《Tethralin (LitRPG)》 Chapter 0: Prologue Chapter 0: Prologue A man hiding behind his shield stood his ground as the beating of the griffin''s wings hurled great pressure at him. An Archer let loose an arrow but the wind was too much for it to settle the remaining bits of health that remained. The mage beside me cast a spell quietly, my ears not picking up the spell, but the griffin''s right wing suddenly crippled as it collapsed toward the ground. Another man came up behind it, and having waited for it to crash the entire time, finally heaved his axe into it. I stood there, waiting for the match to end so I could domy job. Finally! We beat Floor 20! Having been playing ¡®Tethralin¡¯ on Easy, I was excited to finally beat Floor 20. I used three lives to get this far, and death never felt good. I originally started playing on Normal, and quickly died on Floor Four¡ªa random trap taking my life. So I tried again, reaching Floor 10 but was squished by a boss. I had to make a decision. It wasn¡¯t a really tough decision, however, using a life to move down a difficulty, placing myself on Easy. It¡¯s definitely been worth it as I finally passed Floor 20, albeit not by myself. ¡°Hey, Zaro. Hand over some potions.¡±The man withthe sword and shield loomed beside me. He had been the party¡¯s tank, a Sentinel who was playing on Normal. Unfortunately, he never got my name right. I was an Alchemist, having picked my class from the classes offered based off of my attribute allocation. Alchemists were primarily healers, one of the very few available. ¡°No problem, Carl,¡± I replied, ¡°Um, great job tanking the boss.¡± I handed him a potion, reminding him my name was Zeryn. I was in a party with four other players. After Floor 10, ¡®Tethralin¡¯ opened up to multiplayer through a service provided by the Hub. The Hub was a small town-like area available after every boss, and people tended to gather there as many services were available¡ªone being ¡®Party Creation¡¯, allowing up to five players to group up.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [System Notice: Floor 20 completed. Congratulations. Please continue to the portal and move to the Hub.] [System Notice: Player-versus-Player (PVP) mode now active. Players may now fight each other. Defeating other players gives you a chance to learn their abilities! For more information about PVP, refer to the {HELP} section.] I shook for a second. PVP? No, PVP was never mentioned before. I looked over to the others, ¡°Um, guys? Why is there¡ª¡± The Sentinel interrupted, ¡°Hah. Take a look at the portal. The [3] above the portal indicates only three of us can pass.¡± He looked at two other party members. ¡°Alright, team. Let¡¯s get rid of these noobs playing on Easy. We need to get revenge on those assholes who cheated us.¡± As he finished his words, the Barbarian, Harold, raised his axe and sliced into the back of the Archer in the group. The Archer died instantly. ¡°Hoh, I didn¡¯t get an ability out of him. I hate Easy players. Their growth rate is just so low.¡± I looked at him in fear, falling to the ground. I then glanced back at Carl, his face holding an evil smirk as he laughed, ¡°Hopefully I will get my hands on the Alchemist ¡®Creation¡¯ skill. Hehahaha!¡± I tried to get up and run, but I could only crawl as a sudden pain twisted my ankle. I crawled as quickly as I could but a foot slammed into my back. ¡°Argh!¡± I barely reached the portal, raising my hands towards it and touching it.I''m... safe. [System Notice: Unable to move through portal while in combat.] ¡°The hell... I¡¯m not in¡ª¡± I couldn¡¯t even finish my sentence as the Sentinel¡¯s sword stabbed into me.
I opened my eyes, and I could only see luminescent lights blurring my vision. I put my hands on my face, ¡°I really wish I could quit this game. I thought being in a fantasy would stave off what happened before I started playing. But now I only have one life left¡ªthen I¡¯m dead for good. And there is no chance to leave this game.¡± I sat on the lone couch in the enclosed area, surrounded with bright lights and white walls, making it quite difficult to concentrate. ¡°Screw it. I¡¯ve got one life left. What do I need?¡± As I talked out loud to myself, I had an idea. That asshat Harold mentioned growth¡­ Why am I just noticing my growth slowed down? One life left¡ªI¡¯ll just¡­¡± ¡°System! Put me on Hardcore!¡± Chapter 1: Hardcore Difficulty Chapter 1: Hardcore Difficulty Tethralin. A game made by Xyvarc Corporation. Although itwas a game, it was more special than any other game as it takes your soul and places it in ¡®Tethralin¡¯. In ¡®Tethralin¡¯, you are given a class and the opportunity to attain skills and abilities out of this world¡ªjust like a game. Your goal was to climb up the numerous floors of the tower, while each floor varied in size. Of course, each floor had monsters, traps, and even treasures to behold. And when you start¡ªyou either reach the end, or... no one knows for sure, exactly. Only one life left. I¡¯ve had no luck at all¡ªI thought that everything was going fine! Floor 20, betrayal¡­ I''m back at the beginning. This is my last chance. ¡°System! Put me on Hardcore!¡± [System Notice: You have chosen the difficulty, ¡®Hardcore¡¯. Lives remaining: One. Please allocate your attributes. 15 points remain.]
Status
Health: 100/100 Mana: 10/10
Name: Zeryn Felix Level: 0 Class: None Titles: None
Attributes:
Vitality: 5 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Willpower: 5 Intelligence: 5 Perception: 5 Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 8 Charisma: 3 Luck: 3
[*: This attribute carries over and can only be increased through real-time experience.]
Abilities: None
¡°What?! On Normal, I was only given 8 points! And on Easy, 5 points! Now there are 15 points? But my Wisdom... Even after playing three different classes, it''s only gone up a total of three points. What am I doing wrong?¡± Hmm. Last time, I was an Alchemist, with my starting Attribute Points (AP) mainly in Dexterity, Perception, and Wit. Before that, when the Floor 10 boss pummeled me, I was a Duelist¡ªStrength, Dexterity, Agility. And my first time playing, I played a Mage because¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t want to be a mage? Ugh. ¡°One life left. I¡¯m going crazy. Why must I be so unfortunate¡ª¡± Wait. Unfortunate? ¡°System! What does the Luck attribute do?¡± [System: Luck increases the chance of ¡®Luck¡¯ affecting you.] ¡°What does it mean to be affected by ¡®Luck¡¯?¡± [System: Luck has various effects. Wisdom is too low to give an answer.] ¡°How much Wisdom do I need to get an answer?!¡± [System: Error.] ¡°System! How much Wisdom do I need to get an answer!¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. [System: Error. Invalid question.] ¡­ Are you kidding me? This fucking system! [System Notice: You sense an ominous presence. The Luck attribute has decreased by 1.] ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± I screamed out. I slammed my fist into the ground but felt no pain. Damn¡ªdamn you! Damn me! Screw it all! I opened my Status, and threw all my points into Luck. [System: Do you confirm increasing the ¡®Luck¡¯ attribute from 2 to 17?] ¡°I confirm. Let me see the Class options!¡± [System: According to the attribute placement, there are 6 available options.]
Jack-of-All-Trades Fool Villager
Gambler Alchemist Miraculum
¡°What? Four of these classes I have already seen. Anybody can be the first three¡­ Wait. Anybody can also be an Alchemist? I thought I had specialized for it! Aaah!¡± I tapped the ¡®Gambler¡¯ class and looked at the info. [System: The Gambler class is most proficient in the use of Throwing Weapons to fight, particularly cards. The Gambler class begins with the class ability, {Final Die}. Required Dexterity: 5. Required Luck: 8.] Throwing Cards? Interesting, but it seems way too dangerous! Let¡¯s check out the ¡®Miraculum¡¯ class. [System: The Miraculum class is not proficient in any weapon type. The Miraculum class begins with the class ability, {Spin!}. Required Luck: 15. Charisma may never exceed 5.] Wha¡ª? Not proficient in any weapon!? How am I supposed to fight? And ¡®Spin!¡¯? Do I spin in circles? ¡°System. Revert AP allocation. I want to view the other class options.¡± [System: Error.] ¡°ERROR? What is the reason for the error?!¡± [System Notice: Due to the ¡®Hardcore¡¯ difficulty, AP allocation is permanent after confirmation.] Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. What have I done?! ¡°System! Please, I was being irrational earlier. I meant no offense. Please, revert AP allocation.¡± [System: Error.] This time, I started banging my head on the walls. Although I was in the Waiting Room and couldn¡¯t die, I really, really, wanted to hurt something¡ªor someone. So I hurt myself. I had no idea what to do now. [System Notice: 30 seconds remaining. Please pick your class. If the time runs out, your class will default.] ¡°30 seconds remaining? What is this nonsense? Are you ser¡ª¡± And then the pain in my head accumulated. I fell back.
I opened my eyes. I was in a decent-sized cave. I could see outside the cave, but all I saw were blue skies and a very expansive green field. Behind me¡ªinside the cave¡ªwere weapons. From throwing weapons, daggers, and swords, to giant axes, bows, scythes, and even whips. This was the starting point of Floor 1. I walked to the weapons, and the wall behind them started flickering. [System Notice: A broadcast from the Xyvarc Corporation is on.] I started watching the screen, though I could guess what it was. A similar broadcast first played when I moved to Easy. I still paid attention to this one, though, in case it was different. And hearing what it said definitely alerted me to the fact it was different. ¡°Yes. It is official. The world-wide amount of players of ¡®Tethralin¡¯ is now just over 100,000.¡± A man who looked like he was in his 40s spoke into the microphone. ¡°In just our continent, the Xyvarc Corporation counts 48,000 players. Once we finally have players who finish the game, we estimate that the number of players will triple within a few short months, after all, our game has only been live for 40 days.¡± 40 days?! That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve been in here for at least 80 days now! I even started 20 days after it went live! A reporter quickly asked a question during the pause, ¡°Mr. Endor, what about the deaths being reported because of the game? Is this not murder?¡± The spokesperson for Xyvarc Corporation, Jameson Endor, shook his head. ¡°No. Every player knew the risks involved with our game, and signed the contracts. Soul technology is dangerous, and currently, research is being done for those who are in a vegetative state to return their soul after using their limited lives. Those deaths are because of those who decided to no longer pay for the fees. Next question?¡± A different reporter asked, ¡°There are currently rumors saying that Xyvarc Corporation is in cahoots with the government and private hospitals. Due to those who are comatose and vegetized, hospitals, primarily private hospitals, are making much more money now. Are these rumors true?¡± Jameson Endor replied, ¡°Of course not. Many companies may or may not be trying to slander our good corporation¡¯s name. This is normal in the world of business. Alright. No further questions. I must be off now. Thank you.¡± ¡°Mr. Endor!¡ª¡± The screen shut off.
Unfortunately for me, I have no one who would be able to pay the fees¡­ this is my only chance! Which weapon do I choose this time? I¡¯ve used Magic staves, daggers, yet got furthest just by avoiding enemies and using a potion sling. Ah, right. Did my class default? Status!
Status
Health: 100/100 Mana: 10/10
Name: Zeryn Felix Level: 0 Class: Miraculum Titles: None
Attributes:
Vitality: 5 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Willpower: 5 Intelligence: 5 Perception: 5 Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 8 Charisma: 3 Luck: 17
[*: This attribute can only be increased through real-time experience.]
Abilities: {Spin!}
Looks like it did... why did it default to Miraculum though? Is it because it required the most Luck?I took a look at my new ability to see what it did, trying to understand how this proficient-less class worked. {Spin!} - An active ability. Spin a wheel. You might win something! [Rating: ?] (Five Floor Cooldown) Spin a wheel¡­ to win ¡®something¡¯?? And I can¡¯t even see the ability rating! What the hell! ¡°Alright, here goes nothing! Spin!¡± [System: You used Spin. The wheel will spin for 15 seconds.] A golden aura appeared in front of me and from within a giant wheel appeared. I couldn¡¯t make out anything written on it, as it was spinning extremely fast. Then, the wheel slowed down, making meable to see some of the words written. ¡°Hmm. ¡®Ability¡¯, ¡®Weapon¡¯, ¡®Armor¡¯, ¡®Point(s)¡¯, ¡®Pick One¡¯, ¡®Pick Two¡¯, ¡®Jackpot¡¯, ¡®Fail¡¯.¡± And finally, the wheel stopped. [System: The Spin has been completed. You landed on ¡®Pick Two¡¯. Congratulations! Please review the options.] Options:
Ability: Rating [D] Weapon: Rank [C]
Armor: Rank [C] Attribute Point(s): 2
This¡ªthis is unfathomable! Chapter 2: Floor 1, The Beginning Chapter 2: Floor 1, The Beginning I stared at the options in front of me. Everything looked really good. Hell, I had never even seen a Rank [C] item before. And a [D] rating ability? None of my previous abilities were that strong. Especially since, other than the Class Ability, I only ever had two different ones that I had attained by chance. ¡°System. Am I able to pick two of the same option?¡± [System: Negative.] Well, my class isn¡¯t proficient in any weapon. Rank [C] armor will definitely help me through the floors, and I need to survive. I must survive. I think that this and an ability are the right choices. I tapped on ¡®Ability: Rating [D]¡¯. Another wheel appeared, smaller. It started spinning. There seemed to be many, many options. And the wheel stopped. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have gained the Ability {Assimilation}. Please pick your second option!] Assimilation? I then tapped on the option ¡®Armor: Rank [C]¡¯, and once again, a wheel. There seemed to be even more options than the previous wheel. The wheel stopped. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have obtained ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯. {Spin!} has gone on a five-floor cooldown.] A kite? How is a kite armor? I opened my inventory, and took a look. I pulled up the ¡®Kite¡¯. It was a large shield. Rounded at the top, with a point at the bottom. The front of the shield had a design of a volcano, blowing its top. [Kite of Biding Eruption (Rank: C)] - A kite shield that takes a hit, and gives one back. Has a defense value of 130. Grants ability: {Biding Eruption} and ability: {Fire Resistance: B}. Requirements: 20 Strength, 20 Vitality. {Spin!} has negated requirements. {Biding Eruption} - An active ability. An eruption bursts out of the shield. Damage absorbed by the shield increases eruption power. Value cannot go above 1.5x the defense of the shield. If fully charged, you must discharge the power within 15 seconds, or it explodes. No cooldown. [Current Power: 0/195] {Fire Resistance: B} - Provides 50% resistance to fire. I froze. Then, I looked again. I slapped my face. Did this really just happen? Even the requirements were negated? Is¡ªis this a cheat? I equipped the shield, then I examined the shield. Although the shield looked heavy, it felt weightless as it rest on my left arm. Is this an effect of the negated requirements? I started walking toward the exit of the cave, then I started running. I was full of glee and excitement. Outside the cave, the blue skies and green field looked stunningly beautiful. I took a step out of the cave, and realized I forgot something. ¡°Right! My new ability.¡± I forgot to look at my ability. {Assimilation (Current Rating: D)} - A passive ability. You can learn things! Learn things faster by increasing the rating! ¡­ ¡®Learn things¡¯. Well, at least I got a nice shield. ¡°Oh, wait! I forgot to grab a weap¡ª¡± I started to turn around, and smacked my head on rock. Wait¡ªwhere did the cave go? I started feeling around, trying to find the entrance. And I found nothing. ¡°S¡ªsystem!¡± [System: Once a starting point has been exited, you are restricted from re-entry, per Hardcore regulations.]If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I panicked. Now what am I supposed to do? Smash my shield on top of the¡ªwait. My shield¡ªit¡¯s freakin¡¯ strong! I tried to recollect myself. I checked my inventory and checked what I had. Two ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯ and three ¡®hydration bottles¡¯. Damn. Hardcore is full of ups and downs. I was given five times that amount on easy. Was playing on easy actually a trap? I decided that I needed to get through the floor as quickly as possible. Killing monsters (mobs) and surviving traps gave few experience compared to clearing a floor. Let me tell you, when I struggled to even kill the Level (Lv) 1 Goblins, all they gave me were 2 experience points (EXP). To reach Lv1 from Lv0, a player needs 150 experience points. Getting through the levels, I figured out the formula for clearing a floor. Every floor you clear, the experience gained goes up by 100, and starts at 100. So, by clearing Floor 1, I will get 100 experience points! I can just survive by dodging all of the mobs. I made my way through the field, looking at all my surroundings. The field was empty. There were no Goblins, no Goblin camps, no traps, nor signs of Goblins having been near the area. Very unlike my other three experiences. This¡ªthis is strange. I decided to take a break. After having walked in a literal straight line through the field for three hours now, I decided to use my first ¡®tube of satiety¡¯. It tasted horrible. The food available at the Hub tastes much better. After I swallowed the contents of the tube, I finished off the rest of my ¡®hydration bottle¡¯. I had been sipping on it while also trying to stay vigilant. After resting for about 30 minutes, I started walking again. Then,I saw huts in the distance; a village, and a Goblin finally came into view. It seemed to be patrolling around the perimeter. [System Notification: Quest Received. The stairs to the next floor are blocked by three Goblin Chiefs. The three Goblin Chiefs are at war with one another. There are three options to complete the quest.
  1. Resolve the war using peace.
  2. Support a Goblin Chief to achieve victory in the war.
  3. Kill the three Goblin Chiefs and stop the war.
The stairs will be inaccessible until the quest has been completed.] Whaaaat? A quest on floor 1? Quests only appeared on every 5th floor. Oh no. And then it clicked. Hardcore. God damn hardcore. The reason I hadn¡¯t seen any Goblins until now was because they were all huddled together. Fighting their war. More and more Goblins came into my view. How the hell am I supposed to get through this?! As I was thinking to myself, a Goblin came running to me. Rather, at me. The Goblin was about 4 ft tall, with a brownish-green skin color. It had its weapon, a hatchet, raised in the air while running at me. It came alone. I looked at the tag above the Goblin. [Goblin, Lv3] ¡°A level 3 Goblin!? What the hell! Level 3 mobs don¡¯t show up until you get near the end of Floor 2!¡± The Goblin growled at me, ¡°Raguhra!¡± And slashed his axe at me. I reflexively lifted my left arm, my shield, in front of me. It completely absorbed the damage and the impact of the blow. [Biding Eruption power at 29/195.] ¡°A level 3 Goblin hit for 29 damage against a Rank [C] shield?¡± I think I need to stop being so surprised. This is hardcore. Ugh. I need to leave the Easy me behind! [System Notice: Wisdom increased by 0.2] I took a step back and kept my eyes on the Goblin. It bent down, but I recognized this tactic. After having gone through the 1st Floor 3 times, I was at least able to remember this. The Goblin grabbed a handful of dirt, and I charged it with my shield. My shield was about ? the height of this Goblin. [Goblin, Lv3 takes 2 damage.] And my shield only hit it for two. But it fell down. I threw myself on top of the Goblin, and held it down with my shield. The top of my shield was wide enough to restrict its arms, and it was long enough to restrict its legs. As I had no weapon, I punched it. [Goblin, Lv3 takes 1 damage.] My attributes are just too low. The Goblin was unable to do anything as it was restrained. I kept punching it, until it died. It took 18 punches. My fist was bloodied and hurt like hell. [System Notice: You gained 10 EXP.] I started coughing. ¡°Wow, though. 10 experience points for a Goblin. Although it was Lv3. This shield was able to hold it down, thankfully.¡± I saw the body disintegrating, and I hoped for there to be loot, but there was none. ¡°Damn. Well, I shouldn¡¯t have expected too much from my first kill.¡± I sat down, just so I could try and think about how to handle this situation. But, before I could even get a thought out, I noticed a Goblin. It was a good distance away, but I swear I could see it pointing at me. Then, two other Goblins arrived by it. They formed a group, and hobbled toward me. I stood up. I was pretty certain that I wouldn¡¯t be able to win this. So, I turned and ran. Right into two other Goblins. Now, I was surrounded. I took a quick look behind me. [Goblin, Lv3] [Goblin Guard, Lv3] [Goblin Scout, Lv2] And then in front of me. [Goblin, Lv2] [Goblin Cantor, Lv3] Nice. I¡¯m surrounded and to make matters worse, a Cantor. The ¡®Cantor¡¯ class was a hybrid class that creates an aura around them self, either providing buffs or healing to their self and those around them. Not too many mobs are Cantors, and I had only seen one player. The Goblins started rushing towards me. I was able move to the right, so I wasn¡¯t directly between the two groups. The group of two were actually closer to me than the group of three, so I put my shield up in front of me and charged the two Goblins. I missed, the two separated and I went between them. But I was successful in getting in a more advantageous position. I slowly backed up, and the Lv2 Goblin swung its knife at me. My shield, of course, took the hit. [Biding Eruption power at 54/195.] Holy hell. 25 damage from a Lv2. It must be because of the Goblin Cantor! The other three Goblins made it over, and the Goblin Guard hit me with it¡¯s shield. [Biding Eruption power at 64/195.] The hit from the Goblin Guard¡¯s shield didn¡¯t hit hard, but it made me stumble, and the Lv3 Goblin didn¡¯t let the opportunity miss, and it slammed a hammer at my shield. So, I fell. [Biding Eruption power at 104/195.] I guess I¡¯ll try it out. It might be my only chance. ¡°OK! Biding Eruption!¡± Suddenly, my shield flashed red, and I felt a powerful force. In front of me, a giant eruption occurred, and my vision blew up with notifications. [Goblin, Lv3 takes 104 damage.] [Goblin Guard, Lv3 takes 52 damage.] [Goblin Scout, Lv2 takes 104 damage.] [Goblin, Lv2 takes 104 damage.] [Goblin Cantor, Lv3 takes 104 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 10 EXP. ] [System Notice: You gained 10 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained 6 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained 6 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained 10 EXP.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn.}] {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} - An active Ability. Provides a health and mana regeneration aura over 10 minutes. Regeneration scales off Intelligence. Aura distance scales off Charisma. [Current Health Regen: 5 per 5 seconds. Current Mana Regen: 1 per minute.] [Current Aura distance: 0.3 Meters.] [Mana Cost: 10] [System Notice: ¡­] Chapter 3: Almost Died! Chapter 3: Almost Died! [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Goblin¡¯s Tongue.}] {Goblin¡¯s Tongue} - A passive ability. You can understand what Goblins say. When speaking directly to a member of the Goblin family, your words will be auto-translated to Goblin. [System Notice: You started learning a new Ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: (1/10)] [System Notice: Quest option ¡®A¡¯ failed. Too many Goblins have died.] [You took 26 damage from backlash. Current Health: 74/100] I stared at the scene in front of me. Many notifications. The ground had five Goblin bodies that had started to disintegrate, and it was charred black in about a 10 by 10 meter area. There was also a loot bag that dropped from one of the Goblins. What the hell just happened? I tried thinking it through as I walked toward the loot bag. Seems like {Biding Eruption} unleashes damage that scales 1:1 with the power absorbed. This is insane. But, I took¡ªwhat, a quarter of the damage unleashed in return? This can be dangerous if not watched clearly. Plus, I learned new abilities! Unfortunately, I failed to resolve the war peacefully. Would it have even been possible without being able to talk with them? I grabbed the loot bag and looked inside. A single ¡®tube of satiety¡¯. I spent all my mana and activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}. I looked through the dust and smoke that was still settling in front of me, and could barely make out a couple more Goblins through the other side, seemingly afraid to get too close to the smoke. I turned and ran in the direction where I first started coming from, but there wasn¡¯t any place I could hide as the area was just a large field of green. The dust and smoke settled, and the Goblins took a couple of looks at the charred area before heading back to their village. I was tired, and took a few sips of my ¡®hydration bottle¡¯ while resting. After thinking through the events one more time, I started shaking. It wasn¡¯t in fear, however. No, I was shaking because I was excited. The level 3 Goblin I fought first had about 20 health. The tankiest Goblin in this area, other than if there were a boss, should not exceed 50 health by a long shot. With {Biding Eruption} able to do up to 195 damage to multiple mobs at once. Is this not the perfect tool to grind? Just by tanking one hit with my shield, I should be able to take out the level 2 Goblins without a problem. I have the perfect idea! I got up in excitement. I shook my legs out and stretched a little. I walked back toward the Goblin village, calming my excitement in the process. As it had been over 30 minutes already, my health and mana had long recovered. I went behind a hut, and started peeking into the village. This village only had six huts. There seemed to be 10 or 11 Goblins here. Actually, there were 11. Two groups of three, two groups of two, and one Goblin by itself. I need to get the lone Goblin. I watched more and finally found a chance. I stepped out behind the hut to attract the Goblin¡¯s attention. It looked at me, and then I pulled back away from the village. I checked behind me. [Goblin Scout, Lv3] Success! It¡¯s by itself! I faced the Goblin Scout, ready to intercept its attack with my shield. It was wielding a knife. It growled at me a couple of times and dashed in, but rather than growling, I heard actual words. ¡°Evil human! You no can have our treasure!¡± I raised my shield and took the hit. [Biding Eruption power at 22/195.] Good. I need to get it higher. But treasure? ¡°There is treasure around here?¡± The Goblin tried circling around me to get a hit, but I kept my shield in a solid position in front of it to keep the Goblin from trying to sneak a stab into my body. The Goblin cut twice this time. ¡°Evil an¡¯ trickery human! No allowed talk no more!¡± [Biding Eruption power at 66/195.] I tried to get more out of the Goblin, but it just repeated ¡®Evil¡¯ over and over.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. [Biding Eruption power at 132/195.] After the sixth hit, I repeated what I did with my first Goblin encounter. I didn¡¯t want the power to get too full, in case I needed to take emergency hits. If the backlash already did so much, I could only imagine what would happen if it exploded. So I knocked the Goblin down, and beat its face with my fist. It took 15 hits. There was also a loot bag. It contained a small health potion. [Health Potion (S): Restore 50 Health immediately.] [System Notice: You gained 10 EXP.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Area Scan.}] {Area Scan} - An active ability. Scan the area around you and receive a report about the number of presences, other than yourself. Distance scales off Perception. [Current Distance: 30 meters] ¡°Wow. I never thought that {Assimilation} would actually be so helpful.¡± With this new ability, my survival should increase. I went back to the village, where I previously was. I activated my new ability. [Report Received, 8 presences]
Goblin Guard, Lv3 Goblin Bowman, Lv3 Goblin Executioner, Lv 3 Goblin, Lv2
Goblin, Lv2 Goblin Guard, Lv3 Goblin Scout, Lv2 Goblin, Lv3
Eight. So, the other two were out of reach of the scan. Still, this is incredible. Hmmm, an Executioner. A Goblin Executioner was a rare mob, but not as rare as the Cantor. They used two axes, and wore a black helmet. It also seemed to be bigger than the other Goblins in the area. I also only encountered a Goblin Executioner once- on floor four, after a trap sprung, it appeared and destroyed me when I played as a mage. Floor four was actually the last time I encountered Goblins. Floor five to 20 were void of them. I searched for a path I could take to try to get the attention of the Goblins on me. I was planning on taking them all out, together. I grabbed a rock that was sitting next to the hut I was by and threw it towards a group of Goblins. The group had the Guard, Scout, and a regular Goblin. I grabbed two more rocks, and ran on the outskirt of the village. The Scout spotted me, and started yelling, ¡°Evil human! Evil human!¡± That got the attention of the group of two beside them. I threw another rock and hit the Scout in the face. He took zero damage. ¡°Blarg! Evil human hit with rock!¡± The last group of three were also now interested in what the Scout was shouting. There we go, that is eight of them. The last two are still quite a distance away. I threw my last rock as far as I could, but it didn¡¯t alert them. The eight Goblins started running at me. I yelled, ¡°Smelly wobblers! Where is your smelly Chief? And your treasure!¡± ¡°Ohh, evil human want treasure! We no stink! Kill evil human!¡± The Goblin Guard sounded upset. Finally, the last group of two started coming, though they were a decent distance away. I kept running to try and group them all together. I began to look behind me, and then it hit me. An arrow. It went straight into my right thigh, and I rolled on to the ground. Three times. The shaft of the arrow broke off, with the remains still in my thigh. I screamed out. The pain was intense. [You took 27 damage from Goblin Bowman, Lv3. Current health: 73/100] ¡°FUCK! Why does it hurt so damn bad?! AH!¡± [System: Pain sensitivity is set permanently to 150% while playing on Hardcore.] Due to the pain, I couldn¡¯t help blurting out, ¡°Ahh Hardcore your mom!¡± I tried getting up, and fell again trying to balance myself. I shoved the tip of my shield into the ground and got up. I quickly activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}. The Executioner was the first to arrive. It hooked the right axe behind my shield, and yanked me back to the ground. It then swung its left axe at me. I rolled and quickly put my shield up. Another arrow came. The axe and arrow both hit my shield. [Biding Eruption power at 157/195.] [Biding Eruption power at 195/195. Please discharge within 15 seconds.] [Shield unable to absorb damage due to fully charged power. You took 2 damage from Goblin Executioner. Current health: 76/100] What? This shield has 130 defense! It should be able to absorb any hit below 130! Or is it unable to absorb damage because it comes with {Biding Eruption}? Let¡¯s go! ¡°Biding Eruption!¡± Once again, the shield glowed red. This time, it was even brighter. Then, a giant eruption. I felt like I was tossed back a few meters. I couldn¡¯t see in front of me due to the notifications, dust, and smoke. [Goblin Executioner, Lv3 takes 292 damage.][Goblin Guard, Lv3 takes 240 damage.][Goblin Guard, Lv3 takes 240 damage.][Goblin, Lv3 takes 292 damage.][Goblin Scout, Lv2 takes 292 damage.][Goblin, Lv2 takes 292 damage.][Goblin, Lv2 takes 292 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 10 EXP. ][System Notice: You gained 10 EXP. ][System Notice: You gained 10 EXP. ][System Notice: You gained 10 EXP. ][System Notice: You gained 6 EXP.][System Notice: You gained 6 EXP.][System Notice: You gained 6 EXP.] [System Notice: You continued learning a new Ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: (2/10)] [You took 73 damage from backlash. Current health: 3/100] I started coughing out. ¡°Holy shit! Three health! I almost freakin¡¯ died!¡± *Cough Cough* I looked ahead of me, trying to peer through the dust and smoke, just in case an arrow came through. I used {Area Scan}. [Report Received, 3 presences]
Goblin Bowman, Lv3 Goblin, Lv3 Goblin Bowman, Lv2
I used the small health potion I obtained earlier, while hiding behind my shield. [Current Health: 58/100] I once again used {Area Scan}. [Report Received, 1 presence]
Goblin, Lv3
Wait¡ªare they running away? Crazy. I¡¯ve never seen mobs run away before. I guess that is for the best right now. ¡°Status!¡±
Status
Health: 63/100 Mana: 0/10
Name: Zeryn Felix Level: 0 [EXP 120/150] Class: Miraculum Titles: None
Attributes:
Vitality: 5 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Willpower: 5 Intelligence: 5 Perception: 5 Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 8.2 Charisma: 3 Luck: 17
Active Buffs: Recovery Aura
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Eruption}, {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, {Area Scan}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: [???] 2/10
Chapter 4: The Goblin Chiefs Chapter 4: The Goblin Chiefs I hadn¡¯t moved from where I was. I made sure to stay vigilant in case the Goblins came back, but it truly seemed they had run off. Which was very strange. I have never seen mobs run away before, but I also had never shown such power and fought so many mobs at once. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was always this way, or if it was a feature due to Hardcore. Anyway, it has been a few minutes now, and there were no signs of any Goblins in this area. They must be further in, or perhaps fighting in the war. I stood up, but limped on my right leg. The arrow was still stuck in there. Right. The Goblin Bowman hadn¡¯t died, so its arrow didn¡¯t disintegrate. I was wondering why my health stagnated at 99. I pulled the arrow out of my leg. It hurt¡ªnot so bad as it did entering my leg¡ªbut it still was painful. After a few seconds, my health was back to 100, and the wound on my leg fully healed. I stretched my leg to make sure everything was okay, and looked at the loot bags in front of me. There were four. I walked over to them. Hmm. I only need 30 more experience to hit level 1. This leveling speed is impressive¡ªLevel 1 before completing Floor 1. I just need to be more careful. From the loot bags, I got two ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯, one small health potion, and a ¡®hydration bottle¡¯. I started walking to the village in front of me. There was still no sight of Goblins. I was glad, because I was tired. Not so much physically, but mentally, I was exhausted. I started looking through the village, and the huts. The Goblins said there was treasure. Where is it? I looked in all six huts, but didn¡¯t find anything like treasure. There were some mats¡ªpresumably their beds, and that was about it. I looked around a bit more, and then I noticed something. It was a little further away than the distant group of two Goblins that was in the village earlier. It looked like a well. A really thick well, made out of stone. I approached the well, and peered in. It looked like there was water below. There was rope attached to the well bucket, and I started pulling it in. I looked again, and there didn¡¯t seem to be anything in the bucket. I finished pulling up the bucket, and immediately heard a tick. Suddenly, the left side of the well opened up. ¡°A trap!¡± I yelled out, and threw myself back, hiding behind my shield. Nothing happened. I approached the side of the well. There was a treasure chest there! I took it out, and opened it. Inside, there was a tiny orb, about the size of a pearl, resting on top of a gray cloak. I touched the orb. [System Notice: Congratulations! You found the hidden treasure of Floor 1. You gained the Title: Treasure Dabbler.] The orb¡ªit was a title! The orb disappeared when the system notice sprang. I then picked up the cloak. [Cloak of Slumber (Rank: F)] - A gray cloak. Just gazing at it seems to tire foes. Has a defense value of 8. Grants ability: {Sudden Slumber}. Requirements: 5 Perception. {Sudden Slumber} - An active ability. The next foe you touch falls asleep. Cooldown scales off Perception. Five minute cooldown. Cooldown caps at 30 seconds. I checked out my new title, too. [Title: Treasure Dabbler] - Passive effect: +2 Perception. Active effect: +5 Luck, +5 Perception Wow, incredible! Just owning the title gives me two Perception, and having it equipped gives me a total of seven, with five luck! I instantly equipped my new title, and cloak.
Status
Health: 100/100 Mana: 10/10
Name: Zeryn Felix, The Treasure Dabbler Level: 0 [EXP 120/150] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler
Attributes:
Vitality: 5 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 5 Willpower: 5 Intelligence: 5 Perception: 5 (12) Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 8.2 Charisma: 3 Luck: 17 (22)
Active Buffs: NoneUnauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Eruption}, {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: [???] 2/10
I looked at the cooldown of {Sudden Slumber}. [Current Cooldown: 3 Minutes, 50 seconds.] It seems as every point in perception decreases the cooldown by 10 seconds. That¡¯s fantastic. Now, I think I need to continue on. I need to complete this quest so I can get to the next floor. I started walking in my original direction. After about 10 minutes, there was another village, but it was empty, so I continued on. After a few more minutes, yet another empty village. Are they really all fighting? Why are they at war anyways? I took a break. I drank out of my ¡®hydration bottle¡¯, finishing a bottle, and sucked the contents from the ¡®tube of satiety¡¯. After I finished my break, I got up, and just started running. Finally, I saw something. Something I was just somewhat expecting, but not completely. Not this many. In front of me, I saw the field going down. It was a wide valley. Holy hell. Inside the valley, there were very, very many Goblins. They were all fighting, and at the bottom of the valley, in between the fighting Goblins, was a ruined spiral staircase. It looked like it only climbed up a floor, and just rested in the air. The steps seemed to be hanging. I got closer to where the valley started to descend, and tried looking for the Goblin Chiefs. I am too far away for¡ªactually, with my Perception increase, my {Area Scan} should reach much further than before. [Current Distance: 72 meters] It still isn¡¯t enough. I decided I needed to get closer. I needed to be down there. I gulped, and started descending. I kept looking around, and spotted a huge Goblin. It seemed like it was taller than I was. It must be one of the Goblin Chiefs. I tried to look closer. [Goblin Chief, Fartul Saberblade, Lv5] Wait. The chief is actually a named mob! Oh god. I attempted to try and stop my descent, but that didn¡¯t go as I planned¡ªas I tripped and started rolling down into the valley. As I got to the bottom, there were two Goblins who spotted me. [You took 2 damage from falling. Current Health: 98/100] I activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} and steeled myself for battle. One Goblin was reddish-brown, the other brownish-green. They began talking while looking to me, and then back to each other. The brownish-green said, ¡°Haak! See, see! Me said so there was evil Human attack! Chief, the Chief needs to know!¡± ¡°Ohh, ohh, you right! Is human right there! No more fight. No more.¡± ¡°Use the horn! This human the one who killed the village!¡± [Goblin, Lv3] [Goblin Spotter, Lv3] Suddenly, the Spotter nodded, and grabbed a horn off its waist. It blew the horn three times. Some of the Goblins stopped fighting with each other. Then, the Spotter and Goblin started yelling, ¡°Stop, stop! It is evil Human! Kill the Human!¡± The Goblins that stopped fighting looked where the two in front of me were pointing and shouting. There was another large Goblin toward the back of the group. I used {Area Scan}. [Report Received, 92 presences] I felt my head get sweaty, and I saw two more names that stood out. [Goblin Chief, Sarif Razorface, Lv5] [Goblin Chief, Bakril Ingotbreaker, Lv5] Gulp. All three Goblin Chiefs are named, and level 5. And 92 presences. I don¡¯t think my scan reached across the whole valley. How many more are there? I made sure I was up as near to the valley slope as I could. It was decently steep, so I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about them getting behind me. I heard an arrow coming, and quickly blocked with my shield. A few Goblins started charging at me. I had to do this. [Biding Eruption power at 22/195.] ¡°Biding Eruption!¡± Notifications popped up, a few of the Goblins died. I couldn¡¯t really pay attention due to the explosion and group of mobs still nearby. I took about five damage, but it didn¡¯t matter because of a certain notification that made me feel rejuvenated. [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv1! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP.] Another arrow flew at me. I used {Area Scan} while blocking the attack. [Biding Eruption power at 22/195.] [Report Received, 111 presences] This time, all three Goblin Chiefs were in the report. Two more arrows arrived. [Biding Eruption power at 66/195.] At this point, it was like I was just tanking arrows, the Goblins didn¡¯t want to move too close to me, probably because of the explosion. I started inching forward through the smoke, while staying as close to my shield as possible. Then, I felt a very strong pressure that threw me back. I saw a club, one like an ogre would use. [Biding Eruption power at 195/195.] [Shield unable to absorb damage due to fully charged power. You took 7 damage from Goblin Chief, Sarif Razorface, Lv5. Current Health: 103/110] ¡°Uraaaah! Pummel this human, you weaklings!¡± As the club strike dissipated most of the smoke, I could start seeing hordes of Goblins converging on my location. Okay, let¡¯s try this out. {Area Scan}! [Report Received, 146 presences] ¡°Biding Eruption!¡± Sooooo many notifications. This shield was such a blessing. [You took 73 damage from backlash. Current Health: 30/110] [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv2! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP. ] [System Notice: You continued learning a new Ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: (10/10)] [System Notice: {Assimilation} condition complete: Kill multiples of 5 mobs at once using {Biding Eruption}. You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Biding Eruption}.] [System Notice: {Biding Eruption} and {Biding Eruption} formed the new ability: {Biding Hellfire Rupture}.] {Biding Hellfire Rupture} - An active ability. Hellfire ruptures out of your shield. Damage absorbed by the shield increases rupture power. Value cannot go above 2x the defense of your shields. If fully charged, you must discharge the power within 30 seconds, or it explodes. No cooldown. [System Notice: Quest updated. 1 Goblin Chief has been killed.] Damn! It worked. I¡¯m really, really glad my thoughts were correct- there was no way for a level 5 mob, even if it is a named mob, to have over 250 health. Alright, fully healed from the level up. The massacre shall continue! {Area Scan}. [Report Received, 106 presences] That¡¯s a difference of 40. The Goblin Chief encouraged them to group up to get me! Blessed!! I started charging at the mobs. They seemed furious that one of the chiefs were killed. I took three arrows. Then I activated my new ability. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 66/260.] ¡°Huuu! Biding! Hellfire! Rupture!¡± The blast this time seemed to spread out over a much larger area than {Biding Eruption}. The flames had a tinge of black as many more Goblins died. I took 16 damage in response. Down to 104 health, I tried to situate myself in front of the horde of Goblins, and activated {Area Scan}. [Report Received, 58 presences] The distance of {Biding Hellfire Rupture} should be able to reach the archers now. Ranged mobs will become a lot easier. Let¡¯s finish this. I looked between the two remaining Goblin Chiefs. I need to build up enough damage to take them both down in one shot. The Goblin Bowmen didn¡¯t seem to catch on to how my ability worked, so I kept getting closer. Then, a spear was thrown into my shield, followed by a couple of arrows. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 117/260.] [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 161/260.] Not enough! The 117, that must have been from the spear. It looked like the Goblin Chief in the back threw that one! The Goblin Chief closer to me raised his two-handed axe into the air, and he rushed me. He was actually really fast, and went for an overhead strike. I raised my shield to take the blow. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 260/260.] [Shield unable to absorb damage due to fully charged power. You took 37 damage from Goblin Chief, Fartul Saberblade, Lv5. Current Health: 83/120] I quickly popped my last small health potion, coming back up to full health. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this. Biding Hellfire Rupture!¡± [Goblin Chief, Fartul Saberblade, Lv5 took 390 damage.] [Goblin Chief, Bakril Ingotbreaker, Lv5 took 390 damage.] [Goblin¡­] [You took 97 damage from backlash. Current health: 23/120.] [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv3! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP.] [System Notice: You started learning an Ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: 1/50] [System Notice: Quest option ¡®C¡¯ has been completed. The stairs are no longer blocked and are fixed. Quest option ¡®C¡¯ reward: 20 EXP]. It¡¯s finally over. So much experience, so many levels. Quest complete, 20 experience, maybe the real reward was all the experience from the Goblins. Alright. I looked around. There were loot bags all over the place. I gathered the items together into my inventory, and headed to the stairs. I took a couple of steps up. [System Notice: You cleared all the mobs on Floor 1: 164/164. You will get a reward on Floor 2.] [System Notice: Floor 1 complete. Heading to starting point for Floor 2.] Chapter 5: Floor 2, Goblin Forest Chapter 5: Floor 2, Goblin Forest After a couple of steps, I felt an aura of light gather around me, and instantly, I was standing in a room. The room seemed to be made out of logs, like I was in a log cabin. There were some system notices. [System Notice: You completed Floor 1. You gained 100 EXP.] [System Notice: For conquering Floor 1 on Hardcore difficulty, you have received the item: Transfiguration Jewel.] [Transfiguration Jewel - After use, you can merge one item with another. The item will retain its appearance and you can transfigure the item into the merged item, at will. Merging the same type of item will erase previous item.] [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 2¡¯s starting point. You have unlocked the ability to utilize the ¡®Shop¡¯ to purchase equipment and items from starting points. Earn trade points by trading in items. Current Trade Points: 0] Floor two again, but the starting point seems different than before. A transfiguration jewel¡ªI don¡¯t quite understand it. ¡°System. I have two questions. First, was the conquering due to clearing all the mobs, and if so, is there a way to check how many mobs remain? And second, could you provide an example for the ¡®Transfiguration Jewel¡¯?¡± [System: Yes. Please say, ¡®Remaining Mobs¡¯.] ¡°Remaining Mobs!¡± [System Notice: Error. You have not started the floor yet.] Sigh. Did the system just troll me? Also, why didn¡¯t I know this before? ¡°Okay, and second?¡± [System: After using the ¡®Transfiguration Jewel, you can merge two items together. Provided example: You merge Rank [C] Sword with Rank [A] Spear. You can change your item at anytime from the Rank [C] Sword to the Rank [A] Spear by using ¡®Morph¡¯. If you use another ¡®Transfiguration Jewel¡¯, more items can be added. Adding a Rank [B] Sword to previous example item will overwrite the Rank [C] Sword. Use with caution.] I understand now. This item¡ªit can be very powerful. Especially since, while in combat, you can¡¯t actually switch out equipment. I looked around the room, and saw two doors. Above one door, it said ¡®Exit¡¯, and the other door said ¡®Shop¡¯. I went to the door that said ¡®Shop¡¯ and opened it. It looked the same as the room I was in, but with only one door. There was nothing in it. I walked in, and to my left was a button that said ¡®Open Shop¡¯. I pushed the button. A hologram appeared in front of me. It was a female Elf, the one I picked to be my Shopkeeper when I first made it to floor two on Normal. She had long length hair, and her hair was a sandy brown color mixed with blonde. Her hair was straight, and her bangs were hanging, but they didn¡¯t cover her green eyes. ¡°Greetings, Mr. Felix. Welcome back.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Lady Skye. Let me see what¡¯s in.¡± I browsed through the available options. Of course there were ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯ and ¡®hydration bottles¡¯, but I didn¡¯t really need anymore after that mobfest. There were some weapons and armor around the same strength available from the free gear on floor one. I looked over the items I got from the mobfest. I now had 24 ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯, 33 ¡®hydration bottles¡¯, 15 ¡®Health Potion (S)¡¯, 18 ¡®tattered cloths¡¯, two ¡®Goblin masks¡¯, and one ¡®Goblin Chief essence¡¯. I acquired 87 loot bags from that war. It was very nice. I traded the cloths for two points each, the masks for five points, and the essence went for 25. [Current Trade Points: 71] ¡°Hmm. I need a weapon¡ªand armor.¡± But first, I need to use my attribute points¡ª six of them. I¡¯m actually surprised the amount of attribute points are the same as the other difficulties, although level gain is definitely something else. Well, let¡¯s go with this. I¡¯m not exactly sure how I want to build myself, but I know I want to be able to take a hit, and be agile. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I decided on how to apply my attribute points. I went with three points to Agility, two points to Vitality, and one point to Strength, just to start boosting damage, though it won¡¯t change a whole lot. From the shop, I picked up a ¡®Leather Body (Rank F)¡¯ for 40 points and for my weapon, I picked quite a strange one- ¡®Buckler Blade (Rank F)¡¯ for 30 points. Now, I have a kite shield on my left, a buckler with a blade on top on my right, leather on my abdomen, and a cloak on my back. I¡¯m sure that, if I had a mirror, I would look very weird. My new body armor had a defense of nine, and my buckler had five defense and seven attack. I pulled up the short version of my status.
Status
Health: 130/130 Mana: 16/16
Name: Zeryn Felix, The Treasure Dabbler Level: 3 [EXP 810/1200]
Attributes: 0 AP
Vitality: 7 Strength: 6 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 8 Willpower: 5 Intelligence: 5 Perception: 5 (12) Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 8.2 Charisma: 3 Luck: 17 (22)
Although I was fully healed, I still felt like I needed rest. Since I was at the starting point, I decided it was time I slept a bit. I told Skye that I wanted to rest, and a bed spawned in the room. And so I slept.
After having got up, I looked at the door that said ¡®Exit¡¯, breathed in deeply, and then I left the cabin. I checked behind me, and moved the handle of the door. It didn¡¯t budge, and neither did the door. It was sealed. I looked around me, and I noticed I was in a dark, spooky looking forest. There was a sign and a path in front of me, and trees surrounding everything else. The sign had funny symbols on it, but I was able to read it due to my ability. It was written in Goblin and said, ¡°Goblin Forest, welcome friends!¡± I tried walking through the trees, but I was blocked. There seemed to be an invisible barrier. ¡°I guess I can only go on the path? Okay.¡± I started walking down the path. After walking for two hours, I finally saw an open area. Then suddenly, I heard a noise coming from the woods. It was a log trap, and it was swinging right at me from the side. Then, another log trap from behind. I moved back to avoid the first log trap, and put my shield up to intercept the one behind me. It hit me, and I was flung over to the open area. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 73/260.] Hmm. Easy. I dusted myself off and got up. There was a Goblin with a black helmet sitting on a stump, looking at me and cackling. [Goblin Executioner, Lv4] I took a step back, and prepared myself. The Executioner got up and brandished its axes. It cackled once more, and charged at me. I need to learn to not rely completely on my kite shield. An Executioner though, dangerous. I could probably kill it now by rupturing it¡ªbut I need to learn. I raised my right arm, the one wielding the ¡®Buckler Blade¡¯. One of the Executioner¡¯s axes came swinging down at me. I blocked it with the buckler, and definitely felt the difference between my shields. I lost balance, and took a lot of damage. [You took 45 damage from the Goblin Executioner, Lv4. Current Health: 85/130] That means this Goblin hits for 50. Hell. I think I¡¯d take less damage from getting hit on my leather armor. At least then Vitality has an effect. I need to dodge. I altered my position, and drank a potion. I looked down at the Goblin¡¯s axes, and tried watching them, waiting for movement. The Goblin cackled again. It swung its left axe, and then the right. I didn¡¯t even notice it get close enough to me. I stepped back avoiding the left axe, but the right axe got me across the chest. ¡°Aah!¡± [You took 41 damage from the Goblin Executioner, Lv4. Current Health: 89/130] Ouch. Pain modifier hurts like hell. Well, I was right about taking less damage. This buckler has a petty defense value for a shield. What did I do wrong? Was I watching the weapons and not the Goblin instead? If I watch it in its entirety, maybe that is the key. I re-positioned again and drank a potion. This time, I watched the Goblin. I looked for signs of it moving, rather than just watching the axes. I saw it look down and then back up at me. I saw its arm move, and the axe moved with it. It started twirling its axes. Then it rushed, but I saw it. It struck down vertically with the right, but I had already moved in preparation. Its left axe quickly followed from the left. Instead of blocking it directly, I tried parrying it with my buckler and redirecting its attack. As the axe came in contact with my buckler, I slid the attack up and took a quick half step back, dodging out of the way, and then went in for a stab with the same arm, striking its chest. [Goblin Executioner, Lv4 takes 14 damage.] Not bad! This Executioner only has armor on its head! The Goblin Executioner looked at me. It seemed to have hatred in its eyes. It quickly retaliated, swinging its left axe back around at me. I barely dodged, but its right axe came back around, hitting my chest again. [You took 41 damage from the Goblin Executioner, Lv4. Current Health: 89/130] URGH. ¡°Damn you!¡± I quickly stepped in after taking the blow, taking advantage that it had just finished its strike. Its left axe came back around as the Executioner completely spun and hit my blade, knocking me off balance, then the right axe came from the continuous spinning action and slammed into my back. I lay there on the ground, writhing in pain. [You took 41 damage from the Goblin Executioner, Lv4. Current Health: 48/130] Fuck, I forgot to heal! I tried getting up and moving out of the way, and the Executioner suddenly jumped as it continued spinning, picking up speed. It came down, attacking with both axes at the same time. I raised my kite shield, and before it could finish its strike, I activated {Biding Hellfire Rupture}. [Goblin Executioner, Lv4 takes 73 damage.] [You took 18 damage from backlash. Current Health: 30/130] [System Notice: You gained 15 EXP.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}...] I didn¡¯t care. I stopped paying attention to the notification, and just lay there on the ground as my vision went blurry. I started sobbing. Dammit. Dammit! I know this is Hardcore, but I can¡¯t handle the fact I am still too weak. I want to be stronger so I can survive. I don¡¯t want my shield to be the only way I can win fights. I need to learn how to actually fight, and I learned nothing from playing on Easy and Normal in regards to how Hardcore actually is. I need to focus. I need to get stronger. I need to win. Chapter 6: Journey Through the Paths Chapter 6: Journey Through the Paths I withdrew my blade from the neck of the Goblin Bowman. [Goblin Bowman, Lv5, takes 14 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 25 EXP.] That was the fourth one. Now, which path to take? I looked at the paths before me, five paths. I had decided to call each area that seemed to be new and had the next set of paths a zone. Only one path took me to the next zone, the other four- they took me back to the entrance, zone one. Each walk between paths took at least two hours. Plus, there were more log traps involved, so I couldn¡¯t just run haphazardly until the traps were sprung. And, I had only just now made it to the fourth zone. It¡¯s been three days. Ugh. Let¡¯s start with the two this time. Each zone consisted of five paths in the same pattern, and comparing it to a clock, it would be 10, 11, 12, 1, and 2. I figured out that I had been going back to the beginning right after the first zone because I took the ten and it brought me back to the pool of blood where I had been wallowing in self-pity like a numbskull, but I think that wallowing allowed me to grow. I remembered what I had gained after I looked at the system notices from that first fight in zone one. [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Battle Prowess}.] {Battle Prowess} - A passive ability. While in combat, your thinking speed and ability to make wise decisions is increased. When fighting strong enemies, you may earn an increase in an attribute. [System Notice: Wisdom increased by 0.8]
After I had got up and looked at them, I had increased motivation and recalled something I learned from a friend¡¯s father long ago. He had said a popular quote, ¡°You learn through making mistakes.¡± With that, I had gotten up, and trudged along down the paths. I reached zone two when I found the right path, and it had a Lv5 bowman, and zone three had a Lv4 regular old Goblin. So, the pattern so far from each zone has been melee, range, melee, range. As I was in zone four, I just needed to take the correct path to zone five. After walking through for a couple of hours, and avoiding the log traps, I made it. I made it back to zone one. The pool of blood was still there. I started running to make it back to zone four. The traps never reset, so running was the better option. This time, I took path one. I made it through the path, and came to a zone. The zone was missing my pool of blood, so it definitely wasn¡¯t zone one! But, it was also missing a big symbol- a Goblin. Every time I succeeded in getting to a new zone, there was a Goblin. There was no pool of blood, and there were five paths, so this definitely had to be a new zone. [System Notice: You feel as if you are being watched¡­] I looked around, but saw nothing. There were no trees rustling, nor bushes. Just the creepy forest. I used {Area Scan} but the report came back with zero presences. After looking around for a while, I decided I needed to keep moving. I took the ten path, and actually made it to zone six after walking the lengthy path. Then, I was greeted by a goblin. [Goblin Bowman, Lv5] Hmm, another Bowman. The next mob should have definitely been a melee. I know I am at the correct area as I didn¡¯t reset to zone one.And¡ªthere was that notice. An arrow came at me. I could sense how it was arriving, and decided to dodge the attack instead of blocking it. These level five Bowmen definitely had less than 56 health, because I knew for certain they die in four hits from my Buckler Blade. I quickly tried to close the gap between us. That was the trick for Goblin Bowmen. You just needed to close the gap, and then it became a one-sided slaughter. It got off two more shots before I was able to close in. I dodged one, and blocked the other with my kite shield, quite similar to the fight I had hours ago in zone four. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 130/260.] I cut into it, and quickly remained by it so it couldn¡¯t fire at me with an arrow again. I repeated it three more times, and it died. [System Notice: You gained 25 EXP.] ¡°Remaining Mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 4 Mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 5/9] Still four left¡ªso does that mean there are 10 zones in total? What a bother. Truly, this must just be a test of endurance. I picked a path, and walked it. I went back to zone one, and decided that this was where I would rest for a while, and continue the paths the next day.
¡°Oh. It looks like there is another Goblin ahead¡ªFinally!¡± After an annoying four days, I reached zone nine. Yep, this one is melee, but the level pattern is different. [Goblin Chief, Lv5] A Goblin Chief stood before me, tall as usual. It held a greatsword in two hands. It wasn¡¯t named like the three Chiefs of Floor One. As such, I didn¡¯t feel very threatened by it. The Goblin Chief charged at me, and I dodged to the side as it brought its greatsword down. I stabbed it, but in return, got a shoulder check.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. [Goblin Chief, Lv5, takes 14 damage.] [You took 25 damage from Goblin Chief, Lv4. Current Health: 105/130] I quickly activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, and focused on just evading the greatsword. {Battle Prowess} definitely made fighting much easier. I was able to quickly and efficiently take down the Goblin Chief after eight blade strikes. [System Notice: You gained 25 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Strength increased by 1.] Oh, great. I guess it recognized the Chief to be strong as compared to the other Goblins. Ah, and a loot bag finally dropped, too. I picked up the loot bag. It contained a Goblin Chief essence. I looked at the paths available, and they were, again, in a 10, 11, 12, 1, 2 pattern. I really hope I get the correct path on the first try. Otherwise, it will take me almost eight hours to get back here, and that is while running! Alas, after trying twice and failing, I rested up at zone one, and then continued on from there, and finally made it on the fourth path. I guess Luck doesn¡¯t work with this¡ªunless it is just bad luck. I approached zone ten, but, there didn¡¯t seem to be any Mobs around. I looked around and eventually saw the spiral staircase that led to the next floor. As I set my eyes on it, I received another notice. [System Notice: You feel as if you are being watched¡­] I used {Area Scan} and received nothing. The one watching me¡ªit has to be the last Mob on this floor. Just where is it? And as I was thinking to myself, I saw it. It was actually sitting on the bottom step of the spiral staircase. It got up, and started walking towards my position. [???, Lv?] An¡ªan unknown Mob!! The Goblin had its entire body covered in black Garb, and wore a mask that covered its head. It actually resembled a ninja. I stepped back more, and it got closer. Then¡ªit spoke. ¡°Hoo. Greetings, adventurer Human.¡± It¡ªit greeted me. ¡°Human. We know you understand our language. Don¡¯t be so¡­ shy.¡± I couldn¡¯t see its expression, but it really seemed to be mocking me. ¡°H¡ªhello.¡± ¡°Great. Now then, I have been sent here by my masters to take your head. My name is Zilmazil.¡± ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know you, but¡ªyou can¡¯t take my head.¡± ¡°Well, of course you don¡¯t know me. I can count the few who survived on one hand.¡± It bent down, and pulled a blade from behind its back. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± [Goblin Ninja, Zilmazil Shroudstepper the Honorable Assassin, Lv6] [System Notice: Optional Quest is active. Survive the assassin¡¯s onslaught for 10 minutes, and it will be recalled.] It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s named and titled! And level 6? It even gave an optional quest just to survive for 10 minutes! I¡ªstop thinking I¡¯m so weak! Zilmazil suddenly appeared right in front of me, with the tip of its blade pointing at my neck. ¡°Human. You. Are. Weak.¡± I stiffened up. It¡ªit knows what I¡¯m thinking! ¡°No. I am just making guesses from looking at your silly expressions. You leave yourself so open¡­¡± Zilmazil took its blade from my neck. ¡°Human. At least provide me with some kind of cha¡ª¡± Zilmazil slowly looked over its shoulder, then looked back at me. ¡°Fine. The masters don¡¯t want me playing with my targets.¡± I saw it bringing its blade back to me. I swiftly stabbed my blade into its chest, then, it dispersed into smoke. It''s¡ªit''s gone! Wait! I was able to barely glance up, and I felt my body getting sliced. My right shoulder to midway down my back was cut open. [System Notice: Sneak Attack! You took 103 damage from Goblin Ninja, Zilmazil Shroudstepper the Honorable Assassin, Lv6. You are bleeding. Your right arm has been disabled. Current Health: 27/130] ¡°Hoo. At least you could survive one attack. But can you take anymore?¡± I quickly drank two potions and activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}. This Goblin¡ªit is definitely not a joke. Why is it so advanced? How did it just disappear like that? How high must its Agility be to be so fast¡­ As I was thinking about everything, it appeared right before me, and started swinging its blade. I tried to intercept with my kite shield, swinging it towards it. It disappeared into smoke again, and I quickly prepared myself by aiming in the air with my kite. It must have attacked from there before when it cut me, so I predicted where it would be. I launched my {Biding Hellfire Rupture} that had been charged from the Bowmen in previous battles. [You took 48 damage from backlash. Current Health: 82/130] ¡°Ah, foolish Human. I was still right in front of you.¡± Zilmazil stabbed me in my gut. [You took 51 damage from Goblin Ninja, Zilmazil Shroudstepper the Honorable Assassin, Lv6. Current Health: 31/130] I backed away from it. I missed¡ªmy rupture actually missed¡ªNo. I didn¡¯t miss. I just didn¡¯t think things through well enough! I quickly healed with another two potions¡ªFive left. My arm is disabled, I¡¯m bleeding and losing health, although my recovery hymn should be covering that and then some¡­ I can¡¯t even get it still. Every time I hit it, it seems to disappear into smoke and appear wherever it wants. I am almost out of chances. I need to build up my rupture¡¯s charge¡ªfocus¡ªfocus solely on defense for now, while seeing how to deal with its movement. Its attack seems much weaker when it isn¡¯t a sneak attack. Zilmazil stood there with its blade, probably smirking at me. ¡°Hoo. The change in your eyes. Fantastic¡­¡± Zilmazil started walking towards me, and then disappeared. No, it wasn¡¯t disappearing, it was moving very fast. It appeared on my right, and I turned to block with my kite. When its blade came into contact with my shield, it disappeared into smoke. I had a sense that it appeared behind me, so I quickly dashed forward and turned around to block its attack. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 60/260.] Success! Then, I felt a stab in my thigh. [System Notice: Sneak Attack! You took 120 damage from Goblin Ninja, Zilmazil Shroudstepper the Honorable Assassin, Lv6. Current Health: 10/130] How! It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s much too fast. I healed up with three potions so that I was at full health. God dammit. Two potions left. I can¡¯t keep taking hits. It¡¯s only been three minutes. I looked to find Zilmazil. It was gone. Then, the sound of something flying through the air came at me. Shurikens! I raised my kite. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 90/260.] [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 120/260.] I was alarmed by the sound coming from behind. Behind me! I quickly turned around. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 180/260.] I swung my shield in its direction, but it again disappeared into smoke when I hit it. It should be moving now¡ªbut where? I quickly tried sensing around me. Where¡ªwhere¡ªThere! I moved my shield above me, but the only thing in view was a shuriken! I blocked the shuriken, and then I could hear another coming from the tree line. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 210/260.] With the other shuriken coming at me, I had to quickly jump out of the way. Zilmazil appeared where I was going, and I blocked his blade. It disappeared again as I tried to block it. I think¡ªI think I figured out how to hit this guy. I forgot about an important ability! Zilmazil attacked me from behind, but I blocked it successfully. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 260/260.] [Shield unable to absorb damage due to fully charged power. You took 10 damage from Goblin Ninja, Zilmazil Shroudstepper the Honorable Assassin, Lv6. Current Health: 120/130] [System Notice: You have 30 seconds to disperse power.] Fully charged! I need to time this right¡ªthere is only one way for that to happen. Zilmazil came behind me and tried to sneak in an attack. I turned as quickly as I could, trying to block it. Once it touched, Zilmazil disappeared into smoke and I awaited its attack. Okay, I can do this! I felt the attack coming from behind me, and I turned to meet it. I smiled at Zilmazil, ¡°I got you!¡± The attack struck me right in the body. [You took 51 damage from Goblin Ninja, Zilmazil Shroudstepper the Honorable Assassin, Lv6. Current Health: 72/130] I instantly activated an ability I had yet to use. ¡°Sudden Slumber!¡± I kicked at Zilmazil, and stumbled back, but I touched it with my foot. Then, it just stopped moving. I could see some ¡°ZzZ¡± symbols above its head. It was a success. It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s asleep! I drank one of my potions, leaving one remaining. I stood right in front if it, propped my shield up, and blasted it. There was 17 seconds left before it exploded, and this was the perfect opportunity. [Goblin Ninja, Zilmazil Shroudstepper the Honorable Assassin, Lv6, took 390 damage.] [You took 97 damage from backlash. Current Health: 31/130] [System Notice: You gained 160 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Dexterity increased by 2. Agility increased by 2.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Shrouded Blink}.] [{Shrouded Blink} - An active ability. When activated, the next time you are hit, you will vanish into smoke. You are then granted 10 seconds to blink (teleport) to a location. Amount of blinks available: 1. Blink Distance: 2 meters. Available blinks increase with Dexterity. Blink Distance increases with Agility. Requirements: 10 Dexterity. 10 Agility. Cooldown scales off Dexterity and Agility. Two minute cooldown.] [System Notice: You learned five abilities through mobs. {Assimilation} rating increased to D+.] [System Notice: You continued learning an Ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: 2/50] [System Notice: Optional Quest failed.] I looked at the system notices¡ªinsane. I can¡¯t use Shrouded Blink at the moment, but it seems powerful. Was that what Zilmazil was using? It had to be. If so, I need to get to ten Dexterity as soon as possible! I picked up the loot bag from Zilmazil. I got an item called ¡®The Honorable Assassin¡¯s head¡¯. I walked to the spiral staircase to complete the floor. I quietly whispered, ¡°Thank you, Zilmazil.¡± [System Notice: You cleared all the mobs on Floor 2: 9/9. You will get a reward on Floor 3.] [System Notice: Floor 2 complete. Heading to starting point for Floor 3.] Chapter 7: Unexpected Occurrence Chapter 7: UnexpectedOccurrence Again, after taking those few steps up the spiral staircase, I was enveloped by the aura of light. My eyes opened, and I was in what looked like a room inside of an inn. [System Notice: You completed Floor 2. You gained 200 EXP.] [System Notice: For conquering Floor 2 on Hardcore difficulty, you have received the item: Upgrade Jewel.] [Upgrade Jewel - Upgrade a piece of equipment by one full rank. Disintegrates after one use.] [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv4! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP. ] [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 3¡¯s starting point.] I looked around the room. There was a single bed, a rickety chest of drawers, and a small table and chair. Where am I this time? There were no windows, and only one door that said ¡®Exit¡¯. The chest of drawers had a button on top that said ¡®Shop¡¯. The table also had a button that said ¡®One Free Meal¡¯. I decided that the first thing that needed to be done was a good rest. After waking up, I added my two attribute points to Dexterity. I wanted to get to ten as soon as I could to use {Shrouded Blink}. I went over to the ¡®Shop¡¯ button and activated it. I sold the ¡®Goblin Chief essence¡¯ for 25 points, which put me up to 26. I also tried to sell ¡®The Honorable Assassin¡¯s Head¡¯ but it was untradeable. The same equipment as before was available. I only had six ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯, nine ¡®hydration bottles¡¯, and one small health potion. The tubes cost two points, bottles were one point, and health potions were four points. I really wanted to save up points but I couldn¡¯t afford to, literally. I picked up four tubes, four bottles, and three potions. I was left with two points, and hoped the low amount of goods would hold me over for the floor. Lastly, I went over to the table, and pressed the button for a meal. [System Notice: Due to the upcoming quest, you can pick a meal to enhance your attributes during this floor: A: Goblin Sprouts and Oats; increases health by 150, decreases damage taken by 25%, gain five health regen every second. B: Goblin¡¯s Curry; increases Strength, Dexterity, and Agility by 10. C: Gobby¡¯s Homemade Pie; increases mana by 40, increases intelligence and willpower by 20. What is this? I¡¯ve only seen attribute enhancing meals at the hub. I wasn¡¯t expecting this¡ªthe curry¡ªit would allow me to do more damage with my ¡®Buckler Blade¡¯, make me quicker, and allow me to use {Shrouded Blink}, but option ¡®A¡¯ definitely seems to be better overall for my survival. But with such high attribute boosts, what is the upcoming quest? I picked the ¡®Goblin Sprouts and Oats¡¯. My health jumped to 290. I went out the exit, and into a lobby like room. There was a Human seated in a chair. He got up when he saw me. ¡°Hello there, chap. You the one they sent this time, eh? Well, the boarding was provided, and as you stepped out of the room¡ªseems you are ready to go. Good luck.¡± [Innkeeper Saratul, Lv??] I got a glimpse of the Human before I was sent away by some teleportation. I seemed to be in the middle of a town square¡ªwith no town around. [System Notice: Quest Received. Gather information and find the elusive bounty target. There are three avenues that lead to places to gather information! Do anything necessary to complete the quest. A: Go to the Arena B: Go to the Villages C: Go to the Safe House To complete the quest, you must find the location of The Honorable Assassin and bring news to Innkeeper Saratul. You will then receive assistance to vanquish the mighty enemy.] The¡ªThe Honorable Assassin? Is that an error? Zilmazil¡­ was the Honorable Assassin, I thought? Wait, does it mean I don¡¯t need to do anything? Does this mean I effectively already beat this floor?! I viewed the area around me. There was three signs in front of me, and one sign behind me. The three signs in front of me said, in order, ¡®Arena¡¯, ¡®Villages¡¯, and ¡®Safe Houses¡¯, while the sign behind me said ¡®Inn¡¯. Then, an idea came to mind. ¡°System. Remaining Mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 300 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 0/300] ¡°Holy damn. 300 mobs! That¡ªthat is a lot of experience if I cleared it up¡ªand I could get a conquering reward, but...¡± But is it worth the time to go through all that or do I just go up a floor? Going up a floor won¡¯t provide me with much benefit, while clearing the mobs would make me stronger¡ªwhich is what I definitely need. Not to mention I got the meal buff! Okay. One thing to check.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I approached the sign that said ¡®Inn¡¯ and touched it. I vanished, and appeared inside the inn I previously was in. ¡°Oh. Back so soon? Piss yourself?¡± Innkeeper Saratul looked at me and sighed. ¡°No, Mr. Innkeeper.¡± I retrieved ''The Honorable Assassin¡¯s Head'' from my inventory, and held it out in front of me. ¡°I was told you wanted information¡ªabout this.¡± Innkeeper Saratul seemed astonished. ¡°You¡ªhow do you have this? You were gone for two minutes.¡± He looked down at the watch on his wrist. ¡°Two minutes and 36 seconds to be exact.¡± He brought out a staff from behind his back. It seemed to be made of a dark wood, and there was a blood red orb on top of it. Innkeeper Saratul himself was adorned in golden robes. ¡°Now then. Explain to me how you came about this so quickly, or this is your end.¡± He pointed the staff towards me. I panicked. I couldn¡¯t see his level, but he had to be strong, and I couldn¡¯t risk myself dying now, especially to a Human¡ªagain. No. I calmed myself before explaining, ¡°I was approached by the assassin earlier, and managed to deal with it.¡± Innkeeper Saratul seemed to make a face of enlightenment, and asked, well, more like stated, ¡°Ah. One who knows Goblin, are you? But, you actually managed to defeat the ol¡¯ Zilmazil, and all by yourself to boot? A floor ahead, mind you. Impressive work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry? How do you know about stuff like¡ª¡± ¡°No worries, chap. Never you mind now. I acknowledge quest completion, and for solving this without my assistance and so quickly, I assume a reward is due. I have been after that bugger for awhile. You may leave whenever you please, the stairs to the next floor will be at the signs. Ta-ta, now.¡± ¡°Wait, I still have questi¡ª¡± I was cut off, the head disappeared, and I was teleported outside. The sign that said ¡®Inn¡¯ was hanging, seemingly unusable. These NPCs¡ªthe hell, man. [System Notice: Quest completed. The stairs are now available. Quest reward: 250 EXP.] [System Notice: In return for bringing ¡®The Honorable Assassin¡¯s Head¡¯ to Innkeeper Saratul in an ~OUTSTANDING~ 4 minutes and 58 seconds, you are being rewarded 500 Trade Points and a new piece of equipment. Ta-ta.] [Grace of Saratul (Rank: D)] - A pair of onyx-colored gloves. They seem to have been enchanted by a mighty sorcerer. Increases Strength by 5 and increases held weapon¡¯s attack value by 50%.] Whoa. I have many questions, but this is... confusing? These new gloves though, and 500 points! I quickly equipped the gloves, and my Strength shot up to 12. I looked around me, and the spiral staircase was indeed sitting in the middle of this square. I went over to the signs. Alright. Time for some swift grinding. These gloves will definitely speed it up as well. And if I do end up getting in a bind, I can fall back and use my rupture. I should not try to rely on it. Hmm, three areas and 300 mobs. Is it divided evenly? I looked between the signs. I decided that I would do the clearing in order. I touched the sign that said ¡®Arena¡¯. I appeared in the middle of an Arena. Fitting. I looked around, and the audience was filled with Goblins. Ah, what did I get myself into? And then, a voice could be heard, seemingly from an announcer. ¡°Hok hok. Hello audience! I am your announcer for today, Mr. Gokins. The challenger today is a Human! Oh, just a Human you says. Wrong! This Human is an Evil Human who gets off on our Goblin kinds¡¯ death!¡± The audience started booing and shouting. I heard many vicious words through the shouting. It was quite unpleasant. I don¡¯t get off on Goblins dying. I just get experience points. Ugh. I understand everything that is being said. Maybe having this Goblin language was more of a bane than a boon. ¡°Hok hok. The first challenge¡ªFour of our mighty Goblins, ¡®The Execution Crew¡¯!¡± Execution crew? I looked ahead of me, and there were four big Goblins coming out of the other side of the Arena. I quickly activated {Area Scan} to see what I was dealing with. [Report Received, 4 presences]
Goblin Executioner, Lv5 Goblin Executioner, Lv5
Goblin Executioner, Lv5 Goblin Executioner, Lv5
I was expecting more to show up. I assume the audience doesn¡¯t count towards the presences¡ªinteresting. Four Executioners at the same time is going to be a difficult fight, though. I activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} and then the show was on. The Executioners looked at me, and I looked back at them. I decided that for me to win this fight and continue on, I¡¯d need to have these Goblins in my sight at all times. Right now, with the meal buff and the recovery hymn, I can heal 30 health every five seconds. I also take a lot less damage from their attacks while having loads of health. Things are looking up.Come here, my experience points!
I didn¡¯t bother testing the Executioners¡¯ damage. I rather tried to eliminate who I could. With my new gloves, my damage had shot up¡ªtremendously. My strikes with my ¡®Buckler Blade¡¯ on unarmored enemies used to only hit 14, and now was hitting 40. It would only get higher with a stronger weapon and higher strength. It was quite unfortunate the ¡®Miraculum¡¯ class got no bonuses for certain weapons like ¡®Blademaster¡¯ or other types of classes got. I did end up getting hit by an Executioner a couple of times, but I swiftly healed up and the damage they did was quite similar to the Lv4 Executioner who almost ruined me back at the beginning of Floor 2. I kept receiving boos and jeers from the Goblin audience as I slayed through the waves. Each wave contained four Goblins. I didn¡¯t need to use a single potion, and as my damage was high enough, the events went by quickly. I did meet one group that had a Goblin Ninja, but it was nowhere near as powerful as Zilmazil had been, with the group combined. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t learn any abilities from the mobs in the Arena, nor gain any attributes. What I did gain was a sizable amount of experience points, 2500. Now at level five, I put one point into Dexterity and Vitality. My goal for the foreseeable future was to get to ten in each melee attribute, and then see if increasing Luck would do anything. My class, after all, is focused around Luck. I just don¡¯t know how yet. What I did know is that I need to focus on my future survivability, and now with {Shrouded Blink} available, as well as the experience that is about to be raked in, I shouldn¡¯t struggle too much with the next floor- hopefully. ¡°Status!¡±
Status
Health: 300/150 Mana: 20/20
Name: Zeryn Felix, The Treasure Dabbler Level: 5 [EXP 490/4800] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler
Attributes:
Vitality: 8 Strength: 7 (12) Dexterity: 10 Agility: 10 Willpower: 5 Intelligence: 5 Perception: 5 (12) Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 9 Charisma: 3 Luck: 17 (22)
Active Buffs: Goblin Sprouts and Oats, Health +150, DMG taken -25%, HP Regen 5 per 1s
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Shrouded Blink}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: [???] 2/50
Chapter 8: Karafil Chapter 8: Karafil The next place to visit was the villages. I touched the sign and away I went. I was hoping that here, I would get some loot bags. Although I obtained an extremely great amount of trade points, I would still like to get loot, and none of the Arena goblins dropped any. The villages I came to were four in count. I was teleported between the four of them, and they were North, South, East, and West of me. I decided to start with the North. I started heading to the village. These villages seemed to be gated off, with Goblins defending the gate. The entrance to this village had four Goblins. As they saw me approach, they started talking amongst each other. Then, one of the Goblins stepped up. ¡°Stop, Human. Why have you come?¡± I looked at the Goblin, shocked. ¡°You¡ªyou can speak Human?¡± It was speaking Human. [Goblin Magister, Lv5] ¡°Why have you come?¡± It signaled the other Goblins beside it. Two were Goblin Knights and the last was a Goblin Bowman. They started getting closer to me. The Magister had no weapons, but its hands started to glow with a purple hue. I¡¯ve fought mage type classes before, but I¡¯ve never seen a Goblin Magister before. Plus, it knew how to speak Human. When I was playing on Easy and Normal, I never saw this type of AI before. Mobs that speak to players, mobs appearing on a floor they shouldn¡¯t, just what is going on? ¡°... I¡¯ve come for information.¡± I wanted information, however, the information that I was supposed to get from this floor wasn¡¯t what I wanted. ¡°Information on who and where the masters of you Goblins are.¡± The Goblin Magister seemed to keep a straight face, but the Goblins around it had contorted faces. They understood what I said, since when talking to Goblins, my language was auto-translated. ¡°Human. There is none of that information here. If that is all you want, then leave.¡± It started pulling one hand back, and moved the other forward, still with a purple hue upon them. I didn¡¯t know what it was planning, but I needed some kind of answers to my questions. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving.¡± The Goblin Magister suddenly thrust its rear hand towards my direction, and the purple hue that had gathered in its hands seemingly turned into a spear like object. I quickly brought my kite shield up to block the attack. [You took 75 damage from Goblin Magister, Lv5. Current Health: 225/150] ¡°What?!¡± The attack went through my shield and pierced straight into my left shoulder. The Goblin Magister started preparing another spell, and the two Goblin Knights guarded the Magister and Bowman. My health instantly started regenerating. I needed to end this quickly. I decided I would need to get through the Goblin Knights first, one way or another, and get the Magister first. The Magister¡¯s attacks seemed to go through equipment. Perhaps... a type of spectral spell? I charged toward the Knight in front of the Magister, and activated {Shrouded Blink}. It was time to utilize it. An arrow started coming from the right side of the gate and the Bowman¡¯s Knight stood steadily, guarding the Goblin Bowman. I dodged the arrow, and swung my ¡®Buckler Blade¡¯ at the Knight guarding the Magister. I really need to get a longer weapon¡ªthis weapon¡¯s reach is too short, and the defense isn¡¯t nearly worth as much as I thought. The Knight met my blade with its shield, completely absorbing the damage. It then swung its sword at me. My body felt ethereal as its blade went through me, and then I saw a counter. My body had turned to smoke, and the counter was ticking down, waiting for me to blink to a new location. I blinked over to the Magister, right above it and came striking down with my blade. [Sneak Attack! Goblin Magister, Lv5, takes 60 damage.] Ah, my sneak attacks don¡¯t hit for 2x the damage? It must be because I need to be a certain class? The Magister fell instantly, and I quickly followed up killing the other three. I then raided the village in search of any information I could find, but ended up finding naught. So, I went to the other three villages. No information whatsoever. Only 2500 total experience and 36 loot bags. The loot contained the normal ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯, ¡®hydration bottles¡¯, health potions and some tradeable loot. After having done a twice-over on the four villages, I went back to the square.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The spiral staircase was still here. I walked past it and to the sign that said ¡®Safehouse¡¯, tapping it and being teleported. I appeared about 100 feet away from a long building. It had windows and some large walk-in areas. Looks more like a warehouse to me. There are even Goblins walking back and forth. No guards? That is quite strange. I approached the building. A Goblin spotted me, got alerted, and ran inside the Safehouse. I got closer, and then the Goblin came back out¡ªit brought friends. About ten Goblins here¡ªvarious weapons. Should be fine with my meal buff. The Goblins didn¡¯t ask questions, and just charged at me. I absorbed some of the attacks with my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯ and started gathering them together. After they were in a nice pile, I used {Shrouding Blink}, got behind them, and fired off {Biding Hellfire Rupture}. Then, it was over. I entered the Safehouse. It really seemed like a warehouse, and there were empty crates stacked up in random places. But, it seemed¡­ pretty empty. ¡°Remaining Mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 90 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 210/300] Are they not here? I walked around and didn¡¯t see anyone. I used {Area Scan}. [Report Received, 90 presences]
Goblin Alchemist, Lv5 Goblin Alchemist, Lv5 Goblin Alchemist, Lv5
And it continued as such. 90 Goblin Alchemists?! What the hell? But there is nothing here! I continued searching around, throwing the empty crates around. One of the crates I moved seemed to have activated a pressure switch, as the floor in the center of the Safehouse opened up, with stairs leading down. I went down the stairs. There were many, many alchemy tables being worked on by the Alchemists. The shelves were also lined with potions and flasks. Ah. With that amount of potions and flasks there are¡­ it could make me a happy man, but how do I go about killing these guys without destroying all these flasks? A Goblin Alchemist noticed me peeking in from the stairs, and shouted, ¡°Intruder! Human intruder!!¡± The other Goblins reacted, started grabbing the potions and flasks off the shelves, then started running in my direction. I began running up the stairs. I used to be an Alchemist, and as such, I knew that, although I never reached the abilities to do so, that Alchemists could create dangerous potions and flasks. Once I got up the stairs, I turned around preparing for the attack. A flask came flying up and I dodged backward trying to avoid it. It exploded, and a foul vapor spread in the air. [You have been poisoned by Goblin Alchemist, Lv5.] My health started ticking down, ten every five seconds. The meal buff covered that, though, and I then went up to the stairs when I saw the Goblin Alchemist¡¯s head pop up. This should be a decent choke point. I held off the horde of Goblin Alchemists, absorbing their potions and flasks with my shield, even ricocheting some of them, and then when enough damage was absorbed, I shot off some hellfire. I couldn¡¯t be bothered spending too much time here. As I began finishing up the horde, I received a couple of notices. [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}!] {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask} - An active ability. Use mana to create ¡®Elemental Flask (Empty)¡¯. You can then infuse elements you generate into the flasks to complete the product. Flask Cost: 10 Mana. [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv6! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP. ] [System Notice: You continued learning an Ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: 8/50] ¡°Ah, a useless ability. I¡¯m no mage. I can create empty flasks, but that is about it.¡± I tossed my two attribute points into Vitality, bringing it up to ten. Okay, now I just need to get Strength to ten. I searched through the basement of the Safehouse, or perhaps this was the actual Safehouse and the top part was just a fake. I could see a Goblin Alchemist running through the area. Ah, it¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s pushing over the shelves. The shelves were lain across the floor, flasks and potions broken everywhere. Darn, I was looking forward to keeping some of those for myself. I went up to the Goblin Alchemist, and it started quivering, ¡°For¡ªfor killing so many of us, our masters will take your head, Evil Human!¡± It then threw a flask it had at me. It hit me, but with {Shrouded Blink} active, I turned into smoke and appeared behind it, beheading it. [System Notice: You cleared all the mobs on Floor 3: 300/300. You will get a reward on Floor 4.] I guess I can move on now. Just take a quick look-see. I looked around the Safehouse basement. Other than the shattered glass everywhere and the knocked down shelves, there wasn¡¯t a whole lot. I walked around the perimeter and didn¡¯t notice anything. I continued looking around and decided to walk through the center¡ªand luckily¡ªas I neared the middle, some box started appearing, as if an illusion had been broken. I got closer to the box, and then a floor trap went off. An explosion went off beneath my feet. [You took 150 damage from an Explosion Trap (floor). Current Health: 160/160.] Ouch. Good thing I have a meal buff and fire resistance or else I would have died. I waited for my health to regenerate to full, and continued towards the box. There were no more traps in the path I took. I touched the box. [System Notice: You unlocked a new location for Floor 3: The Hideout.] ¡°Oh?¡± Is this where Zilmazil would have been at? I walked back out of the building, picking up the loot bags from the fallen Alchemists, and made it back to where I was teleported from. I teleported to the square, and there was a new sign next to the other three, which said ¡®The Hideout¡¯. I went over to the sign and away I went. I appeared in a dark, cave-like area. It was a pretty straightforward place that led to an open area. It smelled like there was dew in the area, and you could see water dripping from the top. I explored the empty cave. There was a place for campfires, a food storage area, and a bed. On top of the bed laid a message written in Goblin. ¡®Zilmazil, orders have been passed down. They want the head of the Human who will soon arrive. Go down a floor and take care of it. The Human knows how to speak our language, and has been killing our kind. They said ¡°We are watching, do not fail us.¡± -Karafil¡¯ Karafil. I will remember that name. I picked up the message, and added it to my inventory. This is the only link I have about the masters¡ªFind Karafil, find the masters, get answers. I started walking away from the bed, and then heard a sound. I turned around and noticed the bed was disintegrating. There was a small treasure chest. I picked it up and opened it. Inside was a familiar looking orb with nothing else. I touched it. [System Notice: Congratulations! You found the hidden treasure of Floor 3. You gained 2 AP.] Nice. I added the 2 attribute points to Strength, bringing it to nine. I went back through the cave and teleported out. Then, I climbed up the spiral staircase. [System Notice: Floor 3 complete. Heading to starting point for Floor 4.] Chapter 9: Floor 4, Goblin Kingdom Chapter 9: Floor 4, Goblin Kingdom [System Notice: You completed Floor 3. You gained 300 EXP.] [System Notice: For conquering Floor 3 on Hardcore difficulty, you have received the item: Transfiguration Jewel.] [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 4¡¯s starting point.] Another ¡®Transfiguration Jewel¡¯. It¡¯d still be a waste to use right now. This floor¡¯s starting point was a tent. I had plenty of trade points after the previous floor and the loot bags. After trading in the loot bags, it came out to 42 points. So now, I was at 544. I had plenty of ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯, ¡®hydration bottles¡¯, and many potions as I hadn¡¯t been using them. The inventory in the ¡®Shop¡¯ didn¡¯t change. I purchased a new weapon for 30 points, as I had previously complained about my ¡®Buckler Blade¡¯s¡¯ reach, and got some boots, also for 30 points, to give my defense a modifier. [Starter Longsword (Rank: F) - A longsword for starters. Attack value: 9] [Leather Boots (Rank: F) - Boots made from leather. Defense values increased by 10%.] Not a big difference, but it will help for now. With the amount of points I had, I might as well had picked them up. The Longsword¡¯s reach and extra damage is nice, especially with my gloves. And increasing my defense is always important. Head equipment, body equipment, and leg equipment all had defense values to lower the amount of damage taken. Of course, Vitality provided a multiplier to that. Boots, however, always increased the equipments¡¯ defense values, and sometimes held various effects, such as attribute increases. Gloves were the opposite, increasing weapons¡¯ attack values, and then also providing various effects. Back equipment and jewelry could provide various effects and/or have their own defense value, such as my current cloak. Attacks and attack value modifiers here always rounded down, while equipment modifiers rounded up. I¡¯ve been limiting myself too much by playing on the lower difficulties. I had the naive thought that I just needed to finish the floor, and try not to deal with the surrounding enemies¡ªthat just got me killed. At this point, I could probably kill my previous lives if I had to fight myself. When I first reached Floor 10, I had only been level five. Now, I¡¯m on Floor 4 and already level six! I exited the tent after taking a rest. ¡°Ah. This place looks like the Floor Four of easy and normal. That is great.¡± There were trees, green grass, flowers, and shrubbery. I kept looking around as I walked, trying to find the Goblins. And then a very large sight came into view. There was a castle in the view, and huge walls surrounding the outside. Inside of the castle walls were dwellings and whatnot. ¡°Ahh. No. This¡ªthis is quite different. That looks likea castletown?¡± ¡°Remaining Mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 103 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 0/103] ¡°Hmm. Only 103?¡± I started walking toward where the castle was. There were Bowmen atop the walls. They had their bows at the ready. I neared the gates to the castletown and readied my shield. There were some Elite Guards standing on both sides of the gate. [Goblin Elite Guard, Lv7] [Goblin Elite Guard, Lv7] They looked at me, and one of the Elite Guards looked behind itself at the wall. I looked where it was looking, and saw a poster. It had a drawing of a Human¡¯s face on it. Oh, it was mine. ¡°Kuhk¡­ Hey, this that evil Human who invaded our Goblin Kingdom?¡± The Elite Guard asked its ally.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Hkk. Too hard to see. Them all looks the same to me.¡± Then, it looked at me. ¡°Hkk. ¡®ey you! Is this you in this picture, huh?¡± I looked at the Goblins. ¡°...no.¡± ¡°Hkk. Well then, what¡¯s your business ¡®ere, huh?¡± I need to get in. ¡°Um. I am here to look for somebody.¡± ¡°Kuhk. Why is a Human looking for somebody in our capital?¡± ¡°Hkk. Yeah, why?¡± ¡°... I heard...there was a good¡­ chef.¡± I tried my best to come up with some random lie. ¡°Hkk. Think he is talking about Zarbie up in the castle, huh?¡± ¡°Kuhk. Ol¡¯ Zarbie Meatchopper? Could be.¡± Zarbie Meatchopper? ¡°Thanks, you two! That was exactly who I was looking for.¡± I slowly started walking closer to the gates. The two Elite Guards grabbed their spears and pointed at me. ¡°Kuhk. Don¡¯t come any closer.¡± ¡°Hkk. That¡¯s right. You need to be escorted, Human. Think ya can walk around all willy nilly around ¡®ere, huh? Be lucky you ain¡¯t the one in the wanted poster or you¡¯d be skewered, huh?¡± ¡°Kukh. You be the one to escort ¡®im in. I¡¯ll keep a lookout for the evil Human. Damn bastard be killing us Goblins to ease ¡®is sadistic desires. Such a bastard even goes around speaking our tongue. Okay now, be off.¡± What is up with them thinking I¡¯m a sadistic monster? Damn developers. ¡°Oh. Thanks again.¡± I started walking off with one of the Goblin Elite Guards. Successfully in the castle grounds now. I looked around. There were some house-like structures, a smithy, a shop, and some other types of buildings around, mainly made of weaker structure material. There were other Goblins around, and my face was plastered on the walls. They were looking at me. ¡°Unh. That Human there¡ªhe looks awfully like the evil one in the wanted poster.¡± ¡°You are definitely right¡ªhmm. Looks like he¡¯s going up to the castle with an Elite Guard, though!¡± ¡°Whaat! We got ¡®im!?¡± The Goblin Elite Guard looked back at me. ¡°Hkk. Goblins love rumors. They think that if we got the evil Human that we¡¯d just silently walk ¡®im up to the castle doors? This is why they ain¡¯t no Elite Guards like us, huh?¡± I smiled back at the Goblin. What is up with the Goblins¡­ All of a sudden, a group of six Goblins came down from the direction of the castle. There were five Goblins who were surrounding one in the middle. ¡°Hkk! It¡¯s the Royal Guard. Human, better bow when they come by, huh! Be honored to see whomever they be guarding.¡± Royal Guard? I decided to use {Area Scan} so I could view the area, as I couldn¡¯t really see which mobs were ahead. [Report Received: 28 presences] Among the report were mainly the Bowmen atop the walls, one was the Elite Guard next to me. The ones that stood out were the six the Elite Guard had mentioned.
Goblin Royal Guard, Lv8 Goblin Royal Guard, Lv8 Goblin Royal Guard, Lv8
Goblin Royal Guard, Lv8 Royal Goblin Paladin, Karafil Crownkeeper, the Crown Prince, Lv9 Goblin Royal Guard, Lv8
I was caught off guard. A level nine! Crown Prince?! Karafil! The one who wrote that letter¡ªand it¡¯s a Paladin. I couldn¡¯t see Karafil with my eyes, but {Area Scan} picked it up. The Royal Guards beside Karafil were holding shields and swords, and were covered in a green metal armor. As they neared, I could see that they noticed me. After all, I was the only human. Then, I saw Karafil. Karafil was a bit bigger than the surrounding Royal Guards, and was equipped with a dark brown, gallant looking armor. It wore no helm, but atop its head was a small golden crown. There was a purple gemstone embedded in the centerpiece of the crown. Its face seemed closer to a Human than a Goblin, although its stature was definitely that of a Goblin. Could it be because it is a Royal Goblin? One of the Royal Guards started shouting in our direction, ¡°A Human? Elite Guard! Who is this Human!?¡± The Royal Guard drew its blade and was pointing it at me. The Elite Guard escorting me bowed deeply, ¡°Hkk. Superior, this Human ¡®ere came to see ol¡¯ Zarbie up in the castle. He doesn¡¯t claim to be the evil bastard in the wanted poster, huh.¡± ¡°Not the evil bastard you say? You think Humans just strollin¡¯ in our kingdom for funsies? And here you are bringing him up the castle! You lowly-¡± ¡°Stand down.¡± A voice full of power came out from behind the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard immediately kneeled down. ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± Karafil stepped forward, and the Goblins all around bowed or kneeled. It stared me down and it felt like I was being pierced through. Then, I felt like something had invaded my person. [System Notice: You were examined by the Ability {Divine Vision}.] ¡°Greetings, Zeryn Felix. What exactly are you here for? It can¡¯t truly be to see the royal chef.¡± I looked at Karafil. Did it just really scan me? ¡°I came for answers.¡± Karafil kept looking at me. Then it smiled. ¡°Good. Although you are an evil bastard, you aren¡¯t lying. Elite Guard, go back down to the gates. We shall escort Mr. Felix to the castle.¡± ¡°Hkk! Your Royal Highness.¡± The Goblin Elite Guard bowed again and trotted off. ¡°Do not try anything dumb, Mr. Felix.¡± Karafil smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the castle.¡± I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I definitely need to be careful. They definitely were wanting me dead¡ªso just what is going on now? We started walking up towards the castle, when Karafil spoke out. ¡°I¡¯m quite upset with what you did to my friend. We still don¡¯t quite understand how you had managed to do that.¡± Karafil looked back in my direction as I trailed between it and the Royal Guards behind me. ¡°So. You want answers, and there are also some requests we may have of you. As long as you cooperate, we shall see how your sentence will come about. Sound good?¡± I remained silent, not giving an answer. I was pretty confused about this situation. All I knew was that this situation, well, any situation that could have possibly happened by coming into this castle area, was going to be bad. I needed to spend my time thinking. First things first, get the answers I wanted. Second, find the stairs to the next floor, unless I could do the third, which would ideally be to conquer this floor. The mobs this time seemed to range between level seven and nine at this time. I just needed to know how to handle the situation first. Entering the tiger¡¯s den¡ªwhat should I do? Chapter 10: A Goblin鈥檚 Deal Chapter 10: A Goblin''s Deal ¡°So, what are we doing here?¡± Karafil, the Royal Goblin, and the Crown Prince to the Goblin Kingdom, brought me to its study. After arriving to its study, I removed the hood it gave me to hide myself. The Royal Guards had stepped out, guarding the entrance, leaving me alone with this Prince. ¡°Hmm. I thought you wanted answers?¡± Karafil waved his hand toward the side of the room. There were books lined up. ¡°Perhaps if you do something for me, you can have some of these ¡®answers¡¯.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what kind of answers I want. I want to know how I¡¯m being watched, how you monsters are able to move through floors, and¡ª¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Karafil sent a glare at me. ¡°First off, we aren¡¯t these ¡®monsters¡¯. If anything, you are the monster. Invading our kingdom, assaulting our citizens. If you weren¡¯t the least bit useful, I¡¯d already have your head in my hands. You even insulted one of my Royal Guards, calling her an ¡®it¡¯. I could sense her anger overflowing! And watching you? Like I said before, you are in our kingdom. Our Court Sorcerer can easily spot you. My Royal Father and the Lord Chancellor decided that you needed to be dealt with. Luckily for me, however, you delivered yourself.¡± Wait¡ªthese Goblins actually have genders? Although they were just mobs, I suppose that I should at least refer to them correctly. And a Court Sorcerer? If there are things like this in the future, then I definitely need to find a way to hide myself. Wait¡­ ¡°Then can¡¯t this sorcerer see that you are talking with me?¡± ¡°Of course not. I have a natural aura that repels such abilities. Now, let¡¯s talk business?¡± ¡°What kind of business do you even have in mind?¡± ¡°Ah. It¡¯s nothing much, Mr. Felix. I just want to¡ªsay¡ªspeed up my ascension to the throne. And I want you to be the one to do the deed.¡± Karafil seemed to have a smile of sadness appear on his face. ¡°Ah, right. The Lord Chancellor needs to go as well. I have a replacement already set up. Sigh, if only Zilmazil were alive¡­¡± I was stunned for a moment. To think the request was something like this. ¡°So,¡± Karafil continued, ¡°just do this little thing for me, and I¡¯ll see how your sentence will be. Better me than my Royal Father.¡± [System Notice: Optional Quest received from Royal Goblin Paladin, Karafil Crownkeeper, the Crown Prince, Lv9: Overthrow the Royal Goblin King and his Lord Chancellor. Possible Reward: Favor with the new King.] [System Notice: Do you accept? Y/N] I accepted the Optional Quest. [System Notice: Optional Quest accepted. Changes have been made to Floor Four. The amount of remaining mobs has decreased. New amount: 0/3.] ¡°Ah, great. Glad you obliged¡ªtruly.¡± Karafil gave out a seemingly genuine smile. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go meet the Lord Chancellor¡¯s soon-to-be replacement and the Court Sorcerer to go over the plans I have in mind. Shall we?¡± ¡°The Court Sorcerer? But, isn¡¯t it under your father¡¯s command?¡± Karafil shook his head. ¡°He. Not ¡®it¡¯. And no, you see, the Court Sorcerer is a strong, but smart man. He¡¯d much rather have favor with the one to succeed the throne, especially if it is one he considers a friend. Not to mention a certain grudge. Come now, I cannot wait. Put the hood back on, please.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A grudge? I ended up following Karafil out of the room. The Royal Guards resumed their position of guarding the Prince, although it was more relaxed. We went through some hallways, and the curious servants tried to take looks at me, but knew better and kneeled or bowed as we went by. We came to a stairwell that led down. ¡°You all can stay here. We two have business with the Court Sorcerer. No one is allowed entry.¡± The Royal Guards saluted, and assumed their position. I followed Karafil down the stairwell. ¡°You may remove that hood now. It will take a couple of minutes to reach the Court Sorcerer¡¯s room.¡± At the bottom of the stairwell was a wooden door. There was a lock on the outside that Karafil was currently unlocking. We started walking in. ¡°Ah! Karaf¡ª¡± The voice stopped. There was a person there¡ªthough it wasn¡¯t a Goblin, nor Human. I wasn¡¯t sure what it was. It had long ears protruding the side of its head, and was furry. It wasn¡¯t too tall, but was around the same size as the Goblins, though not as stout, much thinner. It had what looked similar to a snout, and even had a tail. What was definite, though, was the amount of magic power radiating around it. It was powerful! [Kra¡¯il Sorcerer, Salazar, Lv13] ¡°Cough, my apologies, Your Royal Highness. I was unaware there was a guest.¡± Karafil stepped towards the Kra¡¯il. ¡°Salazar, my friend. This guest is not one to be...too wary of. Take a look.¡± Salazar looked at me. ¡°Ah! The Human. Does this mean that¡ª¡± Karafil nodded, ¡°Yes. However, where is Kirbel?¡± Salazar looked behind himself, and jerked his head. ¡°Kirbel is currently¡­¡± A sound, along with a smell quite unpleasant, came from beyond a curtain towards the end of the room. Then, a voice, ¡°Aish, I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here. Can¡¯t a Goblin take care of business?¡± The curtain moved, and a chubby Goblin came out from behind it. ¡°Well, well. Now this is a whole different type of business, now ain¡¯t it?¡± Karafil made a disgusted face. ¡°Really, Kirbel? If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d have thought you were waiting for this moment to make your appearance.¡± Kirbel smiled, ¡°Hey now. Are you so certain I wasn¡¯t waiting? Kahaha.¡± Salazar chimed in, ¡°Kirbel¡¯s literally been in there since the Human showed up at the gates. Ever since becoming a General, Kirbel has been slacking so much.¡± Salazar shook his head and laughed. I looked upon Kirbel with an uncertain expression. This round Goblin¡ªand this Kra¡¯il, both were just talking with a Prince so easy going. They must have a bond of sorts. Looking at Kirbel, his name and level popped up. [Goblin General, Kirbel Smashsmash, Lv9] Kirbel waddled up to me. ¡°Hmm, ain¡¯t much, this one. But it¡¯ll have to do. I¡¯m all kinds of excited now. Especially for you, Karafil. Only a little excited for you, Salazar.¡± Salazar looked down. ¡°Karafil doing this¡ªalthough it isn¡¯t for me in particular¡ªthis grudge will be washed away, and hopefully I won¡¯t be stuck at this weak point I¡¯m currently in. It won¡¯t bring them back, though¡­¡± Karafil reached over to Salazar, and patted his head. ¡°You two are my most beloved friends. Growing up together was a real treat. It¡¯s just father has become too corrupt. And needs salvation. This is for the Kingdom.¡± The three of them nodded. ¡°Ah, right. Mr. Felix,¡± Karafil glanced in my direction. ¡°Let¡¯s begin discussing the plan I had in mind.¡± Salazar walked over to a trunk, pulled out a bag, and from the bag pulled out some chains. He walked it over to Karafil. Karafil grabbed it and held it up. ¡°This¡ªthe plan revolves around this.¡± I looked at the chains. They looked very normal. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Since you said you wanted me to do it, am I supposed to chain up the King?¡± ¡°No you idiot!¡± Kirbel pointed at me. ¡°You are the one bein¡¯ chained up. Our Salazar here is a real wiz. We chain you up. We take you to the King. You kill the King, and ¡®is crazy pal. Make sense? Need a picture? I ain¡¯t good at drawing pictures.¡± ¡°What? Take me to the King?! Chained up? Are you lot insane?¡± I poked Kirbel in his gut. ¡°Like hell. I¡¯ll handle this myself.¡± At that moment, I felt the ground crack. ¡°Did you¡ªdid ya¡¯ just call me fat?¡± Kirbel took a step closer to me. ¡°Did ya¡¯ just call me fat??¡± I felt uneasy now. Karafil facepalmed. Salazar started muttering something under his breath. The ground beneath me cracked a little more. Kirbel rounded up his arm like he was about to swing at me. I didn¡¯t even see when it happened. His fist struck out, but, for some reason, Kirbel was actually two meters away from me now. It was only the pressure of air from his fist that struck me, yet I still took 20 damage. Instead of looking at me, Kirbel looked at Salazar. ¡°Goblin dammit Salazar! You know I hate it when you move me around like that! And now you are rooting me down, too? Grr.¡± ¡°Kirbel, you are just too short tempered. The Human doesn¡¯t know better¡ªAh, Karafil. Was it necessary for Kirbel to be here?¡± ¡°Let it be. Now, let me continue. Mr. Felix, just take a look for yourself before jumping to conclusions. This is important to us.¡± Karafil threw the chains over to me. I hesitated, but grabbed them anyway. [Chains of False Castigation (Unique Item)] - An item that makes others view the chained as suffering severe punishment, however the chains break under the command, ¡®Shatter¡¯. When shattered, the Chains of False Castigation creates an area of effect knockback and knockout, making those in a vicinity of five meters suffer punishment. Additionally, grants the user multiple buffs: +15 Willpower, +5 Strength, +5 Dexterity, +5 Agility, +100 Health, Damage Increase +100%. Buff duration: 5 minutes. After the buff expires, user will temporarily lose consciousness.] ¡°Incredible. These chains truly are incredible, however¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Karafil interjected, ¡°You will lose consciousness. However, at that time, you should already be done with the deed¡ªbut you will be taken care of. The three of us should recover by then and seize you. Of course, a show needs to be put on for the citizens. I can¡¯t rule a Kingdom without its people, even if I take control over from my sick Royal Father.¡± I looked at Karafil. He didn¡¯t seem like he was lying. But, now, I was doubting myself. Would I really be able to do this? I don¡¯t even know how strong the enemy is. But, I need to do this. I need to get stronger and move on. I need to survive. ¡°Fine. I¡­ trust you. But these chains.¡± ¡°They are seven years in the making. Salazar is a genius and it still took seven years to make. Quite incredible indeed.¡± ¡°Well, then. Let¡¯s get this ¡®show¡¯ on the road.¡± I cleared my head and readied myself. It was time. Karafil wrapped the chains around my arms and we began the ascent up the stairs. Chapter 11: Those Within the Throne Room Chapter 11: Those Within the Throne Room As we walked up the stairs, I had lots of thoughts just coming in. I didn¡¯t know what would happen, but, at least according to the remaining mob count, I should only be faced with three enemies. The King, the Chancellor, and some unknown mob¡­ I asked Karafil, ¡°Besides the King and Chancellor, who else is expected to be there?¡± ¡°Just the standard guards. They should just get knocked out, and you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about them. Almost at the top. Cease talking and act captured.¡± I took a glance at Karafil. I couldn¡¯t help but have a bad feeling in my gut. We approached the door at the top, and Kirbel opened it. The royal guards resumed their position as we walked down the corridor. There seemed to be less Goblins along the way than earlier. My heart kept pounding. Maybe this isn¡¯t such a good idea after all¡ªwhat was I thinking? I couldn¡¯t keep the bad thoughts out of my mind. We kept an even pace as we walked throughout the castle until we came to two adorned doors, which you would just assume had to be the doors defending the room where the king and his throne would sit. I took a deep breath, but I wasn¡¯t the only one. The Crown Prince slightly glanced in my direction after his sigh, and I gave him a nod. I was already here. There was no way I could not do this. If I tried to stop now, I wouldn¡¯t get far. I could knock the few around me down, but would be chased by all the others in the vicinity. Additionally, I had a quest to fulfill. As we started walking to the throne room, the doors flew open. An old Goblin came out holding a large platter of food and grumbling, ¡°Why the hell do the King and Royal Chancellor not want to eat my food?! Takes a couple bites and tells me to take the damned things. It¡¯s food for a fucking Ki¡ªOh.¡± The Goblin looked at our group. ¡°Your royal highness!¡± He did a slight bow. Karafil smiled at the old Goblin. ¡°Mm. Zarbie. My Royal Father mistreating you again?¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t understand what is going on. The both of them! Whatever, I¡¯ll go give this food to the servants.¡± Zarbie walked away seemingly very frustrated. I looked his way. [Goblin Royal Chef, Zarbie Meatchopper, Lv8] Even a chef is so high-leveled! I¡¯ve truly entered a den of hidden¡ª I looked straight ahead, and at the end of the room was a dark human-looking Goblin, sitting upon a throne. Obviously the King, and beside him, a hunched figure in a robe, assumedly the Royal Chancellor. [???, Lv10] [???, Lv9] The two of them were both leveled high. With the third enemy still unknown to me. A raspy voice entered the ears of we who were just outside the doors, ¡°Heheh, Karafil, my glorious son. That thing in chains beside you¡ªmight it truly be the evil human?¡± Veins visible to the eye could be seen on this King¡¯s face, the color black. His face seemed like it would collapse into itself with how broken it looked. ¡°Come closer!¡± The Royal Chancellor beside him slammed his staff into the ground. Immediately, it felt as if I was dragged before the stairs leading up to them. The King laughed, ¡°Heheh, definitely will taste better alive than dead! Karafil! We shall talk later. It has been awhile since I¡¯ve had an appropriate meal.¡± ¡°Royal Father!¡± Karafil tried to reach out to the King, but the doors slammed shut. I could hear the pounding on the door as they beat it. The Royal Chancellor waved his hand and I appeared atop the stairs before them. I could see them much more clearly now. The hands of the Royal Chancellor beneath his robe sleeves were rotten, the face beneath the hood similar to the King¡¯s, broken with black veins. I wasn¡¯t sure if the Crown Prince was able to see these truths, but these two figures in this room¡ªsomething was wrong with them. [Royal Goblin King, Sorofil Crownkeeper, the Dead King of Goblins, Lv10] [Goblin High Mage, Fartha Staffshaker, the Dead Royal Chancellor, Lv9] They were both dead. Yet, here they were. I grimaced. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Ah, the pain and fear you are exuding¡ªwonderful!¡± The King reached his hand out and gripped my head. [System Notice: Your health is being drained. HP: 158/160] [System Notice: Your health is being drained. HP: 156/160] ¡°Arghhh!¡± The pain. It felt like my being was being squeezed tight. I needed to get out of the situation. I had to continue the plan. I yelled ¡°Shat¡ª¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± The Goblin King threw his free hand over my mouth, clasping it shut. I was still on my knees before the king, clad in chains. My health continued dropping, quickly. [System Notice: Your health is being drained. HP: 152/160] [System Notice: Your health is being drained. HP: 150/160] Abruptly, the doors flew open. I could hear a tired Salazar, ¡°Huff, huff, I did it¡­ I did it¡­¡± ¡°Royal Father!¡± Karafil started walking through the doors. ¡°Royal Father, we need to talk!¡± Salazar spoke out to Karafil, ¡°Your Royal Highness¡ªopen your eyes! That isn¡¯t your father! ¡° ¡°What are you talking about, Salazar?! It is most definitely¡ª¡± A spell of light spread around Karafil and Kirbel. ¡°Look, Your Royal Highness¡ªI¡¯ve¡­ done what I can.¡± Salazar laid on the floor. Breaking the spell upon the door taxed the Kra¡¯il despite the level difference. Karafil stood still, frozen in expression. ¡°D¡ªdemons!¡± Karafil pulled his bastard sword out of its sheath. It radiated a bright and holy energy, befitting his class as a Paladin. The sword momentarily caused the King to retract his hand from my mouth. ¡°Shatter!¡± I immediately yelled. The chains began shining before shattering into pieces, with a wave of energy being expelled. It pushed the King and Chancellor away from me, albeit barely, but it did not affect those behind me as they were much too far. It had gone differently than the original plan, but this definitely seemed to be the better path, as I would now have allies conscious. [System Notice: The Chains of False Castigation have shattered, and you have received the buffs. Received: +15 Willpower, +5 Strength, +5 Dexterity, +5 Agility, +100 Health, Damage Increase +100%. Time remaining: 5 minutes.] [System Notice: Current health: 242/160] The King and the Chancellor weren¡¯t affected by any knockout, as they were dead beings. They immediately hissed in unison, and both reached out at the same time, ¡°Hsss, Karaaafiil!¡± One shot a strand of black energy while the other seemed to be trying to pull Karafil in front of them. The energy hit the light spell that was surrounding Karafil and Kirbel and dissipated. ¡°Kirbel!¡± said Karafil, ¡°My Royal Father and the Royal Chancellor have been corrupted by demons, they must¡ª¡± His voice trailed off quietly, ¡°be vanquished.¡± He pointed his sword towards the end of the throne room, casting a spell. ¡°Holy Ward!¡± I felt a relief spread throughout my body, alongside these buffs and the holy ward, as I finished standing up and pulling out my longsword. I slashed towards the being that was closest to me, the Royal Chancellor. He tried casting a spell at me, as I activated my Shrouded Blink. I blinked behind him and cut through him. Once, then twice. With my stats buffed, I felt fast, I felt strong. Unfortunately, sneak attacks didn¡¯t work on the dead. [Goblin High Mage, Fartha Staffshaker, the Dead Royal Chancellor, Lv9, takes 164 damage.] [Goblin High Mage, Fartha Staffshaker, the Dead Royal Chancellor, Lv9, takes 164 damage.] Additionally, with an increase to my dexterity and agility, I was able to blink twice! As the Royal Chancellor started turning around, he swung his staff with fury. I again blinked behind him. He didn¡¯t even know what struck him. [Goblin High Mage, Fartha Staffshaker, the Dead Royal Chancellor, Lv9, takes 164 damage.] [Goblin High Mage, Fartha Staffshaker, the Dead Royal Chancellor, Lv9, takes 164 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 560 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Willpower increased by 2.] The Royal Chancellor¡¯s robe fell off, and the body fell to dust. The body had been dead, held together by some dark force. Suddenly, a dark shadow of sorts flew out from under the robe and stuck to the King. The King¡¯s aura felt a bit stronger. ¡°HUUUMAN! KARAFIL!¡± The King shouted. The King had just finished a powerful spell, and it was headed for me. My {Shrouded Blink} was on cooldown. I blocked it with my shield. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 260/260. Please discharge within 30 seconds.] [Shield unable to absorb damage due to fully charged power. You took 240 damage from Royal Goblin King, Sorofil Crownkeeper, the Dead King of Goblins, Lv10. Current health: 2/160] I was blasted back by the attack, almost dead. The pain seeped through my shield and devastated me. But as I laid back beside a rail, I felt a warm energy mending me. [System Notice: You were healed by Royal Goblin Paladin, Karafil Crownkeeper, the Crown Prince, Lv9. Current health: 132/160] If he truly wanted to, he could have killed me. There may be more to these characters than I gave credit. I glanced back toward Karafil, and could see Kirbel readying to lob an energy attack from his fist. It flew past the King as he deflected it and smashed the ornamented windows near the ceiling. Karafil ran up and engaged the King in melee. ¡°Father¡ªwhy did this¡­¡± He suspected something had happened, but this situation was far worse than he expected. He thought his father had started being cruel to the kingdom under his own accord, but he had instead been corrupted by some demon. Although the King was a level higher than Karafil, the holy ward was a low-level spell which weakened the ability of demons, undead, and evil by a bit. Kirbel came up to help Karafil in the melee. The King found an opportunity and threw Kirbel to the back. Then, something extracted itself from the King¡¯s body, and threw the dead corpse as it started turning into dust at Karafil. Karafil caught the body as it started disintegrating. The dark mass flew towards the wall near the ceiling to escape out the shattered window. [Gemini Shade, Lv9] ¡°A Shade?!¡± Karafil gasped. ¡°It must be destroyed at all costs!¡± A Shade. A mob I have never seen before. I chugged a couple health potions. My rupture was close to imploding. The Gemini Shade attempted to go out the window, but as it jumped from the wall towards the exit, it bounced off an invisible barrier. Salazar had barely gotten up in time. I rushed over towards the Gemini Shade that had now fallen down beside the throne it once sat upon. Karafil started moving closer. ¡°Get back!¡± I shouted. My shield was swelling. I aimed towards the Gemini Shade. ¡°Biding¡ªHellfire¡ªRupture!¡± [System Notice: Biding Hellfire Rupture was affected by luck. Critical strike! You took no backlash damage.] [Gemini Shade, Lv9, takes 780 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 140 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Intelligence increased by 1.] [System Notice: Optional Quest has been completed. A hidden set of stairs has been revealed. Optional Quest reward available through the new Goblin King, Karafil.] [System Notice: You cleared all the mobs on Floor 4: 3/3. You will get a reward on Floor 5.] Karafil stood there, then fell to his knees. He took in the situation at hand, and I stood there likewise. Kirbel and Salazar came up to Karafil, standing beside their King and friend. Kirbel comforted the two who were crying. *plop* Chapter 12: Entering the Fifth Floor! Chapter 12: Entering the Fifth Floor! I opened my eyes. I was lying on a hard surface. Above, a stony ceiling. I slowly sat up, and saw the bars which held me inside the room. I was in a cell. I went through the last memories in my mind. We defeated the King and Royal Chancellor, both of which were dead and controlled by a Gemini Shade. A single demon¡ªor shade, whether they were one in the same or not, able to control two similarly leveled boss-type characters at the same time. I will need to be wary of them. Unfortunately for me, I remembered something. I hadn¡¯t been able to collect any loot! I went unconscious and now I¡¯m in this cell! I went over to the bars. ¡°Hey! I thought I¡¯d be taken care of?! Someone come get me out of here!¡± There was no answer, however. My voice echoed through this underground prison. I started trying to shake the bars to no avail. My body was still sore. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I had been out for. I sat down on the floor and brought up my status.
Status
Health: 160/160 Mana: 22/22
Name: Zeryn Felix, The Treasure Dabbler Level: 6 [EXP 1690/9600] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler
Attributes:
Vitality: 10 Strength: 9 (14) Dexterity: 10 Agility: 10 Willpower: 7 Intelligence: 6 Perception: 5 (12) Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 9 Charisma: 3 Luck: 17 (22)
Active Buffs: None
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Shrouded Blink}, {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: [???] 8/50
I had gained a total of three attributes from the encounter. I didn¡¯t learn any new abilities. I gained a little bit of experience, however, I finally had a result from my luck stat! So luck can work like that as well? Though things didn¡¯t progress the way I imagined, I did gather some answers like I wanted¡ªapparently these Goblin masters¡ªit was because of that Shade. I still need to talk to Karafil. I went up to the bars again, when I started hearing footsteps. [Goblin General, Kirbel Smashsmash the Royal Chancellor, Lv9] ¡°Oi! It¡¯s ¡®bout time ye woke up. Let me let ya outta there so ye can go see ¡®is Majesty.¡± Kirbel came over to the gate, and placed his hand over where he should have been putting in a key. I gave him a questioning look and he laughed, ¡°Ain¡¯t ever seen that before? Internal lock, Goblin specialty.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I heard a clank, and the cell door unlatched, opening up. ¡°So,¡± I asked, ¡°How long was I out for?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°Not me. That¡¯s for sure. I ain¡¯t keeping track of anythin¡¯ like that. Too much work for me. Hahaha.¡± We started walking towards the stairs out of this dungeon-like prison. I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So, why were you made the Royal Chancellor?¡± ¡°Huh? What do ya mean? Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± ¡°You just seem¡ª¡± I couldn¡¯t really get it out. ¡°Hold up, bub. I¡¯ll have ye know, I graduated at the top of class and was the youngest ol¡¯ Goblin to be a general! I¡¯d bet my special potty room that ye couldn¡¯t even lead no troops near as damn well as me! My tactical prow¡­ prow¡ª¡± ¡°Prowess?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go interruptin¡¯ me, bub! My tactical prowess is better than the last three kings, combined even! Just don¡¯t go asking ¡®is Majesty. No need to waste ¡®is breath explainin¡¯ this to you again.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± I didn¡¯t speak anymore. I followed Kirbel up the stairs and we started walking through the castle. There were two guards which came to follow us as we made our way to the new King. As we approached the throne room, I could see guards standing outside, holding up a line of Goblin citizens. To my surprise, they were quite civil. There was sparse shouting, few were pushing, the majority waiting patiently for whatever. Kirbel pushed through a couple of guards and was saluted. He looked up at me, ¡°Alrighty, go on in. Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± I couldn¡¯t even bother retorting. I walked in, and there were guards lining up the room. Kirbel pulled the throne doors closed behind me. Last time I entered this room, well, I didn¡¯t really enter, I was forcefully sucked in. However, there hadn¡¯t been guards like this last time, like Karafil had expected. Perhaps it was due to the corrupted and dead previous King not wanting guards. [Royal Goblin Kinged Guardian, Karafil Crownkeeper, the Goblin King, Lv11] He¡ªhe gained two levels? And that is¡ªa class evolution! Karafil stood up. The guards kneeled. He motioned for them to stand. He looked at me. ¡°Come,¡± he spoke. Though his words were faint, his gaze made my body feel persuaded to move. The authority of a king. I started walking towards him, our gazes locked. Then, I stood before him. He smiled weakly, and he looked tired. ¡°Not only an evil bastard, but mannerless, too?¡± I felt my knees start to buckle after his chiding, but he placed his hand on my shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he said, ¡°just remain standing.¡± He sat down on his throne, and motioned a couple of guards to come up. ¡°Zeryn Felix. I will list out your crimes and give you your sentence. One, not only did you interfere in a war between three Goblin tribes, you took it upon yourself to kill them all. Two, you massacred four villages. Three, you destroyed a majority of the Kingdom¡¯s alchemists, their research, and their products. Four, you killed a friend of the throne, though, I will¡­ pardon that offense and consider it an act of self-defense.¡± The guards drew their weapons and pointed them at me. I wanted to move, but under Karafil¡¯s gaze, I was struggling. Though, the way he makes it sound really does pin me as some evil bastard! I tried retorting, ¡°Karaf¡ª¡¯ He again raised his hand. ¡°However, Mr. Felix. You have assisted the entire Goblin Kingdom by uprooting a Shade, who had corrupted and killed my late Royal Father and the prior Royal Chancellor. A Shade who was using the highest authority of our Kingdom for his own desire and neglected the citizens of the Kingdom. We couldn¡¯t see behind the mask the Shade wore due to a villainous spell. So, for the aforementioned crimes, you will be pardoned- if you choose to undertake an oath. What say you?¡± ¡°Kara¡ª,¡± I took a second and cleared my throat, ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s the oath?¡± ¡°Simple. You must swear that you will not needlessly take the lives of my kind. Acts of unprovoked attacks will not be acceptable. If you see a Goblin in life-ending danger, you must do your best to assist them. Do you accept?¡± [System Notice: You are being offered to undertake an oath. If you choose to accept, breaking this oath will cause you to undergo punishment from a worldly power. Do you accept? Y, N] I looked at Karafil. ¡°I accept.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He smiled weakly again. ¡°Guards, have the Royal Chancellor inform the citizens that I will continue handling their requests tomorrow. Have someone take down the order in which they arrived so tomorrow is fair.¡± Karafil stood up. The guards kneeled, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± Karafil Crownkeeper turned around and started walking towards a room situated to the left of the throne. ¡°Coming?¡± I was following him into the King¡¯s quarters¡ªor, so I thought. ¡°You must be famished, let¡¯s eat.¡± We entered a dining room, where a chef had just finished bringing in food. The chef was Zarbie Meatchopper, who bowed when he noticed us walk in, ¡°Your Majesty! You still look so weak. Eat, and don¡¯t stop eating.¡± ¡°Mm. I finally get to enjoy a break. Did you take Salazar any food?¡± ¡°I did, Your Majesty, though he has barely eaten.¡± ¡°Thank you, Zarbie. I will go visit him after this.¡± Zarbie bowed and started leaving, ¡°Of course.¡± Karafil returned his attention to me, ¡°Sit. Anywhere is fine. Let¡¯s eat, then we can talk.¡± I sat down at a random stool, and gladly dug in. When he had mentioned for us to eat, I truly was starving. I hadn¡¯t noticed it at first. ¡°How long was I out?¡± I asked. Karafil held up two fingers. I acknowledged it, ¡°Two days, huh? Quite a long ti¡ª¡± ¡°Two weeks.¡± ¡°...what?¡± ¡°Mr. Felix. No, I will call you Zeryn now. Zeryn, do you care to know?¡± He held up three fingers. ¡°Ask three things, and I¡¯ll answer it the best I can. Another thing you may want to know, free of charge, is that a spiral staircase appeared in a cell near the one you were resting in. It wasn¡¯t there before, and I know you are quite fond of them.¡± Is that the staircase mentioned in the quest completion? Three questions¡ªalright. I started to ask, ¡°First¡­¡±
I walked down the dungeon, walking past the cell I had been in, and there it was. The cell directly next to mine, a beautiful, white spiral staircase. The cell was unlocked, so I left the Goblin Kingdom. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have found the hidden staircase. You will enter an alternate fifth floor.] [System Notice: You completed Floor 4. You gained 400 EXP.] [System Notice: For conquering Floor 4 on Hardcore difficulty, you have received the item: Upgrade Jewel.] [System Notice: For conquering the Goblin Kingdom with the path you chose, you have received the title: ¡®Oathtaker, A Friend of Goblins¡¯.] [Title: Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins] - Passive effect: +2 Charisma. Active effect: +5 Charisma, +5 Wit [System Notice: Floor 4 complete. Heading to starting point for the alternate Floor 5.] I closed my eyes, and when I looked again, I was in a waiting room that looked identical to where everything started, where I changed my difficulty. Where this last journey began. Luminescent, white. This place had windows, though. And through the windows, I could see a fiery domain. A bridge extended out to a floating platform, enveloped in flames. Magma flowed in the empty area around the platform. Ash was sprinkled throughout the air. I stepped back from the window, and spotted a button to spawn a shop. I reached out to press it, but... [???: Welcome¡ªto my hell.] Something greeted me. Chapter 13: Floor 5, Ashen Flame Chapter 13: Floor 5, Ashen Flame I looked around for the owner of the ominous voice, yet saw nothing. Something must be out there. I decided to hit the button anyways, and expected Skye to come out. She wasn¡¯t there, though I was still able to access the store. The store still only sold F-rank equipment, so I decided to stock up on some health potions. I was curious about how much my new necklace would trade in for, so I checked; 2500 points. Of course, with the stats it possessed, it had to be worth at least that much. I gripped the ¡®Medallion of the Goblin Kingdom¡¯, and internally thanked Karafil again.
¡°First¡­¡± I spoke to Karafil Crownkeeper, ¡°Let¡¯s have an easy conversation. What¡¯s your story, you, Kirbel, and Salazar? I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Karafil said. ¡°Asking a question about us. Fine. My story is simple, my late Royal Father was the great king. He ruled justly, and I sought to be like him. I was sent to a school for military training, while also training here on royal and political matters. At the military school, I met Kirbel. You wouldn¡¯t believe it, but he is a genius tactician. We grew closer, even though it was because of him that father would punish me for not achieving the top place.¡± He then looked towards the ceiling, ¡°Two years later, I set out with father as he went to expand our land. He was fighting against the Kra¡¯il at the time, and he found out about a powerful child. His ability with magic was outstanding. My father¡­ killed the child¡¯s village and took him to use for the kingdom¡¯s benefit. That child was Salazar. We were all similarly aged, and I was intrigued by a race different than my own. A bond grew between us. Then recently, a lot of distraught began in the kingdom. My father stopped seeing to the citizens. He made strange requests, and these requests stopped being in favor of the kingdom.¡± I nodded at his story. ¡°That is quite simplified.¡± He smiled weakly, ¡°Ruling a kingdom is a lot more tiring than I¡¯ve expected. Next?¡± ¡°Mm. Second, what exactly are shades? Demons?¡± ¡°No. Far worse than demons. Demons at least come from our world, but shades¡ªthey are invaders. Invaders of pure evil. Did you know, Zeryn, that there are other worlds besides ours? Shades, they invade worlds and corrupt the powerful, they want to take the world for themselves, and then they will move to another. They seek only destruction, and to absorb the core energy retained in the world¡ªor so the stories say.¡± ¡°So the stories say?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed. We have no proof that such beings truly come from other worlds. What proof we do have is that they corrupt and possess, as we have witnessed here. What is your last question?¡± I thought for a second, but I still needed an answer that I had originally came for. ¡°How did Zilmazil travel between floors? NPCs shouldn¡¯t be able to¡ª¡± ¡°NPCs? What are those?¡± Karafil seemed confused. ¡°Of course we can move along our kingdom as we want. Though our world has been divided due to¡ª¡± I could see his mouth keep moving, but I couldn¡¯t hear him. I kept hearing a thunderous ringing in my ears instead. [System Notice: Error. Your wisdom is too low.] I threw my hands over my ears, squeezing my head. Karafil came over to me, asking if I was okay. At least I could hear that. As he stepped back, he muttered, ¡°You really should read those books¡ªyou don¡¯t even know our basic history..?¡± ¡°Yes, thanks, Your Majesty. Thank you for answering my questions as well.¡± ¡°Before you set off,¡± he spoke, ¡°take this. It will convince most Goblins and even some others to think twice about regarding you differently. Remember your oath.¡± I looked at what he handed me. It wasn¡¯t quite bad. Though, charisma doesn¡¯t help me any.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. [Medallion of the Goblin Kingdom (Rank: C)] - A medallion showing great status in the Goblin Kingdom. Most Goblins will not try to cause problem to those with ownership of this medallion. Provides Charisma +5, Willpower +5. Increases the rate at which your wisdom increases.] [System Notice: You started learning a new ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: (1/??)] [System Notice: Quest reward received. EXP +2500] Gulp. That was a large chunk of experience. I¡¯m just under halfway to level seven now. I said my goodbyes to the new king, Karafil Crownkeeper, and headed to the dungeon.
[???: Welcome¡ªto my hell!] ...Why is it repeating itself? I left the shop menu. I quickly looked over my status before I headed to the door. I started pushing the door open. [???: Welcome¡ªto my¡ª] ¡°Oh. My. God. Just stop already! I get it!¡± I yelled out. It was quite annoying. [???: Mere human! You dare?!] I stood there and blinked a few times. These words¡ªthey sound a little¡­ familiar? ¡°Oh well.¡± I started walking across the bridge. I was headed for the platform. Magma boiled around me, and the air smelled like ash. I wasn¡¯t really affected by the temperature, wondrously. I came to the platform, but no matter where I looked, I saw no enemy. Floor five¡ªevery fifth floor is supposed to have a quest. Although hardcore has been different¡­ what is going on here? As I was thinking to myself, a system notification appeared. [System Notice: Are you ready to begin your challenge? Y,N] Challenge? ¡°System, info. Please.¡± [System: You have been placed on a ¡®Challenge Floor¡¯. The rules of these floors are different. Would you like to hear the rules of this floor?] ¡°Yes.¡± [System Notice: Challenge Floor: Fire. You have five attempts at succeeding against your enemy. After five attempts, you lose a life. Rewards differ depending on attempt success.
  1. First attempt success: Three rewards.
  2. Second attempt success: Two rewards.
  3. Third attempt success: One reward.
  4. Fourth attempt success: Chance at one reward.
  5. Fifth attempt success: Nothing.
Be careful not to fall, as you forfeit an attempt and must start over. This challenge requires you to kill your enemy. Your enemy has¡­ 1000 HP.] [???: Welcome¡ªto my¡ª] [System Notice: Are you ready to begin your challenge? Y,N] [???: ...you¡­] Did the system just cut it off? ¡°Yes, begin challenge.¡± [???: Finally!] Suddenly, the ash in front of me began conglomerating. It joined together, and a gray, red, smoldering figure was coming into being. Its body hued a dark red, and it had a flame upon its head. It had a beard of embers, and it stood there before me with arms crossed as its burning feet began the descent to the platform, crisping the earthen arena. [Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10] [System Notice: Challenge mode initiated, HP 1000/1000.] I looked at the four foot spirit in front of me. Tiny, but dangerous. It spread its arms apart and fire from its fingertips morphed into balls. And oh did he speak. The voice did not match his facade at all as he sounded like a prepubescent male, ¡°Mere human! For interrupting me, I shall burn off that silver hair of yours! And then I¡¯ll burn¡ª¡± I began moving. I kept my shield at the ready and ran at the spirit. ¡°You!¡± He tossed a fireball at me, but I jumped to the side to avoid it, then he threw the next. I really had to thank {Battle Prowess} for allowing my mind to keep up with the fight. I had two options. One, defend the attack with my kite as I closed in, getting a feel for this boss¡¯s damage, or two, using blink now. I was not in any position to dodge again, as my agility was not yet high enough for back-to-back maneuvers. I also would only be able to blink once, then it¡¯d be down for two minutes. The last level ten that I took a hit from was Sorofil, the old Goblin King, and even though he was being possessed, he still hit me for 500 damage through 20 Willpower. But I have fire resist, so I decided to block it. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 200/260.] Well, shit. With the fireball being at 400, I would have died already without this shield and fire resistance. If I absorb another fireball, I¡¯ll end up taking 140 damage or so. That would barely leave me alive. It is a good thing I stocked up on health potions. I neared the fire spirit, and decided to knock out a fifth of its health points. ¡°Biding Hellfire Rupture!¡± [Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame takes 0 damage.] [You took 50 damage from backlash. Current Health: 110/160] I saw the spirit take in a breath, effectively sucking in my hellfire. Then, he breathed out as I started recovering from my attack. It was a breath attack. I activated {Shrouded Blink} to dodge it, and decided to blink above him. I delivered the spirit a blow. [Sneak attack! Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10, takes 90 damage.] 11 more. The Fire Spirit quickly turned around and smacked at me. I blocked the attack. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 150/260.] His attack hit for 150. If I were to discharge now, I¡¯d receive 38. I¡¯d be at 70 something¡­ But I¡¯d be able to absorb his next attack. As {Battle Prowess} was helping me, I was met with fireballs back-to-back. I relied on instinct as I discharged my kite. [You took 38 damage from backlash. Current Health: 72/160] [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 200/260.] One fireball? I must have neutralized the first one¡ªI didn¡¯t know mechanics could work like this! I drank a small health potion, restoring 50 of my health. But as I was finishing, I could see him moving a leg back. He seemed to be partially crouched, and he brought his arms back to his side as he edged his hands together. He then began twisting them together as fire was created within his palms. It looked familiar for some reason. He yelled, though it sort of sounded like a scream, too, ¡°Raaaaaaahhhhh!¡± He threw his hands in front of him as they were open in a clawed fashion. A beam of fire was launched from within the maw, and it rushed at me. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 260/260.] [Shield unable to absorb damage due to fully charged power. You took 728 damage from Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10.] [System Notice: You died.] Chapter 14: Miraculum Chapter 14: Miraculum [System Notice: You died.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Strength increased by 1.] I was sitting on the couch as I kept remembering that one notification. The one of me dying, of course. Death was never tender, and I thought I would have had it in the bag. I just destroyed a couple of boss-like mobs, though I had been buffed. Now I just feel like a wet noodle. Though, I kept going over the fight with Aurel, I couldn¡¯t think of what I could have done differently. I suppose I could have tried blocking the breath attack, and saving my blink for that attack, but I don¡¯t know how strong the breath attack was. I wasn¡¯t expecting such a high-powered attack, either. You always hear in stories of how strong breath attacks are, so I had to blink. Stop justifying your carelessness. I couldn¡¯t get my mind together. I died, yet {Battle Prowess} netted me an attribute. That was the only positive, as it brought all my physical attributes to ten. If this wasn¡¯t a challenge floor, then it¡¯d all be over. It may still be all over. I obviously can¡¯t kill this thing. [Aurel: Aww, mere human too scared and weak to come out to play? Mwahahaha.] And there he goes again. His voice may sound scary in my head, but out there, it¡¯s just some prepubescent sounding punk. Ignore it. I started thinking about a course of action. One thing for sure, though, was that I definitely cannot take that attack head on. I absolutely had to keep my {Shrouded Blink} until he used it. I need to test his breath damage to see if it can be soaked up by my shield or not. I will figure this out. I will. I decided to check the shop again. I was hoping there would be something there to help¡ªanything. I needed gear to protect against fire, or to somehow¡ªbut of course, there was nothing. Even using {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} wouldn¡¯t help too much.As I was thinking, I headed over to the door for my second attempt at this challenge. [Aurel: Yes, yes!] I headed over to the platform, but the Fire Spirit wasn¡¯t there. I could only assume he was within the ashes again. [System Notice: Are you ready to resume your challenge? Y,N] I took a deep breath, ¡°Sure.¡± The ash started moving again, and I could see him start forming once more. [System Notice: Challenge mode has been resumed. Second attempt initiated. HP 930/1000] I was alarmed, in a good way. I had brought him down by 90, but he doesn¡¯t seem to have fully healed between attempts. I might actually be able to do this. No. I know I can! I saw the Spawn of the Ashen Flame readying up his fireballs, the same way he started last time. I immediately started running directly at the small spirit of fire. If I can just hit him two or three times, I can whittle him down and fight him again before he has regened all his health. I may not get rewards, but keeping my life is a reward in of itself. As I ran, I activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}. As long as I don¡¯t get one-shot, it may pull me through enough to get in another hit. Now that I knew the way this challenge functioned, every hit counted. I raised my drained kite shield as the fireball came at me. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 200/260.] I used the momentum from the blast and twirled my body to the left as I sidestepped, effectively dodging the other fireball. I decided against unleashing the energy just yet as I could hold it to neutralize a fireball, and prevent him from absorbing it for a breath attack. He started forming a couple more fireballs as I got closer, so I lunged with my longsword.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. [Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10, takes 65 damage.] Right, my strength went up. The Fire Spirit smashed the two fireballs in his hands in front of him, trying to slam the fireballs into me. Unfortunately for him, he was too small and I was able to backstep the attack. I did, however, bear the brunt of the attack as the explosion of the two reached me. [You took 50 damage from Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10. Current health: 110/160] He took the opportunity provided to start preparing what I assumed was his ultimate attack, so I mentally prepared to use my blink as I ran in for another attack. [Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10, takes 65 damage.] He finished the attack before I can hit him again, so I activated {Shrouded Blink}, contemplating where I should teleport to after it landed and made me turn into smoke. I could see the astonishment on his face as the attack phased through my body, and he started looking for me behind him. I instead blinked to the opposite side of him, and I slashed at him. But... I missed. He fucking giggled as he poofed into ash and my longsword cut through nothing. He reappeared where his beam had been sent, seemingly catching it within his palms, and redirecting the attack at my side. I couldn¡¯t even try blocking as I was still recovering from my attack. [You took 788 damage from Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10.] [System Notice: You died.] I reappeared in the white room. The pain I felt was intense but short as I died instantly. I fell to my knees and pounded my fist into the floor. I needed that hit. I only dropped him down by 130. That¡¯s not enough. If I am able to do that three more times, he won¡¯t die. I¡¯ll die. He fucking giggled at me. To be completely honest, I was mad. I was tired of being thought of as weak. I dealt with being weak my previous lives. I got killed by those I thought were my teammates, and mocked because I was weak. I thought I had gotten stronger. No, I knew I had definitely gotten stronger. I did get stronger, but I still must be too weak. I went through my thought process again. I did a thorough check of my abilities. I needed a way to survive his ultimate attack. Then, I saw it. I didn¡¯t need to survive his ultimate attack if he couldn¡¯t use it. {Sudden Slumber} - An active ability. The next foe you touch falls asleep. Cooldown scales off Perception. Current cooldown: 3 minutes. This single ability helped me in my fight against Zilmazil. I am an absolute idiot for not thinking about using it. I should definitely have time to use it while he charges it up. I pulled my confidence together as I pushed through the doors, hopefully for the last time. [Aurel: Mwahaha! I bet you never expected my attack to be able to do that! You think you were the only one who could look cool? Hahaha nope!] [System Notice: Are you ready¡ª] ¡°Yes, resume challenge.¡± [System Notice: Challenge mode has been resumed. Third attempt initiated. HP 830/1000] 30 health regened this time. I did what I had last time; rushing towards him immediately as he prepared his fireballs. But I stopped. Aurel wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°Again?¡± He asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you make this more fun?¡± ¡°Fun?¡± I pointed my longsword at the Fire Spirit. ¡°You do realize I¡¯m risking my life here!?¡± ¡°But you are weak,¡± he quickly retorted. ¡°Make it fun for me! Struggle, or something! The role of the weak is to entertain the strong. Me, strong. You, weak. Entertain me!¡± ¡°...I see. I am weak. But you are wrong. The role¡ª¡± I took a second, but Aurel couldn¡¯t bother waiting anymore. I watched as he no longer remained four foot. He began converging fire from the surrounding area as he grew in size. He started preparing his fireballs as he grew twice the size he was. I continued anyway, ¡°The role of the weak is to overcome the strong! Until they are strong enough to change the thoughts of those like you! And I¡ªI will¡ª¡± The Spawn of the Ashen Flame threw his fireballs at me. He yelled over me, ¡°You will do nothing but die.¡± His voice was anything but prepubescent now. He had been playing me. He took me for a fool. I raised my shield as the fireballs swirled through the air at me. I wouldn¡¯t die by absorbing one and partially absorbing the other. So they hit me. [You took 0 damage from Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10.] [System Notice: You were affected by luck. Miraculum¡¯s latent ability, {Bringing About Miracles}, activated. Multiple abilities are temporarily improved.] {Area Scan} and {Battle Prowess} improved to {Unprecedented Cognition} {Goblin¡¯s Tongue} improved to {Worldly Tongue} {Spin!} improved to {Jackpot!} {Shrouded Blink} improved to {Instantaneous Movement} {Sudden Slumber} improved to {Eternal Slumber} I opened my eyes as a golden ambiance enveloped me. ¡°I will fight against the strong. Even if... it requires a miracle to win.¡± I finished up my sentence as the smoke from the fireballs cleared up. I stared down the Fire Spirit known as Aurel as he shook at my words. He softly spoke, ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthe language of¡ª¡± I took a step towards Aurel, and before my foot landed, {Instantaneous Movement} activated. I appeared in front of him. I lightly touched the Fire Spirit. His flames permeated my left hand. [You took 0 damage from Fire Spirit, Aurel, Spawn of the Ashen Flame, Lv10.] ¡°Rest in eternal slumber, spirit.¡± As I spoke my words, {Eternal Slumber} activated, and the Fire Spirit disappeared. [System Notice: You gained 2500 EXP. EXP was affected by luck! You gained an additional 2500 EXP.] [System Notice: Challenge Floor: Fire complete. Attempt: Third. You received one reward. You gained 500 Divinity Points. Reward was affected by luck! You gained an additional 500 Divinity Points.] [System Notice: Divinity Points can be used at Shrines in exchange for items from the specific Shrine¡¯s deity.] [System Notice: You learned a new ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Wield Element: Fire}.] {Wield Element: Fire} - A passive ability. You have great attainment of fire. You are able to control fire to an extreme effect. Increases fire resistance by 25%. I stood there on the platform and another bridge starting appearing on the other side. Through the flames, I could see an open cave. I peered into the cave with {Unprecedented Cognition} and saw a shrine with flames dancing upon it. I took a step towards the location I wanted to move, appearing before the shrine. I touched the shrine to open up the special shop lurking within. [System Notice: Divinity Shop affected by luck! You will be transported.] [System Notice: Latent ability, {Bringing About Miracles}, has ended.] Chapter 15: Blazing Blossoms Chapter 15: Blazing Blossoms I was completely bewildered. I felt completely beyond myself as my class¡¯s latent ability ended. I didn¡¯t know latent abilities existed, but that was beyond impressive. I began wondering to myself¡ªwould I be able to hold such power in the future? I looked around at the area to which I had been teleported. It was similar to the challenge area I was just in¡ªbut it was more open. Trees were spread out, trees that seemed they were breathing fire. They looked like cherry blossoms, but as the fiery leaves fell, ash blew in the air. The ground was charred, and the path in front of me led to a gazebo. I could faintly make someone out in the distance. This¡ªthis should be a shop, right? I walked on the path as the scene of beauty encompassed my view. A low hanging leaf fell in front of me. I held out my hand and let it fall on my palm. My body reacted, and I felt a sense of control over the fire. I twirled it around in my hand, then let it turn to ash as I continued along the charred path. Interesting. A soft and alluring voice reached my ears, ¡°It¡¯s not everyday I get visitors. Especially ones as ordinary as you.¡± The figure I had seen earlier spoke. She was lying back, legs crossed as her hand supported her up, her other playing with a pipe. Hair, long and gray as ash, hung from her. She wore a loose, deep red robe which looked slightly like a kimono. Around her neck hung a string of various sized fangs, it looked quite intimidating. ¡°You are here to fight, right?¡± She smiled, letting out a faint laugh. ¡°Fair warning, you shouldn¡¯t challenge someone in their own domain.¡± She began standing up, slow in her movement. I was taken aback, ¡°No¡­ ma¡¯am?¡± I didn¡¯t know how to regard her. ¡°I thought this was a shop.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she said, continuing coquettishly, ¡°I swear I heard you say you were going to fight the strong.¡± I stared at her for a second as I understood her meaning. ¡°So,is this not a shop?¡± Her expression started turning into a glare, but it soon recovered. She smiled, ¡°It is! What would you like? Hmm, if you become my champion, I¡¯ll grant you an additional 10,000 divinity points.¡± ¡°Your champion?¡± What the hell did that mean? 10,000 divinity points?! ¡°Oh? Haven¡¯t heard of me?¡± She extended a hand. ¡°Seems like I have the upper hand here in identity, so here.¡± I looked at her hand. Was she trying to hand me a business card or something? She held it out there for a couple of seconds, then asked, ¡°You aren¡¯t going to shake?¡± Ah. A handshake. I haven¡¯t had to do that in quite awhile. I shook her hand. And I felt it. I felt an inferno as our hands clasped together. I felt as if I was floating in the air. Visions of volcanoes, magma, wildfires, burning villages, and ash filled my head. I unconsciously let go of her hand, and the words she said after surprised me. ¡°I am Keena, Goddess of the Ashen Flame. You are within my domain, and have been in my domain since you arrived. Aurel was a spawn created from within the ashes which had fallen to the lower level of my domain. Welcome to my {Blazing Blossoms}, Zeryn Felix.¡± After the introduction, a menu appeared before me. It was the divinity shop. [System Notice: Your wisdom has increased by 1.] Wisdom! It¡¯s been a while. I scanned through the shop, and there were many impressive items. I was practically biting my nails as I looked through it.
Divinity Shop of the Ashen Flame
Flamberge of the Ashen Flame Cost: 1,000,000 DP A sword of divine power, nearing the deities themselves. Provides multiple abilities. All attributes +100. Fire damage +1000%. Attack power: 950 [Rank: SSS] Requirement: Champion of the Ashen Flame
Cuirass of the Ashen Flame Cost: 750,000 DP A cuirass of divine power, nearing the deities themselves. Provides multiple abilities. All attributes +95. Fire absorption +300%. Defense power: 905 [Rank: SSS] Requirement: Champion of the Ashen FlameUnauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Platelegs of the... Platelegs of divine....
The shop sorted from the most expensive items at the top, and I couldn''t change it. I had to scroll through all these glorious items to reach the bottom. The equipment in the 500-1000 divinity points region were from a high ¡®E¡¯ to a low ¡®D¡¯ rank. There was nothing less than 500.
Divinity Shop of the Ashen Flame
Ashen Gladius Cost: 1,000 DP A gladius slightly empowered by the Goddess of Ashen Flame. Fire Attack +25%. Attack power: 34 [Rank: D] Requirement: 10 Strength
Ashen Chainmail Cost: 750 DP A chainmail slightly tempered by the Goddess of Ashen Flame. Fire Resist +5%. Defense power: 30 [Rank: E] Requirement: 5 Vitality
Ashen Chaps Cost: 500 DP Chaps created from a fiery beast, slain by the Goddess of Ashen Flame. Fire Resist +5%. Defense Power: 22 [Rank: E] Requirement: 5 Vitality
I had my eyes on that gladius. My attack power would go up quite a lot. Additionally, I just hit ten strength. I could get two pieces of 500 cost ¡®E¡¯ equipment, but I wanted the sword. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be my champion?¡± Keena, the Goddess of this domain, asked once more.Well, if I were to become a champion, I could get 10,000 divinity points. Then, I could outfit myself and be stronger than ever. ¡°How do I become a champion?¡± I asked. ¡°You give yourself to me.¡± She smiled. ¡°You cannot give yourself to any other. I acquire all the divinity you obtain, and will return you 30% of it. You will fight for me on the surface, and help spread my name.¡± [System Notice: Do you wish to become a Champion of the Ashen Flame? Y,N. Warning: Becoming a Champion of the Ashen Flame will prevent you from becoming a different Champion. Some of your abilities will also change.] ¡°I must refuse.¡± I didn¡¯t want to be a champion at this time. I needed to keep my options open for now, though I must admit it was very tempting. I bought the Ashen Gladius from the Divinity Shop. ¡°Well then,¡± she said as she started to sit back down. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll see each other again. Just be a bit better than ordinary next time, okay?¡± She coyly laughed as I reappeared at the shrine. Though, this is really just the lower level of her domain. A spiral staircase appeared near the shrine. I equipped my Ashen Gladius, throwing my starter longsword into my inventory. The Ashen Gladius was just a bit shorter, but it was definitely more powerful. I stepped onto the first step of the flight, and the usual light enveloped me. [System Notice: Floor 5 complete. Heading to starting point for Floor 6.] I opened my eyes. [System Notice: You completed Floor 5. You gained 500 EXP.] [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv7! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP. ] [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 6¡¯s starting point.] I was inside a large tent. Looking outside the tent, I could see dunes. Sand dunes. I was now in a sandy region, perhaps a desert. That meant hot days, cold nights. The heat hasn¡¯t really been affecting me, probably because of my Fire Resistance, but I had nothing to wield against the cold. Hmmm? No notice regarding conquering. Was it due to being a challenge floor? I looked at my level up notice. I had seen how luck works, and all my physical attributes were ten. I could either boost some other attributes or start getting my luck up. I placed my two AP into ¡®Luck¡¯. Then, I pulled up my status. ¡°Status!¡±
Status
Health: 170/170 Mana: 24/24
Name: Zeryn Felix, The Treasure Dabbler Level: 7 [EXP 490/19200] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler, Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins
Attributes:
Vitality: 10 Strength: 10 (15) Dexterity: 10 Agility: 10 Willpower: 7 (12) Intelligence: 6 Perception: 5 (12) Wit: 5 Wisdom*: 10 Charisma: [5] Luck: 19 (24)
Active Buffs: None
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Shrouded Blink}, {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}, {Wield Element: Fire}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: [???] 8/50 Unknown Ability: [???] 1/??
My mental attributes are still pretty low. And Charisma¡ªdoes that signify it is capped? Also, {Spin!} should be ready now! ¡°Spin!¡± [System: You used Spin. The wheel will spin for 15 seconds.] The wheel I first saw on floor one was here again. The wheel which allowed me to even get this far. It provided me not only my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯, but it also provided my {Assimilation}. Both have been key factors to getting here. The wheel kept spinning, and I was hoping for a good result. Then, it stopped. [System: The Spin has been completed. You landed on ¡®Ability¡¯. Congratulations! The wheel will spin again.] The wheel started spinning again as the options on it changed. A new ability¡ªyes! The wheel slowed down as the options showed up. The options were different ratings. [System: The spin has resulted in ¡®Pick Abilities: Rating B¡¯. Rules: For each ability picked, you will immediately receive a curse. Good luck!] ¡°An ability rated ''B?!¡± I let the words pop out of my mouth. It says ¡®each ability picked¡¯. Does that mean I can pick multiples? I looked at the options that appeared. I wanted them all. I wasn¡¯t sure what a curse did, but for these rewards, it must be pretty harsh. Yet all these choices were great. Definitely worthy of being so highly rated. I picked the first ability I wanted. I suddenly felt something squirming in my body, and then I felt my heart grow tight. It felt like my heart was being suppressed. [System Notice: You¡¯ve been cursed! A Heart Snake [Curse Rating: B] has invaded your body. Maximum Health -50%. Warning: Two Heart Snakes results in death of the accursed.] I don¡¯t think I could chance another curse now. Chapter 16: Into The Pit Chapter 16: Into The Pit The curse tore my health in half. However, in return I got {Perfect by Nature}. Boosting all of my attributes, except for Charisma as it is capped and Wisdom as it works differently, was definitely worth it. Not only that, but I got more health and mana, though the health was cut in half. I didn¡¯t want to risk another curse, so I finished, and {Spin!} went on a five floor cooldown. I need to find a way to remove this curse¡ªif it was at all possible. But still, in return I received a total of 90 attributes. 100 if I were to include my capped Charisma. 100 health would be equivalent to 10 levels. 40 mana equivalent to 20 levels. As long as I don¡¯t get hit, I¡¯ll be fine. ¡°Status!¡±
Status
Health: 135/135 (cursed) Mana: 64/64
Name: Zeryn Felix, The Treasure Dabbler Level: 7 [EXP: 490/19200] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler, Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins
Attributes: 0 AP
Vitality: 20 Strength: 20 (25) Dexterity: 20 Agility: 20 Willpower: 17 (22) Intelligence: 16 Perception: 15 (22) Wit: 15 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: [5] Luck: 29 (34)
Active Buffs: None Cursed: Heart Snake (Rating: B)
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Shrouded Blink}, {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}, {Wield Element: Fire}, {Perfect by Nature}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: [???] 8/50 Unknown Ability: [???] 1/??
There was a shop within the tent, and it was finally selling new gear, though it was only low rank ¡®E¡¯. My gloves are still a solid piece, sword brand new, shield still saving my life. I need a new body piece, some pants, and new boots. I browsed thoroughly through it, picking out three items, as well as some extra health potions, some satiety tubes, and lots of water. This was a desert, of course.
Basic Gambeson (Black) [Rank: E] Defense value: 15
Hard Leather Trousers (Black) [Rank: E] Defense value: 14
Traveler¡¯s Boots [Rank: E] Defense values increased by 15%
It cost around 360 for everything I bought, which started taking a toll on my trade points. Mm. Great. I felt much stronger now. All around stronger. I also felt very refreshed. I was ready to continue as I wanted to make it to the hub. Well, maybe I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t know if I can trust anyone anymore. Not the players, at least.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I stepped out from the tent, and it disappeared. The heat really didn¡¯t bother me. The sand was bothersome to walk along, but it was manageable. The increase to my attributes especially helped here. I was moving along much faster. {Area Scan} came back with zero results. I hadn¡¯t found anything yet. There also hadn¡¯t been a quest notification. Perhaps next floor. I wanted to test my new strength. I was confident of not dying as I could now blink three times using {Shrouded Blink}. The journey was quite boring. I ate and drank as needed, but nothing was happening. I decided to play with {Wield Element: Fire}, but¡ªI can¡¯t create fire. I can control fire, but I can¡¯t create it. It was a little disappointing, and I would need to figure out what to do with it. Perhaps hellfire? I used {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, which now restored 16 health every 5 seconds, and 3 mana every minute. Then, I started creating some empty flasks using {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}, as I figured out an idea on how to fill them now. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 68 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 0/68] Eventually, I came upon a group of mobs. {Area Scan} brought back four presences.
Sand Spider, Lv8 Sand Spider, Lv8
Sand Beetle, Lv8 Sand Scorpion, Lv8
Level 8s. It should be pretty easy. I approached the four large-sized bugs. They noticed me, and charged. I needed to test a few new things, so I also charged at them. One of the Sand Spiders lunged a foreleg at me. I slightly moved to the right, letting it slip by me. I slashed down with my new Ashen Gladius, and it was quite a delight. A delight of power. [Sand Spider, Lv8 takes 425 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 100 EXP.] Holy hell. I just did 425 damage?! An instant kill! I killed off the other spider and the Sand Scorpion, getting another 200 experience points. Then, I let the Sand Beetle ram into my shield with its horn. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 130/260.] My ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯ filled halfway with power, and I could actually feel it. It was like a connection was made between me and my shield. I could feel the raging inferno building up within. I sheathed my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ as I focused on dodging the Sand Beetle. I grabbed an empty flask I had created earlier and held it in my left hand. Then, I used my free hand and laid it on my shield. I could feel the breath of fire on my fingertips as I pulled it out of my shield, and held it with my hand. I looked at it quickly as the Sand Beetle came charging again. I blocked with my kite. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 160/260.] I looked at the fire in my hand. So, I took out 100 points of power. I took the fire and put it in my flask, receiving a notification. [System Notice: ¡®Elemental Flask (Empty)¡¯ is now full. You created a ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯.]
Hellfire Flask A throwable item. Explodes upon impact. Radius: 10 meters. 100 Damage to those within the area of effect.
I smiled. ¡°Okay, Sand Beetle, let¡¯s play a game.¡± And so a game commenced. I created multiple ¡®Hellfire Flasks¡¯. And as the game ended, another idea of playing with fire came to mind. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 260/260. Please discharge within 30 seconds.] I brought the hellfire raging within my kite shield outward, moving it over to my Ashen Gladius. I could see it moving within, waiting for a sweet release. I pointed my gladius at the Sand Beetle. ¡°Thanks for playing,¡± I grinned, firing it out from the tip of my blade. I was expecting a beam of sorts as it was concentrated, but it wasn¡¯t. The energy came out as an outward explosion, affecting the area in front of me more so than towards the sides. Alongside that was there being no backlash effect. [System Notice: By using {Wield Elemental: Fire} and {Biding Hellfire Rupture} on a weapon, {Assimilation} has created the new ability, {Bladefire Infusion}.] [Sand Beetle, Lv8, takes 325 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 100 EXP.] I checked out my new ability. {Bladefire Infusion} - An active ability. You imbue your weapon from an external fire, increasing damage dealt for the next five strikes. Alternatively, you may expend the fire to unleash an explosion. I continued venturing throughout the zone, finding a couple of groups of the same bugs as before here and there, eventually coming across a cliff side. It looked rough and rigid, towering high enough to where I couldn''t even see it. I was surprised I hadn''t seen it as I approached, thinking it was a mirage of sorts, yet it wasn''t. I figured I couldn¡¯t go in that direction anymore, and decided to walk along the cliff side. It took half an hour before I came across an indenture, hidden behind mounds of sand, opening up into a cavern. I was feeling pretty fearless right now. I had multiple flasks capable of quick area of effect fire damage, my shield to protect myself, and my sword which could pretty much instantly kill most of the mobs here. The only thing that would be dangerous would be a trap, as my health was only 135. I took extreme caution as I entered into the cavern, the light slowly fading away as I approached deeper. There was a shadow that blended in with the darkness that suddenly moved, and greeted me with a pair of talons. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 165/260.] I heard a pair of wings flap as it pushed off my shield, a gust of sand being dragged up from the current created. [Cave Roc, Lv9] It was a large bird, dark in appearance while having a short, large beak. I didn¡¯t know what a bird was doing inside here, yet with the minuscule light available, I noticed that there was something that had been dug into near the corner. It was a scorpion. I struck the roc down, netting myself 140 experience points. The cave was quite dark, and the walls were getting harder to make out. I grabbed the fire settling inside my shield, infusing my ¡®Ashen Glaive¡¯ with the flames, using it to light up the area enough for me to continue. Now that I could see easier, I noticed the cavern started shrinking, a short yet wide hole appearing near the back. Ducking, I thought I could see a tinge of light far within, so I entered, and it led me into a much more open part of the cavern. [System Notice: You discovered Sand Setting Tunnel.] I had to walk alongside the wall of the tunnel. This place didn¡¯t really seem like a tunnel, even though the game said it was. There was a huge drop off as this tunnel spiraled down deeper and deeper. I could faintly hear scurrying down in the depths, but I didn''t have the necessary light to see below. As I continued along the side, I heard a loud snapping sound as I stepped on an old carapace of a bug long dead. I quickly pushed myself up against the side of the tunnel, hugging it in case of a trap. Then the faint noise of scurrying from down below started getting louder, booming through the empty space. It sounded as if something was marching its way up this downward tunnel. I tried peering into it, but I couldn¡¯t. I began backing up as the sound of sand being dug out through the side of the tunnel alarmed me. It cracked open, a head appearing at the opening, and it cut me off from behind. [Sand Setting Ant, Lv10] A level 10 ant, nearing the size of a van. I slashed at it in reaction to being alarmed, pulling in enough damage to instantly kill it. But it didn¡¯t die. It grabbed onto my blade with its mandible, completely ignoring the fire surging from it. [Sand Setting Ant ignores death for 10 seconds.] It gripped tightly on my gladius, and I couldn¡¯t remove it. It reared up its legs, pulling me up as it lifted my sword. Then, it pushed a few of its legs against the wall, forcing itself into that giant drop off as it continued gripping my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯. I held on tightly as well, not wanting to budge at all, and was dragged alongside it, drifting down into that pit within the Sand Setting Tunnel. Chapter 17: Ants Chapter 17: Ants I held onto my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ as the Sand Setting Ant pulled us into the pit. I kept trying to get it to release it, but its grip was mighty. I stamped my boots on its face as I tugged. We were starting to fall faster, and as the tunnel spiraled down, I could make it safely to the other side. I pondered whether I should let it fall to the depth with the beast. Then¡­ [System Notice: You gained 200 EXP.] It finally lost its death enduring ability. I felt the grip from its mandible loosen, and I pushed off its corpse, blade in hand, as I jumped towards the wall. I landed safely, my body rolling into the wall. The sound coming from below was ever closer, almost resounding in my ears. I took out a ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯, tossing it down a bit, but far enough to hit the wall as the tunnel spiraled down. The tunnel immediately lit up as the flask smashed into the wall. Fire spread out over 10 meters, some spilling down into the pit I had been falling down. Below, I could finally see what had been making the booming sound of marching. More ants. An army of ants similar, if not the same, were marching up the slope. The fire reflected in my eyes as the experience points waltzed its way up towards the fire. Level 10, as long as none of them are titled or named, perhaps three flasks will start taking care of them. I tossed some flasks down, though it took more than three as I missed a couple of times. The ants began dying off as the flasks exploded, and each death sent me 200 experience points. The sound of the marching faded as the ants dwindled down. I gained 5600 experience points. Everything seemed quite easy now. Even though this is Hardcore, I gained so much so far, outweighing the effects of this hardest difficulty. I looked down the pit, into the deep hole which a couple of flasks had been misfired. The fire they created blazed far away as I continued walking down this tunnel. The fire eventually dissipating as I relied on my fire-infused ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ for light, the only sound I could hear were my own footsteps crunching on the uneven surface of rock and sand. I didn¡¯t know how far from the bottom I was now. I decided to take a break as I sat and leaned up against the wall. I looked over what I had, while also making sure I was familiar with the abilities at my disposal. I didn¡¯t get that death enduring ability from any of the ants. I didn¡¯t know if it would have kept me alive anyway as the ant eventually died. As I continued sitting there, my mind trailed off. How long... have I been here now?I began thinking of the past. Will Ireally go back home if I reach the end? Finish this tower? How has nobody done it yet? Some of the players who joined this game were definitely pros in this field. I only ever played games leisurely, and always tried sticking to the normal difficulty. That¡¯s why I started that way here, in ¡®Tethralin¡¯. But¡ªdo I really want to return to that place? I got up. I had to stop thinking about that. I am here. This is where I am. I once again began the descent. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 25 Mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 43/68] Still 25 left. The desert was vast, and now I¡¯m in this tunnel. I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d be able to conquer this floor. I still had two upgrade jewels as well as two transfiguration jewels. I wasn¡¯t sure how I wanted to utilize them just yet. I didn¡¯t know how often I would be able to conquer any future floors, or if by luck, come across a fantastic piece of equipment that would be worth using them on. I could upgrade my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, but it was really unnecessary right now. I¡¯d also have to be able to handle the new requirements for wielding a higher ranked equipment. I also thought about using it on my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯, which would make it rank ¡®B¡¯. I wasn¡¯t sure how exactly the jewel worked, but I didn¡¯t want to chance losing my exempted restrictions from {Spin!} by upgrading my shield. I made it to the bottom of the pit, and underneath the spiraling pathway down were two more tunnels. Separated as they split from each other, I couldn¡¯t see where they led. I started playing ¡®Eeny Meeny Miny Moe¡¯ to decide which path to go, and ended up choosing the path on the left. Taking soft steps as I traveled through this new tunnel, eggs started entering my vision. They were decently large, though many of them were already broken. I think¡ªI may have went down the wrong path. I steeled on anyway, and through the dark tunnel, after following along the windy nature of it, I finally saw some light. I picked up my pace, running towards the light now visible to me. I shielded my eyes from the light as I approached closer. It was an open area, with nothing preventing the sun to touch the sandy floor. I could see more eggs at this exit, and out in the area was a small oasis. This hidden oasis would have been a wonderful sight to behold, but there were creatures out here. There were large ant-like creatures, different than the Sand Setting Ants from before. These were similar in fashion to centaurs, using their two back legs to move along with as they were carrying weapons in their hands.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. My perception increased the range of my {Area Scan} to 132 meters. I used it to get a report of the area as I hugged the wall, trying to stay out of sight of these mobs. [Report Received, 23 presences]
Taurant Knight, Lv11 Taurant Knight, Lv11 Taurant Stalker, Lv11
Taurant Knight, Lv11 Taurant Knight, Lv11 Taurant Empress, Lv12
Taurant Stalker, Lv11 Taurant Knight, Lv11 Taurant Stalker, Lv11
There were many of these mobs, apparently ¡®Taurants¡¯, out within the open area. They held various weapons, which looked to have been created from the carapace of the bugs found in the desert. Many of them were knights, a few were stalkers which held bows. There was one Empress, who wasn¡¯t within my sight. 23 mobs. I¡¯m still missing two others to count towards conquering the floor. These should also be a bit tougher, but as long as I¡¯m careful, it won¡¯t be too bad. Ants in general are pretty sensitive to one another. If I were to attract one, I would most likely end up attracting them all. Though, there might be one exception: the Empress. I really needed a reliable ranged method to pull mobs. I could throw a flask, but I didn¡¯t know whether it would be able get them to do what I wanted. I stepped outside the tunnel, my intentions to draw them toward me and fight them within the tunnel. It would best allow me to use my flasks, while also providing side cover from the Taurant Stalkers. A Taurant Knight was by itself, holding a blunt mace. It noticed me approaching and let out a weird, guttural noise. The speed it moved at was fantastic, the sand not impeding its movement whatsoever. I steeled myself to prepare for its attack. Dust began getting kicked up as a few others reacted to the invasion of their territory. I tossed a ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯ in attempt of preventing them from gathering too quickly as I decided I needed to move back. I underestimated their speed. They have passed the barrier of level 10, being quite strong. Arrows came flying out, their bows capable of handling two notched at the same time. I felt them coming at me, so I used {Shrouded Blink}. I used that in effort of getting me closer to the tunnel as I burst into a sprint. My current distance available to me through blinking was four meters, so I still had awhile to go. But, I still had two blinks available for when I get attacked. The Taurant Knight I first attracted had caught up to me, swinging its mace during its charge. I activated my second blink as it passed through, and I again moved toward the tunnel. Due to it having charged, it was also moving toward the tunnel, so as I finished my blink, I hit it. [Taurant Knight, Lv11 takes 527 damage.] My ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ lost a charge of fire, but it dealt half the damage from the charge it had been infused with, as well as an extra twenty-five percent of increased fire damage. [System Notice: You gained 300 EXP.] More arrows came as the Taurant Knight lost its life, and so I used my last blink, completing my return to the tunnel. I instantly turned around, shield up and ready to intercept any attack from the oncoming twenty or so enemies, taking slow steps back. I sheathed my flame infused gladius, grabbing a couple flasks, waiting for the experience points to come to me. And I waited. And waited. They weren¡¯t coming. As soon as I had entered the tunnel, they stopped their approach. I guess I have to do this the hard way. I activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} as I exited the tunnel, and was met with a pair of arrows. My {Shrouded Blink} now had a cooldown of one minute and 40 seconds, but I didn¡¯t need to wait for it as I dodged the pair myself. I threw two flasks at a group of three knights who began trotting over, but they were both sniped out of the air, exploding there and doing nothing to those crossing the sand. I pulled my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ from its sheath as I was met with the attack of three knights. I took two hits to my shield, and blocked one with my sword. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 260/260. Please discharge within 30 seconds.] [Shield unable to absorb damage due to fully charged power. You took 80 damage from Taurant Knight, Lv11.] Their damage was reasonable, but my health was now sitting at 55, quite a dangerous number with my stats down. I didn¡¯t quite have time to switch the fire from my shield to my blade, but I used the remaining fire within my gladius to fire at them. It wasn¡¯t enough, and two more had appeared behind these three knights. [Taurant Knight, Lv11, takes 206 damage.] The five Taurant Knights took 206 damage, and were still standing strong, just temporarily disoriented from the fiery blast. I quickly chugged two healing potions, returning me to my max health of 135, and finished the fight with my fully charged {Biding Hellfire Rupture}. [System Notice: You continued learning a new Ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: (9/50)] My {Biding Hellfire Rupture} was unaffected by the +25% Fire Damage from my sword, a good thing to know for the future, now informing me it only works for the sword itself. Each of the knights took 390 damage, killing them off, and netting me 1500 more experience points. The damage I took from backlash was gladly lower, as my {Wield Element: Fire} provided that additional +25% resistance, totaling 75%. I ran back towards the tunnel as it was quite a close call. I breathed in heavily. There are still 10 Taurant Knights left, 6 Taurant Stalkers, and then the Taurant Empress, who still hasn¡¯t moved. Also, that system notification; I figured out how to learn that ability¡ªbut it will take a long time. I continued fighting, making sure to stay near the tunnel to heighten my survival chances. I drew the energy from within a few flasks over the course of the fights into my sword. I did so due to the flasks continuously getting shot by these ants. The 10 Taurant Knights fell, the six Taurant Stalkers fell, and all that remained was the lone Taurant Empress, who sat near the oasis. I drew closer to it as the Empress let out guttural cries. It spit an acid towards my direction, though I avoided it using my {Shrouded Blink}, resulting in me finishing it off. [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Rally Allies}.] I quickly looked over my new ability, but disregarded it just as quickly. It would do nothing for me as it required 10 Charisma to bolster the abilities of allied members. I had neither the Charisma nor allies. The body began disappearing, and a bag of loot appeared. I stared at it. It had been so long since I had any. The bag contained ¡®Taurant Empress¡¯s Carapace¡¯. I looked around, and on the other side of the oasis, I saw a treasure chest. I walked over to it, opening it up. Inside was a beautiful gem, one that I was familiar with. [System Notice: Congratulations! You found the hidden treasure of Floor 6. You gained a ¡®Transfiguration Jewel¡¯.] I searched the area a bit more, finding nothing else in the open area outside the tunnel. I had but one choice left, to search the other tunnel. I was also still missing two mobs so I could conquer the floor. Chapter 18: Morohein Chapter 18: Morohein The other tunnel was void of eggs. It was still dark, as well as a bit cramped. I didn¡¯t worry too much about the dark since lighting my sword was easy enough. What I did worry about, however, were the few traps sprawled inside it. My perception was pretty high, so I noticed the majority of them, but that didn¡¯t mean I noticed all of them. The tunnel¡¯s walls started becoming more firm and smooth. It looked old, however. Beaten up, yet signs of work had definitely been done here. And proof of that was just a bit further as I spotted the faint outline of a pillar. The pillar had been broken in three, evidence lying beside it. I continued past the pillar, more ruins up ahead appearing in my eyes. [System Notice: You have discovered a secret within Floor 6. You have found the ¡®Sundered City of Morohein¡¯.] Sundered City of¡ªMorohein? But¡­ I was a little caught off guard. This city, Morohein, was definitely a city which my party and I came across on Floor 15. I clearly remembered it as we had a quest involving it. Why is the city here and¡ªwhy is it in ruins? I walked through the ruined city, signs of destruction showing everywhere within the broken buildings. This place¡ªcompletely in shambles. I didn¡¯t understand why it was here. Come to think of it, things have been different since coming to Hardcore. It was like its own game. I¡¯ve progressed a lot more here than on both Normal and Easy. I used {Area Scan}, though it wouldn¡¯t encompass this city of ruins. Nothing came back. I looked around the ruins, searching in whatever ruin I could manage to get into, but found nothing. No loot for me. If there isn¡¯t even anything here¡ªwhy have it here? Is there an easter egg? Stepping over the debris littering the ground as I made my way back and forth throughout the city, a reverberating roar abruptly pierced the drums of my ears. I rushed my hands to cover them, but I could feel it shaking my entire body. I couldn¡¯t tell where the roar was coming from, but the ground suddenly shook as a beast landed upon a broken roof. I could barely make the beast out, and I hoped that it didn¡¯t see me. The roar continued and I decided to hide my body in a nearby building so it wouldn¡¯t discover me, unless it already had. As I was about to move, I felt a thick killing intent come from behind me. I instantly activated {Shrouded Blink} as my whole body went alert. I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t even turn my head to look at whatever was creating that thick intent. I felt as if death was ever nearer. I suddenly realized my breath had even stopped. My body remained rigid, frozen to the spot. [Sys¡ªN¡ªtttt: ] The system started malfunctioning. I had no idea what was going on. I was cursing a million miles fast inside my head. I kept trying to move my head to see what was happening, but only my eyes moved, yet the peripheral vision not enough. My ears started bleeding as the roaring stopped, and instead a screech rang out from the beast. Yet through that piercing screech, I could hear it. Words faint as a snowy breeze being spoken to me, the voice sonorous, ¡°Go home, child.¡± The screeching stopped, replaced with the beating of wings. I was mistaken, the words of this mysterious voice not being meant for me.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I felt a pair of eyes land on me then. The killing intent which pervaded my entire being felt as it was being quelled. I fell to my knees, quickly scrambling toward the inner side of a ruin. I looked back toward the part of the path I had been on, but nothing was there. Then, I heard the obscure sound of a weapon being unsheathed behind me. I quickly turned around, and there he stood. He pointed at me with a weapon adorned with dragons around the hilt. Sleek and long, it easily looked as if it required two hands to wield, yet he pointed it at me with but one. He wore armor of silver, yet you could easily tell it had been scorched. The plate appeared razed as chainmail was visible beneath the ruined areas. And upon his upper body hung a dark blue cloak, falling beneath his shoulders and shrouding his face as a helmet of silver protected his head. ¡°You¡ª¡± His sonorous voice once again fell, ¡°Touched not by one, but two, and yet not belonging to this world. Do not¡­ come back here again.¡± [Ssssy¡ªem ¡ªticcce: ] I felt an aura of light quickly gather around me as I stood in fear. Everything turned white, pure. My eyes fell shut, and when I opened them¡ª I stood on more sand, yet a different sand than what had covered the vast desert. This sand was touched by water, as the flowing sound of an ocean could be heard behind me. An island. [System Notice: Danger.] [System Notice: Danger.] [System Notice: You have been paralyzed due to fear. An entity a minimum of 30 levels higher is nearby.] [System: Error.] [System Notice: Danger.] [System Notice: Floor 6 complete. You will be transfer- error.] [System Notice: Floor 8 complete. You will be trans- error.] [System Notice: Recalculating.] [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 10¡¯s starting- error.] [System Notice: Recalculating.] [System Notice: Failed to enter Floor 10¡¯s starting point. Welcome to Floor 10. Warning: This floor is a boss floor.] My ears still bleeding, I hunched over to grab my belly. My insides felt all torn up inside; I couldn¡¯t bear to stand any longer. Vomit fell from my mouth as I made my way to the sand below me. My body continuously twitched, minutes passing as it remembered the encounter of what could only have been a grim reaper. I¡¯ve died before, multiple times even. But never have I ever felt the death that wasn¡¯t. ¡°What¡ªwhat the fuck¡ª¡± I grasped at the sand below my fingers. I was in total disbelief of what just happened. ¡°Why¡ªthe hell¡ªwas something like that¡ª¡± My mind was haywire. I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of anything happening. And to make matters worse... The trees ahead of me began breaking away. I could hear loud snapping sounds, as I witnessed a tree be thrown. I tried getting up. My body felt devastated, but I managed to get off my knees into a short crouch as I held myself up with one hand. A stomping could be heard within the trees. ¡°Something¡ªis coming¡ª¡± I couldn¡¯t quite catch my breath. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Floor 10 was the same as my previous instances appearance wise. This would be my third time here. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ that fucker¡­¡± The boss the last two times was a vile ogre. I was able to kill it when I was an Alchemist, using various potions and flasks with my sling. It took a long time, but I was able to fell it. I couldn¡¯t fight it here, not now at least. I wasn¡¯t feeling at my best at all. Plus, I had my back towards an ocean. It wouldn¡¯t be good at all. I began hobbling to the right, in hopes of not encountering the ogre. But of course those hopes would be crushed. It came out from the jungle, bellowing loudly as it held a broken tree in its hand. Though, something was different about this one. It had two heads. [Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16] It was nine levels higher than me. My level was still only seven, and I shouldn¡¯t be here on Floor 10 yet. I¡¯ve been screwed. Raash Miira Guugi continued out of the jungle, with me in its sight. Its bellowing continued as it dragged that thick tree behind it. It grabbed another tree as it left, and tossed it with no fragility whatsoever. My body began moving, blood flowing throughout, trying to flush the touch of death within me out. I jumped out of the way, my entire body colliding with the sand as the tree flew past me. ¡°Fuck.¡± The air rushed out of me. I clambered up as I continued. ¡°I¡­ need time¡­¡± My breath still ragged, I began running. The ogre with two heads broke into a laugh as its step grew quite extended, charging at me. I knew that if I took one hit, even if I guarded against it with my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯, that I would die. I¡¯ve died here before, with the ogre being one headed and lower level. I couldn¡¯t take an attack. I really needed time. I needed to gather my thoughts. It quickly gained on me, sweeping the giant tree limb towards me. With no other choice, I activated {Shrouded Blink}. ¡°SCREW¡ªYOU¡ª¡± I blinked behind it, confusing this stupid ogre. ¡°Sleep!¡± I used {Sudden Slumber}, putting Raash Miira Guugi asleep. ¡®Zzz¡¯ appeared, and I knew I succeeded. For how long¡ªI didn¡¯t know. But with my increased attributes, the cooldown for {Sudden Slumber} capped at a crisp one minute and thirty seconds. I took off into the jungle, hoping to have enough time to recollect myself, as I wanted to do nothing but forget what happened in Morohein. I had many questions I wanted the answers for. I lost out on three floors of experience, and I was behind in the game once again. I thought I grew a foothold, powerful enough to stand my ground. Yet here I was, death breathing down my back. And I was sick and tired of it. I needed to get stronger, faster, and survive to grow even stronger so I wouldn¡¯t feel death breathing down my back. I made it into the jungle, and I kept going. I didn¡¯t know when the twin-headed ogre would awaken, but when it did¡ªI needed to be ready for it. I pulled out an ¡®Upgrade Jewel¡¯ from my inventory, staring at it. Whether this would increase the requirements of my gear, or if it would keep the negation due to {Spin!}, would all depend on my luck. Chapter 19: Frenzy Chapter 19: Frenzy The ¡®Upgrade Jewel¡¯ had a wondrous image as it seemed as if clouds swirled within it. [Upgrade Jewel] - Upgrade a piece of equipment by one full rank. Disintegrates after one use. One full rank¡ªdoes that mean a max level rank ¡®C¡¯ will become a max level rank ¡®B¡¯? I assume so. If I upgraded my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯, then it would become much stronger, however, I risked the chance of the requirements of it increasing to match the ¡®B¡¯ rank. But, I didn¡¯t really have a chance otherwise. I needed the extra absorption it would provide me. Having a higher absorption also meant more backlash, but I had 75% fire resistance. Not only that, I could infuse my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ using {Bladefire Infusion}, removing backlash and it would be much stronger due to the extra buildup of hellfire. I closed my eyes, holding the ¡®Upgrade Jewel¡¯ tight to my body. If¡ªinstead I were to upgrade my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, then my damage with it would almost double¡ªbut using it on a rank ¡®D¡¯ or rank ¡®C¡¯ seems wasteful if I could use it on a future rank ¡®A¡¯.I didn¡¯t know how often I would actually be able to obtain precious jewels such as the upgrade or transfiguration ones. But I wouldn¡¯t get the opportunity to know if I died here. ¡°System¡ª¡± I held the ¡®Upgrade Jewel¡¯ out. ¡°Begin upgrade.¡± I placed the ¡®Upgrade Jewel¡¯ onto my shield, holding it there. My breath was just starting to come back to me after everything that had happened. It was a well needed rest. [System: Beginning upgrade.] My ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯ disappeared off my arm, reappearing in front of me. The jewel seemed to dissolve and spread through the shield as the process began. After it completed dissolving throughout it entirely, the shield pulsated, and I could see it visible on my arm once again. Light as a feather, I rested my head on it, knowing the requirements remained negated. [Kite of Biding Eruption +1 (Rank: B)] - A kite shield that takes a hit, and gives one back. Has a defense value of 275. Grants ability: {Biding Eruption} and ability: {Fire Resistance: B}. Requirements: 40 Strength, 40 Vitality. {Spin!} has negated requirements. 275 defense¡ªthat is the cap of rank ¡®B¡¯. I thought for a moment before pulling out my other, and final, ¡®Upgrade Jewel¡¯. Should I do it again? Or is this enough? I decided against it, putting the ¡®Upgrade Jewel¡¯ back in my inventory. With 275 defense, it should let me absorb 550 damage. Including my own health, that¡¯ll be¡ª680. Actually, I don¡¯t know if that is enough against a level 16. I sighed. As the sigh finished, I could feel the earth rumbling¡ªa sign of the ogre awakening, and heading my direction. That sleep lasted about six minutes? That¡¯s actually pretty potent! I got up, activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, and made sure I was well covered behind the tree. However, it didn¡¯t really matter. Raash Miira Guugi began smacking trees down left and right, ripping their roots from the soil as it tossed the ones it didn¡¯t want to bother breaking. The thrown trees crashed into the trees near me, causing them to splinter and act as shrapnel as they burst apart. My tree had not yet been hit, but I couldn¡¯t just wait for it to break. I pulled out two ¡®Hellfire Flasks¡¯, keeping my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ in its sheath. I quickly reassured myself that I could do this, then I ran out from behind the tree and dashed toward the great ogre. Its two heads spotted me, bellowing loudly. ¡°Oh. Ho. Ho. You. Tiny human.¡± Raash Miira Guugi spoke its words in a broken manner, grabbing another tree and flinging it towards me. {Battle Prowess} kept my mind running fast and clearly. If I had an athletics type ability, I could easily do some parkour with all these trees around. Not all the thoughts that processed were helpful, but I managed to estimate how far I needed to duck to dodge the thrown lumber. I approached a tad closer before throwing both ¡®Hellfire Flasks¡¯ at it. Success! The explosion of the flasks hit the big-bellied ogre, setting the nearby wood on fire. With my 75% Fire Resistance, this jungle of fire can become my playing field. {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} will keep me fresh!The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The ogre began covering its face while swinging its tree mace around, attempting to disperse the smoke from the fire caused by my flasks. I ran through the fire and the flames, only receiving ten fire damage - practically nothing as my recovery aura healed it up. Reaching Raash Miira Guugi, I sliced into its thigh. [Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16 takes 317 damage.] The beast was huge for sure. The damage I inflicted being much lower than I expected, most likely due to its own rough skin being affected by its Vitality. As instinct, Raash Miira Guugi swung its tree where I had been, almost instantly as if a bug had just landed on it. I activated {Shrouded Blink}, effectively dodging the strike that most likely could have taken my life. Putting aside my fight against Aurel, the level 11 Taurant Knights hit for 170. However, this boss is level 16, named, and titled. The Dead Goblin King hit me with 500 using a fully powered up move, and he had been level 10. So, I could wager a 16 using normal swings, being a boss and all¡ªprobably around 600. I can take a hit if I really must, but I¡¯d rather not. My increase in all my attributes helped a lot. My thinking and the speed of said thinking increased majorly. I chose where I wanted to blink, and struck the Twin-headed Ogre once again. [Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16 takes 317 damage.] One. I made sure to count how many blinks I had used. The ogre seemed resistant to sneak attacks, as I made my attack from an angle it wouldn¡¯t know. Raash Miira Guugi kicked back with great velocity, activating blink number two. Of course, I took the opportunity of digging my ¡®Ashen Glaive¡¯ into it. [Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16 takes 317 damage.] My strike didn¡¯t seem to phase it still. It just swiped out with the tree mace, and grabbed another. I didn¡¯t know the ogre could dual wield, perhaps it was due to having two heads. As my attacks weren¡¯t phasing it, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡ªhow much health does it have? I used blink number three, the last blink available to me. My ability went on cooldown, showing up as 1:40. I could use this last blink to attack Raash, but I¡¯d be compromising myself. I used it to move as far as I could, which was currently only four meters. It tried looking for me, but through the smoke and flames, its vision was a bit disoriented. Yet, something came flying at me. I could feel the pressure of the flying object, the tree which the Keeper had grabbed earlier. The only choice I had was to intercept it with my kite. I couldn¡¯t crouch down to keep myself the most stable I could while blocking. I had just came out of a sprint when I was barely able to turn around to meet shield with tree. The enormous impact fiercely blew me back, lifting me off my feet and thrusting me straight into a tree. I could hear something shatter as blood shot out of my mouth, yet whether that was my bones or the tree I was now partially a part of, I didn¡¯t know. But I was alive. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 485/550.] [You took 50% Current Health damage from forceful impact. Current health: 65/130] This was the first time I¡¯ve encountered percent health damage. Luckily it was current health, meaning I shouldn¡¯t die from future impacts like this. Probably. I pulled myself out of the tree, bones intact but body aching in pain. The 150% pain sensitivity was a killer all on its own. I quickly moved the energy swelling in my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯ to my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯. This would increase my damage by a great amount now that the energy was increased due to the shield being upgraded. I could fire it off, but taking the five swings when {Shrouded Blink} came off cooldown would tear this floor ten boss down. I could hear yet another tree being pulled up from the earth. Assuming an incoming projectile, I had to zigzag around. I could block it as I did with the last, but it would still hurt if I was launched into a tree. I let {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} quickly bring my health up. The fire slowly spread, mainly surrounding the Twin-headed Ogre, so I didn¡¯t worry about it chipping my health any. The tree came from behind, but I nimbly dodged it. I thought I¡¯d hear another being uprooted, but with the flames burning on them, I think that it gave up that option as the ogre began running towards me again. I pulled out another ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯ so I could mask myself within the smoke and fire, tossing it at the beast. Knowing that damage would immediately awaken a sleeping enemy, I held off against using {Sudden Slumber} again until I had burned it enough. Additionally, I couldn¡¯t easily approach without {Shrouded Blink}. The cooldown for {Shrouded Blink} was almost finished, with Raash Miira Guugi approaching steadily. The fire definitely helped in preventing it from killing me. I waited for Raash Miira Guugi to attack before letting {Shrouded Blink} to do its thing. With the {Bladefire Infusion}, my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ was ready to melt away its skin. And so that is what I did right after blink one. [Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16 takes 619 damage.] I couldn¡¯t give up there, trying to get greedy and attacking it once more, but my second blink activated as the attack came for me. We were both out of the fire, and I contemplated throwing another flask, but if it didn¡¯t die shortly, then I would need to put it to sleep. [Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16 takes 619 damage.] The additional fire damage practically doubled the damage I was doing against its tough skin. The beast didn¡¯t swing yet, so I sliced at it again, hitting for another 619. I could see the ogre begin fuming, letting out a tremendous roar. Its skin quickly grew red, and another swing from the Twin-headed Ogre, much faster than all the previous, forced my last blink. I appeared behind it. ¡°Sudden Slumber!¡± I activated my ability, but the ¡®zzz¡¯ I expected did not appear. Fuck. Whatever ability it had used to be rage induced must have cut off sleeping abilities. I saw the swing of the tree limb head my way, and I hoped the boss was near death, as I shot my {Bladefire Infusion} at it. [Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16 takes 302 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 4000 EXP.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Frenzy}.] {Frenzy} - An active ability. You reduce your remaining health by half, increasing attack damage, attack speed, and resisting most negative status conditions. Cost: 20 MP. I fell to my knees as the boss, Raash Miira Guugi, burnt to a crisp and disintegrated, leaving behind a loot bag. I threw it in my inventory as a portal as reminiscent as the day I died on floor 20 appeared. A portal meant that it was time to finally visit the Hub. Chapter 20: The Hub; Multiplayer Active Chapter 20: The Hub; Multiplayer Active Knowing I survived the battle, and the portal before me would bring me to a much more familiar and safe location, I finished receiving my notifications from the system. [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Strength increased by 1. Vitality increased by 2. Luck increased by 1.] [System Notice: Congratulations! You have reached 30 Luck. You unlocked the class ability: {Lucky Strike}.] {Lucky Strike} - A passive ability. Your attacks scale off Luck. Your attacks have a chance to deal 3x damage. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have reached 30 Luck. Your class ability: {Spin!} has been upgraded. Future uses will induce a four floor cooldown. Your chance of landing -Jackpot- has slightly increased. Your chance of landing -Fail- has decreased. Lower ranked equipment will be removed from the pool. Possible consequences will now be one rating lower than reward.] [System Notice: You learned ten abilities through mobs. {Assimilation} rating increased to C.] [System Notice: Floor 10 completed. Congratulations. Please continue to the portal and move to the Hub.] It was a massive upgrade. I definitely needed to invest in Luck in the future. Actually, looking at my experience points, I should level up when I enter the Hub. That¡¯d be an additional two more points to my luck. I was a tad bit nervous about going back to the Hub. While it was familiar, and safe, there was the fact that other players would be there. And my last encounter with players led to them stabbing me and another player in the back. No parties. Not with more than three players, at least. I touched the portal that would lead me to the hub, sighing as I knew I had to move forward. I needed to play catchup now. Everything went white as I went through the portal. It was quite a different feeling than going up the spiral staircases, but eventually I opened my eyes and saw a town. The town was full of dome-shaped buildings, various vendors standing outside around them. I appeared in the town center, next to a pristine looking fountain. Players - and there were a lot of them, gathered around these vendors, or around each other, talking to one another. [System Notice: You completed Floor 10. You gained 1000 EXP.] [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv8! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP. ] [System Notice: Welcome to the Hub.] [System Notice: Multiplayer mode is now active. You may now climb together with up to four other players. For more information about Multiplayer, visit a Party Officer.] Last time I had come through here on Easy difficulty, I immediately ran over to a Party Officer. As Alchemists could heal, I quickly found a party. After going through with them for almost ten floors, I realized how nasty people can be. I¡¯d be better off without them. Before deciding to check around, I took my two attribute points and placed them into Luck. That would now increase my damage, as well as do whatever Luck can do for me. ¡°Status!¡±
Status
Health: 140/140 (cursed) Mana: 66/66
Name: Zeryn Felix, The Treasure Dabbler Level: 8 [EXP: 510/38400] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler, Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins
Attributes: 0 AP
Vitality: 22The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Strength: 21 (26) Dexterity: 20 Agility: 20 Willpower: 17 (22) Intelligence: 16 Perception: 15 (22) Wit: 15 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: [5] Luck: 32 (37)
Active Buffs: None Cursed: Heart Snake (Rating: B)
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Shrouded Blink}, {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}, {Bladefire Infusion}, {Rally Allies}, {Frenzy}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}, {Wield Element: Fire}, {Perfect by Nature}, {Lucky Strike}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: ??? 10/30 Unknown Ability: ??? 1/??
The amount of abilities I had just kept getting increased. Wait a second, my unknown ability¡¯s condition requirement went down! ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I turned around. A young lady had approached me. Sporting an orange bob, with freckles on her face, she gave off a cheerful smile. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Melli. What¡¯s your name?¡± She spoke in a very upbeat tone, asking for my name. I didn¡¯t want anything to do with these players, already having an idea of what she wanted. ¡°Zeryn,¡± I said nonchalantly. ¡°Do you need anything, Melli?¡± ¡°Ah, um¡ª¡± She looked somewhat distraught all of a sudden, checking behind her. I could see another player, two, actually, talking with one another. They gave her a glance when they noticed her, smiled and threw a thumbs up. She turned back around to me, ¡°That¡¯s a real nice shield you have there! Do you want to party with us?¡± Why is she yelling now? ¡°No,¡± I simply gave my reply. ¡°Good luck.¡± I meant it. I don¡¯t know how many lives she had already used climbing this far, or if she had already made it to the player-vs-player announcement before dying and coming back, maybe she hadn¡¯t died yet at all. I started walking away, before taking a look at the stunned lady, Melli, before saying it again. ¡°Good luck.¡± Last time I successfully made it to Floor Ten, I was level five. Yet here I am now, level eight, even after getting screwed over by some probable bugged event. Sigh. I didn¡¯t want to remember it, but I couldn¡¯t not remember it. I went over to a dome-shaped building, one with a banner of an ax hanging on it. The shopkeeper NPC quickly jumped up, asking if I wanted to buy anything, initiating the buy and sell window to appear. I sold the ¡®Taurant Empress¡¯s Carapace¡¯ and the loot from Raash Miira Guugi, ¡®Eyes of the Keeper¡¯. Deciding not to buy any of the middle ¡®E¡¯ rank equipment, I left the shop with the points acquired from the two pieces of loot, 718 trade points. ¡°Hello.¡± Not again. Someone approached me from behind again. As I was about to turn around, the same voice spoke again, ¡°You¡¯re different, aren¡¯t you? No, I know you are. I can see it.¡± I looked at the figure. He wore a dark gray cloak, covering most of his body and face. I could see yellow hair hanging under the hood, and his face¡ªI could see black veins. A shade! I couldn¡¯t fight in the Hub, but knowing a shade was here¡ª! ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked again. ¡°...What do you want?¡± I couldn¡¯t show my suspicion so easily, though surprise may have took over my face for a second. He pointed his finger at me, and I could definitely confirm it then; the black veins on his pale skin. ¡°I want that. I can see it, and I need it.¡± He¡ªhe wants to possess my body! But he shouldn¡¯t be able to attack here, right?! I started backing away from the shade. ¡°Stay back!¡± I shouted, attention now being drawn to me and this stranger¡ªthis shade. ¡°Shh! Quiet down¡­¡± He started to whisper ¡°I¡¯m a Cursemaster. I can see something powerful within you, and I want it. Curses affect me differently¡ªand you look nothing like a Cursemaster to me. Give it to me.¡± Oops. ¡°Ah, really? I¡¯ve never heard of a Cursemaster before, though.¡± I tried chuckling lightly, but the nervousness within it could easily be identified. ¡°So, how do you¡ª¡± ¡°Do you perhaps play on Hardcore? You must, right? How else would you have something that powerful within you? What is it, like ¡®C¡¯? Maybe ¡®B¡¯? Oh, man. I hope it''s that powerful.¡± The stranger, now known to me as a Cursemaster, asked many a question. Surprisingly, they were quite spot on. I just looked at him, and repeated the question I was going to ask before he interrupted me, ¡°How do you remove it?¡± He pulled his hood down, and I could more clearly see him. The veins were practically like a tattoo as it covered most of his face. But they were definitely veins. His hair was about mid-length, and his eyes had almost turned black, most certainly from a curse. ¡°Simple,¡± he said. ¡°Let me touch where it stays, and I¡¯ll drag it out with my {Curse Eater}. How about it?¡± I didn¡¯t want to say no, the ¡®Heart Snake¡¯ crushing my maximum health by 50%. ¡°Go ahead,¡± I smiled. He placed his pale hand on me, and it started converging an aura of darkness. I could feel a pull at my heart, yet it felt like release as well. His eyes lit up with the curse funneling towards him. ¡°Henry,¡± he said. ¡°My name is Henry, and like you, I¡¯m roaming Tethralin as a Hardcore player. Level nine, though you must be much stronger than me to have been handling this ¡®B¡¯ rating curse.. Haha it feels great!¡± He laughed in joy as he told me his identity. He put his hood back on, and began sauntering off. ¡°Zeryn,¡± was all I said as he threw his hand up, acknowledging me. I walked over to the diner, grabbing a luxurious meal for myself. Free of the ¡®Heart Snake¡¯, I felt much better. My health points now sat at 280, and I didn¡¯t need to fear death by two ¡®Heart Snakes¡¯. I spent 300 trade points on this meal, but it didn¡¯t provide any buffs whatsoever. The meals with buffs easily cost ten times that, and I couldn¡¯t quite afford it. Probably because I missed three whole floors of goodies. As I was finishing up my meal, I felt a hand firmly grasp my shoulder. I tried turning around, but I felt completely rooted to my stool. ¡°Uh uh,¡± a soft whisper reached my ear. ¡°Want to know some secrets? I¡¯m sure you do. So, I¡¯ll let you know¡ªon one condition. Survive until you reach the next Hub. I have to know you''re qualified, of course.¡± I felt the hand finally free me, and I turned around to see who would be capable of something like that. All I could see was a ginormous, and I mean ginormous, shield float away out the exit of the diner. It shrunk as it went out the door, just to expand again. I got out of my stool, and was about to follow the person, but the shield abruptly moved right in front of me, in front of the exit, blocking my path. It wouldn¡¯t budge as I pressed against it and tried to move it. ¡°Ask for Yesha,¡± a voice, almost sounding like it came from the shield, could be heard. Then, the shield disappeared, the person along with it. What¡ªthe hell¡ªis going on in this game? And why do people keep coming to bug me? ¡°Ugh.¡± I let out a sound of disgust. Now, it felt like I was being manipulated and I didn¡¯t like it. Secrets? More fucking secrets. I just want to survive. I started walking around again, looking for my target, the portal to Floor 11. For some reason, it moved around every hour or so. The only explanation anyone had ever given was, ¡°Maybe a certain amount of people went through it and it got full?¡± It sounded dumb to me, but who knows. I finally spotted the portal, when a rough voice reached my ears, ¡°Hoho, nice shield there pal. How about you team¡ª¡± ¡°Fuck off,¡± I couldn¡¯t bother dealing with anything anymore. My mood was unsettled now, even though I had had my curse removed, I couldn¡¯t care less. I touched the portal, everything turning white as I was teleported to the next location. [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 11¡¯s starting point.] I didn¡¯t bother taking in my immediate surroundings. Though when the words that left my mouth were finished, I swear I saw a faint golden radiance. ¡°{Spin!}¡± Chapter 21: What A Joke Chapter 21: What A Joke [System Notice: You used {Spin!}. {Spin!} was affected by Luck. The wheel will spin for 15 seconds.] I clenched my hand. Affected by Luck. Fantastic. I really hoped something good would come of it. It had to work out, right? The entire world couldn¡¯t be against me¡ªor, perhaps it could be. The wheel seemed a bit larger than before as it spun, and when it started to come to a halt, I could see jackpots lined up on it. I began to cast a bright smile on my face, wondering how I¡¯d be treated. [System: The spin has been completed. You landed on ¡®Jackpot¡¯. Congratulations! The wheel will spin again.] ¡°JACKPOT!¡± I threw my arms up in the air, instantly receiving a boost to my mood. I wasn¡¯t sure why the wheel was spinning again, but knowing I hit a jackpot got me ecstatic. [System Notice: For landing your first ¡®Jackpot¡¯, you have been granted the title: Favored by Tethralin.] I checked out my new title as the wheel had yet to finish spinning. [Title: Favored by Tethralin] - Passive effect: +5 Luck. Active effect: +15 Luck My smile grew bigger as I read it, instantly equipping it. In exchange, I gained fifteen more luck, and my perception dropped by five. But it was well worth the trade off. [System: The spin has resulted in ¡®Jackpot: Pick Three¡¯. Congratulations! Please review the options.]
Options
Ability: Rating [A] Pick Ability: Rating [A]
Armor Set: Rank [B] Attribute Point(s): 10
Weapon: Rank [A] Divinity Points: 10,000
It was incredible, as to be expected of a jackpot. However, I quickly dismissed the ¡®Divinity Points¡¯ option. I didn¡¯t know how often I¡¯d have an opportunity of reaching a shrine to make use of them, even though it was quite a high amount. I gave the rest of the options a serious overview. Well, I think I would definitely want an armor set. It¡¯d only be Rank [B], and random, but that is insanely good as it¡¯s a set. I will not pick my own [A] rating ability. That would probably result in some negative aftermath, such as a curse. Even though the curse, if it was a curse, would only be [B] rating due to the improved {Spin!}, that could mean another ¡®Heart Snake¡¯. A big no-no for me. Ten attribute points, those would instantly go into Luck. Putting my Luck at a base of 42¡ªthen what, a weapon or an ability? Or don¡¯t get the attribute points, and get both an ability and a weapon? Ugh. Decision making was hard when these options were present. I did not know whether reaching 40 Luck would earn me a new class ability or not. Also, the weapon, armor, and ability would all be randomized. It could go well, or it could go bad. I made my decision, and started letting the wheel spin. I first picked the random armor set. That would increase my survivability by reducing damage taken directly. I only hoped the gear set wouldn¡¯t be dumb. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have obtained the armor set ¡®Armor of the Shallow Rat¡¯. Please pick your second option!] Armor of the Shallow Rat? Hmmm. I picked my second option. I decided to go with a weapon as my weapon was currently Rank ¡®D¡¯. While that was extremely good for where I was, a Rank ¡®A¡¯ weapon would go so much further. Considering I have no weapon proficiency, I didn¡¯t care too much what weapon I got, though I may prefer a sword after having been primarily using them. The wheel spun, and spun, finally landing on the weapon Luck had chosen for me. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have obtained ¡®Vanquisher¡¯. Please pick your final option!] The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Vanquisher?¡± Now that made my thoughts come out of my mouth. It sounded impressive, and I wanted to take a quick look, but decided to move to my final option before checking out all the new goodies. The final option I went with was an ¡®A¡¯ rating ability. The attribute points were nice, but considering I could get that in five levels, I think the decision was simple. Abilities were much harder to come by than levels. Except in my case, due to {Assimilation}. My last wheel began to spin. I thought over which abilities would help. As I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what abilities were considered ¡®A¡¯, I mainly hoped for something like invisibility, or a way to take care of my own presence. Ah, it¡¯s stopping. The wheel finally began to slow, leading to a stop. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have gained the Ability {Troll¡¯s Blood}. {Spin!} has gone on a four-floor cooldown.] Troll¡¯s¡ªBlood? I have gained a lot from this lucky jackpot. Time to see what exactly everything is. First, I checked out the one I was most excited for - the ¡®Vanquisher¡¯. [Vanquisher (Rank: A)] - A crossbow created to vanquish enemies of any caliber through the usage of mana. Has an attack value of 360. Grants ability: {Mana Bolt}. Requirements: 60 Dexterity, 60 Intelligence. {Spin!} has negated requirements. {Mana Bolt} - An active ability. Create a bolt made of mana. Requires a minimum of 5 mana, more mana introduces a multiplier. ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ was a one-handed, ruby-colored crossbow. Its design seemed very high-tech, with intricate runes aligned on it. Since it was one-handed, I could use it with my shield. Interesting, a ranged weapon. Although it seems to be very strong, I would have preferred a close-range weapon. However, at least it will increase my survivability. I put the ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ away. I couldn¡¯t equip it at the moment as I already had my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ equipped, and I would decide upon swapping it out after I checked out the rest of my equipment. Next up was my new ability, {Troll Blood}. {Troll¡¯s Blood} - A passive ability. You regenerate 10% of max HP every five seconds. It was a fantastic ability. It would continue to increase as I got stronger, gaining more health points. As it was a passive ability, I didn¡¯t need to do anything about it. If I included {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, I would be regenerating a massive amount of health every five seconds. It would actually go nicely with {Frenzy}! I then checked out my last reward from my jackpot, the ¡®Armor of the Shallow Rat¡¯. [Shallow Rat¡¯s Face Mask (Rank: B)] - A face mask meant to hide your identity, worn and created by the Shallow Rat. Increases Dexterity by 10. Defense value of 140. Requirements: 60 Dexterity. {Spin!} has negated requirements. [Shallow Rat¡¯s Nagascale Harness (Rank: B)] - A harness laced with scales of the Naga. Worn and created by the Shallow Rat. Increases Dexterity by 5. Increases Agility by 5. Defense value of 220. Requirements: 60 Dexterity. {Spin!} has negated requirements. [Shallow Rat¡¯s Nagascale Bracers (Rank: B)] - Bracers laced with scales of the Naga. Worn and created by the Shallow Rat. Increases Dexterity by 10. Increases Agility by 5. Increases held weapon¡¯s attack value by 150%. Requirements: 60 Dexterity. {Spin!} has negated requirements. [Shallow Rat¡¯s Nagascale Trousers (Rank: B)] - Trousers laced with scales of the Naga. Worn and created by the Shallow Rat. Increases Dexterity by 5. Increases Agility by 5. Defense value of 170. Requirements: 60 Dexterity. {Spin!} has negated requirements. [Shallow Rat¡¯s Nagascale Boots (Rank: B)] - Boots laced with scales of the Naga. Worn and created by the Shallow Rat. Increases Agility by 10. Increases Dexterity by 5. Increases defense values by 50%. Requirements: 60 Dexterity. {Spin!} has negated requirements. [Armor of the Shallow Rat set bonus] - {Nagascale Magic Ward} {Nagascale Magic Ward} - +50% resistance to magic.
What a joke. I equipped my newly acquired armor set and crossbow. Power was surging through every ounce of me. I¡¯d be strong enough to destroy any mob near me instantly. Hell, I¡¯d probably be strong enough to ignore most enemies¡¯ attacks. The gear I had currently was not meant for a level eight to wear. My attributes were boosted immensely, and the damage I could put out was immense. If I did end up taking too much damage, if I took any at all, then {Troll¡¯s Blood} combined with {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} would heal me up quickly. I quickly pulled up my attributes. ¡°Status!¡±
Status
Health: 280/280 Mana: 66/66
Name: Zeryn Felix, Favored by Tethralin Level: 8 [EXP: 510/38400] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler, Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins, Favored by Tethralin
Attributes: 0 AP
Vitality: 22 Strength: 21 Dexterity: 20 (55) Agility: 20 (45) Willpower: 17 (22) Intelligence: 16 Perception: 15 (17) Wit: 15 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: [5] Luck: 32 (52)
Active Buffs: Nagascale Magic Ward
With my Dexterity and Agility boosted so high, my {Shrouded Blink} was capped in cooldown and blink amount. I could now blink five times, and the cooldown was only one minute. Distance was left uncapped, which could only be a good thing. Additionally, my damage scaled off my Luck now, which was at 52. My damage was unprecedented considering I was only on Floor 11. I finally took in my surroundings, and it appeared as if I was in a small wooden shack. There was a shop button, which I ignored. I left the building, and what appeared in my vision was a wide ocean. On top of the wide ocean were ships, with a port and a city placed in front of it. [System Notice: The stairs to the next floor have been locked. You must complete two quests before the stairs unlock. Quests will be hidden until discovered by a player.] [System Notice: Quest progress: 0/2] [System Notice: Current players on Floor: 4/5] Huh? Why are there other players¡­ ¡°System. Explain why there are other players on my floor, please.¡± [System: Five players are allowed per instance, per floor. Warning: You cannot kill other players, though players may have quests pitting one against another. Defeated players must find a new quest.] ¡°Thank you.¡± Thanking the system, I understood now why I hadn¡¯t been presented with this problem before - I had been in a party. As such, the players were always capped as my party was a full one. So, players may fight due to a quest, but death is not going to occur¡ªat least not from another player. Interesting, best keep my distance. I stood at the top of the hill, overlooking the city. The shack was behind me, and I couldn¡¯t reenter it, but it didn¡¯t disappear. Before moving on, I finally decided to use one of my other jewels, the ¡®Transfiguration Jewel¡¯. [Transfiguration Jewel] - After use, you can merge one item with another. The item will retain its appearance and you can transfigure the item into the merged item, at will. Merging the same type of item will erase previous item. I used the ¡®Transfiguration Jewel¡¯ to combine my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ and ¡®Vanquisher. The items merged, and the ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ was the only piece remaining. I then morphed the ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ into my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯. It was flawless as it instantly transformed, and I held onto my sword. This would help me in case I needed to use my sword instead of a ranged weapon. I transformed it back into ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ before heading down into the city, in search of a quest. Chapter 22: Mana Bolt Destruction Chapter 22: Mana Bolt Destruction I was clad in my ¡®Armor of the Shallow Rat¡¯, my equipment gray and black. My ¡®Cloak of Slumber¡¯ still hung from me, blending in with my armor. My ruby-colored ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ was on my back, and my shield hung on my left arm. The face mask I wore hung around my neck, simply because I didn¡¯t care much for covering my face, and I was glad I didn¡¯t get a helmet instead. I quite disliked anything but my hands covering my ears, even keeping my hair tidied away from it. The city wasn¡¯t too large, though it could just seem that way as I quickly moved through the streets, passing NPCs. I wasn¡¯t sure what quest I would find, or where to look. Generally, an outstanding figure or something would approach a player to present the quest. I made it near the dock, seeing fisherman and various boats and ships lined up. Out further in the sea, a few ships were approaching. A bell started ringing out leading to shouts within the vicinity. ¡°Monsters are coming from the forest!¡± ¡°Hide in your homes! Call in the Imperial Navy!¡± ¡°The Mermen are fast approaching, some are blocking the path of the Imperial Navy!¡± [System Notice: Quest received. Choose a path to follow: Do you accept the quest? Y/N] I looked at the quest, and I decided to accept it. Really, there had been no reason why I would not accept the quest. The faster I climbed, the faster I would get out of this tower. Regarding the quest¡¯s options, I was thinking about doing ¡®A¡¯. I didn¡¯t think my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ would reach the ships, at least not until they came closer, and what reason would I have of preventing the Navy or of destroying the city? I left the port, running back towards the area where the shack had been. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 134 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 4/138] Someone else has begun clearing the mobs! The first thing that came to mind, I decided to ask the system. ¡°System, how can I conquer the floor if other people are getting my kills?¡± [System: In order to qualify for conquering a floor, all mobs must be cleared. The player who has cleared 75% or more of the designated mobs will be considered the conqueror.] I see. I finally made it over to the city outlier, and could see mobs running out from the forest beyond. There were some others here, some were guards, some looked like adventurers. I couldn¡¯t identify who was a player, if any of these people were. ¡°Defend Nysel!¡± A guard shouted, and some of the men around raised the weapons, preparing for the arrival of the beasts. I checked out which mobs these were, as they were coming out of the forest. The first one I spotted was bigger than the others following after it. It had a scorpion¡¯s tail, a lion¡¯s head, a behemoth¡¯s body, and some wings that looked like it belonged to a demon or a bat. [Behemoth Chimera, Lv22] The others behind it were various other Chimera-types - wolves, lions, and some bird types. The biggest was this Behemoth version. It was of a higher level than the others, which were between 17-20. They were all of a higher level than Raash Miira Guugi had been, though they lacked a name or title. I pulled ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ from my back, holding it out in front of me as I took aim. The Behemoth Chimera roared as it noticed that a human dared point a weapon at it. Its charge changed, now making haste as it charged over to me. Upon hearing its roar, the other Chimera began a focused charge more in my general direction. I activated {Mana Bolt}, using the minimum of five mana to create it. The bolt lodged itself into ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ instantly, and I pulled the trigger, releasing the bolt. I could see the face of the Behemoth Chimera contort as that bolt released. The blue bolt of mana traveled quickly, inserting itself directly into the lion-like face of the Behemoth Chimera, before dispersing into residual mana.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. [Behemoth Chimera, Lv22, takes 15600 damage. {Lucky Strike!} Behemoth Chimera, Lv22, takes additional 31200 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 2500 EXP.] I looked down at my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ in disbelief, ¡°Oh.¡± The only words I could manage at the time. The following Chimera halted their charges as they fled away back into the forest. The guards and other adventurers or mercenaries, whatever they were, all looked in my direction as my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ was still pointed in the direction the Behemoth Chimera died. Their gaze still on me, I started walking toward the forest. I never received a notification informing me I completed the quest, so I desired to finish it. I transfigured ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ into ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, considerably dropping my damage, though it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem now that Luck was the damage modifier. I made it into the forest, and some of the Chimera stopped as they looked at the human who killed the Behemoth Chimera. I looked back towards them, steps slow as the sun was drowned out beneath the trees. A Wolf Chimera pounced out, bearing its shark-like teeth at me, striking my legs. [You took 0 damage from Wolf Chimera, Lv17.] My leg armor, ¡®Shallow Rat¡¯s Nagascale Trousers¡¯, brushed the damage off. The Chimera hadn¡¯t been able to break through the defense they brought, which when formulated properly, came out to 802. If I increased my Vitality further, it would increase even more. I cut into the Wolf Chimera dealing 1,473 damage. It died a swift death. [System Notice: You gained 1200 EXP.] Now that I had invaded their territory, they gave up all qualms of fleeing, instead deciding to slaughter their enemy. I activated {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn}, then something unexpected happened. [System Notice: By using {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} while possessing {Troll¡¯s Blood}, {Assimilation} has created the new ability, {Heart and Soul of a Troll}. {Goblin¡¯s Recovery Hymn} and {Troll¡¯s Blood} have been deleted.] {Heart and Soul of a Troll} - A passive ability. You regenerate 10% of your max HP every five seconds in addition to an amount equal to your Vitality. You regenerate 1% of your max MP every minute in addition to an amount equal to your Intelligence. Another impressive ability. An attack came from the side, so I met teeth with blade. Then another attack came, so I activated {Shrouded Blink}. I blinked up towards the trees, transfiguring ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, loaded a mana bolt for five mana, and shot a target, then another as I made my way to the ground. More enemies came towards me, so I shot again before a different Chimera activated my second blink. I swapped between ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ and ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ as I decimated various Chimera before finally receiving a notification. [System Notice: Quest completed. You chose path ¡®A¡¯. You have completed 1/2 quests.] I received no reward, but I gained a ton of experience points, allowing me to reach level nine before I received the quest notification. I had then threw my two attribute points into Luck. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 89 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 49/138.] I had cleared 38 mobs, and four were already cleared. So in the time it took me to clear out 38, someone or a party had cleared seven. I left the forest, walking through the path of carnage I left behind. My mana quickly regenerated while my health had remained full the entire time. None of the mobs hit high enough to break through my armor. Out of the forest, I saw the few guardsmen that had been there before. More were running from the outlier of the city towards the inside of Nysel. They may have been headed towards the port to fend off the Mermen that had been approaching. I decided to follow them, ignoring the looks of others as I walked in my filthy set of armor. The blood of the Chimeras had been various colors, not the deep red of humans, so I had been mixed with different colors of blood. I looked like a mess, but headed onward anyways. I swiftly approached the port area, able to see the battle afar. Ships of what could only be the Mermen that had been yelled about earlier were at combat with ships waving a white flag. The flag was quite simple, an anchor upon it and the words ¡°Nysel Kingdom Imperial Navy¡± could be seen. I was expecting to see some ships closer to the bay as a few of the Mermen ships were holding off the navy, but there was one ship that was fighting off multiple ships, both the Navy and the Mermen. That ship was huge in comparison, and the flag it bore was black, with a mad looking skull surrounded in a torrent of water. Then, one of the Mermen¡¯s ships exploded from the fire put out by what I assumed was a pirate ship. [System Notice: Unaffiliated NPCs have cleared mobs. Total mob count has decreased. Remaining mobs: 87. Mobs cleared: 50/137.] Shit, that is going to interrupt my conquering of the floor. I ran as close to the water as I could to get a better view and hope I could get a clear shot. If the NPC was reducing the ships, which were considered mobs, I needed to get my piece of the pie. I couldn¡¯t calculate exactly how far the closest Mermen ship was to me, but I aimed my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ at it anyway. I infused ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ with a ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯ by using {Bladefire Infusion}. It worked, and I then conglomerated a mana bolt using 60 mana points. I didn¡¯t know how the multiplier worked yet, but I hoped it would not let me down. The size of the bolt increased, and in return, ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ followed suit. I was sure it would have dragged me down to the floor if not for the requirements being negated through {Spin!}. I held the enormous ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, pulling the trigger and hoping it would reach. The bolt shot out much faster than it had ever before, the ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ returning to its normal size. I was pushed back from the force of the bolt being launched, and as I recovered my stance, a ship blew up. And then another. And one final one. I destroyed three ships as the bolt passed through, imbued with hellfire and exploding each time as it pierced continuously until the mana bolt disintegrated into residual mana. [Merman Ship, Lv24, takes 93,700 damage.] [Merman Ship, Lv24, takes 62,500 damage.] [Merman Ship, Lv24, takes 31,300 damage.] I gained 9000 experience points from those kills, and as they fell, an Imperial Navy ship had been destroyed by the pirate ship. The hellfire only added 100 damage each time, but the explosion effect with the high-power bolt simply destroyed those ships. The pirate ship then destroyed the last Merman ship out there. Grr. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 83 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 53/136.] The number went down by one, while my count went to 41. As the last Merman ship was destroyed, I could see the Imperial Navy actually fleeing from the pirate ship. The pirate ship then decided to head here, towards port. I need to find another quest, but more importantly, I need to conquer this floor. If I can get more ¡®Upgrade Jewels¡¯¡ªI can make my gear much stronger! I¡¯ll save this one for later. In search of another quest, I decided to wait for this pirate ship. Who knew, it may provide me a chance to clear some mobs. Chapter 23: Escort Chapter 23: Escort The water crashed against the port and the pirate ship as it came closer. The city folk came out from their homes after the bell had stopped tolling, yet they didn¡¯t seem to care as the pirate ship approached. Men and women approached the dock, excited to see the pirates who helped take down the Mermen ships. ¡°It¡¯s the Captain!¡± ¡°The Captain is back!¡± They shouted in excitement as the pirate ship anchored, apparently welcoming back the pirates in open arms. I watched on as the shouting continued, as if they were welcoming home a hero. Heads started popping over the rails of the pirate ship, and I took a look, seeing various named individuals, yet they were all only between levels ten to fifteen. These low level pirates actually fended off Mermen ships and the Imperial Navy? Their ship must be extremely durable and powerful. A woman stepped off from the ramp of the pirate ship, making her way down towards the dock. The surrounding folk celebrated this woman as ¡®Captain¡¯. She wore a cocked hat, while her deep auburn hair flowed down toward the small of her back. Her top only had one sleeve, while the other sleeve looked torn open. I got a glimpse of her eyes as she checked out the docks, seemingly looking for something, and it seemed as if an ocean was raging beneath them, a milky blue swirling within her eyes. Her boots clanged as she stepped onto the deck, and her gaze finally landed on my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ as her surveying ended. She then looked up at me, ¡°You did that?¡± Her level and name were question marks as her identity was unknown to me. I had no reason to lie to an NPC, ¡°Yep, sure did.¡± ¡°Aye, great. Work for me, then. I need someone strong to handle a special job.¡± ¡°Well, who are you, and what do you need that is so special?¡± I asked, hoping for the quest to pop up. I knew a significant character would provide a quest! ¡°What now? You haven¡¯t heard of me? Strange. Everyone knows me unless ¡ª ah.¡± She gave me another look as she crossed her arms. ¡°I see now. That makes sense. We should talk more privately. Come aboard.¡± She started walking back up towards her boat, as she waved towards the onlookers, ¡°Heya everybody.¡± She then looked back at me as she noticed I hadn¡¯t followed, ¡°Call me Captain Briggs. Mad D. Briggs.¡± She enunciated how she wanted to be called, and she then headed back up towards the ship again, my eyes following her back. I transfigured ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ into ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, sheathing it and walking up the ramp behind her. [Human Pirate Captain, Madelyn Briggs, Queen of the Nysel Seas, Lv32] I followed her onto the ship, and her subordinates quickly called out to her, but she dismissed them as we headed into the cabin. She sat in her chair, turned around and threw her feet onto the table in front of her. ¡°Sit,¡± she said. I sat down, waiting for the quest notification to pop. I asked her, trying to trigger it, ¡°So, what¡¯s the special job?¡± She wagged a finger at me, ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The question quite caught me off guard, and I think it showed on my face. ¡°You aren¡¯t from here. And I would have known about anyone wielding a weapon as strong as that in these parts. It is like you¡­ magically appeared here, so, where are you from?¡± I stared into her eyes and could feel an ocean pressing down on me behind them. I didn¡¯t have an answer to really give her, as I had never expected to be asked such a thing. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Too long,¡± she interrupted. ¡°I can tell you aren¡¯t a shade, but strange¡ªthe royal secrets definitely¡­¡± She started muttering to herself, but she did mention shades. Another person talking about shades! ¡°Fine. Here¡¯s the job. Escort me to my hideout just West out of Northern Martel Forest. There are mobs lurking there, as well as some hired arms that have been trying to get rid of me.¡± [System Notice: Quest received. Immediately choose a path to follow: Do you accept the quest? Y/N]Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I accepted the quest, and chose option ¡®B¡¯. I wanted to complete my quests, of course, but like I said, conquering was more important. ¡°Sure.¡± [System Notice: You chose to defend a quest target. Other players will be offered a counter quest: Pending.] [System Notice: Accepted: 3. Declined: 1. Defend your quest target from opposing enemy players. Note: Defeated players will not die from other players¡¯ attacks.] Hmm? It now looked like there were four other players within the zone, one having arrived after I did. Additionally, three players decided to accept a counter quest, seemingly to attack this lady captain. ¡°We¡¯ll leave immediately.¡± She got up from her chair, and motioned for me to follow her out. We started going down the ramp when she suddenly grabbed her head. ¡°Already?!¡± She yelled out, gripping her head tightly. She looked around, trying to find something¡ªor someone. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ found you mate,¡± she blurted out as she pointed her finger, as if it were a gun, at a person who had a nasty glare in her direction. ¡°Bang,¡± she said, and a bullet of compressed water formed and shot at the person she saw. [Player Hildart, Lv9, takes 8326 damage.] [System Notice: A player has died. Current players in zone: [4]/5.] Holy hell. She instantly took out an opposing player. The player seemed to have a class that inflicted damage to the mind, as her head started clearing up. Then, a couple of people fled after seeing the death of the player. I couldn¡¯t tell if they were opposing players, but if their plan relied on keeping Captain Briggs busy with that mind attack, then it seemed as if everything was over for them. ¡°You.¡± She looked at me sternly, ¡°You are supposed to escort me. I won¡¯t be nearly as strong when I¡¯m away from the ocean,¡± she whispered calmly to me. She seemed to talk completely different when she spoke to me. For a pirate, she didn¡¯t really talk like one. ¡°Right.¡± I said, walking closer to her side. ¡°So, where first?¡± A player had just died, and I didn¡¯t know what life they had been on. But they chose a side against mine, and one less player meant one less competitor towards achieving the conqueror completion of the floor. ¡°Right outside the city is Southern Martel Forest. Martel¡ªa mad experimentalist¡ªthrew a bunch of failed experiments in the forest. They seldom come out of the forest, only coming out if triggered by something. However, we have to go through there to get to Northern Martel Forest. The beasts will be quite vicious once we enter their territory.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°Uh, I think I already killed those guys.¡± I shrugged my shoulders, explaining, ¡°There was an attack off the northern side of the city, so I assisted some guardsmen in defending the city.¡± She nodded her head, ¡°Alright, well that is interesting. A beast attack and Mermen¡ªat the same time¡­¡± she started muttering again. ¡°Still, we must keep our guard up, more beasts will be in the northern forest, including enemies such as that assassin that I sent to the bottom of the sea.¡± I acknowledged her, though I didn¡¯t think the player would really be going to the bottom of the sea, allowing the Pirate Captain to believe what she wanted. She was clearly extremely strong, as she was level 32. I couldn¡¯t comprehend the other players, unless they were unaware of her level. ¡°I would have brought my Mad Pirates along, but they aren¡¯t strong enough on land. The beasts would have tore through them.¡± I didn¡¯t know why she was explaining things to me, but I did gather that her crew was called the ¡®Mad Pirates¡¯. We continued out through the city, reaching the outlier. We then headed into the forest I had ventured into to finish my first quest. The bodies of the various Chimera had already disintegrated, yet the colorful blood remained. I was given a short glance as we made our way out of the Southern Martel Forest, reaching a perfectly straight divider, separating the north from the south. ¡°Why¡¯s this here?¡± I asked. ¡°To keep Martel from leaving. About 70 years ago, my¡ªa person from the Kingdom sealed Martel off here. Martel hadn¡¯t been one to directly injure people, but his experiments were awful. However, they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to kill Martel, as Martel was the brother of the previous King.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I kneeled down and inspected the divider. It didn¡¯t rise too high, but it did seem to emit a magical aura. This barrier was enough to keep a person from leaving? We both heard a sound as we looked up in alarm. Then, there was a click, similar to what a trigger would make, and I dove at Captain Briggs, knocking her down to the ground. A crossbow bolt landed where she had been, as it came from the forest we had just left. She seemed quite frail, and after getting a reading from her, I noticed her level was no longer 32. Her level dropped to 17. It was strange, something I had never seen before. She said she¡¯d be weaker away from the water¡ª I didn¡¯t know it was quite like this. I quickly pulled my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ out from its sheath, swapping it over to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ as I loaded a mana bolt in it. I brought the captain up with me, ready to defend her for my quest. ¡°Shh,¡± she whispered, ¡°It¡¯s the Penumbra Five. A group of assassins. They found me quick, we haven¡¯t even entered the northern forest yet and they¡¯ve caught up¡­¡± I quietly used {Area Scan} to scout the area. I was able to reach a large area enough to see what was around us as the assassins hid within the darkness of the forests.
Human Assassin, Feylin, Lv27 Human Assassin, Yun, Lv26
Elven Assassin, Ma¡¯az, Lv27 Human Assassin, Sher, Lv28
Player Aaron, Lv11
Five enemies, one of them a player? I took Madelyn¡¯s hand and we headed into the Northern Martel Forest. ¡°Five enemies,¡± I said, ¡°Why are assassins after you?¡± She trudged along as I pulled her, though her level dropped she still moved fast, ¡°Penumbra Five is a group of assassins who target those who have¡­ royal blood. I¡¯m¡ª¡± She stopped talking as a figure emerged from the shadows, attempting to stab her with a pair of daggers. I roughly pulled Madelyn towards me, pointing my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ at the assassin, and pulled the trigger allowing my pre-loaded mana bolt to pierce straight on through. [Elven Assassin, Ma¡¯az, Lv27, takes 15600 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 3900 experience points.] The experience coming in grew more and more as the levels of my enemies grew. ¡°What¡ªwhat the fuck!!¡± An exasperated noise came from a bit deeper in the forest, and we looked in the direction it originated from. As I had used {Area Scan} and identified the surrounding already, I noticed it was Player Aaron. He quickly covered his mouth as he tried to hide himself again. He had a sword in one hand, but he tried his hardest to hide himself. He may have been a bit stunned from my damage, but I didn¡¯t know what he felt. I loaded another mana bolt into ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ as I aimed it at Player Aaron. ¡°Better me than her,¡± I said and started pressing down on the trigger. ¡°You¡ªare only¡ªn-nine!¡± He stuttered through it as my bolt released, ignoring his armor and defeating him. He disappeared instead of becoming a corpse, and I received a notification regarding the dismissal of a player participating in the counter quest. One player remained, and there were three more assassins. Chapter 24: A Stranger Chapter 24: A Stranger We entered Northern Martel Forest. There were still three assassins within 100 meters, so I made sure to be alert as Madelyn followed closely. There should be one wielding a crossbow, so I tried to use the trees as cover the best I could. I transfigured ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ for close range encounters as we quickly moved from tree to tree. I heard rustling from a tree above, so I hurriedly looked. ¡°Caw!¡± A giant crow with four wings flapped before gaining downward momentum to attack us. I swapped back into ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and instantly used {Mana Bolt}, taking aim at the crow, but as it neared it cut its momentum, flying back above the tops of the trees. Captain Briggs spoke quietly, explaining the existence of the crow, ¡°That Martel¡ªI just hope he hasn¡¯t moved his experiments to humans¡­¡± Just then, the leaves rustled again as something came crashing down from above the trees. It was the crow that just passed us, and lodged in its body was a crossbow bolt. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, quickly nudging her onward. ¡°Is it okay to set the forest on fire?¡± I asked, grabbing a ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯ from my inventory. ¡°I¡¯d prefer you didn¡¯t,¡± she stated, ¡°We don¡¯t know who else may be in the area, and I absolutely despise fire.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± I proclaimed as I threw a flask behind us, allowing it to burst and begin a forest fire. She hadn¡¯t said ¡®no¡¯, she simply stated her preferences. Many beasts started to flock away from the noise of the explosion as the fire spread. I kept alert, ignoring Madelyn¡¯s angry, quiet bickering while focusing on any incoming enemies. This forest was twice the size of the southern one. We headed Northwest through the Northern Martel Forest as I set various parts behind us or off to the East on fire. The flames seemed to be doing a great job as it warded off the beasts, funneling them around us. Our pursuers also seemed to have trouble as my {Area Scan} wasn¡¯t picking up on them. My mob count wasn¡¯t increasing, however. The counter was slowly increasing, but I wasn¡¯t getting any experience, meaning it was due to the other players. I urged Madelyn to move faster as I continuously checked the area around us. I needed to make sure nothing happened. My Agility was considerably high, allowing me to dodge most strikes now if necessary, instead of relying on my shield. Although shields had defense values, they didn¡¯t get buffed from feet equipment. ¡°How much fur¡ª¡± Just as I was going to ask how much further until we reached the exit, I could see it. ¡°Finally.¡± She started walking towards the exit, but I yanked her back. I tossed a ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯ to light the exit up. ¡°Get wet,¡± I told her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Drench yourself. Now, or you¡¯ll burn.¡± ¡°No, no no. I hate fire. You idiot.¡± I grabbed her anyway, and began upping my speed as I ran towards the fire I created. ¡°Fu¡ª! You bilge rat!¡± She quickly created water to douse herself. It wouldn¡¯t provide complete protection, but moving through the fire would help ward off the enemies, or as {Area Scan} informed me, get the jump on them. We ran through the hellfire, and I took slight burn damage. Very slight, as my fire resistance waned it off, with {Heart and Soul of a Troll} quickly healing through it. I loaded ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ with a bolt created from my mana, noticing an assassin moving away from the spreading fire. I quickly snapped my aim on them as the bolt left ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, doing its job of vanquishing the enemy.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [Human Assassin, Yun, Lv26, takes 15600 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 3600 EXP.] I sharply looked around for another target. There was an odd spot, where a person seemed to have been standing a second ago, but they began to disappear. I caught sight of their foot about to disappear, and shot a mana bolt in their direction, luckily landing the hit. [Human Assassin, Sher, Lv28, takes 15600 damage. {Lucky Strike!} Human Assassin, Sher, Lv28 takes additional 31200 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 4250 EXP.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Shadow Union}.] {Shadow Union} - An active ability. Merge into the shadows, concealing yourself. Only usable when shadows are present. Requirements: 20 Dexterity, 20 Agility. [Mana Cost: 30] Fucking fantastic. I instantly used {Shadow Union} and felt myself converging into the shadows. A system notification popped up, but I was too concentrated to check it. Madelyn looked around aimlessly, while I kept my eye out for the last assassin. I knew they were nearby, but I made sure to stick close to my contractor. Being within the shadows was a completely different experience than I expected. It really wasn¡¯t any different than being anywhere else. I didn¡¯t feel concealed, yet I knew I was. The burning forest cast light and shadows everywhere. I thought I felt a disturbance nearby, and my instinct was correct. Twin daggers appeared right beside us, aimed for Captain Mad D. Briggs as the last assassin of the Penumbra Five group appeared out of the darkness. I moved ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ in the way to intercept the two daggers, transfiguring it into ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯. I then reached out, using {Sudden Slumber} to put the assassin to sleep successfully. The captain turned around, failing to have noticed the killing intent aimed for her. Her level had dropped considerably now that we were even further from the ocean. ¡°He¡¯s asleep,¡± I said to her. Then, I spotted an unexpected attack as arrows of water descended on our location. I got in front of Madelyn to try blocking it, holding up my shield as they fell, but it was meaningless. The arrows of water stopped before making it towards us, Madelyn whirling it around her. She seemed to have absolute control of water, even while away from the water. I spotted the perpetrator who activated the magical attack, a mage standing quite far away. Their face seemed shocked as Madelyn dropped the water to the ground. I swapped over to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, taking aim upon the target. I pulled the trigger, while what was on my mind was getting a hold of that ability Madelyn had. [Player Olaf, Lv12, takes 14040 damage.] [System Notice: All players in the counter quest have been defeated. You received 5000 EXP.] The last assassin still sleeping, I checked out the missed notification from earlier. [System Notice: By using {Shadow Union} while possessing {Shrouded Blink}, {Assimilation} has created the new ability, {Shrouded Shadow}. {Shadow Union} and {Shrouded Blink} have been deleted.] {Shrouded Shadow} - A passive ability. You identify seamlessly with shadows. When hit with an attack, you negate the damage and vanish into smoke, merging into the shadows. You are then granted 30 seconds to move through the shadows or blink (teleport) to a location. Automatically consumes 10 mana. Otherwise, spend 20 mana to merge into the shadows (only when shadows are present). Amount of blinks available: [5]. Blink distance: 22 meters. Available blinks increase with Dexterity. Teleport Distance increases with Agility. I was sad that one of my most valuable abilities had been deleted, but it pretty much turned into a passive ability. Plus, I was able to travel further than originally now. I looked back at the sleeping assassin and Madelyn, ¡°Want him dead? Because I do, it¡¯s more beneficial for me, you see?¡± Madelyn didn¡¯t spare the assassin a glance, ¡°No. I already know why they target me.¡± With that, I ended the assassin¡¯s life, adding a mob to my counter and gaining some experience points. I was over halfway to level ten now, quickly getting my experience points. There were still 75 mobs remaining, the fifth player who had declined the counter quest most likely being the person slowly adding to the cleared mobs. ¡°No sign of Martel¡­¡± I could see a faint smile on Madelyn¡¯s face, a look of disappointment. ¡°Disappointed?¡± I asked her. ¡°We need to move.¡± I started walking off without her, before looking back at her non-moving self. ¡°Zeryn. Since you never asked.¡± I gave the captain my name. We came this far, yet she hadn¡¯t asked for it. It just felt right. She stepped off, walking towards the direction we needed to go. ¡°Yes, I am quite disappointed.¡± She said as she came beside me. ¡°Martel is¡ªmy great uncle. He was put away for being different. And I¡ªI left because I felt different. The ocean kept calling me and I discovered the abilities I had regarding water when I was seven. I left a year later, leaving my sister to prepare for the throne.¡± She continued talking as we made it to her ¡®hideout¡¯. ¡°The sea keeps calling me, and I don¡¯t know how far I¡¯ll go. But, I¡¯ve received news from my sister; another kingdom trying to make their bed in ours. Thank you for bringing me this far.¡± [System Notice: Quest option ¡®B¡¯ completed.] ¡°So,¡± Madelyn Briggs, apparently a Princess of Nysel Kingdom, continued, ¡°Will you help me stop the wedding? I was in charge of keeping the seas in order, while my sister kept the land, but right now she needs me. Will you help me, Zeryn, stranger of this world?¡± I didn¡¯t know exactly what she meant or knew by saying those words, but multiple system notifications popped up. [System Notice: You gained the title ¡®Stranger of Tethralin¡¯.] [Title: Stranger of Tethralin] - Passive effect: +5 Wisdom. Active effect: +5 to all other attributes [System Notice: You received a continuous quest. Accepting this quest will count as a quest completion for this floor. Do you accept the quest? Y/N] [System Notice: By assisting two members of royalty, you have gained the attention of Penumbra Five.] A title granting Wisdom¡ª! And all this other stuff¡­ ¡°Two things,¡± I mentioned, a grin showing up on my face, ¡°First, how can I help?¡± I accepted the continuous quest, the system informing me of the stairs being unlocked for me. ¡°And second¡ªwhere can I go to kill some shit?¡± Chapter 25: Meeting A Veteran Chapter 25: Meeting A Veteran I went to the location Captain Mad D. Briggs told me of, and slayed the vast amount of mobs there. The location was a small cove¡ªEast from Nysel City Port, hidden near a beach. The cove had been home to mutant fish¡ªdifferent than Mermen. These mutant fish mobs primarily lived on land, while Mermen lived under the sea. They were fairly weak compared to the other enemies on this floor¡ªaveraging Level 16¡ªbut they counted towards conquering it, and that was my goal. The system notified me that my continuous quest from the pirate captain would start on a later floor, and the spiral staircase leading me to Floor 12 was unlocked. It was actually near the shack that I entered this floor¡ªI noticed it as I returned to the city to come to this cove. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 7 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 129/136.] Almost done. I had been able to clear a total of one hundred mobs. I just needed a few more to hit the 75%. Unfortunately, I just cleared out the entire cove. The good news is that I was able to make progress towards learning one of my unknown skills through {Assimilation}. It went up a few times when I blasted groups of five with a fully charged {Biding Hellfire Rupture}. Additionally¡ªI scored tons of experience points, putting me at level ten. I wanted to stock up some more ¡®Hellfire Flasks¡¯, but it has been a race against time as the other players were racking up kills. I swiftly left the cove, my search beginning again as I ventured to find the last remaining mobs. There weren''t many other places to go to¡ªso I decided to hurry over to the unburned area of Northern Martel Forest. ? of 136 mobs¡ªI just need a couple more, right? I was figuring out how many I needed as I heard the whistling sound of an object whizzing pass. It had been an arrow¡ªand it just placed itself into a mutated crow that was up in the trees ahead of me. The crow looked for a target to vent its anger on¡ªnot having died from the arrow. I quickly checked the remaining mobs¡ªonly four were left. I quickly pulled out my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ so I could kill this crow, but two more arrows already arrived at it, dropping the counter to three. Just then, something dropped out of a tree beside me. I aimed my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ at the thing¡ªa person. He was a male¡ªwearing camouflage equipment and holding a bow¡ªa ranger class. He was right in front of me, so I got a clear look. [Player Davorin, Lv14] It was the fourth player I had yet to encounter. His hair was grown out long, a dark-brown as he stood up from his crouched position. ¡°Tsk, no loot,¡± he said, moving his eyes from the disintegrating crow to me. ¡°You¡¯re Zeryn,¡± he said affirmatively. ¡°Your damage is too insane¡ªI saw you kill that Behemoth Chimera. Those fools actually thought they could enter a counter quest against you.¡± He snickered quietly. He was Level 14 and on Floor 11. He must have done a good job getting all the experience points he could as he climbed¡ªI was nowhere near that high when I was an Alchemist. ¡°Are you a Ranger?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you? I¡¯ve yet to see a combination of shield and a crossbow, did you get a special class?¡± He seemed very interested in my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ as he kept looking at it. ¡°I could tell you my class¡ªbut some things are better left unsaid. I don¡¯t want to tell another player my class¡ªor do you not know PVP yet?¡± My expression slightly changed at his note of PVP. And he saw it, adding on, ¡°So you¡¯re a veteran, too? Or else you wouldn¡¯t have understood what I said there.¡± ¡°A veteran?¡± I asked. The only ¡®veteran¡¯ I was aware of were those who served their country. He then took a serious look at me. ¡°Back with a vengeance, huh? Veterans are those who completed Floor 20¡ªthough it looks like you never made it past there if you were unaware of that.¡± Veteran¡­ So that meant that¡ª¡±You made it past there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you do what you need here.¡± He started walking away, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cross paths with someone as strong as you¡ªfuck, you¡¯re barely Level 10¡ªeating your damn wheaties or something¡­¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°...okay.¡± I learned something new here. And had been given free reign, too. I searched around Northern Martel Forest looking for the last few mobs. They were scattered throughout, two mutated crows and one mutated bear. There was no sign of Martel as I discovered these mobs. I ended up with three more kills, getting 8250 more experience points, bringing my counter to 103, and all the mobs cleared from the floor. I made my way out of the forest when I had some weird feeling behind me. I looked back¡ªseeing nothing¡ªand activated {Area Scan}, which also resulted in nothing. I had a guess as to what it was, but left anyways¡ªit had nothing to do with me. I made my way to the white spiral staircase outside Nysel City Port, gladly taking my steps up there, receiving my notifications. [System Notice: All mobs were cleared on Floor 11: 136/136. Your participation: 76%. You will receive an equivalent reward on Floor 12.] [System Notice: Floor 11 complete. Heading to the starting point on Floor 12.] I was surrounded by the brilliant aura of moving up a floor¡ªeverything turning white¡ªpure. I took it in, taking a deep breath before opening my eyes to the next floor¡ªFloor 12. [System Notice: You completed Floor 11. You gained 1100 EXP.] [System Notice: For conquering Floor 11 on Hardcore difficulty, you have received the item: Upgrade Jewel.] [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 12¡¯s starting point.] I looked around. I was in a pretty enclosed area, a rocky-faced wall with no shop nearby. I had gained a few pieces of loot¡ªnothing fancy¡ªbut wanted to turn them in. I pulled up my status before leaving the enclosure. ¡°Status!¡±
Status
Health: 300/300 Mana: 70/70
Name: Zeryn Felix, Favored by Tethralin Level: 10 [EXP: 36010/153600] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler, Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins, Favored by Tethralin, Stranger of Tethralin
Attributes: 0 AP
Vitality: 22 Strength: 21 Dexterity: 20 (55) Agility: 20 (45) Willpower: 17 (22) Intelligence: 16 Perception: 15 (17) Wit: 15 Wisdom: 15 Charisma: [5] Luck: 36 (56)
Active Buffs: Nagascale Magic Ward
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}, {Bladefire Infusion}, {Rally Allies}, {Frenzy}, {Mana Bolt}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}, {Wield Element: Fire}, {Perfect by Nature}, {Lucky Strike}, {Heart and Soul of a Troll}, {Shrouded Shadow}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: ??? 13/30 Unknown Ability: ??? 1/??
Looking good, I thought. [System Notice: Current players on Floor: 1/5] Stepping out of the enclosure, I was immediately met with a not-so-open area to my sides¡ªa cliff face in front of me. I could see a dew there, with a smidge of water by my feet. I looked up, the cliffs both in front and behind me. Where am I? I wondered. Perhaps it was a canyon or valley? I took a left and headed down the path. Further down, I saw a waterfall flowing down from above the cliff¡ªcrashing into a pool of water below. I approached near it¡ªa mob jumping out from the pool as it attempted to clench its teeth at me. [Chasm Cuda, Lv24] My new ability {Shrouded Shadow} immediately activated completely on its own, negating the damage from the attack. I spent the thirty seconds I was granted in the shadows, looking around at the waterfall and pool of water. The pool didn¡¯t seem to overflow¡ªwhile the waterfall was endlessly flowing. I could see the Chasm Cuda still under the water, looking for its next target. I pulled ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ out, loaded a mana bolt and killed the Cuda. The body of the giant fish started disintegrating, leaving me 3000 experience points. I stayed there¡ªcontinuously looking between the two. For some reason, I felt a kind of pull towards it. I knelt down beside it and stared back down into the pool of water. Then, I got up and looked around this area¡ªapparently a chasm, going off the mob''s name. Sadly, there wasn''t anywhere else for me to go in this direction. Strange. I left the enclosed area and made my way back to where I started the floor, going down the other direction instead. It wrapped around the walls¡ªthe faces of the cliffs¡ªand came to a dead end after 45 minutes of walking. I encountered zero mobs, zero traps¡ªjust nothing. I felt around the dewy, rough surfaces of the wall¡ªwater still brushing my feet. Yet nothing happened. Strange. I made my way back towards the waterfall and pool of water, feeling along the walls the entire time. I looked up, yet only the small drop of water fell from above the cliff every now and again. I went towards the waterfall, wondering if there was some hidden area behind it¡ªand still, there was nothing. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± System Notice: You have cleared 1 mob. Mobs remaining: 40/41] So, I went back to the pool of water. I peered into it deeper¡ªbut with the crashing of the waterfall onto it¡ªI just couldn¡¯t see that well. As I was looking, it seemed something was coming up from the pool. Was it another Chasm Cuda? A tentacle ripped through my body¡ªleaving naught but smoke as I melded into the shadows. My mana had already quickly regenerated from {Heart and Soul of a Troll}. Just as I was about to pull ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ off my back and launch a bolt, another tentacle quickly approached where I was hidden in my world of shadows. It can sense me! I dispersed into smoke again¡ªthough it didn¡¯t take any mana as the ability was already active from the last attack¡ªand this time I shot it without delay. I saw the bolt leave ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and glide toward the tentacle. I couldn¡¯t find the body of this mob, so I took a shot I was confident in. That was when another tentacle came¡ªand it actually gripped the bolt of mana mid-air, dragging it into the pool of water. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 168 damage.] Well then, this might be a problem. Chapter 26: Cursed Again Chapter 26: Cursed Again Another tentacle came flying towards me from the Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku. It landed on me¡ªcausing {Shrouded Shadow} to activate¡ªbut instead of going for an attack, I decided to dip the hell out, moving the maximum distance I could away from the pool where the tentacles came from. Another tentacle started coming for me, so I just took off. The tentacle eventually stopped, quickly returning to the pool of water. I did hardly anything to it. It was Level 34, and apparently had a resistance to magic or something¡ªmy bolt dealing very low damage compared to normal. I needed a different way of fighting it¡ªperhaps my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, so I swapped to it. The stairs to the next floor also weren¡¯t here. Everything was strange in this chasm. Warden of Abupho¡ªwhat does that mean? Often, the titles had some kind of meaning. Perhaps Abupho was a treasure, a person, or maybe an area? Hmm, only one choice here¡ªI need to kill that kraken. I let my mana regenerate quickly, swapped ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ to ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, and headed back towards the kraken. I approached slowly¡ªquietly as to not instantly provoke its attack. Even though I would be fine because of {Shrouded Shadow}, I wanted to check the pool. I made it safely to the pool, when something came from it again. It was a Chasm Cuda¡ªgreat in its size as its teeth clenched around me. {Shrouded Shadow} activated, so I swapped ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and shot it dead. Following its death and my receiving of experience points, I landed beside the pool and touched it with my hand. I instantly felt a tough tugging on it like I was being dragged in, a torrent of power wanting to pull me into its depths. I struggled to pull my hand back¡ªsurprised I hadn¡¯t been attacked by a mob. I stepped back, still near the pool¡ªwaiting for the next mob, perhaps the kraken. But still¡ªnothing happened. I waited 15 minutes before deciding to walk away from the area¡ªagain to check the other end past where the floor began for me. ¡°System, how many players are there?¡± [System: You are currently the only player on this floor.] Strange. What is going on? I had already spent quite some time on this floor, yet no new players had arrived. Additionally, there were no mobs except for the single mob every now and again in the pool. And the dead end was, well, a dead end. The cliffs of the chasm were still touched with dew¡ªthe water not yet having risen past my feet. Drops of water continuously fell from above the cliffs, an area I couldn''t see. The sky seemed very far away¡ªfurther away than normal. It¡¯s getting dark. I guess I¡¯ll go back to the pool¡ªcheck it out again. I walked in the chasm, going towards the pool of water and waterfall. There was nothing there¡ªyet. I approached the pool, looking in. The waterfall got stronger, crashing into the pool of water¡ªI couldn¡¯t even see my own reflection. I patiently waited for a mob to appear, preferably the kraken. This time, I felt it¡ªsomething was coming straight for me. I took a step back, when something large¡ªlarger than the Chasm Cuda and the tentacles¡ªleaped from the pool. [Tidal Shark, Lv30] The rows of teeth came for me¡ªagain I wasn¡¯t worried due to {Shrouded Shadow}, but the sight itself was terrifying. I dispersed into smoke, melding into the shadows as the teeth crushed my body. I blinked upward, watching as the Tidal Shark landed on the ground with two feet¡ªit had feet. The feet were tiny, yet were more than capable of holding up its ginormous body. I used {Mana Bolt}, loading the bolt into ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, and shot towards its mouth. It opened wide, swallowing the bolt of mana. [Tidal Shark, Lv30 takes 4200 damage.] The shark came charging at me¡ªnot yet dead. It leaped from the ground towards where I was in the air, coming in for another bite. I swapped to ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, wanting to test the physical damage against these water beasts, swiping down as I met its mouth. I landed my hit¡ªas did the beast¡ªbut I was safe due to my continuously regenerating mana and {Shrouded Shadow}. [Tidal Shark, Lv30 takes 1586 damage.] My physical damage still hits fine, but it resists magic, cutting my damage to a fourth. Though it still hits harder than my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯¡ªit¡¯ll be good against Kritikikuku. I blinked away again, switching to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and finishing it off. I received 5000 experience points¡ªmy level was catching up quickly. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I collected my loot¡ªa Tidal Fang. Then, I waited again to see if a mob would pop, and as I expected¡ªnothing. I left the area around the pool, moving a good distance away. Afterwards, I went back to the pool¡ªa monster appearing from its depths. I killed the Chasm Cuda with ease¡ªrepeating the process of walking away. It seems the process would be quite drawn out¡ªrepeatedly leaving the zone around the pool and returning. The kraken didn¡¯t appear again, only Chasm Cudas, Tidal Sharks, and a new mob¡ªShadow Eels. Their level was 27, and like the Chasm Kraken, it could sense me in the shadows¡ªyet it died a swift death having no magic resistance. ¡°Remaining mobs!¡± [System Notice: There are 14 mobs remaining. Mobs cleared: 27/41.] I was quickly going on level 11, but it had already grown dark long ago¡ªtaking rests, eating, and keeping myself hydrated while having to run back and forth through the chasm was quite tiring. I decided to take a rest¡ªto wait until morning came to continue fighting. I closed my eyes as I laid against the dewy cliff side, the water on the ground slightly wetting my lower body.
I felt drops of water fall on my face as I slowly started waking up. I opened my eyes¡ªto be met with a man in a black robe, staring at me sleeping. ¡°Funny meeting you here!¡± Henry said, excitedly. I looked at him, noticing the water was up past his ankles¡ªand I¡¯ve been lying in this rising water. This chasm is filling up over here. Is it the same over by the pool? ¡°Um, hello?¡± Henry tried to get my attention. ¡°What?¡± He looked at me, his eyes drooping down a bit, ¡°It saddens me you aren¡¯t cursed again.¡± ¡°How long have you been here?¡± I started getting up out of the water, starting to move towards the pool of water, ignoring his fetish. ¡°Whoa whoa! I wouldn¡¯t go over there¡ªthere¡¯s a nasty boss-type over there! My curses did nothing against it.¡± ¡°Damn it. I was hoping I¡¯d encounter him again,¡± I looked at him, ¡°did anything else spawn?¡± ¡°Nope nope. I took off as soon as my strongest spell¡ªthe curse I got from you¡ªdid absolutely nothing! Luckily I could save myself with¡ª¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± I took off towards the pool of water¡ªit seemed this chasm was slowly filling up, and I didn¡¯t know what would happen then. ¡°Wait, wait! Where are the stairs?¡± Henry started following me, but my agility allowed me to quickly keep ahead as I went to the pool. I checked the area out¡ªthe waterfall kept crashing into the pool of water¡ªbut the water level didn¡¯t seem to rise in that area. There was something special about it¡ªbut what could it be? I took slow steps as I approached, when Henry had caught up and started speaking, ¡°So, this is a Hardcore-only instance?¡± I stopped my steps. ¡°What?¡± I asked. I had never heard of Hardcore-only instances. ¡°Fine fine, you don¡¯t need to ask, I¡¯ll tell you. Hardcore-only instance is something I heard about from a fellow Hardcore player¡ªhe was quite weird I tell you. But he invited me to join him after Floor 20! He had this huge¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, look. Just tell me about the instance¡ªwhy is it Hardcore-only?¡± ¡°Sorry sorry, I tend to get away from myself sometimes!¡± His black-veined face somehow seemed cheerful even though the curses writhed within him. He was an odd one¡ªthis Cursemaster. ¡°There are times that¡ªfor some unknown reason¡ªonly players playing Hardcore can enter an instance. I knew you were a Hardcore player!¡± ¡°...thanks, Henry. Now then,¡± I looked him over, ¡°what can you do? Keep it short.¡± ¡°Okay okay, hmm,¡± he seemed to give it some thought, possibly taking his time to answer. I really just wanted to know if he had some way of helping in the fight against the kraken. ¡°What can you do?¡± ¡°I can kill stuff.¡± I stated matter-of-factly. It¡¯s what I did. ¡°Of course, of course. I can, too! Fine fine, okay here, I can curse you¡ªbut my curses also provide a benefit¡ªa buff of sorts. The curse is temporary and I have to remove it afterwards¡ªwe also have to have an agreement made because we can¡¯t hurt each other, okay?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the curse?¡± I could use a buff, I thought. ¡°It doubles your strength, but drops your intelligence to zero. Sometimes I use it on mobs¡ªthey don¡¯t need an agreement! I make them so stupid they forget what they are doing and¡ª¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± I didn¡¯t want to end up unable to figure out what¡¯s going on. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Well, this one is not so great¡ªit makes you die faster. Um¡ª¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking, I¡¯m thinking.¡± ¡°No, what else does it do?¡± ¡°Oh, oh! Right, well. It makes you die faster by causing you to lose 10% of your health every minute, and also doubles the damage you take! But in return you deal double damage. Unless you are a healer, it¡¯s really bad, though good on mobs if they are too stupid to find you! Oh, right, but this next one¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it. I can heal myself, no worries.¡± Doubling my damage? I definitely needed a damage boost right now. ¡°Okay.¡± I noticed a change in him immediately¡ªhis semblance changing greatly. He approached me, placing his hand on me. ¡°Do you agree to accept {Curse of the Defiant Berserker}?¡± I could feel mana surging from his fingertips, wanting to enter my body but unable to. ¡°Yes,¡± I accepted. I suddenly felt a chill, my heart grew heavy for a second before returning to normal. ¡°All done.¡± I nodded my head, walking to the pool. ¡°Time to do what I said I can.¡± I looked into the pool, waiting for something to leap out. Now that another player had appeared, I wanted to make sure I could get my conquer credit before it was too late. The number was still at 27¡ªit didn¡¯t seem as if Henry actually got the chance to kill anything. I sensed a mob approaching from underneath¡ªI was used to this feeling already. It was definitely a Chasm Cuda. I cut into the Chasm Cuda with my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ before it even had the chance to bite into me. My damage definitely doubled. [Chasm Cuda, Lv24, takes 3172 damage.] [System Notice: Player Henry gained 3000 experience points.] I looked down at the disintegrating Chasm Cuda. My damage definitely doubled¡ªbut something else was going on. I looked back at Henry¡ªhe had his hand behind his head, scratching it. ¡°Oh right¡ªI forgot to mention¡­ I get all the experience points and credit when players using my curses kill mobs¡­ Hah, hahaha.¡± I didn¡¯t know if he really forgot or not, but now I wasn¡¯t quite sure if using this curse would truly benefit me. My {Heart and Soul of a Troll} regenerated any lost health, but the loss of experience points was something I didn¡¯t want¡ªespecially if I killed a boss, titled and named, which would grant four times the experience points! Chapter 27: A Powerful Duo Chapter 27: A Powerful Duo I gave Henry a long stare¡ªthinking about what to do, finally coming to a decision. ¡°Fine,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you kill some mobs¡ªbut once the kraken spawns¡ªwe run away. Kritikikuku is mine. To be honest, my trust is already thin with other players¡ªso I won¡¯t be your pawn. Are you close to leveling?¡± Henry waved his hands in front of him, ¡°No no, it¡¯s okay. I am close to leveling¡ªalmost level 16. Because of this mishap, I won¡¯t interfere in you conquering the floor! I¡¯m only like 12,000 experience points away from leveling. I really did forget! This is my first time using a curse on another player¡ªthe system only telling me about it when I first became a Cursemaster.¡± He seemed genuine, but that didn¡¯t really matter to me now. I had Henry leave the pool zone alongside me, before returning to it. I decided to try an ability I had been putting off¡ª{Frenzy}. I activated {Frenzy}, my body suddenly heating up¡ªmy health dropping quickly to 150, yet it started regenerating back up. Then, a system notification popped up for me. [System Notice: By using {Frenzy} while possessing {Heart and Soul of a Troll}, {Assimilation} has created the new ability {Adrenaline}. {Frenzy} has been deleted.] {Adrenaline} - An active ability. Your health continuously drains, losing 1% of your max HP every second, increasing attack damage, attack speed, resisting most status conditions, and reducing cooldowns by 50%. Cost: 20 MP. {Frenzy} was still active, but I decided to cut it off¡ªusing {Adrenaline} instead. The skin of my body started glowing a faint red¡ªblood and heat rushing through my body. This would have been nice to have with {Shrouded Blink}, but at least it will help with {Sudden Slumber}. I approached the pool¡ªHenry chilling behind me. A Shadow Eel popped up from the depths of the pool¡ªhardly noticeable due to the crashing waterfall. I let the Shadow Eel make its way toward me, using ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ to intercept its pursuit. Though it hadn¡¯t been aiming for me for some reason¡ªinstead flying towards Henry. I sliced through it, however¡ªdefinitely noticing the high increase of damage¡ªboth buffs, the curse and {Adrenaline}, stacking together. [Shadow Eel, Lv27, takes 6344 damage.] [System Notice: Player Henry gains 3900 EXP.] ¡°Two,¡± I told him. ¡°You just need a few more, then I want this curse off.¡± Henry nodded over and over, ¡°Yep yep, no problem Zeryn! Your strength must be super high¡ªand what class are you? I have so many¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about those things¡ªjust let me do what I do, then we can figure out the rest.¡± I cut Henry off¡ªthe man talked a lot. I didn¡¯t really want to explain that I received an ability which practically boosted my attributes by 45 levels, health by 10 levels, and mana by 20 levels. I kept the chit-chat short, repeating the process of killing three more mobs¡ªeffectively power-leveling him. It was a strange concept¡ªthe use of buffing someone and getting all the credit themselves. ¡°Alright alright! Level 16. What to do now?" Henry seemed excited. "Let''s remove the curse." I didn''t want the curse any longer. What I did want was the kraken to spawn. I had a feeling that the warden needed to perish so that I could move on¡ªand I wanted to conquer the floor, too. Henry walked over to me and removed {Curse of the Defiant Berserker}. I felt a weight off my heart as it was removed, then I walked towards the floor¡¯s starting point in effort to refresh the pool zone. ¡°So, those stairs?¡± Henry asked me. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the stairs¡ªlisten. Kraken first, stairs second. I¡¯m sure we can figure something out afterward, alright?¡± I had to focus on my priorities. I went back to the zone with the crashing waterfall¡ªthe water flowing into the endless pool. I still wasn¡¯t sure where we were at, but water came from the tops of the chasm cliffs. While the other side of the chasm was slowly filling¡ªthis side¡¯s water just seemed sucked up by the pool. It created the illusion that this side wasn¡¯t filling up as well, but it definitely was.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I approached the pool. Henry decided to watch from the sidelines¡ªhis spells were actually pretty ineffective against the mobs which carried high magic resistance, such as Kritikikuku and the Tidal Shark. I maintained {Adrenaline}, ready for whatever came from the pool. The closer I looked, the more I could tell that something was coming. It was hard to see due to the crashing of the water, but I just had some sense¡ªsomething was different. Dodge. A blast of water shot out from the pool, spraying through where I had been at. It chipped part of the ground there, and I was forced to reposition. I was ready for whatever had come¡ªexpecting a new opponent. Suddenly, a tentacle came flying out from the pool¡ªfollowing after the blast of water. I didn''t get the same sensation from it as the blast, but I still decided to dodge. Then, I noticed something that was actually holding onto the tentacle and it came landing onto the ground. In its webbed hand was another pulse of water ready to be blasted out. The blast of water was fired out forcefully, flying past me and headed in Henry''s direction. I looked back when another tentacle came rushing towards me. It hit me, activating {Shrouded Shadow}, so I took the time to reposition. I heard a noise behind me as well as the crashing of water¡ªand hooves landing on the ground. "Tch," I heard a sound as the blast of water that went behind me crashed into Henry''s body, not having the time to dodge. Another tentacle came from me as I caught a glimpse of the other beast that landed a second ago. [Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32] I used my ''Ashen Gladius'' to cut into Kritikikuku''s tentacle as it likewise crashed into me. Another blast of water also came from where the tentacle had, yet I was able to dodge it through the activated {Shrouded Shadow}. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] [Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32 takes 362 damage.] [Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32 takes 362 damage.] [Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32 has been inflicted by Curse of the Feeble Underdog.] Huh? I wasn''t sure how the second warden took damage, but the curse instantly gave it away. I cautiously took a look¡ªand it was surely surprising. Henry had climbed on the back of the Chasm Sea Horse, holding on backward as he stabbed into its large fish-like tail with a crooked dagger. The beast threw him off its back and Henry was cursing, "You fucking floor! Making me use {Full Curse} twice! Fucking fu¡ª¡ª." This side of him was new, but I had to be more concerned with the enemies than him. But then he started yelling at me, "Watch out for that shitty water blast¡ªit''s some silencing-type ability!" Good to know. I appeared further away from the fight, trying to take it in. There was the Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, and the Chasm Sea Horse¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t really a seahorse at all¡ªKaiser. The two were both wardens of ¡®Abupho¡¯. Henry looked a little insane¡ªa darkish aura enveloping him as black marks had grown along his body. His robe was very tattered, such that it shouldn¡¯t even be worn¡ªperhaps he didn¡¯t have the time to remove it after being blasted. I don¡¯t even know how he survived it, though he did mention using ¡®{Full Curse}¡¯. I moved back towards the fight as I was still in the shadows. A tentacle came flying at Henry while he was already engrossed with the Chasm Sea Horse. I quickly grabbed a ¡®Hellfire Flask¡¯, one of my three remaining, and tossed it towards the pool. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 1 damage.] Kaiser wasn¡¯t near enough to the blast, but it still changed directions, preparing a blast of water at me. I at least got the temporary aggro of him, though the kraken didn¡¯t seem to care. The blast of water finally was coming at me¡ªand my brain was running extremely quickly with {Battle Prowess}. It¡¯s been unfortunate I haven¡¯t gained more attributes from it, but I guess my enemies have been deemed too weak¡ªor my attributes much too high for my level. I planned to use {Shrouded Shadow} to get closer to Kaiser, but I was once again met with that feeling I originally felt¡ªlike I wouldn¡¯t be able to use {Shrouded Shadow} to blink the attack. I didn¡¯t think my Willpower was high enough to resist the attack too well, either. I was forced to dodge again, unknown to me what became of Henry. My hands grazed the ground as I was mid-dodge, the water rushing past me. I took off in a sprint towards Kaiser¡ªthe tentacles of Kritikikuku too difficult to catch unless they came for me. Kaiser formed a weapon made of water as I neared, meeting my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ with it. To my surprise, it was stable¡ªmy blade unable to cut through the water. I was forced off of the standstill and Kaiser reared up, water filling its mouth. I didn¡¯t have time to dodge. It shot the water at me and I could only hope for a miracle. I had that same feeling from before¡ª{Shrouded Shadow} wouldn¡¯t work here¡ªand I was right. I could only think I would need a miracle to happen¡ªand I thought I saw a golden hue for a second. [You took 184 damage from Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32. Current health: 113/300] [System Notice: You were silenced by Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32.] [System Notice: {Adrenaline} resisted silence. Silence duration decreased to five seconds.] The damage was low¡ªbut I hadn¡¯t been affected by Luck. Was this boss just¡­ extremely weak? No¡ªthat wasn¡¯t the case. I noticed through the dark scales of the beast, marks of darkness were on it. My mind processed it then¡ªthe {Curse of the Feeble Underdog} must have kicked its damage to the dirt. {Heart and Soul of a Troll} was failing to work as I repositioned after the shot of water. My health continued dropping as {Adrenaline} was still active, but my abilities were temporarily cut off. Five seconds, about 15 health points. I had to delay for my ability to begin healing back up the damage from the blast and {Adrenaline}. ¡°Fucking¡ªshoot it you idiot! No¡ªfucking¡ªMR!¡± I heard the yelling of Henry come through as I was focused. What is MR? Why is he calling me an idiot? It was like he was trying to distract me, but I decided to switch to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, loading a mana bolt and firing it at the Chasm Sea Horse. The bolt flew on, and a thought hit my head, ah. MR¡ªmagic resistance? I watched the bolt fly towards it, hoping to see the high damage. And then I saw it. A tentacle came slapping down on my bolt mid-air, crushing it into nothingness. Kritikikuku protected Kaiser from a certainly high damage attack. These Wardens of Abupho were definitely a difficult duo to handle. I could only be happy that the kraken still took damage. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 168 damage.] Dirt poor damage. Chapter 28: Dance of the Shrouded Shadow Chapter 28: Dance of the Shrouded Shadow The tentacle rose, residual mana visible in the depression it left behind. I loaded another mana bolt, telling Henry, ¡°I¡¯m going to need an opening.¡± ¡°No can fucking do! My {Full Curse} isn¡¯t going to last much longer,¡± Henry retorted, leaving me with less of a chance to get a clear shot on the Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser. Two tentacles came from opposite sides to crush me, of course {Shrouded Shadow} kept me safe. I couldn¡¯t catch a break, with the tentacles able to find me in the shadows and the possibility of being silenced by Kaiser¡¯s water shots. I blinked closer to the pool. Six tentacles were sticking out of it and I charged at them after taking a pot shot towards Kaiser. As expected, Kritikikuku moved a tentacle to block the shot, but I used that movement to cut into the thick part of one of the Chasm Kraken¡¯s tentacles. Not just once or twice, but three times. I was in a good position now, with the tentacles having to take a lot more time to move properly to crash into me. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] {Adrenaline} allowed the speed of my attacks to increase while my damage was also increased. The tentacles started writhing as a horrid sound could be heard over the rumbling and crashing of the waterfall. The water started moving rashly as something was making its way up through the pool of water. How much health does a level 34 boss have? The tentacles were smashing into the ground in a rampage. I felt like I was being pushed away from the pool just from the pressure. One of the tentacles rose high enough and came down upon me. {Shrouded Shadow} activated, and I made my way away from the rampaging tentacles¡ªbut not before taking the opportunity to get another hit in. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] I made sure to stay away from Kaiser¡ªwho was now tangled up with Henry¡ªas I wasn¡¯t fully healed up yet. The water started falling off the thing that rose out of the pool. It came to a rounded point, and it had a very scary looking face, jagged teeth showing from its open maw as it uttered horrid, guttural noises. The beast¡¯s tentacles were beating the ground like it was throwing a fit. This was Kritikikuku, the Chasm Kraken. I used {Mana Bolt}, loading the bolt into ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and taking aim at Kaiser. I was hoping I could thread the shot through the rampaging tentacles. I missed though, failing to hit Kaiser¡ªthe angle was awful, missing even Kritikikuku¡¯s tentacles. I tried to find a better position, moving quickly but cautiously. I lost sight of Henry and Kaiser¡ªthe ground quaking from the kraken¡¯s tentacles making my steps uneven. The water started pouring down faster from the tops of the chasm¡ªthe crashing of the waterfall pouring even more water over the face of Kritikikuku. How is Henry surviving this fight? I thought I was overpowered, but it seems every Hardcore player has some trick of sorts¡­ I dodged one of the raging tentacles, attempting to swipe at it with my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, but I wasn¡¯t quick enough. Another tentacle came from behind, so I held my gladius in front of me as the tentacle crashed into both, dealing itself some damage and activating my blink. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] I looked around, trying to find where Henry and Kaiser had gone, but Kritikikuku didn¡¯t care as it could see me in the shadows. I blinked upwards, trying to get a better look, transfiguring ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯. There. I caught sight of Henry running away from the battlefield, trying to outrun Kaiser. Though Kaiser was a Chasm Sea Horse, it still ran fast on the surface. Henry no longer had those black curse-like marks running along his body. I aimed ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ towards their position, trying to find a good spot to shoot the running boss. Kritikikuku slammed its tentacle into my body, once again causing {Shrouded Shadow} to activate. If I didn¡¯t have {Heart and Soul of a Troll}, I would have run out of mana many, many times. I decided to blink far away, barely reaching to where Henry was running towards. He looked behind him to see how far away from Kaiser he was¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t much, but the beast instantly jerked its body once it saw me just past Henry¡ª¡®Vanquisher¡¯ raised to meet it. Henry looked forward, noticing me and instantly diving his beaten-up body into the ground as I unleashed a mana bolt. The mana bolt flew past Henry¡¯s diving body, solidly striking Kaiser as it couldn¡¯t move quite quick enough from the surprise. It tried to create a watery attack, but it was far too late. [Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32 takes 16800 damage. {Lucky Strike!} Chasm Sea Horse, Kaiser, Warden of Abupho, Lv32 takes additional 33600 damage.] [System Notice: You gained 11600 EXP.] [System Notice: Player Henry gained 11600 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Willpower increased by 1.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Abuphoan¡¯s Tongue}.] {Abuphoan¡¯s Tongue} - A passive ability. You can understand what Abuphoans say. When speaking directly to an Abuphoan, your words will be auto-translated to Abuphoan. [System Notice: You started learning a new ability through {Assimilation}: ???. Status: (2/4)] ¡°Fuck¡ªthanks,¡± Henry said, grabbing hold of my leg as he pulled himself out of the water slowly filling in this chasm. This side wasn¡¯t filling up before until the kraken started rampaging, but the cries of the kraken stopped as it took in the other warden¡¯s death. It grew silent¡ªits tentacles no longer thrashing.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I looked for a long second before turning to Henry, ¡°Can you still fight?¡± He looked back at me, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want that fuck for yourself? I¡¯ll just say no¡ªI can¡¯t fight anymore. I¡¯ll stay back here, good luck.¡± He quickly ran off, leaving me to handle the kraken myself. It was probably better this way. I was close to leveling, and that fight was deemed powerful enough for {Battle Prowess} to give me an attribute. A few seconds later, the kraken started its guttural, horrid shrieking again as the tentacles rampaged even harder. They drew closer to me as the ground was being beaten again and again. Though, I could actually understand what this kraken was saying! ¡°Why! Why! Why! Invaders¡ªall of you should die! You cannot enter my home, keep away! Why! Die! Die!¡± My mana was full, and I took off towards Kritikikuku. I switched into ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯, and wanted to catch the beast off guard during its rampage, an idea brewing in my head. ¡°You!¡± The beast shouted amidst its shrieking, and to its surprise, I replied, causing it to momentarily fret. ¡°Me. Surprise.¡± It took in the shock as it noticed I understood it, and even spoke to it. I took the opportunity to leave two marks before the surprise wore off. ¡°How dare you!¡± It raised all eight tentacles, coming at me with an omnidirectional attack, trying to clear me from the map. ¡°Why can¡¯t I¡ª¡± It smashed its tentacles down on me, clearly enraged, ¡°¡ªcatch you!¡± I danced among the shadows, fighting against the tentacles. As long as I had mana, there was no need to worry about these tentacles. Kaiser was dead, and I couldn¡¯t have my abilities silenced. Now that I thought about it¡ªHenry helped out a ton against Kaiser. In combination with his curse, {Nagascale Magic Ward} helped keep me alive from its magical water attacks. [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] [Chasm Kraken, Kritikikuku, Warden of Abupho, Lv34 takes 3172 damage.] Although there wasn¡¯t much to it¡ªas {Shrouded Shadow} activated automatically¡ªI tried my best to actually attempt to dodge some strikes. If there came a time where I did get silenced, I needed to do my best no matter the circumstance. And finally. [System Notice: You gained 27200 EXP.] [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv11! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Wit increased by 1.] I threw my two ¡®Attribute Points¡¯ into Luck as I watched a beautiful, grand spiral staircase appear, moving upwards through the waterfall. I saw a figure run past me then¡ªa tattered black robe whizzing past quickly. He didn¡¯t look back but I heard his words, ¡°Nope nope, I¡¯m out. Fuck Hardcore-only instances. Thanks for the help, Zeryn!¡± Henry ran towards the stairs as quickly as he could. The water that had been filling up this zone started being drained into the pool of water in front of where the stairs now were. I had yet to conquer this floor, and I really couldn¡¯t let that go. I was quite close, with only seven mobs remaining. I left the zone, coming back to the pool of water. Nothing spawned. Did defeating the wardens¡­ keep the mobs from respawning, now? If what I thought was true, then how unfortunate. I didn¡¯t give up, though. I tried a few times, and then gave up. I made my way to the stairs, ready to head to Floor 13. I took steps towards the stairs as the waterfall crashed down it. Standing in front of it, my hair and body became wet. I let out a sigh, lifting my foot to leave when I heard a sound from the pool beside me. It was faint, very faint. But I definitely heard something. I went to the pool that was pretty much right beside me and knelt down beside it. I peered into it, but I still couldn¡¯t see anything¡ªincluding my reflection. [Come.] A faint whisper reached my ears, an old voice taut with power. I reached my hand towards the pool, as I had done once before, and could feel a powerful pull tugging on me. Do I¡­ let it take me? I closed my eyes, somewhat curious about what would happen, but also very eager towards conquering the floor¡ªthe rewards also magnanimous. I dropped into the pool, allowing the tug of power to drag me in. The torrent dragged me deep within, but for some unknown reason, I wasn¡¯t feeling out of breath. Struggle was meaningless, and eventually, I was thrown out of the torrent onto a soft surface. I looked around, noticing I was surrounded. Two Tidal Sharks, three Shadow Eels, and two Chasm Cudas were around me, swimming within the water where I was. I was also in the water¡ªyet somehow fine, feet planted on this soft surface. ¡°The invader is here!¡± ¡°The wardens are dead?!¡± ¡°Get him!¡± The last beasts I needed to kill had served themselves to me on a silver platter. Lucky how it worked out like this. My movements were a little slower, but I still didn¡¯t understand how I was fine under the water. It barely restricted me, and I was still able to breathe fine. I used ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, quickly taking care of the underwater ambush and getting two more Tidal Fangs. [Come.] I heard the voice again, now not quite a whisper. Footprints appeared in the sand before me, seemingly trying to show me where to go. What is going on? I had conquered the floor, gaining an extra 27,700 experience points. I didn¡¯t know how to leave from here now, the stairs being much further above me. Left with no other choice, I followed the footsteps. The footsteps in this underwater area took me a while to follow, the voice not letting up on telling me to come. What eventually entered my eyes was a giant orb sitting in the water, probably a mile wide and tall. The footsteps kept leading me there, and the closer I got, the more anxious I felt. Then, I was hit with a system notification. [System Notice: You have discovered a secret within Floor 12. You have found ¡®Underwater Domain of Abupho¡¯.] The last time I discovered a secret like this, I was filled with an immortal dread of impending death. I wanted to turn away, but the footsteps kept leading me there. There were two statues right before the entrance into this ¡®domain¡¯, statues of men with fishtails holding tridents stood tall. The statues seemed to move as they looked at me, then resumed the position they had been in. [Enter.] The old voice spoke, urging me to enter this domain. I followed through with its request, entering the domain, feeling myself rushing out of the water as I felt like I could breathe surface air once again. This place was much larger than it looked outside of it, almost as if it was a continent itself¡ªif not something bigger. Fish people, mermen, fish, whales, sharks¡ªall kinds of underwater species swam around in the air or walked along where I entered. I was getting strange looks, but no one seemed to bug me. [Close your eyes.] I listened to this voice, closing my eyes. I felt a torrent, similar to what had pulled me down into the depths when I went into the pool of water. [Open.] I slowly opened my eyes, and was met with a man sitting on a throne. His feet were like mine, a human¡¯s. He held a trident in his hand, and I couldn¡¯t identify who he was¡ªbut he was definitely strong. ¡°And so the prophecy has come true.¡± The old man said, his beard long and white, as was his hair. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you long, as I¡¯ve now got to find replacements to defend my domain. But welcome, stranger from the outside.¡± ¡°Prophecy?¡± I asked the old man. ¡°Mm. I am told to tell you what you ask. First,¡± he tossed an item to me¡ªa small round-like jewel. Inside the jewel was nothing¡ªit was completely empty, and I could only see the other side of my hand. ¡°You need the other half for that, stranger. Now then, the prophecy¡ªyes. I was told to help the young man who can speak our language. I heard it¡ªyou spoke to Kritikikuku. That was proof enough for me, and so here you are.¡± That¡¯s some strange prophecy. I bowed, however, as I didn¡¯t want to awaken the wrath of this man. ¡°I see, thank you.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. One last thing¡ªcan you understand me when I say¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± His voice cut out then, and a ringing started in my ears once again. He saw me cover them and immediately stopped. When the ringing stopped, he said, ¡°Not quite ready. Fine¡ªclose your eyes. If you find your way here again, I hope you¡¯ll be ready. You are meant for more than you realize, stranger.¡± I was about to ask him what he meant, but a torrent of power erupted, and I felt like I was about to be dragged. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was beside the pool of water¡ªthe waterfall crashing into it and the spiral staircase. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with this game? No¡ªwhat is wrong with Hardcore?¡± I shook my head, depositing the ¡®Jewel of Abupho¡¯ into my inventory, placing my foot on the first step of the staircase. An aura of white converged on me, and I was taken away to the next floor. [System Notice: All mobs were cleared on Floor 12: 41/41. Your participation: 88%. You will receive an equivalent reward on Floor 13.] [System Notice: Floor 12 complete. Heading to starting point for Floor 13.] I heard the crashing of waves as the white aura started to leave me. This floor seemed like it would have a water theme to it again. I opened my eyes to be met with wooden boards. I was rocking, and my first judgment was that this was definitely a ship. [System Notice: You completed Floor 12. You gained 1200 EXP.] [System Notice: For conquering Floor 12 on Hardcore difficulty, you have received the item: Convergence Jewel.] [Convergence Jewel] - After use, converge one item with another. One item will be erased, but the properties will be moved to the chosen item. The new properties will overwrite the old properties. And with that, it was time to figure out what to do on this floor. Chapter 29: Floor 13, Needing Victories Chapter 29: Floor 13, Needing Victories Nothing¡¯s the same. The times when they are the same, huge variations show up. I was sitting in a chair in one of the ship¡¯s cabins, thinking about ¡®Tethralin¡¯. Was I just not paying enough attention to what was happening all the other times I was playing? I really can¡¯t understand. This ship I was on was fairly large¡ªor at least I thought so. I wasn¡¯t well-versed in ships, but it was the biggest ship I¡¯d ever been on. I counted four masts, and traversing the ship took awhile. The strange thing here was that I was the only passenger¡ªthe ship moving on its own accord. I was only but a single passenger as the waves rocked the ship, taking me wherever it has decided. The weather had constantly been overcast, not even a glimpse of the sun as I had been sailing along. I couldn¡¯t move the steering wheel as it was set in its course. I had no other option than to sit still, waiting to see what happened. I had yet to receive a quest, and two other strange things were the two notifications I received. [System Notice: Current players on Floor: 3/5] [System Notice: There are currently no mobs for this Floor.] The first notification didn¡¯t seem likely¡ªI was clearly the only one on this ship. But I didn¡¯t think that the system would lie to me, that didn¡¯t make sense. However¡ªthe second system notification was definitely a lie, I¡¯d seen mobs in the ocean the past couple of days. Unless¡ªdoes the system just¡­ assign mobs that are meant to be killed? If so¡ªwhy is nothing assigned right now? The good thing about being on this ship was the time it gave me to think and rest. I was also provided meals¡ªthough they didn¡¯t provide buffs. At least they tasted much better than the ¡®tubes of satiety¡¯ I had in my inventory. Speaking of inventory¡ªI needed to find some weaker mobs that I could use to fill up some flasks. I¡¯d been spending the couple of days I¡¯ve been here making flasks when I realized I had nothing to do but sit and wait. While I rested, I went over various movements in my head. I tried to figure out how I could have handled the previous fight better. I needed to reflect¡ªotherwise, my growth through experience would slow. I needed to understand how I conducted myself during the combat, as well as why I chose to do certain actions. The more I could reflect and eliminate the unnecessary actions, the better I could handle my next fight. I would be increasing my chances of survival. I spent another four days creating flasks with my endless mana regen, resting, and reflecting. I checked out my status once more before a system notification arrived. ¡°Status.¡±
Status
Health: 310/310 Mana: 72/72
Name: Zeryn Felix, Favored by Tethralin Level: 11 [EXP: 48610/307200] Class: Miraculum Titles: Treasure Dabbler, Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins, Favored by Tethralin, Stranger of Tethralin
Attributes: 0 AP
Vitality: 22 Strength: 21 Dexterity: 20 (55) Agility: 20 (45) Willpower: 18 (23) Intelligence: 16 Perception: 15 (17) Wit: 16 Wisdom: 15 Charisma: [5]A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Luck: 38 (58)
Active Buffs: Nagascale Magic Ward
Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}, {Bladefire Infusion}, {Rally Allies}, {Mana Bolt}, {Adrenaline}
Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin¡¯s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}, {Wield Element: Fire}, {Perfect by Nature}, {Lucky Strike}, {Heart and Soul of a Troll}, {Shrouded Shadow}, {Abuphoan¡¯s Tongue}
Assimilation: Unknown Ability: ??? 13/30 Unknown Ability: ??? 1/?? Unknown Ability: ??? 2/4
[System Notice: You have arrived.] ¡°Great.¡± I stepped out of the cabin, looking around where I was. The ship had stopped quite a bit away from what I could tell was an island. The island wasn¡¯t very large, but there was a giant building on it, encompassing almost the entirety of the island. So now what? Do I swim? My thoughts occurred too quickly as the system already figured it out. [System Notice: You will be teleported to Nysel Kingdom¡¯s Relinquished Coliseum in five seconds.] [System Notice: Four.] The system started counting down, and I stood there dumbfoundedly looking at the building¡ªnow known to me as a coliseum. A quick aura of light surrounded me, the platform of the ship I stood on shining brilliantly as I was teleported. I appeared in a room¡ªa waiting room¡ªwith two other people. I assumed these two were the other players. ¡°Finally, another person¡¯s here.¡± A woman who was scantily clad looked toward the man sitting next to her. He looked at her, nodding his head but immediately looking away. He then began to stare at the floor. [System Notice: The stairs are locked behind a quest. Quest requirement: Five players. Current players on Floor: 3/5. Currently awaiting the arrival of more players.] I see now. I looked around, it was just me and the other two players. This waiting room we were in seemed to be sealed off, but there was a shop button, and a large enough table to fit multiple people. Besides that, there were couches and random chairs throughout. I scanned through the shop¡ªnothing really catching my eye. I was just about to sell the ¡®Tidal Fangs¡¯ I had acquired, but I was interrupted by the other player. ¡°Hey, pretty boy. Care to introduce yourself?¡± She turned to her side, spitting on the ground and I swore I heard her whisper, ¡°looks like easy pickins.¡± ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t really care.¡± I left the shop, going to the table to hit the button to eat some food. I couldn¡¯t see the weapon the lady was using, possibly having it unequipped. The man had a staff on his back, but not like a magical staff¡ªit was more similar to a bo staff, yet much thicker. Their gear didn¡¯t seem too high level, but the system was currently preventing me from seeing their names and levels. I tried to use {Area Scan} as a deterrent, and it worked just fine. [Report received, 2 presences] [Player Nadia, Lv12] [Player Gregory, Lv11] So weak?! I almost coughed on what I was eating. Of course, I was also level 11, but I was absurdly strong for being so. And it was possible these players were also absurdly strong but¡ªI could only think it wasn¡¯t possible. Their levels were probably correct though, we were still on Floor 13 after all. But that one player was already pretty decent for being on Floor 11... I started pondering again as we all waited for the other players to arrive. I need to get to Floor 15 so that I could give {Spin!} another shot. Maybe I¡¯ll get another jackpot. Also, my luck is almost 40¡ªperhaps something will come of it. I heard a sound from behind where I was sitting, and the words of the scantily clad lady were repeated, ¡°Finally, another person¡¯s here¡ªoh,¡± I heard a sound of disgust, ¡°a woman.¡± I decided to take a look and was briefly captivated. The scepter the woman had hanging off her waist was stunningly decorated. It reminded me of when I played a mage¡ªI had hoped to always have such a marvelous magical item like that. I paid more attention to the woman who arrived. Her hair was short and wavy¡ªand obviously dyed green, matching the jewel on her scepter. Her eyes looked hazel, but it was a little hard seeing past her hanging bangs. She took notice of something¡ªpossibly noticing the system notifications. She walked to a distant couch away from where the other players and I were, crossing her laced legs and closing her eyes. I decided to look away then, waiting for the final player to arrive and the system to begin the quest. ¡°Oh hell. How much longer do I have to wait?!¡± The scantily clad woman, Nadia, jumped out of the chair she had been resting on. ¡°I only need two more wins and I¡¯ll be out of here. Why must I wait for more players? Just send me out!¡± I wanted to ask what she meant but decided against doing so. I wasn¡¯t a fan of her attitude, and I could partially capture what she was talking about, anyways. We were at a coliseum, and she needed wins. Putting two and two together, I supposed the quest required a certain amount of wins to progress and leave the floor. The man who had been near Nadia¡ªGregory¡ªsat still, looking at the ground. I wasn¡¯t sure how long either of these players had been here, but he looked quite upset. At least he wasn¡¯t throwing a hissy fit like Nadia was. Time passed, and I had my share of meals a few times. The green-haired mage woman didn¡¯t move from her spot once, her eyes closed the entire time. Whether she slept like that or had been meditating was a mystery, but I saw her open her eyes just as the sound of another player arriving rang out. [System Notice: All players have arrived.] [System Notice: Quest received. You must achieve 10 victories in Nysel Kingdom¡¯s Relinquished Coliseum in order to complete the quest. However, you must also achieve 5 unique player victories. Players defeated by players must fight three consecutive mob encounters before fighting another player. Current progress: 0/10, 0/5] Hm, I understand. Looking around, I noticed a key feature¡ªall these players, including myself, must have been solo players. The last person who arrived looked familiar, and wielded a bow. His camouflage equipment instantly told me who he was¡ªthe veteran I met on Floor 11¡ªDavorin. I knew he was also a solo player, considering he didn¡¯t take the counter quest alongside the other players. I also never encountered this type of floor when I came through on Easy and Normal. Player Davorin probably noticed the quest, and then his eyes locked with mine. I saw him shaking his head, mouthing the words, ¡°Fuck me.¡± He walked over to the table I sat at, saying, ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll be here longer than last time.¡± He ordered some food and immediately began chowing down. I stopped paying attention as I received a system notification. [System Notice: Your match will soon begin. Countdown: Two minutes.] I watched as the countdown remained in my vision, ticking down. The faster, the better¡ªten victories in ten fights, let¡¯s do it. Chapter 30: Fight, Fight, Fight Chapter 30: Fight, Fight, Fight [System Notice: Mob encounters will adjust to your Potential Level. Potential Level takes into account your Level, Attributes, Equipment, Abilities, and Class. Warning: Mob encounters can kill you.] [System Notice: Calculating your Potential Level¡­: 57] [System Notice: Your match is about to begin.] 57? There¡¯s no way¡ªwhere is the system pulling this crock of shit from? I was suddenly enveloped in an aura of white as I was transported to one side of the coliseum amidst my thinking. The coliseum, however, was empty. No one to cheer, no one to jeer. There was just silence as I stood in the empty arena. I saw an aura of purple streamed along with black swirling across the coliseum. From within the aura, a beast began materializing. It stood ten feet tall, and monstrous horns erected from its head. The earth crumbled as it took steps, hooves pounding the ground. [System Notice: Your match has begun.] I took in the full sight of the beast, it''s bull-like features standing out as it''s data came forth. [Crazed Minotaur, Minotaurus, Labyrinth Seeker, Lv57] It''s bronze body glistened a reddish hue as actual steam surfaced off its hide, eyes flushed red. It was quite the distance away, but considering its size and my perception, I could see clearly enough. It charged itself up as if it was the ancestor of bulls, horns held low as it stepped off with one of its legs, getting down on all fours. I didn''t think Minotaurs did that, but here it was in all its glory. I instantly got ready for the fight¡ªimmediately activating {Adrenaline} to bolster my fighting capability. I wasn''t sure if I needed to use my ''Ashen Gladius'' or my ''Vanquisher'', but I, of course, loaded a mana bolt and fired away at the beast. It dodged my bolt as it quickly turned, rolling over into a two-hooved position and continuing its charge. I loaded another as it quickly made its way over to me. Considering its high level, I would have to rely on {Shrouded Shadow}, my shield definitely not able to resist the attack of a level 57 named and titled boss. I let a bolt fly, instantly loading another and rapid firing where I expected it to dodge. Its body contorted in a fashion completely unimaginable to me, a ten-foot-tall monstrosity acting nimbly as its charge never once stopped, dodging both my shots as its face was in front of mine¡ªthe beast being back on four legs. Minotaurus thrust its two horns at me, and I took the opportunity to put in a point-blank shot as {Shrouded Shadow} activated. [Crazed Minotaur, Minotaurus, Labyrinth Seeker, Lv57, takes 17400 damage.] Completely unresisted. Minotaurus had been wide, where physically dodging the attack would take much more ability than I could cater right now. I activated {Sudden Slumber} as I landed on this wild beast''s back, jumping off after the sleep was successful. Then I turned around, activating {Mana Bolt} and firing it off at the Minotaurus. [Crazed Minotaur, Minotaurus, Labyrinth Seeker, Lv57, takes 17400 damage.] I took a step back as the Labyrinth Seeker awoke due to the attack. It instantly twisted and kicked back as it landed on its front hooves, and I barely dodged the sudden attack. How does it move like that? I realized I made a mistake after taking my shot while it slept. I should have let it sleep longer, and as my attack was unresisted¡ªcharged up a more powerful shot. I kept the idea in mind as Minotaurus struck again. My {Sudden Slumber} cooldown was lowered due to {Adrenaline}, so I kept myself in the shadows as the Crazed Minotaur was unable to ascertain my position. It started crashing its horns into the ground, causing small, disturbing ruptures. The beast suddenly stopped, looking straight in my direction. It started its charge back up, running where I was currently at. I activated the blink before it could crash into me, which would have wasted one of my blinks, going up and over the Crazed Minotaur. It must have had some weird sense, as I shot a mana bolt at it, but its body once again moved strangely and dodged it.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. All these missed shots¡­ The rate at which I fired was wasting my mana, even though I had {Heart and Soul of a Troll}, I only regened mana every minute. If I kept this up, I¡¯d eventually be pretty low on mana, and mana was what let {Shrouded Shadow} keep me safe. I swapped to ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ to lower my mana usage, letting it regen as I focused on dodging where I could and {Shrouded Shadow} activating otherwise. Hitting Minotaurus with my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ proved much easier as it decided to trade hit-for-hit. This boss was almost twice the level of Kritikikuku and Kaiser, and its health was definitely much more than twice those. {Sudden Slumber} came off cooldown so I decided to use it, putting Minotaurus to rest. This is it. Minotaurus stood still as it slept, and my mana regened to 63. I needed to keep enough for another bout of {Shrouded Shadow}, so I swapped ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯, loaded {Mana Bolt} with 50 mana, and fired the heavy bolt from the enlarged ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ at the Labyrinth Seeker. Come on, {Lucky Strike}! [Crazed Minotaur, Minotaurus, Labyrinth Seeker, Lv57, takes 87000 damage.] The damage was huge, but the Minotaurus still stood. Fuck ¡®Potential Level¡¯. I felt like I was put in a big disadvantage. Sure, I was strong in some aspects, but I was still Level 11. One thing that came to mind though, as I was now attempting to dodge the awoken Minotaurus, was why I wasn¡¯t instilled with the same fear I had felt back on Floor 6. I was at an over 40 level difference in this fight, but¡­ I didn¡¯t feel death breathing down my back. My dodging, however, was getting better against the Crazed Minotaur, and I slowly cut into it a few more times with ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ trading hit-for-hit. And finally, an anticlimactic finish happened as the beast lay dead after running itself into me. [System Notice: You gained 240000 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Strength increased by 1. Agility increased by 2.] [System Notice: You learned a new Ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Labyrinthal Shift}.] {Labyrinthal Shift} - An active ability. Once activated, you will bend space as needed to avoid all incoming attacks for a short period. No cooldown. Requirements: 100 Agility. Mana Cost: 100. An aura of light enveloped me as I was moved back into the waiting room, noticing two other players still there¡ªor having already returned from their own fights. I also noticed my mana and health completely regenerated to full. That was a very large amount of experience points¡ªalmost putting me to Level 12! If I keep this up then, perhaps I could make up some lost experience. That ability though. I won¡¯t be able to use it for quite a long time, if ever, but it''s almost like an invincibility-type ability. So it wasn¡¯t necessarily my aim. [System Notice: Quest progress: 1/10, 0/5] [System Notice: Currently awaiting all players. Two more players remain.] I thought that I took a long time for my coliseum fight, but it turns out two more players were still in theirs¡ªNadia and Gregory. ¡°I would ask you your Potential Level,¡± Someone started speaking to me¡ªDavorin¡ªas he walked from the location he had been at, ¡°But I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll see it, and regrettably accept my loss, when we go against one another.¡± ¡°So, players can see their competitors¡¯ Potential Levels? That¡¯s interesting.¡± I looked towards the woman with green-dyed hair, but she was in her own world. I then glanced towards Davorin. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been here before¡ªhave you improved since your last time?¡± He smirked, ¡°Greatly so, but sometimes that doesn¡¯t matter. Some people are just¡ª¡± [System Notice: A player has been defeated three times consecutively by other players and died. Awaiting the arrival of a new player.] Davorin started speaking again, ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t seen that before. Strange the system never announced that being possible before. Most players that don¡¯t make it through die due to the mobs they encounter.¡± ¡°Yeah, tell me about it. This Potential Level thing is bullshit.¡± Literally, I thought, as I just fought against a Minotaur. I saw another player arrive then, it was Gregory. ¡°Finally free of that annoying bitch,¡± Gregory announced as he walked over and sat where he was when I arrived. He was a level lower, but still won¡ªso that means his Potential Level was higher? Or did he just know how to handle his ground better? It made me think, but I didn¡¯t want to think about it too much. However, I had to wait for another player to arrive anyways before I could get my next match. That meant that I¡¯d be here for quite a long time. I grabbed some food, breaking ways with Davorin. He seemed to want to keep his distance but also wanted to talk. It worked for me, as I was similar. I didn¡¯t mind talking to people, but I didn¡¯t want to put my trust in them either¡ªand that didn¡¯t just pertain to the game. From what I could tell, Davorin was pretty easy to talk with. I ended up waiting two days before another player arrived. Davorin kept to himself, as did the green-dyed hair lady, but Gregory came up to each of us for a small chat. He definitely seemed more open with Nadia gone, and eventually, everyone kept to themselves as the last player arrived. [System Notice: All players have arrived.] [System Notice: Quest progress: 1/10, 0/5] [System Notice: Your match will soon begin. Countdown: Two minutes.] The two-minute countdown went by quickly as I was again enveloped in white as I made it to the coliseum. [System Notice: Your match is about to begin. You are fighting a player: Player Josephine] On the other side, there was also an aura of white, different than what had been there when I was faced against the Crazed Minotaur, Minotaurus. A woman appeared from the aura, as the aura surrounding me was beginning to vanish. She had short hair, obviously dyed green, and she held a scepter in her hand, the green jewel shining brightly, sucking in the air around her. [System Notice: Your match has begun.] So she is named Josephine¡­ I took a glance as her data came in, similar to how the Minotaur¡¯s did. I was stunned because I thought it would just say ¡®Player Josephine¡¯ as players I have defeated before had, but this was definitely more in-depth. [Player: Tempest Weaver, Josephine Maxine, Champion of Gallant Tempests, Lv19¡ªPotential Level: 83] It stated their class, full name, title, and both versions of their levels. Not only was this woman some ¡®champion¡¯, but her level and Potential Level was much, much higher than mine. I ground my teeth, sucking in a deep breath. Potential Level really is a crock of shit. Chapter 31: I鈥檓 A Little Lamb Chapter 31: I¡¯m A Little Lamb The air picked up around Josephine as the match started. It was quite the visual, seeing it all swirl around towards the scepter in her hand. I instantly changed to ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and loaded a mana bolt. She may have a higher Potential Level than me, but that wouldn¡¯t mean much to my weapon. How could other players possibly receive such high-grade equipment like mine? After all, my equipment ignored restrictions and was received through unorthodox methods. I took aim, launching my mana bolt at Josephine. I saw her open her mouth as she looked at me, the wind carrying her voice to me, ¡°Sleep well, little lamb.¡± It wasn¡¯t quite what I was expecting, but it seemed like a threat. My mana bolt approached ever closer when suddenly it completely reversed direction and came towards me, not dropping in speed at all. I quickly dodged my own mana bolt before loading another one, when I sensed behind me the previous mana bolt still attempting to hit me. Shit. I instantly spent 20 mana to merge into the shadows. To be honest, this was a cop-out. I wasn¡¯t sure if magic attacks activated the automatic portion of {Shrouded Shadow}, as Kaiser¡¯s magic attack previously had a silence effect which didn¡¯t allow me to avoid it. Though perhaps it would be better just to test it out now. The mana bolt no longer knew where I was¡ªrather Josephine didn¡¯t know. The bolt of mana was still being controlled by her somehow. I ran towards her while keeping an eye on the mana bolt, finally reaching close enough to her to put my hand out. You¡¯ll be the one sleeping, ¡®little lamb¡¯. I activated {Sudden Slumber} and thrust my hand towards her body. But my hand wouldn¡¯t go any further. It was caught in some wind veil surrounding her body, and I couldn¡¯t move it towards her at all. I tugged on my hand to no avail, and she turned around as she now knew where I was. She waved her scepter around as the wind picked up speed, lifting my body off the ground and tossing me away. I was now mid-air, tangled up in winds that were quickly picking up speed, unable to settle my body the way I wanted. I felt completely helpless. The wind continued picking up speed as my body was stuck in the air. [You took 50 damage from Player: Tempest Weaver, Josephine Maxine, Champion of Gallant Tempests, Lv19¡ªPotential Level: 83. Current health: 260/310] [You took 50 damage from Player: Tempest Weaver, Josephine Maxine, Champion of Gallant Tempests, Lv19¡ªPotential Level: 83. Current health: 210/310] I started taking some high damage over time from the clawing winds, hitting faster than my regen could keep up with. I tried to use {Shrouded Shadow}, but I was instantly knocked out of the shadows as the wind kept me within itself. My health kept dropping faster and faster, and then I received some disappointing system notifications, my own mana bolt doing me in. [You took 8500 damage from Player: Miraculum, Zeryn Felix, Favored by Tethralin, Lv11¡ªPotential Level: 57. Current health: 0/310] [System Notice: You were defeated.] I was surrounded by an aura, freeing me from the ravaging winds as I was placed in the coliseum¡¯s waiting room. Another aura appeared shortly after¡ªJosephine appearing from within. She took light steps as she walked over to her seat, not sparing me a glance. [System Notice: As you were defeated by a player, you will have three consecutive mob encounters before fighting another player. Current progress: 1/10, 0/5] How the hell am I supposed to beat someone like that? I was played with like I was some toy. I sat there, a bit grumpy at how easily I was defeated, trying to figure out what I could have done differently. Though, I don¡¯t think I could have done much. I couldn¡¯t even put a finger on her. Sigh. Other players started coming back from their fights shortly after, but the newcomer took a while to return. Come to think of it, he looked a tad familiar, but I couldn¡¯t place my finger on it. Perhaps he was someone I encountered on a prior life. [System Notice: Quest progress: 1/10, 0/5] [System Notice: Your match will soon begin. Countdown: Two minutes.] I tapped my foot as the system counted down. Three mob encounters. I¡¯ll be here for sometime¡­ Even if I got through my fights quickly, I still had to wait for other players for my matches. The way this whole ordeal conducted itself was annoying and bothersome. I again sighed. So much bull¡ª [System Notice: Your match is about to begin.]Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. An aura of white light enveloped me as I was once again placed on one side of the coliseum. The lights danced on the other side as purple and black swirled around, bringing forth my enemy. As soon as the beast took a step out from the aura, I felt a raindrop on my face. Looking up, I noticed the sudden appearance of dark clouds and rain started pouring down. The beast itself was somewhat small, white in appearance with blue streaks, looking sort of like a raccoon. Its coat was long and it looked majestic as it sat down on the now wet ground. I heard a loud crackle¡ªthunder¡ªjust overhead when a lightning bolt struck the beast. The blue of its fur vaguely glowed as its hair stood on end. [Elite Raijukin, Tan Tan, Chaser of Storms, Lv57] I really hope everything I fight isn¡¯t a boss, this is getting ridiculous. Tan Tan quickly disappeared from my sight as the clouds covered the coliseum in darkness. Lightning bolts fell in its path as the Raijukin appeared instantly before me. It was insanely fast, but I¡¯ve dealt with fast before. I really hoped my future fights didn¡¯t all end up like this, but I had to make my way through the mobs anyhow. Tan Tan dove through my body in full force as its speed increased several fold before puncturing through me. {Shrouded Shadow} activated, negating the damage and allowing me to blink towards where Tan Tan landed after its speedy dive. I put it to sleep with {Sudden Slumber}, losing 75 health points from its electrically-charged fur before creating distance and letting my health and mana regenerate. Forgot to activate {Adrenaline}¡ªgod dammit what¡¯s wrong with me? I could blame it on the heat of battle, but it was my own carelessness that allowed it to happen. I kept my eyes on Tan Tan, hoping it would sleep long enough for me to regenerate enough so that I could charge a {Mana Bolt}. After this coliseum floor, I should upgrade ¡®Vanquisher¡¯. Right now would not be good due to it increasing my Potential Level. Or should I wait to see what {Spin!} can give me? Only two ¡®Upgrade Jewels¡¯ left¡­ A quick light interrupted my vision as a bolt of lightning slipped up from the ground in front of me, returning to the clouds above. Kill it before it kills you. I charged up {Mana Bolt} with 50 mana, preparing to fire at the boss with ¡®Vanquisher¡¯. Do not wake up before it hits you. The bolt traveled towards the Chaser of Storms, successfully impaling it with its increased might. [Elite Raijukin, Tan Tan, Chaser of Storms, Lv57 takes 87000 damage. {Lucky Strike!} Elite Raijukin, Tan Tan, Chaser of Storms, Lv57 takes additional 174000 damage. ] [System Notice: You gained 240000 EXP.] [System Notice: You gained attribute(s) through battle. Vitality increased by 1.] [System Notice: You leveled up to Lv12! Congratulations! Health increased by 10. Mana increased by 2. You received 2 AP.] I was back in the waiting room as the match swiftly ended. That quickly, huh? I was the first person¡ªno, another person was here before me¡ªJosephine. What the hell? [System Notice: Quest progress: 2/10, 0/5] [System Notice: Currently awaiting all players. Three more players remain.] Josephine was undoubtedly a Hardcore player, and she could handle mobs her Potential Level with ease just like that? It was quite concerning¡ªand scary. If I encountered her in a PVP situation, would I die just like that? Her title¡­ she was a champion¡ªperhaps she is some god¡¯s champion, similar to what the Ashen Flame goddess offered me? That must explain it. Before I knew it, the other players arrived from their battles. I received the familiar system notifications and the countdown started ringing down. Guess I¡¯ll take the easy way out¡ªwait. I quickly added the two points I received from leveling up to my Luck, bringing it to 40. Luckily for me, a notification popped up. [System Notice: Congratulations! You have reached 40 Luck. You unlocked the class ability: {Lucky Resist}.] {Lucky Resist} - A passive ability. All defense values scale off Luck. You have a chance of resisting 95% of received damage. What¡¯s the chance? I looked at my new ability, quite happy with it. Though it was disappointing most of my skills are now useless outside of abilities, those can be leveled through {Battle Prowess}¡ªor so I hoped. The aura took me to my side of the coliseum, and I awaited the arrival of my next enemy. [System Notice: Recalculating your Potential Level¡­: 61] ...right. I did level up and receive a new ability. This battle would be number two of three for my back-to-back mob encounters. I would take it easy, doing what I had before¡ªsleep and strike. The malicious aura swirled on the other side of the arena, and I met my next enemy. Well, it turns out, I¡¯ve actually met this enemy before. [Ogre, Baar Tuugi, Lv61] Baar Tuugi was the Floor 10 boss I encountered on the lower difficulty¡ªand should have encountered on Hardcore, but was instead met with Raash Miira Guugi. It was practically a carbon copy of that boss, the only difference being its new level. Does the coliseum just pull mobs straight from the game, not showing new enemies? Luckily, this mob didn¡¯t have a title, meaning its difficulty shouldn¡¯t be as high. I stuck to the simple method of putting it to sleep, creating distance and powering up ¡®Vanquisher¡¯. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get a lightning ability to make me faster! If I can¡¯t be caught by magical or physical, then my survival chances will just increase. I fired off the powered up bolt of mana. Lucky strike this guy so this whole process goes by faster, please. [Ogre, Baar Tuugi, Lv61 takes 99000 damage.] Dammit. The ogre woke up, and I started evasive maneuvers. It was level 61 but didn¡¯t seem to have any new tricks as it just tried to chase me with its giant, wooden club. It smashed the club into the ground but moved slowly and sluggishly. I waited for my mana to regenerate while {Sudden Slumber} came off cooldown. I repeated the simple process, placing Baar Tuugi under sleep and finished waiting for my mana to come to a decent number¡ªenough for me to be able to use {Shrouded Shadow} and deal close to 100,000 damage. It took three minutes for my mana to regenerate enough, and I fired off a shot similar to my first, but with a tad bit less mana. [Ogre, Baar Tuugi, Lv61 takes 90000 damage. {Lucky Strike!} Ogre, Baar Tuugi, Lv61 takes additional 180000 damage.] [System Notice: You received 180000 EXP.] [System Notice: You received a new title: Slayer of Mighty Foes.] [Title: Slayer of Mighty Foes] - Passive effect: +10 Strength. Active effect: +5 Strength, +5 Vitality [System Notice: Quest progress: 3/10, 0/5] [System Notice: Currently awaiting all players. Two more players remain.] I had to admit, the experience and rewards I had been receiving were great. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should stay here and farm, but the answer was probably not to do that. I needed to continue climbing the tower in one piece and get strong enough to not be played with like a toy, or be a pawn in anyone¡¯s scheme. Especially when I get out of here¡ªI¡¯ll have to fix the mess they put me in. Chapter 32: The Plot Was A Lie Chapter 32: The Plot Was A Lie I was currently sitting in the waiting room with Josephine and Gregory. Gregory had a look of disbelief on his face as he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off her. His lips quivered as faint sounds escaped, ¡°Monster¡­ monster¡­¡± I could understand his plight, assuming he just fought against her¡ªshe really was a monster. Next appeared Davorin and the newcomer. His footsteps¡ªDavorin¡¯s¡ªwere heavy as he walked to the far wall, his eyes sullen, leaning against it when system notifications appeared. I waited for the countdown as I took in the people around me. My previous thought of the newcomer being familiar kept getting stronger, but I figured I would find out in a future fight. It wouldn¡¯t matter much, anyhow. I appeared in the coliseum having to fight against another level 61 mob. The beast was similar in size to the Crazed Minotaur I fought previously, but this one looked much more like an elephant. It had two lengthy tusks protruding outward as it flailed its trunk around. Fire ran along the rim of its ears, and I couldn¡¯t quite see its backside, but its feet were likewise covered in fire. The skin of this beast tinged red. [Hearthborn Elephant, Lv61] There wasn¡¯t anything special about it¡ªjust a flaming elephant. That would mean that the mobs encountered in the coliseum were probably completely random. I waited for its charge, but it was terribly slow. Not only that, but its attacks were most likely fire-based, which I had a high resistance towards. I pegged the Hearthborn Elephant with mana bolts as I kept my distance¡ª{Sudden Slumber} was not really needed here. [Hearthborn Elephant, Lv61, takes 13500 damage.] [Hearthborn Elephant, Lv61, takes 13500 damage.] [Hearthborn Elephant, Lv61, takes 13500 damage.] Even though it picked up speed, I could still outrun it. It didn¡¯t even seem to have a long-range attack. I finally put the elephant to rest¡ªthe only thing it really had going for it was the slight magical resistance it seemed to have and the extra amount of health. [System Notice: You gained 90000 EXP.] [System Notice: You learned a new ability through {Assimilation}. You learned {Staggering Force}.] {Staggering Force} - An active ability. Your next attack produces a staggering effect depending on the amount of mana used. Requirements: 30 Vitality. Minimum mana cost: 5. Can¡¯t use it¡­ It was a pretty good ability, but I would have to spend my points on Vitality rather than Luck to get it online, and Luck did everything for me right now. If only I could get an ability that increased my health by Luck, I faintly chuckled as I entered the waiting room. I still needed to win six more mob encounters and all five player encounters. I was the last to arrive, surprisingly, and the countdown started shortly after. We didn¡¯t get much rest unless we were waiting on the arrival of a player. This should be a player fight, right? The system shortly answered my thought. [System Notice: Your match is about to begin. You are fighting a player: Player Jameson] Hm, Jameson? That must have been the newcomer¡ªwait. Jameson¡­ The man appeared on the opposite side of the arena as he stepped out of the aura. Now I knew why he looked familiar. Black hair fell from the sides of his balding head, no longer groomed as it had been when I first saw him. The dark-brown heavy armor was completely different than the suit he had worn before. This man before me was Jameson Ender, the spokesperson for Xyvarc Corporation.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. [Moderator: Thrall Keeper, Jameson Ender, Slayer of Mighty Foes, Lv17¡ªPotential Level: 69] He had the same title I just acquired but was here a shorter time than me. He was a higher level, with a slightly higher Potential Level, but the thing that caught my eye was the fact he was a moderator! ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a mod?¡± I had originally drawn my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ out, but I slowly lowered it as Jameson Ender just stared down at his wrist. I looked where he was, noticing he was wearing a watch. Was he looking at the time? ¡°Hah. A mod¡ªyes, I am. Not that it means anything besides this thing.¡± He waved the hand with the watch around. ¡°Your attributes and skills are quite an anomaly, maybe around the middle of the pack of Hardcore players from what I gathered before getting thrown in here. You should be so proud of yourself.¡± He kept staring at his watch, not even looking up at me. I raised my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ at him, using {Mana Bolt} to get this fight over with. ¡°You know, sometimes you should stop and listen,¡± he looked at me then and I felt like he saw straight through me. ¡°Zeryn Felix. Age 23. You used to live in Taleforn Province before moving to Anascence City. You left your ill mother in search of employment¡ªsettling as working as a contracted laundry assistant for Xyvarc Corporation. But oh the agony, a tip¡ª¡± ¡°Stop.¡± I fired my mana bolt at him. I didn¡¯t want to remember home, even agreeing to play to escape that mess. My mana bolt disappeared mid-flight as a pitch-black object likewise came and disappeared into the ground. ¡°Yes, get agitated. It makes my job easier.¡± He cackled as I prepared another mana bolt. But before then I made sure to activate {Adrenaline}¡ªI needed to remember to always have it on. He must be getting all my information from that watch¡­ but why does it have that info? I didn¡¯t see the black object anywhere, but I started strafing as I was ready to fire. ¡°Right, where was I? A tip that you were plotting with another company, Ever Daybreak, to infiltrate and steal the soul technology that Xyvarc Corporation had been working on for years. You were caught on-site by security, told that you had already been investigated, and would face execution.¡± I stopped moving. He even knew that¡ªhow public did it get? ¡°If you know all that, then you also know I didn¡¯t do any of that.¡± I refuted his claims. There had never been any plot, and I had to make money to pay for the medicine my mother required, so I obviously had to get a job. I fired a mana bolt at Jameson Ender to no avail. The black object came from thin air, completely negating my attack. ¡°Hah, of course I know you never did that. It was all fabricated¡ªdon¡¯t worry, kid. You weren¡¯t the only one.¡± He pointed to himself. ¡°See me, I¡¯m here, too, right? Even if they gave me moderator. I guess it¡¯s karma for doing my job, coming across players I¡¯ve put here¡ªoops.¡± He waved at me. He¡¯s a psycho¡­ ¡°You¡ªyou did this?¡± My breath grew ragged listening to him speak. But maybe he was right¡ªstopping and listening here was something I should do. Calm down and think about what to do. I still needed to survive. And perhaps there were some answers in his words. ¡°A bit of it. Hasn¡¯t it been great? Sometimes it is easy to get people to do things you want, all it takes is a push in the right direction. As long as more bodies come into ¡®Tethralin¡¯, food gets put on my table. Well, not now but¡­ Oh, hey! Get angry, idiot. You only have yourself to blame. You~signed the contract, haha.¡± He was laughing as the black object rose from behind him. The contract was a complete sham, though. It listed out every side effect you could think of for taking medicine. Dizziness, constipation, etc, eventually mentioning it could lead to more severe side effects, to include death. We had to accept the risk to play¡ªand I was offered to play the game as reparation for ¡®plotting to steal technology¡¯. It was stupid¡ªbut our continent¡¯s laws have always been stupid. As long as there is money, ugh. But goals¡ªI realized now they wanted people to join ¡®Tethralin¡¯, but why? It was free, why would they do such things to get people to play? ¡°Why¡­¡± I took a second to control myself. ¡°Why do you need bodies to play ¡®Tethralin¡¯?¡± He stopped laughing, shrugging his shoulders as he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t get paid enough to know that. Oh, but the pay is good. Who needs morals when you get money? And here, I can do pretty much whatever I want as long as I have the might. Just like the olden days, might is right!¡± The black object behind Jameson Ender starting forming a body. It looked decrepit, growing claws on both hands and feet as arms and legs elongated from its torso. The head twisted out from the center of the object, and it looked like it was trying to resemble¡­ me. ¡°Tsk, this Mimic Shade didn¡¯t feed enough. Well, that¡¯s a bummer. Let¡¯s see, killing a Hardcore player¡ªah, shit. Right, this is a stupid arena, no killing you.¡± Shade. He definitely said Shade. He¡¯s controlling a Shade! I pulled ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ up, taking aim at the two enemies in front of me. The Shade didn¡¯t have any information, so I couldn¡¯t see its level. Just as I was about to fire a bolt of mana, the shade opened its mouth, firing a bolt quite similar to the ones I had fired earlier. I quickly dodged, recalling he called it a ¡®Mimic Shade¡¯. So it¡¯s going to copy me? Does he just stand there and I fight it? Jameson Ender¡¯s eyes fell back on his watch as the Mimic Shade finished forming and awkwardly stepped around on the field. It seemed like it was drunk or something as it swayed around, but I knew it wasn¡¯t that simple. I fired my mana bolt at Jameson Ender who was now behind the Mimic Shade. The Mimic Shade intercepted it, and I received no notifications whether it received damage or not. The man who practically put me in here¡ªno, not just him¡ªXyvarc Corporation wanted it. I did feel angry, but there was literally nothing I could do now. I wanted to forget the outside and rather live in fantasy, but now nothing makes sense. Well, thinking about it¡ªI guess nothing has made sense since the beginning. I will just try to survive and figure it out as I go, starting with acquiring my first player victory in this coliseum. Chapter 33: A New Quest Chapter 33: A New Quest I need to gather information if I¡¯m going to win this fight. First, the Shade. It is a Mimic Shade. It copies, seemingly having copied me. But what has it copied, how much of me has it copied, and how much of its damage resembles mine? Did it produce the mana bolt as I did, or did it use one of my prior shots and sent it back towards me? I used {Mana Bolt}, feeding it into ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and readying it towards the Mimic Shade again. I slightly pulled on the trigger, but not quite hard enough to fire the shot off. The Mimic Shade must have noticed I was just about to complete my action as it quickly opened its mouth, a grotesque sound echoing from within, and out fired one of the bolts of mana. I was already prepared for this as it was a repeated action, so I dodged to the right, taking aim at Jameson Ender. If I let this bolt go, then the chance of the Mimic Shade intercepting it again is high. Something is telling me the Mimic Shade hasn¡¯t actually copied {Mana Bolt} and is just somehow storing and sending them back out at me. If that is so then¡­ it should have one left. I can keep my distance with ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and not actually fire a shot until the Mimic Shade is emptied out. Then what, approach the battle in melee with ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯? As I already had a mana bolt loaded, it was unnecessary to use it again. The Mimic Shade didn¡¯t stray far from Jameson Ender at all, especially as ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ was aimed in their direction. I slowly inched my way forward while I continued strafing towards the right, never dropping my aim or my watch on the both of them. Jameson Ender didn¡¯t bother turning to look at me but the Mimic Shade sure did¡ªthough only its head turned as it walked around Jameson Ender, its body facing the direction it originally appeared in. I saw Jameson Ender kneel down, placing his hand on the rough surface of the ground. He had been awfully quiet since he actually started ¡®fighting¡¯, and even as I teased the trigger with my finger, the Mimic Shade didn¡¯t fire what should be the last mana bolt it absorbed¡ªif my thinking was correct. I¡¯ve been wrong before and I wouldn¡¯t put it past me to be wrong again. Keeping my eyes forward on the two, Jameson Ender finally turned his head to look at where I was. There was a horrific look on his face as the corners of his lips turned upwards. It put me off, but the ground in front of me suddenly dimmed and I could see the shadow of something large blocking out the light shining from above. Behind me! I turned around as I took a step back, my vision of the rest of the coliseum completely blocked out by the large black object. I had to look quite high to see what it actually was and, of course, it happened to be another Shade¡ªmuch larger than the Mimic Shade by Jameson Ender. I could see two, what I would consider were arms, protruding from the Shade. Raised above its head were two hands clasped together, forming a large black boulder. The new Shade brought its arms, and the black boulder formed by its hands, straight down to my location in an attempt to crush me. From behind, where the Mimic Shade and Jameson Ender were, I could hear a grotesque sound identical to what I heard earlier from the Mimic Shade. It was a two-pronged attack by the two Shades. My priority was to dodge the mana bolt, then deal with the encroaching attack of the much larger Shade. The Mimic Shade¡¯s aim seemed quite accurate from its two prior attacks, but it didn¡¯t account for its target moving. I threw myself straight to the ground and rolled towards the right¡ªwhich was the left from where I had originally been when facing Jameson Ender. The attack I expected to come from above never came, instead replaced by a loud aching below¡ªthe mana bolt from the Mimic Shade piercing this large one. I quickly recovered, sprawling to my feet as I continued heading left, taking a quick look towards the large Shade before refocusing on the Mimic Shade and Jameson Ender. Jameson Ender had a look of surprise as he smacked the Mimic Shade. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t within his plans for it to work out like that, but seeing him smack what looked like my face was quite upsetting. I wanted to do what I thought would be appropriate and fire ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ at the two enemies in the distance, but if I did that then it was highly likely the Mimic Shade would just do what it had been. Jameson Ender is level 17. Josephine was level 19 and her damage didn¡¯t seem relatively high though it did pierce through both physical and magical defenses. The reason I was defeated, besides being stuck in the wind force, was due to my own attack. Even if their Potential Level is high¡ªwhat does that really mean? If it isn¡¯t a case of their damage, then what? My Potential Level seemed high, but I based that primarily off ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ being [A] rank. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I took a deep breath as I cleared myself away from the bellowing Shade which seemed to slowly be fading away. I made my choice then, running quite quickly towards Jameson Ender and the Mimic Shade. I wasn¡¯t as fast as the Crazed Minotaur or the Elite Raijukin but I sure felt fast as I made my way towards them, morphing ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ into ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯. One thing I noticed about Jameson Ender, other than him being a prick, was that he had no weapon. As long as I got my strike in, I should be able to take him out. Jameson Ender just stood there, waiting for me to come to him. The Mimic Shade started breaking off from his position while another black object started forming in front of Jameson Ender. His class was a ¡®Thrall Keeper¡¯, but right now it definitely seemed more like a ¡®Shade Keeper¡¯. This new Shade that began forming seemed like the defensive-type, spawning with a shield larger than my own, and a long, black spear. The Mimic Shade now came to meet me head-on as the defensive Shade was protecting Jameson. It dragged its claws as it ran awkwardly towards me and when we were but a foot apart, I swiped my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ at it, meetings one of its claws. I didn¡¯t stop my momentum too much as I then thrashed into it with my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯, but its awkward movement made me slip right past its body, causing me to stumble and my blade no longer felt the pressure from its claws. I swung ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ from my far side in an attempt to hit the Mimic Shade, but its body nimbly leaped away. I heard a sound coming from where Jameson Ender was then, as well as the feeling of being hit with a paper airplane. [You took 0 damage from Moderator: Thrall Keeper, Jameson Ender, Slayer of Mighty Foes, Lv17¡ªPotential Level: 69] The defensive-type Shade started creating another black spear, the one thrown at me now disappearing. I took 0 damage from the Shade¡¯s attack, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I was supposed to be surprised or not. I knew two things: my armor had a high defense value, and all my defense values scaled by my Luck. What I was questioning now was why {Shrouded Shadow} did not activate. I was definitely hit by an attack, but was it because I took 0 damage that it didn¡¯t need to negate the damage and truly activate? If that was the case, then that would actually save me quite a bit of mana. The next question was if the Shade¡¯s damage was low enough, would it be worth using this fight to rebuild my stock of ¡®Hellfire Flasks¡¯? Though, its damage could be at some strange level where it tears through my shield¡¯s defense, but not high enough to tear through my armor. It was a risk that wasn¡¯t worth taking. My decision made, I decided to run directly towards Jameson Ender, ignoring the Mimic Shade behind me unless I heard the grotesque sound of it firing a mana bolt, but as it approached me in melee, I assumed it didn¡¯t have the capability of producing its own bolts. It seemed that I was quite lackluster against mage classes, seeing as how Josephine handled me so easily. Or perhaps Jameson was just weak, but that couldn¡¯t be it. I assumed he beat Davorin seeing as how Davorin seemed awfully down when he came back. So why did Jameson seem so confident against me? What gave him that sense? I heard Jameson Ender¡¯s voice then¡ªit seemed a bit shaky, but he got it out, ¡°No¡­ no. Something is wrong¡ªyour stats, they¡¯re all messed up. This fucking watch.¡± He started beating on his own wrist. ¡°Piece of shit. Useless Shades. Stop standing there, fucking kill him dammit! Don¡¯t let him come here pieces of shit!¡± The defensive-type Shade obliged as it took slow steps towards me. I was already running, but as Jameson seemed very upset, I forcefully mixed myself into the shadows, causing the two Shades to stop moving completely. It was almost as if they lost their aggro sense on me and just stood there as I approached Jameson Ender. His countenance changed as tears started streaming down his face, ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not¡­ even supposed to be here¡­ please, please don¡¯t. Please don¡¯t kill me. I don¡¯t, don¡¯t want to die.¡± His confidence must have been shattered, the weaponless Thrall Keeper soon to lose this fight. He seemed to be overreacting as this was an arena fight¡ªhe would only be met with defeat. Perhaps next time he would buy a weapon or a shield instead of having these monstrosities fight for him. Plus, this man was the reason I was even in ¡®Tethralin¡¯. I didn¡¯t sympathize with him; his karma was deserved. I now looked at him with disdain¡ªI needed to keep climbing in hopes of making my way out. I would fight for myself and get strong enough to make sure I wouldn¡¯t be manipulated. The world wasn''t fair¡ªno, not at all¡ªbut I could at least start here, learn to grow up and handle the outside affairs as best I could. I brought my ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ up, ready to deal the finishing blow to start my next match. Jameson Ender must have felt his impending loss as he dropped to his knees, shaking quite uncomfortably. I guess the faster this ended, the better. I was happy with myself that I defeated not just a player, but the manipulative person who started this mess. Final words spewed out of Jameson Ender¡¯s mouth just as my blade came swooping down, ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to be here¡­ Why was I forced down three floors¡­¡± Blood spewed out from where his head had rested, the head falling to the ground. His body slumped over, and my eyes went wide as it started disintegrating like it was a mob that had died, and not a player. I hadn¡¯t been teleported out of the fight yet, and all that remained was the watch that had been on his wrist like it was some loot. The shades also disappeared as I looked around in disbelief. It didn¡¯t say he took any damage, nor did it say that he was defeated. I felt like my insides were going to turn outward. It didn¡¯t feel like how when a Goblin died, the death of a player much different. It didn¡¯t feel this way when I defeated the players on Floor 11, so why was this different? Of course, their heads didn¡¯t pop off. I didn¡¯t know what was going on. I just stood there, waiting for the aura to come to take me away¡ªbut it didn¡¯t come. Instead, something else came. [System Notice: You removed a source of the soulless from Tethralin. Reward: 2500 Divinity Points, 3 Wisdom, {Purification}.] {Purification} - A passive ability. Gain Divinity Points from defeating soulless. Permanently removes sources of soulless. [System: Pick up the watch.] [System: Do not pick up the watch.] [System: Pick. Up. The watch.] [System: Quest received. Do not pick up the watch. Reward: Go to the next floor.] [System: Quest received. Pick up the watch. Reward: 10000000 EXP, Class Evolution] Chapter 34: Explosions, Explosions Everywhere Chapter 34: Explosions, Explosions Everywhere There was no way in hell I was touching that thing. Ten million experience points and a class evolution. That was just screaming danger, and my system seemed to have a personality issue. It was literally arguing with itself to get me to pick it up or leave it be. I could only stare at it, wondering what was happening. First, I killed a player. It wasn¡¯t a defeat, no. Their head came off, and they disintegrated like a mob and left behind an item. Now, the system gave me a quest to pick up the watch. Or perhaps somebody else was messing with my system. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time¡ªactually, it happened quite a while ago. What was the name of that NPC? I looked through my inventory and came across the item that had been given to me, ¡®Grace of Saratul¡¯. Saratul, that¡¯s right. Something doesn¡¯t seem right. He was the only NPC to have messed with my system. What does it mean? [System: Pick up the watch.] Right. I¡¯ll¡­ think about it later. ¡°System, take me back to the waiting area.¡± [System: No. You need to leave. You need to learn.] [System: Pick up the watch and you can stay.] [System Notice: Quest completed. You will now be taken to Floor 14.] [System: Stop this!] I wasn¡¯t really given the time to reflect on what just happened. I would have enjoyed a break, a missing player would have definitely provided that but¡­ the way it happened wasn¡¯t how I would prefer it. It was like this game was turning into something more than a game. It must have been due to the soul technology. They did say it was dangerous stuff. The familiar aura of light touched my body, wrapping me in my entirety. It looked like the watch started moving around as a black aura began swirling around it. Dammit. Why can¡¯t I just enjoy the game without someone pulling me around? Sigh. I closed my eyes, should I have just taken the watch? But what would have happened if my class changed into some ¡®Shade-type¡¯ class? Or whatever that was? Would I be killed just like that, too? Would I have to follow the¡­ other system¡¯s instructions? [System Notice: Welcome to Floor 14.] [System Notice: Your quest has continued. Find Madelyn Briggs.] Right, quest continued. From¡­ Floor 11. I was having difficulty readjusting my focus to what I was supposed to be doing, climbing the tower. If I could¡­ make it to the top in one piece, then hopefully I could get out and expose to the world what shit Xyvarc Corporation was pulling. Hopefully they didn¡¯t do anything to my body¡ªJameson Ender was proof that they could do some messed up shit. Fuck¡­ let¡¯s continue with this floor. ¡°System, mobs remaining and player check, please.¡± I did the usual check so that I could get a basis of what is going on with this floor. Just looking at where I was and the system notification meant that I wasn¡¯t at this floor¡¯s starting point. The stink and flowing sound of water gave away where I was¡ªsome kind of sewer. It was quite dark, just the faint glow of some crystals along the wall allowing some light. [System Notice: Current mobs remaining: Unknown.] [System Notice: You are the only player on this floor. 1/1] And more stupidness has shown up, just what I wanted. I looked around, moving up towards the wall so I wasn¡¯t so close to the flowing waste. The blue hue of the crystalline light didn¡¯t really provide much, though it did look pretty. But pretty was the last thing I cared about, I just wanted out of this sewer. I kept my hand along the wall and moved in one direction, making sure to follow the flow of the waste upwards to where it was coming from. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sounds started coming from up ahead, footsteps, the splashing of water. I slowed my steps to try to get a grasp on who was making the sound. {Area Scan}. [Report Received: 3 Presences]
Nysel Kingdom Soldier, Lv27 Nysel Kingdom Soldier, Lv27 Nysel Kingdom Soldier, Lv27
Huh? So weak¡­? It was a wonder why the levels hardly made sense. But that just meant my survivability went up, always a boon. But only three presences made me wonder why these soldiers were down here. ¡°Hello?¡± My voice trailed through the sewer. ¡°Hello?¡± I waited, yet no reply came. I wanted to know if they knew where the captain was. I needed some lead besides to just ¡®go find her¡¯. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have much to cover and she would be right outside the sewer. If only¡ª. An attack. I stepped back, water splashing into the rock wall beside me. Some of the wall chipped away, but I pulled ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ out and loaded a mana bolt. I couldn¡¯t see where the enemy was, but the shot must have come from the other side of the waste stream. I was going to shoot and see if I hit anything but decided against it. ¡°Stop. I don¡¯t want to kill you,¡± but the words were futile, another shot heading straight for me. I held up my ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯. [Biding Hellfire Rupture power at 487/2357.] Hm? Something wasn¡¯t right, my shield suddenly had major defense. Perhaps there was a bug or something¡ªno. The only thing I could really think was that {Lucky Resist} actually scaled my shield, too. Why that worked and the defense boosting effect of boots didn¡¯t was a wonder, but that great news for me. Their attacks also weren¡¯t that strong, so maybe¡­ okay. ¡°Stop. I order you on behalf of Princess Madelyn Briggs to cease your attacks and take me to Her Highness.¡± That order was met with mockery, unsurprising to say the least. Laughter broke out among the goons¡ªer, soldiers¡ªas one of the three spoke out, ¡°Princess Madelyn Briggs, huh? Oh, lookie here boys. We got ourselves a real badass in here.¡± ¡°Hah, yes. The princess. Okay, okay. He seems to have some connection to that old bitch. Should we capture him?¡± Hm. Something is wrong here. Something is very wrong here. I can¡¯t see their faces, either. ¡°Well then, since you dare ignore my order and fail to heed my warning, you will suffer the consequences.¡± I tried to sound a bit fancy like before as I pulled all of the energy from my shield, infusing my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and in-turn the mana bolt lodged in it. I didn¡¯t want to kill them as they seemed to know something about the captain, but I needed to put on a show of power. And power is what I had. I shot my bolt straight across the way and could only hope I didn¡¯t somehow hit one of them. I still couldn¡¯t see them, so the shot was literally a shot in the dark. The bolt left the crossbow and planted itself quite quickly into what I assumed was the wall on the other side. I couldn¡¯t see now, though, as my vision quickly was engulfed by the flames that burst out of the explosion of the infused hellfire. Screams rang out as the soldiers caught on fire. Another explosion rang out this time but it wasn¡¯t from my shot. No. Parts of the sewer started exploding and I was knocked around just like the soldiers. And again, something was wrong. There were no damage notifications for either me or the damage I dealt to the soldiers. I got down, holding my shield to block the majority of the explosions. They were hurting but the fire resistance was hopefully helping out. I couldn¡¯t pull my status up during these explosions and the system wasn¡¯t letting me know, either. It was strange when I couldn¡¯t rely on the system to tell me what was happening. The pressure was a different story though, and the screams from the soldiers died out as the explosions started moving down towards the way I had come from. Gotta move. I started crawling while the explosions died down and the sewers caught on fire. There must have been something I didn¡¯t know about sewers and explosions, but I got up and started running towards what was hopefully the location of the exit. The explosions caused me to fumble about but between the fire resistance and {Heart and Soul of a Troll} I figured I would be fine. There it was. The exit I had been looking for finally came into view. I could also hear some sort of alarm blaring. ¡°¡ª¡ªrist attack on Sector Three. Evacuate the area. I repeat, Rebel terrorist attack on Sector Three. Evacuate the area. I repeat¡­¡± I hope that wasn¡¯t me, but quite unlikely. Hm, rebels? Rebels. That made me think of Captain Mad D. Briggs. She wanted to stop the marriage between Nysel Kingdom and some other kingdom. Perhaps that other kingdom became rebellious. I see, that makes sense. But I swear I heard one of the soldiers call her an old bitch. I need to figure out where she is and what is going on. I stepped out through the sewer¡¯s entrance. Immediately, I was met with a squad of five soldiers wearing suits of armor that was colored red, orange, and yellow. Their platemail had an emblem of a black dragon curled up and wrapped in flames right in the middle. One of the soldiers wore a helmet that had a black dragon attached it, looking like it was trying to fly off. They stepped out from the squad who all had their weapons drawn and shields up, which had the same emblem their platemail did. The one who stepped out, however, held some staff with a bluish orb nested on top. ¡°Halt! By the command granted to me by His Majesty, King Herald Azumith III, if you refuse to obey you shall be marked a rebel and sentenced to execution.¡± She aimed her staff directly at me and it started to gather power. It almost reminded me of the scepter that Josephine held, but this one seemed much more¡­ advanced. I stopped as requested and she looked at me intently before turning to the other soldiers behind her, ¡°Prepare to seize him. He is the bomber.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a victim, but it doesn¡¯t matter what I say, does it?¡± Her weapon pulsed and a torrent of water rushed towards me. I dodged the attack and quickly used {Shrouded Shadow} to disappear from their sight and run away. I¡¯m missing something. Did I¡­ take too long? Shouldn¡¯t the king be a ¡®Briggs¡¯? Shit. Status. Nothing happened. But it was working earlier just fine so what changed? Chapter 35: The Inferno Chapter 35: The Inferno I continued spending mana to return to the shadows as I passed by the numerous squads that were out and about. I didn¡¯t really spot any of these rebels, and I eventually ducked into an alley between two buildings. The buildings in this city were much taller and developed than the ones I had crossed before, now having windows and many being two to three stories high. Even when I ran across cities on Easy, none seemed to touch this city¡¯s development. I made sure to take peeks out of the alley, but there was hardly any civilian activity. Only soldiers were patrolling, mainly heading to the sector that some of the explosions seemed to effect. I was finally free and had time to gather my thoughts. So, let¡¯s focus on some priorities. First, I continue focusing on survival. That is easy enough. I just need to not get myself killed and act covertly. Especially since my system is down and I can¡¯t rely on it for anything. At least my abilities work. Second, find the princess to work out the quest and proceed to the next floor. I can¡¯t be bogged down. I can¡¯t do anything if I stay on a floor too long unless there is some kind of progression available to me. I need to ascend so I can leave which ties into priority one. Third, figure out everything else that was going on. That would help ensure priority one, too. If I can get to the next hub after the Floor 20 boss, then I think I¡¯ll be set. Frankly, I hadn¡¯t cared much for this game¡¯s lore. I hardly cared about lore in the few other games I played. I wanted to be strong and not have to feel the day-to-day struggle that life was. Even if I had never been the strongest, the escapism was there. But things were different now. I hadn¡¯t even heard about shades until my encounter with them at the throne room in the Goblin Kingdom. Before then, on Normal and Easy, there wasn¡¯t even a word of them. I wondered if something had happened and the developers decided to add something crazy to make matters worse than they already were. There was something that pulled at me but I couldn¡¯t figure it out. Their focus should be on handling the issue of players entering a vegetative state. Ugh. I smacked my face with both hands to try and refocus on what was going on now. Enough rest for now. It seemed to be nearing evening and the productivity of the soldiers hadn¡¯t died down. It would be quite helpful if I was able to see an overhead visual of the area but I didn¡¯t have any abilities that could assist there. The buildings were numerous and varied in height, but the majority of them were capable of blocking my view of the area. I moved to the corner of the alley I was in and peeked out into the street. A group of Nysel Kingdom soldiers were moving out with their swords and spears. One in the back had a crossbow and one of the men leading their movement held a similar weapon to the one that had shot a torrent of water at me, which I deemed as a ¡®Water Blaster¡¯ for simplicity sake. If they had those weapons, they should have sent them over to the port city so the guards there could use them to protect from the chimera attack, or the Mermen; though I couldn¡¯t be sure at their power against Mermen. ¡°Hey, you there!¡± I turned my head down the alleyway. Two soldiers started marching over my way and it seemed I had been spotted. I immediately cut the corner and activated {Shrouded Shadow} when the soldier then said, ¡°Stop!¡± Many of the buildings, be it if they were homes or shops of various sorts, were damaged. I wasn¡¯t sure where the civilians were, either. I needed to move away from this heavily soldier-centralized sector, so I moved inward to where they had come from, resting my mana as needed at alleys. I went along the way which I expected was towards the inner part of the city. It seemed I was at the outer section as there was a gate with a wall encircling another area. Though the walls were towering so I incapable of seeing beyond them. The gate had two openings and there was a weird pole in between them with four guards, two on each side, protecting the entrances. I backtracked a bit so I could make sure my mana was full before approaching the gate. Afterwards, I entered the darkness and ran towards the opening on the right. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The weird pole that had been in between the two openings immediately pulsed out a barrier that prevented me from moving forward. The crystal that sat on top of the pole turned red and the guards immediately looked towards it but luckily couldn¡¯t see me. Or so I thought. The pole pulsated once again and a wave of energy encompassed my body, preventing me from moving and deactivating {Shrouded Shadow}. ¡°Rebel captured at Gate Two. Be on the lookout for the other rebels.¡± I couldn¡¯t see which guard was speaking or to whom. But a yellow light shot out from nearby, disappeared and a different voice rang out, slightly distorted, ¡°Understood. For the King!¡± ¡°For the King!¡± I wanted to struggle but I couldn¡¯t even try to struggle. I was completely restricted and two of the guards grabbed hold of me, taking me to who knew where. I should have expected the unexpected, been more careful or something. I thought I was doing well but it was quite obvious I was trapped. One of the guards opened a door after moving me through the gate. We entered one of the guard walls just past the city¡¯s inner entrance. Then, I was harshly thrown to the ground. ¡°Return and continue your shift. I¡¯ll interrogate this one.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¡°Get up and sit in the chair.¡± Is he talking to me? I couldn¡¯t move my body or my head, so I had no idea where he was looking or who he was trying to speak with as I was currently strewn across the rough floor. ¡°Get up and sit in the chair!¡± That was met with a swift kick to my side, though it didn¡¯t hurt. My armor was quite resilient. However, not receiving notifications was quite discouraging. I was blind¡ªin the dark, one may say. I tried to speak but was unable as the power binding me prevented much. So I was kicked again. He vocalized his astonishment at my lack of struggle while I was equally astonished at his lack of leg day. I heard him fumbling with something and then I felt relief sweep through my body as I could move again. The binding ability was gone, so I immediately activated {Shrouded Shadow} and was met with disappointment. My abilities were still being prevented. I was pretty sure I could still take him out if necessary, though that would provoke the rest of the guards when they discovered the incident, so I instead decided to comply and sit in the chair. I heard the soldier¡¯s boots clang on the floor as he stepped past me towards the other side of the table I was sitting at and he hurriedly turned around, looking at me as he slammed his hands on to the table. ¡°Give them up!¡± He commanded, putting up an intimidating facade. I had an idea of what he wanted, but I couldn¡¯t be entirely sure. I ended up tilting my head to one side, ¡°The rebels?¡± He slammed a hand on the table again, ¡°So you are with the rebels! Oh man, the bonus I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± he paused, pulling out some weird gem. Then, he squeezed it as a faint gray aura surrounded it, ¡°Captain, I¡¯ve confirmed the capture of a rebel. He identified as such.¡± Then, he let go and the aura evaporated. He turned to me, a huge grin on his face, ¡°Well done, dog. Well done. Ahah¡ª¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not¡­ a rebel?¡± It came out as a question, mainly as I was questioning his joy. I saw the gem he was stroking between his fingers emit a yellow glow, and he pressed it, ¡°Good job, Hildor. I¡¯ll send a squad over to escort the rebel to the Inferno. That¡¯ll make three¡ªso we¡¯ll be having a round of drinks on you, right? Haha. For the King!¡± The gem dimmed and the soldier immediately pressed into it, a gray once again shone through, ¡°For the King!¡± And he let go. ¡°Listen here, punk,¡± I stared him back in the eye, ¡°You¡¯re a rebel. Through and through, no doubt.¡± He started walking around the table, looking me up and down as he circled. ¡°Even worse, you match the description of the bomber. So you bombed a sewer line and destroyed a sector of the kingdom. Didn¡¯t think you rebels would step to bombing your own kingdom. It¡¯s no wonder His Majesty wanted to get rid of all yous.¡± He then made it back around, sitting down and kicking back in his chair. ¡°Luckily for us, we got ways of controlling the fire. But you know that already, rebel scum.¡± Though, I don¡¯t know that. I didn¡¯t think there was getting through to this guy, but I had to think of something. How do I get rid of this silence-type restraint and not get swept into some bind that pretty much incapacitates me? A knock came from the door behind me, and I just kept my watch on the soldier, ¡°Is it safe to come in, Hildor?¡± Hildor jumped up from the chair, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be safe? Hell. Come in, come in.¡± I could hear the door open, and the clanging of boots sounded in the stone room. ¡°Well, we know your fetishes, Hildor. We couldn¡¯t be so¡ª¡± I got up from the chair, tossing it directly at the group behind me and kicked the table towards Hildor. The soldiers seemed surprised, shouting out at Hildor why the prisoner, me, wasn¡¯t restrained properly. I rolled over the table, landing beside Hildor as I then kicked the table over at the group that came in. They had weapons drawn, and I grabbed Hildor, placing my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ at his head. But I couldn¡¯t produce {Mana Bolt}. Then, I couldn¡¯t morph it into ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯. So an empty crossbow was all I had as well as my shield, which, undeniably, was enough. Except if those abilities wouldn¡¯t work, then neither would my hellfire. The group of soldiers hadn¡¯t cared as they watched with amusement. Another one came through the door, holding a weapon similar to the ¡®Water Blaster¡¯ but this one had a yellowish gem embedded in it. ¡°Good on you, Hildor, taking one for the team!¡± And they shot Hildor who I thought I had used as a hostage. He went numb and I followed him to the ground as whatever they used transfered to my body¡ªfeeling just like I had when the pole pulsated. They laughed and walked over to us, hoisting me over one of their shoulders. After that, they just started walking towards the door, and I saw Hildor laying back at the wall, unable to do anything. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re taking this rebel to the Inferno, get Hildor¡¯s ass up and give him the rest of his shift off for today.¡± The Inferno. It couldn¡¯t be too bad, right? I did have high resistance. The only problem are these dumb ass restraints. I needed an ability that helped with that, for sure. Chapter 36: Nysel and Azumith Chapter 36: Nysel and Azumith The Inferno. It wasn¡¯t quite as bad as I had expected. The squad that brought me here tied me up next to two other people, one male and one female, and confiscated my weapon and shield, placing it on a table in front of some robed people. The male and female I sat near had blue garb that was quite tattered and ruined, gaping holes and rips throughout it. We were each against a tall pole as we sat up on a raised platform that was lit up by torches on each corner. It sort of seemed like it was a witch hunt fiasco and we would be burned at the stake. The Inferno, however, was a group of pyromancers - the ones behind the table, clothed in robes similar in fashion to the armor worn by the Nysel Kingdom soldiers - red, orange, and yellow. Their emblem differed slightly from the dragon wrapped in fire, instead, their capes had a dragon wrapping around the sun. There were six pyromancers that made up the Inferno, and they seemed impatient. ¡°Quickly see if there are any more rebels to be caught,¡± one of the pyromancers began speaking, ¡°the ceremony will begin at the first sign of daybreak.¡± The soldiers saluted the pyromancer, ¡°Then that gives us plenty of time, sir.¡± I watched as they left this open town-square like area before feeling like my body regained mobility. Perhaps it was an effect of being a certain distance away from that paralyzing tool they had. So, I turned to the man who I was sat beside. His hair was short and scraggly, a dark-brown that differed from the woman just past him, whose hair was blonde and long. Her hair, however, seemed to have been partially burned at the ends. They both were struggling against the ropes that bound them, though the Inferno didn¡¯t seem to care much. I tried to use various abilities, but even though I was far away from the pole that silenced me, I still seemed restrained, unable to use them. Looking for a different method, I thought it¡¯d be a good idea to try and get some understanding here, so I struck up a conversation, ¡°So you two are rebels, right?¡± They both stopped what they were doing before the raspy voice of the man whispered, ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know who we are?¡± He looked me up and down quickly, ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t notice when you came up here because of the torchlight, but you aren¡¯t wearing the Nysel colors.¡± I dropped my voice to a whisper as well, ¡°Nope, though I guess my shield somewhat resembles the redness of the Nysel colors.¡± ¡°Red? You sully our kingdom. Everyone knows we carry the color blue, signifying our devotion to the Goddess of Vehement Torrents. You are either very unintelligent or purposefully mocking us. Which is it?¡± The man coughed, he seemed quite drained and had a lack of hydration, perhaps. The cough got the attention of the Inferno pyromancers, but they returned to conversing with one another. ¡°I am a bit unintelligent, trust me. I have no idea what is going on, care to fill me in? I just¡­ stumbled across this place. I¡¯m a, well,¡± thinking back to the quest, I guessed it was safe to say, ¡°I¡¯m a mercenary. Was supposed to meet someone, haven¡¯t found them yet.¡± My eyes met the woman beside the man as I looked between the two, giving the short explanation. Both these rebels had blue eyes, though something seemed familiar about hers. She also spoke quietly, ¡°You just stumbled across this place? You somehow stumble into a kingdom at war without knowing anything about it? Alright then, who are you supposed to meet, hmm?¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m up here restrained like the both of you. And apparently, we are here until sunrise, so a little information would be nice. What else is there to do?¡± ¡°Idiot,¡± was all the woman left for me as she went back to fiddling with her rope. The man gave a short sigh, whispering much quieter than before, practically mouthing the words, ¡°Try being married to her.¡± Oh my. His voice afterwards raised a bit and he explained a bit, ¡°My name is Vesin, this wife of mine is Caroline.¡± He gave me a look, then continued, ¡°So those names don¡¯t ring a bell. Alright.¡± He rubbed his head on his knees before looking back at me, ¡°Where should I start? Rebels. So, that is what they call us and I suppose that is what we are, in a sense. We fight because we want the removal of the Azumith. Their prior king, Herald Azumith II, initiated a deal with our Nysel Kingdom - marriage or war. Do you know this much?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Not at all,¡± I shook my head, ¡°it¡¯s news to me.¡± From what I gathered, the rebels were the Nysel Kingdom citizens, and the soldiers weren¡¯t actually Nysel Kingdom soldiers, yet were labeled as such by my {Area Scan}. I needed to listen a bit more, sunrise seemed quite far away still. ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t one for history, as a mercenary you should at least be knowledgeable about the ongoings of the world. Anyhow, our deceased queen agreed to the marriage proposal, but her sister, who had long left the kingdom, received word of this. A plan had been concocted to prevent the wedding and assassinate the Azumith Kingdom¡¯s tyrant king.¡± He took a pause, reading my face. Some of this information seemed a little different than what I knew, unless it was just a repeat of my quest. I nodded my head to see what else I could get. ¡°The plan went awry, information leaking from who knows where, and the princess was captured. Our deceased queen married the king to prevent the war and get freedom for her sister, who was cast out of Nysel Kingdom. Eventually, the king and queen bore a child, and bearing that child was the last thing our queen would do. The tyrant king personally beheaded Queen Elizabeth Briggs, burning her body as the Kingdom of Fire does, and placing her head on a pike for the Nysel Kingdom to see.¡± I didn¡¯t understand. Did the game jump timelines? I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Then the sister¡ª¡± ¡°Yes. She had been gathering forces, and we, the rebellion, are here to reclaim Nysel Kingdom. The new King, child of the two, now rules. His father succumbed to a disease seven years ago, and the prior tyrant king¡¯s sister, who had raised our deceased queen¡¯s child after the beheading, is the force behind King Azumith III. Our job is to rid both of them, and reclaim the throne to where it belongs¡ªthe true blood of Nysel that flows through the Briggs¡¯s family. Only three remain, one of which needs to be purged...¡± ¡°Who¡­ are the other two?¡± I asked, quite curious how all this was working. If I understood correctly, then, the princess, or captain, was now leading the rebellion. Perhaps they knew her location. He looked around, eyed his wife who was pretending not to listen and was working on her rope, and returned focus to me, ¡°Queen Madelyn Briggs, and one I cannot say.¡± I nodded my head in understanding, ¡°I need to join the rebellion. I was requested to be here¡ªlike I said, I¡¯m a mercenary.¡± The woman, Caroline, raised her head, staring me down, slowly speaking, ¡°The queen never asks for outsiders¡¯ help.¡± I kept my eyes locked with hers, feeling an unknown pressure emanating through her words. Something was pulling me, tugging at me. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I had a quest, so I knew there was something I had to do, but wouldn¡¯t get the answer from here, probably. Now, I just needed to escape and find more rebels. ¡°Then, do either of you know how long this silencing thing lasts?¡± ¡°Silencing thing?¡± Vesin asked, ¡°You must mean the Hush. Once you leave its proximity, you will be released from it after an hour or so¡ªyou should be coming clear of it soon.¡± ¡°Alright then, we should be free soon then, too.¡± I flashed a smirk, hopefully letting them on to my intentions. ¡°No. The plan is to wait. They will come¡ªno, they have to come. And the Azumith Kingdom knows that.¡± I didn¡¯t want to wait, but I didn¡¯t really have a way out of the bindings, either. I had an idea, of course, but I didn¡¯t know if it would work. I had to at least wait until I regained my abilities, so I thanked Vesin and Caroline, and waited. They fiddled with their rope, though they didn¡¯t seem to get much done, so I started on mine. I had high stats, but working my way out of a rope seemed much more troubling than I expected. I could see the heat from the torches having an effect on the two. Timed passed, at least three hours, before some chatter came from the pyromancers as soldiers walked up, holding another restrained rebel, and bringing him up to the platform. He was in poor shape, blood soaking his blue armor. He had been placed near me, and immediately spoke past me, ¡°Vesin¡ªI¡­ I had to get captured. I have news for you, and it isn¡¯t good news, either.¡± Vesin looked up at the new arrival, ¡°Dear Goddess, what happened to you, Timothy? What is this news?¡± Caroline also studied this Timothy. ¡°I ran into and fought a couple brutes. I need to tell you¡ªthe rescue is on their way. But!¡± He paused as he needed to catch his breath, heaving up some blood in the process, ¡°But, they¡­¡± he nodded over to the Inferno, ¡°they know who Caroline is. I heard it come in on the Voice Transitor the soldiers had. They won¡¯t wait for the sun this time, they¡ª¡± The pyromancers of the Inferno got up in unison, standing parallel to the platform we were restrained on. They put their hands in front of themselves, palm to palm, before slowly bringing them outward. They created fire, and the fire began to grow as its shape changed. ¡°They won¡¯t be here in time,¡± Timothy whined. The rescue was delayed and the Inferno decided they needed to hurriedly take out us ¡®rebels¡¯. I hoped that the idea I had would work, as I focused on a torch beside me. I stared into the fire¡ªhoping that I could will it towards my hand. I had {Wield Element: Fire} but I wasn¡¯t sure if I could think of controlling it vice actually using my hands to control it. I concentrated as the Inferno began a chant. ¡°Glory to the King. Honor for the Sun. Glory to the King. Honor for the Sun.¡± The chanting grew louder, and a crowd of soldiers began gathering around. Move, fire. Move. Spark or something, just reach my rope. Reach. Reach. The fire from the torch rushed toward my hand, burning the rope binding me. The Inferno¡¯s fire shot into the air before it started descending over us. I quickly stood up, but I wasn¡¯t alone. Caroline actually managed her way out of the rope, and she threw her hands up, water forming over them as she shot it towards the incoming flames. But it wasn¡¯t enough. I had the fire resistance to at least yield most of the damage off me, but I doubted these three here could withstand it. The pyromancers kept feeding mana into it, and I stared at the incoming blaze. Sometimes, things happened for a reason. That''s what I always heard growing up in life, that everything happens for a reason. Something inside me was telling me that there was much more than there seemed. Though the system abandoned me, I could feel that something changed. I can change this. I felt mana surge through my body as I stared at the fire. I could wield fire. I was able to will it to myself. I could do more. So I brought my hands to meet the flames as I felt change spread through me. Chapter 37: Wisdom +1 Chapter 37: Wisdom +1 My knees began to buckle at the pressure of the raging fire. I was able to hold it up, preventing the blaze from burning the platform as well as us. Yet, the pressure from the Inferno members pouring their mana into the attack continued to build up. A soldier wielding a crossbow took aim at me as Caroline conjured a knife of water, working on her husband¡¯s and Timothy¡¯s binding ropes. The soldiers on the sidelines were hesitant to approach, not wanting to be swept up into the flames of the Inferno. That provided us the opportunity to be released, except for the fact that they had ranged attacks, too. The soldier shot at me with his crossbow, and I tried to will some fire to intercept it, but the bolt easily pierced through the little I could move. However, the bolt didn¡¯t even pierce my armor. The flames came ever closer towards the platform as I fell to a knee, the rebels quickly getting down and scrambling off the platform. They were free now and I was left with the problem of where this increasingly massive cylinder of fire would be diverted. Most of the damage from the flame would occur when it crashed into wherever it was meant, with the residual fire being more of a damage over time. That was just how fire worked. As long as I wasn¡¯t swept into the mana-fueled rush of flames, the damage over time wouldn¡¯t affect me much. Since the soldiers were surrounding the area, I let the flame crash around and in front of me, leaving a way out behind me. Some of it fell onto the sides of the platform, immediately catching the wood on fire, then flowed out onto the ground towards the soldiers and the Inferno pyromancers. I stepped back off of the platform as the flow of fire was diverted and the enemy avoiding it. The only soldiers aware of the backside being free of flame were the ones at the backside. The soldiers had weapons, and the rebels did not, except for Caroline being able to wield some water-type magic. Likewise, I was without my weapon and shield. They were behind the Inferno members, which meant that if I wanted to grab them, which I did want to do, I would have to rush through the enemy. Luckily for me, the enemy was dealing with fire and I could take some fire damage to go get them. So, I let the rebels be as I ran around the platform towards the table at the far end. I wasn¡¯t feeling a lot of pain from the fire, so I was certain I wasn¡¯t taking too much damage. The fire did keep the soldiers at bay but the Inferno had stopped putting more pressure in it, instead trying to regain control of the flames. I ran straight into the table, reaching over to reach my ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ and ¡®Kite of Biding Eruption¡¯. These were my most reliable friends in this game, and I was certainly glad I had them back. Then, I returned to the rebels, placing a {Mana Bolt} in four soldiers who were focused on keeping us from leaving. Not many words were exchanged beyond the yelling of the soldiers. We just ran away from the area, passing by the buildings. I slowed my pace to make sure I wasn¡¯t running ahead of them; they knew the way to wherever we were going, I did not. I took a quick glance behind me, noticing the number of soldiers chasing us increased. Timothy, Caroline, and Vesin turned the corner up ahead and I quickly followed suit. Just as I was about to turn, I heard a shout, ¡°Get down!¡± My eyes caught Vesin throwing himself over Caroline, pulling her to the ground as a fully-plated soldier sliced horizontally with a halberd. He was giant, probably nearing eight feet tall, and cleaved straight through Timothy before his swing came to completion, digging itself into the side of the building. The armor was a deep red and looked very knightly, with a dragon rising from the top of the helmet. I didn¡¯t worry much about Timothy¡¯s death as he would be respawned after completion of the floor, and he didn¡¯t seem to be a character who would further my quest. Instead of worrying, I loaded ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ with a 20 mana bolt, immediately firing it at the giant soldier. A light blue, shimmering oval appeared before him, however, causing the bolt to turn into residual mana. Another person wearing deep red robes was visible now, assumedly the one who cast the magic barrier. Her voice was soft, alluring even, ¡°Oh, sweet Caroline. The king demands he sees you. Whether dead or alive, it matters not.¡±Stolen novel; please report. The large soldier pulled his halberd out of the wall, letting out a deep grunt as he swung it down towards Vesin¡¯s back. I began to move in towards the two enemies¡ªat least one of these two needed to survive so I could find the other rebels, and more importantly, Madelyn. Though it seemed like Caroline had it under control as her hands wrapped around her husband and from them, a shield of water interrupted the incoming blade. The two weren¡¯t in a position to move as one was lying on the other, and it also didn¡¯t look like the shield could last too much longer as the giant soldier continued pressing his weight into the attack. I made my way around them, having shrouded myself in shadows during my movement. The mage walked over to where the three were entangled in their mess, wrapping fire around her hands, ¡°Sweet Caroline, so strong¡ªbut not strong enough, are you?¡± She gripped the man¡¯s halberd, fire entwining itself up the pole into the blade, and steam started rising from the shield. She had a wicked smile on her face as she slowly started adding pressure alongside the giant, edging the blade through the shield just a bit faster. {Sudden Slumber}. My fingertips slid between her robe and hood, touching her neck before she collapsed to the floor. The giant was alarmed at my sudden presence directly beside him and I held onto his halberd, jerking it up and away from the shield while the fire began climbing up me. Though my weapons and armor scaled off Luck, my raw power still seemed to scale with Strength, and I was unable to contend once the giant pushed me with the halberd. I made sure to keep my legs wide so I wouldn¡¯t fall and held on as Caroline and Vesin were able to scurry up. I heard a sudden snap as an arrow flew past me into the giant soldier¡¯s armor. I lost focus for a second and that was all that was needed for the giant to squat and force his full height, throwing me away from him. Another arrow came landing beside me, sparking up the gravel on the ground. That doesn¡¯t seem to be my reinforcements, shit. At least his aim is worse than mine. I looked at where the arrows were coming from; a person was perched on one of the buildings with an arrow lodged in their bow¡ªthe tip aflame. He fired it quickly, this one not for me as it headed past the couple that the giant returned focus on, forcing them to halt their escape. Then, enemy soldiers who had finally caught up started cutting off their exit. Caroline brought up some protective water, orb-like as it encased the two. She was breathing heavily and her husband seemed quite useless. I whipped ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ towards the enemy sniper, launching a {Mana Bolt} at him, but they released an arrow which actually intercepted my own bolt. ¡°Glory to the King. Honor for the Sun.¡± And it seems like the Inferno is here, too. Fuck. ¡°Death to the rebels!¡± ¡°For the King!¡± ¡°The King¡¯s champions are holding the rebels down!¡± The shouting increased. I swapped ¡®Vanquisher¡¯ into ¡®Ashen Gladius¡¯ after firing off another bolt, this time towards the giant. Again, it failed. The magic barrier still seemed active and not a one-time effect. So, I slashed at him instead, instantly feeling a powerful rebound as I was thrown back by the barrier. I turned over to sit up, but my body lurched as I coughed up blood. My armor was fine but my insides were pulsating in pain. Bolts and arrows, swords and axes, the giant¡¯s halberd; all of them were hitting away at the water barrier. Her defense was definitely powerful. Someone shot one of the paralyzing shooters at the barrier, but it didn¡¯t do anything. Another person then tried to shoot one at me, but I quickly moved out of the way, entering the shadows as fast as I could. I didn¡¯t have the power to help here. The number of enemies kept increasing. I watched the two inside their barrier, holding steadfastly. The rebound was much worse than I expected. If I attacked now, I would also break out of the shadows. I may end up failing the quest, but the NPCs would just refresh. If I left them¡­ it¡¯d be okay, right? Now that I gave it a thought, how did they end up getting caught? She was obviously strong. Unless they held some weakness of hers, they couldn¡¯t have ended up getting caught. At least¡­ not simply. Soldiers began charging the two. No, they¡­ were fleeing. They began ignoring them and ran past them, escaping from the entrapment of other soldiers any way they could. Confusion spread through the crowd, but the two rebels held firm within the barrier. Then, I saw the cause. Water pounded into a building before the flow changed, now heading down the road towards all of us. Soldiers were swept into it; the Inferno couldn¡¯t stop it with their fire. I tried to run as well, but the pain from the rebound pinged evermore. The flood didn¡¯t stop as it continued onwards, taking down all it ran into. It went past the two rebels, unknown what became of them as the water appeared before me. Yet, it didn¡¯t take me. I could feel it rushing past me, through me, but I was unharmed and unmoving. I could see the caught soldiers flailing around in it. They passed me, and I could see the giant trying his best not to be swept into it as well. I couldn¡¯t see my health, but when I was in the water, I started feeling revitalized. Caroline and Vesin stayed where they were as well, allowing the water to flow past them. The whole experience was something I had nothing felt before. Eventually, the water level fell. The soldiers were all gone, the giant one as well. Footsteps started sounding off in the distance, the water splishing and splashing. Around the corner turned a woman, decorated in blue. Behind her was a cape of flowing water, and her hair, which was widely gray, draped near her calves. Her face was scarred numerously, as were her bare arms, but her eyes were what caught my attention. They were as deep as the ocean, and the milky blue swirled within, but they were exceedingly calm. I knew who she was, and Caroline ran in her direction. ¡°Mother!¡± she cried out. And along with that came my vision being overtaken. [System: Quest complete. You have gained Wisdom: +1.] [System: The learning shall continue.]