia mumbled and crossed herself. Pef smiled kindly and took out the cloth, then wrapped it around Sonia''s shoulders. "Check your character page, my pretty maid." he said with a curious tone. Immediately, Sonia''s page opened in front of her, allowing them all to observe the upgraded stats. "I am a game character now?" the maid wondered while dragging her blouse off on the screen. As expected, she was promptly undressed, and remained naked from belly up. It seemed Lise had only given her jeans and a blouse to wear, not bothering with a T-shirt or a brass. Not that Pef minded anyway. Pef eyed the full breasts with a hungry eye, and drew Sonia into a hug. "I didn''t want to get you involved in the Abyss, my dear. But now that you are, the Abyss has noticed you back. No turning back anymore." "Yeah, Lady Lise has told me as much. Only way forward is to become strong, to stay free." the Italian maid answered, while hugging him back and sobbing a little. Lise coughed politely and clenched a fist, turning the room into a new temporal dungeon. "Time for farming, my husband. Start plowing!" the queen demanded, as she fell on the bed while her clothes vanished somewhere. Pef kissed Sonia and dragged her along, to farm, plow and irrigate those fertile tracts of land. Much later, after the wives were sated and fell asleep, our hero received his new reward. *Harem increased by one maid. Gained + 3 Charisma. *Relationship with Sonia now at 22 (Favored) *You have sated all 4 harem members. Gain +1 Constitution. *The gamer received a new ID: Temporal Shift Tier 1, + 20 percent. Gain 2 hours for every 10 spent inside. With the new bonuses, Pef felt kinda satisfied, although he wasn''t sure why he deserved such boons. It seemed Gaia had something planned for him, and he was given extra time to grow. "So, my goddess. I did good?" he asked the ceiling with a small voice. "Not good enough, but for a new gamer it was passable. You actually went and grabbed the Shroud...Uriel was livid." the goddess answered with a tiny snort, seeming amused for some reason. "And I died for it. Lost 10 levels..." he said in a more somber voice. "Do try and avoid provoking high tier entities, for now. Archangels are even stronger than old faith gods, and you''re not equipped to deal with such existences. The tutorial mode will end soon." Gaia added as a parting word, waving an airy hand at Pef as it drew away. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Pef floated up in Meditation, going over the last day and all the experiences. Fighting, dying, rebirth. Somehow, being a game character was broken, giving him abilities reserved for demigods. The ones with a divine parent. Pef mused on this for some time, thinking back at his old life, in the other world. It was quite clear to him now, that this alternate Earth was different in more ways than he first imagined. Not just the existence of magic, and the Abyss culture derived from it. But real gods and myths, tangible and deadly. If the Norse gods were real here, what about Egyptian and Greek gods? Roman gods, Asian gods like devas and kami, African gods...hell, even Tiamat and other Babylonian gods. There was a new jungle here, with gods old and new fighting and competing for the faith of their followers, or subjecting people to various rituals or sacrifices in a constant struggle for more power. And then, there was Gaia. Omnipotent, or so she seemed. But why would she need an enforcer then? He had to grow stronger, if this was the stage he had to walk on. And all the men were merely players in this play, with gods as puppeteers. Or perhaps spectators? Too many unknowns, and Gaia wouldn''t act this way, unless she was worried. And anything that made Gaia worried... Much later, Lise woke up and walked beside him, then poked him awake. "Time to meet Master Kimmel. Our stunt didn''t go unnoticed." Pef nodded and hugged his queen as a reply. "Above Legendary ranks is the Mythical, right?" he asked to make sure. "The Myths are all in top 100 of the Abyss. And only three of them are younger than me." Lise answered on a tangent. "So, it can be done." Pef concluded in a serious tone. Lise turned to glance at Lucia. "You''re not a pretty witch to charm a hundred devils into submission. You haven''t flown to the Moon, watched by billions. Nor do you have your own dynasty with an army 10 million strong, all loyal to death. Modern myths are rather hard to achieve." Pef hummed deep in thought. "I could write a book." He had some talent with writing...maybe. Lise snorted and patted his shoulder. "Like that guy in California? Ancient aliens and such. Not enough." Pef sighed in defeat. Not that route then. "Perhaps a movie? A trilogy..." he wondered thinking of sabers made of light. His queen sighed and poked his forehead in dismissal. "Stop trying silly ideas. You''re only good at fighting monsters." Pef grimaced in acceptance. Then, he smiled widely as brilliance struck him. "Huge monsters, even devouring the moon or drowning the world. Even gods will die in twilight. Perfect stage for a new myth to arise." Lise tilted her head, eyes going up towards the hidden sky beyond the sky. "Perhaps. It''s either that...or the Siberian Hell. Maybe both." With that, Pef drew courage and went to meet Master Kimmel and plead for a larger room. And pay a new fee to allow Sonia access to the Paracelsus dungeon. He wouldn''t want Sonia to remain a mere level 1 character, after all. ++++++++++ As Pef departed for his lab to study advanced alchemy, Master Kimmel vanished into his shadow and appeared in a secret room deep under the Paracelsus Association. Five other alchemists and a young Nepalese boy nodded politely as he sat down to sip tibetan tea. The boy wore the red robes of a Dalai Lama, even if he appeared about 9 years old. "So, it has begun?" the young boy asked in a grave tone, much too wise for his young years. Kimmel shook his head and settled his soul. Demigods had always too much power infused in their words. "Just a minor skirmish, for now. The Twins will wake next year." he exposed while turning his black ring around. Von Mackberg copied his gesture and sipped some tea with a far away look. "Twins. And now there are two. Although your candidate is growing fast, it will not be enough." Kimmel shrugged and smiled thinly. "We win either way." Von Mackberg nodded and bowed towards the young Dalai Lama. "Your Holiness?" The young boy smiled mysteriously. "You''re bickering like kids, my old friends. The storm is nearly here." The room fell silent, as everyone sipped their tea in deep thought. Nautica Another month passed while Pef ground hard. Grinding in the dungeon, in the alchemy lab and in the bedroom. However, he was also the gamer. Spending time and effort grinding produced fast and tangible results, in levels and skills and loot. Alchemy was still the hardest part, as recipes and demands became tougher and longer, involving total mental concentration and dedication. So, when the crafting skill finally ticked over and reached level 18, Pef was both elated and exhausted. He stood up, Looking around the esoteric lab, filled with stainless steel and glass containers and instruments. His mentor was reading a book to the side, slowly turning pages as they got imbued with glowing runes. Master Kimmel simply glanced at him with a knowing look. "You already Mastered elemental crystals?" the old guy asked, just to make sure. Pef held a fire crystal in front of him, with a sparkle of fire trapped within. "Fire is still hard. Lightning is so much easier." The Alchemist Master coughed politely. "Yes, yes. A few months to master the elements is hard. Remember, alchemists need fire the most. And so will you, if you ever gain hold of the Eternal Flame from Asgard." Lucia rose from her bench to take the completed crystal and examine it as well. "The flame is very weak. It would only do the same damage as a fireball if it is broken." Pef nodded and smiled. "A fireball is good enough already. It doesn''t take a mage or mana to throw this at an enemy." he explained while juggling the contained fireball in one hand. With a telekinetic flick, Master Kimmel grabbed the crystal in mid-air and simultaneously flicked Pef''s forehead as admonition. "Now, Elder Pef. 299 more flame crystals, and you can go." Pef grumbled inward and sat down to grind his alchemy skills once again. He did ask and paid for the privilege after all. In the afternoon, Pef and his wives returned to the dungeon, and farmed the immortal golem again. Every hour, their combined skills and firepower produced another round of loot and experience. Sonia advanced in rank yet again, passing into Heroic rank with ease. Well, with the aid of her new family as a leveling train. Surviving three lighting bolts of Heavenly Tribulation also seemed so easy, when wearing every kind of Magic Resistance artifact, including a few from the Church of Light. "Can I learn the water summon yet?" the maid asked with excitement. Lise handed her the newly bought spell scroll, containing the rite for a water elemental. "Don''t waste the scroll and a billion euros, my dear. It would take us a whole day to earn it back" the harem queen said in a half-joking tone. With some trepidation, Sonia took the scroll and grit her teeth. A billion euros was something unimaginable only a month ago. Yet, now it was merely another spell to increase her fighting powers. The scroll dissolved into motes of blue light, and the maid fell asleep, since a dream was the most common type of connection method with the elementals. Lise stepped beside her husband and hugged him to her side. "It is wasteful to support her ascensions from here onwards. You realize that, my king?" she asked rhetorically. Pef hummed inward and nodded in agreement. "Buying everything for a new Legend rank of our own will cost me 10 billions. Can I buy a loyal Legend for that price?" Lise sighed and fell silent. They obviously couldn''t hope to buy or hire someone from the Abyss, and expect them to be faithful or loyal. "... Only love." the queen admitted after some time. Pef mentally nudged the Floor reset as Sonia began stirring awake. "One more time, and then farming?" he asked to make sure. Raiju sped ahead, lightning bolts and claws shattering the weak golem mobs. *Your Lightning elemental has reached level 6. Magic Penetration and Resistance increased by 6 percent from base Ascension stats. Total: 66 percent. Pef smiled and nudged Sonia forward. "Send the summon as well, love. Raiju will watch over her while she levels up." The water elemental was shaped as a blue skinned girl, with blonde hair and duck feet, and wearing an azure swimming suit. Water bullets and a round water bubble were her only spells for now, but like Raiju she would get much better as the elemental ascended to higher classes. It didn''t take long, as even the mob golems were level 200, and the elemental received her first tribulation and achieved Phantom class, simply by coasting on Raiju''s kills. By the time the lightning elemental finished off the thousand mobs, Nautica reached Heroic class as well, and stood proud and tall, with a teenager''s body. "I caught up with you, Master." the elemental declared proudly and hugged Sonia lovingly. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "But these were the easy levels. We both have to work hard to become Saints, right?" Sonia mused, while petting her new friend. "You''re heading for the bedroom after this last golem, right Master?" Nautica asked in a teasing tone and eyed Pef with a smirk on her young face. "T-that''s...my duty and privilege as a maid." Sonia retorted while blushing fiercely, and glanced towards Pef under her eyelashes. Luckily, Lot the immortal golem arrived to interrupt the awkward discussion. Everyone began unleashing spells and skills, including Nautica''s newest Heroic spell, Erode Armor, which removed a percent of the golem''s resilience. A dozen uses later, the spell leveled up and removed 2 percents, which made quite a significant change in how long it took to grind down the golem boss. By exactly 2 minutes. Pef was pleased anyway, as that spell would level up higher and help even more. Nautica was already proving her worth. *You have defeated Lot. You gain 66 mil Exp. *You gain a level. *You have defeated a Saint Immortal and gained 100 HP and MP. *You have found an Elixir potion. You have found 6 Major Healing Potions. Pef opened his character screen, trying to decide where to place the free points. *Pef the Gamer Legendary Class Level 263 Sorcerer Level 18 Alchemist Elder. HP: 162500, MP: 84000 Free attributes: 39 Strength: 62+11 Agility: 59+25 Constitution: 126+25 Magic: 1060+35 Mind: 408+25 Charisma: 56+10 Karma: 54+5 Euros: 27.571 Billion There was a temptation to push even higher towards Mind attributes, but Pef was also conscious that mere Mind stats will not suffice to ascend to Myth class. "More Mind, dear goddess?" he wondered out loud. The wind came to life and ruffled his hair, then petted both elementals while they preened like cats. "There is no perfect way to reach the next ascension, my servant. All those who did become Myths had lucky and fortuitous encounters and events to aid them." Gaia''s voice replied in a warm tone. Sonia gulped audibly, possibly frightened by the presence of a real deity near them. Lucia glanced up and prayed devoutly, hands at her chest, while Miya and Lise only nodded politely. "Yes, about that. If Odin prepares for his twilight, he must sense it''s near. I wouldn''t interfere with Fenrir and that fate mess. But his twin?" Pef asked in a thoughtful tone. "Jormungandr, the serpent at the edge of the world...that would become a Myth indeed. If you manage to strike a deadly blow. Clever, I admit. Much too bold, for a mortal." the Earth goddess said in a light voice, seeming amused. "I know, beloved goddess. But then, Valhalla is also a World dungeon, and thus... I won''t stay down for long, if I fail at first." Pef added with a wide grin. Sonia''s eyes widened as she finally computed what Pef was aiming for. "You will die again, idiot!" she yelled in panic. Pef simply nodded and shrugged. "Die, respawn, repeat. Unless something weird happens, I can defeat any monster, in the end." he proclaimed in a final tone, and quite confident. "Abusing that feature might cause some causality backlash. That means karma or fate. Luckily, you do have an attribute that can mitigate that. How fortuitous!" Gaia exclaimed as if surprised, and flicked Pef''s forehead with an invisible hand. *Ascension quest update. *Take part in Ragnarok. *Slay a twin. *Reach 100 Karma. *Rescue a goddess from her fate. *Harem King quest update. *Visit Valhalla and offer your aid in the coming cataclysm. *Reach 100 Charisma. *Impress any Asgardian lady. *Reach 300 Charisma. *Marry any Asgardian lady. Pef rubbed his forehead while reading the updated quests. Most hidden objectives were now revealed, which made trying to achieve them somewhat easier than fumbling blindly like he did so far, and failing most of them. It seemed being prepared and asking the right questions were just as important as doing stuff and killing things. He vowed inward to research every remaining quest and clear up the hidden objectives. Those were the most rewarding after all. Even a goddess would be very grateful for being saved, from whatever fate had in store. He didn''t know which goddess, but knowing Gaia and the harem quest, she would be quite pretty anyway. His wives departed for their home, now that today''s dungeon grind was over. Pef smiled staring at their backs, eager to begin the next grind. "She better be pretty." he muttered softly as he stepped into the return portal towards the dungeon entrance. Behind him, a pair of divine eyes glinted in amusement. The young servant was rather fun to tease.